Chapter Text
This isn't good. She was so close to freeing herself of this hellhole! She tried to be careful too. She snuck down to the library to look through more of Joey's books. There were clues as to how her brother invoked the gods and maybe she could use that to help herself. He was very good at scattering his findings so no one else could steal them. Knowing her brother so well, it was easy for her to find what she was looking for.
The problem was, she had to sneak down to the lower levels without the others knowing. She got away with it for awhile until that creepy ink cat showed up. She had to watch her back because the damned creature was stalking her. Did the demon create that smiling…thing to keep tabs on her? He must be onto her or close to it.
Time was running out! There was no way she could keep up this façade if she was forced to go to June's house. She just knew she'd loose it if she was in the same room with the siblings. It was their fault she was in this mess in the first place! There would be nothing to stop her from trying to gauge June's eyes out.
No, if she was going to put her plan into motion, she needed to do it now! She went into one of the rooms and grabbed a rusty bucket full of ink and a large brush. First things first, she needed to take care of Norman and Sammy.
An hour or so later, ink bled through a wall, and formed into a dark doorway. Two tall figures stepped through. They carried various objects in their hands as they made their way down the hall.
“This was a great idea! I'm sure the kids are gonna love these. Henry should get a kick out of it too!” Norman held up an old film reel. It was one of the first Bendy cartoons that featured Alice and Boris. It was about a fun afternoon at an amusement park and all the trouble the little devil gets his friends into. “I have a little projector I've been working on. I can give that to them too.”
Sammy nodded and held up a record. “They’ll really like that. You on piano and Susie singing a nice jazzy number.” Sammy smiled, flashing his sharp teeth. He had recorded this back when Susie started working for the Studio. Joey thought she was only good for voicing chickens and inanimate objects. He knew she had more potential than that. One afternoon, he took her aside, and had her sing a song. He recorded it and played it back for Joey. Afterwards, she got the job voicing a new character, Alice Angel. Susie was so happy back then…before it all went to hell.
They placed their treasures on a table and Norman went into the storage closet to pull out one of the small projectors he was working on. He placed it on the table and noticed that Sammy was looking around. “What’s wrong?” The former prophet hissed and waved his hand. “The Angel?” Norman had just noticed that Alice wasn't there. “Hey Angel! Where are ya?” he shouted but got no answer.
Norman continued to call out to her while they searched the rooms. This place was old and falling apart. They were worried that something might have happened to her. “C’mon Angel! You're starting ta scare us!”
After a few minutes of searching, they headed down to the music department. Norman called out to her as they made their way down the hall. All of a sudden, Alice came out of one of the rooms. She closed the door behind her and was wiping her hands on her dress.
“Hey Angel!” Norman and Sammy ran up to her. She jumped and stared at them both wide eyed. “Oh, hey fellas!” she laughed somewhat nervously. “Were you looking for me?” She smiled sheepishly and rubbed her hands together. “I’m sorry. I was looking for something that would make a nice gift.” She pointed to the room she just came out of. “I found something in there, but I need some help getting it.”
Norman stared at her, then at Sammy, then at the door. He couldn’t help but wonder why she was down here by herself. This wasn’t the first time she'd snuck off to look for things on her own. Every time they asked her about, she told them that she was looking for ways to free them of the ink. Sammy didn’t like it and she told him not to worry so much. Norman sighed. They'll talk about this later.
“No problem Angel.” Alice opened the door and let the others walk ahead of her. It was very dark inside. Norman had to use his light so they could see. The room was large, but other that a few desks against the far wall, it seemed empty.
“So, what were you looking for in here?” Alice didn't answer him. “Angel?” Sammy hissed softly. Something didn't feel right. Norman turned back towards the door. Alice was kneeling at the doorway with what looked like a large paintbrush in her hand. “What are you-?” He didn't get the chance to finish his thought.
In one quick stroke, the entire room lit up, and electricity shot through Norman and Sammy’s body. They dropped to the ground like puppets with their strings cut. Their bodies convulsed on the floor as energy danced through their inky bodies. Norman couldn’t tell if it was him or Sammy screeching. The awful sound filled the room.
