Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Audrey shuddered as she listened to Joey’s overly cheerful narration of the editor's room. The mannequin hanging from the ceiling was a haunting image. 

“Hang in there Carl!” the inappropriately jovial voice called out from the old speaker, “what a trooper.”

Wincing at the insensitive words, she wondered if the hanging mannequin was part of the original exhibit. It couldn’t have been there when the studio had tour groups passing through, right?

Joey concluded his speech by encouraging the adults of the non-existent tour group to lead their children through the studio while holding their hands. As the recording ended, Audrey was struck by an overwhelming sense of relief that no children were caught in this awful mess (at least that she knew of). It was tragic enough that so many employees were reduced to inky monsters mumbling tormented gibberish as they aimlessly wandered from hall to hall. Finding a child-sized lost one would be too much to bear. 

Audrey moved on with a shiver, eager to leave Animation Alley behind. 

Pipe raised high to defend herself if necessary, she cautiously made her way down the stairs in the next hallway. Whatever the main studio held in store for her, she was ready for it.

However, nothing could have prepared her for the sight that greeted her at the bottom of those stairs. It almost made her drop the pipe in wonder and disbelief. 

There, sitting innocently down the hall and behind one of the studio’s many strange cell-like doors, was a life-sized version of a character she had drawn thousands of times. Bendy.

The little Devil Darlin’ himself was playing with a toy train, wholly absorbed by his game and only noticing the animator when she opened the door.

Startled, he jumped to his feet with his train in hand, his wide grin shrinking into a thin line on his face.  

“Bendy…you’re real?” Audrey asked, amazement overlaying her voice.

Too excited at the prospect of meeting her favorite animated character of all time, she hardly noticed when the living toon took a fearful step back as she approached.

“Whoa this is amazing,” she gushed with another eager step forward, this time noticing when he matched it with another apprehensive step backward. Guilt leaked into the artist’s conscience and she crouched down to appear less threatening. 

“It’s okay, I won’t hurt you. I promise,” she assured. Moving very slowly, she placed her gent pipe on the ground, raising her hands in a placating gesture after doing so. 

The living toon somewhat relaxed but he still watched her with an apprehension that hurt to see on her beloved character's face.

“It’s okay,” she insisted, waving him forward with her right hand, her dominant one. Her left hand was still tingling strangely after that golden symbol appeared, and after dissolving three lost ones with it she instinctively favored her other hand. She held her hand out to the toon, hoping he would take it. 

To her immense delight, Bendy timidly reached out to match the gesture, interlocking his fingers with hers.

“I’m your friend. I won’t hurt you,” she promised with a comforting smile, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

Smiling once again, he squeezed her hand in return. After a moment, he released it in favor of fiddling with his toy train. 

The animator let her hand fall away to rest in her lap,  remaining in a crouched position. 

“My name is Audrey, by the way.”

The toon blinked in response to hearing her name. Then, with his signature wide grin, he offered his train to the woman. 

“Oh? What’s this?” she asked with a laugh, taking the train from his gloved hands. 

He stepped back, allowing her to admire the toy. 

Turning the object over in her hands, the artist investigated its surface. A simple wooden train. The fact that the demon was interested in such a simple item was reassuring. She doubted any monster would enjoy playing with such a commonplace object. It was a relief to finally find another ink denizen that didn’t try to kill her or leave immediately upon meeting her. 

Sitting on the ground, she pushed the toy towards Bendy, small wheels squeaking against the hardwood floor. 

He dropped down to catch it and enthusiastically pushed it back to her. He scooted across the ground until he was directly in front of her , watching the train with an innocent eagerness that she found absolutely adorable. 

They passed the train back and forth for several minutes, each finding a unique enjoyment in their little game. 

Eventually, Audrey caught the train and paused, glancing at Bendy. The little devil watched her like a puppy waiting for their favorite ball to be thrown. She wondered if now would be a good time to ask some questions. Since he was apparently mute, just like his cartoon counterpart, she figured it would be best to stick to the yes or no kind. Biting her lip, she thought about what questions would be safe to ask. As much as she wanted answers, she didn't want to scare away her new friend.

“So, Bendy,” she started, rolling the train back and forth in front of her, feeling every bump it made across the hard floor underneath her fingertips,  “Could I ask you some questions? I’m…new to the studio and everything’s been pretty confusing so far.”

He nodded amicably, then made grabby hands for the train. 

She sent the train over. He played with it for a bit before sending it back. 

“Are there any others in the studio like you?”

He tilted his head. 

“Other Bendys,” she  elaborated, figuring the action meant he was confused. 

First, he shook his head, then shrugged his shoulders. 

“So no, but you’re not sure?” 

He nodded, then drummed at the ground, attention fixed on the train. 

“Alright.” The animator rolled the toy towards him. Looking at her hand, she rubbed it in an attempt to ease its soreness. She wanted to ask if he knew what was happening to her, but she doubted the toon would have any answers. She refused to believe the mischievous yet good-hearted character she animated over and over had anything to do with this mess. Instead, when he rolled the train back to her she asked a different question. 

“Do you know Wilson?”

Bendy shrunk away as soon as she mentioned the name. Rising to his feet he backed away from her , anxiously shifting as though he could bolt at any second. 

“Wait, it’s okay,” she soothed, arms extended in a peacemaking gesture. “He’s not here, I was just asking.”

At least, I think he’s not here, Audrey thought to herself, suppressing a shudder as she remembered the numerous posters pasted around the studio. Wilson can’t really see everything, right?

With her reassurance, Bendy mostly untensed, although some stress remained. He ran over to a nearby ink puddle. Dipping a finger into the viscous liquid, he wrote a short message on the wall. 

BAD MAN

“Agreed,” she replied, giving her hands a rueful glare. “He’s the one that did this to me.”

Bendy wandered back over and sat down again, albeit a little further away than earlier. 

When the artist rolled the train back over to him, he played with it for a long time by himself. Right before she was about to ask if something was wrong, he finally returned to the train. With a timid push, it slowly traveled across the floor, stopping barely within her reach. It seemed their conversation was stressing him out, to her dismay. Therefore, she decided to ask one more question. 

Swallowing down her rising guilt at bothering the toon, she picked up the train and asked her most important question:

“Do you know the way out?”

Bendy blinked at the woman with renewed interest. He stared at her with an unreadable expression. After some careful consideration, he nodded. 

Sighing in relief, she mustered her most convincing smile.

“Can you show me?” she asked, sending the train back over one final time. 

Catching the toy with ease, he fiddled with the toy for a long moment before rising to his feet. He gave her a determined grin and waved her forward, walking into the next room with his train in hand. 

After retrieving her gent pipe, she quickly followed after, worried about losing Bendy in the maze-like hallways of the studio.

Her worries were in vain, because she found him in the next room simply pointing at a door with the words “DON’T KNOCK” written on a circular panel embedded in its surface. A neighboring sign read, NO VISITORS GO AWAY, which made knocking on the door even less enticing. 

Sighing, Audrey knocked on the door. 

“Who’s out there?” cried a nervous and forlorn voice.

A sudden pressure pushed against one of her legs and she looked down to discover the toon hiding behind her, watching the foreboding door with a fearful expression. As she reached down with her left hand to give him a comforting pat on the head, she was interrupted. The door’s panel swung open and a lost one thrust his head through the opening. 

“Is that you, Phil?” he asked, swinging his head around forlornly before squinting at the animator. 

“No, my name is Aud-”

“I told you, I’m not opening the door until you bring me my pictures.”

Taken aback, Audrey glanced behind herself for this so-called Phil. The room was empty except for herself and Bendy. Before she could correct the lost one’s mistake, he continued, “I drew ‘em, I want ‘em back,” and despondently closed the window. 

After the porthole was closed, Bendy released her leg. She would have patted him on the head then, but she noticed five empty easels to her right place along the alcove’s walls. Her heart twisted. Even if the lost one was somewhat delusional, those pictures were important to him. She wanted to help. 

Five easels, so five pictures. They shouldn’t be too hard to find, right? Then maybe the lost one would let her through. He didn’t seem violent like the other ones she met so far. She might even be able to get some information from him. Depending on how lucid he is, Audrey thought to herself, cringing at how he mistook her for his friend Phil.

Searching for her new friend, she found him sitting on the ground nearby, playing with his train without a care in the world. She smiled at the precious sight, then frowned. She was loath to interrupt his game again, but she didn’t see what other choice she had.

“Hey, Bendy?” She crouched down in front of the little devil. He grinned up at her, then offered her his train.  

“No thanks,” she delicately pushed the train back, “I need to find those pictures. Do you know where they are?”

He nodded. 

“Great!” she smiled in relief, “Can you help me find them?”

Folding his arms with a disapproving frown, the demon stubbornly shook his head. 

Stunned at the previously helpful demon’s refusal, Audrey was about to ask why when she was struck by a memory of one of Bendy’s earliest animations: Museum Mischief. In the episode, the toon visited a museum, taking immediate liking to a painting suspiciously similar to the Mona Lisa. The socially inept demon stole the painting without a second thought, only to draw the wrath of the museum security guards and an entertaining chase scene ensued.

Suspicion grew in the animator’s mind.

“You didn’t steal them, did you?”

The defiant posture melted into one of chagrin. Bingo. 

“Bendy, stealing is wrong.” she scolded, wagging a finger at the little thief. “You need to return them.”

 Suddenly, he couldn’t meet her eyes, choosing to play with his train instead. He rolled it across the floor in front of him, seemingly content to ignore her. 

Trying a different tactic, she gestured towards the shut door. “Couldn’t you see how upset that lost one was? Those pictures are important to him. Wouldn’t it feel good to give them back?” 

Again, he appeared far more interested in playing with his train than returning the lost one’s stolen property.

The artist huffed, struck by the distinct feeling that she was talking to a child. Then she gasped. For all she knew, Bendy could be a child. When she first met Alice, she mentioned that the machine could have turned Audrey into a searcher. What could be more fitting for a child’s soul forced through the machine than to be turned into the character that entertained children for years? Hopefully that wasn’t the case.

Dismissing the terrible thoughts, she focused on the task at hand. Whether he had a child’s soul or not, he was acting just like a little kid. That gave her an idea. 

“How about this,” she proposed, altering her tone to one that was friendlier and hopefully more convincing, “let’s play a game. Five rounds, one for each picture. Does that seem fair?”

That caught the toon’s attention. He immediately leapt to his feet, bouncing up and down in excitement. 

She couldn’t help but laugh at the adorable sight, enjoying it a lot more than his previously sullen behavior.

Before she could suggest a game, he placed his hands over his eyes, then uncovered them, wearing a surprised expression. 

“Do you want to play peek-a-boo?” she guessed optimistically. Five rounds of peek-a-boo would be over in no time. 

When he shook his head, the animator sighed. She should have known it wouldn’t be that easy. 

Bendy repeated the motions, then stood on his tippy toes, hand over his eyes like he was shading them from the sun. He turned this way and that, like he was searching for something.

“Hide and seek?” she reluctantly ventured.

Lifting his hands in the air with a silent cheer, he jumped in the air, startling Audrey into taking a step back. He motioned for her to follow him and bounded away. She hoped he was leading her to a safe space to play the game while doubting that such a space could even exist in this studio. This place didn’t seem so bad, but after several dangerous lessons she knew better than to trust her surroundings here. 

Following Bendy back to the entrance of the room, she watched as he pushed a crate to the side, revealing a crawlspace hidden behind a mesh panel. He removed a mesh panel and pointed inside the pitch black area. 

Crouching down and squinting her eyes at the darkness, she frowned. 

“Buddy, I can’t see in there. Is there somewhere else we can play?”

Tapping his foot thoughtfully, the toon pondered her question. Then he pointed a finger up to the sky like he just got an idea. He led the artist to a metal door leading to what she assumed was a maintenance hall. 

CAUTION KEEP CLOSED

Even though Audrey had never been a stickler for the rules, she worried she was making a habit of ignoring important warnings. Nevertheless, she pushed the heavy door open and followed Bendy after he scurried inside.

After briefly searching the area and collecting any supplies she could find, she returned to find him waiting for her next to an open vent. He pointed at her, then at the vent’s entrance.

You’ve got to be kidding me, she thought with a groan, mourning her poor back. Hours spent hunched over an animation desk had done her posture no favors, and she doubted crawling through the vents would improve anything. 

Apparently, he wasn’t kidding. He disappeared inside the vent, speeding through the claustrophobic space without a care in the world. 

“Wait up!” she called out, clambering inside the vent. A musty smell crept into her nostrils and she wrinkled her nose. She supposed it would have been unreasonable to expect the studio to have clean air vents. 

After following Bendy through several hallways, vents and a concerningly heavy-duty metal door, he finally stopped in a nondescript room. He motioned for her to close her eyes. 

Taking the hint, she did so and started counting, making sure to count loud enough that the toon could hear her but not loud enough to draw any unwarranted attention. 

“17, 18, 19, 20! Ready or not, here I come!” Audrey called out. She smiled. Despite her urgency to leave the studio, she was happy to have something more fun to do than aimlessly wandering the studio’s decrepit halls and waiting for some other horrible thing to happen to her. 

As she finished that thought, she turned a corner and was warmly greeted by a body hanging from the ceiling. Its head was stuffed in a bag, like the body she ripped her gent pipe from.

“Bendy!” she cried out in a panic, worriedly searching through the room. 

Immediately after hearing his name, the little demon poked his head out from underneath a nearby desk, confused and unharmed. 

“Oh thank goodness,” she exclaimed, placing her hand over her heart which was thumping uncomfortably hard after the scare. She gave the hanging corpse a worried glance.

“Maybe we should play somewhere else?” she suggested, before noticing something resting on the desk he was hiding under. A piece of paper with an black image staining its surface.

Distracted, Audrey walked over to the desk and picked it up. The sheet rustled quietly in her grip, the paper dry under her touch. Ghostlike, formless, and painted with black ink, the picture reminded her of an inkblot test. It was a common tease in her workplace, especially in the unfortunate event that one of the artist’s pens randomly spurted ink after being used for so long. The first time it happened to her, her coworker refused to explain what he meant by calling her former drawing a “rorschach test” and she had to research it herself. 

"Is this one of the drawings?" she extended the sheet towards Bendy.

He nodded, then snatched the paper from her hand.

She reflexively reached out to snatch it back but he jumped away, hiding the sheet behind his back.

Scowling at the little demon in disbelief and annoyance, she asked, "what are you doing?" in a sharp tone. 

He held up a hand with all four of his fingers spread out. 

"Four? Four what?" she questioned in exasperation, doing her best to maintain her patience. 

Withdrawing his hand, Bendy blinked at his four fingers, then set the piece of paper down. As tempting as it was for the artist to steal it back, she forced herself to wait. 

Using his other hand, he held up an extra finger with his original four as though he had five fingers on one hand. 

“Five drawings?”

Shaking his head, he repeated the motions that caused her to guess that he wanted to play hide and seek earlier.

"Five rounds of hide & seek?"

Bendy nodded.

Pensive, she pondered why he would be upset that she already found one of the sheets. Then she remembered their deal. 

"I didn't earn the drawing yet, right?” she hazarded, “because I interrupted our game when I called out for you?"

Nodding again, he retrieved the picture from the floor, then covered his eyes and pointed at the woman, signaling for her to start another round of hide and seek. 

Audrey studied at the hanging corpse again.

Seemingly unbothered by the horrific sight, the toon waited impatiently for her to continue the game. She was saddened that someone as innocent as Bendy had been desensitized to such violence. It made her wonder what other horrors he had witnessed and how long he had been living in the studio.

Well, if Bendy thought it was safe to play here, it probably was. Considering how timid he acted when they first met, she couldn’t imagine he’d be willing to play in a very dangerous area.

"Alright Bendy, let's try again. I won’t cheat this time, I promise."

Grinning, he motioned for her to cover her eyes.

While she counted, she heard small feet scurry away, then the sound of someone climbing through another vent. 

Audrey sighed. She wasn't looking forward to squeezing through more vents.

Despite being forced to climb through several vents to find the little demon, she was honestly enjoying herself as the game continued. By some miracle, the area was completely threat free. She did find another lost one's corpse on the floor in another room, but before she could figure out where it came from Bendy ran off to hide again and she had to move on. 

Every time she found the toon, he jumped up and down in delight, giving her a double thumbs up in congratulations, before running away to find another place to hide. Clearly he preferred to hide and she was perfectly content with her permanent role as the seeker if it made him happy. 

With each hiding spot, the demon gave her a picture or she found one lying nearby.

This must be his hideout, she realized. Bendy stole the pictures to decorate the place. She couldn’t blame him for wanting to liven up the area. Even with his neverending energy to brighten each room, it gave off a foreboding aura. 

The Ink Demon’s lair, Audrey thought with an ironic snort. Even though an ink demon did indeed live here, he was far too cute to inspire the fear that seeped into the voices of the studio’s inhabitants whenever they spoke of the true ink demon. She hoped she never met the creature, if it really existed.

One picture remained. The animator peered through a chain-link fence, spotting the toon crouched under another desk with a drawing resting on top of it. 

"Bendy, I can see you."

Covering his eyes and shuffling his feet, he giggled silently, demonstrating zero intention to leave his hiding spot.

There was a single door leading into the makeshift room. It was locked from the inside. She played with the chain preventing the door from opening.

"How did you even get in there?" She quietly wondered, talking more to herself than to Bendy. 

Glancing around, she spotted another vent on the floor. A short climb later, the answer to her question presented itself as she peered over the fence from above, standing on a precariously balanced wooden platform. 

This is so not a suitable home for a child, she found herself thinking.

"Incoming!" she shouted, jumping down and landing in the room. 

She landed in a crouch, smiling at the living toon who still sat under the desk with his hands covering his eyes. 

Reaching out with a clean finger, she poked the place where his nose would be if he had one. 

"Boop!" 

Uncovering his eyes, the toon grinned at Audrey in delight. He sprang out of his hiding place, trapping her in a warm embrace. 

Stunned, she returned the hug. For a being composed of living ink, Bendy was surprisingly warm.

Breaking the hug, he turned around and reached up onto his tippy toes to retrieve the drawing on the desk. He handed her the drawing and she put it with the other ones she collected.

Pulling out her gent pipe, she broke the lock on the door and let the little devil lead the way out of the room. It was easy to get lost in the maze of rooms and vents that made up his hideout.

Eventually, they stopped in a room with a large metal door next to a security switch.

Scooting a crate underneath the switch, Bendy used it as a stepping stone to jump up and grab a hold of the metal contraption. Using his full body weight, he pulled the switch down with a click. 

The metal door opened, revealing the room they started in. Five empty easels greeted them, patiently awaiting the return of their respective art pieces. 

"Good job, Bendy!" she praised, clapping her hands together. Pulling the switch herself would have been easy but she was secretly happy the toon took the initiative. The sight of his little shoes dangling in the air was forever imprinted in her mind. 

He gave a little bow in response to the applause.

One by one, the artist placed a drawing on each easel. 

"We put the drawings back!” she announced. As she moved to knock on the door again, it burst open. Without warning, the lost one from earlier ran out, screeching incomprehensibly. 

Catching one of his arms with an ink stained hand but failing to block his other, Audrey cried out as he hit her in the shoulder with a wild strike.

Gritting her teeth, she struck the him on the head with her gent pipe, then followed up with another strike and another until he fell to the ground, unmoving. 

Panting, she fought to recover her breath. Suddenly, she remembered Bendy. Swiveling around, she searched for her friend, hoping he hadn't run off permanently.

Quivering behind one of the wooden easels, he watched her with wide, terrified eyes.

"Hey hey hey, it's okay, we're safe now." she coaxed, beckoning him forward.

The toon glanced at her ink stained pipe and shook even more. 

Grimacing, Audrey put the awful tool away. She supposed she would have a similar reaction if she saw one of her friends bludgeon someone to death with a pipe.

"I'm sorry," she apologized with true remorse in her voice, stretching out her right hand, "I swear I didn't want to hurt him. Sometimes we have to do bad things to protect ourselves.”

Bendy studied the animator, searching for something Audrey wasn’t sure of. While she felt uncomfortable under his intense gaze, she held it with a friendly expression. Again she beckoned, then stretched out her hand like she did when they first met. 

“ I promised I would never hurt you, remember? You’re safe with me."

Shuffling his feet, the little demon crept out from behind the easel. After a moment's hesitation, he took her outstretched hand, reaccepting her promise. 

Hand-in-hand, Bendy pulled her through the now-open door. The note she found on the other side explained the lost one's violent act. While she somewhat understood the sentiment, murdering someone to prevent them from stealing your ideas was a tad overkill.

"Alright Bendy, you lead the way." 

Smiling up at Audrey, the toon did just that, and together they advanced further into the studio. 

Chapter Text

Anxious to ease the throbbing in her shoulder, Audrey inserted several slugs into a Tasty Eats vending machine. While she didn’t understand how eating food directly translated into healing bruises and broken bones, she wasn’t going to complain. It certainly wasn’t the strangest thing she encountered in the studio.

Something clicked to her right and the animator turned to discover Bendy with his hands on the now-functioning projector in the corner of the room. She smiled. Out of all the oddities in the studio, a living version of Bendy the Dancing Demon was her favorite by far. 

Several pictures shone out of the antique machine onto the projector screen, starring the little Devil Darlin’ himself.  

His living counterpart excitedly and repeatedly pointed at the screen, then himself, and back again. 

“Yes, that’s you!” she affirmed, laughing at the toon’s over-enthusiastic gestures.

 Fascinated by the images that appeared on the formerly blank surface, Bendy wandered over to one of the chairs in front of the projector screen and plopped his rear down.  

An uncomfortable twinge in her shoulder reminded her of her previous objective and she pushed the final slug into the machine. Its drawer popped open and she retrieved the treat resting inside. Bendy Bites.

Audrey smiled at the iconic wrapping. She’d always wanted to try Bendy Bites. The candy was discontinued years ago, long before Nathan Arch purchased the cartoon’s copyright and created Arch Gate Pictures. Now, she could eat them for the measly price of five slugs. Her fellow Bendy enthusiasts would be so jealous.

Right as she was about to unwrap the treat, she caught its namesake staring longingly in its direction.

“You want one?” she offered the item to the little demon. 

Hopping out of his seat, Bendy skipped over and enthusiastically reached out for the candy, only to stop and give her shoulder a concerned glance. 

Awww, he was worried about her! 

“It’s fine,” Audrey assured him, returning to the vending machine. “I can just buy another one, see?”

Quickly purchasing another snack, she held up a bag of  Tasty Eats chips for the toon to see. She offered both the chips and the candy to him. “Pick one!”

Of course, Bendy picked the Bendy Bites. The artist was only a little disappointed; she also preferred sweet treats.

A man’s voice echoed in her mind, friendly and familiar. 

“Is every tooth in that mouth a sweet tooth?” 

She giggled. “Uh-huh! That’s why I need lots and lots of candy!”

“Of course you do, sweetheart. Here's your last piece for today.”

“Thanks, Daddy!”

“I’m spoiling you rotten, aren’t I?” 

The memory faded, departing nearly as rapidly as it arrived, leaving Audrey with a faint impression that she had forgotten something important. 

Oh well. She switched her attention to her chips. Pulling the bag open with ease, the artist popped a chip in her mouth. 

The salty crunch of the potato chips prompted her to hum in satisfaction. Despite its bland appearance, the food from the studio was just as flavorful as the food back home. With every bite, the pain in her shoulder lessened until it dissipated completely. Delicious and effective.

Dropping the now-empty bag of chips on the table, she brushed the salt from her hands and checked if her new companion finished his snack too. His hands were empty and his mouth was grinning as per usual.

However, the animator noticed with a start there wasn’t an empty Bendy Bites wrapper lying around. He hadn’t eaten the entire thing, wrapper included, had he?

Burning with curiosity, she made a mental note to watch him the next time he ate. 

“Ready to go?” She asked, jerking a thumb over her shoulder. 

Bendy nodded, and together they exited the room. As she walked underneath the doorway, Audrey glanced up at the sign above it. Earlier, after spying the vending machines inside, she had forgotten to read it.

Two doorways with matching signs greeted her. The sign above the room they just left read Storyboarding. The adjacent room’s doorway was labeled Screening Room.

Eager to continue their journey, the duo entered the Screening Room.

This room was larger than the previous one. Three more projectors shining out from a booth displayed more Bendy sketches on separate viewing screens. Each drawing took up the entire screen and they were achingly similar to the pictures in the Storyboarding Room.

Several benches were situated in front of the projector screens. Bendy walked over to the viewing area and sat down, entranced by these new pictures.

Leaving the toon to enjoy himself, Audrey investigated the room, only to be disappointed by what she found. The door to the projector booth was locked. Upon activating the studio tour guide next to it, Joey’s voice unhelpfully described the ever increasingly toxic work environment of the old studio and pointed out the obvious entrance to the Writer’s room. Said entrance was blocked off by another one of those annoying security locks.

The artist experimented with the lock, trying several random combinations before giving up. 

“Hey, Bendy?” she called out, turning away from the door and towards the benches where he previously sat. “Do you by any chance know the code for the-”

Freezing in place, she noticed the toon was no longer watching the projector screens. He was gone.  

Worried for reasons she couldn’t explain, the animator frantically searched for the demon. Just as she was about to panic, she spotted him waving at her from inside the projector room. How he had gotten through the locked door, she had no clue. The little devil clearly had a knack for finding a way into hard-to-reach places. 

“Bendy!” Running to the booth, Audrey wondered how difficult it would be to squeeze through the opening for the projectors. Maybe it would be easier if she smashed the window above it. “How did you get in there?”

He gestured behind himself and she noticed an open vent in the wall. 

“Hold on, I’m coming in.” she said, glancing around for its pair. Then, she heard a door open. 

Peeking around the corner, she found her friend standing in an open doorway leading into the projector room, appearing pleased as punch at his accomplishment. 

“Thanks Bendy, I wasn’t looking forward to crawling through more vents.”

With some tinkering, the animator learned she could switch between the keyframes on each projector.

While she fiddled with the machines, Bendy rushed out of the room, returning to his seat in the viewing area. Grinning, she decided to use the projectors to give the toon a little show. 

Although, as she switched from picture to picture, Audrey noticed something was off. The images were clearly labeled out of order.

Suspecting that she may have found the key to their locked door problem, she returned to the Storyboarding Room, committing the order of the images there to memory. Her suspicions were confirmed when Bendy ran in after her, excitedly offering a note from someone named Phil Clark pointing out the strange numbers on the keyframes. If he suspected that the numbers were some sort of code, then she might as well try it out on the security lock. 

A few adjustments to the projectors in the booth later and she was inputting the code into the security lock. 

Immensely satisfied, she watched as the door to the Writer’s Room opened.

As she walked into the area, she noticed a sign ahead.

COME SAY HELLO!

It was refreshing to finally read a friendly note in a studio where everything else had been either foreboding, disturbing, or both. Plus, Audrey had disobeyed a lot of signs today. It wouldn’t hurt to follow one for once, right?

However, when she went to enter the room, she was stopped by a hard tug on her pant leg. 

Glancing down, she saw Bendy clinging to her slacks while shaking his head frantically.

“What’s wrong?”

He pointed inside the room and held his arms out in an X shape. 

“You don’t want me to go inside?”

Pulling at her clothes again, the toon nodded, eager to leave the friendly room behind. 

Even with his warning, she was hesitant to pass by any room without searching for clues or supplies first. 

“I’ll just take a quick look and I’ll be right back,” she promised. “You can stay out here if you’re scared.”

Despite her words, Bendy accompanied Audrey inside, glancing nervously around the room like he expected some terrible monster to jump out at them at any moment. 

When she saw another lost one’s corpse lying against a writing desk inside, she was hardly scared by the gruesome sight. She was more concerned about her growing indifference to the studio’s horrors than whatever happened to the poor soul in front of her.

The wall above the desk was decorated with some intriguing writing: SHE WAS THE FOURTH.

Who was she and what was she fourth of? Audrey wondered as she played the audio tape resting on the desk. Her questions were answered as she listened to the tape. 

Frowning sympathetically at the other artist’s plight, Audrey understood the frustration of having an idea that no-one else was interested in. Unfortunately, that was how the creative industry worked: some ideas were accepted, some weren’t. This woman’s feverish determination to “bring Carley to life,” was frankly unsettling. 

Upon examining the rest of the room, she noticed a tall crate standing conspicuously out of place. A spotlight shone on the wooden surface and several lit candles flickered ominously at its base. 

Compelled by an unknown force, the animator approached the crate, ignoring how Bendy urgently jumped and waved at her from the room’s entrance. Placing a hand on the main wooden panel, she was overcome by a sudden urge to pull it off and reveal what was inside. 

Before she could do so, something grabbed her left hand, yanking her away from the crate.

Annoyed, she turned with the intention of scolding the toon, who had both hands wrapped around her left one.

Suddenly, their conjoined hands sparked with a sharp, blinding light. 

A painful electric shock pulsed up Audrey’s arm. Gasping, she pulled her hand away, protectively holding her wrist. The swirling symbol was glowing.

The pain in her hand was swiftly forgotten when she noticed her friend crying and fearfully backing away from her.

Tears flowed freely down Bendy’s face as he fixed her with a look of terror and betrayal that pierced the animator’s heart with a searing pain a thousand times worse than the stinging in her arm.

He fled the room, shoes tapping against the floor as he ran. 

“Wait!” she called out, leaving the strange crate behind to chase after the crying toon. “Bendy, come back!”

Dammit,  Audrey. What’s happening to you? Biting back a scream of frustration, she shoved down her concern to pursue her friend. 

She caught up to the little demon in the Screening Room, just as he was about to disappear through the opposite exit. 

“Please stop, I’m sorry!”

Bendy halted, halfway through the door. He hesitated, then turned to face Audrey, holding his arms defensively against his chest. 

Raising her hands in a surrendering pose, the artist slowly approached.

“I’m so so sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you.” 

The toon edged away and Audrey quit walking. The measly yard separating them felt as uncrossable as any of the chasms she encountered in the studio. 

Tears pricked her eyes. “I-I don’t know what’s happening to me,” she stammered, desperate to explain herself, “I think when you grabbed me it must have triggered some sort of self-defense reaction. I didn’t know that touching my hand would hurt you.” 

As the words left her mouth, she flinched. It was a poor excuse, especially considering that he was only trying to protect her. From what, she didn’t know and she didn’t care anymore. Whatever was in that crate, it wasn’t worth losing her friendship with Bendy. 

She knelt down so she was eye level with the toon. 

“I’m so sorry for hurting you,” she repeated, internally begging for him to believe her, “I didn’t mean to, I promise. Please forgive me?” 

Nervous and uncomfortable, Bendy shifted from foot to foot, glancing between Audrey and the door. 

She closed her eyes with a sigh, unwilling to watch him leave her, even if she deserved it. 

A poke on her shoulder prompted her to open her eyes again. 

Motioning for the animator to follow him, Bendy walked through the doorway. 

Hurriedly rising to her feet, she followed him to the vending machines in the Storyboarding Room. 

He pointed at her, then the vending machines and folded his arms.

“If I buy you another treat, you’ll forgive me?” she guessed with a hopeful tone. 

The toon nodded, closing his eyes and holding out an entitled hand.

Giggling at the silly pose and relieved that he had forgiven her so easily, the artist obliged. 

Five minutes later, Bendy skipped out of the room with a bundle of treats in his arms. Audrey sighed, patting her pockets wistfully. Apparently friendship in this studio was an expensive thing. 

They passed by the writer's room without any further incidents. She glared at the welcoming sign, although her anger was more directed at herself for not listening to Bendy.

As they traveled through the maintenance tunnels, she noticed her companion lingering further and further behind. She paused, waiting for him to catch up to her. 

He marched past the animator without acknowledging her presence.

“Bendy? Are you alright?”

No response. He simply continued to tread onward. 

Suddenly, he fell to his knees, the treats he held so proudly only moments before scattering across the floor. 

“Bendy!”

Rushing forward, she crouched next to the fallen toon. He gazed into the distance with unseeing eyes. 

Concerned, she waved a hand in front of Bendy’s face. Blinking blearily, he squinted, then slowly turned to regard Audrey almost as if he couldn’t recognize her. 

“What’s wrong? Does anything hurt?” She interrogated, dreading that her touch did more damage than she thought. 

Bendy remained unresponsive. Panicked, she led him to a stool in a nearby alcove. After sitting him down, she quickly scanned the hallways behind them for any threats. 

No lost ones, searchers, or butcher gang members in sight. That meant she could give the toon her full attention. 

Except, when she turned around, he was gone. An empty stool greeted her instead.

“Bendy!” She shouted, scanning the area for any sign of the little demon. “Bendy, where are you?”

Distressed, the artist searched through the tunnels for her friend, without success. It was as though he had evaporated into thin air. 

Or melted into an inky puddle. 

There was a suspicious amount of ink staining the floor and walls of the alcove, although she couldn’t remember if it was already present when she brought Bendy there or not. 

Gripping her left wrist, she stared hatefully at the symbol there. At first, she was grateful for the ability to banish any inky creature that crossed her path. It was a much easier alternative to bashing their heads in with her gent pipe. Now, she resented it. 

A gift from the Dark Puddles? She thought sardonically, More like a curse! 

Audrey didn’t want to believe that Bendy was gone. Deep down, she knew he was out there, she could feel it in her soul. 

The little devil knew the studio better than she did. Maybe in the few seconds she left him alone, he somehow snuck past her and wandered ahead, using some secret tunnel she didn’t know of. He was so out of it, he might have done so without thinking. 

The theory was definitely far-fetched yet Audrey clung to the explanation, refusing to consider the alternative. 

Gritting her teeth, she pushed forward. She couldn’t stay here and mope, that wouldn’t help her or Bendy.

Crunch. Something broke underneath her shoe. Lifting her foot, the animator bit her lip, fighting back tears. Her apology snacks lay strewn across the tiled floor. 

At least a pack of Bendy Bites remained intact. Retrieving the treat from the floor, she slipped it into a pocket. Bendy would want it later. 

The rest of the maintenance tunnels held a surprise that boosted her spirits. There, she met Porter, a lost one and an explorer. After assisting him, the man taught her how to “flow” or teleport from place to place. It wasn’t quite teleportation, but it was the best way Audrey could describe the result. 

After gaining the new knowledge, she noticed the symbol on her hand changed, becoming thinner, more refined. She definitely preferred this design to the last one. Having a screaming face on her hand was discomforting. 

As Porter zipped across the chasm in front of them, Audrey called out to him. 

“Before I found you, did you see a Bendy wandering around?” 

Porter paused with a thoughtful look. “I can’t say that I did. Oh, but I would steer clear of anything demon related in this studio, not unless you want to be consumed!”

The artist sighed. Well, it was worth a shot. 

“Goodbye Bobby! Try not to die!”

“My name isn’t-” and he’s gone.

She wasn’t sure if she should feel worried or relieved that Porter hadn’t seen Bendy. Hopefully the little demon was keeping himself safe. 

If he’s not already dead. She rejected the unwelcome thought immediately upon thinking it. He was alive, she was sure of it. 

After teleporting across the chasm, she remembered finding another chasm outside Artist Alley.  Maybe now it was a leap of faith she could make. 

It was freeing, the ability to rush through the air without worrying about the obstacles in her path. 

A short trip later, Audrey successfully leapt across Artist Alley’s chasm. The problem was, she discovered the door had some new gent lock with a lightning bolt carved into it preventing her from passing through. 

She briefly considered hitting it with her pipe to see which would break first. Luckily, movement across the chasm drew her attention before she could run her test.

A lost one. He broke into the employee locker room. Maybe something in there could help her. Who knows, it could even lead to another way out! It couldn’t hurt to check.

Actually, Audrey remembered the lost one inside, it could hurt but I’ve dealt with worse. 

Teleporting across the chasm again, she approached the sliding panel leading to the locker room. Right after she ducked under it, a deep and grating voice penetrated her mind. 

THE DARK PUDDLES AWAKEN.

Whirling around with a gasp, she searched for the source of the ominous voice. It sounded like it came from every direction at once.

Nothing stood out to her. Just the same ink-stained walls from before. The artist studied the tiled floor under her feet, dreading another terrifying appearance of screaming faces in thick black liquid. 

Again, nothing. Even the swirl on her hand was normal. At least, as normal as a strange symbol put there by a deformed mass of living ink could be.

Regripping her pipe, she pressed forward. To her minor dismay, the “GALS” side was blocked off. So, she headed into the “GUYS” section of the locker room. She managed two steps forward before the voice reinvaded her head.

A VOICE, A SOUL. THE INK SPEAKS TO ME. IT WHISPERS YOUR SECRETS. 

Shivering, the animator dismissed the words. She must be imagining things. The voice, whatever it was, it wasn’t talking to her. It was talking to someone else. 

I KNOW YOU…AUDREY.

“Who are you and how do you know me?” she shouted, turning around with her pipe held high, ready to smash it against whatever freaky monster was speaking to her. Her fight or flight instincts were kicking into overdrive while she fought to ignore the dread creeping up her spine.

I AM THE INK DEMON. THIS REALM IS MINE. YOU WERE BORN FROM IT, JUST AS I WAS. 

“What-what do you mean?” she asked with a quivering voice, bravado gone. 

The Ink Demon was talking to her. This was bad. Very, very bad. 

Silence. Audrey waited, listening. She was about to retreat the way she came when she heard a sound behind her. A wet, heavy thud, followed by another, and another. Like the footsteps of some massive, soggy beast. 

She turned around just in time to catch a perfect view of a large inky hand with long clawed fingers grip the doorframe a short distance away.

Nope nope nope nope nope nope nope.

Sprinting into the locker room, she shoved open the barred iron door at its entrance and slammed it behind her, hiding in the first spot she could find: a barrel. With a massive hole in the side of it. Regret stabbed through her and she winced at her thoughtlessness. It was too late to switch hiding places now. 

Heavy footsteps drew nearer, then paused. Metal screeched and the animator had the intuition to guess he opened the door. Another pause. The demon rumbled almost excitedly.

READY OR NOT, HERE I COME.

Audrey gripped her arms to prevent herself from shaking. This was not a game she wanted to participate in. Not now, not ever. 

The irony of the situation didn’t escape her. Just a few hours earlier she was playing hide and seek with the famous little Devil Darling. Now she was hiding from the studio’s equivalent of the Devil himself.

Her anxiety steadily increased as the seconds ticked by. He was going to find her. She was in a terrible position. She was trapped. She had never explored the locker room before. She had no idea if moving further in would help or hurt her. Her only hope for survival was to wait it out until the demon lost interest. 

The Ink Demon’s footsteps drew closer and closer. Two cloven hooves attached to long inky legs plodded past her hiding spot. To her immense relief, he hadn’t noticed her. Yet.

Prowling through the area, he carefully checked behind each corner. As he crept deeper into the locker room, her view of the creature steadily improved. He was tall, so tall he had to hunch over to avoid scraping his horns on the ceiling. 

If he turns around, he’ll see me. Audrey realized in a moment of panic. I need to move NOW.  

But, she couldn’t. Fear kept her trapped in place as surely as any cage. 

He paused, then turned a corner, disappearing from view. 

Now that the Ink Demon was out of her sight, the woman sincerely considered making a break for it. She could come back to the locker room later. She could return to Animation Alley. She might even find Bendy again. 

Bendy. Shaking her head, Audrey dismissed the plan. No, she couldn’t go back there. She didn’t want to risk leading the Ink Demon to her friend, especially if he was hurt.

A scream rang out from the direction the demon disappeared, followed by a roar and a sickeningly wet tearing noise. 

The animator nearly jumped out of her barrel then; however, the voice returned to her mind, frustrated and impatient. 

WHY DO YOU COWER IN THE SHADOWS? It growled. YOU WERE SENT TO FREE ME. YOU HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR.

With the utmost amount of respect, Audrey vehemently disagreed. Also, what on earth did he mean by that second phrase? A small part of her wanted to respond but the rest of her screamed to remain silent.

A dark shadow crept into the corner of her vision and she was suddenly very glad she decided not to leave her hiding place. 

The tall horned shape lengthened across the floor next to her. Something scraped against the top of the barrel and the arstist stopped herself from whimpering in fear. 

AUDREY…COME OUT.  

Terrified her breathing would give away her position, Audrey held both hands over her mouth and nose.

The demon paused, clawed fingers tapping thoughtfully on the barrel’s lid. 

He knows where I am, she thought fearfully, he’s going to kill me.

With an audible huff, he spoke into her thoughts again.  

I PROMISE NO HARM WILL BEFALL YOU.

If she wasn’t so damn terrified, she would have laughed at the statement.  According to Not-Alice, the Ink Demon 'kills anything that moves.' Unfortunately, Audrey belonged to that category and she was more willing to trust the woman who helped her than the demon that hunted her. 

A minute passed, then another. 

When the woman failed to present herself, the Ink Demon snarled. It was a deep harsh sound, as though he had oiled river stones for vocal cords. The barrel vibrated as he growled, traveling through her skin and into her bones. 

Then, his shadow withdrew. 

Wary, Audrey listened to the heavy footsteps until they disappeared. 

