Chapter 46:

Henry and the teens weren't sure how to react to these newcomers, were they friendly or were they a threat? The new Boris and Alice are clearly armed and able to kill, but they had just saved them from the evil Alice. And just by looking at them, it was clear that they were some of the more intelligent ink creatures trapped in the studio. Henry and the others had just finished a brutal fight and they were exhausted. He could see that both Marinette and Adrian were on the verge of collapse, though they were in a defensive stance and ready to fight if this new Alice and Boris proved to be hostile. Knowing that they could not hope to win another fight in their state, Henry approached the two new ink creatures carefully on the slim chance they were friendly.

"Hi… I'm-" Henry was cut off as Alice grabbed his extended hand and pulled him close. She flipped him around, holding him trapped with one arm across his chest and her sword against his throat. Henry could feel the blade so close that if he were to swallow, he would cut himself.

"Henry!" the teens called in worry, Noir and Angelbug both getting ready to attack his captures.

"Don't even think about it!" Alice threated, tightening her grip and drawing a thin line of blood with her sword while the Boris growled. Noir and Angelbug hesitated before standing down. They couldn't risk getting Henry hurt.

"Good choice, follow us," Alice replied, dragging Henry with her as she headed into the tunnel she came out of. The teens followed after them with the Boris keeping watch behind them, though it was obvious he was more concerned about the teens doing something than being attacked by something else. Alice lead them through many dark and twisting tunnels, so much so that they would never be able to figure a way out on their own, even if they were focused enough to try. Finally, after what felt like hours to the tired group, Alice opened a metal door to what was obviously their safe house.

The Boris shut and locked the door once the group had been herded inside, effectively trapping them. But they weren't done yet. They separated the teens into males and females and boarded them into cells in separate sections of the area. Henry himself was boarded up alone in a cell in the main room. They couldn't see each other from their cells, but if they shouted, they would clearly be able to hear each other. While the group wasn't in favor of their new situation, they weren't really in a state or position to change it. So, for now, all they could do was wait…

Days passed…

Henry was feeling restless in his small cell. While he was grateful for the chance to rest and recover, he was ready to push forward. He had to get the kids out of here. Unfortunately, their captors still weren't ready to let them go. Henry had been talking to Alice, who he now knew called herself Allison, and she seemed to be warming up to him and the others. Unfortunately, the Boris, Tom, made it very clear that he didn't trust them at all, especially Henry and, from what he could hear, Adrien. Henry had heard Allison and Tom arguing about what to do with them.

Henry spent most of his time drawing. He did make a few recordings to express his thoughts until Tom took his recorder away. He had also done his best to assure the teens from where they were being held. They couldn't talk often or for very long, but Henry did his best to keep them calm and instructed them to just wait a little longer. He was so tired of fighting and he really didn't want to hurt Allison and Tom, not when there was a chance they could talk things out.

One day, Henry was watching Allison write and draw on the walls.

"I can feel you watching me…" Allison spoke up, glancing back at Henry. "It's just… a little creepy…"

"You're the one that writes on the walls," Henry stated, thinking back on all the messages he had seen throughout the studio.

"We all do," Allison informed sadly. "For some poor souls down here, it's the only way they can be heard. But you don't want to touch the ink for too long! It can claim you… pull you back… though some you have already fallen victim to it like the rest of us. Like me and Tom…"

"So you were once human too?" Henry asked, probing carefully.

"We once worked here…" Allison replied, her hand pausing in its stroke as she got lost in her memories. "Things were so much happier back then… Before the Liar ruined it all…"

"Can you please tell me what happened here?" Henry asked hopefully. "I want to fix that all that Joey's done, but I need to understand what's going on."

"Let me show you something…" Allison said after a pause, putting down her paintbrush and picking up a device from a nearby shelf. It looked like a high tech magnifying glass. "A while back, I was mapping put one of the upper levels… when I noticed something reflecting off a piece of glass. I held up the glass, looked through, and on the wall behind me was a hidden message! Right there in plain sight! So I kept looking… and found more and more messages everywhere in the studio! But you can't see them with your eyes. Only through this! Take a look!"

Allison handed Henry the glass through the boards. He held it up and looked through. A glowing halo appeared around Allison and on the wall behind her were the words "Hello Creator"

"The messages helped me piece together what happened and filled in some of the missing pieces of my memory." Allison continued. "And I think they might know a way to get out of here."

"Where does it all lead to?" Henry asked, still looking through the glass.

"Nowhere," Allison replied sadly. "I followed them for a long time… but I was just lead in circles. I don't think I'm able to leave this place on my own, Henry. But maybe… with your help…"

"Allison…" Henry said, putting the glass down. "Please let us out of here. We can all work to get out of here together."

"Tom thinks you're dangerous," Allison stated, though she didn't seem very convinced.

"And what do you think?" Henry pressed.

"I… I think…" Allison began, her thoughts racing. "You're the hope I've been waiting for… Creator..?"

"Then let us out and I promise, I'll do everything in my power to get us all out of here… Together…" Henry said with conviction.

"Yes… We must work together…" Allison smiled. She turned and left to get a tool to remove the boards. Finally, things were turning around.