Chapter 3 available here
"Come out and play-ay!" Chica sung. Gregory backed up against the machine out of fright. He watched in horror as Chica ripped the metal gates off the hinges and lunged at Gregory. She launches her full weight into the charge. Gregory managed to duck out of the way before Chica crashed. Instead of hitting him, the large bird animatronic came crashing into the ticket machine. Her full weight broke the machine and broke the lock open. The sound of thin steel being crushed broke out across the room. Chica came crashing down to the ground with the machine.
When the lock burst open, many small slips of paper flew out of the front of the machine. Gregory made no waste of time trying to grab a Daycare Pass. He managed to snatch one out of the air. But before he could run out of the gate and go back up the stairs, Chica leaped toward him and grabbed his ankle. She yanked him towards her. Just like that, Gregory slipped stomach-first onto the floor. The force of him meeting the carpet was nothing compared to the pain in his ankle. He yelped as he felt metallic claws digging into his skin. Then, he felt a warm liquid oozing out and leaking down his foot.
"AH!" Gregory yelped.
"Yes. Yes! I enjoy your screams. Just like all the others who found themselves here after hours," Chica laughed. It was then when instinct took over. Gregory reached into his pocket, where his taser was. He pulled the trigger and watched as the cables from the taser connected to the animatronic's arm, specifically the arm digging its claws beneath Gregory's skin. Gregory yelped as he felt electricity course through him. The shocks that met his blood spread through his entire body.
It only lasted for a second, as Chica let go in pain. Electricity coursed through her endoskeleton. Since she was made of metal, the shocks were attracted to her more. The cables on her right arm- the arm she used to cut Gregory's ankles- overloaded. Gregory leaped to his feet with difficulty due to the pain. He gasped and limped out of Customer Service. Chica remained on the ground. A yell of pain and anger was heard as Gregory was stumbling off.
"YOU LITTLE RUNT! COME BACK AND LOOK WHAT YOU DID TO MY RIGHT ARM!"
Gregory assumed by the screams that the shock disabled all wiring within her arm, rendering it useless. It wasn't long before Freddy spoke again on the FazWatch.
"Gregory, are you okay? I heard lots of noise and screaming on your end. What happened with Chica?" he questioned. Freddy's tone of voice was incredibly nervous.
"Chica... she found me and broke the machine. I got the Daycare Pass, but she cut my ankle open. I'm bleeding. I want to lay down..." Gregory moaned.
"You're BLEEDING?! This is TERRIBLE. Go to the Daycare and hide in the medicine room. We always keep a medical station nearby if any children are injured. There should be a door inside the male lavatories, which is on the right when you enter. I will meet you there at the end of the hour," Freddy commanded.
"Alright. I'm really tired. Wake me up when you get there, okay?" Gregory replied.
"I will, Superstar," Freddy agreed.
Gregory stumbled up the stairs on the very right, blood trickling from his foot as he walked. He knew that Chica or whoever would easily follow the trail, since his blood was falling on top of white tile. But he didn't care. Gregory was injured and dead tired. When he got to the top of the stairs, he took a right turn and walked toward a set of red double doors. Past the doors, he ended up in a curved hall. The walls were made up of uncovered red bricks. The floor was made up of black tiles. Plants in pots occasionally lined the floor. Halfway down the hallway was a long, black, marble fountain. On the other side of the fountain was a roll-up door that had an "Employees Only," sign above it. On Gregory's side of the fountain, there was a red tube against the wall. At the very end of the hall was a roll-up door that Gregory knew led to the Daycare.
When Gregory found the bathroom, he walked inside, past all of the toilets, and toward the door in the back. It led to a Janitorial closet and a large room not different from a doctor's office. It had a row of six beds, a long counter with cabinets below and above, and brightly colored decorations on white walls. There was a desk with a computer next to the first bed. Gregory opened one of the cabinets in search of First Aid Material. He found a box with a Red Cross on it. Gregory opened the box to find bandaging equipment with ointment. He applied the ointment to his foot wounds and used the big, white bandage to wrap around his foot. Once he was done, he walked over to the bed closest to the door, and collapsed on top of it. It wasn't long before sleep overtook him...
