Long Distance Call
Night 4 - Thursday
 
>You’re still Phineas Guy, and it’s gotten pretty late.
>You spent your day off relaxing for the most part.
>It’s not like you’ve gotten paid yet.
>That doesn’t stop you from getting yourself some chips, but until Ed delivers you won’t be able to do any proper grocery shopping.
>You’re about settle in for some television when your cell phone rings.
>Frowning, you quickly snatch it up.
”Uh, hello? Hello?”
>”Phineas, it’s Ed. I need you to come in.”
>Huh? What happened to Tim?
>”Yes, I know. Tim’s disappeared on us. Don’t worry about it. But we need you here, now.”
“Well, uh, sure. Say, um, when’s—“
>”Yes, yes, I’ll leave your check on your desk. Hurry up, now.”
>He hangs up.
“There goes the quiet night…”
-----
>It’s about 12:03am when you reach Freddy’s.
>Given how short your notice was, it’s a miracle you aren’t even later.
>Opening the door, you find the lights are already off.
>Frowning, you get the feeling Ed is already gone.
“Ed? You here?”
>There’s no response.
>Cautiously you walk through the main room towards the east hall.
>It’s quiet. Almost silent, even.
>You sneak a look toward the stage.
>It’s too dark to make out any details, but you’re pretty sure at least one of the animatronics is unaccounted for.
>A shiver runs up your spine as you recall the incident with Chica a few nights back.
>You need to get to the office.
>The east hall is thankfully empty and you quickly make your way through.
>It’s more or less exactly as you last saw it.
>Settling in, you get the camera from the desk.
>There’s a new flashlight beside it.
>Taking a seat, you take a second to look about for the check Ed mentioned. It’s nowhere to be found.
>Really, Ed?
>Groaning, you flick on the flashlight to check the blind spots.
>Seeing that you’re alone, you turn on the tablet to see where everyone is.
>The stage is mostly vacated, with only Freddy hanging around as usual.
>Though Tim did say he apparently did leave the stage. You can only guess what caused that.
>It gets you thinking. Don’t the machine’s servos get locked up if they don’t move for a long time?
>A clattering from the kitchen breaks your concentration.
>Well, that’s where Chica is at least…
>A few flicks spots Bonnie in the main room.
>Frowning, you try the kitchen’s camera, but there’s nothing but static.
>You check a few more rooms, doing your west to listen for any noise.
>Freddy’s is extreme quiet tonight.
>Flicking back to the stage, you’re about to put the camera down, but then you notice Freddy is gone.
>Paling slightly, you hear some sort of laugh echo throughout the pizzeria.
>The noise is slow and deep. It doesn’t sound overly natural…
>More frantic than you’d like, you start flipping about to find Freddy.
>He’s not in the main hall, outside the bathrooms, or backstage.
>His laugh echoes out once again.
>You quickly shine the light to your right, where the sound seems to be coming from.
>The doorway is empty.
>Sighing, you look back to the camera.
>That spare skeleton is still sitting there, with some spare heads on the walls.
>You frown. There seems to be something on the desk. Stains, maybe?
>Odd. Did the ones who cleaned Chica spill something?
>You sort of want to investigate, but getting all the way over there poses an issue.
>After all, Bonnie is right in your path to it.
>Not to mention Foxy being rather close as well.
>You blink. You haven’t even checked on him yet!
>A quick flick brings up his respective camera. The pirate is still in his cove, thankfully.
>Placing down the camera, you think for a moment on how you can get by Bonnie.
>Chica was dispatched before by having it eat pizza… or what would become pizza, if it was cooked.
>What was that called? Personality Override? Something like that.
>Hm. What does Bonnie do? It’s been forever since you’ve seen one of their ‘shows.’
>You sit back and think, but thankfully aren’t too engrossed in your contemplation to miss heavy footsteps approaching.
>Quickly, your flashlight shines the right hall, then the left.
>It scans back to the right.
>Right in the doorway is Freddy himself.
>”Hey there, kids! It’s me!”
>You slam the door button. For a second you worry you might have broken it.
