Chapter Text
You stood in front of it. You've always wanted to start doing urbex, to hunt ghosts as in Phasmophobia, hell, you didn't even bring your EMF because you had thought "let's check this place out and come with my friends later on to play Phasmophobia in real life" which in itself isn't really a good idea.
(Not like the author is any better since I'm planning on doing this btw.)
But there you were, staring at the doors that led to an abandoned train station. One that...somehow seemed to keep running?
Creepy enough.
However, hopefully the train would stop for you to get in, since walking in the tracks doesn't seem like a really safe idea. Are the trains even operated? You don't know. But if they're running, it must be for a reason.
You waited in the platform, adjusting your bag uncomfortably as you stood, no train showing up, so you decide to sit down. Checking your bag, you have all the essentials you may need: bottle of water, a bag of Doritos, a small tin can with gauze and bandaids inside, your flashlight and some hair pins (and a hammer, just in case). All there, right where it was.
You hear a train in the tracks, so you're quick to bolt out of your seat and get ready to get inside, if it stops. To your surprise, it did, so you hop inside excitedly. There's a beeping sound and the door closes no long after. For however long you're going to be on the train, you don't really know, so you take a seat and check your phone.
It doesn't work. Connection doesn't reach the place you're going to, it seems. No big deal, don't freak out. You breathe deep and look outside. There's not much as you go deep inside a forest, and an audio starts playing.
"Attention to everyone on the train. Thank you for choosing to come visit us! Here, at Gardenview educational center and museum, you'll have the best time of your life! Come meet Dandy and-" The audio starts glitching until the voice sounds like it's melting.
The voice sounded like the stereotypical one you'd hear in training videos for new workers. Well. At least they're quiet now, it's merely a small, buzzing sound in the background, almost imperceptible.
Gardenview.
You recognize that name. You weren't born by the time it closed, yet even so, like any other mysteries of life or the internet such as Petscop, you had one phase in which you were obsessed, but information got you only so far, and nobody knew why it closed in the first place. Some theorized that it was due to "animatronics" malfunctioning, others argued that it was a lack of funds to keep it running, but none of the public knows the reality.
You had been so obsessed, looking into everything you could, every small detail, you were so close to discovering something, you're sure. Either that or you're delusional. Both. Well, now you know where you're going to. You should've brought a notebook or something. Maybe next time! At least you have the notes app, it'll do great meanwhile.
You open it and make a new note, with a name as simple as a literal dot, then start writing. You need to put down everything you can remember. Wait, now that you're going there, hopefully there'll be some plushies left! Those are rare merchandise up to date since they stopped producing them when the franchise died down. It did so suddenly, as if they were trying to erase something. Maybe they were? You don't know.
The train starts to slow down, and in between the forest, you can see a tiny clearance, occupied by "Gardenview". Bingo. The train stops at the station, right in front of it, and opens its doors with another beep, letting the passengers (rather, passenger) know that they've arrived. Methodically and perfectly executed. No harsh tugs due to sudden stopping, it's the perfect train ride. Surprisingly nice.
You step out of it, now in a platform, walking to the doors, which have been locked, to prevent anyone from escaping entering. They don't spin, they stay locked in place. That's bound to become an issue. Plus, it's getting dark by now, checking your phone, you figure out the reason: it's 21:10. Thankfully you had lied to your mother and said you were out to party.
You look around, there's no alternative entry, so you're going to have to figure out this. You didn't make it all the way through just to turn around midway. You attempt to move it using your hands and body weight. There's four of them, so you're bound to have luck, right? Minimum one should move.
First try, no luck. Second try and still unlucky. On the third door, you press further, putting more weight into it, and finally, it moves with a creaking sound. You ignore it, you've made it inside.
Note: next time bring some oil for these.
You finally make it inside. It looks abandoned, colors on the carpet dimmed and the walls as grey as usual. The floor is stained of dried paint, and somehow, for some reason, lights... Are working?
It's not possible. This place shouldn't still have electricity. Not after twenty-four years abandoned. But it does. Maybe this was a bad idea, there's no graffiti, that's a very bad sign, so you should go back and get home. This could turn very bad if it's not as abandoned as you had hoped.
Are you about to quit though?
Nope.
