Art Credit: Hoppa-Jesse
...Characterizing Henry is hard af-
"Y/N." Your eyes shot up straight to meet silver ones; a calm and bright gray which concealed annoyance. "Staring at Mr. Lawrence isn't going to give any of us further ideas."
Now all other eyes were flicked to looking at you, Henry's filled with a small apology for whatever he felt Joey said that'd potentially intimidate you and Sammy's shockingly not bearing their usual sternness. They were only filled with interest. He wasn't upset in the slightest you were "admiring."
And now, years later, he was showing you more passion than you'd seen before in all the other people you'd met. Was he still a person to you? Absolutely. And he was a wonderful one as well.
Since he was a being of ink, however, you imagined kissing him would feel... odd. That ink would get on your lips and cause some sort of poisoning. It didn't. Instead, it was a light and cool feeling filled with as much sweetness as his pie-cut eyes. Inky hair brushed with yours briefly as well... it felt so peaceful. Like you were outside in the city you both loved as people; people more regular without so much experience in a broken studio. What was just as amazing was how he made that studio so much better for you.
Once he parted from you just as the bright clouds and sweet scent in your head parted you opened your vision to see another warm smile directed down at you. What you gave back was a look carrying all the reassurance and peace you had and he silently slipped his mask back on after you mapped out all the features of his face in your memory. Both of you knew you accepted each other and what was done a moment earlier. You yourself turned to see Henry and Boris, pure green and jet black eyes in a new lifetime.
Henry had his arms around you in a second, though he was very gentle in his hold and with his words. "I'm assuming you're alright now? Considering it's you Y/N, I'm not surprised," he chuckled. Boris had a face which completely agreed and darted over to lick the side of your face, smiling cheerfully at the laugh he got out of you. Before she cut in-
"Y/N, lovely! So good to see you alive and breathing. You are very lucky, darling, that I was merciful enough to wait for you to wake up again. An angel hardly waits." You didn't like how her voice dropped into a low lull at the last sentence but pushed past it as always. You were fairly sure she should be satisfied by now. And from the looks your companions had you could tell they hoped so as well.
"...Thank you." You'd most likely take no harm in giving her what she wanted to hear. It might've even helped. However, she seemed to ignore this as she continued on further, giving what you assumed was either a new order or a new piece of information.
No..., not an order. What is she saying-
"You've all been wonderful, my little travelers. Henry, Y/N, Boris, Sammy... but... well, I just might not want to let you go. It'd only be sending you further into hell..."
"Alice, Susie-"
"Y/N, did you really think I'd stop at what I'm trying to achieve?! I NEED my beauty back, my eye, my mouth- neither you nor Boris nor Henry are going to rip that from me like that- that DEMON who ripped my life away! I know what you want as well, Stein! And I'm going to be ALICE and find my heaven whether it gets you all slaughtered like sheep or not!"
A new kind of horror gave you a fresh slap to the face. Bendy... Bendy was still a nightmare to many minds, but the thing you noticed about him was that he was mostly alone in his obscured actions, starting and ending each fight himself.
Alice... Alice was much quieter about who she toyed with. Mistrust as well as uncertainty were the only things pulling off the blindfold she had on you. Even then they weren't quick enough. YOU were not quick enough. The angel would find her assistance, unlike Bendy. You knew.
When you could think clearly and fully see around you it wasn't a twisted smirk lining the world within sight- it was the faces and the fear your companions froze in.
"You thought you could leave when you tried to trick me! That you could live! Especially you, prophet! YOU OF ALL PEOPLE, who took everything from me-! Well, since you'll all only descend from MY claiming of this disaster, YOUR JOURNEY ENDS HERE!"
Everyone took no time to start sprinting away and brace themselves for an attack, although instead of an enraged angel swooping in to slice away any breaths your group held, those slithering beings of ink which previously destroyed you came in again. Her assistance. Rising from puddles lining the ground. You all had made it out of her inner area and "sanctuary" in the level but the corpses weren't going by fast enough and the stairs weren't close enough. Although to your surprise those puddles fizzed out as the speakers screeched on again.
"NO! My control on the ink- ngh-! What IS- very well! Have THIS!"
Amber and deeper sepia flooded your vision along with dense ink coming in to slow your lower limbs from their run. Boris's ears shot straight up in a display of shock and you could've sworn you heard Henry curse under his breath.
