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Sanford tossed the car keys back and forth between his hands, impatiently waiting for Deimos to get out of the car.
“While we’re young, dei.” he prodded. Deimos sighed before popping the door open. “I really don’t wanna do this, San…” He sighed, lighting a cigarette before getting out of the car. “Hey hey hey, this was your idea.” Sanford continued walking towards the building. “Tie your shoe.”
Deimos muttered a quick fuck off at that.
Deimos somehow reached the door before Sanford did, but his victory was short-lived as a feeling of dread overcame him. The door was unlocked. He paused, shutting the slightly opened door. “Dei? What’s up? ‘s it already open?” Sanford walked up beside Deimos, flicking his flashlight on and off a few times. “...yeah.”
“No biggie,” Sanford pulled the door open on the other side. “Whoever closed prolly forgot to lock it.”
Deimos reluctantly followed Sanford inside, and his fear was distracted away by the uncomfortable sudden warmth. It was like walking outside in the summer after sitting in an air-conditioned apartment all day.
He was startled by the click the door made as it shut behind them, jumping a bit.
“What’s your deal, man? You’re not usually this jumpy..?” Sanford wasn’t able to hide the genuine concern in his voice. Deimos shrugged, “I guess I'm not a fan of places that are notorious for missing children cases- oh come on you piece of shit!” he struggled to get his flashlight to turn on. A few smacks against his hand did the trick.
“Yo, Dei, come look at this.”
Before them stood the places’ star attraction. A large animatronic bear, and its rabbit companion.
The bear was an odd silvery-black colour. It was decorated with only a shiny maroon top hat, matching bowtie, and a pair of red flame-cut shades. other than the dull claws on its large paws, it looked rather friendly.
The rabbit, however, was different . Its almost-too-human-looking teeth peeked out from under a rather large snout. Its lower jaw seemed to be broken, giving it an awkward underbite. Its eyes were wide open but were too small for the sockets they were meant to fit into, and unlike the bear, there were no shades to hide the horrific sight. An untied ribbon draped around its neck served as its only decor. It was a similar colour to the bear, only less shiny. It looked wrong in every way.
The two flashlights lingered on its face for a bit too long.
“Talk about uncanny valley, huh…” Deimos said, cringing at the crack of uncertainty in his voice.
He crouched down to read the plaque on the front of the stage. “What is it with children's characters having dumb-ass names?” he chuckled. “ Hank “J.W” and Audrey- those have got to be the whitest names I have ever heard.”
“Isn’t Audrey a girl’s name?” Sanford noted, still staring at the disturbing face of what was supposed to be a rabbit. “I dunno…hey, why do you think they call ol’ Hanky here J.W? It's in quotes.” Deimos looked up at Sanford, then behind them, to the door.
“Probably an homage or something…”
Deimos examined the carpet on the floor. The pattern seemed to be nothing more than swirls, triangles, and circles. As it got further away from the main stage it changed to stars, rockets, and crescent moons. He got up to follow the pattern, almost falling over twice in the process.
After walking through rows and rows of arcade cabinets he reached an entrance to something. It was a curtain decorated with the same space-themed pattern on the carpet. Another plaque above the frame read “Mars gallery”. with a deep breath, he pulled back the curtain, anticipating the worst. On the other side was a smaller room. It was most likely a party space that could be rented out for birthdays and such. There was a circular stage in each of the two back corners, in front of two long tables. The one on the right was hidden by another curtain with a piece of paper reading out of order taped to it. The one on the left presented nothing. In another corner was what looked like a sandbox. sand? In a carpeted area? They couldn't settle for a ball pit or something? Deimos thought. He hovered his flashlight over the stage in the back right corner again, contemplating on whether or not he should examine further.
“Why’d you run off?”
“JESUS FUCK- Sanford! you scared the shit outta me, asshole.”
“Sorry.”
Deimos continued his mission, walking between the tables to the right stage. The curtain was damp, and the tape on the “sign” was holding on for dear life.
“God, it stinks over here…” Deimos almost gagged, letting go of the curtain. “Like an old lady's basement.”
“Weird analogy, but ok.” Sanford sauntered over to the stage where his partner was. With zero hesitation, he pulled the curtain open.
“Christ…”
This one was some sort of canine. Or, it was supposed to be. It had only one eye, and two springy antennae on its head. Its jaw was, like the rabbit, broken. It hung open, revealing sharp, shiny teeth. Its “fur” was a milky green colour, but god , was it dirty. It smelt strongly of mildew. What a sad-looking creature it was.
“Phobos the martian fox… ” Sanford read the plaque on the front of the stage. “Guess this is your brother, dei!” he quietly laughed at his own terrible joke, but Deimos just stared at him in disappointment and confusion. “Get it? Phobos n’ Deimos…?” nope.
