After a few minutes of crushing silence, Matthew found a heavily damaged book in the corner written by a 'Scott C.' and 'Dawkins', but he couldn't get an exact read of the names with how water damaged the pages were. He set the book down, listening for the Rabbit, silently hoping it didn't get closer.

And it didn't.

They were just seated in the darkness.

Gary shivered. "Hey... is it getting cold in here, or just me?"

Tracy felt it as well, "I don't think it's just you."

Matthew shrugged, and rubbed his hands together. "Maybe just a draft?"

Gary tried to rationalize, "Well... maybe it's just because it's getting later into the night."

Everyone seemed to agree with that explanation, plunging the room into silence again. As everyone waited, that was when they heard a new voice. It wasn't the rabbit's, it sounded more... female.

"S-s-s-something is in h-h-h-here... or is i-i-it someo-o-one?---"

Matthew turned in horror to a pale Gary, who then turned to face Grant, who had tensed up in fear. Aaron had teared up once again, and Tracy was staring at the floor, unsure of what to think. She never could have expected this, nobody could have... well, except maybe that crazy old man down at the detectives office... What was his name again? Dunn....? No... that didn't sound right... it started with an M... Mack...? Mike...?

Tracy's thought process was interrupted by another comment from Gary.

"It's getting colder... I don't like that" he shivered, looking around.

Matthew and Grant nodded, trying their best to beat the bitter chill, until eventually, for some unknown reason, the air seemed to freeze, the footsteps of the rabbit fading away.

Matthew could see his breath now, it shouldn't have gotten that cold... it was almost summer.

The temperature was dropping each moment. Gary had huddled up against Matthew now, trying to stay warm, while Grant stood in the corner, shivering.

They sat quietly, wallowing in the cold, until the air seemed to be completely still, no sounds except the faint noise of their own heartbeat filling their ears.

Breaking the silence a childish chuckle sounded from one of the walls, and Tracy stared in shock at a poster. Everyone else went to look at it, being met with an eyeless golden bear staring back at them. Aaron let out a loud scream.

The paper rippled in some unseen breeze, and falling to the floor in a heap of golden fur, was a golden bear.

It planted its feet on the ground, and stood up, before it began its advance, lurching forwards slowly like something from a snippet of a horror movie Tracy had seen. A rush of painful sound filled everyone's ears. This prompted Aaron to scream again and immediately rush toward the safehouse's door, trying his best to pry it open with his 9 year old strength.

Tracy backed up from the golden bear. It didn't stop moving, getting closer slowly. Tracy looked in panic as the golden bear's empty eye sockets were no longer vacant, having pale, almost human eyes in them as the rush of sound grew louder.

She would plug her ears, shutting her eyes, trying to block out the sound. Aaron, having quit trying to pry the door, would clutch Tracy's leg. Matthew and Gary were backing away as quickly as they could, both of them plugging their ears. Grant grabbed something off of the nearby table, and took a swing at the golden menace, his eyes going wide as the object passed through the bear, taking him off balance.

Gary ran to the door, and forced it open, not caring if the rabbit heard him, he wasn't dying to that demon. After he got it open, the rush of sound seemed to be nearing its apex, so he plugged his ears as he called for his friends to get out. He had a gut feeling that any time longer there, and none of them would be alive to regret coming here in the first place.

Everyone turned to the door, and got the clue, as they quickly sprinted from the safe room.

As they turned back to make sure the bear hadn't followed them, they saw not a golden bear, but two small red pinpricks for eyes, and a wide, toothy grin. The last thing they heard from it was a deep laugh as the safe room door slammed closed.

Matthew had gone pale, and was hyperventilating, Grant was sweating, Aaron was crying, and Gary was still holding Matthew's hand out of shock from what they'd just seen. Tracy wanted to leave, but they couldn't, but she had a feeling that the shadow they'd seen had something to do with it. She glared at the safe room door, before turning to the rest of the group. "We need to keep moving." she said, making eye contact with everybody.

"N-No shit!?" Matthew yelled, freaking out.

Grant wiped sweat off of his brow. "And what if that yellow bear comes back?! We barely survived it when there was nothing else that could, I DON'T KNOW, DISMEMBER US?"

Aaron started sobbing out of fear at the last bit, hugging Tracy. He didn't know what dismember meant, but it didn't sound like a fun party favor.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Matthew shot a glare at Grant. "You're scaring the poor kid, keep your mouth shut for a bit, alright?"

Their whispers were cut short by footsteps coming through the Dining Area.

"Scatter!" Tracy hiss-whispered, darting off with Aaron into one of the dark restrooms.

Matthew grabbed Gary by the arm, and ran into the party room, leaving Grant alone in the dark.

"They've left you behind."

Grant turned to the noise and nearly screamed. The same red pinpricks shone from the dark hallway, staring Grant down.

"They are happy to leave you to die. The odd man out, the fifth wheel."

Grant just stared at the pinpricks, sweating.

"You don't matter to them." The voice whispered, as the lights slowly got closer, until the source was revealed in its nightmarish glory.

Grant stepped back in horror, and then broke into a full-on sprint, and the demon re-used an old trick of his: climbing onto the ceiling, and scuttling after his target like a demonic spider. It was at this moment Grant started to panic. Nowhere to run from it, all he could do was pray that he could get away to somebody he knew.

