Frieda's Pizza Lounge & Nighclub: Prologue

‘Midnight, a time when most people are usually asleep, while for others, it’s time to go to work. One might ask though, "who in their right mind would work at this hour?"’.

There was the sound of footsteps, followed by the opening and closing of a shutter door.

‘The hard-working? The desperate? Or the stupid? Well... That’s up for you to decide. For me though?’

A tablet powered up, and a camera feed appeared on its screen, detailing the inside of what appeared to be a lounge club.

‘It could go either way. Maybe I’m just a desperate, yet determined hard worker that would willingly work themselves to death. You might think I’m joking about that last part.'

The person with the tablet sat back in their chair, browsing through the camera feeds.

'But you'd be surprised by the kind of workplace hazards a job could have. Like for example, a family-style pizzeria'

The screen changes a few times, before settling on a view that caught the sight of three animatronic performers on a stage, still as statues. The man lowered his tablet, leaned back in his chair and rested his feet on the neatly organized wooden office desk in front of him

'And not just any pizzeria, mind you. One that’s... famous, in more ways than one. For Example, This place…'

After a short pause, he brings the tablet back up, revealing that the three animatronic performers were now staring back at him through the camera, each wearing a different expression.

'Is known for having some… "quirky" robotic performers...'

The camera feed briefly cut out, before returning to an empty stage, followed by the sound of giggles heard throughout the building.

'That is loved by everyone.'

The camera feed quickly changed again.

'By men.'

The cam landed on the rabbit, lying across one of the dining room tables, running a finger down her fishnet covered leg in a teasing fashion.

'By women.'

The feed changed to show the chicken in the kitchen, looking at the camera while she was preparing a pizza, the animatronic chicken smiling as she wiggled her hips teasingly. The nightguard made a small groan before changing the feed again.

'By children.'

The feed then changed to the dining area. The rabbot was gone, but a pair of white pinpricks could be seen. Zooming in slowly, the eyes became more clear as the image of a bear appeared, eyebrow raised coyly as they were taking a drag off of some kind of electronic cigarette.

'By just about everyone.'

The camera then switched to 'Pirates Cove', a stage slightly bigger now than it once was. There was an opening in the curtains surrounding it, and zooming in, one could see the familiar muzzle of a mechanical vulpine. It opened the curtains slowly, revealing more of itself and the stage. A prop boat could be seen in the background.

'As they say, these characters hold a special place in the hearts of kids and families and should be treated with the utmost respect. Heh... Not gonna lie when I say this can be challenging at times'.


Suddenly the Camera feed cut out, and he could hear the sound of movement. The guard couldn't discern whether the noise was coming from close by, or the footage. He shifted slightly in his chair, running a hand through his slicked-back hair while turning to face the left door. Crossing his legs with a tablet in his lap, he smiled as he activated the light near the doorway.


The mechanical rabbit was right outside his door. In the light of the hallway, one could fully appreciate its feminine form and athletic figure. Adorned in a Hugh Hefner approved playmate outfit, with lavender hair done up into two little pigtails that hung beneath its articulated ears. It had a shy expression, with hints of lewd desire, standing elegantly in front of the doorway.


    As the animatronic began to move toward him, the guard could hear the quick pitter-patter of mechanical footsteps fast approaching. The rabbot turned its head, expression turning to one of shock as a certain animatronic fox crashed right into it. Both shrieked as they hit the ground with a slight clank. The guard leaned his head out, shaking his head slightly.


"I thought wearing eye patches improved a pirates sight in their other eye." he quipped.


Moving its head off of Bonnie’s chest chassis, the equally feminine animatronic fox articulated their ears slightly, jingling one of two small gold looped earrings. Using their hook, it lifted its eye patch to show a dark eye with a white pixelated heart.


"Sorry, I had me sights set on you matey~" The animatronic spoke in a deep and alluring tone.


"Of course you did." said the guard before promptly leaning back in and closing the shutter. The sudden sound of something being placed on the desk was more than enough to cause the night guard to have a kneejerk reaction, turning quickly to see a pair of white pinpricks moving across the window. On the desk, he saw a plate of pizza, fresh out of the oven. No doubt hand made by the restaurant's resident pizza bird. He leaned over to grab a slice before closing the other shutter, now enclosed in his little haven.

'Sometimes challenges have their little rewards, especially in this old, odd yet joyful place.'

Biting into the slice, the guard sighed in relief from the comforting flavor of a traditional sausage and cheese pizza. He leaned back in his chair and rested his feet up on the desk, pulling up the tablet once more to continue his security sweep.

'Though on some occasions, I wonder if the risks involved are worth the benefits of this job.'

There came a knocking at the left door, the metallic sound of a hook banging against the metal prompting him to place the tablet down.

"Get back to your cove, Cap'n," said the Nightguard, finishing his slice. The response was a sultry giggle. Pressing the light switch, he saw Bonnie pressed against the glass, practically begging to be let in. He turned to look through the other hallway window, only to see tell-tale feathery wingtips.

"You should try hiding in a box," said the guard, “it might fool me better."

The animatronic rose to reveal its full, ‘well-rounded’ self. Good lord how these remodels were considered kid-appropriate was more of a mystery than Jimmy Hoffa's corpse. The animatronic known as 'Chica' had a bib that could barely contain its new uh, assets.

"Well aren't you just the smartest Lil cookie~," said the animatronic chicken, its tone seasoned elegantly with southern charm, "Thought I would sneak in a Lil nibble for you".

