Five Nights At Freddy's

Chapter Sixteen: The Final Straw

  The memory of the footage on the tapes kept Mike from the sleep he so badly needed.  He felt his mind racing, his eyes glued open as the rest of him screamed for rest.  When the phone rang, he didn't answer.  He figured it was probably Charlie with another warning message from Iris.  He rolled over, watching the light blink that he had a message.  He squinted, pressing the button to hear it. 
  "Mike," Violet's voice came, raspy and distraught, "I'm sorry I didn't know who else to call.  Something's happened, we're going to the hospital.  It's Charlie... he..." she gasped, "please, I need you-!" the static broke through the call, splitting Mike's ear drum.  He winced, sitting up as a second voice came over the line. 
  You can't save them, Mike... With a trio of beeps, the message ended. 
  "Violet," he muttered, ripping the covers off.  He tripped into a pair of pants and a jacket, his mind racing. 

  He entered the lobby of the motel, slamming himself against the counter.  The old man behind it jumped, dropping his newspaper. 
  "I need a taxi," Mike stuttered.  The old man raised an eyebrow. 
  "This town's too small for taxis, Mr. Big Shot." 
  "Okay, then I need a ride to the hospital, please," Mike managed, strained.  The man behind the counter exhaled out of his nose, muttering something under his breath about 'men back in my day' and 'a bunch of wimps' as he grabbed the phone, and dialed. 
  "Hey Jesse, I need a ride for a guest here at the motel," the man informed.  After a moment, he nodded, looking down at his registry.  "As a matter of fact, it is Mike Schmidt.  How'd you know?  Well, I guess that's why they made you chief."  Mike's heart sank. 
  "Not again..." he muttered as the man hung up. 
  "Your ride will be here momentarily," he snapped, readjusting his newspaper.  Mike groaned, leaving the motel with a ball of nerves sending shakes into his knees. 

  Jesse's car pulled up only a few moments later.  Unlike last time, he didn't make a big show of how big his gun was, he just rolled down the window, his eyes dark. 
  "Get in," he greeted importantly.  Mike did as he was instructed as Jesse flipped on the siren. 
  "How'd you-?"
  "I was the first one at Freddy's, Violet's hysterical.  I was wondering when you'd come around." 
  "What happened?" Mike demanded.  Jesse sighed, shaking his head. 
  "No idea, but Charlie's hurt.  Bad."  Mike's stomach lurched. 
  "Is he-?"
  "He's stable," Jesse assured, "I think he'll be alright."  Mike relaxed, turning to look out the window at the passing buildings in hopes of easing his anxiously beating heart. 
  "Is Violet... okay?"  Jesse's jaw tightened. 
  "She'll live," he snapped.  After a moment, Jesse scoffed, shaking his head. 
  "What?"
  "It's petty- I've been there for her since the beginning, but all of a sudden some new guy comes in and she's all... never mind." 
  "You think Violet and I-?" Mike began, his eyes wide, "God, man, I'm just trying to help." 
  "By meddling?"
  "I'm not..." Mike's voice trailed off.  He felt his mouth thin in irritation.  "You wouldn't understand." 
  "Wouldn't I?" He growled, "in high school, she fell for the lamest guy in the whole town, we all knew it.  Then he killed his brother, died, and what did she do?" 
  "What?" Mike snapped defensively.  Jesse opened his mouth but shut it quickly. 
  "Nothing," he finished hotly, "she didn't come running to me, that's for sure.  I've only ever wanted to help her... but then you show up and she acts like you're Thomas Glenn incarnate..." 
  "I'm just trying to help too," Mike argued, "the sooner you realize that, the better."  The car slowed and Mike realized they'd made it to the hospital.  In big, bright letters, the words Emergency Room glowed red from the sliding glass doors.  Jesse unlocked his doors stiffly. 
  "The kid's in room 202, they shouldn't give you trouble if you tell them you're there for Violet Jackson, she has a reputation at the hospital."  Mike nodded dryly, exiting the car. 
  "Thanks," he managed. 
  "Don't mention it," Jesse replied, "please."