>Slightly muffled through the door you hear him say. ”Now that’s not very nice…”
>Freddy’s voice isn’t nearly as broken as Bonnie’s, or Chica’s.
>It sounds almost… friendly.
>You’re not sure you really buy it, though.
>To your dismay the mascot has no plans on giving up easily, as it begins to knock on the door.
>”It’s me!”
>You find yourself shrinking into your seat. It knocks again, harder,
>”It’s me!”
“I know it’s you!”
>”It’s fun time, kids!”
>The machine knocks on the door, each punctuated by a repetition of its catch phrase.
>It’s me. It’s me. It’s me!
>Each knock is louder than the last.
>It continues for a few minutes.
>The machine’s laugh rings out once more before going silent.
>Taking a moment to regain your composure, you cautiously flash your flashlight into the window.
>Getting closer to the glass, you try to get a view of what’s right in front of the door.
>It’s a bad angle, but you’re confident enough that the bear has, for now at least, retreated.
>Letting out a relieved sigh, you return to the seat, shining the other doorway on the way. It’s empty.
>You use the lull in activity to check the cameras.
>Unfortunately, Freddy hasn’t retreated very far. He’s just further up the East Hall now.
>The bear seems to be looking at a poster of himself on the wall.
>Suddenly, its head turns towards your office. You gulp.
>There’s some slight adjustment of posture, but it doesn’t move beyond that.
>Looking away, you check on your watch. It’s only been an hour…
>And you’re no closer to figuring out how to get over to the back room.
>You’re distracted by a muffled noise.
>Raising an eyebrow, you focus on the sound. It’s… music.
>The same music Freddy played when he visited you during the power outage…
>Grumbling, you look back at the camera to find Freddy is gone, once again.
>The music is getting louder.
>He’s at your door again.
“C-Can you stop that? I’m, uh, trying to think here!”
>You’re not really sure why you bothered with that.
>It’s not like these things exactly listen very well.
>As the music box continues to chime, you come to a realization.
>Bonnie plays an instrument in that band with Freddy, right?
>If you can get it to do something related to that…
>You smile, albeit nervously, at your plan.
>Carefully you get out of your seat, turning for the west hall.
>Shining your flashlight down it, you see it’s empty.
>Taking one last look back at the office, you begin creeping down the hallway.
>Freddy’s music fades away as you get closer to the main room.
>You hope he hasn’t noticed you’ve left your post.
>As you pass the supply closet, you consider the possibility that you might evade Bonnie altogether.
>Peeking out of the doorway, you quickly scan around with your flashlight.
>Light footsteps echo around. Where is it? Did it head to the back room?
>If it has, that complicates matters—oh.
>Bonnie’s raspy breathing catches your attention.
>It’s coming from behind you.
>Slowly, you turn your head.
>Bonnie is two feet away, staring right at you.
“Uh…”
>Its mouth hinges open. “S-S-S-Su-S-Su—”
>If you don’t cut in now you won’t get another chance.
“H-Hey Bonnie! Y-You should go practice your guitar! L-Lots of kids coming tomorrow! Ha… yeah.”
>The bot’s mouth closes, cutting off its voice. It’s replaced by a faint whirring.
>Both of you stand there in the darkness for what feels like an hour.
>You’re not certain you want to make the first move.
>The machine’s head twitches. “B-Better practice our ne-new-new—Better practice our…”
>You manage to sidestep the machine as it rushes passed you, still spouting out incomplete sentences.
>A recording of a child plays from the machine as it leaves you. “I love Freddy’s band!”
>Shaking your head, you give yourself a second to relax before proceeding.
>You take a second to shine Pirate’s Cove. The curtains are still pulled back.
>Flipping off the flashlight, you quickly make your way to the back room.
>Once you’re inside, you quickly shut the door.
>Your flashlight easily illuminates the congested space and you promptly look around.
>The stain on the work desk is for first. It’s a distinct brownish red color.
>Cautiously you poke the stain. While dry, it’s a slightly sticky.
>Your flashlight’s light doesn’t really help you discern what it is.
>You’ll bring it up with Ed—no, Maxwell—later.
>There’s a few other places to check out, but nothing seems out of the ordinary. Just a few more stains here and there.
