Broken and Together

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Horror

    (Warning: This chapter includes blood, mild gore, a panic attack of sorts, and slightly disturbing imagery.)

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    Michael roamed the crowded area, nervously watching the children celebrate the birthday. Recently, he had caught the rumor of someone using the Spring Bonnie suit, and a child sobbing over an apparent yellow rabbit trying to kill them. Such a thing left him on edge and gave him a sneaking suspicion that William truly had been around here, and possibly often too. If only Michael had been there on that day.

    He sighed heavily, stopping near one of the far walls. He leaned against it and crossed his arms, after setting Charlie's lunch aside on a nearby table. He'd seen her heading off to get some work done. After she finished, he would give her the food, seeing as right now he felt dangerously close to looking like a creep. Thus far, though, no one had spared him a second glance.

    He watched the crowd for only a short while, before noticing the other nightguard several paces away. He stood near one of the doorways, surveying the room and occasionally acknowledging a child who would approach him, usually to show him something they had drawn or ask him where a certain animatronic was (which, of course, they all currently roamed the area.) Curious, Michael headed over. He cleared his throat as he neared Jeremy, who jumped and turned to him in surprise.

    "Oh hey, Fritz," he said. "Bringing lunch for your girlfriend I'm guessing?"

    "Yup," said Michael. "What are you doing right now? You're a nightguard, I thought by now you would be home."

    "They switched me to the dayshift. Guess they needed more help for the final birthday."

    "Ah."

    "I'm not sure if you'll get my old position. Sorry about that."

    "It's unavoidable, I guess." Michael faced the bustling tables, speaking as he went back to watching the children. "Seeing as this place might shut down for a while, I think I pretty much won't be able to get the night shift."

    "Seriously, you shouldn't feel too bad about it," Jeremy said. "It's dangerous, and the pay isn't all that great, anyway."

    "I suppose." Even so, Michael wished he could have experienced at least one night. Having the place to himself would have been a good thing, he could've seen for himself the animatronics' behavior and had a better shot at exploring and figuring out some mysterious things happening—including that suspicious figure caught on the cameras. Now, he knew as well as anyone that breaking and entering was incredibly illegal, but if worse came to worse and they needed to reenter for whatever reason, it could be an option. This, though, he figured he shouldn't mention to Charlie until later. He bet she wouldn't agree, but it was worth a shot if they ran out of options.

    "I actually like this much more than the night shift," Jeremy said, drawing Michael from his wandering thoughts. "It's not as stressful, and I don't feel like my life is in danger nearly every second. Plus, I guess kids are kinda sweet."

    "Yeah." Michael gave a faint smile. "They are, aren't they?"

    "You know, Fritz," Jeremy said, sending him an interested look, "you confuse me sometimes, I don't know what to make of you. But you seem like a nice enough guy."

    "Oh." Michael blinked. "Thanks, I guess."

    "I like to think we're friends in a way, even if we haven't spoken all that much."

    "I suppose."

    "Oh, you don't seem pleased."

    "I don't care."