Chapter Text
It took about two days for June to notice just how tired her girls were in the morning. Both sat at the kitchen table with their eyes half lidded and they were picking at their breakfast.
“Girls, what’s wrong?” June brought her own plate to the table and sat down. “ Didn’t get enough sleep last night?”
Beth tried to hide her yawn with her hand. “Sarah keeps waking me up at night so she can climb in my bed.”
Henry was curious. “What's wrong kiddo?” Sarah looked at him and told him it was just a nightmare. When he asked her what her nightmare was about, she just shrugged a little.
“I don’t know. It just feels like someone is standing by my bed. I-I get really scared and sometimes can’t move.” She frowned and poked at her pancakes. “Then I wake up and nothing is there…”
Henry felt it for a split second. There was a sense of satisfaction that streaked through the bond before it disappeared. He looked over at Bendy but the toon was busy shoveling food into his mouth. Henry shook his head. Maybe it was just his imagination.
“Sweety, it was just a dream. Dreams can’t hurt you.” Sarah looked up at her mom and sighed a bit. “I-I know mom.” She knew this, but how could she tell them that it didn’t feel like just a dream. Better to keep this to herself. Besides, she still had to apologize to Bendy. She just needed to figure out how.
The morning went by rather quietly. June did the laundry while Henry watched the girls and toon play in the backyard. Henry still didn’t like that the feelings he was getting from the toon was so muted but things seemed to be going alright. Although, Sarah was more standoffish than usual. Henry figured the nightmares and lack of sleep was making her a little jumpy.
June fixed lunch for everyone and afterwards the girls decided to watch a little TV. A half an hour later, the TV was watching them. Henry chuckled. It looked like they couldn’t keep their eyes open anymore. He let them rest. It looked like they needed it.
It started to grow dark outside when the house phone rang. June answered it. It turned out to be a neighbor and friend of hers named Mrs. Jordan. She was an elderly woman that June sometimes fixed meals for when her son had to work late. When this happened, June just piled the girls in her car and take them with her, but Henry volunteered to look after the girls while she did what she needed to do.
“Are you sure about this?”
“Go on sis, we'll be fine. I don’t mind looking after my nieces for a few hours.” June smiled and gave her brother a hug. She thanked him and told him there was some Mac and Cheese he could heat up when they got hungry or some hotdogs in the freezer if they didn’t want that.
“Got it Juney.” June grabbed her keys. She told the girls she was going out for a little while and that they were to listen to their uncle while she was out. They both nodded and she hugged them. June ruffled her fingers between Bendy's horns before rushing out the door.
The girls told their uncle that they were going to play a game up in their room. He told them it was fine.
“I’m gonna be fixin’ dinner soon so be ready when I call ya.” They both agreed and ran up the stairs. Henry noticed Bendy was still sitting on the couch.
“You’re not gonna join them bud?” The toon shook his head.
“Nah. There's a musical on that I’ve been wanting to watch. I'll play a game with them later.” The little toon smiled and returned his attention to the television. Henry just shrugged and headed for the kitchen.
Henry decided to cook the hotdogs instead of the Mac and Cheese since that was one of Bendy's favorites. He put them in a pot of water and put it on the stove to cook. He rifled through the bread box on the counter to see if they had any buns when the lights suddenly went out!
“Shoot, a fuse must have blown.” He walked over and turned the stove off before pulling a flashlight from the cabinet under the sink. He flipped the switch and a beam of light shot out of the device.
He walked into the living room to find Bendy standing by the couch and the girls standing at the top of the stairs.
“Uncle Henry? W-What's going on?” Beth sounded a little nervous. Sarah was right by her side, holding her big sister's hand.
“Don’t worry guys. It looks like a fuse blew. I can fix it.” Henry headed for the basement door that was right under the steps. “Girls, stay where you are. I’ll have the lights on in no time.”
The man felt a tug on his sleeve. Bendy was looking up at him. “Hey Henry, can I help?” Henry put his hand on the toon’s shoulder. “Sure bud. You can hold the flashlight while I fix the fuse.” Bendy nodded and they both headed down into the dark basement.
