She'd thought the idea was ridiculous, but when Cathryn found herself being hunted down across a black-and-white checkered floor, past the filthy carpets, into the pirate-themed play area where Foxy was waiting with glowing red eyes lighting his bloody fur, she'd gasped and sat up to find Bonnie giving her an odd look.
She'd actually managed to fall asleep. At Freddy Fazbear's Pizza of all places.
Cathryn had drifted in and out of her nightmares after that, her brain desperate for sleep but unable to actually give her any. After the first time waking up, Bonnie didn't seem to notice when she startled awake or started muttering and twisting in her chair. Cathryn rested in short spurts, pressing her head into her chair's thin cushions in an effort to block out the world and her stiff neck pain.
Off in the distance, she thought she heard the brush of movement, but she did her best to ignore it. Until she regained feeling in her body and was pulled from the darkness by something touching her knee.
Cathryn woke up for the last time with a groggy moan, turning to the computer to find–She'd done it? Her shift was over?
The office was void of anyone but her, and when she glanced down one of the hallways, she found the restaurant's windows attempting to shine the dim light of early dawn.
It had just turned 6 am. It felt like a miracle! The universe must've been smiling down upon her because as Cathryn walked out to the front door, she caught the briefest glimpse of Sam ducking into the boy's bathroom. Instead of an awkward conversation, she found that he'd taped a small envelope to the glass door, minimal light managing to outline the form of a check inside. Beyond her paycheck was her mom's van.
Cathryn grinned. Despite it all, she was alive and well. And even somewhat rested, although none of her sleep had done much to rejuvenate her.
The cold morning air made her blink, but her beach bag was light on her shoulders and her smile managed a flicker of genuine peace. "Good morning, Mom," she grinned.
"Good morning. Are you excited for the weekend?"
"Absolutely."
The word seemed to describe every aspect of her Saturday. Was she happy to receive a check for almost $500? Absolutely! Without the robots around, the number looked worth it, and even as she gripped the envelope with her bandaged hand, it was nice to see her mom's proud smile.
When they got home, was she happy she had an extra hour to spend with her mom before she left for B.A.'s? Absolutely. And after that hour was up, was Cathryn happy that Chance had also tossed and turned from nightmares and wanted to take a long nap? Absolutely. Even if she felt a little bad for her younger cousin, she could only be so sympathetic at the idea of a long, uninterrupted nap with no restaurant to look forward to afterwards.
Chancellor curled up next to her in her mom's bed, his matted brown hair pressing into her collarbone. Her aching neck was soon forgotten as she lingered somewhere between asleep and conscious. It wasn't as relaxing of a nap as she'd hoped, but at least when she opened her eyes, all she was met with was a cheery four-year-old.
The day continued upwards from there. They had a late lunch of sandwiches that actually settled comfortably in her stomach. Afterwards, Chance insisted they play games and had them imagining they were camping out in an overgrown forest.
"With big trees and pretty birds!" he imagined.
Cathryn could envision it as he described. Gnarled roots supporting thick trunks that curved precariously over their heads. Brown and greed shadows stretching up against the sky until they covered it completely. Damp soil beneath heavy boots and the chatter of macaws, whose colorful feathers flashed between the buds of rainforest flowers.
YOU ARE READING
Alone With Them
Fanfiction"As anxiety pooled in her stomach, it was all she could do to keep from throwing up on his leg and giving away her position. Yet she knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that Freddy could sense where she was hiding. There was nowhere she could go in t...
