Part II Chapter 1: Come Meet Alice Angel!
Five Years Later
A drumroll filled the room, cresting as spotlights swept over the stage and landed on a singular spot on the curtain.
"Ladies and gentleman," a pre-recorded voice boomed over speakers. "The moment you've all been waiting for has finally arrived! Her shows are sold out every day, but you lucky folks got in, and we plan to make your time here as enjoyable as possible! Please note our emergency exits behind you, and please remember to be respectful to our little angel. Now, please put your hands together for the one, the only, Alice Angel!"
The thick curtains swung open as the sound of trumpets and applause filled the packed auditorium. A long figure stepped forward from the shadows of the stage into the bright spotlight. She felt its warmth hit her face, as bright as the sun, blurring out the gawking faces of those who gazed up at her.
Every since Joey had unveiled his new and improved Alice Angel, park attendance had surged. At first, it was just general curiosity. The park had already swept the nation off its feet with its lifelike cartoons. Still, even twenty years later, nobody could figure out just how Joey Drew had done it. Some people still thought they were people in costumes, but that didn't explain the eyes as dark and empty as night, or their black and white complexion painted on like ink. No, people were starting to wonder if maybe they were real, and this new Alice was the perfect example. Joey had somehow perfected his already mysterious craft and seemed to have created the perfect woman.
Alice smiled and stepped up to the mic with a giggle. "Hiya everyone! Thanks for stopping by today!"
Men, women, and children cheered at her every movement.
"Oh gosh, it sure makes my heart so happy to see so many smiling faces all coming to see little ole' me!" she said.
"WE LOVE YOU ALICE!" someone shouted from the back, and Alice curtsied.
"And I love you all too, just like an angel should! Now let's all sing together for this first song, that I'm sure you know the lyrics to!" Alice started to sing, people following her every note as it rose and fell, adults and children crowding around to get a better look at her, to wonder if she really was real. She looked real. She cast a shadow where she walked, her lips matched the sounds broadcast around the room perfectly, and those deep black eyes followed every quick movement and jumbled frame as people surged closer. This was a rowdy crowd, and a few security guards hovered on the edges of the stage. Someone had tried running on stage once, some drunk patron trying to grab at her. They didn't want another incident like that happening, it had been quite the mess to clean up, so the guards were a necessary precaution. Joey took more precautions than ever before.
It didn't help that Joey built in a bar to her shows. Parents wanted to have something to drink while their children were entertained, but men had started to show up without kids. No, people were coming just to see her, and they chased down their doubts and questions about what she really was with a glass of whisky and a smile. It didn't matter what she was. In their eyes, she was an angel straight from heaven, the epitome of perfection. A pretty face with a prettier voice.
What more could they ask for?
One man sat at the back of the room, close to the bar and far from the stage, but he could still see her. Her could still see her raven black hair and bright smile. The way she danced and sang and moved like she'd just walked off a television screen. The rest of the world seemed too colorful around her, too bright. For her, monotone hues were all that were needed, and everything else was just unnecessary chaos. He swirled his half-empty glass, keeping his gaze either there or at her. It depended on his mood.
"Another glass, sir?" the bartender asked. He asked that often. Guess he knew an easy prize when he saw one.
The man shook his head. "Not today."
"Understood sir, let me know if there's anything you need."
The bartender left him alone soon as song after song played out through the theater, her voice bouncing around from one corner to the next. People crowded to the bar to get drinks, mostly watered down versions of whatever Joey Drew could find on sale, but slap a fancy cartoon logo on them and people would pay double the prize for cheap booze. He'd even heard one man, who'd clearly had too much already, slurring something about buying a drink for "the one and only Alice Angel!"
Idiot. She didn't drink. Didn't eat either.
The songs kept playing, and he kept staring at the bottom of his glass, feeling her songs spin around in his mind like a record player. They were all familiar. He knew he should get up, get back to work before the crowds of people surged out of the auditorium once the show was finished, but today, he'd lost track of time somewhere at the bottom of the glass. Before he knew it, there was already hardly anybody left in the big empty room.
"Hello there!"
He looked up from his drink. There she was. Standing in front of him. Had he waited this long on purpose, wishing she'd come up and talk to him? He honestly didn't know.
