BATIM: Memory's Twisted Lane

Chapter 18

Allison and I wait behind a pile of barrels and crates as we wait for Alice to leave her lair. We've waited here for about five minutes and Alice hasn't even raised her voice.

"What's taking her so long?" Allison groans, "She never puts up with this much noise."

I take a glance at the doors, "Maybe she can't hear them."

"I don't think that's it. She'd hear anything even with her machines running-"

Suddenly the doors open, and an angry Alice Angel stomps out, "JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP ALREADY!!"

She waits on the steps for a few seconds as the shrieking seems to get louder.

Eventually, Alice begins stomping toward the stairs, growling to herself, "Why did I break that damn elevator? Why do I have to do everything myself?!"

We wait for Alice to travel up a few flights of stairs before we approach her door. Allison is able to pry it open without damaging it. I look back toward the stairs one more time before following Allison into the lair.

We found the room with the table and control panel. This is the same room Henry would be in when Alice decided to give him her tasks. We find an opening in the wall behind the control panel. We enter the new room and find what looked like a one-room house.

On one side there is a table and chair. The table is holding a tray with surgical tools and a stack of papers and books. There's a cracked mug with pens and an inkwell next to it.

On the other side of the room we find multiple crates. Some of the crates are open. There is a crate with larger surgical equipment, while a few other crates hold dead characters and unused hearts.

One crate in particular has the lid chained onto it. Allison takes a crowbar from her tool-belt and breaks the chains off. We remove the lid and look inside. This crate only has a film reel.

I take the film reel out of the box and read the label. The film reel is titled A New Face.

Allison reads the label herself, "Why would Alice keep this? She doesn't even have a projector to play it with."

I scan the room, "Maybe she knows something about this reel. Bendy had a reel back in his lair. If it was played he'd dissolve and the loop would restart."

"... Maybe Alice believes that this reel is similar to that one."

"That would also explain why Bendy hasn't killed Alice again after all this time. She probably has him believing that this is a copy of The End."

Allison hides the reel in her satchel, "Well her turn's over, it's ours now. I'll look through the rest of the crates. Let me know if you find anything over there, " she points to the table.

I would gladly look through the books, if it weren't for an otherworldly scream coming from above us. There's no doubting that it's Bendy. But it sounds so sudden. Allison and I look up toward the noise.

Allison is the first to respond, "Something's wrong. He never makes that noise."

I look to Allison, "Never? Not even once?"

"No. I'll finish the raid. You go make sure he's okay."

I don't even need to be told what to do. I sprint out of the lair and up the stairs. I don't even care if Alice hears me. I need to find Bendy.