A/N: The second chapter of Lincoln and the Ink Machine. I made it earlier, but never posted it. I've decided to make this a one-shot series made up of suggestions and request.
As the bus trekked down the road to the police station, Ronnie couldn't help but notice the boy in the tux looking out the window in what seemed like a mix of awe, shock, and sorrow. Every now and again he would say things like, "There used to be a store there," or, "There used to be an orphanage right here." The fact that she swore she saw Ink drip from his face instead of tears further accentuated her belief that he was not a normal kid, or even from the modern day. Upon stopping at a stop light, the boy let out a mix between a choked sob and a gasp, eliciting Ronnie's attention.
"What is it?" She asked deciding not to use her impromptu nickname for him when he's in a tender state.
"I used to live here." He said, causing everyone on the bus to move over to their side of the bus. Only for them to see a supermarket. Ouch.
"I'm not the only one who feels kind of bad, right?" Said one kid.
"No, I feel the same." Said another student.
"Come on," said Chandler, "how could anyone have known that the person living in the house, apartment, or whatever was here before was fending of an Ink demon in an abandoned animation studio?" He went back to his side of the bus. "It's sad, but rather pointless to blow up about it."
"Wow, Chandler, that's just cruel. Even for you." Said one kid.
"Just saying how it is." He replies.
Rolling her eyes at the son of a sewage plant worker, Ronnie sat back down quietly as Mrs. Johnson ordered everyone to get back to their seats. When the boy sat back down, the hispanic tough girl took notice of the ink trails streaming down his face as he silently sniffled. Not wanting to deal with a sad kid throughout the whole ride, she decided to ask.
"Hey, Tuxedo Kid," the boy broke from his melancholy at the nickname Ronnie had given him, "you got any other songs to sing while we wait?"
Clyde, seeing what Ronnie was trying to do, spoke up. "Yeah, you got a great singing voice. Although it was admittedly hard to hear when we were running for our lives."
"Yeah, it was great, from what I could hear anyway." Said another student.
"What was the one you sang called anyway?" Asked another.
Soon everyone got in on the conversation, even Mrs. Johnson - who wanted to hear another song - and the bus driver, who wanted to hear the kid's voice. Feeling a bit overwhelmed and happy that others liked his singing, the boy raised his hands defensively to calm everyone down.
When they did, he said. "The song that I sang was called 'The Devil's Swing', and I do have about two or three others that I could sing."
"Really?" Clyde asked. "What are they called?"
The boy held his chin in thought. "They're called, 'Build Our Machine', 'Old Song', and 'Bendy and the Ink Machine.'"
"Oh, can we hear the last one?" Asked one student.
"No, let's hear the Old Song!" Said another.
"You're both nimrods, Build Our Machine will clearly be better!" A female student said condescendingly. Soon enough, everyone but Ronnie and Clyde were arguing on what song to hear. Even the bus driver got a word or two in.
The arguing was reaching fight levels when the boy put his fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly. Everyone stopped arguing and turned to him.
"Look, I'm flattered that you all want to hear me sing, but can't I be the one to pick what I sing? They are my songs after all." After those words left his mouth everyone sheepishly apologized and sat back down. "Thank you, now I'll sing the Old Song, since that one was based on an old co-worker and friend of mine named Sammy Lawrence."
As he got up to stretch, a kid asked. "Was he in the studio with you?"
The boy froze for a quick moment before continuing his stretching. "Yes, we met again while I was stuck inside Sillyvision Studios. He was actually the composer for the music."
Another student asked. "Is he alright?"
The boy froze again, and for a noticeably longer time frame, before answering. "He, uh, he got attacked by Bendy, and I haven't seen him since."
No one asked any more questions about the composer as they quickly pieced together what must've happened. Finishing with his stretches, the boy went to the front of the bus and turned to them.
"Alright," he said as he slapped his cheeks a bit to get himself ready, "I'm ready. Here's the Old Song." He paused for a bit before saying, "But I do warn you, the song isn't as cheery as you probably think it will be." He turned to the radio and turned it to an opened channel, to which music suddenly sprang from.
