They stopped once more near the doorway out, the room was large, a high ceiling and tall pillar like ink fountain holding up the sign to the place. Everyone took a sigh of relief as they all piled on top of the two couches nearby. They decided it would be good to sleep and to take shifts, two staying up while the others napped or rested for a few hours at a time, to which Henry insisted to take first shift. The suggestion was quickly shot down, they all knew Henry needed to take a break since he hasn't slept in god knows how long, he reluctantly complied as Tom and Allison took the first shift. After that Norman and Bertrum took over, everyone else was peacefully napping, at some point Bertrum began nodding off when he heard something.
They had grown used to the occasional creaking of the old building and ink flowing through the pipes but an occasional wimper could be heard. Norman and Bertrum looked at one another, then at the source of the noise, it was Henry. He was hugging himself tightly, shaking, curled in the corner of the couch and muttering in his sleep.
"..n-no..please...no" he sounded heart broken, he reached out, trying to hug someone who was dear to him, but finding nothing.
"No...I-I love you...pleas-" his breath hitched
"Do-on't...leave me...we.." He hugs himself once more, nails digging into his arms "Don't give up...please".
"Y-you just…" He sobs "our baby girl…".
"I-I'm..I can't...care for her...without y-you, I-I'm not ready"
"Pl-please, I-I don't want to be alone" he stops mumbling, now back to whimpering softly.
This managed to wake Bendy up from where he was napping on the other side of the room, he dragged his hooves, still half asleep. He slowly made his way to Henry and crawled into his arms, gently making them separate from the iron grip before. Bendy took one of Henry's hands and gave them a tender reassuring squeeze, Henry responded my curling his arms around him and quieting down, his shaking stopped. They both drifted off to more pleasant dreams, which Henry desperately needed nowadays. Bertrum and Norman had watched, Norman had gotten to know Henry while working in the studio by helping him bring letters back and forth to his girlfriend and later wife. But what Henry said left him more then a little concerned for his friends well being, Sammy had woken up as well from the noise and listened too, him and Norman shared a concerned look.
At the last moment the group, who had all woken up and were getting ready to start walking again, decided to give Henry and Bendy a few minutes. Tom ran off to check the elevator shaft to see how many floors the ink flooded, Bertrum was starting to get impatient and shook Henry's shoulder, trying to wake him up.
"Five more minutes sweetie" Henry mumbled "You know dad needs his sleep" then weakly swatting at Bertrums hand.
Bendy woke up from Bertrums shaking and both looked at one another with narrowed eyes.
"Goblin thing, can you please wake him up" Bertrum asked, Bendy responded by snuggling into Henry's arms still glaring.
Tom came back from inspecting the shaft, the ink had flooded level 14 and partially flooded the floor below level 9, Allison let everyone know that they needed to get a move on.
"Please, wake Henry up" Bertrum asked again a little nicer.
Bendy, contemplated for a second, then muttered "okay fine"
"Henry we need ta go, common get ya head outa dreamland already" Bendy wiggles out of Henry's arms and pokes his face.
Henry abruptly sits up, he groans and rubs at his eyes, trying to dispel his drowsiness as he gets of the couch, Bendy climbed off at the same time. Henry was informed of the situation and Tom busted open the door out of the room, they made their way through a dark machine ridden hallway and then to Boris's old safe house. They looked around the place and grabbed some spare supplies in there, Henry stayed back for a moment, whispering an apology and a goodbye to good old Boris before catching up to the others.
After taking a few turns in some confusing corridors and crawling through another vent they made it down a hallway and into Sammy's old sacrifice room. The broken ropes Henry was tied up in where still there and Henry eyed the symbol beneath them. Making their way through another door and a staircase they get to the Music department. Susie, Sammy, Norman, and Bertrum were pretty confused by the layout, it was nothing like the studio they remember. Henry, Allison, and Tom though we're steadily becoming more and more excited knowing how close they were to the exit. Bendy who was once again clinging to Henry's back couldn't remember what much of the studio looked like after being restored so he just silently observed his surroundings.
They passed through a gate and to Utility shaft 9, Sammy was staring at all the symbols, candles, and Bendy cutouts, Bendy tried not to look at the cutouts for too long. Sammy spotted a tape perched on a shelf next to the doorway out, then pressed play. As soon as he heard himself say "savior" he grabbed the tape and threw it to the ground, crushing it beneath his hoof, he looked grim shaking his head.
"That isn't me, I would never say that trash" He said, feeling winded.
Henry patted Sammy on the back "I know Sammy, I know".
Susie hugged Sammy, she saw glimpses of the damage she had done as "Alice" some of it burning in her mind, she knew that strange dreadful feeling, hearing and seeing yourself doing awful things you have no memory of. Bendy watched from over Henry's shoulder, he didn't remember much, only the emotions, as well as some flickers of the studio before everything went to hell. Everyone was afraid of him back then before, but they aren't now, is that good? Trying to think back to it made his head hurt slightly and feel all muddy, he stopped his musings when they started moving again. They soon came upon a dark room, a symbol with geometric shapes and designs was of the floor lined with lit candles, Henry avoided it like the plague, so the others did too. Chopping down the next few doors brought them to a dingy staircase that they quickly ascended, at the top was the debris that was from the caved in floor in front of the exit.
Henry was shaking with anticipation, Allison and Tom grew excited when they saw him looking much more hopeful and happy then they had ever seen him before, this was the way out.
"This is the way out, isn't it" Allison said, grinning.
Henry could only respond with a nod, too overwhelmed by the very real possibility that they are getting out once and for all. Henry passed Bendy to Norman who then carried him and they ever so slowly they made their way up the final hole, the boards and pipes still in it durable enough to be climbed on instead of using a rope. They got to the hall for the front exit, Henry nearly crying at the sight of the light peeking out beneath it, which illuminated the dark area since almost the entire floor has parts of the roof caved in and ink flowing everywhere through the cracks. Tom was covering his face, shaking and ears tucked back, Allison quickly comforted him, quite surprised her normally aggressive and protective partner was now crying. Henry reaches out and turns the doorknob.
The doorknob didn't budge.
Henry feels a pit form in his stomach and he presses his ear against the door, trying to figure out if Joey was still in the apartment. He didn't hear the radio, he didn't hear the familiar sounds of cleaning dishes. He kept his ear to the door though, everyone was dead silent, Henry was straining to hear something, anything on the other side of the door.
He heard the faint chirping of crickets and he nearly passed out from relief, he let go of a breath he didn't know he was holding. Henry then started trying to knock the door down, first trying to ram into the door with the side of his body, then trying to kick the spot next to the doorknob, and then it withstood a blow from Toms mechanical fist. Henry sat near the inky debris in defeat while the others had a shot.
Henry's mind was a thousand miles away feeling as if the world was ending, slowly he started to hear something, a calm, assured whispering. He turned his head towards the noise, standing up and reaching towards one of the streams of ink flowing over the debris, the ink started reaching up to his hand. It enveloped his hand then forming a pole, then a large curved blade, he gripped onto it as it became solid. The ink dripped away revealing an ornate scythe, golden glowing spots on the blade and grip, the handle having a spiraling wire beginning at the grip and ending at the back of the blade, he grinned the flame of hope burning brightly in his chest once more.
"OUTA THE WAY" Henry screamed, everyone cleared a path for him as he charged, eyes glowing the same gold as the scythe, and buried the scythe into the door.
The door cracks and crumbles, the doorway completely open and enveloping everyone in a blinding light, a ringing noise accompanying it.