"What...?" It was a whisper in the dark on Adam's part. That's not possible! You even said my name yesterday! Unless you're not Shelby, but you sound just like Shelby! How could you not recognize me?!

It was definitely Shelby's voice. But there was something to it, Adam didn't know what, but it was putting him on edge.

"I remember this... scenario... however." Her voice was cold and chilling.

Adam paid attention to every word she said. Maybe she would tell him what Afton did to her. He pushed that thought out of his mind. I don't think I even want to know.

"It's a strange thing to want to do... to come here." Adam looked around nervously, trying to find the source of the voice. "I'm curious what events would lead a person to want to spend their nights in a place like this, willingly." 

She said that last word a little different then the rest, a little more filled with emotion. Adam didn't know what.

"Maybe curiosity, maybe ignorance."

Adam had an idea. Maybe he could say something that would remind Baby- Shubble, he meant Shubble, that would remind her of who he was. He swallowed nervously. "Well, you know, I..." He was barely audible. "I, maybe, I don't know..."

"Hm..."

There was silence again.

Adam was about to make his move. "Do you remember-"

"Sh! There is a space under the desk." Adam saw it. He also felt a not in her voice. It screamed urgency. "Someone before you crafted it into a hiding place, and it worked for him."

Adam's eyes widened. "But I thought only Afton came down-"

"I recommend that you hurry though. You will be safe there."

Adam crouched next to it, his flashlight illuminating the small area. "You promise I'll be safe?" he said in a whisper. It's strange, talking to a disembodied voice and all. Especially when that disembodied voice is the voice of your former friend.

"Just try not to make eye contact."

"Okay..."

He crawled into the space, reaching for the little piece of metal that was protruding from the wall. As he was closing it, he heard a whisper this time. "It will be over soon. They will loose interest."

He didn't respond, but finished closing the shaft.

It was quiet.

The piece of metal wasn't beautiful, and it didn't latch onto anything at the other end of the space. There were lots of dents and holes in it.

Adam thought about what he just heard. Afton hasn't been coming down here at all! There were other night guards before me... Why would he lie to me?!

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps. He stayed absolutely silent and tried to turn off his flashlight. It didn't work. The flashlight was staying on.

"Hello in there..."

It wasn't Shelby. It was still a girl's voice, but it was a child's voice. It was small and sounded childish. 

"Someone is inside!" Adam gulped. Their voices were so soft and young. 

"Is it the same person?" the first one asked. Adam shivered.

He remembered what Baby- Shelby, what Shelby had said.

Try not to make eye contact.

It was quiet for a bit. Then he heard clanking. They were banging on the metal door.

Then they stopped.

"Knock knock..." spoke the second one.

Adam was sweating. His eyes were wide with fear. He knew if she got to him, he would die.

The metal began to scrape away. He grabbed at it, trying to hold it against the opposing wall from where it came.

Slowly, it moved back. A small space opened  up between the metal and the far wall of the desk.

He pulled with all his might.

He pulled it all the way back to the wall.

His heart was beating a million times a minute.

"I'll always find a way inside."

She started pulling again. Adam felt his fingers burn with effort. The gap between the desk and the door got wider. A half an inch. An inch.

Two inches.

Three.

Adam was fighting for his life.

Then they let go. He slid the metal all the way back. His breathing was unsteady and he felt exhausted.

"She's watching us." Adam's eyes widened. Was the first voice talking about Shelby? "We have to leave now."

"We'll see you again soon~!" The second voice was so taunting. 

It was quiet. A couple clangs of metal sounded in the distance. Adam was silent, waiting for things to happen.

He jumped when Shubble spoke again. 

"When your guide comes back online, he is going going to tell you that he was unsuccessful, that you must restart the system manually." Sky was quiet. Her voice was full of authority. She was giving instructions. "He will then tell you to crawl through Ballormau gallery as fast as you can to reach the breaker room." Adam waited for his old friend's next words.

"If you follow his instructions, you will die."

She didn't say anymore. Adam swallowed. "Uh, how do I, um, not die?" He was very quiet. "Isn't Ballormau supposed to stay on her stage?!"

Shubble heard him. "Ballormau will not return to her stage anymore. She will catch you." There was a silence, like Shelby was thinking. "The power will be restored shortly."

Adam was flustered. "So how do I-"

"Sh. When you crawl though Ballormau gallery, go slowly. She can not see you, and can only listen for your movement. When you hear her music become louder, she is growing near, listening for you." Adam swallowed nervously, not leaving his little cubby hole. 

"Wait," she advised, "and be still."

Static filled Adam's ears. "What?!?"

"Thank you for your patience. It seems that the power system can not be restarted automatically. You will need to restart the system manually."

Adam sighed. "Please no... I don't want to..."

"Please return to the primary control module."

Adam sat and thought about his situation. He wasn't as nervous or unsteady as he was earlier, because he knew what to do, thanks to Shelby. He took a deep breath in and slowly let it out. He exited the crawlspace and made his way back to the primary control module. 

He trusted Shelby, and was ready to do anything she said.

Or so he thought.

~~~~~~~~~~

Little bit of foreshadowing there.

Didn't wanna overdo it though, or it would give away the entire plot!

Trust me, you guys aren't prepared for this! 

>:)

Questions? Comments? Concerns?

Enjoy!

~LaterGaters~