Sammy definitely. Each movement was a strain forward now as the ebony- the lifeblood of the studio- pulled at you in all directions. Yanking and arguing over having you like many of the creatures down where you were, it seemed.
Then you heard who you first expected coming.
Unlike you at the moment she was swift to come down although the floorboards betrayed her arrival. Still, she was fast enough. It was reality she was running in, after all. While you and the others tried to run in a vision. A kind of vision she had given you before. Your torso turned sharply at the creaking to see-
Alice wrapped her gloved forearms fully around Boris and yanked him back as the vision swung downward, leaving the last thing you saw in that amber vision burned in memory: the terror on the cartoon's face.
"BORIS- NO-"
Once you could properly see again he was still being pulled back at a fast pace.
You surged forward to try to get to him but a sea of distorted cartoons blocked your path. Enough to make you back up quickly though Sammy took your hand again and ran the other direction with Henry. Halls skimmed by and you dodged forming puddles though not a thought passed in your head due to shock. Pre-shock. Was it? You couldn't tell, everything was unclear and you needed the elevator.
The closed-off elevator staring back at you.
"Henry! Use that damn axe to give us an entrance!" Sammy's voice almost lost its smooth tone in the panic seeing ink creatures running to you with gargled screams. The scarring noise of an axe blade scraping against worn and thin metal came to both of your ears. Both of your eyes, however, fixed in fear as those mindless things came closer. You had to admit you wanted to hurt them far less now but your legs still kicked out- it was really all you could do before swinging your fists was next. Sammy traced the edge of your vision while he fought with much more effectiveness, though after a few swings and blurs you couldn't see him. Time had a way of playing around however it pleased in the presence of danger. But a few more blurs and you heard metal that was weakened with time giving up to the axe blade. A ragged hole- or rather a larger spacing in the bars- greeted you which you immediately slipped through while Henry swung his head up along with caramel hair... to find Sammy swept back in that sea of violence, ink running. More were attempting to slip in which were being swiped by the axe... but they WERE large in number. Fear possessed you as you caught his mask turning to you.
"...We can't wait any longer, Y/N. I'm sorry." Henry's fist quickly met with the panel, working to hit whichever button came first which resulted in all of the buttons glowing sharply before the elevator whirled down at a rapid pace and you were gripping onto your friend, who in turn clutched some of the smooth black bars in an attempt to hold on. Cool air skimmed by everywhere and yet you couldn't breathe. Could barely see. Tears rolled out of your eyes with a speck of black in them before they were completely clear again. Only Sammy and Boris appearing in your mind as the world plummeted.
With chance they would both be alright. A slim chance that Sammy was given more than Boris. The wolf wasn't a fighter- you knew that and Henry knew that. Henry knew Boris better than Boris knew himself. Alice wouldn't plan on wasting his hesitance to get what she wanted... needed. Sammy could deal with whatever she wanted to throw at him better but it also meant she would throw harder. Especially given she already hated him. He could summon some ink beings as you'd seen him do in the previous battle... he didn't like putting them in danger though. His attitude said it. Yet all those ink creatures Alice had were used without a problem...
Honestly, you could barely perceive it. One of the characters you loved vanishing along with a man part of your heart always sheltered a place for. You had JUST gotten him after only watching and trying to forget him for so long and now he slipped away again. Leaving so many things about him unknown to you.
"Y/N!" Green eyes flashed and you felt Henry tug sharply on your arm. "The elevator stopped. We're safe."
"...Is it possible to go back up?"
"I'm not sure. I wanted to make sure you were alright before doing anything else."
Stained fingers hovered over arrayed buttons, working to hit. Level Nine. Nothing moved. Level K. Nothing. Henry gave out a rueful smile.
"We both know I can't fix anything this advanced. I've been drawing my whole life, you've been writing. ...You know, I bet a lot of the problems we run into could be fixed if I was Thomas Conner. Remember him?" he chuckled. "Maybe he should be with you."
"Henry," you shook out of your daze with a smile and rested a hand on his shoulder. "You are definitely the person I want with me in this. You're the whole reason I even came here. Trust me, I'm glad she didn't get you as well." His smile turned to surprise and then a renewed warmth you soaked in. And you both were ready for whatever the twisted halls had in store for you.
What was in store was Joey's office. The head office.
