Part II Chapter 5: All the Dark Puddles

When the elevator reached the bottom, it shuddered, and clacked to a stop. Alice let out the breath she'd been holding it. The rickety thing had acted like it might crash down with them in it at any moment, like birds in a birdcage. The man before them clicked a button, and the grate squeaked open. He turned back to her and smiled. "This way, my angel."

Alice gulped, and looked him up and down. She'd been doing that since the moment she'd laid eyes on him. She couldn't piece together what he was, or rather, what he was supposed to be. She thought maybe he was a human, maybe even a park employee, half of his face and hair revealed, almost calm and composed looking. She saw the workers clothes, caked in dried and age old ink, but the other half was more like her. Though she hated the comparison. He was covered in ink, dripping off of him in pools, like he was melting away down the middle. Horns stuck out of his head, horns like hers, but not quite right either. There was a halo too. That was...odd. She was the only toon with a halo. Perhaps he was a new character? That was a possibility. And if that were the case, she better do her best to remain polite and courteous. Even if his looks were very...off-putting. Yes. That was a better word than unpleasant.

"Excuse me," she said, following him down a dark hallway. "But, what is your name? Are you a toon? A new character perhaps?"

The man laughed. It felt a bit mocking. "You can call me Sammy. Let's just leave it at that for now...shall we?"

She didn't really want to leave it at that, but she also wasn't going to be disrespectful. Whoever this person was, he had saved her and Audrey from a rather unsavory end.

Bendy...she really was sorry that all had to happen. Hopefully once daylight arose, he'd be back to normal, and she could try to make amends. He couldn't stay mad at them forever after all!

Sniffling turned her attention downwards, and Audrey wiped at her eyes. A bit of ink was left on her hands, and she left a black smudge on her forehead. Alice bent down, taking the corner of her dress to wipe it away. "There, there, Audrey. You're doing very well! How very brave of you!"

"Monster," she mumbled. "That...was a monster chasing us..." Her eyes started to water. "So why'd you call him Bendy?"

Alice paused. How could she even begin to explain something so complex to a mere child? Especially when she barely understood it herself? She looked down at the little girl. Her eyes were wide. Begging. Pleading.

She cleared her throat and offered her best smile. "I-I'm sorry Audrey, I must have just been mistaken. Bendy is a cute little dancing demon! Not a monster!"

She had hoped that would make Audrey smile, but all she did was nod and go back to looking at the ground. "...I wanna go home."

"I know Audrey," Alice said. "I'm sure we'll find a way back up to the park soon. Right mister...Sammy?"

Sammy smiled. "Sure, I know a short-cut. Just a little further this way is all." He kept walking forward, down the dark halls where not even light bulbs illuminated their path. There was nothing here, nothing but occasional candles and wax stacked along the corners, their fires flickering and waving to them as they walked passed. Alice's hand over Audrey's tightened a little bit. If this really was a shortcut, why did it seem to Alice like they were going further down beneath the studio? Where even was this place? It was definitely deeper down than she'd ever been. She'd been down to the tunnels, down to the ink machine. But this...this was something else entirely.

Eventually, they reached a larger room with a cavernous ceiling. She would have thought it a cave, but the walls and ceiling were too smooth, and if she looked closely, she could see the metal and wood hovering over their head. In front of them was a large, deep black river. She halted in her tracks.

The ink. There was so much of it here. More than she'd ever seen.

She felt...strange.

"Miss Alice?" Audrey asked. Sammy paused too, looking over his shoulder at her. Alice's eyes were locked on the waters, locked on the way they rippled, so black, so deep, like it was pulling her in. Something inside of her was twisting, shifting, moving. It was calling to her, begging her just to step in, just one foot, just to touch it-

Sammy clamped a hand down on her shoulder, drawing her from her thoughts. She shook her head and looked over at him. He held a finger up to his lips. "Try to drown out those little voices. I know the dark puddles call, but trust me, you don't want to go in there. You'll never come out again." He stepped away from her, heading over to a boat docked at the river. Though, she supposed it was more of a raft. Planks and logs of wood tied together with string and hammered down, it barely seemed to hold Sammy's weight when he stepped onto it. "Come along," he said. "Just a little further. It'll hold, don't you worry."