Henry waved the beam of light around as he searched the walls for the fuse box. He found it on the far left wall of the basement. “There it is.”
Henry handed the flashlight to the little toon and instructed him to point it at the box. He gingerly opened the small door and inspected the fuses.
“Huh, that's odd.” Henry ran his fingertips over the some of the knobs. “The fuses don’t seem to be blown. It looks like someone pulled them out just enough to make the lights go out.” He frowned. “This doesn’t make any se-“
Something blunt and heavy hit Henry on the back of the head. He crumpled to the ground and was out cold!
Bendy was standing there with a broken flashlight in his hand. He threw it off to the side. He sighed and shook his head. “Sorry Henry, but I don't want the lights turned back on just yet.” The toon turned and headed for the stairs, leaving the man unconscious on the cold floor.
Beth and Sarah were getting a little nervous. It didn’t usually take this long to get the lights turned back on. The sounds of soft footsteps from the basement caught their attention and they both leaned over the banister to see who would come through the door.
They were surprised to see Bendy walk through the door and close it behind himself. The toon kept walking until he was standing at the bottom of the steps.
“Bendy, where’s uncle Henry?” Beth questioned.
The little toon placed his gloved hands behind his back and swayed on his feet. “Oh, he’s still working on the fuse box. I thought we might play a game while we wait for the lights to come back on!”
Sarah whimpered softly. She didn’t like this.
Beth looked confused. “A game?”
The toon tapped his chin with his finger. “Hmm, what game should we play?” After a moment he snapped his fingers. “I know! How about ‘Hide and Seek'.”
He pointed up at them. The smile he had on his face was making both girls very nervous.
“I’ll cover my eyes. You find a place to hide. I’ll count to ten, then I’ll come to find you!”
Beth shook her head. “Bendy, I don’t know about this…” The little toon wasn’t even listening to her. He was already covering his eyes with his hands.
“You two better hide, or I’m gonna getcha! Now, one…two…”
“Bendy wait!”
“…three…four…”
The girls gasped and backed away from the steps. There was enough moonlight pouring through the window for them to see the toon changing. His arms and legs were growing longer. He was actually getting taller!
“…five…six…”
Long black claws ripped through his white gloves. His horns grew long, crooked, and almost touched the ceiling.
“…seven…eight…”
That was enough for Beth. She grabbed Sarah’s hand and pulled her along as they ran for their room. They ran in and closed the door behind them.
“…nine…ten! Ready or not. Here I come! Heh, heh, heh, AHAHAHAHAH!” Bendy's deranged laughter rang throughout the house.
Beth knew their bedroom door couldn’t be locked so she did what she saw in a movie: she shoved the back of their wooden chair under the door knob. Both girls jumped when they heard heavy footsteps slowly making their way up the stairs.
“B-Beth! What are we gonna do?!” Sarah was shaking like a leaf. She didn’t know Bendy could change like that!
Beth paced a little. Fear was making hard for her to think. They couldn’t hide in here. He would find them! There was no way they could sneak passed him. There was no other way out…wait!
“Sarah!” she grabbed her little sister by the shoulders to get her attention. “The fire ladder!” It only took Sarah a second to understand what her sister was talking about.
They ran to the window that was between their beds. There, bolted to the bottom of the windowsill was a rolled up and latched chain ladder. Their father installed this ladder in case a fire broke out in the house. If they couldn’t reach the stairs, they could get out this way! Their parents even held fire drills so they girls would know how to use the ladder safely.
Beth and Sarah turned towards the door when they heard whistling coming from down the hall. They didn’t have much time! Both girls worked together to unlatch the ladder and let it roll down the side of the house.
Beth helped her sister through the window first. As she waited for her to get a good grip on the rungs, the door knob began to jiggle.
“Girls~ I know you’re in there.” Bendy jiggled the door knob again before he started banging on the door. Beth wasted no more time. She threw her legs over the windowsill and managed to climb half way out when she saw Bendy's claws tearing through the door. She yelled for Sarah to keep going and they made their way down the chain ladder as fast as they could without slipping.
