New Beginnings || PURPLEPHONE

Prologue

     "Scott Johnson?"

     "Yes?"

     "Congratulations. You've been hired here. Your first day is Monday, you have the day shift. I'm looking forward to having you working here with us."

     Scott remembered that conversation like it had just happened. When he first applied for the job, and he got it, he was ecstatic. His first real job, his first real chance at making his own money instead of being dependent on his parents.

     It was also a new chance to make friends, which Scott didn't have very many of to begin with.

     On his first day, he did nothing but embarrass himself in front of one of his coworkers, who went by the name of Mike. Mike wasn't the nicest man, so it took Scott a while to get over the teasing and the embarrassment. 

     In fact, his entire first week went horribly. Mike, Fritz, and Jeremy were all teasing him. He didn't know where anything was, and he somehow managed to knock over one of the animatronics. That was mostly Fritz's fault, for shoving him into the damned thing in the first place.

     Scott knew that they weren't trying to be mean to him or anything like that. They were only teasing; he had become good friends with all of them.

     However, there was one that just... Didn't talk. 

     Scott wasn't sure if he was shy, socially awkward, or simply just hated his coworkers. He wanted to become friends with this guy, though. Why not? Scott was a friendly person, wasn't he?

     He had to admit though, the man seemed like he kind of wanted to be alone, which was odd. Sure, Scott had been lonely as a kid, but he didn't want to be. This guy did the same thing every day. He'd come in, grab cleaning supplies from the closet, and start cleaning up until the whole place smelled like bleach and cleaning products. Then, he'd check on the robots if it was his turn to "play technician" (as the employees at the restaurant liked to call it, anyway - none of them were really certified to be technicians). When that was done, he'd stand in the corner with an irritated look on his face and say absolutely nothing unless the manager spoke to him.

     Weird, Scott would think to himself each time he looked at him. No, no, not weird. Creepy.

     "That's Vincent," Mike explained one day, when he saw Scott looking in the strange man's direction. "Don't worry. He'll talk to you eventually. He's shy sometimes."

     At the sound of his name, Vincent's head whipped up so fast, Scott thought he was going to break his neck.

     "What did you say about me, Schmidt?" Vincent started to walk towards where they were all standing, and Scott froze. He hadn't expected the other's voice to be so... deep.

     "I said you were shy," Mike replied, crossing his arms over his chest defensively.

     "I am not shy, you idiotic piece of shit! I just hate you, this job, and everyone here!" Vincent snapped, his voice raising until he was nearly yelling.

     Scott flinched at his words. He didn't even know Vincent, and yet the other's words stung, for some reason.

     "Hey, hey. Be nice, Vinny. There's a new guy here, don't scare him away," Mike still had his signature wide, stupid grin on his face.

     "Call me 'Vinny' again and I will gut you like a pig," the purple-haired man glared at Mike with pure, cold hatred in his eyes. Scott figured he must really hate Mike an extreme amount.

     "Well, anyway... Introductions!" Mike clapped his hands together and grabbed Scott by the shoulders. The new guy was also surprised to be taller than Vincent, somehow. "Scott, Vincent. Vincent, Scott."

     "Nice to meet you," Scott smiled at the man in front of him and was going to hold his hand out to shake Vincent's, but the look on his face made the tall black-haired male stand as still as a statue. Mike, Jeremy, and Fritz cleared away, retreating towards the office. Some friends they are, to leave me with a guy who looks like he wants to choke me to death.

     "Yeah, well... Scott, right?" Vincent tilted his head to the side, his voice softening ever so slightly. Scott could only assume that that was because Mike was no longer there to bother him.

     "Yes, that's right," Scott nodded, and for a moment he thought that he and Vincent were actually starting to get along. Maybe he'd be Vincent's only friend, the only one that the strange male would be willing to talk to. However, when Vincent put his hands on Scott's chest and shoved him back into the wall, he instantly thought otherwise.

     "Listen," Vincent put a finger to Scott's lips to keep him from talking, which the taller male didn't plan on doing much of anyway - not with this freaky guy around him. "You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into, working here. I would suggest that you quit and find somewhere else to go, but I'm not here to make your life choices for you."

     A smile formed on Vincent's lips, and for the first time, he looked Scott straight in the eyes with a stare that made the other male shiver. "Welcome to hell, Scott. Enjoy your stay."

     He walked away, and Scott watched him go, farther and farther down one of the many pitch black hallways, until the echo of his footsteps could no longer be heard.