A/N: Hello, hello! Welcome, traveller, and well met.
I wrote more than half of this story years ago, much closer to when the first game released. After cranking out a whole set of chapters at the time, I shelved it to focus on other things... like college. Now, after a few years of school-induced writing hiatus, I decided it's time to start flexing the ol' creative muscles again.
This story takes place in the wonderful world you all know and love - the world of Joey Drew. It will contain spoilers, though a bit further down the line. I own none of the characters and none of the world.
BENDY & THE NEW PAGE
Chapter One: DREAMS COME TRUE
Someone was crying. Far, far off in the distance. A broken wail echoed by another, trickling through the dark halls like the black liquid all around.
A silent step forward. Another. Another. Slipping through the darkness, unseen. Less than a shadow.
Movement in the corner. A tall creature lolled, torn ears, head back, strapped down on a table, huge Xs for eyes. A black puddle splashed. Further down the corner, a light flickered.
Step. Step. Turn the corner. One ghostly hand traces the walls. A golden smear lights the wall where the hand has touched before. A hundred times? A thousand? The wall twists again. A turn.
Something is wrong. This is different. The puddles drip this time, tiny splashes breaking the quiet. Shadow clings to the walls. The building throbs with dissonance. Why?
Another turn. A black figure, kneeling, shakes silently, dripping hands over face. Beside him lies a mask of a smiling creature, smeared with darkness. He raises a face blank as a black mirror, as if he senses... someone.
The maskless man, left behind. Down the stairs. Through a small passage. Into the room with all the toys. The sobbing grows, louder and harsher. It is different. It is not right. It is changed.
Step forward, through one more door. The room shrouds itself in darkness. Spotlit, a banner proclaims someone to be 'quite a gal'. Two wails, twisted together, slide through a hole in a pane of broken glass. Something twitches in the darkness.
One of the voices suddenly stops. The other hiccups and whimpers, then trails off into silence. A tiny splash ricochets through the choked air.
Glass shatters with a crystalized smash. Silence pours through the air, fractured into jagged edges, and splinters on the floor.
The first voice sobs. The second voice screams.
And then both begin to crazily, hysterically, terribly laugh.
AUDREY
Audrey gasped and shot upright, reaching for deep lungfuls of air in the darkness. Slowly, her senses came back, and a few moments later, words. Bed. Home. Dad?
Grumbles from the kitchen reassured her, and she slid her feet out from under the covers, sliding off the bunk bed to the floor below. The thick carpet muffled her landing, and she tugged her blanket from the mattress, draping it around her shoulders as she padded toward the kitchen.
Audrey peeked around the doorway and saw her father, on his knees, muttering to himself as he brushed glass shards off the floor. A half-shattered cup sat next to him on the tile, and a kettle rattled on the electric stove in the corner.
A small grin tugged Audrey's mouth up, and she reached out, flicking the lightswitch off. Her dad yelped, and the giggle in Audrey's stomach bubbled out of her mouth. Suddenly, strong arms grabbed her and swept her off her feet. Audrey shrieked, and the lights flicked back on, her father's laughing face inches from her own.
"Watch it, bright eyes," he said, grinning, and brushed a lock of her raven hair back from her face. "Could've stabbed myself on a bit of glass down there! You nearly caused some bloodshed."
"It's your own fault, Dad," Audrey pointed out as she dropped her comforter and moved toward the pantry. "You know you're not supposed to use the glasses, 'specially not for hot cocoa."
"Ah, you're too smart for me. How about this?" Her dad dropped his voice and glanced sideways from the kettle. "You can have some if you promise not to snitch. Scout's honor?"
Audrey grinned as she grabbed the broom from the corner and moved over to the shatter zone. "I'm not a scout, Dad. Momma won't find out."
Silence fell. Her dad dropped his head and took a deep breath. Audrey bit her lip, worrying at it with her teeth.
"I…" The doctor shook his head, then set down his clipboard and settled his hands deliberately in his lap. "I apologize. I've been a doctor for thirty years and this never gets easier."
"Spit it out, doc," her dad growled, holding on to her mom's hand.
