You are walking through the studio during work. You have time off due to it being lunch hour, but you feel like if you're caught walking around you'll get your ass kicked. Everything here feels weirdly different and off, but that's okay. You'll just go and find Henry and talk to him about it.
Footsteps can be heard from up ahead, and they're not yours. You panic on the spot, but don't hide in time to put that panic to good use. From around the corner, Joey walks up and catches sight of you.
"____! What are you doing, not working??" Not working? But isn't it lunch? You can't even manage a response as Joey pulls a switch blade out of his pocket. Wasn't it an antique? Aren't you not supposed to bring weapons out to public places?
Isn't the one that he threw at Henry? Wait, did he throw it at Henry? When? You thought someone told you about it, but shouldn't he have already gotten in trouble for it then?
"You ignorant imbecile! You will regret quitting!!" Wait, you quit?
Oh yeah, you did. Why are you still here? Aren't you on lunch break though? Why are you on lunch break if you had quit?
Just then, he throws his switchblade at your shoulder, like he did with Henry. However, you don't feel it. Why can't you feel it?
You look at your shoulder to see Bendy's hand covering it. He stands right beside you, and you both look at each other.
Don't worry, I'll kick his ass.
Bendy lunges at Joey and grabs him by the throat. Joey then starts melting into an ink puddle. How did he do that? That was really quick...
Bendy stands back up and looks back at you.
See? Loser. More of a loser than Henry, actually.
"You talk different." You finally managed to say something. Cool. Bendy smiles wider.
I've learned a lot from being with you, you're smarter than Joey.
Your face doesn't feel warm, but you think you're blushing right now. Are you? Why were you so afraid of him before? He's nice. Henry's nice too, but you don't see him a lot. Not anymore. Not for a long time. Didn't you just see him though? Weren't you just going to go talk to him? Maybe all three of you can have lunch together this time.
"Can all three of us have lunch this time?" Bendy gives a weird look before ditching it for a smile.
Not at the moment. You're not in the state of mind to be eating anyway. He laughs at you, but you don't get what's so funny. What does he mean by 'state of mind?' You're not crazy like Joey, are you?
That's not what I mean. He starts talking more normal and even more normal with each passing moment, but okay. Did you even say that out loud?
Bendy grabs your hand and takes you to the exit.
Man, you're oblivious and clueless when you're sleeping.
Wait, what?
***
You wake up feeling a constant blow of cold air being directed on your face, along with the familiar noise of air blowing through a car AC. Opening your eyes, you squint as you try to adjust your eyes to the lighting. Looking around you find that you are buckled in the back seat of a moving vehicle - your vehicle.
"Huh, wha...? ...where are we?" You slur as you mumble.
"Oh, you're awake." Henry looks back at you for a brief second before gluing his eyes back onto the road. "You were out for quite a while. You took long enough for us to be able to grab a bunch of souvenirs from the studio."
For some reason you only just now notice that you are leaning up against something very big and soft. You rub your eyes and look to see that it is a giant Bendy plushie. Looking around, you see lying in the vehicle is a giant plushie of Bendy, Boris, all three normal sized plushies of the three main characters, that blob of ink on the plate carefully strapped on a flat surface, and your backpack.
"I thought you didn't want to carry the giant Boris plushie." You direct that at Bendy, but Henry ends up being the one to give you an answer.
"He gave in after I wouldn't stop begging him and black mailing him." Bendy's incoherent mumbling echos through your head. He is such a sucker. You knew they were secretly buddies.
"What kind of dirt did you dig up on him?"
"I threatened to tell you stuff he did to me before you came walking into the studio."
"Wait, what did he do?" A hint of concern, along with curiosity, appears on your face.
Nothing. That was such a bad lie.
"A lot of asshole stuff. Some of the stuff he did though was because he had no choice, so let's just leave it at that." He's probably right.
Looking back down at your bag, you remember that you packed a lot of water and chocolate in it. After realizing this, you practically lunge at it and dig through it like a dog digging through dirt. Rather, Bendy digs through it.
Phenethylamine...
What?
A chemical in chocolate. It keeps me healthy and sane so I don't do what I did to Sammy.
Oh. Thank God. He was just not of sound mind when that happened. Why didn't you care at this time though?
You were on a power rush. Power makes people do things. You'll say.
Unwrapping the chocolate becomes a tedious task. You think it is worth it until you devour it whole, not even getting to taste it for five seconds. Before you know it, you are devouring them all one by one like fucking Godzilla eating millions of people like cereal. nothing you know, you are chugging water down within seconds.
Within about two to three minutes, everything is gone. Your jaw hangs open so wide that it almost looks like you broke it.
Err, sorry.
"Dude, I didn't even get to fucking taste anything." Henry laughs quietly in the front seat.
"Been there, done that. That's what happens when you starve him. He was about ready to bite my head off back there." The guy sounds way too calm about this.
"Ugh, you guys are insufferable."
"Careful now, that's something Susie would say."
"Be quiet. Wouldn't want to be you right now, especially when you get home and your wife is standing there, waiting to kick your ass."
Hehehe...
Henry merely grumbles in response and starts ignoring you. You pull your phone out of your backpack and turn it on.
0 new messages
Battery: 69%
WiFi: 2/3 bars
Nothing new. Battery is at a pretty funny number, but the connection is alright. Nobody has called since you have been below ground level. Not a surprise, considering all your friends are not in good touch with you, and your parents passed a long time ago. You are currently unemployed because you had to quit due to you moving to New York soon.
