Chapter 18: Timeline 3
April 9, 2007. 18:32:17. Timeline 3.
The man looked up from his watch and observed the clearing in front of him.
The view was majestic. A lush clearing filled with perfectly green grass extended in his view for miles, eventually meeting with a series of gigantic purple mountains in the distance. The sky was a brilliant blue, the sun was a fierce orange: it was so picturesque, it almost looked fabricated.
He felt the tremors going out across the multiverse, the sensation of them all being reset reverberating through his gut.
The man sighed, and retreated into his own home. He was about to pick up the phone when he suddenly felt something in his pocket. Something that shouldn't have been there.
The man took the object out of his pocket to find that was an old-fashioned recorder that was, oddly enough, glowing green at the edges.
He knew what that meant. What all of it meant.
Tim hit play, and the sound of his voice speaking filled the room, filled the room with the story of the timeline before.
Some time later…
The man pounded a fist into his table. It hurt a lot, so he turned back time.
"How? he muttered to himself, delirious. "How do I stop her? How do I beat them?"
The Player hit control-S on his computer, saving the essay that was due in English. Finally, he could get to his beloved video games.
On a total whim, he decided to play Bendy and the Ink Machine. Perhaps finally he would get around to finishing Chapter 5 and beating the game.
The Player spawned in the starting area where Alice and Tom would normally be. However, instead, the Player was greeted with the sight of Freddy, the Neighbor, and Bendy, all talking with each other in low voices.
"Hey!" the Player said.
All three of the characters turned around with a look of shock on their faces before breaking into smiles.
"Hey to you. How ya doing?" Freddy asked, clapping the Player on the shoulder.
"You're not dead. Oh well," Mr. Peterson muttered, still as aloof as ever.
"Well, I'm glad to see that you're still alive and kicking," Bendy said, smiling. "Here we go again."
"Baldi!" Mr. Peterson yelled, tromping down the hallway.
"I was WONDERING when you guys would show up!" Baldi said.
"Monika. Exactly how much do you remember?" the Player said.
"How do I put this? EVERYTHING."
"Good thing you guys showed up. Those guys are so annoying," Mama said.
"What's up?" he said, his maniacal cartoon smile not leaving his face. "Let me guess: another death-defying journey."
The character simply stood there. Not moving. Not reacting. It was as though she hadn't heard her speak at all.
Sans' eyes suddenly disappeared.
"I have every intention of keeping it,"
Monika turned to face the party. "I'll go. It has to be me."
"We can do this, guys." the Player said, fighting to keep the quaver out of his voice. "Ready?"
The man turned. Only one left.
"Come on, Frisk," he taunted. The girl shook. He drunk it all in, all the pleasure, all the triumph of his revenge. "Just give me your soul, and all of this will be over," he said laughingly.
He took a step forward.
Quick as lightning, she brought up the menu. It's two options, "Continue" and "Reset" still there, as always.
"Frisk, don't you dare -" the man growled.
She pounded the Reset button for all that she was worth.
As the world began to fade away and the two of them felt an otherworldly tug in their guts, Frisk managed a laugh.
The man was furious. "I'll be back!" he yelled. "I'll remember! I'll learn from my mistakes, and I'll be back!"
Frisk looked back at him, dead in the eye. "So have I."
And the world disappeared.