The echoes disappeared as the room transformed.
I was back in the office. However, it was much darker than I remembered, and the lights flickered.
Maybe it was the entity that finally gave in.
The colors were dull, the tiles mismatched, the security tablet was unusable, and the place was run-down.
There wasn't much to do, so I decided to leave the office through the right hallway.
As I walked through, posters of the animatronics were torn off, and a single cable hung from the ceiling.
It was certainly not OSHA-compliant.
I finally reached the dining room, finding the tables in rough shape, the ceiling decorations collapsing, and piles of trash blocking the way as I wove between the party tables. The room remained untouched, with the smell of dust and wood mingling with the faint scent of chemicals emanating from the chairs.
It was packed yet, in a sense, barren. There were no animatronics. No lights. No eye-catching details. Nothing.
Except I caught something in the corner of my eye. A table to the far left of me, near Pirate's Cove, began to look weird. It alternated between colors, with parts of it seemingly phasing in at different angles—like a video game glitch. It looked terrifying yet interesting enough that I would touch it to see what would happen.
But I knew better than to touch something I didn't know. That didn't stop me from inspecting it more closely. As I grew closer to the anomaly, I noticed that the corner would occasionally switch from reality to a pixelated look.
Not only that, the right hallway was filled with glitches. It was aggressive and vigorous.
What is going on?
"The glitches," a voice said. "They are a gateway to other memories." Behind me, a girl stood. It was blood-soaked Susie.
"Other memories?" I asked, taken aback by Susie's appearance. However, it was an expected touch, if you will—considering how fucked up the lore behind this pizzeria was. I had a strange feeling that I didn't know everything quite yet.
"If you touch the glitch, you will phase out of this memory into another. You are inside the entity now instead of it being inside you."
"H-how?"
"I'm not sure. Whatever you did, it reversed ." I glanced over to the glitch parts of the pizzeria, watching it shift reality every few seconds.
"So, if I were to touch it or stand on top of it, I would just…Phase through?" I asked.
"Correct," Susie acknowledged.
"Won't I get stuck?" I asked. For a second, there wasn't a response. I looked back over to Susie, who stood staring at me.
"Susie?" I called. There was no response from her, not even a blink of an eye. She was making me concerned and creeped me out by not talking. What's with her?
"Uh, Susie? Can you talk or something?"
Still no response.
"Welp. I'm on my own now, I guess." I muttered. There was really nothing else to do except go into glitches. I mean, should I really touch something of that nature, let alone remotely be near it? What if I died? But then again, there really was nothing else to do, and Susie stopped responding a moment ago. There weren't many options on the table, and I don't think anyone is coming to save me from whatever this is.
I walked over to the glitchy hallway, stopping at the edge.
I took a deep breath before I took a step forward, dropping into the glitchy void. It was dark as I went down. For a while, I didn't see anything. The tension inside me rose as the fall seemed endless. Until light abruptly blinded me. It was just white light, then different colors appeared. The same as the glitchy hallway. Then, darkness.
Slowly, my eyes began to adjust to the darkness, finding myself in the dining room again, facing the direction of the employees-only room. The light pretty much blinded me earlier; not only that, but it hurt like hell. Suddenly, a bright, white light came from my left—it was a single beam of light coming from the east hallway. The light grew brighter and closer until I acclimated to it.
It was a night guard.
A tired-looking man in his late thirties stared at me with confusion as he lowered his flashlight toward the floor. He had messy brown-and-gray hair, a pale complexion, and restless eyes. He wore a faded Freddy Fazbear security uniform, the name "Ralph" stitched in gold lettering, and a smaller label that read "Security Guard."
There was something about his expression that I caught on to. It wasn't fear. But a sense that this man had had many experiences the average person hadn't. His expression bothered me because it was so blatant, and he wanted to spill everything but was never allowed to say it. I would say he was under an NDA.
"Well," Ralph said, his voice low and cautious, "you aren't supposed to be here."
"My thought exactly," I said. Ralph's eyebrows furrowed as he sighed, turning slowly toward the office.
"Come on. We need to get to the office." Ralph walked quietly down the east hallway, shining his light ahead. Before he could get too far ahead, I caught up behind him, trailing close.
"So, uh, you know who I am?" I asked, breaking the unbearable silence.
"Of course I do. You're inside his memory that I am a part of. How could I not know who you are?" Ralph replied.
"His memory?" I raised an eyebrow at Ralph's answer. That basically confirmed what Susie said earlier before I appeared here.