He managed to open the shutter on his lens long enough to see glowing, yellow lines drawn under them. Sammy was laying on the floor a few feet from him. He whined as the teeth in his chest rattled loudly. Norman could barely move. His projector sparked and the glass that made up his lens cracked. All the while, Alice stood in the doorway with a strange grin on her face.
“A-Angel…why?” Norman's voice was full of static and pops. The energy was wreaking havoc with his body. He tried to reach out to her, but could barely raise what was left of his arm as she stared at him. Her eye was so cold and he thought he saw a reddish glow in her empty eye socket.
“It's simple really.” She shrugged and moved a little closer. “I finally figured out how to free myself from this damn studio. I just needed a little more time!” she sneered at him. “Thanks to the demon, I had to change my plans. That stupid cat of his kept following me every time I went to the lower levels. He must have created that thing to spy on me…” the angel trailed off as a crazed look crossed her face. Something was seriously wrong with her.
“The last straw was that stupid invitation!” She pointed the ink covered brush at him. “There is no way in hell I would step foot in that bitch's house.” She growled. “Not after everything she did to me! And don’t get me started on Henry…” The angel began pacing the floor again. She tugged at her black hair and mumbled to herself.
All Norman could do was lay there and watch her. Something was definitely wrong. Alice had no reason to hate June or Henry. As far as he knew, they seemed to part on good terms. The two women even talked for a bit before the family left the Studio. He didn’t know who this was, but it sure wasn’t Alice! “W-Who aaare you?”
The angel froze on the spot and turned toward him slowly. The look in her eye made him flinched. Her smile stretched across the ruined side of her face painfully.
“Y’know, when I brought you back, I thought you were just another mindless brute.” She crouched down close to the lines without actually touching them. “Who would have guessed there was still a brain in there.” She chuckled softly. “Nice to see you made good use of that microphone I attached to your head.”
Norman’s body shook and his shutter opened and closed rapidly. “I-It c-c-can't be!” The speaker in his chest was shorting out. “You’re dead! I-I-I sawww the demon d-d-drag you away!”
The angel sneered. It looked so wrong on her face. How come they never noticed before.
“Oh Norman, you should know better than that.” She waved her hand in his general direction. “You know that if you die down here, your soul gets trapped in the ink.” The angel stood up and brushed some dust off her skirt. “It took me awhile to escape my glass prison and thanks to a curious, but clumsy Butcher Gang clone, I was able to make my way to Alice.”
Norman's mind was racing. He couldn’t believe this was happening. A garbled hiss let him know that Sammy couldn’t believe it either. “H-H-How long have you...?”
The angel pointed to her head. “Since Halloween.”
Sammy gasped. They both knew she was acting oddly after that day. She was so driven to find a way to free them and even more secretive. She would disappear for hours only to return with more books. Norman even thought it was strange how she was able to understand Joey's ramblings. All this time, it wasn’t their angel! “Isss ssshe d-d-dead?”
The fake shook her head. “She’s still alive, but I'm the one in control.” Sammy’s angry hiss turned into a mournful whine. Norman knew how he felt. Their angel was controlled by this crazy woman. To make matters worse, they were at her mercy. Norman could barely move. His arms and legs was nothing but stumps and he could feel his ink pooling under his body. He couldn’t see Sammy but he knew he must have been going through the same thing.
“What'sss g-g-going to h-h-happen…to…usss?” Norman was loosing his voice. The glass in his lens shattered to a point where he couldn’t see anymore. Sammy's screeches echoed throughout the room. The projectionist couldn’t see the state of his friend, but he knew it wasn’t good.
She was leafing through a black book with gold lettering. The Illusion of Living. “I was planning on getting rid of you both. I didn’t want to take the chance of you ruining my plans.” Her eye lit up when she found what she was looking for. “But I think I'll keep you both around. I can still use you.”
She knelt down and picked up the paint brush. After glancing at the open book, she drew a small circle with a symbol in the middle near the glowing lines. As soon as she was finished, the lines of the larger seal blazed a fiery red. She drew something in the palm of her hand before placing it on the smaller circle.