(Sammy Lawrence Song by Fandroid)
Sammy Lawrence,
What are you gonna do to me?
Oh no!
At those lyrics everyone stiffened out of shock before relaxing and realizing that the warning the boy gave made sense.
Sammy Lawrence,
Am I another one of your sheep?
The boy walked down the bus with dramatically outstretched arms, as if addressing the class as a whole.
I can see the Ink dripping…
from behind the mask!
I can feel my life fading.
He turned on his heel and headed back towards the front of the bus as his audience both froze in shock and swayed to the beat, despite the horrific implications of the lyrics.
And that's when he asked:
Can I get an amen?
Amen!
He outstretched his arms again, turning to either side of the bus as he raised them one by one.
Bendy gonna set you free!
Can I get an amen?
Amen?
He strutted down the bus again as people shook their heads, some with narrowed eyes, as they began to detest the man whom the boy once called a friend.
Lincoln doesn't know a thing.
He's the old music maestro,
and he wrote some catchy tunes.
But now he's ushering the toons
to meet your doom!
As the boy took the instrumental to take a break from singing and flourish his dancing, everyone quickly went over the lyrics again and found that the boy had just given them his name. When the boy began singing again they were broken from their retrospect.
Sammy Lawrence
What are you gonna do to me?
Oh no!
He slid back to the front of the bus and slickly stood back up.
Sammy Lawrence
Ami another one of your sheep?
I can hear the music playing!
A code from the past!
I can feel my life fading.
And that's when he asked:
Turning back to the denizens' of the bus, he raised his arms again ushering everyone to sing, and sing they did.
Can I get an amen?
Amen!
Bendy gonna set you free!
Can I get an amen?
Amen!
Lincoln doesn't know a thing.
He wrote the Old Song in that old recording booth.
But now he's ushering the toons
to meet your doom!
Lincoln did the electric slide down the bus, and began slickly and smoothly dancing as he took another break with the instrumental. Everyone, bar the bus driver, was snapping their fingers and dancing in their seats. When Lincoln stopped and raised his arms again everyone sang with him.
Sammy Lawrence
What are you gonna do to me?
Oh no!
The music stopped just as they sang the last lyric, and everyone cheered at the performance. Even if the song had a dark tone and implication to it, and made them somewhat glad that the man it was based off of was possibly dead.
As the cheers began to quiet down, Lincoln sat back in his seat with Ronnie Anne. Who asked. "Feeling better?"
To which he answered. "Yeah, just a bit," turned to her and said, "thanks."
"No problem." She responded. The squeaking of the bus's parts caught everyone's attention.
"Police Station!" Shouted the bus driver, who finally got to dance in his seat and snap his fingers.
As everyone got off of the bus one student asked, "Mrs. Johnson, do you think the police will believe us when we say that we were attacked by an ink demon in an abandoned studio?"
Mrs. Johnson sighed before saying, "No, Cookie, no I don't. We'll just have to say that we got attacked by a trespasser, barely got away, and found Lincoln in the studio fighting him off."
"Not like we can say much else." Ronnie said with a grumpy frown as they walked into the station, and Mrs. Johnson talked to an officer.
"Excuse me, sir?" She asked.
"Yes, ma'am, how can I help you?" The man asked.
"We're from Royal Woods Elementary, and we were on a field trip to the old Sillyvision Studio." The man nodded and motioned for her to continue. "When we got a bit into the designated touring area we were attacked by a man, and found a boy fighting him off."
"Do you think he was kidnapped?" The officer asked.
"I don't know." Mrs. Johnson lied.
"Can I see the kid?" He asked.
Mrs. Johnson nodded, looked toward Lincoln, and ushered him forward. The white haired lad nodded and stepped up to the cop, who looked at him in shock.
"Oh my god." He said.
A/N: Let me know what you think in the reviews.