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Wet socks.
That was all Gregory could think about as he crawled atop the muddy floors of the laundry room. The smell of rotting leaves and feet was so bad he had to breathe through his mouth, just to keep his sanity. And lunch. His hands were more grimy than they ever had been on the streets. It made him feel sick.
He waited for the echoing ambience to ease before crawling out from under the table. The sound must have been from a gust of wind in the ventilation or something. He shivered, both from cold and fear. He shook his head to clear his mind. Just a little farther…
Suddenly his vision was blinded with a flash of harsh light, making him stumble back on his behind. The security bot above him - how did it get there so fast? - sang a screaming alarm that threatened to pop Gregory’s eardrums. He couldn’t hear himself scream as he knocked over the bot and ran past. Thud, thud, thud, thud. He heard mechanical steps rapidly growing closer behind him. He turned his head only to yelp in terror and for adrenaline to push every stride longer until his gait was reminiscent of a very clumsy cheetah. Chica was right on his tail! He turned right and beelined for the nearest door. Sweet, sweet freedom! He yanked the handle.
Mechanical hands in front of him snatched his shoulders and pulled him forward cruelly. “Take a map,” Map Bot said, shoving its face in his. It kept repeating the phrase like a broken record player; Gregory worried that Chica would have time to catch him, but to his surprise she was gone.
“Outta my way!” shouted a rough voice that shoved Map Bot over with so much force it was inhuman. Gregory himself was unable to budge the thing. Map Bot crashed to the ground. The grip that had released Gregory was instantly replaced with the security guard's, so much stronger than the Map Bot that he could feel his shoulder blade twist painfully as she pulled him through the door. The security guard raised her hand and shoved the flashlight’s bulb in his eyes. He heard a scream. It took him a long moment to realize that it was his own. The world began to fade until all he could see was the light, until that too ceased to exist.
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Gregory tried to suck in air. I- I can’t breathe! He shifted frantically, gasping again. This time his lungs filled, as if having mercy on him. He could now hear a faint roar in the distance but couldn’t discern what it was. He laid there for a moment, breathing gratefully as he began to relax slightly.
And then he was hit with the danger he was in.
He shot up, only to slam his head on the underside of a table. His heart skipped in frantic flutters in his throat as he scanned the room. He was in some sort of retro-styled office, like the ones you’d find in old movies. Why would the mall have an attraction like this? Wasn’t the point of the mall to part from its old-fashioned motif?
He crept out from under the table. Out of curiosity, he knocked on its surface. Authentic wood? He didn’t remember the mall having that much budget. Beside him residing in the corners were more television screens than he could count, but much to Gregory’s dismay they didn’t work. Wires hung from the ceiling like snakes waiting to strike. Gregory left as soon as possible. With all the things he had seen today, he wouldn’t even be surprised if they could move.
Only now did he realize that this wasn’t the Pizzaplex at all. The drawings framed in the mall like a museum resided all over the walls, among other renditions of animatronics he had never seen before.
Instinctively he gravitated toward the source of the noise, curious. As he got closer he realized the roar was composed of intertwining voices, and happy voices at that! He rushed through the hall, past the adjacent private rooms and the restrooms - if he could just find an adult, they’d help him! He smiled with glee and relief. Finally this nightmare would be over. He hadn’t been able to sleep for days.
He erupted into the main room like a cat caught on fire. He thought a child running for their life would be noticeable, but apparently it was the norm in this place because literally nobody’s head turned. Well, except for one. But that was an animatronic, so it didn’t count.
He found himself too nervous to ask for help. Usually he was the one demanding things out of adults, but he was totally out of his comfort zone right now. He had never gotten along with other kids - something about him being annoying or just “weird,” whatever that meant. He just had that effect on people, he supposed. Either way, he was reluctant to interact with anyone in the room.
He pushed aside his fear. There were too many problems for social anxiety to be joining in on the party right now. He puffed his chest up and strode determinedly toward the nearest adult.
“‘Scuse me, I-”
“I’m not giving any more tokens away, young man,” the woman replied sternly.
