Chapter 2

A moment of silence bestowed brown eyes locking into blue. Ashlyn cleared her throat, sneakers fidgeting on the checkered floor. "Sorry, it seems I lost track of time last night while cleaning. When I finished my work, I realized that you had already left with the keys. So... I went inside the security office to do the night shift." Mrs. Bilough's stern gaze shifted into false understanding as she nodded slowly. Breathing a sigh, she responded back with a half-hearted wave of her hand. "Alright, then..." The boss trailed off as her gaze flicked towards the animatronics on stage. She hesitated briefly, and then changed her tone. "Why don't you come with me into my office? You're not going to be fired or anything, I just want to discuss how the night shift went for you." Ashlyn nodded and followed her boss through a wooden door, the rusted hinges attached to the scuffed dark oak letting out a creak. Mrs. Bilough patted a chair, making a sharp turn as she went behind her desk. With a single nod, Ashlyn sat down and fumbled with the creases of her shirt. The boss took a seat across from her, elbows digging into the grooves of the wooden desk. She rested her gaze on the worker, an ill stare that bore into her soul, until that line of vision met her own.

The wheels of Mrs. Bilough's office chair gave a resounding squeak as she leaned back. The boss kept her eyes trained on the girl across from her as she spoke. "I'm assuming you found out about the... other side of the animatronics." Her voice gave way to hesitance as her sight flicked over to the window facing the parking lot. Cars had begun to pull in as other workers arrived, a couple of them hastily pocketing their cigarette packs as they stumbled out into the open air. Ashlyn blinked at the frost glazed window pane, seeing a day shift worker grip their scarf and fumble with their hat as they shivered from the bitter chill of winter. She quickly snapped her attention back towards her boss, who had started tapping her foot as she waited. "Yeah, I did. Quite feisty at night, aren't they?" The jest had clearly failed to lighten the conversation, if the dull sigh from her boss was anything to go by. Swallowing her nerves down, Ashlyn gazed at her boss for a reply. Her patience rewarded her with the reluctant tone of Mrs. Bilough, voice bordering that of dismissal. "Right." Sarcasm dripped off her tongue like the last drop of poison clinging to a vial. Arms folded, her boss tilted her chin to the side, unamused. "Listen, I want you to keep this a secret. If word gets out about how those animatronics behave overnight, my business could be shut down." Ashlyn grew tense as she nodded stiffly, lips smothered into a taut line as a grimace swept across her face.

It was no wonder why everyone in the building always made it a point to never get on her bad side. The boss had milk chocolate eyes and a cold stare that rivaled even the fiercest of storms. At the girl's nod of confirmation, those sleet-hardened eyes became calmer. Mrs. Bilough huffed, giving Ashlyn a brief onceover as if she were judging how truthful her response was. Seemingly pleased, she glanced over at the window. The boss gazed in silence at the last worker scrambling across the parking lot to get to the building. Nose scrunching in retaliation, Mrs. Bilough's eyes gave way to scrutiny as she fixed her sight on the man outside. "Always late, that one." She tutted, causing Ashlyn to crane her own neck towards the window. Shaking her head, the boss nodded at the other woman as a gesture for her que to leave. "Why don't you go home and get some rest? If you don't mind, you can always come back and work the night shift again. I'll make sure you get paid." The addition of the paycheck almost seemed to be a reminder, spoken absentmindedly. Ashlyn nodded, a flimsy twitch at the corners of her lips being the only sign of her relief as she stood. Quick to push the chair in, she replied while taking a step back. "Thank you, I'll take the offer. Have a good day, I'll come back later tonight." The boss hummed in acknowledgement, as if she had already known her answer.

Fixing a steady gaze on the girl, Mrs. Bilough cast a single nod. "Good, the other night guard is currently on vacation right now. I'm sure he'll be grateful that someone filled in for him." Ashlyn shifted her gaze towards the dark wood door, the awkward stature reflecting in her tide-like eyes. She only turned back to offer a final goodbye. One churning of the silver doorknob and Ashlyn was closing the aged, creaking door behind her. The gazes of her boss and the animatronics bore onto her stiff back as she left the pizzeria. She dug a fist into her pocket and felt car keys scrape against her knuckles. The sound of silver clashing against plastic rang like a worn-out tape player in her mind. Ashlyn fumbled with the keychain before unlocking her car door and stepping inside. The button that powered her radio felt cool to the touch as she pressed it. The gas pedal felt weighted as she lowered her foot on it, metal breaching underlying rust. Putting the car in drive, Ashlyn let her thoughts travel as her workplace became a speck in the distance.

...

"Milo, I'm home!" A resounding meow came from the couch, causing Ashlyn to let out a light chuckle. The orange tabby perked up at her call, fuzzy ears twitching and pupils growing wide. Ashlyn reached out a hand and smoothed over Milo's fur as bright eyes peered up at her, reflecting that of a sunlit meadow. Planting a soft kiss in between his ears, she saw whiskers twitch from the corner of her eye. The tired yet humble worker moved to the kitchen. Hands reached towards the cat food in a wooden cabinet, creaking near silent as it opened and closed. She tapped the faucet, yellow-green eyes watching her movements as the flow of water abruptly stopped. A tongue darted out from a parted jaw, head jostling as a sneeze followed suit. Ashlyn ducked her head down to smile at Milo, the feline's nose scrunching up. "Bless you!" The cat tilted his chin up, blinking once and swaying his tail that curled at the tip. After setting down a refilled food and water bowl for Milo, Ashlyn shrugged off her coat. Shoes already taken off, she went to shower before going to sleep.