Maybe you are a loser after all. Jobless and almost friendless.
I had to quit my job and I literally got back into contact with one of my friends from back during my time working at the studio, a.k.a. Henry, so shove it.
Huh, that reminds you.
"Hey, Henry?"
"Hmm?"
"Can I platonically have your phone number?"
"Yeah, sure. Do you have it ready to put in?" You pull up contacts and press "Create New."
"Yep."
"Alright, so it's..." he gives you the number, and you put it in.
"Okay, thank you. I'll shoot you a text sometime tonight or tomorrow. I'm sure you're going to be busy getting yelled at by your wife." Wait, this is a perfect opportunity to bully him... "Actually, you know what? I'll send you one right now."
~~~~~~~
(**Contact: Henry**)
You: lol, loser. Your wife is going to kick your ass. Good luck dude
~~~~~~~
You hear a ping! by the passenger's seat.
"What did you just send me?"
"Look at it when you get home." Wait, is he not driving your vehicle right now? "Wait a second, how are you going to get home? Isn't your vehicle back at the studio or something?"
"Eh, I can walk. It's not that far from the studio."
"Wow, my hero. Sacrificing your own time to drive me and my vehicle back to my house. Thank you for serving our country." Sarcasm drips from your words like thick rain.
"No problem. Also, speak of the devil - we're here."
"Finally!" This time, you both actually want to say the same exact thing.
***
"Bye _____. I'll call you on the phone or something later."
"Alright. I'll drop off the giant Boris plushie whenever you want. As long as it's before I move."
"Yeah, I'd get a few stares if I was carrying that around. Not that I won't get some already in the condition I'm in." What is he talking about you might ask? His ink stained clothes, his pale skin, him being unnaturally thin, and the fact that he really needs a shower. "Anyways, see you ____." After waving to each other goodbye for the last time, Bendy immediately starts "talking."
Remember the plan?
"Eat, chug an ocean of water, brush teeth, clip nails, shower, brush hair, read some of Joey's notes, then sleep my life away. Yep, I didn't forget."
Licking your dry lips and kicking off your boots by the front door, you speed to the kitchen. It is just how you left it. Clean, organized, and contains nothing expired, hopefully. Just like what happened with the backpack, you scavenge through the kitchen for food.
. . .
You lie on the couch in your living room, your stomach full but aching from eating too much, too quick. You have to take out the trash when you feel like getting up, because the trash can is full of wrappers and bags. You know that the two of you were starving and all, especially him, but you should have put your foot down and told him you guys would eat in moderation. You did not do that though, and now look at you. You are a whining ball of sadness lying on the couch and watching whatever is on with a massive stomach ache.
Sorry.
You sigh and get up from the couch, heading to the bathroom after grabbing a cup.
Approaching the sink, you turn the knob and fill it up with water and take your tooth brush to the flowing stream too. After that you just go about putting a minty toothpaste on it and gently brush your teeth. It takes a minute or two, but you brush every spot you can and then rinse it all out with your cup of water, also taking the time to rinse the tooth brush as well. Then, you grab some floss and get in between all of your teeth before finishing and throwing it away. You grab the clippers from off the counter and clip your finger nails and toe nails one by one.
Eat? Check. Water? Check. Teeth? Check. Nails? Check. Now you gotta shower and....oh. You have to shower. The blood rushes to your cheeks as you muster the courage to bring up the topic.
"Okay, so um...I gotta, uh...take a shower and I kinda don't know if uh....Well, I don't know if I feel comfortable doing so while I'm uh, being watched."
I don't care. Human anatomy means nothing to me in the sense you're referencing.
"Oh..um, okay." And just like that your "clothes" unravel back into tendrils and pull away. Out of instinct, you cover yourself, hesitantly closing the bathroom door and hopping into the shower. Goosebumps spread across your skin like a wildfire.
You play with the knob until the temperature is to your liking and you turn on the shower head, hundreds upon thousands of beads of water pouring down your skin and in your hair. A long sigh slurs out of your mouth as you stand there and lean against the shower wall, closing your eyes and relaxing there for a bit. It feels so nice and soothing to be under hot water like this to soothe your aching muscles after a long day or two of trying to fight tooth and nail for your life. And by tooth and nail, you mean cowering in corners, taking the beating, running away, and/or hiding.
After taking a few more seconds of just standing there and feeling the water pour down and over you, you start using your shampoo and scrub your hair. It is a total mess. Ink got in it quite a bit back at the studio, so you use a little extra soap this time. Scrubbing your hair? Easy. Scrubbing your body? Really hard. Getting the black stains out of your skin proves to be difficult as you try to rub it out with a tenacity to remove any evidence that you were in that abandoned building. You rub so hard and so much that it irritates your skin and leaves temporary red marks where you scrub.
Finally, after what feels like a good ten minutes, you get all the ink off of your body. You take another five to scrub the rest of your body before rinsing it all off. Your stomach does not hurt anymore, so that is a plus and makes things a hell of a lot easier. After all the soap on your body is gone, you take a towel hanging on the beam attached to the wall across from the toilet and dry yourself off. Once you are done with that, you put the towel down and tendrils cover you back up, this time coming back as your favorite pajamas. Getting used to showers with him here is going to take a while. Even though you know he does not care, you are still pretty embarrassed.