The wooden door was no match for the ink demon. He tore it off its hinges and threw it off to the side. He ducked his head as he walked into the room. His one visible eye glowed that sick yellow as it swiveled about. He saw no signs of the girls. He checked in the closet and under the beds, but they were no where to be found.
He growled softly. They couldn’t be hiding in another room. They put a chair against the door so he couldn’t get in. There was no other way out. Where could they have gone?
That’s when he noticed the slight breeze coming from the window. He tilted his head to the side. Surly they didn’t jump. He walked up to the window and stuck his head out. He noticed a chain ladder that reached down to the ground and two small figures running across the backyard, heading for the forest.
“Very clever girls.” The toon demon backed away from the window. He chuckled and shook his head as he left the room. He wasn’t expecting that. They just made the game more interesting. He made his way down the stairs, through the kitchen, and out the back door.
Bendy stood in the yard for a moment. His thoughts were a little muddled. For just a few seconds, he had no idea what he was doing.
The girls…
Oh yeah, that’s right. He had to get the girls. They were playing a game! He needed to catch them…
The toon demon hunched over and began to growl. His growl deepened as his body increased in size. His white gloves were long gone, replaced by huge clawed hands. His arms and legs grew longer and thicker. His teeth became sharper and his horns longer, curvier. His visible eye was almost black save for a very tiny pinprick of yellow light. Bendy took on his berserker form. He threw his head back and let loose a roar that shook the ground around him.
It’s time to go hunting for little girls.
The demon’s grin grew impossibly wide as he took off, tearing across the yard and barreling into the woods.
Beth and Sarah knew those woods a lot better than Bendy. They hoped to hide from him until uncle Henry could find them. Something was wrong with the toon and they hoped their uncle could help him. Beth was using the moonlight to find their way around while leading Sarah by the hand.
“Beth? What are we going to do?” Sarah sniffled and tried to wipe the tears from her eyes. She whispered so Bendy wouldn’t hear them.
“We need to find a place to hide until help comes, alright?”
Sarah was about to say something when a loud roar made her cover her ears. They turned to the sound of something really big heading in their direction. Both girls began to panic. They were out in the open! Sarah noticed a thick fallen log a few feet away. She recognized it as one of her hiding spots. Sarah grabbed her big sister’s hand and pulled her over to the spot. There was a hole just big enough for the both of them hidden under the fallen log. They both slid into the hole and covered their mouths so they wouldn’t make a sound.
Something heavy stormed into the area. Beth and Sarah could hear deep growling and trees toppling over. The girls huddled close to one another and hoped they wouldn’t be found. Heavy footfalls shook the ground around them and a huge shadow was cast over their hiding spot.
The growling stopped and it was quiet for just a moment when a large hand gripped the log they were hiding under. The girls watched wide eyed as long claws dug into the wood, causing it to bow and splinter slightly from the strong grip. All they could do was lay on their backs and watched as the thick log bent under Bendy’s weight.
Sarah closed her eyes tightly and prayed the log wouldn’t break or they get crushed by the huge hand. Tears ran down her cheeks. She didn’t know why this was happening. Was this all her fault? Was Bendy angry with them because of the way she treated him? She wished she had apologized. Maybe this wouldn’t be happening.
Just when the girls thought the log was going to break, Bendy let it go. He growled lowly and moved on to a different area. They sat there and listened to his heavy footfalls move away until it grew quiet. Sarah leaned against her big sister’s side and sobbed softly. Beth wrapped her arms around her and held her close.
“We can’t stay here.” Beth whispered. “He’s gonna find us.” She wasn’t sure where they could go! Hiding near trees he could just pull out of the ground was a really bad idea. Where else could they go? Then it hit her… “The lake…”
“Huh?” Sarah looked up at her sister. Beth told her they should head for the lake.
“He’s afraid of the lake, remember? We can go out in the water and he won’t be able to get us.” Sarah didn’t like the sound of that plan. Neither one of them were good swimmers.
“I dunno Beth. We’re not suppose to go into that water alone…”
“I’d rather go in the water then be caught by him! Don’t worry, I’ll be there with you. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Sarah sighed softly. As much as she would rather stay here, she knew her sister was right. They were gonna get caught if they stayed here. She gave Beth a shaky nod and they waited a few more minutes before poking their heads out of the hole.