The red glow was blinding. Sammy and Norman writhed around on the floor. Their bodies melted into two giant blobs of ink. The projectionist’s ‘head’ rolls off his shoulders as the wires pop out of what is left of his body. Sammy was reduced to a puddle of ink with teeth and bone floating in it.
“You had the right idea Angel, but your execution was sloppy. Here, let me show you how it's done!” The seal flashed and the ink from the two bodies began to slowly flow into one another. The projector and wires were dragged to the center of the seal along with the teeth and bones of the former prophet. They swirled into a growing mass of thick ink until it starts to take shape.
A body began to take shape and as it rose higher and higher, four arms sprouted from broadening shoulders. Two were muscular with blunt, thick fingers. And the other two grew long and thin with gnarled clawed fingers. The projector sat atop a crooked neck and the wires stabbed into the figure's shoulders and one arm. It stood hunched over. Pops and cracks could be heard as a bony, spiky spine formed, partially protruding from its back. Large, sharp teeth formed like a zipper that ran down its chest. It stood on two long legs with broad, undefined feet.
“I should have done this before.” She stood up and held out her hand. The small symbol pulsed and glowed softly as the energy from the seal on the floor faded. The amalgamation twitched as a red light from the projector shown down on her. The mouth in its chest cracked open and it emitted a deep, wall shaking growl. It took its first ponderous step forward. The floorboards creaked under its weight.
Within three steps, it reached the false Alice. It loomed over her but made no attempt to attack her. It stood there like a well trained dog, waiting for her next command.
“Perfect.” She smiled and reached up to lightly touch the cracked lens of the projector. She scowled as an inky tear ran down her cheek. She wiped it away with the palm of her hand. “Oh please Angel, you have no room to judge. You felt no remorse for that Boris you butcher! At least they’re still alive.” She chuckled softly.
The woman grabbed the bucket, paintbrush, and exited the room. She ordered the amalgamation to follow. She needed to invoke the gods and finally gain her freedom.
They descended to the lower levels of the Studio. Anything that crossed their path was torn apart by the false angel's slave. Most creatures wised up and stayed out of their was. Joey's writings outlined hidden passages that she used to avoid most of the ink. If she couldn’t go around the dark pools, she had her creature carry her across. Norman's sturdiness came in handy here. It seemed like only he and the demon could wade through the stuff without fear of being swept away like the other denizens of the Studio.
They came to a point where she needed to be carried across an inky river. There was a boat there, but her creature was too heavy for the vessel. It would have sunk the rickety vehicle. As they made their way to the harbor, neither one noticed the large, gloved hand that emerged from the dark water. It followed them silently at a distance. The entity ducked under the inky surface when they reached the docks.
The lost ones watched them with fear in their glowing yellow eyes as they passed through the tiny village. None would approach the angel with that large creature following her. As they traveled deeper, she found Joey's office, and spent some time listening to his recording. She really missed hearing his voice. It was just another reminder of what she's lost thanks to Henry…
As they made their way through the vault, she checked the map one more time. They were close to the main part of the machine. The fake froze in her tracks when inky veins began to crawl up the walls. The ink demon emerged from the hall opposite of her. There was only a wall of thick, cloudy glass between them. She held her breath as the demon and his pet slowly shuffled down the hall. She prayed that he wouldn't see her. Even though she had a bodyguard with her, she didn't want to face the demon again. She could lose everything and he'll do worse than just lock her away next time. She didn't want to take that chance and underestimate him again.
After she was sure the demon was gone, they kept going until they came face to face with The Machine. It was huge! Way bigger than the one she used to bring the inky trio back. She could see the smaller machine sitting on top of it. It was the crowning achievement of her brother’s grand vision and truly awe inspiring. Unfortunately, what she needed wasn’t inside the machine, but deep below it.
She ordered the creature to carry her across the inky moat. Instead of heading straight to the other side of the chamber, she ordered it to take her to the tunnel on the left side of the entrance. It was a tight squeeze for the massive creature but it managed to make it through.
