Mary.
Mary didn’t wake up grumpy for once.
That was weird.
She shuffled into the kitchen, still half-asleep, but… content.
Like the universe was on her side for once.
Like maybe life wasn’t a complete nightmare filled with killer animatronics and asshole managers.
Which was probably because of last night.
Kissing Michael.
The feel of his hands on her waist.
The way he looked at her like she was the only thing that mattered.
Mary grinned to herself, her cheeks heating up slightly as she yawned.
Yeah. Life was good.
Which meant it was about to get ruined.
She barely noticed her dad talking to someone at the table when she entered the kitchen.
Didn’t even register the second voice until it spoke directly to her.
“Whoa. What the hell is wrong with you?”
Mary blinked.
And then froze as she finally processed the person sitting at the table.
“…Nathan?”
Her brother smirked, taking a casual sip of coffee. “Hey, sis.”
Mary’s brain stalled.
She looked at her dad.
Back at her brother.
Back at her dad.
“…Did you get kicked out of college?”
Nathan snorted, setting his mug down. “Nice to see you too.”
Mary turned to her dad, deadpan. “You owe me ten bucks.”
Their dad sighed, shaking his head. “I didn’t take that bet.”
Nathan narrowed his eyes at her, studying her for a second before grinning like a shark.
“Okay, but seriously. What’s up with you?”
Mary frowned. “What?”
“You’re… glowing or some shit. You look wrong. Are you on drugs?”
Mary rolled her eyes. “Yes, Nathan. I woke up and snorted a line of happiness. That’s exactly what happened.”
Their dad chuckled, shaking his head. “Love is not a drug, son.”
Mary’s head snapped toward him so fast she nearly pulled a muscle.
“DAD!!!”
Nathan grinned like Christmas came early.
“Ohhhh. Oh. Oh, this is golden.” He leaned forward, eyes gleaming. “Who’s the guy?”
“There’s no guy!” Mary lied instantly.
Dad raised an eyebrow as if he knew.
Nathan grinned wider. “Right, right. You just woke up radiating happiness for no reason.”
Mary glared. “Dad. Why.”
Dad just sipped his coffee, looking very pleased with himself.
Nathan leaned back, smirking. “I mean, good for you. Hope the poor guy knows what he’s getting into.”
Mary grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl and chucked it at him.
Nathan dodged the apple effortlessly, still grinning.
“Alright, fine. I’ll let it go,” he said, then added, “for now.”
Mary grumbled, but seized the opportunity to change the subject.
“What are you even doing here? Shouldn’t you be off doing college stuff?”
Nathan stretched, looking unbothered. “Internship.”
“…Internship?”
“At Freddy's.”
Mary stared.
“WHAT?!”
Nathan raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, I’m working as an accounting intern. Didn’t Dad tell you?”
Mary slowly turned to glare at their father.
Dad shrugged, flipping the page of his newspaper. “It was announced yesterday. You didn’t watch the news?”
“I WAS BUSY.”
Nathan snorted. “Busy doing who?”
Mary threw another apple at him.
Mary rubbed her temples, processing the worst part of this situation.
Freddy’s.
Nathan was interning at Freddy’s.
And now that she was actually listening, she realized what their dad had said.
Announced yesterday.
…Oh, no.
She snatched her dad’s newspaper, scanning the headline.
FAZBEAR ENTERTAINMENT AND CANDY’S ENTERTAINMENT COMPLETE MERGER UNDER CTC HOLDINGS.
Her stomach sank.
“…You’ve gotta be kidding me.”
Nathan grinned over his coffee. “Ohhh, she’s finally catching up.”
Mary felt like the world was laughing at her.
She and Michael were coworkers now.
And with the merger…
That meant more animatronics.
More malfunctioning, unpredictable, murderous animatronics.
She let out a long, slow breath through her nose.
And then, very loudly:
“SON OF A BITCH”
Nathan laughed as she grabbed her jacket.
“Where are you going?”
Mary stormed toward the door. “To find a distraction before I lose my goddamn mind.”
Dad called after her. “Tell Michael we said hi!”
“I WILL NOT—” She stopped herself before she gave them more ammo.