  The smell of sterilized tile floors rushed Mike as he entered the white and grey building. Little light entered through the slitted blinds; for a moment Mike was caught up in distinguishing between the bright white tiles and the shadows from the lack of light which caused a discombobulating contradiction. He blinked a few times, making his way to the front desk where a pretty blonde nurse sat, lazily wrapping her hair around her finger.
  "Name?" She greeted. Mike opened his mouth to reply, but he was suddenly interrupted by a bombastic greeting from behind him.
  "Mike!" Iris greeted, slapping his shoulder. Mike furrowed his brow, Iris was exceptionally cheery, given the circumstances, "I just escaped from the pizzeria myself, that's why I'm late to the party, but I didn't expect to see you here."
  "Violet called me," Mike explained coolly. Iris remained seemingly cheery, but his energy shifted as he removed his hand from Mike's shoulder.
  "Ah. I... am sure this is difficult for her."
  "You two are here to see the Toreor boy?" The nurse asked.
  "How'd you-?" Mike started, but the nurse interrupted him breathlessly.
  "Oh everyone's talking about it. Apparently something similar happened a decade ago... suspicious, isn't it?" She asked. Iris painted a grin.
  "Thank you for your help," he purred, "we'll be on our way." With that, he half dragged, half led Mike to a silver elevator to their right. It was small; due to Iris's girth, the two of them barely fit. Mike kept his eyes upward, Iris's cheery demeanor refusing to release its hold.

  When the metal doors opened, a chill swept past them. The hallway was dark and silent, except for the occasional flash of red and a beep from a heart monitor. Mike swallowed as he stepped onto the well worn tile, Iris bounding past him to the room labeled 202. Iris threw open the door.
  "Where's the man of the hour?" He greeted. Mike couldn't see anyone while standing behind Iris, but the silence told him all he needed to know. Iris entered the room, going to the bed where Charlie lay unconscious. His left eye was badly bruised and purple, the whole side of scalp shaved and bandaged. Mike's stomach turned. Iris sat down beside Charlie, greeting him as though he were both conscious and brought here for a good reason. Without context, Iris sounded like he was wishing Charlie a happy birthday. Mike entered the room in full, causing the other two visitors to turn toward him. Violet stood from her seat, Jose on a bench by the window.
  "Mike," Violet greeted shaking, rushing over to hug him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her shoulder. When she lifted her head again, Mike could see that her face was dry but stained pink from tears.
  "Vi, what happened?" Mike asked. She cleared her throat, her eyes distant.
  "He was just sweeping," Violet assured, "he was sweeping by the stage and... I guess he got too close. Freddy... he..." Violet's voice trailed off. Mike wondered what she was recounting, Charlie's incident or Dexter's demise. "He'll be okay," she finished quickly, "he just bumped into him at the right moment, Jesse says it was a freak accident." Mike hugged her again, bringing his mouth close to her ear so no one would hear.
  "Do you believe that?" He whispered. Violet tensed in his arms and after a pause very slowly shook her head. Mike pulled away. "I'm glad he's alright. How are you?"
  "In shock," she admitted with a nervous laugh, "I didn't expect my last day to be so..."
  "Traumatic?"
  "Familiar," she agreed, "I didn't talk for the first hour, the only reason I was able to snap out of it was... well... I- I wanted to call you to tell you what happened. I..." her voice trailed off. "Thank you for coming."
  "Of course," Mike replied hastily. Violet looked over her shoulder at Iris who was doing his very best to appear like he wasn't listening to their conversation.
  "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be helping the police?"
  "The police already wrapped up their investigation," Iris replied, his jovial edge ebbing, "Officer Jesse was even able to take a break to go pick up Mike here. Like you said, they ruled it as a freak accident. No need for action. Besides... I should be asking you the same question." Violet's eyes narrowed as he stood, his arms crossed. "What are you doing here? You're not an employee anymore."
  "Regardless," Violet choked, "Charlie is a friend and I was there, I wanted to see that he was okay."
  "Of course he is," Iris snapped. "It's not like the animatronics are dangerous."
  "How can you say that?" Violet demanded, her voice rising in anger, "how can you after what happened to Dexter? To Thomas?"
  "Freak accidents," he snapped, "and don't you dare question how I cope with those tragedies. It's a family matter, which, I might add, you wouldn't understand." Violet straightened, her face falling. Out of all the cruel things Iris had ever said, Mike felt that this was the one that stung the worst. She swallowed, distant.
  "You're right," she agreed, broken, "I'm not an employee, I shouldn't be here."
  "Violet," Jose interrupted, but Violet shook her head causing him to stop.
  "No, Jose, Iris is right. If he wants to run a restaurant with killer animatronics, that's his prerogative. It's not my place to say anything. It's not like I'm family." With that, she turned on her heel and stormed out, much to the distress of Jose who stood and bolted, calling after her. He paused at the door, throwing a hateful look at Iris before taking off after her. Mike examined Iris, not a shred of guilt on his pudgy face. He sat down once more, victorious.
  "I'll expect you at the pizzeria at eleven," he commanded, "I'll be there to lock you in."