Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

How many times had Henry gone through that loop? He lost count how many times he’d murdered his friend and co-workers. Once again, he’d lost count. He rubbed the bridge of his nose as he tried to straighten out his thoughts. “Alright Henry, just... Try to stay calm. You will find a way to free them. You will find a way to set them free, that's what Wally told ya.” Henry mumbled to himself. Breaking his thoughts, he saw he had wandered into the ink machine room. He stopped and let out a tired sigh; he just wanted this to end, he wanted to stop murdering people. He was beginning to feel numb, like he was unable to feel anything. He wanted to panic, but he couldn't.
After getting to Sammy's music department, he waited until the searchers showed up. When the inky creatures arrived, Henry mercilessly killed them with his axe, sending them back into their puddles. However, instead of feeling sympathy or sorrow, he felt happiness--enjoyment, even--and he loved it.
This scared Henry. He wanted to know, ‘What’s happening? What’s wrong with me??,’ but his thoughts became blurred as a grin slowly crept to his face. The feeling of excitement didn't last very long, which made him feel disappointed. He growled and kicked the puddle “Come out! Fight me!!” Henry demanded. Soon he looked in the puddle of ink to see the faint reflection of himself, but he could see his eye colour wasn't his normal sky blue. It was an unnatural blood red colour, which made him scared and confused, wherever in his body he could feel the anxiety.
He pushed down the anxiety and let out a grumble of disappointment. “Pathetic.” he said to the ink puddle as he gripped the axe tighter, then relaxed. Soon the glow was gone and Henry went off to repeat the same things: Find the keys, open the closet, listen to the tape, turn the projector, play the instruments in the right order, drain the infirmary. The cycle was thwarted, however, as Henry saw his next victim and smirked wildly. “Time to go, false prophet.”

Jack Fain

Henry walked in the sewers, humming to himself as he got closer to the wooden planks. He looked at the writing on the wall. “The sheep came to the slaughter” was written. Henry gave a pleased smile as he read that, broke the old rotting planks down, and hummed. “That's right, Sammy.” he said bluntly as he pressed on. He couldn’t wait to feel that rush again as he continued to smile widely. He just couldn’t think how he would get rid of Jack, but it wouldn’t be crushing him with the crates again. No, not that, that’s boring. He needed something new, something fresh... something different. That's when something clicked for Henry. He looked at his axe and smiled. “Maybe…” He looked back at Jack. Neither moved from their spots. Soon, Henry lifted the heavy axe over his head, then threw it.
Jack didn't have enough time to react as the blade sunk into his head. He then collapsed before going into the inky well from which he came, leaving his hat behind along with the valve and axe. Henry let out a dark chuckle and walked up to the valve and axe, muttering, “The hat could be better.” He collected the stuff and headed back in the infirmary, then turned the valve. He walked out, only to be confused why he didn’t get knocked out. He didn't question it until he got to the staircase. He promptly and unexpectedly got knocked out. Henry’s body went limp and Sammy stood above Henry, panting. His hands trembled as he held tightly onto a pipe.
He mumbled to himself, “You’re going to kill my Lord… You’re no sheep, you’re a wolf in sheep’s clothing.” He dropped the pipe and collapsed to his knees, panting and shaking. He stared at the floor for a while and said, “I need to leave and hide before that wolf wakes up.” Sammy slowly regained control over his legs and stood up, using the wall as support. He got up and sighed as he made his way downstairs to his sacrificial room and scanned the area. Sammy let out a heavy huff as he stared at the metal shutter doors in front of him. He grumbled as he forced the shutter doors open and slipped through. He kept walking forward, moving wooden planks or ducking under them.

It took Sammy a moment before coming into a room full of Bendy dolls. Sammy chuckled and grabbed one, speaking to himself, “There’s a whole room to fill with my Lord’s smile” sammy squeezed the doll and it let out a squeak. He softly chuckled before moving on. He went to the next room to see a sign on the wall. He rushed up and read it. “Elevator Shaft” he said out loud. He felt something hit his foot and stopped, glancing down then back up to see a boris standing there with a mixed expression on his face. Shock, fear, and anger. The boris wore a green cap on his head along with a tool belt at his waist. He let out a low growl, removing his pipe wrench from his belt and holding it defensively. Sammy put his hands up and said, “I’m not here to harm you. I’m here to hide from the wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

