Some Things Are Better Left Buried

By: Miss-DNL

Chapter 33: Night Seven

Mike stood beside his car like a prisoner staring at the gallows. His expression, a defeated grim frown and his eyes dull. He forced himself forward, inwardly hoping that he'd gain something substantial from tonight. Perhaps Golden Freddy would give him some information, surely a victim would know details the internet didn't. It wasn't likely she knew where her body had been hidden but any bit of information would be helpful at this point. No, the one that'd know where the bodies were, was their killer. Mike doubted he could get him to spill the location outright, at best he could hope from the murderer was taunting hints.

With a little over half an hour before midnight, Mike mentally went over what he knew about the murderer. He didn't have much, but at best he had two possible leads on the monster's identity: Davey Moore or Frits Smith. As much as he sympathized with Harriette, he wasn't about to turn down a possible suspect just yet. While getting the location was unlikely, there was a vaugely better chance of finding out who the killer was. Not like the murderer had to worry about being taken to jail and punished now that he was already dead. If Mike got his identity, he could have somewhere to start looking.

The train of thought brought up the hallucination he'd had earlier. "Good to see you, Alice." Who was Alice? Was she one of the "missing" children? Though being that he heard this while he was hallucinating, it could mean nothing, but considering it dealt with Freddy's…Mike was unable to completely dismiss it.

Mike exhaled through his nose. Only one way to figure that out, go into the lion's den and hope Golden Freddy was willing to give answers. That in mind, he began to move away from his car and towards the degrading mausoleum that was the pizzeria. The building was frigid as ever when he entered and the atmosphere bared despair down onto his shoulders. Expecting this, Mike ignored it as he shut and locked the door behind him before depositing the keys into his pocket.

With footsteps echoing though the empty halls, Mike came to the familiar sight of the security room. He sat down on the black rolling chair and looked at the cracked screen of the control tablet. Somehow, as he sat on the chair, the fact he'd be going through the shift alone occurred to him. He'd expected this, but the missing presence of Kyle was hard to avoid. Snapping his eyes shut, Mike shook off the desire to grieve. Not here, not now, Mike scolded himself as he straightened his posture and pulled the chair up to the security desk.

Taking up the security tablet, Mike woke the device up and checked the time. He had a little less than thirty minutes till midnight, but that wasn't what the night guard focused on. All the cameras were offline. From the back hall to the front desk, when a camera was selected it showed nothing but a black screen with the words "Camera: Offline" in brackets, dead center. His mind went back to the previous night. This had been what'd caused him and Kyle to get split apart, or at the very least, distracted him long enough for Mangle to bolt out of the vent.

With time to spare before the animatronics began moving, Mike got up and leaned through the office doorway. The camera outside the security doors naturally being the closest, Mike looked up and saw the wires providing them with power had not only been severed but looked to have been ripped right out. Frantic, he went through the office and checked the other door camera. It was in the same condition. The night hadn't begun but his mind was already racing, how had this happened? Did the ghosts wise up and sabotage the cameras? It had happened the night prior.

The self-given reminder caused Mike to stop for a moment. Kyle had been murdered by the killer's ghosts, not the animatronics.

"Son of a bitch." Mike swore beneath his breath. The guard stood agitated in the middle of the security office. This changed everything. The animatronics would move freely now. Foxy was going to be an even bigger issue than he already was, the pirate was going to be relentless. Mike was certain the pirate captain wanted to personally end his life by way of hook or teeth. Then there was puppet.

Mike took up the tablet again and tapped the prize corner camera. Relief flooded him when he saw that the charge button to the music box was still available. Mike found it a bit strange that the music box hadn't been disconnected but he wasn't about to question it.

On edge, the night guard looked around warily, good as that was it still left one question: How was going to survive tonight?

He looked to where the Freddy mask was supposed to be, beside the desk, and saw the spot vacant. Mike swore to himself again. Now he'd have to go and get one from parts and services. The guard knew he still had time before midnight, but the animatronics were at their most active tonight. What were the chance that they'd become active before their usual time? The thought cause Mike to tense anxiously. He also had the murderer's ghost lurking around.

Need all the help I can get. Mike reminded himself as he took up his flashlight.

Being careful to keep an ear out for any sound of movement, the guard walked down the hall only to seize up at the sight of Pirate Cove. Mike stood still as a statue, questioning whether he should head back and go down the other hall. Quickly he decided against this, the left hall was the quicker rout to parts and services. He couldn't afford to waste any time. Still, despite himself, Mike found himself cautiously moving forward. Nerves wound tight, the guard was prepared to bolt at any sound or movement from behind the starry lavender curtain. The curtain remained still as the guard passed by, but Mike felt like the vulpine predator was just waiting to leap out at him. Looking over his shoulder, he kept his eyes cautiously on the curtain while walking away.

