Five Nights at Freddy's: The Silver Eyes(85)
The light above Pirate’s Cove went on.
Foxy was there, right in front of him, his face so close to Jason’s that they could almost touch. Jason scrambled back through the curtain, pulling it closed again, trying to escape the small alcove, but there was nowhere to run. He crawled backward, staying against the wall, hoping that the curtain would somehow shield him from Foxy.
At once, the curtain began to open, not by force, but as if a show were about to begin. Lights and color flashed in silent patterns, and the glittered front curtains rolled back in grand fashion to reveal the stage, and the beast standing patiently at its base.
Foxy cocked his head to the side as if considering something, and then he began his approach. He climbed the stairs to the stage one by one, each step a whole series of disjointed movements, as if each piece of his metal body maneuvered itself individually. Jason watched, struck with horror, yet some small part of him was enthralled; it was like nothing he had ever seen. Foxy reached the stage and took two more large, deliberate steps, until he was standing over Jason. Jason stared up at him, too afraid to move, frozen in place like a mouse beneath a diving falcon. His breath was shallow, his heart beat so fast his chest hurt. Foxy raised his hook again, and Jason threw himself down on the floor in a ball, protecting his head with his arms, waiting for the blow to come.
It did not come.
Jason did not move. He waited, and waited, wondering if time had slowed down as he approached the moment of his death, his mind trying to give him refuge, making the last moments feel as long as possible. But not this long. He opened his eyes and turned his head a little, keeping his arms in front of his face. Foxy was still there, not moving. Despite himself, Jason met the creature’s eyes. It was like looking into the sun—Foxy’s burning gaze made Jason’s eyes tear up, made him want to look away, but he could not. It was the animatronic who looked away. As Jason watched, peering through the afterburn that clouded his vision, Foxy turned to face his absent audience. His hook fell slowly to his side, his head tilted forward, and he was motionless. The sounds of whirring machinery and clicking parts came to a stop, and the curtains drew closed again.
“Ready?” Lamar said. Marla nodded curtly.
“I’m ready,” she said. She threw open the door, fists clenched, and they climbed out, facing opposite directions, preparing for an assault. Marla was breathing heavily, her face furious. The darkness was thick, almost tangible, and she could barely make out what was around her. She could see Lamar, but if they drifted three feet apart, they would be lost to one another. The lights above them flickered, but only for a moment; the brief illumination ruined what little night vision they had, making the dark impenetrable.
“Anything on your side?” Marla whispered. Lamar looked toward her voice, distressed.
“No, anything on your side?”
“Light please.” Marla whispered. Lamar held up the flashlight as though aiming a weapon, and turned it on. Above them, the lights sputtered.
Jason could see their flashlight waving back and forth, filtering through the slightly transparent curtain. Oh, no. The light fell on the animatronic, just for a moment, and there was a clicking noise. Jason looked up. Foxy was not moving. The light swept across him again, and again the mechanical sounds came, this time unmistakable, though he still did not move. Jason scooted forward, around Foxy’s foot, and looked up at the animatronic’s face as the light struck him again. Again the clicking noise came; something inside him was readying itself, but his eyes stayed dark. Jason crawled as far forward as he was willing to venture, trying not to cross into Foxy’s line of sight. He made it to the edge of the curtain, and reached his arm out to wave a warning.
“Jason!” He heard his sister’s voice, and then a quick shushing from what must have been Lamar. The flashlight swept up, trained on the stage, and Foxy’s eyes lit up. His head swept toward the light with a predatory precision, and Jason, panicked, reached for the pile of cords, and grabbed a cable. Foxy lifted a foot, and Jason threw the cord around it and yanked with all his strength. Foxy pitched forward, grabbing at the curtain with his hook; it caught, ensnaring him, and he ripped through the cloth with a vicious tearing noise, falling to the ground in a tangle of cloth and metal limbs. Jason scrambled past the struggling creature, and ran toward the light.
Marla reached for him and he brushed her aside.
“Run,” he panted, and the three of them took off down the hall. They turned a corner, and as one, they stopped, Jason skidding against Lamar and grabbing him for support. At the end of the dark hall stood another figure, too large to be a person. The top hat was unmistakable. Freddy Fazbear.
His eyes illuminated, their piercing red glow consuming the space around him. They could hear the brittle notes of a song, mechanical and thin like a music box, coming from Freddy’s direction. They stared, mesmerized, then Jason found himself and pulled at Marla’s arm.
“Come on,” he hissed, and they followed him, running back the way they had come. When they reached Pirate’s Cove they slowed; Foxy had thrown off the curtain, and was beginning to right himself. The three exchanged glances, then ran past him; Jason held his breath until they were through to the next doorway, invoking some old superstition.
Lamar motioned to one of the party rooms and they ducked inside. He switched off the flashlight, and they stood still for a moment, their eyes adjusting. The room had three long cafeteria-style tables, each one still set for a party: metal folding chairs were lined all up and down them, and each place was set with a party hat, a paper plate, and a plastic cup. By wordless agreement, each hid beneath a different table, leaving themselves as much space as possible. They crouched low, hoping to be lost behind the chair legs, and together they stared silently into the vacant hall, and listened.