"The entity has a name. A name forgotten long ago," Ralph said. Ralph turned slightly, making only visual contact with his right eye. "I suggest you don't dig too far. There's no telling what secrets you may find in here. Even the ones you couldn't imagine without being deranged yourself." Ralph straightened, his steps growing longer. In turn, I matched his pace without seeming too desperate for acknowledgment.
'Don't dig too far' is such an oxymoron, considering how I got here in the first place. I also have no choice but to dig if I want any chance of getting out of here.
"So, you're saying there's more to this place than meets the eye?" I asked.
Finally, we reached the office. Ralph sat in the security office chair, exhaling as he powered on the security tablet—like it was just another night. I observed his movements from the office door, waiting for an answer to a question stinging in the air for longer than I had anticipated.
I had the impression that Ralph answered questions quickly.
But then again, I don't know the man. Maybe he was thinking of a proper response?
Ralph spun his chair slowly, facing me as he sucked in his cheek—contemplating something on his mind.
"That's for you to figure out." Ralph looked down at the security tablet—a blank expression.
What do you think I've been doing?
The answer was short-lived, but it was what I expected, given how Susie had acted earlier.
"Can I at least maybe have a hint of some sort?"
Ralph remained silent, staring at the security tablet. I sighed and looked around the office. I didn't realize it at first, but the office looked relatively newer. The poster that hung on the left side of the office had more color and joy than the faded, grey look of an abandoned pizzeria. The TVs looked cleaner and dusted off, except they were shut off. The fan blew cleaner air and was quieter. This night guard really had it better than I did.
To be fair, the pizzeria was run-down and abandoned in my reality.
BZZZZZ-VMMMMM!
That noise. It was another glitch.
I looked toward the left door. The noise was coming from there. I peered down the hallway, only finding darkness and the outline of the dining room table in the distance.
KZZZZZZT-WHUM!
I turned to find the glitch in the corner of the security door. Only this time, the glitch was much bigger, with the offset being that it was calmer.
Could that be a good sign?
The next problem was Bonnie. He stood on top of the glitch, his eyes staring like daggers. Now, I had two options: Bunker in with ol' Ralph here or bolt towards the glitch.
Two terrible ideas, but what choice did I really have? Unless…
I took a step to the right, closing toward the wall, maybe if I could 'sneak' past him enough to fit into the glitch without being stuffed into a suit again.
Bonnie's eyes followed.
"Just be a good rabbit and stayyyyyy there," I muttered, inching closer slowly. The glitch was just a few feet away when Bonnie began to move. Anticipating nothing good, I pushed from the wall and ran quickly to the door. However, the door shut before I could make it inside.
"Hey! Ralph! Let me in fucker!" I shouted, banging on the door. It was too late; Bonnie was already inches away.
I threw my arms up, awaiting the inevitable.
Instead, I felt a sharp, cold sensation run through my spine—like someone had dumped ice-cold water to wake me.
My eyes widened in shock, watching Bonnie phase through me as if I weren't there.
Bonnie continued down the hall, stopping past the supply closet.
"W-what the fuck is going on?" I managed to mutter.
Bonnie still had his eyes tabbed out on me, watching my every move. The door opened, and Ralph stepped out.
"Are you done yelling? Or are you going to keep playing victim?" Ralph said, peering out into the distance to observe the tall, animatronic bunny staring at him and me with his white, piercing eyes.
"Well, I wasn't expecting Bonnie to just…phase through me or whatever the hell happened!" I complained.
"But did you die?" Ralph asked, raising his eyebrows. This man was perfectly conveying a parent teaching you something after nearly dying and playing it out like no big deal. It was definitely pissing me off.
"No."
"Exactly," Ralph said, stepping outside. "He can sense you, I would assume. I knew Bonnie couldn't hurt you because this already happened."
"Okay, that actually makes sense. I can't alter the past, nor can he alter the future," I said.
"Something like that," Ralph said. "Honestly, kid, I wouldn't know myself. This is all too complicated for an underpaid security guard like myself."
"And it was too complicated for you to tell me I wasn't actually here and just an observer. Or perhaps you would call me a ghost?" I asked.
"But then that would imply you died and I'm still alive," Ralph answered.
"Good point. Paranormal Investigator, then."
"Better than ghost." I sighed.
"Your kids must love you," I said, sarcastically. Ralph's expression slowly faded, his eyes following the tile floor.
"You should get going now," Ralph said, walking back to the office.
