Return To The Machine

Chapter 6

A bell rang throughout the hideout and signaled to everyone all around to come back to the main entrance at the front where they first started. As they gathered around, Parker stood awkwardly at the back not knowing what to do. Tom stood at the front of the area as he came to greet the girl known as Allison. She had small devil horns and wore adventure clothing that was covered in ink stains.

She was breathing heavily as everyone approached her and welcomed her back to the base. "I... I don't mean to be nosy, but who's that?" Parker asked. "That's Allison. She's our leader here. Usually, she's nice and gets along with everyone. But I'd still be careful. One wrong move and she'd let Bendy have you in a heartbeat." Rosa clarified.

Allison herself made her way through the crowd and was approached by Tom who barely bowed. "It's nice to see you in one piece." he huffed. "Nice to see you too! Uh... Is something wrong?" she asked them. Tom grunted and pushed Rosa forward. Somewhat annoyed, Rosa rolled her eyes and barely bowed in front of her, and looked Allison in the eyes. "Listen, I brought another one to our hiding spot. But before you get mad, I had good reason. He was being surrounded by the Butcher gang. Their numbers have increased. He also claimed to see Bendy before coming here. I knew if I hadn't come any sooner, his army would've only increased." she explained.

"Well as much as it was irresponsible to bring in another stranger to the area, I have to commend you for your bravery. Who is it?" she responded. Tom then shoved Parker forward and he gulped nervously seeing the girl that looked like an angel and a devil. Allison bent down and looked him over. She smiled and reached out to shake his hand. "Hello! You probably heard my name was Allison, but call me Alice! What's your name? How'd you get in here?" she said, introducing herself. "Oh, um, I'm Parker. I'm from the outside world I guess. I just walked in at the entrance. If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have walked in!" he said immediately.

Soon the whole room gasped hearing that statement. Not Alice though. "Ha! I can't say that I blame you! We've... We've all been here for a long time." she replied. "I appreciate your courage, Rosa! Parker, you can stay with us. But of course, we only can let you stay if you do your part around here." she replied. Parker was surprised. "W-Well I'd love to! But I'm more interested in getting home. Either way, I'll still do my part!" he replied.

Recoiling back, Allison stared at him wide-eyed. She turned back to the rest of her people before looking back at a nervous Parker. "I don't know where you come from, or why you're even here. But all I can really say is, you can't really leave. There's no such thing as escaping from here. I wish there was. I hate every second of being here. I wish we could escape so every single one of us could get out there and live our lives. But we can't. So you better get used to being around here and the danger around us."

Realizing this, Parker nodded his head slowly, biting his lip to prevent tears from coming down his face. "Okay... We can talk more later. But it's getting late. You should all rest. Tom and Anna will take the first shift. Take care everyone." Allison said. Rosa approached Parker and put a hand on his shoulder. "C'mon, I'll show you where we stay. You'll need your rest for sure." she told him.

~~~~~~~~~~~

In the new sleeping area, everyone started calling it a night in bunk beds. Rosa took the top one and Parker decided to take an empty one that was underneath her. She stretched out and fell asleep almost immediately after her long adventure. Parker meanwhile sat in the bunk bed and pulled the blankets over him. He sighed and gently wiped away the tears that pricked at his eyes. Saddened by the whole ordeal, he cried silently, trying not to make any noise.

I need a distraction. He reached into his backpack and pulled out the sketchbook and pencil before sketching. The little light coming from a candle helped him to concentrate on something he loved rather than the whole ordeal he was going through. In the little light that he had, he drew many pictures of his encounters and tried to draw something happy like his dog or Billy.

Still, nothing could change the fact that he was downright terrified of what could happen to him during this whole ordeal. He didn't even want to think about it. Bendy was already such a close encounter. What does that mean for me on the rest of this adventure? Gosh... Coming into this place was just a bad idea. What happens if I continue to help them with whatever they tell me? What if I don't help them? Will they do something to me then? I don't even know how long they've been down here themselves. I could be asking for a lot more trouble than I already was in the first place.

Stop overthinking this! It's not that hard! Clearly... there's something they're hiding. I need to find out a way to get out here no matter what. And no one here is gonna stop me from finding that escape. I've got a plan. I just need help. Parker peaked at the top for Rosa. Maybe she'll help me out. But then again... If they're all scared of what's on the outside... What's out there that's so dangerous? I have to know. There's something else going on that they aren't telling me about. This is a matter of life or death!

Looking at the candle and the many others who slept in the bunks, he sighed and blew out the candle, put the book away, and fell asleep for the night.