THE NIGHT SHIFT

1. THE NIGHT SHIFT

"So did you get the job?"

I turn my glare on my aunt. I know she means well, but she's not exactly the sharpest knife in the room. I mean, she knows I've been dreading this day. Not many jobs are available in our small town. Most of them I've either been fired from or I am rejected from. I mean, it's not like I have the cleanest track record with jobs. Either I'm judged for having been apart of a gang that may have accidentally been involved in a murder case( I was 15 years old and stupid, so don't judge), and I may have called my last boss's wife a cheating little bimbo (which was actually pretty accurate). So basically the one job available to me was the night shift at some run down shit hole called Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. Unfortunately, I have to take the job. My aunt needs help making money and someone needs to care for my little sister. But I hate working at night.

"Yeah," I snap. "I got the job."

She squeals happily. "Oh my goodness, Mike, I'm so proud of you!"

She hugs me tightly, but I jerk out of her embrace. "Auntie, I have to work at night."

"WHAT?!" She looks at me shocked. "But you hate night shifts!"

"I know," I say and run a frustrated hand through my hair. "But it was the only job available to me. I had no choice."

She looks at me sadly. "Oh, Mike..."

I shake my head. "I'll be fine. It's just a trial run for five nights. After that I'll get a check and hopefully the option to continue working."

"What's the pay?"

I hesitate to tell her. "Not great."

"How bad?"

"A hundred and twenty dollars."

She stares at me, fury bright in her eyes. And yet, she says nothing.

"I have to go," I say at last. "My first shift starts soon."

I head back to my room and collapse on the bed. How the hell did I get here? I hate nights. I hate what they mean. Sleep is my only refuge, and now I'm forbidden from getting it. All those years ago and no one knows what happened. Two boys, one prank, the consequence of a lifetime. I can never forget what became of Garret, my little brother.I can't do nights. I just can't.

Still, I drag my ass out of bed to change into the security guard uniform. Purple shirt, black vest, flimsy badge... how plain. I pop by Abby's room briefly and find her missing. Odd. She's normally drawing at her desk or playing in her pillow fort. Abby is weird that way. I love her, but she's such a little weirdo.

"Abby?" I call out. "Abby, I'm heading out now!"

I hear a creak of floorboards behind me. I turn and there is Abby in her pajamas looking up at me with wide eyes. "You're leaving?" She asks, her voice trembling. "Why?"

I kneel down in front of her, so I can look her in the eyes. "Abby, I have to leave. I just got a new job, and I have to go to it. You'll be okay, though. You have Auntie here."

"I'm not worried about me, big brother," she whispers.

I pull her into my arms and tweak her forehead. "I'll be okay," I tell her. "I'll come back."

I go to say goodbye to my aunt, but she's stewing in a corner. "This is completely ridiculous! You're only twenty years old! You shouldn't have to work at night!"

I give her a quick pat on the shoulder. "See ya, Auntie."

I'm out the door before she can say anything else. I get in my car and drive down to the pizzeria. The job itself is easy based on the description I got for it. I just have to make sure no one gets inside the building. The sucky part is the hours... and the pay. I already hate this job.

The building is so rundown and creepy, I question why anyone would ever bother going inside this rathole. I guess that's why the pay is so bad. But then, why wouldn't you just take the building down? The neon sign is not on and the place reeks of blood and decay. Absolutely disgusting. Who was the idiot who left this place to rot?

I enter the building and find the inside is just as bad. The main hall where kids would eat and play games is in disarray. The curtains to the stage are shut, but I go to them and pull them slowly to the side. What I see makes me scream. There are fucking animatronics in this place! NO ONE TOLD ME THERE WERE FUCKING ANIMATRONICS! The memory crashes into me just as the horror of seeing these run down beasts reaches its peak.

Two boys— one twelve, the other seven. The younger with a fear of animatronics. A simple prank of putting the little boy too close to the animatronic's mouth, the snap of spring locks activating and crushing the little boy's frontal lobe. The hospital and too late apologies. The nightmare that would haunt the older brother for the rest of his life...

I step away from the curtain, absolutely terrified that this building houses them. Thank God that they are not activated. This job just keeps getting worse.

I make my way to the security office and try to make myself comfortable at the rickety old desk. I'm just turning on the security monitors when the desk phone rings. The sudden beeping noise startles the crap out of me. The voice that comes from it? Friendly enough considering how creepy the place.

"Hello? Hello? Hi, I'm phone guy! I, uh, wanted to record a message for you to help you get settled in on your first night. Um, I actually worked in that office before you and am finishing up my last hours of the week there as a matter of fact. So, I know it can be a bit overwhelming, but I'm here to tell you that there is nothing to worry about! You'll be fine! So let's just focus on getting you through your first night. There's really nothing to worry about. Uh, the animatronic characters here do get a bit quirky at night, but I guess I would be too! I mean, if I were forced to sing the same dam songs for twenty years and never got a bath, I might be a bit irritable as well. So remember: these characters hold a special place in the hearts of children, so maybe show them a little respect. Got that? Okay. So just be aware that the characters do tend to wander a bit due to some roaming mode or whatever, but you can keep an eye on them by using the monitors. Otherwise, yeah. That's basically it. Just keep your eyes on the monitors and make sure no one comes in and trashes the place."

What. The. Major. Hell.