Chapter Text
You sucked in a deep breath as you closed the door to the movie theater you had been employed as a nightguard at. You cursed fate internally for making this the only job you could obtain, being the only applicant other than a mysterious, pink-haired girl who never showed up to her interview. You shuddered as you looked around, the feeling that you weren’t supposed to be there causing a shiver to run down your spine. You hated the dark, hated it. It always made your eyes play tricks on you, making shadows move in your peripheral, faces appearing for just a moment until you looked that way and they vanished into the murky abyss.
You ran a hand through your hair as you shakily began to walk through the building, breaths short. Why did a movie theater even need a night guard? You wondered, making your way to the desk where you intended to curl up and work on some homework. You, however, froze, your heart flying to your throat, when you heard a scurrying somewhere far behind you. Your eyes went wide, panic immediately flooding your senses. You spun around and tried to grab your flashlight from your pocket, instead, you tripped on your untied shoelace and shrieked as you fell, accidentally yeeting the flashlight in the direction of the noise.
Your heart pounded in your ears and you scooted back, hands trembling. You’d watched enough analog horror to know you were doomed, no doubt about to be mauled by some terrifying cryptid. Something started to emerge from the pitch black. No, no no nononon–
It came into view and you swore your heart stopped.
It was huge and slender, its skin navy blue. Its head was some sort of pitch-black TV, with red neon squares in a sort of target pattern in front of it, casting a blood-red glow around it that flickered as it approached. You noticed it had picked up your flashlight. You stared in awe for a few moments before a nearly silent scream lurched from your mouth and you scrambled to stand, leaning back against the desk. It stepped back, startled. You were hyperventilating, you realized, head quickly growing light and vision blurring. Just before you passed out, you heard a crackling, staticky voice. “Y-y-yo-ou dro-o-opped-d–.” And out, body going limp as your consciousness slipped from your grasp.
—
When you awoke you didn’t dare open your eyes, instead taking in your other senses. You were sitting, leaning against two walls, seemingly in a corner, and felt carpet under your hands. Next, you heard crunching, like chewing, next to you, accompanied by the smell of popcorn and chocolate. You swallowed hard and cracked open one eye, breath hitching when you saw the creature itself sitting next to you, knees hugged to its chest, happily eating from a bag of popcorn with M&M's mixed in. With your proximity and clearer mind, you could take in more details now. It was wearing a little tuxedo jacket with two coattails, no pants, and thigh-high black heeled boots that shimmered blue. Its rib area and thighs were revealed, showing several neon blue lines on the areas. It had red rings that it adjusted occasionally, with three arms and only three fingers on each hand. The way it was eating was odd, it was just sticking kernels into the black void of its screen past its red squares, and pulling its hand back out empty.
After sitting there examining it for what seemed like hours, you decided if it was going to kill you it probably would’ve already. “Uhm, h-hello?” Your voice cracked when you spoke up, both eyes opening fully. It jumped, attention flying to you. “O-oh! H-h-h-hi.” It rubbed its arm anxiously, its shy demeanor oddly comforting to you. It hesitated and then picked up your flashlight and offered it to you. “T-t-t-this is yo-o-u-urs.” You hesitantly accepted it, resting it in your lap. “Thanks. What's…your name, buddy?” “L-Lim. Yo-o-ou-u?” You tucked a strand of hair behind your ear, slowly warming up to this absurd situation. “I’m Y/N.” You yawned and looked around. “Shit, what time is it?” It- no, he shrugged, popping an M&M into his void-face. “S-st-t-till ni-i-ight. H-hungry-y-y-y?” He placed the bucket of popcorn between you and you smiled softly and took a handful. “Thanks.” “Mhm!” He hummed cheerily, picking the bucket back up.
You two sat there and ate in silence for a couple minutes before you spoke again. “So…are you, like, a ghost? Do you haunt this place?” He let out a lighthearted, glitchy chuckle. “N-n-no, I’m, w-well, just-t-t a mo-o-onst-ter, I g-guess.” He shrugged. “I st-stay in the ve-e-ents-s d-during the day-y-y.” You chewed the inside of your mouth in thought and hummed. “Why are y-y-you-u h-here?” You leaned a little closer to him and reached over to retrieve some more popcorn, which he shifted to let you do so more easily. “Nightguard.” Lim seemed confused, cocking his head to the side. “W-w-w-why would we n-need-d-d a n-nightguard?” You cracked a smile. “I know, right? Trespassers, maybe?” “M-m-maybe.”
The two of you slowly fell into idle conversation, he told you about interesting things he witnessed from the movie theater vents, and you told him about your personal life – he was shocked and horrified when you told him about college. A couple hours later you had to leave, but you let him know you’d be back the next night.