"Tell me, are all of these glitches just memories?" I asked. Ralph stopped, contemplating whether or not he should say something. "If you're stopping yourself from telling me, I'll just find out anyway. What harm would it do not telling me?"
"It's better to learn through action rather than words. It's much more rewarding that way," Ralph replied.
"And much more dangerous, not to mention," I said.
"And your brother learned that the hard way."
I opened my mouth to speak, but it was too late, as the door closed behind Ralph. Another vague sentence of my past—just what I needed.
I slowly turned my head, observing Bonnie standing down the hall—eyes trained on my every move. There was a sense of animosity I could somewhat detect coming from the killer rabbit. Deep down, I knew Bonnie was just scared, not angry. Bonnie was only angry because he didn't understand what was going on.
"I'm scared too, you know," I said. "But that's a problem for me, not you. Okay?" Weirdly, it looked like Bonnie nodded, but it was so subtle that it could be misconstrued as a simple head movement. Whatever it was, it gave me a bit of hope.
I switched my attention from Bonnie to the glitchy mess in the corner of the hallway. I walked toward it, getting a closer view. It didn't seem particularly dangerous, unlike the last one. This one was much calmer—almost like it had done its damage already. The major difference was that whispers came from the glitch. It gave off not only an eerie vibe but also raised the question of whether the glitch was sentient or, in a way, alive.
"Welp, I've got no other choice," I said, stepping forward.
---
"I'm not supposed to be here," A voice said. "Impossible! How did I end up here?"
The entity sat on the floor, scanning Michael Afton's memories. To the entity, most of them were sorry excuses for a sob story.
It disgusted the entity. The vengeance inside the entity only worsened as each memory flashed before it.
"Michael…You should be dead!" The entity spat. "Die! Just die!"
Abandoned.
Bullied.
Afraid.
Poor Michael.
Poor… Poor… Michael Afton!
Every servo and robotic joint wanted to explode with anger. If the entity could somehow escape whatever enclosure held it.
"So…We finally meet," A voice called out. The eyes of the entity lit up—It recognized the voice.
"And what brings you here, I suppose?" The entity asked.
"I should ask the same of you," Cassidy replied, eyes glowing calmly. Cassidy assumed Michael was either mistaken or hallucinating when he mentioned another Golden Freddy, but she realized she had been the one who was mistaken.
There stood the entity that was nearly identical to herself.
"I am here to salvage what you couldn't fix," the entity said. "This abomination of a puppet you manipulated to your heart's content."
"I did no such thing," Cassidy said coldly.
"You know, I hate how both of you play victims, with only one of you having the right to do so." Cassidy's eyes scanned, examining the entity before her.
"I'd say Michael has gone through enough of your torture," Cassidy said. For a moment, the entity's eyebrow moved slightly out of place.
"And is that your opinion?" the entity said. "Do you remember that he's an Afton?"
"His name doesn't dictate his personality."
"Oh! But it does. It took an awful long time for him to turn against Afton. Do you think he maybe considered joining Afton?"
"Did he?" Cassidy asked. "His memory is an open book."
"He thought about it."
"Wrong again," Cassidy said. "Michael was offered his life in exchange for joining William. He refused almost immediately."
The entity's arm twitched.
"That doesn't prove anything," the entity said.
"It proves you weren't really looking at his memories. You were looking for reasons to hate him."
"You weren't there! How could you know?"
"Because I was watching him. The Michael Afton you knew has changed." Cassidy answered.
"People don't change. You know that better than I do," the entity said.
"You're right. The person sitting in front of me hasn't."
The entity became quiet.
"Michael didn't know the truth. He doesn't know now. He will later," Cassidy said
"And it makes it justified that he gets to live normally while we're tormented in these suits?" the entity finally said. "Is that your idea of fairness?"
Cassidy remained quiet. Her silver eyes seemed to flutter for a moment. Cassidy looked around, observing the memories of Michael Afton and his adventure thus far.
"No. It isn't fair," Cassidy said.
The entity's eyes narrowed.
"We died. We were forgotten by people who used to love us—left to rot inside these torture devices while everyone else kept living." The entity continued.
"Do you think it's still fair?" the entity said, its eyes flaring in question.
"It's not. But Michael didn't put us here."
The entity's eyes softened.
"His father did—William Afton." Cassidy continued.
"Did you forget that his blood runs inside him as well?" The entity said.
"I told you already. Name doesn't dictate his personality, nor does his blood."
"If that's true, why has he come back into this life that he threw away?" the entity said. "Why is it that he got to forget and live on like nothing happened?"
