Chapter Text
The soft tapping of footsteps echoed down the empty halls of the Pizzaplex. A building so loud that you usually couldn’t hear yourself think, but back here in the employees-only halls, it was deathly quiet.
Lucia appreciated it for the moment.
If there was one thing you could say about the Pizzaplex it was that there were plenty of opportunities for promotion. It didn’t matter what experience you were coming in with, as long as you lasted long enough you would eventually find yourself in a better position.
Take Lucia for example. She had gotten her first real ‘job’ as a technician for the new and improved Fazbear Entertainment a while ago. She first found herself placed in the atrium at the Pizza, Pizza, Pizza counter. Then she was replaced by a Staff Bot and moved into the daycare. Then the worker who managed the maze in Mazercise left unexpectedly, she was moved there, and then they moved her around further-
In short, Lucia was a Fazbear Technician. She had no degree, and her experience was limited to the robotics classes she took in high school, but here she was. Watching as every day the pool of proper technicians narrowed down further and further.
It was a good thing that most of the Pizzaplex’s machines were automated, including the repair work. It was overall a smooth gig, fix random appliances here and there, fix the screens when they went down, and every fix usually involved a few button presses.
She managed to wing it through most of what she was asked to do.
Until now. Until she found herself being called back here. She should’ve been excited that she was getting some sort of special assignment.
But there were… rumors among some of the staff.
And she was walking towards the source for a lot of them.
Dr. Talbert was a strange man. He was reclusive, seldom spotted despite being such a major fixture of the Pizzaplex, and yet whenever he walked into the public it felt like he was the one with the power. Mr. Wight was ostensibly the boss but for some reason when Talbert said something, Wight went with it without question.
There were rumors about the scientist. Stories that Talbert was actually the mysterious William Afton having returned under a new identity, despite the differing skin color. Whispers that he was the reason why workers disappeared. That he was tampering with the animatronics.
Lucia wasn’t sure if she believed them or not.
She walked to his office, slowly. The girl’s technician suit was a grey leather bodysuit. She wore a white crop-top like jacket over it with matching white gloves over her hands. Her naturally kinky, dark hair was currently curled- a style she picked up from her late grandmother, an homage to her.
Her entire ensemble gave a professional impression, despite her short stature and her youthful face. One briefly pulling into an unsure look as she arrived at the designated door and weakly knocked on it.
“Come on in!” an unexpectedly energetic voice chirped.
If that was Dr. Talbert, then he didn’t sound anything like she’d imagine. He sounded more like a voice in a commercial she had once seen. She cracked open the door and was mildly surprised.
The office was stylized more like the living room of a fancy apartment than an office. Half of the large, rectangular room was made up with a corner of couches, television screens on the wall, and what looked like security cameras in the corners.
On the other half was a desk and sat at that desk was a man with a slicked coif and an even slicker smile. He looked to be somewhere in his mid-to-late thirties and was dressed in a simple navy suit.
“Heyyy, you must be Ms. Thompson. Why don’t you have a seat for me right here?” He gestured to the chair on the other side of the desk.
Confused but assuming he was the right person since he was dressed like someone important, Lucia sat down on the other side of the desk.
“I was expecting you in here about… five minutes ago. But that’s all in the past- let’s get down to business. So! I’ve heard good things about you from James; that would be Mr. Wight. Here at Fazbear Entertainment, we admire an employee with a strong work ethic. Especially one as young as you. You must be a shoo-in with your co-workers.”
“Well… Actually, I don’t really see them that much-.”
“That’s probably for the best. Wouldn’t want you guys spending too much time horsing around,” the man added. His voice was alert, but he seemed disinterested in what she was saying.
But she noticed something right away. He sounded familiar.
“Hey, those announcements over the intercoms-?”
“Yes, that’s me. Prerecorded! I’ve got a life outside of Freddy’s, you know.”
Well, that answered one question, but not the many, many more she had.
“It’s not every day we have someone climb the corporate ladder so quickly and with no applicable degree. SO, we’ve seen your work ethic, and we know you’re probably hungry for more work. And oh boy, do we have a job for you. One that will require your level of attention to detail.”
