The following night, Thursday night, Mike Schmidt arrive thirty minutes early. He'd taken Kevin's pointers. He'd made a plan. He actually felt ready. For the first time since he'd taken this insane job, he actually felt ready. Now, he wanted to come in and just make sure that everything was in order. Go into the Office and review everything one final time.

At least, that had been the plan.

Mr. Cawthon had been talking to the evening janitors when he heard the sound of the back door opening. He quickly excused himself from the group and walked over and took Schmidt's arm.

"My office, now." He said. Not angrily, but not exactly friendly anymore at that.

Once they were in the GM's Office, Mike was ushered into his seat and Scott took his behind the desk. No more friendly talk side by side anymore. Now, he was the boss. He was surely, "Mr. Cawthon, if you please".

"I want to know everything," Cawthon said immediately. "And I want to know now."

"About what?" Schmidt asked.

"Don't play stupid," The GM snapped. "Something's happened. You were freaking out the one morning, you and Kevin both show up out of nowhere to conduct some 'work', and then, Kevin shows up last night in your place, saying that he's given you some 'homework' to do! Something's happening. My night crew is doing something and I want to know what it is! Do you understand!?"

"Yes." Mike nodded, bewildered. He'd never thought he'd see Cawthon so worked up. The man was practically sweating and turning red. "Yes, I get it...sir."

"Good!" The GM replied, staring at him hard. "Then tell me! What is happening!?"

"Mr. Cawthon, nothing has happened," Mike said. He supposed he should have felt nervous, but this man wasn't Freddy Fazbear. Not even close. "The other day, I lost power. I don't remember when exactly, but it was close to 6AM, but not quite there. Bonnie and Chica were right outside the Office's Doors. Arella was trying to get into the Electrical Room to play with the generator. Things got a little tense so, I..."

"Are you telling me you managed to survive an encounter with the characters?" Cawthon asked. There was something about the way he asked that made Mike think that he wasn't buying any of it.

"Well, no...not really...I don't really know,"

"What do you mean 'you don't know'?" Cawthon snapped.

"Well, I..." Mike began. Then...he stopped. "Something tells me you don't believe me, sir..."

"Of course not," Cawthon agreed coldly. "If you'd lost power for a minute, if you were vulnerable for a fraction of a second, those freaks would have killed you. It's exactly what happened to the guy before you."

"How much do you know about that?" Mike asked.

"Enough," Cawthon waved his hand. "Enough to know that those...things...only need an instant, only a fraction of a second to kill. That idiot made a mistake, recording messages for you while on his shift, and it cost him his life! He didn't even run out of power! Just wasn't paying attention. No, Mr. Schmidt, I don't believe you, and I don't believe Kevin's horror stories, either. And don't issue that childish threat of quitting and forcing me to perform the watch. For your information, I've done that watch before. Who do you think did it before Kevin came on, hm? He didn't exist back when I started renovations and your number wasn't in my possession at the time, or I would have called you sooner! I've seen them move! And I know what they're capable of!" He breathed deeply. "So don't keep thinking that you two are above me. If either of you two fail to show up for work and those fiends get out, I'll take you down. I'll point the finger at you both. You may ruin business, but I'll point the finger at both of you. You were the ones in charge of security, and you, yourself, were fired previously for tampering with the characters A.I. You'll be the ones responsible for your negligence. Do you understand, Mr. Schmidt?"

Mike, both bewildered and furious, nodded.

"Good." The General Manager said softly. "It doesn't have to be like this, son. You two just need to communicate with me, that's all. Do that and everything will be fine. I'll get you your raise, you'll be making money like a proper young man, and things will go smoothly. Eventually, maybe, we'll figure out how to stop the characters from moving about, and you can move on, or work during the day."

I bet I'll lose that raise then...Mike thought bitterly.

"But in the meantime, you have a duty to perform," Cawthon said standing. "So off you go. Do stay safe tonight."

Mike didn't reply. He got up silently, too angry to talk, and let himself be escorted out of the GM's Office. Mr. Cawthon left the building shortly after, allowing Schmidt to relieve the night time janitors. It was 11:46PM. Fifteen minutes wasted. But he wouldn't let Mr. Cawthon get to him. He had much more pressing matters to attend to. He would, however, repeat the General Manager's sentiments to Kevin the next time he saw the guy. Though they'd started off rocky, Kevin was quickly becoming the only person that Schmidt trusted here.

