Mary sat there, sobbing quietly in front of the closed door.
Beside her, Alice was breathing heavily, an undercurrent of gurgles accompanying the sound.
The door pounded a few times, then went silent. Joey didn't come through.
The piece of paper on the door, the paper with a funny circle on it, seemed to preventing it.
"Bendy..." Mary sobbed as the sounds of Joey leaving filled the room. "Bendy..."
Alice looked at the little girl, an expression of sympathy on her face. Her melting, drooping face.
"I'm sorry..." she said, in a voice like bubbling goo. "I wish...I wish I'd gotten there sooner..."
Mary just continued to cry, curling up into a little ball. They sat there, for what seemed like hours, as Alice placed her hand on Mary's shoulder for comfort.
"Mary, this is Bendy."
Four-year-old Mary stared wide-eyed at the cel her uncle held in his hands. Henry laughed as she reached out to tap it, pulling it out of her reach.
"No, honey, this is expensive. Not for kids to be touching, okay? But listen, I have some tapes..."
An hour passed. Mary sat in front of the TV, next to her uncle – on baby-sitting duty that night – watching the little cartoon devil try to convince a wolf to skip church.
"He's a bit naughty," Henry laughed, ruffling Mary's hair. "But he's really a nice demon. He's good, on the inside."
"Would he like me?"
It was just an innocent, silly little question. Plenty of children dream of their favorite cartoon characters liking them, being their friends. Mary happened to be one of them.
Her uncle's smile looked sad for a moment. "Aw, kiddo...
"Bendy would have loved you."
"Mary...Mary, my dear...you've got to go."
"No." Mary shook her head hard, a few tears slipping free from her lashes. "We were s'posed to get out together!" she sobbed.
That had been the plan. She was supposed to get out with Bendy. Then they'd come for Alice. And Boris. And they'd all be okay. They'd all be with Henry again. They'd all be...
She kept seeing it, over and over again. Bendy's last, weak smile. The way his own remaining eye crinkled a bit. The tear.
"I love you, Mary..."
The ink crashing around him.
He hadn't even put up a fight.
Maybe he knew it would be useless...
Mary held her wrench against her chest as if hugging it, hiccuping softly. They were supposed to get out together.
"Mary..." Alice whispered. "There is not...much time..."
That got Mary's attention. She lifted her gaze to Alice at last – and her eyes went wide.
Alice was barely formed. She was just a torso, and not even that anymore...Most of her body was nothing but a black and white puddle of swirls. She tried to lift her arm, but all that happened was the ink forming her arm broke apart. So instead, she nodded vaguely towards something behind Mary. Her head almost oozed off her shoulders.
Mary, heart pounding at the sight of one of her favorite characters like this, slowly turned to look.
And then she realized that she was on the same floor as she'd started. They were in front of one of the doors – one that hadn't opened. From where she sat, she could see the door. The hole was still there, but a plank of wood had been torn from the door to the Ink Machine, and had been nailed down as a bridge.
"It's...not ideal..." Alice whispered, a faint undertone of laughter. "But it was all I had the energy...to do...The board is thick. Your weight will hold, I promise you..."
"I can't-!" Mary began.
"Mary. Dear heart." Alice looked right into Mary's tear-filled eyes. "Bendy...wouldn't want you to stay here all alone..."
Mary froze, the mention of Bendy bringing fresh tears to her eyes.
Alice smiled. A difficult action. "You must leave...Bendy would have wanted that..."
Mary sniffled, her throat tight. "But...I was supposed to take him with me...We were s'posed to take all of you!"
"I know, darling...But things are different now...You've got to go. At least...do it for Bendy..."
Mary looked down at the wrench for a few moments, her throat still tight. Then, blinking hard, she looked back at Alice. "Aren't...aren't you coming...?" she asked, in a small voice. "W-We can get more ink, we can make you all better, we-"
But Alice was melting, right before Mary's eyes. "I'll always be with you, dear...Just as Bendy and Boris will...Now go on, dear...Run home."
And that was the last thing Mary heard Alice say. The next moment, there was nothing but a puddle in front of her.
For the second time in two minutes, Mary sat and cried.
Only this time, she was completely alone.
Her tears were dry now. She'd been completely cried out. The strength had returned to her limbs, and she stood on the board-bridge.
Alice was right. The board had held her weight. It hadn't even creaked once.
Mary stood in the doorway, letting the night air outside cool her face, make her hair flow softly. Her bike was right where she'd left it. Her wrench was still in her hands – a memento, she thought to herself, to bring back to her uncle.
Bendy, Alice, and apparently even Boris...they'd all wanted this.
Mary stared blankly outside.
It was time to go home.
..
..
..
But her feet didn't move.
She reached into her pocket-
-and felt something.
The Bendy doll.
Mary slowly brought it out, staring at it. She squeezed it lightly.
Squee-ee!
She smiled, eyes tearing up again.
"What do ya need the doll for, kiddo? You got the real thing right here!"
Mary sniffed, and hugged the doll tight, eyes closed.
"I'm real glad I'm here, too, kiddo..."
Mary's hands gripped the doll tighter.
And then her eyes opened.
"At least...do it for Bendy..."
"Bendy..."
"I love you, Mary..."
Mary stood up straighter, pocketing the doll. She drew in a deep breath of cool air...
...and then turned back around. Walking back into the studio.