Dozens of questions ran through her mind, each competing viciously for her attention. How did the Ink Demon know her name? Where did he come from? What did he want? Why did he say she was meant to free him? And most importantly, what did he mean when he said she was ‘born from this realm’? The artist had no explanation for any of those questions but she had a hunch that the last one was better left unanswered.

Her rapidly beating heart gradually returned to its normal pace. She wasn't sure how long she waited in the barrel before coming out. 

Remaining crouched, Audrey snuck through the locker room. Every time she peeked around a corner, she half-expected the Ink Demon to leap out at her. He never did.

Eventually, she found the source of that awful ripping sound from earlier.

A lost one, likely the same one that busted into the locker room, was ripped completely in half. The areas where his torso and waist once connected oozed thick ink, adding to the gruesome puddle pooling around the corpse pieces. 

Shuddering, the animator wrapped her arms around her middle. That could have been her.

She finally understood the rampant fear and reverence with which the studio’s residents spoke of the Ink Demon. He was terrifying, more terrifying than anything she encountered in the studio.

Now, Audrey had two main goals, ones she would pursue at all costs: 

1. Find a way home. 
2. Stay away from the Ink Demon. 

Chapter Text

Pursued by a hoard of searchers, Audrey sprinted out of the locker room with her newly upgraded gent pipe in hand. Miraculously, once she crossed the locker room’s threshold the ink creatures gave up the chase. For not the first time, the young animator thanked her lucky stars for the lack of conceptual object permanence in the studio’s residents. 

Chest heaving while she labored to regain her breath, she peered through the sliding panel that separated the locker room from Animation Alley. Three lost ones patrolled the area.

She was simultaneously relieved and annoyed when she discovered that lost ones could return to life: relieved because that meant she wasn’t a true murderer, annoyed because that meant she had to either kill them again or sneak past them. 

Opting for the second option, she waited for all three patrolling lost ones to disappear into the opposite room and snuck out into the open space. She quickly recharged her gent pipe at a nearby charging station and managed to flow across the room’s chasm without drawing their attention. 

Her gent pipe successfully opened the door and the artist cheerfully continued through the next corridor. There she was confronted by a new challenge: stairs. 

In any other situation, finding a series of ascending stairs would have been disheartening. However, Not-Alice informed her that the upper levels meant safety; therefore, climbing stairs was a good thing. 

With a confident smile, Audrey did just that, following the ELEVATOR UP signs. She was getting the hang of this.

THE DEEP ABYSS REMEMBERS YOU, AUDREY. A CHILD OF THE DARKNESS.

As soon the Ink Demon’s unnerving voice entered her mind, the animator dove for the nearest hiding place and leapt inside. Another damn barrel. 

Well, it worked the first time, she thought dryly, despite her pounding heart, maybe it’ll work again. 

Again, the temptation to respond arose but she crushed it down. The Ink Demon’s cryptic statements were most likely a ploy to lure her into revealing her location. He didn’t know anything about her, other than her name. 

In the end, hiding was unnecessary. The demon failed to appear. Audrey continued her climb, albeit with less confidence and more caution than before. 

In the neighboring hallway, the animator found not one, not two, but SIX punch clocks. Upon closer inspection, she found the last name on all the punch cards was Henry. Either all of the employees who used to work here were named Henry, or the last person to come through here really liked using time clocks. 

Audrey touched one of the time cards, tapping the name there. It seemed oddly familiar. 

“Daddy, who’s Henry?”

“...Where did you hear that name?”

“It-it was on the picture in your office. The pretty one with Bendy and Boris and Alice all walkin’ together.”

“...”

“Daddy, *sniff* are you mad at me?”

“No! No, it’s just, that name brings up some bad memories. I’m not sure why I still have that old thing.”

“Then can I have it?”

“Sorry, sweetheart, that picture is off-limits.”

“Awww, but you don’t even like it! Please please please please puh-lease !”

“Tell you what: when you’re all grown up and you get hired as an animator, I’ll give it to you.”

Just as before, the memory disappeared before Audrey could properly process it. She frowned, certain she had read that name before, but where?

Suddenly, she remembered finding other punch clocks throughout the studio. Maybe the names on those cards were all Henry as well. 

With an amused snort, she moved on. She was tempted to add her own name to the time card but decided against it. If this Henry character managed to punch his name into every time clock in the studio she certainly didn’t want to detract from his accomplishment. 

At the end of the corridor, the woman came to a crossroads. A sign was painted onto the wall, one half directing her towards somewhere called “Artist’s Rest” (currently blocked by a closed door), and the other pointing towards an exit to the surface elevators. That exit led to a half-open gate with a glowing sign above it reading Elevator Up . 

Without a second thought, she sped towards the shuddering gate, eager to advance in her journey to the upper levels.

Except, the gate slammed shut the moment she stepped towards it.

Drat. Before getting dragged into the ink machine, Audrey thought she was a lucky person, working her dream job at her dream company. Now she swore she had the worst luck of all time. 

With a sigh, the animator walked dejectedly down the hallway that led towards Artist’s Rest.

The door opened and Audrey froze. Her breathing quickened and her pulse accelerated as she blinked in disbelief at the sight that greeted her.

In front of a fountain decorated with an absolutely darling cutout of himself snoozing away in a two-dimensional bed, stood her missing friend: Bendy. Unmelted, uninjured, and completely whole. 

Smiling nervously at the woman with a familiar grin, the little devil gave her a shy wave. 

“BENDY!” she exclaimed, rushing towards the toon.

Startled, he took a step back before he was scooped up into Audrey’s arms. 

“Oh, I’m so happy you’re okay. I was so worried,” the artist gushed, squeezing him against her chest.

After a moment of stunned hesitation, he returned the hug, nuzzling into the crook of her neck and almost melting into her arms. 

Setting the toon on the ground, Audrey knelt to his level. Holding his face in her hands, she hastily scanned him for any injuries. The little devil fussed at the attention but didn’t pull away.

“Are you hurt anywhere? Are you feeling dizzy at all? How are your hands doing?”

Before Bendy could attempt to answer, Audrey realized she was touching him with her left hand. 

She gasped, pulling her hand away like she had touched a hot stove. 

Unfazed by the possibly damaging contact, Bendy tilted his head, regarding the artist curiously. 

“Sorry,” Audrey stammered, internally cursing herself for being so careless, “I…I didn’t shock you again, did I?”

The toon shook his head, uncharacteristically nonchalant by the near-reinjury. 

Impulsively, the young animator reached out with her left hand to make certain she wasn’t imagining it but pulled away before touching him, scolding herself for even risking it.

However, Bendy noticed the attempt. With a confidence Audrey didn’t understand, he reached out with a hand, encouraging her to do the same. 

“Are you sure?” she questioned, hesitant to risk injuring the toon again.

He waved her forward, nodding. 

Tentatively, she  returned the gesture, brushing her fingertips against his hand. 

Nothing happened.

She closed her hand around his. 

Again, nothing. No sudden light, no terrible zap, no stinging, no pain…simply the comforting sensation of the soft fabric from his gloves rubbing her skin. 

Audrey sighed in relief. 

“Hopefully that was a one-time thing,” she said while releasing his hand. “I’ll still be careful to make sure I don’t accidentally hurt you again.”

Bendy squinted at her for a moment, then shrugged, leaving Audrey with a faint impression that he didn’t believe the caution was necessary. She thought about asking him but decided to ask a more important question instead. 

“So, what happened to you back in the maintenance tunnels?” the animator asked, furrowing her brow in concern, “One minute you were with me and the next you were gone!”

Mouth thinning into a line, the toon raised a hand to his chin and tapped his foot, thinking hard. Then, he made a flurry of complicated motions and gestures, including but not limited to: covering his eyes, pulling on his horns, jumping on his toes, the series of hide and seek gestures from when they first met and shielding his head. He finished his performance by pointing at the ground with a strong finality. 

“You…got lost? And did…something…then ended up here?” Audrey hazarded, using her own assumptions as a crutch to puzzle out the confusing set of charades. 

Bendy started to shake his head, paused, and nodded.

She wanted to ask for clarification until she heard a pair of voices in the distance. Lost ones. Two of them.

Panicking, the artist searched for a place to hide. 

Luckily, a crate and a barrel rested across from each other at the end of the hallway, near the sealed elevator gate. 

Lifting the little demon again (who happily complied), she rushed over to the crate and urged him inside. 

After obediently crawling into the crate, Bendy turned to watch her with a question in his eyes. 

“Stay in here,” Audrey whispered, glancing nervously down the hall. The voices were steadily increasing in volume. “Don’t come out until I tell you to.”

Smacking the neighboring barrel with her gent pipe until the side broke in, she hurriedly cleared the debris and climbed inside. She caught Bendy eyeing her skeptically, and resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him. If it worked against the Ink Demon, it would work against a lost one. 

Wet footsteps approached and a lost one entered the hallway. Blinking dumbly, he walked towards their hiding place. 

Bendy flashed Audrey a nervous look and she held a finger to her lips. 

The lost one passed the crate and barrel, reaching the end of the hallway without noticing them. He paused.

“I thought I heard something over here,” the lost one mumbled.

“What if it was the Ink Demon?” a shrill voice called from the other end of the hallway, “Wilson said he’s dead but I saw him in Artist Alley!”

The lost one gave the end of the hallway one final search then left to rejoin his companion.

Audrey thought about approaching the lost ones. If they were able to interact without murdering each other, there was a chance she could talk to them. 

“Whatever it was, if I find it I’m going to rip it apart. Just wait and see.” 

…Nevermind.

The pair shuffled away, one moaning about the dangers of the Ink Demon while the other listened in murderous silence. 

Sighing in relief, Audrey noticed Bendy peering at her with a peculiar expression. Almost like he was…mad. If she wasn’t worried about drawing dangerous attention to their position, she would have asked him what was wrong.

Instead, she motioned for him to stay where he was. The toon nodded in response, fearfully hugging his legs to his chest.

Creeping out of her barrel, the artist tiptoed to the end of the hallway. She was fairly confident she could take two lost ones at once, especially if she managed to banish one first. However, with Bendy here, she didn’t want to risk him getting hurt in the crossfire. No, it was better to find a safe place to hide him, then she could deal with the lost ones and explore the area in peace. 

Peeking around the corner, the woman took in her surroundings. Artist’s Rest was huge, complete with a gallery and an office set in the middle of the room, advertising blankets and…hot coffee.

The young animator’s  mouth watered. She could really go for a good cup of coffee right now.

Focus, Audrey! 

Shaking her head, she decided to explore that area later. First, she needed to find a place to hide Bendy.

Several lost ones patrolled the area, climbing up and down the stairs to the gallery and passing through the coffee office.

On the first floor, Audrey spied several entrances to hallways lining the perimeter of the main hall. 

Sneaking through those hallways, she found a closed door off to the side. As she drew near, the door opened. The room was small, containing a few vending machines, a crate, a chair and, most importantly, no lost ones.

Perfect.

Retreating to the main entrance, Audrey waved Bendy over. He obediently followed, eager to leave the cramped space of his crate. 

Counting on the lost ones’ poor eyesight, she led him to the vending machine room. They made it to their destination without anyone noticing their presence.

Safe behind a closed door, she turned to find the little demon frowning at her, arms folded petulantly in front of him.

“Is there a problem?” 

With a huff, Bendy turned his face away from her. 

Bewildered, the artist racked her brain for anything she could have done to offend the toon. 

 “Are you upset that I left you in the hallway?”

He shook his head. 

“Are you upset that I picked you up without asking?”

Another head shake, this one more emphatic than the first.

“Can you tell me what I did?”

Still refusing to look at her, the little devil sat down with arms still folded. 

Perplexed by his behavior, Audrey placed her hands on her hips. Something crackled in one of her pockets. 

Idea.

Holding out the Bendy Bites she’d stored from earlier, she wiggled them enticingly to catch the toon’s attention. It worked and his eyes widened at the sight of his favorite snack.

“Would this make you feel better?”

Nodding vigorously, he snatched the Bendy Bites from her hand. 

Audrey laughed and glanced at the door behind them. She hoped this room was safe enough to leave him in.

Returning her attention to Bendy, she found he already finished his treat with no wrapper in sight. She was growing increasingly worried that he was consuming an unhealthy amount of plastic. Which was any amount of plastic.

The toon pointed at the vending machine and then his mouth.

“Sorry Bendy,” the animator shook her head with a sympathetic smile, “I don’t have very many slugs left. We need to save them for emergencies.”

Pouting, the toon clasped his hands together in a begging gesture and fixed her with pleading eyes. They glistened under the harsh light of the studio’s uncovered bulbs and a single solitary tear traced down his cheek.

Rooting through her pockets with a sigh, Audrey found five more slugs and placed them into the vending machine. 

“Okay, this is the last one, only because you’re the cutest thing in the studio.”

Bouncing gleefully, he accepted her offering, retrieving it from the vending machine himself. He raised the snack to his mouth, then paused, regarding Audrey curiously.

With a blush, the artist realized she was staring and glanced away. When she tried to sneak a peek a second later the food already disappeared. The mystery of how the living cartoon ate would remain unsolved. For now.

“Alright Bendy,” Audrey said, crouching down to match his gaze. “I’m going to go look around. This is a big area and I don’t know how dangerous it is yet. I need you to stay here and if you hear anyone walk by, hide in this crate, okay?”

The toon blinked at her, then walked over to the chair and sat down. 

“Great! I’ll be right back, I promise.”

Creeping through the doorway, Audrey scanned the corridor for any lost ones. The coast was clear.

Making a beeline for the center office, she scoured its interior for her favorite drink. Despite its promise of ‘hot coffee’, all she found were a few slugs, some gent parts, and an audio tape on the counter.

The artist wanted to cry. This whole ‘adventure’ started all because she craved a good Cup of Joe. Instead, she got sucked into some old studio hellscape, her body warped to the point she almost didn’t recognize herself in a mirror, she was chased by people made from ink, had to kill some of those people, played lethal hide and seek with a monster, and had no idea how to escape this nightmare. And she still hadn’t gotten her coffee! No employee of the month award was worth this. 

With a sigh, Audrey pressed play on the audio recording, barely listening to the man’s voice as she noted the access controls on the other wall labeled: Upper Beds, Sauna Entry, and Lost & Found.

She heard them before she saw them. 

“It’s the Stranger!”

“She’s in the office!”

“Get her!”

“Kill her!”

Audrey jumped, watching through the counter’s glass window as several lost ones swarmed down the stairs from the gallery and neighboring corridors, heading straight for the center office. Therefore, heading straight for her.

Lunging for the open door, she slammed it shut just as a lost one smacked into it. Several hands pounded the door, cracking its glass window. Holding the doorknob tight, she placed her full body weight against the door. 

Audrey glanced worriedly at the opposing wall. Despite their poor vision and lack of lucidity, she knew it wouldn’t be long before the lost ones noticed the door on the other side of the office.

Somehow, she managed to capture the attention of every lost one in the Artist’s Rest. She doubted she would survive fighting all of them at once.

I’m sorry, Bendy. The animator closed her eyes, praying the toon could find the way back to his hideout on his own. 

Suddenly, the world darkened. Black crept around the edges of her vision. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears and she instinctively began to hyperventilate.

Pulsing black lines crawled across the ground and walls. Ink dripped from the ceiling, staining the floors and countertop of the office as Audrey cowered inside.

Lost ones shrieked, abandoning the door and fleeing the area. 

At least, they tried to.

The Ink Demon leapt into view, catching a lost one by the arm and tearing it off. When the lost one fell to the ground he stomped on their head, reducing the body to an inky puddle.

A shadowy aura emanated from his powerful form, evidently the source of those pulsing black lines.

Crouching low, the demon pounced on another lost one, ripping their throat out with his teeth. Even through the closed doors and windows of the office, Audrey could hear the gurgling scream and crunching of bone as he finished off his victim.

The artist watched in terrified horror as the Ink Demon massacred the remaining lost ones in a similar manner: ripping, slashing, tearing and stomping with manic glee. 

Finally, it was quiet. The dark aura receded, the ink dripping from the walls and ceiling disappearing with it. 

Standing amongst the inky viscera littering the floor and hanging from the staircase railings, the Ink Demon matched Audrey’s frightened gaze with pride. She couldn’t tell if he was grinning or if that was just the way his mouth always was. 

Then, he waved at her.

The simple action spurred the animator into motion. She ducked underneath the countertop, knowing the action was useless but unable to come up with a better plan to avoid dying by the hands of the monster lurking outside.

The Ink Demon’s wet footsteps stomped closer, stopping outside the office door. The crack darkened and Audrey could hear his rumbling and animalistic breathing through it.

A whimper escaped her lungs, followed by a hopeless sob. This was it. She was going to die. 

The shadow lingered, then withdrew. The unique footsteps of the demon diminished in volume until they disappeared entirely.

…What?

He…he saw her. He stared her right in the eyes and…left. 

Bendy!

As soon as she dared, Audrey cracked open the door and poked her head out into the main hall. 

The scent of freshly spilt ink wafted into her nostrils. Working in an animation studio, she had long grown accustomed to the smell. Especially now, with ink practically oozing down the walls of every room, she normally wouldn’t think much of it. 

This time she was hit by a wave of nausea. The animator gagged, refusing to focus on the carnage lying in melting chunks across the floor. 

Audrey waited, counting for a full thirty seconds. No ink demon sprang out at her so she assumed it was safe to go to Bendy.

Unless the monster wanted her to lead him to the toon. But there was no way he knew they were traveling together, right? 

One way or another, the artist couldn’t stay here forever and she needed to see if Bendy was okay and warn him of the nearby threat. 

For the entirety of the return to the little devil’s hideout, Audrey was on edge. What was supposed to be a short stroll was an agonizing pilgrimage. 

Eventually, she reached the door and it opened, revealing Bendy in the exact same place she’d left him, swinging his legs boredly from his chair.

Pounds of stress left the woman’s shoulders. 

“Hey bud-” Audrey was cut off as the little demon slammed into her legs, beaming at her. 

With a laugh, she ruffled the top of his head. “Did you miss me?”

How could she explain the situation without scaring him too badly?

“So, Bendy,” she began, crouching to his level. “I have some good news, and some bad news. Which do you want to hear first?”

After thinking for a moment, the toon gave her a thumbs up.

“Alright. The good news is, I’m pretty sure there are no more lost ones in the area.”

Bendy smiled at that and went to push past her out the door.

Sticking out her arm, Audrey stopped him and said, “Wait a second, I haven’t told you the bad news yet.”

With an exaggerated sigh, the little devil gave her a thumbs down. 

“The bad news is, the Ink Demon is in the area. Do you know who the Ink Demon is?” 

Bendy paused. Rubbing his hands together nervously, he hesitantly nodded. 

“Good. He’s the reason there are no more lost ones  and I don’t know if he’s still here,” Audrey explained with more casualness than she felt. “I don’t mean to alarm you but we need to be extra careful while he’s around because if he finds us…well…it won’t be pretty.” 

The toon bobbed his head up and down in understanding. For such a timid fellow, he was taking this surprisingly well. The artist was proud.

“Finally, I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to explore the area alone anymore. Two pairs of eyes are better than one.”

Besides, Audrey could never forgive herself if she told Bendy to wait somewhere and the Ink Demon found him before she returned. 

Offering Bendy her hand, which he joyfully accepted, the two of them scoured the first floor together. Thankfully, the remains from the Ink Demon’s rampage had mostly melted into puddles or unrecognizable lumps.

The hallway trash cans held the occasional box of gent parts or battery but nothing of great value. As unnatural as it felt to dig through the trash, Audrey continued to do it just in case she found something useful. A spare battery could mean the difference between life and death in this studio. 

The Lost & Found and Sauna doors were both locked, impeding their progress. Oh well, that simply meant it was time to explore the gallery.

As they approached the staircase, Bendy tugged the hem of Audrey’s shirt. 

Glancing down, her brain nearly ceased to function as the toon reached up to her with grabby hands. 

“Oh!” she exclaimed, doing her best not to squeal at the adorable sight. “Do you want me to carry you?”

He smiled and nodded his head.

The animator happily obliged, resting him on her hip.  She failed to notice earlier that he was surprisingly heavy for his small size and blamed the oversight on adrenaline; although, she didn’t mind the extra weight.

Looping his arms around her neck, Bendy rested his head contentedly on her shoulder. 

At the top of the stairs, Audrey returned him to the ground.

Immediately his hands shot into the air and he motioned for her to pick him up again.

Unable to resist her favorite cartoon character, the artist returned him to her hip and set off to explore the gallery. 

First they found some lockers. They had some valuable items inside that Audrey retrieved with her free hand. One of them was completely empty.

“See this, Bendy?” she said, rapping her knuckles against the locker. “This is the one of the best places to hide when trouble comes by. If you see the Ink Demon, hide in here okay?”

Squirming out of her grip, he landed on the ground and jumped inside the locker, investigating its interior.

“The best part of this hiding spot is you can watch what’s happening outside through these slits, see?”

Closing the locker door, Audrey realized just after the door clicked shut that Bendy was far too short to reach the slits. 

Upon reopening the door, she tried not to smirk at the disgruntled toon inside.

“Well, I can see through it.”

The little devil glared at her from the bottom of the locker, unamused.

Fighting down a snicker at his expression, the animator offered her arms to the lil’ guy. Despite his sour mood, her companion reluctantly allowed himself to be carried again.

They found an entrance with another elevator sign above it, but it was boarded up. However, on the other side of the gallery, Audrey spotted a balcony leading into the area. They also discovered hoist controls to a suspended platform. If she moved the platform, it was possible she could use her flow ability to access the balcony. She wasn’t sure how she would bring Bendy with her but she could worry about that later.

A note rested beside the switch and she read it, hoping it contained a hint as to how she could unlock the control panel. 

I put the crane keys in the Lost & Found office, the note read, written by a Muncie Dunn. Some dope keeps leaving them out.

Thank you, Mr. Dunn. Now she only needed to find a way into Lost & Found. The artist remembered the control panel in the center office. Maybe it would unlock the door?

Readjusting her grip on Bendy, the woman descended the stairs and reentered the center office. After pressing the button on the wall, the sound of doors opening echoed through the hall. She pressed it once more and the Lost & Found button lit up.

“Now we hope that worked!” She grinned at Bendy, who blinked sleepily from his position on her chest.

Returning the grin, he snuggled into her shoulder, breathing out a contented sigh. 

After giving him a couple fond pats on the head, Audrey walked over to the Lost & Found office. 

To her delight, the door opened this time! The hallway was oddly long but the artist didn’t dwell on the strange design. 

At the end of the hallway, Audrey frowned. The Lost & Found window was partially blocked, the metal shutter preventing her from climbing through. 

She went to place Bendy on the floor but he refused to let go of her.

“Look, I can pick you up again after I search this room, ok?” she said, exasperated and gently shaking the toon attached to her. “But I can’t carry you through the whole studio.”

Even though he released her, the toon pouted, eyes glistening like she had said the saddest thing he’d ever heard.  

Audrey sighed. Using both hands, she attempted to lift the metal shutter and failed. It was rusted in place: completely immovable.

So, she flowed through the gap. 

When she checked  to make sure Bendy was staying put, she found him ogling her with eyes wider than reels on a projector.

The animator realized this was the first time he’d seen her use her flow ability. 

With a wink, she boasted, “I learned a new trick after we got separated,” to the toon.

He continued to stare and she giggled at his awe-struck expression.

“Stay right here, I’ll be back in a second.”

Beginning her familiar routine of ransacking the room, Audrey quickly found the lost and found keys hanging from a hook on the wall and pocketed them.

“Found the keys!” the artist declared to Bendy, moving further into the office. 

In the back corner of the office she found a schematic for a ‘Gent High Impact Mod’. 

“Hey, I also found an improvement for my gent pipe.” she called out, assuming the toon was listening. “It won’t take me that long to fix it up so be patient for me, okay, bud?”

Without waiting for an answer, the young animator began working on her gent pipe at the upgrade station. She had just the right amount of supplies to implement the changes. It would require using all of her gent toolkits but she figured it was worth it. 

The end product resulted in a trigger being added to her pipe. She activated it and the metal sparked with electricity, crackling dangerously. While she inwardly judged whoever had the idea to weaponize a pipe, she was happy for the added potency. 

Triumphant, she returned to the window to show off her newly improved gent pipe to Bendy and couldn’t find him.

Sticking her head through the gap, she looked down, hoping to find him sitting against the wall under the sill. Alas, he wasn’t there.

Audrey groaned. Hopefully he didn’t wander too far. 

The empty hallway echoed with her footsteps. She shivered, noting the creepy atmosphere now that she traversed it alone. 

As she drew near, the doorway opened to reveal the Ink Demon standing on the other side.

Stumbling away from the door with a yelp, Audrey tripped over her own feet and fell to the ground, gaping in horror at the monster’s unexpected appearance. 

The Ink Demon regarded the artist coldly. Tossed the lost one in his hand to the side, he took a step towards her.

Audrey scrambled away from the demon, pushing herself to her feet and retreating to the Lost & Found office. It was her only chance. 

THERE IS NO ESCAPE.

Primal fear blessed the animator with extra speed. She skidded to a halt in front of the office counter, only to try and fail at flowing through the gap. Her panicked mind was unable to focus on her destination.

Checking behind her, Audrey whimpered as she saw the Ink Demon leisurely prowl closer, taking his sweet time to reach her. 

I COULD HAVE KILLED YOU BEFORE…WHY CONTINUE TO RESIST?

Pushing her fear to the side, the artist focused on the black swirl conveniently painted on the far wall inside the office. Channeling the power within her, she successfully willed herself inside; however, her previous failure damaged her trust in the ability. After flowing through the window she stumbled on her feet again and fell to the ground.

Flipping onto her back, she focused on the window and froze, instinctively holding her breath in fear.

The Ink Demon watched her carefully through the gap. Placing a hand on the sill, his claws clicked against metal and tile. She worried he would break the wall and tear through the opening to get her.

AUDREY…

She shivered, silently cursing whoever taught him her name. 

YOUR JOURNEY IS DESTINED FOR FAILURE. YOU WILL NOT FIND WHAT YOU SEEK. IT WILL BE EASIER IF YOU GIVE IN TO THE DARK PUDDLES NOW. 

Scooting further from the window, Audrey fixed the demon with what she hoped was a defiant glare. 

The Ink Demon growled, digging furrows into the wall with his claws. They screeched across the hard surfaces and the animator winced at the sound. 

I WILL GIVE YOU MEANING…I WILL GIVE YOU PURPOSE…CEASE THIS SENSELESS REBELLION AND JOIN ME IN MY DARK KINGDOM!

Gathering all the courage she could muster, Audrey attempted to shout at the demon, curse at him, tell him to stay away, leave her alone and never chase her or Bendy ever again. 

All that came out was a weak, half-whispered, “get-get away from me.”

To her astonishment, he listened. With a huff, the Ink Demon plodded away, leaving her in peace.

After a few minutes, the woman gathered enough nerve to regain her feet. 

She exited the Lost & Found hallway, anxiously checking over her shoulder every few seconds. 

More hurt than she would have liked to admit by his abandonment, she wondered if Bendy sensed the Ink Demon’s arrival and left. Why didn’t he warn her?

Although, she was rather focused on her work with the gent pipe. He could have tried to get her attention and she didn’t notice. Either that or the Ink Demon got him. 

NO . Just like last time, Audrey refused to believe Bendy was dead. 

After reaffirming that the Ink Demon was nowhere in sight, the animator repeatedly called for her little friend. 

“Bendy!” She yelled, wincing at how loud her voice sounded compared to the formerly silent hall. “Bendy, are you there?”

Listening carefully for the sound of little shoes running against the floor, Audrey was disappointed to hear nothing. Again and again she called for the toon with the same results.

After searching the entire area including the previously unexplored Sauna room TWICE, she gave up. She needed to move on. Bendy found her the last time they were separated. He would find her again. 

With the help of the Lost & Found key, Audrey unlocked the hoist controls and successfully shifted the hanging platform into a position she could use to leap to the exit balcony.

Several jumps and flows later, she walked down the previously unreachable hallway, and was promptly attacked by a lost one. Alarmed, she activated the high impact mod. With only two strikes the lost one fell to the ground, twitching.

Audrey moved on, barely a hint of guilt weighing her conscience. 

Upon reaching the next room, Wilson’s voice crackled over the studio’s intercoms.

“Attention, Children of the Machine,” the custodian wheezed. 

Rolling her eyes, the artist listened while she used the recharge station in the room. She wasn’t a child of the machine but maybe he had something useful to share.

Wilson proceeded to ramble about how any rumors that the Ink Demon returned were lies and that he killed the monster himself. 

Snorting at the claim, Audrey used her gent pipe to unlock a door. Like she hadn’t just been chased by the terrifying creature. She absentmindedly wondered what Wilson had to gain by lying to the inhabitants about the Ink Demon’s survival. Respect? Control? Fear? Perhaps he truly believed he killed him.

After crossing through the door into the new room, Wilson’s voice returned. “This is Wilson. Anyone caught in restricted areas will be taken immediately to the pit. So be a good egg. Follow the rules. ”

Not following the rules had kept her alive so far, so Audrey dismissed the instruction. Besides, how was she supposed to know what areas were restricted or not? 

The boarded entryways and locked doors were a clue but she disregarded them in favor of the signs directing her to the elevators. 

The artist eagerly continued until she heard a strange repetitive crunching noise in the distance. It sounded almost like…chewing. 

Goosebumps erupted over her skin and she resisted an overwhelming urge to turn back. Whatever that sound was, it was driving her instincts crazy.

Hefting her gent pipe, the young animator moved forward. After banishing another lost one and breaking into the next room, she was stopped by a giant chain-link fence, unnaturally splitting the room in half. The door through the fence was locked but she found another way in by moving a cart out of a hole in the fence. 

The haunting echo of gnawing and tearing tormented her the entire time. 

Reluctantly, Audrey crept down the stairs, lured by yet another elevator sign. The awful noise grew louder and clearer as she descended, accompanied by the occasional rumble or frighteningly familiar growl.

At the bottom of the stairs, the woman found the elevators. Unfortunately, one of the elevators was out of order. Even more unfortunately, the other was the source of the horrible noise. 

Hunching ominously in the remaining elevator, the Ink Demon buried his jaws into a lost one’s midsection. Golden eyes stared listlessly in the distance. Audrey watched in horrified fascination as he repeatedly tore into the limp body. 

The pulsating lines of shadow had returned, throbbing along the floor and causing the ceiling to drip with ink. Audrey stood barely out of the dark aura’s reach. Albeit distracted, she had a subtle notion that if she stepped any closer her vision would be corrupted once again.

The Ink Demon ripped out a substantial hunk of inky flesh. As he lifted his head to swallow it down, he paused, then whipped around with a snarl to face his audience.

Despite realizing the demon had noticed her, the artist didn’t move, fear and disgust holding her in place. 

Interestingly enough, neither did he, though for reasons she couldn’t fathom. 

The elevator doors slammed shut and the Ink Demon instantly vanished. A moment later, so did his intimidating aura.

Incredulous, Audrey gawked at the elevator door. That did not just happen. The Ink Demon did not just block her escape to the upper levels. 

She held back a scream of frustration. It wasn’t fair! She finally found the exit and he had to appear now ? Why now? Why not a little earlier when she could have hidden in a locker or a little miracle station or even another stupid barrel to avoid him? 

Audrey considered the disappearance of his dark aura. Perhaps he had left the elevator using some special demonic ability. Perhaps he was waiting to ambush her when she inevitably opened the door like the desperate fool she was. If that was the case, maybe… maybe she could banish him. She could electrocute him with her gent pipe then follow with a strike from her left hand, sending him back to the Dark Puddles he was such a big fan of. 

In spite of her plan, the woman was enveloped by a sense of despair. He was the only thing standing between her, the exit and possibly freedom. She had scoured the previous areas. There were no stairs she could use to ascend (whoever designed this place should have been fired) and no other accessible elevators. Besides, she couldn’t really banish the Ink Demon, could she? 

I have to go in there, the animator thought with a grimace. I have to at least try. 

Cautiously, she approached the elevator, watching for the telltale inky veins to return.

Pressing the UP button with the end of her gent pipe, Audrey jumped back, readying her weapon and raising her left hand menacingly. 

The elevator doors opened to reveal none other than Bendy himself, grinning innocently inside the elevator.

“Bendy?” Audrey relaxed, lowering her gent pipe. 

A dribble of ink ran down the toon’s forehead as he cheerfully waved at her. She could only stare in disbelief at his sudden appearance. Where did he come from? How the hell did he get in there? What happened to the Ink Demon?

The only explanation that the artist could devise was that she hallucinated the whole thing. There was ink everywhere, the fumes must have affected her mind. Considering the last drink she had was from before entering the studio, she was definitely dehydrated as well…except she suffered none of the usual symptoms of dehydration. She’d also been turned into an ink monster with glowing eyes that could absorb the lifeforce of other ink people: who knew what other side effects that could have caused!

Even with her excuses and her frantic hypothesizing, Audrey knew what she saw! The Ink Demon was in this elevator. She heard him ripping into that lost one and crushing its bones in his jaws. She could still hear it even, reverberating in her ears!

And yet, it was Bendy who stood before her, not the Ink Demon. Stepping to the side, he wordlessly invited her to join him in the elevator. 

Get a hold of yourself Audrey, she cursed as she entered the elevator, closing her eyes. You’re losing it. 

After taking her place next to the little demon, the artist noticed a lost one’s broken corpse shoved in the corner of the elevator. Right behind Bendy. Odd. 

She examined the devil suspiciously. Another trickle of ink dripped down his face as he studied the elevator floor.  Maybe…no, that was impossible. There was no way this little living cartoon was the Ink Demon.

Dismissing the ridiculous idea, Audrey pressed a button in the elevator and they began to ascend. 

“So…where did you wander off to?” she asked, hoping to ease the strange tension in the confined space.

Bendy shrugged and avoided her gaze, returning to his intense study of the elevator floor. Almost like he was embarrassed by something. 

“Okay…” Audrey shifted her feet. Why did this feel so awkward?

She tried again.

“I heard the upper levels of the studio are safer than the lower levels. Is that true?” 

Glancing at the animator nervously, he nodded. 

“That’s a relief.” She smiled at the toon. He smiled back. 

Wow this is a long elevator ride.

“So, I was thinking,” Audrey began, with an uneasy grin. “Once we get to the upper levels, I’m going to try and leave the studio.”

Startled, Bendy stared at her in shock. 

Although she was unsure of how he would react to the offer, she continued, “you could come with me, if you’d like.”

A series of emotions rapidly passed over the little devil’s face. First confusion, then understanding, followed by elation and ultimately settling on doubt and some other emotion she couldn’t place.

Before he could answer a white noise burst from the intercom. An unfamiliar disturbing and raspy voice hissed out a message.

“Unauthorized surface elevator in use. Manual life ejection activated.”

Audrey and Bendy shared a look of panic.

The elevator fell.

Clinging to her pant leg, the toon closed his eyes and braced for impact. In response, the artist crouched down, hugging him protectively to her chest.

The elevator halted, pausing long enough for the duo to relax. Then the floor opened up from beneath them. 

Yelling, Audrey grasped for anything to slow her fall. She managed to catch a random ledge on the way down but it knocked the wind from her lungs. She landed on her side, head smacking against the ground a second later. Vision darkening, she succumbed to a loss of consciousness. 

The last thing the animator saw before blacking out was the Ink Demon landing next to her. 

Chapter Text

The Ink Demon finished switching forms just in time to crash into the floor. 

Growling at the inconvenience, he pushed himself off the ground and shook off the consequential dizziness from the rushed transformation. If he had the foresight to change even a second earlier while in his weakened state, he could have saved himself the embarrassment. What a fool. 

At least he managed to avoid landing on Audrey. 

Glancing at the immobile body next to him, a spike of fear impaled his chest. Except, it wasn't just fear, it had another name…Worry? Yes, that was correct. Fear was an emotion he knew well. Worry however…that was new. 

What were the signs of life? A heartbeat, that was important. Breathing, that was important too, although somewhat unnecessary in his opinion. With fondness he remembered hearing them both as Audrey carried him around Artist’s Rest.

Rising to a crouch, the Ink Demon listened carefully with invisible yet keen ears. Two heartbeats thumped within inky vessels, one slower than the other: her heart and his own. Quieter than his own gravelly and rasping breaths, air whispered in and out of Audrey’s mouth, her chest rising and falling in unison with the sound.

Another unfamiliar emotion, cool and comforting, caused the Ink Demon to relax muscles he didn’t realize were tensed. 

Relief. How peculiar. More and more emotions from his former prison were leaking into his true form. When he first discovered this, it evoked conflicting responses from within: however, just like the first time, he put off any further self-examination in favor of focusing on his current predicament.

Reaching out with a clawed hand, the Ink Demon delicately brushed the hair from Audrey’s eyes. They were closed. 

Thin claws ghosted over the artist’s ink-stained skin. So fragile. So weak. It would be ridiculously easy to crush the life out of her helpless form, consume her body and soul and gain a power great enough to force his entire domain to its knees. Even the Liar and his accursed Keepers would be powerless against him. 

But he wouldn’t, at least, not without her consent. Through only a few small acts of kindness, she had proven to him that not all life had to be suffering. As a result he had lost his craving for violence towards this particular soul. She was…different. 

Audrey’s eyelashes fluttered. With a groan, she shifted in place, seconds away from regaining consciousness

Jumping to his hooves, the Ink Demon backed away from the awakening woman.

She couldn’t see him like this, he still needed to prove that he meant her no harm. He remembered her terrified sobs after he slaughtered the impudent lost ones that dared attack his only ally. He remembered how she cowered before him in the Lost & Found office and her horrified stare after she found him in the elevator. 

At first, the irrational fear was entertaining. Now it was annoying. He was growing sick of the sight of her face twisting in fear at his presence. It made him experience nameless emotions he preferred not to experience at all. 

With an upwards glance, the Ink Demon found the perfect hiding place in the elevator shaft they fell from. 

Leaping effortlessly into the air, he pulled himself onto a ledge leading to a cavity in the wall. It was a tight squeeze but he managed to tuck his lanky yet muscular body into the convenient space. Now all he needed was for Audrey not to look up. 

The woman in question stirred and awoke, rising to a sitting position.

“Bendy? Bendy, where are you?”

She was always so quick to remember him.

The Ink Demon’s teeth stretched in a terrifying grin, his black heart warming with an emotion he had grown very fond of: affection. In his childlike form he experienced it almost nonstop when he was with the woman. He desired to experience it more in his true form, but her refusal to join him was making that difficult. 

A spider-like creature approached Audrey. It climbed onto her gent pipe with a hiss and she batted it away before reclaiming the tool, rising to her feet in a panic.

Fighting back his own retaliatory hiss, the Ink Demon grumbled quietly in his hiding place, digging his claws into the surrounding surfaces. Something was wrong. Those creatures were wrong. They didn’t belong in his kingdom.

A widow, the Dark Puddles helpfully informed him, their voice rasping quietly in his mind. Offspring of the Widow King.

Strange black pods growing out of the stone floor opened, revealing disgusting toothy maws. They spat out widow after widow, the tiny creatures pursuing Audrey with a relentless passion the Ink Demon almost admired. 

Tilting his head to the side, he watched the entertaining scene unfold beneath him. The animator bravely fought back against the widows, crushing them with her gent pipe or under her feet. She ran around the room in humorous circles to avoid the growing swarm of widows that chased her. 

After a minute or so, he debated joining her. The creatures were small but seemingly endless. If he destroyed the pods, surely that would stop the flow of attackers. Judging by the woman’s change of focus to hitting random pillars rather than defending herself against the widows, she was growing hysterical. It wouldn’t be long before she was completely overwhelmed. 

The decision was made for him after Audrey landed one final blow on a pillar and something mechanical shifted above the Ink Demon. Before he could locate the source of the noise, the manhole cover below him opened, four huge spiked legs protruding from underneath it. Smaller widows skittered away to disappear in the darkness as those spear-like limbs pulled the rest of their nightmarish body into the open.

The Widow King, the ink whispered hatefully. Created by the Liar to terrorize and to punish. 

The sense of wrongness enveloping the Ink Demon became too strong to ignore. 

Jumping down from his hideaway with a roar, he landed directly onto the monstrous creature, pinning its legs underneath his hooves and digging his claws into its inky flesh. 

At his appearance any remaining widows hissed and scuttled away to disappear in the darkness. At least they were intelligent enough to fear him, although he was somewhat disappointed by their retreat. He wanted to know what they tasted like.

Shaking him off with a hiss, the hideous beast stabbed at him with its legs, an attack he effortlessly dodged. 

This could be a good thing, the Ink Demon thought optimistically. Maybe Audrey would finally understand that he was protecting her.

While he battled the Widow King, the Ink Demon caught sight of the young artist unlocking a gent door with her pipe. Without a backwards glance, she bolted through it, leaving him to deal with the beast alone.

An emotion that constantly smoldered along the edges of his mind burst aflame, hot and empowering. Rage. 

UNGRATEFUL WRETCH! 

Seizing the Widow King’s jaws with both hands, the Ink Demon pulled and pulled, ignoring how the creature’s legs desperately stabbed and clawed at his skin until he heard a rip. With a guttural roar, he tore the creature in two. Normally, he would have stayed to feast on his spoils but he had more important prey to pursue.