She wasn’t sure how long they wandered the dark tunnel. The little light they had was from the projector and a string of dim lightbulbs hanging from the ceiling. Shadows danced on the rocky walls as they descended. There was very little machinery down here. Just broken bits of picks, shovels, and miner helmets that were left by the workers a long time ago.
They came out of the narrow tunnel and out into a wide cave with high ceilings. Ink ran down the walls like slow waterfalls. Stalactites dripped with the thick substance and created pools on the rocky floor. Broken boulders and tools were scattered all along the ground. She could see thick pipes and small floodlights protruding from the walls. The lights did little to help her see so she had to rely on the harsh red light from the projector. They followed the pipes that lead down to another tunnel opening.
They walked a short distance until she could see the end of the exit. When they stepped through, they were met with a breath taking sight. The tunnel opened up into a large, stony canyon. They walked across the stony ground and onto a shore where an inky sea laid before them. The dark substance rolled like thick water. The cavern was wide and went back as far as the eye could see. Large, metal pipes were dug through the cave walls and plunged into the depths of the inky sea. This was the ink that fed into the main machine above them. This was… The Source.
“I made it…” she whispered. The cavern seemed to go on forever, the length of it disappearing into the dark. There were two long poles with floodlight attached to the top. She found the switches and prayed that they still worked. The area was soon flooded with dim, yellowing light. She froze at the sight of the rusted cages that lined the rocky walls on either side of her. Some were broken while others were surprisingly in tact. Ink coated the bars and she could see footprints leading away from the shore.
More miner hats, picks, shovels, and even an axe littered the ground here as well. “Heh, looks like some unfortunate souls met their fate down here.” She was slightly disturbed by a few Bendy cutouts that seemed to wash up on the shore. ‘How did those get down here?’ she wondered.
The fake stood as close to the edge without letting the ink touch her. She imagined that this was where Joey must have stood when he first discovered this place. She wondered if he was just as awed as she was. All of their studies into the occult had paid off. Now it was time to invoke the gods and free herself of this godforsaken place.
Her creature stood at her back as she scanned the pages of The Illusion of Living. She closed her eyes and tried to ignore its heavy breathing or the way its sharp teeth brushed against her back. The words needed to be spoken correctly, or this won’t work. She opened her eyes, took a deep breath, and held the book out before her.
“Ex chao et tenebris: hic me, domine! Invoco te. Causa est audit servus et humilis. Liberate me de isto carcere ex atramento. Ego te rogamus!”* Her voice bounced off the rocky walls. It echoed throughout the cavern but was met with silence. She waited a few minutes, but nothing changed. She repeated the words again. Louder and with more feeling. Nothing happened.
“I-I don’t understand!” She read the words. Repeated them…over and over and over again. She took great pains to make sure her pronunciation was correct. Nothing worked. All that time she spent trapped in that glass bowl and then hiding in the angel. All of the research and secrecy. All of it was for nothing?!
She screamed and threw the book to the ground. It was useless! All of Joey's work…it's all worthless. It couldn’t help her now. “WHAT AM I SUPPOSE TO DO!?” She ranted and raved as she paced the floor. The demon will find her. He will force her out and trap her again, only this time, no one will find her.
She fell to her knees and wrapped her arms around herself. She broke down and screamed until she nearly lost her voice. Hunched over and hugging herself she whispered, “What do you want from me?”
The cavern remained silent save for the gentle lapping of ink against the shore and the amalgamation’s labored breathing. She'd come so far only to fail! Her shoulders felt heavy under the weight of everything's she done. At this point, she was out of options.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of splashing. She looked out over the inky surface. It rippled as if something moved towards her. The fake stumbled to her feet and back up into her creature. It stood there like a brick wall at her back. Unmoving and growling softly.
The ink churned and bubbled as whatever was there drew closer. Once it got within ten feet of the shore, a figure rose up…and up…and up. It was a giant, gloved hand!
She couldn't believe what she was seeing. There was a long, slightly muscular arm with a large gloved hand towering over her. Whatever was attached to it must have been huge! She waited for the rest of it to rise out of the murky depths, but nothing happened. The arm just kind of swayed from side to side.
