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If the door hadn't been slightly ajar, Abby would have been taken into the arms of the mechanical fox behind her.
It had pursued her once she had made eye contact, not giving up the instant she had taken the opportunity to flee. Its hook sliced through whatever obstacles the young girl had set in its path. Its shriek pierced the air as it swung its hook near the girl's shoulder, merely chipping away at the sweater she was wearing.
Abby had merely burst through the door out of haste; she hadn't even considered how this room came to be. She had passed through this area before, but she had no idea this room existed. But she didn't seem to mind, slamming the door shut as the pirate nearly tore through the threshold.
And the once horrible scream that pierced Abby's ears was cut off by the silence of the room she was in.
Abby had taken a few steps back, her entire body trembling over what she had done. She couldn't decide whether to cry or sigh in relief, so she just kept breathing, attempting to control her now beating heart.
The room had chilly air, which Abby appreciated as she wiped the sweat from her brow. She wiped the snot from her nose and took a moment to survey her surroundings. While the room was completely dark, Abby could see the silhouettes of objects about her.
For a fraction of a second, Abby imagined the artificial animals had followed her into the room. The same creatures had found a way to get their hands (paws? claws?) on her through some type of blind spot.
The girl yelped, her body jerking back as she peered into the eyes of the animals encircling her. Something had caught on the back of her ankle, causing the girl to tumble backward onto her side and into the icy floor below. Abby stumbled around on the floor, tangled by the alienated hands that wrapped around her like snakes.
She shouted out again, writhing around like a fish on a hook in an attempt to free herself. She kicked and punched wherever she believed she was being seized. Her hair, arms, legs, and even her stomach were all permitted to move about to keep everything from latching onto her permanently.
Abby's revelation came after a few more seconds of futile struggle. She wasn't being wrapped by shadows or whatever her imagination had conjured up, but by the very loose and cold wires that were joined by something invisible. After another round of confusing struggle, the girl felt her left hand clasp a chilly cylinder.
Her thumb brushed against a rubber button connected to the cylinder as she continued to feel around the device. The girl had pressed it while still being held in the dark, only to be attacked by a blinding light that flashed through the darkness. Abby cried out, closing her eyes and dropping the torch to the ground below.
The girl growled, rubbing her now-wet eyes and blinking away the glare that was obscuring her vision. She took a few moments to gather herself before finally taking the flashlight to scan the room.
It was nothing Abby had expected.
She had anticipated seeing rows of identical robot mascots that were just out to harm her. Instead, she saw pieces of them spread throughout; heads, arms, and legs were all hung up on the walls with steel shelves. Wires of various colors ran beside or were wrapped around the spare pieces.
Looking down, Abby noticed that the same wires had been under her, with some even wrapping around her torso during her prior battles. The girl shook the cables in haste, frustrated with the realization. Huffing as she crawled away from the cables, Abby took another look around, flashlight still in hand, and surveyed the area once more.
Despite the obvious, the girl had only one thought in her mind.
‘I need to see Mike.’
Abby had no idea where her brother had gone. She knew he was in this restaurant, but she didn't know if he was running to save her or sitting in that gloomy office. She chose either or and set the flashlight down, tying her hair into a bun, her hands trembling as her mind raced from one alternative to the next.
She didn't want to think about her brother being killed or battling to get away from the mascots in this location. And she certainly didn't want to believe it may have been all due to her.
The girl's vision clouded as her bottom lip trembled. Bile had risen at the back of Abby's throat, and she had squeezed her hands into fists, stifling her breath. It took her a while to cry, especially this late at night and in this particular location.
God, why did she have to leave his sight?
None of this would have happened if she had stayed put, and even if this turmoil had occurred, she would have been safe in her older brother's sight.
The flashlight she had left beside her flickered as Abby nearly curled herself into a ball. At first, she didn't mind, allowing a few tears to escape her eyes until the flickering became more noticeable.
The girl then looked over and hiccuped twice. And before she could find out how to fix her lone source of light, it had entirely shut off.
Abby reached for the flashlight right away, tapping the rubber button with her thumb a few times before starting to strike the side. She internally screamed at herself for wasting time and she tried all she could to make it function. Because everything in this place was older than she was, she should consider this flashlight a gift from God to help her navigate it thoroughly.
The flashlight had finally started to function by what Abby would see as the seventh slap. The girl smiled to herself and looked around the room once more, relieved that the flashlight had, after all, started working.
Abby wouldn't have noticed if the temperature in the room had dropped further; the chill in her chest had already outweighed it tenfold.
Despite the flashlight falling from her hands and clanging as it hit the ground, the light was still shining. The massive figure was illuminated from the opposite side of the room, its golden fur reflecting the light's source. The impact almost caused the mascot to glow with radiance and pride, yet it was everything but that.
The poor girl was paralyzed with dread and had neither spoken nor moved.
What time did it enter the room? She was the only person to see and hear anyone else enter this area just a short while ago. Had it been silent or had Abby's pointless sobs when she believed the shadows were holding her down caused it to pass?