Tossing the beast’s remains to the side with a snarl, he tore through the halls on all fours, searching for Audrey. 

Their bond was not yet strong enough for him to see through her eyes or hear through her ears, so instead he spoke into her mind, hoping to dissuade her from concealing herself.

YOU CANNOT HIDE.

His path was blocked by a half-closed metal shutter and he pushed it up with a growl. The metal shrieked in protest but relented, falling back into place after he ducked into the hallway. 

Stalking past a locker and a bookshelf without a second thought, he soon reached the entrance to the sewers. Crouching at its edge, he peered into the hole. Nothing was on the ladder.

Figuring she must have already climbed down, he was about to jump when a memory struck his mind.

This is one of the best places to hide when trouble comes by. If you see the Ink Demon, hide in here okay?

Backtracking to the metal shutter, the Ink Demon considered its neighboring locker suspiciously. Creeping closer, he peered through the metal slits with a curious rumble.

Golden eyes stared back. 

The locker door slammed into his body. Caught by surprise, the Ink Demon stumbled back, shaking his head to reorient himself.

A gent pipe smashed against his skull, followed up by a hand gripping his face.

When he realized what Audrey was trying to do, he was hurt. 

Not physically. No, in this form, he was immune from physical pain; however, he was completely unprotected from emotional pain. 

YOU WOULD USE YOUR GIFT AGAINST ME? 

Seizing the gent pipe, he ripped it from her hand and threw it against the ground with a roar. When she turned to flee, he grabbed Audrey from behind, pinning her arms to her sides. He hugged her to his chest: tight enough that she couldn’t escape or attack him, but loose enough not to bruise or break her. 

Attempting to force the woman into submission, the Ink Demon snarled menacingly in her ear.

CEASE. 

Audrey continued to struggle. The Ink Demon wasn’t sure if he found her stubbornness endearing or frustrating. Perhaps both.

“Let me go!”

One second thought, it was definitely frustrating. So ungrateful. She hadn’t a notion how difficult it was for him to practice such restraint.

YOU ARE IN NO POSITION TO MAKE DEMANDS. 

“What do you want from me?” she cried out, voice cracking in desperation. 

Evil thoughts arose, tempting and taunting him to take advantage of her weakness, to break her, devour her, to end this pointless resistance now.

Growling in frustration towards Audrey and his own violent urges, he responded. 

I WANT YOU TO JOIN ME.

“Why me?” It sounded like she was close to tears.

Guilt weighed on the demon’s chest but he refused to let her go, not until she understood what he needed her to understand. 

IT IS YOUR FATE. 

To his immense relief, Audrey stopped struggling. Still, he maintained his grip on her. He was certain that, if given the opportunity, she would escape from him once again. 

“What do you mean?” she asked, more exasperated than fearful at this point. 

DO YOU THINK IT WAS MERE COINCIDENCE THAT THE DARK PUDDLES BLESSED YOU JUST BEFORE MY RETURN? YOU FREED ME FROM MY DEFENSELESS PRISON.

“Nothing you say makes any sense,” the animator complained, kicking off the ground in another attempt to escape. “I didn’t free you from anything. I don’t even know you!”

The demon hissed at her denial. Ready or not, he needed her to know that Bendy and the Ink Demon were one and the same.  He saved her life! He deserved recognition for what he had done. He deserved her gratitude. He deserved her praise!

YOU DO KNOW ME, he insisted with a pleading rumble, YOU SHOWED ME A KINDNESS NO OTHER BEING HAS EVER SHOWN ME. 

Again, Audrey ceased in her efforts to break free, although he could feel her tenseness: like a vat of ink one drop from bursting open.

The Ink Demon continued, sensing a realization in the making. YOU PROTECTED ME WHEN I WAS WEAK AND VULNERABLE. WE PLAYED GAMES TOGETHER. YOU PROMISED NEVER TO HURT ME.

A promise she had broken twice, but he was willing to forgive her. The first occurrence was necessary to release his true form and the second was an act of self-defense; although, his feelings were still sore after her attempt to banish him (ugh, he was getting soft). 

After a minute of silence he loosened his grip. Hope flickered in the Ink Demon’s chest, another novel emotion, one of the more positive ones.

She spoke, her voice cold and threatening.

“Where’s Bendy?”

YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHERE HE IS.

“What did you do with him?” 

WE ARE THE SAME.

“NO!” with renewed fury Audrey fought against the demon, compelling him to retighten his grip. He grunted in surprise as she elbowed him in the side. “You’re lying! You’re not Bendy. The Bendy I know is sweet and caring and kind, not a MONSTER!”

The word pierced the Ink Demon to his very core. Monster, failure, mistake. Those insults and others echoed from the depths of his earliest memories and it took every ounce of restraint he possessed not to crush the woman’s bones into powder for her insolence.  

That’s it. He was going to force her to accept the truth whether she liked it or not. 

Carrying the struggling woman to a nearby alcove, the Ink Demon let his arms fall open, releasing her. 

Immediately putting as much space between them as possible, Audrey backed into the corner, fearful eyes darting to the corridor behind him. However, his intimidating figure blocked her escape.

Spreading his arms in a dramatic gesture, the Ink Demon began the transformation process, willingly allowing the neutralizing filter to reclaim his mind. In a flurry of dissipating ink, he went from towering over the woman to craning his nonexistent neck to match her gaze. His posture became softer, less arrogant. Lingering remnants of pride and anger rapidly faded to be replaced with anxiety. 

Nonononononono! This wasn’t how this was supposed to happen! What was his big self thinking? He wasn’t ready, she wasn’t ready, they weren’t ready!

Bendy dropped his arms in favor of hugging himself, taking a step away from Audrey. Her expression of shock, fear, and confusion deeply pained him. She had never looked at him like this before, at least, not in his fun form. It almost hurt as bad as the Keepers’ torture devices. 

So, the toon did what had saved him from so much pain time and time again: he ran.

She didn’t call out for him. The lack of concern bruised his heart.

His descent was a blur: he couldn’t remember if he climbed, slid, or fell down the ladder leading into the sewers. When confronted by a sealed metal door underneath a bridge, he phased through it, forcing his ink through the tiny gaps and cracks in the metal. If the door wasn’t so old he would have had to find another way through: however, years without proper maintenance while it rusted away with rivers of ink running down its surface had damaged its integrity. 

Pausing to catch his breath, Bendy wiped at his eyes, desperate to halt the flood of tears flowing down his face. It was difficult considering his newfound certainty that Audrey would never love, hug or carry him ever again. 

He couldn’t remember why it was so important for Audrey to know that he had a scary side. Recalling her fear-stricken expression, he fervently wished he could rewind to before she knew the truth, before she found him in the elevator and even before they were separated for the first time. 

Back then, he was happy to follow the artist wherever she wanted to go, enjoying the snacks she shared with him and playing silly games together. Why did he have to ruin it?

Blurred memories of Audrey hiding, crying in his presence and running away from him floated to the surface of his mind. He didn’t like that she was scared of him when he was big. He wanted her to trust him no matter his size. 

But now, she was scared of him when he was little too. The way the animator stared at him after transforming was the worst thing ever. It made him feel guilty and super duper sad. He didn’t want Audrey to look at him like that!

Suddenly, Bendy noticed the cooling touch of liquid lapping at his heels. Glancing down, he discovered he was standing in a stream of black ink. 

Bad things came from the puddles if he lingered too long in one place. He needed to move. 

Climbing a nearby ladder, Bendy explored the area in a futile attempt to distract himself from the turmoil of emotions inside him. 

He found a switch on a big metal table but he didn’t dare pull it. It would open the way to the rest of the sewers. He had only traveled through there once but from what he remembered it was not a good place. 

Before he could explore further, a door at the end of a nearby corridor opened and Audrey stepped into the area. She paused when she saw him and Bendy noticed she had retrieved her gent pipe from when he had thrown it earlier. 

Heartbeat racing, the toon backed up, nervously searching for an easy escape. Finding none, he did the next best thing: turning on his heel and blindly running away. 

“Bendy, wait!” 

A small, courageous part of him urged him to stay but his fear overcame his bravery. His heart ached as a result of her broken promise. What if she attacked him again? Now that she knew his secret she might take advantage of him, just like Wilson. 

Another part of himself roared at his cowardice, itching to seize control and learn if Audrey still cared for him or not. 

However, Bendy wouldn’t let it, not now. He didn’t like how he felt when that part was in control. There was a chance that it would attack her, and despite everything that happened that was the last thing he wanted to do. 

Using his powers to squeeze through a covered vent near a Dream Supply vending machine, he waited with baited breath for Audrey to pass by. 

Her legs dashed past his hiding spot. Random objects clattered in the distance and hinges creaked from an unknown source before the legs returned, dejectedly walking back from where they came from.

Something clicked in that direction. Metal grated against metal in the distance and Bendy shrunk away from the vent cover, wincing at the noise. 

When he finally gathered the courage to leave his hiding place, Audrey was gone. 

There was now an open gap where a door blocked off the area from the rest of the sewers.

Shifting his feet, Bendy debated following her. When she saw him just now, she called out for him. That could be a good sign. He was scared that she would hurt him but he would never know if those were her true intentions unless he talked to her. Besides, after spending so much time together, Bendy hated being alone. 

Caught in indecision but worried he might lose her if he waited much longer, the little demon followed Audrey.

From the sheltered depths of different vents and grated pipes, Bendy spectated as the animator fought lost one after lost one. With a silent snarl, the feral part of him strained to break free so he could protect her, tear the lost ones limb from limb with his teeth but again, he forced it down. Audrey didn’t like it when he killed things. The horrified look on her face when she found him snacking in the elevator still stung. 

Besides, she didn’t need him to protect her. Hidden behind a large vent, Bendy watched as she fought three spikey-headed lost ones at once and killed all of them. One of them was even sitting on an important-looking chair, that must mean he was really strong! 

Her expression after she defeated the final lost one was scary. It was cold and angry. What if she stared at him like that the next time she saw him?

Two more lost ones ran out from a back room. Instead of attacking like the others, they saluted her, calling her ‘Amok’. 

Audrey didn’t kill them. When she took her place in the big chair, the toon left with tears in his eyes. She made new friends. They even gave her a cool nickname, Bendy had never done that! She didn’t need him anymore.

Fleeing the area, he phased through yet another door. He was sick of the sewers so he mindlessly climbed another long, long ladder to return to the surface. 

Sullen, he trudged through the following hallway, ignoring the iron gate to his left. The bad man and his Keepers liked to use those trains. As much as he loved trains, Bendy knew better than to venture into that area.

Halting in his tracks, Bendy remembered where he was with horror. If he kept walking forward, eventually he would arrive at that awful place where his current form was created.

Phantom pains of steel wires digging into his skin and cutting through his inky flesh erupted over his small body. Horrible tortured sounds rang in his ears, screams the normally mute demon didn’t know he was capable of making before that dreadful time.

Panic levels rising, Bendy started hyperventilating. He wanted to run and hide but he was stuck. He couldn’t move forward because that would bring him closer to the gent building. He couldn’t move backward because he was scared of the sewers. If he shifted forms he wouldn’t be scared anymore but Audrey was down there and she didn’t like his big self. She might even hate him.

That last thought, along with the dozens of other painful thoughts passing through his brain were enough to make the toon collapse in despair. He crawled into a nearby wooden crate and hid there, trembling in distress. 

Hugging his legs to his chest, Bendy put his head down and cried. His sobs were silent but just as painful as an audible cry. 

It was too much, everything was too much right now. The memories, the pain, and the fear overwhelmed his senses and he was unable to focus on anything else. 

One thought broke through the depressing haze that only served to accelerate his downward spiral: he was going to be alone forever.

Audrey stared distastefully at the ladder that led to the surface. While she was happy to leave the sewers, her exhaustion made the prospect of climbing very unattractive right now. 

With a resigned sigh, the artist began to climb the ladder rung by rung. 

After two seconds of resting her aching body on the semi-comfortable throne, Audrey knew she had to leave ASAP. Free access to Amok’s storage room was nice but she was keen to leave behind the weirdos that dubbed her the ‘new Amok.’ What was with this place and people giving her odd nicknames? At least Bendy just called her Audrey. 

She paused on the ladder, then kept climbing, still reeling from that reveal.

Bendy was the Ink Demon. The Ink Demon was Bendy. It was strange to admit and even stranger that she hadn’t figured it out before. 

Audrey recalled the exact moment when the Ink Demon disappeared, leaving a smug cartoon demon in his place. The expression was alien on his face and was quickly replaced by more fitting emotions of embarrassment, fear, and regret. 

Now it was her turn to feel regret. She missed her small companion, even if he was practically the Devil himself. She should have called him back when she had the chance. 

Finally reaching the top of the ladder, Audrey pulled herself to her feet. Her path was blocked by a barred metal door. As she went to push it open, something drew her attention on the other side. 

A shaking black shape was hiding inside a crate and the animator had a pretty good guess as to who it might be. 

Memories of the Ink Demon tearing lost ones apart with a malicious glee returned unbidden to the forefront of her mind. 

Despite her earlier remorse, Audrey froze up, hand resting on a cold metal bar.

The thought crossed her mind that she could probably walk past him without any confrontation. If he wanted to talk to her, he could have tracked her down easily enough in the sewers, especially as the Ink Demon. 

Taking a deep breath, she approached the crate, dismissing her fears. Despite his terrifying appearance and actions, the Ink Demon displayed no intention of harming her. He had several opportunities to do so and rather than hurt her he chose to protect her. 

Besides, Bendy was her friend. In a world of uncertainty, that was one thing she felt completely confident in. She wasn’t ready to give up on him yet. 

As she drew near, she watched the black shape let out a violent shudder and realized he was crying. 

Not wanting to startle the little demon, she fought the urge to rush to his side, instead stepping carefully in front of the crate to announce her presence. 

The shuddering abruptly stopped. Audrey wondered if he was just as nervous about this conversation as she was. 

As she crouched in front of the open crate, her heart melted at the sight that greeted her. 

Bendy watched her with fearful eyes, tears streaming down both sides of his face, shrinking into himself at her appearance. 

“Hey there, Bendy.” Audrey started, smiling at the toon. The pitiful sight reminded her of when she accidentally shocked him. 

Her chest panged as he attempted to give her a watery smile in return. He held it for a brief moment before it devolved into a dismal frown. 

“So…you’re the Ink Demon, huh?”

Somehow managing to appear even smaller in the already cramped space, Bendy nodded, shame and fear tainting his innocent face. 

“You know, it was pretty obvious now that I think about it.” the artist admitted with a humorless laugh. “I think you even tried to tell me once. That’s what you were miming outside Artist’s Rest, right?”

Shoulders relaxing slightly, Bendy nodded again, appearing more at ease.

Her legs trembled as a result of holding the crouch for so long and Audrey sat on the ground. She might as well settle in for the conversation at this point.

Another unseen barrier had arisen between the two of them and she wondered how she could break it down.

“Thank you for saving me from those awful spider things,” she tried, speaking with genuine gratitude. She didn’t want to imagine what would have happened if that giant mouth with legs caught her.

Startled by the unexpected show of appreciation, Bendy gazed at her with surprised and shining eyes. 

Audrey continued, sensing a change in the atmosphere and eagerly pursuing it. 

“And thank you for protecting me from the lost ones in Artist’s Rest, and any other time you may have protected me without my knowledge.”

The droplets running down the toon’s face slowed in their descent. Internally, Audrey realized she might not have been fair in judging him for attacking lost ones. She too had ink-stained hands, especially after passing through the sewers. Killing had almost become second nature for her, to her endless dismay. 

She thought about his disturbing eating habit and brushed it aside. She could address that later. 

“I’m sorry I called you a monster. You don’t deserve that.” 

At the apology, Bendy’s tears stopped altogether. He regarded her with wide, bewildered eyes. She might have laughed at the expression in another situation. 

“I wish that I reacted better, it was just a lot to take in,” Audrey continued, a rush of guilt passing through her as she remembered that critical moment. “You saved my life twice and I can’t ignore that. I really don’t think you want to hurt me, right?”

Bendy frantically shook his head, his mouth thinning into a single line. 

“Good.” Internally, Audrey heaved an immense sigh of relief, “If I’m being honest, I really don’t want to lose my best friend in this whole studio.”

After hearing her words, Bendy’s face lit up with a joy that would have brightened even the deepest, darkest inky abyss.

Audrey smiled at the expression, enjoying how it banished the barrier between them. Opening her arms in a silent invitation, she asked an essential question, “Still friends?”

Somehow Bendy’s eyes managed to grow even wider. In a flash, he burst from the crate and wrapped his whole body around her torso.

With a breathless and relieved laugh, the young artist returned the hug, supporting his back with one hand and cradling his head with the other. 

Squeezing her tight, the toon began to shake, then shudder, then full on sob into her shoulder. This close, Audrey noticed that other than his ragged breathing, his cries were soundless.

“Shhhhh, it’s okay, you’re okay,” she soothed, pushing aside the surreal feeling of comforting the Ink Demon himself. “You’re alright, everything’s going to be alright.” 

Warm, inky tears soaked into her shirt. Audrey wasn’t concerned about gaining another black stain on her blouse but she repressed a shiver as inkstain grew, the liquid rapidly cooling and sapping the heat from her skin. 

She wasn’t sure how long she sat there holding the crying demon while rubbing comforting circles into his back. The seemingly never-ending flow of tears eventually ceased and she simply held him, waiting for him to make the first move. 

Except, he didn’t. Resting the full weight of his head on her shoulder, he simply let himself be held, deep even breaths brushing against her neck. 

With both adoration and horror, Audrey realized he had fallen asleep. 

With the sewers entrance behind her, a barred door to her side, and an unexplored tunnel before her, she didn’t feel safe staying here. A threat could come from any of those directions and she didn’t want to be caught unawares while Bendy took a well-deserved nap, otherwise she wouldn’t have dared move.

In slow motion, the animator rose to her feet, careful to disturb the sleeping demon as little as possible. Bendy shifted at the movement, then resettled, breathing a contented sigh. 

With quiet footsteps, she moved forward, following the sign that read, STREET EXIT . She entered a new room, closing another iron door behind her. 

What in the world? Audrey thought to herself, gaping in disbelief at the view before her. How big is this place?

Through an ink-stained window, an entire city confronted her. According to the writing on the window, it was ‘a city built on broken dreams.’

A note she found in the sewers mentioned they were built to connect the studio to an alleged ‘Gent building’ but she wasn’t expecting to find an entire city on the other side.

The artist remembered her conversation with Joey. A pencil and a dream couldn’t have created all of this with only “a little help from the Gent corporation”. She needed to investigate the Gent building. She had a hunch it held the key to finding her way home. 

Glancing at the sleeping toon in her arms, Audrey regretted not asking Joey about the Ink Demon when they were together. She was too busy puzzling out all the other information he gave her. 

You’re here for a reason, she remembered him saying with an earnestness that warmed her soul. There’s always a reason. Even when you can’t understand it.

Despite the comforting words, Audrey couldn’t help but wish she knew more.

The slumbering demon snuggled further into her neck and she relaxed. Maybe she didn’t need to understand everything yet. With a dry smile, she realized she needed to re-evaluate her main goals. While she still wanted to go home, staying away from the Ink Demon was no longer necessary. 

Figuring this room was as safe as she could hope for, she sat next to a Bendy plush on one of the several benches in the room. 

After readjusting the sleeping body in her arms and settling into her seat, Audrey patiently waited for Bendy to wake up. 

Chapter Text

Audrey was so so so excited to tell Daddy her news! He was going to be so happy and proud, she just knew it!

As tiny feet dashed through the house, young ears detected the gentle chop chop chop that meant her dad was in the kitchen, so that’s where she ran. Normally she wasn’t allowed in the kitchen while he was cooking (he didn’t like it when she got her dresses dirty) but this was important! 

“Daddy!” she called out enthusiastically after finding him exactly where she knew he would be. “I wanna be a firefider when I grow up!”

Joey Daddy stopped cutting vegetables.

“A firefighter?” he spoke carefully, setting his knife down on the kitchen counter before turning to face his creation daughter. “Now where did you get a silly idea like that?”

Furrowing her brow in confusion, Audrey paused at the question. It wasn’t the reaction she was expecting. Silly usually meant wrong. 

However, the girl brightened after only a moment of hesitation. Maybe he just needed a second to realize how cool being a firefighter would be and then he would be excited too!

“From the tee-vee!” she gushed, pointing helpfully in the direction of the living room, “I wanna drive the big truck and save people and be called a he-ro!”

“That’s not a very good job for a nice young lady like yourself. Besides, you already know what you want to be when you grow up, right?”

“Yeah, a firefider!” 

Crouching to her level, the aged man took her small, unblemished hand in both of his wrinkled ones. 

“No sweetheart, an animator .” he said, smiling at her in a way that made her feel special and silly at the same time. “Dontcha want to follow in your old man’s footsteps?”

The excitement that carried her through the house to this moment diminished as confusion took its place. She was so sure she wanted to be a firefighter, she forgot all about her other dream. 

“Umm…I-”

“You like drawing, don’t you?”

Of course she did! 

“Yes.”

“You like drawing your friends, Bendy, Alice and Boris, right?”

Why wouldn’t she?

“Uh-huh.”

Her father’s face became serious. 

“Well, if you’re a firefighter you won’t have time to draw anymore. And that would make your friends really sad, now wouldn’t it? Do you want to make your friends sad?”

“No…” Guilt sprouted in the young girl's chest, weighing her down and scolding her for even considering the idea. Tears stung her eyes and she quickly blinked them away. Daddy didn’t like it when she cried. 

“Of course you don’t!” he responded cheerfully, grin returning to his face. “So go turn off the tube and forget all that ‘firefighter’ nonsense. How about instead you work on refining those future animator skills of yours and whip me up another drawing?” 

Audrey grabbed the edges of her dress and twisted the hem in her hands. She didn’t want to stop watching TV, but she couldn’t disobey her father either. 

“Okay, Dad.”

“Good girl.” A wrinkled hand ruffled her hair, making the young girl giggle, before its owner stood up. He winced as old bones cracked and popped at the motion, taking a moment to catch his breath before returning to the cutting board. The girl wondered if all adults hurt like that when they stood up. 

“Run along, dear, dinner won’t be ready for another hour. I’ll expect a stunning drawing by then.”

Adult Audrey woke from the dream with a start. It lingered at the edges of her mind, giving her the impression she was supposed to be doing something. What was it again?

Drawing… she remembered blearily as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes… I’m supposed to be drawing. 

Of course! She was at work and she had eight hundred frames to complete before the deadline this weekend. How could she have forgotten?

Straightening her back, the animator searched for a work desk that wasn’t there. Instead of her office, she found herself in a strange black and sepia room with ink-stained walls. A gent recharging station rested against a wall nearby along with two iron doors, one across from her and another in the adjacent wall.

Glancing down, she found a small sleeping demon lying across her lap, using a Bendy plush as a pillow. 

Oh. Right.

Audrey smiled at Bendy fondly, running a gentle hand over his ‘horns’. His breathing hitched and he unconsciously snuggled closer. After settling in again he let out a deep, contented sigh. 

Her smile deepened only to be replaced by a frown when she realized she had fallen asleep while waiting for her companion to wake up. That was dangerous and irresponsible. They were in a new area right next to the sewers, the most dangerous place she had encountered so far. She needed to be more careful. 

Stretching her arms above her head, the woman rolled neck and shoulders, copying the stretches she had seen her coworkers do after sitting in the same place for hours at a time. Most people sleeping sitting up would find themselves wincing as bones and muscles protested their unfair treatment and demanded that the owner use a proper bed next time. Audrey wasn’t most people. 

After some satisfying stretches that were more from habit than necessity, the artist decided it was time to move on. They were lucky nothing interrupted them during their much needed nap break but she wasn’t eager to test their luck. 

“Hey, Bendy,” she whispered while nudging the sleeping body. 

No response. 

“Beeeeendyyyyy,” she tried again, raising the volume of her voice and adding a sing-song tone to it. “It’s time to wake uh-up.”

After several minutes of failed attempts to rouse the sleeping toon, she was getting desperate. Sliding her hands under his arms, she raised him into the air and lightly shook him. The demon remained limp, head lolling so far to the side she worried it would roll right off his shoulders. 

With a resigned groan, she returned him to her lap.

Gazing longingly at the door on the other side of the room, she brainstormed for a plan. Either she could carry the sleeping toon or continue sitting here until he woke up naturally. Well, she carried him around most of Artist’s Rest, she could do it again. 

However, when she went to pick him up again she caught the toon peeking up at her with one eye half-open. He closed it almost immediately but the jig was up.

Audrey gasped.

“You little stinker!” she exclaimed with a rueful grin, “How long have you been awake?”

Pretending not to hear her, Bendy continued to feign slumber, although she noticed the corner of his mouth twitch up at her words. 

“Oh no you don’t!” declared the artist as she tickled his  sides in retaliation. 

Instantly, he dropped the ruse. His pie-cut eyes closed into cheerful half-circles as he hugged his sides in defense of the animator’s vengeful assault.

Then she remembered exactly who (and more importantly what) she was tickling. 

Pulling her hands away, she schooled her expression to prevent Bendy from recognizing the anxiety on her face. 

Luckily, the tickle victim focused on escape instead, hurriedly pulling himself off of the woman and onto the empty bench space. He seized the Bendy doll and held it in front of him like a shield. 

Despite her sudden apprehension, she smiled at the act. 

“Hey, Bendy?” she began, doing her best to keep her voice as casual and relaxed as possible. “Can I ask you some questions?”

With a guarded expression that she hoped was a result of the tickle fight and not something else, he nodded. He settled into the seat and hugged the doll to his chest. Now Audrey had two Bendy’s facing her. 

As cute as the image was, it felt tainted. Was the Ink Demon listening in to their conversation? Were they really the same person?

Well, there was only one way to find out. Judging by how he was fidgeting in his seat, he was growing impatient. So, she asked him.

“Are you and the Ink Demon really the same person?” Audrey asked, doubt in her voice.

Bendy hesitated, then nodded, clutching the doll a little closer. 

Even though this was the third time she heard it, the concept was still difficult to accept.

“Why is it that when you’re him you act so…” she struggled to find the right word. Violent, power-hungry, sadistic or terrifying didn't seem very diplomatic. "different?" 

The toon tapped his chin thoughtfully, then shrugged.

Hmph. Maybe he didn't understand the question.

"Why is it that you seem more…" again, she tried to find an inoffensive word, "mature, as the Ink Demon?"

The question was met with another shrug. 

"Oh, c'mon!" She snapped, exasperated, "there has to be something that separates the two of you!" 

The outburst caused Bendy to shrink away from the annoyed artist. He glanced at the door across the room then returned his frightened gaze to Audrey’s face. 

Immediately guilt struck her right in the gut. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you,” she said penitently, “is it okay if I ask another question?”

By now, the toon was squeezing the doll so tight he was practically strangling it. After a moment of hesitation, he nodded. 

Audrey decided to take her time phrasing this question to avoid upsetting him further. Based on his and the Ink Demon’s previous responses, they both saw themselves as one being, despite their obvious differences. Therefore, she needed to find another way to differentiate between them in a way that Bendy understood. 

“Do you remember everything you do when you get…big?”

Scrunching his brow, he pondered that one for longer than she expected. Finally, he nodded, then shook his head.

“Only sometimes?” she guessed. She really needed to find a pen and a notepad or something that he could use to write out what he wanted to say. 

He made a so-so gesture, then held his hands around his eyes like binoculars. Squinting through the ‘lenses’, he tilted his head like he was confused. Then he relaxed the pose, fixing her with a hopeful look.

“The memories are distant? It feels like they happened a long time ago?”

Again, he made the so-so gesture, then glanced around the room. Without warning, he vaulted over the back of the bench onto the wide window sill behind them, causing Audrey to jolt in surprise. 

Stretching onto his tiptoes, he wiped at the writing. Despite appearing very dry when they first entered the room, the words smeared and blurred over the glass.  When the message was mostly illegible, the little demon turned around and pointed proudly at his handiwork. 

After staring at the window for half a minute or so, the artist understood what he was trying to say. 

“Oh!” she snapped her fingers in realization, “they’re blurry? Like, you can’t remember them clearly?”

Clapping his hands excitedly, he nodded, appearing simultaneously proud and relieved that the message had been properly received.

Interesting. That would explain the differences in their behavior, at least in part. 

“What causes the transformation?” she inquired next after he reclaimed his spot beside her. She was asking partially out of curiosity and partially so she could avoid triggering it. While she was open to improving their relationship and appreciated his insistence that he meant her no harm, Audrey was reluctant to face the Ink Demon again. 

To her great disappointment, the toon resorted to confused shrugging once more, no matter how she phrased the question. 

Finally, she reflected on the cryptic messages the Ink Demon shared with her. She wanted to ask about those yet had the feeling that she would need to wait until he was in his other form, although she wasn’t looking forward to that interaction. 

That prompted her to think of another important question. She wrung her hands nervously, hoping not to offend the little demon by asking. 

“When you’re…big…am I safe around you?”

Bendy’s eyes widened, then filled with tears. In an instant he leapt forward and wrapped his arms around her torso. 

“Oh!” she exclaimed as she hugged him back, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you, I just wanted to double check!”

Burying his face in her shirt, he squeezed a little tighter, then released her, sitting back on the bench. His cartoon eyes held a sadness unnatural for the toon’s facial features. As one of his animators, the expression felt instinctively wrong to Audrey. It tore at her heart and guilted her for asking. 

Alright, that’s enough interrogating for now , she thought to herself, even though he technically hadn’t answered her question. His reaction was enough for her. 

Rising to her feet, the animator brushed off her clothes. "I think it's time for us to get going.”

After giving her a relieved nod, he jumped off the bench and landed with a soft thud. He kept the Bendy doll, holding it by the hand and dragging it across the ground as he walked over to the door that led to the sewers. Once there, he turned to watch Audrey, waiting patiently for her to join him. 

"No, we're not going back to the sewers,” the artist informed him while motioning towards the other door and the unexplored area behind it. “I need to find the Gent building, do you-"

She was going to ask him if he knew where it was, but the second the words ‘Gent building’ dropped from her lips, the toon’s demeanor drastically changed. He dropped the doll and shook his head firmly, putting his hands out and waving them in a negative fashion. Then he covered his face and shrank away until his back hit the wall. 

In a flash, Audrey was at his side. She placed a hopefully comforting hand on his shoulder. 

Concern lacing her voice, she asked, "What's wrong? Is it a bad place?" 

He didn’t respond and simply stood there, trembling. 

The woman fretfully chewed her lip. Anything that made the Ink Demon nervous made her very, very nervous. Maybe going there wasn’t such a good idea after all. 

Despite that, she couldn’t shake the lingering feeling that the mysterious building held the secret to sending her home. She had to go there, whether it was dangerous or not. 

Besides, Bendy was clearly more timid like this than when he was the Ink Demon. He probably just needed some encouragement.

“It’s okay, I won’t let anything happen to you,” Audrey reassured him. As she spoke, the toon peeked at her through his fingers. “We’ll go one step at a time. Just you and me. If we run into trouble, you can always change forms, right?”

Anxious gaze filling with trust, he lowered his hands and nodded. He retrieved his doll and gave it an anxious hug before reverting to holding it by the hand once more. Stepping away from the wall, he fiddled with the doll some more before looking to the animator, waiting for her to lead the way.

Although this is what she wanted, Audrey was struck by a sudden reluctance to bring him with her. While she was reluctant to explore the next area alone, she didn’t want to force the poor traumatized toon to do something he didn’t want to do, Ink Demon or not. 

“I won’t make you come with me.” she explained after he fixed her with a questioning stare as she remained in place.  “I would appreciate the help since I’ve never been here before, but if you would rather stay behind, I understand.”

Bendy shook his head in protest, then reached out to grasp her hand. It was a firm grip, determined and resolute. He gave it a squeeze as though to let her know he was ready to go. 

“Great!”  Audrey smiled in relief, happy to have both her little friend and the Ink Demon at her side. “Let’s see what we can find.”

First, she recharged her gent pipe. Then she led the way through the unexplored corridor. She learned that the room they were in and the subsequent hallways with descending ramps were part of a subway station. Odd, considering she didn’t hear or observe any trains while they were resting. They followed several helpful signs directing them to the street exit until they finally made it outside.

Again, Audrey was stunned by the magnitude of the ink world she had been unwillingly dragged into. Without the black and sepia color scheme, she would have believed she was in a real city, despite the lack of people. There were buildings lining every side of the street , including a grocery store, a bowling alley, even a pharmacy. A cratered moon floated above a pedestrian bridge, although it wasn’t the moon she grew up with. It appeared to have been drawn into the sky. The scene was almost beautiful. 

Shaking herself back to reality, she reminded herself that she wasn’t here to admire the scenery, she was here to find the Gent building. 

When she turned to ask Bendy where that building might be, she found him sitting on a nearby bench next to a miracle station. He swung his legs back and forth as he played with his doll, walking it up and down the bench and back as he waited for Audrey to finish taking in her surroundings.  

In that instant, there was nothing she longed for more in the world than a camera (or one of those new video-recorders) to capture the precious moment. Hopefully when they escaped the studio together, she would have plenty of opportunities to photograph the adorable toon. 

That reminded her, she never did get an answer from him of whether he wanted to leave the studio with her or not before they were so rudely interrupted by a falling elevator. 

When she opened her mouth to ask the question, she paused. That offer was made before she learned his true nature. Did she really want a demon, even a really cute one, living with her? Was it irresponsible to bring him into the real world?

The image of the Ink Demon’s lanky form lounging on her couch while watching TV came to mind and she had to hold back a snort. 

In the end, she decided to keep the offer to herself. She wasn’t the type to go back on a promise, but she also needed to learn more about Bendy before she could commit to unleashing him on the world outside the machine.

“Bendy?” 

Pausing his game, the toon fixed her with his signature grin. 

“Can you show me where the gent building is?”

Bouncing off the bench, he nodded, then grabbed her hand and pointed down the street. 

Together, they strolled down the street, edging past abandoned cars and buildings while watching out for any unfriendly characters. 

Of course, they found what they were searching for at the very end of the street. Based on the massive ‘GENT’ sign above the entrance leading to a fittingly massive building, Audrey felt safe in assuming that they found the Gent building. 

The entry gate was locked. 

“Looks like we need to find an ID card somewhere around here,” she speculated, pointing at the ID scanning machine next to the gate. She turned to address her companion, who stood a small distance behind her. “Any ideas, Bendy?”

Tapping his foot while holding his chin in a thoughtful pose, he mulled over the question. After a few seconds, he pointed in the air, demonstrating he had an idea. He opened the Gent storage container behind him and scanned its interior. Then, he shook his head.

Before the animator could react, he scampered over to a garbage can and pointed at it, watching her expectantly.

Fairly certain of what he wanted her to do, she walked over and opened the trash can. “Nothing here.” She smiled sympathetically at her helpful friend. “Sorry, Bendy.”

Undeterred, he quickly located another trash can and pointed at it, waiting excitedly for her to open it. 

The artist wondered if he planned on doing this to every possible location the ID card was located. She momentarily entertained the idea of explaining that their search would be more efficient if they both looked in different places at the same time, but after reconsidering his cheerful grin she brushed the idea aside. If he liked helping her this way, she would let him. It’s not like they were in a rush. 

Bendy pointed out trash cans, Gent chests, even a car trunk for her. Occasionally, he would switch things up by using his doll to point instead of his own hand. It brought a smile to Audrey’s face every time. 

However, as they neared the end of the street, she was losing hope of finding the ID card at all. As they approached the last trash can she was considering breaking into some of the nearby buildings. Breaking a window couldn’t be that hard, right?

Thankfully, that wasn’t necessary. 

In the final trash can, she found an old note. Disheartened at first, her disposition quickly changed as she read through it.

“Looks like we found a clue!” she explained, holding out the note for Bendy to read. He took it and squinted at the writing. 

After a moment, he handed the note back to her with a curious grin. 

“Do you know where the Downside Hotel is? Maybe Mr. Lloyd’s ID card is still there and we could use it to get into the Gent building.”

He didn’t.

“Oh, I guess we’ll have to look for it, then.” 

However, as they made their way down the street, the door to ‘Grand Chops Choice Meatly Products’ burst open. A lost one was thrown out the door, falling flat on their back. Audrey instinctively went to ask if they were okay but held herself back. Instead, she silently motioned for Bendy to stay behind her while keeping her eyes fixed on the potential threat. 

In an instant, the lost one was on their feet, throwing ink clods at the store. They yelled, “Yeah?! Well, I’ll just start my own place!” before noticing the duo. 

Yet again, she was disappointed to find that although the lost one was sentient, they had no interest in being friends. They wasted no time before throwing an ink clod at her and then swiping at her with its fists. She dodged both attacks and activated her gent pipe. A couple hits later and the lost one lay melting at her feet. 

As her heart rate settled, the artist remembered she was traveling with a demon. Nervous, she turned around, half-expecting to spot the Ink Demon looming behind her.

He wasn’t. Bendy™ stepped forward to cling to her pant leg, ogling the puddle of lost one. 

Okay, so a fight with a single lost one wasn’t enough to trigger a transformation. That was good to know. 

Together they wordlessly decided to explore the new building, only to be greeted by the most comforting of messages smeared on the meat shop’s self-serve refrigerator’s:

THE BEEF IS PEOPLE

Audrey grabbed the toon’s hand and sped-walked through the store, ignoring the suspicious meat hanging from the ceiling and overflowing from the garbage cans. 

She was so disturbed by the message she almost made it to the end of the alley behind the shop when she recognized the wet footsteps of two more lost ones ahead.

Before she had time to hide herself and Bendy, the lost ones in question turned the corner. They paused, blinking dumbly at the two of them. A flicker of hope that they wouldn’t attack sparked through her chest. 

She was severely disappointed. 

One yelled some nonsense about not touching their meat and rushed her. The other stood back throwing ink clods, uncaring if they hit their companion in the process. 

She managed to catch the first one’s blow on her gent pipe but failed to dodge the first ink clod. It hurt more than it should’ve and she hissed in pain as she struggled to ward off her aggressor. 

Simultaneously worried and hopeful the Ink Demon would jump in the fight, Audrey risked a backwards glance.

However, when she looked back to the toon she found him tiptoeing away from the fight. She might have been offended except he stopped a few meters away and simply covered his face with his hands, his entire body quivering. 

Poor thing was terrified. It made her wonder if he was at all capable of switching forms at will.

After gaining a few new bruises she finished off the lost ones, panting. She shook off the pain and was about to move forward when Bendy caught her hand. 

Instead of holding it like she expected, he pushed a bag of chips into her palm. 

She smiled. 

“Thanks, Bendy.” She accepted the gift. It didn’t heal all of her bruises yet it alleviated most of the pain. 

Before they entered the new street, Audrey listened for any lost ones. The only sounds she heard was the wind rattling the old shop sign, the buzzing of electricity in the old street lamps, and her own breathing. Satisfied, she exited the alleyway and spotted an abandoned cinema to her left and, more importantly, the Downside Hotel to her right. 

“C’mon, let’s check out the hotel.” She paused, then snorted, “Or I guess I should say let’s check in, right?”

Even though the toon slapped his knee in approval at the joke, the animator entered the building mildly worried she was losing her mind. 

The interior of the hotel would have been cozy if it wasn’t as decrepit as the rest of the world. An ink-stained Boris plush sat in the chair behind the reception desk, staring the duo down as if he was expecting them. 

“It’s kind of creepy in here.”

Considering how he lingered in the doorway, Bendy clearly agreed.

Something white drew her attention. There, painted on the far wall was another helpful flow symbol with an arrow pointing upward. As she drew near, she found it was pointing at a gap in the wooden boards that served as the ceiling. With a locked door on one side and an out-of-order elevator on the other, it was clear to Audrey which way she needed to go. Unfortunately, her little friend would have to stay behind.

“Alright Bendy, I’m going to need you to wait here for a bit while I explore the hotel’s upper floors, okay?”

It was not okay.

The small demon immediately latched onto her leg, wrapping his arms and legs around the limb. He vigorously shook his head with a pleading gaze. 

Heart panging, the artist attempted to gently dislodge the little guy. “I’m sorry, but I need to find the ID card. I’ll be right back-”

His  eyes filled with tears and Audrey worried that if he started crying she wouldn’t have the mental fortitude to leave him. Glancing around frantically for a distraction, she spied the Boris plush on the chair behind the reception desk. 

She took a single step towards the desk and was unable to lift her other leg due to the distressed toon clinging to it.

Exasperated, she wondered how he managed to weigh her down now despite the ease with which she was able to carry him earlier. 

“I’m not going yet,” she sighed, “just… please let me reach the desk.”

After a tense second, he mostly released her leg and she hobbled over to the counter. Turning the swivel chair around, she picked up the Boris plush. Crouching to Bendy’s level, she offered him the toy. 

“Look!” she feigned excitement, speaking in an overly cheerful tone, “now mini-Bendy has a new friend! You three can play together while I’m gone. Does that seem fair?”

Hugging the Boris plush against the Bendy plush, he fixed her with a fearful and desperate expression. Audrey regretted giving him the doll as she found herself facing not one, not two, but three sets of cartoon eyes instilling her with a sense of neglect. Almost like they were accusing her of abandonment. 

