Chapter Text
It was cold.
Cold was an understatement. It was freezing.
It numbed his hands and made it bitter. It was as if someone had poured ice on his hands and let it sit for days. It never got this bad down here, at least, it never had gotten this bad in his time on the streets.
As a result, he grew desperate. Desperate enough to be trying to break apart one of the outside vents of the massive mall. It was a new place, having just opened last winter. Something about it…didn’t feel right to him.
Yet here he was.
Because he was desperate.
The vent finally managed to break open, wincing at the ear-pinching sound and how he slightly fell back against the snow. How he could barely feel his hands, and they didn’t look too good either…
He realized he was frostbitten, a mild one, but if he doesn’t get in soon he wouldn’t be surprised if he had to cut it off.
The top of the vent fell onto the floor, allowing him to crawl through the thin walls and dust. He held in a sneeze as he tried to keep his movements as light as possible. He didn’t want another security guard incident.
All he wanted was warmth.
Possibly food.
Actually, yes, definitely food. He could smell the pizza from the vents, the greasy yet amazing smell that made his stomach growl. He wanted to get down there now.
But he had to stay focused.
He made his way towards a room where he could land, pushing the vent down which led to a loud clang that echoed through the room. He gasped, pushing himself away from the vent and ready to bolt if anyone had noticed.
After a long minute of heavy breathing, listening to his surrounding area, there was nothing. He saw this as an opportunity to get out, landing on his feet in the small room.
The janitor's closet, perfect. Though, he did wonder why one of the vents would lead to here of all places. Oh well, he wasn’t complaining. As long as no one came in there at least.
The boy reached and put his hands on the door knob, eyes fully awake and alert. He had to be.
He winced, feeling the tingly and burning sensation that came through to his hands, now tainted with a purplish color as he held onto the doorknob. He didn’t have time to wait around, turning the doorknob and greeting the sounds of laughing children and the sound of many footsteps passing by.
Cover.
He dashed through into the crowd as fast as possible, leaving the closet open. He just hoped the cameras didn’t see it. And let alone, he hoped no one would pay him any attention.
The sounds were irritating. But the place was warm. It was warm, and it had food.
He made his way quickly through the crowd, his feet light as he kept his head low. He made barely any sound and dodged anyone he was about to bump into. He needed to find the kitchen. He could feel his own stomach eating itself alive, his mouth drooling at the meer scent of at least some actual food. Not one’s you find in garbage cans that made him sick for weeks. Not one’s that were just crumbs left on the ground from restaurants.
Just quickly…By God he prayed he could find it quickly.
He let his nose lead the way, following where the scent was the strongest. It led him…to another vent.
The boy couldn’t help but be annoyed. Not another closed space where he wasn’t able to move as quickly. One he needed to have patience.
How was he supposed to have patience when the minute he set his hands in that cold tunnel it felt as if they were ripping apart from the seams?
And let alone, how was he supposed to get in?
He frowned, turning towards the crowd of people passing by. He eyed the security camera, facing right at him. He totally didn't look suspicious.
He shook his head, grumbling something under his breath as he walked away from perhaps the easiest way to really get there. He needed to try something else…Just something else.
He could feel his arms and legs shake from the lack of nutrition, holding one hand in the other as his burning sensation got worse. He gritted his teeth, trying his hardest not to yelp in pain. Not to drop down on the floor right there.
He had to keep moving…Just keep moving.
And that’s when he saw people looking at him.
His eyes turned to face directly at two security guards, ones whose faces were shown with concern as they muttered to one another.
He knew better than to let them get close to him.
He ran.
The boy bolted out of there as fast as lightning, hearing the guards yell out. Just that one movement, just that one movement and they knew he wasn’t supposed to be here?
Was it the clothes that gave it away? With their dirt and grime and holes.
Was it the wince in pain? The way his legs shook faster than he was running?
Or was it simply the stare into the security cameras?
He didn’t know.
And he didn’t care.
All his mind was telling him to do was to run, to run as fast as possible before they could lay his hands on him.
Security guards were never nice. They never cared. All they cared about was the paycheck.
He knew better than to let them get close.
He found himself bolting through the main entrance and to the other side of the mall. More were on him, more were hearing about it. It all happened so quickly. What were they saying? What were they going to do once he was caught?
He wouldn’t let himself get caught.
He found himself at a standstill.
His feet quickly came to a stop, looking in at one of the rooms in front of him.
It was one of the animatronics rooms, wide open. Why was it open? It was completely empty…
A perfect hiding space.
He didn’t look back, knowing he didn’t have enough time, and dashed into the room. He found himself behind the charging station, keeping his breathing soft and quiet. If he was too loud they would know. Then maybe he could get out, get out before closing hours. Maybe get the food he so desperately needed. He closed his eyes tightly, grabbing his hands as he blew into them, trying to calm his nerves. The pain wasn’t making it any better.
Then talking.
“What the hell happened anyway?”
“I dunno, he just stopped functioning right on stage. Apparently they’re gonna check him out tomorrow.”
“That’s one way to ruin the show.”
He couldn’t see their faces, but he could tell with the tone they were just tired. Like him. Grumpy, tired, just wanting to go home. That’s how adults were anyway.
There was a loud clang that went right in his ear, causing him to flinch and hold on to his hands even tighter.
“Whoops, sorry Freds, didn’t mean to drop you that hard.”
“Way to go Paul.”
“What? He’s heavy! How was I supposed to lay him down gently?!”
The two bickered for a few moments. He wasn’t able to tell right away, but it was friendly.
Then he heard the door close.
The boy panicked.
He quickly moved from behind the charging station, seeing the door firmly shut and the window showing the two employees walking away, apparently still in their playful little argument.
He rushed up to the door. There was no handle…There wasn’t a handle.
Instead, it was a card that was supposed to open it. Meaning he couldn’t open it. He was trapped.
“Way to go Paul.” He mimicked harshly. But, saying that did make him giggle a little bit...
Wait, why were they coming back?
His eyes landed on the window with horror, watching some other employees walk up to the room, their tags labeling them as ‘parts and service.’
No, no, no…No this wasn’t good. He needed to get out.
He turned around, jumping back slightly. He knew an animatronic was in here…He didn’t expect it to be that tall though.
It seemed to resemble a bear, a sort of 90s theme look from what the boy could see. And the chest compartment was open. It looked odd, was it supposed to hold something?
It looked like just enough space for him to fit in.
He didn’t think twice, turning as he could see the employees coming closer. He scrambled into the chest compartment, curling himself into a ball. And just like he hoped, it closed automatically. He had seen a vent up ahead, but there wasn’t enough time. He just prayed he’ll be able to move out before they knew he was in there. And even better, before his stomach really ate him alive.
What did he just get himself into?