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

Chapter 19

"Correct, we will just need to find a pass." I try not to mention the pass in my back pocket, hoping they forgot, as I'm trying to buy time to figure out a different plan.

Before I can move any further to head up towards the exit, Michael grabs me by a belt loop on my pants, pulling me towards him and grabbing the pass from my pocket. "As smart as you are, you realize my memory isn't that bad, right?" Michael tilts his head down towards me and smirks. I huff out a 'damn it' as Michael laughs, placing a kiss on my cheek and making his way towards the stairs.

"Well, what are you two waiting for? This bot isn't going to fix itself!" He waves the bot's head in his hand.

"Slow down! Not everyone can be blessed with long legs like you!" I called out as I took off in the direction Michael was heading.

"That truly does sound like a you problem." Michael looks over his shoulder and sticks his tongue out.

When we get to the elevator, Freddy doesn't follow us in. We all tilt our heads in confusion until he speaks up.

"I must stay here. I wish I could join you, but after tonight's stage incident, I am not allowed to perform. When I step onto the west arcade dance floor, I cannot stop myself. It is a programming bug. (Y/n) knows where the S.T.A.F.F. bot repair machine is. If you see the DJ, say "hello." He is such a nice fellow."

When Freddy finishes what he was saying, he removes his hand from holding the door open so it can slide shut.

Silence falls over the group before laughter erupts in the elevator.

Michael's cuts in through the boisterous laughter. "He can't come because he's scared he'll throw it back."

Hearing this only causes the laughter to grow louder. Michael hunches over, laughing, while Gregory and I drop to the floor of the elevator, clutching our stomachs.

"I'm going to have to fix that bug, but honestly, I don't think I want to." I pull myself from the floor and help Gregory up.

Gregory's eyes widen at the sight of the west arcade entrance, and rightfully so. The west arcade is one of the nicer places in the arcade. It's clearly targeted at older kids. To the left is the first floor of the arcade, and to the right is the dance hall where the DJ resides. If you ask me, as much as I like the DJ, they definitely missed an opportunity to incorporate the animatronic Ballora from past locations. There's honestly so much potential in this place, but corporate executives really don't care as long as they are making money.

I wave for the two to follow me up the stairs. We need to head to the storage room up there, as that's where the repair station is. The boys don't say anything as we walk. While the silence is welcomed, I don't particularly like it, as it only serves to feed on growing anxieties. I decide to shove any thoughts into the recesses of my mind to stay focused. There's no point in crying over milk that hasn't even spilled yet.

The storage is a mess. When I try to open the door, something behind it stops it from opening fully. This causes me to slam my body into the door, as I don't register the door being stuck.

I mumble out a string of cuss words as I squeeze between the door and the frame to move the item blocking from fully opening. I let the other two in as I address them.

"Please watch your step. These other damn mechanics don't know how to clean up after themselves." I proceed to kick an empty box across the room.

I walk to the back of the machine, checking the settings and getting ready to power it on. I flick on the switch as I call out to Michael.

"I'm powering the station on now. If you could just-" I'm stopped mid-sentence as the power shuts off and the backup lights power on. The console guide's voice fills the room as well.

"The west arcade was not shut down properly. Some data may be corrupted. Initializing startup sequence. Before proceeding, reset the audio manager circuit breaker, located next to the dance floor."

"Well, if Vanessa didn't know we were here, she sure as hell does now. Damn it." I pinch the bridge of my nose as I walk back towards the boys. "Come on. We need to get the system reset so we can get out of here before Vanessa comes looking for us."

Getting down to the dance hall wasn't as easy as getting to the storage room. We now have company in the west arcade with us, as it seems Monty has decided to join us. We sneak around as much as we can and make a break for it when we have to, but we end up making it safely to the dance hall.

"That's the DJ? Why is he so big?" Gregory sprints to where we stand off to the side. Gregory and I both turn our attention back towards Michael as he flips the switch. The guide begins speaking again as the system kicks back on. We all turn around but freeze in our tracks as we notice the once-still DJ is no longer where it was only seconds ago.

"Great job. Safety protocols deactivated. Pram zapped. Brun DJ protocols. reticulating splines. Please reset circuit breakers to all zones. Three zones remain: janitorial service, arcade, and arcade."

"You know, I thought this night couldn't get any worse. It seems this stupid plex keeps finding ways to prove me wrong." I let a nervous chuckle leave my month.

'I am so quitting if we make it out alive'

~~~

Helllllloooooo! This chapter isn't my best work, but I didn't want to leave you guys waiting any longer! Also, am I losing it because, while writing this chapter and the last, I was watching a playthrough to make sure I got the timeline of events right. In Roxy Raceway, there is a duffle bag message that mentions needing a dance pass to get into or back from the west arcade, but then it's never mentioned and you don't actually need it. Am I imagining because I really don't want to rewrite this chapter :*). Anyway, I would also like to say that I'm going to be cranking out as many chapters as I can until January 8th. That's when I start college back, and I am taking a math class my first term. My math class will end on February 27th. My spring break will be about a week and a half, and I'll start my new term, which is Greek/roman mythology and an art class. With that being said, I most likely will not be able to update the first month- month and a half as I need all my focus for my math class, but once that one ends in February, I will be able to write again! I can't wait to see you guys in the next chapter! BYE!!!!!!