Cats in the Cradle (FNAF Fanfic - TW Gore)
The smell of pizza, the hollow rumble of the ball pit, the digital beeps and boops of the arcade cabinets - these were the sights and sounds of a playplace. For many, it was a place of joy and good memories. Was it rather grimy? Sure. Could be the pizza be better? Oh, most certainly. But many had lovely birthdays there, many prizes gotten and many high scores won.
But for others...the children that never came back...they were in a party, certainly, but one they could never leave. And clad in a bright yellow bunny suit, was the man that insured that fate; eagerly skulking through the building full of laughter and fun, hunting for his prey. His eyes darted back and forth beyond the mask, wide and impatient; most of the children were clustered into groups, and parents lurked nearby at tables, keeping an eye on them.
He slinked into a blindspot nearby, watching the stage closely, waiting. From one of the party tables a child stood up, swiftly followed by another. A boy and a girl, a rather chubby boy with bushy reddish blonde hair and wide, bright green eyes, wearing a party hat and chest adorned in a Let's Eat bib, adorned in merch just like most of the other children, and a girl, wearing a party hat as well, with pitch black hair tied into long pigtails that flowed down her back, and wearing a Pirate's Cove shirt.
Though most importantly, as she turned to look at the boy who raced after her, William spotted a glittery 'Birthday Girl!' sash across her chest, making a wide, Cheshire grin spread across his face beneath the fake fur. He leaned forward slightly, -just- enough to hear what they were saying better, but not quite enough to get into the camera view - as if he had to worry about that anyway, the guard's knew better than to keep that footage.
"Are you okay, Maggie?" Said the boy sweetly, Maggie staring at the trio perform for a moment, before looking towards him, humming. "I'm bored..." The boy pouted, looking around the area for a moment, thinking. He spotted a claw machine nearby, pointing. "Oh, I could win you something! You like it when I do that!" She let out a faint giggle, looking to the machine. "I do..."
She gasped. "Oh, I got an idea!" She giggled, turning fully to him. "You -really- wanna do something cool for my birthday?" He nodded eagerly. "Then come on! I got a real fun game we can play!" He tilted his head. "Really? A new game?" She nodded. "Uh huh! Come on, it'll be great - I played it last night with Snickerdoodle." The boy looked briefly confused, but it past as quick as it came, nodding. "Okay!"
She grabbed his hand and swiftly scampered off down a nearby hall with him in tow. He chuckled faintly to himself, easily drowned out by the joyous revelry around him. Yes...perfect. He moved through the party room, hugging the wall, and slinked down the hall after the pair. The birthday girl giggled all the way down, so excited about whatever it was she was on about, the boy, presumably her best friend, just as excited to entertain, a real showman it seemed.
He followed along behind, slow and steady to win the race as it were and turned a corner just in time to see the kitchen door swing closed. Oh no, they were making this too easy - that camera didn't even work! So easy, it almost wasn't fun - ah, who was he kidding, it was always fun! Especially when it was a two-for-one special like this. Ah, how to do it...creative, or just get it done? Oh no, the birthday girl deserved something special.
Just as he had waltzed right up to the door and prepared to fling it open, the whole horrid deed mapping itself out in his head, he heard something, something that despite every horrible thing he'd done, he didn't expect; a panicked yelp. He blinked, leaning in a bit to listen through the door, hearing pots clatter as someone hit the tile floor hard. Ah, perhaps one of them fell over?
"S-Stop, stop! I-I don't like this game!" "Come on, stay still! We're not even at the best part yet!" He blinked. Bullying? Finally, his curiosity was too much, and he swung the kitchen door open partway, peering through, letting out an unconscious hum of delight as the intoxicating scent of blood hit his nose.
Upon the tiled floor, now slick with sweat and blood, was the little boy, sprawled out beside a tumbled over pile of dishes, bruised and bearing a bloody nose, as the little girl sat beside him, a thin vegetable knife stained with blood at her side, trying to hold him down as he squirmed with one hand, and within the other a pizza cutter.
