Five Nights | A Novella

First Shift At Freddy's

The video glitched momentarily, but Carissa managed to fix it by hitting the side of the TV. She then saw an animatronic bear, bunny, and chicken performing on stage. The lady in the video found them adorable and emphasized Carissa's duty to protect them and the technology behind them. However, the video glitched again, cutting off the lady's sentence.

Carissa removed the tape from the VHS player, muttering to herself, "Alright then." She decided to explore the pizzeria further, walking into the main show area. Dust and cobwebs covered the tables and chairs, and posters and banners advertised the pizzeria and its animatronic friends. As she walked past the stage, she heard a loud thud from behind the curtains, sending a surge of fear and suspicion through her.

"Hello?" Carissa called out cautiously, but there was no reply, only silence. She mustered up her courage and approached the stage, pulling the curtains aside to reveal the backstage area. Shining her flashlight on the animatronics' faces, Carissa couldn't help but feel a shiver run down her spine. They looked much creepier in real life, with scratches and stains on their fur. Quickly pulling the curtain back, Carissa decided to return to the office.

Sitting back down in front of the monitors, Carissa began to scan through the cameras, finding nothing but empty rooms and hallways. As exhaustion overcame her, she rested her chin in her hand, feeling her eyelids grow heavy. Despite her efforts to stay awake, sleep eventually claimed her.

Carissa found herself back in her recurring nightmare, standing in the same park. Instead of her parents calling her for lunch, she heard a twig snap and turned to see five kids staring at her.

   "Hello?", she called out to them, but they remained silent. Suddenly, she heard the sound of an engine and saw a purple car drive away, knowing it carried her sister, Charlie. Desperate for answers, Carissa demanded to know who had taken Charlie, but the five kids scattered in different directions. She chased after a blond-haired boy, stumbling and falling to the ground before waking up in the office.

Wincing in pain, Carissa rubbed her knee and tried to recall the details of her dream. Who were those kids? Her thoughts were interrupted by a beep from her watch, indicating that it was 6 a.m. and her shift was finally over.

   When Carissa returned home, she was met with an eerie silence. The house felt empty, devoid of any signs of life. Her father's car sat in the driveway, but he was nowhere to be found. Panic started to rise within her as she called out for him, her voice echoing through the empty rooms. But there was no response, only the haunting stillness that hung heavy in the air.

   Meanwhile, Henry slowly regained consciousness, his mind still clouded and disoriented. As his eyes fluttered open, he was met with a shocking sight. Bound to a chair with ropes, his legs ached with pain while his arms were tightly secured behind his back with duct tape. Confusion overwhelmed him as he desperately tried to make sense of his surroundings, but nothing seemed familiar.

   A voice pierced through the silence, causing Henry to flinch. It was a voice he recognized all too well - William.

   "Finally awake, Henry," William sneered, his voice dripping with venom.

   Henry's heart raced in his chest as he locked eyes with William, a surge of anger fueling his words. "What the hell do you want?" he spat. Henry couldn't help but notice the name tag pinned to William's chest, which read, "Steve Raglan." A sarcastic smirk tugged at Henry's lips as he chuckled, "Hiding behind a fake name won't change what you've done, you coward."

   William's expression hardened, his eyes narrowing in response to Henry's defiance. "Oh, Henry, you always were quick to judge," he retorted, his tone laced with a twisted sense of amusement. "But I assure you, this new identity serves a much greater purpose."

   Henry's brows furrowed in confusion, his anger momentarily replaced by curiosity. "And what purpose is that?" he demanded, his voice tinged with skepticism.

  Fear then mingled with anger in Henry's eyes as he watched William reach into his pocket. The sight of Carissa's pill bottle made Henry's heart sink. "Where did you find those?" he demanded, his voice trembling.

   A malevolent smile crept across William's lips as he dangled the bottle tantalizingly in front of Henry, reveling in his torment. "Found them on the street," he taunted, his voice full of sadistic satisfaction. "I thought they'd look familiar to you." His grin twisted into a sinister expression, a chilling testament to the darkness lurking within him.

   With a hostile tone, William continued his sadistic taunting, his words dripping with malice. "Soon, she will start to remember everything that happened," he sneered, relishing in the impending chaos. "I'm sure she won't be very happy with you, Henry. What do you think?" His laughter echoed through the room, a haunting melody of cruelty.

   In a calculated stride, William approached one of the dimly lit tables, snatching a roll of duct tape with a sharp snap. Henry's desperation reached its peak as he pleaded, "No, no, please, William, please, what do you want?"

   A sinister smile stretched across William's face as he hissed, "What do I want? I want you to suffer, Henry. I want you to experience a slow and agonizing death. I want you to watch helplessly as I dismantle everything you hold dear, everything you cherish, everything that gives your life meaning."

   Henry couldn't contain his anger any longer, his voice teeming with disdain. "Haven't you already accomplished all of that?" he spat at William, his defiance a flicker of resistance in the face of impending doom.

   Without hesitation, William forcefully applied the strip of duct tape over Henry's mouth, sealing his words of defiance. He leaned in close, his voice icy and filled with hatred, whispering into Henry's ear, "Oh, that was only the beginning, old friend." As he savored the terror in Henry's eyes, William cackled with wicked delight before storming out of the back room, slamming the door shut, leaving Henry alone to contemplate the horrors that awaited him.

   The room fell into an eerie silence, shattered only by the sound of Henry's racing heartbeat. His mind raced, searching for a glimmer of hope amidst the darkness that threatened to consume him.