Part II Chapter 8: Nothing But Ink

For a whole minute, Tom could do nothing but stare, mouth agape, pain in his arm forgotten entirely.

There she was. Standing there, back to the pile of flames growing higher. Still an angel, through and through. But angels didn't clench their hands into fists and scowl at the lost ones around them. Wally was saying something, but Tom couldn't hear that either.

When he finally got feeling back to his feet, he was standing and walking toward her.

"Tom, are you alright, are you hu-"

He didn't let her finish. He grabbed her and pulled her against him, taking her head in his hand and pulling it against his. His heart was pounding. But she was back. She was really here, and he'd fallen in love all over again, head over heels, tumbling down further than he ever thought possible just knowing she was really here, so he kissed her until he couldn't breathe, kissed her until tears poured down his cheeks. She was...cold. He knew why, of course, these inky prisons took away all warmth, inside and out. He tried to push those thoughts away. Tried to fight the lingering feeling of disgust. It was wrong, something being this cold. But it was hard, wanting to feel all of her, wanting to feel the warmth of her next to him, to feel that she was alive and breathing, yet that one thing being wrong. It made even more tears drip down his cheeks. He hoped she didn't notice.

Her eyes were wide in shock, and when she tensed, he quickly pulled away. "I...I'm sorry," he stuttered, quickly wiping at his eyes and smearing ink across his face as a result. "I...I just..."

She giggled. Then started to laugh. Loud. Filling the room. High-pitched and squeaky even, undeniably her in every way, and he had to dig his feet into the ground to keep himself from grabbing her and embracing her again.

"I'm...I'm happy to see you too," she said, rubbing the back of her neck.

Did he overstep? Did he move too fast? He felt like an idiot, but it felt like the right thing to do, the only thing he could do to tell her exactly how he felt, everything he felt, all in one moment.

She smiled. He bit back a sigh of relief. Her look said it all, he was fine, it was alright, he'd just surprised her.

Damn him being an awkward fool...but he guessed that smile was worth it. He'd never seen that kind of smile on her face before. Soft. A little embarrassed, maybe, the corners of her mouth twisting up as she tried not to smile too widely.

He wanted to kiss her again just to keep that smile on her face.

Wally cleared his throat. "Look, this is cute and all, but I think we should probly' get outta here."

Tom finally pulled his eyes away from Allison, as hard as it was, and looked over to Wally. Wally was looking around at all of the lost ones, eyes shifting and nervous. When Tom looked around, he could see why. They were restless, shifting back and forth with expressions that bordered on anger and relief.

"Sammy was probably keeping them at bay," Allison said, taking a step closer to them. "We should leave, before they start to fight."

"You think they'd fight us?!" Wally asked.

"I don't know what they'll do, but I don't want to stick around to find out," she said. "Come on, I think I remember the way back to the boat, hurry!"

Allison grabbed Tom's hand and pulled him along. They took off running, Allison and Wally frantically scanning the groups of inky bodies around them, waiting for signs of hostility, signs of movement.

But she was all he could look at. God, he felt like crying again. It welled up in his chest like a storm, something he had to swallow and force back down. She caught his gaze once, her own softening. That smile again. A lighter feeling in his chest. Her hand in his, the smallest squeeze. It was more strength than he'd ever needed. It felt too good to be true. Even running for their lives felt like heaven.

Before he knew it, they had reached the boat, docked on the shore. Allison furiously untied the rope keeping it anchored, while Wally faced the crowd of lost ones. They had finally seemed to make up their mind on what they wanted to do, and they didn't seem happy.

"Tom, can you help Wally fend them off if they get too close?" she asked.

"Yes," he said instantly. He clenched his hand into a fist and looked at the approaching crowd. Wally gulped.

"We don't have any weapons any more...you sure we can hold them back?" Wally asked.

"If we have to, we will," Tom said.

They watched. And waited. All while Allison frantically readied the boat. The crowd grew closer, and Tom scowled.

"Gonna need you to hurry up Allison," Tom said.

"I'm trying," she huffed. "Alright, hurry up, get on, I'll use the pole to push us off the shore. Hurry!"

The crowd surged forward, and Tom swung hard to knock one of them back as they reached out. He and Wally scrambled onto the boat. Allison slammed the pole onto the shore, trying to shove the boat free.

