Five Nights at Freddy's

4. Night 1

In his hand, Mike looks at the instructions the man told him to take while simultaneously driving at the exact same time. Luckily it was dark out and there was barely anyone out this late at night for Mike to be cautious.

"Let me give you a little backstory. This place was huge in the '80s with the kids." Mike could almost reminisce exactly what Steve said over the phone a few hours before. His car drives up into the old abandoned location, a rundown family entertainment restaurant with an empty parking lot. "It's been shut down for years." Grass and vines cover not only the building but the parking lot itself. The sign features the mascot of the location, an animatronic bear with a top hat and bow tie waving his hand up in the air to those who come inside. "The only reason they haven't given it the old wrecking ball treatment is the owner's a bit of a... Well, he's kind of a sentimental guy, I guess."

After grabbing his bag from the front seat, Mike opened his car door and looked at the building standing in front of him. "Just can't bring himself to let it go yet. Yeah..." Steve laughs, making it seem like it was some type of joke to only him. Mike slams the door shut as he proceeds to make his way to the entrance, the lock placed around the gate probably was placed there so no intruders could get inside. He wrangled the gate just to make sure that no one but him could get inside. "Had some trouble with break-ins over the years. Drunks and vagrants, mostly. Not ideal." Mike pulled out the note of instructions yet again, trying to find the combination code the man told him over the phone. '1987' What an odd choice for a lock combination but nonetheless, the lock came off and he was in. "Security system, dated but fully functional."

The place was a mess, vines were leading in, wrapping themselves around the front gate. But the gumball machines were still intact and so were the checkered floors the place was known for. "Floodlights on the outside, cameras inside and outside."

"Fair warning: the electricity is a bit..." Mike suddenly stops in the middle of the entrance, taking everything in. The place felt familiar yet still unknown to the likes of him. Above the doorway was the word 'WELCOME' plastered in all red, probably trying to make the place look more appealing to children with its bubbly colours. Maybe that's why it felt weird stepping into a place like this. "...iffy."

The light starts to flicker behind him as he gets a good lay of the land. Opening the door that's labelled 'Employees only', he makes his way into the decrepit hallway. Its blank appeal more than likely means this isn't supposed to be seen by guests. Luckily for him, he wasn't one. The sound of glass crunching beneath him confirmed what the guy said on the phone, break-ins were common in a place like this. He pushes the glass aside with his foot before continuing down the path. He stops at an old poster showcasing the rest of the band, a red fox with an eye patch, a yellow chicken with a cupcake, and an indigo bunny with an electric guitar were all looking at whoever walked by with smiles on their faces. Yep, the place definitely reeked of company propaganda.

"Anything happens, there is a breaker in the main office." Finally, Mike is inside the office, the place where he's going to be spending most of, if not, all his hours as the new security guard. "Just flip it." Mike finds the breaker the guy was talking about and flips the switch on, in a matter of mere seconds, the place comes to life. Lights flicker on from the outside, indicating that someone was inside. But what made it really pop out was the sign looking down from the outside, light bulbs one by one flickering on and off until everything was set to go. "Uh, I guess that's about it."

"You know..." The guy on the phone continues on. "...rest is pretty easy."

"Just keep your eyes on the monitors and... and keep people out." Mike flicks the switch that's left off on the keypad, and one by one each monitor turns on. "Piece of cake."

Cameras flicked on, showcasing each spot of the restaurant in all its glory, or what it could muster in its condition. Mike sits down on the office chair, scooching over to get a better look. He continues staring into each one like a moth to a flame, or something similar to one. His attention is led to the buttons as he presses each one, the cameras changing depending on which one he decided to press at that moment. First the front entrance, then an undisclosed arcade room with a ball pit in the centre, then it was the main stage; the curtains not unveiling what's inside. Leaving it a mystery, Mike leans back into his chair, looking through each one as his job intended him to do.