The Life Behind an Animatronic IV- Solace

Chapter 1- Cages and Hostility

A rat scurried across the room near my feet. I watched it look for anything to give it sustenance. It must have fallen down here and survived, but it would find no food here. Only a predator.

I leapt forward and grabbed the little rodent between my hands. It let out a terrified squeak, and began to attempt to wriggle out of my fingers. I picked it up and held it close to my face, where it still wriggled to escape.

I opened my metallic jaws and placed it in between my artificial teeth, and bit down as hard as I could. It stopped squirming, and warm blood filled my mouth. I continued crunching it down, bones and all.

I was so hungry. The only thing I got to eat down here were rats and insects that managed to find their way  to me. I didn't want to hurt them, but I needed to kill them to survive. As I was licking the blood off of my fingers, a disgusted voice came from the other side of a locked door.

I looked up at the window and saw Ballora looking at me. Her cold, violet eyes peered right into me with their judgemental glares, and her lip was raised in disgust. She cleared her throat.

"Eating rats again, Ennard? Honestly, I thought you would have stopped..."
She spat. I looked at her, confused by her harsh words. Why didn't she just get me food if she didn't want to see me eat rats?

"It's all I can eat...am I able to come out now?" I asked, hoping for a positive answer. Ballora simply smirked at me.

"No, of course not. You failed your task, and you failed it grievously. You have done nothing to warrant your freedom." She said. I felt my core sink a little, but it would be worth trying again.

"Please? I've been really quiet, and I haven't bugged any of you, and I-"

"No is no, Ennard. Nothing you say will convince me to let you out." She sternly declared. I sat against the wall of the small closet I was in and tapped my fingers against my legs.

"How much longer am I going to be in here?" I asked.

"That's not up to me." Ballora said. She continued to look down at me.

"Ugh." She mumbled before leaving me alone in the dark once more. I was even more confused. Before I left for the Surface, everyone here was cheering for me and telling me what a great job I would do. I was so excited and eager to prove myself as I put on The Suit. Now, everyone here is being a little mean to me.

I knew what was wrong! I was being too sensitive. Yes, that was it and that's why I was getting easily hurt by their words. I needed to act a little tougher is all and prove that I can try again.

I hurriedly walked up to the door, and stared at the handle. I flexed my fingers, grabbed it, and carefully turned it. The door opened with a whine.

"Hello? Ballora? Anyone?" I called. There were no answers.

"I want out now! I want to be done with my punishment!" I shouted a little more aggressively. I heard footsteps marching up in the gloom.

Funtime Foxy appeared, their eyes filled with anger and frustration. They let out a huff.

"Get back in there! You aren't done, no one ever said you were done." They snarled. I was about to creep back into the room but I stood my ground.

"No. I'm going to go back to the Surface and try again. It'll be better than last time, you can even tell Baby that!" I retorted. Baby was our ringleader. She was very patient and very kind, and I know she would understand my words.

Funtime Foxy, however, didn't. They just cackled to themselves.

"You're a failure. And failures get to stay down here and away from the Surface." They hissed. I was quiet for a moment as their words struck me as odd.

"What?" They grouched.

"It's just that...aren't you guys stuck down here too?" I mentioned innocently.

They nearly blew up at that. Why did they have to get so mad?! I was just asking a question!

"We weren't the ones who messed up on the Surface! We weren't the ones who came crawling back like a slug!" They roared. I gulped nervously.

"Um...I'm sorry...can I just see Baby please?" I whispered. I didn't want them to get any madder.

Their expression of rage melted into that of amusement.

"Of course. But only if you get in your ROOM!" They shouted, and placed their foot near my chest and kicked me back into the dark chamber. It nearly knocked the breath out of me, and I slid across until I hit the wall with a gentle thud.

The door slammed in front of me, leaving me alone in the blue darkness again. I hugged my knees, hoping that I would get to talk to Baby.

What felt like hours later, a soft knock came on the door. It slowly opened, and Baby was standing there. Her green eyes gently looked me over.

"Ennard...I was told you wanted to see me?" She asked softly. I stood up, my arms stiffly at my sides.

"Well...it's just that...I've been in this room for a long time and I think that my punishment is over. I think I should be able to get a second chance." I mumbled. She looked me over again, her faceplates shifting inquisitively.

"Try...again?" She asked. I nodded carefully. She gave me a sad smile.

"Oh Ennard...you were built for one use and one use only. That also means that if you fail once, you're unusable." She explained.

"Humans have a word for things that are unusable. What is it now?" She asked me. I looked down at my toes and shifted them a bit.

"Garbage." I muttered. She placed her hand on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry, but we can't have humans look at garbage. You're going to have to stay down here for a long, long time." Baby whispered. My core, once again, began to sink in disappointment.

"So stay in here like good garbage while we figure something out, ok?" She said. Still looking down, I nodded.

The mechanical girl patted my shoulder and turned around to leave. She shut the door behind her, and I slumped back against the wall. I curled up, wanting to cry, but of course I couldn't.

I was stuck down here. I don't know how long I would be, but I was stuck.