Return To The Machine

Chapter 13

Together, all three stayed inside the area trying to grasp reality. Rosa realized that this was one of the many people Tom and Allison had on their bulletin board. "Do you and some of the others have something to do with Bendy's existence?" she asked him. Sammy put down his bowl of food. "Everyone in Joey Drew studios has something to do with every living thing here. We're the whole reason these characters exist," he said briefly.

"If you ask anyone here though, no one would've ever guessed that our creations would've turned so horrific. Once... we expressed our artistic nature in the form we loved the most. I loved making music and creating the notes for one scene. Finding that perfect tune for the right moment. It was the one thing I was good at. But Joey... Oh that Joey... He ruined everything! Our lives were perfect... I left the studios happy to move on and start a career elsewhere! But no... I received a letter from Mr. Drew calling me back to the studio. Said it was for a visit. I should've known it was a trick. All I wanted to do was visit this area one last time. How sad that I'm now here... holding onto the one thing that I have left of value."

In his hands, he held a record. "It's the only thing... that keeps me sane. The first song I ever wrote. The first song Bendy was featured in. I won't let anyone take that away." he declared. Parker realized just how sad he was. So far everyone he's met was trapped in one little world. Was it that... he understood how they felt? Maybe not to the same extent. But it sounded so familiar. Rosa stood up and sighed. She put a hand on Sammy's shoulder.

He himself looked up at the girl. "I'm sorry... I didn't realize you had been suffering longer than I have..." Sammy huffed and looked away. "At the end of the day... it doesn't matter. We'll never leave this place. Death and fear are all we know. Until someone breaks the curse... we must wait and hide. Hide from the Ink Demon." he replied.

"Why do you guys hide? If he's so horrible, numbers could take him down! He's just an Ink Creature right?" Parker questioned. "Are you serious?! No! We've already done that! Bendy isn't anything like the others. He's worse than everything else here. Nothing can stop him! Nor will he stop himself! He'll continue to search for me and the others involved. Not unless..., we've decided to end it all." he said.

Both teens were confused. "What do you mean? Aren't you valuable enough?" Rosa asked.

"Not exactly. I'm only part. There are so many other employees. But many of us contain key elements. Firstly, me, the music department. Then, there's Wally Franks, in charge of cleanliness and organization. Despite being a janitor, that guy really knew what he was doing. Shame we didn't see what a genius he was. Too bad he was out of here before we could get the news. Oh well. Susie Campbell, the original voice of Alice Angel herself. But damn. That girl turned into a she-devil. Literally. I swear she can be a vindictive woman, driven by jealousy. Then, of course, you already Thomas Conner. He was a smart man that knew mechanics. Pretty much built the entire place by hand with some help from Wally."

All three of them took a moment of silence before Sammy sighed. "I know it's a lot to take in. None of us have actually wrapped our heads around the events that were happening." he told them. "If only Henry and Joey weren't the cowards that they were." Parker then realized he hadn't said too much about either of them. "Wait, so, who's Joey and Henry? I mean, I know they're the reason everything about animation exists but... what else haven't we learned?" Parker asked.

Even without a real face to express himself, Sammy's mood clearly changed. "I should really be careful when telling you about this information. They might think you know more than I'm actually revealing to those who don't know anything about this place. But if you must know... Joey was the one who founded this place, to begin with. The reason that we became household names. Joey was someone who knew what he wanted, very determined to get it. At first, he seemed normal. A decent man. Of course, once the fame and fortune flooded his brain, it turned him into someone... unrecognizable." he said.

"How? I heard rumors that Joey... acted questionably. Otherwise, he was decent to be around." Rosa replied. "Hah! Did they tell you that? It couldn't have been from anyone from the studio. I've known everyone for years and we all knew Joey didn't act like that. He was secretive, deceiving, manipulative, and above all, a bomb waiting to blow. He wrote a book called, The Illusion of Living. None of us were allowed to even touch it though. So I never was allowed to look at it. Fine by me at least. I wasn't sure if I wanted to know what else went on in his twisted mind. Yet looking back at it now, it was probably something leading up to where we are now."

"So... what caused Joey Drew Studios to collapse?" Rosa wondered. "As I said, Joey was a greedy person. All he knows is to make things convenient for him all of the sudden. The only real friend he ever had was Henry. Those two built this place up from nothing. Henry was a fantastic artist. The creator of Bendy, Boris, Alice, the Butcher Gang, and everyone else. Brought joy to even Thomas. But... when his first design of Bendy came in, Joey rejected it. Henry was disappointed and frustrated. I remember him telling me all about it. The next thing we knew, Joey introduced a new character himself. Bendy. He took all the spotlight. All the credit. Let's just say no one was happy to hear about that. Especially Henry. So he did what anyone would do... he sued!"

Both the teens stared at him wide-eyed. "Hey practically sued Joey for everything we had. I knew this place was done for so we pretty much left. I just went on with my life and so did everyone else. But... I guess Joey was trying to save an empire that was long gone."

The room went silent. Suddenly something slammed against the door. There was someone trying to get in. Parker grabbed the ax and stepped in front. There were growls and hissing from the outside. "Ink Searchers. They're probably looking for us. We need to get out of here. Or else... Susie will have our heads."