Skin prickling in shame, the animator glanced away and stood up. This time, Bendy allowed her to approach the hole in the ceiling without protest, although she could feel the burning weight of his gaze on her back.

As she stood underneath the gap, she hesitated. Her desires to explore and locate the ID card brawled with her worries and concern. A new fear was shoved to the forefront of her mind. What if a lost one wandered in while she was gone? If the toon needed her, he couldn’t call out to her for help. 

As the Ink Demon, he could clearly handle himself, but as Bendy? She wasn’t so sure. Considering how he reacted to her previous fights, either he was unwilling or unable to change at the moment. Could she really justify leaving him alone, especially if he was vulnerable? It’s not like he could call out to her if he was in trouble…

Audrey had an idea. 

Swinging around, she strode back to the reception desk, easily locating the object she desired. She tested it out and it let out a satisfying ding. 

Perfect. 

Lifting a confused yet unresistant Bendy into the air, the animator placed him on the swivel chair. 

“If you need me, ring this-” she pointed meaningfully at the call bell resting on the reception desk's dusty surface, “and I’ll come right back. Can you do that for me?” 

The aura of fear plaguing the toon lessened. Still nervous, he nodded. 

Relieved, the artist went to leave. She managed one step forward when the bell rang. 

When she turned to face Bendy, he was watching her with deep longing.

Quenching the annoyance that rose up within her, she forced a smile. “Wait to ring the bell until you can’t see me anymore, okay?” 

Without waiting for a response, Audrey sped to the opening and called upon her dark abilities. Not a second after she flowed through to the second floor, she heard the bell again. She almost ignored it but the sound repeated, ringing out over and over again. Groaning, she jumped back down to the first floor. 

The sound stopped and just as she suspected, Bendy sat alone at the reception desk, no lost ones or inky monsters in sight. 

Something about her demeanor must have frightened him, because he shrank into the chair as she approached, eyes shaking with fear and guilt. 

“Bendy,” Audrey started, tone stern and the beginning of a reprimand on her lips. 

He flinched and immediately her anger drained away. Gathering her patience, she reminded herself that all he wanted was to stick together. She couldn’t fault him for that. 

“I know you don’t like it, but I need to explore upstairs,” she explained in a soothing tone, “Only ring the bell if you’re in danger and you really need me to come down, otherwise we’ll be stuck in this hotel all day. The sooner you let me explore, the sooner we can go someplace else. Understand?”

Sullen, he nodded, gaze glued to the floor. 

Cradling his chin and part of his cheek with a hand, Audrey gently raised them up until he met her eyes. 

“I’ll be back soon,” she assured him, willing him to believe her, “promise.”

Bendy stared at her for a long moment, then nodded. 

This time, when she made it to the first floor, no bell rang out. She waited for a tense second, then relaxed, proud that he successfully held himself back. 

Eager to return to the demon as soon as possible, she searched through the room, pocketing the few supplies she found. Another hole in the ceiling led her to the third floor. 

This room was a simple hotel room. A Safe & Sound station rested against a wall, which Audrey looted without hesitation, ignoring the Illusion of Living book on the bottom shelf. A whiteboard with the message, “KEEPERS SEE EVERYTHING” sat shoved in a corner across from a humbly made bed with its accompanying nightstand. 

Laying conspicuously on the nightstand’s surface was a card.

As she eagerly reached for the item, she was interrupted by a familiar voice. 

“Well geez! You haven’t gotten far!”

With a gasp, the animator turned to the side to confront the living memory of Joey Drew that certainly wasn’t there when she entered the room. 

“Don’t do that!” she scolded, annoyed at the jumpscare. “Wait…” Her annoyance was slowly replaced by confusion. “How…how did you get in here?”

“Oh, I have my ways.” The memory explained with a knowing smile. Before she could question him further, he continued. 

“So tell me, how goes the journey?”

“Slow, but I’ll get through.” Thinking back to her breakdown in the sewers, she felt more confident now that she found the ID card and had the Ink Demon by her side. “It helps to have a friend.”

“Ah yes,” his grin became more forced and she spotted him glancing at the floor where she left Bendy. “You have an…interesting taste in friends.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” the artist said defensively. Instinctive rebellion rose up inside her, although she didn’t understand why. 

“Now, don’t take this the wrong way,” he said carefully while stepping forward. “But you need to be careful about who you hang around with.”

“Why do you care?” she shot back defiantly while inwardly struggling to understand her suddenly complicated emotions regarding the figure before her. “You don’t know me.” 

“Maybe not personally, but I know your father better than anyone,” the memory explained with a wink. His tone became more serious as he spoke on, “Unfortunately, you both have a knack for attracting the wrong sort of people. Friends are invaluable and ought to be chosen carefully.”

That last comment stung more than Audrey would ever admit. Her work schedule didn’t allow her to do things like hang out with friends. The few people who stayed in touch after high school drifted away when she was hired at the studio. Most of the time she didn’t care; however, on the lonely nights when she wasn’t working overtime, she wished she had spent more effort in maintaining those relationships.

“Oh, now you knew my father,” she deflected without bothering to hide the bitterness in her tone. “Well, newsflash! I didn’t even know my father… or my mother. Or anyone else in my family.” 

As the words left her mouth, they felt wrong, though she hadn’t the faintest idea why.

“I see then.” Not-Joey announced, breaking her out of her thoughts, “You’ve chosen to forget the past. I can understand that.” 

Confused, she asked, “what are you talking about?” in a less confrontational tone than before. 

The living memory took Audrey’s hand in his own. The gesture was simultaneously warm and familiar yet strange and foreign. Her earlier instincts of rebellion were replaced by an odd desire to impress the man. 

“Look,” he calmly asserted while patting her hand comfortingly, “I don’t think you’re ready for this, but hang on to your lunch money. There’s something I want to show you.”

When he reached out, she would have stepped back if there wasn’t a bed behind her. Despite her protests, he held his hand to her face and the world darkened. Just after everything finished fading to black, a bell rang in the distance.

Pulling his hand away from the bell, Bendy immediately scolded himself for ringing it. Although his growing sense of loneliness had temporarily convinced him otherwise, missing Audrey did not count as an emergency! 

Even so, he stared eagerly at the ceiling gap, waiting for her to pop through and reassure him that everything was alright.

Except, she didn’t.

…

Maybe she didn’t hear him?

That was probably a good thing. Folding his arms, he turned away to shun the far-too tempting Audrey-summoner on the desk before him. He shouldn’t have used it in the first place. Besides, she promised she would be back soon.

His resolve lasted all of five seconds before he found himself gazing longingly at the bell again. Soon was starting to feel like an awfully long time ago. 

Hesitantly, the toon’s hand hovered over the bell. Guilt tore at his chest for wanting to ring it again. He reminded himself that she told him not to touch it unless it was an emergency. 

But this was an emergency! He did his best to be patient and play with the dolls she gave him, honest! He just couldn’t stand another minute of waiting, even if that meant she had to go back up anyway.

So, he rang the bell again, watching the opening and listening for Audrey’s footsteps against the planks above him. 

Again, he heard and saw nothing that hinted at his friend’s return. 

Why wasn’t it working? Could she not hear him? Was she ignoring him? Had she decided being friends with him was a mistake and ran away? Was he going to be alone forever and ever after all? 

Panic rising, the toon rang the bell again, then again and again and kept ringing it. He repeatedly glanced between the hole and the bell and the hole until he was struck by a doubt that wiped every other thought from his mind. 

What if she didn’t hear him because she was in trouble? 

Bendy stopped ringing the bell. The darker side of him stirred. So far it had been unbothered by the woman’s absence, content to patiently await her return, but now its interest grew.

Forgetting the dolls on the desk, he hopped off the office chair and ran to the stupid hole that took his friend away from him. Craning his non-existent neck upward, all he could see through it was another wooden ceiling. Jumping up and down with his arms held high, he tried and failed to catch the edge of the gap without ever coming close to the ceiling. He knew getting through it would be easy if he was bigger but he wasn’t going to transform unless he had no other choice. 

Running back to the desk, Bendy pulled a stool over, huffing and puffing until it rested underneath the hole. 

Climbing on top of the piece of furniture, he reached upwards and was disappointed to learn that he was still too short to reach the broken planks. 

Unwilling to give up, he gathered his courage and leapt upwards, arms stretched as far as they could go. He managed to catch the ledge with his fingers. Old wood creaked and its broken ends dug into his gloves. He ignored them. 

Elated by his success but still nervous of whatever could be in the room, the toon only pulled himself up until his eyes barely peeked over the ragged edge of the floor. He was relieved to find it empty and disappointed at the lack of Audrey in sight. There was another gap in the ceiling at the end of the room and Bendy silently groaned at the thought of climbing through another dumb hole. 

The floor groaned as well and when he tried to pull himself into the room, the wood snapped underneath him. 

As he fell, he remembered that Audrey didn’t like to see him in his big form and suppressed the urge to transform to catch himself like he did in the falling elevator. 

Instead, flailing arms and legs knocked the stool out of the way and he landed flat on his back. The pain compelled him to change and again he resisted the urge. 

The stool clattered to the ground next to him, joined by bits of ceiling.

He didn’t notice. He was too busy fighting to pull air back into his lungs, anxiety spiking when the usually mindless task turned impossible.

Finally, he regained his breath and simply laid there, blinking tears away. His resolve against transforming wavered. Why was the world so mean to him? He just wanted to find his friend.

The mental image of Audrey lying helplessly on the ground, alone and afraid like he was, was enough to push him over the edge. 

The Ink Demon roared, surging upwards out of an explosion of ink as he raced through the hotel floors.

Chapter Text

Audrey sat in front of an old projector screen, attention captivated by the presentation being given by the living memory of Joey Drew. As strange as it sounded, it was comforting to learn that when Wilson had dragged her under the ink he brought her to another world and not to her death, as he claimed. Additionally, now she understood the real reason why ‘Henry’ was written on so many punch cards and why Not-Alice wasn’t fond of her name. She wondered if the other woman would appreciate being called ‘Allison’.

Although, as she continued to listen, a nagging feeling suggested to her that this was not the first time she had heard this story.

Audrey…

The hairs on the back of her neck stuck up like hundreds of tiny needles pressed through a pincushion that was much too thin. Sitting up, she turned around in her chair to find the source of the bone-chilling whisper.

Not-Joey paused his presentation. “Is everything alright?” 

Before responding, she scanned the lifeless room. The same dilapidated furniture and black-stained walls of the old studio greeted her without a hint of movement among them.

“Are we the only ones in this area?” she questioned nervously, still searching for whatever whispered her name. 

“Yes,” he responded in a voice laced with concern. “Why?”

“I thought I heard-” she stopped, then returned to her former position. She didn’t want him to think she was crazy. “Nevermind, it was probably nothing.”

There was a moment of silence between them. She waited for the man to resume his monologue. 

“If you’re worried about the Ink Demon, he can’t reach us here. We’re safe.”

Taken aback, Audrey floundered for a response.

“I’m not worried about him,” she said more confidently than she felt. Inwardly, she was afraid of their next confrontation but she wasn’t about to admit that to the man in front of her. She trusted Bendy more than she trusted him.

There were two versions of Joey Drew that she was familiar with:

The first drew primarily from the exhibit at her workplace. The pictures and written displays painted him as an extraordinary man: the self-made entrepreneur who created Bendy and founded the studio that brought the beloved character and others to life. Someone to be admired. Someone she could look up to. 

The recordings she found of Nathan Arch affirmed this version of Joey while hinting that his life ended in very humble circumstances nearing destitution. Despite that, he died happy, survived by his legacy. 

However, throughout her exploration of the studio Audrey gathered other bits and pieces of information that painted another less-than-flattering version of Joey Drew. If that information could be trusted, he was a manipulative, controlling and foolhardy narcissist. He underpaid and overworked his employees, driving some of them to and over the brink of insanity. With a more than questionable use of company funds, he ran what should have been a thriving business into the ground chasing unattainable standards of perfection and impossible goals due to his pride and greed. And that version didn’t include what she had just learned from the man himself, or at least, his persona. 

That man in front of her reminded the artist more of the first version of Joey Drew, the one she wanted him to be like for reasons she didn’t understand. However, if he was anything like the latter she needed to keep up her guard. 

So, when he implied that she shouldn’t trust Bendy, she was inclined not to listen. 

“Audrey,” Joey said, taking on a more authoritative tone. Shameful chills ran down the animator’s spine, like a child who had been caught doing something they knew was wrong and kept doing it anyway. “You need to stay away from that monster.”

Despite the overwhelming shame she felt seconds earlier, Audrey became defensive. “He’s my friend!” She protested loyally. 

“No, it’s not,” he insisted.

“He,” The animator corrected snippily. “Not it.”  

Joey gave her a sad, well-meaning and patronizing smile. “Very well. He is dangerous and incapable of caring for anything other than himself.”

Reading the obvious disagreement on her face, the man sighed,  “It’s admirable that you want to believe the best in him and normally it’s a good practice to believe the best in people. But the Ink Demon is an exception. The concepts of ‘friendship’ and ‘loyalty’ mean nothing to him. He’s not capable of experiencing emotion, at least, not in the way that we do. ”

Her previous displeasure was overruled by her curiosity. “What do you mean?”

Joey stared at Audrey for a long moment. With a resigned expression, he said, “I wasn’t planning on telling you this, but I think you’ll need to hear the whole story to understand.”

He gestured to the projector. The current image was that of the real Joey standing in front of the Ink Machine.

“Before his business went under, Joey tried to create life that could survive in the real world.”

Intrigued, the artist allowed the memory to keep explaining. 

“His first attempt was to create a living Bendy,” he continued. The projector changed to show three silhouettes holding hands: a parent, a child, and a very familiar character with horns. “One that could walk and talk as a living attraction in his theme park.”

“Bendyland,” she cut in. One of the most famous investment flops of all time. 

He nodded. “As he did with many of his business ventures, he failed, but not completely. He succeeded in creating a living being that could survive outside the machine. However, something went wrong.”

The picture changed again, revealing a horrified Joey Drew falling away from a strange goopy thing with misshapen horns and a familiar smile as it crawled out of the Ink Machine. “The thing he created was an abomination: twisted, ungodly and soulless.” 

An image of a dark horned silhouette lurking in the shadows while nervous animators worked at their desks appeared on the projector. “Without a soul, it couldn’t feel complex emotions and acted more like an animal than a person. Eventually, Joey sent the creature back into the machine.” 

The slide switched to one of a beast closer in appearance to the Ink Demon she knew looming menacingly above four figures: a man, a woman, and two creatures that looked like Boris. “There, it became known as the Ink Demon. Joey used it to torment Henry as the main villain of his hate-filled story, which it did gleefully and without reservation. Without a soul, it’s impossible for it to feel empathy or compassion. It wants nothing more than to bring suffering to everything around it.”

Audrey wanted to deny it yet remembered the massacre in Artist’s Rest. The obvious pleasure the demon took in ripping those lost ones to shreds. 

“He’s not always like that.” she croaked, the excuse weak even to her own ears. “He won’t hurt me.”

“Not yet,” Joey countered. “I don’t pretend to know what it’s planning, but before Wilson got a hold of the machine, the Ink Demon ruled this world. Now that it’s regaining its strength, I would bet anything that it means to use you to win back control.”

“He wouldn’t-” the woman stopped, recalling the demon’s pleas for her to join him, to give in to the dark puddles. Was that his true motivation for helping her? 

AUDREY.

There it was again. The whisper was louder and she had a stronger inkling of who the owner was. He sounded…worried.

The animator thought of Bendy, sitting on the ground playing with his train without a care in the world. Silently giggling under a desk while playing Hide and Seek. Crying in a wooden crate because he thought she wanted nothing to do with him. Cowering away from lost ones he could easily tear to pieces. Breaking down and clinging to her leg at the thought of being separated from her for even a few moments. 

“What about Bendy?” she asserted. 

“Bendy?” Joey frowned. “You mean when it assumes the guise of Bendy?”

“He,” she corrected with a meaningful glare. 

The man sighed. “I’m not entirely certain why he sometimes takes that shape but I believe Wilson had something to do with it.”

“So, he wasn’t always able to switch forms?” She asked, curiosity bubbling once more. 

“No. For a long time he abandoned his original shape, although I suspect it was forced.”

“That means he can change,” Audrey realized, almost speaking more to herself than to Joey, “Maybe he used to be a ‘villain’” she used the term loosely, relying on the previous description of her friend, “but he’s different now. The Bendy I know doesn’t want to hurt anyone!”

“He killed a man before he was sent back into the machine,” Joey retorted flatly. “And he’s sent every poor soul trapped in this world to the Dark Puddles more times than can be counted, even the ones who worship him. It may seem friendly and cute as ‘Bendy’ but I assure you it’s a ruse. It will do whatever it takes to regain power, even if that means killing you and taking your soul. Please, stay away from it.”

When Audrey hesitated, Joey spoke in a soft, pleading tone, “I only want what’s best for you.”

Upon hearing that phrase, a dream or a memory tugged at the edges of her mind. She pushed it away, refocusing on the conversation.

“Why do you care?” she asked, troubled by his phrasing. 

In a way that seemed both alien and terribly familiar, the man smiled at her. “Because, Audrey, you were special to Joey. Where the Ink Demon was his greatest failure, you were his greatest success.”

Reading the confusion on her face, he continued, gesturing once again to the projector. It showed Joey Drew in front of the Ink Machine again. 

“After giving Henry an angel of his own, Joey decided to make something new. Something he had always wanted but could never have. A family. But not a cartoon one. Something real.”

Audrey didn’t like where this was going.

“And after many, many tries, he created something that made him happier than he ever could have imagined.”

The slide changed to a joyful picture of a man lifting a young girl in the air. 

 “A wonderful loving daughter, bright, kind, with a good heart and, most importantly, a soul. Almost human.”

Yeah, she really didn’t like where this was going. 

“He created you, Audrey.”

Something snapped inside the artist. Standing up from her chair in indignation, she almost snarled at the man. 

“What are you, crazy?” she accused, even as part of her sang that what he said was truth. Joey was her father. She wasn’t human. 

The memory spoke again but she was so upset she couldn’t understand him.

“Who do you think you are?” she demanded, shoving an aggressive finger in his personal space. “I wasn’t born from some…machine. I’m flesh and blood. I’m not some kind of ink monster.”

The denial brought some measure of comfort to the distraught woman’s soul, enough so that she was able to focus on Joey’s next words. 

“Just because we’re born of darkness, doesn’t mean we belong to it. We’re always free to choose. To believe what we want to believe.”

If that was true, Audrey would choose not to believe this. And she was choosing to get away from this man or memory of a man or whatever he was. She was about to demand that he take her back to the hotel when the Ink Demon’s voice shattered the world. 

AUDREY!

Audrey opened her eyes with a gasp. They were blurry. After rubbing them until they were mostly clear, she examined her freshly stained hand. She was crying ink. 

“It’s not true,” she sniffed, wiping more of the damning tears away. “It can’t be.”

WHAT IS NOT TRUE?

Whirling around, the animator found herself face to face with the Ink Demon. Right. He was the one who was calling out to her. Of course he would be nearby. 

The demon was standing only a few feet away, or, squatting actually. The low ceiling wasn’t doing him any favors. It was sort of comical, how he had to crouch so far in order to fit in the room. 

If she hadn’t just been hit with the biggest reveal of her life, the artist would have laughed. 

He tilted his head to the side curiously and she remembered he asked her a question. Brushing the last of the tears from her eyes, she responded, “it’s nothing.”

The Ink Demon huffed. LYING IS A SIN. 

Hiding her face in her hands, Audrey did her best to crush the turmoil of emotions rising within her and maintain her poise. She was stronger than this, she was smarter than this, she was better than this. She did NOT want to have a breakdown, especially in front of her current audience. 

YOU ARE DISTRESSED.

Again, the animator would have laughed if she wasn’t trying so hard not to cry. 

“What are you doing up here?” she asked, lowering her hands and attempting to level a stern gaze at the demon. Maybe she could distract herself from her feelings. “I thought I told you to wait downstairs.”

An internal voice of reason panickedly scolded her for speaking to the Ink Demon in that tone but she was too agitated to hear it. Luckily, it was unneeded. 

Glancing to the side, her listener awkwardly shifted his feet. I WAS…CONCERNED.

Despite her growing discomfort at being in such close quarters with a literal demon, Audrey smiled. 

WHY ARE YOU DISTRESSED?

The smile evaporated and the artist bit her lip. Distraction failed. 

“Oh, I dunno,” she said overly-casually. “I’m just trapped in a personalized hell for a man I’ve never met surrounded by ink people that want to kill me for no other reason than being alive.”

Her tone grew strained, “And all because some psycho janitor kidnapped me for who knows why while I was looking for coffee, which I still haven’t found by the way.”

With each second that passed as she spoke, her voice increased in volume and hysteria.

“At this rate, I’m probably going to die here and no-one’s going to know what happened to me, not that anyone would care other than my boss and only because he’ll have a hard time replacing me. Not everyone is willing to work unpaid overtime because they have nothing better to do than draw. “

Glancing down, she scowled at her ink-stained hands, hands that have spent countless hours sketching and bringing blank pages to life. Balling them into fists, she began to regret not having tried more things before settling into her career.

“And, here’s the best part,” Audrey laughed. The demon cringed at the joyless sound. “I was just told by the ghost of the man who made this damn place that he used the Ink Machine to make a daughter…me.” her lip trembled. “That-that the reason I don’t know anyone from my family is that I don’t have a family. I’m not even human. I’m a-a-” a monster. 

She covered her face with her hands as she held in a sob. It was a lie. It had to be a lie. She shouldn’t have said anything. She felt ridiculous, crying in front of a creature that either wanted to help her or steal her soul. Either was just as likely as the other. 

Focusing on her breathing, she took several shaking and shuddering breaths. Each one was more strained and painful than the last. 

Then, Audrey was pulled forward into a strong embrace. Stunned, she remained in place, unable to react to her current situation. 

The Ink Demon was hugging her. It was a stiff and awkward hug, and when she looked up to confirm this odd occurrence, she found his face was turned away from her own…almost like he was nervous. If he had eyes, she vaguely wondered if they would be squeezed shut. 

The artist sniffled, then hiccupped, then burst into tears, sobbing full force into his bony chest as she wholeheartedly returned the hug. All the emotions she had forced down throughout the traumatizing ordeal that made up her experience in this inky world exploded out of her. 

When she hugged him back, he stiffened even further, as though shocked at the reciprocated gesture, then relaxed. 

Underneath the unpleasant noise of her own violent cries and the demon’s labored breaths, she detected a quieter sound. It was a heartbeat, pounding smoothly and powerfully underneath her ear. 

As she listened, the heartbeat slowed. A soft weight rested on her head and Audrey absentmindedly guessed Bendy was resting his chin there.

The dark liquid pouring down the artist’s face leaked through her lips and she instinctively licked it away. The salty taste was strangely comforting, a reaffirmation that she was crying real tears like a real person. 

Eventually the cascade flowing from her eyes slowed to a stream, then a trickle, then ceased completely. By the time she composed herself, the animator realized she wasn’t afraid of the Ink Demon anymore. Sure, he was still intimidating yet she was no longer overwhelmed with dread and the urge to flee when in his presence. Not-Joey didn’t know what he was talking about. 

Audrey pulled away and Bendy released her. 

“Thanks,” she sniffed thickly, wiping her nose on her shoulder. Ugh, she hated crying and everything else that came with it. 

He tilted his head to the side. FOR WHAT?

“For the hug,” she explained with another gross sniff, eyeing the blanket on the hotel bed. After a moment of hesitation, she pulled it off and used it to clean her face and especially her nose. Apparently even non-humans had to suffer copious amounts of mucus running from their bodies during a breakdown. 

YOU WILL NOT DIE. 

Audrey removed the blanket from her face.  “What did you just say?” she asked dumbly. 

YOU WILL NOT DIE, he repeated in the exact tone and cadence as before. 

After a considerable pause, the artist laughed bitterly. “The thought is nice but I’m not sure you’ll get a say in that.”

EVEN IF YOUR PHYSICAL FORM IS BROKEN, YOU WILL REFORM, he elaborated helpfully. IN THIS WORLD, DEATH IS ONLY THE BEGINNING. 

Fighting the sudden ominous chill that accompanied the latter phrase, the animator shook her head in disbelief. “Maybe for you but that’s not how humans work.” 

The demon stared at her. Then, he rumbled the following sentence as gently as he could (which unfortunately wasn’t very gently). 

YOU ARE NOT HUMAN. 

The blistering rage directed towards Joey returned, this time aimed at the Ink Demon. Clenching her jaw, Audrey exhaled sharply. 

“How dare you,” she spat, throwing the blanket down and taking several angry steps towards the demon. 

Startled, he backed up, gazing in confusion at the new and unexpected threat of the artist’s pointer finger.

“How dare you!” she snapped again, even as an inner voice testified that his words were truth and told her she was overreacting. “What do you know about humans? Nothing in this world is human. Have you ever even seen a human?”

YES.

The woman stopped halfway through taking a breath to continue her tirade. “What?”

YES. I HAVE SEEN A HUMAN. 

As it turns out, when people yell angry defensive nonsense at someone, they don’t tend to expect an honest response in return. Confused, Audrey took a step back. “When?”

WHEN I WAS CREATED, he growled, voice pitching lower with annoyance. She blinked, remembering the story Joey shared about the Ink Demon’s creation. 

“Okay,” she carefully spoke, regaining some of her common sense as surprise and curiosity pushed out the more inflammatory and unreasonable emotions she was experiencing. “Then how do you know I’m not human?”

WHEN I REGAINED MY TRUE FORM I SENSED THAT WE HAD BEEN CREATED FOR A SIMILAR PURPOSE. THE DEEP ABYSS REMEMBERS ALL. 

“A similar purpose?” the animator asked, purposefully ignoring the ‘deep abyss’ bit. 

Crouching lower, he dug his claws into the ground with a low snarl, leaving long scores in the wood. 

TO EXIST OUTSIDE OF THIS REALM. 

Her next question died on the tip of her tongue as she watched him mindlessly tear at the floorboards while keeping his gaze locked on her. Clearly the topic made him uncomfortable.

She decided to ask him about that later. 

“I suppose that kind of makes us siblings, huh?” Audrey joked to alleviate the strange tension that had built in the air. 

Catching his rattling breath, the Ink Demon froze, fixing her with a stare that caused a cold sweat to break out on her forehead. 

The tension grew and the artist was about to apologetically retract her statement when he nodded.

I SUPPOSE SO. 

Grinning in relief, she was going to make another siblings joke when she fully registered his previous words. 

“Wait a second…” Audrey furrowed her brow accusingly at her ‘brother’. Some of her previous anger returned, although severely lacking the same venom and conviction from earlier. “You knew I was an ink person? Why didn’t you tell me?!”

I DID. 

“You did not!” 

I DID! He growled insistently, the floorboards rumbling underneath them at the force of the sound. TWICE. He held up two long clawed fingers to emphasize his point. 

The woman was about to deny it again when she recalled his cryptic messages outside the locker room and Artist’s Rest. 

“Is that what you meant by calling me ‘a child of the darkness?” she questioned incredulously. “That’s not clear at all!”

FIRST, I SAID YOU WERE BORN FROM THIS REALM.

“And I asked you what that meant and you didn’t say anything!”

I WOULD HAVE EXPLAINED IF YOU HAD NOT FLED MY PRESENCE WHENEVER I DREW NEAR. He snipped back with a hint of resentment. 

“I thought you wanted to eat me!” she defended, folding her arms to her chest. 

Simultaneously frustrated and curious, the Ink Demon asked, WHY? 

Wasn’t it obvious? Audrey thought to herself. “Because you look-” like a monster. She managed to bite her words before finishing the sentence, feeling guilty for even thinking it. 

Still waiting for a response, the being in question watched her expectantly. 

“You look…scary,” the woman finished lamely. 

He appeared conflicted by that response. 

Without warning, a wave of exhaustion washed over the animator. Stepping back until the bed was at her heels, she sat down, hard. 

Out of the corner of her eye, the artist noticed the whiteboard’s message had been altered. The word ‘KEEPERS’ had been violently scratched out and replaced with ‘THE DEMON’ and an ‘S’ had been added to the end of ‘SEE’  so the full message now read, “THE DEMON SEE S EVERYTHING”. She chose not to comment. 

“I’m sorry for losing my temper,” she apologized, running her fingers through her hair. “That wasn’t fair. It’s just…a lot to take in.”

After a moment of watchful silence, he nodded. She hoped that meant he accepted her apology. 

“And I’m sorry for calling you a monster back in the sewers.” she added, mostly to alleviate the guilt she felt for calling him that in her mind just now. 

Appearing confused, the demon cocked his head to the side. 

YOU ALREADY APOLOGIZED. 

“Yes, but that was to Bendy.” 

Jerking away from her, he responded, I AM BENDY, in an offended manner.

“I mean, little Bendy,” Audrey explained in embarrassed exasperation. 

WE ARE THE SAME. I REMEMBER EVERYTHING I DO IN MY OTHER FORM.

Frowning, the animator let go of clarifying her previous statement in favor of pursuing more  information on this topic. “I thought you said your memories are blurred when you switch forms?”

ONLY AS MY WEAKER SELF. 

“Why is that?”

The previously talkative demon remained quiet. In fact, he remained quiet for so long she began to wonder if she needed to repeat herself. 

I’M SORRY FOR CALLING YOU AN UNGRATEFUL WRETCH.

Her previous question was wiped from her mind. She gaped at Bendy. “What?”

I’M SORRY FOR CALLING YOU AN UNGRATEFUL WRETCH.

“You called me a WHAT?!” the woman squeaked in indignation. 

For the first time in their entire conversation since hugging her, the Ink Demon glanced away, choosing instead to idly scratch at the scuffed floorboards at his feet. 

The animator was going to interrogate him further before deciding it wasn’t worth it. “You know what?” she laughed amicably, thinking back to her own insult. “Let’s just call it even.”

Standing up, Audrey dusted herself off, then turned to face the nightstand. They could talk more on their way to the Gent building. “You still haven’t answered my-”

She froze. The nightstand was bare. 

“Bendy…where’s the ID card?”

Chapter Text

Audrey stared at the Ink Demon expectantly, waiting for his response. When none was forthcoming, she repeated, "where's the ID card?" and took a menacing step forward. 

The demon turned and leapt through the hole in the floor, followed by a large CRASH!

With a gasp, the animator ran to the edge of the gap and peered down. There was a fresh hole in the floor just below the first one. Through it, she could see all the way to the ground floor where the inky being had landed on all fours. 

“Are you alright?” she called down, natural concern overriding her need to get the ID card. 

He glanced at her, then bolted through the exit. A large metal crash sounded out, followed by a chorus of lost ones screaming.

Her worry transformed into rage. 

“BENDY THE INK DEMON YOU GET BACK HERE WITH THE ID CARD RIGHT NOW!”

Audrey didn’t wait to see if he complied. Tactically leaping from one floor to the other, she rushed outside the lobby. Once outside, she discovered the source of the second crash: the car formerly parked just outside the hotel was now on its side. She wasn’t sure if she should find the blunder funny or terrifying but she didn’t have time to decide. 

Several hysterical lost ones hurried down the street, away from the cinema. There, she glimpsed a large figure disappearing into the neighboring alleyway. She raised her gent pipe defensively against the lost ones but they ran straight past her, too consumed by their fear of the Ink Demon to fight. 

Wilson’s voice decided to add itself to the already chaotic situation.

“Attention! Children of the Machine-”

Cursing, the artist ignored him and the panicked lost ones in favor of hunting the renegade demon. 

By the time she made it to the alleyway she caught another glimpse of him leaping over the shorter building adjacent to the meat shop. 

Wasting no time to admire his athletic prowess, Audrey bolted down the alleyway and through the meat shop, barely sparing a glance at more cowering lost ones that gawked as she sprinted towards the Ink Demon rather than away from him.

When she got to the other side, the streets were empty. She could either turn left, towards the Gent building, or right, towards the train station. There was no sign of Bendy in either direction. 

Knowing he wasn’t a fan of the Gent building, she chose right, scanning the rooftops as she ran. 

She made it all the way up the ramps and into the room overlooking the city before she finally lost her breath. 

Gasping, she paused to regain her stamina. In the meantime, she studied her surroundings. The room appeared exactly the same as they had left it. There was nothing, not even a few extra ink droplets on the floor, to indicate the demon had been here since their impromptu nap. 

At this point, she realized tracking him down was impossible. Even if she found a trail to follow, she would never catch up on her own. He cleared an entire building, albeit a short one, like a career hiker would clear a small boulder! Not only was he more familiar with the studio’s layout, he was physically faster and stronger than she was. The chance she had of finding him without his aid was smaller than her chance of waking up to discover this was all just a bad dream. 

Frustration mounting, Audrey took a deep breath.

“BENDY!” she called out, enraged and cursing Joey for interrupting her in the hotel room and herself for not grabbing the ID card while she had the chance.

YES?

Whirling around she found the Ink Demon standing directly behind her, looking far too pleased with himself for her liking. How he managed to sneak up on her with footsteps like his, she hadn’t the faintest idea. 

Despite her surprise at the rapid response, she stormed up to him. “Give me the ID card!” she demanded, holding out an expectant hand. 

The demon slowly looked down at the outstretched limb, then looked back to her face. 

WHAT CARD? he asked innocently, tilting his head to the side in faux confusion. 

“The one you took off the nightstand!”

IT IS NOT IN MY POSSESSION. 

“What do you MEAN?” she said while doing her best not to scream in frustration. 

I DO NOT HAVE IT. 

“Then, what happened to it?”

THAT IS NONE OF YOUR CONCERN. 

Placing a hand on her hip, Audrey pinched the bridge of her nose, taking several deep, cleansing breaths. She never thought of herself as short-tempered before now. Sure, she wasn’t afraid to stick up for herself or speak out when necessary, but she wasn’t normally this quick to anger. Experiencing this much rage in such a short period of time couldn’t be good for her mental state. 

“Bendy,” she said with forced patience, putting her hands together and pointing them at the demon, “I need that card to get into the Gent building. Would you please bring it to me so I can do that?”

He stared at her for a long moment. NO.

“Why not?” she snapped, patience gone. 

YOU COULD DIE. 

Startled by the simple statement, she paused, “I thought you said I can’t die?”

YOU WON’T.

“But you just said I could!”

YOU CAN. 

If Audrey could growl like the Ink Demon, she would have growled then. 

“Could you please stop speaking in circles and just give me a normal explanation for once?” she pleaded, once again striving to quench the uncharacteristic fury bubbling within her. 

YOU CAN’T DIE…

The artist opened her mouth to protest. 

UNLESS…

Oops, he wasn’t done. The animator closed her mouth as he took a deep rattling breath. 

YOU ARE CONSUMED. 

“Oh,” she responded softly. Her eyes flicked to his jaws and away as she attempted not to dwell on their disturbingly human teeth. Joey’s warning ran through her head and she had to stop herself from edging away from the demon.

I WILL NOT ALLOW THAT TO HAPPEN.

“Oh.” Audrey smiled in relief but the feeling didn’t last. The image of lifeless eyes staring into her own while the Ink Demon dug his teeth into their owner’s inky flesh flashed through her mind.

Her blood ran cold. 

“Is that…” she gulped. “Is that why you were eating that lost one? To kill them permanently?”

Appearing embarrassed, he waited a moment before responding. 

YES. 

At a loss for words, the artist heavily regretted the question. What was she supposed to say to that? 

“Bendy, that’s wrong, ” she chided while inwardly questioning her sanity for scolding a demon for eating people. 

He growled defensively. THEY ALL WISH TO DIE. LIFE IN THIS WORLD IS AN ENDLESS CYCLE OF SUFFERING. I PROVIDE THE RELIEF THEY CRAVE. 

“That doesn’t make it okay!” she exclaimed, horrified by the implication. 

He made a rattling sound that Audrey wondered was his version of a ‘hmph.’

Maybe…he just doesn’t know any better? she wondered optimistically. This place wasn’t exactly the best environment to learn or practice moral lessons. She resorted to killing as soon as she had the means to do so (although she was relieved to learn that the lost ones she killed weren’t permanently dead). Still, that didn’t mean she was comfortable with the practice. Conveniently ignoring the moments she banished lost ones, the only way she found murder acceptable was the assurance it was done in self-defense. 

Studying her companion's formidable form, the artist wasn't sure it counted as self-defense in his case.

Even so, there was some twisted logic in his words. If she had been trapped and tortured here for years with no hope for escape, wouldn't she be desperate for any sort of release, even if it came in the form of death?

Sensing an ethical headache coming on, she decided to drop the incredibly uncomfortable topic in favor of the other, slightly less uncomfortable one they were discussing earlier.

“So, if I go into the Gent building, I’m going to get-” she forced herself to speak the disturbing word, “-‘consumed’?” 

Bendy let out a prolonged rumbling sigh. POSSIBLY. 

“‘Possibly?’” she stressed. “So, it’s not a guarantee?”

There was another extended silence. She refused to break gazes with the demon until he answered her. 

Finally he did, glancing away from her intense stare in favor of the city view. 

THERE ARE FATES WORSE THAN DEATH. 

Yet again, Audrey had to prevent herself from screaming in frustration at his stupidly vague and terrifying statements. She wondered if he was purposefully speaking this way to be intimidating or if it was simply instinctive.

“So why was it that you were willing to help me earlier?” Audrey challenged, gesturing around the area they were standing in. “When I first brought it up you agreed to come with me!”

Another lengthy pause. The animator fought the urge to tap her foot impatiently while Bendy formulated his response.  

MY OTHER FORM IS…NAIVE. 

Normally, this would trigger a series of questions regarding the differences between the demon’s forms but she was still upset about the stolen card and his lack of respect for free will. 

“Okay.” She swiftly translated what that could mean based on their previous interactions. “So, you agreed to something you regret. That still doesn’t explain why you won’t go there!”

The Ink Demon spat out his next words with an unnerving snarl: NOTHING IN THIS WORLD OR ANY OTHER COULD PERSUADE ME TO RETURN TO THAT HELL. 

“Fine,” she replied petulantly. “Then I’ll just go alone!”

NO! 

The room quaked with the force of his roar. His black aura returned, bursting vengefully from his shadow and obscuring all nearby light sources, including the view of the city. Ink rained from the ceiling and oozed from the floorboards, swiftly corrupting everything it touched.  

Struck with primal terror, Audrey stumbled backwards, slipping on the now-slick floor and tripping over the edge of something metal. Luckily, the wall wasn’t too far behind and caught her on the way down, so she slid to the ground instead of falling.

She didn’t notice. Heart pounding and mind ringing, she was unable to focus on anything except the threat before her. Every cell in her body screamed that she was about to die. Eyes locked on the frightful figure, she expected the worst. 

The two ink beings stared at each other, both trembling: one with anger, the other with fear.

Gradually, the dark aura dissipated. The accompanying ink was slightly more resilient but it too faded after sinking into the floorboards. When the aura was completely gone, the Ink Demon lowered himself until he was on all fours, as if to make himself appear smaller and less of a threat. 

I WILL NOT HARM YOU, he rumbled penitently, subtly bowing his head in her direction. 

Audrey needed a moment to gather herself before responding. 

“I know,” she lied. 

They remained on the ground. The animator avoided his intense gaze in favor of looking out the window while she attempted to calm her racing heart. As she did, she heard a child’s voice in her mind, followed by a man’s voice: Joey’s voice. 

“Can we go to the park today, Daddy?”

“No, sweetheart, not today.”

“Awww…why not?”

“Your Dad’s old bones are acting up again. Maybe tomorrow.”

“But I want to go NOW!”

“Sweetheart-”

“NOW!”

“I said no.”

“NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW-”

“QUIET! I SAID NO!”

“...”

“Oh nononono, Audrey, honey, don’t cry. I didn’t mean to raise my voice ‘atcha. C’mere…shhhhh, it’s okay, you’re okay, shhhhhh…how would you like some ice cream? Would that make you feel better?” 

“...*sniff*...mm-hmm.”

“Alright, let’s go get some.”

Like the others, the memory began to fade the moment it ended. This time, however, Audrey was aware of it. 

Without knowing how or why, she mentally reached for the memory. She would have had the same success if she was grasping at running water: it splashed through her fingers and disappeared, leaving her hands glittering with droplets as the only evidence it passed through at all. 

What was that? she wondered. 

Overwhelmed and disoriented, she almost missed the demon’s sudden interjection.

WHY? 

The woman made a questioning sound. She wasn’t capable of forming words yet. 

Thankfully, he understood. 

WHY DO YOU WISH TO VISIT THAT… he made a strained guttural noise, like he was attempting to hold in a snarl. WRETCHED PLACE?

Blinking, Audrey realized she probably should have shared that earlier instead of assuming it was obvious.
“I just…” she cleared her throat, blinking away tears of fright and sadness. 

Noticing her tears, Bendy crept closer. When the animator flinched at the movement, he stopped, appearing uncertain. 

Honestly, she wasn’t sure if she wanted him to approach or not. She probably needed another hug but she was still recovering from his outburst. She doubted he meant to scare her that badly, his behavior afterward was evidence of that. It was obvious he was trying to protect her. However, as much as she appreciated the sentiment, she did not appreciate how he expressed it. 