"I don't wanna go on there," Audrey said. "The water smells bad."

Alice hadn't noticed honestly, but once Audrey brought it to her attention, she realized she was right. It was more putrid than regular ink, something more than just the chemical smell she was used to filling her lungs. This smell was earthier. Like...something was rotting.

"Come on Audrey," Alice said. "You can do it. Why don't we sing a little song? That'll make the trip go by faster. Is that alright?" she asked Sammy.

Sammy's smile widened. It made her shiver. "I'd love nothing more."

Audrey took a deep breath, and puffed out her cheeks. At first, Alice thought she was pouting, but she marched over to the boat and took Sammy's hand to hoist herself on board. So it was her brave face, then. Alice giggled. She headed over to the boat, and reached out for Sammy's outstretched hand. The second she touched it, she felt a ripple run through her. Voices shouting. One voice in particular. Memories of water, melting away, laughter, bright spotlights, and songs played over and over again. She jerked her hand back instinctively.

He looked down at his own hand, then back over to her. "Something wrong?"

"...have we...ever met before?" she asked.

He lunged, grabbing her arm and pulling her on board and close to him, too close, she didn't want to be this close, the voice screaming danger was even louder. He leaned down to her ear. "Many, many times..."

He grabbed a large pole attached to the side of the boat, probably a pipe at some point, and thrust it into the water. Their raft pushed away from the dock, and whether Alice liked it or not, she was stuck on this tiny raft with him until they reached their destination. She knew she probably shouldn't have trusted a stranger. But she wasn't sure what else to do. So she decided to put at least a bit of her faith in him, however misguided it might be.

Their boat ride started off quiet. Too quiet. Alice could already hear the voices of the water. Whispering to her. It was like a strange siren song, pulling her in. Her heart beat wildly as if in fear, but her head was clouded. What was wrong with this ink?

"I'll be your angel, sent from heaven above, your little angel, cast out for you to love!"

Audrey's singing pulled her away this time. The little girl was standing on the edge of the boat, hands clasped in front of her to stop them from shaking. She looked at Alice expectantly.

Alice sat down on the boat, and Audrey crawled to sit in her lap. "I'll be your angel, fit me just like a glove, so won't you save a prayer to me, ba-by!"

Even Sammy started humming at some point, bobbing his head in tune with the beat. By the time they finished their song, they had almost reached the end of the river, and the voices in the dark ink had been completely drowned out.

"We're almost there now," Sammy said.

Alice nodded, though she wasn't sure if Sammy could see her. In the middle of the river, not even candles lit their way. It was dark. Too dark. She could hardly tell up from down. All she could hear was the rhythmic splashes as Sammy's pipe went up and down in the river, pushing their boat along. Up and down, like the horse on the carousel.

"I see light!" Audrey said, pointing in front of them. Alice could hear the smile in her voice. She stood, and picked Audrey up in her arms. The boat continued forward, and when they broke through the light, the hope in Alice's heart dropped to the pit of her stomach.

"What is this place?" she whispered in horror.

It was a city. Or at least, that's the only way her mind could comprehend it. Buildings made of wood and pipe stacked into corners, clotheslines draped from wall to wall. Walkways and pathways carved into dirt and more wood, scribbled messages on the wall, and everything lit up by the giant bonfire in the middle, large and bright enough to reach even their boat as they pulled into the shabby harbor.

And the people...

They were people. Right? Hundreds of them. Maybe more. But at the same time, Alice couldn't call them that. Lumbering, hovering figures, drenched in ink from head to toe, barely any physical features visible. They huddled in the shadows or crept closer to the light. They hung from the roofs of the buildings, or walked about the paths below, their footsteps leaving inky puddles. Their eyes glowed gold, some light from within giving them a meager facial feature. Some were larger, some smaller, some the size of children. Even from this far out, she could hear them groaning or muttering to themselves, desperate cries to no one in particular, cursing their fate, begging to be released from their suffering.

Audrey whimpered and buried her head in Alice's shoulder. She didn't blame her. She wanted to run and hide too. This scene was terrifying.

"What's wrong, Susie? Don't you recognize them?" Sammy asked. "Some of them you brought here yourself..."

Susie. That name made a chill run down her spine.

