What lies in the shadows~~~ Michael Afton x Reader

Chapter 12

As always this was proofread before posting. I am a very tired individual though, and mistakes slip past my tired eyes very easily. If you see any mistakes please let me know! XD

11/28/23 edited for minor mistakes

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"Alright, Mr. Freddy! I got you some new wires. Pop that wire hatch open for me." I smile as I walk towards the safety capsule.

"Are you sure this will fix everything? What if my systems still fail?" Freddy expresses his worry.

"I promise they won't." I give him a soft smile.

I power down Freddy as I enter. Rolling a table closer to me. I notice both Gregory and Michael have followed me in. I let a small laugh leave my mouth and explained that they couldn't be in here with me.

I usher Gregory and Michael out of the safety cylinder. Both are hesitant, but do as I tell them. I get to work shortly after. I remove the old wires and begin attaching the new ones.

It's awfully quiet, and I can feel both Gregory's and Michael's eyes on me. The silence and the stares both make me uncomfortable. I try to strike up some kind of conversation when a thought crosses my mind.

"Michael?" He lets out a soft hum of acknowledgement. "When you were in the daycare with us and proposed the idea of helping us, you also said you needed our help. What was that about?"

I turn my head towards Michael and watch as he shifts his stance. I know he's debating whether to answer or just tell me to let it go. He always shifts from one foot to another when he's unsure.

"I was hoping you had forgotten." He lets out a small chuckle. "My father. His stories aren't very uncommon to hear. Especially when you work here." I respond with a simple 'Right.' nodding for him to go on. " My father found any way he could to get to those kids and do unspeakable things to them. He created animatronics that could kill them. He found ways to keep their souls attached to them. He had managed to somehow set off the spring locks while he was in a suit, but his soul remained attached to the suit. I thought I had gotten rid of him when I set an old horror attraction up in flames, where the suit that his soul was attached to was located. I fear I am wrong, though. I fear he has maybe somehow kept his soul from passing on, or he has some kind of successor carrying out what he once did. It's looking more and more like that successor might just be the bunny. The string of kidnappings—it can't be a coincidence that they are happening here. The same company my father once ran, I want to put an end to it. Even if that means setting this place on fire too."

I paused my work on Freddy, looking back up at Michael. "I thought I was crazy for thinking that maybe there was some kind of connection between the old company's and the megaplex's kidnappings. Our main priority though is Gregory, but we will try our best to figure this out as we go." Michael's face shifts into a grimace. I know he's not happy with the possibility of leaving this place without trying to stop the evil things lurking in the shadows here. My main concern is keeping Gregory safe from those evil things. I want Michael to know that I won't ignore his request for help.

"What's happening here is not your fault." I give Michael a reassuring smile as I exit the safety cylinder after I have finished my work. I make my way towards the console, and Michael follows me.

"It feels like my responsibility to end it, though. If I don't, I'm at just as much fault as my father." Michael sighs.

I turn to him, grabbing his hand. Gregory walks up and hugs his leg, offering what little comfort he can. Michael looks between Gregory and me.

"It's not your responsibility to clean up your father's mess, but I admire you for trying to right his wrongs. We just need to worry about Gregory first, but we can still try and decipher things as we go." Michael offers me a small smile of appreciation as he softly nods. I rest my hand on his cheek for just a second before turning towards the console. Hitting the power-up button, Freddy slowly comes to life.

"How are you feeling, Freddy?" I continue to look down at the console as I run a diagnostics test, just to double-check everything. The test comes up clear.

"I feel... Better!" Freddy exclaims in astonishment.

"Great!" I let out a sigh of relief, some of the stress lifting off my shoulders.

"Look at all this tech. Is there something in here I could use against the other bots?" Gregory asks as he messes with the console.

"Uhhhhhh, maybe in my office, but there's not many tech things for that down here. Unless you want to launch a wrench at one of them, I can confirm that'll stun them." I reply nonchalantly.

Michael chokes down a laugh, probably recalling the time when Foxy went rogue.

I had been working on repairs on him before he was decommissioned. Some mechanics in his legs weren't functioning right, along with some wiring malfunctions. It's always those damn cheap wires corporate loves to buy. This accident is what actually forced the company to invest in the safety cylinder. Long story short, I had just replaced the mechanics. Foxy's wiring was still needing attention, and it was causing his AI to act up. I took my eyes off him for two seconds. He was gone when I looked back to where he was supposed to be. I quickly stood as I heard him charging towards me. I quickly grabbed the nearest object and chucked it at his head. That object happened to be a wrench. Foxy needed a few more repairs after that. The damage wasn't bad. It was enough for him to have to be marked as out of order for a couple of days.

"Bright lights in the eyes can cause us to briefly malfunction. I suppose a Fazerblaster or a Faz Cam could work." Freddy runs through the items that might work.

"Where do I get one?"

"You can win a Fazerblaster in Fazer Blast. Faz Cams are often confiscated in Monty Golf, but you'll need a party pass to open one of the attractions. Especially with Michael's and (y/n)'s badges not working anymore. Chica usually gives them out for birthday parties. You can check her green room in Rockstar Row. You may find one there." Freddy recalls where we might be able to find the items. "You can use the service elevators, but it appears only Roxy's is in order."

As we walk towards the elevator, Gregory points out the pictures on the walls. "Guys? Check out these pictures. Chica has some sort of special voice box. Roxy has new eyes, and Monty was given better claws. We have to get these! We could upgrade you, Freddy!"

"Gregory, those parts belong to my friends; I would never hurt them." Freddy dismisses the idea.

"What? They've done nothing but try to hurt us all night." Gregory gestures to us. He turns to Michael, and I pouting, "They get what they deserve."

"There must be a good explanation. They are not capable of hurting a guest. None of us are. It would go against our programming."

Freddy wasn't wrong. It is against their programming. It doesn't explain why they would attack Michael and me, though. A bug messing with their security and defense protocols, I would guess. Even then, though, they still recognized Vanessa, so that still wouldn't make sense. It's more than just a bug. It was almost as if someone was in control of them.

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Hellllloooooo! Holy smokes! Almost 3k reads! Wow! You guys, I don't know what to say. all the love and support this book is getting. It's amazing! I appreciate every single one of you! Every vote, every comment, every time you add it to a reading list! It means the absolute world to me! I'm so glad you guys enjoy this book. I honestly kind of want to set up some kind of social media account so I can actually interact with you guys. Let me know what y'all would think of that! I think it would be super fun! That's all I have for now! I'll see you guys real soon!