Hide And Seek

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height




Right after the warning, the robot melted amongst the darkness in a forceful yank. Pointed metal sprang through the opening. Their deadly tips halted centimeters away from Thomas' chest.

     A feral scream pierced the air. Knives wiggled the door open, stretching towards human flesh.

     Again, didn't need to be told twice.

     Hallways blurred past, his legs fueled by adrenaline. Past Nightmare's cove. Past his office. Swerve through the dinning room. Zig zag up into the bathrooms...what exactly was he running from?

Thomas reeled, stopping for breath inside the corner stall.

Heavy, mechanical steps raced past the area. A different set of metal feet walked away from the bathrooms. Distant voices clobbered against each other. He caught something along the lines of 'Where'd he go?!' and 'Find him before Virgil!'.

What? Was? Happening?

His panting slowed down. The man cocked his head to the side, listening. Everything was quiet save for a commotion in the kitchen. Were those pots and pans being thrown around?

Pale, tear-streaked, and smiling. A face appeared from the next stall, peeking from above. It bobbed up and down, giggling.

"Hey, what's—"

Two large hands swiped the puppet away. The glimpse of a crown zipped through.

"Lemme go! I almost had him!"

"You're not being graceful at it! Don't go after the throat like a savage!"

Thomas's eyes bulged out.

"Leggo!"

He opened the stall door. Roman held the marionette at an arm's length, his grip steady against their squirming. Hot pink eyes locked on the man.

"All you simply do is strike the enemy in the heart, like THIS!"

     No time to duck.

CLANK!

A large grey and purple object blocked his vision. Virgil's arm. It absorbed most of the blow, but nudged into the human's upper torso. Thomas looked up at his literal robot shield.

Frightful light inside an eye socket glanced at him. "Hide."

The guard squinted at the other animatronics. Both wouldn't stop staring at him. Red pulses set ablaze as their pupils, spectral and harsh.

"Go! I'll hold them off!"

Thomas ducked underneath the stall and scampered out. Based on the urgency of his friend's voice, whatever they were dealing with had to be hell. Chaotic hell.

Damp paper towel smells faded, arms pumped faster by his side. Away again, to another safe spot. He couldn't figure out why those two wanted to hurt him so badly. Maybe someone else could explain. Maybe this was all a prank?

The arcade room's gaping void served as a hiding invitation. The human dashed in and collapsed behind a row of gaming machines, leaning his back against a wall. Thomas attempted to slow the oxygen intake, forcing his chest to heave at a shallow rate. Being quiet mattered the most now.

Slowly, his retinas adjusted to the low light. Tangled nests of cables lay beside his feet, the front and back side of him had minimal space to squeeze between. Not the worst place, but he could do without cramped legs.

Someone whispered his name.

Thomas held his breath. He diminished any movement.

And there it went again, softer than before.

"Thomas? Kiddo, where are you?" Patton's uneasy voice could be pinpointed from the entrance of the room. Closer, even.

Eerie creaks of gears activating moved in. A dark figure, visible at an angle from behind the arcade stand, shifted positions. Two glowing dots scanned the room.

Thomas shrunk back.

"Hey, I know you're probably confused at the ruckus." His sweet tone, thick with concern, aimed at the gaming machines. "We kinda have a not-so-great situation here, and I really don't want to see you get hurt."

Machinery twisted at the notion of approaching strides.

"I can hear your heartbeat." The robot announced. "It's really fast. Loud."

The night guard wished he could just teleport home.

"The others, they're under some weird trance. I'm scared, too." Patton crouched at the gap between the arcade machines. Half of his face exposed to the guard's dismal one. "I don't want you to die. Please..."

     A robot arm slithered toward him, an outstretched hand begged to be held.

"...I don't wanna lose you."

     The tips of his wired fingers crossed enough distance to stop another arm-length away from Thomas.

"What happened to everyone?"

     Patton glanced from side to side. He leaned in. "William put them under mind control. He found out that you're trying to help us, so now they're after you."

     The night guard scooted forward. "Why aren't you affected?"

"Not sure, but something's controlling everyone else."

The man got on all fours and slowly crawled to the gap. Patton stepped back, waiting for his friend to get out.

"Stand behind me, I'll protect you."

For the first time, Thomas noticed that a party hat still stood on the mascot's head. Dented, but there. A blink of red flashed behind round glasses. He hesitated.

"Afraid, huh?" The animatronic said, spreading his arms. "I've heard that hugs calm people down."

Light acting as pupils glanced him up and down, on the brink of impatience. Ravening eyes careened forward. A child-like laugh broke out.

"C'mon buddy, don't leave me hanging."

