Return To The Machine

Chapter 2

The next morning, Parker woke up to the sounds of birds tweeting and the laughs of children around the neighborhood. Seeing that it was bright outside, Parker threw the covers off of himself and hopped out of bed. He rushed to get ready and picked an outfit for the day. As he got ready, he looked out the window again. There was adventure out there somewhere.

And he was going to find it whether the world wanted him to or not.

Getting used to the fact of this, Parker packed everything he would need to last for the day. Spare clothes, food, water, his pocket knife, sketchbook, and other important items that he thought he might need. Then he raced down the stairs and headed into the kitchen to grab some breakfast.

When he walked into the main room, he glanced over and saw his dad on a laptop staring at it while typing. Working already. Parker thought. Annoyed, he grabbed enough food to last the whole day and shoved it in his backpack. Heading out the door, he heard his mom's footsteps. "Stay safe. Pick up some milk on the way home!" she shouted. Parker rolled his eyes and headed out.

Rolling the bike out of the garage, he hopped on and began the trip. He zipped around town saying hello to everyone he passed by. Everyone was nice and cheery. Being out on his first day of summer seemed to be going by decently. All the townspeople knew Parker as if he were their best friend and were pleased to see him around. Deciding to stop for a little bit, Parker went inside a diner to have a milkshake.

He sat down near the counter and the owner saw him right away. "What flavor will it be this time?" he asked playfully. "I think I'll play it safe- How about strawberry?" he said. "Order up!" the owner replied and headed to the back. A few minutes later and he brought out the milkshake that was topped with whip cream and a cherry. Parker took his time sipping it and sighed as he finished it off.

"So, you got any summer plans this time?" they asked him. "No, sadly I don't. My parents are "too busy" to do anything with me. I'm going to be on my own this year." he said. "Well, I'm sorry that's the case. You know, if you need something to do, you can always come work at the diner, earn some extra cash!"

Parker's eyes widened. "Really?! You mean it?! I'd love to!" he said excitedly. "Sure kid! Hmmm, how about you pop in tomorrow?" he asked. "Yes! Yes! I swear I'll come in!" he said. "Good! I hope to see you around ten tomorrow!" he said. "Okay! Thanks again!" Parker said and headed out to continue on his journey. He rode around on his bike by the beach, near a local park, and around a shady side of town.

But today it seemed calm today. Still, he took plenty of caution as he rode around on his bike. I didn't think this side was in such bad condition. Indeed buildings were broken, things were put out of place, buildings were littered with debris, and covered with graffiti. Parker took note of it and smiled to himself. At least he was feeling something other than endless boredom. "Huh, I think I remember passing by something on the way home yesterday with Billy. I wonder if I'm in the right place." he noted.

He searched throughout the town looking for anything that might lead him to the building that they passed the other day. He saw the old fragments of the studio. Joey Drew Studios! Written across the frames along with the picture of the iconic Bendy demon smiling at them except it was hanging onto the walls by a thread. There was a gate that was barely kept shut and barely squeaked as a haunting gust of wind blew.

"I heard people went missing in there. Said it was haunted." Parker recalled Billy's words. Considering it was too early to head back home, he decided to take his chances. He rolled his bike closer to the gate. Carefully he opened it up and walked right in. Only taking his backpack, he saw the hundreds of signs telling him to run away, hide, get out, trespassing, and threatening signs that would hopefully deter them.

But even Parker couldn't be frightened. So he went and explored the abandoned exterior. "Wow... this place is huge!" Parker gasped as he walked around. He took out his phone and snapped pictures of many things.

At last, he stumbled across a door where the glance panel was shattered inwards, indicating someone broke in. "I mean... It's too early to head home..." he sighed. Carefully using his sleeves to cover his arms, he reached inside the hole and opened the door. Then it creaked open, making an eerie echo as it opened. Inside was what looked like the studio's main entrance. It looked very professional.

Simple desks, a little candle, some papers scattered around the place, and wooden floors. "Woah... this is cool!" he said, taking more pictures. As he investigated, there was something lurking behind him, making quiet groans as it moved around the room. "Why would anyone leave this place? It's so huge!" he said, walking around. There was another room where there seemed to be a glow. He walked towards it, the thing that was following close behind him.

In the other room, it was worse than the entrance. Chairs were thrown across the room, cobwebs flooded the corners, cans of soup were stocked in a pile, posters had been damaged and were falling off, and a projector was on the ground still letting the light shine on a wall in front of it. Not too far was a cutout of Bendy who smiled at nothing. "Oh my gosh! It's the original Bendy! They don't make things like this anymore! I should bring one home!" Parker said excitedly.

As he was doing that, the thing that was stalking him finally decided to descend from the darkness. He loomed over an unsuspecting Parker. A drop of ink hit Parker's head and he reached over to touch his brown hair only to discover the ink in his hair. "Ew... What the..." he said, then looked behind him only feeling more fall. It was a huge ink searcher.

It screeched and tried grabbing Parker who fled in the opposite direction. He dodged into a room that had a faded label called Ink Room. He raced inside and was trapped against a rail that blocked him off from the place in front of him. "No no no!" he cried. Despite himself being unable to think properly, he did see what looked like a huge machine. It was old and looked as if it was beginning to rust.

The Ink Searcher had followed him into the room, blocking the exit. Thinking fast, Parker grabbed a heavy battery off the ground and threw it straight at it. It reeled back in surprise as he decided to make a run for the way he came in. Racing back to the door, he felt relieved he was gonna escape.

But just as Henry once did, the wooden boards caved in and he fell straight through.

"AAHHHH!