R-E-B-O-R-N [Sammy X Reader]

Chapter 27

--Previously--
"I'll keep her safe for you as long as you're out of my way." Susie seemed to have a plot behind her decisions, I could see that more than Sammy. One minute, Lawrence goes from knowing all and being super tactical to becoming this completely oblivious and irrational man - only since he's turned into ink has this been going on with him. So Sammy, unknowingly making the biggest mistake of his life, nodded. The inked man walked over to me and whispered gently in my ear,
"I'll still be here roaming around so don't worry too much." He winked, patting my shoulder before walking to the door. "Very well then, keep her safe, angel."
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Sammy's words had managed to bring me little reassurance. I felt far from safe being with Susie ever since she'd sacrificed herself to the ink demon just to save us. Her behaviour was all very confusing to me - she decided her own fate by putting herself at risk but acted as though it was all my fault. Now with Sammy gone, I felt like I was in great danger; extremely tense to be around her.
"Now then, honey, we'll get to your part of the deal." This was something about her I recognised. I knew she wasn't finished. This was the part I dreaded the most as I knew this part of the deal would keep me far from safe. Saved from the ink demon? Maybe. I'm more worried about the other creatures that could prove themselves hostile towards me. Although less threatening than Bendy himself, I didn't want to deal with another injury. Susie saw the anger that boiled inside of me and took pride in knowing that she was the one who fuelled it. 
"Don't worry, (Y/N), I will spare you. But I expect something in return." Susie grinned slyly, watching me slowly walk backwards. She shook her head. "Running away would be a bad idea. Why not get this over with? It's only one, simple task; it's not too difficult for you."
I tilted my head, which led her to believe that she may continue with her long winded speech.
"I'd like you to bring me some of those pesky butcher gang members, alive if you must. If you can't handle the simple task of killing them, lure them to me and I'll take their lives instead."
About to reply, she cut me off, narrowing her eyes.
"I'm not finished. After that, you will accompany me and help me carry out experiments on them. In return, I'll protect you. I'm good at keeping my word."
My expression shifted; I felt much worse than before. knowing I'd have to lure these poor creatures for her to carry out her stupid, useless experiments on is one thing but actually being the one to aid her during these experiments is an unfavourable thing to even comprehend. I frowned, my head peering down at the ground I stood on. The unbearable overwhelm of guilt was surprisingly not greater than the sheer amount of anger that I had buried within the past 10 minutes of interacting with her. She's always had that sort of effect on people ever since she'd changed. Susie could sense the scowl that crossed my features as I let out a small huff - she loved this. 
"I expect an answer."
Unsatisfied, my lips quivered under my breath. I forced a smile, nodding to her before verbally giving my accepting answer.
"Alright, I'll do it..." Of course upon hearing myself, I sounded worried for myself. This task was merely testing the sanity I had left. After all, if I manage to kill someone (ink or not) it would still leave me traumatised - the action is a crime! I could easily disagree if it wouldn't get me killed. Either way, I failed to believe I was truly safe; the chances of Susie actually saving me if Bendy were to show his face were slim. Still, I had no choice in the matter.
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It had been a good 30 minutes and there was no sight of anything unnatural which was strange. Likely, there was a rumour spreading about my intentions especially due to my conversation with Susie. Despite the fact that I was only after the butcher gang, no searcher or lost one had dared to show themselves around me. This made me quite nervous as nothing was meeting my expectations at the moment. I had searched everywhere I could until I managed to reach level 9 again, meaning that I had completed my search and had found nobody. It was just sad.
I knew this would leave a sour taste on Susie's tongue so I just continued wandering around the place to spare the argument that would've been soon to come. This pattern of endlessly searching, waiting for someone to announce their presence to me was getting beyond annoying at this point. When all of my hope was gone, a shrivelled voice cried in the distance. I smiled at their misfortune, finally happy with the outcome presented to me. With enough ease, I'd be able to drag this creature down to level 9 from the current level I stood at, level 11. I paused for a few seconds, beginning to realise how cruel and selfish I had become. 

