Max "Mack" Carter parked his battered Chevrolet beneath the silent marquee and stepped out. The evening sun had just slipped behind the treetops, but Freddy Fazbear's Pizza's bright neon sign sputtered one last time before plunging into darkness. A final, pale glow swept over the painted walls.
His heart pounded as he fumbled for the key. The metallic click echoed in the stillness when he turned it and pushed open the heavy front door. A blast of cold, stale air greeted him. Overhead, aging fluorescent tubes flickered— the only sound in the empty entryway.
He'd arrived early—far too early— but Mack wanted to be certain. He clicked off his flashlight and felt his way down the corridor to the security office. Among the yellowing children's drawings pinned to the walls, he spotted the desk stacked with surveillance monitors. His job: five nights of watching, no touching.
Sliding into the chair, he grabbed the headset and flipped through the scrawled notes left by his predecessor:
「Stay calm and keep still. They… they can hear you.」
A chill ran down his spine, but he forced a grin. 「No big deal. Just another gig.」 He powered on the left monitor—one of the old time-lapse cameras kicked in, grainy footage of the stage cycling through. Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy stood motionless: silent sentinels that made Mack's skin crawl.
He switched to Camera 3 and surveyed the party room, where colorful balloons and paper streamers drifted in the draft. A faint creak made him jerk upright. He flipped back—nothing. Only the empty play space and the soft hum of the screen.
His watch read 12:05 AM. Five hours and fifty-five minutes until dawn's pale stripe would creep across the window. Mack took a slow breath. He was ready. What he didn't know: tonight, something would be watching him far more closely than he'd watch them.
The minute hand ticked once more.
Outside, wind whispered through the trees, brushing against the boarded windows with soft, unsettling taps. Mack leaned back in the creaking chair, headset pressing tighter against his ears than he remembered. Every buzz of static from the monitors made his pulse skip.
Camera 5—the hallway.
Empty.
Camera 2B—the dining area.
Still empty.
But when he flipped back to the stage, he froze.
Bonnie was gone.
He blinked. Once. Twice. Still gone. The purple animatronic that had been standing stiffly beside Freddy was no longer there. The curtain behind the stage rippled ever so slightly, though no breeze could reach it.
Mack swallowed hard.
He switched rapidly through the feeds—party room, hallway, backstage. Nothing. The cameras hissed and flickered with old static.
Then—
A soft metallic footstep.
It wasn't from the headset. It was real. Echoing down the corridor outside the security office. Deliberate. Slow. Too heavy to be a rat, too soft to be a machine.
Mack's hand hovered over the door controls. He slammed the red button on the left door button, and with a loud ka-chunk, the heavy panel dropped into place. Silence again, except for the low hum of the generators.
He checked Camera 3 again.
Bonnie stood just outside the east hallway camera's view—his face turned, jaw slightly ajar, eyes glowing faintly.
「Nope」 Mack muttered under his breath. His grin was gone now.
Suddenly, the screen blipped, and every monitor went black for half a second. When they flickered back on, something had changed.
Camera 1A—where Freddy stood—was now empty.
And in its place…
Was a message. Scribbled on the wall behind the curtain in what looked like faded red marker:
「SEE YOU」
Mack stared at the monitors, his mouth dry. The message hadn't been there before. And the red marker—he hoped it was marker—hadn't smeared like ink. It stuck to the wall as if it had penetrated it.
He ripped the headset off his head. The room suddenly felt too quiet, as if even the building was holding its breath.
1:14 AM.
「Okay, okay」 he whispered. 「They're moving. I get it. Part of the creepy animatronic charm. Just... part of the job.」
He switched to camera 2A.
Bonnie.
Closer now. Just down the west corridor, her face half-hidden in shadow. The camera jerked, distorting the figure for a split second into something... inappropriate. Her ears twitched. Her hand—had it just raised?
Mack dropped the feed. His heart pounded.
He pressed the light switch in the hallway. A dull yellow glow filled the left side of the corridor. Empty. Nothing. But he felt it—something had been there, watching.
The monitors flickered again. A single, distorted sound came from the speaker—like a broken music box running out.
Then silence.
2:03 AM.
He checked the battery level.
62%.
「Not great」 he muttered, rubbing his temples. Doors, lights, and cameras drained the battery quickly. But turning anything off felt like suicide.
Camera 1C.
Pirate Cove.
The curtain was slightly drawn. Not all the way. Just enough for Mack to see Foxy's snout sticking out—silent, head bowed. Watching.
He switched back. Camera 2A. Dining room—empty. Camera 2B –
A noise.
SOUND. SOUND.
Something hit the left wall. Right outside the office.
He whirled toward the door, his hand shaking as it hovered over the light switch again. He pressed it.
And for a brief moment –
Bonnie's face filled the window. Only inches from the glass. Empty, white eyes. Her mouth was open just wide enough to hint at a laugh.
Mack screamed and slammed the door shut. Metal scraped against metal as it slammed shut. He slid back into his chair, nearly tripping over his headset cord.
But when he dared to turn the light back on, the window was empty. Bonnie was gone.
3:21 AM.
Mack was curled up in the chair, flashlight in hand, his gaze darting between the monitor and the two doors. His breathing was shallow. Sweat soaked his shirt.
He hadn't seen Freddy move—but that only made it worse.
Camera 1A.
Still empty.
Camera 1B.
The balloons in the dining area had all changed position.
Camera 4B.
Nothing.
Camera 1A again.
Wait.
Chica.
Hadn't she stayed still?
Now she was standing in the middle of the dining area, tray in hand. But her head was tilted—facing the camera. She was watching him.
4:11 AM.
Power dropped to 29%.
The right light flickered.
CLOCK!
He hit the right door just as Chica's shadow passed by the window. Her beak clicked against the glass, leaving a blurry imprint.
"Why did I take this job..." Mack whispered, trying to steady his shaking hands. His headset buzzed with white noise.
And then—silence.
5:00 AM.
Only one more hour.
Everything had gone silent again. The lights flickered, but the hallways were empty. No movement. Just that eerie predawn calm.
He dared to glance at Camera 1C again.
Foxy was gone.
Mack's blood ran cold.
He checked all the feeds—hallways, party room, backstage. Nothing. Then—
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Out of the left hallway. A shadow sprinted at full speed.
He slammed the door shut just as Foxy's claw scraped against the steel.
Then the whole office shook.
Then silence.
6:00 AM.
Ding-dong... ding-dong...
The old chime sounded faintly from the speaker. Mack stared in disbelief at the flashing time. His body refused to move.
The animatronics were gone. The hallways were silent. Only the fading whine of the fans could be heard.
He slowly stood up. Opened both doors. Stepped out into the hallway.
And as he passed the entrance, he saw that all the animatronics were back in their places. He swallowed and ran out.