The coast looked clear. There was no sign of Bendy. They crawled out from under the log and took off running towards the lake.
They didn’t noticed a tall figure standing still amongst the trees. A large horned head tilted to the side as he watched them run towards the lake.
Of course they would head for the lake. They have no where else to go.
His grin grew feral. The game was almost over.
Henry groaned. The throbbing from the pentagram in his right hand roused him. The pain in his hand was worse than the blow to the back of his head. He rubbed the area and blinked to clear his vision. He wasn’t sure how long he was out, but he knew he had to find Bendy.
He got up and swayed on his feet slightly. He ran up the stairs and pushed open the door. The house was quiet, too quiet. Henry called out to the girls and got no reply. He noticed the back door was wide open. He ran out to the backyard and noticed a large ink spot in the grass and a trail that lead towards the forest. Henry looked back at the house and he noticed a chain ladder hanging from the girls' bedroom window.
“The girls must have snuck out the window and ran for the woods. Bendy is hot on their heels. I gotta reach them before it’s too late!”
Henry took off running for the forest. He tried probing the bond and was hit with a jumbled mess of emotions. The throbbing in his hand seemed to be tugging him in the direction he needed to go. Henry winced when he looked at his right hand. The pentagram was glowing a faint red. He could even feel the ink stirring in his veins. It only did that when things were really bad.
“Hang on guys. I’m coming!”
Beth and Sarah made it to the part of the lake their family usually come to. They needed to stop and catch their breathe. Sarah looked around. So far, they were alone. Bendy hadn’t found them yet. Maybe they could hide here without going into the water.
“C'mon.” Beth took Sarah's hand and lead her to the dock. Beth was getting nervous herself. Even with the moon shining down on it, the water looked black. She couldn’t see through it like she could during the day. She didn’t like that.
They stood on the land that was connected to the dock. Both girls were having second thoughts when they heard a deep growl coming from behind them. They turned slowly and froze when they saw Bendy standing a few yards away from them. He was bigger and frankly scarier, with sharp teeth and claws. He growled and walked towards them, the ground shook with each step. Beth grabbed her sister’s hand and they took off running down the dock.
Bendy stopped short of stepping foot on the dock. He watched as the girls dashed across the wooden planks. Confusion and concern seemed to cut through the fog in his mind when he noticed they weren’t slowing down.
‘Wait! What are they doing? They're not gonna-'
He didn’t get the chance to finish his thought when the girls jumped off the dock!
Bendy kept his feet on the ground as he leaned over the dock and saw the girls trying to swim away. They were struggling to keep their heads above water. He reached down with his massive clawed hand and scooped both girls out of the water. The toon demon backed up until he was a few feet away from the water.
He looked down at his hand. Sarah and Beth were soaking wet. They were curled up against one another and coughing up water.
He couldn’t believe it! How could they do something so stupid? They could have gotten killed!
You should have left them…
Bendy’s whole body stiffened. He wouldn’t let that happen! Where did that thought come from?!
The ink demon hunched over in pain. He gripped at his chest with his other hand. It was like something was squirming around and squeezing his chest. He whined and gritted his teeth. Bendy looked down to see both girls staring up at him. There was a mixture of fear and confusion on their faces.
Good. They should be afraid.
NO! That’s not what he wanted!
Are you sure about that?
Yes. He'd never want to scare kids like this!
Then why are you chasing them?
…
See.
Bendy shut his eye tightly. He couldn’t think straights. These thoughts were confusing him.
Just at that moment, Henry ran out of the forest and into the clearing. He couldn’t see the girls in the toon's large hand, but he could hear them crying.
“Bendy!” said demon turned to face him. He looked confused and in pain. Henry ignored the throbbing in his hand. He approached the demon slowly.
“Easy there bud. Just put the girls down so no one gets hurt. “
Bendy had a shocked expression on his face.