The minute he stepped into the Office, the phone came to life.

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING

Mike looked at it with a queer look. Why was Kevin calling him now? To check up on him? That didn't seem like Kevin's style. If that was his intention, he would have called the building after 6AM. Not now.

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING

As per usual, he checked the Monitors, just in case one of them decided to get an early start. Fortunately, this was not the case, as they were all still there.

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING

Eventually the answering machine picked up.

"Check the top drawer, Schmidty," Kevin's voice came through.

Mike paused for a moment. He hadn't expected Kevin to call him. He had been expecting that even less. But, he rolled his chair up to the desk and checked the drawer. In it, was the phone. Mike picked it up and answered it.

"Uh...hello?"

"Yeah, hi," Kevin said. "Hey, listen, I hope you got your plan all organized last night, Schmidty, because some shit's probably gonna go down for you tonight."

"What do you mean?"

"Check CAM5, Back Stage."

Mike did so. Nothing came on the camera. The feed was dark.

"What the hell!?" Mike hissed. Immediately, he checked the other cameras. All of them seemed perfectly fine. "What happened!? Did they take out that camera?"

"I guess," Kevin replied solemnly. "But that's not even the worst of it. They did something to the Endoskeleton that was Back Stage. I was watching Arella like a hawk, and then I heard them hussle off the Stage. I eventually found them Back Stage. It looked like they were ganging up on the Endoskeleton. Hell, even Foxy was there, joining in on the fun. When they saw I was watching them, Freddy Fuckbear himself comes up and takes out the Cam."

"Holy shit..." Mike breathed. "What happened next? What did they do after that?"

"Well, that's the other thing," Kevin said. "Last night was probably the easiest watch I've done. A whole lot of nothing happened. Right after those assholes did their thing Back Stage, they jumped back on the Show Stage and stood there in their spots for the rest of the night. None of them moved. Not even an inch. Didn't even look at the camera once. The only thing that happened was Foxy singing every now and then and Arella goofing around. Hell, I even ignored her for a little to keep an eye on Freddy and them. She actually got to the Concession Stand. I mean...hell, not even Foxy came out. Not once. I've never seen them behave so well before. And that's not good, Schmidty. That means they're up to something."

Mike's head was spinning and his heart was racing. Something had happened, something was going to happen, and he had no idea what. They had made their own plan. Now this was not something that had happened three years ago. Oh no.

"Do you have any idea what they did?" Mike asked, desperately. "Anything!?"

"I can't be certain," Kevin replied. "But I have a fairly strong suspicion."

"What?" Mike asked, jumping on the question rabidly. "Tell me!"

"Well, there's only one thing you can do with an Endoskeleton," The red head replied. "Put it in a suit. It's what they'll do to you and I if they get their hands on us. So, that's really the only thing they could have done, to my mind."

"You think they just randomly attacked that Endoskeleton?" Mike asked. He checked the time. 11:55PM. He checked the Monitor. All three of them remained on Stage.

"No, I don't." Kevin said. "What I think they did was build another character."

"What!?"

"Look, we don't have a lot of time right now," Kevin said. "It's almost midnight and I don't wanna drain any of your power. So, my advice is this: Keep an eye out for duplicates. I have a distinct feeling that they're gonna try to screw with you with a fake."

"Forget that!" Mike replied. "What if it's trying to kill me too!?"

"I don't think it will," Kevin said. "It may sound weird but...I think the Endoskeleton's a coward. I've been Back Stage after losing power, and it never did anything directly to me. Kept staring at me, though, the creepy bastard. Every time I got near it though, it just ran off." A pause. "Look, show time's in two minutes, so we can't talk anymore. Just remember what I said. Watch for duplicates. Don't fall for any of their tricks. Oh, and also make sure to put the phone back in the desk. Hide it too, if you can. Don't need Cawthon bitching me out..."

Mike opened his mouth to speak of Cawthon, but Kevin was right. It was almost show time.