"That's a problem for Michael to answer," Cassidy said. "Enough about Michael."
"Why don't we review your story, [Error]?"
---
One moment I was in the void of flashing lights; the next, a dark place with hints of grey. This place wasn't like the rest of the memories—it was full of color. The walls were silver, almost like they hadn't set wallpaper yet. The place looked unfinished, and they just opened for the hell of it. The floors were lined with colorful spot carpets that stretched endlessly across the pizzeria. A mild new carpet smell, accompanied by a faint chemical smell, lingered in the air, making it the "star" of the show.
Down the hallway, there stood a bright, closed red door. To the side, posters of animatronics were plastered on the wall. There was Fredbear and its yellow rabbit companion. The yellow rabbit had golden letters that highlighted its name.
"Spring Bonnie," it read.
"Ah! You scared me!" A startled voice called.
I checked my surroundings, finding no person nearby until I looked down.
A pixelated child was standing before me.
"Um…Hi?" I said, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
"Hello!" the pixelated boy said. "Who are you?"
"Me?" I replied. "My name is Michael,"
"Oh! That's a nice name!" the boy said.
"Um, thanks, I guess?"
"You're welcome!"
"What's your name?"
The pixelated boy became silent for a moment.
"My name isn't important. Instead, you should come to my party!" the pixelated boy finally said.
"Uh…Okay?" I said. The pixelated boy turned and began walking toward the red door. I followed behind, the carpet crunching under my shoes as we made our way.
The boy pushed open the door, revealing the dining room. Immediately, the room darkened. Fredbear and Spring Bonnie were standing still, the carpet torn, and the wooden tables were old and blackened with mold. The smell turned sour as the room's air swept into my nostrils. I gagged, holding my nose. However, as I breathed through my mouth, the putrid stench snuck past.
"What happened here?" I asked.
"What do you mean?" the pixelated boy asked.
"The room? You don't smell that?"
"No?" Well, he is pixelated. Maybe the boy couldn't smell.
"Okay, fair enough, but you can at least see the problem here?" I asked.
"You're funny!" the pixelated boy laughed. "It's always been like this. This is normal."
No, it's not for me.
"This way!"
The pixelated boy began walking toward the left side of the dining room, where a dark hallway was. I took a moment to look around the place before I continued. Though it was dark, the strange part was that the boy illuminated wherever he stepped. Not only that, but the light from the bright hallway behind us also crept into the dining room.
Firstly, I went up close to the animatronics. They were darker than I remembered from that one dream with Cassidy. Fredbear's purple top hat was missing, and its purple bowtie was crooked. Spring Bonnie's bowtie was missing. It annoyed me how crooked Fredbear's bowtie was, so I climbed on top of the stage, fixing it out of courtesy. Even if they had missing parts, the animatronics could be fixed despite missing half of their attire.
However, it was a bad idea because the stench worsened—almost like they were the source. Pinching my nose in response didn't help either. As I fixed Fredbear's bowtie, something wet dripped onto the back of my neck. I wiped it with my index finger, examining the slimy substance.
It was blood. There was blood on my fingers.
There's blood on the animatronics.
Lots of it.
"Eugh, no wonder they're so dark," I muttered in disgust. I immediately got down from the stage, pinching my nose closed. I looked around for the boy, realizing he had left me behind. It wasn't that bad since I noted which hallway he went down anyway.
I looked at the broken-down animatronics, feeling a bit…torn.
Animatronics that used to entertain children, now covered in blood and forgotten.
I walked down the hallway where I had last seen the pixelated boy. I spotted the pixelated boy standing near another red door. The hallway was dark, but it had a more complete look than earlier. The walls were painted almost identical to Freddy's pizzeria, with the exception that there were scattered polka dots and many more posters of the animatronics from the stage.
"What's taking you so long? We're gonna be late for the party!" The pixelated boy called out.
"Sorry. I'm coming now," I said, walking quickly. The pixelated boy opened the red door, revealing a party room. A yellow glow emanated from the room, slowly brightening the hallway. The party room featured many decorations, including party hats, glitter, confetti, balloons, plushies, and decorative wallpaper. Strangely enough, the wallpaper looked familiar in a way. Of course, the party room couldn't be completed without the iconic duo's signature presence in the form of posters.
However, the problem is that, despite it being a party, it was barren—a telltale sign that something wasn't right.
"Huh? Where is everyone?" The pixelated boy asked.
"You tell me; this is your show, isn't it?" I replied.