~~~
Vanny was not pleased. When she found the Lobby, almost half an hour she sent Chica there, Customer Service was a MESS. The security gate was torn off its hinges, the carpets had the stench of smoke and they were marked with blood and burns, and Chica was sprawled out on the ground. Her right arm was broken and emitting smoke and sparks. The pass machine was crashed on the ground. Shattered glass was spread, the front was ripped off, and random tickets and passes were spread out across the room.
"You... failed me. You were supposed to find him and bring him to me!" Vanny growled. Chica just groaned in pain.
"Please, have mercy..." she exhaled. Vanny chucked to herself.
"Mercy? No. You had your chance, and you failed. You will be taken to Parts and Service. When Freddy is found, he will watch you, his last friend, DIE before his eyes," Vanny mused. Chica shook her head urgently, but Vanny simply reached towards Chica's face. She removed Chica's casing over her head, exposing the endoskeleton beneath. Then, Vanny pressed a small, red button on the back of the head of the endoskeleton. Immediately, the purple light in Chica's eyes dimmed and faded out.
"You know, if your body fails me, if YOU fail me, you will meet the same fate," he warned from within. Vanny shuddered at the thought of what could happen to her, should she fail her master on this crucial night. If ONE detail was messed up, everything would come crashing down.
"I understand, Master," Vanny replied, surprisingly hesitantly. She needed to find Gregory and Freddy. Now, she was CERTAIN the two were working together. Freddy was not in his room, according to Chica. However, she had no idea where he was at now, and it was useless as she was about to die. Vanny would have to deal with him later. For now, she needed to find Gregory. There HAD to be some sort of evidence to point to where the boy was now. The ticket machine was broken open, and it looks like Gregory got what he needed. He must've been either at the Atrium, the Daycare area, or the Upper Levels. A wave of impatience rolled over the woman as she had no indication of where he would have gone. For now, she needed to get Chica out of the Lobby.
Vanny pulled a smartphone out of her pockets and used it to access the network to summon the other two animatronics, Roxanne Wolf and Montgomery Gator. A few minutes later, the two animatronics walked out of the elevators at the top of the stairs and escalators. Vanny met them at the top.
"Whaddya want with us NOW? It's only been... what, thirty-five minutes since closing and now we ALREADY have a darned problem on our hands!" Monty gruffed in a frustrated tone.
"Chica has failed for the last time. You two need to take her corpse to Parts and Service. Throw her in a side room in the Cylinder Chamber and leave her. I will deal with her later," Vanny commanded.
"What happened to her? Where is she?" Roxy demanded. Roxy's otherwise uncanny and monotonous expression had a light of curiosity etched into her eyes. Vanny pointed toward the Customer Service building down below. The two animatronics marched down the stairs. When they walked in front of the store, the sight of the struggle that happened only less than an hour ago shocked the two animatronics out of their minds.
"THAT is one impressive boy..." Monty gasped.
"MONTGOMERY GATOR! How dare you compliment the ENEMY!" Vanny yelled. Her icy voice, yet burning with passion, frightened Monty into uncharacteristic silence. He quickly picked up the limp animatronic by the feet and dragged her up the stairs. Roxy snatched Chica's Endoskeleton casing from the ground and followed Monty up the stairs.He was strong enough to hold her himself, but Roxy rushed over to Monty to hold Chica's head up. She slipped the casing onto Chica's head before the two walked to the elevator. However, Vanny stopped them.
"Monty, you go on alone. You're strong enough. Roxy, I have a job for you," Vanny commanded. She dropped Chica's head and stared at Vanny, awaiting her next command.
"What do you require?" Roxy inquired.
"Is there any scent of the boy?"