“Wh- That wasn’t what I was-”
She sighed and strutted away. Well, so much for that. He scanned the room and found himself gazing at the posters. Only half of the characters on the poster he recognized; Glamrock Freddy and Glamrock Chica. They looked way different though. Their faces were adorned with rosy cheeks and short snouts, large eyelashes and plain colors. It was both familiar and nothing like he had ever seen before. Creeping dread dripped down his spine. What time was it? Wasn’t it the middle of the night just moments before?
He whipped his head around and inhaled. He stared at one of the nine-year-old boys running around and approached him. “Hey, what day is it?”
The kid gave him a strange look and said reluctantly, “November 12th. Is this some sort of prank?”
He was just going to ignore that question. “What year?” He flushed. He never thought he’d see anyone say something this corny in real life, let alone himself.
“1987.”
Gregory felt his jaw drop. 1987? No way. He turned toward the nearest adult and asked again, but got the same response. He was on the verge of tears. He didn’t want to be here! He had no home, no family, no job, nothing!
He whipped around in anger and disgust. What had that security guard done to him?
He looked up. Took a deep breath. He wasn’t sure what happened, but he was here now; he needed a game plan. He tried to make his brain work but it wouldn’t budge. It had run out of steam from all the sleepless nights and the imminent death lurking around every corner.
At least here he was safe, right?
He decided to start by finding the person who had turned when he entered the room, probably the only one who cared enough. He searched every corner of the room - hell, he even checked under the tables - but that figure was nowhere to be seen. He was about to give up, but then he saw it: a flash of yellow in the crowd. He waded through the wavering crowd of children toward it and found himself at the hall’s entrance again.
He hadn’t noticed it before, but the restaurant’s atmosphere shift was very noticeable once across the threshold. The hall was lively, sure, but something about it made the air heavy. It made his stomach hurt. It was just… wrong. Maybe it was his imagination, though; it seemed to have no effect on the other children. Pressing past his aches, he straightened and found the yellow figure again, who was leading five children like a field conductor. He followed.
He was some distance behind the animatronic, but he could see it very clearly: vibrant yellow with long, pointy ears and a cotton tail. His mind flashed back to what Freddy had said. “There is no rabbit at the Mega Pizzaplex… Not anymore.” Perhaps this was the rabbit he was referring to? He quickened his pace.
The rabbit disappeared around the corner. Gregory became distraught without the animatronic in his sights, and even more so when he too rounded the corner. The bunny was gone.
Gregory strode down the hall, looking left and right into every room. He had a sinking feeling that he shouldn’t be here.
All of a sudden the hall became very, very quiet.
And then the screaming started.
For a moment, Gregory thought that the very walls of the building were screaming at him to run, to hide, but he couldn’t move. He was frozen in terror. He found himself hyperventilating but couldn’t stop. Bodies shoved past his slumped figure in the middle of the hall until he slammed against the wall and leaned against it for support. His heart wouldn’t stop thumping at 200 miles per hour. The sounds of yelling and crying, terror and sorrow echoed through his ears like a looping video.
As quickly as it had started, the din had ceased completely. The hall was now dead silent. Gradually his breath normalized, his heart no longer threatening to beat through his chest. He didn’t even notice that he had closed his eyes. He opened them.
Right in front of him was the rabbit, drenched in thick red blood plipp ing onto the floor.
He screamed, but that scream was cut short as the rabbit lunged forward and slapped its bloody paw over his mouth, muffling it. He just realized that it wasn’t an animatronic at all. It was a man in a suit. It gave him a smile that reached its eyes. Dread spread through every cell of his body when the man spoke.
“I must admit, I wasn’t expecting a sixth. It’s your lucky day!” The voice was eerily calm for someone who was about to commit murder. The man gazed into Gregory’s eyes like a lion licking its lips. Gregory watched in growing horror as it presented the knife in its right hand with a mocking flourish. Strange… It reminded him of someone…
He couldn’t stop the mmph! that came out of his mouth when he realized. The rabbit! She moved very similarly to this man, but he couldn’t pinpoint why. It was mind-boggling.
The rabbit noticed his epiphany and tilted its head. It retracted the paw from his mouth, as if curious. Now was his chance.
He pointed accusingly and screamed at the top of his lungs, “DANCING RABBIT LADY!” and tore through the hall.