"Alright..." Mike sighed. "Alright...I'll...I'll do what I can. Thanks, Kevin."

"Sure thing, Schmidty," The red head replied almost casually. "Just stay alert and you should be fine. To give you some motivation...if you make through the night, I might have a little present for you." It was on the tip of his tongue to inquire about this 'present', but Mike didn't want to prolong the conversation. "Don't forget to watch Arella. Keep that bitch in the Arcade if you can. G' night."

Schmidt hung up and placed the phone back in the desk. Then checked the time.

12AM

Showtime.

He checked the Stage.

Bonnie and Chica were gone.

"Out already?" Mike said aloud. "You guys sure are eager today..."

The he caught the tail end of both of them heading for the halls on CAM1B, the Dining Area. Bonnie going for the West, and Chica the East, just like in the old days. On 2A, Bonnie stood in the flicker light of the hall. Chica stood on 4A. Neither of them moved any further. Schmidt flicked back and forth between them for a few moments, but the duo remained where they stood, blocking both halls.

Beep...beep...beep...beep...beep...beep...beep...beep...

Foxy's eyes peered out of the darkness of Pirate Cove. Freddy remained on the Show Stage. He hadn't appeared to have moved. Watch for duplicates, Kevin had said. Mike flicked through the cameras but saw nothing interesting. He hit CAM5 again, expecting to see the same broken feed, but felt as though he needed to see it again. Just to confirm it. Indeed, it was still out. Listening closely, he could hear nothing. Even the audio was out. Mr. Cawthon hadn't said anything about the broken camera. Perhaps he hadn't known. Maybe Kevin hadn't mentioned it or...

A happy laugh fluttered through the air.

"Fuck!" Mike hissed. Kevin had specifically reminded him too...

Arella was gone from her stage on 8A, of course, but he heard her whacking at the buttons of one of the games. She was out and about now. Chica and Bonnie hadn't moved from their spots. Foxy continued to peer out from his cave. The dummy seagull was facing the camera now, and had even spread its fake wings as if it intended to fly. Mike then took the camera back to the Arcade, listening to Arella goof about in there.

Keeping the Monitor there, Mike stood up from his chair and peered out into the West Hall. Bonnie's silhouette stood under the flickering light. Chica's yellow suit was visible out in the East Hall. Still neither of them had moved.

They're trapping me, Mike thought, I can't watch them both and they know that...

Without sitting in his chair, he checked the Show Stage on the Monitor. Freddy Fazbear himself starred back at him from his proper position. Schmidt stared back at him. Something had happened the night before, and Mr. Head Honcho here was probably at the front and center of it. Just as it had been three years ago, Freddy had yet to leave the Stage. Was tonight going to be the night, as it had been before, or was he going to fake him out? Save his approach for another time?

A noise from outside. Mike flinched badly at the sound and quickly flicked through the Monitor. Bonnie and Chica were still where they had been. And...

"Goddamn it, will you CAN IT!" The guard hissed at the Motion Sensor. It was still slowly beeping as Foxy no doubt continued to peer out from his stupid cave. It was hard to listen for the other two goons when that thing wouldn't shut the hell up!

Laughter. Schmidt froze. What kind of laughter was it? Could he tell over the Sensor?

Yes. Barely he could hear the lightness and playfulness.

Arella.

Mike brought up CAM2A and looked it over and was frightened to discover that he couldn't see Arella anywhere. Just to double check, he brought up 8B and listened. He tried to listen, but the damn Sensor made it difficult. He pressed his ears against the speaker. Nothing. No Arella there.

Another noise.

Bonnie and Chica!

Still in their spots on the Monitor.

Show Stage?

Freddy still stared.

Foxy?

Still staring.

Schmidt flipped through the rest of the cameras but saw no space girl anywhere. He double checked the Dining Area, the Restrooms, Pirate Cove (beep, beep, beep, beep), The Concession Stand, the Generator Room's door, the East and West Halls. He even brought up the Kitchen and tried to listen and also the Back Stage, though that one was useless now. Even knowing that Arella liked to hide didn't help. He tried to scan as thoroughly as he could, but he kept finding nothing.

