Return To The Machine

Chapter 32

Rosa sighed and lowered her Gent pipe. Audrey still kept her distance. She didn't want to startle her more than she might have. "You're right. We need help. We lost some of our friends along the way. This place is a maze and even though I've been here for a few years, I haven't been able to figure everything out there for us. Now I know what it's like to be a Lost One..." Rosa explained. Audrey nodded her head. "I get it... I remember coming here the first time. I was scared, confused, and wondering if I was going to make it. You'd be surprised how fast you learn your way to survive." Audrey told her. "I promise you this much, I'll get us to a safe place. I know one not too far from here." Audrey then suddenly began to approach them.

"That's close enough." Rosa held up the Gent pipe, extending it out. "I'm just saying, if you want to get out of here, I will get you somewhere safe. I know a place from here. We'll be safe."

Parker now crawled out from underneath the desk and approached her from behind. "Parker, what do you think?" Rosa questioned. Audrey whipped around to see him walk out of nowhere. Reflexes kicked in and she placed her left hand on his chest. A spark came from her hand making Parker cry out in pain. He clutched himself and screamed as he rolled around his vision became blurry.

"PARK!!! What did you do?!" Rosa cried as she screamed at Audrey. "I didn't mean to! I can't always control it!"

Their voices began to fade as Parker shut his eyes. It made him tired and he couldn't understand why.

...

"Parker... Parker. PARKER."

Parker's eyes opened. But he wasn't anywhere in the studio. Instead, his surroundings consisted of ink and several voices all around. He covered his ears recognizing the voice from a while back.

"Wake up, Parker. You are in the presence of a better future." the voice went on. Frantically Parker looked around wondering where he was once more. The place he was at wasn't like the one he'd been to previously. He looked at his hands which had little stains of ink on them. Slightly he panicked but tried not to show it. "You're all alone Parker. Your friends, your family... none of them care about you anymore. Even the ones you just met in this place that they call a prison don't care about you. Do they? Let's be real Parker. No one has ever cared about you."

Even though the voices were supposed to confuse him, Parker shook his head. "No... That's not true... You're trying to manipulate me. It's not going to work, Bendy! Or- whoever you are! Go away! I don't want anything to do with you!"

A demonic laugh filled the dark inky womb.

"You will NEVER escape! Do you hear me? You. Are. Ours."

Parker shifted around and saw the light out of nowhere. He sighed and closed his eyes once more.

...

Suddenly Parker's eyes snapped right open. He sat up out of breath while breathing heavily to catch himself from passing out again. He glanced all around and saw that he had been placed on a proper bed this time. The bed sheets were thin yet they were the warmest thing that's been around compared to everything else. The room he was now in looked much fancier than the previous places they'd been so far. "Rosa... Rosa!" he gasped as he jumped out of the bed. The minute he hopped out of bed, his legs fell numb and he lost his footing. A subtle thud filled the room followed by the sound of an open door.

"Oh my gosh, Park!" Rosa cried, racing to his side. She held him in her arms before helping him off the ground. "Are you okay?" she asked him worriedly. "I'm..." Parker started, looking into her eyes which made him melt. "I'm fine. Thanks for asking. My legs do feel a little wobbly though," he told her she made him sit down again. "Are you okay?" he asked her. "I'm fine! Don't worry about me. I've been worried sick ever since Audrey hit you with her powers. It's a weird thing this ink can do for everyone else down here."

"By the way, where are we? This place is... fancy." he questioned. "Apparently Audrey has come down here to take us somewhere safe. Apparently, she has a friend named Betty who's decided to hide us from this psycho named Wilson. He's the one who unleashed those creatures on us in order to take Sammy, Buddy, and the others. We've gotta find them though. If they get to us or anyone else, we're going to be in trouble. But... you look a little rough... you even have a scratch on your face." she told him, brushing her thumb across Parker's face. She stopped slightly when together they made eye contact.

There was a sudden pause between the two as Parker smiled softly seeing how much Rosa cared for him. He gently pushed a wisp of hair out of her face which made her turn slightly red. Then someone else walked into the room. "Ah, I see you're awake!" Parker looks to Rosa for some sort of explanation for the robot-like figure with a British accent. "Pleasure to meet you, dear Parker. My name is Betty and I plan to make your stay comfortable. Audrey is waiting for you both in the next room. I'll leave you two to get ready." she answered for him before walking away. "Thank you, Betty!" Rosa replied. Parker shook his head. "I swear this place keeps getting weirder and weirder with every passing second."

Eventually, they got up to leave to find Audrey who was in a library with an expensive piano. She stood there reading books before turning around to see her new companions. "You're awake! I'm sorry about earlier. I... I didn't mean to introduce myself that way. But if you're down here long enough, you never get used to random creatures sneaking up on you from behind. Plus even after years of practice, I still can't always control the ink's gift. It's unpredictable." she told him, her hand lightly sparking. "I get it, don't worry. To be honest, we're all trying our best down here." Parker told her softly.

Audrey smiled and ushered them out of the room and headed out back into the hall. She signaled them to be quiet to get them to the back door as Betty kept looking back and forth. Once they headed out of the area, they headed down another passageway with several metal pieces and wood planks nailed together along the walls. "Audrey, I don't want to be pushy, but we really need to find our friends. Do you know where they are? Also, who was that guy who sent all those freaky creatures after us?" Parker questioned. Audrey looked around for danger before briefly ducking into a new hallway.

"I promise you both we will find your friends. But this place is dangerous. If you don't stay close we will get in trouble with someone. Trust me, there's hardly anyone nice down here. Only the Resistance can help us. This reminds me, I've got a way to get in touch with Allison and Tom. They'll be able to help us." Audrey told them. "W-Wait! Get us to that pipeline! I know Allison and Tom and I know they're worried about us! Take us, Audrey! This place is a maze and no one else knows this place like they do!" Rosa exclaimed. Audrey looked around before taking them somewhere secure.

Once more she put a finger to her mouth. "I'll get to them soon. But listen, you have to stick close to me. This part of the studio is ten times more dangerous than the others. So whatever I tell you to do, you do. Okay?" she told them seriously. Both teens nodded their heads. "Okay, come this way. I know a path!"Audrey led them to another pathway where there were several turns.

As they walked, Parker swore he heard a sound. Like something or someone taking steps. He paused halfway to listen. Rosa noticed this and slowed down. When he didn't move, she walked towards him, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Park... Are you okay?" she asked worriedly. Before Parker could soothe her, there was a crash and what sounded like a struggle. Together they raced back just to see Audrey on the ground passed out. "Audrey!" Rosa exclaimed. Just as she moved forward, something splashed into her face. Rosa cried out in shock before falling to the ground. Parker faced whoever it was that threw what looked like ink onto her face. To his horror, he gave a slight breath of shock, his pupils dilating.

"Well well well, if it isn't my little errand boy."