What was Henry talking about? He wasn’t going to hurt them…
Some friend he is! We saved them! Why would he assume we were hurting them? Looks like he doesn’t trust us…
Henry stopped in his tracks. He could feel it. Anger. A building anger that was directed towards him! “Bud? What’s going on?” A growl that was growing louder was his only response.
He said he trusted us. He said we were apart of his family. He lied…
Anger and betrayal cut through the bond like a knife. Bendy's claws curled around the girls for a moment but he had enough presence of mind to place them on the ground before he turned on Henry.
Henry knew he was in trouble when Bendy’s visible eye turned completely black. Bendy roared and rushed towards him. Henry managed to avoid the first swipe of Bendy’s huge hand but couldn’t avoid getting pinned to the ground by the other.
Henry struggled as hard as he could, but the ink demon’s claws sunk deep into the ground around him, and pressed his body into the dirt. Henry’s heart was pounding in his chest as he stared up at his friend. Bendy's face was full of rage. The toon’s anger overridden any attempts Henry made to calm him down through the bond.
“C’mon bud! Don’t do this!” Henry could feel ink seeping through the pentagram in his palm. He just knew the white part of his eyes were bleeding into inky black. He could even feel his canines elongating.
No! This was the last thing Henry wanted. He didn’t want to fight his friend. “Bendy please! You have to snap out of this! I don’t know what’s going on, but let me help you!” Bendy just growled at him and curled his free hand into a massive fist.
We don’t need him…
-Meanwhile-
Beth and Sarah watched as Bendy pinned their uncle to the ground. They couldn’t hear what their uncle was saying because the ink demon was growling so loud.
“Beth, what do we do?”
“I-I don’t know! He’s gonna hurt uncle Henry...” Beth was at a loss for what to do.
Sarah was horrified. She was on the verge of tears. Uncle Henry was going to get hurt…and it was all her fault. She had to do something…
Sarah left her sister’s side and ran towards Bendy. Beth called out to her but she couldn’t turn back now. She needed to do this!
Bendy loomed over Henry. He cocked his fist back, ready to deliver the final blow. All of a sudden, he felt tiny cold hands tugging on one of his fingers. He blinked. It was Sarah!
“Please cousin Bendy! Don’t do this! I-I'm sorry. I know I treated you mean when you came here. Don’t be mad at uncle Henry. This is my fault!” She burst into tears but continued to tug on his large finger. Bendy's growl trailed off and he lowered his fist. He just stared at the little girl.
‘Wait, what did she call me?’
It’s a trick. Don’t listen to her.
‘She called me… ‘cousin’?’
Lies. That’s all humans do is lie.
‘But-'
After everything you've done, do you really think they will let you be apart of their family?
…
You don’t need them.
Henry yelled for Sarah to get away from Bendy! Unfortunately, Beth joined her in trying to pry the ink demon’s hand off of him. Neither girl was listening to him. The anger he felt before gave way to guilt. Henry could even feel the hand that was holding him down begin to shake. Bendy’s eye was no longer completely black. The pinprick of light grew wide but it still had that unnatural yellow glow.
Bendy didn’t know what was going on. He tried to search his own memory but there were parts missing here and there. He knew he did something wrong. He could feel it. He didn’t even know why he was attacking Henry!
He lied to us.
Bendy backed away and released Henry from his hold. He whined and shook his head. These thoughts, they didn’t belong to him.
You can’t trust him. He is keeping you from true freedom.
Bendy doubled over as he clawed at his chest. It hurt so much! It was like… like something was squirming in his chest! He thought it was just his imagination all this time, but maybe… The ink demon held his hand flat against his chest. He could feel something moving against his palm. He grimaced. Oh man, this was gonna hurt.
They are only human. They will never understand you. Not like your own kind…
‘I’m not listening to you anymore!’
Bendy let out an earth shaking roar. Henry didn’t know what was going on but he had to get the girls to safety. He wrapped one large, ink encased arm around both girls, picked them up and moved back towards the dock.
The girls squeaked as a strong arm wrapped around them and picked them up. Sarah looked over her shoulder to see her uncle holding them close to his chest as he backed up towards the dock. She was startled to see sharp fangs poking out of his lips and could see only one eye that glowed green.