"It's stuck!" she shouted. "The boats stuck on shore! I can't get free!"

Tom's eyes widened, and again the crowd of lost ones surged around the boat. There was a sound of creaking wood. Tom reared his hand back to fend them off, when with a jolt, the boat was dislodged, and lazily drifted out across the inky river.

Allison's eyes widened. "Did...they free us?"

The group all stared at them among the shoreline. Golden eyes watching on helplessly. Those that were near the boat stood back up. They made no more moves of aggression, no more surging or attacks.

Then one figure stepped forward. He was unrecognizable.

"Please..." The figure's gaze was sad. They all were. "Please...end this..."

As the boat drifted down the river, their faces and figures slowly disappeared into the darkness, nothing left to even distinguish them from the shadows of the caverns.

Allison's hands clenched into fists. "...we're going to," she whispered. "I promise."

Henry could only hope that Tom and Wally would be alright. He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw that Tom was alive. He really did survive that fall after all. His arm though, how could his arm be covered in ink? What had happened in just those few short hours?

As much as he wished he could ask Tom all of these questions, he couldn't. He was still running. Still tearing down the empty halls as fast as his feet could carry him. It still didn't feel fast enough. Every small brush of movement caught his attention. He'd pause, see nothing, and keep going. He wanted to shout Audrey's name, but something told him not too, something told him that drawing attention to himself, or her, could be deadly. Even if the screams were tearing at the edge of his throat, panic seeping in, trying not to feel like a bad father, a terrible father, for leaving his daughter, his love, his pride and flesh and blood down in this terrible awful place all on her own.

How long had she been here? If Tom could be transformed so completely in only a few hours, how long had his little Audrey been here? Would she look like one of those awful figures he'd seen surrounding Tom and Sammy, with their inky bodies and gold, glowing eyes? He could see her now, a small form standing out among the taller inky giants, staring at him, begging to know why he would leave her, why he would ever...

He pushed the thoughts away. They were insistent. Forcing his feet to move faster. He slipped on the ink pooling around his shoes. It felt like they were sticking to him, slowing him down, pulling him toward the river.

Oh God, was that where she was? Had she fallen into the river? Could she even swim? He wanted to dive in right now, search the waters for her, search until he couldn't breathe, until he'd checked everything from top to bottom or the waters had claimed him as well. He just couldn't leave her alone. He couldn't.

He heard her voice. It was faint. But he knew that tone. He knew that sound. He ran toward where he thought he heard it, cursing these echoing hallways. Did it come from in front of him? Behind him? He froze in place, waiting for another voice. He didn't hear one.

"AUDREY!" he shouted, unable to stop himself. He cupped his hands around his mouth. His voice cracked as the desperation clawed its way up his throat. "AUDREY! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

Silence.

And then.

"DADDY!"

He heard it, ahead of him and to the right, it was farther away but he knew it was her, and he was running again, his chest and lungs burning but he didn't stop, rounding the corner to where he heard her. "AUDREY, KEEP TALKING TO ME!" he shouted. "I'M COMING!"

"HENRY WE'RE HERE!"

Shit. That was Linda.

And then Audrey screamed.

Henry rounded the corner, face-to-face with Bendy, Audrey, and Joey. Joey was facing Bendy, his back to Henry. Linda was with holding Audrey in her arms, Bendy standing in front of them, between them and Joey. He was back to his toon form, but it was wrong. His eyes were wider than normal, his mouth shaking up and down violently, and ink was bubbling on his head and arms, shifting and moving like something beneath the surface was pulsing and itching to escape.

"Joey," Henry said.

"...did you really think I was stupid?" he said quietly. "I'm no fool, Henry. I knew from the moment that Linda arrived that you were here, somewhere. That she didn't know where you were. I'll admit...I wasn't expecting Audrey to be wrapped up in this. Can't even keep track of your own daughter, hm?"

Henry gritted his teeth. But kept his mouth shut. One wrong move, one wrong word, and Joey could do anything he wanted. Bendy was too close to his wife and daughter for comfort. He couldn't risk testing Joey's patience or anger.

"So you didn't take Audrey?" Henry asked.

