(1) Ink Distortion (BATIM/EPICMICKEY)

16- Let's Fix It

The voices.

The filled up her head, and she writhed against a wall.

"AUGH!! MAKE IT STOP!!" Alice shrieked to no one.

She violently shook her head, side to side, clutching her temples with her inky fingers.

...She made me do it....

...Sus...

...the demon touch me again...

...never again....                                                   ...Susie...

...Bendy....

...lord and savior....
...join us Alice...

...stop...
...Angel...

....Joey Drew did this....

...make it stop...
...go away....

...make it stop...

make it...

  ...stop...

...STOP...

Alice's hand reached for the syringe, and she grimaced as she injected the thick ink into her forearm. She felt her melting body reform, and her skin turn solid. Nearly gasping for breath, Alice leaned back against the wall.

The soft sound of birds fluttered in the air, and the smell of freshly bloomed flowers reached Alice's nose.

Hidden away in a dark ally, the angel regained her composure, and looked at the small toon on the other side, looking up at her with eyes filled with unmistakable fear. The toon struggled against the ropes tying it to the ground.

The small toons eyes widened as Alice approached it, and it whimpered and tried to scream for help against the cloth that was nearly choking it.

Alice ignored the toons pleas, as she plunged the syringe into the toon's chest. It squealed in pain, before drooping its eyes, as Alice filled the syringe with the thick ink.

The life in the Wastelander's eyes faded, and were left dull, and grey. There was only so much ink Alice could take out of a toon before she drained it completely, not that it mattered. Over the span of a day, Alice had gathered plenty of, replacements.

The angel wasn't just there to gather ink, however. She was there to find Bendy, find Joey. She promised herself she wouldn't let the demon touch her again.

First, as Susie, when Joey's rough hand reached her thigh, and second, as he tore her to pieces, replacing her, after breaking her heart. That's what turned her into a monster. Susie was dead, Joey had killed her, but oh no, Alice was still alive, and Alice?

Alice does not like liars...

• • •

"Guys! I-I," Bendy seemed to gasp for breath, even though he hadn't ran very far at all, "I know what happened!"

The Wastelanders halted their conversation, and gave Bendy many curious looks.

"Bendy..." Oswald asked slowly, "What are you talking about?"

"Well—" Jiminy gasped for breath, grabbing Bendy's left shoulder for balance, "—Bendy you just ran off without saying.." The crickets voice trailed off, as he noticed the Wastelanders.

"Ah! Mickey! Such a wonderful pleasure to see you, but I must ask, what are you doing in a place like this-" Jiminy interrupted himself, and turned to Bendy, talking in a hushed voice.

"-what's Mickey doing in a place like this, er, do you know each other—?" Jiminy turned back around to face the mouse with a snap.

"—Mickey, do you know Bendy the Dancing Demon here?" Bendy found Jiminy's constant back and forth with himself amusing, and chatter from the cricket continued. Bendy shifted his weight from one foot to the other, crossing his arms. He didn't expect Jiminy to stop talking in his bizarre manner for a while.

"Jiminy! Yes I do know Bendy, actually..." Mickey was also getting confused.

"Oh, OH! That's fantastic! I didn't think anyone would remember him, because, well, oh dear, I'm rambling, aren't I?" Jiminy slowed his talking down, and slowly tried to hide his face in embarrassment.

"A little, no worries, though!" Oswald sighed.

"Anyway, Bendy, what was this about, 'getting it'?" Oswald shifted the attention from Jiminy, to the toon demon.

"O-oh!" Bendy hardly noticed the rabbit was talking to him. He felt the excitement race through his veins once more.

"Nobody remembers me!" Bendy smiled widely as he spoke.

"Uh...yes, Bendy..." Oswald glanced at the other toons behind him.

"Except me!" Jiminy couldn't help but announce that fact.

Not the approach Bendy was going for, not that he had an approach, but Bendy took the chance anyway, and carefully watched Oswald's face with a smug look of triumph.

Oswald remained silent for a moment, and the whole room seemed to quiet down.

"Y-you, you do?" Oswald's ears pressed against his head in confusion.

"Not, remember, per se, but.." Jiminy looked for words.

"What do you mean by that..?" Oswald gestures for Jiminy and Bendy to sit down. All the Wastelanders gathered around.

Jiminy told Oswald about his father's obsession over the old toons. About how when his father was forgotten, young Jiminy stumbled across a few old Bendy posters.

While the cricket spoke, lines were being drawn together in perfect harmony. Everything Jiminy was saying lined up with their theories.

Bendy didn't notice when Jiminy stopped talking, until the heavy silence finally settled in.

"The evidence is clear, sir." An investigator said gently.

All Mickey did was shake his head in utter disbelief. "I, don't..." He heaved a sigh.

"I know. I know..." Mickey finally gave in to whatever internal conflict was raging in his head.

Bendy knew it felt like. To look up to someone, to admire a person, until you realize they're not what they seem.

"Well, how do we resolve this?" Oswald asked, seemingly uncertain with his own question.

"Resolve what?" The Wastelanders nearly forgot that Jiminy was present, and quite possibly involved.

"Uh, Jiminy, come with me for a moment." Oswald led the cricket into a secluded area in the lobby, the detectives, his brother, and Bendy still in view.

Oswald then explained to the toon insect their findings, and theories.

He told them about their interesting visit to Walt Disney's office. How they found a control panel, that seemed to control the minds, behaviors, and memories of the toons. He even told him about how him and the detectives believed all of the toons under Disneys' memories have been, altered.

The fact that the toons here in Disney once knew about Bendy, and most likely Sillyvison. And the evidence suggesting that dear ol' Disney removed Bendy from everyone's memory. Now all they had to do, was fix it.