Return To The Machine

Chapter 10

"HELP! LET US GO! YOU- YOU PSYCHO!" Parker yelled at the top of his lungs. He was tied against a banister with thick and tight ropes. His wrists barely bled as they dug into them tightly. His ankles were bound as well. "ROSA!" he shouted over. Rosa was placed on a table where at another smaller table was a set of tools laid out. She was still out cold.

"Rosa please!" he cried. Still nothing from her. "Please..." he cried as tears flowed down his cheeks. "HELP!" he shouted once more. The room was decently small. A chair, a table where Rosa was placed, the other table with the tools, the banister that held him to it, and a small shelf with a couple of books.

Parker tried his best to pull against the banister but the ropes were pulling him tightly to the point where it hurt. He cried out in pain and tilted his head where his brown hair covered his face.

Just then, he heard the light moan of Rosa who moved her head to the side. Rosa! I'm coming for you hang on! His backpack was still in the room, but it was just out of his reach. Or was it? I can do this... Parker reached out with his feet and tried his best to drag the backpack closer to his side. It took a while but he managed to get it to his side. By shuffling around, the ropes digging into his wrists, he managed to get his fingers to the zippers.

He pulled them open and did his best to dig out the knife that he brought with him. "Ah!" he cried out, feeling his wrists being strained horribly by this work. Yet he accomplished his goal and dug out his knife. Managing to flip the blade out, the blade slashed through the rope and set him free from the banister. Free from it, he used it again to cut the ropes around his ankles. "Rosa!"

The fair-skinned girl with rosy cheeks remained passed out. Parker gently rolled her to the side to check her head for the spot that was bleeding earlier. Her hair had dried blood in it but nothing else other than a bump that started forming on her head. "Oh god... We've gotta get outta here. Hang on Rosa, I've got this." Parker looked around the room for anything that could help them escape. "Don't worry- I know how to get out." Inside his backpack was a paperclip he remembered he had.

The locks that were used were traditional however, he found out how to work the locks. There was a click that Parker took as a signal that it had unlocked. He opened the door that made a low creak. Peeking around, he didn't see anything that could stop their journey. "Okay, we're outta here!" he declared. "I might not have a lot of strength but at least it'll get us somewhere safe. Hang in there Rosa." Parker gathered his stuff into his backpack before walking over to pick up Rosa gently.

Using his arm to push open the door, he peaked once more and didn't see the person that attacked them earlier. Just gotta avoid the crazies and we'll be fine! I pray someone is out there! Parker sighed and began tiptoeing across the area. With no plan or guidance, Parker had no choice but to wander around clueless about where they were going.

"If we get out of this alive Rosa you owe me." Parker whispered. The whole place was definitely risky to go down since Parker had no idea where he was going. Any moment he was walking he could get caught and taken back to the room with worse consequences than they had faced before now. Parker looked down at Rosa and saw she barely stirred. "P-Park?" she asked. He smiled but quickly it turned sour hearing footsteps. "Sheep sheep sheep... It's time for sleep. Rest your head... it's time for bed... When you wake you'll be dead..."

"Who's talk-" Rosa began, but her mouth was covered by Parker who was scared of whoever it was that was out there. From peaking out from the corner, Parker watched someone tall and slim walk out into the area, carrying an ax in his hand. Parker waited for a minute before racing down the hall. No ink creatures, no ink demons, and definitely no one chasing them down anymore.

Not like I have many choices but to keep pushing forward. Rosa and the others are counting on me to get there in one piece. When in doubt, just keep pushing forward. I wish someone was here to help me get through this place. But if I'm going to get anywhere I'm just going to have to take a risk. Traveling throughout the studio, he managed to find a passageway to some unknown place.

After climbing out of the hole, he shook his hair out to get the dust and dirt. Rosa's eyes were half-lidded looking up at the guy who rescued her. "Park... Park?" she asked. Parker looked down startled. "O-Oh! Rosa! Hang on!" Parker reassured and walked over seeing a row of boxes sitting closer to each other. Enough so that Rosa could lay down on it like a bed. "Oh thank God! You're okay!" he gasped gently holding her head. "Well, not gonna lie, I sorta feel like I'm dying!" she joked playfully.

He smiled weakly and carefully pushed the hair out of her eyes. "Where'd you take us to? What happened?" she asked. Parker snapped back into reality. "That is a good question. I... I don't actually know." Looking behind him, he saw the huge chains that were being reeled from the ceiling.

Attached to them below... The Ink Machine.