Chapter Text
The sun was slowly setting and the last guests were already leaving the diner. A young boy sat at the table near the stage, hugging a stuffed fox named Foxy, inspired by a character from his beloved cartoon Fredbear and Friends. He had received it from his father for his birthday today and had been taking it with him everywhere since then. Watching his plush, his mind replayed memories of the day. His party was quite successful. He invited a few of his friends, and after a few hours of fun, it was over. His dad wasn't around the whole time, disappearing behind the door marked “staff room” every now and then, but at least he showed up for the cake and presents, watching him and Vanessa from the sidelines. Michael was already quite tired from the day, which is why he didn't even notice when his older sister got up from the table and started waving her hand in front of his face to get his attention. Glancing briefly in her direction, he saw her knitting her brow and pouting. He knew Vanessa didn't like it when he got absorbed in his thoughts; she thought he drifted off too often and didn't pay enough attention to his surroundings. Murmuring a quick apology, he placed the plush toy on the table and directed his attention to what she had to say.
“Mikey! Are you even listening to me? I'm telling you, Dad is calling me.. I have to go I'll be back soon so don't go anywhere.” The young blonde smiled warmly at him and, without waiting for her brother's response, turning toward the employee area where their father waited. He never understood why his dad only called her the back room of the pizzeria, since she wasn't much older than him it didn't make sense to him. Only a year and two months, there isn't that much difference, right? On the other hand, he was somewhat relieved that he didn't have to help with the animatronics because, although he enjoyed observing them from a distance, he was not fond of getting too close to them. Quickly snapping out of his thoughts, he replied simply, “Sure, no problem..”
Michael just followed her with his eyes until she disappeared behind the door, then decided he didn't have anything else to do, so he would observe the Fredbear and Spring Bonnie. Getting up from the table, he hadn't even gotten very far when someone pushed him, snatching Foxy from his hands. Landing on the floor, Michael only felt a sudden pain in his face. Feeling tears well up in his eyes, he lifted his head slightly only to see four boys from his class laughing at him while one of them waved his stuffed plush friend in front of his face.
Meanwhile, a young girl named Elizabeth Afton sat down in her father's chair in his absence. His desk was not particularly large, and it did not belong entirely to him, but also to his partner in managing the restaurant, Henry Emily. The room contained only a few cabinets, two whiteboards, and two desks covered with piles of papers. Another room where their father spent a lot of time was the backstage area, where spare costumes were kept and damaged animatronics were stored. The redhead never understood why her dad scolded her when she tried to sneak into the animatronics workshop with him, because she just wanted to spend time with him. Looking at her sister, who had been tasked with babysitting her, she sighed and happened to look at Vanessa as she approached her.
“Dad said we'll be coming home in a little while.
"Can we go to the front of the pizzeria? I'm getting bored here..." Swinging her legs back and forth, she waited for the blonde's answer. Vanessa considered it for a moment, but then she reminded herself how their father reacted to them disobeying him. She shook at the memory. All her life, even when their mom was still around, she'd been super obedient to their dad. She was always at his beck and call and did her best to keep his attention on her so that Michael and Elizabeth could get some relief from the weird tasks he gave them. “Beth. You know that when Dad tells us to stay here, we have to, don’t you? I’ll find you some paper and a pencil so you can draw.”
"But I don't want to! I DON'T WANT TO!" The ginger-haired girl started to make a fuss. She had had enough, she was sleepy, hungry, and wanted to go home where she felt more comfortable. Even though she really liked this place, after a few hours children her age were exhausted and overstimulated. So, getting off her seat, she was about to walk to the door when Vanessa wrapped her arms around her. The older girl was quite used to spending time with the younger one when she was in a bad mood. Her father often didn't know how to handle it, so he quickly lost his temper and walked away, ignoring her completely. The blonde girl knows how much this wounds the younger one, so in such situations, she tries to distract her. “Hey, wanna see who can draw dad better with just a pencil?”