Maybe the owners are working on renovations to reopen it with the nostalgia 'boom'? Yeah. Surely that's it. That thought calms you down.
You walk to the main hallway, glancing around, until you spot it. One of those animatronics. Toons, they called them. Everyone was convinced that they were nothing but animatronics either way. You glance at it. A cheery flower, the face of the franchise, Dandy himself.
You gulp and approach. He's sitting down on a box near the counter, and in front of him yet another shop, but closed, with a sign stating "he'd be back after 5 minutes", and then the name Dyle (you do not recall having found anything about him in the series archive). He hadn't seen you yet, but either way, not that he'd react.
How wrong you were.
Dandy had turned around and glanced, he was kicking his legs to and fro while in his shop, then his usually happy and cheerful facade quickly falls into a shocked one. —A human?— He mutters under his breath.
He stays silent, thinking to himself, then Dandy sprints to stand on the shop's counter, excited and nervous to make a good first impression. —Oh golly, it's been quite a while since there's been anyone here other than us!— His smile has returned and is now twice its original size.
You can't help but feel uneasy. He feels eerily sentient, and has movements way too smooth to actually be from when they were built (1987, Pebble was given to Dandy), he's not robotic at all, which makes your stomach churn. Of course this isn't like FNAF, no chance that there's kids souls inside. Perhaps you're overanalyzing it and that's just how they were made.
You smile awkwardly and give a small wave. —Hi, yes, uh...— You stutter at first, so you breathe deep. He watches intently, but before you can talk, the flower interrupts again. —They didn't tell us there'd be anyone new coming. Are you here to be a handler? Wait, nope, can't be, it's been too many years by now...
You look at him, then you can't help it and poke his cheek. He blinks, confused, then lets out a small giggle. —What was that for?— He looks at you, and you can feel your hands shake. It felt fuzzy, and yet warm to the touch. Alive.
Your instincts are screaming at you to run away, never look back and never come back, but... You can't help yourself. You need to know the truth even if it kills you. Dandy's giving you a slightly concerned look, that's when you realize you've been silent for too long, and you look at him again, not unfocused like before. —You're not an animatronic.
You feel a shiver run through your spine. He just smiles again and swats his hand, as if you just said a very funny joke. —What? No, silly! Of course not! I'm a toon, you see.
He says it like it's the most obvious thing in the world. —Isn't toon just a fancy word for animatronic?— You cross your arms, slightly sassy, and he raises an eyebrow, remaining patient. —Nope. Toons are made of Ichor, not some spare metallic parts. I'm 100% real and alive, mind you.— He clarifies.
—Oh. Like. Fully sentient? Fully conscious? You can feel emotions and sensations?— Before you can keep asking, the flower frowns, then talks. —Don't.— His tone was slightly bitter and cold, then he realizes what he had just done and goes back to his facade. —I mean. Please. Don't look at me, at the rest of the toons, and ask like we're experiments. Like test subjects.
You nod, apprehensive. —Okay. I'm sorry, I... It must've sounded like that. I was just curious.— He hums. —Alright. So you're...toons. Okay. Yup. The most normal thing to happen to me on a Friday night but I walked right into this on my own accord.
He sits back down on the box. —Oh well. What are you doing here, either way? Thought that this was abandoned.— He mentions casually, as if the thought didn't hurt. —Oh. Well. I was doing urbex. Urban exploration. And I wanted to get a cool place to ghost hunt.
—Oh! Well, we do have a ghost toon! Connie. And a seasonal one, Soulvester, though he's only around Halloween! Well, nowadays I'm not so sure. But we do have the Easter Toons! For a limited time! Somehow they still remember when to come out. I don't know how that works exactly.
His rant comes to an end when he looks and sees you, typing. —Any more information I should know..?— You ask, waiting, and he shakes his head. —Alright. So... Where are the other toons?
He grows unnervingly quiet. —Uh. Well... Most of them... Aren't? So to say. Not anymore, not after they twisted.— Twisted. What does that mean? You quickly put it down in the notes app. —What is twisting?— You ask, then look at him. He doesn't look very happy to explain it. He looks between a mixture of remorse and nervousness. —Alright. Come with me. There are a few floors that are safe.
You silently follow him, wondering nothing but one thing:
What have you gotten into?