You grab the hair brush and stand in front of the mirror. As you brush your hair, you take the time to examine yourself.
You look a lot less dead now.
"Gee, thanks Bendy. You sure are good at making a girl feel good about themselves. What a ladies man." You roll your eyes as you continue to try and comb through your hair as gently as Bendy did earlier, which you do not succeed in. How was he so gentle?
I just care more than you. You practically rip through your hair.
All he receives in return from you is an "ugh."
"I have a question."
Shoot. Yep, he has completely changed over the course of a mere day.
"How come when you weren't 'bonded' with someone when I first entered the studio, you had a body, but when Sammy played that frequency, you were just this blob thing. Like, this black dying mass."
I used ink to help me form a body. I can't live very long if I'm not bonded with a host though. I also couldn't move or get around nearly half as efficiently as I can with you.
"Oh. That's kind of cool. The first part - I mean. Uh, not the second part..." So that is how you managed to outrun him, even with a twisted ankle. You finally finish brushing your hair. Now all that's left on your list of things to do is to read the notes Joey wrote for a bit and then go to sleep. Tomorrow you will try to finish packing your stuff. The movers got most of it. They are coming back sometime in the afternoon tomorrow to get the rest of it.
You make a break for your bedroom, jumping onto the bed and grabbing the notes from the nightstand - where you put them while taking the stuff into your house along with the blob of ink that changes shape. It rests on your nightstand. A smile comes to your face as you lay on your side, facing it. You poke it and it changes from a Bendy shaped form to a Boris shaped one. Touching again makes it turn into Alice, and then poking it again turns it into this weird looking contraption.
The 'ink' machine.
"The what?"
The main tool Joey used to make all the other creatures down there.
"What does it do?"
It forced me to procreate multiple times.
"Wait, what?? Like, as in make babies?!" It's kind of funny that you are asking about babies in the dark of your room in a whisper, with the door closed and the lights off.
I believe my species is asexual, from what Joey found out. Apparently I can only produce one offspring in my lifetime. However, he tried to force me to do it hundreds of times. It didn't work out and created the abominations that attacked you. They were all defective. He tried to create artificial bodies and fuse them with defective offspring as well. That's why the Butcher Gang exists.
"Wait, are you some kind of alien?"
In a sense, yes. With some artificial tweaking.
"What do you mean? Like your parent birthed you and then Joey found you and messed with you?"
Exactly. I don't know much about my origin, so don't bother asking me.
"Is the ink machine still working?"
Yes, it won't stop unless it gets permanently damaged.
"Can you reproduce anymore?"
No, he took the ability from me long ago.
"Oh...sorry."
Eh, I don't care. Pretty sure my predacesor didn't care for me either, not that it matters. The way he speaks has changed, a hint of Henry's filler words and your attitude.
"Yeah, and by 'doing fine' I hope that doesn't include you biting Sammy's head off. That was the most disturbing thing I have done in my entire life."
Let's pretend that never happened. Like I said, I just need phenethylamine and I'll stay sane and won't go bat shit crazy like that again.
Actually, you think you can tell the difference between when he is sane and when he is not. He used to be rash and not think things through, not listening to anyone as much. He acted obsessive and did not even try to hide it as much towards the end. He acted on impulse and did what he wanted without thinking it through.
Now he is much more observant and rational. The symbiote acts like a person and is trying to learn as much as he can from you about how to communicate and what proper behavior is. He acts much more logical and analytical from what you have seen so far, but he is kind of violent still. Somewhat manipulative. Slang is something he commonly uses and tries to be comical in his own ways.
You yawn and turn your lamp on, holding the papers up to the light.
Just get this over with...
"Do you not want me to read it?"
No, but you need to. So just shut the hell up and do it already. If he was not a guy, even though you just found out he is asexual biologically speaking, then you'd say it is that time of the month for him.
"Okay...geez..."
Entry number ten is about Joey containing Bendy and talking about how pissed he is...nothing new here. He was right though, you are pissed off knowing what he was doing.
Entry number twenty five is about fire. Joey is a real prick, scaring Bendy like that. He actively threw a lighter, knowing he was afraid of it.
Entry number twenty nine is even worse. He almost killed Bendy so many times. He tortured him so much just so he could have his questions answered. He always had a very selfish curiosity.
You lay there in the dark for a solid minute before petting the arm of your "clothes" again. Last time, you felt him lean in. This time, tendrils wrap around your hand, stopping you. Bendy arises out of your body, with the exception of the lower half of his body, which is not there. He looks down at you and straight into your eyes.
"You don't need to do this."
"Do what?"
"Be nice to me. I scared you shitless, forced you into this, and scarred you for life, right? So stop." He hisses. Your brows furrow and your lips pull downwards into a frown. You lift your arm up and reach for his face, putting a hand on his cheek.
"Does it look like I give a shit? You had a much harder time than me. This maybe be extremely weird and new for me, but I'll live."
Bendy looks down with confusion and disbelief riddled in his expression. While his expressions are hard to read, you do not really need to read them since you both share feelings now. His feelings are a mix a frustration, disbelief and confusion, and something else you can not quite put a finger on. You never get an answer. Does he understand?
Finally, he gives in and lowers himself down to your level. He does not go back into you, but rather stays in the form he is in now, laying on top of your chest and curling up around you, head resting in the crook of your neck. Tendrils curl around you from all different directions.