Who?
What?
Where?
When?
Why?
Too many questions, and not enough answers.
Both the figure and Abby remained still. After a period of this odd pause, the girl cautiously reached down for the flashlight. She reasoned that if she went as steadily as possible without making any erratic movements, she might be able to escape.
Abby took slow, even breaths in and out.
Her fingertips touched the flashlight's cool handle, but as she tried to grab it, the light flickered once more. The golden figure shifted in the split second it took for the flashlight to start up again. It was a minor feature, possibly at the very tip of their feet or even their head, but Abby was still able to see it.
But while the girl tried to make sense of the situation, the flashlight flickered again, and the golden figure again moved. This time, its head leaned forward and its blank eyes bore directly into her wide ones. The flashlight flickered again, and the figure's head turned to the side, its hallowed eyes lit up with thin white spots.
From its gaping mouth, Abby could faintly hear a voice.
It was tiny, inconvenient, and sounded just like nails on a chalkboard. Abby couldn't make out what the voice was saying, but despite her better judgment, she leaned forward.
“w-what?” Abby whispered, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes.
The lights in the golden bear's eyes dimmed before brightening and expanding significantly with eagerness.
"I have something to show you," it murmured, its voice fluctuating between a whisper and a trembling groan.
The temperature had dropped, and Abby could feel her heart pounding in her chest. The flashlight began to flicker erratically now, the light flashing on and off, causing the golden figure to shift in between breaks. Abby watched in fear as the bear abruptly brought its hands to its mouth, each paw clutching at its upper and lower jaws and pulling.
Abby could hear the animatronic moan in anguish, yet despite this, it proceeded with its work. Its mouth began to crack, and with a snap, it gave way, revealing the darkness buried behind the golden bear's fabric. And for a brief minute, Abby thought it was nothing more than a cruel joke played on her already fragile mind. Perhaps nothing was in the mascot, and perhaps everything was in her head and she was seeing things.
Until, much to her dismay, something appeared to peer through the golden bear's mouth.
Abby instinctively crawled back, using the flashlight as her only source of light to watch the nightmare unfold before her. The light had then stopped flickering and began to shine normally, the shadows contrasting with the light and revealing what was within the golden bear itself. And black thin, sharp digits shot from the suit's mouth, merely clutching the bear's jaw edges to raise itself.
Abby stared as a pale face emerged from the shadows, its eyes as dark as the night and a smile so wide it practically took up its entire face. It had cheeks and lips lined with the same richness, except for its tears. Its tears were purple, streaming from its eyes and down over its mouth. In stark contrast to the perpetual smile on its face.
The snap jolted Abby out of her trance, her tearful gaze drawn to the creature's shoulder's seemingly odd position. That was when its upper half broke to the left, followed by its other shoulder. The arms suddenly burst out like a spring, arms awkwardly bent before being popped back into place. Another snap and the spine had snapped forward, forcing the creature to lean in, arms uselessly dangling by its sides.
Abby could feel the wall on her back, but she kept crawling, her mind fixed on the possibility that the walls would swallow her whole.
With another snap, the creature's legs bent oppositely to escape the darkness within the suit. Another one followed, causing the thing to collapse, its pale face scraping against the dusty floor below. Nonetheless, it easily snapped itself back into place and began to stand up.
Abby began to see the little characteristics brought onto the creature as it stood up. The broken cables connecting to its limbs, the white bandages wrapping around its arms and legs, and even the three white buttons gracing its torso are all a part of it.
It appeared tough, if not painful, but it endured, Abby, watching as it grew taller with each passing second. And no sooner had it standing than its head collided with the ceiling above, causing its neck to bend to accommodate its absurd height.
The silence was deafening.
Abby could feel tears streaming down her cheeks. Even when she couldn't see it, she could tell her face was dreadful. She had surrendered to extreme anguish while the creature was furiously popping and twisting itself out of the golden bear.
She had convinced herself that she was going to die.
The creature had to bend over, crouching its long limbs, to avoid knocking over the other pieces around it. Abby had panicked, her sobbing becoming more audible as she held herself, arms curled so tightly over her chest that she thought she was suffocating. The blazing eyes of the being had not dismissed the girl's concerns but rather heightened them to new peaks.
However, as the pale face got closer, Abby felt a wave of peace sweep over her.
It wasn't as moving as one might imagine, but it was enough to keep the tears at bay. The girl became a sniffling mess, her face flinching as one of the pointed digits grazed her wet cheek. If Abby hadn't been so terrified, she would have noticed the being attempting to wipe away her tears.
The Puppet's white eyes slid over Abby's, and despite how terrifying it may appear, the eyes dimmed significantly. Abby didn't hear her brother's pleas on the other side of the door, which were every bit as desperate as she had anticipated. She couldn't help but stare at the slender being as it raised only one sharp digit up and over its mouth.
“Shh.”
The flashlight stopped working thereafter.