As he leaned forward on the desk, his fingers tenting together, eyes focused on the girl… she felt increasingly uncomfortable. Like there was some sort of horrendous catch hanging over him.
“Have you ever heard of Murray Costume Manor?” the man finally asked.
She had not. She took a guess.
“They made costumes for Fazbear Entertainment?”
“Bingo. A long time ago. Back then if I would’ve asked you who Edwin Murray way, you would’ve been able to tell me without guessing!”
Apparently, he noticed. She was a little embarrassed.
“SO, about a year ago we sent a technician out to Murray’s Costume Manor. He goes in to retrieve a few items for us, as Murray’s Costume Manor is currently Fazbear property, and he finds what we need! Or so we thought. At the time we believed that he brought back the correct prototype, but that was not the case. What we need is a technician to go back and retrieve the proper prototype and whatever information they can find on it. It’s an easy job, a couple of hours tops! And if you succeed, you’ll be looking at a hefty bonus when you get back.”
“Really?” Lucia’s eyes widened. “Just for my curiosity, how much is the bonus?”
“Oh ho, I couldn’t discuss numbers. Company policy. BUT I can say that it is well and above the average salary- and in one day’s work! So, what do you say?”
It sounded a little too good to be true, but Lucia could always use the extra money. Maybe it really was just a delivery trip.
“Maybe. How far away is it?”
“About a two- three hour drive max.”
That made her relax a little more. Maybe it was just an out of the way delivery drive. Nobody would want to drive six hours just to pick up some sort of prototype costume and then drive back.
“So, are you in?”
“I’ll do it. But, umm, when would you like this done?”
“Excellent! We’d like you to head out tomorrow, and don’t worry about your job here at the Pizzaplex; we’ll have your shift covered. Consider it a half-day off! Here, just sign this real quick.”
The man whipped out a stack of papers paperclipped together. Lucia started to look over the cover page and her brows furrowed.
“A waiver…?”
“Just saying that you won’t share any information about the prototype with any outside parties, yadda yadda, that your gas is only covered if you fulfil your task- Nothing you didn’t sign when you got hired on! Consider it a bunch of stocking stuffer.”
Lucia wasn’t sure what that meant. She started trying to read through it.
“Take your time! No rush.”
But she had a feeling that there was a rush from how he was watching her. Halfway through the second page everything seemed to check out, so she went ahead and signed. He took the stack away, so assumedly she only needed to sign the top one, which he quickly moved to the bottom of the stack.
“Excellent. Well! It was nice meeting you, Lucia. You can escort yourself out.”
“Okay, but what about what I’m supposed to find? It’s a suit?”
“I’ll give the specifics over the phone on your way there. Small details on where you may need to look and what you need to find.”
“I-I understand,” Lucia said. “Thank you, Mister…?”
“Great! Take it easy, you’ve got a big drive tomorrow!”
Apparently, he didn’t realize that she hadn’t gotten his name. She didn’t feel like pressing though. Instead, she got up and headed to the door.
While she did, the man got on the phone.
“Hey. Just got everything squared up here, but see if you can still track Arnie down,” he said. Then he quickly lowered the receiver, “Hey, Lucia! One more thing. The place is pretty big and it might take a while to comb through there. I’d recommend bringing some supplies in case you end up staying the night.”
Lucia wasn’t sure why that chilled her a little. Maybe it was the silent implication that she wouldn’t be allowed to leave until she found whatever the prototype was. She could be stuck at some old warehouse for days- no wonder nobody else wanted to go.
“Sure…”
“Good! Take care, Kiddo.”
He swiveled his chair to the side and continued talking as Lucia slipped out the door.
She didn’t feel right about this, but it wasn’t like she could back out now…
…
Far from the neon megaplex, located just in the city limits of St. George, there was a car wash set up in a parking lot. Not a drive-through or a machine to pop in quarters and spray down your car, but two women and a couple of buckets.
Needless to say, the star attraction wasn’t the efficiency of the car wash itself.
One of them was Hope, a strawberry-blonde bombshell and the envy of most of her peers at the university. Ogled by suitors, glared at by rivels. She felt like the hottest woman in Utah, and she lived for that feeling.
