No one could quite explain the sensation that swept over the 4. The sensation of the return of something that appeared to be far behind them, like an ancient ghost placing a curse among it's final resting place. The familiar danger only intensified once they realized that this time, maybe, there was no reliable way to protect themselves. The mask wouldn't work since the animatronics here relied on facial recognition, which took to scanning shapes rather than anything else. In the dark, there wasn't a small chance of the mask succeeding. They could hear, yes, but that's all they know now. Unless any of them had a night vision mode that no one knew about, they were completely helpless. Without the lights working, there was no way to know how close anyone was.
"Okay... Listen... v-very carefully-" Scott's voice was a faint whisper, if it wasn't dead quiet after the screech, no one would've been able to hear. Especially since he refused to move from the wall, paralyzed by his own fear. "w-we might need to slip up and-"
"Are you fucking joking?" mike hissed quietly.
"Look, if we all stay in one place our own breathing and moving m-might be enough to alert them." Scott froze, listening again. "So we need to split up and... If you need to cross halls or rooms, stay close to the ground and listen carefully."
"Isn't there like... A back up power source? H-how'd t-the place run out o-of power-" Jeremy kept his voice down but couldn't stop the shakiness in his voice.
"Been trying to figure that out..." William said quietly. "Someone must've sabotaged it."
Scott thought for a moment. "...Just like the cameras-"
He was interrupted by the sound of a familiar transmission that failed and was cursed to repeat until the object itself decayed followed by something along the ceiling. Everyone fell silent and immediately went to the ground. They had waited patiently, remembering Scott's words and went to crawl through the hallway as quietly as possible. Since mangle normally used the vents, they knew exactly where to go. Having worked there for years, everyone knew the location like the back of their hands.
Despite the fact that no one wanted to, they all ended up splitting up, not quite knowing exactly where everyone was heading. Scott, however, had no intention of surviving. He already knew that, considering how long he's worked here, he was bound to meet his downfall soon. And so, he went to find out exactly why the power had gone out. However, he had to make it through the parts and service room. And so, he kept himself close to the wall as he made his way through the hall. He then stopped, cupping a hand over his mouth as he listened.
Clink, clink, clink
Someone was passing by a little too closely. He squeezed his eyes shut and steadied his breathing, feeling the cold air of passing movement. He felt something brush up against his leg and stiffened, immediately assuming he was about to be killed on the spot. However, a few seconds passed and nothing happened. The sounds faded. He waited and listened a moment before quietly making his way down the hall.
By the time he made it, he promptly stood and opened the door as quietly as he could manage. He immediately went back to the floor, listening for movement. Despite the current condition of the pizzeria, the broken down husks of the previous location appeared to still be deactivated, much to his relief. He closed the door and waited a bit more for any signs of movement. He clicked on the flashlight and shined it on the animatronics. There was no movement. He then shined the light around the room.
In the corner farthest from the door was an old standby generator that, despite how rusty it had gotten, worked fairly well. Until now, that is. Scott didn't want to stick around to find out whether or not the animatronics would spring up and try to attack him so he decided to make it quick. He scanned the area for any tools and picked up a screwdriver. He was thankful for once that Fritz never listened when he told him to stop leaving his tools everywhere and immediately went to open the generator to see what was up. What he found troubled him greatly. The inside had been torn up. However, it didn't look like an animatronic did it. Any damage done by an animatronic would be quite wide and brutally displayed. However, the slash marks were thin and the cut wires were straight and precise.
Scott raised an eyebrow and stood up straight. He then looked at his screwdriver, beginning to wonder if Fritz was the one who did this. After all, it was the only trace he had. Then again, he figured Mr.Smith of all people couldn't have done something like this, he was too gentle with everything he worked on.
He froze and spun around when he heard a small shuffle. He flicked the light over in that direction only to be met with something that even he wasn't expecting. A vaguely familiar golden suit was standing by the door, its fur decayed and its wires too far gone. It took him a minute to process before his blood ran cold. It was the one remaining spring-lock suit in the entire establishment and he didn't hear any servos or anything of the electronic nature, leading him to immediately conclude that someone was inside. However, he didn't hear the door open, whoever it was has been waiting all night.
