Robotic Love

Chapter Eighteen: Conditions

"And that's what happened, Kyle," I concluded as Kyle and I walked through Rockstar Row.

For the entire duration of me recounting the events of last night, Kyle didn't interrupt or ask questions. He listened very intently, nodding his head thoughtfully. He was obviously happy that my date with Roxanne went well. When I told him about seeing that strange animatronic at the top of the stairs near Roxy Raceway before I'd blacked out, and my encounter with Charlie, his eyes grew wide with slight shock briefly before he regained his composure.

We stopped in front of the large glass window for Roxanne's green room. I looked at Kyle to see a thoughtful expression on his face. I waited patiently for his response. I could only imagine what was going through that head of his.

"Sounds like the night started off well for both you and Roxy in the beginning," he finally said. "It's very shocking to learn what happened to you during and after the race. The situation's 2x worse than it was previously."

"I agree," I said with a nod of my head. "What possibly should've been just some kind of hack is now something both sinister and from the past."

A guilty expression formed on his face. "And again, I apologize for putting you in danger like this. It means greatly that you're helping."

I nodded slowly but didn't say anything else. That irrational part of me still wanted to be angry at Kyle for his reason for giving me the job, but I ignored it. I had to remind myself that I got myself in this mess out of my own will, considering I wanted to find out what happened to the missing kids. Getting angry at him would be kind of petty.

Something clicked in my head. A rush of worry flowed through me, my eyes going wide slightly.

"Kyle, what time is it?" I asked somewhat quickly, slight traces of my worry present in my tone.

He looked at his right wrist. It now occurred to me that he was wearing a fancy-looking watch.

"It's 6:45 AM," he said. He looked at me again. "We have plenty of time to go to Parts and Service before the Pizzaplex opens."

I didn't feel relieved, even when he revealed what time it was. A fear-inducing thought ran through my mind. While it only happened 2 times during the night, the idea of Roxanne being hacked by William Afton during the day made me feel sick. Considering that he had a personal grudge against me, William would undoubtedly use Roxanne to hurt someone to get my attention. The thought of an innocent child or guest getting hurt because of this fiend made me realize something, a realization that made my blood run cold in my veins; the Mega Pizzaplex was no longer safe. As long as William was here, safety wasn't a thing anymore.

"Mihael, are you okay?" Kyle asked, sounding alarmed. "You're pale as a ghost."

I snapped out of my stupor and looked Kyle in the eyes. "Kyle, I think you should have this place closed down for a few days."

Kyle went wide-eyed. "What?"

"I said you should have this place closed down for a few days," I repeated. "It's no longer safe."

He recovered slightly. "Mind explaining?"

"Kyle, while it may have happened during the night, there is a good chance that William will try hacking Roxanne during the day," I explained. He looked at me, waiting for me to explain what I mean a bit better.

I resisted the urge to groan. "Kyle, so many people come to this place every day. That includes the kids. As you said before, this also concerns anyone who comes here, at any given moment when the place is filled with people, and whenever he feels like it, he can decide to hack Roxanne and force her to hurt or kill an innocent person. I don't know why he decided to attempt it twice during the night, but what I'm trying to get at is as long as he's around trying to hack Roxanne, no one is safe."