...

An alarm clock sounded, the beeping causing blue eyes to flutter open. Hair splayed out on pale blue fabric, a groan escaped chapped lips as Ashlyn smothered her face into the pillow. After a few moments of consistent beeping, she huffed and reached a hand out to stop the noise. A small crashing sound echoed from the floor as a result. "Are you kidding me?" The words were muffled, holding back annoyance as the girl shuffled around before sitting up. She picked up the alarm, setting the noise maker back on the dresser before standing. Milo stepped into the room, meowing and rubbing his side against the doorframe. Dry, bitten lips cracked into a smile as Ashlyn ruffled the cat's fur and patted his head. Her hair was no longer damp, ash brown strands falling just above her shoulders and framing ivory skin. Eyes of dusk fluttered shut as she sighed, her reeling mind a broken record player. Milo batted a paw at the carpet while Ashlyn blinked at him. "Time for another night shift." Her whispered lull of words did nothing to slow the movements of the playful feline. She was glad he would be safe here.

...

She fumbled with the key for a second before turning the front door's handle. The cherry red door illuminated by the street lights outside was a backlash compared to the dull gray walls encased in shadows. Despite any looming dread lingering within the torn-up walls, Ashlyn stepped inside. She locked the front door behind her, pocketing the key and scurrying down the hallway. She didn't miss the sky blue eyes of the brown bear boring into her figure while the others remained closed. The girl already knew there was something off about that particular animatronic. Although it wasn't knowledge, more of a gut feeling than anything. Ashlyn took the tablet in hand as the screen flickered to life. She parked herself in the desk chair, if only to soothe her nerves temporarily. There was no sound or life, only silence to accompany the day shift worker as the clock ticked by. She may as well call herself an official night guard now, depending on how long she'll be filling in shifts. A single chime sounded from the alarm clock on the desk. 12:00 AM. Breath hitching, Ashlyn began flicking through the cameras. Her gaze rested on each animatronic as they moved between different rooms. The bear and the fox remained on their stages.

It was the chicken who moved to the hallway first, this time. Ashlyn kept note of that as she switched to another camera, seeing the rabbit in a party room. Bouncing on her heels, she rose from the seat and closed the right door, flashing the hall light after. Silver eyes pinpointed back at her. Pressing the button again with a dry swallow, she saw darkness engulf the hallway once more. Time passed as Chica left the right hallway and Bonnie exited the party room to go to the left. Fidgeting with the tablet, Ashlyn checked on the fox. When she noticed Foxy had vanished from the starry violet curtains, tell-tale screeching echoed down the left hallway. With the door already shut from the rabbit, metal and wires collided against the metallic surface. Ashlyn forced her breathing to slow, listening closely as that sharp hook scraped against the checkered floor. A silver glint in the shadows paired with clanking metal footsteps that faded away. Opening the door, she let out a sigh before her gaze locked onto the tablet again. Fingertips tapped the screen idly as she flicked through cameras. She glanced at the digital clock tucked awkwardly in the corner of the desk. 2:00 AM.

The animatronics were moving faster tonight, for some reason. Despite their wiring having not been messed with for ages, it seems like they've grown more violent. Lips curling into a troubled frown, Ashlyn kept her guard up. The pirate fox came running down the hallway one more time, and so did the chicken and rabbit, albeit more slowly. Glowing white letters flashed as she cast a glimpse at the desk clock. 5:00 AM. She noticed that the clock had been set to only count hours, not minutes. So she wouldn't know how close it was to the end of her shift until the 6:00 AM ringtone chimed. She could only hope it was soon. Both doors were currently open to not drain the battery as she checked the cameras. Ashlyn's tongue went slack, shadowed blue eyes widening at the main stage on the tablet screen. Her teeth clicked together as she snapped her jaw shut tightly. The bear was gone. Freddy had always stayed on stage, until now. She quickly darted to each door, closing each of them and checking the hall light on both. There was no sign of any animatronic outside the windows showing the hallways. Her grip tightened on the monitor as she stared down at it, flicking through cameras. The bear was still gone.

Lips parting open slightly in disbelief, Ashlyn snapped her head up to the right hallway. Nothing. She turned to the left, shoulders stiffening. Two red pinpoints for eyes. Ashlyn held her breath, tilting her chin down to glance at the battery percentage. At that exact moment, the 6:00 AM bell rang. She breathed a sigh of relief, shaking her head lightly and looking up. Only to see red staring back. They disappeared after a moment, turning back into large sky blue eyes. Freddy blinked, a childlike wonder replacing the haunted pinpricks. The brown bear then proceeded to walk away, a hefty metal clanking that faded down the hallway. The girl stood still, only opening the doors when the last animatronic was back on stage. She gripped the car key with urgency, her old red sneakers nearly soundless on the floor and pavement. The radio was turned up a notch while Ashlyn drove home, dawn reflecting where the lights of her eyes became absent.