Jeremy's First Day
TRIGGER WARNING: WARNING THERE ARE TRIGGERING TOPICS IN THIS CHAPTER.
I could hear this sound, this loud ringing. Like a bell. Ding ding ding. As time went by the soft bell turned into an angry buzzing wasp which made my head pound. bzzt bzZT BZZT. After a minute I realized SHIT, that’s my alarm. My body instinctively shot straight up into the air faster than lightning causing my eyes to flash and my already existing headache to worsen for a split second. I blindly reached out to the dresser by my bed and grabbed my phone bumping into an empty glass from 2 nights before. The light of the phone illuminated my pitch black room. The only other light was the moon peeking out from a crack in my curtains. I shut off the alarm and lowered the brightness as quickly as I could, for the light felt like looking straight into the sun at noon on a cloudless day. It was 11PM. I was going to be late if I didn’t get a move on right this moment. Putting down my phone, I slowly rose out of my bed, sleep still sitting on my eyelids. I brushed my teeth and splashed my face with cold water which seemed to have had an effect on sleep who suddenly disappeared. Finally putting on my uniform. The uniform consisted of an uncomfortably itchy T-shirt that had Freddy Fazbear on it and brand new khaki pants which I had washed and ironed a couple hours before. I went to get my phone from the side table and there were 10 missed calls from Maddie. WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK IS GOING ON? I promptly called her back:
“ Maddie?! What’s going on??” I questioned with a hint of worry in my tone.
“ Jeremy! I need your help at the pizzeria please be here in 30 minutes!” Maddie yelped.
I pulled my phone away from my ear and scrunched my face a bit. She was so loud. Hearing silence on the other end I placed my phone back in its original position and continued, “Ok, sure, is everything okay?”
“ No, the pizzeria is a mess. The kids trashed the place. I think this grand opening was a mistake.”
“ It’s okay sis, I will come help. I will be there in 20.”
“ Thanks bro, see you in a bit.”
Beeping signalled that she hung up on me.
I sprinted out of my house as soon as I got off the phone. My blue ford that I got when I was 20 from a used car shop barely kept up with the speed in which I thrusted myself into the driver’s seat and started the old car. Although it was close to midnight, many lights were still on and cars on the highway. To pass some time, I turned on the news. (the music channels on my car stopped working 2 years ago).
Along my drive something on the news caught my attention. The volume was quiet enough that I could almost drown out all noise, but loud enough for me to pick up some things. Seeing that there weren’t many cars in the area I was in, I turned up the volume and listened into what the news was broadcasting. What I was hearing left me in shock.
“ There is a murderous man on the loose, it appears that this man was breaking into different houses and murdering everyone in his sight. Please lock your doors and be careful. We still have no information on this man, but we will let you know as soon as possible. The man’s main target is children. So everyone, keep a close eye on your children, and if you notice anything or anyone acting suspicious, call 911”
I turned down the volume as I made the last turn before I reached the pizzeria. The idea that someone so sick was out there left me feeling nauseated. WHO THE FUCK COULD BE DOING THIS??
I realized that I could not be distracted. The parking lot was empty besides a single car, Maddies car. I parked in an empty spot near the entrance and checked the time. I sighed in relief, it was only 11:45, I arrived just in time to help Maddie.
I exited the large blue hunk of metal and entered the pizzeria. It was much bigger than what I expected. I was in the main party room. A bunch of tables covered in cheap plastic red and blue striped tablecloths with balloons littered the black and white checkered flooring. Party hats and colorful streamers in an organized mess filled the tables. The set up seemed like it was for a future kids birthday party.
I was able to see the show stage in the corner with the creepy toy animatronics staring at me on a wooden stage. Behind them was a banner that read ‘Happy Birthday’ on it. The words were surrounded by splashes of colors, balloons, and stripes. I swore I saw that exact banner at the dollar store once.
Once I finished taking a good look at the place, I noticed Maddie in the distance. I ran up to her and swooped her off her feet in a bear hug.
“Hey! How are you?” I asked, carefully putting here down.