Your face heats up, but do feel kind of okay with him getting just a little touchy. He does not need to pretty on other living creatures from now on, but he is more of a miracle worker to you than you are to him. A creature that can communicate, shift you into new form, rid you of all ailments, and many other things is something you never thought possible. Sure, when he binge eats, it is a pain in the butt, but that is a small price to pay for all the benefits he brings about. He still freaks you out a little bit, but you are going to get used to him at some point, hopefully.
You reluctantly hug him back and look off the the side with a flushed face, and he snorts at you with an amused expression. His attitude came out of nowhere, and you are wondering where he got it from.
After a while, little by little, your conscious fades and you fall into a dreamless sleep.
***
"Alright, so that box is full of soft stuff. The other one over there is full of breakables. Please make sure they are securely and safely transported. I really can't deal with the stress of opening a box only to see my stuff trashed."
"Alright ma'am, you won't have to worry about it. Trust me." The packer simply gives you nods and empty promises. He seems somewhat annoyed as well. While he does seem like a pretty decent guy, he seems easily irritated. He walks away while you stay put. Pulling out your phone, you check your texts. You got a couple new ones from Henry.
~~~~~~~~~~
(**Contact: Henry**)
Henry: yeah ok. Next you're going to ask how many times she slapped me.
Henry: Also, you're single so you have no right to make fun of me
You: Speech 100.
Henry is typing...
Ping!
Henry: ???
You: Nevermind.
You: Anyway, yes I do. We're friends so I have every right to.
You: Also, I think I'm done with packing the rest of my stuff. Movers are over right now. I'mma watch them for a bit so they don't steal anything or break stuff
Henry is typing...
Ping!
Henry: okay, well I wanted to invite you over for dinner. So you can meet my wife and little squirt. Text me when you're ready
You: k, I'd love to. Tell your wife we're just friends though, and emphasise it. Also emphasis that I'm moving. Don't want her thinking you're seeing people and rip my head lol
Henry is typing...
Ping!
Henry: yeah yeah. Go back to moving as far away from me as possible
~~~~~~~~~~~
You do not really trust the movers that much. From what you have hear, they break stuff too often. Other times stuff "magically grows a pair of legs and walks away" like they have minds of their own - code word for getting stolen. Even if they seem like good people, you have been told to never trust them alone with your possessions. That is a warning you are not going to take lightly. It is sad how in America, it seems like you can not trust anyone with anything, while in other countries, you can leave your baby and purse at the table in a restaurant while you use the bathroom without having to worry about them getting stolen or kidnapped. That is just a difference in cultures, you guess.
Anyway, Bendy has been pretty quiet. He has not said a single word to you since last night after you argued with him over the ethics of letting him stay with you, despite intially almost ditching him when he was almost KO'd from the frequency incident. Why did he get so pissed off? Was he just upset with himself? Does he think he deserves to suffer? You can understand why he may think that, but that does not mean that you nessesarily agree with him.
You will do something about all this later, and maybe even talk to him about it. Right now, you need to keep an eye on the movers.
***
You watch as their trucks drive off with the last of the boxes of your possessions.
Fortunately, nothing bad happened. Nothing was dropped, nothing was bumped into, nothing broke, and nobody started trying to look at your stuff with twitchy fingers. Now that that is over, you are probably going to need to look through available jobs and apartments in New York City. Walking back inside, you head to your room and pull out your laptop from the drawer of your nightstand, flipping it open and logging in.
The home screen loads in and you click on Google Chrome. After that loads, you start typing in stuff about apartments and open jobs.
"Hey Ben'? What kind of apartment do you think we should get?"
One with thick walls, and a lot of room.
"Huh, that's actually pretty smart, regarding the thick walls, and since you are sensitive to sound and all. I probably wouldn't have thought of that myself. What else?"
By a good restaurant.
"Of course you'd think of food. Anything else?"
No.
"Okay, well, I'll look into that and see what I find." Now you just have to come up with keywords in the search engine for apartments with those kinds of properties. Maybe quiet neighbors could be a substitute for thick walls? "What about a job? What kind do you think we should get for now?"
Nothing that requires check ups and visits to the doctor.
"Uh, may I ask why?"
Scanners would expose us, and loud noises piss me off.
"Oh, that's right. They take x-rays and scans of patients' vitals. Yeah, we don't want the Okay, no visits to the doctor's then." You feel his relief flood through you. It is going to be hard to get jobs in New York, but you will manage. It will be easier to find one once you actually get there.
Riiiing!
Huh? Oh, your phone is ringing.
Riiiing!
You look down at it and pick it up. It is Henry.
Rii-
"Hello?"
"Hey ____. I was wondering if you want to come over for dinner. My wife is in the middle of cooking it right now. We're having smoked maccoroni and ham."
"Oh! Yeah, sure. I'll be right over."
"Great! I'll see you here."
"Okay. Remember, emphasise that I'm your friend and that I'm moving and you'll never see me again. That way she doesn't get pissed at you for, God forbid, talking to another woman."
"Oh my word, I promise she's not that bad. You're exaggerating it a little too much."
"Or am I? Lindas are dangerous people, Henry. So are Stacys and Katherines." You can practically hear him roll his eyes and get confused on what the hell you are going on about.
"I'm hanging up. Bye." And, staying true to his word, he immediately hangs up. He knows you too well, even after all this time.