His eyes widened, standing in the doorway just in shock for a moment. The boy whimpered, his gaze darting around in a panic before catching sight of the man, illuminated by the dim light of the hallway. "H-Help! Help, please!" He squeaked out breathlessly, too scared and surprised at his best friend's actions to muster up more than just begging. That Cheshire grin returned, staring down at the pathetic sight.
Maggie looked behind her, gasping a bit at the sight of the man. "W-We were just playing! I swear!" She stammered, despite still clutching the pizza cutter she'd clearly been trying to slice with mere moments ago. He chuckled darkly, playfully waving a disapproving finger. "Oh, no, no, sweetie, don't play like that-" He stepped forward, taking the pizza cutter from the girl's hand as she pouted - not in regret, just in disappointment.
"-That won't cut through. Use this." He slid his sharpened kitchen knife out from its hiding space on his suit, handing it over to her with an eager, feral glint in his eyes. Her eyes widened, giggling as she stared at her reflection in the blade. "Wha- No! NO! STOP! I DON'T LIKE THIS GAME!" The boy cried out, tears flowing down his cheeks. William let out a bark of a chuckle, moving to the other side of the boy and bringing down a hand roughly to grab his arm, keeping it pinned down so he wouldn't squirm as much. He looked to the birthday girl. "Go ahead, sweetie - open your present."
With another little giggle, Maggie plunged the knife into the boy's gut, carving it downwards as the boy shrieked and sobbed, cutting all the way down as blood splattered across the tiled floor, until his belly was completely split open. She giggled manically, practically squeeing as she stared at the gory mess. "Look, look! It's so warm and squishy!" She fell back into giggles, waving her hands back and forth as if to a dance as they soaked through with blood.
The boy's sobs got weaker, and weaker, until finally, he stopped squirming, letting out one final little whimpering gasp before going still. She hummed, gripping the knife tightly as she licked some of the blood from her fingers, the whole while William had just sat there, staring wide eyed as she did all of this, that grin never once leaving his face.
Finally, her gaze shifted back towards him, letting out another giggle, softer this time, before holding out the bloody knife. "Thank you, mister." She said, sweet and polite as can be, as if she hadn't just gutted her best friend like a stuck pig. He chuckled, taking back the blade, staring at her with a long, wistful sigh. "You're welcome, sweetie. Maggie, was it?"
She nodded. "Mhm. I'm Maggie Reynolds - what's your name?" He hummed, gliding his gloved fingers over the blade as he spoke. "My name's Mr. Afton - but you can call me William. Is this your favorite game?" She nodded. "Yeah! Is it yours too?" He chuckled deeply, slicking the blood off the blade with his fingers before sliding it back into its hiding place. "Oh, it's been mine for years."
Sometime later, Spring Bonnie stomped back into the party room, this time in full view of everyone else, clean and bright as gold. Holding his hand was Maggie, sparkling clean as well and beaming a bright smile. Her mother stood up from the table, scooping Maggie up in her arms. "Oh, there you are! I was getting worried - I know you're having fun, but please try to keep track of time a bit, okay?" She nodded, eyes sparkling with false innocence. "Okay, mama!" Another mother at the table looked around, past the girl and the man. "Maggie, have you seen Barry?"
Spring Bonnie chuckled, William putting on his bouncy, cartoony voice. "Oh, I saw that little bouncy fella rush to the boy's room! That's what happens when you have a lil' too much pizza, kiddies!" The kids all laughed, Barry's mother giving a halfhearted smile, but brow remained furrowed, shuffling uncomfortably in her seat before looking back down to her food.
Maggie's mother hummed, looking towards Spring Bonnie. "Well, thank you for wrangling up my little angel. She wasn't making too much trouble, was she?" Spring Bonnie let out a hearty belly laugh. "Too much trouble? The birthday girl? Never! Now come on! It's time for birthday cake, and twenty free tokens for the birthday girl!" The kid's all cheered.
Maggie's mother put her down, and the little birthday girl stared up at him with a bright smile, and a mischievous glint in her eyes, before the pair both headed towards the table, as one of the workers plopped down a cake in the very center, adorned with a number 8 candle and shining with edible glitter.
