Return To The Machine

Chapter 20

Days were clearly off because they couldn't see the sun. But everyone always got onto Parker when he slept in for too long. When he opened his eyes, he saw three figures surrounding him. "Hey! Wake up!" Sammy snapped as he shook him awake. Parker opened his eyes to see them and cried out in surprise. Not seeing he was lying underneath a tool that stuck out, he jumped up fast and hit his head against the gadget. "OW!" he shouted as he rubbed his head. "I can't imagine how anyone can sleep in late as he does." Buddy noted as he turned to walk off. Sammy grumbled as he followed Buddy out. "C'mon lazy head. Buddy has agreed to take us on a safer route." Rosa explained, following them out.

Grumbling to himself, Parker collected his items and went outside. There was a door without the switch that was meant to open it and let them leave. "Well, wolf, are we leaving or what?" Sammy questioned irritated. "Relax Sammy! Trust me when I say I've got this handled! We'll find a new passageway back to the Resistance in no time!" Buddy reassured them. They watched as Buddy pulled out what looked like a lever and inserted it into the panel. He pulled it down to open the door. Or creaked open. Buddy turned on his flashlight which helped to illuminate their new path. "Well? Cmon y'all! Let's get head out because if Bendy finds us, I'm not sticking around."

Sammy rolled his eyes and matched his speed standing next to him. "You say that but you're still here." he scoffed. Rosa trotted right behind him happily with a shoulder pack attached. Parker yawned as he put his backpack on. On they went to new discoveries.

No signs of life anywhere. Just ink and faint noises of endless whispers. They tried their best to be quiet. But the lack of noise was making them more and more nervous. Eventually, they found booths to hide in and entered one for a break. Of course, it was very cramped. "Okay, this was probably a dumb idea." Buddy pointed out. "I've got no leg space!" Parker whined. "Shush! It's not fun for any of us!" Rosa scolded. "So besides going in all sorts of directions that I haven't explored recently, do you actually know where we're going?" Sammy questioned annoyed.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do! According to the map that I've made of my travels, the path I've found shouldn't be too far from this booth we're in right now. All we have to do is remain undetected!" Buddy replied cheerfully. "Won't they think it's suspicious if they find a Boris that can talk?" Rosa asked. "Not if they don't know I can talk! What they don't know won't hurt!" Buddy insisted. "Okay- but- can we get out soon? It's so cramped in here!" Parker pleaded. They nodded with serious expressions. They headed out of the booth. The following section they were heading into was dark and dimly lit.

Buddy held up a flashlight, allowing them to see what was ahead a bit better. There were only the sounds of machinery, dripping of ink, and their faint footsteps. A loud bang from above startled me as it was followed by multiple clanks. All of them remained quiet as they tried to stay still and not make noise. Finally, it was back to the machinery making all the noise. Buddy lead them down the next few hallways and passageways to an area where a pair of heavy metal doors were pushed together closely. They were almost intentionally made that way so no one could get through. "Looks like there's nowhere else to go..." Rosa noted. Buddy shook his head as he headed to a nearby vent.

Using a screwdriver he carried with him, he unbolted the door that had an opening that would help them escape. It had enough space for all three to enter no matter the size. Buddy motioned for them to follow him through the vent before heading inside first himself. There was a moment of hesitation but eventually, the crew followed through, blindly trusting Buddy to go where they were heading. Buddy managed to reach the end of the vents and broke open the vents to exit into the new area. There was a sign nearby that hung loosely on a nearby wall.

Currently, they were on Level P. Though there was a much bigger sign confirming their suspicions. Buddy waved the flashlight around the room. It was dark and gloomy, ink dripping in every direction. Suddenly an ink creature popped out from the puddles, crawling toward them. Buddy killed it with a wrench he had. It went back down into the ground without much of a fight before they moved on.

Ink puddles bubbled down in the offices that were still there as a clock ticked back and forth. The desks were littered with papers. Someone was here before. Sammy and Buddy opened a panel that contained spark plugs inside of them. They knew they were a resource they could use later on in their journey. Parker and Rosa went through the drawers together trying to find what they could use. Parker knew he had hurt Rosa's feelings prior to them leaving. He looked over at her, red appearing on his face.

"H-Hey." he stuttered. Rosa looked over and rolled her eyes. "Hi." she replied softly.

"I... I just... I'm sorry..." Rosa then put down a paper she was looking at. "I'm sorry about how I reacted. It's just been a few years since... since I've felt wanted. Meeting you guys changed everything for me. I'm not used to having this kind of attention or stress. Not to mention I've never had to run for my life before. I guess what I'm trying to say is... I want to be real friends." Rosa smiled and nodded her head. "It's okay Park. I get it. I really do. We're in this together, for however long it takes."

They smiled as they kept looking through the drawers. Just then Parker found a paper that caught his eye. It was a particular picture of Bendy with two others in the background. One of them was scratched out. Clearly, this one was Joey Drew based on the outfit he was wearing.

But the other, it was someone else. Someone they knew better overall.

It was Henry.

"Rosa, who was Henry to Bendy exactly? I know he created him and everything, but there has to be more right?! Why else would he be looking for him?" Parker questioned. "Park, we just know he's the creator. Bendy was tight with Henry for that reason. Henry contains a lot of power on his own. Except it wouldn't matter. No one can find Henry. We've searched everywhere for him. No one can find him not even Bendy. He probably never will..."

Just then Sammy and Buddy raced into the room frantically. "Come on! Right now! In here!" Sammy scolded as he grabbed both teens and dragged them. "What?! Why?! What's happening?!" Rosa cried. Immediately, the room filled with ink trails in every direction. They slammed themselves into a booth to hide. "Gosh, that was close!" Buddy gasped as they sat in there.

They watched from the small window and watched the Ink Demon walk out from a wall and into the area.

He limped as he walked

"Another endless search... Still no signs of life...Where are you, Henry? Why did my creators lie?"