What lies in the shadows~~~ Michael Afton x Reader

Chapter 3

"It's ok! I promise!" I reach for his hand, but before I can grab it, Sundrop appears and swoops him up in a gentle hug.

"Helloooo! New friend! You're sure up late! Are we having a slumber party? Where are all your friends?" Sundrop follows Gregory's line of sight, which lands on me.

"Well! If it isn't Mrs/Mr. (Y/n)! What brings you two here? It's so late and... Wait, this is the kid, isn't he?" Sundrop questions me.

A nervous smile crawls on my face. "If I say yes, are you going to report him to Vanessa?"

Sundrop seems to read my mind just by the look on my face. He drops the subject about who the kid is and turns to Gregory.

Sundrop whisks Gregory away, telling him of all the fun things they can do together. He sits Gregory down.

"There is one rule, though! Keep the lights on! On! ON!" Sundrop repeats himself to emphasize the importance of the rule. He then runs off to get the supplies for the arts and crafts he mentioned.

"Here's the plan. I'm going to distract Sundrop. I want you to run and grab the security badge. Sundrop doesn't like people behind the desk because he doesn't want anyone to flip the light switch. So, it's very important that you keep quiet." Gregory salutes and waits for Sundrop to return.

"Alright! Let's get started!" Sundrop exclaims.

"Actually. Can I talk to you first?" I ask

With Sundrop's full attention on me, Gregory begins to sneak away. I begin to ask the stupidest questions. As he's answering them, his eyes drift to where Gregory was. Then they shoot up to see him behind the security desk.

"Mrs./Mr. (Y/n)! The child!" He tries to dash for Gregory.

"Sundrop! I promise he's not going to flip the light switch. We just need the security badge back there!" I throw my hands out to stop Sundrop.

"You don't understand! Vanessa put a protocol into place for the night because of the child! It's to prevent him from stealing the badges! If he grabs that badge, the lights will fail, and I won't be able to stop Moondrop!" Sundrop frantically tries to run around me.

With that new-found information, I let Sundrop zoom by me, and I begin running too!

"Motherfu-!" I huff as I stumble, but quickly collect myself.

"Kid! Please! I've got glitter glue, paints, or even Fizzy Faz!" Sundrop desperately calls out.

"Gregory! Don't touch that security badge!" It was too late, though. By the time I round the desk, the badge is already in his hand.

The lights suddenly shut off...

I grab Gregory as Sundrop hops on the desktop.

"I warned you! I warned you! Why would you do that?" Sundrop then grabs his face and screams in what you think would be pain. He then falls from the desk with a thud.

"Naughty children. Naughty children. It's past your bedtime. You two must be punished. Nighty-night." A raspy mechanical voice echoes as Moondrop begins to rise from behind the other side of the desk.

'Is this what Vanessa meant by feral?!'

"Run! I yell as I grab Gregory. I head for the play structures and dive into one.

"I'm not sure what you two did, but the lights are out in the daycare. There should be emergency generators in the play structures. You'll need to find all five to restore power." Freddy informs us.

"Should we split up?" Gregory looks at me.

"We might have too, but don't leave this play structure. I don't think Moondrop can come into them. I'll search the other two. Let me know when you find them, so we can keep track of the number." I calmly explain.

"Is he flying? That cable attached to Moondrop's back is strong enough for that?" Gregory looks shocked as he watches Moondrop from the play structure.

"He can do that?.." My mouth drops open. "Let's get a move on. We need to get out of here."

~~~~~

After about 10 minutes, I managed to find one while Gregory found three. I've only been chased by Moondrop twice, though. Each time, I knock over the giant cylinder blocks to distract him. I swear I've searched both play structures at least three times each. I can't find the last one.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come help?" Gregory asks through the watch.

"No, Moondrop has gotten more aggressive. It's not a good idea for you to leave the structure. Please just stay put." I keep my eyes on Moondrop but quickly duck when he looks at me.

"What about your safety?" He questions.

"I'll be fine. I promise." I softly say back.

I spend a few minutes watching Moondrop hop and chant. I try to see if he had any kind of pattern. I hear the sound of footsteps behind me.

"Gregory!" I hiss. "I thought I told you to-" A hand is quickly placed over my mouth and an arm around my waist. The panic that rushes over me starts to settle in. I try to wiggle from the grasp, but their other arm is tight around my waist.

"Any louder, and he'll hear us!" A deep voice with a British accent hisses back.

I relax as I recognize the voice, but it takes a second for the panic to fully settle. When it does, they release me from the hold, and I turn to look at them. The gravity of the situation hits me, and I fly into protective mode.

"If you're here for Gregory, you'll have to kill me first." I put my hands up in a defensive gesture.

Mike grabs both of my hands and lowers them down. "I'm not here to take Gregory from you. I need your help. In return, I'll help you get Gregory out of here safely."

"Prove it!" I don't want to trust him. I fear he'll turn on us. Something is screaming at me to believe him, though.

"The last generator you need is in the play structure to our left. It's on the first level to your left right as you enter. The risk is that, with it being so close to the ground, Moondrop has a better shot at grabbing you. That's the main risk. So, I'll distract him. You'll need to make a dash for it. Got it?" He gives me a thumbs up.

"I think-"

"Good! Let's get this show on the road!" Mike slides out of the play structure. Beginning to search for Moondrop so he can distract him.

Not even a second later, Mike's voice bounces off the daycare walls as he dashes by with Moondrop right behind him.

"Now! (Y/n)!"

I push myself down the slide and bolt for the play structure.

"Nuh Uh! Moondrop eyes on me! Look! I'm making a mess!" Moondrop's eyes were on me for a split second before trailing back to Mike, who had knocked over the giant cylinder blocks.

Moondrop rushes for Mike. I watch as he basically slams Mike to the floor. When Mike is down, Moondrop sprints for me.

I'm within arms reach of the generator, though. So I leap for it, and Moondrop leaps for me. Just as he wraps his hand around my ankle, I flip the generator, and the lights flip on. Moondrop's reign of terror was over for now.

Gregory rushes to me. He helps me stand.

"You did it! You actually did it!" He smiles

"Yea, I did, but I couldn't have done it without Mike." I smile down at the kid.

I look up to search for Mike. My eyes land on him. He's still on the floor, and he's unmoving, but he grunts, so I know he's ok. Though with him still lying unmoving on the floor. I wonder if he really is.

"Oh no..."

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Helllllooooooooooo! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter! I'm so glad I finally get to include Michael in these chapters fully. I know that's what you have all been waiting for! I'm trying to get updates out as quickly as possible, but keep in mind that I do have college. I may not be able to update every single day. Thank you all so much for reading, voting, and commenting! It means the world to me! I'll see you guys in the next chapter!