"(Y/N), are you ok?"
You opened your eyes, sunlight flowing in the car through the large windows. You were lying on back seat, your head resting on one of the bags. The music player was on, the song "Little Talks" by Of Monsters and Men playing in the background, your father tapping his hands on the stirring wheel on the rhythm of the melody, your mother looking straight ahead, their faces hidden from view. You got up, feeling your entire body ache from the uncomfortable position you slept in.
"Are you ok, (Y/N)? Did you have a bad dream?" she asked you.
A bad dream? Y-Yeah. It...it...kind of felt like that. How strange. W-What were you doing? ...Oh, yeah. The picnic. You went to buy groceries with your parents and...and you had to make sure that you got everything...yes. That was what you had to do. You turned your head towards the bag, blinking when you saw the stuff besides you. A small cutout of a cartoon character with black skin and a white face, a large smile resting on his lips and mischievous eyes was staring at you, the bags with groceries being buried beneath cans of ink and stained papers. W-What was going on?
"M-Mom" you said, looking at your mother.
Something was wrong. Som-...you froze.
"DAD! LOOK..."
Too late.
✠♦✠
You opened your eyes, vision blurry from the tears rolling down your cheeks and your entire body hurting, but that didn't even compare to how your head was throbbing. The recent events unfolded in your mind, Bendy, the ink machine, the fall...the dream.
"There, there, don't cry now my dear." a male voice came, and you immediately perched up, only then to notice something that made your heart still.
You were tied on a chair, unable to move. Fear took over you and with it, came the voices.
"What have you got us into now?"
"I don't like this."
"We're going to die, aren't we?"
"You idiot! What have you done now?!"
"There's no escape."
You struggled to free yourself, the ropes rubbing against your skin and causing you pain, as the rough material scratched your already aching arm.
"Now, now, dear. The struggle is pointless. We wouldn't want our sheep running away now, would we?"
You looked up to see who was talking, your eyes meeting a tall figure, male judging from the tone of his voice, his body covered in a dark substance, dripping off his hands onto the floor. He was wearing a pair of pants with suspensers the color of snow, and his head was covered by a mask of Bendy with the mouth cut out. He was holding an axe, in his hands, the clean blade sending shivers down your spine. You stared at him, afraid, your voice stuck in your throat.
"I must admit I am honored you came all the way down here. It almost makes what I'm about to do seem cruel. But the believers must honor their savior. I must have him notice me." he continued, dread building up inside you with each word he spoke.
Sheep? Savior? What on earth was he rambling on about?
"The time of sacrifice is at hand!" he said going to place the axe somewhere near, the handle leaning against a wooden pillar-like structure and then returned to face you. "And then, I will finally be freed from this... prison. This inky... dark... abyss I call a body. Shhhhh! Quiet! Listen! I can hear him. Crawling above. Crawling! Let us begin. The ritual must be completed! Soon he will hear me... he will set us free." he said, and you listened in fear, sweat rolling off your body as strange noises came from above.
"It's over."
"We're going to die."
"No. No. NO!"
"We can't get free."
"No escape. Only death."
You watched the man go away and exit the room, leaving you all alone to meet your fate. This was happening. This was truly happening. You were going to die, sacrificed to...to whatever he called a savior. You began to struggle again, ignoring the pain and ache in your body and the voice in your mind. I-f only Grandpa would get mad and the bracelet would burn then...wait! You didn't feel the bracelets at all on your skin. Could it be...that when you fell...
"Fuck! FUCK!" you screamed realizing that now, neither the Nightmare King nor the Radiance would be able to tell what was going on with you.
You began to struggle harder, now fueled by anger when a static noise came from a speaker nearby, that guys voice echoing through out the room.
"Sheep, sheep, sheep, It's time for sleep. Rest your head. It's time for bed. In the morning, you may wake. Or in the morning, you'll be dead."
"Just you wait until I get my hands on you!" you screamed.
A metal door in front of you opened as the guy ignored your threat and continued to talk, the entire place shaking as he did so.
"Hear me, Bendy! Arise from the darkness! Arise and claim my offering! Free me! I beg you! I summon you, Ink Demon! Show your face and take this tender sheep!"