"What is this place?" she whispered.

Their boat hit the dock, nearly knocking her off of her feet. Sammy stepped off the boat, and all eyes turned to them instantly. But nobody moved. She could feel their glares, their tensed forms, the way their hands reached for weapons made of shrapnel and rubbish. But they didn't take a step toward them.

"I would suggest staying close," Sammy said. "I can keep them at bay. But I doubt for long. Why don't we head on over to my sanctuary, hm? Then I'll explain everything. What this place is, and, more importantly, who you are, Alice."

"Who...I am?" she asked. "I know who I am."

"No, you don't," Sammy said. "You don't know a thing about anything, little angel."

Alice trembled. She tried to stop it. She didn't want Audrey to know just how scared she really was. She had no choice. Following this man was a mistake. She knew it when she first made the choice, but she held onto hope. That hope had led her straight to hell. She stepped off the boat, and followed Sammy up to his sanctuary.

Henry didn't waste any time after he watched Tom fall. He knew he needed rope. A lot of rope. If he was going to climb down to the bottom level and try to find him, he'd probably need other supplies too. Supplies he'd only find at the studio. He still had a few hours until sunrise. Maybe there was still time. He kept telling himself that, driving himself forward as he raced toward the studios. He got lost a few times. Forced himself to slow down. Stop panicking. Deeper breaths. It was so much easier said than done. Tom's face just kept replaying over and over in his mind, the exact moment that he realized he was falling. Possibly falling to his death.

No.

Right?

He couldn't...

Henry took a deep breath. It felt shaky in his lungs. He nearly coughed, but swallowed it down.

They'd gotten through worse. Henry had seen it. But how many times was fate going to let them off the hook? How many times would each of them be able to dance around death?

Henry didn't know how far down Tom had even fallen. A few stories? Ten? More? He didn't know. If it was too far, it didn't matter what awaited at the bottom, Tom would die. His body wasn't made of ink anymore. Even if it was, a fall from too far up would be impossible to fix.

Even if he was dead, Henry had to know for sure. He had to find his body. But he hoped, he prayed, something he hadn't done in a really long time if he was being honest, that Tom was somehow, miraculously still alive. That fate would grant them one more miracle. Just one.

As Henry stood up from his break and kept running, he knew even asking for one more miracle would be a lie. They'd always ask for another one. Tom wouldn't stop trying to put an end to this park and save Allison until he was dead. That's all there was too it. So if Henry got to the bottom of that hole, and found nothing but Tom's remains, then they didn't need anymore miracles, and fate could lay claim to him and their hopes. If Tom was still alive, then miracles were still pouring in, and Tom would keep going until they ran out.

"...is Henry's desk! Has he ever showed you where he works before?"

"No, I can't say that he has. My husband is quite a private man, you see."

Henry stopped mid step. His whole body felt cold.

Linda?

He heard her sigh, and peeked around the corner. Had he already ran back to his office? Sure, he'd gotten lost, and he knew he was running fast, but he must have been running far faster than he thought if he was already back here. Adrenaline must have pushed him beyond what he thought possible. And there she was, his wife, his beautiful wife, staring at Henry's desk next to Joey Drew.

What was she doing here? Had Joey taken her? No, their stances were calm. Poised. Relaxed. Linda was maybe a little tense, but she was playing it off well, laughing at Joey's jokes and digging around in his desk looking for something. What were they looking for?

"I swear, I can't believe my husband forgot his keys. He really is such a scatterbrain, you know," Linda said.

Keys? Henry hadn't forgotten his keys.

"Well, I'm sure he has a lot on his mind right now, since we're looking at working on a Bendy movie soon!"

"A movie! Wow, no wonder he's so tired! You better not overwork him, Mister Drew," Linda said with a smile. She turned. Caught Henry's gaze around the corner. Their eyes met.

The smallest of nods. The tightest of smiles. And one mouthed word.

Audrey.

The panic in her eyes reflected his own. Where was Audrey?

His wife didn't call him out. She didn't question why he was sneaking around, out of sight, or covered in scrapes and ink. His eyes shifted to Joey, and she gave another nod in understanding.