“ I am very stressed,” she exclaimed, waving her hands in the air, “I need to run, okay? All you need to do is clean this place up a bit, mop the floors.” Her mouth curved into a tired smile. Her hair was in a messy bun that went way past the cute messy bun stage and into more of a crazed lunatic territory. She must have had a long day.
Maddie continued, “ And then at 12AM you go into the office and keep an eye on the place. I will come back at 6AM to check up on you. Text me if you need anything.”
She gave me a lazy pat on the shoulder and turned around to walk away before spinning on her heels to face me again.
“ Before I forget, here is the map of the pizzeria. You can use this to find your way around .” She added whilst handing me a map of the place.
“This place is big!” I whispered, thank god I have this or else I would have been completely lost in a matter of seconds!
“ Oh before I forget again, Let me introduce these characters to you so you are a bit familiar.” Maddie stated.
“This is Toy Chica, she is a newer version of the older animatronics.”
“This is Toy Freddy.”
“This is Toy Bonnie”
.
“This is Mangle. The reason her name is mangle is because the kids destroyed her and now she is part of the kids cove”
“This is the puppet. I don’t really like this one… I find it kind of creepy. There will be something you will have to do for this one.”
“ Now you have met the animatronics, let’s go to the office.”
As we were walking to the office, I took some time to memorize what turns we took and how each hallway and room looks and marked it down on the map. One wrong turn and i’ll never be able to get out.
“ This is the office.” She spoke, motioning her hand into the small room.
I stepped inside and took a look around. There were screens on the walls showing recordings of each room, and a desk in the middle with some snacks and water. Two oversized vents layed on the walls.
“ Your job is to keep an eye on the place for a couple hours, please don’t leave your station for food or drinks. I put some drinks and food on your office desk so you wouldn’t get hungry or thirsty.” She picked up a music box off of the table and plopped it in my hands. “You must also wind this music box once in a while for the puppet. Don’t ask why, but please just do it.” She commanded.
I glanced at the music box and for some reason it left a chill running up my spine. Millions of questions about the music box raced through my brain, but I know Maddie would not give me an answer to a single one of them. Why do I have to wind this music box, what is the reason?
I inhaled a bit and threw on a forced smile to show my sister I understood.
“Ok sis, I got this place covered.”
I ran and gave her a hug and then she left. I watched her car pull out of the parking lot and waved until she was out of sight. I still had to clean up, so I locked the doors behind me and began mopping.
After a couple of minutes of putting away thin paper streamers I realized it was 12. Deciding that I could just finish cleaning up early in the morning, I made my way to the office where I was going to spend the rest of my night.
Hours passed, and the shift was going pretty well; The fan was cooling me down, I was eating my snacks, this job was absolutely perfect!
The time was about 4:28 AM, and I was flipping through the cameras and in the main party room, when I saw someone it looked like a man standing in the middle of the party room just staring at the animatronics on the stage. I jumped out of seat and yelled,
“FUCK. WHY THE HELL IS THERE SOMEONE HERE??” I grabbed my phone and dialed Maddie with shaky hands. She wasn’t picking up. I called her 4 times and it kept going to voicemail. WHY THE FUCK ISNT SHE PICKING UP?
My Dorito bag dropped from my hands and landed on the ground with a soft crinkle. In hopes that I was just hallucinating I flipped through the cameras again. The show stage cam broadcasted a man standing and observing the animatronics.
Why is he here?? Is he lost?? The man began fiddling with the animatronics and messing up their system. what the actual fuck is he doing to them? I peeled my eyes off the man and glanced at the clock before looking back at the cams, he wasn’t there anymore.
All of a sudden the power goes off. The cams no longer work and the entire place is shrouded in a cloak of pitch black darkness. I hunch over in my seat breaking out in a cold sweat and contemplate my next move.
I turned on my phone, it was 5AM. I had to figure out what was going on. I got out of my seat and Frantically ran into the hallway. All I could hear were my feet stomping on the floor and my heart pumping in my ears when it hit me, BOOM! I fell on the ground with a thump and all was silent.
