Return To The Machine

Chapter 21

Bendy searched the whole area, ink trails flooding every corner. The small window the group used to look out of was barely tinted from the tension. Buddy's legs trembled as he stood there. "If Bendy himself finds out we're in this very room, we're done for!" he exclaimed. Sammy scoffed. "What is he doing here? I thought Bendy only went to certain places now." Rosa questioned. "He did. And then he showed up." Sammy replied, looking at Parker. "For the fifteenth time, I'm sorry! How was I supposed to know this place was cursed?"

"There were literal signs telling you to go the other way! People disappeared here! What part of that wasn't clear enough?!" Rosa snapped. "Fair enough, but, I'm here so I'm sorry I ruined everything... again!" Parker sighed. "Wait, you're telling me someone actually came in here willingly?" Buddy asked. "Yes, for once, someone had more guts than normal people." A few minutes went by before the room went back to normal.

Waiting for a few more gave them the chance to reroute their journey. "Okay, there's a lift nearby we can use. Hopefully, it's actually there. I remember Thomas wouldn't use it because it could've killed someone. But it never did. Let's hope it doesn't now." Buddy told them. They exited the booth before heading towards the nearby lift. Sammy pressed the button, trying not to make much noise. Of course, the ding went off. Then through the heavy silence, they could hear the lift coming their way.

The lift arrived, and the doors opened up. Quickly they began to enter the lift only to hear a scream and ink trails coming from behind them. "Oh, fiddle." Sammy huffed. Bendy raced towards them, seeing him coming straight for them. Only now that he saw them was he able to run much faster. "I knew I heard someone down here! I'm not CRAZY! You're all monsters!" he yelled. Buddy ushered both Rosa and Parker into the lift. He motioned to Sammy for the piece of wood on the ground.

"What the hell is this going to do to that?!" Sammy shouted. Buddy ignored him, picked up the piece of wood, wrapped a small cloth bandage around it, and pulled out a lighter. He lit the cloth on fire and placed it in front of Bendy. He waved it around wildly, not backing down. Bendy recoiled in shock, feeling the heat react with his skin. Buddy then threw it at the Ink Demon before grabbing Sammy's arm and lunging them into the lift. He hit the button on the doors so they would close. Bendy backed away from the fire that formed from an ink puddle nearby. "Hit a button!" Sammy snapped. Parker hit a random button on the control panel and it took them down to another level.

Meanwhile, Bendy stood up as the fire eventually died down. He hissed seeing his prey escape from his grasp. "Somehow, someway, I will break free. I will retrieve what I need to make my hell their world. Run while you can creators... My dreams will come to life."

...

The four in the elevator took a deep breath as the elevator came to a halt. It stopped on the floor Parker had sent them to before they made it to Level 14. Sammy looked around and observed their new area. "Woah. I've never been here before. Where are we?" Rosa questioned. "This... This almost looks like the old place that manages projection. Ah, what was the name of the guy in charge of the studios? Was it Morgan? Or... Jordan? Gosh... What was it Boris?" he asked Buddy. Buddy rolled his eyes. Rosa bit her lip, digging the point of her shoe into the ground. She stayed silent.

"The projection room? Do you mean where they show movies?" Parker asked. "No, it's the room to make shadow puppets. Of course, it's a place where we watch movies! What else are we supposed to do with it?!" Sammy retorted. "Okay okay, I'm sorry! I just didn't know because... well this is bigger than a normal theater right?" he asked them. Buddy looked up and noticed that it was indeed bigger than he thought it was. "I have to admit. It's bigger than I remember... Everything's changed." Sammy pointed out.

Parker looked over the rail to see a large lake of ink. "Uh, is that normal?" he asked them. Each of them peered over at him seeing the black goo. Without anything else to go by, Buddy held up a light to see better into the cavern. There were two pathways that they could see. Sammy and BUddy exchanged a look before heading into the one to the left. Parker and Rosa trailed behind them. The ink tried pulling them back into the darkness. However, their souls remained, preventing them from completely returning to the Ink Machine.

Everywhere they looked there was a screen that had a projection showing off cartoons in action. Bendy danced, Boris and Bendy goofed around, and the Butcher gang and Bendy caused mischief on the screens. "I remember these..." Sammy sighed. He placed his hand against the screen and sighed. "The days before everything went to hell..."

Buddy leaned against him sympathetically before they moved forward. Parker was amazed yet saddened by all their work. Clearly, their passion for art was taken from them too soon.

As they ventured, they saw a flicker that looked too weird to be there. It wasn't coming from the ground projections. Buddy held up a light to see what it was. Sammy tried his best to but nothing worked. Next thing they knew, a tall creature with a projection as a head screeched. He began to run towards them, arms outstretched, their head bopping up and down.

"Run. RUN!" Sammy shouted as they quickly turned around. Rosa and Parker got the message and began to run. Yet the ink began to drag them down immensely, slowing them down.

Eventually, the Projectionist caught up to them, seizing Sammy, and pulling him back. Sammy hit him back and forth against the head. Buddy stepped in, using his wrench as a makeshift hammer.

The Projectionist screeched some more. At one point, Buddy managed to stab the wrench into the abdomen of their captor. He pulled it out, creating a hole in the ink. "STOP!" Rosa yelled.

The Projectionist once again fell back, clutching their side painfully. It roared at them fiercely. Buddy then lifted his hand to deliver the next blow. "NO! DON'T!" Rosa pushed him away with great force and towards a nearby booth. Sammy and Parker raced after the two before they headed into the booth. The Projectionist took their chance and escaped back into the thick darkness of the ink.

Only when they knew that they were safe did Sammy unleash his fury. "ARE YOU SERIOUS?! We could've been killed! What were you thinking?!" he shouted. "I hate to admit it, but, he's got a point. I don't think I've seen him this angry!" Buddy exclaimed. "Seriously Rosa, what was that all about?!" Parker added.

Rosa looked away before she let out a sigh.

"Listen... you wouldn't understand!" she snapped.

"You have two minutes to explain what it is before we throw you out and let you be someone else's problem!" Sammy replied angrily.

Rosa looked away ashamed seeing that she had lost. This was obviously hard on her.

"Okay... look... You won't believe me... But the Projectionist you were talking about... His real name is Norman Polk... He was someone I've been looking to save... Because... My name is Rosa... Rosa Polk."