Alice smiled and giggled. "Hello there mister! You come to my shows just about every day, don't ya? Always sittin' in this one spot over here and watchin' me! You must be a big fan!"
He smiled. "...yeah."
"Well, if I'm gonna be seeing you so often, I figure we might as introduce ourselves!" Alice curtsied. "As you probably already know, I'm Alice Angel!" She outstretched her gloved hand with a bright smile. Her smile could light up a room. It often did.
Did that smile mean she was happy?
He took her hand and shook it. It was cold. Felt like plastic. He knew the feeling well. He'd wore it himself once.
"Tom," he said softly. "My name's Tom."
"Thanks for always coming out and supporting the show, Tom! I gotta get going now, but it's nice to meet you!" She gave a wave and then walked away, laughing as a few kids came up to her to chat. She spun and sang with them, happy as could be. Blissfully ignorant.
Tom threw back the last of his drink. It hit the back of his throat and burned, but he relished the pain and numbness that followed.
"Yeah. Nice to meet you."
How many years had it been since that day? Since he'd done such an awful thing to the love of his life. Since he'd thrown Allison into the ink machine. He'd never forget. It was a memory that haunted him. A ghost clutching at his chest.
"So. You made your choice."
Tom looked up at Joey, holding Allison in his cartoonish arms. Could he still call her Allison? She didn't look like his Allison. Not anymore. This twisted feeling in his chest. Was it regret? Was she even breathing anymore like this? With horns and a halo and...oh God, he'd cursed her to be just like him, but at least she was alive, at least she wasn't dead and bleeding on the ground anymore. No...no more blood. Just ink.
He felt like he might throw up.
"I'll take it from here," Joey said, reaching down for Allison.
Tom snarled and pulled his muzzle back like an animal, a soundless threat. He pulled her away from him, but Joey didn't flinch.
"We have to make sure this form sticks. I have no reason to hurt her now. You know that better than anyone."
What else could he do? Tom looked down at Allison. At Alice. He handed her over. Joey slung her over his shoulder as if she weighed no more than a feather. Bendy chittered behind the two of them, his head and fingers twitching.
"...you know...I think you deserve a reward for doing the deed for me," Joey said. "Bendy."
Tom's eyes widened as Bendy lashed out. There was a tearing. A ripping. He couldn't see, ink covered his vision, but he could hear it all around him, voices screaming and pulling at his mind, dragging something away, pulling something away. He wanted to scream, it hurt like fire and ice and hot steel and his head and heart felt like they might burst. Something torn from him inch by inch and skin by skin and-
"Hack! A-Ack..." Tom broke down into coughs, clutching at his throat and sucking in gulpfulls of air as he collapsed to the ground. "Ah...hah...hah..."
He looked down at his hands. One still mechanical. The other, human.
Human?
He shakily reached up to his mouth. His face. His neck.
Human.
"I...I'm..."
Bendy growled behind him. Tom turned around, his eyes widening in fear. Bendy held a blob of ink and black darkness in his hands, opening his mouth wide and swallowing it whole. He trembled, horns elongating, teeth growing sharper, hands turning to claws as his form morphed.
"No, Bendy," Joey said sternly. "That's enough."
Bendy hissed, but then went back to his usual form. A few moments later, he left, walking into the wall and disappearing.
Joey walked over to Tom. "...I should just kill you. But Sinclair says the best way to keep the ink machine working is to keep the guy who helped build it alive. I'm smart enough to know you won't just blindly go back to entertaining guests during the daytime. So congratulations, Tom. You've just been given your humanity back."
"You...YOU!" Tom stumbled to his feet and took a weak swing at Joey. It didn't even come close to hitting him. "You...you bastard! You could turn us back this whole time, you-"
Joey raised his hand. "Save your words. I don't really care what you have to say. Just stay in line."
"Why the hell do you think I'd listen to a word you have to say? That I'll help you with any of this?" Tom snapped back.
"Did you forget what you just did?" Joey gestured to Alice. To Allison.
Tom froze.
"You don't really know the gravity of the situation, do you?" Joey said. "Maybe if you'd tossed her in a few days ago, things would be different. But Sinclair already made his adjustments."
"What...what'd you do to her?" Tom asked, his voice cracking. "What adjustments, Joey?"
