Five Nights At Freddy's

Chapter Fifteen: Cover Blown

Mike pushed through his exhaustion as he slid a tape into the VCR of the TV.  Sure, he was tired, but he didn't know how much more of Freddy's he could take and felt the desire to flee town creeping in on him.  In fact, he feared the only thing keeping him bound was his inability to drive away.  There seemed to be little better to do than try to solve the mystery while he still could... if he could. 

The TV flickered and came to life, revealing a baseball field full of children. Mike furrowed his brow.  Why would this be part of the security tapes?  Mike heard Thomas cheer from off camera, he assumed from somewhere behind it on the bleachers. 
"Come on Dex!" He heard Violet cry.  The camera zoomed in on a little boy with brown hair, fuzzy at first as the camera strained to focus.  He held his bat flimsily behind him, it's tip dipping downwards awkwardly as his wrists broke. 
"You've got this buddy!" Thomas cried, "just like we practiced at home!" The ball came flying at Dexter, causing him to freeze.  He reacted too late, the ball whizzing past him as he swung weakly.  The bat hit the dust, a brown cloud puffing around him.  He shook his head, frowning... trembling. 
"This is stupid," another young boy said to the left of Thomas, his voice riddled with irritation. 
"Be quiet, Jack, he's trying," Violet snapped, leaning on her hands and coming into view.  Her hair curled gently around her face in the summer breeze, her eyes angry.  A pair of black sweatpants tensed with guilt in her view; Mike assumed this was the lower half of Jack... Iris's grandson.  His voice was harsh, creaking with prepubescent angst.  He leaned on his elbows, his face coming into frame.  It was pointed and pale with black hair cut to cover his right eye.  He was skinny, causing his red sweatshirt to be baggy on his thin frame.  Mike recognized him from the portrait in Iris's office, despite looking much older in this footage.  The ball flew at Dexter again; he swung and missed.  The referee called out a strike and Dexter's face fell as he looked at the stands for a familiar face. 
"You can do it buddy!" Thomas called.  Dexter relaxed, regaining his stance at the plate, determination shining on his face.  Jack stood and stretched, blocking the camera as Dexter swung and the ball flew out of field.  The crowd stood and cheered, sending the camera out of focus as Thomas stood, trying to salvage some footage of Dexter's shot.  The small blur that was Dexter bolted, his little legs taking him past first, second, third, and finally fourth base.  He slid home, a cloud of dirt coating his white and black uniform.  Violet screamed, jumping up and down as Jack sat, relieved the game was finally starting to come to an end.  The tape fluttered to a close, the TV whirring in its attempts to find more film.  Mike sighed, shaking his head and ejected the tape, setting it aside for Violet.  He examined the rest of the box, half of which the tapes sputtered and cracked like they had in the security office.  Most of the ones that did work were personal home videos of the Glenns, Jack, and Violet.  Mike assumed the camera had been donated to Freddy's to assist in the security system, Thomas must have just stashed some tapes there as well.  Mike dug deeper, withdrawing a battered tape from the very bottom of the box.  A thick film of dust coated it, causing its title to appear illegible. Mike scraped the muck off, his stomach lurching. In bright red letters it read: June 24th, 1987.  He swallowed, his hands clammy as he pushed it into the VCR, his heart hammering. 

