Chapter 6

  It was already three in the morning.  Michael got out of bed and grabbed his backpack, already all dressed up. The boy grabbed his keys and walked out into the hallway cautiously, afraid of being caught by his father or mother.  He managed to get out of the house more easily than he expected. So, the young man locked the front door and headed towards the pizzeria, hurrying his pace so as not to keep his friends waiting.

  It had been just over half an hour before Mike began to see the pizzeria. When he got there, he also noticed that the rest of the group was already waiting for him.

  – Hi, sorry for the wait.  – It's alright – said Charlie. – So now I have to open the door, right? There's no going back.

  Everyone nodded, so she finally unlocked the door. However, when she put her hand on the doorknob, she hesitated.

  – What's the problem? – Mike asked.  – Are you sure of this, Mike?  – Yes, we've had this talk before.  – I don't know... This is literally a crime. What if we get caught?  – We won't.  – How can you be so sure?  – I'm not, you know I'm not sure about anything. But we need to get to the bottom of this – he replied, gripping the handle tightly and opening the door.

  Michael was the first to enter, followed by the other three.

  – Mike, did you get the paper of the cameras? – Lamar asked.  – Yeah, here it is.

  The other boy took the paper from Mike's hands, stopping for a few seconds to analyze it. On the paper, there was a plan of the pizzeria, but it showed which areas were filmed by the cameras and which were not.  Now guided by Lamar, the four made an effort to stay in the blind spots of the multiple cameras, not wanting the night guard to see them.

– Here we are – Michael said in a whisper.  – Okay, here's the plan: Charlie and you are going to go into the room and look for anything that might be useful. Marla and I are going to stay out here, keeping an eye on the guard. If you hear three knocks on the door, leave the room as quickly as possible!  – Right. And if we knock on the door three times, it means we need your help, – Charlie added.

  Everyone nodded.  And thus, Charlie entered the old room, managing not to make any noise. The girl gestured for Michael to come in, so he did.

  – Urgh... This room is so smelly – Mike said, illuminating his surroundings with the small flashlight on his keychain. – A mix of chemicals and mold, of course.  – No, this room is much smellier than that. It's like there's something rotting in here.  – Impossible, they cleaned everything – he replied, running his hand over the items on the shelf to the left.

  The boy lifted and replaced the various pieces and parts of the old robots, finding only what appeared to be months of accumulated dust that had clearly been ignored by whoever had done the cleaning of the room. The only question he could ask himself at that moment was: why the fuck do they still keep these things here?  Reaching the end of the left wall, Mike noticed something. A memory of his misdemeanors, the cause of his nightmares, and surprisingly, the source of the odor he had smelled when he entered the room.  The costume's yellow fur seemed to glow in the flashlight, and its empty, black eye sockets made it look as lifeless as the one who had died at Michael's hands. Fredbear's figure at that moment could scare anyone, but the story that the golden bear told with his silence seemed to intensify that feeling inside the boy standing right in front of him.

  – Did you find anything? – Charlie asked, noticing Mike's sudden silence.  – Hm? Oh yeah, sure – he replied, passing a hand over his eyes.  – What is it? – the girl said, turning her face back shortly after. – Oh... – seeing Michael's state at the moment, she decided to approach the boy, then she put a hand on his shoulder when she got close enough.  – The smell is coming from here.  – And you... want to look inside?  – Do you think that's a good idea?  – Who has to know is you, Mike. Not me.

  It was at this point, suddenly, that Michael felt compelled to search the inside of the machine. He opened Fredbear's mouth and aimed the flashlight inside him, only seeing a large black blur that reflected the light in various parts. He decided to bring his face closer, feeling the stench intensify.

  – The smell is definitely coming from here, but I don't see anything wrong with it. Can you hold the flashlight for me? I'll put my hand in.  – Okay.

  Michael rolled up the sleeves of his coat right after Charlie grabbed the flashlight, then he approached the costume and took off the head, finally being able to put his arm through the hole in the torso. He proceeded with cautiousness, aware of the existence of the spring locks.  When he reached the bottom, he felt something unusual touch his fingertips. It wasn't metallic like the endoskeleton or furry like the rest of the costume, but wet and even somewhat slimy.