"I didn't do anything. You're the one who tossed her in. Made my job a hell of a lot easier. Just remember that this was all your choice. Stick around, maybe someday I'll turn her back to normal if you behave," Joey said, and walked out of the room. "I'm just glad I don't have a defective angel this time."
Tom sank to his knees. There was a ringing in his ears. His whole body hurt with a pain that wasn't normal, like he'd just been shoved through a small hole and then forced back into a mold, like dough or clay. It was awful. But he was human. He'd never even dreamed such a thing would be possible for him. He'd thought maybe he'd be happier. But all he felt was pain and guilt.
"Allison...I'm so sorry..."
Tom gasped, shooting out of bed with a jolt and clutching at his chest. Cheese yowled and hopped off of him in surprise, darting under the bed. He looked around the room and then sighed, exhaling slowly. He was home. He wasn't at the studio. He was back home.
Waking up to just another version of the same nightmare. The same memories.
He groaned and stepped out of bed, crouching down to peer at Cheese underneath the bed. "Sorry bud. I'll get you some extra treats." He stood back up and made his way over to the kitchen, stepping over crumpled clothes and newspapers on the floor. He really should clean it up. It was unsightly. And certainly not the best place for Cheese to live, but where else was Allison's cat supposed to go? He got out the cat's food bowl and poured him a few handfuls of food and topped it off with a few treats.
Cheese, hearing the bag rustling, emerged from under the bed and stood expectantly at Tom's feet. Tom sneezed.
And of course, he was allergic to cats.
"Yeah yeah, now you wanna be friends with me again. You seem to like this new food a lot. Guess I better start getting this brand from now on. You have expensive taste," he muttered, setting the bowl down. Cheese went to work immediately, attacking the food while Tom crossed the room and plopped down in a recliner. His day off.
He flicked on the TV. Nothing special. Coupla movies he'd already seen. News came on in a bit, but he wasn't really in the mood to watch that either.
Crossword puzzles. Actual puzzles. A book or two. Finally cleaning up the room and throwing some clothes in the washer. Fixing the sink for the third time this week. It wasn't broke, but it could use a fix, a tighten, something to keep his hands and mind busy. Maybe he could work on his car a bit more. Or maybe he'd see if the washer could use a fix or two once it was finished running his clothes.
He looked up at the clock. His day off and he'd already gotten a lot done, and it was...
Only 1:30 PM.
Great.
He sighed and turned to the fridge. He chewed his bottom lip as he stared at it, not opening it, not yet. It was too early for drinks, and he wasn't going to drink early. He could wait a bit longer. But he was thirsty from working all morning. He deserved a drink. Right? Just a little one. That's all, just a little, and he'd drink water for the rest of the day. The rest of the afternoon, until dinner.
He opened up the fridge, but his phone ringing jarred him from his thoughts. He closed the fridge and picked up the phone.
"This is Tom."
"Hey Tom. What are you doing today?" Henry asked.
Tom felt his mouth twitch up into a small smile. "Oh. You know. Fixin' up the house here and there. Keepin' busy. Just about to take a break."
"What kind of break?"
Tom's smile fell.
"Just a small one."
"Do you need me to come down again?"
"Henry, I'm fine," Tom snapped, then immediately sighed. "I'm...I'm fine. Really. I was just gonna have one little drink."
Henry was quiet on the other end.
Tom didn't blame him for worrying. He appreciated it, even if it was damn annoying sometimes. He deserved it though. Henry called him often, but always at least once on his days off. Especially after one day he called, and Tom didn't answer. Henry musta gotten worried, because, according to Henry, he'd come over to find Tom passed out on the floor, surrounded in empty bottles.
He didn't remember much of it himself. But Henry took him to the hospital. Got him checked up, taken care of, and scolded by a doctor before he sent him home.
He'd been trying to stop drinking since then. Honest, he had. But it was so damn hard when he ran out of things to do, things to keep his mind from thinking about the park, about what happened, about her, and drinking until he didn't have to think about anything was just...
Easier.
"...there's still a chance she'll remember you, Tom."
Tom swallowed and closed his eyes.