"Damn it!" Mike hissed, pounding the desk! "Where the fuck IS she!?"

This was not something he had anticipated. After hearing the news that Kevin had brought him, he had suspected that Freddy was going to make his move. Bonnie and Chica had appeared to be moving strategically, standing close to him and just remaining there; Foxy was not retreating into his cavern, and something about Freddy just screamed that he had something planned.

Yet, here he was, panicking over Arella, the one who hadn't apparently been invited to the party last night (either that or just chose not to participate) and was only known for pushing buttons and throwing pots and pans. Wonderful! Just fucking wonderful! Where the fuck was...

This time he knew he heard something down the West Hall. He ran to the door and hit the light. Bonnie wasn't charging to his door...but neither was he in the hall anymore.

Fuck! The Corner! You didn't check the Corner, you fucking idiot!

Nothing was there of course. If Bonnie had been, the night would have been over already.

Chica! He thought!

Mike turned and began to ran towards the door.

Then, he screamed.

Standing right by the swivel chair was Arella. Purple hair, Blaster, big frozen smile and all.

Her eyeless sockets stared right at him.

He tried to run and tripped over his feet and stumbled. By sheer luck, his body fell into the panel and the next thing he heard was a thud and the big Door came down. A second later, Bonnie's furious pounding sounded from the other side.

Arella recoiled at his scream. Mike, even in the extremity of his panic, saw this. Before he even hit the panel, she turned and hightailed it out of the Office as quick as a flash. The guard leaned against the wall, his hand clutching his chest, where his heart appeared to be trying to escape from.

How long had she been standing there?

BAMBAMBAMBAM!

Bonnie continued striking the Door. Shaking, Mike stumbled towards the Monitor. Chica was gone from the East Hall. This caused Mike to cringe in fear of that unknown, but his finger had slipped, accidentally hitting several buttons. He only saw Chica's vacant spot for a second before the Monitor flicked through several CAMS, before finally stopping at the Restrooms, where Chica now stood, staring up at him. Schmidt looked towards the left window. Bonnie stared back at him. And the second his eyes met the bunny's, the Sensor finally took a break and went silent.

It was at that time, that the laughter was heard.

This time, it certainly wasn't Arella. He didn't even have to bring up the Show Stage and see it was empty to know that...but he did anyway.

And of course, Mr. Fazbear wasn't there.

The Dining Area was closest to the Stage. Mike brought it up.

He then froze in place and he forgot what Kevin had said for, for a brief moment, he thought what he was witnessing had to be some terrible mistake.

Two Freddy Fazbears stared at him from the center of the tables, side by side. Both of them were eyeless, and both of them appeared to be completely identical. Schmidt's fists balled up on the desk. Oh, what was he going to do about this? One Freddy Fazbear was a nightmare, just would two of them be? He looked at the clock. 2AM. Sweet Jesus, he had four more hours to go. The power meter read 86 percent. Well, at least some good had come from Bonnie and Chica simply standing still for that period. Hadn't even had to turn the Hall Lights on, much less use the doors. He could make it at this rate, no sweat. Just as long as they didn't hang outside the Office all night.

On that thought, he realized that Bonnie had ceased knocking. Checking the Monitor, he found the bunny over at the Concession Stand, simply standing in front of the registers. Chica was standing in the doorway of the male bathrooms, her back now facing the camera. Foxy was still hidden away, no noise from the Sensor at all. Things were okay so far. As long as they kept back and Arella stayed in her place, everything would be peachy keen.

The Space Girl wasn't on her stage, but the camera picked up her mashing buttons again. There was a new sense of dread about her. She's not going to come to the Office, Kevin had said, but she had. Was she going to become aggressive? Maybe, but if that had been the case, why hadn't she attacked him? She had just stood there, watching him. Was she relaying some kind of information? Didn't seem to be. Right after she'd been spotted, she ran away and was now in her little corner at the Arcade again, just goofing around as usual. He'd have to keep an eye on her.

Going back to CAM1B revealed an empty Dining Area.

Frantically flipping through the CAMs, Mike saw that Chica and Bonnie remained were they were, but now both Freddy Fazbears were coming down the West and East halls. As the guard stared at both of them, Kevin's words came back to him.