Mike's gaze was finally pulled away from pirate cove when he came into the main party room. Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica didn't seem to acknowledge his presence. Their gaze focused solely on the wall in front of them, expressions amused yet lifelessly blank. Freddy's mic was held at around his waist, Bonnie was mid-strum of his guitar, and Chica held Carl up just below her shoulder. It looked like the trio had stopped in the middle of their show. Frozen in time like a photo had been taken of the scene, leaving them stuck until the next show. Mike got the felt the animatronic's smiles and friendly demeanor was forced. The night guard kept his eyes on them while he headed to the back halls. The atmosphere seemed to bare down on him more the closer Mike got to the stage. His previous thought changed. They knew he was here but, for the moment, couldn't do anything about it.

Pace quickened Mike moved into the darker back halls, the beam from his flashlight dancing around as he jogged along the linoleum tiles. The guard shuddered, it felt like he'd been dunked into ice water from how oppressively cold the hall was. Mike swallowed a stone that'd manifest in his throat, the air seemed to be thicker, harder to breath. He disregarded the sensation, he couldn't let the atmosphere get to him. Things had yet to even begin tonight.

Briefly Mike was confused by the sight of the parts and service room door being closed, he then remembered Bonnie hadn't even started to move yet. He put the oddity aside as he grabbed the door handle. Mike found himself further surprised when the door opened. Allowing himself a faint sigh of relief the night guard walked into the room. When he did, Mike's head recoiled as his nose was attacked by the strong smell of copper. Caught unawares by the smell he gave sputtered coughs while hunched over, nearly gagging at the offensively strong smell. The sight of the animatronic masks; however, was more than enough to encourage Mike further into the room. He knew what the smell was, but he'd investigate once he had a mask.

The feel of the faux brown fur on against his fingers was ironically reassuring to Mike as he took up a Freddy mask. Just to be safe, he checked to make sure the inside was free of any lethally sharp beams or wires. Inside the husk was barren, solidifying the head piece to be Mike's mask.

Mask now cradled in the crook of his arm, Mike warily turned his gaze to the storage closet the undoubtable source of the metallic smell. His stomach twisted itself into knots at the thought of investigating, but another part of him urged him to open the door. A cold rock dropped right square into the pit of his stomach when a thought filled Mike with dread: What if they'd stuffed Kyle's body into the storage closet? He hadn't seen the janitor remove the body because he'd stormed out. That thought stuck itself in his already stressed mind. Now he had no choice but to check and see.

Mike placed the Freddy mask onto the work bench before he pulled open the storage closet door. As if the flood gate had been opened, Mike roughly gagged at an overwhelming rush of copper odor. Arm holding the door open, Mike buckled over and continued to gag. It almost felt like he was going to puke, almost miraculously the guard didn't. Breathe horse from the involuntary action, Mike had to take a moment to smooth his breathing back to a more stable rhythm. Once regathered, the guard straightened his posture back to an upright position and turned his flash light from the floor to the back of the storage closet. When the light revealed what'd been blanketed by darkness, Mike's complexion became nearly as white as chalk.

Seated on what looked to be a party room chair was a blood-stained amalgamation of various animatronic suit pieces. The floor around the chair was stained a dark red vermillion with drying blood. A Foxy mask hung at an awkward limp angle, leaving the jaw left hanging open. The eyepatch and eyelid were both closed, much to Mike's inward gratitude. The way the head was angled, Mike got a look at the blood covered neck of the person that'd looked to have bled to death.

Heart pounding in his ears Mike moved up to the entombed corpse. Silently he hoped, to whatever was listening, that it wasn't Kyle. Standing in front of the bloody suit clad body, Mike wondered just how he could figure out what was inside. Pulling off the mask would likely disfigure the corpse further and Mike was certain his stomach couldn't take another hit without retching. The open jaws of the Foxy mask were the only visible window to the inside of the encased body that Mike could spot.

Holding his breath, Mike lowered and angled his head to see inside the fox mask. He was both relieved and horrified by what he saw. Relieved by the fact it was a man and not Kyle but horrified by the bloody and cut up mess that the poor man had been reduced to. His concern alleviated Mike drew back and left the parts and services room altogether. He needed some less copper laden air out in back hall.