He laughed inwardly when he only heard sounds of pursuit when he was halfway down the hall. The rabbit was probably confused. Loser.
The smile on his face faltered when the lights above flickered. The corporation had probably put all their eggs in one basket when they decorated the front because back here the place was a mess. At least four times now he had almost slipped when stepping over a neglected cup or a stray sheet of paper. When he reached the end of the hall the lights finally died, sending the whole area into a darkness so heavy he couldn’t see even one foot in front of him.
It struck him that he should probably remain quiet. After all, the man couldn’t see either. Gregory was about to take off his shoes but stopped - they had straps. Loud ones, at that. He gulped and elected to just move slowly.
His left hand trailing the wall was suddenly met with a doorknob. He decided to take the opportunity because something about the rabbit’s attitude, it… it told him that simply running away was not an option. He wouldn’t make it. Gregory didn’t have the time or light to read the door’s sign so he entered. Thankfully it was unlocked. He shut the door quietly behind him.
After taking a few steps into the room, the lights were restored and the room buzzed with a dull hum. A lone light bulb lit a dim circle around it. Gregory slapped his hand over his mouth and his eyes widened in shock.
Four animatronics lay mangled on the tile, sprawled out on the floor or slumped against the corners. One was another rabbit, bluish purple in hue, missing its face. Like something out of a horror game. Its yawning pit where the face should have been was highlighted with large, rounded teeth at the bottom. Another was a chicken with its jaw unhinged dramatically from the upper half of its face. It had no hands, replaced by long, entangling wires. The eyes bulged from their sockets, glazed over and unfocused as if staring at something far away. A red fox lay across the room, but its features were difficult to make out in the dim light.
To Gregory’s right lay Freddy. Although it didn’t look like the Glamrock he knew, it was noticeably similar. The bear’s fur was dark brown, humongous jaw unhinged and crooked. The vibrant azure eyes painted a clear homage to the Freddy he knew, even though they too were foggy and glazed over. It even had a bow tie.
Gregory was shaken from his stupor when he heard heavy footsteps approaching, slow and taunting. Without thinking he rushed toward Freddy in search of safety. He grabbed at where Freddy’s stomach hatch should be but began to panic when he couldn’t find it. He could have sworn the eyes moved, because now they were looking right at him. He froze.
His trembling fingers pulled softly on the bow tie and finally, finally the stomach opened. He never broke eye contact as he shoved himself inside the cramped space and pulled the hatch shut without a sound. He heard the room’s door open with a slam and willed himself not to breathe despite his panicking heart. It was unbearably difficult.
Thud, thud, thud.
“Come out, come out, wherever you arreee……” A giggle erupted from the rabbit and echoed off the walls, making it sound like there were a million of them surrounding Gregory. But they weren’t. He was safe. Freddy would protect him… right? Sweat ran down his forehead until the door slammed shut again and the footsteps retreated angrily; the sound had grown harsh and hurried. Gregory exhaled. Inhal-
Eugh! God! What was that smell? Gregory felt bile rising in his throat. He couldn’t breathe with this rancid stench down his throat! He gagged.
He could barely move. Apparently the stomach hatch was smaller than the Freddy he knew. The inside was pitch black and he couldn’t see a thing.
Now that he thought about it, the inside had changed a lot since he last saw the bear. The space didn’t seem designed to hold anything inside. Actually, now that he thought about it, there was a metal rod digging into his ribs right now. He maneuvered his arms - which was painful because he was out of room - and touched the rod. Okay, now he was just confused. Why was that there? Maybe it was the endoskeleton. Usually it would have a wall protecting the item inside from being smushed, but maybe the engineers had just forgotten it. He sighed. He hated being in the past.
He tried to think more but all his mind preyed on was the source of that pungent smell. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to last before throwing up. He squinted, trying to adjust his vision to the dark.
As if hearing his prayer, the fluorescent lights inside the room awakened and some light filtered in through the opening in the base of the neck. Carefully as to keep quiet Gregory maneuvered his neck to peer around the other side of the rod and reached his hand toward the space. He was breathing through his mouth, the stench was so bad. His finger touched something with a squelch.
He froze.
