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sictv · 4 years

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The Waiting Room

A/N: This is a very late addition to our story archive, the world is craaazy rn! Hope you enjoy it!

TW: Mentions of Suicide

Tags: Death, After Life, Agnst, Spiritual

1.7k words

17+

Sometimes, when you die; you don’t go straight, and you can’t go back…so you just wait. Somewhere there is a waiting room, in a location that cannot be placed on maps. A place that is only described as “A place that time has yet to come” upon entering the room, there are chairs lined up against a wall facing a greeting window, with an empty chair behind it. There is only one entrance and one exit, a guard stands on the inside of the waiting room and only points when a person has been called to the other side. Though there are so many comers and goers, and too many names to remember; there was a young Janet, who had recently passed on, and has now entered the room. When she enters the office, she is met with just a single man sitting in the chair directly in the middle of all the lined chairs. Though she was scared, she still took her seat next to him. With anxiety as her only familiar feeling, she sparks conversation with this man. With her eyes glued to the mans shoes, she shakily offered her hand to him. “…H…Hello, how are you?”

The man took her hand with a smirk, and a soft chuckle. He replied in his strong deep voice, carried by a southern accent “I’ve been better, been feeling a little down since I got here. I’m Randell by the way; but you won’t remember that” He then cleared his throat fumbling in his pockets for something, pulling out two loose cigarettes, and offering one to Janet. She simply shook her head at his offer, wavying his gesture away. “No thank you, I’m uh Janet by the way” she replied resting her hands in her lap “Oh, not a smoker?” Randell questioned “No, smoking is bad for you. Its put’s people in early graves; too much of a risk” she scolded

Randell couldn’t help but chuckle and tilt his head as he placed the cigarettes between his lips. “Well I can tell ya dying is the least of my worries…anyhow… Nice to meet cha’ Janet, so let us cut the chase…how’d ya go? Crazy ex? Drunk night out gone wrong? Ya look a little young to end up here, how many kids did you have?”

with every question Randell leaned in closer and closer to Janets face, to the point that his nose is touching her cheek. She leaned away from him, finally looking directly in his face. She though to herself on how Randell doesn’t look much older than her, but he spoke as if he had lived a life far longer than her. “uh. No...no…none of that…I jumped.” She finally said, her words feathering off at the end as her voice became quiet.

His voiced raised with sympathy when he said “Ahh poor thing, so I guess ya know what’s comin’ to ya when Rahb knocks on the door, huh?” He placed his hand on her shoulder in condolence. Janet shook her head in confusion “Uh…who?”

Randell pointed to the door, where Rahb is standing with his head down. “Him, he doesn’t speak nothin much, but he listens well. Ain’t that right Rahb?” He received no reply from the tall silent man.

Janet looked over and surely there he was. There stands a tall man with chestnut brown skin, dressed in all black. His height on it’s own was shocking, standing at more than 7ft tall, and a veil covering his head. If one didn’t know he was a guard, they may mistake him for death. Janet bought herself back from her shock, “Okay well…uh…no…I don’t know…what’s going to happen to me?” she asked hoping Randell knew the answer, but alas he did not.

Randell just shrugged “Heck if I know, I never go when he knocks for me” Without hesitation Janet had to question him, there are options? She doesn’t have to go? Why doesn’t he go? Is he special? “Then…how’d you go?” she questioned.

Randell Thought for a second, looking around the room as if the answer is going to pop up in a corner somewhere. “Well…I…I…I just can’t remember…it’s been so long. I like to think I was a hero or somethin’, but seein’ as I’m here…well; I’m guessin I’ll never know”

Her questions continued “Okay…how long have you been here?” Randell shifted in his seat “Let’s see…I got here sometime after Kennedy got shot” he said quickly, and rather nonchalant Janet shook her head from the shock of his statement “Wait…wait...wait...wait…you’ve been here since Kennedy, the president…was shot?” He shrugged “Bout that time, yes.” Janet couldn’t hide her shock, “That’s almost 60 years! How can you just sit here for that much time?”