Chapter Text

The clock ticked softly as Boris and Sammy sat across from each other. With the table putting a safe distance between them, Sammy stared into the wolf’s eyes. Boris stared back with an angry look, the Bendy clock still softly ticking away. “So…” Boris said, breaking the silence. “This is new…” Sammy was confused.
“What do you mean by ‘this is new’?” Sammy asked. The wolf leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.
“One, hearing that Henry finally snapped, and two, that you’re terrified of him.” What the wolf said offended Sammy.
“Why would I be scared of a wolf in sheep’s clothing? Do you know who you’re talking to?!” Sammy snarled at the wolf. This didn’t scare him, it just amused him.
Boris smirked as he said, “A coward.”
Sammy slammed his hands onto the table and yelled, “YOU LITTLE PIECE OF SH-”
The wolf raised his voice at Sammy. “YOU WANT TO BACK DOWN RIGHT NOW. KEEP IN MIND WHO IS ARMED AND WHO ISN’T!” Sammy stared at him in disbelief, then did what he was told and backed down. Silence washed over them again, and Sammy gripped his wooden cup tightly. He realised how tight his grip was and tried settling down.
“Right.” Sammy muttered aloud, breaking the silence. He stared at the wolf again to see him fixing his hat. The wolf then asked, “Do you remember?”
This question caught Sammy off guard. “What?”
The wolf repeated himself more sternly, “Do you remember?” Sammy went quiet at that question and started to think.
‘Remember what? Of course I remember who I am… Remember… Wait... Is he asking me about the wolf in all the episodes with my lord in it?’
Boris interrupted Sammy’s thinking. “I guess not, or you would’ve said it already...”
Sammy was confused and questioned, “Were you asking if I remember you? Of course I do, my little sheep! You’re Boris the wol-”
The wolf slammed his hands on the table and yelled, “I’m not Boris the wolf, Mr. Lawrence! I’m Wally Franks!” He looked like he was in so much pain. He growled and said in a harsh tone, “Sammy, when are you going to wake up from your fancy world and see that twisted monster isn’t going to save anyone?! You’re not a prophet, Sammy! You’re an absolute psychopath!” Wally screamed the last part. Sammy’s world was absolutely shattered due to the ferocity and total truth that shone through. Wally stared at Sammy with an intense glare before realising what he’d done. He gulped, worried he’d just cracked Sammy’s sanity by saying that. He could only pray to God that wasn’t the case as he watched Sammy sitting there, staring at the table intensely. Wally let out a soft sigh and slumped against the back of the chair. His ears perked up when he heard a soft noise which he realised was Sammy crying. Now Wally just felt guilty. “Sammy, don’t cry! I-I..-” Wally couldn’t think of anything to say... He couldn’t say anything.
Wally said in a softer tone, “Look, I’m sorry. I’m just stressed, I’m just tired... I just want to feel the warm sun on my skin, see my li’l sisters’ smiles again, ya know? Just want to be set free.” He looked down, ashamed of himself.
Sammy slowly removed his mask and glanced at Wally, chuckling softly despite the tears still glimmering along his face. “I know what you mean. That’s why, for the longest of times, I praised Bendy as our saviour, our lord. That one day, he would set us free of our prison, of our inky tombs.”
Wally looked at Sammy and exclaimed, “He can’t set us free from this never-ending cycle and now the only person who could have helped us has just gone mad!”
Soon after those words left Wally’s mouth, Sammy returned the mask and looked up in shock. “What do you mean, ‘never-ending cycle’?”
Wally looked at the pitiful inky man across from him. He took a deep breath and begin to explain, “You won’t remember, but we’ve always sang the same song, we danced the same dance. We died and we came back to life. We spun the story that reel put us in and well... I’m not even surprised that Henry finally snapped. I mean, killing my friends and co-workers over and over, again and again..? I would probably snap too.” For a moment, they sat in silence, allowing Sammy to digest the information. Before any questions could be asked, Wally stood up and stretched. “Well, I’m gonna hit the hay. You need to sleep, too. We need as much energy as we can get.” Wally left the room without another word. Sammy stayed up a few minutes longer before heading to bed as well, the information finally getting the cogs in his head to turn once more.

↫-------------↬

Henry let out a soft groan in pain. He slowly got up, reaching for the axe but failing. Trying to walk, he stumbled.Henry clutched his head was wracked by a crippling headache. The pain got worse as he tried to work out what had happened, how he had gotten surprised by Sammy. His thoughts ceased when he heard a voice boom from his chest. A voice that didn’t belong to him. It sounded deep, raspy and demonic as it forced him to chuckle. “Finally...” Henry went into full-blown panic. Out of pure shock, Henry chuckled and yelled, “I’m going insane!” He threw his hands in the air, tears beading in his eyes. The voice stopped the actions and let out a low chuckle. “Not insane, dear Henry. It’s possession. and trust me when I say...”

“I can help you free yourself.”

Chapter Text

Henry hums at his desk, drawing the lovable dancing demon named Bendy. The clock softly ticks away somewhere behind him as the li’l fella is brought to life from a blank canvas. Henry smiles; he loves his job, and nothing can ruin his dreams.

