Alone With Them

Chapter 29

Tonight was too much for her to handle.

"It's her job," she caught Bonnie explaining to Chica.

The bird didn't care in the slightest. Her eyes might as well have been red as she glowered at Cathryn.

"I had to . . ." Cathryn offered an excuse, her voice nearly cutting out. "Freddy said I had to." She never would've approached the animatronics otherwise! "Foxy would've torn me to pieces!"

"You humans and your killing," Chica's tone could only be described as a snarl. One that made no sense for a child's mascot to be able to produce. It shook Cathryn to the core almost more than the current throbbing of her body.

Even Bonnie seemed to be staring at Cathryn now with a blank look.

Her jaw dropped. Why were they acting as if she were the bad guy? Like they weren't going to kill her? They'd already threatened to do it! Multiple times! All the "We'll rip your head off!" and other promises, hadn't that meant anything to them? Freddy had literally tried to drag her down the hallway to the Repair Room! Even the leather journal–

"Look!" Cathryn snapped, reaching out for the horrible journal she'd worked so hard to ignore and bury with files. She jammed her hands through stacks of paper until she pulled out the book, flipping pages while she talked. "It says right here. You've already killed other night guards."

Both animatronics stared at her as she reached the gruesome drawings and held them out. There. Proof. Images of night guards who'd worked together and seen their partners dragged away, covered in blood. They couldn't possibly deny the pictures were of them. Or at least Freddy. Their boss.

Chica barely glanced the book over before stomping towards an open door.

"Chick–"

She cut him off with a round of irritated beeping before disappearing into the dark hallway.

Bonnie moved to watch her leave, but his feet never left the room. "Chica! He doesn't want anyone with–"

"Don't tell me what to do!" rattled the safety windows at Cathryn's side. The shout silenced every living thing within a mile. And Bonnie.

The rabbit stared off until Chica's violent footsteps disappeared.

Cathryn shrunk deeper into her chair.

When Bonnie finally came out of his trance, it didn't take an engineer to see he was angry. Electronic growls echoed from his form as he retreated back into the room. He kicked one foot into the wall with a loud shout, and Cathryn thought she saw a small dent in the metal wall as he marched out of the way. His searing eyes flashed in her direction.

"I'm sorry," Cathryn blurted with as much emotion as she could summon. Her plea was strained and very much a lie. She had nothing to be sorry for! They were murderers!

Bonnie grumbled inaudibly. Cathryn questioned if his tone held a hint of venom but doubted it. The idea sounded too human and not robotic enough. The rabbit eventually fell to the ground and slumped against the wall with a sigh. "We don't kill people."

"What?" He was still denying it? Cathryn couldn't bear to touch the journal any longer and tossed it behind her computer. She was disappointed to notice the time and see she still had more than half her shift left. Great. And she'd already managed to exasperate Chica.

"We don't kill people."

"There are records of people watching you kill. How could you not have–"

"Get. It. Through. Your. Head," Bonnie's voice grew harsh, his volume raised. "We don't kill people."

Cathryn took in a shaky gulp. One hand reached up to tug her hair, and Bonnie's firmness was momentarily broken with what might've been curiosity as he watched her.

She forced herself to relax before she asked, "Then what do you do?"

There was no immediate response. ". . . I don't know . . ."

Then how could he say they didn't kill people?! Cathryn pinched her arm in order to swallow back an annoyed groan.

". . . how to explain."

That made her perk up. "What do you mean?"

"I . . ." Bonnie's head tilted, then he noticed and righted it. "The point is, I don't kill people. Neither does Chick or Patch."

Cathryn waited for him to finish listing all the animatronics, but he didn't. Bonnie just went quiet and stared at her. "And Freddy?" she prompted.

"I . . . don't think so." He couldn't have missed the horror that filled her gaze or the way her throat closed off. "But Boss is in charge. No one knows exactly what he does once we get him the security guards."

Cathryn blinked, her insides hollow.

"But stop accusing us of things. Or Chick'll probably hate you forever."