"No," Joey said. "When I finally confronted Linda about knowing something was wrong, she tried to fight me. Demanded I tell her where her daughter was." Joey turned his head, showing Henry two large scratches down his cheek. "She's got a soul full of fire, I'll give you that, Henry." He turned back to facing Bendy. "...I knew that if Bendy found her, there's only one place he'd take her. Down here. The place I hate going the most. This is where Bendy takes all of his new friends...all of the things he wants to keep."

"...the missing people Allison talked about," Henry said.

"What missing people?" Linda asked, swallowing.

"Ah. So you didn't tell her everything then. Wanted to keep her safe. Good job with that too," Joey said sarcastically.

Henry really wanted to punch him. Hard.

Joey looked over at Linda and Audrey and smiled. "Henry's keeping a lot of secrets from you, Linda. But it probably is for the best. You can explain it all later, if you'd like. But first...I want to know what you're doing here after dark, Henry. What's going on?"

Henry was quiet.

Joey's smile fell. "...you're really going to make me threaten your poor wife and daughter? Didn't I teach you the first time? Or have you already forgotten? I hold all the cards," he said. A growl was creeping into his voice. His eyes were so cold. Harsh. The smiling man everyone saw on television was long gone. With the scratches down his cheek, and the devil in his eyes, Joey looked more monstrous than Bendy.

"I was looking for Tom. He fell down a hole that cracked in the studio. I was worried about him," Henry said. Technically not a lie. But he doubted Joey would be satisfied.

"Tom too," Joey said, sighing. "I thought I'd gotten him in control with Allison under my thumb. But I guess he'll need more convincing."

"You're a sick bastard, Joey Drew," Linda said.

"Easy now Linda, that's not very becoming language for a pretty lady such as yourself. Gotta set a good example for little Audrey here, don't forget that," Joey said. "You can curse and swear and hate me all you want. But Henry knows that I do what I do because I have to keep Bendy under control."

"You call this under control?!" Henry asked, gesturing around him. "Do you know how many people are trapped down here, Joey? HUNDREDS. Hundreds of people, men, women, children, trapped down here, covered in ink, suffocating and drowning in it, because of this park that WE'VE created!"

For once, Joey didn't have anything to say. But Henry could have sworn he heard Bendy growl.

"We weren't trying to mess with the studio again," Henry said, sighing and lowering his voice and his hands. "We learned our lesson. Tom wanted to look for something, for documents, something about Gent. I think he's trying to turn Allison back, and I honestly can't blame him Joey. You said he'd get a chance to get her back, and it's been years. You can't expect a broken man to wait forever."

Joey tensed. Bendy, perhaps sensing something in the air, started to shake violently, too violently to be trembles. Audrey clutched onto her mother's leg.

"If you wouldn't have shot Allison, he wouldn't have had to go this far," Henry said.

"Oh my god, oh my god, you shot Allison?!" Linda started, but Joey scowled.

"I'm sick and tired of you all messing with MY PARK!" Joey roared.

Behind him, Bendy started to shift and change. Audrey started to cry again.

"I keep the peace...I do what I can...do you think it's easy?! Do you think I LIKE doing all of this?!" Joey shouted, spit spraying from his mouth in a wild frenzy. "Do you think I like looking at my failures, looking at all of these monsters, these people who Bendy has taken under my watch?! Do you think a man like me thinks he's going anywhere but to hell?! NO! BUT IF THAT LITTLE INK DEMON GETS OUT INTO THE REST OF THE WORLD, THIS WHOLE DAMNED CITY IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE THIS HELLHOLE WE'RE IN NOW! I'M A HERO! I DO WHAT I HAVE TOO!"

Henry's eyes widened. But his gaze was transfixed behind Joey.

Joey paused, looking behind him. Bendy, half in his toon form, and half a monstrous, bubbling inky mess, stared down at Joey with wide eyes. Joey's mouth opened in surprise, forming wordless sentences of horror. Bendy's mouth opened.

And he spoke.

SCARED. AUDREY. IS. SCARED.

It was such a wrong sound. Like projection wheels screeching to a halt, like out of sync show-tunes, pitched all wrong and jagged. There was nothing natural about that voice. It was all wrong in every way, all machinery, all man-made and evil. Joey let out a squeak, and Linda pulled Audrey and ran over to Henry's open arms. They were already running for the door while Joey was transfixed in fear. His legs wouldn't move. His heart pounded painfully against his chest. His blood was running cold.