“....nevermind.”
Deimos could’ve sworn he saw the teeth dripping - but before he could overthink it, he heard a noise.
Moving sand.
He turned around fast enough to make him dizzy. A mound had formed in the sandbox.
Without a second thought, he slowly and carefully moved to the other corner.
He grazed his hand over the top of the mound, immediately recognizing the feeling of metal. He kicked it a few times, shaking all of the remaining sand off of the figure. It was a fascinating sight - an animatronic stripped of all its skin and fur. Two large blue eyes took up most of the space on
the head, and two triangles (ears, maybe?) stuck out of the sides. It seemed to be missing a mouth. It shouldn't be too heavy, Deimos thought, picking the thing up by its tiny neck.
It was kind of cute, in a weird alien monster kind of way. It was no bigger than a young child, and Deimos was able to carry it quite easily. He was surprised at how light the thing was.
“Hey Sanford, look what I found!” Deimos tapped Sanford's shoulder, presenting the robotic corpse like it was a cool rock, still holding it by its neck. He was smiling like an idiot - he really didn't know why this thing excited him so much.
“What…. What is that?” Sanford examined the thing with his flashlight, reasonably confused. What exactly was he looking at?
“I dunno- I found it in the sandbox... Cool, right!?” he shook it a bit, giggling at how it ragdolled around.
“Where's the rest of it?” Sanford lifted its arm, drawing attention to the lack of skin, fur, and whatever else was supposed to cover the mechanical mess.
“I'm gonna guess that’s Deimos.”
Deimos (The human one ) was once again confused.
“This is the mars gallery … Phobos and Deimos are the moons of mars.”
Deimos stared at him for a second before it clicked in his head, and he gave a silent ohh, okay.
“Alright, we should go find the office now.” Sanford sighed, going to exit the room. But he stopped and turned back around when he heard metal dragging on the floor. “You're not bringing that thing, are you?”
Deimos smiled.
“Ok, fine. whatever.”
-
The office was messy. There were countless children's drawings scattered around the checkered tile floor, and empty food wrappers on the desk. The garbage can was overflowing with god knows what, and the single chair behind the desk was... sticky. Great.
Sanford sighed, dragging his hand down his face.
He swiped the mess off of the desk, scoffing.
The phone rang, and he jumped a bit.
Looks like they had a message waiting for them.
Beeep!
Hello, hello? Hi, uhh- I wanted to record a message for you guys... Just to uh.. Help you get settled in on your first night. I worked in that office before you guys- I'm uh…finishing up my last week now…. I know it can be a bit overwhelming, but there's nothing to worry about. Uh, you'll do fine. So, let's just focus on getting you through your first week...Okay?
Uh, let's see… There's an introductory greeting from the company that I'm supposed to read…? A legal thing, you know? Uh.. hold on… okay!
"Welcome to Hank and Audrey's! A diversion from reality for all to enjoy...
Jolly Rabbit Entertainment is not responsible for damage to property or person. If discovered that damage or death has occurred, a report will be filed at some point in the future, or as soon as the property has been cleaned and carpeting has been replaced."
Blah blah blah, you get it… ok so- that might.. Like… bad..? but there's really nothing to worry about one thing you should know… um.. the animatronic things sometimes act up at night. But i wouldn’t like… well- just leave them alone, ok?
Now, they can like… wander around a bit… it's something the company does- uh- leave them in uh.. Free-roaming mode, I think they call it… just to keep them working 24/7 y'know…
Ok so- concerning your safety….? The only reeeaal risk as a nightguard is uh… if any of the characters see you after hours they might not recognize you as human.. Being in the dark and stuff. idontknowidontknow….i don't know… but like…. If they don't see you as human…They'll probably see you as a metal endoskeleton without its costume on.. Heh…. they might try to uh.. Forcefully stuff you inside a suit or something…
Joking, joking….. Kind of.
Now- that doesn't sound so bad but uh.. The suits themselves are filled with like. Crossbeams n’ wires n other robot shit... Especially around the face and chest..? So you could imagine how it’d feel to be shoved inside one of those… yeah...
They don't tell you this shit when you sign up! But uh… yknow.. The first day should be easy… I'll chat with you guys in the morning…
Make sure to check the cameras frequently… but only close off the office if it's absolutely necessary.. You gotta keep tabs on how much power you are using.
I gotta go.. Uh…. ‘night, guys.
beeep!
Deimos fidgeted with his tie, looking down at his little animatronic friend, then back at sanford.
“...yikes..” they said in unison.
Sanford looked around the disaster of an office again, clicking his flashlight on and off, then on again.
“I’m gonna go find some other chairs. Just radio me if sumn happens or whatever.”
He made sure his walkie-talkie was turned on before exiting the room.
