Remember to follow the rules

The janitor stared in vague disbelief.

He really shouldn't have been surprised at this point. With all the stupid, ill-mannered brats running around all the time he had thought he had seen it all. This, however, was something new.

Apparently, one of the animatronics had caused it. The machines were just a bit too clunky and uncoordinated to be wandering around like they were. Combined with the complete unawareness of their surroundings they sometimes had and it was a recipe for disaster. A disaster which had finally happened.

With a grumble, he got to work. Through the efforts of the other workers and some concerned parents that actually gave a shit, the children had all been corralled away from the hallway leading from the party room. One parent in particular had been horrified. She couldn't stop babbling about her son. He ignored her with the ease of much practice. It was simple to put up actual barricades to keep any children from wandering by. Regardless, the janitor still dragged his feet every step of the way.

It wasn't like this was particularly gross or out of the ordinary. On the surface, there was nothing about this situation that would explain his reluctance to do his job. He had handled much worse. Hell, the mess those animatronics caused just about every night was much worse. Yet, it still seemed like an insurmountable task.

Perhaps the problem was mental, then. Throughout his illustrious janitorial career, the man had cleaned up all sorts of messes. It was possible that this one, a mess he had never encountered before, was enough to penetrate the haze of indifference he had built up over the years.

At last, the job at hand could not be put off any longer. Although it wasn't the worst thing the janitor had ever cleaned up, it was still rather heinous. The odor alone was enough to make him gag. He couldn't even remember the last time he had done that. Unexpectedly, the visual was much worse. Splattered across the floor and walls, it was a gruesome sight.

The animatronic in which had caused the incident in question, Freddy, stood completely still at one end of the hall. It was a bit hard to see because of it's fur and the poor lighting, but there were some stains on it as well.

A sigh was released, a prayer was uttered, and a silent apology was issued to his mother for not listening to her as a child, and then he got to work. He was on a rather strict time limit, after all. If he didn't hurry, a repeat could occur. Enough time had been wasted.

Cleaning supplies were brought out and gloves were put on. With much diligence, the mess was reduced further and further. First, the walls were washed down with a large sponge and warm, soapy water. Then, they were wiped down with some diluted bleach. Up next was a spot on the ceiling. The janitor tried hard not to think about how it got there, lest he snap out of his professional mindset. Finally, it was time for the floor. The larger pieces had to be picked up and moved by hand, the rest was mopped up.

All that was left was bear. The performer had not moved from it's spot as he had worked. It was a bit tricker to get it's suit cleaned off, but when he finished the animatronic's suit looked good as new, or at least as good as it had that morning. Minus the damp spots from where the water used to wash it had not yet dried, of course.

It was as though a burden had been lifted from the janitors shoulders when he finished a scant fifteen minutes later. There was still a dark corner of his mind which still cried out at what it had witnessed, but it was brutally silenced. A quick check of his purple uniform to make sure there weren't any stains and he was ready. The barricades were taken down and kids and their parents swarmed the hallway.

Humming a mindless tune, the janitor swung by the manager's office with a suggestion and then clocked out for the day. Let the next shift take care of anything else, he thought to himself.

The next morning he came in the get the pizzeria ready for opening. The guard had made it through the night, which made his job a lot easier. A quick check left him a bit amused. The manager had the bright idea to update the rules to prevent a repeat incident. As though that was going to solve anything.

Honestly. "Don't poop on the floor."? As if that was going to stop anyone.