Break the Rules!

Halloween is a Tuesday

Maran had gotten home quickly after their shift, grabbed their bag and threw in the few clothes they had there. Then they put both plushies in there too and wrote a note for Emem: You'll hear from me. Don't be worried.

Then they left again. Of course their friend was still asleep, the kids had holidays and those just started.

The kid spent all Monday at the pizza place. They helped out Nathalie and Christen to set up the place for open hours. Then they also wanted to help out everywhere they could, just to get their mind off what had happened at night.

But as 11 am came around, Christen sent them to Mikes office. He seemed worried but also mad. And so Maran went.

In the office, Mike gestured them to sit down. The first time the kid was here, they liked the small office, but now they felt uneasy and trapped. Mike noticed their darting glances around the room right away.

"Kid, if you don't want to explain, that's fine. You're scared, and that's probably understandable. I don't know what happened, but you should probably get some sleep", he said. His voice was calm and also calming.

Maran shook their head. "I'm not going home", they said with a raspy voice,"I don't want Emem to get in trouble."

Mike stood up. "You can sleep here", he said and left the room.

Maran pulled their cloak over their shoulders and sat down on the floor in the corner that was the furthest away from the door. They leaned against the wall and fell asleep almost immediately.

Christen woke them up a few hours later, at 9 pm. He handed them a Foxy Plushy.

"I can't stay here with you, sorry Maran. But I'll hope for you to get through tonight too", he said quietly, his voice worried.

He helped Maran to stand up, then the kid hugged him. "Thank you Christen", they said quietly,"but I can't promise anything."

Christen looked at them, worried. Then he hugged them again. The young man brought them to their office and helped them to change the bandages on their shoulder. He handed them a light green button-up with a purple flower print.

"I asked my brother if he could bring over a clean shirt. He's about as tall as you", he said, then his cheeks went red. Maran hugged him again.

"Thank you for helping me", they said. Christen put all three plushies on the table. Next to them he placed the first-aid kit.

"Seems like you're getting a whole collection there", he said and smiled at them. Maran smiled back.

Christen left around half past eleven. Maran brought him to the door and locked it after him. They stood in front of the robots until their shift almost started.

"What if they just kill me?", Maran whispered to themselves. But then they shook their head. The kid straightened and stood upright. "I won't die. Not tonight and not tomorrow."

They went back to their office and sat down. As the clock struck midnight, they picked up the tablet and got to work.

The robots didn't do much. They showed up here and there, but it seemed like all of them had forgotten where Maran's office was.

The kid was confused, but at the same that was a nice thought for once. They knew that William had promised to always watch them. But right then and there, the kid didn't feel threatened.

After four whole hours, William just walked into room. Maran had never seen him do that. He always just somehow appeared and then left. But this time he walked through the door. The man leaned against the wall and just looked at Maran for a bit. The kid met his gaze once, but then looked away.

"I thought you didn't have any other light shirts anymore", he remarked after a few moments of silence.

Marans jaw dropped open. Were they really going to have a conversation about clothing with a serial killer?

They shook their head and said:"It's not mine. Christen borrowed it to me."

William nodded then said:"The redhead that stayed so long, right?"

Now Maran nodded. Then William asked:"Why didn't you stay at home?"

"I don't want Emem to get into trouble."

The purple guy sighed. Then he said:"You're friend will live. She didn't notice."

Maran stood quiet, they weren't sure if they should said something. But then they did:"What didn't she notice?"

"Me", William said,"she saw me, looked at me. She recognized me, thanks to you. But she didn't say a word and didn't look twice. She didn't stay to stare, she didn't watch me as she was carrying you out."

Maran wasn't sure if he was angry about the fact that they had told Emem what he looked like. The man looked at the clock, Maran followed his gaze. The kid still had to work three quarters of an hour until their shift ended. William stood up.

"We're leaving", he declared. His cold purple eyes seemed to pierce through Maran, his voice was heavy and cold.

Before Maran could reply, the phone suddenly rang. The kid heard the phone guys voice:"Hello... Hello!"

Then William picked up the phone. "Shut up for once, will you!", he yelled into the phone, furious.

The other guy fell quiet for a moment, then asked:"Where's the kid?"

"They're right here, what the fuck do you want."

"I'm telling Mike that you're back", the guy on the phone said, his voice was kind of excited.

William grabbed Maran, who had just watched him, which made the kid cry out in pain. He'd gripped their right shoulder and pulled them towards him whilst holding onto it. Then he said:"You do that, and I'll kill them right now. Dear poor Mike will have lost another employee here and they'll have to close the place down."

Marans breaths were heavy, they whined again as William pushed down onto the cut that marked their hip.

Then, the phone guy spoke:"Leave them alone. They did nothing to harm you."

"They noticed me", the purple guy said, his voice filled with hatred and disgust.

"They didn't know you!"

"But they could have found out."