Broken and Together

Chapter Thirteen: Taking it on Alone

    I don't know about you guys, but Night 3 was, like, the one I struggled with the most. Took me forever to master Funtime Auditorium (ironic, seeing as Funtime Foxy is one of my favorite animatronics), and once I came up with a strategy and could get through it easily, then I couldn't catch freakin' Bon-Bon for the longest time. Finally got a strategy for both these things and mastered it. Those strategies are what Mike uses in this chapter, so if you ever end up playing Sister Location and start struggling with Night 3, try using them. It works for me, anyway.

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    "Welcome back to another pivotal night of your thriving new career, where you get to really ask yourself: what am I doing with my life?" Hand-Unit's voice boomed through the elevator. "What would my friends say, and most importantly, will I ever see my family again?"

    Michael gave a bitter laugh, muttering, "I don't have much family left, anyway."

    "We understand the stresses of a new job, and we're here for you," Hand-Unit said. "To help you reach a more stable and relaxing frame of mind, we offer several musical selections to help make this elevator ride as relaxing and therapeutic as possible. We offer contemporary jazz, classical, rainforest ambiance, as well as a wide selection of other choices."

    "Well...guess I could use some relaxation." He let out a shuddering breath. It was true; he could. Between feeling exhausted from last night, anxious over his current shift, angered by the horrid encounter with his father, depressed over lingering thoughts of the past, and pained from his injured ankle, he was already a tired, stressed mess. But just alert enough to focus on the tasks ahead.

    "Using the keypad below," Hand-Unit instructed, "please type the first few letters of the musical selection you would prefer." Michael reached for his belt and retrieved the keypad, which was noticeably dented from whacking Funtime Freddy upside the head. As usual, the keys glitched around the screen.

    "Ah." Michael sighed. "Why am I not surprised?" He randomly smashed the letters, and as expected, an error popped up.

    "It seems you had some trouble with the keypad," Hand-Unit said.

    "Big surprise." Michael rolled his eyes.

    "I see what you were trying to type, and I will auto correct it for you," said the obnoxious guide. "Thank you for selecting: Casual Bongos."

    Michael lowered the keypad, his eyes shifting around confusedly as the odd choice of music began to play. He shook his head. "What even are these options?"

    "Now that your elevator experience has been customized to your needs," Hand-Unit continued, "and you're thoroughly relaxed, it's worth mentioning that due to your lackluster performance yesterday, your pay has been decreased by a substantial amount. Please enjoy the rest of your descent."

    "Great." Michael threw his hands up. "Just what I need right now. A cut in pay. You know why my performance was 'lack-luster'? Because I was almost freakin' killed!" He lowered his arms and pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a long breath. "Who am I even talking to? I've gotta calm down, otherwise I'm definitely not making it through tonight."

    He spent the rest of the ride standing there in silence as he glared at the doors. He made sure to keep most his weight off his throbbing ankle; he knew he couldn't forever, since moving around would require him to use it. That would certainly be difficult and painful, but surely tonight wouldn't require nearly as much as last night, right? He breathed a sigh, silently wishing Charlie could be there with him. This elevator ride felt nearly unbearable without her.