I slowly opened my eyes. It was the same place I had been visiting for the past few nights: an endless darkness, pierced only by a single flickering light. That lone flickering light illuminated the familiar golden animatronic.

Cassidy.

I stood up, steadying myself. It was strange--I never felt nauseous when I arrived in this place, but returning to reality always left me disoriented. A weird phenomenon, if I do say so myself. So weird that even Cassidy can't explain it.

I've never understood why I keep ending up here. I just randomly teleported or 'dreamed' about this place. But there's only so much I can know. The past few days have been nothing but a rollercoaster of emotions. I felt a mixture of fear, dread, confusion, panic, and nausea. These were the emotions I've been feeling all week. Hopefully it'll all go away when I'm down working in the next two days because it's been seriously affecting me--not in a good way.

"Mike?" As I noticed myself dozing off, a familiar voice snatched my attention. It was Cassidy. She was in her human form.

"Are you okay?" she asked. Cassidy's bluish-hazel eyes shimmered with concern.

"Yes, I'm alright," I replied. "I should be asking you that question," 

"Yes, I'm fine. For now." 

"Why say that?"

"I can't talk to my friends anymore."

"Who are your friends, exactly?" I don't remember Cassidy mentioning any friends in our previous conversations.

"The animatronics in the pizzeria. It's like I've been cut loose," Cassidy answered. Her response took me by surprise. Cassidy could speak with the animatronics?! This whole time I risked my life multiple times, and she decided now was the time to tell me that she could tell the animatronics not to kill me? Does Cassidy think I'm a joke?

"So, you're telling me you could've told them to not kill?!" I shouted. I felt my temperature rise exponentially, and my fist clenched. Cassidy was shaken by my sudden outburst, but she kept her cool.

"It's not simple, Mike. They won't listen to me," Cassidy said.

"But you couldn't reason with them!" 

"It's hard to reason with animatronics filled with anger and a thirst for revenge--not to mention their lust for blood." 

"So does that mean it's justified to kill me?"

"Of course not. I'm saying they won't listen to me. No matter how many times I try, they won't reason or hear me out. We're all kids, after all." I scrunched my eyes in frustration and calmed myself down. I mean, how could I argue that? They are kids.

"Okay, but what does that mean for you?" I asked. "Since you can't 'talk' to them anymore, what does that mean?"

"It means I no longer can know what happens outside of here." 

"That means you've been watching me from a distance?" 

"Yes."

"Okay, but can't you teleport to me?"

"No, I can't. What made you think I could do that?"

"Well, the other Golden Freddy did. So I figured you could too."

"Other Golden Freddy?"

"There was another Golden Freddy who took your spot. He randomly came in and, as much as I would rather not say it, 'saved' me from the aggressive animatronics. The imposter Golden Freddy claimed that my real name is Norman".

"I'm not sure how that's possible. I'm not aware of any other Golden Freddys apart from myself. My friends haven't mentioned anything about a different Golden Freddy roaming around the pizzeria. I assure you, I'm not aware of any ability to 'teleport,' as you say." I wish I could read ghosts, but unfortunately, they're dead. They have no life in them. But my instincts tell me that Cassidy is not lying. I had no choice but to believe her. 

I exhaled deeply before speaking once more. 

"I guess that's all the answers we'll get. I'll just have to avoid him as much as I can." I can't avoid him forever. I need to find a way to counter him. How can I do that if he's able to close and open all the doors? What would be a viable option to get rid of him? All the Golden Freddy imposter has to do is open the doors and kill me that way. Is killing me the same as putting me inside a Freddy suit? What's the point if I can escape the suit? It's possible the animatronics, specifically Freddy, might watch me the entire time since they failed last time. Even then, it still brings up the question of how I can prevent the imposter Golden Freddy from doing so. It's virtually impossible.

"Have you watched the tape?" Cassidy interrupted. I suddenly snapped back to reality, unaware that my deep thoughts had ensnared me. I looked at Cassidy, who was waiting for my answer.

"Yes, I managed to watch the tape I obtained. Still gruesome as ever."

"How odd, you can see them after all," Cassidy muttered. 

"See what?" I asked. 

"Nothing. Do you remember what you saw?" That was odd coming from Cassidy, but it was probably nothing. 

"I remember watching a boy named Gabriel. He was an innocent kid until he got curious and looked through the cameras. At that moment, he witnessed your stabbing death. The same yellow rabbit that killed you went after him. He lured him to the backroom and killed him. The Yellow Rabbit had the same purple eyes that you saw before dying." Replaying that memory sickened my stomach. Gabriel's screams and pleas echoed endlessly in my mind. I was shivering not out of rage but out of fear. Those purple eyes... The final feelings Gabriel had before dying soon washed over me. 

Fear. Sorrow. Coldness. Anger.

"What did Gabriel and the girl look like?" Cassidy asked. I looked up from the ground and stared straight at Cassidy.

"The girl looked like you." I answered. There was no reaction from Cassidy. Like she expected my answer.

"And Gabriel?" Cassidy asked again.

"Gabriel wore a long-sleeved dark yellow shirt and short dark brown shorts. If I recall correctly, Gabriel also had short dark hair and was wearing white ankle socks." I answered. Cassidy nodded.

"Sounds about right. The memory from the VHS tape you played was Freddy's." Cassidy said. "If you can remember, what did the girl you saw being stabbed look like?" I took a deep breath and spoke.

"The girl wore clothing straight out of the 1980s. I can't remember the exact details, but I do know that she was pale and had long, black hair similar to yours." 

"I see." Cassidy turned her back towards me. Probably thinking about something. "Before it gets too late, I should tell you where the next tape is." Cassidy turned to look at me.

"The next tape is in the supply closet. You should know where that is. Right?" Cassidy asked. 