"Alright, Bendy. You've probably already guessed, but you can't make any appearances tonight. None. Also, you gotta let me eat like a normal person, please. If you do this for me, I'll go out and buy a shit ton of chocolate for you. Deal?"
I'm not that barbaric... at least not anymore, anyway. He mutters that last part as he looks back at the way he acted up until last night with abhorrence. It still freaks you out how he changed so fast practically overnight.
Before you ask him about clothing, he is one step ahead of you and changes into semi-casual attire. He is the nicest and most considerate asshole you have ever come across. Why asshole? He is sure developing the personality of one. Like a tsundere, but not constantly calling you stupid, even though most tsunderes are potrayed as stupid and clumsy themselves. He hears you think this, and you can feel his indignance.
Closing your laptop, you grab your keys and start heading out.
***
Knock! Knock! Knock!
You stand in front of the door in silence, waiting for an answer. In your arms is the gigantic Boris plushie Henry wanted so bad. You are actually really proud of Henry. He finally found someone whom he loves and settled down with them. Meanwhile, you have grown to be a hopeless romantic. Well, you are not sure that is the exact way you should put it. You are just hopeless when it comes to finding someone right for you, and now with Bendy, a relationship would be completely awkward and hard to keep. Privacy is non-existent now.
Behind you you hear a dog barking and growling viciously. Turning around you see an old lady with her tiny dog that is of a breed you can not quite identify. You were never very knowledgeable on dog or cat breeds. She is having a hard time getting her companion to calm down, firmly holding the leash and trying to pull it back. Looking closely at the dog, you see it is growling at you, trying to escape its leash to come after you. Why the heck is it trying to come after you?
Because of me.
What?
"No, Smokey, bad!" The old lady tries to scold her dog, finally picking it up and walking off knowing pulling the leash will not work. As she walks away, the dog continues to stare and growl at you.
What the hell? How did it know...?
It's just like how animals can sense when a storm is coming. Crows and birds fly away and house pets get scared and hide.
Oh. That's actually a pretty good explanation.
The door opens and you face Henry, thankfully. Someone whom you actually know in the house. It is going to be hard for you tonight. You really do not want to get on bad terms with his wife, or with anyone for that matter. It is mentally draining to have someone hate you, or to hate someone.
"Hey, ____." He looks at what you are holding in your arms and smiles, making you smile back. "Oh, you brought it! My kid's going to be siked. Come on in." Stepping inside, you can not help but feel nervous.
The house is pretty clean from what you see. You step into the front room and look around. There is a staircase up against the wall opposing the front door. The flooring is a brown carpet that looks soft to the touch. A TV is to the left, facing the right wall where a red couch lies with a black-framed, glass coffee table in front of it. There is a red sofa chair next to the couch, facing diagonally towards the TV. The ceiling fan is the biggest light in the room, spinning and providing the place with cool air.
Something small comes running up to you, barking. It is a blue-eyed husky that looks to be of mature age. It wags its tail and looks up at you, tounge hanging out of its mouth.
Why is this dog not trying to bite our face off?
I don't know. Maybe it's because Henry is familiar with me. That or this dog is exceptionally stupid.
Weird. Also, rude. I think it just doesn't see us as a threat. Or you, to be exact.
"Okay, don't laugh at me but, I named the dog Boris. My kid is named Alice too."
"Dude, you are so uncreative. Are you kidding me? I'm going to bully you over this for the rest of your life. Let me guess, you have a black and white cat that you named Bendy..."
Henry exaggerates a sigh. "No actually, and I don't even have a cat." You let out a laugh. "Anyways, we should probably get on with the day." You understand, as you would rather not stay here for too long. There is not really much to do or talk about.
He's very lucky we made that deal. Otherwise, every ounce of food would have been gone by the time we leave. You mentally roll your eyes at Bendy.
The dog, err... Boris, starts sniffing your shoes like they are a five star meal. Compliments to the chef - the brand who made your shoes.
"Alice! Come here!" Henry yells, getting a distant answer in return.
"Coming daddy!" The voice of a little girl makes its way through the house. Accompanying it, are the sounds of rapid tiny footsteps. The girl makes her way down the wooden stairs and runs up to Henry, assaulting him into a hug. Dang, she almost knocked him over.
She looks to be about eight years old with her dusty brownish-blonde hair up in pigtails. As she releases her father, you get a good look at her eyes which appear to be just like Henry's. She has pale skin, but with a shade of peach. Height wise, she comes up to your waist. When she looks at you, her eyes immediately dart to the giant stuffed Boris in your hand and her whole face lights up.
"Oh my God! It's a giant Boris!!" She squeals as she jumps up and down. You hold it out to her, and she takes it and spins it around. This is the poor plushie's life now - to entertain a screaming child.
She's got a real pair of lungs, I'll give her that.
Yeah, sorry. I'm getting a headache from it alone. It'll be over soon though.
"Thank you so much miss! I love Boris!" The biggest smile you have ever seen, besides Bendy's, is on her face as she looks up at you. You are surprised that the girl knows about the characters and the show, as you would have thought Henry would have tried to forget his time at the studio - you sure tried. You were even more surprised that he named his kid and dog after characters. It makes you want to roll your eyes just thinking about it.
"What's going on out here?" A new feminine voice enters the room from behind you. Looking at the source, you see a blonde woman with baby blue eyes and a seemingly natural pale complextion. She's moderately curvy yet slim at the same time. She is around your height and gives off a welcoming air.