     It sounded more like a command than an invitation.

Thomas backtracked. The friendly act immediately dropped. Patton's eyebrows formed a v-shape.

"Rude."

     His mechanical body jerked forward. A lucky dodge granted the latter freedom from a bulldozing punch.

     The human scrambled behind the video game stand, tripping over cables. Frustrated roars punctured his eardrums.

     He dashed behind several machines, creating as much distance as possible from the psychopath. One by one, the arcade stands slammed into the wall. Thomas picked up the pace, approaching a dead end with no intent of being crushed.

"Get out, coward!"

     Wind rippled his hair as another gaming machine flew to the wall—too close. He zipped out the corner, ducking underneath an enraged fist.

     Huffing, the guard sprinted out of the room and into a second hallway. At the very end of the corridor, another grinning robot with glasses turned the corner and walked towards him. Knives unsheathed like medieval swords. Thomas slowed and looked over his shoulder.

     Patton was insanely quick.

     Screaming internally, he kept running.

     One of the side rooms popped open its door. Before he could blink, a grey blur captured the collar of his shirt and hauled him inside. The air cut off from his throat.

Slam!

     Door shut, dark room, he silently gasped for his lungs to be fed. Cold floor smacked his belly and cheek. Thomas wheezed and coughed violently, hunched in a fetal position. He covered his head, bracing for a lethal strike.

     None came.

"Sorry." A lock clicked shut. "They'll kill you any chance they get."

Banging and maniacal knocking attacked the door. Muffled screeches loomed on the other side.

     A pair of soft, glowing lights rotated until they settled on his face. In here, malice shadows concealed the robot's face and body.

"I won't hurt you, chill."

Thomas scrunched up his face. What exactly...

"Virgil, what the hell is happening?"

"Take a wild guess."

This threw the human for a loop. He swung two palms up. "I don't know?! You tell me!"

Mechanical buzzing seared the air as the mascot sat against the door. Thomas thought he heard a hiss of pain, but decided against it. They couldn't literally feel things, right?

Bang! Bang-bang-bang-BANG! CRACK!

"Shit!" Virgil yelped. He swiveled his upper body 180 degrees, closely examining the wooden barrier. "We're not gonna last long here."

Crack!

He couldn't see, but his imagination made up for it by envisioning a rupture spreading jagged lines on the door. It sounded accurate.

"Alright, new plan." Virgil's limbs creaked as he stood up. "When I tackle him, make a run for it and hide."

He didn't have time to breathe in.

Virgil tore at the doorknob and leapt into the intruder. Two animatronics tumbled away from the entrance, locked in a wrestling match. Following instructions, Thomas booked it.

He made a sharp turn into the dinning room, intensely aware of demented laughter trailing behind. An internal jab blew underneath his left lung; shortness of oxygen. Each step increased the pain. He hated it more now than he did at gym.

     Thomas dived under a table, itching for recovery.

     Two pairs of legs strolled in the room. He held his breath. Patton's hearing was advanced enough to detect his heartbeat, did the same go for the others?

     One mascot stopped.

"Say, do you hear that...compadre?" Roman's voice drawled out.

     The human clasped a hand over his mouth, determined to hang on to silence.

"Hmm, I think it was a rat." The other source of voice moved as it spoke.

     Both robots turned statue. Only the slow grinding of gears, presumably of their heads swiveling, could be heard.

"There's something in the dark..."

"Oh! I see!" Patton raced to his hiding spot.

     Thomas swallowed a scream, but the robot zipped past him and snagged a fidgeting object from two tables over. High-pitched shrills were instantly terminated by a crunching sound. 

"Haha! It was a rat! Wanna hold it?"

"No, that's an improper kill. The guts are spilling out, you heathen."

"Kiddo, it's the fun that matters!"

The animatronic drew back his arm and released a goop of fur and blood. A tiny body plunged near Thomas, rolling to a stop at his feet. As if ignoring the burning sensation in his chest wasn't enough, forcing his gaze away from a disfigured face encouraged his stomach to join the pain-party.

"I know someone's there."

"Hmm...nope. C'mon, let's check somewhere else." Patton's cheery tone flowed away.

     After a beat of hesitation, Roman's feet moved. Once the duo was out of sight, Thomas puffed out old air and resumed heavy breathing. His slowed heart cranked up speed again, refreshed by nutrition. The stench of fresh kill wafering underneath his nostrils almost brought back dinner, but a gagging sound clogged his throat instead.

"Wait. Now I hear it, too."

     His blood went cold.

     Clanking steps rushed into the middle of the room. Roman's pale face bent low, checking underneath tables and chairs.

"Oh birthday-boy!" He sang, "Let's have some fun!"