Nathan grinned. “Too late! You already lost this fight!”
Mary slammed the door behind her.
Michael.
She needed to find Michael.
Because if she had to process this alone for another second, she might actually scream.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Michael.
Michael grabbed his jacket and booked it out of the house before Liz or Grandpa could corner him.
Because if they found out about yesterday?
He would never hear the end of it.
Liz would squeal, demand details, and probably try to follow him to Sparky’s to spy.
Grandpa would grin knowingly, say something horrifyingly embarrassing, and act like he was Michael’s personal dating coach.
And Dad?
Well, Dad would just find a way to blame the Fazbear-Candy merger on him, which was impressive considering Michael was seventeen and not a corporate executive.
So when Mary called, he took the opportunity to flee, telling Liz some half-baked excuse before making his grand escape into the chilly October air.
The streets were quieter, the air getting colder, and the smell of burning leaves and distant pumpkin spice drifted through town.
Halloween was approaching, and Michael wondered what he and Mary should do for it.
A horror movie? Too predictable.
Sneaking into some abandoned place? Too close to their work lives
Actually dressing up and doing something stupidly fun? Maybe.
He’d figure it out later.
Right now, he had bigger problems.
Like the girl waiting in front of Sparky’s.
And the fact that he wasn’t sure if he should kiss her or not.
Mary waved him over, looking warm despite the cold, her breath visible in the air.
“Hey,” she greeted casually as he approached.
Michael hesitated.
To kiss or not to kiss?
It was too soon to establish a routine, right? But if he didn’t kiss her, would it seem like yesterday meant less to him?
Michael was still mid-internal debate when Mary rolled her eyes and kissed him first.
It was short, quick, but very firm.
And Michael immediately decided that Mary would be the tie-breaker for all future kissing dilemmas.
They stepped inside, the warmth of Sparky’s chasing away the autumn chill.
They slid into their usual booth and ordered their regular food, and before Michael could ask anything, Mary leaned forward dramatically, hands flat on the table.
“You,” she began, dead serious, “would not believe the morning I had.”
Michael grinned, already intrigued. “Oh?”
Mary leaned back with a groan, glaring at the ceiling. “My dad betrayed me.”
Michael snorted. “What, did he sell you to a circus?”
“Worse,” she grumbled. “He told my brother—who is home, by the way—that I was ‘in love.’”
Michael froze mid-sip of water.
“…Oh.”
“Yeah. Oh,” Mary mimicked. “Do you know how much ammo that gave Nathan? I will never recover.”
Michael tried not to laugh. He failed.
“I mean… you did kiss me first just now,” he pointed out.
Mary gave him a look. “Do you want me to never do that again?”
Michael immediately shook his head.
“That’s what I thought.”
Mary sighed, leaning back in the booth.
“And that’s not even the worst part,” she continued.
Michael raised an eyebrow. “Worse than ‘being in love’?”
“Yes, actually.”
She folded her arms. “I found out my brother’s interning at Freddy’s.”
Michael blinked then said. "If its any conselation I found out today too.”
“Yeah its not. And, apparently, that’s because Fazbear Entertainment and Candy’s merged—which, fun fact, I didn’t know because I was too busy kissing you instead of watching the news.”
Michael smirked. “Glad to know I was a worthy distraction.”
Mary gave him a flat look. “Focus.”
Michael held up his hands in surrender. “Alright, alright. Fazbear and Candy’s are merging. And?”
Mary pinched the bridge of her nose. “And that means we are officially coworkers now.”
Michael tilted his head. “Huh. I guess we are.”
“…Which means even more animatronics to deal with.”
Michael winced sympathetically. “Yeah, that part sucks.”
Mary groaned dramatically into her hands. “Kill me.”
Michael patted her arm. “Dont worry I read it up both companies’ policies on coworkers dating and we are fine.”
Mary slowly lifted her head.
Michael realized what he just admitted.
She grinned.
“Oh my God.”
Michael immediately regretted everything. “No—”
“You read it up?”
“Mary—”
“You were curious.”
Michael covered his face with both hands. “Please stop talking.”
Mary laughed, sliding over to sit next to him instead of across.