"You know, maybe they are still at home somewhere, though I could have swore I looked everywhere," Linda said with a laugh. "But I have to say, I am just fascinated by this place! I don't suppose you'd be willing to give me a tour, Joey? I know so few people get to be back here, but this is where all the magic started! The place where dreams come true!"

Joey hesitated, or at least, acted like he was hesitating. Henry could already see the smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He'd made his decision. What a better way to prove an upper hand to Henry, than to tour his wife around the place keeping him prisoner?

"Of course!" Joey said. "We've still got time before the park opens, and I'd just hate for you to come all this way empty-handed! Let's take a walk then, Miss Stein!"

Joey put his arm around Linda and led her out of the room. Linda didn't look back at Henry, but she didn't need too.

How long had she known? That there was something going on, behind the scenes? Had she always known? Or had she seen the desperation in Henry's eyes, and didn't question it?

Either way, he was a lucky man.

Once Joey and Linda left, Henry made quick work. He knew there was spare rope somewhere around here, left over from construction work that was never done. He grabbed it, but felt his hands shaking.

Audrey was somewhere in the park. How? Had Linda come to look for him and brought her along?

No. This wasn't the first night he'd disappeared without a trace. She wouldn't come looking for him after just being gone a night.

But if Audrey was missing too...

Henry's heart sank into his stomach.

She'd snuck along.

She must have heard Henry and Tom talking about going to the park after dark, and decided to hide in his car and come with them. That had to be it. How could he be so stupid? How could he not know his own daughter was in the car with him? Was he that nervous, that distracted? Was she still in the car? No, Linda would have checked. That had to be why she was here.

So then...where was she?

Henry looked down at the rope in his hands.

If Tom was alive, he was going to need help.

But Audrey was alone. Probably scared. In a park where Bendy and the other toons could steal her away.

He clenched the rope so tightly, his fingernails dug into his skin.

"Wait for me, Tom," Henry whispered, and turned around to head back into the park.

He needed to find his daughter.

Alice wasn't sure what to think when they made it up to Sammy's studio. It was nicer than the rest of the shambled village she'd walked through. There were a few couches, candles actually sitting on stands, books on a rickety bookshelf, and even an old record player that seemed in good condition despite occasionally skipping a note or two. There were audio tapes as well, scattered about the floor, the shelves, even one on the couch, all marked with different names, most of which she didn't recognize.

Audrey let go of her hand and plopped down on one of the couches, immediately curling up and clutching a pillow. Alice turned to her. "Stay right here for a while, okay? I'm going to talk to Sammy and try to find us a way back up to the park."

Audrey nodded, looking like she could fall asleep at any moment. Alice didn't want to let her out of her sight, but Sammy was already walking deeper into his sanctuary, and Alice needed answers. She followed him to a writing desk, with messages in ink scrawled across the wall.

THE PUDDLES CALL TO US

WAIT FOR THE INK DEMON

THE ANGEL WILL LEAD US TO HEAVEN

She swallowed the lump in her throat. Sammy took a seat at the desk, pushing aside half-written music sheets to turn and look at her. "...you don't look much like Allison. You don't look much like Susie, either. But I know they're both inside you...waiting for me."

"You're mistaken," Alice said, lifting her head up. "I am Alice Angel. I was born from the mind of Joey Drew, and created from the Ink Machine."

"Yeah?" Sammy asked. "Is that what Joey told you? Or is that what you remember?"

She paused.

Remembering her awakening was...tricky. She can't really remember when she came into existence. But her first memory was of watching the cartoons. Watching Alice Angel sing on the screen, those songs feeling like a part of her, a deeper part of her soul, and some deep understanding that that was who she was. Then she remembered talking with Joey. He explained who she was. Where she came from. But she didn't remember emerging from the ink machine. And she didn't know how Joey had managed to do it. She didn't ask. Did this man, Sammy, know how?

"What does it matter?" Alice asked. "I'm the Angel Sent From Above. It doesn't matter how I got here."

"You aren't even the least bit curious?" Sammy asked. He smiled, and grabbed an audio tape from the desk. He fiddled with it in his hands. "Susie...I know you're in there somewhere...I've been dying to talk to you again. Won't you come out and talk to me?" He clicked play.

"I'm the cutest little angel sent from above, and I know just how to swing~ I've got a bright new halo and I'm filled with love, I'm Alice Angel!"

