Chapter 13: Too Late to Leave

"Henry, what the hell were you thinking?!"

Henry, still trying to catch his breath, let Allison's furious musing go up and over his head. He waved her off absentmindedly, using the other hand to lean against the wall. He was getting old. His lungs and limbs weren't nearly what they used to be.

"You were just going to do what he said? Sign away your life, your work, your pen, God knows what else to him?! Over probably empty threats?"

"He threatened my daughter," Henry said.

"Did he? Or did he scare you into thinking he did?" Allison snapped back.

"It's my daughter! Empty threats or not, it still sounded like a threat to me! What else was I supposed to do?!" Henry argued.

"Fight! For once in your life, take accountability for this place and the role you've had in it," she said. "Regardless of what you've been telling yourself Henry, this place wouldn't exist without you."

Henry leaned back against the wall and slumped. Cold, despite it being wooden, but Allison assured him that racing to the studio in broad daylight was their best chance of hiding from Bendy. His shoulders sagged with the weight his feet refused to keep holding up anymore.

Allison paused and looked away. Maybe she'd gone too far. It may be partially his fault for creating Bendy, but not the madness that followed. That was all Joey. "...I'm sorry," Allison said. "I shouldn't have snapped at you. I'm just sick of Joey using loved ones against each other. That's how he's played this game. It's how he keeps winning at it. Those he can't win over with promises of money and fame, he tempts with fear and pity. I hate it. I hate that the people we love are used against us. Joey shouldn't have that right, but he does."

"He's always known how to get what he wants," Henry replied. "That's just who he is. It used to be charisma. But now it's power. Now it's fear. He's not the man I used to know."

"Did you come back to find him?" Allison asked.

"I...called an old friend. I could tell something was wrong. I couldn't sleep. I rarely can. But I wanted to see this place for myself. It felt like I had to. I had to line the pieces up, get some answers for myself if I had any hope of moving on from this place. Instead of moving on, it dragged me back in," Henry said.

"Well...now you know," she said. "I've found a lot more than I bargained for myself after I talked with you. Way more. I can't go back though. Not when I've finally found my friend."

"You did?" Henry asked.

Allison nodded wearily. "We'll have to go get him after dark though. Hopefully Bendy will have given up and won't be prowling around the tunnels by then..."

"So we'll grab him and get out of here?" Henry asked.

Allison bit her bottom lip. "It's...not that simple."

And so she told him. Everything. She stopped in her stories only to hush them both when they heard murky footsteps or the dripping of ink, just long enough to make sure they were safe, they were alone in the silence, and then she started up her story again. By the end of it, Henry looked like he'd aged several years. His eyes were wide but plagued with exhaustion, staring at something she couldn't see.

"So he's been using people and that ink machine to make these creations..." Henry mused. "That...sounds impossible, but..."

"I don't think it is," Allison said. "From what I've been able to gather, characters without speaking roles can be filled by most any position. Boris can be any old maintenance crew or worker. It's probably the same for the butcher gang members, though I haven't seen too many of them wandering around honestly, certainly not after dark. I think a draw-back for Boris though is that even though he can be anyone, I get the feeling they don't last long for one reason or another. So Joey always has people on hand, unwillingly ready to step in to fill the last Boris's shoes. Alice, she's got a speaking role. So I think Joey used the last voice actress for Alice before I came along. Susie Campbell. The timing of it makes sense. She went missing just a bit before Alice appeared. I don't think she's been replaced since then, but I can't be sure. I think the effects of being like that long-term are taking their toll though...she seems to have fully lost her mind when I saw her."

"And Bendy?" Henry asked. "Who's Bendy?"

"That's what I can't figure out," Allison admitted. "He seems the least human out of all of them. And I know that he was Joey's first creation. He becomes the most monstrous after dark, but the most innocent during the day. I don't know if Bendy needed a human at all. Maybe he's something else."

"It wouldn't make sense for the others then, for them to work by a different logic," Henry said. "Even if Bendy didn't use a physical human body to exist in this world like the others, Joey must have given something up in exchange for him existing."

Allison ran a hand through her hair. "...you're taking this pretty well."

"Am I?" Henry let out a choked chuckle. "I don't feel like I am."

Allison stood up and offered Henry her hand. "The park closes in a few hours. I can't leave, since I need to get my friend. But I'm starving. Let's get some park food before it closes."

"Is that safe?" Henry asked.

"Safer than other places in the park," Allison said. "Joey won't do anything drastic while there are people around. He has his reputation to uphold. And Bendy won't transform into his monstrous form either with people around. He'll entertain them. So even if he sees you, we can still probably get away."