"Joey fixed the machine. She ain't gonna remember. Even after dark, she just...she just stays like that. Stays the same. Like nothing is different. None of them change anymore. She doesn't remember me. She doesn't even remember herself."
More silence. More damn silence.
Tom took another deep breath and put his pride aside. "Actually Henry, if you uh...if you and Linda aren't doing anything, I wouldn't mind...well..."
"We're going to the park today. Just about to leave now actually, I promised Audrey I'd take her. I know we both see enough of that place as is, but if you'd like to come with us, have some company, you're more than welcome."
Tom grimaced. Going back to the park. On his day off. Is that really something he wanted to do? He looked over at the fridge.
No. He didn't really want to do that. But he wanted to be alone even less.
"I'll meet you at the entrance at 2:30."
Audrey laughed and ran up to Tom. Tom smiled and picked her up.
"Uncle Tom, Uncle Tom!" she said.
"Hey there kiddo!" Tom said, smiling widely. Her curly black hair, the spitting image of her mother's, bounced on her shoulders. "Excited to see Bendyland today?"
"Yes yes yes!" she said quickly.
"She's just been going on and on about seeing Bendy," Linda said with a laugh. "I swear, those two are inseparable."
"Well, when her father is both of their creators, it just goes to show," Tom said with a chuckle, setting Audrey down.
Henry shot Tom a look, but Tom just shrugged.
"It's kinda true."
"Yeah yeah."
"Can we go in yet, Mommy? Please please pleaaaaase?" Audrey said, pulling on her mother's sleeve.
Linda laughed and showed the security guard her ID, who immediately ushered her in. Lifetime tickets for both her and Audrey. Henry and Tom got in free. They did work there, after all.
Audrey immediately ran forward. The crowds had mostly died down from the entrance since most people had already entered and made there way through most of the park by this point. Audrey bounced on her heels, peering around the park. She'd been going here since she could walk. Tom remembered when Henry tried to stop her and Linda from going to the park. But no excuses short of the truth would work, and Henry wouldn't tell them the truth. Tom didn't blame him.
"Don't go too far," Henry said. "Wait for us."
"I'm not going far!" she called back, her eyes lighting up when she saw a familiar form dancing in the middle of a crowd of people. "BENDY!"
The little inky demon saw her and stopped. Immediately, his whole face lit up and he pushed through the crowd of people and raced toward Audrey. They were nearly the same height, and Audrey giggled as the silent demon grabbed her into a hug, spinning her around with the strength only a cartoon could possess. He let her go and started to dance for her, walking around her in circles and doing all of his usual tricks. Audrey laughed and clapped, dancing with him around and around.
Linda walked up to the two of them, but Henry stood back and frowned.
"Pretty inseparable," Tom whispered. "Aren't you worried about...?"
"Of course I am," Henry answered back. "But what can I do, Tom? Joey introduced them. And now, he's all Audrey talks about. And Bendy's clearly taken a liking to her, too."
"It's dangerous," Tom growled.
"Got any suggestions?" Henry shot back. "You know as well as I do that we're both powerless. For now, all I can do is make sure that Audrey is never alone with him. When she's older, I'll explain everything to her."
"Linda too?"
Henry frowned. "That's not fair, Tom."
"You need to tell her the truth," Tom said. "She deserves to know. You told me you were going to tell her months ago. And yet here she is. I refuse to believe she'd still bring Audrey here if you told her the truth of what really goes on after dark."
"We'll talk later," Henry said, and walked over to his family.
Tom shoved his hands into his pockets. Maybe he'd been too harsh. Maybe he'd pushed Henry too far again. But Henry was making all the same mistakes he'd made years ago. He didn't want to see Henry lose his family because he was too scared to speak up. By the time he finds the right words, it might already be too late.
"Mommy, can we go see Alice Angel?! Pleeeeease?" Audrey begged.
Tom flinched.
Linda noticed Tom flinch, but didn't say anything. She knew there were lies and secrets. She'd grilled Tom just as much as she'd grilled Henry. But neither of them were giving anything up.
"Sure sweetie, but you have to say goodbye to Bendy first, okay?"
Audrey pouted and turned to Bendy. "We're gonna go see Alice. But then I'll come play with you some more, okay Bendy?"