"I swear I'll take the longest piece of wood I'll find and shove it up your ass!" you continued to yell, the adrenaline rushing in your body, giving you strength to keep on struggling and ignore the pain.
You fixated your eyes on the darkness revealed through the opened door, ready to face whatever was going to come out when...
"No! My lord! Stay back! I am your prophet! I am your- AAAHHH!!"
You heard the guy scream followed by other weird noises, a devilish smile rolling on your lips.
"Karma bitch!" you yelled, but the joy was short lived.
You were still caught, let alone the other troubles. There was no guarantee that that thing won't come after you and... wait a minute. Did...did he say Bendy?
In your frightened state, you didn't realize who the savior's or whatever thing that madman was talking about was Bendy, your brain too tired and agitated to make the connection. But how?
The walls began to turn black, ink dripping from the ceiling as the room was flooded with the dark substance. You gave up on your thoughts and tried to release yourself, but only ended up falling on the side, hitting your head once more on the hardwood floor.
"Shit!" you yelped, as the voices yelled at you as well.
You were too tired and couldn't get yourself free. Was this really the end? Was this truly how you died?
From the darkness, you heard steps approaching, along with the sound of dripping. You looked towards the door, awaiting your fate. And he didn't delay.
Your voice was stuck in your throat when you saw him. He was nothing like his cartoon persona. He was taller, ink covering most of his face including his eyes, leaving only his smile intact. His left arm was longer and thinner than his right one which was also more human looking, a large white glove resting on his hand. His left leg was more deformed and thicker than the right one, looking almost like a deformed stump. You couldn't help but feel...pity, sadness. What happened to him? What did that bastard do to him?!
He was limping his way towards you, and you noticed a piece of paper clutched in his right arm. What was he planning to do?
You swallowed a lump in your throat, the voices having gone silent from fear. At least you could think clearly and that was good.
"Hey big guy." you said, trying not to let your panic show, the demon being just a few steps away from you.
He stopped, tilting his head to the side, waiting.
"Mind...mind giving me a hand? Just cut the ropes around my arm, please. I'll do the rest." you said, trying to sound calm and somewhat amused, make the situation not be as tense as it actually was.
Bendy looked at you, standing still and not moving at all, fear growing inside you. Slowly, he went behind you and lifted the chair with such ease you were amazed. People did tell you, you lost weight, but not that much! Jokes aside, he lifted you up and cut off the bindings, your wrist enjoying the feeling of release.
"Thank you." you said, rubbing your arm on your pants, trying to ease the ache somehow.
Bendy stood by your side, watching you in silence. It was kind of... unsettling, to be honest, but you tried to ignore it. You've been through worse when you met Moder for the first time. Maybe this will be just like back then, or so you hoped.
Suddenly, more noises came from above, roars and groans echoing throughout the place, making the blood freeze in your veins.
"W-What was that?" you asked, but something inside you didn't want to find out.
You quickly got on your feet and began to bolt towards the exit, dragging Bendy behind you. The Ink Demon was confused, but he didn't react, only followed, curious as to what you were planning. You continued to navigate through the dark corridors, not knowing exactly where to go other than to get away from that thing that was roaring and getting closer. Something inside you was screaming at you to run from it, a sense of dread so strong, you could hardly believe that you were able to move.
You finally reached a door, your only way out, and struggled to open it, the thing getting closer and closer.
"Shit! Shit! Shit!" you screamed, pushing yourself into the blasted door and trying to get it to open.
Suddenly, Bendy pushed you away and using his larger hand, forced the door open.
"Great job, Be-" you began but before you could finish, he grabbed you and tossed you in the new hallway, slamming the door shut behind you.
You stared at it, the shock and reality taking a few seconds to sink in.
"No. No. No! Bendy!" you yelled and jumped at the door, beating your fist against it. "Bendy! Open up! Bendy!" you called out to him but heard only silence. "Bendy! Please! I beg you! Open up and come in!"
Tears began to roll down your face, the voices slowly emerging again, ready to put you down. No. No!