"It’s very thoughtful, and quite appreciated, I assure you" replied the night guard, smiling a little. The 'child-friendly' bird swayed her hips gently, leaning against the glass gently while running a feathered finger down the window.

"I wasn't referrin' to the pizza, sug~," said the sultry southern belle.

"I know you weren't," The Guard said sarcastically before sitting back down, "Now if you three will excuse me, I have to watch the place.".

A collective giggle could be heard, the sounds of mechanical footsteps fading as the performers went about their free-roaming ways.

"So professional~"

The night guard shook his head bemusedly, finishing his second slice while staring back at the cameras.

"Which often leaves me pondering at times…"

Setting the tablet down at his side, he grabbed another slice and leaned back, crossing his legs.

"How did I even end up here?"

The guardsman sank his teeth into the slice when a vague sense of unease and terror began to course through his veins. A huge, commanding presence filled the entire office. The guard’s eyes locking into a thousand-yard stare as a pair of velvet-gloved hands slowly wrapped themselves around his upper body. Another animatronic began to lean in, its face getting uncomfortably closer to his. Standing behind him was none other than the host of the pizzeria. The big bear on the main street. The boss of the night shift. Its vocalizer hummed to life, a voice both deep and sultry spoke softly into the guard’s ear,

“Why don’t we start from the beginning, honeycomb~?” they spoke, its tone huskier than a pack of Alaskan wolves.
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Darkness was all that he could see.

And the cold, lifeless stare of pinpricked eyes.

The sound of an old music box filled the entire room with a haunting melody.

A man desperately tried to free himself from the vice-like grip of a pair of Animatronics. A chicken and purple rabbit to be exact.


His arms were forcefully fitted with costumed hands. The feeling of crossed wires cutting, slicing, and puncturing his skin screamed through his brain, his bones being broken against the steel beams in the limb pieces.


        The animatronic bunny held a firm grip on his mouth, nearly breaking his jaw. It had to enforce the ‘no yelling’ rule, of course. The poor bastard’s struggle was endless as a pair of legs were crammed onto his. His knees cracking and squishing, the sound of flesh ripping apart permeated through the backstage, blood-curdling screams only slightly muffled by his jaw being forced shut. At that moment, the musical tune neared its finale. A hulking bear stepped forth from out of the darkness.


    It was none other than Freddy “Funtime” Fazbear, the infamous children's entertainment icon. The robotic began to remove its head, revealing the decrepit endoskeleton skull beneath. The piercing gaze of mechanical eyes struck the man’s soul. His eyes widened with horror as Freddy moved forward to bestow upon him its cranial cavity, like passing on the royal crown to its successor. A distorted electronic shriek began to crescendo alongside a pained scream. As the head of Fred slowly faded to darkness, the shrieks hit its highest pitch.



    This was enough to awaken the man from his night terror. Alarm clock blaring right next to him, he stretched to try and silence it. In frustration he grabbed it and tossed it against the wall, silencing it permanently. He slowly rose out of bed, rubbing his face in sheer exhaustion. This was yet another repeat of the night terrors he’d had to put up with for the longest time. Another instance of waking up in a cold sweat, heart racing, body slightly numb. Another vision of past employment at one of the country's most notorious family pizzerias.

    But no, that place had finally closed down years ago, left to fester in the annals of business history. The man slowly got out of bed and trudged towards the window, a mess of scattered clothes covering a corner of the floor. Fiddling with the blinds, sunshine quickly filled the darkened room and almost blinded him. After rubbing his eyes, he looked out and observed his neighborhood.

     It was a quaint, nice little place; the same neighborhood he grew up in. He knew just about everybody here. He resided within a boarding house, one where his family had lived for years. His parents, lord rest their souls, had left him the apartment in which he now resides. The place was old fashioned, very old fashioned. Many people had come and gone over the years in this place. Michael Schmidt rubbed his eyes, and stretched, working out the kinks, before heading for the bathroom to freshen up.



    For once, the building had some good pressure and hot water. Mike took an all too rare relaxing hot shower, waking himself up. As he shut the water off, he set one artificial foot out of the tub. Michael's entire right leg had long been replaced with a steel prosthetic. Wiping the steamed mirror clean, he took a good look at himself. He had bags starting to develop under his eyes from restless nights. Across his upper body were multiple scars of varying sizes and lengths.

Some were service wounds, while others were more…recent. Rubbing his face with both hands, he suddenly heard the telephone rang. Walking out of the bathroom, he reached over to the corded phone, being too financially inadequate to afford one of those fancy cordless phones.

"Hello?"
"Ah hello, hello? This is the assistant manager for Frieda's lounge," said the voice on the phone, a young and pleasant sounding lady, "Is this Michael Schmidt?"
"Uh, yes, that’s me" Michael replied, "What can I do for you?"
"Well, we’ve received your resume and wanted to ask-"
"Y-yes?" Mike said with anxious anticipation.
"If you would like to come down to the lounge tonight at 11:30 for an onsite interview?" said the woman on the line.
Michael's heart began to race. "An interview?"
"Why yes, of course, sir. You see, after some schedule changes; a position just became available."
"Yes, yes I’d be glad to come down for an interview, Thank you!"
"No, mister Schmidt, thank you."

And with that, both party-lines hung up. Mike began to jump for joy. It had been so long since the had a job, it felt like the good lord himself had blessed at that very moment.
His celebration got out of hand though, as his towel dropped down, exposing his little soldier. With a quick reality check, Michael rushed to get dressed. Perhaps today would finally be the day where he could turn his life around.