Broken and Together

Chapter Twenty-Four: Memories

     Charlie shivered hard under the heavy rainfall, her body shuddering in the cold. Fighting back the urge to cry, she pressed her hands against the glass of the window looking into Fredbear's Family Diner. She longed to be in there, seek out its warmth and the fun she could see happening just beyond the bright red doors. Children roamed to-and-fro, enjoying the party, in the company of Fredbear, Spring Bonnie, and, of course, the security puppet. Letting out a whimper, she smacked one of her hands against the glass twice.

    "Hey!" she called. "We're out here!"

    Sammy did the same, swiping his soaked hair from his face. "Let us in! We're locked out!" He pounded his fist on the door, desperately knocking in an attempt to draw attention to themselves. "We're out here!"

    "Help!" She pressed harder against the window. Thunder crashed, making her gasp and edge closer to her twin. "They're...they're never letting us back in, are they?"

    "They will." Sammy kept his eyes trained inside. Setting his jaw, he knocked more fervently. "Hey! Let us in! We're stuck out here! Let us in!" Charlie said nothing, keeping close to him and the window while she watched the children continue to play, unbeknownst to the sad pair, locked outside in the downpour. As her eyes followed a child dashing by, she became aware of a sound behind them. The soft growl of an engine and the sloshing of a puddle beneath tires. With a gasp, she spun around. The glow of headlights passed over them as a purple care pulled up in front of the entrance.

    "Sammy!" Charlie grabbed her brother's arm and gave him an excited shake. "I think someone's come to help us." The two faced the car as the door to the driver's seat swung open, and someone stepped out...

    Charlie set down her wrench and flopped onto the chair beside her worktable. Sighing, she put a hand against her forehead. Stupid migraine, she thought. Makes work even more difficult. She stayed put, occasionally glancing over at the work she'd left on her workbench. Every time she did, she felt an urge not to carry out the job, for the misery of her headache made it nearly impossible to focus. She loved her work, but like this, it exhausted her.

    Another nearby technician must have noticed her absence and tired expression, for he came over, saying, "Everything alright, Susie?" Charlie sent him an odd look, almost blurting out a question, asking why he called her that. Susie Jones. That was her code name. How had she nearly forgotten?

    "Everything's fine." She waved a hand. "I just have a bad migraine. I might clock out early, if that's alright."

    "That's too bad," he said. "I could go ask our supervisor, if you like."

    "Thank you, that would be nice." She sent him a pleasant look. He nodded and headed away, once again leaving her. With a breath of relief, she stood and sifted through the notes she'd left on the worktable. Figuring she should at least finish up what she started, she hastily completed fixing the piece of machinery she was assigned. By the time she was done, her coworker had returned.

    "You're free to go," he said, gesturing over his shoulder. "See you tomorrow."

    "Right, see you." Charlie headed for the door of parts and service. "Thanks again." After snagging her satchel from the table beside the door, she made her way down the hall and towards the exit. She rubbed her head as she went, silently wishing it would stop. She'd never had migraines before, but ever since she started officially working here, one had come off-and-on, accompanied by...memories. But she did not like to think of them.