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

Chapter 22

--Previously--
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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Confidently, I strode to Joey's office knowing that if I was caught by either Barley or Edgar, Charley would be the one to ensure my safety. Still slightly wary, I double checked every corner before turning just to make sure there was a clear path ahead of me; I didn't want to stay here forever. Quickly, I sprinted to the office, opened the door and walked inside, accidentally slamming the door on the way in.
On his desk was an audio log I had never seen before with some papers scattered all over his desk and on the floor. Curious, my eyes scanned over the pieces and to no surprise, they were all about the vast amount of debt that he owed. The company was so close to getting sued but instead it seemed we were basically forced out by the ink demon himself. My eyes widened in shock; I knew he was in major debt but the numbers were so many digits long...
It made me wonder what could've happened to the studio had this whole situation not happened, either way I believe the studio would end up corrupt. I scrunched up the paper that I held in my hand, watching as it began to crease. Rolling it up into the shape of a ball, I tossed the paper behind me and listened as it hit the wall and bounced off of it. My hand grazed across the table until my fingers were now touching the audio log. Curious, I pressed play and listened intensely to the conversation:

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I know how much this part means to you, Susie.
Alice means a lot to me too. All my characters do!
In fact, I'll let you in on a little secret.
I too believe my characters are more than just drawings.
They're alive. They're part of us.
And I want people to know them as well as I do.
I want people to be able to shake their hand,
spend the afternoon with 'em. Love them.
Susie, I'll be straight with you.
I'm putting together a small project...
a little ceremony.
If it works, a lot of dreams will come true.
And I want you to be a part of it...
I want you to bring Alice to life once again.
What do ya say?
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I froze. This one audio log was the answer to all of my questions about the disappearance of Susie. Joey must've recorded this at a time I wasn't present in the room with him - which didn't give him a wide variety of time to record the audio log. It made me wonder why he did in the first place if he did want this whole thing to be a secret. What got me thinking the most was the part where he mentioned he wanted Susie to be a part of this twisted thing. It gave me a clear idea on how she ended up the way she is now. In some way, Joey turned her into this. I knew the ink was alive (I mean, Bendy proved that fact) but what I didn't know was how the substance was able to turn her into a twisted, mangled version of Alice. Clearly, something went wrong with the experiment that led her to become this way, but what?
My arms dropped harshly, my fingers picking on the sides of my (trousers/skirt). No words were spoken; no one to even share my thoughts with in the first place. Charley had gone to find his gang. Meanwhile, I can barely move from my stance.
This was all so...  sadistic of Joey. He knew how to get around things; he was the boss, the head of the company! He recognised his studio and its inhabitants greatly (I say inhabitants since we basically slept there every night). This recognition of his made things very easy for him. There was no challenge in manipulating most people here, Susie was merely an easier target as she had a fragile mind. Susie's more or less in her own world until someone else mentions her, then she's all ears. Knowing this fact made things too easy and the boss took pleasure in it all. I didn't want to believe it - never did - but the truth is that Joey's lost his mind, he's sincerely a monster.

Finally, I took a couple of steps back. So much was shared in this one audio log but I knew there was much more to it. I looked down at my hands that I held in front of me - they were quivering! All because of a simple dialogue spoken by my own boss. I didn't understand anything at this point and you couldn't really blame me for that. Too worried to even focus long ago, I didn't realise three shadows taking up the little light that shone in the room. My surroundings and my hands dimmed a bit as a result of this and I finally mustered the courage to look at the doorway.
I knew who was there:
Charley, Barley and Edgar.
They all couldn't help but wonder what was wrong with my trembling body. I was in too much panic to speak. Briskly, I walked back to Joey's desk, grabbed hold of some bandages and paced around the office looking for the map. When I found it you could only ever imagine the amount of weight that lifted off of my shoulders. All previous emotions had disappeared knowing that my chances of leaving this place with a few extra people had increased. Not by far, but by some amount. It was then I realised that I was still being looked at. So awkwardly, I waved at them, to which they returned the gesture. 

Silently, I walked out of Joey's office and passed the Butcher gang trying not to trample over them with the immense height difference. Quizzed, they made sure to follow me from behind, holding a similar quickened pace. Outside of the administration's office now after not being able to handle the vast amount of truth that had just lapped circles through my brain. I couldn't handle anything. 
Now, with three pairs of eyes digging into my very soul, I couldn't help but find it even harder to cope. So I turned around; the now much calmer and neutral look upon my features bewildered the trio. Apologising for much concern I had caused - especially towards Charley - I introduced myself, hoping that it would take my mind off of things. And it did! For a little while...
"(Y/N)." My lips curved into a shy smile. Currently, my body ducks down to their level while they all get closer to my face. How confused they all were (except for Charley to an extent). 
None of them replied with an English sentence. From my perspective, it was all gibberish; the only thing that let me know they were content were their smiles despite how scary they appeared to be. I was quite glad to have met somebody new even if they struggled to speak properly; I was just happy to be in the presence of someone with enough decency.
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Eventually, I managed to get all patched up with the help of my new companions. What I had also come to learn is that these creatures were everywhere - specifically the lost ones. Every second I can sense them just standing in one area of the room, having my frame in clear sight. Not that they were hostile, but the way I was being observed at a low profile was a bit creepy to say the least. At least the burning feeling would soon turn to ashes since I was actually on my way to the safe house. There was a lot of missed conversation but to put it short, the lost one that I had originally spoken to instructed me to go to a specific safe house. 

This was a bit nerve wracking since I had to pass by the now deceased Susie. Just knowing that her corpse lay somewhere near my living body was enough to make the discomfort that I felt earlier sink back in. My posture settled small with my shrunken shoulders which my hands protected, my arms crossed and I was now taking small and quiet steps to make sure that my presence was as vague as possible. Unfortunately, as always, I wasn't very lucky.

A cough in the distance caught my attention; I couldn't help but stiffen up to the sound of it.

To my surprise, Susie was very well alive and moving - much more scary than ever. By now it seemed that every bit of her personality had shifted, Susie was no longer herself. The once bright and optimistic Susie was now a girl who strove for perfection to the next extreme. No longer happy with herself, she had become a monster, taking the lives of others to make her appearance more friendly. The woman stared daggers into my eyes, creating the feeling of guilt circulating inside of me; my mind was in agony.





'What did I do..?'
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Word count: 1561 words

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