It Started With Six.

CH. 03: Exploration

|| Perspective: 3rd person||

"This place is so realistic!"

That wasn't a lie. Whoever had created the building payed attention to detail. It seemed to be based on the second game, with open areas to move around. Perfect for murderous birthday parties. Tables were aligned in perfect order, despite missing legs and eroded plastic. Outside had begun to grow in; there was barely any free space in the wall from climbing vines. That didn't cover up the drawings though, so closely similar to the children's drawing that they looked painted. Party hats were left on the tables, deflated balloons on the floor, and party plates everywhere. All of the arcade machines were broken; some even had the glass screens shattered.

"Holy shit... look at the stage." Cole muttered. Eyes glanced over to the recreation of the stage, just as hyper realistic as the rest of it. The checkered tiles were still in their prime, despite the white parts being dirty or slightly chipped. The 'Happy Birthday!' banner was, miraculously, still on the wall, though only half way. It looked like it had been chewed up over time, probably by wild animals that wandered there way through sunken walls or the tarnished roof.

The worst part, or maybe best to some of the group, was the stage. Ten years of rotting away didn't stop the stage from holding up the animatronic mascots. Dirty and taken over by vines and weeds, Toy Bonnie, Toy Freddy, and Toy Chica stood in line. They seemed to be in pristine condition, despite the years that the place had been abandoned. At least nobody could deny that the stare created by false eyes was unnerving.

"Do you think they ever worked?" Sock asked, walking up to the stage to get a better look.

"Probably not, but the accuracy is creepy." Chilly replied. Heads whipped around as Rora squealed, followed by a crash. A statue recreation of balloon boy hit the ground, rolling slightly as one of the balloons in his hand shattered. The sound of his iconic laughter sent a chill down Arie's spine, causing her to shudder slightly.

"God damn..." Sock mumbled.

"Battery operated... that's an interesting choice." Cole said, crouching down in front of the statue. He pulled the hatch on the back open, removing the batteries from the statue. It was a miracle that the batteries even worked.

"Even the office is insanely realistic!" Death called out, definitely having wandered off. The group shared intrigued glances, before following her voice. Rora stepped over balloon boy as she followed, a disgusted look on her face. The floor towards the office was covered in glass, an absurd amount of glass for being in an area with no windows. Despite that, the builder stayed true to the blueprint. Four party rooms, each in the same state as the main room. Some of them even had cake and party favors left behind, as if someone had actually been there celebrating.

"Damn, down to the security screens? This is insane!" Cole said, running around the desk.

"No way it still works." Arie said, following the others to the other side of the desk.

"It probably never worked in the first place. Don't be dumb." Rora sighed.

"Boo!" Chilly screamed, causing the others to turn around and jump. He was wearing the Freddy mask left in the office, with his hands up leaning towards everyone. That awarded him a right hook in the face from Arie.

"You're not funny. Shut up." Arie groaned, shaking her hand off while Sock and Cole laughed. 

"Hey, it was kind of... funny..." Chilly laughed, his voice trailing off as he looked into the hallway. The others followed his gaze, eyes widening in horror. In the middle of the hallway stood the balloon boy statue, staring into the office with it's broken balloon. The battery hatch was still open, hanging out just as Cole had left it.

"What the fuck..." Arie mumbled, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up.

"Where's Death?" Rora said quietly, looking around.

"Death? This isn't funny!" Chilly called out down the hallway, shining his phone flashlight in hopes of seeing her.

"Where the fuck did she go...?" Sock said hesitantly. He was glancing everywhere, his intrigue slowly turning to intense paranoia.

That's when the ear- splitting scream rung out, a scream that made everyone's blood run cold.