The two walked out to the park, Henry noticeably tensing when a kid ran by in a Bendy mask. Allison couldn't blame him, she'd nearly jumped out of her skin herself. She was sure they probably looked like a mess between the two of them, covered in ink and dirt, they probably were close to looking like part of the attractions themselves. Allison took her blazer off and wiped her face, trying to draw as little attention to herself as possible. Henry did the same with his jacket, then tied it around his waist and rolled up his sleeves.

"Your wife know you came here?" Allison asked.

"She's smart. Won't take her long to figure it out," he replied.

"Then you better make sure you're back home tonight. You don't want her coming here looking for you."

Henry nodded absentmindedly, staring up at a cartoon displayed on the screens hanging around the park. He'd helped with that one. He remembered drawing those original sketches. Feels like forever ago. Bendy danced across the screen blinking and smiling without a care in the world. That was his Bendy.

"How long has he been like that?" Henry asked. "Monstrous, I mean."

"As long as I've worked here. Every night, that's how he seems to be. Back at the ink machine, that's the first time I've seen him in his monster form during the daytime, even if it was in the dark abyss." Allison looked away. "If we ever worked passed dark and saw him, we were just instructed to smile as wide as we can and wait for him to move on. Even looking as demonic as he does, I guess something inside of him still has an innate urge to make others smile and be happy. Once he feels like he's done that, he moves on."

"Joey really created a monster..." Henry muttered. "Something straight out of a book or movie or-"

"Cartoon?" Allison finished.

"I just don't understand how it's possible. It shouldn't be possible. It isn't naturally, and clearly, that's why these bad things are happening. Joey has disrupted some sort of natural order, because there's nothing natural about Bendy, Alice, or Boris. This whole park is one unnatural disaster just waiting to happen," he added.

"I had a plan. Originally. To take some of my tapes and try to trigger a transformation in Alice Angel during the day. If people could see how monstrous everything becomes after dark, they'd stop coming. I thought I might be able to hit Joey where it hurts, and get this place out of business from a financial perspective. I'm not sure if that will work anymore though. Joey's too smart. This whole place needs to be destroyed. And I think the key to that is the ink machine."

"The ink machine," Henry mused. "Who built it?"

"Not sure. Tom said something about helping with it, but I think most of the parts and work were completed by Gent. At least, that's the impression that I get. This whole thing started taking off after Joey's partnership with them anyway," Allison said.

"So maybe we need to look past the park. Maybe we need to set our sights onto something bigger," Henry said.

"You think Gent might have more than just an investment in this place?" she asked.

"I'm thinking that as deluded as Joey's become, he wouldn't be able to create these things without someone else's expertise. Joey's a practical businessman with big dreams and ideas, not an occult fanatic who believed in demons and devils. At least, not that I was aware of. But if someone came up to Joey in his darkest hour, promised him a way to make more money than anyone thought possible by bringing his beloved Bendy to life..."

"Then Joey wouldn't question it," Allison finished. She looked up at Henry and nodded. "Henry...you might be on to something here."

"I'll see what I can dig up, maybe head over and dig up some records at the library about Gent," he said.

"You can do that?"

Henry nodded. "Businesses in this city are legally required to keep at least part of their transaction and history stored in a public place. The library doesn't close until late tonight, so I can check it out."

"You're sure you don't just want to go home?" Allison asked. "You have a family to look after."

Henry ran a hand through his hair. "...I know. But I think you're right, Allison. My family is starting to look like more than just my wife and daughter. I may not have purposefully created Bendy like he is now. But I need to take some responsibility."

"Just be careful, Henry," Allison said. "We don't really know what Joey is capable of, or how far his influence reaches."

Henry smiled. "You take care of yourself Allison. You have my number if you need me."

Allison watched as Henry walked out of the park, keeping his hands in his pockets and his head low. She waited until he was completely gone from sight, then grabbed some food and headed back down into the tunnels below the park.

It took every ounce of strength Norman had to not run from the park. He pulled at the collar of his shirt, far too hot and sweaty underneath the polyester, and tried to keep his wits about him as he pushed through the crowds of people, film reels and equipment under his arm. He didn't want to come back to this place, but he couldn't leave without his equipment. He'd left for a bit, long enough to gather his bearings and make sure that it was broad daylight, as well as making sure that Joey would be preoccupied with cleaning up the mess of the previous night. He just didn't know how much Joey knew.

There was no way that Joey could trace Norman's involvement back to that incident. There was no way Joey could know that Norman had plotted against him. But every security guard Norman passed made him tense, every smiling face was a jeer that knew too much, so Norman had gathered the things from his office, his equipment, into his camera bag and an old cardboard box and was trying to make his way back to the parking lot. All he needed to do was get to his car, and he could get far away from this park and the evil that lurked here.

