BATIM: Memory's Twisted Lane

Chapter 20

Beeping. That's what I hear. A low beeping. It's slow, melodic. Almost suspenseful; and it's getting louder. Now there are voices joining it. And there's this light appearing in front of me.

The beeping is now accompanied by my heartbeat. I can feel it throughout my whole body. It's beating twice as quickly as the beeping. The voices are loud enough to understand.

"She's back!"

"She's waking up!"

That light is brighter. It almost sounds like one of those heart monitors in... hospitals?

I open my eyes, immediately regretting it as I'm nearly blinded by a light above me. I just lay there blinking rapidly as faces hover over me. Everyone is wearing some sort of uniform.

"How do you feel?" asks one of the voices.

"Where the fuck..." I mumble as I rub my eyes.

"Don't worry if you feel tired. It's normal for coma patients."

"What?" I ask, finally able to see.

I don't even hear what the doctor says as memory's come flooding back to me. I remember seeing Bendy chained to the wall, watching as Sammy held that bright light out at me. What has he done to Bendy now? What about Allison? What about dad and Tom? Alice is still alive, Sammy has the upper hand with Bendy! I need to get back to them. I need to save them!

"He has him!" I scream, trying to run. I almost fall off of a bed I was lying in. The people surrounding the bed grab me and pin me down on the bed. "NO! Please! I need to find Sammy! I need to warn my dad! They'll kill him! LET ME GO!"

"Heather, clam down! You're hallucinating!"

I give up and close my eyes, panting. There's no use fighting now. There's too many of them.

"Whatever you're talking about is just a hallucination." the uniformed stranger repeats, "You're safe here."

I open my eyes and scan the room around me. Nearly everything in this white and blue.

Wait... blue?

BLUE?!

I sit up straight and look again. The colors are back. I can see colors again. This is a hospital room. I'm not in the studio. That could mean that my dad is somewhere around here.

"Heather."

I look to the doctor, finally listening to him.

"You have been in a coma for the past two years."

"What?"

"You were found in an old studio. Do you remember going there?"

I nod.

"Good. Now, do you remember anyone? Any family?"

"Where's my dad?"

"We need his name."

"Henry... Henry Stein."

The doctor pauses for a moment. He glances to the nurses before looking back at me, "Are you familiar with a man named Joey Drew?"

"Yeah, he's.... he's a family friend. Where is he?"

"I'm going to call him, tell him you're awake. But for now, I want you to stay here. Don't get up. Can you do that for me?"

There's no point in arguing with him. He won't even tell me where my dad is. I lay back against my pillow and stare at the ceiling. I can't believe all that time in the studio was a nightmare. I don't believe it. I know it was real. It is real. I felt every bruise, every cut, every moment I spent in agony I felt it. I felt my father holding me. I felt the ink seeping under my skin. I can't try to deny being in the studio if I tried. It's impossible.

----------

"Hey, Heather." says Joey as he walks into my room, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine."

"I brought you something" Joey holds my Bendy doll in front of me.

"Thanks," I say, although I can feel my heart dropping. I never lost that doll all throughout the time I spent in the studio. How did Joey get it? Was it real? Was it all fake? Is that doctor right?

"Doctor Williams told me you were hallucinating about Henry. Is that true?"

"No. I wasn't hallucinating. It was real, I know it."

"Heather, I understand that you miss your dad-"

"He's not dead, Joey!"

"Heather-"

"No! He's alive! You of all people should know this. I even spoke to you after one of the loops ended!"

"He's dead, Heather!"

I freeze. Joey never yells at anyone.

"Your father's dead. I don't blame you for missing him, but you need to move on. You'll see him again someday. You just have to be patient."

"Joey, please, I'm begging you," My vision gets blurry as tears well up in my eyes, "You have to believe me. I saw him. I held him. I laughed with him. I even saw Bendy. He really is alive. Please?"

Joey pulls me into a hug, "I know, Heather. I miss him too. But you can't keep living like this. That story I told you is just a story. The studio went bankrupt and I was forced to close down."

I push Joey away and bury my face in my hands. I can hear Dr. Williams opening the door.

"Mr. Drew, time's up. She needs to rest."

A nurse follows the doctor in and injects something into my arm.

"Don't worry," says Mr. Williams, "You'll be okay. You just need to rest..."

No. I can't rest. I can't go to sleep. My friends are still in the studio. They could be hurt, I can't just sit here sleeping. I need to find them.  I need to find my dad... I need.. to find.. Bendy

.. I...

I will...

find...

... Bendy.