“Um…” she was at a loss for words. Was this one of the ‘gods' that Joey made contact with? The thick fingers wiggled slowly as the length of the arm twitched. She was expecting it to grab her, but it just…stood there, waiting for something. A strange moaning sound came from it as well. She wasn’t sure how that was possible since she couldn’t see a mouth. It was all very disconcerting.
She took a deep breath and approached the edge of the shore cautiously. “A-Are you the Lord of the Ink?” The entity grew very still for a few long seconds. It reminded her of a snake when it’s about to strike. It was quite nerve wracking. Ever so slowly, the hand bobbed up and down in what she guessed was a nod.
“Can-can you set me free?” It nodded slowly. This was it! She can finally leave this place!
She fell to her knees and threw her hands up to plea to this unknown god. “Please my lord, set me free of this inky prison!” The hand stopped twitching. It stood like that for a moment before it slowly waved from side to side.
She balked at its response. “Wait…NO?!” she started to panic. She was so close! She tugged at her black hair. “Why wont you help me?” Silence. She could feel the inky tears running down her cheek. “What do I need to do?!” If it needed a sacrifice, she would feed it as many souls as it needed, just as long as she got what she wanted!
The hand bent forward and caused her to back away from it. The fingers began to wiggle and the ink below the arm started to bubbled. Two streams of ink rose up. Two familiar figures took shape. One was tall, long limbed, and with a misshapen body. The other was short, well proportioned limbs, oval bodied, and its head seemed to float above its shoulders. Both had two horns on top of their heads.
She grimaced and hissed, “Bendy? What do you want with them?”
The dark figures shuddered violently and melted back into the ink leaving two black orbs floating over the oily surface. The orbs pulsated and the sound of two beating hearts echoed off the cavern walls. They crashed into one another, one absorbing the other until only one large orb remained. The loud beat of a single heart rang in her ears. The hand closed around the orb and squeezed until the beating stopped.
She ran her fingers through her hair violently and paced back and forth. “I need them…” she mumbled. “I need both of them…” She stopped in her tracks and stared at the floor. “I know where the demon'll be! This is his home-“ she giggled hysterically. “he has no where else to go…” Her eyes were wide and wild. That damned demon! She wanted to leave this place without having to face him again. Looks like that's not going to happen. She looked at her creature. With the combined strength of Norman and Sammy, they might have a chance to subdue him, but that wasn’t the problem.
“Bendy. That little toon is with Henry. How am I suppose to bring him here?” There was no way she was getting help from the ink demon. Especially when he finds out what she needs them for.
The gloved hand turned upright, opened, and started to wiggle its fingers. A wave of ink flowed up the shore. She jumped out of the way as the thick substance crawled across the rocky ground and made its way to the wall. The ink crept up the wall and began to swirl until it formed a hole. It continued to swirl like water going down a drain. The ink opened up into a dark tunnel that seemed to go on forever. It was a…portal!
This was too good to be true! She thought the ink demon was the only one that could create portals. Not only that, but this ‘god’ was giving her the means to drag that little toon back to the Studio. Turning back to the gloved hand, she asked, “Does that lead to the perfect version of Bendy?” The large hand bobbed up and down.
She wanted to scream. This was it. All she needed was to get her hands on the demons and she was home free! She could kiss this hellhole goodbye, but she needed to prepare. Once she grabbed Henry's version of Bendy, the ink demon won’t be too far behind. The more she thought about it, the giddier she got. She could get her revenge on all of them before she leaves this place. The thought of ripping the little toon away from Henry and getting back at the ink demon made her extremely happy. She turns to the amalgamation.
“Go in there!” she pointed to the portal. “Bring Bendy back alive.” Then a devious thought crossed her mind. She was sure the little toon never left Henry's side. “If anyone is with him, bring them back too. Bring them both back alive.” she snarled. Not only will she make Henry watch as she takes his precious toon away from him, but he'll make an excellent sacrifice to the Lord of the Ink. Poor Juney. She'll know how it feels to loose her brother. She only wished she could see the anguish on the other woman's face. This plan was perfect.