“So, am I supposed to take that as a hint?” she teased. “Since you’re so curious?”
Michael turned red. Very red.
“…Yes.”
Mary leaned in, smirking. “Yes what?”
Michael groaned into his hands. “You know.”
“I do,” she said, clearly enjoying this, “but I want to hear you say it.”
Michael gave her a look. “I hate you.”
She grinned. “No, you don’t.”
Michael sighed heavily, then finally forced himself to say it.
“Do you… want to go on a date with me?”
Mary pretended to think about it for a second before grinning. “Sure.”
Michael exhaled in relief, then immediately tensed as she added:
“But not here. I love this place, but I’m not going on a date at Sparky’s.”
A waitress arrived at their table just in time to place their food down.
“Fair,” she commented casually before walking away.
Michael and Mary both stared after her before bursting into laughter.
Mary nudged Michael playfully. “Well? Pick somewhere.”
Michael groaned. “You put me on the spot.”
“You’ll survive.”
Michael thought for a second, then smirked.
“There’s a place,” he said.
Mary raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. I’ll tell you later.”
Mary grinned, leaning against him. “Fine. But I’m dressing nice.”
Michael tried not to look too pleased about that.
The RAT
The Rat slunk through the streets, unseen, unheard.
Master had sent him.
To watch.
To make sure nothing hurt Master.
But Master was already hurting.
Because of her.
The Rat crept closer, unseen by the living, watching her smile.
Mary Schmidt.
Her teeth showed when she smiled.
Teeth, like a predator.
She was too happy.
She made Master angry.
Master was in pain.
If Master hurt, she should hurt too.
The Rat stalked closer, moving past tables, past chairs, past shadows.
The girl held something warm in her hands.
Coffee.
The Rat hated it.
Hated her.
She laughed.
No more laughing.
The Rat struck—a claw, a flick of unseen force—
The cup tilted.
It fell.
SPLASH.
The liquid splattered across the ground, steaming, wasted.
Mary jumped back, startled.
The Boy frowned, confused.
She looked down at her ruined drink.
And her smile faded just a little.
The Rat felt good.
The Rat imagined ripping into them.
Their skin, warm and soft, splitting beneath his claws.
Their screams, high and wet, music to his ears.
Their bones, snapping like twigs as he crushed them in his jaws.
Eating them alive.
Making them hurt.
Like he hurts.
They should suffer.
They should bleed.
They should rot.
Master would be pleased.
Master would—
The Rat saw something.
A statue.
A man, frozen in time, carved in stone.
He knew it.
His mind snapped—jolted—screamed.
He remembered.
A woman’s hand.
A nervous breath.
A ring.
“Will you marry me?”
The Rat staggered back, his form flickering.
The man inside him wept.
For a moment, The Rat wasn’t a monster.
For a moment, he was someone.
But then—
PAIN.
Master yanked the memory away.
The Rat collapsed, writhing, howling in agony as the past was ripped from his fingers.
No. No remembering. No past. Only Master. Only pain.
The Rat shuddered, obedient again.
The Rat wanted to follow the girl.
Wanted to tear into her and make her hurt more.
But Master’s voice slithered into his mind.
“Not yet. Follow the boy. Find where he sleeps.”
The Rat obeyed.
The Boy didn’t go home.
He went to a weird place.
And The Rat followed.
But then—
A scream. A war cry. A wall of spirits.
Ghosts. Children. Rage.
They surged at him, their voices overlapping in a chorus of fury.
“WHERE IS GABRIEL?”
“WHERE DID YOU TAKE HIM?”
“GIVE HIM BACK!”
The Rat shrieked, claws lashing, but the ghosts didn’t back down.
One ghost stepped forward. Different. A gift in hand.
A light.
Something warm.
It reached for him.
And The Rat—for the first time—wanted to take it.
But then—Master called.
And The Rat was ripped away.
The Rat collapsed back into the darkness, panting, shaking.
But something was wrong.
Or… right.
He had grabbed a piece of the gift before Master pulled him away.
And now, for the first time in forever… something in him felt different.
Better.
Master didn’t notice.
So The Rat said nothing.
