Chapter 34: Freedom Comes At A Price
Linda looked down at The End reel that had fallen out of her hands when Bendy knocked her down; she didn't want to ruin the tender moment between the little devil and her husband, but they had to find a way to escape the studio.
"Now what do we do?"
Henry had followed her gaze on the reel before she looked back at him.
"I'm not sure." He replied. "Usually playing The End just starts everything over again. I...I don't want to risk losing everything we gained this run."
Bendy pulled away from Henry and hopped down to the floor to investigate the film reel. He stared at the label for a bit as he picked it up before approaching the human couple again. Bendy was a bit hesistant, but he held the reel out to them.
Linda carefully took the reel from Bendy and looked it over.
"What if we were to break it instead?"
"As far as I know, it was unbreakable." Henry answered as he thought about it. "But seeing as a lot of events played out differently than they normally would this loop, it's worth a shot."
It wasn't hard to notice that hope had returned in Henry's eyes. He even seemed a bit more energetic despite how beaten up he was.
"Before we break it, I want to see the others first." Linda said with a small smile. "Just in case this will be the last time we see them."
Henry nodded in understanding and staggered on to his feet.
"Let's not keep them waiting then."
As Linda stood up, Bendy gently tugged at the hem of her ruined, inkstained skirt. She looked down at the little toon devil and he held up his gloved hands like a child wanting to be picked up. She couldn't help but chuckle as he seemed a bit shy about it when before in his larger forms he would've been much more demanding.
Bendy clung and snuggled into her as Linda picked him up, making her wonder how the others would react to him. Surely they would still be wary of him despite the change in his form.
It was then she felt ink seeping into her clothes as the small devil began to breathe heavily.
"Hey, it's okay." Linda soothed as she gently patted his inky back.
"Henry and I will keep you safe."
Fortunately, her words seemed to have helped calm Bendy down as he looked up at her with big pie-cut eyes. She gently wiped away the ink running down his forehead. Henry then approached and petted the space between his horns.
"This is a big step for all of us, buddy." He said. "But Linda is right, we won't let you get hurt."
Linda followed Henry out into the open to see a lake of ink before them. Out on a ledge above the ink were Boris and the Butcher Gang along with Alice and Tom.
She was thrilled to see them as much as they were to see her and Henry.
Henry waded across the ink with Linda close behind. As they drew closer, the other toons' enjoyment turned to a mix of curiosity and wariness as the noticed the little devil in Linda's arms.
Her and Henry had a lot of explaining to do, that was for sure.
Not liking the stares from the others, Bendy hid his face in Linda's shoulders. Linda tightened her hold in response to try to provide some comfort.
Also noticing their looks, Henry began to try to ease the other toons' concerns.
"He won't hurt you. He is no longer the Ink Demon." He assured. "Now he's just Bendy."
"How can you be so sure?" Alice asked as she helped him up on to the ledge.
"He's learned about love and forgiveness." Henry answered as he turned to help Linda up.
Tom, of course, still seemed a bit wary of Bendy as the little devil was placed beside Henry while the others were generally curious as they were not used to seeing the Ink Demon in a perfect toon form.
Bendy gave a nervous smile and waved.
"Bendy had no control of his anger as the Ink Demon." Linda said. "He was just so full of pain couldn't think clearly."
"And what about the reel he took to his lair?" Alice asked.
Linda held it out.
"We're thinking about destroying it instead."
The angel looked at her as if she were crazy.
"Destroy it? How will destroying set us free?"
"Playing it certainly doesn't." Henry butted in. "All that does is force us into another time loop. Destroying it may actually break the curse Joey place on the studio."
Alice bit her lip as she looked at Tom, who only shrugged in response.
"Assuming that's true, how do we break it?"
'Charley' garbled a bit as he approached to get a better look at the reel before taking it from Linda. He then threw it as hard as he could on the ground and began to beat it with his wrench.
Unfortunately, he didn't even leave a dent.
"Good try, Charley." Linda encouraged, as the Butcher Gang grew frustrated.
Henry looked at Alice's sword.
"Maybe your sword would work?"
"I guess it's worth a try." She replied as she unsheathed her blade.
Alice approached the reel on the ground and proceeded to stab it.
Like 'Charley's' attempt, it didn't work.
Linda looked over at Bendy to see he was becoming stressed by the situation. Before she could ask him what was wrong, Bendy's form began to change. He grew tall and lankier, and ink began to run over his eyes.
Bendy had transformed back into the Ink Demon.
Boris and The Butcher Gang backed away while Tom stood protectively in front of Alice.
Linda and Henry watched as the Ink Demon limped up to The End reel and picked it up. With his his demonic strength, he was able to crack it. As the reel was broken, a bright blinding light surrounded them.
All white as far as the eye could see.
Nothing else.
Was any of this real?
Linda wasn't even sure she was alive anymore, at least until her vision began to clear up. She was in a small bedroom in a singles bed, Henry was by her side just waking up.
"Joey's apartment." He said as he looked atpund, but them he paused and Linda saw a grin tug at his lips. "This never happened before."
Linda looked to see a pile of four toons laying at the end of the bed, sleeping peacefully. Even Alice and Tom were in the room, nestled together in a corner of the room. However, one toon was missing.
"Where's Bendy?" Linda asked.
She hoped destroying the reel didn't destroy him too.
Suddenly they heard a gurgled cry along with a loud crash, which also woke they unconcsious toons.
"That sounded like it came from the kitchen." Henry said as he rushed out of bed over to the door. As soon as he opened it, he froze.
"Oh my god..."
Linda got out bed along with Boris and the Butcher Gang to see what He was looking at.
"What's going on?" Alice asked as her and Tom joined them.
The whole apartment was trashed. Glass was broken, furniture was torn and destoryed, and ink was splattered all over the floor, walls, and ceiling.
Henry cautiously stepped out of the bedroom and headed towards the kitchen.
"Bendy? Are you-"
He stopped in the kitchen and Linda gasped in shock.
Before them was Bendy, holding down an ink covered Joey Drew.
Joey's eyes were glazed over, forever staring up at the ceiling in terror.
Fresh ink was dripping from the corners of Bendy's grin.
Joey Drew was dead.
Linda took a cautious step forward.
"Bendy?"
The little devil's head snapped to look at her and a look of fear suddenly took place on his features as if reality had just set in. He scrambled off of Joey's body, but stayed away from Henry, Linda, and the other toons. He shifted around nervously as ink began to run down over his eyes and his form began to change to the Ink Demon.
"Whoa, whoa, easy there Bendy." Henry tried soothe, but the Ink Demon only growled and grunted in stressed manner.
Linda approached him and took hold of his inky arm.
"Bendy, it's okay. Calm down."
She wasn't sure if she could believe herself; Joey was dead. He was a horrible man and deserved what was coming to him, but having to see it was too much.
Bendy whined as he looked at her before wrapping his arms around her, pulling Linda close to his skeletal frame.
Henry walked over to the back door and opened it, instead of being sent back to the studio, the outside world greeted them.
They were free.
"Linda, take Bendy and the others home." He said. "I'll call someone to help with this mess."
Linda was reluctant at first due to disbelief they were finally free, and the fact someone may think Henry murdered Joey, but she complied.
A/N: This chapter was difficult to write as it's pretty much the next to last chapter, and I had to think how Joey's death would be handled. I've also been caught up playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons, so it took me a bit longer to get around to writing this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it.