"Oh, you must be _____. Nice to meet you, I'm Linda." She holds out her slim hand with a warm smile on her face.
"Yeah, nice to meet you." You shake her hand. Boris barks and runs up to Linda, staring up at her and whining. That dog definitely wants attention. Linda merely giggles at the dog and scratches behind his ears. "Come here boy! C'mere Boris!" The dog snaps its head to you as you crouch down and coo at it. The husky then comes charging at you and panting, its tounge hanging out and tail wagging harder than before.
The dog happily puts his front paws on your knees and leans up to lick your face. In response you suck your lips into your mouth and squeeze your eyes shut, not wanting to get dog slobber in your eyes or mouth.
"Ewww, Boris!" Alice giggles from somewhere behind you at the dog's display of new found affection for you. You can hear her pad up to the two of you, and suddenly, the licking of your face like a lollipop stops and you open your eyes and wipe the saliva on your face off with your sleeve.
Gross.
"Man, dogs. Am I right?" Henry really does try sometimes, but even that is not enough. You look to see Alice holding the dog back from trying to lick you again. That is one friendly dog. A little too friendly, but still friendly. Linda looks at Henry with an endearing face, as if she is calling him a good ball without having to say anything.
"Well I think we should start eating, right Henry?" Linda gets straight to the point: food.
I like her. She's the only one here with a brain.
Wow, rude.
"Yeah, guess you're right. The kitchen is this way, _____." Alright, now for the moment of truth. Will Bendy actually stick to his word and let you eat in peace?
Shut up. I'm not five.
Stay tuned to find out!
Fuck you.
The five of you (including Bendy of course, even though you and Henry are the only ones aware of his presence), walk over to the table. Boris runs and hides under the said table, probably ready to eat whatever falls on the floor and beg people for scraps.
"Alice, I'm sorry, but you can't bring your giant doll to the table." Linda puts her foot down.
"But he wants to eat too..."
"Why don't you take him to your room? I'm sure he's tired." You smile at Linda playing along.
"Well...okay." She pouts as she takes the giant plushie to her room, her footsteps fading.
"Alice has her mind in Wonderland." Your comment gets a laugh out of the couple.
"Oh my word, Henry has made that joke one too many times himself. We all love that movie, especially Alice."
"I bet. That was a great movie."
You hear those tiny footsteps run down the stairs and come sprinting into the kitchen. Linda sets a giant plate of ham and a giant glass bowl of smoked maccoroni on the table, and you all sit down in your respective seats. Henry and Linda sit at the heads of the table, and you and Alice sit across from each other.
Get a lot of both. You stifle a giggle, because it would look pretty weird if you just started laughing out of nowhere. Henry would probably understand, but the other two would not. Coming up with excuses is pretty hard too. You are going to have to practice this for when you are in public. Maybe you can hold your phone to your ear when you are talking to him in a public setting if you want a more verbal conversation with him.
Noted.
"So, I hear you're moving to New York." Linda starts. Apparently Henry did heed your advice, even if you were just mostly kidding. She hands you a plate with silverware and you take it, putting a ton of food on your plate, but not too much to the point where anyone notices or cares.
"Yeah, I've always been wanting to go there. I almost went to San Francisco though, because I had my eye on this one company that's all about science, and they're somewhere in San Francisco. Unfortunately, they shut down or something along the lines of that. I think their owner got arrested or something."
"That's wonderful. The fields of science almost always involve a lot of money, that's for sure. That's strange though. A whole company shutting down like that? What's this company called?"
"The Life Foundation." You feel the symbiote tense up at the name.
What's wrong?
Later. You try to hide your confused expression at his weird dismissal.
"I think I've heard that name somewhere before..." Henry says as his face scrunches up, trying to remember something. You are pretty sure if it triggers something for these two, you have probably brought something up that is related to Bendy and the studio.
"Bleh, I heard science involves math." Alice sticks out her tounge as she scrunches up her face just like Henry did. You hope she does not turn into her dad. That would really suck, and then you'd have to make fun of her too.
"Actually, once you learn how to do math, it gets pretty easy and can be fun." She gives you this horrified look. Meanwhile, Linda gives you an approving glance.
"Ugh, you sound like mom." A laugh comes out of your mouth before you start putting smoked maccoroni in your mouth.
Holy shit, this actually tastes good. You quickly chew and swallow before stuffing more in your mouth. Fortunately, you do not actually swallow the dish whole. Looks like Bendy stood true to his word and you are both holding your instincts back pretty well.
"I just realized how inept I am at cooking."
"Don't worry, you'll get there. I can give you some recipes if you want." Linda offers, smiling at you.
"I need the recipe for smoked maccoroni." She laughs.
"Well first off, you need a smoker. They can go for a lot, so I'd wait until you buy your own house and settle down in an area you feel comfortable in. That way it doesn't get stolen..."
***
Through almost the entirety of dinner, Linda has been giving you cooking tips and other suggestions. Apparently getting a pet, especially a cat, reduces the chance of getting a heart attack. You will definitely look into getting a pet once you are settled in New York. It might light up things around your apartment. You are going to have to take into consideration the amount of money it costs to keep a pet though.
You also gained her number tonight. Another woman helping you by giving you advice over the phone is actually a really comforting thought. Now you can learn how to cook better from another human being. Something has been bugging you though.