"Let me smell... yes, I smell blood. It runs up the stairs, but not the elevator," Roxy replied. This meant that Gregory did not go upstairs just yet. He was also injured!
"Find him. I will deal with Freddy."
~~~
Gregory woke up half an hour after he fell asleep to the sound of whining and yelling. These cries were of frustration, judging by the tone. Tiredly, Gregory rubbed his eyes and shook his head. That bed was the most comfortable thing he slept on in years. But he needed to get over himself. He needed to find out what was going with those screams.
"What is going on?" Gregory mumbled.
"What do you mean, Superstar? Is there a problem? You were gone for a while, so I assume you were sleeping," Freddy said through the FazWatch.
"Well, I heard a frustrated yell somewhere outside the door. I don't think it was from Vanessa or Chica. It wasn't Monty, either. Too feminine," Gregory replied.
"Well, then. It was most likely Roxy Wolf you heard. Her programming forbids her from entering the male lavatories unless no one else is available, or if it's an emergency situation. The same thing applies to me and Monty, for the female lavatories. Now, there is only one reason I believe she is trying to enter, and that is to get you," Freddy explained.
"Okay, I'm getting tired of this! I almost died like FIVE times tonight. How's your recharge coming along?" Gregory asked.
"My recharge... it has just completed! I will come to you now. Give me a few minutes and we will be on our way back to my Green Room. That is the LAST place they will think to look, considering they think we are on the move," Freddy exclaimed. Gregory sighed out of relief.
"Thank goodness! Okay, I'll be ready," Gregory replied. Gregory gathered his belongings and briefly explored the room he was in. Eventually, Freddy turned up. He ran through the Boy's Bathroom and into the infirmary in a heartbeat. He saw Gregory hanging out by the bed he slept on. Both of them exhaled out of relief from seeing the other.
"Gregory, you are okay! What a relief. It's been nearly an hour here and you only have a little more than five hours before we can get you out. Climb into my Chest Cavity and we can return. Roxy is not far. She can easily catch you, but cannot destroy me," Freddy said.
"Okay then. Let's get this over with," Gregory agreed. Freddy opened his stomach hatch and kneeled down so Gregory could climb inside. When he finally did, Freddy closed his chest compartment. However, just as they stepped out of the Boy's Bathroom and into the lobby, the lights to the entire building shut off.
"Oh, NO! I forgot about the end-of-hour recharges! Gregory, listen to me. At the last ten minutes of every hour at night, most the power to the building is diverted to the recharge station. When that happens, the lights turn off. When THAT happens, the Daycare Attendant is free to roam the building. He will NOT spare animatronic or human, with exception to the Nightguard or any employees. I am confident his night mode had been overridden like Chica," Freddy exclaimed.
"Okay... stop, WHAT?! What are you talking about?! Who is the Daycare Attendant?!" Gregory demanded.
"The Daycare Attendant is an animatronic that oversees the Daycare and Theater and watches the kids until their parents can retrieve them. When there is a child in his sight, he will stop at nothing to ensure everyone is safe in his sight. Gregory, he WILL find you. He is in his moon form, since it is dark. In this form, he ensures everyone is asleep. He will 'punish' anyone who refuses, and will traumatize, or even KILL. If we get to a recharge station, he won't get us," Freddy explained. Gregory held his breath as Freddy ran through the Daycare Lobby before eventually making it to a recharge station. Freddy quickly ran inside the small, red metal tube. It was just in the nick of time.
As soon as the door behind them closed, Gregory heard the sound of light metal tapping on the tile floor. Creaking sounds moved past them. Through Freddy's eyes via the FazWatch, Gregory saw a very strange-looking animatronic creep around the Daycare Entrance Hall. This animatronic was extremely thin, but very tall. His head was flat and round, the right side of his face with the marking of a crescent moon. The left side of his face was completely black. His mouth was plastered into a grin, and his eyes were far apart and glowed red. He wore a dark blue jester-like suit with also resembled a nightgown. The animatronic laughed in a small, growly, cold voice, which did not resemble his appearance.