Not a single breath apart from yours and Henry's was present in the surrounding area. You could tell only from the door it had an unwelcoming feel wrapped firmly around it. Or maybe that was just the package of memories that came with the office. Plenty of times you had stood before this door, waiting to receive some kind of yelling session about a deadline or an accidental plot hole you thought your brain had covered. Things written that Joey didn't like even if others did, which meant it wasn't part of the dream. Your effort wasn't part of HIS dream. If it weren't for Henry making you realize the dream was a nightmare you very well could've been one of the monsters in the other levels. This place was quiet as can be though- they clearly avoided him.
Henry held in a sigh and opened the door, stepping inside and letting the dust swirl around him in shock with you behind him.
Ink pipes hung over and above the walls, which in turn had awards hung on them. Awards that shouldn't have been in only his office, honestly. Most of them were for the music and from the earlier years of the studio. The same applied to the few art and writing awards which showed in curved letters. Praise in cursive. Praise for you, Henry, and Sammy. Talent like yours and theirs was hard to come by. And yet it was hung in another man's office. What did he do when you knew him? He only yelled and set dates. Told you what to make. Made you learn to dodge him, avoid him. None of the art, music, or story of Bendy belonged to him but the whole room was bragging like it did. You had the urge to swipe a few of those hung frames but decided against it. Most of them belonged to Sammy because he had stayed the longest. He should decide to take them or not, not you.
Sammy...
This is Joey's office. Something in here HAS to hint at how the elevator works. Something.
Splayed pictures of a happy cartoon demon and his friends doing all sorts of things together watched as you moved past sofas to shelves and drawers instead, hunting for any scrap of paper or whole book labeled "Gent." That company took care of nearly every technological issue that sprang up. As a creative, it was hard to wrap your head around those kinds of things but you certainly would try for Sammy and Boris. Henry, meanwhile, was having a hard time wrapping his head around what you were looking so hard for.
"Y/N? I can't help if I don't know what exactly you're doing." Axe resting at his side, he stilled your rushing arms until you were facing him. "It's terrifying. I know it is. But you aren't going to be able to use what you find until you're calm. Or at least act like you are."
Think clearly. That's what he wanted. Think.
"I'm looking for anything relating to Gent. To fix the elevator." To that Henry only nodded and began looking through the shelves and drawers in the extensive room. He honestly didn't believe getting back to Boris and Sammy would be so easy (as much as he wanted it to be), though that was something he kept to himself. Dust kept coming up in little shocks for every paper and book pulled, one after another to be analyzed in frustration until one fell in front of you. In turn, you picked it up and read the cover.
"Documentation: A sequel to The Illusion of Living"
The Illusion of Living. Have I seen that book before...? It feels familiar. I have. I have at some point... the first floor.
Your fingers were drawn to the thing, to open it despite the unpleasant feeling creeping even further along your nerves than before. Pages stained with ink presented themselves to you... writing along with pictures. Art.
Art of the ink monsters...?
Your eyes widened an unbelievable amount while your flipping grew much faster. Searchers marked as failed experiments along with some lost ones- all in Joey's handwriting. Your gut twisted as you flipped even faster, freezing on a page with an ink being who looked especially familiar.
Sammy.
"Another failed, though I believe I'm getting closer. He has the pie-cut eyes and hands of a cartoon though keeping a human frame and bearing traces of those previous skeletal figures. A sign of progress. And a relatively clean one... if it weren't for his position I doubt anyone would've noticed his disappearance. Luckily enough his transformation process was relatively unknown as well- Lawrence was always an introvert, staying in that "sanctuary" all the time. It certainly didn't keep him safe from the ink slowly possessing his mind and taking over his system but it paid off on my part. Though I believe Samuel will be having regrets for a long, long time..."
You dropped the book to the floor, causing pages to bend painfully and Henry's caramel hair to whip towards you with a look of shock on him just as much as you. Though you... WERE shock at that moment. Hands shaking which tried to hold empty air.
It was in the back of your head the entire journey but not something you wanted to believe or do anything more than simply consider. You didn't like Joey much, sure. An employer who treated his employees badly was bound to earn a bad reputation. But... you'd hoped that...
everything really... wasn't caused by him. That somehow turning everyone into people of ink and yanking their humanity away was mainly accidental, a series of misguided steps after Gent made the machine with Joey that led to tragedy. You thought maybe even Joey himself was somewhere in the inky halls (possibly in the office), regretting everything his workers went through along with the studio. No. This wasn't the case.