Bendy has been quiet all night ever since you mentioned the Life Foundation.
Right now, you have all just finished dinner and it is time for you to head out. You are just standing by the front door and talking to Henry about perhaps hanging out later.
"I think we should at least go to that burger joint one last time. I mean, they serve pretty good fries too."
"Well...yeah, sure. I don't see the harm in that. Oh, also, I need someone to drive me to the airport when it comes time to do that. They're taking my vehicle sometime the day after tomorrow to transport it."
"Yeah, sure. I can take you."
"Great! Thank you so much."
"No problem. It's what friends are for, right?" You cringe at the cheesy line and give him a look, and confusion comes over his face. The interaction is silenced when Alice comes running up to the two of you from the kitchen.
"Um, thank you for the giant Boris doll... He's cute and I love him a lot..." She twirls her fingers in her hair.
"Aww, no problem! I'm glad you're happy with him. I got to go now, so take good care of him, and don't forget about the other Boris." She smiles up at you
"I'll play with both Borises equally." Your heart right now...it is dying of cuteness.
"See you later alligator." She giggles.
After waving goodbye to them a final time, you leave and shut the door behind you, getting into your car and driving away. Since there were no interruptions tonight, as promised, you are going to the gas station to buy a bunch of chocolate before you head home.
"So, what kind of chocolate should we get?"
What kinds are there?
"Well, it depends on where you go. At the place we're going, there's probably only going to be dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate. Well, I wouldn't call white chocolate chocolate though. That shouldn't even count as chocolate. Like, they don't even put cocoa in it. Cocoa butter is not the same thing as cocoa, so they have no right to call it chocolate. Jeez." You breath out a heavy sigh.
Weirdo.
Uh, not weirdo. Actually, educated and cultured. You could have said that out loud too, but simply chose not to, for whatever reason.
"So anyway, why did you guys get triggered when I talked about the Life Foundation?"
Joey used to work there. He got fired, and so he stole a "sample" of their "property." Me. He thought I was a sample, but he took one at the wrong place and wrong time. He meant to take a peice of a mature symbiote. He also looked at more confidential information than he was given access to when he worked there. Never got caught, but still paid the consequences.
"What consequences?"
I ate him alive.
"Wait, what?"
He wanted me to bond with him despite the fact that he wasn't a suitable host. I would be lying if I didn't say I enjoyed it a little bit, but I'd also be lying if I said I enjoyed doing it. You cringe at his vindictive past actions, not that Joey did not deserve it.
"While I don't support eating people, at all whatsoever, I'm not going to make a big over that. He definitely deserved it, and I probably would have done the same thing, in your position. Stop painting yourself as a serial killer." Your brows furrow. "And don't deny it either, because I could tell you were pulling that 'I am an absolute criminal, kill me now' card on me last night."
Shut up. Okay, that struck a nerve. It seems like every time you try and console him, he turns around and spits venom in your face.
"Wow, okay. Fine. See if I try to be nice to you ever again." Is it just you or is he starting to get meaner and meaner? At first he acted like a kicked puppy, but now he is acting like an agressive dog that immediately backs off whenever you get mad at him or scold him for being an asshat.
He sighs, verbally of course. It would feel weird if if physically sighed, since he is woven into your body. Sorry. You feel his regret from a mile away.
Another sigh comes out of your mouth. "It's....fine."
Stress is ebbing you away again. You have to focus on finding a good apartment, and a job. It is not going to be easy, especially finding one with the requirements that Bendy asked for. Either quiet neighbors or thick walls. It also can not be too far away from work, a restaurant, or the grocery store. It is not like you have to find one that meets these requirements, but you would feel bad if you did not. You also got to find a high paying job that does not require you to check in with the doctor.
Black tendrils start to comb through your hair again. You guess he is going to do this every time you are stressed out. You would be lying though if you said it does not help. Why is he acting like he has bipolar, though? One minute, he tells you to shut the fuck up, and the next, he is kicking his feet in the sand with a pouty expression and apologizing.
Finally, you both arrive at the gas station and head inside. It is pretty cold on the way in - enough to see your breath. The sky is pitch black with a few stars showing. Perhaps you would see more if the air was not so polluted around here. Obviously, there is not anyone here but an employee, because of the time. However, you know this employee, and you know this gas station. Her name is Alex. She is pretty laid back and good with keeping secrets. She's a pretty weird gal though, and believes in the supernatural way more than anyone you know. She has her hair dyed a crimson red and tied into a messy low bun. She's got black rimmed glasses and pale skin with her work uniform on.
She used to go to the same school as you, but you guys graduated and never saw each other except for outside of school and when she got a part-time job here. That's why she's one of your distant friends. You never see each other often. Outside of the gas station, she does art commissions and has a YouTube channel that she just started not too long ago. To the suprise of what many people may think, she actually makes a decent amount of money.
"Hey Alex." You raise a hand briefly as a greeting gesture.
"Oh! Hey ____. Haven't seen you in a while. How've you been?"
"Peachy. Even though peaches taste weird on the outside. Sometimes they taste good inside, especially the juice."
"I support that statement. Also, that's what he said." A smirk came onto her face. This is why she is your best distant friend. Henry is your best old friend, as you have known him for a long time. She is more weird than you can handle.
"Wow. Really dude?" She raises her arms into the air like she is surrendering.
"Hey, you brought that upon yourself." Well, she is not wrong.