One particularly unforgiving day, a letter slips through his door, a yellow letter with bold black lettering reading ‘URGENT’. The animator stops working and stands up from his chair, taking slow steps toward the door. For each step he takes, the wood under him lets out a groan, threatening to make way if he isn't careful. As he finally closes the space between himself and the letter on the floor, every inch of his body screams to not pick up the letter, to forget about it, pretend it doesn’t exist. However, Henry knows that his time in paradise is up. He presses on and reaches for the letter, returning to his desk and opening it with his letter opener. He removes the letter from its envelope. It explains in a painfully formal manner of how he is going to be sent to a boot camp before setting out to fight the war. Henry lets out a shaky sigh before breaking down. He cries into his hands, crumpling the letter and dropping it on the ground, like destroying the letter will give him back time. But no, he is going to lose everything he worked so hard for, he is going to lose time, his hopes, his dreams, he is going to lose his friends and family. Hell forbid, he might even lose himself...

Joey slams his fists on his desk and yells, “YOU CAN’T LEAVE!!! NOT AFTER WE BUILT THIS EMPIRE TOGETHER!!!!” Henry flinches a bit as Joey yells and has a hissy fit.

“Joey….” Henry mutters in a calm voice.

“DON’T ‘JOEY’ ME, HENRY!!!” he screeches. Henry turns his back and starts to leave, but Joey reaches for his letter opener...

Henry gasped awake and clutched his head in pain.

“Ooh, my head...” He quickly realised that he wasn't in control over his own body as that deep, somber voice came back.

“You're awake again.” Henry panicked, but it chuckled. “No need to panic. I can help you, Stein, I can set you free! But we must make a deal.” Though Henry didn't want to, he listened intently. “You see, I'm the heart of this machine and I know how to end the loop. In return, I take your body for my personal use. After all, you are tired Stein; you need to rest, you don’t have the strength to fight. Trust me when I say, the only way to escape is to kill Joey.” It hissed but grinned at its own suggestion.

The old man took a deep, calculating breath before sighing and muttering, “I will think about that offer, but I need to get to Wally. I bet he is still waiting for me show up.” Henry chuckled despite the onset of paranoia.

The thing quickly interrupted, “He will backstab you.” The voice went quiet. Henry began to drag himself into the sacrifice room, but stopped in the center of it.

“Wait a minute...”

↫-------------↬

Sammy stared at the roof as the clock softly ticked away. He rolled over to face the wall and stared at the Bendy clock. Sammy's eyes then drifted to the hammock where the sleeping wolf lay. He sighed, stood up, and walked out of the bedroom. He headed to the bathroom to splash some water on his face before staring at the mirror and muttering to himself, “Have we been living in loops? And that wolf in sheep's clothing was the only one that could save us, but..? This is just getting better by the minute. I need to let my sheep know about the newfound truth and warn them about the dangerous man; and if he doesn't make it, he will sure as Hell make sure Wally does.” Sammy stared in the mirror intently, only snapped out of his thoughts from the sound of whimpering. He went back to check on Wally to see him stirring in his sleep. He put his inky hands on Wally’s head and softly asked, “Having a nightmare? Let my Lord’s smile let you sleep peacefully tonight, sheep.” He put a Bendy plushy in the young wolf's arms, and Wally slowly calmed down. Sammy let out a soft chuckle as he made his way to the main room, sat down at the table again, then started to think to himself out loud.

‘How long did Wally know about the loops?’

‘Does he remember everything?’

‘Does he remember what happened before all of this broke loose?’

‘How does he know that my Lor--no, Bendy--How does he know that Bendy can’t help us?’

All Sammy's thoughts were interrupted by a chill going up his spine; something was wrong and he could sense it. He stood up so fast that the chair fell down from the sudden movement, knocking loudly against the floor. He walked around the corner and checked the barrels for something; one was filled with ink, the other was empty. This gave Sammy an idea. He rushed back in the bedroom, picked up the young wolf; and put him into the empty barrel with his hat, the Bendy doll, and a weapon with a note stuck onto it. He picked up a pipe and held onto it tightly as he slowly approached the false wall, ready to attack whoever was planning to invade their safe-house. Sammy believed this was his way to prove himself to Bendy that he was worthy; he was a shepherd and there was a wolf on the prowl, hunting down all his sheep. He wouldn't stand for this.