Unlike the videos filmed from Thomas's perspective, this actually appeared to be legitimate security footage.  The tape, he felt, had been created to assist in either a lawsuit or an investigation.  It began in the same supply closet he had watched for the past four nights at Freddy's; he recognized the lockers where the spare uniforms were kept.  Violet sat on a metal table, her arms crossed.  Thomas paced before her, his face grave. 
"Now... what did Iris say exactly?" He asked, scratching the stubble on his chin.  Violet sniffed dryly.
"He said if I went near the animatronics again, he'd fire me," she recited.  "Thomas I'm frightened... after what happened to me in the Spring Bonnie costume-!"
"I know."
"If you hadn't been there-!"
"Yes."
"None of them are safe!" She continued, throwing her hands up.  "I'm afraid they're all flawed- what if... what if the animatronics are dangerous?  Free roaming mode could potentially turn into a blood bath.  Besides, if the other waiters and waitresses get stuck like I did, there may not be someone around to help!" 
"You bring up valid points," Thomas agreed, "but there haven't been complaints from any of us security guards yet and Iris is stuck in his ways... you're not going to convince him to let you mess around, Vi.  Not when money's involved."
"But we don't know what they're capable of!"
"Vi, sweetheart," Thomas pleaded, gripping her shoulders, "it's not worth it. You've got to pick your battles.  I don't want to lose you, you make this job a lot easier on me.  If you don't have a steady income..."
"Mrs. Bizet will try to take me back," Violet sighed, "I know."  There was a heavy moment of silence. 
"I'm sorry."
"It's okay," Violet lied, "you can't save me, it's... not your job.  And it's okay."
"Violet..." Thomas started, pain straining his voice, but he was interrupted by someone bursting open the door. 
"Mr. Glenn!  Come quick, it's the kids-!" The person cried, but he was interrupted by both Violet and Thomas pushing past him and skirting down the hall.  The footage ended and flickered, switching to a camera in the dining hall where the stage bearing two, yellow animatronics stood singing.  Mike assumed these were the notorious Fred Bear and Spring Bonnie.  They moved less smoothly than Freddy, Chica, and Bonnie, however; their actions appeared less haunting and uncanny.  Surrounding the stage were four children of varying sizes, one wearing a Freddy mask, one wearing a Bonnie mask, one wearing a Chica mask, and one boy, Mike recognized his sweatpants and hoodie as Jack, wearing a Foxy mask. 
"You're such a baby," Jack's voice rang out critically.  Mike couldn't see who they had cornered against the stage, he was too small to spot above their heads.  "Why are you crying?  It's your fucking birthday."  The kids laughed coldly.  The boy wearing the Freddy mask removed his costume.  Mike was stunned- he looked identical to Charlie. 
"Jack, maybe we should lay off-!"
"Shut up Ed," Jack snapped, "you don't have to live with his constant sobbing.  It's pathetic!" The boy named Ed closed his mouth, looking down at his mask in shame.  He replaced it solemnly, the strap ruffling his brown hair.  Jack picked up their target by his underarms and Mike recognized the small, blurry face of Dexter Glenn- petrified as though a baseball were heading straight for him.  His eyes were bright pink with tears, his striped shirt bunched were Jack held him.  Dexter heaved, shaking his head in fear.  "Why are you crying?  What are you so scared of?"  Suddenly, Jack froze.  As he spoke, Mike could hear the wicked smile in his voice.  "Is it Fred Bear?"
"N-no," Dexter stuttered, shaking his head, "I'm n-not scared-!"
"Really?" Jack purred, "then why don't you give Fred Bear a big kiss? " 
"Jack!" Thomas's voice rang out against the ruckus, "put your brother down!" Mike went cold.
"Jack, please," Dexter wept.
"Come on, coward," Jack prodded, the other kids gripping Dexter to hoist him up, "don't be a pussy, he won't bite-!" Suddenly, the four jerked back as Dexter screamed, his hair caught in the inner mechanism of the machine.  Dexter's hands flailed as he kicked, pushing against the steadfast body of the animatronics. After the shock had worn off, the four kids began laughing and pointing.  "The cheap thing's stuck!" Jack cackled.  Out of nowhere, Violet pushed past Jack and flew up the stage, wrenching her hand inside the bear's mouth and wrapping around Dexter's skull.  An ear splitting crack clapped through the pizzeria as the robot's mouth clamped shut, Violet's scream ringing in ungodly unison.  The four instigators froze, covering their mouths in horror and ripping off their masks, tears welling in their shocked eyes as Thomas wrenched the plug of the animatronics, his eyes wild.  Violet struggled to stay upright, her skin white as the screen went black.  Mike saw his reflection staring back at him, horrified.