SCARED. OF. YOU!

Henry had already scooped Audrey into his arms when he heard Joey's scream cut through the empty air. Linda's hand was grasped tightly in his own. He was running as far away as he could, retracing his steps through the corridors. Away from Joey. Away from Bendy. Henry had never heard Joey scream before. A shrill, horrified noise, wild and high-pitched, unbecoming of a man so dignified and respected as Mister Joey Drew. And when the scream finally turned to nothing but choked gargles and bubbles, the sound of a man choking on ink, Henry felt nothing. There was nothing left he could give Joey Drew. Not even his sympathy anymore.

Then everything went deathly still once again.

Allison, Tom, and Wally heard the scream. It echoed and bounced off the walls like it was alive. And they heard it just as quickly drop off into silence.

"That...sounded like..." Wally started.

"Joey," Tom growled. "We need to leave. We need to get out of here now."

Allison was way ahead of them, jamming the boat's pole into the inky river below and pushing them forward. Wally's eyes frantically scanned the shoreline, looking for the source of the scream, or maybe even the ink demon himself, hot on their heels. Instead, he saw something else.

"Wait! Allison, stop the boat! Look!" he shouted, and pointed.

There, on the shoreline, was a frantically running Henry, a woman and little girl in tow. Tom's eyes widened.

"HENRY!" he shouted.

Henry lurched to a stop, and looked out across the river at them. They were hard to see against the dark backdrop, nothing but a few candles to outline vague faces.

"TOM!" Henry shouted back.

"Allison, move closer to the-"

"Already on it," she said, wasting no time as she moved the boat closer to shore. She wasn't sure if it would hold all of their weight. Five grown adults and a child? They were testing their luck, and given the amount they'd already used while at this park, it was sure to run out eventually. The boat hit the shore and Henry lifted his daughter on board, himself and Linda quickly following behind. The boat sagged under the extra pressure, boards and wood creaking and moaning its resistance. Wally's breath hitched.

"What if it doesn't hold?!" he asked.

"It will have to," Allison said, and pushed them off from the shore again. "We can make it. It's not far. Just try to distribute the weight. And stay away from the edges."

"Allison? Is that you? Are you back?!" Henry said in disbelief.

"Hey Henry," she said. "We'll talk later."

"Allison? You mean...Allison Pendle? You're Alice Angel? Henry, tell me what is going on this instant!" Linda said.

"I-it's too much to explain right now," Henry said. "Joey's been turning the workers into the toons. It's how this whole thing started."

"Oh my god," Linda said, her legs wobbling. "You mean...that all those...oh my god," her voice cracked.

"Bendy is the exception," Tom said. "There's something wrong with him..."

"Bendy's sick," Audrey said. Tom turned to her. She was sniffling and wiping at her eyes. There was ink on her face and in her hair. But otherwise, she looked alright. "He...he's sick I think...he doesn't feel good..."

Tom's mouth pressed into a grimace. He wasn't going to contradict a little girl. This wasn't the time or place.

Without warning, the boat suddenly jolted to a halt. Wally nearly fell off the edge, but Henry grabbed him and pulled him back at the last second. Tom turned. "Allison, what's going on?!" he asked.

"I'm not sure," she grunted, pressing the pole against the ground and heaving with all her might. "We must be caught on something! I can't get free!"

The wood started to creak more, ink pressing up between the cracks in the floor. Henry pulled Audrey back up into his arms.

"Well don't force it!" Wally wailed. "You'll break this whole boat in half!"

"It's not me!" Allison snapped.

The groaning continued. Then, abruptly, stopped.

Linda swallowed. "Henry...something in the water just moved."

"That ain't water..." Tom growled.

"You sure?" Henry asked. His throat felt tight.

She nodded, eyes wide. "I swear...I saw something move and dive below the surface."

Wally clutched his head. "Holy mother of god we're gonna die, we're gonna sink down below the surface and die, something's gonna drag us under and we're gonna-"

"Will you shut up?!" Tom snapped. "There's a kid here, Wally, for God's sake."

Wally clamped his mouth shut, but still looked on the verge of hysteria.

"There! Henry, again! Behind the boat! I saw it!" Linda screamed, pointing.

