Misplaced Trust

Chapter Five: Third Story

Gregory, the metal door to the hallway with Roxy now shut, heaved a sigh of relief, and looked around. Though this room was smaller and better lit than the last, darkness still clung to the corners like cobwebs.

He walked past a few red sofas and a plastic table with a Captain Foxy cutout leaning on it. A Swashbuckler Freddy with a sword raised and seafoam swelling around him cut-out leaned against a wall. This one was brown instead of orange and blue. Interestingly, chairs–some folded, some not–were scattered around the place. A giant whiteboard discussing showtimes and rehearsals sat on the floor. Nearby a mic stand stood before a half-moon set of bleachers.

He poked his head into a door on the side of a corner, finding square, red plastic shelving units, and multicolored plastic tubs. A set of newer flashlight batteries sat on the ground. The words on his flashlight's batteries wore thin. Gregory replaced them and went back into the rehearsal room.

In the back corner of the room, he spotted a few... multicolored triangles on stands. Something sat on them. He hopped over the bleachers and climbed up onto the raised platforms. There, sitting by some other paper, was a backstage pass.

He picked it up. "Got it! Now I should be able to find the lift controls."

A set of foldable wall bars hung on the edge of an otherwise open wall. He took the exit gleefully, hoping Roxanne was still stuck wandering the halls searching for a boy who wasn't there. A few tall walls and stuff making a short zig-zagging path later, he walked through a sliding door into a small room with neon lights and a cartoon image of the gang walking. The next door led to Rockstar Row. More specifically, the end near Chica's room with all the old stuff in display cases and that one roped-off area with Halloween stuff.

Just across from him on a blue wall facing him stood a door with a red sign stating "TO STAGE CONTROLS" and "AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY" beside it.

As Gregory approached, he heard the sounds of Monty roaring and things crashing and breaking. Apprehension crept up, but Gregory didn't stop, nor did he slow down. He pushed through the door, scanning the pass first, and found himself before a set of metal stairs. Around the stairs and below the floor, he found a dark and cluttered space, presumably where Monty now destroyed stuff. With the darkness so heavy, he needed his flashlight again.

He stepped onto a floor made of grate leading to two doors–one with a pink star guitar and the other with a green straight guitar. Those doors led into a thin room with two more doors decorated like that. They both ended up in a fairly large room made smaller by wrap-around walls of electronics and a wall in the center holding screens and more computers.

Who needed this many computers?

A flashlight station settled on the wall near the green guitar door. Next to the door was an energy bar. His flashlight was still charged, much more so with the new batteries. He charged it regardless. On the desk of computers and tech on one wall was a little Freddy head with a security hat. He pressed its nose. Slowly, it opened enough for Gregory to take the higher-level security badge. The thing snapped shut once its purpose was fulfilled. Next to it was a dusty case with a disk.

"There's something else in here," he said to himself, looking over the disk. "What's this? It looks... old."

Alarms screamed above him.

Oh, not again!

"Gregory?" Freddy's voice came from behind him.

Gregory spun around. Freddy's shivering face, interrupted by static, appeared on a few monitors.

"What did you do? I can communicate again. I think you fixed my signal. Thank you."

"I can see you on the monitor," Gregory said and then cocked his head. "I didn't think you could stand up." Whoof, maybe Gregory had a chance to get him to Parts and Services now!