Child of The Darkness

Chapter 3

Now knowing that Alice meant no harm to her, Audrey edged a little close, slowly beginning to trust her and wondered if maybe this place wasn't so bad after all, maybe there were some good people here that could help her find a way out.

"Tell me Audrey, how old are you?" Alice inquired, noticing how young the child was and thinking that maybe it wouldn't be safe for her to be walking around alone, after all, the studio wasn't exactly an ideal place for a young child like Audrey to be wandering alone in.

"I'm Ten" the girl replied "so, what happens now, can I come with you to the upper levels, please?"

As much as she wanted to accompany the child, Alice couldn't help but think about her sidekick and the current trust issues they currently had with strangers, and this put her in a very difficult position.

"Oh I wish I could, but I have a wolf and well, he doesn't care very much for strangers" Audrey gave a small nod, looking down at her feet "hey I'll tell you what, take this" she handed the girl what appeared to be a walkie talkie device " that way we can keep in contact with each other, oh and if you find yourself in some difficultly, then ask one of the lost ones, they'll be able to help you out."

"The lost ones?" Audrey questioned, raising her eyebrows "who are they?" Alice explained to the child that they were the inky inhabitants that roamed the halls of the studio, how they were once people who had become inky beings whilst being trapped in this world.

"Hey, don't look so worried" the woman reassured when she noticed the worried look on Audrey's face "they're pretty friendly as long as you don't provoke them. So, will you be ok from here on out?" the little girl nodded "alright, and remember, if you ever get in trouble, then ask one of the lost ones, they won't hurt you as long as you show them that you're not a threat or just contact me on the walkie talkie, and remember what I said, about the Ink Demon, if you see him, then you find a place to hide as quick as you can."

Now trusting Alice, the child threw her arms around her waist before letting go as the toon woman put her hand on the girl's shoulder before departing, leaving little Audrey alone once again, but knowing that she had to be brave, she proceeded to make her way out of heavenly toys and into the next area, but every single slight sound made the girl look over her shoulder constantly, half expecting this so-called "Ink Demon" to jump out at her, but she did remember Wilson mentioning something about "banishing" the Ink Demon away, what if that was all lies, what if they were still out, what if they knew she was there and was watching her.

As the little girl made her way to the next area, she came across a mirror and what she saw in the reflection almost made her stumble. Her clothes were stained with Ink, there was some Ink o the side of her face and her left arm was completely covered in the stuff whilst her right arm was only partially covered, but the one thing that the girl couldn't help but notice was that her eyes now had a yellowish gold glow to them.

"W..what's happened to me" she whimpered. It appeared that being transported into this strange world had transformed her somehow and this scared the young girl, she didn't know what was happening to her, could she be slowly turning into an Inky Inhabitant like Alice? Audrey placed her small hand on the mirror and let out a sigh before proceeding into the next area labeled ANIMATION ALLEY.

As the child entered this new area, the walkie-talkie that Alice had given her began to crackle and the woman's voice was just barely audible.

"Audrey, can you hear me, come in, Audrey."

"Alice" the little girl replied, speaking into the walkie talkie "I can hear you."

"Alright, can you tell me where you are right now" Alice spoke and Audrey said that she was in an area called Animation Alley "Okay good, you're on the right path, now see if you can find a way out?"

"Ok" the child replied as she looked for an entrance, but when she finally found it, the girl realized that it was bolted shut and she didn't have anything to bust it down "Umm Alice, I found the entrance but it's locked, I need to" the girl was cut off as something jumped down at her from the ceiling, causing her to cry out.

"Audrey" Alice spoke, her voice filled with panic "Audrey, what's happening," Audrey screamed and swatted her hands at the Spider-like creature as it clawed at her, hissing and uttering all kinds of gibberish.

As the little girl attempted to fend off the spider creature, someone came barging into the area and Audrey noticed that they were humanoid but covered in Ink they had seemed to scare the spider creature off as it jumped back up into the ceiling. Audrey however, hid behind some barrels, not knowing if this newcomer was hostile or friendly.

"WHO'S IN HERE, I HEARD A NOISE" the ink person yelled, brandishing what appeared to be a wooden plank "IF I FIND OUT WHO'S IN HERE, I'M GONNA MAKE THEM REGRET TRESPASSING IN HERE."

Audrey put her hand over her mouth to quiet her breathing as the Ink person stalked around, she didn't know what they would do if they found her, and judging by the plank of wood they were holding, she assumed that it wouldn't be good.

"Please don't find me, please don't find me" the little girl whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut as the sound of their squelching, Inky footsteps drew nearer and nearer to her hiding spot until they suddenly stopped.

Audrey sat with her eyes squeezed shut for a few more minutes until slowly opening them, but she could sense that something was standing near her and with a terrified whimper, the child slowly turned her head to find the Ink person standing there, looking down at her, they had found her.