Mike took long breaths in order to calm his racing mind and heart. With everything he'd been through and seen, that was a strong contender for the most grotesque. The night guard wiped his forehead as he gave an exhale. Okay, he found out the body wasn't Kyle's; which now he felt was a ridiculous thought to begin with, now what was he going to do about the fact there was a body? Mike's eyes widened as a realization hit, evidence! This was his chance to have something to hold against Gregor and make him help or better yet-get the business shut down.

While glancing about the halls, his paranoia ensuring he keep an eye and ear out for anything, Mike pulled out his cellphone. He'd thankfully managed to charge it before he came in for his shift. Not a full charge, but sixty-five percent was better than nothing. One quick trip back into the foul-smelling parts and services room and Mike came back with not only a photo of the corpse but also his Freddy mask. Having had enough of the smell and room for the night, Mike shut the door to it before he left back to the security room. He felt the stare of the animatronic's hateful plastic eyes glaring daggers into his back as he walked past. Mike quickened his pace a little, wanting to return to his sanctuary that could also be considered his cell.

Mike slowed as he neared pirate cove, not because of his fear of the fox or because the fox had revealed himself. He could hear it. It wasn't a growl or a hiss. Slow, ragged, weak and riddled with pain wheezes came from behind the starry lavender curtains. Each seeming more filled with pain than the last. Mike stood at the entrance to the hall that lead to the security room, and the front entrance of the pizzeria, the stage was a few feet away from him. Mike turned himself back and stared at the cove as the wheezing continued, progressively getting worse and worse. The guard felt morbidly transfixed on the occurrence, he'd never heard the pirate do this before. It reminded him, that despite the animatronic's clear intent to murder him, it was still possessed by a murdered child. At the same time, it filled Mike with creeping dread.

The noise became choked, gagging on something. A heave followed by something spilling onto the stage floor had Mike take a step back. Something dark began to seep out from under the lavender curtain, followed closely by a rotting odor. Rattled death throes came afterwards, accentuated by high-pitched pained gags. Desperate attempts to breath through what once clogged a throat. More of the dark liquid seeped out from under the curtain as more was spilled onto the stage floor with each gag. When it began to seep over the edge of the stage, Mike was already hurrying to the security room.

The open doors to the security room provided no shielding from the pained death cries coming from pirate's cove. With the pizzeria being quiet, lacking any customers, or other noises the cries were only slightly dampened by the sound. Mike dropped the Freddy mask onto the floor and covered his ears, trying to block out the ghastly sound. It wasn't even the start of his shift and he'd already been subjected to not one but two experiences he could've done without. As he tried to block out the noise needles prodded at Mike's mind, his breathing steadily becoming quicker, and pain bloomed from his scar.

Keep it together, keep it together. Mike chanted to himself inside his head. He couldn't have an episode right now, on night seven of all things!

"M-I-K-E."

Mike looked up as he heard the computerized voice come from the tablet. Quickly realizing who it might be the guard pulled the chair back up to the metal security desk. Instead of the black screen displaying that a camera was offline it was crackling with static. The screen was distorted with the black, white, and grey pixels moving about the screen at random. At the center of the screen was Mike's name in bold white letters.

Right after Mike laid eyes on his name the letters were deleted one at a time, like someone was hitting the backspace button, then quickly replaced by a new message. As the message was written the computerized voice read it off, "W-H-Y D-I-D Y-O-U C-O-M-E B-A-C-K?"

"I want to help." Mike responded, keeping his voice soft but urgent. The pizzeria had gone quiet again, but he didn't want to risk someone over hearing. What might come of it, Mike didn't know but it was probably best to keep quiet just in case.

"T-H-E O-T-H-E-R-S W-I-L-L S-T-I-L-L W-A-N-T T-O K-I-L-L Y-O-U."

"I can handle them." Mike said, though he didn't sound as sure as he wanted to. Mike gripped the tablet tightly, stress and desperation expressed through whitening knuckles, as he went on, "Just tell me something. Anything. Any information might help me find where he hid your bodies."

When the warning was deleted Mike tentatively awaited the response, but none came. Mike became frantic, he had to get an answer. He had to help them, but he couldn't do it without help. Even then, would anything he did actually help them? The thought was something he dreaded, but he had to try.

"Please, please answer…" Mike pleased to the screen covered in static. Still no answer came, making the night guard increasingly distressed. Out of that desperation, he used the one name he had to try and get an answer, "Alice, please!"