Of course she knew the song. It was a part of her.

So why didn't she recognize the voice singing it?

"I'm the hit of the party, I'm the belle of the ball, I'm the toast of every town. Just one little dance and you know I'll fall, I'm Alice Angel!"

Her head hurt. Something felt wrong. Something was twisting in her gut. She couldn't breath. Her throat felt tight, like hands were clenched around her vocal cords, squeezing them, begging to know why the voice wasn't hers, why everything was wrong. It was loud in her ears, pounding, screaming, like every part of her was crying and asking why, why it was wrong, why it felt so wrong?

"Turn it off," she whispered. "Turn it off, turn it off, TURN IT OFF!"

Sammy flicked the switch. The recording buzzed and clicked to a stop. She could still hear that voice echoing in her ears. She pressed her hands against her head, willing it to stop, willing for the room to stop spinning, for the voices arguing in her mind to just shut up for a moment...

She didn't notice Sammy crossing the room, or putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Her name was Susie," he whispered.

Alice stopped and looked up at him. There it was again. That madness in his eyes. The way they looked at her and through her at the same time. And the way his mouth twisted into a smile that looked too tight, like the muscles pulling his lips apart were stretched and about to crack.

"She's still in there," Sammy said. "So is Allison. And Alice too. All the women I've ever loved...all coming together to form the perfect angel, sent straight. From. Above."

She still couldn't breathe. She still felt like words wouldn't rise up from her throat. But she forced them anyway.

"I'm Alice," she croaked.

Her own voice sounded wrong. It didn't sound like hers anymore.

"Yes," Sammy said, grasping her head in his hands. "You ARE Alice! You're the perfect angel. Those voices in your head is every angel that needed to be sacrificed to form the perfect goddess...you. So don't be scared of those voices! They're a part of you! Joey gave them up! He threw them in the ink machine, let the ink purge them of their imperfections, filling their lungs and insides with it, the living ink! It flows through these halls, through the pipes, it's everywhere and nowhere, all at once, all coming together to form you! To form you, and Bendy, and Boris...the creation of the gods...God made man...and now we've made you...So we become the gods..." Sammy said, his voice trailing off into mutterings that Alice couldn't focus on anymore. Her head was still spinning. She needed something to be stable. She needed something to keep herself together. She felt like she was coming apart at the seams.

There was another click. Another audio tape. The same song, but this time, it was her voice. She felt herself coming back down, grounded back. Sammy set the two audio tapes side by side, and gave her a moment to compose herself. It was her voice. Right? It still sounded sounded a little different. But, it was her. She mouthed the words, but didn't dare sing along in case her voice came out wrong.

Alice. Alice Angel. That's who she was. Quite a gal. Sent from above. Yes.

She took a deep, shaky breath.

And then Sammy stopped the tape, and clicked play on both of them at the same time.

"Susie and Allison," he whispered. "Singing together, just for me."

To anyone else, it would sound like two women just singing in harmony.

To Alice, it was agony.

"I SAID STOP IT!" Alice screamed, and lunged herself across the room at Sammy. He fell to the ground, and she screamed at him, screamed in his face loud enough to block out the two voices singing above, their voices alike, but too different, too wrong, the wrong voice the wrong melody, everything was wrong because it was her voice, exactly her, but nothing like her all at once. She rose her fist, felt it connect with Sammy's head, again and again. She reached up and grabbed the tapes, slamming them onto the ground, the voices scratching and screeching to a halt, pieces of plastic and metal and tape flying about the room. Sammy struggled to push her off of him, an admittedly easy feat, but before he could gather himself, she was running.

Out of his sanctuary. Deeper into the village. She felt the eyes of those villagers staring at her.

What did they see?

Did they see a monster? An angel? Did they see the imperfect beast rising up inside of her? Their gazes were too much. She craved the gazes of crowds, the adoring eyes of fans and children. Their love for their perfect angel.

Right now, she couldn't bare a single soul to lay an eye on her. Each gaze felt like a knife. Like a thousand spotlights, heat burning her up from the inside out. If they weren't going to look at perfection, she didn't want them to look at all.

Toons don't need to eat. They don't need to sleep. They barely need to rest. So Alice ran. She ran. And ran. And ran. And didn't stop.