Nope. Nope.

His muscles quivered and tensed as he slid out of his spot. The mascots had their backs turned. Good.

Out the dinning room. Past his office. Past the bathrooms. Tearing through an 'employee only' door. Down yet another hallway. Almost free falling down stairs.

And finally, the basement entrance.

     He'd seen everyone else on the surface. This place would provide enough time for him to call for help and explain the situation to Dexter. Anyone with the remotes could turn them off, maybe—just maybe—someone left them down here.

Thomas slammed the door shut behind him. A single, malfunctioning lightbulb illuminated the spacious room in flashes of dull yellow, but the far corners were obscured in darkness. The air reeked thick of stale water. Goosebumps blanketed his skin.

With a well deserved sigh of relief, he trotted down a small set of stairs and began looking for the placements of remotes. All the indoor light illuminated were the stairs to the door, an empty workshop table, a beat up trash can, and its crumpled lid.

5 minutes passed. Nothing. He fiddled with the lid as he tried calling his manager. No reception. What time was it, anyways?

3:10 am

     He pocketed his phone. Welp. 3 hours to think of solution. Day crew didn't need to deal with murderous children.

      The gentle swirl of machinery tinkered behind him. Thomas wheeled.

     Glossed eyes, absent of empathy, grew near from a dark corner. Logan cocked his head to the side, pleased with himself.

"I knew I was right to think I would find you over here." An acidic laugh followed, chilling to the bone.

A step forward, the animatronic's features entered the spotlight. Dried blood speckled his face, a slobber of garnet painted the mouth. Thomas retreated against a wall.

"It's intriguing that you're quite wary of my associates and me."

Logan raised a hand. Knives jolted out, replacing twitching fingers.

"There is a tactic used by a few intelligent species of predator." His words stretched calm and patient. "They make the prey think they're safe until the very last second."

Another step.

"And some masterminds can make a crime scene look like an accident."

Thomas swallowed a lump in his throat. This was a long shot, but he needed to try something....

"Logan..." His vocal chords trembled. "You said you'd never hurt anyone—"

"Falsehood." The robot came even closer, snapping open faceplates in a final show of intimidation. Like Virgil, his voice deepened in pitch and gnarled. "I was ready to take away your life on the night we met, just as I am now."

     Thomas' fingers tightened around the rim of the lid. Lid! He still had it!

Oh god, his gym efforts had better pay off. The guard aimed for the head and launched it.

     He missed.

The dented aluminum clashed into pipes above and released a shower of freshwater.

Both human and robot were given their faire share of a rainstorm. Sparks of electricity covered Logan, popping and crackling like lightning. The animatronic froze and buckled over.

Thomas dodged the incoming pounds of metal, wincing at a deafening collision against the wall and floor. Low growling came as both wrists twisted, releasing spider crawls of metal hands. He wouldn't stay down for long.

The guard dashed up the stairs and yanked at the doorknob. It turned just fine, but the heavy barrier refused to cooperate. Frantic, he pulled on it with all his might. It didn't budge.

A strange noise echoed in the basement. He swiveled around.

There Logan was; immobilized from the waist down, dragging himself on arms and elbows towards the stairs. Painful screeching of metal sliding against cement delivered shudders all over his body. The robot's head wasn't angled correctly, a bit stuck facing the left. Scarlet, ruthless eyes stared through him.

Logan's monstrous voice-box glitched as he spoke. "We...c-can make accidentsssss ha-a-appen."

     The human clenched his teeth, trying again and again to snap the door open. An inch of separation steadily grew.

There! Fresh air and some degree of safety on the other side! He pulled harder than ever before. In a weary creak, an exit was made.

Thomas squeezed through the opening and made a run for it. Marathoning up the stairs, into a hallway, out the 'employee only' door—slamming that one shut, and again; into the small labyrinth of the restaurant's ground floor.

He rounded the corner of the kitchen. A large hand snatched his arm and dug into his skin, wishing injury upon his bones.

A familiar robot brought the human to face him. He relaxed at seeing Virgil's ambitious face.

"Dude, you gotta stop scaring me. And, ow."

The animatronic released his iron grip. For the first time, hopeful eyes beamed on him.

"Thomas, I have an idea."

































————————————————

In case you have or haven't noticed, this chapter has several references (probably one too many lol) to "You Can't Hide" by CK9C. It's a fanmade song based on Sister Location. I really love it and highly recommend for you to listen to it, too.
On that note, next chapter.......in two weeks: February 11th. (yes, I know I said you'd get updates weekly after my month long break...but the next chapter is a tough one to pin down. I think you'll understand why when it comes up)

You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net