Five Nights at Freddy's-The Black Hood

Behind Closed Doors

After what seemed like forever, the place finally opened. Immediately, the place was filled almost to the brim with screaming kids and music from the animatronics, who began playing a special set of independence day arrangements. Some of them actually sounded decent, like the rather emphatic rendition of "God Bless America," while others were more laid-back and average like one would expect from an animatronic band.

Within minutes, Josh and Susan had a line of customers to deal with. Some of the orders were rather large, almost three times as much as usual. Josh figured it was for a large party waiting for their food somewhere. Nevertheless, they managed their way through the line and hit a break after about forty-five minutes.

"Whoo! That was fun, wasn't it?" Susan asked with a grin.

"Oh yeah. Very much so," Josh replied, matching her smile. "Makes me want to do this every day."

"You will be," said Susan as she gave him a wink.

"Yeah. Looking forward to it," said Josh. "Man...that nacho cheese machine really gave me trouble. What's wrong with it again?"

Susan rolled her eyes. "It's a piece of junk from a second-rate company that offered express shipping, the only reason we bought it from them...or so Derek says. Terry said he got it going again but thinks there's a short in the circuit somewhere."

"So why don't we just ditch it?" asked Josh, thinking back to his frustrating mornings dealing with his family's old toaster.

Susan shook her head. "According to Rebecca, running this place costs so much to run that we can't afford to replace anything until it breaks for good. Personally, I can't wait for the day that finally happens. Every single time I use this stupid thing I'm worried it's gonna burn the whole place down."

"Yeah. Then we'll have to ask people if they want rubble with their nachos."

Susan laughed as she grabbed a rag to wipe the counter. "So, is your family coming?""Sometime later, I think," said Josh.

"I'm curious to meet them. Your sister sounds like a real party."

"Oh, she is. Meanwhile, my brother's a party-pooper. And my parents..."

He paused, realizing that he was venturing into uncharted territory with his mother. Her concerns came back to mind, as did his run-in with Chris yesterday. Susan noticed this.

"What about your parents?" she asked.

He looked at her, debating on whether or not to tell her. It felt a bit too much like a personal matter to discuss, not to mention he felt a bit stupid mentioning it, but her eyes were yearning and trusting like she was really willing to listen to him. He sighed.

"Well, to be honest, my mother's a bit concerned about this place."

She looked confused. "Why's that?"

"Because of this place's past."

After a moment of bewilderment, she said, "What, about the you-know-what from thirty years ago?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Did Rebecca tell you about that?"

"Of course she did. She told everybody upon hiring them, but she assured us that she and Derek have taken special precautions to ensure that it doesn't happen again. Besides, it's been thirty years. I'm sure whoever it was is either dead or in jail somewhere."

"I know, but...still, my mom's a bit worried about all this, like there's something she's not telling us."

Susan shook her head. "Well, I've been working here for a few months now, and absolutely nothing strange has happened since then, so I doubt that that'll change today. Who knows? Maybe this can help her loosen up?"