“Wow that long? Hm…time don’t come by there, I forgot how long it’s been. Did they ever figure out who did it?” He asked innocently “I’m not going to answer that it’s not important R…” she paused for a moment, “R…rich..Richard? Ran..Randy? Rob… I’m so sorry, whats your name again?” Randell shook his head, “don’t worry about it, you don’t need to know it” Embarrassed she continued her questions “you never once even thought about going through the door? Wait…if Rahb does not speak…how do you know he’s knocking for you?”

Randell chuckles, sighing and leaning back into his seat. As if he was waiting for her to ask this question. “Well…for a long time…I was the only one here…and occasionally, good ol’ Rahb would give a knock on the door for me, and I’d feel this…pull in ma chest...tellin’ me to go and then Rahb would step to the side and point out. Then…there would be this bright light…of many colors, and I always wanted to go to it, but I just stay my ground, I ain’t too sure what’s out there for me and I’m not ready to find out just yet.”

Janet still wasn’t sure of what Randell meant, “a light? Of many colors? What does that even look like…like stained glass? Or a rainbo-“ She was stopped by a sudden pulling in her chest, a sensation that immediately brings her to tears. She couldn’t decide if the feeling was painful or just an unfamiliar sensation. She clutched her chest, as if she could take the feeling out with her hand. Almost like if she could just see what was making her feel this way, she could understand her tears. However, no matter how hard she could dig into herself, she would never find it.

At the feet of Randell and Janet is a bright light, of beautiful colors, some Janet had never seen before.

Randell looked over at Janet, wiping some tears from her face. Offering a gentle smile, and speaking softly “That’s it…that’s the light” Her voice shaking from her tears “I…I see that…what do I do?”

Randell once again shrugged “That’s up to you, are you gonna go and face uncertain everafter? Or are you gonna sit here with me? The choice is yours.” Janet thought for a moment, wiping the tears from her face. But no matter how many she wipes away, more fall. She debated with herself over worrying about where she was headed, not knowing what was going to happen was so terrifying but staying with Randell could be just as bad. What if Rahb really knocked for Randell because he was special, what if this opportunity never came to her again. The more she thought about it, the pulling in her chest getting so strong that it was now beginning to be painful.

“If I go…are you just going to stay here? You can’t come with me?” her voice had risen with her question and fallen with her fear. Randell placed his hand on her shoulder, shaking his head “Not my light…not my knock…you’re on your own for this. You came into the world on your own; sadly, even if you died in a big ol’ group of people, you’d still be walking through that door on your own”

Janet shook her head at him, her simple tears turning into harsh sobs. “But…I’m scared…I jumped but I didn’t…I didn’t want to die. I mean I did, but…I-I-just thought I would just…not exist anymore. I didn’t know there was more to go through”

Randell sighed, grabbing her hand. “Darlin’ that’s a record I’ve heard before. It never gets old, because everyone says it a different way. I can’t take the pain of your decisions away but The faster you decide, the less scared you’ll be.” Janet looked over that the door, the pull in her chest now becoming unbearable. She stands and starts to walk over to Rahb and the light. Her footsteps were shaking, her fingers curled into her palms. She turned back to Randell. “Dying…is the least of my worries, right? At least I know it’s not that…It was nice meeting you R.. R…” She chuckled through her tears, the only time she’s laughed since she’d been there. She continued “I hope to meet you again someday” Randell nodded, rising from his seat and handing her the cigarette she refused, he simply said “Death can’t getcha twice Darlin’ “ with those kind words he waved her off.

Gaining a breath of courage, she walks out of the door. The light fades, the door closes and Rahb is standing in front of the door once again. Rahb, in a deep voice that shakes the tiles in the room speaks “Last time your name was Charles, and you died in World War 2” “Randell” laughed, “if I could tell the truth I would, time don’t come round here much”

“Randell” laughed, “if I could tell the truth I would, but people wouldn’t believe me if I told the truth, and besides…time don’t come round here much” he paused thinking of Janet’s tear stained face. “I hope she likes the name I gave her” “Why’d you pick Darlin?” Rahb asked.

“She was sweet, scared, but…I think this time ‘round, she’ll be ready. She’ll live a long life, my Darlin’” He said sweetly.

Rahb just nodded, dropping his head in response.