Henry spun around in time to see a massive hand rise out of the water. His mouth dropped open, and Tom cursed.

"ALLISON GET US OUT OF HERE!" Tom roared.

"SHUT UP I'M TRYING!" she yelled back, sweat dripping down her forehead. Tom didn't even know the toons COULD sweat. The boat started to move, boards creaking and snapping, and the hand reared back as if to slam down on them. Audrey buried her head in Henry's shoulder.

"SHIT!" Tom shouted, and plunged the shoulder of his missing arm into the inky river.

It burned. It hurt like hell having that ink back inside of him, willingly putting more in after his other inky arm had broken with the fight with Sammy. But he didn't know what else to do. The ink pulsed and writhed, but he gritted his teeth and focused with everything he could, trying to form some semblance of a fist. It shuddered and pulsed.

"Move, dammit!" he shouted, and finally, the inky arm seemed to listen. Right as the hand came crashing down toward them, Tom slammed his own inky fist into it. The boat lurched and the giant arm swung away, seemingly taken aback by the afront to it.

"We're free!" Allison shouted, and the boat started moving again.

"As fast as you can, Allison!" Henry shouted.

Allison muttered something foul under her breath, something about being sick and tired of everyone saying that and how someone else could maybe try to drive the damn boat, but soon, they were floating away at an impressive speed.

The hand in the river, however, was persistent. It sunk back below the water, following after them and spraying ink in all directions. Tom reared his fist back again, ready to fend off another attack, but a sharp jab of pain sent him to his knees.

It hurt. The ink in his arm wanted out somehow, wanted to be back in the river, wanted to pull him down with it. Forcing it to keep shape, to keep substance, was excruciating. If there was any ink left inside of him, he felt it pulling at his veins, his heart, his intestines, screaming and struggling to rejoin that ink river.

The hand chasing them rose again, but Allison was quicker, forcing the boat to the right and barely escaping its grasp. In the distance, the faint flickering of fluorescent lights could be seen.

"There's an elevator!" Allison shouted. "We're close!"

The hand chasing them must have known too, because it picked up speed. It got close to the boat, rose up, and Tom swung with all his might, screaming as he did. His fist connected, and his inky arm splattered against the walls of the cavern, losing all substance. He sank back to the floor of the boat, coughing up ink and blood and who knows what else. Someone patted his back, maybe Henry, and Tom watched in grotesque fascination as the bits of ink mixed with his blood and spit moved of their own volition, diving back into the river below.

He really hoped that was the last of it this time.

The giant hand chasing them wasn't as thrown off by Tom's punch this time, and came back faster than ever. Allison slammed the boat into the shoreline, everyone jerking forward with a thud. Henry grabbed his wife's arm with one hand and pressed Audrey closer to him with the other, running off the boat and toward the elevator. Wally was way ahead of them, already slamming the buttons to call the elevator. Allison forced Tom to his feet, pulling them both to the shore. Seconds later, the giant hand slammed down onto the boat, sending wood and ink in all directions. It dragged along the shoreline, just out of their reach, digging its enormous gloved fingers into the earth and wood of the dock, pulling up splinters in a silent rage.

Somewhere deep within the caverns, Tom heard something roar. Dust fell down on their heads as pipes and ink started falling down around them.

More ink was filling the river. It was rising.

"How close is the elevator?!" Tom shouted, leaning on Allison for support.

"Almost!" Wally said, pacing back and forth at the entrance. Another pipe clanged to the ground next to them, a huge surge of ink dumping in the river. "Holy hell, holy shit!" Wally shouted, his voice rising in pitch and volume. "Henry, Tom, what's happenin'?!"

"I don't know," Henry said. "But back there, Bendy, I think he got Joey."

Allison's head whipped around. "What...what do you mean he got Joey?"

"I ran out before I could see what happened, but...that scream really was Joey," Henry said, watching fearfully as the river rose.

Allison's eyes were wide. "...he really was the only thing keeping Bendy under control," she whispered.

Tom's hand clenched into a fist. "What...are you saying, Allison?"

"I'm saying we need to get out of this park. Now."