“U-Uncle Henry?” He looked down at her and smiled warmly. “Yeah kiddo, it’s me.” His voice was deeper but it really was him.
The three of them watched as Bendy plunged his claws deep into his own chest!
“What is he doing!?” Beth yelled.
“I don’t know, but he needs help! I want you two to stay here, understand?” Both girls nodded and he put them down on the ground. He gave them a reassuring smile before he turned and ran towards his friend.
By the time Henry was within a few feet of Bendy, he was hunched over in terrible pain. The toon demon looked like he was trying to dig something out of his chest. Before Henry could say anything, Bendy seemed to grab hold of something. The toon shut his eye tight and yanked his hand a few times.
Henry watched as Bendy pulled out what looked like a thick, blobby, string of ink. The toon grunted and continued to pull until a head emerged in his claws. Henry almost recoiled in disgust. The…thing looked like a giant slug made of ink!
Bendy struggled to pull the rest of it out. It purposely thrashed about in his chest. The pain was intense and it was hard to concentrate on what he was doing. It opened its mouth and screeched at him. The slug flashed a ring of sharp teeth as it snapped at him.
The ink demon growled back at it but he could feel it trying to burrow back into his chest! Just when he thought the slug would slip from his grasp, a pair of large inky hands grabbed part of the creature's body and pulled! Bendy was relieved to see his friend. He didn’t have the strength to do this on his own.
Henry managed to pull enough of the pulsating body out of Bendy’s chest to wrap his larger arm around it for better leverage. He planted his feet firmly into the ground, gritted his sharp teeth, and gave one more mighty tug! The rest of its inky body popped out, leaving a gaping hole in the demon's chest, just below his ragged white bow tie.
Henry used his strength to heave and toss the five foot long slug off to the side where it landed on the ground, hard! It wasn’t moving so he went to check on Bendy. The toon was on his hand and knees. His other hand was pressed against his chest. Henry could see ink seeping between his large fingers. He reached up to examine the wound.
“Oh man.” He winced. “Bendy, are you alright? “ Bendy looked down at him and gave him a shaky, toothy smile. Henry noticed with great relief that his friend’s eye glowed a soft white instead of that sickly yellow. The pain seemed to be gone and the hole closed up… but the bond was wide open again. Henry was hit by a massive amount of guilt that was coming from the toon demon. He countered it with a wave of reassurance of his own. The demon just shook his head and looked down at the ground. Henry sighed and was about to say something when a hiss caught his attention.
The slug was staring (at least he thought it was. It didn’t have eyes!) at them. It's mouth was opened wide as it showed off rows and rows of sharp teeth. Ink was dripping down its pulsing body and pooling under it.
Henry stood in front of Bendy with his fists raised in a boxer’s stance. There was no way in hell he was letting that thing anywhere near his friend again. It hissed and slid forward a few feet before it just stopped. Henry watched as it turned it's head slightly to its left before looking back at him. Henry could swear the creature odd hiss sounded like laughter. He scowled and wondered what it was up to when it suddenly bolted to the left. It was heading straight for the girls!
“Beth, Sarah- LOOK OUT!” Bendy's head shot up when Henry called out to the girls. The slug was slithering towards them!
Both girls screamed when the slug turned in their direction. It was moving so fast. Sarah grabbed her sister's hand and they took off running. They could hear its hiss and gnashing of teeth as it got closer. They couldn’t out run it! It felt like it was right on top of them. There was a hiss at their backs, the girls screamed, then…
A huge fist smashed the slug's head into the ground. The force of which knocked both girls off their feet. They turned to find a very angry Bendy looming over them. He picked up what was left of the slug and roared at it. It tried to raise its mangled head and hiss at him, but it came out as a garbled mess.
Bendy couldn’t believe something like this was inside of him. It whispered things to him and messed with his head. His memory of the past few days were a little fuzzy but he knew he did some terrible things because of it. No more!
