Flipping through security cameras felt like watching paint dry, and you found yourself stifling yet another yawn as you stared at the tablet in your hands. A small huff escaped your lips as you idly swiveled your chair back and forth in the tiny office.

Working the night shift at Circus Baby’s Pizza World was a far cry from the bustling days filled with the laughter of children to long, lonely, quiet nights. The animatronics that once scared you during those first few nights now seemed more like quirky coworkers.

Surprisingly, you had grown fond of them. Funtime Foxy often dropped by to share the latest gossip from earlier that day. Funtime Freddy and Bon Bon liked to repeat the same jokes they had told the kids earlier, and were genuinely funny. Ballora would glide into your office, engaging in light conversation, and you’d chuckle at the Minireenas and Bidybabs who liked to sneak into the office. Then there was Baby, who would sometimes stop by for a chat, her calm voice a strange comfort in the eerie atmosphere. But of all the animatronics, there was one you couldn’t forget...

Ennard, the so-called abomination, a tangled mess of metal wires and eyes that resembled a bizarre, sentient spaghetti monster. He wasn’t much of a talker, mostly because of his broken voice box, which you had promised to fix—if only the others didn’t constantly vie for your attention.

As you scanned the cameras, a series of muffled thumps from above caught your attention. You raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at the corner of your mouth, lowering the tablet you glanced up at the vent above you. Sure enough, a familiar clown mask stared back at you, the left blue eye glowing faintly in the dark.

You arched an eyebrow in a knowing look, meeting his gaze just as his face plates opened slightly, a series of soft clicks and whirs echoing as he attempted to communicate his disappointment. His ears wiggled and then drooped, conveying a sulking pout as he realized his latest attempt to scare you had failed miserably—yet again.