Right on cue, the elevator arrived with a pleasant "ding!" and everyone poured into it. Wally slammed the button for the uppermost floor they could get too, and the doors screeched to a close around them. The elevator started to rise just as the ink reached their feet, falling away down below. The elevator shook and surged, and Linda started to pray under her breath. Tom felt like joining her. Henry just clutched his family tightly, and Allison kept a firm expression and grip on Tom's arm.

"...Allison," Tom said, as the elevator rose higher and higher. "You...you still have Alice Angel's form. What if you can't leave the park?"

Allison was quiet.

Tom grabbed her shoulder. "Allison. ALLISON. Look at me."

She did. Her eyes were scared. She hadn't thought of that yet. Her only thoughts had been escape. She hadn't thought that far ahead. She hadn't thought about not being able to get out because of the body she was still stuck in.

"Bendy," Henry said. "Bendy was able to turn Tom back to normal, right?"

"Right, but...I still don't even know how," Tom admitted. "All I remember is Bendy forcing the ink out of me. And...and hearing the ink machine, I think."

Henry pushed passed Wally and slammed another button on the elevator.

"What the hell are you doin' Henry?! We want to go UP and OUT, not stop lower!" he wailed.

"This is the floor the ink machine is on," Henry said. "We can...we can lure Bendy here. We can force him to turn Allison back to normal."

"Just how the hell do you expect to do that?" Wally asked.

"...Bendy...listened to Joey because Joey was one of the people who made him," Henry said. "...he might listen to me too." He turned to his wife. "Linda, take Audrey and-"

"We're staying with you, Henry," she said.

Henry's eyes grew wide with fear, but Linda was stern.

"We can't make it through this park without you. Staying with you is the safest way to go. If we try to run ahead, Bendy might follow us. He might...follow Audrey. I certainly can't fend him off if that happens, I have no sway over him." She took Henry's hand in her own. He looked her in the eyes. These were the eyes of the woman he loved, the woman he'd had a child with, the woman who had stayed by his side, holding him while he stayed trapped in nightmares he couldn't control, the woman who'd soothed away his fears and gave him hope to come home too. This same woman was here now, staring possible death in the face, and...she was smiling. God, she was smiling, such a beautiful thing, the same smile she'd had when he finally forced the courage to tell her he loved her, such a gentle and kind smile, a bit of mischief in the lines.

Seeing that smile made him want to cry. But he kissed her instead. He parted just enough to speak, but still kept his lips touching hers, feeling the words and her breath.

"Okay. Together then."

When the earth started to shake, the park guests thought it was an earthquake. They were very uncommon for the area, so there was mild panic at first. It felt like maybe a train passing by, or even a big bout of noiseless thunder. Just the smallest of rumbles. Those who were on rides didn't feel anything at all, they felt nothing over the shaking of the cars passing down organized tracks, they heard nothing over the sound of their own joyful screams.

And then the shaking got worse.

People fell to the ground, cobblestone pathways giving way and crumbling below. Sections of the park cracked and started sinking, ink bubbling up outside of the carousel. The hot dog and cotton candy stands started to sink, terrified workers running away as fast as they could. Balloons, torn free from hands and stalls, floated up into the beautiful blue sky, smiling Bendy faces glaring down at the park guests screaming and running for the exit.

The roller coaster reared off its track, the cars lurching and toppling to the side, close enough to the ground for people to escape and run free before pieces of the track started falling down. Pipes just underneath feet burst open, shooting ink out of drinking stands. The fountains dotted around the park ran dark and black, ink overflowing them and dropping down the roads.

Watching over the chaos stood the studio, the epicenter of it all, unbroken and unshaken, even as windows broke and cracked, even as terrified employees ran for their cars, even as streetlights groaned and fell to the ground, shattering and spilling sparks and glass.

The familiar whistled tune rang out across the park, barely heard underneath the terrified screams of guests.

Attendance on this day had been high. The anniversary celebrations would be set up soon. There were a few fliers advertising the event, crushed and stomped beneath running feet, forgotten, and tossed about in the wind.

The whole earth groaned.

And everyone, guest, and worker, heard the groans turn to roars.

The end is almost here. It's been a hell of a ride. I'm kind of sad to see it quickly approaching its conclusion. But all good things must come to an end, and Welcome to Bendyland is no exception.

The final ride is about to begin. And it's going to be one hell of a show.

Everyone, thank you.

I hope you're as excited as I am.