W is for Witness

Ever since I tried looking into that pizza place I have been slowly going insane. I swear, I have never had case like this. I don't think anyone has.

About three months ago my services were requested. The assignment; Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria. As soon as I heard this, I thought it was a joke. I mean come on....a pizza place? Being a private investigator, you would be amazed at the people who wander in my office. The other thought I had was that it might be some kind of setup. Sadly, I wish that were the case. When asked who it was for, they told me it was for the parent of some kid who once worked there. The kid survived. Physically at least. Mentally though, that's another story. I've heard of plenty disturbing first jobs, but this was absurd. The kid, who I'll leave unnamed, has amongst other things PTSD, panic attacks, and a laundry list of phobias. When they brought him to meet me, he was so doped up you might have thought he'd been lobotomized. Not gonna lie, seeing a kid like this unsettles you. So I agreed to look into it.

I began my digging on the internet. Let me tell you, that was fun. At first, I didn't really find anything beyond some bland corporate promotionals. But then I found blogs and other websites. News clippings about various "accidents" that took place near or at the pizza place. But the worst part were the testimonials. I swear, if I didn't know better you would think the posters were delusional. It sounded like some sort of Area 51 conspiracy about robots or something. Some town in Pennsylvania closed about 25 or 26 years ago as part of a government cover up. Someone even alleged that some girl named Samantha was pulling a Carrie White on the place or something. While I can't say I believe that, if it gives that place a headache all I can say is good for her and I hope she succeeds.

The more I began to look, the more it became obvious that something was really wrong with that place. So, I began to reach out through some contacts to see who had stories to tell. A couple did and I met up with them. Believe me, you learn pretty quick who's pulling a fast one in this job. These people were legit. The kid who I first met, he was lucky that phobias and whatnot are all that happened to him.

I'm also trying to work with the police, but it's not easy. Not by a long shot. From my experience there are three possible outcomes with regards to this case. By far the most frequent one is think you are insane when you tell them about it. You can just see it on their faces.

Then there is the chance that they are in on it. Sometimes it seems like this company is an octopus, with its tentacles stretched into everything. When I first took it up with contacts in law enforcement, they seemed like they didn't believe it. But the other part of me wonders if they not only believed me, but knew I was right because they were part of it. Nothing like a little gaslighting.

But my personal favorite is number three. They believe you, aren't in Fazbear's back pocket, but can't really do anything for any number of reasons. This one is the worst. When it comes to my line of work, it doesn't matter what you know. It only matters what you can prove. That's the nasty little secret about that place. Even if you do survive, you wind up so fried mentally you are a sitting duck to be discredited as a witness. It's why I've been going up and down the country, trying to piece together a case against that place. But it's hard. It's like dealing with a dummy corporation in the  Tropics. None of the usual personnel records and stuff.

The worst part is, if I didn't know better, I wouldn't believe it myself. When the first parent came into my office and told me the story, my first instinct was to call a shrink or have her drug tested. It wasn't until I went there myself that I actually believed it. Those giant animatronic things are, for lack of a better word, disturbing. I'm not even sure that does it justice. Something about them makes them seem beyond robots. You turn your back you can still feel them smiling at you. It's like a clown statue, but way worse. The only thing I could think of was "Who in the right mind would bring their child here to have fun? These things are disturbing-looking and I'm an adult."

What really sold me on it was how......odd the staff acted. In virtually every case in my career, I have been able to talk pretty openly with most people who work at a business. Not here. I didn't even tell them I was a private investigator and they still clammed up on me. They weren't rude or anything. In fact they were quite polite. But there was no warmth or genuine emotion. It was just like the pizza; functional, fine, but no real feeling to it. That's when I knew that it wasn't just a rumor. **LPT**: bad behavior is genuine. It means people don't care how they look. Cautious politeness means they are wary about something.

After enough digging I did manage to find someone willing to help me. A college kid who was working nights there. In the interest of privacy, let's call him Aaron.

Aaron had been working there for a month when he realized that there was something odd about this Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria. In the hopes of gathering evidence, I told him to keep a tab on everything he saw and heard. Any company paperwork, telephone records, or even video would be amazingly helpful.

One night it was late when I heard my phone ding. It was a voicemail from Aaron.

"You have one unheard message," the bland voice told me. I immediately pressed play. At first I had no idea what it was. It was just some random noises.

For a moment I thought Aaron had butt dialed me on accident. But then I began to hear what sounded like screaming. Not the kind of screaming like "Oh my Mom screamed at me today when she saw the scratch on her car."

This was a animalistic cry that made me wonder what could make human lungs capable of creating that sound. Of all the 23 years I've been on this job, it was the worst experience I have ever had. I frantically dialed Aaron, but it went straight to voicemail. I think I told him to call me back and I sat there, wondering what to do. Before I knew it, I was in my car, roaring up to the Freddy Fazbear's where Aaron worked. When I pulled up it was quiet. That was worse than the screaming. The building also sat there silent. I went up to the window, keeping my hand on my 1913 Colt as a precaution, but all was still inside. Fear gave way to anger, it was like the place was mocking me by being quiet. One of those things, Chica, was facing me; I wanted to rip that stupid look off it's face. I went back to my car and drove around town to try to get a handle on my thoughts.

So there went my only potential witness. But you know something? Even if Aaron wasn't a witness, he was still a person. Way more human than any of those masses of bolts and wires. You know what the difference is between those Freddy contraptions and the corporate suits in charge of them? The animatronics don't pretend to be human. At least you know they are soulless machines. Makes 'em easier to deal with.

I don't know if I'm just being paranoid, but I could swear that sometimes at night I can see shapes moving outside my apartment. It's almost like one of those cartoons where you swear someone is following you, but the moment you check there is no one there. Wouldn't be the first time that taking up a job got me some unwanted attention.

So here I am, poring over every news clipping I can find on that place. I swear, the more I look at them it's like they are taunting me. "Haha, you'll never solve anything." But I won't give up. I might go insane trying and never get anything, but I wont stop trying. Even if I never have anything I can prove in court.....I'll find some way to take them down.

…

Last week, I received a plush toy in the mail. It was a tiny Freddy, heavier than normal, stuffed with what seemed to be small beans or rice and resewn with red thread that was wrapped around it. The next day, it disappeared, and ever since, I sometimes hear tiny footsteps around the house at night, the occasional knocking on my doorstep, and slight giggling noises I could never pinpoint…

I still don't quite know what happened to Aaron, but I have this sinking feeling that I'm about to find [out](https://www.reddit.com/r/26FrightsOfFreddy/).