Broken and Together

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Survive the Night

    Charlie watched nervously as Michael unlocked the front doors of the pizzeria. Something in her gut still told her this was a bad idea, a sense of unease lingering in the pit of her stomach. It reminded her of their nights as technicians; each time going back, wondering what would happen...if they would make it out alive. They almost hadn't, and she didn't want to relive anything even similar to that experience. And yet here she was.

    "Alright." He entered, Charlie sticking close by his side. "I think I remember everything Jeremy told me. The problem is there might be only one Freddy head we can use."

    "Maybe there's another in the backroom?" she said.

    Michael halted in the dining area, noticeably tenser than before. "Right, uh, maybe."

    Wincing, she patted him on the shoulder. "I can go look; we still have a few minutes."

    "But what if—"

    "I'll be fine, Mike. It's not like Fredbear and Spring Bonnie come to life."

    "Right." He shuddered. "Of course not."

    Charlie gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, then hurried off in the direction of the backroom. There, she entered the shadowy room where the two suits sat. Ignoring them, she examined the rest of the area, in hopes of finding perhaps an old head of one of the other characters. She found nothing and knew she couldn't use the heads of Fredbear or Spring Bonnie. The springlocks were too much of a danger, and even if they weren't springlocked, she was not entirely sure if she wanted to use them, anyway.

    Sighing, she left the room to come face-to-face with Michael who had been approaching the door. She fell back a step in surprise, a gasp escaping her. "Mike!" She put a hand to her chest, through which she could feel her heart pounding. "You scared me."

    "Ah, sorry," he said. Clearing his throat, he held out what appeared to be a mask. "There are no spare heads in parts and service, and it looks like you didn't find one in there either. This might have to do."

    "This?" Charlie took it from him.

    "It's some sort of kid's mask," he said while she examined it. "I think it's big enough to cover your face." With yet another shiver, he averted his eyes from the mask. "Um...hopefully it's enough to trick them."

    "Hm," she said. Running her fingers over the mask, which happened to be of Freddy as well, she gave a nod. "I guess it'll work. It might not cover much of my head though. Do you think that will matter?"

    "We'll just have to see." He took her hand and started away. "Now we have to get to the office." The two of them said nothing more as they made their way down the halls all the way to the spacious office. There, they both stood behind the desk, which their masks lay on. Strangely enough, it was littered with plushies and other oddities.

    "Huh," Charlie said aloud, running her eyes over them. Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy plushies, along with a Toy Bonnie figurine, a Balloon Boy, and Chica's cupcake. Not to mention, a random microphone. She traced her finger along it. "I don't remember this stuff being in here."

    Michael barely acknowledged this, giving a grunt as he stared at the clock behind them. Resting a hand on his arm, she said, "Hey, it'll be alright. And we still have time to leave, if this is too much for you."

    His hands fisted, and he gently freed his arm from her grasp. "No, it's fine." He turned back to the desk. "We have to do this." She almost argued this point but figured there would be no swaying him now. And, anyway, she felt they could gain something out of this, yet was it worth risking their lives like this? What if it accomplished nothing? She shook off such thoughts, throwing the clock a glance. One minute till twelve.