Sander sides FNAF AU

Dangerous Minds

12:52 am

The clank of heels against a stone staircase descended in a resounding echo, filling the basement with its slow pattern. No animatronics looked his way or greeted his return. Those kids masked by pleasant, fake smiles avoided even looking at each other.

     Strange.

Cautious movements intervened the unusual stillness as he swayed away from metal bodies, trailing after the music box. His thumb lingered above a button that would bring the puppet to life. At this point, the urgency of its task no longer withstood as a top priority.

     Bitterness tossed around its ill desire to be translated and shouted, but he gulped them down. The guard didn't speak or move an inch, all in the effort to maintain from lashing out, to prepare exactly what he'd say.

     However much time he wasted standing, he'd never know.

"Are you ok?"

     He didn't acknowledge the one who spoke, breaking out of his frozen position to set down Talyn's remote on a workshop table. Dimly lit eyes followed his every move.

     He finally found his voice, but it rang fundamentally different: the result of attempting to stifle any emotion from it.

"There's this...thing you guys haven't told me."

The man looked up, taking in every reaction. Virgil became shifty and couldn't decide on what or who to focus on. Roman's head lowered, unable to look him in the eye. Logan glanced at their unstable conditions, shook his head, then spoke with the utmost authority.

"I deduce you are speaking of the recent incident. There was no need to inform you in the first place, given that our situation was under control and taken care of."

     The human released a sigh through his teeth, thinking of how to defend his ground. A cruelty of a phrase barged out before he could rephrase or stop it.

"You disgust me."

As soon as they shot into the open, a dull pang struck his chest. No change of expression reigned on the latter's face.

"And you have yet to understand me."

"Understa—what's..."

     Stop. He needed to stop talking with such recklessness. But each exchange dragging by fed the maddening impulse to yell at his face.

One thing needed to be cleared up. Because maybe this was all a misunderstanding and maybe, hopefully, he jumped to conclusions. Even so, it was ridiculous to hold onto: this slim alternative. He cut his tone down to mild frustration.

"Were you under William's control when you bit off the hand?"

Uncomfortable whirring of gears ticked away as the animatronic in question turned away from him. The mascot opted to stare at brick walls, pulling his focus away from the world and into silent contemplation. Other worrisome faces didn't dare interrupt either state of mind. They kept company to the chronic time lagging between man and robot.

    He fought the urge to repeat himself. Fortunately, the kid's pondering drew to an end. Logan shifted to face the night guard, unapologetic to every last syllable.

"It was my decision, never his."

The guard never realized how much he wished for the opposite to be true until a numbness sprouted from the core of his being. Spiteful words that tried to release themselves moments ago snapped free of the reins holding it quiet.