"Bad children must be found..."
~~~
About ten minutes later, the lights turned back on and the Daycare Attendant scampered off back to the Daycare.
"What was THAT?!" Gregory exclaimed.
"That was the Daycare Attendant in his night form. He is VERY cruel in this form and will do anything to hunt one down, should they disobey the rules. His daytime form, Sundrop, is much more pleasant. He refuses to leave the Daycare but his Night form can leave if the power goes out, as you just saw," Freddy explained.
"So... are we going for that Security pass?" Gregory questioned.
"Of course we are! Come- I will accompany you. As long as I am here, nothing could possibly go wrong!" Freddy replied.
With that final note, the two of them left the red tube and Freddy walked to the roll-up door at the end of the hall. Past the door was the most colorful and child-friendly room in the place. There was a small entrance room with some cushioned chairs, cubbies lining the walls, desks and plastic chairs, and a slide leading down somewhere at the end of the room. The walls were a light blue color that resembled the sky and the floor was a blue carpet. On the right wall, there was a TV. On the far left side of the room from the entrance, there was metal railing and a gate that led into the main area of the Daycare. There was also a registration desk with a computer in this room.
"So, do we go down?" Gregory asked.
"You go down, Gregory. Then, retrieve the Security Pass. With Level 1 Clearance, you may press the button to the Main Door of the Playpen. I will come get you afterwards," Freddy replied. Gregory walked over to the plastic tube slide. There was a sign above that read, 'Slide Down to Fun!' Suddenly, Gregory got extremely paranoid.
"Freddy, can you wait at the front of the door for me? I am going to need you in case the other animatronics turn up," Gregory asked suddenly.
"Of course, Superstar."
With that, Gregory finally slid down into the Daycare. The slide had many twists and turns, and parts of the slide were colored differently, with red, orange, yellow, green, and blue all present at some point. Eventually, Gregory emptied out into a ball pit. The ball pit was surrounded by blue foam tiles with rubber covering. The walls were painted sky-blue, and there was a beige-painted balcony in the center of the wall overlooking the Playpen. The balcony had red curtains surrounding it, though the curtains were open. Gregory crawled through the ball pit before making it out. He was faced with two large play structures with colorful plastic, foam, and other materials building it up. The floors were purple carpet. At the end of the Daycare opposite the balcony, there was a set of wooden doors closed in by gray walls. To the left of the doors (Gregory's right) was a security station. There were black monitors on top of a light gray desk. Behind the monitors was a strange, orange-colored box that resembled Freddy built into the wall. There was a flashlight in that box. Gregory checked behind the desk. On the desk, there was a small Freddy head with a security hat built in on top.
"Freddy? I found the Security Pass! It's inside some kind of box," Gregory said through the FazWatch.
"Excellent job! To open the box, press the nose. The moment you do, there will be a security measure. Be careful. If you need help, I will be outside to help you. I will open the doors to let you out. Then, I will close them behind you," Freddy replied.
Gregory pressed the black button on the box that was supposed to be Freddy's nose. When it opened, it revealed a blue card with silver lining on it. The card in question was more professional-looking. It had the words, 'Level 1 Clearance,' printed onto it. Suddenly, the lights to the Daycare turned off.
"Uh-oh!" Gregory exclaimed.
"Oh no! Quickly, open the gate. There should be a red bear button next to it. I will get you out of here," Freddy instructed urgently. Gregory decided to snatch the flashlight from the orange socket on the wall first. Then, he pressed the button on the wall next to the door. When it swung open, Gregory stumbled out. Thankfully, he found Freddy by his glowing eyes that were now white instead of their usual blue.
"Get in. We need to go," Freddy commanded. Before the Daycare Attendant could arrive, Gregory climbed inside the chest cavity. Now, they could leave the Daycare...