To Mike's immense relief, he got a response, but it wasn't what he'd been expecting. A high-pitch whine from the tablet made the night guard reel back. He jolted in surprise when the tablet's screen was split with another crack. More worryingly, the light in the room went out then slowly flickered back to life, the light was notably duller when it returned. Mike looked up to where the light was, a gravely worried expression his face. Had he angered the phantom?

The air in the room drop several degrees as the screen changed again. Mike felt uncertain when he saw different colors popping onto the screen. Once again it looked like an old eight-bit game. This time there was a little girl with curly blond pigtails, bright green eyes, and what looked to be a light blue dress with white lace. Around her seemed to be a setup of the pizzeria, but it didn't look to be the one he was in as there was a carousel in the corner. NPC characters shuffled around repetitively, all of them sharing the same boy or girl look. The scene displayed was colorful and cheerful looking, but the music was off. It was slow, choppy, and dreary sounding.

In the corner Mike spotted green direction buttons. Was he supposed to move the character around like in a game? He pulled his cellphone out from his pocket and checked the time. He had just less than twenty minutes before midnight. Mike fidgeted unsurely in his chair. This was far from the time or place to be playing a game, but if this was his chance to get some sort of answer Mike felt he had no choice. Mike glanced at both hallways and listened for any sound. The only thing he heard was the sound of the broken music coming from his tablet.

Knee shaking from being so on edge, Mike began to move the pigtailed girl around. As he did Mike realized she looked familiar. She was Alice from his hallucination. An uneasy feeling settled in his gut as he recalled the purple man with the empty grin. Mike swallowed the lump in his throat as he continued to explore the environment in the game.

It was confirmed it was Freddy's when he found the main trio on stage, but the three looked different. Bonnie was blue and all three had rosy colored cheeks. When he examined them, each read "toy" followed by their designated names. It took a moment of thought but Mike recalled reading about the plastic toy models of the animatronics. They were definitely less creepy than the classic models but were the same line that Mangle had come from. Mike doubted they were friendlier than the classic cast.

Mike wander around the pizzeria, eventually coming to the tables where most of the adults were seated. Concerningly, the character he believed to be, Alice stated none of them were her parents. When he prompted her to talk to them, she'd state, "These aren't my parents. I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."

After Mike clicked on everything in the room, Alice stopped and said, "I want to go find my friend."

The statement was innocent, a simple request, but the purple man from his hallucination caused Mike grow ever more worried about where this would go. He shifted in his chair as he attempted to guide Alice to the other party rooms. Much to his dismay this would always get a response of "He's not in there" then Alice would walk away from the room. Mike rubbed his forehead, the chance of this ending the way he suspected it to was now all the more certain.

Mike reluctantly led Alice towards where he felt the security room was. To his surprise she repeated the phrase "He's not in there" and walked away. This time the character seemed disappointed. Slightly confused, Mike was left to wander around the pizzeria in attempt to locate this friend. When the character suddenly stopped Mike was momentarily confused.

A text box appeared, "Good to see you, Alice."

Shortly after the purple guy appeared from off screen. The pixel character looked exactly like the one that'd appeared on the tablet the night Kyle died. Mike was numb as the conversation continued. Much as he tried to get Alice to move away nothing happened when he pressed the arrows. However, he did learn something from this cut scene.

"Oh! There you are Davey!" Alice exclaimed in surprise.

"Sorry, I've been working in the shop today." Davey explained, the white purples of his dark eyes glancing back towards what Mike believed to be the parts and services. Mike was surprised by this. The murder had not only been a security guard but a mechanic as well?

"Can I see?" Alice asked, much to Mike's inward fear, but surprisingly the killer turned this away.

"You know I can't allow that Alice." Davey's toothless grin became a one lined frown. He looked back towards the parts and services room again, "If boss sees me letting you in there through the camera recording I could lose my job. That room is full of dangerous equipment."

While Mike was relieved Alice was disappointed, "Yeah, I wouldn't want you to lose your job."

"Don't worry too much about it." Davey assured, Mike felt a slither of cold run through him as a smile returned to his face. "Can't say I've followed protocol perfectly myself. Speaking of, you know how you've wanted to see my old routine from when I was an entertainer?"

"You mean I can finally see you in costume!" Alice exclaimed the avatar doing an excited dance, complete with a pink pixel smile.

"Shh! It's going to be a special secret surprise." Alice quickly to stopped dancing and covered her mouth. The smile on the murderer's avatar curled, "The spring-lock suits were retired, but I managed to squeeze some time in to get'em all fixed up. A big party is coming up in a couple of days. Think you can meet me by safe room?"