"Please, Dr. Stevens," her mom added, resting her free hand on Audrey's shoulder. "I - we - need to know."
"Mrs. Stein… I'm so sorry, ma'am. The test came back, and the results are unfortunate." The doctor's fingers curled into fists, and he took a breath, waited a moment for his hands to unfurl back to professional ease. "The sample came back positive. It's malignant. Since the tumor was so high in your neck... The probability of remission is, ahem. Unlikely."
Audrey took a shallow breath, leaned the broom against the counter, stepped over the glass and wrapped her arms around her father. "Dad?"
Her father turned and knelt, wrapping his arms around her. "Oh, bright eyes. What would I do without you?"
Audrey felt tears soak through her pajama shirt, and buried her face in her dad's hair. "Break more glasses."
Her dad began to laugh- shakily, but he did. Then he set her back from him, scrubbed his sleeve across his face, and ran the other hand through her hair. "Audrey… I have a very important question for you. And it's gonna be a little bit scary, okay?"
Audrey nodded, dropping her chin to her chest. "Okay."
Her dad leaned down, gazing into her eyes. His irises were black, but warm- and glistening. "You know I'm worried about Momma."
Audrey nodded again, tucking her knees in a little tighter. Something cold and sharp slithered up her throat, and she swallowed hard to choke it down again.
Her dad sighed. "I might know a way to help her. Maybe. I don't know. And it's really, really dangerous. So dangerous that-" he hesitated. "Would you rather things go on as they are, with Momma's headaches, and- and we get the time we get with her? Or would you rather I tried… the thing I think might help?" He shut his eyes. "Because, if I try to help your momma… you might lose both of us."
The fear tried to claw its way out of Audrey's throat again. She twisted, trying to see her dad's eyes. "What is it? The way you want to help her?"
Her dad blinked his eyes back open, but the vacant stare told her he was looking at something else. "Some old friends. And enemies."
Audrey reached up and hugged around his neck, bringing his focus back to her. She frowned. "Momma always says that doing something is better than doing nothing."
Her dad's mouth curled up into a small smile. "Not always, sweet girl."
Audrey patted him on the head. "It's you, Dad. You can do anything."
Her dad let out a small, choked laugh. "Not me. You've got the wrong guy." He leaned in closer. "You think I should try?"
Audrey closed her eyes, suddenly sleepy, and pressed her head to her dad's scruffy jawline. "Go for it, Dad. Get the bad guys. Help Momma."
A low chuckle rumbled in her dad's chest. "That's for you to do, Sunshine. I'm just getting you ready."
Audrey smiled and curled into his hug. Her eyes drifted down her shirt. On her shoulder, a black splotch twinkled, still damp.
Audrey woke up the next morning curled in her bed, wrapped in her blanket, with no idea how she'd gotten there. It took her a moment to remember the midnight conversation, and another to remember where she was. Then she heard voices.
"-Audrey thinks we should." Her dad.
"I know, Henry, but she's our child, of course she'll agree with you. And who knows what's in that studio now?" Her mother's voice, normally calm and soft, still calm but carrying an edge.
"Most of them are gone," her dad's voice said, levelly. "Norman, Sammy, Susie. Or the monsters they became. They can't hurt us now, as far as I know. The only ones we need to worry about are the Searchers, and I don't think we need to go that far in. We just need some ink."
Monsters? Searchers? Ink? Audrey sat up.
"That's not who I'm worried about," her mother said. "Or what."
Silence for a moment, then-
"He's gone, or at least broken," her dad said, a slight crack in his voice. "I saw it. Felt it. He can't- he didn't-"
Silence again.
"It's not your fault," Audrey's mother said, more softly. "I promise you that, honey. He wasn't who you meant him to be."
Audrey rubbed at her eyes, more baffled by the minute.
"I think I felt them all go, in the dark, when I showed him The End," her dad said, carefully enunciating his last words. "But if they didn't- if I left Tom and Allison alone-"
Something flickered in Audrey's mind. She tried to chase the scrap of memory, but gave up after a moment.
"-can't be your fault," her mom said again. "And we can't do much about it." Quiet noises, the couch creaking. "You're sure you only need more ink?"