There was something there, something just deep enough within the shadows that he couldn’t quite make it out. He leaned closer. Maybe he could get the suit to shift so the light would illuminate it better? He threw his weight against the side as hard as he could, budging the abnormally heavy animatronic and bringing in more light.
Oh my god oh my god oh m-
He couldn’t hold back that scream. It erupted from his throat in pure terror. That was a corpse. There was a dead body right in front of him. Blood seeped from burst holes in its skin like pus, heavy and rotten and peeling. The eyes’ fluids dripped from the sockets and rendered them a color that reminded Gregory of snot. The pupils were so dull that they were near indiscernible. The mouth was open. The saliva inside had the consistency of phlegm, and the cheeks drooped from the bone like heavy bags.
He flinched away from the thing and tried the hatch. It wouldn’t open. He turned away from the body and pounded his fists against the surface but to no avail. The situation he was in hit him like a truck - he was stuck in a robot with a dead body with no way to get out and hiding from a serial killer.
As if accepting his fate, Gregory turned back. He couldn’t help but study the gore sitting right in front of his face again. The corpse looked like it was… in pain. Even after death. He remembered the way Freddy’s eyes had moved; he thought it was just his imagination, but…
“Hello,” he whispered. He felt a tear roll down his cheek in sympathy. He couldn’t even begin to imagine that child’s pain. From the looks of it, they were even younger than him, maybe six or seven years old.
Hello, a voice replied.
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He wasn’t sure how long they had been talking, but the background noise outside hadn’t resumed. Maybe it never would, with everything that had happened today. The rabbit man seemed to be gone; maybe he had to go eat dinner or something. Gregory’s stomach growled restlessly.
The soul was silent. They didn’t really have much to talk about, to be honest.
“So… How’d you die?” he asked, hoping to relieve his boredom. He winced. “Sorry, I realize that may be perso-”
It’s alright… I just don’t want to talk about it.
He nodded, not that he was sure the spirit could see.
The events of today had really kicked his butt. He felt his eyes threatening to close every other second and had to press himself into the endoskeleton to keep himself awake. It’s not like he could nap while in pain.
Suddenly the entire animatronic shifted on its own, jostling Gregory and getting his arm caught in the endo. He yelled sharply. “What was that?” he squeaked, frustrated.
Gregory, he is here.
“Who? The rabbit?”
The suit shivered in anticipation and Gregory’s arm dug further into the metal. He could feel the joints shift as the robot moved its arm. “Hey, I thought you weren’t supposed to do that!” The old ones couldn’t move, could they? As if his day couldn’t get any worse. At least he was awake now.
The spirit didn’t speak up again. Instead, Freddy attempted to sit up and it pulled its arm back. The endoskeleton contorted his arm, now locked inside the tight structure of the ribs. If that bear sat up, it would probably break his spine. Gregory felt hot tears rolling down his cheeks and they dropped onto the endo. To Gregory’s surprise the tears sizzled, and only now did he realize the growing agony in his torso, pressed against the sizzling hot alloy. He cried in pain.
His brain barely registered the door opening. All he could think about was the growing tension in his arm as it twisted farther and farther, so slowly he swore he could hear the clock tick from here. Finally the bone began to crunch dully until it snapped and he couldn’t force down his scream no matter how hard he bit down on his tongue. He felt blood fill his mouth and found that he couldn’t breathe through the thick liquid. He couldn’t find the air to scream again. His nerves were on fire, like he was being roasted alive. Well, he was, so he had that going for him.
Through his haze he recalled the suit being opened and a large furry paw grabbing his neck and yanking him through, uncaring of his arm or cramped posture. It lifted him up. “Do you even know how much trouble you’re in? You hid from me for eight hours. It’s 11 pm,” the rabbit hissed. It threw Gregory to the ground. The light flickered and swayed. Gregory tried to move but failed; his limbs were too weak from the exhaustion and the pain. He could do nothing but watch.
The man whipped out his knife sharply, barely containing his rage. “You are going to be sorry.” He faintly felt the rabbit lunge on top of him, holding his mouth shut - as if he had the strength to yell - and drove the tip of the blade toward Gregory’s neck.
The last thing he saw before fading into eternal darkness was Freddy, now with black eyes, looming over the yellow rabbit as they roared in unison.