He WANTED his employees to suffer through the ink strangling for control over them until it had taken them over and turned them into living cartoons. He even wanted it to remain mostly hidden whether or not those employees got to see another day in the sunshine outside of the studio. To avoid consequences. For what? For living characters that would probably be treated like those employees before they changed to inky ghosts of their past selves. Ones who'd earn a large amount of cash for sure. And would only stay around for the purpose of that financial gain. Little miracles of ink meant for business and came from ruin.
Ironic. He'd failed to do it with Bendy, clearly. Possibly with Alice. Not with Boris. But the process to get there... was enough to make you shake harder while staring at the book just by thinking about it. Henry's hand was on your shoulder again although he leaned down to pick up the dusty volume. He wasn't shocked like you. More disturbed setting it on the desk.
"...I'm having more and more trouble understanding how he changed so much. You should've seen him. He never wanted to hurt so many people, just make them smile for a little bit of time with the cartoons. Make them forget about whatever was on their mind. He actually even let me teach him how to draw for the cartoons. Joey wasn't what's in this book. Maybe I should've stayed at the studio. Maybe he would've changed back... and started drawing again."
"In the end, it was up to him, Henry. What he decided to do to become successful. Which... apparently was deliberately using them to make cartoons. Real, living cartoons..." Your mind flew back to how Bendy mentioned Joey forgot his dream of making people happy. Henry's disbelief was genuine- you hadn't seen him so shaken in that calm way of his in a long time. He had panic and he had his usual accepting nature. Seeing them mixed was unsettling. And Bendy believed Joey was changed as well. Still... you wondered if he would've walked alone with Henry beside him. If making the cartoons worked. How many would be lost? None? How would the world be?
"Don't blame yourself for it, Henry."
Deciding to leave the twisted book for his examination you moved to the first distraction you had in the room: the tape recorder resting on a wooden desk. You hadn't taken the time to listen to many of them which was a bit of a shame. It wasn't like you had that chance to, though. Now you did with Henry near you and armed. All ink creatures near you were gone. Vanished. You pressed play and let your body flop back in the leather chair worn with time behind the desk. Joey's voice leaked out and bore the usual artificial happiness you'd known, unlike how Henry and Bendy once heard genuine happiness. For you Joey always responded immediately if he knew he was being recorded, clicking the artificial tone on. You'd written your fair share of speeches for him to say privately.
"Kindness gets you a lot of places doesn't it?" His voice scratched in your thinking and his first line was enough to get a sarcastic snort out of you.
Ironic. You weren't kind.
"Kindness and a smile," he drawled on. "Optimism! Without optimism seeing ahead can be difficult, darker. I believe it's important for every single person- and cartoon- here to maintain a place in their minds and hearts for the bigger picture, the brighter part of it. That way we can reach our dream!"
A gentle click signaled the tape had ended and you flicked your irises to the drawings of Bendy pasted on the wall, wondering if he could see and hear you now. "Well, that explains the posters. Work hard, work happy." Henry quietly rolled his eyes and shook his head at the mentioning of the posters. Bendy's smile framing them underneath had never brought him enthusiasm about it.
"I tried to convince him to make less or to change the message so it was less, I'm not sure-"
A thorny growl tore into your ears at a high volume and a flash later a wolf loomed in the doorway, metal claws flexing in the air with fangs exposing as the growl deepened into a snarl. Since you were without a weapon at the time Henry shoved you behind him and partially raised his blade. It was all gentle though, too gentle. Henry didn't like fighting either, maybe that was why Boris could hardly do it. A part of him was reflected in his creation. This clone of Boris didn't show any fear, however. Only hostility. Nothing like when you were shoved back by Henry- even that was full of care. You were growing more concerned that a hit wouldn't be able to land. Pie-cut jet black glared. Ears pulled back. Luckily your worries were momentarily set aside when the wolf was pulled back himself- by an Alice no less.
Slender and black-gloved hands held back gnashing teeth and flailing claws while hair with the same dark color was swaying behind her, pulled up in a long ponytail. Gorgeous amber eyes hid behind more inky black strands that were directed towards the Boris and keeping his metallic arm from you and Henry. As for her, she had no similar trace of a mechanical limb. But the flowing dress similar to Alice's- had it not been for the brown color- and the shining eyes reminded you of someone.
Someone with blond hair the same shade as Susie's that curled the same way but had grown much longer, swinging with delicacy. A kind woman but one who still managed to put Susie on edge with her occasional visits to the studio. A potential replacement. A dress of white which was now black and brown with a bow.