The door behind “Randell” opened, and a man walked in. Before he looked around to see Randell in the middle of the room, the way Janet did; Randell was gone. And in that same seat sat a little boy.

“Hey mister? Ya comin?” his little voice spoke

-Victoria

#short story #short fiction #sic tv #our story #death #afterlife #kinda wokeish #spiritual fiction

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youllallriseintheink · 4 years

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Breaking the Time Loop chapter 8: The Church of Unity

It’s outlandish, but I really like what I did with Sammy.

---

Alice and Henry met back up with the others in the ink machine. Thomas and Boris had a bone in each hand, each marked with the first letter of the owner's name.

"Any sign of the lost ones?" Henry asked.

"We had to kill a few searchers," Bendy replied. "Did you kill Bertrum?"

"Yes, we did. So, I suppose our next move should be to investigate the lost ones. They're a pretty mysterious bunch. Even I don't have much information on them. Alice, can you help me out?"

"Well, I can see their souls," she admitted, almost as though she was ashamed.

"They all have souls?!" Henry exclaimed. That would mean that Joey had sacrificed dozens of people to the ink machine!

"Well, not really. Not the way you're thinking. Think of them like a giant conglomerate of souls. A single searcher might have a the equivalent of a third of a soul, or three souls."

"Okay. But how did that happen? Did Joey kill them all?"

"I don't know. I wasn't made yet. I don't know who made me, or why, but I'm newer than them. Bendy, do you know?"

"Well, I did see quite a bit through the cutouts. At a certain point, Joey Drew stopped coming here, and the others stopped leaving at night. I don't know why that is, but they were really scared, and they couldn't get out. And gradually, they just got inkier, and they started acting more alike. I don't hear most of them talk often, anymore."

"Those poor things..." Henry muttered. So, that's what had happened to everyone. They weren't sacrificed. They were trapped here until their bodies dissolved. All because of Joey's disgusting cowardice. "So, what do we do about this?"

Alice sighed. "I don't know. They hate angels with a burning passion. If only we had someone on our side that they trusted."

"Wait, I can do that. I know of a lost one named Sammy Lawrence. He leads a cult of them. Let's find him!"

The group set out for the second basement floor, calling Sammy's name out periodically along the way. Somehow, the studio seemed even quieter than usual. Sammy wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"Wait," Henry said, "Alice, you said that the lost ones hate you. Does Sammy hate you, too?"

"Well, I've never met him, but it seems likely."

"Alright. Maybe we should leave you in Boris' safe house so that he won't avoid us. Bendy, do you think that Sammy would still... you know... be religiously attracted to you?"

"I don't know the first thing that goes on in that maniac's head. But we can hope. Plus," Bendy levitated a baseball-sized glob of ink from the ground. "I still have what he worshiped me for."

"Alright. We'll take Tom along for extra muscle, as well."

"Fair," Alice said, "See you once you've found Sammy."

With that, the group split up. Unsure of how to attract Sammy, the trio wandered around a while, ending up in the recording studio.

"Maybe he's in his sanctuary?" Henry wondered aloud.

"I wouldn't know. There's no cutouts in there," Bendy replied.

"Bendy, that's it!" Henry exclaimed, "You can see all over the studio. Just use your powers and we'll find him in seconds!"

Bendy looked delighted to be of use. "You got it!" He chirped before dashing into a poster. He was back out very quickly. "He's probably in his sanctuary. There's cutouts almost everywhere else, and I can't find him anywhere."

"Alright. Well, he worships you. Go knock on the door and tell him you're here."

"Okay," he said, and scampered over to the door. He gave it a few knocks, and called, "Oh, Sammy...! Your lord is here to release you from the inky abyss that is your body!" in a sing-song voice.

"Ugh...Jack! I told you, this is my alone place. We can goof off together later."

Henry stepped up to the door, giving it a firmer knock. "Sammy, he's telling the truth. Come out and see for yourself."

"Hmm... your voice... familiar..." Sammy responded. The trio waited nearly a full minute after that, but Sammy gave no further response. Henry could hear pencil scratches through the door.