Audrey hadn't seen Alice run off. She'd headed out a back way, not the same way they'd come in. But she'd heard Alice scream. She'd heard her scream again and again, like a wild animal. She heard the thumps and crashing sounds of Alice and Sammy fighting. And she'd heard her footsteps get softer and softer.

She peeked into the room to make sure. She was right. Alice was gone, and that horrible looking monster, Sammy, was clutching his head and groaning in pain, bending down to pick up the leftover pieces of a broken machine.

Audrey was smart enough to know not to stick around. She wanted to cry. Alice had left her. She'd run off. And Audrey was scared, but she knew she couldn't stay.

Her daddy always said the same thing. If she was ever lost and scared, she needed to find a place to hide, and wait until he found her.

So Audrey went to find a place to hide.

She didn't want to stay in the city. She thought about trying to find Alice again. But those screams scared her. She didn't really want to find Alice. She wanted her dad. She felt tears bubbling up in her chest again, but she puffed out her cheeks. She was brave. She was a big girl. She wasn't going to cry. She was going to find a place to hide, and wait for her daddy to find her.

Most of the lost ones were distracted by Alice's screams, and the sight of the angel running away. It was the perfect cover for Audrey to slip away unnoticed. She followed a trail of candles, but soon came to the same, big river as before. She looked around. There was no one in sight. The city was behind her. The river was big and empty. There wasn't even any place to hide.

She puffed out her cheeks. She did her best. But tears were dripping down her cheeks anyway.

She stopped when she heard movement behind her. Something rustling in the darkness. She stood up. "...w-whatever you are, you better leave me alone, or you'll be sorry! I'm brave!" she said. "A-and my daddy's gonna come find me any minute!"

The rustling stopped. Audrey could just barely make out a figure around the candlelight. It shifted. Like it was hiding from her. She took a step forward, suddenly curious about what it could be. Instead of finding a person, though, she was face to face with a Bendy cutout. She blinked in confusion.

Then the cutout moved. It moved further out into the open, but didn't dare get closer to her. She could see a figure behind it, holding it in front of its face and body with one inky hand, and one hand covered with a white glove. It held the cutout firmly in front of it, and every time Audrey made a step closer, it took a step back. If she approached it from the right, it turned to match her, so she could never see what was hiding behind it.

She stomped her foot. "Stop it! Stop hiding!"

The figure froze.

"Why are you hiding behind Bendy?" she asked, and crossed her little arms.

The figure pointed to the cutout's chest, then behind the cutout at itself.

Audrey was quiet. She didn't really understand. "...put it down," she said, trying to sound like her mom. After all, nobody ever disobeyed mom.

The hands holding the cutout shifted, and slowly lowered the cutout and placed it to the side. Bendy's monstrous face stared back at Audrey. His smile was quiet and still, not a speck of movement to be seen.

Audrey whimpered for a moment, but then looked closer. "Bendy?"

The ink demon's mouth clattered up and down wordlessly.

"...you're scary," Audrey said.

Bendy nodded. He tried to dance again. This time, it looked a little better.

Audrey giggled. It was a little forced. But then she smiled. "Are you really...Bendy?"

It nodded again.

Audrey was confused. But her momma always said to never let appearances deserve her. Or...was it deceive? She never really understood the words. But she think it meant not to let scary things be scary all the time.

"Bendy...I'm lost. And I'm scared," she said. "I...I wanna go home. I want dad. Can you take me to him?"

He hesitated. She could see his mouth shivering. Trying to decide.

"Please?" she asked.

Bendy reached out his gloved hand, and Audrey took it. He was much taller than her now. But...he was still Bendy. He looked down at her. He looked happy. She thought he did anyway. She smiled, and followed him through more tunnels, out of sight of the candles, leaving the cardboard cutout forgotten and left behind.

Longer chapter this time, but it took me a bit longer than usual to get all my thoughts on the page. Thanks for your patience, and as always, let me know what you think in the review section!

Also, go check out FantasyToArt's AWESOME fanart of Welcome to Bendyland! Unfortunately, FanFiction won't let me copy and paste links, but go check it out on Insta gram under FantasyToArt! Serious, they're an amazing artist and deserve all the respect and praise!