𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐊 '𝐍 𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐋

𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕖

"Christ, you are so pathetic."

Vanessa's breath was hot on your neck as she shoved you roughly through the dark, disorientating tunnels. She had turned her flashlight off a long time ago and the only guiding lights were the red pulsing exit signs hanging above the doorways. Every so often she would scoff as you struggled to keep your balance and mumble some degrading thing under her breath.

Funny, how being hit upside the head made you incapable of walking in a straight line.

You really thought Chica would spring to defend you, too. But strangely enough, she retreated into her zombie state as soon as Vanessa appeared. It was like you weren't even there anymore as she began dragging her feet back toward the trash compactor. Rude.

Regardless, you clung to the small hope that Chica found her way out of the labyrinth of laundry rooms and somehow made her way to Freddy and told him what happened to you. If the signal in the basement wasn't so awful, you would radio him yourself at the risk of getting whacked over the head again.

Being bludgeoned in the basement of your workplace hadn't been on this year's bingo card, but you would take what you could get.

"I'm sorry," you hissed, hugging a nearby support beam to keep your knees from buckling. She really hit you hard. "But there was literally no reason to beat me with a fucking flashlight."

Oh, the long HR report that you were going to fill out tomorrow morning. Say goodbye to your security career, Vanessa.

There was a lapse of silence between you and you had to look up over your shoulder to make sure that she hadn't just left you there in the dark tunnels. The prospect of feeling your way out in the pitch blackness was almost scarier than whatever she had in store for you. 

Sure enough, though, Vanessa was right there glaring down at you.

"Do you ever shut up?" she groaned, shoving you extra hard for added emphasis. Your stomach lurched as you felt yourself trip up on a loose piece of cement and crumple to the floor. You knew without looking down that your novelty Glamrock bandaid had been torn off.

You laid there in shock for a moment, gripping the cement in a desperate attempt to feel grounded. The generators hummed under your hands like a heartbeat. The facility was alive.

You were only acutely aware that Vanessa had crouched down behind you, grabbing a fistful of your hair and using it to tilt your head back to look at her. She seemed even more sinister from upside down, but that could also be the radiation poisoning messing with your perception. A thick drop of blood ran down your face and threatened to drip into your eye. You were bleeding.

"You have no idea what you're getting yourself into. No fucking idea."

With every word she spoke, Vanessa's fist drew tighter in your hair. It wasn't until you let out a painful whimper that she let go with a lingering glare. With a huff, she rose to her feet and kicked the side of your skate. "Get up."

The tunnels that ran underneath the Plex formed a network that was much bigger than you would have guessed. It took you five minutes alone just to navigate your way to the stairwell. The entire time, Vanessa lingered behind you just in case you decided to run off again. An idea that—plot twist—wasn't even possible.

You were dizzy, potentially concussed, and wearing a pair of roller skates. Escape looked just as possible as running a marathon in six-inch heels.

Vanessa was just as much a mystery as the Pizzaplex. As far as you knew, she was twenty-something, smart. Way too smart. A friend in human resources let it slip one day that she'd graduated top of her class at a leading technological institute. She could have found work anywhere in the country. Why here? Why strive for the overpriced pizza and robot gallery with the shady past?

Sensing that now wasn't the time to bring up her resume, you kept these thoughts to yourself as she led you through a back corridor and came to a stop in front of a steel sliding door. She punched a code into the keypad and the metal slab shifted to reveal a small, cramped-looking room on the other side.

"What are–AH!" You yelped as she forced you inside, tripping up over your skates and falling flat on your butt. Vanessa shook her head, looming over the doorway and casting a long shadow across your face.

"You'll stay put if you know what's good for you," was all she said before the door sealed shut and you succumbed to complete silence.

She'd locked you in the lost and found. That much you knew. Why she would lock you in the lost and found was still lost on you.

With a painful wince, you pressed a finger against the wound on your forehead. The bleeding had stopped, but it still hurt like hell. Actually, your entire body was beginning to ache at this point.

"I told you she was mean."

You jumped almost a foot in the air and scrambled backward to get as far away from the new voice as possible. A small figure emerged from the shadows, sheepishly digging the toe of his sneaker into the tile floor.

"Gregory?" you choked, almost not believing your eyes. But it was definitely Gregory. Or, someone who looked identical to him. He rushed forward and hugged you around the middle while you patted his head comfortingly. How long had he been locked away in here before you wandered upon him?

He helped you awkwardly to your feet and allowed you to lean your weight against his shoulder so that you could stand. "But...I helped you get out? I watched you leave..."

"I came back!" Gregory exclaimed, way too happy about your current circumstance. "I wanted to help you! I couldn't just leave you here all alone."

You pinched the bridge of your nose between your thumb and forefinger. Yes, he totally could have just left you there. If he had, you wouldn't have to deal with keeping both of you alive instead of just you (which was proving to be a difficult task all on its own).

"Okay!" you snapped. "This is fine. We're fine. I'm going to get us out of here and none of us are going to be murdered by animatronics. Sound good?"

Gregory nodded enthusiastically and watched as you untied your left skate. "First order of business, I can't run for my life in these stupid, uncomfortable–" you reached down to throw it in frustration. Both you and Gregory jumped back at the loud clang as the skate came in contact with a vent cover, effectively knocking it off the wall.

You both stared at the hole in the wall for a moment before Gregory shifted his gaze to you for instruction. You wiped the surprise off of your face and replaced it with a wide smile. "See?" you huffed, removing your other skate and setting it down gently this time. "And you said that roller skates were for dorks."

Gregory shot you a deadpan look before ducking down to crawl first through the vent. You followed quickly after him, way too proud of yourself for having a somewhat good comeback for a comment that the child made hours prior.

(A/N: This is super short and unedited but I wanted to get you guys a chapter tonight. Gregory is going to be a fun addition to the group! I promised you that he would come back. The next chapter is a little spicy at the end and the chapter after that might--and I mean MIGHT-- be smut. BUT IT WILL TAKE LOTS OF STRENGTH SO I NEED YALLS SUPPORT. Pray for me).