"Well, we're just going to keep on making noise until you come out!" Bendy announced, picking up a violin. Tom looked incredulously at Henry, who smiled and shrugged in response. Bendy began playing the violin. In order to balance out the resulting dying cat noises, Tom howled. Henry took a quick look around the studio and made a beeline for the piano, but before he could even begin to play it, the door slammed open. For half a second, Sammy was hunched in anger. Then, he caught sight of Bendy.

"My lord! My lord, you've truly come!" he cheered, picking up Bendy and spinning in a circle. "Are you going to release me?"

Bendy looked awkward. "About that..."

Henry took over from there. "We want to release everyone we can. That includes you. Right now, we're searching for the souls of Lacie Benton and Grant Cohen. You're the most knowledgeable person here on the nature of the lost ones. I was hoping you could help us." The stab of guilt that came with knowing that they could not save Sammy was almost physical, but Henry could not let that keep him from his goal. He was too close to that optimal ending to stop now.

"My lord...wants to direct me himself?" Sammy asked.

"Sure, if that's how you want it. We wanna see all the lost ones we can, especially the ones that... how did you put it, Henry? Ones that are individuals?"

"It will be pleasure. Would my lord prefer to rest his feet?" Sammy got down on his knees and leaned forward.

Bendy climbed up onto Sammy's shoulder. "Thanks. And, um... Sammy? I'll heal you and all that, but truth be told I never liked the whole 'lord' thing."

"My lord is so humble!" was Sammy's only response. He got up and began leading the group down a stairwell. He came upon a locked room, dug some keys out of his pocket, and opened the door.

The room's floor was mostly broken, but the lost ones seemed to have made a makeshift elevator there. "Hop on," Sammy said, "It's totally safe. For one person at a time, anyhow."

Henry took one look at the rickety thing, little more than a raft held up with rope, which was in turn running through a few pulleys hanging from the ceiling. He was fairly sure it wasn't just his fear of elevators talking when he decided it did not look safe. Nonetheless, down Sammy went, Bendy riding on his shoulder. As Bendy descended, a look of awe spread across his face. "Henry, you need to see this!" he exclaimed.

The platform ascended back up. Henry took a deep breath and stepped onto it. He clung to the rope and squeezed his eyes shut until it hit the ground. When he opened his eyes, a large, imposing building stood before him. It wasn't very well made: none of the lost ones' buildings were. Nonetheless, Henry could tell that special effort had been put into this one. Not only was it the biggest building he'd seen the lost ones construct, it seemed to be made to imitate a church, complete with a wooden steeple with a belfry, a spire, and a candle glowing as the lantern.

"Church of Unity, huh?" Bendy said, reading the sign that had been carefully painted in black ink. "Is this one of those cults that try to make everyone give up their identity and be the same all the time?"

Sammy seemed taken aback. "Nothing could be farther from the truth! Simply the opposite!" he exclaimed. "Come. There is a reason I have led you here."

The three entered the church. Henry had been expecting a large area for giving sermons, complete with pews. Instead, only a thin hallway lined with doors lay ahead of them. Sammy opened one of them. Inside was a bed and a single lost one. "Hello, there," Sammy said in a gentle voice. "You don't mind if some guests watch us, do you? I want to show them what it is we do here."

The lost one shook its head. It reached out to pet Tom, but, Tom grabbed his hand before it could.

"Alright," Sammy continued, "Now, last time I met with you, you said that you have memories of Ireland. Well, I found an audiotape of someone with an Irish accent. Does the name, 'Shawn Flynn' raise any memories in you?"

The lost one thought on that, then nodded.

"Perfect. Now, I want you to think about the heavenly toy shop. Remember when it was in color? Remember giving free toys to the kids once or twice while Joey's back was turned?"

The lost one shook its head sadly.

"Well, perhaps this will jog your memory." Sammy dug into the pockets of his overalls and produced a tape recorder. He played it. The lost one held onto the tape recorder, his posture straightening as it filled him up with joy. Bendy tugged at Henry's pant leg. "Use your seeing tool," he whispered. Henry obeyed. Sparks of various colors were coming off of the lost one, making their way into various puddles of ink, and a few even making their way into Sammy. Meanwhile, orange sparks were entering him. "I..." the lost one began, sounding as though it had nearly forgotten how to speak. "My name... it's Shawn Flynn. I remember...so much. Oh, thank you, reverend!"