"You know how quickly I heal," her dad said. "More ink, and a little bit of time, should be enough to envelop you too."
"All right," her mom said quietly. "I trust you."
"Well, I love you, Linda," her dad said, and Audrey's shoulders relaxed when she heard the strength return to his voice. "We can do this. But we do need to call Irene."
Audrey blinked and shook her head to clear it. She lay back in her bed and stared at the glowing stars painted on the ceiling, while the conversation between her parents dropped back to a quiet murmur in the background. Something flickered in her mind again, vaguely.
Tom. Allison. Two names? The friends Dad mentioned? And Norman, Sammy, Susie. The enemies. Searchers, monsters. Audrey frowned. Real? And ink? Who was the 'him' that her dad saw… die, maybe? What's The End? She painted the two words in fancy letters across the back of her eyelids, trying to picture what her dad meant.
Something in her chest roared.
Audrey's eyes flew open. Panic screamed through her veins, and a jolt rocked her body. Thud.
Her fingers twisted in the carpet, and she pulled herself into a sitting position. Audrey sat for a moment, stunned at the shock of falling straight out of bed, gasping at twice her normal breathing rate to pull air back into her lungs.
A footstep in the door made her yelp before her mom's warm hands were on her shoulders. "Audrey?"
She took a slow, shuddering breath, trying to get back control before looking up. Her mom's eyes were as dark as her dad's, and just as warm, though they were full of concern- and something else. Audrey glimpsed the wince of pain as her mom dropped to one knee.
"I'm okay," Audrey whispered, rubbing her chest. "A nightmare, I think. Just- what were you talking about with Dad? It sounded scary."
Linda Stein shook her head slowly, and this time, the wince blossomed into a quick grimace. "His old workplace. It wasn't… there were some bad people there, but they're gone now." She held up a hand, keeping the questions Audrey had unspoken. "We'll tell you all about it very, very soon."
Audrey tilted her head, then sighed. "I want to know."
"And we want you to know," her dad said from the doorway, "but now is a bad time." He smiled, with sad eyes. "Anyone up for pancakes?"
The rest of the day passed. Audrey's favorite meals were all cooked, 'accidentally'. Her mom spent the morning with Audrey, working on a puzzle and playing cards: after lunch, when her mom went to lie down, Audrey and her dad spent the afternoon drawing. Jungles, deserts, laughing iguanas, anything and everything- Henry drew it, Audrey added on, and they spun a story for each page. The tiny room filled with laughter.
When the shadows fell and Audrey's mom woke up, they ate together (bacon), and settled in for storytime around the dinner table. Henry wove an elaborate tale of a princess, and Linda laughingly explained her long and complicated family history for the hundredth time. Audrey listened to it all, her eyes sparkling, soaking in it and picturing it in her mind.
When the story ended, Henry cleared his throat and shifted forward, sketching a small half-moon on the table absently with his finger. Linda smiled at Audrey in an attempt of reassurance. The presence of deep pain sliced into the laugh lines at the corner of her eyes.
"Audrey, love," Henry said, gently. "Your mom and I have to tell you something."
"Okay?" Audrey sat up, elbows propped on the edge of the table. Finally, a reason why today has been so weird.
"Your mom and I are going to have to leave soon, for a few days."
Audrey blinked, worry sparking. "Going away? Why?"
"We think there is a place that might heal my sickness." Linda said, crossing the room to the bedside. She and Henry exchanged a glance, unreadable in the shadows across their faces. "But we can't take you there."
"Another doctor?" Audrey asked them, the worry now actively churning in her stomach. She sketched the half-moon, copying her dad, and he gave her a quick tight smile.
"Not quite, but hopefully even better," Henry said to her. "We should be back on the same day. It won't take long, if all things go right."
Audrey frowned. "When? What's there? Why can't I go?"
"Tomorrow." At a grimace from Audrey, Henry chuckled, slightly forced. "Again, it should just be a few hours. The… people at the place don't like it when kids are there," Henry answered after another glance at Linda. "The things that Momma needs to happen won't be able to happen. It's not that we don't want you there-"
"Well, we want to make sure you're safe too," Linda said, laying a hand on Henry's shoulder. "But, Sunshine, it really shouldn't take long, and hopefully I'm completely better within a few weeks."