  – AH!

  A high-pitched scream came out of the boy's mouth with such intensity that it could be heard throughout that entire region of the pizzeria, as well as by the nearby cameras.  He quickly pulled his arm out of the costume, ending up activating one of the spring locks and injuring his arm. This made him let out another scream, this time one of pain, not fright. The blood that came out of the cut was so much that he didn't even notice the unknown blood that stained his fingertips.

  – Mike! – Charlie quickly walked over and knelt in front of the boy, taking his arm to examine the cut. – Shit, shit, shit! I knew we shouldn't have come here!  – D-don't touch the cut! That makes it burn.  – Oh, sorry – she backed away slightly. – Why did you scream? What's in there?  – Tch... I think it's... Urgh! Blood! – Even with the excruciating pain, Mike continued to try not to make too much noise. His two screams were already risky enough.

  – What was that? – Lamar asked in a whisper.  – They must need help! – Marla replied. – We have to do something, the guard must have heard!  – Uhm, uh... Okay, keep calm. Okay – the boy took a deep breath, trying to get his head in order. – You and I will try to distract the guard, so they will have more time to get out – Lamar explained, knocking on the door three times before pulling Marla away.

  – That's Lamar's signal, we need to get out of here!  – What do we do with the blood on the costume? – Mike asked.  – Tomorrow we'll think about what to do. Let's just go! We have more to worry about!

  Michael quickly stood up and took off his hoodie, tying it tightly around his injured arm in an attempt to stop the bleeding.  Charlie opened the door to the room and ran outside, just waiting for the other teen to come. However, before the boy could pass through the door, he felt something grab his arm, pulling him back inside.

  – MIKE! – Charlie exclaimed, unable to contain her emotions.  – HM! HMM!

  Michael struggled in every way, but there was no reason to keep trying. A giant, metallic bear held his arms and covered his mouth. He didn't stand a chance. That's what made him so surprised when he was released. Not only him, but Charlie didn't expect it either. But before they could run again, they received another surprise.

  – So you're the motherfuckers who broke into the pizzeria this time?! – the guard spoke in an angry tone, his flashlight aimed at Charlie and Michael. – Come on, turn around!

  So the two did. They were terrified, but they knew it was a good thing the guard had arrived, because now he could protect them from Fredbear.

  – The owners' kids? Oh, it doesn't matter! You're going straight to the police station anywa-

  Before he could finish his sentence, the man was punched harder than anything he could have imagined. The biggest surprise was the fact that the one who threw the punch was no more and no less than Freddy Fazbear himself. Thus, the guard ended up fainting from the impact and fell to the ground, also starting to bleed from his nose.  The teenagers looked at Freddy and saw the bear smile at Chica, who responded with a perplexed, confused and annoyed look. The brown robot instantly lost his smile and rolled his eyes, then picked up the guard's body and put it on his shoulder, carrying him back to the security room.  It was when all the other robots started looking at the duo that they realized what had just happened. The first reaction was to run to the entrance, but before they could get close enough, Fredbear approached quickly and blocked the passage with his body.

  Lamar and Marla were in the security room, but quickly left when they heard footsteps approaching.  When they arrived at the main hall, they saw the other two running like never before, fleeing from Fredbear.

  – What the fuck is happening in here?! – Lamar exclaimed.  – We need to help them!  – But how?!  – I don't know, we just can't let them struggle alone!

  Before Lamar had a chance to respond, the other teenager ran in the same direction as her friends and the large robotic attraction.

  – No, Marlene! – Lamar shouted, reprimanding the older girl's attitude as he ran after her. – Running aimlessly is not a plan!

  So, the young man let out a grunt and rolled his eyes, running faster towards his companion as if their lives depended on it, which most likely was true.

  Charlie and Michael managed to hide in the stage control room, already trying to catch their breath and preparing for another run.  Realizing that they had indeed lost the yellow bear, the girl let out a sigh and took her attention away from the hallway, turning her face now to her friend.