The creature growled, the teeth in its chest rattled loudly. Its heavy footsteps caused the ground to shake as it stomped into the portal. Soon, it disappeared. She picked up the book, grabbed the paint brush, and the bucket of ink. She needed to prepare a warm welcome for her ‘guests’.
Meanwhile…
June sat on the couch as she folded the clean linens that had dried on a line she kept in the basement. She would have loved to hang them outside, but it was too cold for that. She had to make due with what she had.
Henry and Jason was outside wrapping the bushes and even ‘Lucy’ in Christmas lights. Her husband insisted on having the big red rig all lit up. He was determined to dress up like Santa and ride his ‘sleigh' throughout the neighborhood. He could be such a big kid sometimes but that’s why she loves him.
The girls were still in school so Bendy was sitting on the floor. He was wiggling a white feather in front of Cloudy. The little kitten hopped and pawed at it. The little toon giggled as the grey kitten tried to catch its prey. Cloudy tripped and rolled onto his back. Bendy tickled his belly as the kitten pawed and nibbled at his fingers. “I still can’t believe it.”
“Hmm?” June looked up from the sheet she was folding. Cloudy had climbed onto Bendy's lap and was purring softly. He was scratching the little kitten under his chin. The toon wasn’t smiling.
“Ben.” He shook his head. “I just don’t get it…” He looked up at her. For a split second, the little toon looked very angry. “He did a lot of terrible things in the Studio. And not just to me and Henry, but to others as well!” Bendy sighed as the anger left him. “I watch the way he acts around you, the girls, heck even Cloudy! He's different…” He scratches the back of his head as he gets lost in thought. “I thought it was all a trick, but I really think he means it.”
June stood up and walked over to Bendy. She placed her hand on his shoulder. “I think he just needed a chance and a little patience.” Bendy looked less than convinced. She couldn't blame him.
June smiled sadly. “I know it doesn't excuse all the bad things he's done, but I want to help him…if I can.” Bendy sighed and looked down at the kitten in his lap. He looked up at her with such sadness in his pie cut eyes, it hurt her to see him like that.
“Did Henry ever tell you how I was able to leave my page before we escaped the Studio?” June shook her head. “It was Ben. When we finally defeated Joey, Ben was free, but he started to fade away.” The toon scratched the kitten behind his ear. “He gave up parts of himself so that I could be stable.”
June stood there quietly and listened. It looked like this had been bothering her nephew for awhile now. “Even after all of that-“ Bendy picked up the little kitten and hugged him to his chest. “I’m not sure I can…I just can’t trust him. Not yet.” Oh. June finally understood what was bothering him. She squeezed his shoulder gently.
“Bendy, listen to me. No one will force you to trust him.” The toon looked up at her. He was on the verge of tears. She placed her hand on top of his head and ruffled her fingers between his horns. “Just take your time and do what you feel is right. Whether you end up trusting him a little or not at all, it’s totally up to you.” June knelt down and hugged him. “And no matter what you choose, I'll still love you.” She leaned back and placed her hands on the sides of his face. She looked him in the eyes. “Do you understand?”
The little toon sniffled and rubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand. Bendy gave her a watery smile. “Thanks, aunt June.” She didn’t like seeing him so upset and she wanted to take his mind off such a touchy subject.
“Y'know, I have a lot of laundry to take upstairs. Mind helping me out?” And just like that, the smile she knew and loved was back. He placed Cloudy on the floor and ran over to the couch. The little toon grabbed the towels. They were stacked high over his head. June laughed as Bendy headed for the stairs. He swayed from side to side as he tried not to drop the clean towels. She had to tell him to take his time going up the steps because she knew he couldn’t see where he was going. June grabbed her basket full of sheets and followed the toon with Cloudy close at her heels.
June was amazed at how Bendy could bounce back so quickly. One minute he looked so heartbroken, the next he's whistling a happy tune as he helped her change the sheets on the girls’ beds. She was glad he was so resilient. Bendy didn’t need to be bogged down by bad memories. It just didn’t suit his jolly nature. He was a ball of energy that managed to put a smile on everyone’s face. She never wanted him to loose that.
