when night comes ━━ mike schmidt

𝟬𝟭𝟰 springlocks

WHEN NIGHT COMES / Chapter Fourteen

The outlet vent was a tight squeeze but with a little wiggling and much more determination, both Mike and Zion managed to crawl through it. It would give them instant access to the performance stage and instant access to save their sisters.

Zion's chest was tighter than it had ever been before and she could barely breathe, both from her anxiety and the metal boxing her in on all sides. Still, she kept moving. She could hear Mike as he followed her, his shoes scraping on the ground.

Finally, Zion saw light at the end of the vent. Pulse quickening, her speed of her crawling increased until she reached the metal grate at the end of it. Please, be safe, she screamed in her mind.

The animatronics were performing 'Talking in Your Sleep' while dancing. They acted like they normally did. A chill crawled up Zion's spine, all the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. The show would've been cute, endearing almost, if the robots weren't out for blood.

There they were.

Mía and Abby, dancing alongside the animatronics on the stage. Then, Chica reached out and took Abby's hand, leading her backstage. With a wave and a smile, Mía watched her go before a metal hand was on her shoulder and gesturing for her to follow: Foxy.

Zion bashed her fists against the grate in front of her. It squeaked in response. With a final hit, the grate popped off and fell to the floor.

She crawled out then helped Mike exit the vent, too. Her head lifted and it swung from side to side—where was Mía? Where the hell had she gone? Her stomach churned as terror coursed through her veins. Was her sister dead already?

All of a sudden, Mike shoved her forward. Zion fell, her hip hitting the ground as she went down. Mike followed quickly and, before she could protest, raised his finger to his lips to silence her.

Zion's hands were shaking. Her vision was blurry, her head swimming. Her only thought was Mía. She couldn't die. That was Zion's biggest reason to live—her only reason to live up until recently. Mía and her snark, Mía and her smiles, Mía and her silliness; Zion wanted to cry when she thought of a world without her.

Mike's hand found hers and squeezed it tightly. A shuddering breath escaping her, Zion squeezed back. She had to focus.

A metal clanging sound started up behind the two and Zion peeked over the side of the stage — she now realised Mike had shoved her to hide her from view — to see Bonnie and Freddy dancing. Acting as if their friends weren't about to murder two innocent kids.

It made Zion sick. All of it: the killing, the ghosts, the children. She couldn't wrap her head around it...but it was real.

Mike tapped Zion's shoulder. She turned and he nodded his head to a bucket of water beside him, then at the taser in Zion's pocket. Wet the animatronics, tase them, fry their circuits.

And that's what they did.

They went down quickly in a hiss and a slam, sparks of electricity flying outwards. The music powered down and finally, Zion could think clearly.

A scream.

A familiar scream. And Zion was sprinting down through the pizzeria, down the hallway; so quick that her lungs started to burn. Another scream. Inside the Parts & Services room. Zion skidded to a halt and slammed the door open, taser grasped tightly in hand.

Mía was shrieking as Foxy lifted her in the hair, her tiny stature no match for the animatronic yet she desperately tried—punching, kicking, writhing, even tearing clumps of red fur. Foxy was attempting to lower her into an animatronic similar to a circus clown with red hair in ponytails, rosy cheeks, and piercing bright green eyes.