5:00 a.m. One more hour left. He knew it and so did the thing in the hallway. A deep gravelly laugh filled the house. Michael quickly shined his light on the bed behind him. Nothing. He quickly rushes to the closet in front of him, closing it immediately. Shuffling noises returned in the background. He returned to the center of the room and waited.
“You killed him.” A disembodied voice whispered. Michael looked to his right, but found no one. The shuffling noise in the back came to an abrupt halt.
“It was all your fault.” He quickly looked to his left! Nothing. “You’re not any better than your father.”
Maybe you should be tortured alongside him.”
“You don’t deserve this new life.” Michael covered his ears to no avail.
“You’re a killer! A murderer!”
“A disappointment.”
“No one will miss you!”
“You should be burning in Hell!” The voices kept getting louder. No matter what he did the voices cut through his thoughts.
“Hey guys,” Michael’s eyes shot open as he recognized the familiar voice, “I think he wants to give Fredbear a big ol’ kiss!” A chill rushed down his spine. Hearing his voice, from that time, made his blood run cold. The silence that befell the room didn’t ease Mike’s worries. He scanned the room with his light. There was nothing. The room however, was growing darker by the minute. Michael had thought the batteries in his flashlight were dying, but that proved to be wrong. The room got darker.
“Oh—” Afton had realized his situation a moment too late. A sharp jolt of pain stabs into him as the darkness bit down on his head.
Michael jolted upright! His loud erratic breathing flooded his ears. Gummy lifted his head, looking at Mike worryingly. Michael sighed, using his hooves to rub the sleep out of his eyes. He tossed the blanket off his frame before getting up and heading downstairs. Once downstairs, Michael helped himself to a glass of water. He took in its cold contents, thankful that it quenched his cotton mouth. The room was filled with the cool glow from the moon. Taking a seat at one of the tables, Michael looked upwards to the light. It was comforting. He breathed easy, feeling safer in its embrace.
Pinkie Pie sat upright in her bed, having woken up from a pleasant dream. She yawned loudly as she stretched her limbs. Gummy looked up to his owner, his head cocked to the right ever so slightly.
“Sorry to wake you Gummy.” Pinkie whispers. The feeling of sleep almost left her immediately when she noticed Michael’s absence. She pulled herself out of bed and hurriedly trotted downstairs, where she found the stallion staring outside the window. Pinkie exhales, causing Mike to snap his head to her direction. “Easy Mikey; it’s just me.” She says walking over to him. He looked back to the moon as she took the seat in front of him. “Was it another nightmare?” Pinkie asks.
“Same as usual.” Michael replied.
“I’m sorry.”
“No need to apologize. I’m used to it.”
“You shouldn’t have to say that.” Michael only shrugged. Pinkie’s gaze fell off of Mike as she too locked her focus on the moon. “Does this bring you back?”
“Yeah.” Pinkie peels away from the moon’s glow and looks back to Michael.
“Was it all bad? Having to go in every night, trying to survive and all that.”
“It was brutal. Though there were some nights where everything was just…quiet. They would talk to one another. Charlie would always try to comfort them…” Michael pulled away from the light, staring down at the cup of water. With the moon’s glow he was able to make out his reflection in the water. That sorrowful expression stared back at him.
“Hey,” Pinkie set a hoof on top of Michael’s, “why don’t we go back upstairs. Let’s not think about that and try to get some sleep.” Michael looked up to meet her eyes. They seemed to glow in this lighting, something he took note of. Her mane was more droopy compared to her usual style. He felt calmer when he was around her. The bubbly energy of a party pony helped with getting his mind off the horrors he experienced in his world. A soft smile formed on his face as he nodded. Pinkie returns the gesture and hops off the chair, with Michael following suit.
“I miss my mommy Gabriel.” Chica’s voice cut through Michael’s being. He watched Freddy and Chica in the dining hall talking amongst each other, something rarely seen. He felt bad. About all of it.
“It’s your fault.” A voice would say. Michael looked to his right, nothing. He sighs. Clicking on cam 1c, the feed changed to show Pirate’s Cove. The curtains were closed with the “out of order” sign in its traditional state. Foxy had been doing his little song a while ago, but had stopped so suddenly. Michael stared at the screen worryingly.
“When can I go home?” He heard the animatronic say.
“This is all your fault.” The voice would say again.
“I know it is.” Michael said.
Pinkie had been keeping an eye on Mike since they moved back upstairs. He was the first one to hit the hay, and after ten minutes was slightly shaking. Gummy had tried soothing him by being closer and licking his face; that had proven to be of no help. Pinkie hopped out of bed and made her way towards Michael.
“It’s my fault.” He said. “It's all my fault.”
Michael looked at the black bear’s head resting on his desk. It’s bloodied smile sent shivers down Mike’s cold, dead body. They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. The bear did something unexpected. It opened its mouth. Michael’s pupils shrink.
“You did this. You did this to me.” Cassidy said as blood trickled down his head. Michael’s breathing grew shallow as he stumbled out of his chair and into the hallway where he ran and hid inside the janitor’s closet. He dropped to the floor and pulled his knees to his chest, shutting his eyes as the voice grew louder. “You did this to me! You killed me! You started all of this! It’s all your fault!” Michael screamed however, he was unable to hear himself over the cries in his head. The darkness returned, grabbing onto him, pulling him into its cold embrace. “You're a mons—” A warm sensation wrapped around Michael’s body. He didn’t dare look up though. The cold howled as it slithered away. This warmth grew hotter as its hold on him grew tighter.
“Shh. It’s okay. It’s just a nightmare. You're okay. You’re safe. Stay calm. Stay calm…” His breathing began to calm itself as her voice cut through to him. Pinkie Pie held Michael close to her chest. His shaking gradually began to reduce as her warmth became his shield.