Returning to work on Monday had already been a stupid idea, even before Sam had showed up on Cathryn's door freaking out. So, it was no wonder why she spent the rest of Sunday unable to relax.
It hadn't helped that a few hours later, when her mom had gotten home, she'd handed Cathryn her phone saying Sam had called to talk about work.
Cathryn hadn't bothered imagining how a conversation between her mom and a maybe-panicking-Sam had gone, she'd simply grabbed the phone and sucked in a breath before returning the call.
". . . Hello?"
"Hey, this is Cathryn. I–"
"Forgot to tell you, the supplies truck usually unloads Monday night, but they should be about done by the time the place closes. You wouldn't have to talk to them."
"Um, oka–"
Sam had hung up before she had the chance to ask questions or even finish a response.
When it finally hit Monday, nothing had gotten better. Cathryn had faced one more restless night, called Markus to let him know what had happened, and paced around her room muttering to herself and wondering why her. Should she just quit? Not show up or call over the phone? Her self-preservation wanted to run away, but Cathryn was worried she was already in too deep.
For all she knew, Sam hadn't even gone to work yesterday, and the robots had trashed the place unsupervised. Freddy's was closed on Sundays, so she wouldn't be surprised if he'd just hoped for the best and waited until 6 am to show up and try to fix whatever catastrophes had occurred. It was an option she was considering.
"Come on Cathryn," she told herself throughout the day. "You've done this before, they're already fixed . . . maybe. You've got this."
But she didn't "got this". She really, really, really didn't want to "got this". Cathryn just wanted to stay home, maybe cry a little. It was funny how before this whole mess she'd never cried very often. Now she thought about it twice a day.
Uncle Brandon refused to let Mom come into work today, a surprise Cathryn didn't discover until she heard a sharp voice from behind while she was restocking her beach bag, "Cathryn! What are you doing with those?"
The "those" she was referring to were two energy drinks in Cathryn's grip that she planned on bringing to work. Even if Chica didn't like them, Cathryn had no chance of staying awake in this state. She'd still been able to make out dark shadows beneath her hazel green eyes that morning in the mirror.
"Um . . ." Cathryn conspicuously closed the cupboard door and flashed a large smile. "I've–"
"Don't tell me you've been taking those to work!"
Did her mom want her to be honest or not? "They're just in case I get tired."
Her mom groaned, swiping her hands over her face. Her brow and lips puckered. "Honey, you aren't allowed to drink those."
"Why not? You do it."
"I . . ." She let out a long breath through her nose. "I haven't for a while. Those things are toxic and will hurt your body, not to mention make your sleeping schedule worse." Her volume softened, "Maybe letting you work so late was a bad idea."
The words were heaven-sent and echoed Cathryn's own thoughts, but they paired themselves with a drooping expression and sad, guilty eyes. Her mom wasn't disappointed, was she?
"No, the job's fine!" Besides, she shouldn't get her hopes up that she could leave anyway. The robots hadn't given her permission – the thought was stupid but concerning. She didn't need more people in danger. Not to mention the animatronics apparently blamed her for their wild reactions over the weekend . . .
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...