When he settled on staying away she was simultaneously relieved and guilty.

“I thought that maybe something there could help me get home,” she admitted, voice breaking when she mentioned ‘home’. 

The only sounds she could detect were the demon’s breathing and the gentle dripping of the strange shower-headed pipe to her left. Eager to distract herself, she focused on the source of the second noise. Upon further inspection, she noticed it was labeled ‘LINKER’ (whatever that meant) and had a black pool of liquid in its base. That must have been what she tripped on.

The Ink Demon’s voice pulled her from her thoughts, speaking with an air of irrefutable finality. 

YOU WILL NOT FIND WHAT YOU SEEK. 

Hugging her knees to her chest, Audrey put her head down and said nothing. Of course she wouldn’t. She was never finding her way out of this awful place. 

After a few minutes of depressing silence, she heard the Ink Demon’s footsteps sneaking forward, closing the distance between them. She didn’t react until there was a thud to her right. 

Peeking out of her arms, she noticed he was sitting against the wall a few inches away from her side. Without acknowledging her presence, he hugged his legs to his chest like she had. 

Despite her previous fear, she smiled, finding it cute how he mirrored her. After a moment of hesitation, she leaned against him. 

Just like the last time she touched him, he stiffened then relaxed at the contact. Audrey watched as he flexed his claws, then lifted an arm and loosely wrapped it around her.

Her eyes followed the massive hand as it came to rest at her side. 

Elongated fingers sprouted from a ruined white glove, a twisted caricature of the hand the animator had drawn countless times at her desk. 

Intrigued, she mindlessly reached out with both hands for the appendage.

The demon's breath hitched at the action, then resumed its natural rhythm. 

First, she investigated the fingers. With their excessive length, she wondered how many joints they had and used gentle pressure to bend his index finger. The test revealed a regular amount of joints but the first two phalanges were significantly longer than the last one. Tracing the end of his claw, she noticed that rather than forming a fingernail it was simply a sharpened end of hardened ink. She tapped it and her own nails and noticed they made a similar sound, except his were sharper in tone. 

Moving on to the palm, she examined the torn glove. She smoothed her thumb over its surface and traced its ragged ends, noting the unique texture. Closer to rubber than fabric, the almost tacky material was molded perfectly to the dark flesh it covered. She noted with delight that each edge was thickly outlined and then crosshatched to distinguish it from the rest of the glove. What a wonderful detail. 

Flipping the hand over, she studied the rest of the glove along with the strange spikes sticking out from where Bendy’s glove dots would usually be. They looked…painful. 

"Does it hurt when you change?" she asked, carefully testing the ends of the spikes with a finger. Similarly to his claws, their ends were sharpened and tougher than the rest of his skin. 

His hand twitched in her grip. She removed her fingers from the spikes. 

YES.

"I'm sorry,” she stated simply, glancing up at her companion. 

YOU ARE NOT AT FAULT. 

"No, but I wish it didn't hurt you,” she explained absentmindedly while tracing the scratches and smudges on the gloves exterior. “Sometimes people say they're sorry not as an apology but because they feel for the other person." 

Having completed her anatomical examination, she released the hand. It fell away to resume its place at her side. 

Resting her head on her arms and knees again, she tried not to dwell on the hopelessness of her situation, thinking instead of the few good experiences she had gathered throughout the course of her journey. She was unsurprised that most of them involved Bendy. Before her confrontation with Joey in the hotel, she would have included their serendipitous and inspiring meeting in the sewers; however, it was now tainted by revelations she was still struggling to accept. 

Which begged the question: if Joey Drew was her father, why didn’t she remember him? 

Closing her eyes, she searched for the gap in her childhood where he supposedly belonged. Soon, she discovered a problem: every time she felt close to remembering something important, she would forget what she was doing and it would slip away. 

Audrey wasn’t sure how long they sat together, listening to the dripping ink and their own breathing while she chased the elusive memories. Again, she thought back to what Joey said about the demon. For a soulless abomination, he was showing her an awful lot of compassion.

How long was this woman going to mope on the floor?

The Ink Demon resisted the urge to bash his own head in against the wall behind him. Boredom, he decided, was his least favorite emotion. 

With his unoccupied hand, Bendy idly drew figures on the floor using his own ink. First, he drew a snowman, then a sun to melt the snowman. After the snowman melted (meaning he wiped it away), he drew a stick figure. Tapping a claw on the floor, he pondered how he could improve the picture, sensing it needed more panache. A moment later, he added a larger figure with handsome horns to disembowel the other, gleefully drawing lines squirting from the latter’s midsection and adding a puddle of glorious inky blood underneath them both to complete the image. 

Sensing he had reached his peak in artistic expression, he searched for something else to occupy his attention in vain. Wary of spooking his fragile companion, he had to prevent himself from rumbling discontentedly.

Instead, he surreptitiously stretched his legs, glancing at Audrey while hoping she got the hint. 

She didn’t. Gazing into the distance with a furrowed brow, her golden eyes shone with a strange focus occasionally broken by sorrow. 

The intensity of her expression made him reluctant to interrupt her. With little else to keep himself occupied, he was compelled to reflect on recent events. 

He thought they were past her bothersome habit of cowering in his presence; he was incorrect. Evidently, expressing himself in conversation required increased discretion. His refusal was meant to be discouraging and perhaps a little intimidating. He never meant to terrify her, he reflected guiltily—a disgusting emotion. Nevermind, boredom was no longer his least favorite emotion. 

Regardless, he was rather pleased with himself for how he subsequently remedied the situation. She reacted well to his innovative gesture: the side embrace. 

What followed after was unexpected; he hadn’t the faintest notion why she was so curious about his hand. 

The appendage was wrong, off-model: its flaws augmented after the time he spent in the Liar’s dungeons and torture chambers. Audrey’s sudden unexpected interest sparked a desire to conceal it from view. Yet, he was reluctant to frighten her again and thus allowed the gentle intrusion. He would never admit it verbally , but he found the contact enjoyable and missed the attention after she withdrew. 

A train rumbled in the distance and the Ink Demon tensed, ready and wary to flee the area with Audrey regardless of whether she was prepared to do so. Listening carefully, he was relieved when the sound faded until he could no longer detect it. 

Despite the abating threat, he decided they should leave. The chance of Keepers passing through this area were slim but not negligible.

Again, he tapped the claws of his free hand against the floor and pondered how he could prompt his companion to action. Simply sharing physical affection wasn’t enough to solve the problem.

The demon hummed thoughtfully. What relieved his pain when the weight of life’s endless cruelty threatened to crush him into nothingness?

Hunting. Watching his cartoons. Placing cardboard cutouts of himself in inconvenient places to startle and impede his prey before he devoured them. 

His true lair was too remote and he doubted she derived the same joy as him while stalking other ink creatures. Her distaste of the activity was clear, however hypocritical. 

Perhaps there was something he could gift her. During her distressed rant in the hotel room, she mentioned searching for something…coffee. Yes, that was the word. What is coffee?

Immediately the Dark Puddles enthusiastically sent an image to his mind of a steaming black drink in a cup with a curved handle. Apparently, it was a greatly coveted beverage amongst the former employees of his creators’ studio. Distant memories of animators sipping nervously from matching cups while he lurked in the shadows corroborated the claim. Now, where could he find it? 

Another image was transmitted from the former lair of the Widow King: a small rectangular shape with rounded edges implanted into a wall,

Hmmm…it was some distance away but the journey would be worth it. At the time, he was unable to cleanse the area of those accursed widow pods or consume the corpse of their predecessor. This way, both himself and his companion would benefit. He was always hungry. 

DO YOU DESIRE, he paused, making certain he pronounced the word correctly, COFFEE?

Audrey snapped to attention, her eyes glittering with greed. At such a close proximity, he could feel her heartbeat quicken.
“You have coffee?” she responded almost immediately. 

The Ink Demon grinned at her eagerness. FOLLOW. 

With that, he sprung to his feet, speeding on all fours towards the sewer entrance.

“Wait,” he heard her cry out from the other room. “Where are we going?”

He didn’t bother responding. She would figure it out eventually. 

Sometimes, he disliked speaking. It required significant energy and he was tired of it after conversing with Audrey in the hotel and their last confrontation. She had heard more words from him than any other being in existence. 

He did wait long enough to lock gazes with the animator after she entered the hallway. Then, he dropped into the emergency shaft. 

Their journey through the sewers followed a similar pattern: Bendy leaping and jumping through the dripping halls and pausing just long enough for Audrey to catch a glimpse of him before moving on. He ignored the lost ones that screamed and scrambled away from his presence, knowing they wouldn’t harm his companion after she replaced their false deity, although he idly wondered if she would be willing to hunt with him eventually. However, she might be more attached to her followers than he was. 

"Would you please slow down?" Audrey shouted from the base of the other ladder marking the sewer’s exit. She had her hands on her hips and was breathing heavily.

The Ink Demon glowered at the exhausted artist from above. Fine. He could be patient. 

Slowly, she climbed each ladder rung one by one. 

When she neared the top, he reached down, grabbed the scruff of her shirt and lifted her out of the shaft. 

"Wha-don't do that!" she protested, even though he already set her down. 

With a huff, he moved on, this time walking on his two hooves and remaining just a few feet ahead. 

In the next hallway, the demon noticed three awful widow growths sprouting from the ground. 

Pausing, he crouched down and pulled them from the ground. He bit one of the cancerous objects, relishing the inky flesh and energy he gained from consuming it. 

As he ate, he noticed that Audrey had passed him and was giving him an odd look. After some speculation, he deciphered it as a look of disgust and curiosity. 

At first, he was offended. How dare she judge his diet, he was purifying his territory!

Then, he was graced with nefarious inspiration.  

WOULD YOU LIKE A TASTE? he asked playfully, offering the last pod to the critical woman.  

"No!" she exclaimed immediately with wide, horrified eyes. Then, she harrumphed into her fist and repeated the objection, "no, no thank you, I'm good."

ARE YOU CERTAIN?

"Yes, I'm certain. I think I'll stick to vending machine food and coffee, thanks."

THAT'S NOT VERY NUTRITIOUS, he replied with a saccharine smile.  JUST TRY A BITE, I INSIST. 

Narrowing her eyes at the demon, she firmly responded, "and I insist that I'd rather not, thank you." 

The grin on his face turned wicked. He took a mischievous step forward. 

Audrey bolted. 

Predatory instincts activated, the Ink Demon placed the pod in his mouth and pursued her, running forward on all fours. 

"Watch out!" the animator shouted from ahead.

FOR WHAT? he wondered in baffled amusement. What in the darkest abyss would he have to watch out for this far from the Liar’s influence?

Turning a corner, he learned right as Audrey closed a metal shutter halfway through the short corridor. 

Although he literally skidded across the floor while attempting to stop, he ended up hitting the shutter with a loud thwap . If he could feel pain, he doubted it would have hurt. It did, however, damage his pride. 

"You okay?" Audrey shout-laughed from the other side. Her retreating footsteps revealed she wasn’t concerned enough to see for herself. 

Embarrassed and irritated, he refrained from answering, choosing to direct his energy towards catching his quarry. He wasn’t going to force her to taste the pod before but now he was!

Despite the offense, he found himself experiencing several positive emotions very different from those he normally experienced during a chase. As it was, he enjoyed the challenge and hoped they could play more games like this in the future. If it wasn’t for all the sharp turns in the following hallways, he would have caught her easily.

It came to an end when he found her standing helplessly underneath the elevator shaft in the Widow King’s lair. 

With a triumphant growl, he stepped confidently into the room and removed the pod from his jaws, wiggling it tauntingly at the woman. However, before he could do anything else, Audrey disappeared in a stream of ink flowing upwards. 

Dumbfounded, he stood in that spot for a solid second before looking up. There, he met the artist’s gaze, crouching smugly in the first hollow space in the elevator shaft. 

“You are a menace,” she stated flatly, lips twitching as she tried and failed to hide a smirk.

He preened at the compliment, then paced underneath the area. As tempting as it was to leap next to her, he knew he wouldn’t fit. Additionally, he couldn’t risk dragging her from her hiding place; he might accidentally harm her, from his claws or the consequent fall. 

COME DOWN, he commanded, pointing at the ground beneath him. 

She folded her arms with a defiant glare. “Not until you promise you won’t force me to eat that thing.” 

If he had eyes, he would have rolled them.

True to her word, she did not come down until she extracted a detailed vow that he would not force her to experiment on any form of inky flesh. He had a distinct feeling he would regret making such a promise.

When she landed, her knees cracked concerningly.

“Ow,” Audrey winced, rubbing the side of her leg regretfully.

WHAT’S WRONG? the demon questioned, growling at the floor as if he could fight it. 

“Nothing serious, that was higher than I expected.” The pain on her face was replaced with anticipation and a hint of worry. “Where’s the coffee? We didn’t pass it, did we?”

Shaking his head, he pointed at a familiar rectangular shape hanging on a nearby wall.

The animator’s eyes sparkled with more excitement than he witnessed from any individual. 

Sprinting to the coffee machine, she paused in front of it before touching its faded surface with a reverent hand. After a moment of silence, she quickly transitioned to studying it from every angle while running her fingers over every inch of the machine.

Then, to his astonishment, she abandoned the thing and raced back the way they came. 

He was about to follow when he registered the jarring sound of rusted lockers being forced open in the distance. 

Seconds later, Audrey triumphantly returned to the room with a mug in her hand. He watched with interest as she pulled out several of the precious disks that bribed vending machines into relinquishing their delicious insides. After entering what he believed to be far more disks than necessary, the machine whirred to life. Squealing in delight, she held her cup underneath it. A stream of dark liquid shot out of the bottom of the machine into the mug and an unfamiliar aroma filled the room, earthy yet bitter. 

She blew on the steaming liquid before taking a sip. 

“Mmm!” she hummed happily, closing her eyes in intoxicated bliss. 

After a few more sips, the woman sighed, turning to address the demon. 

“You know,” she said as she leaned against the wall, taking another sip of the hot beverage, “for ancient, unsweetened coffee brewed in a questionable location inside a famously cheap studio, it’s surprisingly good!”

Grunting in acknowledgement, he stomped on a tiny widow that dared approach his companion. It was then he noticed, to his great surprise and pleasure, the Widow King’s remains were in the same place where he left them.

Setting them on the opposite side of the room from the animator, he planned on consuming them first thing after he ripped every one of those disgusting yet tasty pods out of the ground. 

As she savored her beverage, the Ink Demon busied himself with ripping the pods out of the floor. There were too many to eat all at once, so he threw the excess next to the Widow King’s corpse. Any widows that sprang out of hiding to defend their nest were unceremoniously tossed into his jaws and crushed with a loud crunch. 

“You would make a good gardener,” Audrey observed aloud.

Pausing in his work, the demon glanced at her. He was uncertain why, but the unexpected compliment made him even more committed to ripping out every accursed pod in this place. 

By the time he finished, Audrey was on her second cup of coffee. 

Sitting next to his pile, he began devouring the spoils of his labor. He briefly considered leaving a few to reform for later snacks but swiftly dismissed the idea, suspicious that the infestation was far from eradicated. 

The two ink beings sat in peaceful silence, savoring their respective snacks. The Ink Demon enjoyed the quiet, especially considering he had something to do while he waited for Audrey to recover from her breakdown. Accepting the reality of her situation couldn’t be pleasant, he realized with an implacable yet understanding emotion. He had experienced it several times and only around her. Before he could name it, it was gone. 

Unbothered, he bit down on one of the Widow King’s legs. It snapped pleasingly between his teeth, although he discovered with disappointment that he preferred the sweeter flavor of its spawn.

As the seconds passed by, he found himself lowering his guard, an uncommon occurrence. With Audrey nearby, calm and content, he was finally able to relax. 

“WILSON!” 

With a snarl, the demon lunged to his feet, dropping the food in his hand as he leapt to the center of the room.

WHERE? he demanded, ready to rip that lying snake’s heart from his chest. 

“Not here,” she explained excitedly, waving him off, “I mean, Wilson has to know a way out! ” 

Still growling, the Ink Demon huffed at the notion. He crouched in place: uneasy, protective, and reluctant to leave more than a few feet between himself and his companion. 

THE ONLY KNOWLEDGE HE POSSESSES, he retorted, thinking of how the man preached of peace after his unwelcome intrusion, IS OF DECEPTION AND RUINATION. 

“There has to be some way out!” she argued, voice rich with denial.

NO. MANY HAVE TRIED. ALL HAVE FAILED. Including himself, although he had given up long before many of the more foolish residents of his domain. 

“But Wilson brought me here,” the animator contended, “and it’s obvious he’s been here for much longer than I have. He had to leave this world to get me. ”

The demon tilted his head curiously. This was novel information. He was unaware that Wilson was responsible for Audrey’s appearance.

Recalling her offer in the elevator, something light and airy expanded inside his ribcage. As his other self, he had been doubtful of their escape and as his current self he knew it was impossible…but perhaps there was a way out? Maybe, just maybe he could be rid of the cries of the lost fruitlessly begging him to free them from their pain. 

Pulled from his thoughts, he realized she was still talking and tuned back into the conversation.

“-find him and ask how he travels back and forth.”

After he registered what the artist was suggesting, the ember was overwhelmed by a fireball of possessive rage. 

I WILL KILL HIM BEFORE I EVER ALLOW YOU TO SET FOOT IN HIS PRESENCE, he roared, just barely managing to keep his aura in check as he stood to his full height. As infuriating as the suggestion was, he didn’t want to traumatize her again, especially so soon after his last outburst. 

He was simultaneously relieved and annoyed that his statement left her unphased. 

“'Allow me?'” Audrey questioned indignantly as she also rose to her feet. “You keep saying that like it means something. I don’t need your permission to do anything!” 

The Ink Demon snorted derisively. This was his realm. Of course she needed his permission. 

IT DOESN’T MATTER, he smugly replied, remembering where he hid the ID card. He had tried to destroy it but certain things in this world were indestructible, like the End Tape…and vending machines. Disappointingly, the ID card was one of those things. YOU WILL NEVER ENTER THE GENT BUILDING. 

Instead of giving in to his marvelous argument like he expected, Audrey perked up at his statement. 

“So, Wilson is in the Gent building?” she pressed. “Is that why you don’t want me going there?”

Remaining silent, the Ink Demon added another item to a growing list of reasons explaining why he disliked speaking. 

She stared him down, obviously waiting for an answer to her question that he refused to give. 

After a long, uncomfortable pause, he said firmly, YOU WILL NOT GO THERE. 

"Then what else am I supposed to do?" she snapped. 

A surge of excitement shot through the demon despite her inflammatory tone. Finally, he could explain his proposal without the threat of her running away. Although, knowing how delicate her temperament was, he needed to do it in a way that wouldn’t estrange her.

YOU CAN JOIN ME, he said eagerly while striving to curb his enthusiasm. WE CAN RULE THIS REALM TOGETHER. 

For a short eternity, she stared at him with a shocked expression. Then, she laughed awkwardly, gaze flickering to the door. "No thanks."

The demon was expecting resistance but not stated so plainly. 

WHY NOT? he probed. Perhaps if he knew her concerns, he could alleviate them. 

"I don't want to!" she protested.

NOT YET, he purred, remembering the early days of his existence. YOUR POWER IS GROWING. YOUR APPETITE FOR CONTROL WILL FOLLOW. 

Fixing him with a skeptical glare, she responded, "I sincerely doubt that." 

CAN YOU NOT SENSE THE CHANGE WITHIN YOUR MIND? he prodded, knowing the answer to his question. With every passing moment, he sensed her bond with the deep abyss growing stronger. It happened to him after they threw him back into the machine. WITH EACH BANISHED SOUL, THE DARKNESS GAINS STRENGTH. YOU BELONG TO IT, AUDREY. WITH MY…ASSISTANCE…IT COULD BELONG TO YOU. 

The woman in question shifted uncomfortably. “No, I’m pretty sure I would be aware if I was having any ‘inner darkness’ issues.”

Before the demon could protest, she continued, “besides, I don’t know how to ‘rule’ over anything. I wouldn't be any good at it!”

Her lack of self confidence was endearing. Of course, he would do the majority of the ruling in the beginning, but with time he would gradually integrate her more and more until they were equals.

 That was if they remained separate. He knew she wasn’t ready for that element of his plan, even if it was the easiest method to combine their power. 

THE SEWER-DWELLERS HAVE RECOGNIZED YOUR WORTH, he added slyly. That in itself was evidence of her commanding destiny.

"Just because a bunch of weirdos named me their leader after I murdered their last one doesn't mean I’m qualified for the position!" she sputtered. 

He disagreed but was unable to voice his opinion as she continued. 

“None of that matters anyway. I don't want to,” the artist insisted. “All I want is to go home where things make sense and I don’t have to live every day fearing for my life.” 

YOU WILL HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR, he pressed, willing her to believe him. AS ONE, OUR POWER WILL BE INSURMOUNTABLE. 

He gazed into the distance, effortlessly visualizing their glorious future and merciless reign, then proudly rose to his feet.

NO MAN, MACHINE OR MONSTROSITY CAN DEFY US. TOGETHER, WE CAN DESTROY THE LIAR AND HIS DAMNABLE KEEPERS AND TAKE BACK OUR BIRTHRIGHT. 

It was a flawless argument. All he needed was for Audrey to recognize it as such.

The woman was quiet. She sipped her coffee.

"Is that really what you want?" 

He was taken aback by the simple question. Of course it was. He is the Ink Demon. It was the role he was given, to rule, torture and bring misery to those in this world. It gave him purpose and meaning. Most importantly, it distracted him from his own suffering. 

Still, the question planted doubt in his mind. The more he considered it, the more uncertain he became. Truthfully, he was already breaking from his predetermined role as the monster of the story. If he was truly faithful, he never should have spared Audrey (he had his other form to begrudgingly thank for that). 

And yet he had. It was an effortless and selfish decision. Perhaps that’s why he was allowed to do so. 

IT IS OUR FATE, he muttered defeatedly.

The animator pointedly set her mug on the ground and folded her arms. 

“I don’t believe that,” she informed him with a glare. “Who we are and what we do is our choice, no-one else’s.”

Bendy growled in disagreement. He didn’t choose to be created. He didn’t choose to be a monster. 

“And while we’re on the topic of choices,” she continued snarkily. “It should be my choice to stay here and it should be my choice if I want to go into the Gent building or not.”

The Ink Demon let out an irritated sigh. Not this again.

YOU’RE NOT GOING, he reemphasized, ignoring the conflicted feelings that arose when she mentioned ‘choice’.

“And why do you get to make that decision for me?” 

The answer was simple: he was older, stronger, and possessed superior knowledge of this world than she did. However, he was weary of this conversation and wasn’t going to say something so obvious out loud, settling instead allowing the following silence to speak for him. 

Tense seconds ticked by. An emotion flashed over the woman’s face but before he could decipher it, it was gone. She leaned back, staring at the demon with a guarded yet thoughtful expression, like she was plotting something. 

He didn’t like it. 

Finally, the artist broke the silence.

“Let’s play a game,” she said with a neutral expression. 

Surprised yet intrigued, the demon cocked his head. He liked games. 

“If you win, I’ll stop trying to get into the Gent building and I’ll help you–” she hesitated, grimacing like the words had a foul taste, “–take over the world or whatever.”

Bendy caught his breath. Was she seeing reason?

“If I win, you’ll allow-” she said with heavy sarcasm, “-me to go inside the Gent building.” 

Apparently not. He was about to deny her when she held up a shushing finger. 

“Before you say no,”she said as she cut him off, “let me explain the game.”

Without any expectation that his answer would change, he grumpily decided to indulge her. 

As she explained the rules, his reluctance to participate diminished to his grand surprise. The odds were heavily weighed in his favor. She must be aware that she is severely outmatched . After a moment of deep consideration, he arrived at the conclusion that perhaps this is her way of accepting her fate. If so, he would be remiss to deny her the opportunity. 

Furthermore, in the incredibly unlikely event that she did win…he knew of other ways to enter the Gent building. There were entrances and areas outside the range of the loathsome machines that dampened his power. Going inside didn’t necessarily mean using the front entrance and idiotically announcing their presence to the Keepers within. By her own words, he could allow her to briefly enter the awful place and immediately extract her without breaking their agreement. 

Stepping forward, Audrey extended her hand to the Ink Demon.

“Deal?” she asked with unwavering confidence. 

With a terrible grin, he took her hand in his own, dwarfing it in his monstrous grip.

DEAL. 

Chapter Text

Audrey shifted uncomfortably underneath a massive Amok symbol painted above the tunnel leading to the city's sewer entrance.

Lost ones shamelessly whispered to each other while ogling her from above. They crowded around the elevated entryways to her left and to her right. Thankfully, none of them were bold enough to climb down the ladders attached to the main floor (where she currently stood), but that didn’t mean she enjoyed being treated like an animal in a new zoo exhibit.

Avoiding their glowing yellow gazes, she wondered where they had come from. Just a few minutes ago, she had recharged her gent pipe in the room to her left. At the time it was empty except for the recharging station and another one of those strange ‘LINKER’ pipes. She had yet to visit the passageway to her right since she was crowned the new Amok but last she’d checked there were only three lost ones in that area, two in the throne room and one by the recently-ransacked storage area.

Now, there were at least ten lost ones watching her, each of them sporting the signature widow-leg mohawk found only in the sewers. A stray thought crossed her mind and she wondered if they were recently reformed and if she had killed any of them before. Hopefully none of them would choose to seek revenge. She didn’t know how much her title would protect her, especially considering she gained it by killing her predecessor. She doubted she could survive if they rushed her all at once. 

Regripping her gent pipe, she silently willed Bendy to hurry up. 

“Lord Amok?” 

After a second of momentary confusion, Audrey realized one of the lost ones was addressing her. Turning to the right, she searched in the direction of the voice and easily picked out the owner. All the others had taken a step back from one of the more femininely inclined lost ones. 

Straightening her posture and speaking in what she hoped was a regal tone, she answered, “Yes?” 

If acting like their Amok would prevent them from attacking her, the animator would gladly assume the charade. 

The lost one in question glanced at the others gathered behind her(?), who all nodded at her encouragingly. 

She readdressed Audrey. “Why hasn’t the Ink Demon devoured you?”

Ah. They must have seen her following him through the sewers. She supposed she would have questions too if she saw someone hanging out so casually with a living nightmare. 

“We’re friends,” she answered plainly, hoping that would satisfy them. 

There was a noticeable increase in hushed whispering. 

Recognizing movement to her left, she turned just in time to view another lost one stepping forward, this time more masculine in appearance. “Is he going to free us like the Prophet said?”

Prophet? Audrey wanted to ask who this prophet was but refrained in favor of preserving her mystique facade. Judging by the expectant faces around her, the existence of this prophet was common knowledge. 

Thinking about how she could respond to the question, she remembered what Bendy had once said about the matter and winced.

“What do you mean by, ‘free you?’” the artist probed. She sincerely doubted they wanted the type of freedom he offered, but it couldn’t hurt to check. 

There was more urgent whispering. Then, to her surprise, multiple lost ones spoke up from both sides of the room, calling out their answers one by one. 

“He’ll free us from our pain!”

He certainly can, she thought to herself with a grimace, but not without causing more of it first.  

“We’ll leave this world behind for a better one!”

According to many religious beliefs, that could be true too.

“Our bodies will be perfected in his glory!”

Okay, she didn’t think getting consumed would do that . 

As they continued to shout out answers, Audrey realized what they were really asking for. It was something she believed any troubled soul would desire: relief. Peace. Freedom from the pain they suffered after being forced to live in bodies that were practically melting. Freedom to live their lives how they wished without the threat of a sudden painful death any second of the day. 

Eventually, the crowd silenced itself, probably waiting for her to answer the question. 

Unsure of how she should answer, she decided to simply be honest. She backed up so she could address all the lost ones at once.

“I don’t think he can free you the way you want,” she answered sympathetically.

They seemed disappointed. This time, there was no chorus of whispers following her words. 

The first lost one spoke up again. 

“Will you free us?” she asked hopefully, pupiless eyes gleaming with a desperate hope. 

The request broke Audrey’s heart. Suddenly, she was instilled with an urgent need to help these people, despite the fact they were actively trying to kill her less than a day ago. Maybe she could speak to Wilson on their behalf.

Before she could respond, the Ink Demon dropped from the sky. The intimidating figure landed in front of the animator with a loud thud. Without hesitation, he fiercely snarled at the lost ones and they scattered, disappearing into the linked hallways and rooms. 

Cortisol levels skyrocketing, Audrey put a hand over her chest to calm her nerves. She was expecting him to come from the surface hatch, not the ceiling!

“Why did you scare them away? They weren’t doing anything!” she asked indignantly, “and where did you come from?” 

The offending demon stared at her calmly, unbothered by her disapproving glare.

VENT.

Craning her neck upwards, she was disappointed when the only sight that greeted her was the smooth curved ceiling. 

“There’s no vent there.”

OTHER VENT, he responded matter-of-factly, like that explained everything. 

With a sigh, Audrey dropped the subject in favor of confronting him on his behavior towards the harmless lost ones. 

“You still haven’t answered my first question,” she stated with folded arms. 

The Ink Demon tilted his head quizzically at the woman. 

THEY NEED TO FEAR US. 

“Why?” 

He didn’t answer, allowing the silence to stretch between them. 

Cocking an eyebrow, the animator waited for him to speak first. She asked a question, she expected an answer. 

Finally, he broke, but instead of an explanation, he said, LET’S BEGIN. 

Rolling her eyes, she decided to indulge him. Besides, she didn’t want to give him time to rethink their agreement. 

“Did you hide the card somewhere I can reach?” she double-checked with a suspicious squint. 

He nodded. 

Satisfied, Audrey skirted around Bendy so that nothing blocked her from the tunnel that led to the surface. Then, she turned to face the figure looming menacingly behind her and tried not to shiver. It wasn’t his fault that he was so effortlessly terrifying. She thought she had conquered her fear of the Ink Demon but the negative emotion was making a nasty habit of resurfacing during stressful moments. 

“Turn around and cover your…” the artist hesitated, staring awkwardly at the dripping mess where his eyes should have been, “...face.” 

With an amused huff, the demon obeyed, exaggerating the gesture like a teenager trying to convince their younger sibling they had no intention of cheating. 

The woman smirked at the sight, although her smile fell when she realized her place in the aforementioned example. 

“Don’t start counting until I say so,” she commanded, then cringed at the similarity in her voice to that of a bossy child. 

After registering a grumble of acknowledgement, Audrey faced the exit once again, gaze fixed on the ladder at the end of the tunnel. She was determined to make the most of this head start. 

Taking a deep breath, she shouted, “GO!” and sprinted down the hallway. 

1…2…3…

She made it to the base of the ladder and jumped. At the top of her leap, she flowed upward, catching herself on metal rungs. 

4…5…6…

Skipping steps, she climbed faster than she had ever climbed before, allowing the sudden rush of adrenaline to carry her skyward.

7…8…9…

After finally making it to the surface, she burst through the doorway just outside the hatch and skillfully flicked the previously open iron door shut behind herself. 

10.

She should have asked for more time. 

Sprinting down the hallway, she let the instinctive fear of being chased by a large animal propel her forward. It was easy to imagine such a scenario, considering the sound of claws scraping against metal and hooves pounding against stone echoing behind her.

There were two more open doors between herself and her goal, both in the room overlooking the city. She slammed them shut as she ran, hoping to buy precious seconds with the harmless obstacles she left behind. 

Clearly they worked, because she made it to the exit ramps without being overtaken by the much faster demon pursuing her. 

However, as she ran down the final ramp towards the street exit, her feet failed her. She tripped and hit the ground hard .

Ignoring the pain from her fall, she pushed herself onto her arms. She knew she had to find a place to hide NOW or the game was lost.

There was a bench to her right. The space underneath it was empty. It took her less than a second to commit to her next action, which was rolling underneath the bench and tucking in her arms and legs. 

A moment later, the Ink Demon thundered past the bench and into the street.

Shielding her mouth and nose with her hands, she fought to recover her breath without making too much unnecessary noise. She made a mental note to teach Bendy some calmer games later, like hopscotch or checkers. Something that didn’t involve excessive amounts of adrenaline. 

It was then she noticed a thick layer of dust on the ground around her and she winced. Her hair must be so dirty. She had been aiming for the miracle station just outside, next to the bench Bendy had played on in his toon form. Oh well, she couldn’t be picky. It was a miracle by itself that she fit underneath the bench. Then again, she always had a knack for squeezing into small spaces. 

"Hide right under here, sweetheart. Yes, right there. Don't come out until I tell you to, okay?"

"But what if I gotta potty?"

"Not even then. You can't make any noise at all, got it? This is impor-"

Not now! Audrey shoved the memory aside, repressing it even further into her consciousness in favor of listening for the Ink Demon's footsteps. 

She couldn’t hear anything other than the whispering wind, so she stealthily ventured from her hiding spot to peek out the doorway. 

Her opponent was standing in the middle of the street with his back towards her. He looked like he was sniffing the air. 

Despite the discomfort she felt at the idea that he could track her by scent, she took this as an opportunity to creep towards the miracle station.

Something in a trash can rustled near the demon. Immediately, he leapt towards the object and ripped its lid off.

Taking full advantage of the distraction, Audrey flowed towards the miracle station and shut herself inside. The position of the peephole gave her a prime view of the Ink Demon as he pulled a terrified lost one from the trash can. With a single hand, he hoisted them in the air by the throat, obviously entertained by their feeble attempts to escape his grip. 

She almost burst from her hiding place to defend the poor thing but stopped herself. For all she knew, the demon was using the lost one to bait her out of hiding. Unfortunately for them, she wasn’t willing to forfeit for the sake of a single lost one. 

With a grimace, she realized she didn’t like what that said about her character. She really needed to get out of this inky world before it completely corrupted her sense of morality.

The Ink Demon curiously glanced around the area, briefly ignoring the struggling person in his claws before relieving them of their head. 

Audrey tutted disapprovingly at the merciless act. They were going to have a serious talk about unnecessary killing later. Speaking of which, she was going to be very upset if he started chowing down in the middle of their game.

To her relief, he let the lost one’s separated head and body fall to the ground and abandoned the inky remains. To her dread, he was heading in her direction.

Ducking down immediately, she fervently hoped he didn’t notice her freakish glowing eyes through the peephole.

The footsteps drew closer until they stopped right outside the door. His breathing rattled through the spaces between the wooden planks that made up her sanctuary. Despite her certainty that he knew where she was, she refused to come out until he opened the door himself. 

After several agonizing seconds, he finally walked away.

Breathing a silent sigh of relief, she stood up, peeking through the eye slit to keep tabs on his position. She patiently waited for an opportunity to sneak into the meat shop and return to the area past the connected alleyway. That was the place where she theorized he hid the ID card.

As she waited for the demon to move on to the next area, she recalled the events that led her to this moment. 

After her conversation with Bendy regarding Wilson, Audrey came to a disturbing realization: Joey was right. Not about everything, but she knew with absolute certainty that the Ink Demon wanted to use her to reclaim control of this world. He was asking nicely now, but she worried there would be a point where he stopped asking. He clearly didn’t respect her free agency. Stealing the ID card was a prime example of this, along with his refusal to allow her to contact Wilson. She worried that, if left unchecked, the behavior would eventually evolve into not allowing her to leave this world at all. 

As fond as she had grown of the demon in both of his forms, she wouldn’t let anyone control her. 

That’s why she invented ‘Capture the Card’. It was a mix of tag, hide-and-seek, and capture the flag, created for the sole purpose of giving her access to the ID card. Bendy was tasked with hiding the card somewhere in the city. If she found it, she won. If he tagged her before that happened, he won. 

She was well aware of the advantages she was giving the Ink Demon. He was faster than her and more familiar with the territory. Nothing prevented him from simply camping the hiding spot, although she hoped his sense of sportsmanship and eagerness to find her would prevent him from doing that. Additionally, finding something as small as the card in an area as large as the city would be exceptionally difficult, especially under a limited time frame. The only reason she previously managed to find the rectangular needle in this inky haystack was because of the clue that directed her to its original location. 

However, she needed him to agree to the game, which she doubted he would do if he suspected she could win. To avoid appearing too suspicious, she added a few other conditions to create an illusion of fairness, such as giving herself a head start and having him promise to put the card in a location she could reach. 

The latter condition was key. If she failed, Bendy would show her where he hid the ID card to prove it was somewhere she was capable of finding it. 

Audrey watched as the demon in question disappeared past the ramshackle metal wall dividing the street next to the meat shop from the area by the Gent building. As she stepped outside the miracle station, she reminded herself that she didn’t actually need to win. All she needed was to get close enough to the ID card to touch it. 

Still, that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to give this game her best effort. It would be easier for everyone if she won.  

There were three abandoned cars between herself and the meat shop. Using them as cover, she scurried and flowed between them until she reached the car parked in front of the wall Bendy had disappeared behind. It was only a few feet away from the store’s entrance. 

Poking her head around a long-dead headlight, she took interest in the farmer’s market stationed beside the meat shop. The produce and other foods were sheltered under a large striped canopy. She made a mental note of its location diagonal from the entrance to the Gent building. It might come in handy later.

Her plotting was interrupted when she registered the sound of heavy, wet footsteps coming closer. 

Fighting to stay calm, she searched for a place to hide. There were openings in the metal wall on either side of the car and she had no idea which one the Ink Demon would pass through. 

Crouching between the car and a full trash can, her heart stopped when she almost knocked over the metal lid propped against its side. Luckily, she caught it before it made a sound. She nervously rubbed its ridged surface, worried that the demon was about to find her. All it would take is one glance in her direction and she was through. 

Although… Audrey studied the metal disk in her hands with renewed interest. Maybe I could make him look somewhere else first. 

Moving as quietly as possible, she held the lid like a frisbee and threw it as far as she could towards the subway station. 

With a loud CLANG, the lid bounced off a car and clattered to the ground. 

A black blur sped past her hiding place, so close that the following rush of air brushed her face as he ran by. 

Without wasting a single second, the animator flowed to the entrance of the meat shop, quickly ducking inside. She raced down the alleyway, guessing it wouldn’t take long for the Ink Demon to realize he’d been duped. 

As she entered the new street, she noticed a nearby locker directly across from her position. Remembering what happened the last time she hid in one of those, she desperately searched for a different hiding place. 

In the corner to her left, next to the cinema, was an empty trash can. Without hesitation, she jumped inside it, only discovering afterwards that it didn’t have a lid.

Worried she had already hesitated for too long, she hunkered down inside the trash can, ears sensitive to the sound of her companion’s unique footsteps. 

Sure enough, she heard them creeping closer. Although, as she listened more carefully, she could have sworn there were two voices approaching as well: one strange and one familiar…

“Mr. Drew-”

“Thanks for stopping by, boys, but I’m afraid this little visit was a waste of time. I don’t have to let you in unless you’re the police and you have a warrant. Seeing as neither of those things are true, you’ll just have to skedaddle.”

“We aren’t leaving until we get what we came for.”

“Did I tell you this entire conversation is being recorded? I’m sure the police would love to hear how you’ve been threatening a harmless old man. ”

“The Ink Machine is property of the Gent Corporation-”

“And I told you, I don’t know where it is! I gave Gent everything I was legally obligated to give.”

“Then why-”

“And you can tell Alan I’ll die before giving them anything else!”

Not again! As intrigued as she was by the new memory, she allowed it to dissipate without resistance. She had more important problems confronting her, like figuring out where the hell the Ink Demon went!

Try as she might, she couldn’t detect anything that hinted he was in the vicinity. 

Very cautiously, she peeked over the rim of the trashcan. The street was empty. 

After quietly stepping out of her hiding place, she began her search for the ID card. As the area simultaneously furthest from both the sewers and the Gent building, it had to be here somewhere. 

First, she gave the street a cursory inspection, remaining on guard for any signs of her opponent. Finding nothing, she then rummaged through car trunks, trash cans, and any other containers she could find. Once she finished with that, she would start searching the buildings. 

There was a Gent storage container in front of the cinema ticket booth. She walked underneath the building’s awning and opened the receptacle. 

When it was about halfway open, the partially-rusted joints let out a strained squeak. Suddenly every inch of her skin was covered in goosebumps. She froze in place, then spun around, glancing furtively down the alleyway to her left and at her other surroundings, fully expecting an overzealous demon to spring at her from the shadows.

Thankfully, he appeared to not have noticed the noise. She granted herself a single shiver to relieve her prickly skin and finished opening the container. The single solitary battery inside was not worth the cost of the scare she suffered to find it. 

Deciding it was time to move on to the buildings, she turned around and managed three steps towards the Downside Hotel, when something slammed into her.

With a surprised yelp, the artist suddenly found herself lying on the ground with an aching head and a bruised side. Before she could register what happened, she was pinned by a being much larger and stronger than she was. 

Bleary-eyed, she blinked at the set of toothy jaws poised inches from her face.

Their owner growled excitedly. I WIN. 

Catching a whiff of his breath, she wrinkled her nose as she recognized the oily scent of spilt ink mixed with the coppery tang of blood.