"As for the Alices, there's Allison Pendle on one of the lower levels."
"Allison!"
Amber contacted your own eyes in surprise. She knew that name, yet it wasn't what she called herself- only a variation of it. Maybe it WAS her name. But what would two unfamiliar humans know? Were they unfamiliar? She also felt she knew them, the man especially.
Tom took advantage of how her mind momentarily wandered to lunge forward again until she responded with the same action of pulling him back from attacking. You watched in slight fear behind Henry as she gave the Boris clone a fierce look of her own before her words hissed out.
"Tom! I told you, Joey isn't here! They aren't hiding him!" The Boris- or Tom- hesitated at this and Allison loosened her hold a little. Henry took this chance to lower his weapon and dart over to the tape, playing it for a brief second of Joey's voice filling the room before it cut again. Afterward, Tom fully relaxed and Allison let go of him. A moment later she beside you, staring in interest.
"You called me Allison... I can't exactly say that isn't my name. But I'm usually called Alice. Alice Angel." She smiled. You smiled back.
"I'm Y/N. Thanks for helping Tom recognize we didn't mean any harm." Tom was a bit of an odd name for a Boris, you noticed. Then it all turned together like the gears working to lower the ink machine through every level. And the machine was lowered into your sight, the truth- Tom was Thomas Connor. It made perfect sense. You had seen him with Allison long ago and they were still together now. Neither had kept much of their memories clearly, just feelings instead. "About calling you Allison..."
Your smile grew a little more nervous, which moved to Henry and a very suspicious Tom, then moving back to Alice. "Sorry about that- you just... remind me of her."
You ARE her. You have to be.
"I was also wondering," you continued. "Do you know who Thomas Connor and Allison Pendle are?"
"I-" Her voice died and she turned to Tom, a spark already present growing bigger. Hope already lit now shining inside. Familiarity was so strong in her now, like when she'd close her eyes and paint with ink on the walls of their little sanctuary. Tom even melted the suspicion and blinked in surprise. These two humans had hardly met her and Tom and still they were putting in final pieces. Alice and Tom. Allison and Thomas.
"You're saying they're us...?" A gloved hand reached to her lips in awe, eyes still wide until she was smiling beneath her glove with a new sun shining on her face. "They... they ARE. It feels like it. It is! We ARE them!" She turned in excitement to Tom, whose ears were shot up straight. Henry smiled warmly the whole time which caused Tom to look more patiently at him after the first bit of realization died and he examined his gloves enough newly- one soft and white and the other more robotic.
"I'm Henry Stein."
Still very interested in her new piece of past being given by the familiar strangers, the angel tilted her head making black swirls of hair fall over her eyes a little. "You both know more about this place than any of us, don't you...? Why return?"
Henry nodded this time and examined the worn pictures of Bendy on the wall. The smile he made. "We used to work here when this place was... better. We don't know so much about how things are now."
Tom seemed impressed now, sharing a look with Allison. You yourself had no idea what sort of secret language they were speaking. But if Tom had that face in his cartoonish features you and Henry clearly had done something pretty incredible. You didn't see how though. You had to run from Susie knowing she had Boris and could take Sammy.
"You both went far for not knowing the levels," she stated. "This- Level S is the lowest level. I don't even think it's on the elevator. Did you come by using the railway or...?"
The lowest level in the whole studio?
"We used the elevator. I'm not exactly sure how we managed to go this far yet. Level S wasn't listed, we just had to leave quickly- Wait!" Now you had your own excitement turning to Henry. "Sammy told me the village he leads is on Level S!"
Maybe they could help? They would want to know where he went wouldn't they?
Joey's office was quiet now. Bendy was staring from his respective drawings and prisons of paper. The mutual trust between the cartoons and you and Henry fell a little, even if that trust was silent upon your first encounter. You mostly believed they wouldn't attack given you gave them a connection to their past selves (or who you thought they were). Even if Tom had almost lashed out before- he thought he was going to face the man that made him what he was and that was forgivable. They wanted to believe you wouldn't attack as well but the prophet could be... hostile. He was plagued with devotion and would do whatever his lord asked of him. Allison hadn't seen Sammy's attitude toward sending others back to the dark puddles but she knew the ink demon LOVED it.
"...Sammy...?"
A small bloom of pink danced along your face. "I... think that he's different from what you're imagining. Changed." Henry considered this with his tongue running over teeth and finally nodded. Tom still looked skeptical. Amber eyes looked distant in the dim lighting. Allison tapped gloved fingers on the hilt of a short sword hung limply on her belt.