"Bendy...I beg you...if...if you don't want to come in...at least...at least stay alive..." you said, your voice nearly suffocated by the cries longing to get out.
You slowly fell to your knees, as the voices were now screaming in your mind, the worst scenarios playing in your head like a sick cinema.
"Please...stay safe..."
✠♦✠
Stay safe. Stay alive. No one ever told him that.
Abomination. Failure. Keep him locked up. Oh! He heard that so many times, but "stay safe"? Never. He knew what it meant. They at least taught him words and their meaning, so he would understand everything he was told. They wanted him to be a demon, a monster, so he became one, but then they abandoned him, threw him under lock and key, offering a few "toys" now and then. They were all the same, hatred, fear and disgust reflecting in their eyes as clear as the things in a illuminated room, but...he didn't see that when he looked into hers. There was some fear, but not as strong. Instead, he saw something else, something he couldn't define. Was that what humans called compassion? Maybe. He didn't know. But one thing he was sure of. He didn't want her to die.
The Ink Demon stared at the door, listening to her sobs, the thing that followed them coming closer, the sheet of paper clutched tight in his hand. He turned away, ready to face it, a devilish smile curling inside him. Finally, someone who wasn't afraid to try and fight him. He had gotten tired of the same monsters, always running away whenever he was getting close. Now, he could get some action.
✠♦✠
"I found something, Henry." Joe said after minutes of silence.
"What?" the man asked, the discomfort inside growing stronger.
Something wasn't right. Ever since he stepped foot in that apartment, Henry's skin had been crawling non-stop, yet he couldn't quite say exactly why. There was also what happened when he came in. Finding an old man yelling at your friend about his missing granddaughter wasn't exactly an inspiring sign of good-omen. He tried to pester Joe about it, but in vain. The man kept on avoiding the answer and changing the subject and that didn't seat well with Henry. Not at all.
"I was exploring caves, looking for inspiration. Strange, right? Funny place to look for ideas for cartoons." Joey continued, chuckling a little.
Henry kept silent. He didn't see any reason to laugh. He watched as Joey headed to one of the drawers in his kitchen and took out a jar filled with some kind of tar-like substance and put it on the counter. Henry approached it, trying to get a better look at the liquid, only to back down the next second, when a tentacle-like thing emerged and smashed itself against the glass, exactly where the man had been standing. He looked at it in shock, every single alarm in his head going off at the same time.
"Joey, what the hell is that thing?!" he yelled, taking a defense position.
"Surprised, right?" Joey said, smiling. "It's a blessing, Henry. A gift from above. Go into the old workshop. You'll see what I mean."
Henry stared at his old coworker then at the jar and then at the door leading to the old workshop. Something was telling him to run, nearly compelling him to, but then the face of than old man being dragged away by the police demanding his granddaughter back came to him. That girl might be in there. He couldn't just leave. He had to find her.
Taking a deep breathe, he opened the door and stepped inside. He looked around, noticing the floor having shattered a few meters ahead, a black substance looking like ink flooding the hallway and pouring through the hole, a feeling of dread filling his heart. No...It couldn't be?!
"Mew."
Henry jumped, looking around him in a frenzy to see what could have made that sound when he saw it. At his feet was a large, black cat, with four pairs of glowing eyes and two large horns between its ears and on the side of its face. The man stared at it, flabbergasted, when the creature passed by him and jumped straight into the whole, disappearing into the darkness below.
"What on Earth is going on?" Henry asked himself. Where did that cat-thing come from? What on earth has Joey done?!
✠♦✠
After (Y/N) lost the bracelets, those two completely lost it and Nightmare King nearly set the entire garden on fire, Grimm barely managing to calm him down in time and prevent everyone in there from being killed. Radiance was no better, and she was ready to kill everyone who dared talk to her. Pale King was one step away from going off on all of them and to make matters worse, that Stan guy got himself in jail after trying to solve things "the old-fashion" way. Well, Shade couldn't really complain about that. They managed to get inside that place and now studio, after all. They grew tired of those idiots constantly bickering with each other like stupid grubs. Thus, they decided to take matters into their own hands and get this whole thing over it. They wanted their chin scratcher back, darn it!