Gathering her senses, she was about to scold the Ink Demon for pouncing on her when the cinema’s marquee caught her eye. From her position on the floor, she had a perfect view of the signage advertising the theater’s current film. Next to bolded letters that read, ‘BENDY’S BIG VACATION’, was a small flat rectangle. 

She looked at the demon, then at the ID card.

Having already made the decision before the game began, she flowed out from underneath her captor without further hesitation. She managed to land on top of the cinema’s overhang. Instead of stopping to question how she made the leap, she focused on retrieving her prize. In her haste, she scraped her hands against the lined ridges on the sign but didn’t pause to assess the damage. 

ID card in hand, she jumped down and booked it through the alleyway, risking one backwards glance at Bendy. 

Seemingly stunned at the empty space underneath him, he whipped around, searching for the missing woman. When his gaze landed on her, then the card in her hand, he roared, CHEATER! 

Smothering the twinge of guilt in her chest, Audrey turned her eyes forward. She only had one chance to do this and she was determined to make it count. 

As she ran, she picked up a wooden crate standing vertically on the ground and flung it behind her, hoping to trip or at least slow down her pursuer. 

The sound of crunching wood that followed led her to believe he caught it in his jaws, but she wasn't about to waste time looking back to confirm that.

Flowing through the meat shop, she ran through the farmers market and waited just outside the shelter of its canopy. 

The Ink Demon burst from the meat shop and locked his gaze on Audrey. He charged towards her, knocking over the food stands and sending produce rolling in every direction. 

With both hands on her gent pipe, the woman swung it full-force at one of the poles supporting the canopy.

The flimsy wood snapped, sending the whole construct crashing onto Bendy.

Howls of anger were mixed with growls of confusion. 

While the demon floundered underneath the striped tarp, Audrey ran to the Gent building's outer entrance. 

Despite her shaking hands, she managed to scan the stolen ID. The door beeped harshly, once, then slid open. 

Fabric ripped behind her and the artist turned around to give her former companion one last regretful look.

He was standing over a mess of mutilated fabric, wood, and bruised food, bony yet muscular body trembling with rage. Even though it was impossible to read his facial expressions due to his design, she could feel the anger and betrayal emanating from his form.

Again, Audrey stifled the growing sense of guilt in her chest. 

"Sorry, Bendy,” she apologized, holding her hands out in a placating manner, "but I have to do this." 

She was answered with another roar and the demon charged her position.

Not wanting to wait and see if the metal barrier could hold up against several hundred pounds of demon, the animator hit a button to close the door and fled inside. 

The short hallway was partially obstructed by a metal shutter, then another cell-like door with a lock chained around the handle. By now, breaking locks was practically muscle memory for her.

On the other side of the door was a small courtyard, littered with boxes, trash cans and other abandoned materials in front of a massive building with a single door serving as its entrance. The bodies hanging above it caused Audrey to gape in horror. 

Three lost ones with bags over their heads hung from chains over the entrance like twisted wind chimes. Just above them read an ominous painted message, “WE ARE THE KEEPERS” with the word ‘GENT’ hanging in crafted letters a little further up.

Two huge coils with unknown functions stood behind the courtyard’s corrugated tin walls on either side of the secondary entrance. 

As she took in the building's ominous appearance, a sudden crash behind the artist reminded her of a more immediate threat.

She ran towards the door, underestimating the demon's determination to prevent her from entering the Gent building. When he did arrive in the courtyard, he came not from behind but from above. 

The Ink Demon slammed down onto the ground in front of her. The animator reeled away from the figure and would have fallen had he not placed his hands on her upper arms and lifted her by the shoulders. 

Letting out an offended shriek, Audrey protested the treatment by kicking out her legs and doing her best to wriggle out of his grip. To her dismay and chagrin, the actions had no effect on her captor.

WE ARE LEAVING, Bendy growled. The authority of the statement was tainted by a strange desperation in his voice.

Before Audrey could respond, the two massive coils lit up, crackling with strangely colorful electricity.

A wave of pain rammed into the artist. Her vision was tinted gold as it assaulted her mind and soul while sapping the strength from her limbs. 

An anguished scream split the air, unnatural and almost ethereal in nature. Audrey realized with horror that the unearthly sound came from Bendy. 

He released her and they both fell to the ground, clutching their ringing skulls in unison. 

Panting, the animator pushed herself to her knees and watched in horror as the demon melted in front of her, ink pouring off his body and evaporating in the air. He struggled to regain his footing before completely collapsing and curling up in a fetal position with his back towards her. 

Ignoring the massive headache threatening to shatter her mind, Audrey crawled forward, placing a nervous hand on the inky mass.

After a terrible moment of thinking she led her only friend to his death, his body solidified into what she recognized as his toon form.

Audrey almost cried in relief. 

"Are you okay?” she asked worriedly while attempting to dismiss the rapidly rising suspicion that coming here was a mistake.

With frightened tears in his eyes, the toon turned and studied her face like he was seeing it for the first time. 

Recognition dawned on his expression, followed by a look of absolute betrayal. It cut her deeper than any knife and she doubted she would ever forget the distressing sight. 

The toon shoved her away and the already-unbalanced woman fell back. Then he shakily rose to his feet and limped over to the ribbed fence. 

Audrey watched in silent astonishment as he phased through the metal barrier, leaving behind a large glob of ink, the only evidence he had passed through at all. 

Shortly after he disappeared, the electric coils shut off. The gold tint obscured the edges of her vision once more just to leave as quickly as it arrived. This time, it brought relief instead of pain as the weakening effect she was suffering dissipated. 

After regaining her strength, the animator stood up. She glanced in the direction Bendy disappeared, then towards the Gent building. 

Just minutes earlier, she was so sure that she needed to get inside that building, alone or otherwise. Now that she was here, she was filled with doubt, especially after this last unexpected event. 

However, she knew if she left now, the Ink Demon would never let her come back.

Fearful yet stubborn, Audrey determinedly entered the building. 

Chapter Text

“Something’s really wrong going on in this place. I mean, I’ve seen dead people before. But here… death is like a way of life. A clockwork march. They wheel out the bodies and they disappear down the chute. Forgotten men from the street, paid to die. Three-fifty a week.”

Even after the audio log finished playing, Archie Carter’s bitter voice left a chill creeping over Audrey’s skin. Rubbing her arms in a futile attempt to dispel the uncomfortable sensation, the artist moved on, eager to leave the disturbing message behind. 

However, the contents of the following rooms only worsened the feeling. Motionless bodies shrouded in thin white sheets littered the tables and floor, leaving just enough space to pass through without treading on the dead. 

Passionately disinterested in discovering whether they were real corpses or not, she sped-walked through the area, trying not to overthink the audio log’s morbid message.

Despite her best efforts, she was reminded of a note she found at the very beginning of her journey written by Alan Gray, the CEO of the Gent Corporation.

At the time, the name meant little to her but now it felt familiar. The last flashback she experienced, while still foggy, gave her the impression that Alan wanted something from Joey…something that the failed entrepreneur refused to give up. 

Thinking back to the damn machine that dragged her to this awful world and supposedly created her, she had a fair idea of what that ‘something’ was. 

The realization brought a new concern to light and she stopped in her tracks, too horrified to notice her pathway was already blocked by a security lock.

While she couldn’t remember the exact wording of the note, she recalled that it’s assertion that if/when Joey Drew Studios went out of business, all Gent-related equipment and experiments would belong to the Gent Corporation. 

Did…did she count as an ‘experiment’? Was she legally Gent property?

Shaking her head at the thought, she viciously scrubbed at her eyes and face, as though the motion could wipe the worrisome questions from her brain. 

I can’t be labeled as property, I’m a person! Audrey internally attempted to convince herself before grimacing. Opening her eyes, she glared at her warped and ink-stained hands. 

Well, just because she wasn’t exactly human didn’t mean she wasn’t a person. She experienced complex thoughts, feelings and emotions like the best of humanity. That meant she was entitled to some form of rights…right?

Unbidden, the image of her body lying under a sheet on a nearby table slid to the forefront of her mind. 

Struck by a sudden wave of nausea, she instinctively rejected the unwelcome image and sent it away along with the rest of the troublesome thoughts. She could worry about this later. 

As she reestablished herself in reality, she took in her surroundings and was dismayed to find her path blocked by a security lock.

Although she was forced to backtrack, thankfully she found what she was looking for relatively quickly in a sideroom. There, written on a cluttered whiteboard was the door code, with the urgent message “Tell no one!” underlined underneath it. 

After letting out a single amused snort, Audrey returned to the lock and inputted the code. Eager to leave the informal morgue behind, she strode through the open door and breezed through the cluttered hallway that followed. 

Arriving in a relatively large room, her attention was drawn to the unevenly placed black screens adorning the far wall. She didn’t have much time to take in the rest of her surroundings before the screens flickered to life.

In the same moment that the electronics powered on, something let out a strange and painful screech, like a robotic deathrattle playing on a broken record. 

Flinching, she resisted the urge to cover her ears as a hooded figure appeared on each of the screens. Their face was a glowing oval lacking any other defining features. The image was too distorted to pick out other details but Audrey found herself grateful for the lack of clarity. Whatever this thing was, hopefully their personality didn’t match their appearance.

“Anomaly detected,” the creature rasped, their voice skipping and shuddering as though it was playing from a damaged recording rather than a set of vocal cords. 

Instantly, the artist recognized their voice from the elevator before it fell with Bendy and herself inside. She didn’t like how they called her an ‘anomaly’, especially considering her recurring identity crisis she refused to think about right now. 

“New subject designation required. What are you? What is your purpose?”

The woman frowned at yet another mention of her ‘purpose’.  First Wilson, then the Ink Demon, now this…whatever they are. Why was everyone here so obsessed with the word!? 

“My name is Audrey!” She called up to monitors, unable to mask her growing disdain for the latter question. “And my purpose is to find my way home!” 

As the words left her mouth, she winced, reminding herself that she needed to make a good impression. Hopefully they didn’t pick up on the sarcasm in her tone. “Look, I’m not here to cause any trouble. Please, can you help me?”

“Feisty…Erratic…Dangerous…We’ve not seen one like this before.”

‘Feisty’ !?! 

Biting back a scathing retort, Audrey took a deep cleansing breath to mask her offense. This was not some random man harassing her on her way home from work. This was an unknown person/creature and technically she was the one invading its territory. 

As she continued the conversation, she learned that the beings on the screen were the infamous Keepers and Wilson created them. Although she had questions regarding the rationale behind the statement, “We serve the many by serving the one,” she decided it was more important to focus on the fact that they knew Wilson. 

However, when she made her very reasonable request to be taken to him (like he asked her to do!), they very unreasonably decided to fill the room with toxic fumes. 

Luckily, Audrey managed to escape through the vents. Despite having inhaled large amounts of toxic gas, she didn’t question her near-instant recovery as she crawled through the cramped space. 

A Keeper’s voice rattled through unseen intercoms. “Subject has broken containment. Execute on sight. Lock down all access to the Cyclebreakers.”

So much for making a good impression, though their interjection raised yet another question: what’s a Cyclebreaker?

Passing by another vent cover, she peeked into the neighboring room and froze as she saw something slither past, inches from her own face. Even though she knew she needed to keep going, she was kept in a horrified trance as she took in the terrifying figure. 

Several thick living cords snaked past her view, attached to a tall, hooded creature. Although they weren’t facing her at the moment, she would bet every slug in her pocket that it had a glowing face. 

Grimacing at the cog embedded in their upper back, she wondered if they suffered any pain due to their design. 

The Keeper slunk past without noticing her, to her great relief. 

Finally, she found a suitable exit and crawled out of the vents, raising her hands up to stretch out her abused spine as she took in her surroundings. 

The Gent building was appearing more and more factory-like the further she ventured into its depths. The next room was huge, full of huge cylinders and chugging machinery. Judging by the large ink droplet painted on the side of the cylinders, she guessed they were ink silos or something similar. 

The animator’s heart dropped as another Keeper entered from the far side of the room. 

Panicking, she jumped in the air and flowed on top of one of the ink silos. 

To her immense relief, they gave no sign that they noticed her. 

Safe on her new perch, she examined the creature, noting how they held their arms out in front of them as they patrolled the area. The odd behavior prompted the artist to wonder if they didn’t have the best eyesight. Its shining, eyeless face worked like a spotlight, illuminating everything it touched. Audrey made a mental note to stay out of the spotlight at all costs. 

After the Keeper passed her position, she quietly jumped to the floor to search the room, keeping anything she could between herself and them.

As she suspected, the creature was not the most observant type, and she was able to make it to the opposite side of the room without revealing her presence. 

There, she found a sideroom, decorated with a simple desk and some filing cabinets. On the desk’s dusty surface rested an oddly shaped cassette tape player next to several small piles of slugs. 

Pocketing the fake money, Audrey waited until the Keeper was on the far side of the room before playing the recording, counting on the loud machinery to cover the noise.

Another raspy voice played from the recording, identical to the Keeper’s voice she heard in the gas room. Either only one of the Keeper’s was capable of speech or they all sounded the same. Audrey suspected the latter idea was the truth but chose to believe the former as it was more entertaining.

“Experiment thirteen: The Ink Demon is successfully sedated for transport. Laboratory Nine is prepared for arrival at the receiving bay. Be advised that sedation will not last long. Termination must commence immediately upon reception. Wilson will expect a detailed report of the creature's demise.”

Termination!? Demise!? Wilson tried to have Bendy killed!?! 

While she knew Wilson claimed to have killed the Ink Demon, she simply assumed he was lying. It was one thing to hear the man say he killed her very obviously living friend: it was another to hear of an actual attempt to do so. 

Outraged, Audrey gripped the edge of the desk as she listened, digging her nails into its unfinished underside. However, her rage and indignation faded as she reminded herself that the demon was far from friendly with anyone that wasn’t her. Based on their conversation regarding Wilson, it was clear that he would have killed the man if given the opportunity. Why wouldn't her coworker share a similar sentiment?

Still, couldn’t he have tried to talk to Bendy first? Sure, he was terrifying and stubborn, but not completely unreasonable. She couldn’t be the only person who could reach his softer side, right?

Concerned that she might have missed something important, Audrey replayed the recording, oblivious to the Keeper approaching her hiding place. Miraculously, they failed to detect the noise and continued their patrol without the animator noticing. 

Laboratory Nine…she decided to keep an eye out for anything that could direct her that area during her exploration. Although, there might not be any point since obviously their murder attempt failed, she noted with a smirk. He probably escaped before they could try anything. 

Her smug grin faded as her thoughts drifted to electric coils and his forced transformation. Memory Joey told her that Bendy had abandoned his demon form for an extended period of time and that Wilson was at least partially responsible for his toon form. What had he done to her friend? 

Before she could come to a concrete conclusion, Audrey found herself worrying about the little guy. She hoped she hadn’t placed Bendy in any danger after she left him to explore the Gent building. On a similar note, it was odd that she hadn’t heard from him yet. Since they were separated she had been subconsciously listening for him, waiting for his rumbling voice to speak into her mind and chew her out for abandoning him. Was he still stuck in his toon form or was he purposefully ignoring her?

After gaining this new information, she hoped it was the latter. 

As she went to leave, Audrey was struck with a thought. After fiddling with the cassette player, she managed to remove the tape recording and tucked it into one of her back pockets. She wasn't quite sure what she was going to do with it but she certainly didn’t want to leave it in the hands of the Keepers. 

There was a switch she hadn’t noticed next to the room’s entrance. She flipped it and heard a door open somewhere nearby. 

Thankfully, the patrolling Keeper didn’t notice the noise. After they turned their back on her location, Audrey snuck past them and into the next area. 

At the end of a hallway, the animator found herself in a room even larger that the previous one, also full of ink silos and loud machinery. 

This time however, she was immediately confronted by another Keeper. Despite being outside of their spotlight, they saw her and rushed to her position with a distorted screech, moving unnaturally fast considering their shape. 

There was a ladder to her right, leading to an unknown but hopefully Keeper-less room.

Skipping the ladder, Audrey flowed directly to the upper floor. As she turned to check if the creature was following her, she fearfully prayed that they didn’t know how to use ladders. 

The Keeper lingered at the base of the ladder, staring confusedly at the metal rungs. After a tense moment, they resumed their patrol around the room. 

Looks like the creatures had short term memory issues, Audrey noted with a heavy sigh of relief. Also, she added bitterly, while they did have poor eyesight it was not strictly limited to what was in their spotlight.

While she was there, she decided to search the small room-turned sanctuary and quickly found another audio log. 

With the intention to listen while she searched the room, she played it. However, she found herself unable to move as she listened with growing horror to the Keeper’s droning report. 

“ Experiment twenty-six: Frequent delays due to the Ink demon’s refusal to terminate. Keepers have administered quarter hourly sessions of physical tortures and surgical invasion to wear down his powers. All of these efforts have been ultimately unsuccessful. A new method of control must be devised. Termination impossible. ”

A cold rage unlike anything she’d ever experienced before smoldered to life within the animator. The frigid yet fiery sensation spread through her body, icy tendrils spiraling into her veins and burning through her heart and lungs. Furious tears stung the artist’s eyes and she closed her hands into trembling fists. 

Clenching her jaw, Audrey returned to the ladder that led back to the main floor. As she fixed a venomous glare on the unaware Keeper patrolling below her, she flexed the fingers on her banishing hand and hefted her fully-charged Gent pipe.

Maybe if she focused her blows on the machinery protruding from their body…no, she couldn’t risk it. If these things could take down the Ink Demon at the height of his power, there’s no way she could take one on by herself. As much as she wanted to exact some well-deserved revenge on her friend’s behalf, she decided it would be best to wait for a better opportunity to arise.  

Although…he did mention if she died she would come back right? 

No, nope, better not risk it. Even though the Keepers didn’t have mouths that didn’t mean they couldn’t somehow ‘consume’ her and she wasn’t about to throw her life away for a newly-developed grudge.

With a vicious headshake, Audrey shelved her murderous feelings for later. Justice for Bendy would have to wait. 

Returning to the audio log, she forced herself to replay it. Barely registering the statement confirming the Ink Demon’s immortality, the woman shuddered at the phrase ‘physical tortures and surgical invasion’. No wonder he was so against exploring the Gent building. Just how long was he trapped here, forced to endure whatever horrors the Keepers devised as they tried and failed to destroy him? 

Guilt briefly weighed on the animator’s psyche for ever asking him to return to his former prison, although it confirmed her assumption that their temporary separation was for the best. 

After retrieving the cassette tape and slipping it into her pocket with the last one, Audrey searched for a new area to explore. On the opposite side of the room was a side gallery, and just in front of her was a platform she could use to travel there without returning to the main floor. 

Choosing to remain as far outside the reach of this room’s Keeper as she could manage, she flowed onto the platform, then impatiently waited until she felt strong enough to use the ability again so she could reach the gallery.

With a wistful sigh, Audrey hoped she could find another unstable ink canister soon. Not only did they improve her stamina and endurance, but the last time she found one she noticed the amount of time that passed before she could repeat her flow ability had decreased significantly. 

When she finally made it to the side gallery, she was surprised to find another Linker pipe there. That made the second, no, the third pipe with such a distinctive label and yet nothing else to distinguish it from similar pipes. 

Other than the Linker pipe, the area had some empty shelves, a curiously large amount of stacked boxes and a long hallway ending in a closed door. 

Walking down the hallway, Audrey didn’t take note of the ‘UNSAFE AREA’ warning above the door until a loud wet growl shook the air. The ensuing vibration was so powerful the animator could feel the metal paneling on the floor tremble underneath her feet.

After taking a few cautionary steps away from the door, the woman briefly considered exploring another area. However, her instinct for self-preservation conflicted with both her need to be thorough and her sense of curiosity. For a moment, Audrey thought the sound belonged to Bendy before realizing it didn’t quite fit the demon’s rumbling bass-like tone. It certainly didn’t belong to a Keeper or any other creature she had encountered thus far. 

Curiosity piqued, she pressed forward, eager to discover what was capable of making a noise like that. 

After the metal door slid open she was disappointed to find the next room mostly empty. 

It was a big room, partially divided by sturdy iron bars that would have served as a decent barrier if not for the large gap where a door or gate should have been placed to complete it. Thick chains hung from the high ceiling in the barred-off area, next to an elevated and fenced in viewing area connected to a catwalk she could access using a ladder to her left. 

There was a large doorway in the far corner of the room, but as the artist stepped closer to investigate a massive black hand gripped the edge of the doorframe. 

Hiding behind the barred wall, Audrey watched in terrified awe as a massive lost one, the biggest one she’d ever seen, stepped out from the sideroom with a bestial grumble. Similarly to the Keepers, pieces of metal jutted out from their inky flesh, although in a more randomized rather than purposeful manner. Almost as if the beast had accidentally picked up the metal bits during its travels and never bothered to remove them. 

After glancing around the room, their gaze landed on the animator. Her breath caught in her throat and she was unsure if she should run away or try to fight should they choose to attack her. She didn’t like her odds if it came to a fight. 

Before she made a decision, the beast’s attention switched to a piece of sheet metal protruding from its own belly. They effortlessly pulled the flat object out of their body, then placed it in their mouth. Audrey watched on with confused fascination as they swallowed the metal only for it to cut through their stomach again so they could pick it out and repeat the odd cycle. 

Weirded out but relieved they had no interest in her, the animator quietly stepped away from the creature’s vicinity and climbed the nearby ladder. 

After reaching the catwalk, she found a note resting on a nearby barrel. She quickly scanned through it, noting with some amusement that its author named the monstrous lost one, Big Steve, citing that some thumping delicacy from the Little Devil Lounge could win his friendship. 

Something about that name seemed familiar. Just as she was about to move on, she recalled listening to a recording labeled, ‘Steve McGregor’, made by a giant of a man and a Gent employee. If she was recalling the recording’s contents correctly, she remembered Steve mentioning a blond secretary he thought fancied him and how he was too shy to pursue her. Perhaps an inky version of that secretary was the one who wrote the note. 

Although, the more Audrey thought about it, the more odd she found it that Joey would include them in his story of revenge. Sure, he may have been bitter towards the Gent corporation as a whole, but why include these specific employees? 

She glanced at Big Steve and shuddered. Even from an elevated vantage point he was pretty scary. Maybe he included him as another monster to torment Henry? 

Just then, she noticed the monster-sized lost one was standing in front of a closed metal door. 

Despite her earlier resolution to leave him and his doorway alone, her hands itched with a sudden urge to open the door and discover the treasures hidden behind its shiny surface. However, she wasn’t willing to approach unless she had something to bribe him with. 

Unfortunately, she couldn't backtrack all the way to Little Devil Lounge. There wasn’t a doubt in the animator’s mind that the moment she stepped outside the Gent building, the Ink Demon would spring out of hiding and stop her from ever setting foot in this place again. 

Audrey sadly set the goal aside, deciding to focus on searching the areas she could reach first. 

The catwalk led to a room that she was delighted to find had an unstable ink canister on one desk and a recording on another. She cheerfully punched her hand through the glass and let the ink’s power run through her. After she finished absorbing the ink, she instinctively knew she would be able to flow more frequently. 

Giddy at the prospect of faster travel, her enthusiasm dimmed as she approached the recording. Nervously recalling the subject of the last two recordings she listened to, she both hoped and dreaded that the recording would be about him again. 

“Experiment forty four: We have successfully pressed the Ink Demon into the form designated as ‘Bendy’. He is smaller in size and harmless in this more timid state. His powers are also greatly reduced. Using lengths of steel wire cut into the side of his body, he now registers emotional responses. There were tears of ink documented. Screams of pain. It was delightful to see such progress. The Ink Demon will remain in this small form indefinitely.”  

At some point during the recording, Audrey stepped away from the desk, one hand raised to cover her mouth in horrified shock. Her eyes brimmed with tears just as they had after she finished listening to the last recording, although instead of tears of anger they were tears of grief. 

For some reason unknown to her, the woman had assumed that Bendy’s torture had been reserved for his Ink Demon form. Not that it should make a difference, but it was difficult to imagine the level of cruelty in a person that would make them capable of torturing a sentient creature as harmless and friendly as him. She thought of Bendy - her Bendy, the little cartoon devil she loved and adored - surrounded by Keepers blind to his tears and deaf to his screams as they picked apart his little body. 

Her hand hesitated over the play button, as she debated replaying the recording. Despite its awful subject matter and a guilty suspicion that she was somehow invading his privacy, she was eager to learn any information that could possibly enhance her understanding of the demon. Something told her that if she wanted to learn more about him, she would have more luck doing her own research than asking him directly. 

So, she replayed the recording. As she listened, she realized that Memory Joey was right: Wilson was responsible for Bendy’s toon form. 

If she wasn’t so upset on the her friend’s behalf, she would have found the discovery interesting, along with the Keeper’s comment that after being ‘pressed’ into his new form, Bendy demonstrated emotional responses to the torture. The discrepancy felt important, as if he hadn’t shown them before as the Ink Demon. 

However, the cold rage that overcame her earlier returned with vengeance as she listened to the Keeper’s reaction to his tears and screams. 

‘Delightful’? ‘Delightful’!? She would take great delight in tearing them apart!

Absolutely seething, Audrey wasn’t sure how much time she spent fantasizing about all the ways she would force the monsters to pay for what they had done to her innocent friend at their creator’s orders. Never in her life had the woman contemplated murder before stepping foot in this twisted world. However, depending on Wilson’s involvement in the Ink Demon’s torture, she was honestly considering it.
The only problem was she still needed him if she had any hope of returning home. 

Her blood chilled at the realization. It was easy to imagine herself taking down Keepers and breaking into whatever dingy room Wilson was holed up in and make him answer for his transgressions. She didn’t even know if she could handle one Keeper on her own, and she was too cowardly to pick a fight with one and find out. 

As distasteful as the idea was, her best chance of getting home would be through working with the man, not against him. At least…for now. 

Setting aside her murderous ambitions, Audrey extracted the recording then slowly searched through the room’s filing cabinets and other drawers, pocketing anything useful and setting aside the food she found on the now-empty desk. 

After accumulating a sizable stack of snacks she pulled over a stool and popped open a bag of Bendy Bites. She was feeling a little low after leaping off ink silos and inhaling toxic fumes, so she figured she could use the boost. 

She popped a Bendy Bite in her mouth and closed her eyes, enjoying her little break.

As she chewed, she realized something about the Keeper’s last statement bothered her. According to them, the Ink Demon was meant to remain in his toon form indefinitely, which clearly hadn’t happened. How was that possible?

YOU WERE SENT TO FREE ME. 

Audrey chewed faster, hearing the words as clearly as when Bendy had spoken them to her the first time. Her mind traveled back to the moment the little devil grabbed her hand in the Writer’s Room and the following shock. 

DO YOU THINK IT WAS MERE COINCIDENCE THE DARK PUDDLES BLESSED YOU JUST BEFORE MY RETURN? YOU FREED ME FROM MY DEFENSELESS PRISON.

So, he wasn’t spouting nonsense like she assumed. His ‘death’, as Wilson called it, was simply the act of giving him his toon form and somehow preventing him from changing into his demon form. The power given to her by the Dark Puddles (Audrey cringed internally) must have triggered the transformation. Now, he was free to switch between forms as he pleased…unless he was around the Gent coils.

Suddenly, her fear for his safety was renewed. As much as she adored interacting with Bendy in his toon form, the cartoon character wasn't exactly designed with self-defense in mind. Had she forced him back into that form permanently? She freed him once, she could free him again, right? 

The silence in her mind seemed more ominous with this realization. As soon as she finished exploring the Gent building, she would find Bendy…right after she found Wilson. 

Having long finished her Bendy Bites, Audrey stared at her little pile of food. It didn't seem as appetizing as it had earlier. 

A grumbly sigh echoed from below and the woman jumped from her seat, only relaxing when she realized the sound came from Big Steve. She glanced in his direction through the bars that separated this room from the other, then stared longingly at the little door behind him. 

Suddenly, she struck with inspiration. She glanced at the food, then at Big Steve. 

The intimidating figure appeared just as terrifying and deadly as when she first saw him and she began to doubt her idea. Then again, how many times had she misjudged Bendy based on his appearance? Also, Audrey held written proof that Big Steve was friendlier than he appeared, thinking back to the note she found on the catwalk. That was more outside evidence than she ever obtained regarding the Ink Demon's character. 

Well, soon enough the artist was standing in front of the giant with arms full of junk food. He didn't immediately kill her, which was a good sign, although he appeared far more interested in swallowing sheet metal than acknowledging her presence. 

"Hey there, um…Steve? Is that your name?" Audrey asked awkwardly, still worried he might attack her. 

The being in question stared at her for a moment, then he picked up that same metal slab and stuck it in his mouth. 

Well, he hadn't killed her yet, so that was a good sign. 

"I brought you a snack!" she nervously proclaimed, offering him the food she pilfered from the observation room. Sure, it wasn’t from the Devil’s Lounge but maybe the quantity would make up for the quality. 

Now, she held his interest. The giant reached out with a monstrous hand and Audrey had to resist a powerful urge to drop her bounty and bail before he crushed her. 

To her great relief and delight, Big Steve didn't choose violence today. Instead, he delicately plucked the snacks from her hands, moving with a surprising amount of gentleness considering his size. 

After briefly studying the packets, he unceremoniously dropped them in his mouth, wrappers included. 

Instinctively wincing at the action, the artist reminded herself that everything here was made of ink and she had not accidentally poisoned him with plastic. 

He finished chewing, then gazed at Audrey with an expectant air. 

"Sorry, that's all I've got for now." As proof, the animator showed him her empty hands, a little worried she was about to become his next snack.

Big Steve's shoulders drooped but he made no move to harm her.

Relieved but concerned she was about to lose his attention to sheet metal again, Audrey hurriedly asked, "Is there any chance you could scoot over a bit so I can get through that door?" while helpfully pointing behind him. 

The giant simply stared at her. 

A drop of sweat trickled down the artist’s face.

After a short tense moment, The stress was proven unnecessary as he helpfully stepped to the side, leaving ample space for her to sneak past and investigate the coveted space.

After letting out a massive sigh of relief, Audrey beamed at her new friend. 

"Thank you!"

Without further hesitation, the woman excitedly flipped a nearby switch to open the unblocked door. She was a little disappointed when it revealed only a slightly more than closet-sized room, until she realized it was full of supplies. It wasn’t stocked as extensively as in the Amok storage room in the sewers, but a pleasant surprise considering where she was. It even had a Safe & Sound box! 

Like before, she pocketed everything useful while setting aside all the food before opening the Safe & Sound box. 

The universe must have been smiling on her at this moment because inside she found another Gent pipe schematic! 

After eagerly ripping it out of the station, she studied the blueprints. From what she could understand, it was another electric upgrade. Maybe she could use it to stun the Keepers! Due to her recent discoveries, she was eager for any advantage she could hold over them. She excitedly counted up the required parts in her possession, then let out a disappointed sigh. She needed one more gent toolkit. Oh well, it should be easy enough to find, she just had to keep searching.

"I found more snacks!" Audrey announced as she walked out of the room, arms once again brimming with junk food. 

Her friend happily accepted the offering, although this time he ate the treats one by one rather than eating them all at once. 

Feeling unusually optimistic, Audrey returned to the gallery and leaned over the guardrail. When she spotted the patrolling Keeper, she gave it an extra venomous glare, squeezing her gent pipe with a dark promise. Once she upgraded it, they were all toast. 

For now, she scouted out a pathway to avoid a conflict. To her left was a small platform between herself and the large, doorless and three-holed entryway to the next area. 

Her optimism led her to overestimating her abilities, so that when she leapt for the platform she almost didn’t make it. All of her confidence evaporated as she caught herself on the metal edge, flailing her legs as she did a terrified pull-up until she was completely on its grated surface. Heart pounding from the sudden unexpected scare, she hardly noticed she was sharing the area with a small pile of boxes.

After collecting herself, she checked the resident Keeper’s location, then jump-flowed to the ground. She hurried through the entryway and up the following staircase until she reached a nearly blocked off entrance with a sign. 

CONDEMNED, EFFECTIVE Oct. 31 1952.

Brushing her fingers over the faded letters, she wondered if this sign was from the real-life equivalent of the Gent building (if it even existed) or if it was simply another part of Joey’s story. 

She wasn’t able to wonder for very long before she remembered the dangerous being patrolling in the room behind her. Barely fitting through the quarter of the door that was unblocked, she hurriedly squeezed through it and entered the following hallway. After passing through it and another sliding door, she was greeted by an interesting door with an even more interesting word painted above it. 

CYCLEBREAKERS

Intrigued, Audrey tried to pull down a nearby switch to open the door. The switch caught on something mid-pull and sparked dangerously. She quickly withdrew her hands, not intrigued enough to get electrocuted. 

Then, a soft, childish voice spoke up behind her. 

“That’s where the ghosts live.”

Startled, Audrey whipped around, ready to defend herself with her trusty Gent pipe. Instead of a monster, as she suspected, she was shocked to find a lost one sitting cross-legged on the floor behind her. She was unique in appearance compared to the other lost ones the animator had encountered, with long, dripping hair and a striped bow on her chest. 

Unbothered by Audrey’s defensive reaction, she continued speaking while idly tracing shapes with her finger. “Just beyond that door. The Keeper’s prison. The Pit. No one ever comes out. At least, they’re never quite the same.”

Perking up, the lost one’s tone switched from slow and haunting to excited. “But, I could open the door for you. I do know how! I really do!”

Finally, Audrey came to her senses enough to lower her weapon. Relieved to finally meet another friendly ink person since Porter, she replied, “Ah, thank you. That would-”

“But first, may we play a game?” the lost one cut her off, to the animator’s chagrin and annoyance. “Oh, I love to play games! I like Hide and Seek best. Find me and I’ll open the door for you. I promise.”

Internally groaning at the thought of playing another round of hide and seek, Audrey tried to deflect by asking a question. 

“What’s your name?” 

“It’s Heidi.” She giggled hysterically after hearing her own name. “You know, because I like to hide .”

Her laughter was infectious and despite her earlier annoyance, Audrey smiled at the pun. Compared to her dark and bleak surroundings, she found the cheery lost one’s energy and excitement refreshing. 

“What’s your name?” Heidi asked, eyes wide with youthful curiosity. 

“It’s Audrey.” 

“Ahhhhhh-dri?” The other repeated, tilting her head to the side as she tried it out. “Odd-ri. Audrey. I love it!” Heidi clapped her hands in approval. “Can we please play the game now?”

Despite having played enough high-stakes Hide & Seek to last a lifetime, Audrey couldn’t find it within herself to deny her.

“Okay,” the artist said with a resigned sigh. 

If Heidi noticed her reluctance, she didn’t show it. 

“Look away while I hide. And nooo peeking,” she giggled while edging away from Audrey. 

After covering her eyes and counting for what she hoped was an adequate amount of time, the young animator turned to find the lost one had disappeared. 

To say she wasn't looking forward to this game would be a massive understatement. However, if indulging another one of this world's tormented lost souls meant getting closer to finding a way home, she would do so without hesitation.

With yet another heavy sigh, Audrey returned to the previous room's main entrance. Hiding behind a doorway, the artist scanned the area for any sign of Heidi. 

The only sign of life she could see was that of the Keeper as it made its rounds through the room; however, if she listened very carefully, she could just barely detect faint giggles coming from an upper gallery. 

Audrey smiled. Maybe this game wouldn't be as bothersome as she thought. 

When the monster reached the other side of the room, she flowed up to the platform she used earlier. 

This time, she landed directly on the platform (no pull-ups required) but she accidentally knocked over some of the boxes resting on its surface. Before she could stop them, they fell off the platform and tumbled to the ground. 

She held her breath, waiting for the Keeper to investigate the noise but it didn’t. 

Huh. They must not have very good hearing. Noted.

Glancing at the remaining boxes on the platform, she found a note resting behind one of the stacks. The fallen boxes must have hidden it from her view.

Curious as to who would have left a note in such an inaccessible spot, she glanced at the bottom of the sheet, tilting her head so she could read the author’s name without touching the paper. When she discovered who wrote it, her heart stopped. She quickly retrieved the note, eyes ravenously consuming the words of her father. 

Who would have ever dreamed?

In the declining years of my life,

I have someone more precious to me than any piece of 

art I could make. 

For all the evil that’s come from me, this is something

finally good. 

When she laughs and smiles, it fills my heart so much it 

overflows. 

A warm and wonderful feeling blossomed in Audrey’s chest and she smiled softly. From his words, it sounded as though he truly cared for her. Despite knowing his terrible history, her inner little girl glowed as she read the loving words. Maybe…he changed after creating her. He wasn’t a good boss (the animator was certain of that), and he probably wasn’t a good man…but maybe he was a good dad. At least, she really hoped he was.

We play and talk as we both learn from each other. 

There’s not much time so every moment has to count. 

Unlike my versions that came before her, the ones who 

called me their ‘uncle’,

I’m proud to have her call me ‘Dad’. Because she is truly 

my daughter.

~ Joey

Her gentle smile petrified as she read the second to last sentence. She reread it again, and again, and again. Ice froze over the surface of her heart, snuffing out all the warmth she gained from the rest of the letter.
Other versions? Joey had made other little girls? What happened to them?

Uncle. They called him their uncle. She called him her dad. Was that the only reason he kept her? If she had made the same mistake as her predecessors, would she have been replaced as well?

Her breaths grew shorter and more rapid. Her vision blurred and she attempted to blink away a sudden rush of dizziness, trying to focus on the writing in front of her. Flipping the paper over, she scanned the empty page in a desperate attempt to find answers. She did it twice more before her panicked brain registered the lack of writing. 

As though to distance herself from the horrible discovery, Audrey stepped backwards. 

Her foot fell through the empty air, quickly followed by the rest of her body. An involuntary scream burst from her throat as the air whistled past her. 

She landed with a horrendous crunch. 

Terrified to discover the results of her fall, Audrey motionlessly laid there as she processed what just happened. She hurt, but not too badly considering her fall, but that could just be the adrenaline. Could her body even produce adrenaline? 

Moments later, she shakily rose to her feet, wincing as her bruised body protested the movement. A quick study of her landing site revealed the source of the crunch as the boxes that previously rested on the platform, not her bones as she feared. While painful, none of her injuries were fatal. With a snack or two, she would be fine. 

A mechanical screech split the air. 

Turning around, Audrey was confronted by an image straight out of a nightmare. A Keeper was charging straight towards her with alarming speed. Before she could even raise her Gent pipe to defend herself, the monster slammed into her. 

Pain exploded across her front and something cracked within her. Her body went flying before crashing against a wall. 

Gasping for breath, the artist pushed her aching body to her elbows and looked up just as the Keeper swiped at her again. 

Everything went black. 

She couldn’t see, smell, touch, or taste anything….but she could hear everything. 

Hundreds, no, thousands of voices whisper-screamed around and through the daughter of Drew. They begged for freedom, for life, for death, for so many things that her confused mind couldn’t keep track of them all. She screamed for them to be quiet, to leave her alone. When that failed, she tried to cover her ears but couldn’t feel her arms. 

She wanted out, to be free from these strangers who invaded her body, her space, her mind. They pulled her down without touching her and she fought back, her soul both repelling and drawing them in as a bonfire’s blistering heat repelled hoards of moths while its light lured them closer. She was different from them, she knew this and they knew it too, though it only made her revulsion and their attraction stronger. 

Then, she saw a light at the end of a long black tunnel. The passageway rippled and pulsated around her, gleaming as it reflected the glorious amber light at its end. The moment she saw it, she knew that if she could only reach it, she would be free of this suffering mass of souls. 

Crawling without arms, she pushed forward, remembering what it was like to have a body: to have bones that supported her, muscles that obeyed her, skin that protected her. 

When the light entirely encompassed her vision, she reached out with an invisible hand.

A moment later, the light disappeared and she was once again shrouded in darkness. 

When Audrey tried to cry out, her lungs filled with liquid. She panicked, throwing her hands out, searching for something, anything to pull her out of this dark abyss. 

Her hands caught the edge of something metal and she latched onto the material, pulling herself upward. 

Suddenly, she found herself crawling out of an inky puddle. She pulled herself across a metal floor, coughing violently as she expelled the excess ink that entered her lungs while she was inside the liquid. 

Once she felt her feet were free of the awful wet substance, she stopped crawling but remained on all fours. It wasn’t until she forced every drop of ink out of her lungs that she allowed herself to collapse. 

After rolling onto her back, she simply laid there, gasping for breath as she labored to comprehend her experience. 

Two golden orbs appeared over her, reminiscent of the light that guided her back to the living world.

“Are you alright?” asked a childishly yet feminine voice. 

Sitting up with a gasp, Audrey glanced at the owner of the voice, Heidi, then at her own body. Staring disbelievingly at her limbs, she opened and closed her hands as if using them for the first time. Then, she ran them over her shoulders, arms, abdomen and legs, things she was certain she had lost not a minute earlier. 

“I died.” Audrey stated plainly, rubbing the spot where the Keeper hit her. The area was sore and she hissed softly after applying a small amount of pressure there. 

“Oh, that’s no fun. I don’t like dying.”

Expressionless, the artist turned to address Heidi. 

She was staring off into the distance, her gaze hazy and distant. After realizing she was being watched, the lost one refocused on Audrey. 