She shrugged, "I'm not surprised. Things have been changing recently. More writing on the walls, rumors..." Allison- Alice didn't say anything about the demon of the studio but you could see untold stories about him in her eyes.
Better not ask.
"Come on." The angels strode out of the office making Tom grunt to himself and follow after. Henry was a little surprised about her sudden departure but decided she knew what she was doing and quietly signaled for you to follow. Two were added to your party again.
Catching up to Allison your head tipped in confusion. Axes gently moved beside you in other hands proving some protection through the echoes of your steps further into the lower labyrinth. And Bendy cutouts started greeting you as you continued. Smiles as curved as their horns.
"Where are we headed...?"
Allison grinned, "You wanted to see Sammy's village didn't you?" Her question was enough to stop your mouth but not your step. Henry decided to stay silent as well. He wasn't the type to speak up typically if the people around him didn't. Although he could imagine what you were thinking.
The elevator... Sammy and Boris still need us. We need to fix it somehow.
And what happens when we do?! Four of us last time didn't do anything. If Allison and Tom are even willing to risk themselves to save them. That abyss was chilling. Maybe the lost ones and searchers would be willing to fight for Sammy. Maybe. Either way, it's safer. It would work, wouldn't it? It has to.
I hope it's the right choice.
"Yeah. We were hoping to fix the elevator though. But I think I'd rather see the village." Allison was startled out of the silence of watching cutouts. She'd expected an answer while not expecting you to speak after a solid minute of travel. You noticed Henry still carried his axe in one hand and that ominous book in the other. Documentation. Documentation on all the ink experiments performed, most likely.
Fingers tapped on a sword hilt as the angel eyed the cutouts, thinking herself.
"That's right, you said you had to use the elevator... Tom, you could probably fix it, right?" Floppy ears shot up in questioning and cartoon eyes proceeded to roll with a shrug which made Allison chuckle before leading you ahead a few feet. She had a fair amount of new cards to sort through and turn over to consider regarding herself and the wolf she loved but her new trust was something she decided to trust itself. More of an instinct she had which especially applied to Henry. As if she had experience with him. And that experience was something different from what Allison Pendle might've had. It was what SHE had.
Other than that, she wanted to trust you. Tom was enough for her but not enough for her hopes considering the danger. She turned back to you; her voice much quieter.
"You mentioned having to escape quickly through the elevator... what happened?"
Your eyes widened like the moon becoming more full. You HAD said that- it was even a little odd how you were surprised after bringing up the topic briefly- maybe it was just the topic itself which knocked you off stability. Your voice was the same volume as hers when responding.
"Alice... she sent her ink creatures after us and took Boris. Potentially Sammy."
Allison frowned. "I don't see myself as an angel, but... her, she's comparable to a demon. Alice works hard to get what she wants. It... would be a useful mindset to help everyone leave if it wasn't so self-centered. You still want to go to the village, though? Tom CAN fix the elevator. I know it's odd. And we're strangers. Strangers usually don't trust each other out of... instinct, most times. But if two souls are up in her grasp-"
"I-I know. It's alright. Well- actually- probably not- but I think the safest option at this point is to go to the village and try to find help." The light steps beside you slowed and Allison's frown deepened even more.
"If you expect us to continue accompanying you you might have more trouble getting in than you think. The souls in the village... they all hate angels."
"What?" Your head swung to hers in surprise. "Why-..."
Sammy lead them. From how he spoke about them he sounded like was close with them. I mean- I would hope. They need all the unity they can get. But it also means he has a heavy influence on them. And Bendy possessed everything Sammy believed in. He hates Alice, which made Sammy hate her despite everything he and Susie went through. And that made him push those beliefs on the village. So they must not trust Allison. Yikes.
I wonder how they would react knowing Sammy helped Alice...?
You shook off the silence again from your shoulders which raised your posture. "I think I'm willing to take on whatever they throw at me for bringing you. They can't shut you out forever."
A bark shot out from behind you as a signal to Allison to stop. Having already learned Tom's communication system she ended her forward movement, causing you and Henry to do the same. Ears swayed and the wolf slunk inside, tail brushing through the air as he looked around what appeared as a ruined office. Ink ramblings on the wall told stories of miscalculation and numbers; taxes and time. A balance that could never really be reached for the man listed on the sign above the office. "Grant Cohen: Accounting and Finance- Management Office." Pupils of your own swept around along with green, deep amber, and pure black ones, taking in all the scrawled writing dragged down the wall by needy hands.