The Endoskeleton's a coward...every time I got near it, it ran off...

One of these Freddy's, in other words, wouldn't actually go near him. But how would he know which one? They both looked exactly the same!

Mike clutched the sides of his head, where a stress headache was starting to build.

God, why had he agreed to come back to this!? What had he been thinking!? Declaring bankruptcy would have been better than this! At least then there was virtually no chance of death!

Beep...Beep...Beep...Beep...Beep...Beep...Beep...Beep...Beep...Beep.

"Aw, fuck you!" He hissed. Now was not the time for that damn fox!

He didn't bother bringing up Pirate Cove. He had a good idea of what he'd see. Instead, he quickly checked Bonnie and Chica's last positions. Both of them were still there, though now Bonnie was leaning over the counter, staring up at the camera. Going right back to both Freddys revealed that the two of them had moved slightly further down the hall. They were coming for him alright. They might even come at the same time. And what if Kevin was wrong about the Endoskeleton's cowardice? Mike glanced at both the panels next to the doors. If only the Generator wasn't on its stupid power saving mode, he could just sit in here safely and this job would be so much easier!

As if on cue, a gay gust of laughter echoed through the building. Mike jumped at the sound of it and immediately looked over his shoulders. No sign of her.

He checked the Dining Area and, after a quick moment, just managed to see her poking her head out from one of the tables. After all this time, he was becoming a goddamn expert at finding small pinprick endoskeleton eyes in the darkness. What a great skill to have on one's resume...

Both Freddy's were gone when he checked their positions.

Terror ripped through him and he didn't even bother with the Monitor. He leaped up from the swivel chair and whammed the button that brought the heavy metal Door down. Then, in one quick movement, he ripped off one of his shoes and pitched it as hard as he could at the other panel. By some miracle, it hit the large button and that way was quickly blocked.

Micheal Schmidt stood where he was for a moment, gasping for breath. He waited, staring at the right Door, frozen in place.

Then, he saw the eyes as one of the Freddys leaned into view. His head came from the right side of the mirror.

He had just about made it through the doorway.

Well, at least he knew which Freddy was the real one...for now.

Mike turned and looked out the left window and saw nothing. He pressed the Light button.

The other Freddy was brought harshly out of the dark with the flickering light. The moment the lights came on, this Freddy flinched back and looked up at them, appearing to be dumbfounded. The animatronic stayed that way for a moment before heading off back up the West Hall. Mike stared at where it had been for a moment before turning back to the other window. Real Freddy stared back at him. Cautiously, Mike approached the right Door, his eyes never leaving Freddy's. His hand slowly reach out and hit the Light button. This time, nothing happened except Mike got a clearer look at Mister Fazbear's physique. But only for a second before the bear sulked off out of view.

The power meter was at 77% and it was two thirty.

Beep...Beep...Beep...Beep...Beep...

As he put his shoe back on, he thought there was no way he was going to open the doors again without first finding the bears, but he knew he had to do it fast. The Doors tended to kill what little power he had available fast than anything else. He first checked the Corners, and then went up and down both Halls. No sign of any activity there. He then...

Laughter again...

The Fazbears weren't in the Dining Area.

Neither was Arella.

He pressed CAM1C.

In addition to Foxy's glaring eyes, there were two pinpricks, which stared next to his. The barrel of the Blaster just ever so slightly poked out of the darkness. He had to make sure he kept an eye on her, but he feared Freddy more than her. Mike checked the CAMS again. Bonnie and Chica hadn't moved, but both Freddys were found on the Show Stage, staring at the camera. With great hesitation...Mike got up and opened both doors, starting with the left. Then, he went towards the right and pressed the button.

BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP!

The guard made a strangled cry and wheeled around and bolted for the opposite panel and slammed his hand on the Door button. The barrier wasn't even all the way down by the time Foxy hit it. The Pirate might have made it if he had attempted to dive under the Door. Perhaps he didn't want to risk getting crushed...

From somewhere in the building, Freddy laughed.

