R-E-B-O-R-N [Sammy X Reader]

Chapter 21

--Previously--
Standing in front of the Administrations Office, I took several deep breaths in and out, calming my nerves.
'Here goes nothing...'
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Unprepared, I saw a familiar creature roaming the halls. I seemed unnoticed, but I was on edge because of this. The creature had the same stance and looked as mangled as ever. I knew by now that there were such things as 'clones'. What puzzled me was the fact that if these clones were once perfect, how come they all ended up mangled in the same way? Unless that was how they first appeared, I would surely have to think about that question. I didn't exactly know whether this was the same creature I had first interacted with (but it was Charley from the Butcher Gang) so I wanted to try my best to avoid it at all cost. Who knows, it could very well be the creature I had befriended; still, I wasn't taking any chances. I'd rather remain untouched once I get out of this area of the studio - preferably all areas, but that wasn't working so well with me.
Assuming this would be a good time to make a skid through the halls now that Charley was out. Trying my best to take faint sounding steps, I dashed to the end of the hall and turned to my left as it was the quickest way to turn. However, I was very unlucky today. Standing at the end of that path were the clones of Barley and Edgar. Unlike Charley, they noticed me for sure. My voice squeaked in sudden surprise, which evidently gave my position away - I was even sure that Charley could hear! My head turned to my right, and I was about to run that way before I was blocked off by Charley. I wasn't sure whether he was going to harm me or check whether I was okay or not. Either way, I dared not to get too close. My only other option - turn back. 
And that was the plan I carried out - or at least, I tried to. Before I could make my escape out of the Administrations Office,  the entrance had begun to close itself. Panicking, I turned around to see all three of the butcher gang members surrounding me. The lot seemed rather hostile from my eyes and I didn't have anything that could help pry them off of me. I didn't get a proper look at what they were doing, the only thing I looked for is a chance of escape - a chance of survival. I took that chance once it came, when Charley and Barley had separated from each other which made the gap between the two big enough for me to run past them. I brushed past some of the useless rooms, wanting to get to Joey's office as fast as I could. One thing that stopped me was the thought that these creatures may be smarter than I think; I could be cornered right now. After all, this corridor wrapped around in a circle. Something came to mind,
'Wait a minute, there's a miracle station not far from here!'
I thought to myself. It actually wasn't that far and was the next room I was about to subconsciously run past. Not missing an opportunity for survival, I opened the door briskly, shutting it behind me as quietly as possible to not alert the butcher gang that I was currently wanted by. Scared, I dashed over to the miracle station, opened the door and hid inside for a good while. I was unsure of my safety at the moment. I had nothing with me to protect myself with and I wasn't sure how long I'd last trying to sneak past them. They had noticed me, so they weren't going to give up on finding me. 

My mind calmed itself, the same thoughts running through my head.
'I'm safe, I'm hidden, I can't get hurt.'
I continued to affirm these thoughts, trying to manifest for my survival at this point. Hope was all I had on me. Nothing seemed to be working or going well for me, and the unhealthy train of thought I had going on was a major setback. Everyone and everything around me had either died or turned on me. I clouded my thoughts with positive affirmations when deep down I thought I was in deep shit. I had a feeling I was doomed.
The door creaked open. Some footsteps were heard before the shadowed figure of one of the butcher gang members came to my vision. The lighting made the character who stood pretty close to me unclear but figuring him out was easy just by the silhouette. It was indeed Charley - the one I felt the safest with even though this most likely wasn't the clone I had befriended in the past. Curious, his eyes shifted from the audio log to my hiding spot, the miracle station. I shrunk in fear, hoping that I hadn't been spotted. 
I was noticed by Charley. To this, he tilted his head, deciding to look behind him to see if the rest of the gang was with him or not. Lucky for him, they weren't anywhere in sight. The cartoon strode towards the miracle station, gently tugging on the door. To his delight, the door opened to reveal me curled up in a ball. I expected him to throw some hits at me. Instead, he touched my arm sending shivers down it. I pulled away from the contact I was unexpectedly receiving which caused Charley to pull his arm away and take some steps back, showing that he was just as wary as I was. 
I came to the conclusion that this was the creature I had met before! I could finally tell now that I could concentrate on how he looked and acted towards me. He was far from hostile towards me and I guessed it was because of our first encounter with each other. I was thankful for that. Charley was trusting towards me, hence why he wasn't too freaked out at my frightened state. He knew it was his appearance that scared me, but that didn't bother him at all. He held out a hand to me, which I gratefully took now without any hesitation. I smiled at him and he tried to copy, struggling quite a bit due to his face being in the state that it is. 

"Thank you..." I whispered, remaining quiet so that the others couldn't hear. My hand reached out to touch his mangled face. This gesture surprised him a little as it came without warning. Though, there was no need for him to hesitate, so he didn't. He admired me as I observed his features. Knowing that he finally had someone who he could safely be around was enough to make him happy; knowing that he had a friend to his aid was also a factor of his happiness. All he needed was another friend...
I shook my head, frowning at the memory of himself being strapped to that table; the amount of tools placed around his figure as he was in the process of being experimented on. A memory of what happened a while ago, but still so explicit. Finally, I spoke once more,
"I'm so sorry..." I apologised, guilty for what I had witnessed before, knowing that I did nothing. Come to think of it, neither did Sammy or Susie. I was mainly concerned about Susie - something told me this was her doing. After all, she had been in this room before, how come she couldn't save the guy from the experiment table? I let my suspicions aside for a moment, focusing on what I had to say now. "I saw you strapped down to that table. I-I should've done something-"
Charley patted my arm in an attempt to comfort me. It was basically him saying in his own little way that it was all okay. It was the comfort I craved and I was thankful that this little guy was giving this to me. I pulled him into my arms, closing my eyes and enjoying the hug. Honestly, I felt like I had made a new friend by now and I was happy about that.

I stood up, looking down at him. I asked,
"Are those other guys your friends?"
A nod was the answer I received on the other end. Satisfied, I came up with something on the spot. Charley could persuade his friends to like me or at least not get violent with me. Since me and him were friends now it would make sense for his friends to befriend me also.
"I came here for the map in Joey's office. It's my only chance of escape- I can bring you if you want!" I rambled. The little guy seemed hesitant to this idea, wanting to remain in the studio with his friends. He also knew he'd have no chance of survival outside the studio as he required the specific ink supply from the machine. He shook his head at the idea. I continued: "-or not. I was wondering if you could let Barley and Edgar know that I mean no harm. I really don't want to get killed."
Charley nodded. It was surprising to see that he didn't receive any headaches from the amount of times he had to nod or shake his head only to reply to my short-lived conversation. Then again, he is made of ink so it should have an effect on him.

We exchanged glances before I thanked him once again. Charley and I shook hands in a respectful manner, hinting of our friendship. His eyes stared at both our hands in admiration, it was easy for him to express how happy he was in the moment.
"We're friends now, aren't we?"
Charley nodded briskly, showing his excitement. I chuckled to myself, before smirking. 
"Now, let's go find that map, shall we?"
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Word count: 1656 words

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