Bendy nodded his head up and down quickly, and Audrey giggled. As the rest of the family headed off toward Alice's stage, Tom lingered. Bendy paused too, looking up at him. He could have swore that innocent little smile stretched even wider when he looked up at Tom. Taunting him.
"You leave that little girl alone," Tom growled. "You hear me? You leave her alone, you freak."
Bendy blinked at him, otherwise unmoving, and Tom pushed passed him to follow after the others. He felt Bendy's gaze on him the whole way back, and couldn't help but shiver.
Deep below the studio, another actor stirred on his stage, humming distorted versions of familiar tunes. His hands moved effortlessly across the paper, scratching and splotching new melodies that, despite their sloppy appearance, flowed with the same elegance and grace as ever. He was, after all, a genius. A talented genius. He would never stop writing music. And it was easy to write music. Even now.
Sammy hummed another note, testing a few of the tunes on his lips before making some adjustments.
Almost. He'd almost made the perfect song for her. A new song for his angel.
It was funny, really. After his precious Susie had died and this new perfect angel had taken her place, he'd started to hear Susie's voice all around him. She whispered new melodies and lyrics in his ear, her hands guided his pen across the page. It was like a dream. Every time he wrote music, he could feel her near him. The room around him was covered wall to floor with pages of music, a never-ending endless symphony he'd been constructing for years, all for her, all for his precious angel.
Sammy felt a giggle rise up in his throat. "Almost there, almost finished with this song...then I'll offer it to my savior, my angel..."
This song would set him free. She would set him free. He knew it, he just knew it. Where Bendy had failed him, she would succeed. He just needed her to sing it. He just needed to get his hands on her.
He set down his pen and strode across the room. Candlelight flickered as he passed, casting light on his distorted appearance. He'd barely changed over the years. Still half a man and half a monster. But that was just another gift, wasn't it? A distorted reward this world had bestowed upon him for getting in too deep. But Sammy wasn't nearly done. He was intent on going deeper, far below the surface. All the way to the bottom of this world.
He finished crossing the room, a good ten feet or so over the river below, constructed from wood and pipes that had fallen down in disrepair. Sammy's room, his true sanctuary, looked out over his audience, a hoard of lost ones moaning and clawing at the edges of an inky river. Their hands and glowing eyes all reached out, trying to scramble out of the pit they'd been thrown into. Bars covered the top, a feeble well of lost souls that was nearly overflowing.
"I wanna go home..."
"Let us leave!"
"I don't...I don't wanna work here anymore..."
"I wanna go home, I wanna go home, let me go home, I'm just a guest..."
Sammy leaned against the wooden railing he'd built, the only thing separating him from the sea of restless souls. They grew by the day. There were easily three hundred of them, each losing their mind more and more by the day, growing more and more distorted with every inky puddle they dared to step foot in. Did Joey Drew know what was happening down here? Did he know that Bendy was claiming more and more souls, like a twisted collection? Not just Bendy, though. No. There was more going on behind the scenes. Sammy still kept all those old audiotapes. He knew the secrets that not just Joey, but GENT, was keeping behind the scenes. But the next act would be coming up soon, and everyone would have to take their places. How would it end, he wondered? A glorious tragedy, ending in nothing but tears and heartbreak? A riveting adventure, a heroic tale sung throughout the ages as an inspiration for future warriors?
Or maybe something new?
"Hehehe...I do...I know everything...just like I know who will set us free...we just have to be a little more patient." Sammy grinned down at the people squirming below in the prison. Their screams were just another melody he had to write. Another beautiful tune just waiting to be created.
Sammy was nothing if not patient.
The stage is set. The actors are all in place. The show must go on.
I'm back! Well, soon I'll be back. I'm getting married in just a few days! But I've had this chapter written out for a while and wanted to go ahead and post it. And it's super good to be back! I've been thinking about this story a lot and where I want to go with it from here, and I think I've got a solid game plan for what comes next! For those of you returning from my previous story, welcome back, thanks for following!
I decided to go ahead and continue the old story here instead of creating a new story, because I actually got a lot of new followers to this story in the few months I've been on hiatus! It's been really encouraging seeing new people come in and like my story, so I'm happily going to continue the story here!
Though I will say, this is definitively "Act 2." If it were to have a name, I guess it would problem be...
Return to Bendyland.