“But you made it back!” Heidi’s eyes crinkled cheerfully. “You should be proud of yourself! Not everyone always makes it back.”

Unsure of how to respond to the foreboding statement, the animator settled on offering Heidi a weak smile. “Thanks.”

“Thank you for playing with me! The way you found me was absolutely brilliant, although if you wanted to use the pipes, you didn’t need to die for it, silly.”

Feeling even more confused at her statement, Audrey took in her surroundings. They were in the gallery outside Big Steve’s room, next to several piles of boxes and the Linker pipe she found there earlier. Ink dripped from the front of its catch-basin and a black trail stained the floor, ending at her legs. 

“I didn’t-” the artist managed to get out before yelping as Heidi seized one of her hands and hoisted her to her feet. 

“Can we play again?” the lost one hurriedly asked, practically bouncing excitement. “I haven’t had this much fun in ages!” 

Swaying on her feet, it took a moment for Audrey to register the request. She shook her head, then winced as her vision swam as a result.

“Not now,” the animator responded after remembering the reason she played this game in the first place.“I need to get through that door.” 

“Oh yes. The door,” Heidi sighed wistfully, “I think you’ll find it’s open now.”

Without warning, her dejected demeanor evaporated, replaced with excitement once more. 

“Oh! And also! Let me give you something! Something special. Just a small reminder of our game together.” 

Extending a hand, the lost one reached out to Audrey. Nervous, yet trusting, she leaned forward until the hand rested on the side of her face. 

For the third time in the last hour, the artist’s vision was tinged with gold. A surge of power flowed through her and she was reminded of when Porter passed on his gift to her.

“What was that?” Audrey asked after Heidi pulled away. 

“When you’re traveling, you’ll be able to go through those without dying first!” the lost one helpfully explained while gesturing to the Linker pipe, oblivious to the animator’s wince at the insensitive words. “It’s much faster than walking and more fun too! You should try it!” 

Leveling a distasteful glare at the pool of ink, Audrey said, “Maybe later,” before approaching the edge of the gallery. She stared longingly at the entryway leading to the Cyclebreakers’ door at the far side of the room before her gaze landed on the Keeper slinking along the floor. 

Dread flooded her mind and she gripped the rail in front of her, tightening her grip until the knuckles on her normal hand turned white. Now, she knew without a hint of doubt that they were stronger than she was, so much so that she doubted she could kill one even with the Gent pipe upgrade. 

Black spots colored her vision and she blinked them away, realizing she was hyperventilating again. Closing her eyes, she forced herself to relax. She could not afford another breakdown, not here, not now. 

As she calmed down, she found herself missing Bendy. She wanted someone to talk to, someone who would protect her, someone she felt safe around. 

Snorting at the irony, Audrey shook her head in wonder as she reflected on how the being she once feared more than anything else in this awful world became a source of comfort. It was especially strange considering she would prefer his Ink Demon form rather than his toon form in this scenario. 

After reuniting she would probably get a big fat, “ I TOLD YOU SO ,” but the following hug would be worth it. She wanted to ask him about Joey and about the strange place she visited when she…died. 

On second thought, maybe she wouldn’t ask him about that…or tell him about her death.

Turning around, Audrey went to ask Heidi if there was another way to reach the door but found the lost one had disappeared. 

Despite knowing the Keeper couldn’t reach them from up here, the artist didn’t dare call out for her, although she would have liked a little more time to get to know her. Again, her heart twinged as she wished Bendy was here. He could kill a Keeper…probably. Plus, she had a feeling his toon form would get along well with Heidi. If they ever met again, perhaps she could introduce them (only after extracting a promise from the Ink Demon that he wouldn’t hurt and/or torment her). He definitely needed more friends. 

Setting her jaw and quieting her nerves, Audrey returned to the Cyclebreaker entrance, using twice as much stealth and care as her first pass through the area. It wasn’t until she was completely out of the Keeper’s reach that she was able to breathe normally without forcing it. 

As Heidi promised, the door was open, and after walking through an annoying decontamination chamber, she reached a huge multileveled area, with spaces to explore to her left and right as well as above her. A grated bridge connected two floors above her.
Unsure of where to start, Audrey decided to follow maze logic using the left hand rule. Turning left, she entered a secluded area with a large, dark window with the label, “SUBJECT: 414”, underneath it. Whatever lay behind the window was obscured by a strangely heavy-duty blast cover. 

Nervous that she was about to unmask some new horror but too curious to leave without uncovering every secret she could, she pulled a nearby switch. 

The blast cover opened smoothly, revealing the contents of the room it previously concealed. 

When she read Subject 414, she was expecting to find some sort of strange living experiment, a monster similar to Big Steve or perhaps a different version of a Keeper. 

What she was not expecting to find was a middle-aged man. Dressed in an ink-stained but otherwise nondescript suit, he was sitting on a stool with his back facing the glass. 

As Audrey stepped closer, she noticed he was drawing on a sketchbook or notepad. He looked over his shoulder and the young artist froze, worried he was about to transform into a nightmarish creature and attack her. 

However, he displayed no interest in harming her. In fact, he hardly glanced at her before resuming his work.

“Um, excuse me?” Audrey started nervously, hoping he was friendly. When the mysterious man only continued to draw, she tried again, a little louder this time.  “Sir? Can you… help me?”

He paused to laugh quietly to himself before he continued drawing. “You must be really lost if you’re asking me for help.”

Chapter Text

When Wilson shattered the cycle with his army of peacekeepers and promises of change, Henry dared to dream that he and all the other unfortunate denizens within the machine could be free of the nightmarish torture they had suffered for so long. 

Then, with the Ink Demon’s imprisonment, the old animator dared to believe that his dream had come true. 

Now, he worried they only exchanged one nightmare for another. 

A Keeper stopped him on his way to Wilson’s manor. 

Remembering his last encounter with one of those monsters, he regripped his ax and readied himself for a fight. 

Thankfully, this one was nonviolent and simply wanted him to run through a series of checks before entering the manor. Although it nearly killed him to leave his ax behind, he otherwise passed through the security checkpoint without a hitch. 

As he climbed up the mansion’s stairs, he saw Wilson's masked housekeeper standing in the space between the entrances for the two wings.

Even after living among them for so long, it was strange to think that the Ink Machine was capable of creating people. He didn’t understand why Wilson felt the need to create another person, and wasn’t afraid to tell him so at the time. As usual and to Henry’s mounting frustration, the janitor brushed off his concerns. 

Although, he had to admit, it was nice to have someone new to talk to. Boris was a great friend but not the best conversationalist. 

“Hiya, Betty.” Henry smiled, coming to a stop at a polite distance from the woman. “How’ve you been?”

“Hello, Mr. Stein,” she responded warmly in her refined accent. “I’ve been doing fine, thank you for asking.”

“You know, you can call me Henry,” he offered as if they hadn’t had this conversation several times before. “Mr. Stein sounds a little formal, don’t you think?” 

“My sincerest apologies, Henry,” the woman said as she semi-curtsied for the old animator. 

His smile turned a little more forced at the display but he didn’t address it. At least she was finally calling him by his first name. Hopefully, it would stick this time. 

“It’s been quite some time since your last visit,” she commented innocuously. The statement was innocent by itself but he sensed a question behind the words.

“Yeah,” Henry sheepishly rubbed his head. “Been busy fixing up the farmers’ market.” And fighting off Keepers, the man thought to himself, but he didn’t need to worry Betty with that information. “I had to do it alone otherwise Boris would have eaten everything there.” 

Betty laughed at that. “Oh, he sounds like a delight. How is your wolf?”

“Doing well. Hard to keep up with his appetite some days but we manage.” In fact, Henry had made a habit of skipping meals to keep his friend happy. It wasn’t like he needed that much food in comparison. 

With a frown, Henry realized he couldn’t remember the last time he ate. 

However, he wasn’t able to reflect on the disturbing thought for long when he realized Betty was talking again. 

“-gredients from the market I’m excited to experiment with. You’ll have to bring him over for supper sometime,” she eagerly offered. 

“I think he’s still a little too shy for that,” he explained apologetically.

“That’s too bad,” the housekeeper wistfully sighed. “I would love to meet him someday.”

Henry nodded sympathetically. “I’m sure he’ll come around. Can’t force him to do anything he doesn’t want to do.”

Truthfully, he wouldn’t have to force Boris at all. All it would take was the promise of food and nothing short of the Ink Demon himself could prevent the wolf from coming over. 

However, something about the way Wilson stared at Boris the last time they were together made Henry uncomfortable. He might have trusted Wilson to change the cycle but he wouldn’t trust him with the safety of his only friend. 

“Of course not!” Betty enthusiastically agreed. “Now, is there some way I can be of assistance to you today?”

“Where can I find Wilson?” he asked, shooting a glance down both hallways before returning his gaze to Betty. 

“He’s in the laboratory. ” the woman said as she pointed towards the south wing. “It’s the last door on the left at the very end of the hall.” 

Henry nodded his thanks and went where she directed. 

Despite the long downward descent, it didn’t take Henry long to reach the lab. The average man of his age would have been winded by the time he reached his destination, but the old animator hardly noticed the discomfort.

Wilson was working at a table with his back towards the door, so Henry knocked on the glass window to get his attention. 

The other man started, then turned towards the sound. After locking eyes with the animator, Wilson smiled. 

“Henry!” the janitor’s voice rattled through the laboratory’s loudspeakers. “What a pleasant surprise. Come in, come in!” 

As he spoke, the metal door separating them slid open. 

Henry cautiously entered the room. There was a suspicious amount of ink staining the tables and floors of the formerly clean interior but he decided not to ask about it. They had more important things to discuss. 

As he approached, he noted with concern that Wilson looked very different from when he first entered the machine. He appeared to have aged at least a decade since then. 

Not one to pry, Henry didn’t comment on his change of appearance. Instead, he cut to business. 

“We need to reset the cycle,” he said with a firm expression, bracing himself for the inevitable onslaught of questions and refusals. 

Wilson blinked at Henry, then smiled wryly. “Just as blunt as my father described, perhaps even more so than the original,” the man said with a knowing chuckle. 

Before the animator could question the odd statement, Wilson continued. “Tell me, what anxieties and grievances have troubled you to the point of throwing away all our progress?”

Henry frowned. While he was prepared for some resistance to his proposal, this was not the reaction he was expecting. He did not appreciate the condescending air behind his words. It reminded him of Joey, and he couldn’t remember the last time he considered that a good thing. 

“I wouldn’t be ‘throwing away our progress,’” Henry defended. “More like, taking what’s good from this cycle and applying it to the next one. There are too many issues with the current cycle.” 

“Really?” Wilson sounded genuinely surprised. “I haven’t noticed any…issues.”

Of course you haven’t, Henry thought bitterly. That’s because you never leave the manor.  Outwardly, he responded, “I didn’t think you would. That’s why I’m here.”

Wilson narrowed his gaze at the other man. “Please enlighten me.”

With the sigh of someone who would rather be doing something else but their sense of duty won’t allow it, Henry pulled up two chairs and gestured for the other to sit down. 

Once Wilson was seated, Henry started recounting his recent experiences with lost ones. 

“They’re acting more agitated than I’ve ever seen,” Henry explained, frowning at a recent memory of cutting down a lost one before it could attack Boris. “Normally they’re extremely timid and usually harmless. The only time I’ve ever seen them act violently was after Allison, Tom and I killed Sammy in the original cycle and his followers attacked us. Now, some of them are attacking on sight without any warning.”

Wilson nodded calmly at Henry and the animator stifled his frustration, doing his best to prevent it from bleeding into his next question. 

“Do you know what’s triggering this change in behavior?”

After a moment of contemplation, Wilson shook his head.

“I’ve heard you’ve been calling lost ones over so you can show them their ‘purpose’,” Henry prompted, eyes scanning Wilson's face. “What exactly does that mean?”

“Oh, nothing special, really,” the janitor replied evenly, expression betraying nothing. “I’ve simply been informing them that we killed the Ink Demon and they are free to live their lives without fear.”

Henry winced at the mention of the lie. While he was formerly against it, Wilson convinced him the lost ones would find it much more comforting than the idea that the demon was still out there and would one day take revenge for his imprisonment. 

“What else have you done to them?” he pried, digging for anything that could justify the lost ones’ new behavior. 

“My my, Henry,” Wilson smoothly responded with a raised eyebrow. “Now that sounds like an accusation.”

“It wasn’t meant to be. I mean, their behavior can’t be changing for nothing.” Leaning back in his seat, Henry forced himself to take a deep breath, reminding himself that the man in front of him was his ally, not his enemy. His shoulders bowed under the weight of fixing a world broken by design. “I’m just trying to figure out what’s going on.”

“You worry too much,” the other man assured, “I’m sure they’re just experiencing growing pains from the change in management. After living under the demon’s shadow for so long, I’m sure they’re scared and unsure. My efforts will hopefully grant them some stability.”

Once, Henry might have bought the excuse but the demon had been captured long enough that he sincerely doubted that ‘growing pains’ were the source of this newfound aggression.

Although, mention of his old tormentor reminded Henry of a question he’s been meaning to ask for a while.

“How is the Ink Demon, anyways?” he inquired curiously. “Any chance he could break out?”

“No.” Wilson quickly responded. “He is somewhat difficult to manage but well-contained. The Keepers try to keep him sedated but he is rather…resistant.”

“Have you tried playing his cartoons? He seems to like them.” The animator doubted the demon would have decorated his throne room with TV’s playing the old Bendy animations if he didn’t. “Maybe they would make him less agitated.”

Giving him a strange look, Wilson hesitantly replied, “I’ll…keep the suggestion in mind. I don’t see what this has to do with the lost ones.” 

“They used to worship him,” Henry explained, exasperated. “And he has a deep connection to this world.  Maybe he’s affecting them somehow.”

“Hmmm…” Wilson frowned at the suggestion and Henry felt some gratification that he was finally reaching the other man. “That is a rather troubling idea. I’ll have the Keepers look into it.” 

Henry glared at him. 

“The Keepers are also part of the problem. They’ve been getting more violent.” 

“They seem fine to me.”

“That’s because they act ‘fine’ when they’re around you but they’ve also been getting more hostile. They're attacking lost ones and other survivors just as frequently as searchers and butcher gang members. One chased me on my way to the train station just today. I had to hide in a locker before they finally left me alone.”

Finally that seemed to catch Wilson’s attention. “Hmmm…that is…problematic. Did it see you hide in the locker?”

Shrugging, Henry replied, “I’m not sure, I was little busy trying not to get my head ripped off.” 

Wilson hummed thoughtfully.

"Can you remake them? Their-" Henry struggled to find the right phrase. Diplomacy was never his strong suit but he knew he couldn't afford to overly offend the man regarding his creations. "-lack of empathy is a problem."

"I can't do that. Even if I ordered them to destroy themselves, they would return from the ink just like any other creature made from the Machine."

“I mean by resetting the cycle.” 

“I don’t think that’s necessary,” Wilson said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “They’re simply doing their job keeping the peace.”

"They aren't peacekeeping as much as they are terrorizing." Henry argued. “The searchers are still a problem, the butcher gang members are still a problem, and I’ve heard rumors there are new monsters appearing in the sewers. The Keepers aren’t doing their job.”

“Well, I’m sure it’s better than when the Ink Demon was around.” 

Henry scowled at the baseless assumption. “I’m begi nning to doubt that it is.”

“What!” Wilson glared in offense at the other man. “How could you say that? After everything I’ve done for you, after everything I’ve done for this world? How could you be so-” the man fell into a coughing fit. Henry went to help the man but he was waved off. After he stopped coughing, he finished his sentence like the fit had never happened. “-ungrateful.”

“I’m not ungrateful.” Henry defended, restraining his anger only due to his concern for the man's health. The glare he received in response led him to think Wilson didn’t believe him.

After a moment of bitter silence, Henry sighed. “I’m sorry. That was out of line. This is better than the original cycle. But we can improve it even more by resetting it.” 

“What about Boris?” Wilson wheezed. “Are you willing to risk his life for this? There’s no…guarantee he will survive this time.”

“He will.” Henry affirmed with more confidence than he felt. “Trust me, I don't like it either and I wouldn’t suggest it if I could think of any other solution. We can start the way we did last time and adjust as we notice issues popping up. Maybe we can find what’s actually causing the lost ones to act up and you can improve the keepers-”

At that, Wilson started to interrupt him but Henry shut it down with a stony glare. “-so that everyone can benefit from their presence.” 

Not just you, Henry finished in the thought internally, but even he had the diplomatic sense not to say that part out loud. 

“If it doesn’t work the first time, we can keep resetting until it does. Together, we can make the cycle into a better one." One that doesn’t involve homicidal Keepers.

“What about Betty?” Wilson countered. “I can’t guarantee she’ll survive the reset.”

A wave of guilt washed over Henry for forgetting the housekeeper and he winced at his thoughtlessness. 

“Can’t you take her with you?” he suggested weakly.
“You remember what I said. As much as I wish I could, I can’t bring any of you outside the machine. You wouldn’t survive.”

“I don’t mean permanently,” Henry rebutted, gaining more confidence as he spoke. “Just for a few minutes, ten minutes tops. I survived out there long enough to visit Joey at the end of every cycle. If you're so worried, let me out first and we'll see how long I survive."

As usual, Wilson immediately cut off the idea. 

"It's too much of a risk." 

With that, their conversation devolved into an old argument between the two men. Henry still didn't buy Wilson's reasoning that the old animator had been here too long to survive in the real world. If anything, Henry believed his time here had made him more durable. Even with his flawed memory, he could remember dying many, many times. Normal people don't come back from the dead.

Besides, even if Wilson was right, it shouldn't be his call on whether or not Henry could take that risk. That was for himself to decide.

Despite reiterating these arguments and others, Wilson refused to even entertain the idea before changing the subject.

"Henry, you're looking exhausted, when's the last time you slept?"

The old animator opened his mouth to respond and stopped. The last time he remembered sleeping was a few weeks ago, in Boris's and his sanctuary. He had to have slept in the past couple days, right? He knew pulling all nighters was something he was used to and he always had a bad habit of overextending himself, but no person could go without sleeping for that long.

Even more disturbingly, he realized that he didn't feel physically tired. He felt tired in every other aspect except physically. That couldn't be right…

"I…don't remember." Henry responded honestly, troubled as he continued to reach for a memory that wasn't there.

"That's no good, no good at all," Wilson crooned, standing up from his chair and placing a concerned hand on Henry’s shoulder. "My housekeeper has been working on a special recipe to help even the most restless sleeper find peace at night. It's a common problem among these ink creatures, after all. Why don't you give it a try? We can continue this discussion in the morning." 

Henry wanted to protest but he was too unsettled by the sudden realization. Also, even though he wasn't physically tired, it would be nice to get some shuteye. Even if he couldn't feel it, he probably needed it.

"I'll have to tell Boris-"

"You can leave that to me,” Wilson interrupted. “I'll go out with Betty and some Keepers to collect him.”

Knowing the wolf would just go into hiding, Henry was about to protest when he was struck with an idea. It had been a long time since Wilson had ventured outside the mansion. Maybe he just needed to see the changes in the world himself to realize that Henry had a point.

"Fine." Henry grumpily relented. "But we will talk about this again tomorrow."

Smiling at him in a way that made the old animator incredibly uncomfortable, Wilson replied, “Of course. I'll see you tomorrow."

As he made the long walk back up to the main level, Henry fumed. He cursed Joey for bringing him here, and cursed Wilson for disregarding his opinion time and time again. It was just like working in the studio all over again. 

Betty greeted him as usual and asked him how his visit was. Upon informing her about his stay and the sleeping draught, she seemed surprised.

"Oh! Well, I haven't prepared the guest bedroom for you. I'm terribly sorry." Betty's voice pitched up oddly high, but Henry was too polite to mention it. 

"That's alright, I don't need much. Just a bed will do."

"Nonsense, as one of our-" she stopped herself, "Wilson's special guests, you deserve our finest accommodations."

"That won't be necess-"

"Just let me change the sheets, please?" Betty pleaded with a tone hinging on desperation. "It's the least I can do."

Henry frowned at the woman. She was oddly insistent but he supposed she only wanted to help him out. 

"Alright."

"Wonderful!" Betty clapped his hands and tottered off in the direction of the guest room. "It shouldn't take me long, I promise. Why don't you stop by the library while you wait? There are even more books in the North wing if you'd fancy a trip over there."

Smiling at the offer, the animator shook his head and responded, "I'll stick with the library."

Again, Betty seemed oddly disappointed. "Oh, well, nice and close then. I'll be able to fetch you right away once the room is ready."

As she turned away, she added a resentful aside, "I wish Wilson had let me know in advance you were…staying over."

Despite his current irritation towards the man, Henry felt obligated to defend him, "It's something we just decided.”

"That's too bad then. I do so love your visits."

Furrowing his brow at the ominous tone of her message, he was about to ask her about it when they arrived at the library.

"Here we are!" Betty announced, returning to her usual cheerful and chipper state. "Stay right here, I'll come get you as soon as your room is ready."

Having visited the library before, he knew exactly where to find the books that interested him. He settled on a fishing book he skimmed on a different day, hoping to pick up some more good fishing tips. It was his and Boris's favorite leisure activity nowadays, one of the many good things that had been added since Wilson took control of the cycle. 

By the time Betty returned, he had finished nearly half of the book. He left it on a stand so he could find it later, then followed her to his room. 

There, she showed him the recipe for the sleeping draught and told him how to make it. Right before she left, Henry called her over.

"Where can I find the gilson?" There was a gilson swimming around in the piano room, but he knew better than to assume they wanted him to kill an obvious pet. 

"Oh my, did I forget to bring it?" Distressed, Betty hurried over to the table. After scanning its surface, she let out an annoyed sigh. "It looks like I did. I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Stein, I'll be right back."

"Henry," he corrected warmly. 

“H-henry. Of course. I'll be right back."

With that, she was off. Henry didn’t have much time to reflect on her frazzled behavior before she was back again, this time with a small bag of powdered material. He thanked her and she left without another word. 

Soon, Henry was lying in fresh sheets on the luxurious bed with a mug of black water in his hand. As he raised the drink to his lips, he paused. Something in his gut made him think that maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. He would be completely vulnerable and at the absolute mercy of whoever came across his unconscious form, specifically Wilson.

After a moment of consideration, he shook away his reservations. He could trust Wilson. They might have their disagreements, but nothing the janitor had done suggested the janitor could be a danger to him. 

Chalking off his suspicions to old habits dying hard after years of living in a cycle of borderline non-stop emotional and physical torture, he began to drink. 

Three sips later he fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

However, after waking up in a completely different environment than he fell asleep in, Henry promised himself never to doubt his gut ever again.

When he finally came to, he was not in his bed anymore. For a moment, he wondered if Wilson had decided to restart the cycle after all, until he realized this wasn't the studio. He was lying on the dusty ground of an empty cell, lit by a single solitary lightbulb.

Scrambling to his feet, he instinctively reached for his axe. After feeling nothing, he remembered he left it at the security checkpoint.

Without warning, the wall opened, revealing a massive window in the side of the cell.

On the other side of the thick glass stood Wilson. 

"How do you like your new room?" the middle-aged man smugly wheezed. 

"Wilson." Barely keeping himself from shouting, Henry stormed up to the glass, too angry to wonder how he could hear him so clearly through the barrier. "What the hell is going on?"

"I'm sorry Henry, but this is for the best." He explained patronizingly. 

"What do you mean!?"

"I can't have you restarting the cycle and destroying all my hard work. Don't worry, I left you something to keep yourself busy.”

Wilson gestured inside the cell and Henry turned to find a single stool with a massive stack of books lying next to it. They were the only other things in this room beside Henry himself. 

"That’s it?" Henry questioned in disbelief. “You’re not even leaving me with a bed or a damn toilet?”

"I think you’ll find those are unnecessary accommodations for one of your…composition."

"What about food or water?" Demanded the animator. "Are you just going to let me starve in here?"

"So needy. With food sources as scarce as they are, they should be reserved for those who truly need them, don't you think? None of the other Cyclebreakers enjoy such luxuries.”

With horror, Henry realized he must be referring to Sammy and Sus-Alice Angel. As much as he disliked them in their current states, he knew they didn't deserve this. 

"What the hell is wrong with you? That's inhumane!"

To his disgust, Wilson laughed at the accusation, which quickly devolved into a coughing fit. This time, no sympathy arose within Henry regarding the sick man, especially considering what he said next after he finally caught his breath. "As the only human in this world, I find that statement quite ironic."

With that, Wilson approached the side of the window, reaching for something outside Henry’s field of view. 

"Enjoy your sketchbooks, Henry. Your sacrifice is much…appreciated."

Before Henry could respond, the shutter closed.

Balling his fists, Henry did nothing to quench the storm of anger rising within him. He was such an idiot. He should never have trusted Wilson. Why hadn't he learned his lesson with Joey? Enraged, Henry hurled the stool at the glass with an anguished yell that no-one heard. 

It bounced ineffectively against the glass and clattered to the ground. He stared at the object with clenched fists. He was going to die in here. 

His anger subsided, replaced with hope. Wilson might think he was trapped, but all it took was one death and he would come back in another part of the studio. Then, he winced at the idea of the suffering that was to come. He'd never died of dehydration before. 

Gaze landing on the pile of sketchbooks, Henry walked over and dusted one off, begrudgingly happy to find a pile of pens behind them. After righting the stool, he sat down and began drawing. He had a long three days ahead of him. He might as well get something out of it. 

At least Boris was safe.

Chapter Text

Frowning at the man behind the glass, Audrey wondered why he hadn’t faced her yet. Maybe he just really liked drawing?

“I’m just looking for answers,” she nervously informed him, hoping he was at least somewhat sane. “About the Keepers, Wilson, the Cycle. Anything could help.”

That seemed to catch his attention. The pen paused, then its owner glanced over his shoulder.

“What’s your name?”

“Audrey,” the young artist nervously replied. “What’s yours?”

“Honestly? I’d almost forgotten.” 

Well, that wasn’t reassuring. She was beginning to second guess her assumption that he was sane. 

Rising to his feet, the man set his notepad on the stool and Audrey caught a glimpse of what may have been a Bendy doodle before he turned to face her. 

“My name is Henry.”

Eyes widening at the declaration, Audrey studied him with increased interest. This…wasn’t how she’d imagined the target of Joey’s hatred. 

Henry was the most human-looking person she had met in this ink world, including herself although it pained her to admit it.  He had a kind face despite the grim lines around the corners of his mouth and the dark circles under his eyes.  Upon closer examination, she was surprised to find that underneath the layer of exhaustion, those eyes burned with an uncanny resilience. 

They talked, and as they talked she found herself relating more and more to the man, especially when he shared his realization that, “if you haven’t eaten in years, you might not be human.”

When he mentioned he knew how to reset the cycle, her interest peaked.

“How did you do it?” she eagerly inquired. 

“Reset the cycle?” Henry clarified. After she nodded, he explained, “It turns out the Ink Demon himself is the key. This world is his, but even he must obey its rules. For now at least.”

Huh. Audrey made a mental note to ask Bendy about resetting the cycle after he forgave her for ditching him. 

“If you can get him to look at something very specific,” he continued, “it will reset everything.”

Intrigued, the young animator asked,“What is it?” 

“It’s just a reel of film, labeled with the words, ‘The End’. I can see it in my mind every day. They keep it upstairs in the Pit.”

Furrowing her brow, Audrey thought of Heidi and her melancholy description of this so-called “Pit”.  Then her thoughts drifted to Porter and the lost ones in sewers and their desperate gazes. Maybe if she reset the cycle, she could make things better for everyone here. 

“I’ll see if I can break in and steal it.” 

NO!

The Ink Demon’s voice thundered through her psyche, followed by a sudden cloudburst of violent emotions that were not her own. 

Gasping, Audrey stepped away from the glass, holding a hand to her ringing head. For a moment, all she could feel was anger, betrayal and, above all, fear. Then it was gone. 

“Are you alright?” Henry worriedly stepped closer and stopped, appearing frustrated by the layer of glass separating them. 

“Yeah, yeah I’m okay,” she said reassuringly as she waved off his concern, both annoyed and thrilled at Bendy’s reappearance. “Can you wait here for a second? I’ll be right back.”

Fixing her with an odd look, the man replied, “Sure. I’m not going anywhere.”

Already striding away from the window, Audrey searched for a place where she could talk to the Ink Demon without appearing like a total lunatic. 

Backtracking to the room where she met Heidi, the artist made certain she was alone then whispered, “Bendy, are you still there?”

Silence answered her. Her hopes began to fall.

“Bendy?” she tried again, voice cracking with concern. 

 As the seconds ticked by, earlier worries resurfaced. Was he still stuck in his toon form? What if he never left the Gent building? Did a Keeper catch him after they were separated?

Images of tears streaming from pie-cut eyes as Bendy was tortured by merciless Keepers plagued the artist, and she began to worry she only imagined hearing his alternate self.

“Please, I just need to know that you’re okay,” she whisper-prayed, speaking more to herself than anyone else. 

A very familiar voice cut into her head, simmering with anger and resentment, CHEATER.

A thousand pounds of guilt and worry fell from Audrey’s shoulders and she wrapped her arms around herself as though she was hugging the demon instead. 

“Thank goodness you’re okay!” she exclaimed, forgetting to whisper, her joy at hearing from him overshadowing his overwhelmingly negative tone. “I was so worried about you!”

…WHY?

Confused, the animator frowned at the question and the puzzled bitterness behind his words. “It’s just, I hadn’t heard from you in so long and I was scared you-” were recaptured and tortured and it was all my fault. 

That was what Audrey almost said but she stopped herself just in time. Something told her he wouldn’t react well to learning she knew about his…experiences…in the Gent building, so she decided to keep that to herself for now. 

“I was scared you were in trouble,” she shared instead. “I didn’t know you could be forced into your toon form.” As she spoke, the young woman subconsciously rubbed her forehead, remembering the splitting headache that assaulted her when those strange, colorful coils powered on. 

HOW GRACIOUS. 

Her frown deepened at the uncharacteristically sarcastic tone.  This was not how she pictured their reunion. 

“What’s with the attitude?”

WHAT ATTITUDE? came the snarky reply. 

“That attitude!” Audrey huffed, eyebrow quirking in annoyance. “Why are you talking to me like that?”

YOU SHOULD CONSIDER YOURSELF FORTUNATE THAT I’M EVEN SPEAKING TO YOU. IT’S BETTER THAN YOU DESERVE. 

“Listen, I know you’re still mad about the game but there’s no need to be so nasty.”

I’M TREATING A LIAR AND A CHEATER AS I SHOULD. 

Bristling at the insulting titles, Audrey spat back a scathing reply. “Says the bully and  tyrant. It’s your fault I had to lie and cheat in the first place!”

I AM NOT TO BLAME. WE MADE A DEAL. YOU BROKE IT.

“I didn’t have any other choice!” the indignant animator explained. “I needed to go into the Gent building. You wouldn’t let me. What else was I supposed to do?”

NOT GO. 

Taking a deep breath, Audrey reminded herself of Bendy’s lack of understanding of social norms and took it upon herself to educate him. 

“You can’t just force another person to do something you don’t want them to do and expect them to accept it and not try to do it anyway. I understand now why you didn’t want me to come here, but in the end it was, is, and should be my own choice.”

EVEN IF THAT CHOICE LEADS TO YOUR OWN DEMISE? 

Wincing as she remembered the events of the last few hours, Audrey sputtered,“There are some exceptions but this wasn’t one of them!” 

The disbelieving silence that followed made her shift uncomfortably. To be fair, she did die, just like he promised. Maybe, just maybe she wasn’t 100% in the right like she thought.

“Look, I won’t apologize for doing it but I am sorry for how I did it,” Audrey sighed, “And I’m sorry for asking you to come with me.”

…FORGIVENESS WILL NOT COME SO EASILY.

“That’s…understandable.” Apparently regaining the demon’s trust would be more difficult than she anticipated. She sincerely hoped it wouldn’t be this hard with his toon form. 

Bracing herself for the incoming ordeal, Audrey decided not to lie to Bendy anymore. It wasn’t worth losing her most valuable ally in this horrorscape. 

A different sort of sigh escaped the artist’s lungs. “Well, at least I’m not alone.”

NO ,  came the vehement rebuttal. YOU ARE ALONE AND VULNERABLE AND DESTINED FOR A HORRIBLE AND PAINFUL DEMISE IF YOU DO NOT LEAVE NOW . 

“It’s a little late for that,” the woman muttered bitterly. The sassy response was quiet as she didn’t intend for her mind passenger to hear or respond to it. 

Unfortunately for her, he did. 

ELABORATE. 

Closing her eyes, Audrey silently cursed herself. She wasn’t planning on telling him she died, but now she didn’t have any other choice. 

So, she told him. He took it better than she expected. 

I WILL TEAR THEM APART! REND THEM LIMB FROM LIMB AND DESTROY THEM SO COMPLETELY THEIR SOULS WILL NEVER DARE CRAWL OUT OF THE DARK PUDDLES AGAIN!

As nice as it was to hear he still cared about her, she worried his rage would lead to his recapture.

“You can’t come here!” the animator insisted, glancing around as if he was about to burst from the walls at any second.  

The Ink Demon snarled, but didn’t appear, to her great relief. I DO AS I PLEASE. 

“Sure, you do, you still shouldn’t come here, it’s too dangerous.”

THEN YOU SHOULD COME OUT. 

“I can’t.” Audrey explained. “I think I’m close to a breakthrough. I’ve come too far to turn back now.”

An air of disbelief accompanied Bendy’s next words. YOU WERE MURDERED AND WOULD RISK DYING AGAIN?

“It wasn’t that bad,” shrugged the artist. It wasn’t technically a lie. Was it the worst thing she ever experienced in her life? Yes. Did she ever want to do it again? Absolutely not. But, she didn’t die permanently and that knowledge emboldened her. 

There was a pause, then he spoke his next words as though he had come to a deep realization, a profound discovery so surprising and mind-blowing he never entertained it before. 

YOU ARE A FOOL.

Despite the lack of insult in his tone, Audrey reeled in offense. “Could a ‘fool’ have outsmarted you?”

Other than hissing at the reminder, the demon remained silent. 

A few moments passed and the animator worried he left her alone again. 

His next words proved the opposite. However, rather than experiencing relief, the ominous words filled her heart with dread.

IF YOU’RE SO EAGER TO RELINQUISH YOUR SOUL, GIVE IT TO ME. I WILL TAKE BETTER CARE OF IT. 

“No-one is getting my soul!” Audrey immediately refuted even as heart rate skyrocketed. Maybe Joey was more right about the Ink Demon than she thought, although that led her to remember her discussion with Henry and the End tape.

Ignoring the chills snaking down her back, she decided this was the perfect time to change the subject.  

“By the way, how did you hear what Henry and I were talking about?” 

Internally willing Bendy to take the hint, she waited with baited breath for his response.

BY THE POWER OF THE DARK PUDDLES, OUR MINDS ARE LINKED. I CAN SEE THROUGH YOUR EYES AND HEAR THROUGH YOUR EARS.   

Audrey was so relieved when he didn’t mention her soul again she almost didn’t catch the full meaning of his words. 

“W-wait, a second,” she stuttered, mind racing to process the new information, “Does that mean you can see what I’m seeing right now?”

YES .

The animator blinked, and blinked again.  She didn’t know what to do with this information. Unfocusing her gaze, she tried to detect…actually, she wasn’t sure what she was looking for. Some kind of interior connection that gave the otherworldly being access to her mind. 

Despite her best efforts, she sensed nothing. At least, nothing that could hint to the fact that the Ink Demon was using her own senses to spy on her. 

Shivering, Audrey closed her eyes.  “That’s…really creepy,” she admonished while attempting to dispel the chill over her body by rubbing her arms. “It would have been nice if you asked permission before doing that.”

Confusion emanated into her mind and the woman grit her teeth. “Which means if you’re still doing it now, you should ask permission.”

…MAY I? 

After taking a deep breath, Audrey relented and reopened her eyes. “Just for now since we’re separated, but not always, okay?”

A moment of hesitation later, Bendy grumbled, FINE . 

Despite feeling uncomfortable at the thought of a demon hitching a ride in her mind, she was relieved that she no longer had to go through this alone (even if he insisted otherwise). 

The artist took a step towards the Cyclebreakers’ room.“I’m going back to talk with Henry-”

DON’T . 

Pausing her stride, Audrey lingered in the room as she tilted her head to the side curiously. “Why not?” 

BECAUSE I COMMAND IT.

Pinching the bridge of her nose between her fingers, the animator sighed, cursing whatever divine being that put her in charge of teaching The Ink Demon proper social etiquette. 

“Bendy,” she started patiently, subconsciously placing her hands on her hips,“I’m not just going to do stuff because you tell me not to do it. If you want to convince me not to do something, I need a better reason than, ‘ because I command it ’.” As she spoke the last words she deepened her voice and added some gravel to her tone. 

There was an offended pause and Audrey smirked, a little disappointed that he wasn’t there to see it. 

After a moment of waiting for a response, she took a meaningful step forward.

NOTHING HE HAS TO SAY IS WORTH HEARING.

“So you’ve talked to him before?” the animator asked as she folded her arms. 

…NOT EXACTLY. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

…

Eventually, Audrey sighed. “Look, I’m going back to talk to him. You can listen in, if you want, but I would appreciate it if you would keep your comments to yourself until I’m done, okay?”

More silence, but that was what she was expecting. 

After she made her way back to Henry’s cell, she gave him a nervous smile. “Hi, sorry about that. Um, what were we talking about again?”

Sharing a frown in return, the man also gave her an odd look, a mixture of wariness and concern. “The End Reel.”

“Right, right.” Clearing her throat, Audrey desperately hoped he didn’t overhear any of her conversation with Bendy. “Um…so what exactly happens to the Ink Demon when he watches the End Reel?”

YOU DON’T NEED TO KNOW.

Flinching at the interruption, Audrey tried to cover it up with a strained grin. 

Henry didn’t look like he was buying it. His frown deepened along with the concern in his current expression.

 A drop of sweat trickled down her forehead as she wondered if he overheard any of her conversation. 

Folding his arms, the man scanned her up and down. “Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked suspiciously while raising his brow authoritatively. 

“Yes, I’m sorry, I just…” the young artist frantically searched for an excuse as she wiped the inky droplet off her face, “get bad headaches sometimes. It’ll pass.”

WHAT ARE YOU INSINUATING?

Ignoring the offended demon, she smiled expectantly at Henry. 

To her mounting gratitude and relief, he decided to drop it, although he still seemed unsure about her excuse.

“Well, to answer your question, it kills him.”

Audrey’s heart crashed through the floor. “Permanently?” she squeaked, praying he didn’t notice the gaping cavern under her feet.

“No, just until the start of the next cycle.” He must have been feeling generous because he gave her yet another odd look. “Why, is that a problem?”

“It’s just…well…” Uneager to reveal she was allied with the creature that tortured this poor soul for who knows how long, she avoided the question entirely by asking her own, one that she held genuine curiosity for. “What was the cycle like before Wilson took over?”

 Henry narrowed his eyes at her and Audrey held her breath. If they were in a cartoon, she was certain she would be filling buckets with sweat.

Thankfully, instead of further questioning her strange behavior, he took the bait. Years of pain and fatigue resurfaced on the man’s face as he grimaced at the question. “Not great.”

“Can you tell me about it?”

A reluctant expression crossed his face before his shoulders fell with a sigh. “You might want to pull up a chair, it’s a long story.”

And so, after she dragged over her own stool, he told her the story, starting with the postcard that called him back to the studio.

The Ink Demon listened as he spoke, making the occasional rude or belittling comment but remaining mostly silent. Although Audrey did her best not to react when he inevitably chimed in, for some reason she just couldn’t hold her poker face under Henry’s stern yet concerned gaze . 

When he told them what the bad Alice Angel (who he nicknamed Malice) did to Boris, Audrey had to say something. 

“I’m so sorry,” she said, blinking empathetic tears from her eyes. “That must have been so awful.”

Despite the obvious pain behind his expression, the old animator responded with a rueful smile. “It sure wasn’t a picnic, let me tell you that. If Joey was as skilled at running a business as he was at getting under my skin, maybe the studio wouldn’t have gone under.”

Confused, Audrey tilted her head to the side and asked, “I thought you said Malice is the one who did that?”

Again, Henry shrugged. “She is, but Joey’s the one who wrote the story.”

After instinctively nodding at the statement the young artist paused. How did he know that? She would never have suspected that this world was created by one person, let alone Joey Drew if his own memory hadn’t told her himself

So, she asked him. 

“Now, hold your horses,” the storyteller raised his hands with a half-grin. “That would be spoiling the end of the story. You’ve got to be a little patient.”

SHE’S INCAPABLE OF PATIENCE. 

Just barely managing to mask her fury toward the disruptive devil, Audrey nodded at Henry with a neutral expression. .

And with that, the story resumed. She couldn’t help but notice the pressing silence from her mind buddy while the End was described. When Henry explained how Bendy would evaporate after watching the tape, the woman shuddered. 

“And that would happen every time the cycle ended?” Her heart went out to the Ink Demon. 

His adversary nodded. “Then I would wake up in Joey’s apartment.”