Bendy cocked his arm back and tossed the ink slug. The girls watched its body sail right over them and land with a huge splash into the lake! A few seconds later, the slug breached the surface of the water with a loud screech. It thrashed around as chunks of its body began to sloth off. It opened its mouth but its body split down the middle and it…melted. It was gone. Beth remembered Bendy telling her what would happen if he fell into the lake. It made her shudder to think that could have happened to him. She wanted to thank him for saving their lives but the ink demon was backing away from them. He shook his head and whined softly. When he was far enough away, he slumped down to the ground on his knees, and lowered his head.
Henry walked up to him. The guilt and sadness was thick through their bond. He grimaced because those emotions were suffocating. Henry concentrated so that the ink covering his arms would fall away or get absorbed back into his body. He sighed softly and reached up to place his hand on the toon’s cheek. Bendy whimpered when he felt Henry press his forehead against his own.
“Bendy. None of this was your fault. That thing's to blame.” Bendy's eye swiveled over to see Sarah and Beth standing a few feet behind Henry. Memories of him chasing them and their frightened faces flooded his mind. He groaned and pulled away from Henry. Bendy shut his eye as inky tears slid down his cheek. After everything he did tonight, he didn’t deserve comfort.
“Oh buddy…” The feeling of guilt and self loathing was growing stronger. Henry didn’t like him beating himself up over this. He was going to try to reach him again when he felt a light tug on his shirt. He looked down to see Sarah standing on one side of him and Beth stand on the other. They both looked at him before looking at Bendy. Neither girl had to say a word. Henry knew what they wanted. He carefully scooped both girls up in his arms and they approached Bendy together.
He really messed up! Bits and pieces of his memory was returning and he was ashamed of how he acted in those past couple of days. Especially the way he treated Sarah. After this, none of them will trust him. They won’t have anything to do with him.
The poor toon’s thoughts were interrupted by tiny hands touching his face. He was startled to find Henry holding his nieces in his arms. The girls had their hands on his face. Sarah was even trying to wipe his tears away. She was getting ink all over her hand, but she didn’t seem to care.
“Please don’t cry cousin Bendy. Everything is fine now. That monster is gone.” Bendy was surprised she called the slug a monster and not himself. She looked up into his eye and graced him with a soft smile.
“Besides, you saved us!” Beth had a huge smile on her face. “I thought it was gonna get us but you came out of nowhere! You just picked up that slug up and tossed it like a football!”. She threw her hands in the air and laughed. “You are the coolest cousin, ever!” Beth tried to wrap her arms around his face as she pressed her cheek against his own.
“Thank you, cousin Bendy.” Sarah said softly as she leaned in close, wrapping her own arms around his face, and pressing her cheek against his other cheek.
Bendy was shocked. They forgave him? His eye swiveled to look at Henry. Henry gave him a sympathetic smile and a wave of forgiveness through their bond. The toon whined and a sheepish grin spread across his face. He wrapped his massive arms around the little group and picked them up. He hugged them close and nuzzled each one in turn. They forgave him! Even after everything that happened, they forgave him…
“Hey buddy?” Bendy looked at his friend. “We need to get the girls back to the house. They are soaking wet from their little dip in the lake. We need to get them dry and into some warm clothes so they don’t catch a cold.” That's when Bendy noticed how cold their hands felt, how wet their clothes felt, or how they shivered slightly.
The toon demon huffed and carried the group through the forest. Henry tried to protest, saying that they could all walk, but Bendy would have none of that. He could get them to the house faster this way and it was the least he could do for chasing them out here in the first place.
“Umm, uncle Henry?” Sarah looked a little uneasy so he asked her what was wrong. “D-Do we have to tell mom about this?”
Bendy froze on the spot. He forgot about June! Oh, she was going to be so angry with him. He whined softly and looked down at Henry.
“Yes, we are going to tell your mother what happened tonight.” Henry watched as both girls curled up against Bendy's chest. The look on the faces told him they weren’t looking forward to that.
“And bud, don’t worry. We're gonna talk to her. She'll get angry, but she'll understand. Trust me.”
Bendy stared at Henry for a few moments. His entire body relaxed and he had a soft smile on his face. He continued on his way to the house. He thought back to what the slug said and realized it was wrong. He trusted Henry. He knew that no matter what happened, they would face it, together.
The End