The bear chuckled as it gained on him, "Nobody can save you now, it's just you and me."

Grant was slowing down, he couldn't keep running forever.

"Utterly worthless." the shadow mused, drawing closer.

Grant's morale was dropping as he ran, cursing silently.

He finally slowed to a jog, his breath stinging his lungs and throat. The shadow dropped from the ceiling, backing Grant into a corner, grinning sadistically.

As it neared Grant, it mocked with a simple chuckle:

"Game over."

Tracy and Aaron were backed into a locked stall, listening to something prowl just outside. They couldn't make out its details, but judging by the yellow coating, they had a feeling it was the golden bear again. Aaron whimpered, and the figure paused.

Aaron whispered something Tracy couldn't make out, and whatever it was slowly turned to the stall, then started walking toward them. Tracy held her breath as whatever it was stared blankly at the stall door. Aaron's shivering got faster, and Tracy tried to calm him down silently. That was when they heard its voice.

"H-h-hello? Is a-a-a-anyone in ther-r-r-re?"

It wasn't the golden bear... It was the chicken.

Aaron turned to Tracy. "What do we do, we're stuck!" he whispered in terror. Tracy would scan the stall, trying to find an unlikely way out of this situation, before looking under the stall that the chicken wasn't blocking.

"We... could try crawling out." She whispered back, staring at the dirty floor. Aaron looked down and saw the dirty tiled floor, seeming disgusted, but he felt as if dying was.... Probably a worse choice. He finally turned toward Tracy, and nodded, and slid onto the floor, before crawling to the other stalls.

The chicken seemed to hear the noise, and paused, turning to the stall they were hiding in. Tracy motioned for the stall beside them with a hand, which put distance between them and the chicken.

"B-b-b-baby birds? I know you're i-i-i-in here somewhere..."

Aaron stifled a sob, and kept moving with Tracy, until they could see the final stall in sight. They were just about to make it out, when one of their shoulders bumped into a slightly open door to one of the stalls, making a loud thunk.

Instantly, the chicken turned, and Tracy gasped.

"F-f-f-found youuuu!" The chicken squealed in glee, as if she had won a little game of hers. Instantly, with no other options, Tracy stood up, grabbed Aaron's hand, and ran from the bathroom. The chicken gave chase, knocking anything over that was in its path.

Tracy and Aaron picked up speed and ran past the Dining Area into the hall as the chicken gave chase, shoving tables out of the way to get to them.

The two slid down the hall and into the office, with Tracy slamming her hand on a nearby button labeled "DOOR", praying it still worked.

The door slammed shut, and the dim office lights flickered when it made impact with the floor, kicking up more dust. The chicken came into view and stared at the shut door, then stared at Tracy specifically.

Tracy felt light headed, and leaned against the office desk, knocking a stack of papers and the phone off, the feeling of nearing puking growing more and more noticeable.. Aaron stared at Tracy, and tried to speak to her, but it was as if his voice was put on mute.

Tracy shut her eyes for a few seconds, trying to ease her increasing headache.... After a few grueling seconds, she opened her eyes....

She looked around, startled and confused... Aaron was gone.

Before she could panic, however, she felt as if she was shoved out of the office chair, and roughly onto the ground, and against her will, turned to face one she hadn't seen before, but one she had seen on the sign.

The massive brown bear stood in the right door frame, smiling down at her. Tracy tried to scream, but it made no sound. The brown bear chuckled, seemingly pleased with himself, and turned to face the yellow chicken, who now looked oddly cleaner... almost as if she'd been repaired.

"How very interesting." The bear mused, turning back to Tracy. Tracy looked around, noting how much cleaner the office had got, but turned back to the bear.

"I thought you said this was simply a returning patron?"

The chicken grimaced, and, almost looking like she was trying to cover up a lie, said, "Well, I wasn't wrong, right? He does always come back here, after all"

He...?

The brown bear narrowed his strikingly sky blue eyes to the chicken's response in disdain, "Shut up.", he then turned his gaze back to Tracy, and smiled.

"These idiots led me right to you."

Before Tracy could react, the bear lunged forwards, grabbing Tracy around the throat, letting out a deep chuckle.

Tracy clawed at its hands, not wanting to suffocate or have her neck broken, but without her even doing anything, the bear let out a squeak, and dropped her, a look of shock and rage passing over his face.

A voice she had never heard before spoke for her.

"Your nose... squeaks?" the male voice asked, seemingly holding back nervous laughter.

Tracy just started to sweat, she herself didn't feel like laughing at all. Freddy shook off the confusion, and bared his teeth, showing visible fangs.

"...YOU BASTARD!! GET THE HELL OVER HERE SO I CAN BREAK THOSE FUCKING FINGERS ONE AT A TIME!!"

Tracy's fear peaked up, and seemingly so did the person that had taken sudden control of her.

She stood up, and ran away, the thudding of the bear's footsteps thundering after. She would keep running.... before suddenly tripping. She quickly shut her eyes as she felt the impact of the grimy pizzeria floor, and the footsteps died away, fading into the darkness.