Audrey shook her head. "I want to go." Why wouldn't I be safe?
Linda nodded, the gold light from the lamp behind her giving her a halo effect. "I know, Sunshine. We hate it too."
Audrey scrubbed her face in her hands. "This place will make you totally better? I thought the doctor was going to put you on medicine."
"That medicine didn't work as well as he thought it would," Linda said, quietly. "And, if everything goes right, yes."
"Audrey," Henry said, and waited until Audrey dropped her hands and looked at him. "Do you remember me ever being sick? With a cold, I mean, or something normal."
Audrey squinted at him. Um… "I don't think so?"
Henry smiled, with more warmth in it this time. "We're going to get the same treatment for your mom. Immunity, the works. Hopefully totally better in no time. Plus, we've called Mamaw. She's on her way. Should get here tonight."
Audrey grinned. "Mamaw? Really?"
"We know you've missed her," Linda said. Something unrecognizable tone hid in her voice. "She'll be here with you for the few hours that we should be gone, and she'll take care of you if we're gone - longer."
"How much longer?"
"We don't know for sure." Henry met Audrey's eyes with his clear blue gaze, desperate sincerity in them. "But, Bright Eyes, we will be doing everything we possibly can to be home with you again as fast as possible. Always."
Audrey felt the smile fall from her face. "Don't you want me to go with you?"
Linda laid her hand on Audrey's arm. "Sunshine, we do need you. But we need you safe even more. I want to go bike riding and jump roping with you again, so much. I miss our soccer games. I can't do that without this trip."
Audrey bit her cheek, hard. Momma could get better?
A low hum in the back of her mind, in her bones, warned her that this was a bad idea. The pit in her stomach was churning badly enough that she wondered if she might throw up. Something else is wrong.
But… Going on picnics. Backyard soccer. Stargazing again. Trips in the car.
She looked back at her parents, the gold glow of the light behind them, and she thought of her mom eating well, truly awake, laughing. No more pain in her eyes. No more lump in her neck. No more doctors and crying and Dad awake all night pacing.
Audrey blew out a long breath. "Okay. Just come back as soon as you can."
Neither parent said anything for a second. Then Henry pushed up from the table and wrapped her in a tight hug. "We love you, Bright Eyes. Get some good sleep, it'll be a busy day tomorrow. Mamaw will be here in the morning. "
Linda's arms wrapped around the both of them. "We love you so much. I'm so proud of you."
Audrey smiled up at the both of them. She wondered why she was crying.
Henry lifted her and carried her to bed. Linda began an old song, her warm voice rising over Henry's when he joined in, Audrey humming the melody. There were goodnight hugs that lasted for too long, kisses on the forehead, before the blanket was nestled around Audrey and she sank into her pillows.
The black outlines of her parents stepped through the doorway and into the light, before the door slowly closed behind them. The gold glow narrowed from a rectangle into a thin line, then winked out as the door shut.
I didn't ask where they were going, Audrey thought, as sleep closed her eyelids for her. But somewhere in the back of her consciousness, as she heard her mother humming a melody in the distant room, she thought that somehow she already knew.
Audrey knew before she woke up the next morning, heart pounding and pulse racing from a dream she could never remember. She knew before she could flail the covers off and drop to the floor. She knew long, long before she screamed her parents' names, before familiar footsteps pounded toward her and she was wrapped in an embrace so tight she couldn't breathe. Even in that familiarity, she knew.
Her parents were gone.
TO BE CONTINUED
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A/N: Hey, you've met Audrey! [pic related] Something's a little off, don't you think? Maybe it's that Joey Drew black magic... maybe she's just homeschooled.
With how much I've already written, I should be able to stick to a relatively coherent once-a-week upload schedule in this story. I am still in college, so I can't guarantee it, but that's the goal. Please, please read & review! I'm looking for all sorts of constructive criticism here, and I'll try and respond to reviews I think are particularly helpful or interesting.