>The only thing you can tell is the room smells… off.
>A chill runs up your spine when you discern it’s the smell of iron.
>It’s probably all the suits. That’s what they’re made of, right?
>You make a mental note to also let Maxwell know there might be rusting problems.
>Turning around, you move to leave the room.
>The spare animatronic skeleton’s starring eyes freeze you in your tracks.
>Its mouth opens slightly. “Please replace Type 3B Animatronic Battery.”
>The machine slowly slumps over again, back into its normal position. This thing is on too? Why?
>Quietly, you slip by it, opening up the door.
>There’s nothing waiting for you outside, thankfully, so you begin your way back to the office.
>Using your flashlight to illuminate the way, of course.
>You manage to spot Bonnie on the stage, holding its guitar. You’re not sure where it got it from.
>Honestly, you don’t care.
>The main room is empty, at least.
>As you near the West Hall’s entrance, you decide to check on Pirate’s Cove again.
>Bonnie managed to sneak up on you, somehow. You didn’t want anyone else doing it.
>Fool you once, right?
>Flashing the light, you see Foxy. The pirate fox is standing outside of his cove, a hand on his chin, as though he’s thinking.
>As soon as the light hits him, it turns straight to you, its eyes focusing on your flashlight in an instant.
>You gulp. Something tells you that you’ve made a terrible mistake.
>The machine sprints forward, right at you.
>Yes. You’ve done it now, Phineas.
>Panicking, you rush away, hoping you can beat the machine to the office.
>Its heavy footsteps echo down the hallway.
>Sneaking a glance, you can see he’s gaining quickly.
>The machine’s jaw hangs open menacingly, its sharp teeth shimmering off the light of your flashlight.
>You knew you shouldn’t have dropped PE in highschool…
>Turning the corner, you quickly try and spin around to hit the door button.
>You almost trip in the process, but thankfully hit the button just in time.
>A metal hand reaches out at you through the darkness, but it’s promptly stopped when the heavy steel bulwark comes crashing down on top of it.
>Foxy lets out an angry screech from the other side of the door. It’s the same one Chica made…
>The metal does little to muffle the noise.
>You quickly back away, bumping into the other door.
>The adrenaline rush prevents you from noticing that Freddy’s song is gone.
>But the sound of ripping steel is quite noticeable.
>A few seconds pass. You’re able to breathe again.
>You practically choke when the machine slams itself into the window.
>It barely holds, leaving a few cracks in the glass.
>The machine stares at you from the other side, its eyes seemingly glowing a faint yellow.
>It’s clear that its right hand did not survive the encounter.
>What once was suit is not a small metal stump.
>The machine stalks off after a few moments, thankfully.
>Letting out a relieved sigh, you reclaim your seat.
>You sit there in general silence.
>It takes you a bit to notice just how stuffy the room is, even with the fan going.
>Flashlight in hand, you cautiously open the East Hall’s door.
>The light shows nothing out of the ordinary.
>Time passes, you soon enough you feel sufficiently relaxed to think on what’s occurred.
>And what you found in the back room.
>While you checked the desks for Ed’s documents, you found that they’ve been removed.
>You figure Ed didn’t exactly trust greenhorn Tim with them. Though…
>Why did Tim bail on Freddy’s like that? Maybe one of the bots scared him.
>They tend to do that to you pretty often.
>Maybe he went to the kitchen, and Chica screeched at him? It’s possible.
>Though, you still don’t know what the noise is supposed to be.
>Nor do you know what the bots want.
>Something tells you that it’s not overly pleasant.
>Sighing, you lean back in the chair, glancing up at the camera.
>You notice an odd cupcake sitting in a corner of the room.
>It has some silly cartoon eyes. It’s probably made of plastic.
>The night continues without further incident.
>When your watch reads 6am, you begin to gather your things. It’s only then when you open the left door.
>For a second you consider leaving it, but decide to take the Fox’s crushed hand with you. Ed will probably want it, right?
>Leaving down the East Hall, you’re pleased to see all the bots have returned to their proper places.
>Not one to hang about, you leave.
>The walk home is cold.