Help Needed

Chapter Ten: Fight or Sight

With no other way down, Gregory made his way back up the vent system and to the West Arcade security room. He didn't bother to replace the vent register once he was back on two feet. He grabbed the security badge almost as an afterthought.

Monty met him in the security room. Gregory said, "Even if she's not there, I think just going there will attract her."­

Monty walked with him out into the arcade. "That sounds right, Little guy."

Then, the lights and music went out-all of the lights, save for Monty's eye lights. Gregory gasped and bristled. Monty froze in place.

"Oh no."

Monty took Gregory's hand and kept moving through the silent, dark arcade maze. Gregory squeaked and hid behind Monty as he saw two lavender disks begin to glow a few yards away. They stopped. He turned his flashlight up onto orange and yellow and red plastic and a shiny black bowtie and hat, cyan claws, a studded wristband, and white fangs that still gleamed despite how scuffed the rest of him had become.

Monty gently released Gregory and patted the boy's chest to urge him back behind him. "Freddy. What're you doin' here?"

Freddy's eyes went down at met Gregory's. His music box trilled and a light flashed in his endoskeleton.

Monty snapped, "Answer me, Fazbear!"

The music stopped and the lights went out. For a moment, Freddy looked at Monty. Then, his eyelights went out as well, showing only the shine of two little red bulbs.

Monty barked, "Get outta here, kid!" He lunged at Freddy and threw them both sideways with a hefty roar. Freddy snarled back.

Gregory darted past the quarreling animatronics, wincing as he heard them crash into one of the arcade cabinets. He paused at the stairs and looked back. Monty's eyes, no longer hidden beneath glasses, shed a glow over Freddy's face. No camera, then. The alligator pinned him to the ground. Freddy's paw flashed out of the black, grabbed him by the snout, and shoved him into the arcade cabinet.

"Run! Gregory, run! Go!"

Gregory shook his head and continued down the spiral stairs. If anyone could fight the animatronic bear, it was the one with the enhanced claws.

A headache crept up on Gregory and whatever was left of his senses started to break. Two big red eyes gleamed in the dark. "This is your fault!" he accused, stopping in the middle of the cabinet area as he found his way blocked.

The white rabbit stepped forward. "Freddy is only trying to help~! Monty seems to be malfunctioning. Don't worry. Freddy will neutralize him, and the maintenance crew will bring him back to be fixed later. In the meantime, you can come with me. You won't need to worry about any more scary, malfunctioning animatronics with me."

Gregory looked around the arcade maze as he continued to back up. She currently stood between him and the elevator. "M-Monty's gonna win and he'll come back, and we'll escape!"

"Monty wouldn't hurt Freddy. He wouldn't hurt the star of the show unless he wants to get disassembled." The white rabbit continued to advance, skipping merrily forward. "Monty's replaceable. People will forget about him. Just like they forgot about Bonnie. Like they'll forget about you if they haven't already."

Gregory's back hit the wall. Numb with terror, he barely registered how close she was. Then, he found a space to the left and the right as he'd escaped the hall of arcade cabinets the white rabbit had backed him into.

He darted to the left and dashed for the elevator.

"Gregory!" she yelled and ran after him.

He ran through the dark, unable to see through tear-blurred eyes with his meager maintenance flashlight and the headache that muddled his senses further. He bounced off the golden statue of the band but managed to stay on his feet and staggered into the brightly lit elevator. He slammed into the "shut elevator" button and it whirred to life.