~One for the road~

~Chapter 1~

Thumbnail art credit: @harvviie on Instagram!

~ 07 / 30 / 1983 ~ Sophie's 23rd Birthday

The trip back was nice. The cheerful aura inside the car was nice. It felt as if all Sophie's anxieties had evaporated into thin air. Everyone was getting along. Sophie gently thrummed her fingers against the steering wheel as the radio played softly in the background. Friendly banter floated through the backseats between Hilary and Kevin as Sophie drove smoothly down the curves of the road. Jenny turned her head occasionally to add unnecessary comments to the others' banter. Everything was perfect.

After correcting Hilary on a word she mispronunciated, Jenny swerved her head toward Sophie. "Hey Soapie?"

Sophie hummed with an unfiltered smile, "Yes, Jenny?"

"I might have to leave your party a little early."

With that, Sophie's smile drawed itself into a thin line. "What, why?"

"Gotta late night shift, sorry Soph."

The smoothness of Sophie's driving halted for a hot second. She had completely forgotten about Jenny taking up the job opportunity as a BSI caretaker. How could she have forgotten something so terrifying?

"Sophie?" Jenny attempts to bring the troubled girl back to reality.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry. No, that's fine." It wasn't fine. Sophie was screaming on the inside.

"You sure? You seem a bit pale."

In return, Sophie offered a stiff nod. Her hands clenched against the wheel and her knuckles turned white.

The rest of the car drive involved Sophie staying inside her own head whilst her friends happily socialised. A destructive tornado formed inside the brunettes mind whilst the others remained oblivious. They needed to talk.

Everyone arrived at Sophie's house in one piece. The birthday girl didn't waste time in pulling Jenny to the side, confusing her guests.

Kevin poked his head around the corner, raising an eyebrow at the two. "Before you two makeout in the corner, can we have a little tour of the place? Since we haven't been here before?"

Face bright red, Sophie sputtered, "Mm- well, yes- you can- just give us a minute, please?"

Jenny gave a light chuckle at her girlfriend's flustered state, "Is it that important?"

"Yes, it's important, okay?"

Upon noticing Kevin still standing across the room, Sophie shooed him away with a simple hand gesture. She turned back to gauge Jenny's concerned expression. "Here, sit."

Sophie slowly lowered herself onto the carpet below her and Jenny followed. "Jenny, I'm worried about you."

"You're worried about me? You're the one who's been acting all repressed on your birthday."

"Yes! I'm worried about you! You're going to work, alone, at that stupid storage facility!" Sophie's tone flew up a few notches, worry clear in her voice.

"Woah, woah, Soph." Jenny placed a hand on each of the brunettes shoulders to steady her. "Rail it in, okay? I'm going to be fine."

"No." Sophie shrugged Jenny's touch off her shoulders. "You've heard about all the incidents that have happened to BSI workers."

Jenny simply laughed, and Sophie stared. She laughed? "You're a BSI worker, you goof."

Sophie's shoulders tensed as she spoke, "I quit, remember?"

A strike of confusion flashed across Jenny's face and her broad smile dissipated. Her voice lowered, "you didn't tell me you quit.."

"Yes I did! After Bunny Farm! Remember?"

"Um, no, Sophie, you didn't." The ginger haired girl knit her eyebrows together. "You're starting to worry me."

Stress coursed through Sophies veins. She pressed two fingers into either side of her skull, head slightly bowed. "What is wrong with me?"

"Hey, hey. Listen to me." Jenny reached out for her girlfriend's wrist, pulling it away. The two locked eyes. "There's nothing wrong with you, Soph. It's just those pills making you forget things and confusing your memory."

The brunette hesitantly nodded in agreement. In a shaky voice she asked, "What made you take the job?"

"Well," Jenny started, smiling at the girl in front of her as if nothing was wrong, "I thought we could possibly get some shifts together... but that's out of the question now."

Sophie nodded, desperate to know if there were other reasons.

"And it's a very good pay. For some reason the company reeally wants to go through with this 'relocate project' and is paying workers extra just to get the job done." Jenny paused. She looked conflicted as to whether continuing was a good idea or not.
"Oh and- y'know- I'm currently unemployed. Kinda need the money." She visibly cringed.

It made sense, really. Except for the fact that it didn't make sense. Sophie couldn't wrap her head around it, no matter how hard she tried. "But, I told you about what I saw.."

"In Bunny Farm? That stupid video game?"

A pang of hurt soared through Sophie's heart. None of this was stupid to her. To Sophie, this was life or death. She couldn't bare to lose Jenny; the only one who could make her smile reach her cheeks.

"Its not stupid, Jenny... I saw people who I used to know, used to care about-" the brunette had to take a deep breath to steady herself, "I saw them dead."

A glimmer of guilt showed itself in Jenny's eyes. "No, Soph, I-" she tripped over her words, "I only called it stupid because it hurt you."

"You said you believe me. Do you still?" Sophie eyed the ground.

Now even Jenny herself looked entirely distraught. "Of course i do, hun." She slid her hand into Sophie's. Pale fingers slotted between olive ones and gave a reassuring grasp.

"Then why did you think it was a good idea-"

"Did you see anyone get directly killed by an animatronic?" Jenny interrupted.

Any attempt to dive into memories gave Sophie a headache. Even the events from that traumatic night were unclear. All she remembered was a shaking hand on the joystick. Bright flashing colours along with a bunch of disturbing images that were now engraved into her brain.

The ginger haired girl stared at her expectantly. Sophie took in a sharp breath, "no."

"Then I should be fine, right?"

Sophie still looked entirely unconvinced.