Without thinking, Mike ran over to the other panel and brought the right Door down as well. There were way too many things going on right now! He had to find out where everyone was again. The two Freddys had left the Show Stage. Mike found one of them near the Restrooms. Chica was nowhere to be found, but the sound of pots and pans being rustled around was heard. Bonnie was now in the Dining Area, standing in the midst of the tables. And, the other Freddy was nowhere to be found.

Mike flipped through all the cameras twice, but found nothing. Maybe he was in the Kitchen with Chica? Maybe he was Back Stage? Those where the only two places that the animatronics could move to without the cameras catching them.

He had to open the Doors. The power meter was now at 68 percent. The left Door seemed safe for now, but he'd want to check the Light just to be sure. He'd have to do it fast though, because those lights drained almost as much energy as the damn Doors...

...unless...

Schmidt paused in mid stride to the doors and then went back to the desk and began thumbing through the drawers as quickly as he could. He had no idea what made him think he would find what he was looking for, but it wasn't completely out of the question. The desk did contain a multitude of supplies; office supplies, cleaning supplies...even some technical equipment to repair things in the building (including the animatronics) were kept here. Perhaps...

At the far back in the bottom drawer...was an old, long, black flashlight. A white tag was stuck to the handle that read: PROPERTY OF FAZBEAR ENTERTAINMENT.

Mike grabbed it and turned it on towards the wall. A bright circle of light illuminated the several drawings that kids had drawn of their "Fun Day" at Freddy's. It worked, and it worked well, and that was good. It was great, in fact. One way to conserve power.

Schmidt went to the left Door, opened it and poked his head out, turning on the flashlight. The bright circle found nothing lurking about, and nothing stood under the dim, flickering light at the far end of the hall. Back on the Monitor, Bonnie had made his way to the Arcade, and was standing at one of the games. Chica's face took up all of CAM 4A as she leaned into it with a wide eyed stare. One of the Freddy's was still in the Restrooms. No sign of the other Fazbear in the Dining Area, but going onto the CAM 1A, Mike heard something rustling about. One of the Fazbears was indeed Back Stage. Was it the real Freddy, coming up with another devious ploy, or the fake one putting on some touches to his new suit. Mike had only ever seen the one Endoskeleton back there in the past, but what if there were more? It surely wasn't impossible, there had to be back-ups in case the ones already in use failed, right? He had no idea. Maybe Kevin would...

64 percent. The other door needed to be opened.

After checking the East Corner on the Monitor, as well as the West Hall to see if it was still quiet, Mike opened the right Door and leaned out. The flashlight beam hit Chica's face dead on as she turned to him from her position down the hall. The words "Let's Eat!" gleamed against the whiteness of her bib. Nothing else seemed to be down the hall. Schmidt leaned back in and headed for the Monitor.

And as he went, Arella's happy laugh sounded.

"AH FUCK!" He hissed as he jumped into the swivel chair.

He found her on CAM9, over at the Concession Stand. It took a moment to find her, but Mike finally spotted her at the far end of the counter, slightly poking her head up over to watch the camera. To watch if he was watching her. That stupid bitch was getting way too far. He'd have to really hound her to get her back, but there just wasn't time! He had two Freddies to deal with for fuck's sake!

BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP!

OH COME ON!

This time Mike was quicker and the Door was down a full second before Foxy made it. The Pirate banged furiously on both the door and the window before scurrying off back to his cave. The sensor continued to beep frantically for a second...then it slowed...and finally, after a few moments, it quieted completely. On CAM1C, Pirate's Cove was peaceful. Except for the plastic seagull, which was spreading its wings.

Both Doors were down again. The Power was now at 59 percent. He knew he needed to hurry, but he had to check the Monitor first. Bonnie was now coming down the West Hall, standing under the flickering light as he liked to do. One Freddy was on CAM8A, actually standing on Arella's stage. There was not a sound on CAM1A and no sign of anything on the Show Stage. Flicking through the rest of the West Hall revealed nothing. The East Corner was empty and Chica was...

Mike paused when CAM4A's feed came on screen. Chica was still there...but she wasn't looking at the camera. She was still leaning towards it, but her head was turned towards the right. It appeared that her glance was pointing in the direction of...in the direction of...

