Five Night’s at Gameknight’s

Chapter One

 

It was seven years ago since the Pizzeria closed down. There was no warning, no alert, it just closed down without a trace. The owner refused to talk about what happened. People spread rumors of what had happened, which non were true. But there was something else that had happened that exact day of the closing, something terrible. Nine children had gone missing. No one knew what happened even the parents. Some of the children’s parents blamed the owner, one of the children’s father, for their sudden disappearance. But the owner did nothing wrong, but he had failed to explain that to everyone else. No one knew what happened to the previous owner, he just went away. Some say he moved, others said he committed a terrible sin upon himself, but no one really knew.

 

Shawn didn’t find himself surprised when he dragged himself back to where it once stood.

 

No one really knew, besides his parents, that every single child who had vanished that night what his friend. He knew their names, their hopes and dreams, their likes, and almost everything else. What he didn’t know, though, is why they left him.

 

He knew they did not leave, he believed that they had been murdered. Ten and eleven-year-olds wouldn’t run away, they were to pure and young to ever achieve those thoughts. And even though he was ten when it had happened, he was mature enough to know the truth that others didn’t want to believe.

 

Every other week he visited this place. He always thought that if he were to come back that they would be there, alive and breathing. But he knew that would never happen, for that stupid article kept reappearing in his head. He knew that article from front to back, rereading it over and over until he had drilled it into his head. That was what he did to try and get rid of the thoughts of his friends. That was how he hand spent those two years after the accident. He just read it over and over and kept trying to find the truth that was different from what he had believed.

 

He failed to find one.

 

Shaw hummed familiar tunes as he walked down the iconic street. It was Lester Street, that’s where it was. Usually Shawn would lean against the old fence and stare and the old empty building. That building had always looked dead, but that building kept Shawn’s will for living. He didn’t quite know why but it was as if the building still stood, he would live. It was the closest this he could get to his best friend, one of the children who went missing that night. Tommy was the son of the owner of the restaurant, so Shawn always had a V.I.P. pass; well, that’s what it felt like.

 

When Tom was taken away Shawn’s life had shattered, but he kept close to the building vowing to visit it frequently as possible. It was as if it pleased the death inside of him.

 

But was he walked down the street, he heard something unusual: people’s voices. No one ever talked or visited this place anymore, what was going on? Shawn dropped the stack of flowers he usually brought and dashed to award the voices. He was shocked to find them all where the old pizza place stood. But what shocked Shawn most of all was the construction workers. But they weren’t knocking down the previous building, which still stood tall. They were building onto it, as if revamping it.

 

Shawn couldn’t believe nor stand what was happening. No, it was something else, they would never bring back Gameknight’s. But the sign and the chatter told him more than enough. It was really coming back.

 

Something caught his eye. He turned and saw a tall and skinny young man come out of his car. His face was slim and his skin was pale but a little tan. He wore a dark blue suit with a black tie around his neck. He stood up straight and turned and looked at the teenager.

 

Shawn quickly made his way to him, his instinct dragging him. As he made his way toward the car the man made eye contact with him.

 

“Do I know you?” the man asked, his voice deep yet quiet.

 

Shawn the hesitated for a second. He shook his head but then nodded. “Yes, yeah I do know you!”

 

The man looked at him, shocked. He scanned the ginger and snapped his fingers. He pointed at the boy and almost shouted, “Shawn Holmes!”

 

A few of the people looked over their shoulders or stared at him. Shawn became flustered and covered his face. The man’s eyes widened as he death-glared everyone.

 

“You wouldn’t have a show without me,” the man snapped.

 

The people stopped staring and looked at the others awkwardly. Soon they turned back around or walked away.

 

The man reset a hand on the ginger’s shoulder and smiled. “Sorry for the attention, Shawn. Or- oh sorry, is that even you?”

 

Shawny looked up and nodded. He stood up and brushed his curly hair away. “So you’re really him? Are you Tom-”

 

He couldn’t pull himself to say the name. He could already feel the tears form in his eyes. Soon he shook his head, wiped his eyes, and faced the man.

 

“Y…yes,” the man said with a sigh. “It’s hard to think about him, that he’s really-”

 

“Gone.” Shawn finished.

 

The man looked at him and slowly nodded.

 

Something from the construction cite fell which cause the man to jump and scroll at the workers.

 

“Sorry, Shawn, but I have business to attend to know,” he said and fixed his tie. “So I’ll see you ’round?”

 

Shawn nodded and watched the man walk away. He stomped his foot on the ground a few times and looked back at the bundle of flowers on the ground. The jogged to it and picked them up, they were still in good condition but a little dirty. He brushed off the diary and looked back at the construction then back at the flowers.

 

This is the closest I can be to him, Shawn thought. There was no more running away from this. There was no more cowering out of what had to be done. He yanked out his phone from his pocket at dialed the number he knew all too well. He held his phone to his ear and waited impatiently.

 

“Hello?”

 

Shawn sighed and bit his lip. “Hey Joytin, could you make plans with Butch and Tiffany, Trapper, whatever we call her anymore. There’s something you guys need to see.”

 

*   *   *

 

“Welcome to the first day of your exciting new career. Whether you were approached at a job fair, read our ad in Screws, Bolts and Hairpins, or if this is the result of a dare, we welcome you.”

 

She could her the voice, but only faintly. It a slowly coming closer every other second. She could feel her cry out for help but she held her back. This was one of the only chances they would get. But she just had to wait, nothing had to be rushed. Only if he kept coming back then it would work. But if he didn’t, then they would loose their only chance. She knew she had the key to keep him here. She reached within her and pulled her old self out.

 

“He’s here,”

 

The older voice rung through her head and she pushed her older self away.

 

She just had to pretend for now.