“Okay... But after that, let's go get Mikey and tell Dad we want to go home...” Squinting, Elizabeth retreated to the back of the room and sat down on the carpet, waiting for Vanessa to hand her the drawing supplies. Vanessa stared at the door for a little while longer, as if their father would come out any second and get irritated at her for letting her little sister scream her lungs out. However, nothing happened, so the blonde took what she had and sat beside her sister, watching her sketch a person they were both familiar with.
Vanessa sat next to her father's desk, hugging herself as Elizabeth sat on the floor coloring, quietly humming to some a tune she used to sing in kindergarten. The older girl nervously glanced at the door from time to time, waiting for her father to return. He was supposed to be back soon, at least that's what he said, but Vanessa was increasingly tempted to go back for her brother. She had promised him she would, and as she sat there, she felt more and more like she had broken her promise. Without finishing her drawing, the older girl began scanning the room again. This time, she spotted more details, such as a picture of her family taken at least four years ago. William is shown standing with his hands resting on her shoulders, smiling broadly, while Michael stands beside her, holding her hand. Behind him stands their mother, holding one-year-old Elizabeth in her arms. They all stand there happily, not yet aware of what awaits them. On the other desk are several photos belonging to Henry. One features the whole family, while the other only shows Charlie, her closest friend. Speaking of her, Vanessa wondered today why neither her dad nor she were present at her brother's birthday party. Their father mentioned something about Charlie being sick and Henry not being able to make it to the restaurant. Today, there were very few staff members; she didn't see anyone other than her father and a few other employees who had already left for home. Home... Glancing at the clock, the girl saw that it was already 7:50 p.m. The diner would close in less than ten minutes. When would her father be back? Should she go get Michael?
As for Michael, the boy found himself in an unpleasant situation. We are talking about four boys who decided that they would tease him for a few weeks. They targeted him during a childish argument about which cartoon character was better, when their leader found out that Michael's favorite was Foxy, just like his. Before that, they weren't on bad terms; you could even say they were friends. The boy never understood why they couldn't both just like the same character. It felt like he was just looking for a reason for the other kids to turn against him, which was quite hurtful. The only thing he got to hear that day was that his stare was creepy. What was wrong with his blue eyes? They resembled his father's, who was both well-known and well-liked. What made them so different...? Perhaps Michael didn't have much of his personality, he got it mostly from his mother, so when he tried to imitate his father, it came out rather clumsily. Looking again at each of his tormentors, he realized that they had masks that had recently been released on the market. They were Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy.
“You're still playing with stuffed animals? What are you, a baby?” Said the one wearing Foxy's mask, holding his property, and then chuckled. He squeezed the stuffed animal's paw so hard that Michael began to fear it was going to lose its shape. He was about to jump up and grab what belonged to him when the other boy wearing Freddy's mask snatched the stuffed animal away from him and waved it at the robot, which was already powered down for the day. “How about giving him a challenge? I think Fredbear is hungry and feels like eating a fox.”
At these words, Michael and the boy wearing the Foxy mask raised their eyebrows. One because he wanted to get his precious gift back, and the other because he hoped to claim the stuffed animal for himself. Michael rose quickly and went over to the boy dressed as Freddy. “Give it back! If you don't, my dad will ban you from the diner!” He couldn't even touch him when the taller boy wearing Chica's mask beside grabbed him and pushed him away by force. It was already getting late, so Michael wasn't surprised when he found no one else there. They were probably waiting for him until the party was over and all the guests had left. Trying to break free from the stronger boy, he could only watch as the others approached the stage and the second tallest boy threw Foxy right into the bear's mouth. Finally released, small Afton ran up to the stage, not knowing what to do. Standing behind him and laughing loudly, the boys began to retreat from the diner, as if they had won some prize instead of making Michael's life miserable.
The world seemed to stop for the boy. All he could hear around him was loud laughter. Without even realizing it, he sat down on the ground in front of the platform and stared at the floor, quietly sobbing. However, he soon stopped breathing when he imagined what his father would say if he saw him like this. After all, he's not a toddler like Elizabeth anymore. There's no reason to cry on the ground and wait for someone to cuddle him and tell him that everything will be okay. Right...? Calming down a little, he quickly wiped his eyes and got up from the ground, sniffing. He thinks he's coming down with a cold, his nose is a little stuffy now.
