Til 6am (A Hermitcraft/FNaF Anthology)

Happiest Day (4)

The lift creaked softly as it moved upward at an unbearably slow rate. The lights flickered and Xisuma sighed.

"I really hate this place."

EX still felt uneasy. Could still feel those unseen eyes watching. He turned around and Xisuma followed his gaze.

"What is it?"

EX shrugged. "It's nothing.

He turned back and froze. There was an animatronic in the lift.

He felt a shiver run down his spine as he stood face to face with the robot, a yellow bear sitting in a tired slumped position. It had no eyes, just two dark empty sockets, but he knew it was staring back at him.

He started to feel lightheaded and dizzy. His ears rang and it felt like his head was underwater. He thought he could see a faint light in each of the robot's eye sockets. They were getting brighter, he had to know what they were.

His trance-like state was broken suddenly when Xisuma grabbed his shoulders and turned him away from the bear to face him.

"Don't look at it," Xisuma hissed, his eyes screwed shut.

EX nodded and took a deep breath, realizing that he hadn't been breathing for the past several seconds. "Okay," he said quietly and shut his eyes.

It was an effort to keep his eyes closed. A part of him wanted to see the bear again. He had to. Despite himself his eyes were beginning to open. He reached into his pocket and found the blindfold, tying it firmly around his head and over his eyes.

Then he heard the whispering. It was quiet, but it sounded like someone was whispering directly into his ear and it made him tense. He could hear it just as clearly through both ears, and nothing else. Even the creaking of the lift seemed to have been replaced by the indecipherable whispering. EX stood completely still, longing for it to go away.

But it didn't. It only grew louder and more frantic. He thought he could make out words now. They sounded like words, but he couldn't piece many of them together. There was just one repeating phrase he could understand:

"It's me."

Something took hold of his shoulder and he flinched. It was cold and hard, like metal, but felt disturbingly like a hand. The whispering didn't stop.

He wanted to scream but his throat felt dry. He wanted to give in, tear off the blindfold. He wanted to lose his mind in the endless void of the bear's eyes. He just wanted it to stop.

He reached out and found Xisuma's hand, gripping it tightly. His own hand was shaking.

Then it stopped. The whispering was gone. The weight on EX's shoulder was gone, though he could still feel the impression of it as if it were there. It was quiet and the air felt lighter somehow. But he didn't dare take the blindfold off.

The lift jostled slightly, then stopped moving. EX heard the screech of the doors opening. Still holding on to his brother's hand, he blindly made his way to the front of the lift. He moved carefully, worried of what might happen if he tripped over the robot.

But there was nothing there. He reached the doors without hitting anything.

"It's gone," Xisuma said, almost in disbelief.

EX took off the blindfold, risking a look back into the lift. Sure enough, it was empty. He turned back to face his brother with the most faraway expression he could manage.

"It's him," he whispered.

Xisuma actually jumped back in panic and EX burst out laughing.

Xisuma hit him. "Don't do that!"