Sighing, I began to follow the screams slowly and steadily, not daring to make an echo of myself through the floorboards. The hues and cries were located closer to the lift, through a door. 
'Just one... just this one...' I gently opened the door, my heart pounding through my chest. I was in extremely close proximity to the distressed creature and came to a sudden halt when an object got thrown in my direction. Once I ducked, the object flew over my head and slammed itself into the wall behind me. As a result, shards of glass scattered around the room. I winced at the sharp pain in my calf; a glass shard had managed to graze against my calf, causing a small cut on it. Thankfully, it wasn't that bad, just a scratch.
My attention shifted from my leg and towards the creature who now made its way into the light. Looking at its face, I was struck in horror. This searcher was one of the many hundred I was definitely familiar with - it had a unique accessory on - an iconic bowler hat. Only one person in the entire studio wore this specific hat; the hat was signed and that's what made it unique. 
My eyes caught onto the signature whilst the creature remained still.
'J.F'
My lips curved into a shy smile but it didn't last long upon the realisation that he came back and got turned into a searcher. Either that or my instructions to tell him to leave weren't clear enough. What confused me the most was the fact that I hadn't seen the guy since the incident. I was frustrated at myself for that.
"Jack..?" I whispered, the creature staying as still as possible. However, I knew that he wasn't ignoring my comment. His reply was made out of random mumbles and noises. It was obvious that his voice box was severely damaged as a result of whatever attack brought him to look like this. Unlike the other searchers, he was the one I was greatly concerned about as he was a good friend of mine. I asked again, "It is you, isn't it..?" 
He grew closer to me, so close to the point that I had to duck down to his level in order to interact with him. I knew it was him even without a verbal response. Nevertheless, if he couldn't verbally respond, he showed it through his actions. The searcher took off his hat and showed it to me, tracing his inky finger across his initials that were written onto the hat. Afterwards, he put the hat back on and patted my arm. 

If Susie gave me the job to lure in searchers I would've easily got away with it - even so, I would never bring myself to actually do it especially not to Jack. Luckily, this wasn't the job I was given so instead, I figured it would be useful to ask him for his help. After all, he was made of ink himself so he might have been able to easily guess where the butcher gang were. Still, I wasn't so sure that was how it worked - I just needed the company. Plus, I missed him; I missed everyone. Before daring to ask him for my help, I wanted to strike a conversation about something that had been my concern ever since I saw him.
"Why are you here?" He couldn't verbally answer so he looked around the place for something to write on. The only things that had caught my eye in this room were the broken instruments that were stored inside it. However, Jack had noticed an old notepad leaning against a piano - one that was originally used to write down piano chords. He flipped a couple of pages, finally coming across a blank page and that's when he jotted down his answer. Hesitantly, he handed me the pad of paper.
'I barely remember anything. I remember you telling me to leave but something must've urged me to stay. I walked out of the studio but then pranced right back on in again.' I raised a brow at his answer, coming to the realisation that I was being really stupid at the moment. If Sammy could barely remember anything then how the hell could Jack? Though what made it so strange was the fact that he still remembered me even when Sammy (who I had been with the longest) couldn't. Only after having a complex conversation with him did Sammy begin to restore certain pieces of the puzzle. 
"Hmm..." I pondered before muttering a reply. "At least you remember. Half of the people I've met again have been completely brainwashed..."
To this, Jack began to write once more, using the ink off of his finger - some skill he had there!
'Yeah, you tend to forget after a while. You're alone for so long you've lost track of time then suddenly you don't even remember your own name! Now I've met you, the cycle has reset for me.'
I didn't know whether he was giving me a thank you or not. Then again, I suppose this interaction we shared cured his loneliness. Luckily for him, this wasn't the last of me that he was going to see. I planned to make a deal, one like I did with the butcher gang a while back.
"That's good, maybe you won't ever have to forget. I don't want to be rude, but I'd like your help with something..."
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Word count: 1809 words

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