Inside Job (FNAF: SB Rewrite)

Chapter 38 - Limbo

I think I'm dead.

It's true what they say. Your life really does flash before your eyes, but it's not really flashing. It's more like relieving those core moments in your life that really made you, you. That can include those five minutes of adrenaline when discovering a secret passion, or the whole hour of a cry session that had changed the way you think. And while it all replays, you feel that intense emotion and twinge in your gut, as if it was happening the first time.

My brother was there more often than I'd like to admit. I knew he was a prominent figure in my life, but I believed he only impacted me after he left. I was so wrong.

He stood far across from me in a field of grass. Everything around us was hazy, but I was so focused on him that I didn't care much. If I had to guess, we were at some kind of park. He smiled at me, pointed down at his feet, and motioned a kick. I looked down at my own feet.

A soccer ball touched my shoes. I anxiously looked back at him, but then I moved my leg back and hit the ball forward. The shockwave almost knocked me down, and the ball itself didn't roll that far.

"Uhm, not quite," Evan said from afar. He jogged over and lightly kicked the ball alongside him as he got next to me.

"Hit it with the side of your foot, like this," he explained, and then gave a demonstration. It rolled across the field, about to where he originally was. We walked up to it together, and he waited for me to attempt the same.

I didn't have as much control and balance of my body as he did. I didn't know how young I was here, but I was very short, and the oldest I possibly could've been was six. I tried to kick it like he did, and I did manage to focus on hitting it at the right angle, but because of that I didn't use nearly enough force. He sighed and glared down at me.

"No," he simply said. I felt ashamed, but I didn't say anything. Instead, I looked down at the grass below us. Evan pushed me aside and kicked the ball, but this time it flew through the air, landing far away from us. I reached out to it and almost started walking towards it, but Evan turned around and began moving the other way. I was conflicted, not knowing which way to go, but ultimately decided to choose to follow Evan.

Mom and Dad sat at a picnic table. Mom was preparing lunch while Dad seemed to be busy typing away at his laptop. Evan rested his arms on the table and sighed dramatically to get their attention.

"When are they going to be here?" he asked.

"Any minute now," Mom replied, not looking away from her unpacking.

"But I'm bored! And Gregory's no help!" he complained, snarling down at me.

"I thought you two were playing soccer," she said, but Evan shook his head.

"He can't kick the ball!" he yelled. I cowered a bit.

"What about the playground?" Mom suggested, but Evan came up with another excuse.

"It's too kiddy," he said.

"How about that swing on the hill?" Dad finally spoke up.

"What swing?" Evan asked, his interest piqued.

"It should be right up there," he said, pointing to the hill behind the play structures. It reached beyond the field, but I couldn't see any swing from where I was. "It's right at the top, can't miss it," he said.

Evan brought his hand up to his chin. "Time to investigate," he declared, and he began to march away.

"Hey! Take Gregory with you," Dad said, and Evan spun around, annoyed.

"But he's–" Evan stopped himself when he saw Dad scowling at him. He let out a sigh and agreed, "Fine. C'mon."

He took hold of my hand and walked faster than what I could keep pace. I had to trot alongside him to stop myself from tripping. "And be careful!" Dad called out to us. We went around the playground before beginning to walk up the hill.