I'm Not Alone - Reader and Puppets x FNIA

Night 1: OG Meets Knockoffs

The following day, I dedicated most of my time to squeezing in a bit more rest and binging a few more shows with SP. We munched on some hastily microwaved ramen that Phantom had teleported straight from some random grocery store's stockpile.

The clock seemed to crawl by as I simply sat there, twiddling my thumbs, counting down the hours until my shift would kick off at the stroke of midnight. Naturally, I'd head in 15 minutes early.

"Hey, Y/N?" Phantom piped up, swishing his hand above my head as if to rouse me from my semi-comatose state.

"Yeah?" I mumbled, my eyes heavy with grogginess.

"I've had a chat with the gang, and we've decided that I'm going to tag along with you for your job," Phantom declared.

"Really? Why's that? And how's it even going to work?" I inquired, a sense of weird and unexpected events looming on the horizon.

"I'm the lucky one who's gonna do the recon, since I can ghost through walls without anyone noticing. And here's how it's gonna work," Phantom explained, before darting towards me and phasing right through my body.

"WOAH, okay. That was... weird," I muttered, clutching my stomach. "That's never gonna feel normal..."

"I'll be hanging out in your headspace for now. If you want to chat, just think it, don't say it out loud. Once we hit your workplace, I'll scope things out," Phantom clarified.

"Fine, let's just get on with it," I agreed, making my way to the nightclub.

I stepped into the club through the front entrance, passing through the lobby and making a beeline for the dressing room. After donning my uniform, I emerged, spotting Michael waiting for me just outside.

"I need a word with you, Y/N. It's kind of a big deal," Michael stated, motioning for me to step a little closer.

"Uh, sure. What's going on?" I asked, approaching him.

"The night guard who was supposed to be on duty tonight had a bit of a, uh, 'mishap.' I need you to cover for him. But don't think you'll go unrewarded. I've decided to double your paycheck, going from 150 to a cool 300 dollars," Michael explained.

At first, I pondered turning him down. I wasn't exactly a fan of juggling multiple tasks, especially if it meant more effort. But that doubling paycheck offer did sound tempting. More money meant I could escape this place sooner. But, was it truly worth it?

"While I'm at it, I might as well toss in the night guard's paycheck for you," Michael added, spicing up the offer even more.

That did it – I was sold. "Alright, you've convinced me. What's on the agenda for today?" I inquired.

"Well, since it's your rookie night, not too much to handle. Just keep an eye on the girls, make sure they don't venture out of the pizzeria, and check their overall condition for any damages or system glitches," Michael explained.

"Okay, sounds pretty straightforward. Where can I find them?" I questioned.

"They're right over there," Michael pointed toward a security room. "Your main gig is just keeping them inside the building, got it?"

I nodded in response and made my way over to the security room. Inside, I found two pneumatic doors, one with a white button for the lights and the other in red to seal them shut.

I settled down at the desk, where a tablet hooked up to a dozen cameras sat. Beside it, an old tape recorder caught my attention. Out of sheer boredom, I decided to give it a spin. A man's voice crackled to life through the speaker.