"Well, I'd say you're welcome, but you do have a habit of letting this happen. Same advice as usual, Shawn. Don't touch ink, ink creatures, or lost ones, take plenty of time to be by yourself, and find something you're passionate about. Since it's late, I'll let you stay here one more night. Sweet dreams, little sheep."

With that, Sammy led the group back out into the hall.

"Wow," Henry breathed. "I thought you were just, well..."

"A madman?

"I didn't mean it like that."

"Well, I did try to sacrifice you. But this is an equally important part of my work. Just think: How would our lord be able to make us ourselves again if "ourselves" didn't even exist? We're meant to be one soul in one body- unified. That's why it's called the Church of Unity."

"That's... incredible. Let me tell you, bud, if someone had told me that irritable ol' Sammy Lawrence had gone on to become a pastor and was helping people with their identities, well, I would have laughed. This place did some crazy things to you, but they weren't all bad things."

"We've both risen under the gun, it seems. I never thought that diffident little Henry Stein would be the one to earn our lord's respect."

"Try not calling me 'lord,'" Bendy protested, but it fell on deaf ears.

"And anyhow, I would be no better than them if I did not have my passion. I never stopped writing music. I remember one night, Jack and I performed my masterpiece- my most stunning composition of all. All of the lost ones just melted into each other at the sound. Weeks of work- lost. But, imagine giving it to the people out there- whose struggle isn't in keeping their soul unified, but in finding unity with others. I must make that a reality."

Henry wanted to cry. "That's a beautiful dream," he said simply.

"Yes. Now, let me show you to a room. It's late. We can begin a search tomorrow."

"Thanks."

"No, thank you. You know, I kept this for so long, saved it when I was still mostly human. As a reminder." He dug an object out of his pocket. "But now that I know that salvation is coming, I won't need it anymore." He tossed it overhand into a puddle of ink.

As it flew, Bendy and realized what it was- a small bundle of hair, discolored by ink and held together with a rubber band. "No!" he yelled, and jumped to break its fall. He landed on his stomach, and the hair landed neatly in his gloves. "Whew. That was a close one."

"What...is going on?" Sammy asked, thoroughly confused.

Henry sighed. "Here's the thing, Sammy. We need physical remains to to bring back the dead. So that means... most of your cult isn't going to make it. I'm sorry."

Sammy turned away and balled his fists. "Deceived!" he yelled in a demonic voice, turning back to the trio and showcasing his contempt for personal space. "Betrayed! I ought to slaughter you for your insolence! But, you are in luck! You have underestimated my dedication to the Church of Unity. I will work even with liars to save even a single one of them. Go. Sleep, my little sheep. Tomorrow we will search for what you seek."

With that, Sammy turned away. Tom ran after him and began to silently communicate. "Yes, bring whoever you want. But keep the angel out of sight. She will not be well-liked here. And two beds is all we can spare."

With that, Sammy continued storming off, muttering under his breath and even punching a wall in frustration before turning back to his guests to say, "Actually, I forgive you," in an entirely calm voice. He then teleported out through a poster.

"Yeesh. Alice is gonna have her work cut out with that one," Bendy commented.

With that, Tom got Alice, and Henry and Bendy got Boris, who had emerged unharmed from the ink machine. Tom and Alice had brought back a deck of cards and plenty of bacon soup. It had been a very eventful day, and it was good to finally have some time to cool down, relax, and enjoy some food and each other's company. Tom and Alice shared a bed, and Henry let Bendy sleep with him. Boris went off to be some lucky lost one's new comfort animal.

In the early hours of the morning, the group woke up to a lost one's screaming over a speaker system. "EVACUATE THE SHORE. EVACUATE THE SHORE. THE HAND IS COMING."

The group immediately went to the window to make sure that they were sufficiently inland. Indeed, while they could see the shore, there was a row of small buildings between it and the church. The giant hand emerged and groped for victims, but thankfully everyone had heeded the intercom.

"Uh, Henry? I got some bad news," Bendy said.

"What is it?"

"That thing? It has a soul."

#Bendy and the Ink Machine #breaking the time loop #my fanfiction #Henry Stein #sammy lawrence #Toon bendy

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