Animatronics Awaken

Hauntings (pt. 1)

I sat on the deck stairs and watched the two boys, Justin and Raymon, while they played. They were passing a ball to one another a little too violently. It appeared as if they were trying to hit each other with it, as boys do. They would get all excited when one of them was almost smacked, particularly in the face, with the ball.

The two girls, Ellie and Lilly, were enjoying the hot sun in chairs. Both had sunglasses on and were wearing a T-shirt and shorts. Fall was almost over, and the days started getting a little colder. Justin's birthday was in a few days, but his parents had disappeared. It's been several more days than when they were supposed to return, and he's been worried sick. I have, too. I can't help but worry and wonder if something bad happened to them and whether or not the Nightmares had anything to do with it. I tried having a discussion about this with Justin, but he brushed it off as a flight delay. We had tried to call the airport to get an update on the status of his parents' flight, to see if it was delayed, but was left on hold for an hour and a half before giving up. After that, Justin told me that they were so busy with delays that they couldn't even answer the phone. He's denying that anything could be wrong, and I don't blame him.

Instead of joining my friends, I sat alone on the stairs, watching them with sadness. What if we all don't make it out of this situation alive? What if...what if we're all wiped out? Things have been normal for a few days, ever since Springtrap got his powers back. There hasn't been a single trace of him since then. But still, I'm expecting his return. No villain just suddenly disappears. And that means that any of us can die at any given moment, such as Rachell...or some of our parents.

Suddenly feeling emotional, I curled myself into a tight ball and silently wept. Nobody noticed. Nothing was okay. Nothing was gonna be okay. No matter how much the others pretend, it is. Our lives have been changed... permanently. And no, it's not puberty or the change of becoming a teenager. That wasn't until a few years from now. Just...it's traumatizing. Nobody should have to go through this. It's not that I want this to happen to somebody else...but I also do.

The tears fell harder, and I felt my sleeve getting wet. How could they all be playing and relaxing when danger was around every corner? They knew where we lived; what's stopping them from coming here and just ending it all quickly? To torment us? Well, if that was the case, it was working spectacularly.

Eventually, I heard someone open the front door behind me and sit on the stairs next to me. I quickly wiped my tears as a cold, robotic hand touched my shoulder. Even though it was cold, it was the warmest thing I've felt in a while.

"You okay, kid?" I heard Golden Freddy's voice whisper close to me.

"Yeah..yeah, I'm good," I responded, trying to make my voice steady.

"Overthinking at all?" The golden animatronic bear questioned.

"Yeah, I guess you could call it that." I looked up at him. His face was...surprisingly comforting.

He took his hand off my shoulder and sighed. "I get that...it'll be okay, I promise. We'll take good care of you kids." He turned his attention to the boys playing for a minute. "Hey, you like adventuring and exploring, right?"

"How'd you know that?" I asked, surprised.

Golden Freddy chuckled and stood up. "As I've said, I know a lot more than you think. What's one spot you've wanted to explore but haven't?"

I stopped to ponder that question for a bit. "The forest. Right behind us. Next to the river."

"Alright, come on. Get up. Let's go. Get your mind off things."

I smiled for the first time in a couple of days. "Awesome. You and me, or..?" That question was kinda awkward. But Golden Freddy shook his head. "Nah, see if they wanna go with you." He gestured to my friends. "And I'll have Freddy come with ya'll, to make sure you're safe."