"Ugh, fine. I'm going to go get some chocolate, and by some I mean a lot." She rolls her eyes at you and goes back to texting someone on her phone.
Wandering the the aisles you look around for chocolate, getting one of every type for him to try out. There are some here that you have not had before either, so it is a win-win, even if you are paying for it with your own money.
Ding!
Huh, so someone besides you came shopping tonight. It is pretty dark out though, so you did not expect someone to walk in. You peek around the corner of the aisle to see who it is...
In front of you is a sight you never hoped to see.
Two guys with masks and hoods hold guns in their hands and start pointing them at Alex. They have really dark clothes and serious looks on their faces. Unfortunately, there are no working cameras in this store since it isn't very rich and can't afford to buy better ones. The ones they do have are down for the count right now and have been since the last time you were here.
Actually, broken cameras are a good thing.
How is it a good thing?? This place is getting robbed and there is little to no evidence now from the lack of recording devices!
Because if we beat the shit out of them, there will be no recorded evidence of us.
Well, yeah, but...
Let's just do it.
"Alright, we want what's in the register and some of the crap on the shelves. Don't try shit or I'll shoot."
Fine.
Great. I thought you were turning into Henry for a second there.
Tendrils start to envelop your body before fully covering you and every inch of your skin. You hold your breath and squeeze shut your eyes as he goes over your face again until it is over. Opening your eyes, you can see just like last time. Last time you didn't notice the tail though, but that is probably because you were too busy biting Sammy's head off of his neck. Now is no time for thinking about appearances though.
Can we bite their heads off too?
What? No! What part of no evidence did you not understand?? Also, I am not going to repeat what happened with Sammy. You cringe at the memory. From now on, you are definitely going to get him chocolate so he gets that chemical that he mentioned or whatever it was.
Phenethylamine.
Yeah, that.
The both of you stand up and out of hiding, and just in time for one of the robbers to turn around and notice you.
"W-what in the..." As you approach him he looks up in horror and gawks at you. You're much taller now. Probably close to double your height. At least a third of your height taller. The guy is shaking in his boots, obviously figuring out that you aren't cosplaying or dressing up as some horror movie character.
"What? Why are you-" The other guy turns around. Rather than shitting his pants however, he immediately aims his gun at your head and shoots. You flinch.
Don't worry. Bullets don't do shit. Now if they had a flamethrower, then we'd be in trouble.
Pfft, why would they have a flamethrower anyway? Robbing a gas station with a flamethrower is the worst idea ever. Aim it at the wrong place and everything will explode. You never start a fire near gasoline in general - it's just common sense. You make an amused smile, though your current "face" already has the biggest in town. It feels strange when you two are in this form, because you can feel the passive feelings from this she'll he has created around you, but you have yet to feel any pain.
Exactly, which is why they don't have one.
Just as promised, the bullets get spit out of the symbiote's "skin," and sound exactly like coins when they hit the floor.
"W-what the a-actual f-fuck?!" He looks down at the gun, then the bullet, and back at where you got shot in the face.
"Dø ït. Shīt yõúrsēlf." Might as well encourage them if they are going to do it anyway. Meanwhile, Alex is just starting with her jaw wide open and looking like she is about to go on a ranting spree about how she knew all along that the supernatural exists. Why is she not screaming? Even she should be concerned if there is a seven foot tall demon that looks like it wants to rip everyone a new one and swallow them whole standing right in front of them. Also, it's fucking crazy from an outsider's perspective that a demon shows up at a gas station in the first place. It sounds like a set-up for a joke.
Why'd the demon go to the gas station? Oh, to stop a bank robbery. Haha ha, so funny, despite the lack of a punchline.
You grab them by the heads, one for each gloved hand, and knocked their heads together as hard as you can. Well, not as hard. You're pretty sure you'd crack their skulls open if Bendy were to be the executioner of the action. Just enough to where they go unconscious is your intent and motive. You've seen this in a movie somewhere - you swear. You had to do it. Now you just got to look for something to tie them up with...
Oh wait, that's right... she's still here.....
Should we just...?
She may not be a genius, but she's not a dumbass. She'll put two and two together anyway.
And so he pulls away from your skin, regrettably. Somehow, her jaw opens even wider to the point where it looks slightly dislocated. You wouldn't be surprised if it actually is.
"Oh my God. You're half demon, aren't you?!"
Actually, I take that back. She's a complete moron.
You actually, physically facepalm. Though you know that she is not a malicious person, you do not want to take your chances with her.
***
Entry #15, (burger king foot lettuce)
I've gotten one of the animators, (Redacted)_(Redacted), to meet me in my office after work hours not too long ago. Now they're screaming behind the glass barrier I put them behind, screaming that it's eating them. It seems that not even humans are safe from the consequences of a less than suitable host.
I give up on this side project. Nothing is working. They just won't stop yelling and now I have to $(+(:(%;%)%)%) (redacted).
(Redacted) keeps begging for me to let them out, but that just won't do! Even if I wanted to separate them, which I don't, I couldn't. I lost my #+#'::%'($:, so the only thing to do would be to burn it, but why would I ever destroy progress?? That would be mad! No, I want to see to it that I fix this problem. Is the mass capable of complex communication? Human language? Understanding literature and the arts of such communication?
An interesting concept to investigate for sure! I must know. I'll see to it that I find out.
Signing out, Joey Drew