After they finished with the beds, they headed out into the hall. She needed to put the rest of the linens in the closet. They chatted about what they were going to do on Christmas day. Bendy was excited to see Pearl again and he couldn’t wait to meet Grandpa Anderson too. June hoped that things will go smoothly with Norman, Sammy, and Alice here. She had to admit, she wanted to share the holidays with them and Ben. They all deserved to have fun after being stuck in that horrible place for so long.
As they made it to the end of the hall, ink began to bleed through the wall. Soon it formed a dark portal. Normally this didn’t surprise them. Ben could pop up anywhere and at anytime so they had gotten used to seeing his inky doorways.
“Aunt June? Something’s wrong…” She walked up to the portal with Bendy at her side. He peaked around the towels nervously. They stood there and waited, but Ben didn’t step through. Not only that, but the ink was pooling on the floor at their feet. This was unusual because Ben never left ink behind. He didn’t even leave inky footprints on the floor. The dark substance was oozing across the floor. Cloudy approached the ink cautiously and sniffed at it. He dipped a paw into it but jumped back as he tried to shake the ink from his paw.
“Ben?” If the demon was playing a trick on them, she didn't like it. “Ben? C'mon, this isn't funny!” June's grip on the basket grew tighter as the portal rippled before them.
“I-I don’t like this…” Bendy buried his face in the soft towels. He reached out and tugged on June's sleeve. He didn’t like her standing so close to the demon's portal. Even though Ben said he wouldn’t, the toon didn’t want the demon to grab her.
The portal grew still. June started to back up with Bendy when something shot out of it. It was a large, inky fist! It slammed down on Bendy's body. The toon was pounded into the floor. The blow caused the towels to fly from his hands. His signature pie cut eyes were swirling and stars danced around his head. He was out cold.
“BENDY!” Before she could react, another hand shot out and grabbed her by the throat. She gasped and dropped her basket as sharp claws dug into her neck painfully. She tried to pry the fingers open but the grip on her neck was too strong. She wanted to scream for help, but she couldn’t get enough air in her lungs.
The portal rippled violently until a harsh red light burst from the ooze. The light blinded her and she could feel herself being pulled closer to the inky doorway. June squinted because the light was hurting her eyes. After a few seconds, the light dimmed. She blinked as she tried to clear the spots from her eyes. Her vision finally cleared but she wished it hadn't.
The sight before made her heart sink. It was a familiar projector only the lens was cracked. Half of its large body emerged from the portal.
June thought that the lack of oxygen was making her see things. She saw two huge arms with large hands gripping the wall on either side of her. There was another clawed hand like the one wrapped around her neck that grabbed her by her upper arm. The thing that made her blood run cold was the row of teeth that ran down its chest. It reminded her of Sammy, but it couldn’t be…
“Nor-man…S-Sam-my?” She could barely get the words out. She gasped and blinked furiously as she tried to chase away the darkness that was creeping into the edges of her vision. She started to panic as memories of Ben smothering her until she passed out played in the back of her mind.
“Nor-man, p-please…” It didn't say anything but the grip on her throat loosened. She managed to get some much needed air into her lungs. The hand on her throat moved away and it tilted its ‘head' slightly.
“What’s h-happened to you?!” June tried to pull away, but the grip on her arm grew tighter and a deep growl cut her off. The world was a blur when she was suddenly yanked off to the side and slammed into the wall. The wind was knocked out of her and she crumpled to the floor in a boneless heap.
The creature loomed over June and Bendy. It shined its harsh red light on them. Once it was satisfied that neither of them would put up a fight, it reached out with its clawed hands and grabbed the little toon. It held Bendy close to its chest like a precious ragdoll.
It used its large hand to grab June by her waist. The amalgamation hoisted her limp form over its shoulder like a sack of potatoes. It shined its harsh red light and took one last look down the hall. After a few agonizing seconds it backed up into the portal, taking Bendy and June with it.
The hallway grew quiet. The creature was gone. All it left behind was ink dripping down the wall leaving a pool of the substance on the floor… And a very frightened kitten scurrying down the steps.