As the figure push open the door Sammy swings with all his strength into it only for the figure to take it with a loud crunch and the figure stumbles back into the darkness, Sammy smirks as he was about to attack again only to be paralysed by fear, he sees the red eyes glaring at him and he can tell the wolf was smiling and grip on its weapon more as it ready itself to lung forward, but the ink man quickly shake off his fear and ready to put up a fight, he grips the pipe more tighter and ready for the wolf's next move. Sammy smirks he knows he won't come out of this fight alive and he wish he had all his questions answered before he died but well at least he feel like he can redeemed himself soon a fight broke out between him and the intruder, it was a power fight Sammy got a good swing in again another massive crack from the guys bones before he can swing again the man lard his axe in Sammy's stomach making the man wheeze and cough up ink as he stumbles  back he got then punched in the jaw and rip the axe out of him and Sammy stumbles  back and coughs up more ink and grip the pipe more and swings it again which got blocked by the axe Sammy felt his back hit the wall and the world around him started to spin and he slowly slide down the wall he feels himself falling apart, he gasp as a memory unlocked in his head, a memory of everyone smiling he then saw the young cleaner wally frank smiling and sometimes they had fights but sometimes they get along and then the last memory, the man his name was Henry. That when the axe came down on Sammy's head and sunk in his skull as the inky man when limp and lifeless.

The man yanks the axe out and then stared at the lifeless body it was a small chuckle at first before it starting to become louder and more insane before its a full blow laugh, and he yelled “YOU'RE NO PROPHET YOUR A NOBODY” he keeps laughing at Sammy before trashing the whole safe house and then leave, the young wolf finally came out of the barrel scared what just happen his hat fixed on his head as he clutch the weapon and the bendy doll tightly, he sees his safe-house  was completely trashed, the heavy metal door completely broken, wally gulps as he climbs out of the barrel he gentle lower himself down and calls out in a whisper/yell “Sammy?, Sammy where are you?” the young wolf starts to wander around the broken safe house to see so many of his supplies weapons etc destroyed or missing soon he turn the corner only to see the body of the music man named Sammy, wally gasp and covered his mouth tears threatening to show his ears when down flat against his head and his tail tucked between his legs “S-Sammy?” the young wolf asked weakly as he walks over he soon see Sammy return to the inky well only leaving his overalls and the Bendy's mask soon wally started to cry over what remains of the former music man, after what seem like hours of wailing, wally mange to compose himself and picks up the mask and put it around his neck as a remembrance of the music composer, and he heads off into the angels den, he when through the twisted hallways as the building groans softly as the young wolf grip onto the axe and bendy plushy with his life as he made it to Shawn's workstation, he sees the sheaves had been destroyed and wally assumed Henry had been here he gulps as he creeps around the halls until he spots the ink veins craw on the walls and no miracle station in sight wally was mentally screaming to himself until he felt a cold grip on his shoulders and heavy breathing down his neck.

The wolf looks at the ink demon dead square in the face he thought he was dead meat until he saw it was scared like him if not terrified what monster Henry had become, and wally being the kind man he was hugged the ink demon and pets his back and said “i know bendy i am just as scared as you are” wally felt the tears threaten to come out soon with a grunt the ink demon takes wally's hand and opens a portal the young wolf not wanting to be out in the open any more took the offer he then asked bendy “hey bendy maybe when we got all the lost ones in a safe place is it alright if we make a memorial for Sammy?” he asked and the ink demon looks at the young wolf and nods they both enter the portal together before it close behind them, wally sometimes he swears he felt Sammy's sprite watches over him and smiling, which made wally cry……… but he has to push on and try and save as many people as they can. After all wally didn't want Sammy's death to be all for nothing.

Down, down deep in the angel's lair the angel herself was ready to defend her safe haven from Henry, she isn't going to give it up so easily. No she isn't, the angel got her equipment ready, an axe her Tommie gun and a trap, she was all prepared for the attack of this demon this monster and she refuse to give it up, she was almost perfect so lost and she isn't going to lose it all now! Susie giggles and bubbles “maybe your the perfect parts i need i make sure i cut that freak open.” she grins as she aimed the barrel of the gun at the doorway she hums and said “come and get me” she did this, she hear cashing and thuds and was ready to pull the trigger, she waited staring at the door way, she through the little monster waited for her to get bored oh no she isn’t but soon a shadow was cast over her and when she final turn around a blade sunk into her neck, she coughs up ink before collapsing the man reach down and grabs the axe out of her neck and said “your nothing but an fake angel.” the man said bluntly as he giggles a bit like a maniac he then yells on top of his lungs at the roof “OH JOEY IF YA HEARING THIS I'M AFTER YA AND THERE'S NO ONE THAT CAN STOP ME HAHAHAHA” Henry said all of this with a glazed-over look in his eyes, soon he looks at the ground smirking “alright Bertrum lets see how long you will last” the man lets out a massive yawn before saying “first things first, i need to get some sleep” he mumbles which he forcefully kicked the angels body away from the doorway and enter, the man lets out a soft chuckles as he when in the safe haven more. No one can stop him.