"Almost is not enough"
"We aren't even close"
"It just keeps piling"
"I can't see"
"Should I?"
"Not an optimist"
A chill ran along and rapidly danced with the nerves along your back from taking it all in. That last line stuck... and the words from Joey's tape rang in. "Without optimism seeing ahead can be difficult, darker." The words "I can't see" hit anew as well. Grant... you didn't know Grant well but you still saw him at the meetings. His hair was more ruffled each time- a caramel like Henry's but much deeper so that it was almost brown. Serious and plain brown eyes, sleeves always wrinkled with ink slightly staining his glasses so he couldn't even use them sometimes. You remembered the day Joey hired Grant- it had been a good one because he was so happy about it, although it was odd the employer would be happier about having to care for a new employee than the employee being happy about gaining a job during such a hard time. He was satisfied because he had someone for managing and saving the finances of the studio. Of course, as hard as he tried, you knew Grant was never able to do much saving. Neither were you for leaving your coworkers although it was a different kind of saving.
Allison cut in, "We're just going to check for anything new here before heading on. The village is still a little far off but our home is close. We can stop and rest before we arrive, I'm sure you need it."
"Right." You hadn't put your pangs of hunger upfront in your awareness until now. The last time you had the chance to take in food was when Sammy gave you some soup. And while it hadn't felt like ages ago it was still a long time. Your stomach began screaming as soon as it noticed you gave it attention. Food and rest were definitely needed. As you stepped inside (the last to come in) Henry reached over to play another tape recorder before a mechanical paw caught his wrist, shifting metallic sounds drifting from the quiet. A hard look spoke as well, even before Allison translated to an animator very caught off guard.
"Yeah... don't listen to that tape."
Henry's face held the same matured innocence it grew into as before and he looked from the tape to Tom to Allison.
"...Why shouldn't I?"
"It's Grant's transformation, we think. I haven't seen him in... well, I guess as Allison I haven't seen him in thirty years. I- can faintly remember, coming back here. Either that or I'm making something up. I haven't heard of any trace of him being found in the ink either. But the transformation is never a pretty thing to listen to. It's someone dying. ...I doubt you want to hear that."
Henry flinched and nodded while Tom dug his nose in just about every corner and drawer in the room. After you took in the scene thoroughly with dark thoughts of Grant to accompany you, you stood in the doorway and watched the hallway. Eyes widened a moment later and you swung to Henry, your hair flying. That definitely captured everyone's attention.
"A piper is running down the hall!" Frustration that you lost your weapon to Alice built up again but Henry had dashed by you in an instant, axe raised up. Documentation was still being gripped in his other hand. You didn't see how he could fight with one hand but you didn't have to, because to your horror the thing burst into the thousands of thick black droplets before your eyes which fell to the floorboards in an untouched massacre. Henry gasped softly as ink wailed along the walls with its endless writhing. One more moment of gazing upon the cold puddle distanced a few feet ahead the artist turned and started running the opposite direction.
He ran the wrong direction.
The tear of gloved claws on flesh and a choked scream in gurgled behind sounded along with another roar from the inky devil himself. Too many cutouts had eyed you, it seemed. And Bendy could drop creatures before him to their inky death with a flick of his claw- either lazily while he purred at watching them fall or sharp with disgust or displeasure.
Minor souls were nothing to him if they even breathed in those carcasses the Butcher Gang knew as their bodies.
Henry was major. While he wanted him alive and kept him in such a state you thought your heard him die. Imaginary demise crushed your heart and to your shame, you ran without looking back as a short-sword unsheathed and flew along with an axe the wolf carried. Shouts of hatred directed towards the demon were almost more bitter than the hiss Bendy gave himself. No sound came from Henry. You were unarmed and painfully aware of the previous swipe the ink demon gave you so you kept going with ink following you until a potential escape was found- an ink pipe with an opening exposed resting in the sidewall. Wide-
open and lapping out little ink. No Miracle Station but it would have to do.
Deciding there was no time to test size or where it would lead your limbs pushed up and scrambled forwards in the darkness, caking yourself in thin ink. Moving. You had to keep moving. You didn't want to meet the darkness again... you wanted to live...
Though death did not come you were breathless witnessing a large fanged smile, and darkness met you instead.