Lost and Found

Chapter One - The Imp of the Perverse

Millie slammed into the concrete floor of her grandfather's workshop with a scream, scrambling desperately for purchase. She felt a blade cutting air mere inches from her back, clanging hard against something metal in the workshop.

"Hey, cupcake! How'd you get out of my belly? You're not supposed to do that!"

Millie struggled to her feet, shaking violently as Funtime Freddy's eyes rolled back to the front of his face, settling into place and glinting mischievously as they looked right at her. He braced himself with one hand against the wall, aged metal groaning with wear as he began to bring himself to his feet.

"Please, stop!" Millie whispered, wiping at her black-rimmed eyes. "I don't want to die. It's not fair! I just crawled into you to get away! I shouldn't have to die for things everyone do-"

The massive animatronic stepped forward, creaking and squeaking as his worn body lurched like a zombie.

Millie fumbled with the door, shaking so horribly that it was difficult to undo the lock.

"Silly Millie-wherever you go, you know I'll find you! I'm just here to make all your dreams come tru-ACK!"

With a blood-curdling loud crash, Funtime Freddy fell to the floor. His entire body heaved up and down-she was unsure iif he was coughing or laughing-and he tried to bring himself up before crashing back down. A long cord of obviously defunct Christmas lights tangled around his ankle, and the robotic bear and his dingy, old metal shell struggled to get himself loose, seeming truly irritated for the first time during their encounter.

Millie wasted not a second, flinging the door open and then slamming it closed before the animatronic could get a word in. Tears flooded down her face, made black by her mascara, and blindly she reached for the spare key and desperately tried to lock it back.

She sobbed incoherently once she heard the soft click, collapsing down onto the snow-covered walkway and grabbing fistfuls of her hair. Her chest tightened until it was unbearable, her breath nothing but ragged gasps as she choked down air the best she could. Dread blanketed her like the darkness of the night, her mind a swirl of dark dripping reds and peals of Freddy's bright laughter.

"Millie! Millie! Millie, honey, what's wrong?!"

She felt warm hands grab her shoulders and screamed, her back slamming against the workshop door. She finally opened her eyes and looked up into the concerned face of her grandfather, wisps of gray hair fluttering around his face in the breeze. She coughed hoarsely and felt her stomach churn, and before she knew it she was somehow on her feet and locked in his warm embrace.

"Millie, it's okay. I've been so worried about you girlie, where have you been?" He rubbed one broad palm across her shaking back, his own eyes growing misty. "Millie?"

"I...I'm so sorry, Grandpa!" She forced out, "I've been so horrible to you. To everyone. I'm also mean, and bratty and you're so n-nice and..." She sobbed, gripping his cardigan and burying herself in his chest. "Safe. I just... I don't feel good!" She sounded like a child-which was appropriate, considering that for the first time in a long time, she genuinely felt her age.

"Millie..." Her grandfather's voice was gentle, delicate as glass. "I don't blame you, sweetheart. You're at a rough age, I wouldn't go back to that for anything. Your parents, your...no friends. It's okay." He stroked her hair. "It's okay, Millie."

The girl looked up at him, her face smeared with black. "I... I hid in your workshop. The big bear robot, it locked me in its belly and was talking and trying to get me to decide how it'd kill me and it tried to chop off my head-"