𝔐𝔞𝔠𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔢 𝔐𝔢𝔪𝔬𝔯𝔦𝔢𝔰- 𝔇𝔞𝔶 6: 𝔇𝔯𝔬𝔭
Summary:
A few things seem to carry over with each cycle. For Henry, the fear of plunging into dark depths was one of them.
Rating: G/PG
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“Let’s hope Allison and Tom are near the bunker this time,” Audrey chuckled, papers nestled in the crook of her arm.
Henry strode next to her at a leisurely pace. When was the last time he had done this? To merely take his time with no fear of danger closing in behind him— well, for the most part. Many things had changed ever since Audrey had come to the cycle, many good things. And they’d continue working hard to keep things growing and improving.
First thing on the bulletin of course of action today- Bring some files from the Gent building to Allison and Tom’s bunker for examination and safe keeping.
“I wouldn’t mind missing Tom’s sour snout so early in the morning,” Henry remarked lightly, carrying two cups of steaming, black coffee.
“Oh, come now, Henry. He’s not that bad,” Audrey glanced over with a smile before taking a right at the fork in the hallway. “He’s just a bit… stone-cold. Like my brother.”
Henry grunted in agreement. Sometimes he couldn’t quite grasp that the Ink Demon-- and by extension, Bendy-- was related by blood to Audrey. They quite factually couldn’t be any different from each other than they already were. But Audrey had seemed to make some form of progress with him, as did Henry. It was a nice change not to be stalked everywhere he went— except, of course, when the Ink Demon found it necessary to tease him. Henry hadn’t been sent back to the Dark Puddles for quite some time; not an experience he fondly missed.
“If I recall correctly, it’s just past these doors and we’ll take the elevator down towards the bunker’s level. Spotting it is always a fun game,” Audrey instructed, side stepping a hole in the flooring.
“We can thank Heidi for that,” Henry acknowledged. They headed past a set of double doors and reached the elevator. Audrey pressed the call button and the two waited in comfortable silence. The only sound came from the creaking gears of the elevator as it rose from the floor below. The doors slid open with a ding!
It was in a far better shape than the older models he had come across in the studio. Audrey stepped in, coaxing Henry to follow suit. The doors slid shut. They were cornered in on every angle. It was a tight fit and impossible to see outside as they began to descend.
His heart suddenly began to pound like a bird fluttering restlessly in its cage. Sweat beaded on his brow. With a trembling hand, he reached up and wiped it away.
The world seemed to drip away like a melting oil painting. He was falling, falling fast. A pit formed in his stomach. How far down did this studio go? Boris was there, huddling against him with his head in his hands. Over the screeching of gears and acrid tang of metal, Henry could faintly hear the wolf whimpering in fear.
Henry reached for him and wrapped an arm protectively around his shoulders. He would protect him, now and after the crash— if they survive. “Boris, look at me!” Boris kept his head in his gloves.
”You’re gonna be okay, Henry!” A voice echoed. Henry chanced a look around. That didn’t sound like Alice.
Then, the impact sent them sprawling onto the floor. Henry hit his head against metal. The immense pain was brief before he passed out.
When his vision finally came too, Boris was shaking him. He groaned. His head was pounding. Ink rolled down from his forehead, obscuring most of his vision in his right eye.
A figure approached. No, he’s been here before. Over and over again this had happened— hadn’t it?
Henry shakily reached up and clutched Boris’s arm. He tried to speak, but the pain was too great. Then, Boris was wrenched from his hand and dragged into the darkness. He wanted to scream, to fight back. But he couldn’t make a sound.
”Henry! Henry!” As he laid his head against the ground, that voice sounded in his ears as clear as day. Perhaps his swimming vision was making him delusional…
”Henry! I’m here!”
He closed his eyes and opened them again. He was with Audrey now, the coffee mugs lying shattered in pieces across the grated floors. The young woman stood before him, brows furrowed in worry. With a hand, she turned and repetitively pressed the button to open the sliding doors.
He couldn’t breathe, he was suffocating. He clawed at his chest. What was wrong with him?
The doors finally opened. Audrey set gentle hands on his shoulders and steered him out and over towards a wall in the hallway. She then sat him down and moved to sit across from him.
”Henry, focus on me. Breathe.” She took a deep breath and let it out. She repeated the action continuously until Henry forced himself to catch on.
His chest gradually eased, and his limbs slackened and lost their tension. He focused on Audrey and her breathing exercise until he could breathe normally again.
”Is there anything you need?” She asked softly, golden eyes scanning his features.
”Water, please,” Henry croaked. His throat was dry, and his hands were still a bit clammy. His stomach churned, an unwelcome effect of a sudden onset of nausea.
Audrey reached into her satchel and pulled out a canister of the liquid bliss. She handed it over and Henry began to involuntarily chug it.
”Feeling a little better?” Audrey asked as he handed the empty canister back over to her.
”A little. Thank you, Audrey… I don’t know what came over me…” Henry murmured and ran a hand through his hair. Those thoughts, they were nothing but a distant memory of past cycles. Boris was safe now, spending most of his time hanging around Heidi or a Lost One named Dot.
"What's important is that you're okay now." Audrey gave a thin smile. "I had a friend at work do the same for me once. I got too overwhelmed with deadlines and started to panic. It's thanks to her I know how to deal with sudden attacks such as this."
"I'm sorry," Henry apologized. He was supposed to be the level-headed one around here. Audrey had enough on her plate as it was.
"Don't apologize," Audrey shook her head with sympathetic intonation. "We'll be here to help you get your bearings if you ever need it, Henry. For now... why don't we take the stairs?"