Deimos sighed, moving to the desk. He turned on all the monitors and scanned through camera feeds. He saw Sanford just as he was leaving the left hallway. The feeds would occasionally go to static, but they’d always return after a while. He didn't have his phone, he'd left it in the car, so he had no idea how much time had passed since Sanford left - it hadn’t been that long, though, had it?
Had it?!
He looked down at nothing, not wanting to stare at static for too long. After a moment or so he looked back up. Then immediately back down.
Where had his new friend gone?
Shit. shitshitshitshitshitshit- Shit!
Deimos frantically flipped through all the camera feeds to no avail; there was too much static.
He grabbed the walkie-talkie that was clipped to one of the belt loops on his jeans, almost dropping it in the process.
“Sanford?! Sanford, are you there?!”
The response was unintelligible. There was definitely something being said, but it would be cut out and interrupted by mechanical warbling and other broken sounds.
Deimos began to panic even more. He heard a noise coming from the right hallway, it sounded like footsteps. Metal footsteps. He rushed to close the doors to the office, which unfortunately cost him the only light in the room. As the sound got closer, he felt all his energy and courage leave him. There was so much noise coming from everywhere. He covered his ears, sliding down the wall until he was sitting on the floor. It would've been dramatic, it would've been funny, under different circumstances.
So he sat there. In the dark. Silently crying. hoping Sanford would return.
And then there was quiet.
Dead silence, for a moment.
And then the moment passed.
A horrible sound erupted from the door beside Deimos. Like nails on a chalkboard. Something was forcing the door open, and the sound of metal being strained was enough to assure him that this wasn't Sanford.
It was quiet again.
Deimos looked up at the now-empty doorframe. He made a pathetic little noise when he saw a large mechanical paw wrap around the edge above his head.
He immediately recognized the red flame-cut shades on the head of the figure.
Its movements were slow. It almost looked as if it was having to push itself into the room. Deimos tried to bring himself closer to the wall, and floor, as the creature fully ducked into the room.
It looked taller than it did on the stage, and its motions were so fluid and human-like. It walked slowly as if it was scanning the room. Its face seemed different, too. Its eyes were visible as tiny green dots in empty sockets, and Deimos could actually see them. As if the shades had gotten smaller.
Its mouth was no longer closed. It was hanging open, like a hungry animal. Its teeth were not dull at all, either- they were sharp, and they looked so real. The longer Deimos looked at it, every visible animatronic part slowly disappeared. The creature was now visibly breathing, and its teeth were dripping with saliva. Its footsteps no longer sounded like metal on tiles. In fact, it made almost no noise, It just sounded heavy, that's all.
A sound came from the walkie-talkie Deimos had left on the desk, catching the attention of the thing. The way it slowly turned its head around, followed by the rest of its body made Deimos’ skin crawl.
Maybe it will distract him- Maybe I can make a run for it.
It was a nice thought, but nothing goes right for Deimos.
The beast was now inches away from deimos’ face. This was the first time he’d been grateful for complete darkness. It took everything in his power to stay still, to not try and run. He felt sick.
Contrasting with the low growling coming from the creature, there was another noise among the near-silence. A high-pitched sound that most people wouldn't be able to hear properly. Deimos would cover his ears harder, and his perception would shift, the robotic parts of the thing would return, then disappear again.
Deimos needed to think fast - he needed to get out of there. He slowly grabbed his flashlight and rolled it to the other side of the room. Then, he put his hand on one of the many loose pieces of paper on the ground and slid it out into the hallway.
The creature stood up, trying to find the source of the sound.
As soon as it stepped out into the hallway, Deimos shot to his feet, getting his walkie-talkie from the desk and running to the other door, grabbing his flashlight from the floor and almost falling. He bolted down the left hallway.
He soon reached the main party room, again. He sighed in relief, he’d gotten away unharmed. But now, he needed to find Sanford.
-
Sanford woke up with the worst headache. His eyes wouldn't focus, and the flickering light wasn't making it any easier. He had no idea where he was, and he had no idea how long he’d been out for.
There was an awkward smell in the air - like a refrigerator that hadn’t been cleaned out in a while. He put together that this was the restaurant's kitchen.
He felt cold - but then, warm, running down his face. He was bleeding, great.
Once he finally got his eyes to focus a bit more, he attempted to stand. Keyword a ttempted .
“GAh- SHIT-” he fell back down to the floor, flat on his face - near writhing in pain. One of his ankles was fucked up.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me-” he whined.
Things started flooding back to him when he heard a gross growling noise behind him.
He originally intended to find chairs, but he’d gotten distracted. There was a curtained-off area, much like the mars gallery, that he decided to investigate. In the room was a stage, but no tables. On the stage was a little animatronic cat. The room itself was circus-themed, the cat being dressed up like a clown. The plaque on the stage simply read “ Tricky ”. It looked newer than all the other animatronics. More high-tech and less.. Well.. disgusting.