Scott stared for a moment, waiting and listening. He blinked and it was gone. Confused, he glanced around side to side, tears welling up from fear and slight relief. However, he knew better than to relax too soon. He knew better than anyone else that he wasn't safe. He turned on a recorder he always kept with him and took a few steps forwards.
"H-hello? Hello hello?" He began, testing it. He knew that most of the recording would transfer to the phone immediately, in case something interrupted the transmission. He made sure to keep his voice low "Uh... Well... I went to the parts... a-and service room- something knocked up the old generator- not sure who might've stuck around but uh... I found Fritz's tools by it and-" he coughed quietly. "I might die so I'm leaving this here- There's something in here- Think- Someone got into the old suit- a yellow one- I-"
He was interrupted by his own startled shriek. As he had turned around, it tackled him to the ground. "No- Not again- I-I refuse!" Immediately he began struggling for his own life. He was reminded of his own experience, remembering how desperate he was to stay alive. He managed to get an arm and leg free, kicking him off and losing his flashlight in the process. Immediately he got up and pointed his gun but didn't shoot. It was too dark. He backed up and listened carefully. However, he couldn't hear much over his own shaky breath. Then, something twisted his arm hard enough for him to accidentally shoot before letting go, loosing feeling in his arm. It grabbed his other arm and bent the other even further, the sound of his own bones and joints cracking.
"Whats wrong?" The voice sent Scott's mind for a loop. He couldn't recognize it but could tell it wasn't the person's original voice. However, he couldn't tell what would be the original voice either. "I'd say this was a golden opportunity for you!"
"I-" Scott whined slightly from the pain. "To hell with it!" he kicked him off and immediately went for the secret exit. He unlocked it, tore the door open and shut it, locking it best he could with the key he had. It was cold and rainy at that moment, he could hear thunder rolling in. he threw his back against the door as he heard pounding. The pounding stopped.
Scott grew tense before he realized what might happen and immediately ran around the pizzeria, hearing the gunshots going through the door. However, he felt a sharp pain in his foot as he moved. He looked down and realized that his foot was drenched in blood. Due to the intense adrenaline, he failed to notice that he shot his own foot. He quickly went to his car and turned it on, only to look at the time.
5:36 am
He turned the car back off and quickly bandaged up his foot. He knew he had to go back in, he couldn't just leave the others for dead. It's not like he had anyone at home waiting for him. And so, he left the car and cautiously went back to the entrance. He didn't have a flashlight or weapon anymore so he'd have to rely on his own ears to get through. He threw open the doors, closed them, and dropped to the ground behind the front desk, listening carefully. And, very faintly, he could hear someone scrambling to their feet and running.
Scott began crawling as quickly as he could while remaining quiet. He stopped when he heard a click and saw the light on the wall followed by a blurry silhouette flickering by before a loud scream echoed along the corridors. There was a loud clang, a crash before it ended with a loud thud. Silence ensued, causing Scott to assume the worse. However, he had to see for himself. Then again, he figured he might end up being next. What was more important? His own life or saving someone else's? No matter, he had no one waiting for him.
He crawled around the corner and picked up a flashlight that had rolled over, turning it on. The light fell on William who had a mangled leg and a hand over his mouth, struggling to keep quiet, mike next to him. He shined the flashlight off to the side and saw toy Bonnie lying on the floor. He got up and went over to the two. However, he took a wrong step, causing pain to shoot through his foot and through his leg, sending him to the floor with a light thud. It felt numb at first, then cold.
"W-what happened to your foot?" Mike asked quietly.
"S-someone- someone- parts and service room-" Scott could feel that he was getting too jittery to even speak.
"Scott?" mike was growing concerned by the second. "Touchy toned asshole- don't fucking pass out on us- we n-..." Scott looked at him. "...Forget it- Get your ass up- and carry him out. I'll stay behind and find Jeremy-"
Scott stood up. "B-but Mike- There's-"
Zzzt!
It happened so suddenly. There was a loud static sound that came from the ceiling above Scott, causing him to move off to the side. He couldn't save himself entirely though, the mangle bit his arm and held on tightly. Immediately, he grabbed the jaw and threw it off. He picked up William, took Mike's arm and ran for it. Scott managed to pull them outside and into the parking lot, watching the mangle make it to the doorway only to turn around and go back to a different room.
