Chapter 37:
Both the ink people and the humans froze, staring at each other for what the other might do.
"It's the Creator!" one of the ink people whispered in awe and fear. That sentence seemed to break the spell and the room irrupted into whispers.
"The Creator!"
"Is he here to save us?"
"He's here too late."
"No one can save us."
"The girl's been infected."
"We're all doomed."
"The ink will claim them as it claimed us."
The whispers never got very loud and it became hard to hear anything specific as more and more ink people joined in.
"What should we do?" Nino asked, feeling uncomfortable under all the stares.
"We need to keep going if we want to find Boris," Henry replied. "We need to get past them."
"I don't think they'll hurt us," Marinette added, looking over all the ink people.
"They just seem sad," Alya agreed.
"I think so too, but stick close to me just in case," Henry agreed taking a step forward. "Come on."
The group slowly made their way past all the ink people. The ink people didn't try to stop or attack them, though a few did reach out longingly towards Henry. It was almost like they wanted to know if he was real, but they couldn't stand to find out they were wrong so they never actually touched him. Seeing all those yellow eyes look at him with hope and sorrow broke Henry's heart and made him even more determined to find some way to save everyone in the studio.
They soon came to a large open vent on the other side of the room and Henry picked up a nearby flashlight. He was about to head in and lead the kids through the vent when one of the ink people called out to him.
"Creator wait!" the ink person said, reaching out to Henry and taking a step forward. The humans looked at each other, wondering what they should do.
"Wait for me inside the vent," Henry sighed, handing the flashlight to Marinette. "I'll be there in a minute."
Marinette just nodded and took the flashlight, she could understand why Henry wanted to talk to these people. She crawled into the vent with Alya and Nino right behind her. Henry stepped in front of the vent and faced the ink people.
"What is it?" Henry asked, wondering if he should try and get some answers.
"Creator… are you here to save us?" the ink person asked, the others gathering closer to try and hear his answer.
"I'm going to try," Henry replied with conviction. "I may not understand what Joey did, but I'm going to fix what he's done here."
"The Liar messed with powers he shouldn't have," the ink person said in anger, its eyes flashing. "He tortured and corrupted the innocent. He forced all of us to be a part of his plans, pawns in his goal."
"Can you be more specific?" Henry asked, stepping a little closer to the ink people wishing he could comfort them.
"Too much happened and there's no time to share every awful thing the Liar has done, even if we could recall all of it," the ink person shook his head sadly. "The important thing is that the Liar is the real enemy that must be stopped. Though there are still dangers, the Liar is the cause. Please be careful when you face him, he made this place and he considers himself its ruler. He won't want to be uncrowned so easily, but you're the true Creator. You can reach places and do things that the Liar never could."
"Thanks for the advice," Henry said, unsure what to make of what he learned and wondering if he can live up to their hopes. "I'll keep that in mind, but I have to get going."
"Please be careful Creator…" The crowd of ink people murmured in reassurance as Henry crawled into the vent. Henry gave a nod to them before going in farther. It wasn't long before he caught up to the others that were waiting for him. Once he caught up, Marinette leads the way through farther through the vent, using the flashlight to show the way. She could see a way out up ahead. Just as she got close, the Ink Demon slammed against it, causing all of them to shout in surprise and fear.
"You!" Marinette shouted, getting over her fear for anger instead. "You are the one that infected Adrian! You have been causing us nothing but problems!"
"Marinette stop!" Ala said, holding back Marinette. "Don't make him mad!"
"Like I care what he thinks," Marinette practically snarled, the inky veins pulsing with her emotions.
"Calm down!" Henry ordered. "Marinette, getting mad won't help anything!"
Marinette didn't like it, but she forced herself to calm down, though she still glared at the Ink Demon. The Ink Demon for his part just stared at them curiously, even tilting his head slightly as he studied them. He grabbed hold of the grate, leaning closer and about to open the vent when he suddenly jerked back. He shook his head and even gripped it before straightening up and heading off and out of sight.
"What was that about?" Nino wondered as the Ink Demon's shadows disappeared.
"Don't know and don't care. Let's find somewhere else to come out," Marinette said, going around the corner. Alya and Nino just shrugged and followed after her. Henry though paused at the grate, briefly laying his hand where Bendy's hand had been.
"I know there's a reason you're like this," Henry murmured. "Whether it was something Joey did or some other reason, I'll find a way to fix this. I know the toon I created and loved is still in there somewhere. No matter what, I'm not leaving you here again."
Henry let go of the grate and hurried after the others. There was a lot to do, starting with saving Boris. But first, they had to get out of this vent.