"Yes, I do know where that is," I nodded. There it was. My gut twisted, and a headache slowly crept in. Although it didn't affect me as much as it had the last few times, it was still enough to weigh me down until I nearly cried.

"Guess this is goodbye," I said. My vision became warped, and my surroundings became darker.

"Before I go, Cassidy, I have one question for you." 

"And what is that question, Mike?" Cassidy asked. Despite my head feeling like a hundred pounds, I stood up to look at Cassidy in her eyes.

"Do I have a brother?" Cassidy opened her mouth but uttered nothing. For the first time, it looked like Cassidy was expressing emotion. The look on her face seemed... hesitant. She suddenly switched to her Golden Freddy figure and sat down in her usual spot. Her white eyes twinkled brighter than I remembered.

"Yes, you do. Mike." Cassidy's voice was barely audible, but I managed to make out her muffled words. I plopped on my stomach and slowly watched as Cassidy became no longer visible and darkness took over.

 * * *

I snapped awake. I felt like I hadn't slept enough. In fact, I felt disoriented and confused. Maybe it'll go away in a few minutes. The words of Cassidy confirming I had a brother lingered in my mind. What was his name? What is he like? The thought of it saddens me. I'll probably never meet him.

I sat up from my bed and readied myself for another long, grueling day. 

Just as on any typical college day, the halls buzzed with lively chatter and antics. While some students were studying, others were joking and conversing with each other. In contrast to the lively atmosphere, I was struggling to stay awake. Even coffee didn't help—maybe I'd grown immune to caffeine. The day dragged on as I pushed through lecture after lecture. By the time I made it to my dorm, I was dead. As much as I wanted to sleep, I still had a pile of assignments that needed to be completed, or else my grades would drop drastically.

Before I knew it, it was already 11:00 p.m. that night. 

Good thing I set up my alarm clocks beforehand. If I hadn't set up my alarm clocks, I'd be in some trouble. I stood up groggily from the couch and tried to remember what I did today. It took more effort than I had to remember. But I do remember I have a stressful j*b to go to. I tripped, swayed around the room, and gathered the items I needed for work. 

I was so tired that I didn't even notice the gate guard, Bob. 

 * * * 

11:40 PM - Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria.

Taking a relaxing drive in the fresh air helped me recuperate and be myself again. Until I drove into the parking lot of Freddy's. This place and I have been through a lot these past few days. However, there's no time for games anymore.

Entering the familiar pizzeria's doors. I immediately headed to the dining area. The animatronics stood eerily on the show stage. From the dining room, I made my way to the supply closet. I wasn't sure exactly where the VHS tape would be, but Cassidy said it was in the supply closet. I opened the door to the supply room and found your typical items. Bleach, a mop, a bucket, rags, and even more cleaning supplies.

The oddest item in the supply room was a plushie placed on one of the shelves. It was a foxy plush. It looks like a completed version of Foxy. It was strange to see Foxy's fixed form. You could call it concept art, but it never reached completion. I diverted my attention from the plushie and looked for the VHS tape. Although it was difficult to see the upper level of the shelves, I felt that the VHS tape was likely to be up there. I kept the bucket in mind, then picked it up and turned it onto its flat side. This should give me just enough height to look around the top shelf. 

After stabilizing myself on the metal bucket, I scanned the top level of the shelves. I was right. The VHS was on the top level of the shelves. After climbing down from the bucket, I inspected the VHS tape. Similar to the previous VHS tapes, it had a white piece of paper taped to it with letters. This time, the VHS tape read the word "being." I wasn't really sure who was naming these tapes, but they sure were terrible at it.

A low, haunting moan sounded behind me. The moan sent chills down my spine and raised goosebumps on my arms. It wasn't far away either. It was directly behind my head. I slowly turned around, and my heart sank. My face turned as pale as a ghost's. 

Bonnie's head was directly in front of me with his jaw wide open. His jaw was roughly the same size as my head. Bonnie moaned and abruptly stopped. Bonnie didn't have eyes. Bonnie stood there lifelessly. I stood there, motionless. 

How did I not hear him? Is this how it ends? dying in a stupid supply closet? 

In an instant, Bonnie's eyes flashed bright white and sent a blood-curdling screech. The screech was so loud that it made my ears feel like they were about to explode. I instinctively closed my eyes and fell backwards. I hit my head on one of the shelves hard. My head felt like it was cracked open, and my ears rang with pain. I opened my eyes and found the area around me blurry. After adjusting for a few seconds, Bonnie was no longer in front of me.

Was that a hallucination?

I got up from where I fell, wincing in pain, and checked outside the supply closet. Bonnie stood at the show stage as if he never moved. Maybe it was a hallucination, but it felt so real. I checked around my head to see if there was any blood, but I was okay. I staggered my way back to the office, checking behind me in case Bonnie really was moving. After arriving at the office, I placed the VHS tape on the metal table and sat down in the security chair. The adrenaline wore off as sharp pain began to take over my head from hitting the metal shelf. Hopefully I don't need to go to the hospital. I noticed my hands still shaking. This place was truly a nightmare. I can't tell what a hallucination is or reality anymore. Is this farce going to stay on all night? My heart pounded, breath raspy. I realized that it was not my hand that was shaking anymore. My entire body shook. Why is it me? Why do I put up with bad situations? Why am I still here? WHY AM I ASKING QUESTIONS THAT GO UNANSWERED? WHY DO I WAKE UP TO TORTURE MYSELF? WHY DON'T I HAVE FAMILY? WHY DON'T...

Mike. Calm down. It's okay. Just two more nights. Two more nights and you don't have to work here anymore. You've got this. You've got this, Mike Schmidt. My breathing returned to normal. My body wasn't shaking. Everything is fine.

This is gonna be a long night.

12:00 AM -- Night 4...