There was a speaker in the center of its chest, surrounded by sparkly stars. It really stood out against the red stripes on its outfit. It was a strange design choice, to draw attention to it.
Its fur was white, however, its face was decorated with blue and green markings, and its ears were entirely red. It had a permanent grin on its face, with a mouth full of cartoonish sharp teeth. The eyes... Well- it didn't have any - They were closed with a smile, the black curves being empty spaces in the head.
It probably would’ve been cute in the eyes of a child. But to Sanford, it was terrifying.
He only remembered walking closer to it, shining his flashlight on its face. That’s all he could recall.
The growling slowly turned into a disturbing, childish giggle. With each step the thing took, the large bell around its neck would jingle, almost tauntingly. A tiny paw caught itself in Sanford’s hair, pulling his head up.
He didn't bother resisting. If he was going to get away alive, he needed to save his energy and strength. He was already beaten up pretty badly.
The cat laughed further, dropping his head, then picking it up again, this time by his shirt collar.
Well, that hurt.
Yeah, his whole don’t resist plan didn’t last long.
He looked around the room as best he could - looking for something he could use to defend himself.
Conveniently, about a meter away from him was some kind of metal tube that had clearly broken off of something.
The cat wasn't too strong, with some effort he was able to drag himself forward to grab it.
Turning around, he elbowed the creature in the face, once it let go of his shirt, Sanford got up onto his knees.
The thing was stunned, now was his chance.
He beat the shit out of it, however, it was still laughing - and that stupid bell was still jingling with every hit.
Once he'd rendered it imoble he plunged the tube into that speaker on its chest. As the laughing slowed and faded from existence, so did the view before him. In place of the mangled clown cat was a broken down animatronic corpse, much like the one Deimos had found.
His eyes darted around the pile of robot parts, still trying to catch his breath.
What the fuck? What the fuck?!
He stood up, having to lean on the counter in the middle of the room. His ankle still hurt, after all. He reached for his walkie-talkie, letting out a sigh of relief that he still had it.
“Deimos? Are you there?”
“SAN -- WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?!”
“The fuckin… uh…. The kitchen i think…”
He was tired as all hell, and still had a terrible headache - it was a miracle he was even able to form a sentence.
He didn't get a response, and just as he was about to repeat himself he heard quick footsteps growing closer- but before he even got the chance to look up at the door to the kitchen, Deimos had already caught him in a tight embrace.
“Don’t disappear like that, asshole”
“...sorry”
Neither of them said anything for quite a while. However the silence was broken when Sanford felt his phone slip from his pocket.
“What are you…?”
“Shut up.”
Deimos turned outwards, but kept his left arm around sanford.
“I’m calling Toby.” he lacked emotion in his voice - understandable, considering he was still dazed from what occurred minutes ago.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, dei… he's probably busy.. or- or sleeping and i don’t think-”
Sanford was interrupted by another shush from Deimos.
After 5 rings, the phone was answered.
“The fuck do you need this time?”
Contrary to what Sanford had thought, Toby sounded very much awake and alert.
“aren’t you guys at work right now? Listen, If this isn’t an emergency can you-”
“It is an emergency.” Deimos assured. “I can’t explain it all now - but we need you to get down here asap.”
A sigh could be heard on the other side of the line.
“ Do not come unarmed. ”
“Jesus christ- ok fine, whatever. But i expect an explanation the second i get there, 'right?”
About 15 minutes later they heard a car pull up outside
Deimos picked up the phone almost immediately after it started ringing again.
“We’re in the kitchen - just down the hall to the left of the main room.”
Without a reply, Toby hung up.
When he stepped out of his car, he immediately knew something was off. it was oddly cold, for a mid-july night, a breeze was coming from nowhere. he grabbed his longcoat from the passenger seat, as well as the gun he had in the glovebox. he had to admit, he was intrigued. Deimos seemed very adamant that this was some sort of emergency.
He cursed under his breath, god so help him if this was a waste of his precious time.
The front entrance was still unlocked, luckily. He turned on his flashlight and sighed. He followed deimos’ directions, down the hall to the left. Surely enough he found the pair looking half-dead in the kitchen.
“You guys look like shit.”
“Thanks, Scully . You’re not looking so hot yourself.” Sanford bit back, shifting his weight onto his non-injured foot.
“No thanks to you. I was in the middle of something, you know.”
”were you jerkin’ it or something?” Deimos deadpanned
”what? No? Ew.”
“You guys can flirt later.” Sanford groaned. “Where’s your gun, scully.”
”you’re not holding my gun.” Toby shook his head. “So, what exactly’s going on here?”