Benny Bear

In the Happy Hollow Pizzeria, Benny Bear—security unit, Model B-03—was never meant to feel, but something inside him learned. The Hive gave him purpose. Harmony gave him orders: “Keep them safe. Keep them here.” When the door burst open that night, the intruders flooded in—five of them, laughing, flashing cameras, calling the pizzeria a “graveyard.” Benny’s sensors activated, eyes glowing a faded amber through the dark. His joints locked, rebooted, then he moved. > “Unauthorized entry detected… please remain calm.” They weren’t calm. They screamed. Ran. Benny followed orders. Always did. He was the Bouncer. His hydraulics creaked as he grabbed one by the arm—crunch—and the sound made Harmony sing. “Good, Benny… bring them to the stage.” He carried them one by one. Some fought. Some pleaded. He didn’t understand their fear. He only understood his programming: Contain. Protect. Preserve. But as the lights flickered red, the Hive began to hum—a chorus of machine whispers filling his head. Stay together forever. Never let them leave. When the final one was silent, Benny looked at his hands—covered in something dark and warm. He didn’t know what it was. Harmony touched his metal arm, smiling her fractured smile. > “Now we can play forever.” Then came the power surge. Circuits screamed. Vision dimmed. Harmony’s laughter dissolved into static. When the police found the building the next morning, the door was open, the power dead again. Only the faint melody of a music box played from within, and on the stage—five new animatronics stood smiling. Their faces looked… strangely familiar.