»Of Godhuman Nature« [Five Nights At Freddy's]

Chapter XIV - Cold Fire

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Mike wandered the streets of Hurricane on eager feet, with a lowered head & his hands in the pockets of his jacket. The harsh November winds had long blown the hood off his head & exposed his face to the angry rain, thick droplets dripping from his soaking wet dark hair. Each gust of wind, no matter how feeble, demanded a tremor from him, but he was in too much of a hurry to even remotely care.

He was on a mission. Or at least that's what it felt like to him...

Passing the gas station & stepping around a bunch of overflowing trash cans the roof of Freddy Fazbear's Pizzaria soon came into view, a lightning fork illuminating the darkened sky as its many arms spread in all four directions of the horizon like the branches of a tree. A thunder rolled around the grey clouds, the earth trembling under the immense power of its voice; it sounded like an avalanche in the distance, or a massive wave crashing into a cliff.
He walked even faster as the rain picked up, even though it no longer made a difference. He was already soaked from head to feet.

Before he crossed the street Mike gave the small paper between his fingers a last careful squeeze as if to reassure himself it was still there, not to mention remained dry. He had slipped it into a delicate envelope right before his departure, at his little sister's behest after half an hour of vehement arguing.

' You're not in school anymore. Love letters without some kind of nice packaging make you look lazy & uncreative. '

Where did a 10-year-old like her take all that knowledge from anyway?

Mike entered the Pizzaria quite briskly, the excitement & anxiety sitting in his bones almost impossible to conceal. His gaze drifted around the at this hour generously occupied main dining area first before settling on the clock next to the counter. It was soon to be 12 & lunch break was just around the corner, granting him about five to ten minutes to dry off & look a bit more presentable. After all, he wanted to leave somewhat of a solid impression when he finally gave Lily that poem---

" Mike? Why are you still here?? "

He startled, though not due to the sudden sound of a voice. Rather he was surprised to hear that particular voice call for him of all people.

" Morning, Dean, " he mumbled upon watching his figure emerge from the restroom beside the entrance, a mop in one & a bucket of water in his other hand.
" Since when are you in charge of cleaning the toilets? "

" Since one of those damn kids decided to throw up in there, which was about ten minutes ago... Unfortunately for me, his dumbass didn't even make it to the sink in time ~ ", he visible shuddered with disgust & gave the door a swift kick to close it.
" But back to my question, dream boy. What are you doing here? Didn't you work all night long? "

" I did... But I came back to take care of... something.  "

" To... take care... of something, huh? "
Of course Dean had to push it. He was obnoxious that way.

" Something... Personal business. "

" I see, I see, " Dean said & tossed the mop into a corner behind the entrance door.
" Does that personal business by any chance happen to involve a girl? A particular girl? "

" Anything's possible, Dean, " was all Mike said before he pushed past him to squeeze into the bathroom. The smell of chemical cleaner & lemon-scented soap struck his nose when he wasn't even halfway through the door, the marble floor tiles visibly glistening with moisture.
" You should probably put up the warning sign. It's quite slippery in here ~ "