"...It... Didn't follow us?" Mike asked.
"The animatronics- T-they aren't allowed to leave the premises-" William's voice was thin and he was still trying to hold back any sounds. "I-I... I need a medic-" He joked, chuckling slightly.
"Scott, you get him back to the I'm going back in for Jeremy-" he didn't wait for a response and immediately went inside. He froze, hearing the familiar bells that indicated the shift was over. "Jeremy!" he called, walking through the hall. He then stopped, hearing a shuffle in one of the storage cabinets in the party room. He went over and opened it, sighing out of relief when he saw who it was. "Come on Jeremy, it's time to go-"
Jeremy nodded and stepped out. "I-I heard Scott scream... i-is he okay?"
Mike nodded. "A damaged foot, is all. Let's go home-" He took his hand and walked him out. Once he was at the car, he paused, seeing something behind the corner of the pizzeria. All he could make out was an animatronic-like hand, William's words echoing through his head. He froze, staring in that direction.
"M-Mike?"
"...Did... did you see that?" Mike was visibly a bit unnerved.
Jeremy looked over in the direction he was staring at. "See... W-what?"
Mike paused for a moment before getting in the car. "Never mind, it was probably nothing... I-it's been a long night..."
Jeremy buckled himself in. "If... if you say so-"
"Let's... Just get you home and I'll do the same. Did... Did you get hurt at any point?"
"N-nope... I-I... I heard whispering though... it was... m-muffled as it passed by the closet t-thing..." Jeremy looked out the window.
Mike raised an eyebrow. "Did you... Happen to recognize who's voice?"
"N-no..." Jeremy brought his knees up to his chest. "B-but it was... s-so close to the storage cabinet... I-I thought I was done for... But... i-it left."
Mike slowly nodded and kept quiet. He knew that it was quite a close call for all of them. William losing his leg, Scott getting attacked by something and Jeremy hearing someone. Whoever was doing this had a fair knowledge of the Pizzeria, enough to shut down the cameras and have knowledge of the secret door. William was out of the picture, he was with Mike most of the time during the separation and the supposed time Scott was attacked. He'd wait to call Scott.
That morning, after dropping Jeremy off, he called Scott once he got home. "...Hey man- Fuck you if you were trying to sleep."
Scott chuckled slightly. "Yup, hello. Long night, eh?"
"Yeah... I suppose-" Mike laid down in bed, playing with the phone chord. "Now who's the fucker that tried to attack you? I'll fuck 'em up-"
"Awe, how cute-" he snickered quietly.
"Fuck off Scotty Tape, this is serious-" He held back a chuckle. "Or you just might have to suffer the consequences-"
"How diabolical... A-anyways... Someone got into one of the spring-lock suits-" He coughed slightly. "A uh... Yellow Freddy one-"
"...Spring-lock suits?"
"Oh- Right I don't think you know about that. Well, they're basically suits that the employees used to get into during the day shift. Extremely... D-dangerous too. Had one fail on me years ago." Scott paused for a moment.
"... That's what attacked you, huh?" Mike thought for a moment. "...Oh dear god..."
"What? What's wrong?"
"It watched us leave!" Mike sighed for a moment. "We were heading to my car and I saw it around the corner but it was gone before I could get a good look at it..."
"...Mike, I'm sure there's nothing to worry about." Scott's voice went to a calm tone almost immediately. "The chances of it being able to follow is extremely slim."
"We gotta investigate further, man... But I'll be damned if any of us do it alone. You could've gotten killed, asshole!" Mike huffed.
"Hah... B-believe me... I know... Don't think I'll be sleeping tonight-" Scott chuckled uneasily.
"Well, you better try or else tomorrow will be a killer an- Oh. My god." Mike realized the horrendous pun he just made and facepalmed. "I am so sorry- now wasn't the time- fuck-"
"No worries, it's fine."
"So you got my back?"
"If you got mine!"
"Without a doubt."
"Without a doubt! Goodnight." Scott hung up and Mike listened to the tone for a few moments until he had taken everything in. He then put the phone down and gazed at the ceiling, pondering instead of sleeping. Would he really be alright?