If he ran through the park, if he pushed people aside, he'd only draw more suspicion to himself. And that couldn't happen. The longer Joey didn't know he was involved, the better. That gave him more time to get out of town, get away from Joey's wide spread influence. After all, who hadn't heard of the wonderful Joey Drew Studios? He was a national icon, and there were rumors of Joey opening up a second park somewhere else across the country. No. Norman needed just a bit more time, just a bit of time to get his things and get out. Maybe move somewhere else, to Mexico or Canada, somewhere Joey couldn't find him. Change his name or something. Then, by the time Joey put together that Norman was involved, he'd be out of dodge.

Was he being too paranoid? Maybe. Maybe this was all ridiculous. Maybe Joey didn't care about a little ole projectionist like him. But the possibility that Joey did care was far too terrifying to risk sticking around.

Norman could almost see the parking lot, he could barely make out the peaks of the gates just beyond the swell of people all rushing to the gift shops before the park closed for the night. The Bendy toys always sold out the fastest, followed by Boris, and lastly, Alice Angel. T-Shirt and stuffed toys and yo-yos and treats all filled bags as cash and coins were thrust into cashier's faces, but Norman pushed passed it all. Just a little further. He headed to the swinging exit gate, where most security guards had left their posts now that people weren't trying to enter the park rather than leave it. As he did, he bumped shoulders with someone and stumbled, his camera bag sprawling to the floor in front of him, projection equipment tumbling out and landing on the ground with a sickening crunch and crack.

Norman yelped and immediately bent down to start scooping up the pieces.

"Oh! Sorry about that. Please, let me help."

"It's fine," Norman stuttered, keeping his eyes down. The gate was so close, he thought about just leaving the remains of the broken projection equipment behind, but he still refused to let Joey have those remains. No. This design was his and his alone. Once he was gone, Joey would have to start from scratch or give up entirely. It was his last gift to Allison, to try to stick it to Joey one last time, so he scooped up the lens and reels and even broken glass back into his bag.

He reached out for the one of the film reels, only to have it snatched up in front of him. Normal looked up and his heart dropped to his stomach.

Joey smiled, looking down at the reel. "A film reel? I don't remember giving you permission to take this home. Working hard after hours, eh Norman?"

Norman lunged for the reel to pry it out of Joey's hands, but he held it back and raised an eyebrow. Norman took a shaky breath and tried to compose himself. Keep his cook. Think of an excuse. He could feel Joey's eyes scanning him up and down, eyeing the sweat dripping down Norman's forehead and the way his whole body was trembling and shaking.

Surprisingly though, Joey handed Norman back the reel and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Norman. Why don't we go have a chat in my office? As my projectionist, you're a valued employee here at Joey Drew Studios. I want you to be happy. Understand?"

Before Norman knew it, Joey was walking through the park, Norman in tow. If Norman were to run now, he might still make it to the gate, but not without drawing a lot of attention. If he ran now and made a scene, would there be men waiting for him back home, just ready to haul him back to the studio? Or worse? The more Norman tried to find a solution, the further he got from the gates. The more the smiling faces of guests around him felt like leers of clamoring faces watching him being escorted to his doom.

Norman's heart was beating so wildly and loudly, he couldn't hear what Joey was saying anymore. His hands almost slipped from clutching the bag close to his chest, sending the contents sprawling again, but he managed to tighten his grip. He felt his voice catch in his throat, a lump he couldn't swallow, and Joey stopped, snapping in Norman's face.

"Mister Polk? Are you alright? I asked you a question, Mister Polk."

"W-w-what did you ask me?" Norman squeaked.

Joey smiled. "I asked what work you had to do at home, Mister Polk. That reel you had tumbling out of your bag was one of the original Dancing Devil tapes. It only works on the projection equipment in the office, which you also have in your bag. Now, you know I pride myself on dedicated and hard-working employees, but surely any work you had to do at home could be completed much easier in the studio?"

Norman tried to say something, but was afraid that if he said another word he'd start bumbling like an idiot, crying in front of all of these people and begging for his life. Joey's grip tightened again. A warning.

"Now now, let's not look so sad. We're in a theme park! You wouldn't want to draw too much attention to yourself. Why don't we go inside and have a chat?"

Sure enough, there they were in front of the studio. His journey toward the gate felt like miles, but suddenly, here they were, back outside the building in what felt like a matter of minutes. Norman felt something numb and cold creep its way up toward his heart as his hope of escaping started to dim and fade completely. The last few lingering rays of sunlight started to dip below the tree line as the intercoms chipperly announced closing time in a few minutes, as Norman was led inside the studio and up away from his only chance of freedom.