She was currently decked out in a pair of red hotpants and a matching crop top, styled to look like the ones worn by the Freddy’s character Roxanne Wolf. Roxy was a very popular character and because of it she started a bit of a fashion trend that Hope eagerly capitalized on. If a cartoon wolf could sell that many bumper stickers then dressing like her would have to get a few customers.
Besides, it fit a lot better than the pink ‘Chica’ leotard that she considered. It always rode up and getting caught fixing that wasn’t the look she was going for.
The other woman was a brunette named Kelly, who was also quite pretty but nowhere near as used to showing herself off as much as Hope was. She didn’t even have the skimpier clothing that Hope had in stock, so she just wore a green bikini as it was the only thing she had with a similar effect.
Hope spent the whole afternoon striking poses as she worked on cars. Kelly could only occasionally, and somewhat awkwardly, emulate them.
Once their shift was done the two headed across the parking lot and into the nearby garage. Hope grabbed a towel for herself and threw one to Kelly.
“Now that was exciting, wasn't it?” she asked.
“Well, it was certainly… new,” Kelly said as she began to dry herself. “I'm not sure if they liked me, I'm not as… used to stuff like this as you are.”
“So what? You're a curvy brunette in a bikini. Their eyes were all over you,” Hope said, then laughed at Kelly’s instant blush.
Kelly grew even more red in the face. “Well, I was next to you. You’re the most gorgeous girl in town.”
“My, my, Kelly. I wasn't aware you swung that way.”
“Hey, I don't have to be into you to acknowledge the facts,” Kelly said, shrugging.
“Well, if I'm the hottest girl in town you are still a very close second,” Hope said, flipping her hair purposefully like Roxy.
Though Kelly only gave a quiet nod. It was very restrained, like she only just realized what she had done.
That gave Hope pause. She tapped her fingers on her hip before looking at Kelly more seriously, dropping the more teasing persona entirely.
“Kelly, you… DID like that didn’t you? I only signed us up for it because you said you would be willing to try. Did I… I didn’t pressure you, right? If it made you uncomfortable, you can tell me,” Hope said.
“No, no! I'm fine with today. It was just a new experience, that's all,” Kelly assured her.
“Okay… But if I ever, EVER do anything to make you uncomfortable, you would tell me, right?”
“I certainly would,” Kelly said, putting her hands on Hope’s shoulders and patting them. She didn't want her friend thinking she hurt her in any way.
But she did have mixed feelings. Both on the car wash and on how quickly Hope’s response had flipped. Because this wasn’t the first time it happened, or the first friend it happened with.
She was happy that her friends cared for her so deeply, but ever since…what happened back when she was a kid, it felt like everyone was walking around a minefield when talking to her or doing anything with her. She appreciated her friends caring, she most certainly had no issue with that, but it was a reminder that what happened would never go away for good. This was as normal as normal got.
Which is why she did it in the first place. Because she wanted to be able to. She wanted normalcy.
“Okay. Good to hear,” Hope said, smiling softly now.
They continued drying off and got dressed to leave, off to return home where they would get properly dressed for their next destination.
Meanwhile, someone else was getting dressed and ready to go, and that was a young man named Adrian.
Adrian was a fit young man with dirty-blond hair and a lean but athletic build. He couldn’t help but steal a look in the mirror after he took off his sports gear, making sure he looked good enough for the evening ahead. He smiled at himself before changing into a polo with black pants, dressier than his normal attire.
He then got into his car and drove downtown to his best friend Jacye’s place. He bounded up to the door and knocked quickly. Said friend answered shortly afterwards.
Jayce was the archetypical nerd. He had a handsome face but he was slender, especially compared to Adrian. He had black hair and a large pair of glasses, and wore a plaid button-up shirt and a pair of blue jeans. Back in high school people found it amusing that the so-called ‘dork’ was a close friend of the jock-like Adrian. It continued to be funny even now that they were in college.
Or at least, Adrian liked to rib him about it. Jayce didn’t mind.
Jayce eyed his outfit. “Date night?”
“Come on man don't you remember? We’re gonna meet the girls over at Foxy’s,” Adrian said.
“Oh crap, that's today? Should I uh…here, let me grab my comic and I’m ready,” Jayce said.
Adrian nodded, he watched Jayce leave and patiently waited for his return. He came back shortly afterwards, comic book in hand.
“Alright, let's go,” Jayce said.
“Planning on showing off your collection?” Adrian teased.
“Kind of! It’s like a conversation piece.”
“Heh, it sure will be.”
Jayce thumped him in the arm. Adrian didn’t even flinch.
Then the duo drove to the pirate themed pizzeria. They were the first to get there, getting a table- away from the loudness of the arcade- and waiting for the waitress to arrive to order.
Hope and Kelly showed up first. Hope now sporting a pink minidress with thigh-high socks while Kelly wore a white blouse with a leather jacket over it, and a short skirt. Adrian waved and the two girls came over and took their seats.
Hope had that pursed look to her lips. That mild annoyance reserved specifically for Adrian, and he knew why. Foxy’s was a frequent date spot, which was a frequent point of contention. She wanted to go somewhere ritzier, classier, like the Neapolitan. Or at least Ye Olde Steakhouse.
Adrian always said that Foxy’s was the cheapest place with really good pizza. He stuck by that excuse and suggesting it, swearing up and down that it was the only reason why.
Adrian was a complex man. He would rather go to an arcade restaurant themed towards kids and teens and say it was because it was cheaper than dare admit that he liked the ambience.
“You look amazing,” Adrian shmoozed Hope. He looked her up and down. “Nah. Gorgeous.”
Hope’s purse immediately began to soften up.
“And you clean up pretty well yourself,” she said with a wink. “You should have brought your car down to the wash earlier, would have made sure you got a special show.”
“That so? Well, I had a pretty good time last time. I might have to be a repeat customer. My car is very dirty.”
“Sooo many things are,” Hope said, clicking her tongue.
“So, where’s Lucia?” Jayce interjected.
Hope pursed her lips again, but Kelly was quick to answer.
“She just got off work, should be here soon,” she said.
“Good! Seems like she’s always at work now…”
“It’s not her fault. You’ve seen the Pizzaplex. And they promoted her! She must be getting a lot of work.”
Kelly trailed off as the waitress walked up. Her red hair pulled into a ponytail, wearing a dark green shirt and a red and gold striped skirt, which somewhat fit the color scheme of the restaurant’s mascot, Captain Foxy. To punctuate it, his face was on a button above her nametag, which read ‘Louise’.
“Now here’s a couple of familiar faces! What can I get ya’ll?”
“We’ll have the Dumpster Fire,” Adrian said.
“We are NOT having the Dumpster Fire again! Oh my God!” Hope said with exasperation, and maybe a slither of amusement.
“We can do a half-and-half,” Louise suggested. She then gave a somewhat exaggerated gasp. “Oh my gosh, I love your bracelet!”
Hope lit right back up. “Thank you! It was an anniversary present.”
This was why Adrian liked Foxy’s. You tip well and suddenly the wait staff is covering for you.
“How about a compromise? We get two pizzas. One half Dumpster Fire and half Salty Dog and the other one can just be half cheese, half pepperoni and sausage?” He held out a hand at the others questioningly. “Good?”
This seemed to be an appropriate compromise. Kelly and Hope agreed, Louise took the order, and then they were left alone to chat.
They expected Lucia to arrive long before the pizzas did, but soon enough Louise was returning with them.
“Here you are! Two custom made pizzas, half and half both!” Louise chirped as she placed the lovely looking meal at the center of the young adults. “Dig in, ya’ll!” She winked and sashayed away.
“Finally! God, I'm famished. Should we wait for Lucia? Or would it be okay to take a slice?” Hope asked.
“Ask her yourself,” Jayce said, discreetly pointing towards the door.
There was Lucia coming in, right on time. She had changed out of her uniform and into a dark blue shirt with a woven black vest over it, one with light blue diamonds around the middle. She wore an ankle-length purple velour skirt with simple boots underneath.
Lucia always dressed a little old for her age, and she had been reminded of it by others for years. She had been teased for dressing like a ‘Grandma’. Little did they know, and she certainly didn’t tell anyone, but this was another tribute to her Nana. Ever since she was a girl she had thought her clothes were so pretty, back when she wore them to look like her instead of remember her.
She smiled walked to the table, being greeted by and greeting her friends, and sat down where they began to dig in. Passing slices around the table until everyone had a full plate.
“So, uh, Lucia! I got the latest issue of my comic done,” Jayce said. handing her the comic he had brought in.
She made a show of gratefully taking it. In a way, Lucia was Jayce’s biggest fan when it came to his art. Even when he first started, he had a skill that could be recognized even by an untrained eye- something she knew because he kept a lot of his earliest comics, even if they embarrassed him. And once she responded to seeing one, he couldn’t stop showing them off.
It was stylized and imaginative, at least in her opinion. He once even did a piece on her and she could hardly believe the beautiful sketched girl on the page who was supposed to be her, but felt leagues different than the slightly quickly, mostly asymmetrical girl staring in the mirror as she brushed her teeth. When she looked at that picture it made her almost believe it was real.
She knew at least that he saw her like that.
She wished she saw him like that.
“That’s great! I’ll be sure to read it,” she promised. She fumbled with the comic and tucked it into her bag. Something about the exchange making her feel a little self-conscious- everyone was staring at them, it felt like- so she turned to Kelly. “So, did you end up going?”
“We did. It went good!”
“I’m glad. God, I remember when she brought me along to that,” Lucia said with a blush.
“You should have seen her face when Jayce drove over,” Hope teased, half-whispering behind her hand- though everyone could hear it. Succeeding in causing Lucia’s blush to deepen as Jayce got a goofy smile.
“Soo, how is your brother doing?” Kelly asked, trying to change the topic. She was appreciative.
“Luca is doing… fine. He worries about me a lot though. He’s been waiting for me to quit this job ever since I got it,” Lucia explained.
Lucia and Luca had been a pair of inseparable twins for most of their lives. Luca the protector playmate and Lucia the cautious confidante. They were nearly connected at the hip, even when they started high school, even when they graduated.
Until her decision to apply for a job with Fazbear Entertainment. It was a shock to the whole family, given the history of the brand…
Their history, that is. It felt like a lifetime ago.
When they were kids, they had a friend named Kenneth, who they called Ken. He was a small, stout boy with frizzy taupe hair and perpetually pinkened cheeks. Yet despite looking visually distinct from the two, he was nearly like a third twin, coming by the house to play almost every afternoon and following them around like a puppy.
Many of their favorite childhood memories had Ken in them- memories that become tarnished with time.
They didn't understand at first when the adults told them that Ken had been taken away. That he disappeared. They always asked and wondered where he could’ve gone, but the adults, parents and likewise, insisted that he had just vanished off the face of the earth and to not speak about it.
How could a kid just disappear and nobody know where he went? It haunted them both. They went to bed thinking there was a monster on the loose taking kids away in the night… not realizing that their naïve assumption was very close to the truth.
They didn’t know until years later that Ken had been declared dead. That the adults had chosen to spare them the details. But those details trickled in once they grew older and couldn’t be brushed off… They weren’t details they wanted to know. In short, it was the type of cruelty that no kid should ever go through.
And he went missing at a Freddy’s.
After that, Luca was even more protective of Lucia, and then later Kelly.
Now, unlike the others who Lucia had become friends with later in life, Lucia had known Kelly in her childhood. Back when she was a goofy kid who biked around the block all the time, free as a bird.
When she disappeared, Lucia thought she wouldn’t come back too. But she did. The difference was that the Kelly that came back was a little different. A little quieter. She didn’t bike anymore.
Lucia could vividly remember one night in particular.
It was after Kelly had gotten back. The twins had been encouraged to keep their distance and give her time, but they couldn’t, and they had snuck to her house to see how she was doing. They found her in her room looking like she had just stopped crying, or like she had never stopped since she had gotten home. All balled up in blankets sitting with her dolls on her bed.
Lucia thought maybe everyone was right and they needed to leave, but Luca didn’t, and he knocked. That had startled Kelly, it made her start crying again, but she unlocked her window and let them inside. She could remember how she and Luca hugged Kelly together, making a protective circle around her. Luca said they were going to be her bodyguards from now on.
The rest of the night was spotty. Lucia remembered biting her nails and watching from Kelly’s bedroom door with her as Luca snuck into the kitchen and swiped a pint of ice cream. They ate it on Kelly’s bed. It was double-chocolate, and when a spot dropped on the bed Luca assured Kelly that it wouldn’t look like a ‘poop stain’.
She giggled. It was probably the first time she smiled in ages.
They ended up falling asleep there. Lucia in Kelly’s bed with her while Lucia slept on her beanbag. They got woken up in the morning by Kelly’s father, a detective who didn’t look like a detective. He had found them last night when their parents started to frantically call- they must’ve found the note Luca left in the bedroom- but let them stay until morning.
He wasn’t pleased that they had entered his house without him knowing, considering what had happened, AND without telling their parents, but he appreciated the gesture. Especially when Kelly later asked if they could have more sleepovers. Nobody would tell Kelly no.
That was the moment that the old Kelly started to come back. She even started biking again, but never alone. Always with Luca at her side.
Lucia was honestly surprised Kelly and her brother never hit it off. There always seemed to be something between the two. Maybe Lucia just imagined it, or maybe one of them was too shy to confess. Maybe both.
Kelly was one of the lucky ones. Lucia didn’t know the true details of where she went or what happened, but she knew that a ton of kids went missing around Freddy’s, and almost none of them were ever found. Kelly getting home was a miracle.
But Ken was why her family and friends were surprised that Lucia was willing to get a job at Fazbear’s, getting hired by the company whose negligence led to his death. Lucia was nervous about it too, but the job seemed like it would pay well. And it did. Even if she didn’t get to stick to the daycare like she wanted.
She kind of had a thing for the Sun-
“How was work at the big, bad Pizzaplex?” Jayce asked.
Lucia looked at him like a deer in headlights before shaking it off.
“It was fine! Nothing too big… I, umm, I got assigned a special job to do. They need someone to drive out to a place called Murray’s Costume Manor and pick up some stuff.”
“Oh, I heard of that place! They used to make toys, right? Like, a looong time ago,” Hope said.
“Didn’t they make cereal?” Jayce asked.
“What? No, they made like puzzles and those talking dolls. You know, the ones that would go off when you walked by.”
“I used to have a Murray’s nightlight that looked like a mushroom,” Kelly volunteered. “And I think they made vacuums?”
“So, you’re saying this was a mansion where they made cereal, toys, and vacuums?” Adrian asked, brows raised.
“…Well, now that you say it-,” Kelly began.
“That’s exactly what we’re saying,” Hope finished.
After a pause, Adrian whipped his head in Lucia’s direction and shot her a disarming smile.
“Think you could use a few more helping hands? Like four? Or, err, eight?”
Lucia sunk into herself a little with a tight smile.
“I’m not sure if that would be appropriate…”
“Oh, come on. It would be fun! Getting to check out that old place,” Hope said. “And we wouldn’t get in the way or anything! Promise.”
“Okay, but… They said I might have to stay the night because it might take a while,” Lucia said.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to bring them. She really didn’t want to go alone, but she also didn’t want to get in trouble.
“If that's the case it sounds like us being there would make it less lonely,” Jayce said. “And safer! What if the floor breaks and you die and end up haunting the mansion? Then you have to sell your soul to some spooky conman and the next thing you know, you’re marrying Beetlejuice.”
That got her to crack a smile, and cracking a smile got her to cave.
“...Okay, I can bring you guys along,” Lucia said somewhat sheepishly. She looked over. “What do you think, Kelly?”
Last chance to have someone put a stop to this.
“Sure… Sounds like it could be fun,” Kelly said.
She sounded just as unsure as Lucia was, but she still said yes and their fate was sealed. It looked like this lonely work trip was turning into a road trip between friends.
…So why did Lucia have this foreboding feeling?
Must’ve been the Dumpster Fire.