The guard got up and opened the right Door and leaned out and turned on the flashlight. The beam found Chica's face again and now she stared at him as she had just a few moments ago. She hadn't moved an inch it seemed. Hadn't even turned back towards the camera...

Schmidt stood there for a moment, watching her. Then...slowly...he stepped out of the Security Room and into the East Hall. A horrible feeling of exposure washed over him as he stepped closer to the wall opposite of the Door, but he had a question and it needed to be answered.

Chica's gaze didn't follow him. Instead, it remained where he had been standing.

"Hey...Chica," Mike called, quietly. "I'm hungry. Wanna grab some pizza? Let's eat."

No response. Was she broken? Oh god, please let her be broken. Let all of them all be broken. Let all of them just fall right the fuck apart. He didn't care if he might get fired for it, at least he'd get through the rest of the night with ease.

There was an irony in that thought, for right after, everything went wrong.

He had one foot into the Office when he saw one of the Freddys staring right at him through the left window. Mike gasped slightly, startled and took an involuntary step back. A part of him had wanted to scream, but it only came out as the small cry. And that was good, because, if he had screamed, he wouldn't have heard the racing footfalls coming down the East Hall.

Mike jumped into the Office and whammed the right Door back down without even looking at the panel. Instead, he turned towards the window. Bonnie zipped by and pounded on the door furiously.

"REEEEEEEEE!" The bunny screeched. It was the electrical sound of his voice box. If it was possible to detect anger in that garbled, electric noise...Mike was doing it now.

Bonnie the Bunny then jumped back to the window and began pounding on it, his hands balled into fists. His eyes had disappeared and there was nothing but the pinprick pupils. Schmidt watched him for a moment...and then raised the flashlight and directed the beam at the animatronic's face. The Bunny stopped hammering the window and paused for a moment, tilting his head, his fists still held up. Then, he hit the window again, slowly and only once. After that, he remained still, just as Chica had done, staring lifeless at Mike from the other side of the glass. There had been times back in the old days where Mike had found the chicken and the bunny right outside his door. He'd always come out of those close calls by wondering just how in the hell he had gotten out of them in the first place. But now, an answer seemed to be coming...

The hall lights...he thought...they kept freezing up in the light.

Maybe that was why Bonnie kept standing under the flickering light in the West Hall. He kept getting stuck...

...or maybe they were just toying with him...

He wasn't sure, and he didn't have time to think about it, because right then and there, he heard Arella laugh.

"Oh, goddamn it!" Mike cursed, hating himself. How did he keep forgetting to watch that fucking bitch!?

He jumped into the swivel chair and jabbed at the buttons. It was time to really hound that girl. He'd keep the doors closed if he had to.

When the feed from CAM10 came up, it did so just in time to see the door the Generator Room slam shut.

Everything in Michael Schmidt's body went numb.

Nothing happened for a moment. Then, something powered on further in the building. The hall lights came on and then snapped off. Carnival music played and stopped, played and stopped, played and stopped. Everything in the building, at random intervals with no synchronization, went on and then back off.

There was no telling how long this was going to continue, but it didn't matter. The worst had finally happened. It was time to act.

Mike stuffed the flashlight into his pocket and then got up from the swivel chair and face one of the Freddys. Above both of the windows were thin office curtain rods. Schmidt pulled the string and the shutters came down, covering his view of the Fazbear outside. He then turned and faced the right window. Chica had finally mobilized herself and now joined Bonnie, who still seemed stuck in place for the time being. The guard pulled the cord and then the shutters blocked them.

As soon as the blinds were down, as if on cue, the generator shut off and darkness swallowed the Office. Mike took a deep shuttering breath and began to move.

For a solid two minutes, Freddy Fazbear's Pizza was quiet. Arella had stopped laughing. The senor was still. Even the table fan's soft whirring had been silenced. All was calm.

The deadness was only broken by a loud thud as the counter weights of the Doors engaged, slowly lifting them back up on the tracks. A final loud bump was heard as the Doors locked back in place, and the silence returned for a moment.

It was broken shortly thereafter again, though. This time by heavy footsteps as they went int.

And then as they came back out.

They didn't stay long. There was no reason to, they soon found.

Because Mike Schmidt had disappeared.