“What now? When my dad finds out, he'll be angry again that I can't stand up to them... Maybe Vanny will help me? But she still hasn't come back...” The boy became nervous as he tried to think of a way to get his stuffed animal back. His father kept telling him that he was no longer a little boy and that, at seven years old, he would no longer be guided through life like a baby. Michael didn't know if that was true, but since his dad said so, he wouldn't ask anyone for help and would get his gift back himself. Therefore, knowing that there was no one around to reprimand him for what he was about to do, the boy reached for a chair and brought it onto the stage close enough to reach. After a moment of wondering if what he was doing would go wrong, Michael finally stood on the chair and, frowning slightly, reached for the stuffed animal as quickly as he could. However, it did not move, and the boy pulled his empty hand back in fear. Afraid that Foxy had caught on some metal parts of the robot and that too strong a movement would tear it apart, Michael remembered his father's look when he was upset with him and, suppressing all his fears, he decided to reach inside with both hands.
Standing on his toes, the boy didn't even pay attention when, due to exhaustion, he began to take deep breaths through his mouth rather than his nose. Warm, moist air flowed straight onto the spring-loaded locks of Fredbear's suit. He was fed up with it, and it made his eyes water a little until tears ran down his cheeks. Michael only had time to hear Fredbear's wide-open jaws close tightly around his head. Suddenly, there was a crack and a crunch, as if something had broken a nut shell, and the sudden pressure on his skull, accompanied by immense pain, ended almost as suddenly as it had begun. Wet mucus began to pour from the robot's jaw, and the boy's body hung lifeless. Blood mixed with other bodily fluids started staining its yellow fur a deep red color and robot's lower jaw, saturated with the flowing gore, weakened slightly, allowing the body to slip out of the deadly trap.
The lamp in William Afton and Henry Emily's office flickered, catching Elizabeth's attention. Picking herself up from the floor, she took the completed drawing in her little hands and turned to Vanessa with a big smile. “I'm done. Can we go find Mikey and Dad now? Pretttty please.”
“Okay, let's go.” The blonde sighed and, taking the younger girl by the hand, peeked out into the hallway. Seeing that it was empty, she headed toward the main room. As she walked, she could feel Elizabeth hopping up and down. She hoped that breaking the rules just this once wouldn't cause any problems.
When the girls stepped into the room, it appeared empty, and the door to the right of the stage was at an angle that prevented them from seeing it behind the curtains. Worried, Vanessa managed to take only a single step forward when she was struck by a smell that made her freeze. Elizabeth glancing at her didn't quite understand what was going on, so she approached the stage and paused. The blonde didn't even want to know what she saw, but she knew she couldn't simply leave her sister like that, so, as her body trembled, Vanessa approached her sister.
What she witnessed caused her knees to buckle beneath her. Her brother, the only member of her family who truly understood her, was lying dead on the stage, decapitated. Her eyes widened as the details of what she had just seen burned into her mind. Unable to avert her gaze, she could only feel Elizabeth grip her hand, bawling loudly and trying to choke out some words. The little girl began to tug at her, pointing at what was left of their brother, crumpling the drawing. Vanessa felt only the nausea rising in her stomach.
" Didn't I tell you girls not to leave the office?" Suddenly, she felt a strong hand on her shoulder. Startled, she tore her gaze away from the horrific scene and looked at the person standing behind her. As if on cue, her vision returned to normal. Realizing that Elizabeth had stopped crying but was still disoriented, she focused her attention on her father. However, he wasn't even looking at her, his gaze was fixed behind her. It was the first time she had ever seen him so panicked, but his face quickly turned expressionless.
“Go to the office. I'll be there soon.” Vanessa continued to stand in place, terrified, tightly holding Elizabeth's hand. “B-but what will happen to Mi-”
“I SAID GO.”
She did it without even looking back.