"B-but Mom said she'd be here waiting. Dad said he would come," The pixelated boy said, a hint of sadness present in his voice. "And my friends, they were supposed to be here. All of them."
"Maybe they went to the bathroom? Perhaps your friends went to the arcade?"
"No. They aren't supposed to do that. They were supposed to wait for me right here. Where did you go?" The pixelated boy choked.
"Hey hey, no need to cry. I'm right here, okay?" I quickly said, kneeling to the boy. "Everything will be alright."
"No! It's not okay!" the pixelated boy cried. "They promised! They promised!" The pixelated boy's face started to produce what looked like tears. It was hard to tell because it was grey. I held both of the pixelated boy's shoulders firmly.
"Listen. I understand, but your parents didn't leave you. Nor your friends, okay?" I assured. "If they did, why is the party still going?" The boy became silent for a moment, almost like he was contemplating.
"You're right," the boy sniffled. "But where did they go?"
"I honestly wouldn't know, and I won't give you a wrong answer either," I said.
"Michael?" a voice called out behind me. I snapped to the source, finding Henry standing near the red door.
"What are you doing here?"
"Pff, something I've been trying to answer for a while," I replied. "And I'm assuming you're part of this memory? Or whatever this is?"
"Well, you aren't supposed to be here—for starters," Henry said, adjusting his glasses. "Secondly, this is a very old memory. Possibly before you were even born."
"Tell me something I don't know," I said sarcastically.
"Henry?" The pixelated boy uttered. Henry looked past me towards the boy, who had just broken down earlier.
"Uh, do I know you, kiddo?" Henry asked.
"I know you from somewhere. I don't know why," the boy replied.
"Unfortunately, I don't recognize you," Henry said.
"Oh my god, this is gonna go nowhere if you guys can't even remember," I blurted.
"You're Henry Emily. Right?" the pixelated boy said.
"Go, Michael," Henry said calmly.
"What do you mean, go? I'm not some dog, the fuck?" I asked, annoyed by his demand.
"This boy doesn't belong here. You need to leave!" Henry said, pointing toward the red door.
"Okay, geez!" I said, walking to the door. "But before I go, have any of you guys happened to see a glitch exit anywhere? You know, the messy rainbow thingy?"
"Oh, is it that thing at the end of the hall?" the pixelated boy said.
"What are you both talking about?" Henry said. "Go. You're wasting time, Michael."
"Okay then, later!" I said, closing the red door behind me. Without the pixelated kid, the hallway was super dark. Well, okay, that was a bit of an exaggeration. It was still visible but just barely—most likely because of the glitch that was, in fact, at the end of the hall. And the fun part was that it was a distance to walk.
Stomp. Stomp. Creakkkkkk
Behind me, very loud footsteps echoed across the hallway. I turned around, finding Fredbear standing at the edge of the hallway. Its eyes were lit white, illuminating the blood-soaked fur on its mouth and body. Fredbear took on a menacing stance as it stood in what looked like its performance mode, holding its imaginary mic.
The animatronic was still active?
"Hey there, big guy. Whatcha doing up?" I asked, stepping back slowly. Immediately, Fredbear's eyes switched to a bright red—A universal bad sign in any scenario. I really hope calling him big guy didn't trigger that.
"Okay, well, you stay right there while I go to the end of this side. Deal?" I said, backing up quickly.
Ha. Ha. Ha…
Fredbear's laugh sent a nervous chill down my spine. It wasn't a normal laugh at all. Compared to Freddy's, Fredbear's was more than just a devil—it was a monster. I need to get out of here.
Fredbear suddenly started sprinting toward me, his footsteps thundering as he gained ground. In a panic, I tripped before getting up and sprinting as fast as I could to the glitch exit. One moment, the hallway was barren—the next, it was filled with office equipment and broken tables, aiding Fredbear. I jumped and avoided the obstacles, some of them managing to slow me down for a moment. Fredbear was a lot closer than I liked.
I wouldn't be this scared if I could tell whether or not he could actually kill me or what he would do to me if he caught me. Judging by the blood-stained fur, I had enough intuition to guess it wasn't going to be very pleasant. Even though the last memory proved the animatronics couldn't hurt me, I didn't want to take a chance here. Then there were the obstacles. I don't think they would be there if Fredbear could hurt me.
I jumped over the last dining room table, stepping right in front of the glitch exit. With Fredbear's thunderous footsteps closing in quickly behind me, I jumped into the glitch willingly this time without question—falling into the black abyss.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha…