One Night at Freddy's

A Machine

Katrina's POV

I shifted uncomfortably. The gauze around my neck was itchy, really itchy, and I couldn't scratch it because one of my arms was in a cast up to my elbow so my hand couldn't exactly reach where I needed it to, and the other arm had a needle in the inside of my elbow and I was afraid to move with that there.

"How are you feeling?" A doctor asked. I tried to remember his name, but I drew a blank.

"I'm okay," I said again. The doctors had asked me that question so many tones and every time I said "I'm okay."

"You do know where you are, right?" He asked.

"Yeah," I took a deep breath.

"Okay good. I'm Dr. Cole. Do you think you can take visitors again now?" The doctor asked me with this apathetic look on his face. I closed my eyes and slightly nodded, thinking about the empty place I wanted to be in again as he left. There was no pain there, but here all I feel is pain. My muscles are sore, every breath feels like my lungs are stretched too far, and each of my limbs sting. I felt like someone had opened my head, stuck a spoon in, and started mixing my brain around like soup.

The doctor entered again, my mom following him and Alice behind her. I looked away from them to supress the raging anger inside me.

"Hey, how are you?" Alice's soft voice floated in the room. I turned onto my side facing the other side of the room.

"How are you feeling, Katrina?" Mom asked.

"I'm okay," I answered her and sat up.

"That's good," Mom smiled. Alice frowned and crossed her arms.

Mike strode into the room. I felt my mood shift from irritated to neutral.

"Hey, Katrina, I'm so--" Mike started but I interrupted him.

"Thank you," I smiled at him. Mike's mouth opened and he stared at me.

"What?"

"I said thank you. You got hearing problems?" I narrowed my eyes at him, "I'm every bit as mad at you as I am thankful, so you'd better watch it."

"S-sorry, um, you're welcome?" Mike scratched his head.

"What? Why was that a question? Did you not call 911 for me? Did you not find me and carry me out of the building?"

"Um, yeah, that was . . . me, but I sti--"

"You seem to want me mad at you," I shook my head at him. He huffed and looked to the opposite side of the room from me. I turned my attention to Alice.

She looked so jealous, I wanted to laugh at her facial expression, but her face also made me want to leap from the bed and do more damage to her than the animatronics did to me. She was looking at Mike, but she probably felt me trying to burn holes in her with my eyes. She looked at me and her face scrunched up in this weird sad or angry or I'm-sick-of-it-all look. I realized it was just an odd sad face when tears pooled in her eyes and her lower lip quivered.

"Oh, Kat, I'm so, so, so, so, so ,so, so sorry. It's just . . . my mom called me. . . it was late. . . and I-I'm just so sorry. I was so worried, and I didn't know if you could get home. Kat, I'm really . . . really . . . rea. . . lly . . . s-sor--" She slowed at the end of her gushing when she noticed the glare I was throwing at her.

"You didn't even tell me you left," I said, monotone. I could see something snap inside of Alice and she ran out of the room, sobs echoing down the hallway.

"That was harsh, Katrina," Mom said. I glared at her too.

"You're such a hypocrite."

"What makes me a hypocrite?" She asked, offended. Or faking offended.

"All I said was that she didnt tell me she left. You call that harsh, and yet you'll get extremely drunk, act like a child, choke me, and scratch my arms to the point where I wear long sleeves during summer."

Mom's green eyes opened as wide as saucers and she shook her head slightly, as if I weren't supposed to mention any of that.

"Y-you do that?" Mike's shocked voice reminded me that we weren't actually alone.

"N-no, I-I'd never," Mom's face turned red. Mike's eyes grew dark.

"But then, I remember you said you took your daughter's money for booze," Mike folded his arms, every syllable he spoke accusing.

Mom's lips opened and closed and quivered and she looked at me. I stared back at her, the back of my eyes stinging.

"You took my money?" I tilted my head. She nodded. Shock sliced through my stomach. "Leave . . . please," I blinked rapidly to keep the tears from falling.

"But--" her own eyes were shining too.

"Please."

She scurried out of the room.

"People ae just fleeing from you, huh?" Mike tried to improve the heavy mood.

"I just . . . need some time now, Mike," I looked at him. Mike swallowed, seeing the one tear that had already made its way to my jaw. He nodded and turned on his heel out the door.

I flopped back onto the cot and grunted in pain when my back made contact with the mattress.

An odd, muffled buzzing sound reached my ear. I could feel something inside my neck vibrating. I squeezed my eyes shut and turned my head to get rid of the odd feeling. I felt like throwing up. I rolled to my side and gagged. I closed my eyes and tried