"Course I can." Alice answered, despite Mike inwardly begging her to say no.

He was yanked from his panic momentarily when the pixels constructing the screen dissolved to black. His dread was reestablished when it cut to the two in what he guessed to be the safe room. Alice was the same as before, but the murder was in a yellow bonnie suit. Mike's mind immediately went back to one of his nightmares. That thing that'd torn off the shadowy skin and was a twisted corpse of an animatronic underneath. Mike refocused on the scene unfolding on the tablet screen when a text box appeared.

"Spring has an extra special surprise for you Alice!" Davey said, apparently still in character or at least that's what Mike's guess was. He motioned over to a golden Freddy suit. Mike began to shake his head, mouthing "no" at the screen. His silent please were ignored and the scene played on. Davey walked over and opened up the yellow bear's torso piece then looked back to Alice, "Goldie is all fixed up too! Like Spring said before! Would you like to see what it looks like from the inside? You always said you wished you could wear a mascot suit."

This time Alice wasn't readily compliant and there was a moment the scene went still. Davey was quick to give assurance, "Spring fixed it, it's completely safe…" What he said next appeared more slowly than previous words, "Spring's your friend, he made sure it was like brand new."

The emotional manipulation paid off and Alice responded with, "Ok, um, do I get to do the voice too?"

"Of course!" Davey exclaimed as he move aside to let the child move to the front of the suit. He then picked her up saying, "Let Spring help you in."

Once Alice was inside the suit Davey shut the torso. Alice's blue eye could be seen in the once empty hole of the suit. Before Alice could say anything, Davey spoke again, the eyes of the Spring-Bonnie suit went dark, "Alice."

"Yeah?" Alice replied from inside the suit.

"The spring locks are very sensitive."

"W-what, what do you mean?"

"I was never your friend Alice, good-bye."

Davey struck the golden Freddy suit with a hard blow. The suit shook and a high-pitch, pained, scream of a young girl came from the tablet. Red pixels erupted from the suit and began to stain it and the ground. Mike stared, the scream having stripped him of the will to speak, scream, or yell at the atrocity he'd just witnessed. The murderer just stood watching the child's eyes slowly go dark. He took the bunny mask off once the life finally had left her eyes, his toothless grin finally exposed.

After removing the spring-lock suit the killer headed to leave the room. Before exiting he paused a moment and said, "Look at it this way Alice, now you can be Fredbear forever."

The scene over a loud game over tone played and the screen was reduced to black pixels. It took Mike a moment to recollect himself enough to think clearly again. He'd found out who the killer was but also the names of once of the victims and how she'd died. What the killer said last prodded at his mind, Mike felt a cold dread rise up, had the monster known that the kids were trapped haunting the suits and despite that kept going? Mike wouldn't put it past someone who repeatedly killed kids.

"Alice…I'm so sorry…" Mike didn't know what good apologizing would do or why he was really saying it, but it was something he felt he had to say. For leaving her trapped, for all she'd endured, and the fact she died the way she did at the hands of someone she'd trusted.

A pair of heavy hands handed on top of the table. Alarmed, Mike's head shot up to meet the gaze of the new presence. It was Golden Freddy. Before the night guard could say anything, the phantom screeched commandingly at him with a powerful force, "LEAVE!"

Suddenly as she'd appeared the phantom was gone. Mike looked around, suddenly covered in a cold sweat. The security office was cold as a freezer and Mike was compelled to rub his shoulders to warm himself. He looked back to the tablet and it was once again displaying that the camera was offline. Mike looked at the time, it was five past midnight. Alarmed Mike swore beneath his breath. Then he stalled a moment, he didn't hear any animatronics moving. That was odd, last time they moved nonstop on the seventh night.

Mike jumped at the sound of the phone going off. He looked to it, expecting a recording but that wasn't the case. It was a call.

Author's Note:

Sorry about the wait on this one, first I went through a writers block and that was immediately followed by some things I had to deal with irl. So I had a bit of a tough time getting to write this or just finding the time to. Here it is though, I'm not dumping this story not when I'm getting close to finishing it. We still have a ways to go with that said but still. There's more to say on how Davey and Alice became "friends" but I'm saving that to for the other stories I plan on writing for my au. Our killing also set up the night in his favor, how's Mike going to survive...?

Just to get it out of the way, yes I'm aware game six and the next book was announced, please don't leave a review only regarding that.

Let me know what you think and see you all when I manage my next update.