My eyes fluttered open seconds later and I was met with a very confused and worried Maddie yelling at me to get up. I could hear her faint voice, but everything seemed distant. I sat up and my skull felt like it had been ripped open and then glued back together by a first grader.
“BRO! What happened?! It’s 7AM, your shift ended an hour ago, are you okay?? Why did you call me 4 times??” Maddie quaked. She looked at me with fearful eyes. All of her questions made my head feel like the glue was falling apart and my skull was cracking in little places.
“Maddie, my shift was awful. Everything was going fine, until I was flipping through the cams and I saw this man enter the building and he was messing with the animatronics.” I groaned. My hands rubbed my temples in an attempt to cool down and collect my thoughts. It was 7 am already? It was 5 am not even a minute ago. What happened?
“WHAT??” She thundered, “WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?? THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOBODY HERE.”
“THERE WAS A MAN, I SWEAR TO GOD!” I winced in pain and Maddie seemed to have noticed that as she took a breath and softened her voice.
“ No, don’t worry, I believe you Jeremy. I will make sure that the place has an alarm installed,” She reassured, “ Why are you on the ground though?”
“ The power all of a sudden went out and I was running out to see what happened and I hit my head on the wall.”
“ oh man, your head has a huge bump on it. Go home, I will see you tonight for your shift.”
She helped me stand up and walk to my car suggesting she drive me home, but I declined. Before getting in I turned to face her to give her a farewell.
“Thank you sis. See you tonight, love you!”
“ love you too! Call me if you need anything!”
I proceeded to start up my car and head out. My head was roaring in pain and I was still processing that a man entered the building during my shift. Why did he fiddle with the animatronics?!
Once I got home, I parked my car and went into the kitchen and set my keys and my phone on the kitchen counter. I went to my room and laid on the bed. Waves of exhaustion washed over me like the beach after a storm.
I set an alarm for 11:30 AM. Mike was coming over and I wanted to be ready. The moment I shut my eyes, the doorbell rang. I rose up in annoyance and checked my phone. FUCK ITS 12PM, I slept through my alarm. I rushed out of bed and opened the door, it was Mike.
“Hey!” Mike greeted.
Not letting him finish his sentence, I pulled him into a tight hug. He laughed a bit and we separated.
“Come in!” I chimed, making way for him to step inside. I led him to the couch and we sat down next to each other. I got up and grabbed a bottle of water and some leftover pizza from the fridge and placed them in front of us.
“ How are you Mikey? It’s been so long since we talked.” I spoke, smiling from ear to ear.
“I am doing okay,” Mike replied. “struggling with my mental health, but i’m doing okay. How about you?”
“I am doing well, I’m tired from my shift but i’m doing well.” I stated while grabbing a slice of cold pizza, “So, tell me what did your therapist say?”
“ She said that my condition is deteriorating. I have bipolar disorder and I have been experiencing manic episodes a lot. I also have paranoid schizophrenia. It’s awful.” He stammered. His voice trembled, I could tell he was going to break down. He started to sob hysterically. I reached over and pulled him into a hug again.
“Everything will be okay, I promise.” I whispered while his tears and snot wet my shirt. I patted his back as he relaxed a little.
“ Bro, it is not getting any better. I’m starting to go crazy. I have been to the hospital 3 times because I almost killed myself.” sobbed Mike. I started to worry and get upset.
“Bro, let’s stop talking about this. I don’t wanna see you this way.” I insisted.
Mike rose up from the couch and started running around the house screaming. He sat on the other side of the living room on the floor and rocked back and forth in a fetal position. Muttering incomprehensible words and phrases.
“What in the world is going on?” I mumbled while watching him in fear. I think he’s having a manic episode. I got up from my seat and I picked him up and put him on the couch.
“ Are you okay?” I asked.
“ No, bro I’m not. Thanks for inviting me over. But I am going to go home to see my therapist. I will come back and hang out later.” He answered.
“Sure, okay bro. Thanks for coming over, text me if you need anything.” I said showing him a comforting smile.
I gave him a big hug before he left. When I shut the door I put my back against it and recalled what just occurred. What the fuck just happened??
To be continued…..