Audrey’s heart stopped and she forgot to feel concerned for her friend. “His apartment? Was Joey there!?”

“He sure was,” he nodded wearily, “At least for the first few hundred times I went through the cycle.”

“Did you talk with him?” 

Leaning back in his chair, Henry let out a long sigh.“More like he talked at me. I’m still not sure how he did it but once I saw him I would freeze up and I couldn’t speak or move unless he let me.”

“Was there ever anyone else there?” Audrey pressed, leaning forward in her seat. “A little girl maybe?” Had he seen her? 

“No, he was always alone.” Henry shook his head, then regarded her curiously, “Why do you ask?”

Glancing away, she shrugged, feigning casualness and she responded, “No reason.” 

Cocking a skeptical eyebrow in her direction, the man hummed disbelievingly. 

Biting her lip, Audrey desperately searched for an opportunity to switch topics. 

“So that explains how you knew Joey was behind all this,” she started after finding a question she genuinely wanted an answer to , “but how did you figure out it was a story?”

The diversion worked and Henry dropped his suspicious stare. “Mostly by poking my nose where it shouldn’t be and repetition. You don’t relive the same few days over and over again for years without piecing together a thing or two.”

“Although,” the old animator winced, glancing down at his hands, “When the cycle restarted, there was a decent chance I would forget everything that happened and have to relearn it from scratch. Eventually the visits stopped and remembering previous loops only got more difficult.”

Something akin to guilt pressed on Audrey’s chest as she stared at the worn soul in front of her. Logically, she knew she wasn’t responsible for her father’s…her creator’s actions, but her conscience told her a different story. 

“I’m sorry,” she stated weakly, knowing those two words hardly made up for the years of torment this man had been subjected to. 

With a weary smile, Henry nodded at the apology in appreciation, “Don’t worry about it, kid.”

Despite the reassuring words, an awkward silence fell over those present as they remembered or imagined suffering years of uninterrupted physical and psychological torture. 

Finally, Henry broke the silence.

“Is Joey dead, then?” he asked in a surprisingly even tone. 

The young woman’s breath hitched. “Yeah, he…he passed away.” 

GOOD RIDDANCE.

Henry nodded, unsurprised. “Wilson told me so but I learned not to believe everything that man says.” 

Latching onto the change of subject like a lifeline, Audrey asked, “Do you know what Wilson wants or why he’s doing all this?”

“Honestly?” Henry shook his head with an exasperated sigh, “I’m not sure what’s running through that madman’s mind. All that power he gained over this world went straight to his head. I’m ashamed to admit I helped him get it.” 

IMBECILE .

Wincing at the venomous interjection, Audrey shook off following the discomfort in favor of further interrogating the old artist. 

“What do you mean by ‘power’?”

“Wilson has some way of altering the cycle.” Henry explained, “I’m not sure how, but whatever he did made it so we were able to subvert the main storyline and make lasting changes to this world. Suddenly I could explore other parts of the studio I didn’t know existed, like the Gent building. All of this,” he gestured to the surrounding walls, “Completely new.”

Wrinkling her nose, Audrey made a face as she glanced at the grimy floor and the rusted environment.

Laughing softly at her reaction, Henry smiled at the young woman. “At least, by my standards.”

Audrey grinned before turning serious. “Do you know where I can find him?”

In an instant, the amusement on his face was replaced with a grave expression. “I would stay away from him if I were you. That man is dangerous.”

FINALLY, HE SPEAKS WISDOM. 

“I can handle myself,” Audrey insisted rebelliously while straightening her spine. 

“I thought the same thing and look at where I ended up.” Henry knocked meaningfully on the glass separating them. “He’ll do whatever it takes to carry out his sick agenda, consequences be damned. He doesn’t see any of us as people, which means he thinks he can mess with our lives however he wants.”

Doubt flickered over his expression as he eyed Audrey carefully. “You’re not human, are you?”

Something painful twisted in the ink woman’s chest and she glanced away. “I thought I was.”

Henry made a sympathetic noise. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. Although, if Wilson thinks you’re human, he might actually reason with you. I still wouldn’t risk it, I would focus on resetting the cycle first.”

“Is there another way to do that without killing the Ink Demon?”

Giving her yet another strange look, Henry said, “I…don’t know. Maybe? It’s not that hard to get him to watch the film. If you’re worried about him catching you, all you need to do is learn his search pattern and he’s fairly easy to avoid, especially if you hunker down in a miracle station.”

The demonic equivalent of an offended gasp blasted through her mind. LIES AND DECEITS! I WILL NOT TOLERATE THIS SLANDER! 

Eye twitching from the effort it took to remain composed, Audrey replied in a strained voice, “No, I’m worried about…something else.”

While the older animator stared her down, she prayed for him to drop the subject. She really didn’t want to lie to him or, even worse, tell the truth about her friendship with Bendy.

Perhaps he noticed her reluctance, as instead of prying he made a helpful suggestion. “If you want to avoid the Ink Demon you could try asking around for other ways of ending the cycle. The Keepers must call everyone they lock in here ‘Cyclebreakers’ for a reason, right?”

Perking up at the possibility, Audrey said, “I can do that!” while rising to her feet. 

Appearing concerned with her enthusiasm, Henry held up his hands in a settling motion. “Okay but be careful.  The people of this world don’t always have their heads screwed on straight. If no-one here knows anything, I would try finding the good Alice and asking her.”

Wilting at the implication the young artist replied, “Okay, I’ll see what I can do.”

Lingering in front of the glass, Audrey sighed, not looking forward to speaking with more mentally unstable souls. Looking up, she met the older artist’s gaze with genuine gratitude in her eyes. “Thanks for talking with me.”

Henry returned her gaze with a grateful smile. “Thank you for talking with me. It’s been too long since I’ve seen another friendly face.”

Nodding sympathetically, Audrey stepped away from the glass.

As she walked away, Henry called out, “If you see a shy Boris out there, be nice to him okay? Let him know I didn’t mean to leave him alone for so long.”

“I will!” the woman called back as she waved a farewell. 

After returning the gesture, the prisoner picked up his notepad and began drawing. 

Heart panging at the sight, Audrey quickly moved on. There was a glass display case at the end of the room and she stopped to investigate the ink-stained projector inside. 

Once she confirmed she was out of sight, she addressed her invisible audience in a whisper. “Why don’t you like him? He’s so nice.”

After a moment of hesitation, the demon responded, APPEARANCES ARE DECEIVING. 

Audrey snorted in amusement. “Of course, you would know that better than most.” 

As she spoke, she stretched out a hand to touch the glassy surface of the display case.

An ear-shattering shriek split the air and the animator jumped away as the projector came to life, lighting up part of the wall with its blindingly bright bulb. She half-expected it to grow legs and charge at her but it simply continued to light up the wall before shutting off by itself.

There was an odd rumbling sound in her mind and it took Audrey a second to realize the Ink Demon was laughing at her. 

“Don’t laugh at me!” she hissed, which only prompted him to laugh even harder. 

“I’m…not?” a confused voice called out from down the hall. 

Face flushing with embarrassment, Audrey quickly replied with a, “I wasn’t talking to you!”,  and a panicked, “Sorry!” once she realized how crazy she must have sounded just then.

Eager put more distance between herself and Henry and to distract the still-amused demon, Audrey moved on. 

Chapter Text

“Look, if you’re going to tag along, I need you to be quiet when I’m talking to other people, okay?” Audrey murmured furiously as she investigated the rest of the room.

AND DEPRIVE YOU OF MY VALUABLE INSIGHT? I THINK NOT.

“You can share your insights with me after I’m done with a conversation, not during it!” Growled the animator as she investigated another glass window obscured by a blast cover, just like Henry’s cell. Underneath it read, SUBJECT: 418 . She excitedly searched for the switch to unveil its hidden contents, hopeful that whoever was inside could help her break the cycle without breaking her friendship (or whatever she should call their unique relationship) with Bendy.

After finding said switch, she eagerly reached for it and paused when the Ink Demon spoke into her mind.

HE WON’T HELP YOU.

Staring at the label underneath the cell, Audrey questioned the statement. “Who won’t help me?”

Silence answered her and the artist made an internal note to talk to the demon about how rude it is to not answer people’s perfectly reasonable questions. Her shoulders drooped at the thought. At this point, she was going to need a whole notebook to record everything she needed to teach him.

After another moment of hesitation, she pulled the switch.

The blast cover opened to reveal an odd sight: a lost one playing music on a banjo.

Well, to describe the sound as ‘music’ would be like describing tears as purified water. Close, but not quite right. 

The almost-song dripped from the instrument’s strings, discordant and haunting while the curious artist Audrey crept closer to the glass. Upon further inspection, she noted with interest that the unique individual was considerably less goopy than the other lost ones she’d encountered so far. 

“Hello! I’m looking for ways to break the cycle, can you help me?” the animator excitedly called out, hopeful that his less-drippy appearance was indicative of a higher level of sanity.

However, the ink man didn’t react to her greeting. He simply continued to mournfully pluck at the banjo.

After a moment, Audrey noticed the strange symbol scrawled in ink under the lost one’s chair and the ring of flickering candles encircling it.

Stepping away from the glass, she decided that maybe hanging around this guy wasn’t the best idea.

TOLD YOU. Bendy’s infuriatingly smug and voice cut in.

Too annoyed to appreciate the growing variety of emotions in the demon’s tone, the artist opened her mouth to respond.

Before she could do so, she was interrupted by a sudden violent strum of off-key banjo.

“My Lord?” the lost one called out, standing up from his chair while clutching his suffering instrument in his arms. “Is that you?”

The man turned around and Audrey’s breath left her lungs as she was greeted by a featureless face.

They stared at each other (or at least, she thought he was staring at her) for a long moment.

Shaking off her surprise, the young animator offered him a nervous grin and a wave. “I’m sorry, I don’t know who you’re looking for but maybe we can help each other. My name is Audrey, what’s yours?”

Without reacting, the lost one continued to stare aimlessly in her direction and the artist began to regret offering him her name.

Eventually, he turned away from her, sitting back in the chair with a sigh. As he resumed his mission of making a banjo sound depressing, Audrey awkwardly crept away from the glass to investigate the rest of the room.

Her vandalistic senses tingled as her eyes passed over a damaged vent in the corner. One blow of a gent pipe later and the aspiring felon was crawling through the previously blocked off space while internally praising herself for her keen eye.

As she exited the vent shaft, she lifted her head in preparation of standing and locked gazes with a giant eyeball.

Again, the air inside Audrey’s lungs was forcefully expelled as she found herself staring at a massive disembodied head.

Two seconds of awkward eye-contact later and the woman slowly backpedaled through the vent that led her there, trying not to panic as the eye followed her movements.

Luckily, other than making her extremely uncomfortable, the head was harmless and she was able to make her escape without any issues.

I AVOIDED THAT ONE.

Audrey understood why.

With nothing else of interest on that first level of the Cyclebreakers’ prison, the animator climbed a ladder leading to the second floor of the room.

As she rose to her feet, she was confronted by a curious display of so-called “CONTRABAND”. She could understand why an axe would be in there, along with the weird gold glowing window thing, but couldn’t fathom why a music record was also included as contraband.

She tapped experimentally on the glass while lustfully eyeing the axe before moving on, figuring it was too thick to break easily and uneager to bring attention to herself.

Next, she found herself staring down a foreboding hallway with the words THE PIT, scrawled over whatever word used to label the sign there.

Humming thoughtfully, Audrey decided to ask her companion the question on her mind.

“Do you think anyone in the Pit knows a different way to break the cycle?”

NO.

Frowning, she tried again. “Let me rephrase that, is there any possibility that someone there knows how to break the cycle?”

NO.

Stubbornly setting her hands on her hips, the woman replied, “You know what? I’m going to check there anyway.”

YOU’RE WASTING YOUR TIME.

“So? It’s my time to waste.”

YOU INSUFFERABLE-

Bendy’s words cut off so suddenly Audrey’s first instinct was to check her phone line’s connection before she remembered that: 1. She was not holding a phone, 2. The demon was speaking in her mind, and 3. A DEMON WAS SPEAKING INTO HER MIND.

The rush of surreal horror was quickly replaced with concern as she imagined said demon being forced into his toon form again.

“Bendy? What happened? Are you okay?”

After a heart-stopping second, she received a comparatively gentle, I’M FINE , as compensation for her worry.

Sighing in relief, Audrey was going to repeat her question when he continued.

YOU SHOULD GO TO THE PIT.

Confusion replaced her concern. “Why? I thought you said it would be a waste of time.”

I CHANGED MY MIND. GO TO THE PIT.

Pursing her lips, the young woman hummed thoughtfully at the command as though it were only a suggestion. She swayed from side to side, playfully acting as though her decision hadn’t already been made.

“Okay,” she finally stated just before she felt Bendy was going to explode with impatience, “but I’m not going there because you told me to, I’m going because it was my choice in the first place.”

OF COURSE , the demon purred, seemingly unbothered by her defiant attitude.

Audrey stopped, a little put off by the unexplained change in tone. Staring warily down the hall, she decided to thoroughly scour the surrounding area before going to the Pit.

After finding another shuttered cell, she excitedly opened it only to be disappointed when it revealed nothing but an empty room. Upon closer inspection, she noticed some words illuminated on the floor by a flickering light.

ARE YOU WORTHY TO WALK WITH ANGELS?

Her hope of finding someone who knew a different way of resetting the cycle diminished. She hadn’t spent much time puzzling over the words when she noticed a couple of vending machines next to the abandoned cell.

Five slugs later, Audrey was munching on a much needed snack as she explored the rest of the area.

After crossing the boardwalk, she was disappointed to find the other two cells didn’t have a way for her to open them. The security lock lever between them did absolutely nothing after she pulled it.

Stepping close to one of the windows, she gave it an experimental thwack with her gent pipe and frowned when she didn’t even leave a scratch.

Abandoning the cells, Audrey went to readdress the corridor leading to the Pit again and paused warily when she discovered the door at the end of the hall was now open.

ARE YOU AT THE PIT?

Frowning at the interruption as if she were not just second-guessing her decision to go there, she responded, “Not yet, why?”

For a moment, he was silent. WILL YOU BE THERE SOON?

“Yes, I’m heading there right now, can’t you tell?” she asked resentfully, annoyed he didn’t answer her question. “I thought you could ‘see through my eyes’?”

I AM… LESS FAMILIAR WITH THIS AREA. THINGS HAVE CHANGED SINCE I WAS LAST HERE.

Catching her breath, Audrey’s thoughts went to the tapes hiding in her back pocket. She reached back to make sure she still had them, feeling both relieved and nervous after confirming there were still there. As she stared down the foreboding hallway, her thoughts drifted to a different, more sinister tape.

“Is it true?” she asked, gazing at the sign above the hallway.

…?

“That the End Tape can kill you?”

An offended hiss exploded in her mind, as subtle as a faulty fire hydrant. With her rapidly improving skill in translating Ink Demon, she figured that was a yes.

WHY ARE YOU SO INTERESTED IN IT?

Feigning nonchalance, Audrey shrugged.

“Well, if it can kill you then we don’t want to leave it in Wilson hands, right?”

And, as much as she hated to think it, she would also feel more comfortable around Bendy if she had some sort of insurance just in case he ever turned on her. Not that she believed he would but his comment regarding her soul bothered her.

Even considering that option laid a burden of guilt on her chest but she tried to comfort herself by reminding herself that if she did reset the cycle that way, he would come back. Whether or not he would forgive her was doubtful, but at least he wouldn’t be permanently dead.

Somehow that made her feel even worse so she pushed the thought out of her mind and pressed forward.

As she walked, the demon’s continued silence only made her feel guiltier.

“When I find the End tape, can you destroy it?” she asked with hopeful curiosity, optimistically choosing to believe that she would never need to use it against him.

NO.

Surprised, Audrey stopped walking. “Really? Why not?”

THERE ARE RULES EVEN I MUST OBEY.

Humming thoughtfully, the artist turned a corner and discovered a new room. There, on the opposite side of the entrance where she was standing, she saw a closed roll-up door with, “THE PIT,” written conspicuously above it.

Before she could approach it, her demonic friend chimed in again, although something about the way he spoke made her uneasy.

IF WE WERE TO COMBINE OUR POWER, THAT WOULD CHANGE.

“What do you mean?” she asked shakily, almost afraid to hear the answer.

Again, Bendy fell silent which only caused her dread to grow.

Rather than focus on the uncomfortable sensation, she distracted herself by scouring the rest of the room.

A message was written on right side of the room. THERE’S ALWAYS HOPE.

Smiling at the writing, Audrey appreciated finding something a little more positive.

After trying every other door in the room in vain, the reluctant animator finally stood in front of the door that led to the infamous Pit. Her hand hesitated over the ENTRY button.

Clenching her fist she pulled away from it, thinking of all the insane lost ones she met throughout the studio. What if whatever lay behind that door killed her or, even worse, drove her insane just like the others?

Well, at least if she died she knew she would come back. Additionally, insanity would be unavoidable if she never found her way out of here. So far, investigating the Pit was the best lead she had for finding a way home.

Gathering her resolve, Audrey took a deep encouraging breath before reopening her hand to press the button.

An alarm blasted through the air, assaulting her ears. Panicked, the animator whipped around, searching for the source of the painful noise.

GET OUT, NOW!

Normally, Audrey would have had no trouble following that command; however, when a different inhuman voice sounded over an intercom she began to hyperventilate.

“Unauthorized.”

At the sound of the Keeper’s voice, the artist’s all too recent death played through her mind. All her bravado and self-preparation towards dying again left her body along with her ability to create rational thoughts.

Backing against the still-closed door behind her, she searched the room for incoming threats, fully expecting a monster to slither in from any direction to kill her again.

Well, any direction except the floor.

The room shook as a panel Audrey failed to notice upon her entry opened in the floor.

Watching in helpless horror, the young woman gaped in terror as three hands gripped the edge of the newly opened hole.

HIDE! the Ink Demon screamed in unison with her own thoughts.

Unfortunately, the wheel of fear responses had already been spun in the animator’s mind and came to a full stop on ‘freeze’.

The Keeper pulled themself into the the room, their back facing Audrey. They began to turn, and she helplessly waited for them to notice her so she could die again.

Heavy footsteps crushed the atmosphere.

Both Audrey and the Keeper turned in the direction of the noise just in time to witness the Ink Demon slam into the creature, blasting them against the far wall.

Still frozen, the artist watched with wide eyes as the demon roared at his foe.

Having recovered from the initial blow, the monster screeched back a glitchy battle cry, launching themself at the Ink Demon.

For a moment, Audrey fretted over Bendy’s safety, well aware of the Keeper’s strength. The worry was promptly dismissed after he sidestepped the charge.

Grappling the creature from behind, the Ink Demon took ahold of the large cog implanted in their back and effortlessly ripped it from their body.

Mortally injured, the monster lurched away, turning to face the demon with a pained gurgle as he used the cog to bludgeon them in the head.

Falling backwards, the now-limp body fell into the hole it crawled from. A wet crash sounded out as it presumably reached the bottom.

Seconds later, a chorus of screeches echoed up from the hole and the animator realized in terror there must be more Keepers down there, a lot more.

Bendy must have come to the same realization, although unlike Audrey, he leapt into action. Ripping the cover off a nearby vent, he pointed at the empty space behind it authoritatively while glaring without eyes in the artist’s direction, who hadn’t moved from her spot since the Keeper’s first appearance.

HIDE HERE.

Finally, Audrey snapped out of her fear-fueled reverie. She glanced at the vent, then at her defender. It was large, but not large enough to hide both of them.

“But-” she tried to argue before she was cut off by the Ink Demon’s aura and pulsing lines of ink snaked in her direction.

NOW! the intimidating figure bellowed into her mind.

Heartbeat pounding in her ears, Audrey obeyed without further resistance.

Once inside, she found she had just enough room to turn around and did so at the same moment Bendy snapped the vent cover back in place.

Despite the aura-induced fear she was suffering, she managed to worriedly stammer out, “What are you-”

SILENCE.

Growling, the Ink Demon stepped away from the vent. Then, he turned and roared in the direction of the opening in the floor and dashed down the hall towards the Cyclebreakers’ prison.

A horde of enraged Keepers swiftly followed, screeching in unison. Covering her ears in a futile attempt to block out the horrendous noise, Audrey prayed that Bendy would be able to handle them all.

After they all passed by, the artist let her hands drop to her knees. Demonic snarls and pained, glitchy screeches echoed down the hallway, evidence of the vicious battle raging between the Ink Demon and Wilson’s minions.

Despite how much she hated the noise, she hoped it meant Bendy was winning. Considering how easily he defeated the first Keeper, she had high hopes that he would return victorious.

Abruptly, the sounds of conflict ceased. A chilling quiet settled into the atmosphere.

Audrey waited expectantly for Bendy to stomp back into the room, to speak into her mind, to let her know that he was the ‘victor’ of this ‘mighty battle’ or say something similarly flowery and dramatic.

But, there was nothing.

The minutes ticked by until the animator finally found the courage to sneak out of her hiding place. It was difficult, but she managed to open the vent from the inside without creating too much noise. Every sound caused her to flinch and pause as she waited for a Keeper to descend on her.

Cautiously stepping outside, Audrey glanced uneasily at the still-open hole in the floor while setting down the vent cover, wincing as it let out a soft clang when it touched the ground.

As quickly as she dared, the artist crept down the hallway while making minimum noise. The already filthy walls were freshly decorated with fresh smears and splatters of black liquid. Her nose filled with the scent of freshly spilled ink.

By now she had grown accustomed to the awful smell, but she was not yet accustomed to the sight of pure carnage that would confront her after turning a corner.

There, she was confronted by several half-melted limbs, cords and other Keeper viscera littering the floor. Swallowing the bile rising in her throat, Audrey gingerly stepped around the melting puddles that only were growing more frequent as she traveled down the hallway.

She passed the mutilated corpse of one Keeper, then another, and another until she arrived at the upper floor of the Cyclebreakers’ area.

At least half a dozen mangled bodies littered the ground and hung over guardrails like some demented child decided to stage a hurricane with their already-abused dolls. Ink was splattered everywhere, to the point where she could no longer walk without stepping in the abnormally thick substance.

Ignoring the ladder in front of her, she flowed to the first floor, following the trail of carnage as it led into another hallway. Something called out from one of the prison cells but she was too absorbed by her current task to notice or react to the voice. Perhaps if her ears weren’t ringing with the screams of Keepers she would have noticed that no-one was playing the banjo anymore.

The dazed animator followed the messy trail all the way to the room where she first met Heidi when it abruptly ended.

Heart sinking, Audrey decided to risk calling for her friend.

“Bendy?” she cried out, wincing at the sound of her own voice.

No response. Maybe he was hiding somewhere, waiting for her to walk by so he could jumpscare her as payback for abandoning him.

Backtracking further, the artist returned to the massive room where she was murdered. After some cautious inspection, she discovered that the Keeper that patrolled there was gone.

In any other circumstance, their absence would have delighted her. Instead, the discovery only served to heighten her already skyrocketing fears.

“Bendy!?” she all but shouted, frantically searching the room for any sign of her friend. A message, an inky footprint, a unique puddle, something!

She found nothing.

Racing back to the Cyclebreakers’ room, Audrey carefully studied each pile of melting corpses, feeling nauseous not because of the gore but rather as a result of her failure to locate anything hint towards the living toon’s location. 

However, as the animator reentered the prison, she finally noticed something was missing. Had it always been it always this quiet?

A smooth and saccharine voice melted the silence.

“Welcome back, little sheep. I knew you would return.”

Chapter Text

The voice’s owner waved mockingly at Audrey from his prison cell. Two lifeless pie-cut eyes matched her stunned gaze. Faceless no more, the lost one wore the head of a Bendy cutout with an empty smiling gap where its teeth should have been.  He stood in a confident yet easy posture, although he was standing too close to the glass window of his cell for it to be called casual. 

As the animator stared at the mask, her distraught brain managed to recognize him from Henry’s story. This was no lost one, this was Sammy: Joey Drew’s twisted version of Samuel Lawrence, the former Director of the Music Department at the once-successful studio.  

In other circumstances, Audrey would have spent the next couple of minutes fangirling over meeting the music composer of her favorite cartoon, even if he was just a deranged copy of him. This was not other circumstances.

Bolting over to the window, the woman slammed her hands against the glass. 

“Where’s Bendy?!” she demanded, eyes shifting around the area as though speaking the name would manifest him from the surrounding shadows.

A startled Sammy took a step back as the animator assaulted him with a flurry of questions: “Did the Keepers hurt him? Is he alright? What happened here? What did you see?!”

“Slow down, little sheep,” the musician soothed while making a calming gesture with his hands, “My Lord will reveal all things in his own time, have a little patience. There’s no need to raise your voice.”

Grinding her teeth in frustration, Audrey forced herself to take a deep, cleansing breath. In through the nose, out through the mouth, just like her dad taught she was taught. Panicking wouldn’t help her and it especially wouldn’t help Bendy.

A moment later, she managed to unclench her jaw and relax her posture, although her hands still lingered on the glass. “Okay, so what-”

“It was glorious!” the man proclaimed, his words echoing through the room as he raised his hands towards the ceiling, “The Ink Demon came down from the heavens in an unstoppable fury, cleansing this accursed ground of the Keeper vermin."

Now it was Audrey’s turn to take a step away from the glass. Her head whipped around in a panic, searching for incoming threats. 

"Keep it down, there might be Keepers nearby!” she hissed, then bristled as he laughed away her concern.

“My dear sweet sheep, there’s no one left to hear us, other than my Lord, of course.”

"My name is Audrey,” she whispered back angrily, “And Bendy can’t hear us, he-”

The woman stopped mid-sentence, remembering that he actually could hear them through her, but only if he wasn’t in his toon form. That would explain his sudden silence, although the animator dreaded the thought of the living cartoon running around the Gent building by himself. 

Unless he’s giving me the silent treatment again, she thought with a rueful frown…and a flicker of hope. While she didn’t like the idea that he was spying on and willfully ignoring her again, it would be better than the alternative. 

“The Ink Demon is all-hearing, all-seeing, and all-knowing,” the so-called prophet preached, “Look around, there’s proof of his power all around us." 

Audrey glanced at the melting Keeper pieces slowly seeping into the floor, winced, then refocused on Sammy. 

"Okay, sure, fine, he can hear us, whatever,” she muttered angrily, straining to keep her voice low even as her temper rose, “but can you please be quiet? Just because you don't see any other Keepers right now doesn't mean they're all gone.”

The fanatic shook his head pityingly in her direction, which only irked the animator further. “Oh little sheep, you’re placing your faith in the wrong location. If only you were present during my Lord’s glorious return.”

At that, Audrey couldn’t help but roll her eyes, too irritated to hide the disrespectful action. 

Unbothered, Sammy continued his sermon by lamenting the Ink Demon's disappearance and ignoring the artist’s increasingly desperate pleas to speak at a more appropriate volume. 

 Finally, he seemed to be bringing his eloquent ramblings to an end. 

“Truly, it is a tragedy that only I was present to witness it,” said the ink man as he bowed his head with feigned humility, “Alas, so it must be, as I alone carry the burden of prophethood.” 

“That sounds tough.” the woman tersly replied, firmly regretting her decision to speak with this lunatic. “Now, if you could please-”

“Praise be to the Ink Demon! ” bellowed the fearless orator behind his fortress of glass, “ May all cower in his glory!”

Fueled by both fear and fury, Audrey punched the glass with the side of her fist, silencing the fanatic. 

“Be. Quiet.” she commanded with a withering glare. “I am not dying to another Keeper, and especially not because of you.” 

Surprisingly, he obeyed. The animator used the momentary silence to her advantage.

“Now, I need you to answer my question,” she continued with a low but firm tone, eyes boring into the dull painted eyes of his mask. “Where is Bendy?”

Unphased by the power of her stare, Sammy tilted his head wryly at the woman, his tone annoyed and patronizing. “Where’s that patience I asked for, little sheep? My Lord appears to the worthy in his own time and pleasure.”

Drawing her mouth into a thin line, Audrey fought to swallow the frustrated scream threatening to burst from her lungs at any second. 

“I don’t have time for this!” she declared instead, storming away from the glass. The sooner she found Bendy, the better, and she certainly wasn’t going to waste precious seconds talking to this lunatic when she could be searching for him. 

The confidence and air of superiority in the false prophet’s demeanor evaporated. He cried out a desperate, “Wait!”  but the animator had already flowed to the second floor of the area. 

As she strode towards the Pit, Audrey tried to puzzle out where her friend could be. She didn’t want to believe he left her behind, so she focused on what would have happened if he was forced into his toon form while fighting the Keepers. He could be hiding in the vents, behind one of the many doors she couldn’t unlock or break down, or-

Her next thought brought her to a screeching halt.  

Or…he was taken by the Keepers. 

Her heart raced as she pictured the scene: the Ink Demon drawing the horrific creatures away from her, fending them off and tearing them apart with unadulterated fury. Then, without warning, an invisible shockwave blasted through the area. 

There would be a pain-filled shriek. Then. the formerly terrifying figure would shrink down into the version of himself that she first met: adorable, defenseless, and surrounded by a swarm of murderous Keepers.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Audrey willed herself to be wrong.

However, despite her efforts to banish it from her thoughts, the terrible scene replayed continuously in her mind. The icy waves of panic she experienced the first time she lost Bendy hardly compared to the frozen spears of terror now cutting through her veins. 

At that moment, the woman realized she was standing less than a foot away from a large opening in the ground: the same opening the first Keeper crawled from before Bendy obliterated it. 

Audrey stared into the gaping space, then glanced at the still-closed entrance to the Pit. The temptation to try the switch again was quickly smothered at the thought of summoning another hoard of Keepers.

“Bendy?” she whispered, glancing around the room. Her gaze landed on the ink splattered and gory cog on the floor, then drifted to the far side of the room. 

THERE’S ALWAYS HOPE

The wall’s message, once friendly, now mocked her. 

What did she have to hope for? Bendy was gone, captured or worse, and she was no closer to making her way home than she was before coming to the Gent building. 

Unless…

Crouching down, Audrey reconsidered the hole in the ground. Peering over the edge, she was greeted by the grotesque sight of a melting Keeper’s corpse staining the ground several yards below her. 

Swallowing her disgust, the artist forced herself to study the sides of the opening. It would be a little tricky, but climbing down didn’t look impossible. 

Dropping to her hands and knees, she lowered herself until she was laying flat on the floor with her ear poised over the edge of the chasm. 

Silence. No hint or trace of rasping breathing, clicking organic machinery, or living cables slithering across the floor. 

Sitting back on her knees, Audrey stared down the hole with a blank expression while resting her hands on her thighs. 

Unless she could learn to walk through walls or phase through closed doors, this was the only area she could reach that she hadn't explored yet.

She knew Bendy wasn’t down there; she would have seen him pass her either while she was hiding in the vent or while she was searching for him earlier…but maybe Wilson was. He made the Keepers. Maybe if she went to their source (or at least, the source of the previous hoard) she would find their creator. Then, she could force him to send her home. 

Except she would have to leave Bendy behind. 

Clenching her hands into fists, Audrey shut her eyes tight, hating herself for even considering it. He just saved her again. If she had any doubts regarding his character they were obliterated the moment he led the Keepers away from her. 

Sure, the demon could be a little controlling, unsettling and even downright terrifying at times, but he obviously cared for her. Despite his twisted view of the world, she firmly believed he held her best interests at heart, even if they disagreed on what that was. They had a special connection the artist couldn’t put into words and she didn’t want to give that up. 

Besides, that was only considering her relationship with his demon form. For everything he had done that upset her as the Ink Demon, he made up for tenfold as the Dancing Demon. She would gladly give up her life for her little ray of sunshine, (especially considering death wasn't permanent here unless she was "consumed"). Meeting a living copy of her childhood idol made delving into this dark world almost worth it. She couldn’t leave him behind. 

With that realization, Audrey stepped away from the Keeper hole. She would find her way home eventually but first, she needed to find Bendy. If he really had been recaptured, she was obligated to rescue him. It was the least she could do. 

Decision made, the animator returned to Sammy's cell, determined to gather more information from the mentally unstable fanatic, even if it meant she had to drag it out of him. However unhelpful and infuriating he may be, he was also her best lead in locating Bendy.

The second she stepped into view, she fixed the man with the firmest, most authoritative glare she could muster. It was easier considering he returned to his seat while she was gone. 

“How many Keepers were chasing the Ink Demon when he went through that door?” she demanded, pointing towards the area where the trail of carnage ended. 

Unimpressed, Sammy leaned back in his chair, tilting his head up slightly to address her.

“Why should I tell you?” he questioned petulantly, folding his arms in offense. “You clearly have no respect for his prophet.”

“It doesn’t matter, I just need to know.”

“And that’s my problem because…?”

“Because he might need my help!” Audrey responded, voice cracking as she imagined an army of Keepers dragging an innocent cartoon away while he helplessly struggled against them, unable to cry out for help. 

“HA!” Sammy’s laugh was sharp with doubt. “Try and remember who we’re discussing, sheep. Are you sure you’re not the one who needs his help?”

“I-” Audrey was about to respond in the affirmative, then faltered. 

Taking advantage of the pause, the prophet interrupted her. His voice was smooth and charismatic, an antithesis to his previous tone. 

“There’s no shame in admitting you require guidance from a higher being,” he asserted “However, such beings often require the uninitiated to contact them through their elect. Such is the case with my Lord.”

His words earned him a blank stare from the animator. Sammy sighed. 

“Meaning if you want Lord Bendy to help you, you ought to show his prophet,” he gestured to himself, “more respect.” 

“Could you please just answer the question?” 

“Did you hear nothing that I just said? 

“Please?!” she half-begged, tears stinging the edges of her eyes. She still nursed the idea that something else might have happened to Bendy. He might be ignoring her. He could have been turned after killing all the Keepers chasing him. 

The prophet regarded her contemptuously, then shrugged. “While they were clearly no match for his strength and power, he was still far outnumbered when he passed out of sight. Apparently, satisfying his bloodlust was more important than freeing his most faithful disciple,” he added resentfully. 

“And what happened after that?” the artist inquired urgently, ignoring the stones dropping into her stomach, “Did he come back?”

“Obviously not,” Sammy spat. “Otherwise I wouldn’t be here anymore.”

He kept speaking after that but Audrey wasn’t listening. 

Ears ringing, the animator backed away as she remembered the sudden ominous silence that followed after the demon drew the Keepers away. 

They had taken him. She could no longer deny it. He was their prisoner again and it was all her fault.

Closing her eyes, the woman took a deep breath and shoved her emotions into a neat little box, shelving her breakdown for later. Bendy needed her, she couldn’t waste any more time, she needed to save him.  

However, first she had to find him. But where could he be?

Laboratory Nine, Audrey remembered, thinking of the tapes stowed away on her person. That’s where they took him. It has to be. 

“Do you know where Laboratory Nine is?”

Sammy paused mid-rant, clearly annoyed at the interruption. He took a breath (how he could do that without a mouth, Audrey had no idea) as though he was preparing to scold her when he paused. 

“If our Lord wills it, that is where we will find him,” he said with a thoughtful nod, “I will guide you there, after you free me.”

Audrey blinked at the oddly phrased offer. 

“So, if I get you out of here you’ll help me find Bendy?” she clarified.

“...Obviously? Is that not what I’ve been explaining for the entirety of this conversation?”

Confused, the artist shook her head and Sammy let out the longest, most exasperated sigh she had ever witnessed anyone take, impressing and offending her once again. 

“Why else would our Lord have sent you here?” He questioned, throwing his arms up into the air with an excessive amount of dramatic flair.

Audrey considered clarifying that she sent herself here but was robbed of the opportunity when Sammy continued in an overly-simplified tone.

 “Our Lord: Bendy, sent one of his many disciples: you,” he pointed at Audrey, “here to free his prophet: me,” and pointed at himself. “If you,” he gestured at her again, “free me,” then gestured at himself, “we can seek him together .”

He ended the patronizing presentation by pressing his hands together and ‘staring’ at the animator in a meaningful way.

Audrey was not impressed. However, despite her rapidly increasing irritation and dislike of the man, she paused to consider the offer. It would be nice, having another ally to help her find Bendy, even if he was a few cents short of a dollar. As much as she wished otherwise, she knew she wasn’t strong enough to fight a Keeper on her own, let alone an army of them. She would need all the help she could get to rescue Bendy from their three-fingered clutches. 

Or I can just ditch him after he leads me to Laboratory Nine, she considered thoughtfully, thinking of Henry’s experience with the man. Hopefully it wouldn’t come to that but she knew better than to trust the ex-music director, especially around metal dustpans.

“I cannot explain it more simply than that.” 

The dry words pulled Audrey back to reality.

“I understood,” she snapped back, face flushing with embarrassment. “I’m just thinking.”

“Of course,” the musician drawled. “Take all the time you need. Our Lord is as patient as he is powerless.”

Although she glared at the sarcastic man, she knew he had a point. The sooner they found Bendy, the better. 

“Fine,” Audrey agreed, praying to every deity she could think of that she wouldn’t regret this (Bendy was not included on that list). “How do I get you out of here?”

“My Lord will provide a way.”

“...You have no idea, do you?”

“...My Lord-”

“-will provide a way, yeah, yeah, yeah,” the animator waved off the man’s words as she went to find something to bust open the window, pointedly ignoring his offended scoff.

Unwilling to risk damaging her Gent pipe, Audrey searched for another, less valuable object she could use to break the glass. Except, nothing she found even scratched its surface. She tried using metal pipes, planks of wood, whole barrels and even a cog from a Keeper corpse. 

After dragging over a locker from the other side of the room and repeatedly slamming it against the glass surface, she had enough. 

With a kick and a cuss, she let the locker fall to the floor with a thunderous bang! 

Her frustration was replaced with fear and regret. Eyes wide, she scanned the area for incoming Keepers.

Fortunately, the only being that responded to her little fit was the inky musician. 

“Perhaps you would have more success with a different tactic,” he suggested in a slightly patronizing tone from his glass prison.

Audrey wondered not for the last time if recruiting him would be worth it after all. “Do you want my help or not?

Massaging his temples, Sammy let out an annoyed groan.  “Of course my Lord would test me by sending one of his more dim-witted disciples,” he muttered unpleasantly. 

"Excuse me!?"

 “Of course I want your help!" He exclaimed, helplessly spreading his arms out. "But maybe you could try a more creative solution? Something a little less barbaric?”

The criticism stung more than she expected and Audrey huffed indignantly. 

“Well then, Mr. Creativity,” she sassed back, “do you have any better ideas?” 

Of course, she already knew he didn’t and smirked as his arms dropped to his sides in defeat. 

However, her smirk was soon replaced with a frown. While she hated to admit it, it was appearing less and less likely that she could free the prophet from prison using only brute force. 

She was considering searching the entire area again just in case she missed something when she remembered they weren’t the only people in the room. 

Without another word, Audrey rushed over to Henry's cell, ignoring the offended squawk that came from Sammy as she abandoned him for the third time. 

"Hi Henry!" the young artist called out a little too casually as she skidded to a stop in front of his cell. 

The old animator looked up from his drawing pad with a startled expression. Recognition crossed his face, although he remained on guard.

“Audrey,” he said with a nod, watching her like he would watch a dangerous and unpredictable animal rather than a friend or ally. 

His reaction threw her off. Cringing internally, she wondered how much of her conversation with Sammy he overheard. After a brief moment of consideration, she decided not to bring it up unless he did. She didn’t want him to assume she was more unstable than she already appeared. She just needed to ask the question, get an answer, and leave. Easy peasy. 

“Do you-" As the words fell from her mouth, she was hit with a dreadful and embarrassing realization and cut herself off. 

What am I doing? she asked herself with judgemental disbelief. Here she was, about to ask the man who had been tortured and imprisoned for who knows how long, to help her free the man who repeatedly assaulted him for years without even offering to break him out as well. 

Henry raised a questioning eyebrow at her sudden silence and she hurriedly worked to rephrase her question.

"If I wanted to break you and…someone else out of here, do you know how I could do that?" 

The old animator studied her face. His soft yet determined gaze pierced through her own and, if Audrey didn’t know better, she would have worried he was reading her thoughts rather than her expression. 

Despite her discomfort, the young  animator held his gaze, silently willing him not to mention Sammy, Bendy, or any other equally unpleasant topic. She was certain he would not help her if he knew she wanted to save the Ink Demon. 

Finally, Henry ended the staring contest with an apologetic shrug. 

“I was unconscious when Wilson threw me in here,”  he replied nonchalantly. “From what I can tell, the cell can only be opened from the outside and you’ve already tried everything I could suggest.”

Audrey panicked when she realized he definitely did overhear her attempts to break Sammy out. Thankfully, he didn’t draw attention to that fact.

“I’m not sure breaking the glass is even possible,” he elaborated thoughtfully, “But if it is you’ll need something big.”

With a sorrowful pang, Audrey thought of the Ink Demon. He was probably strong enough to break the glass. 

Actually, now that she thought about it, Bendy wasn’t the only big strong inky being she knew. 

Henry had continued speaking, something about Wilson and the Keepers but Audrey wasn’t listening. 

Within seconds, she had formulated a plan. A desperate, risky plan with no guarantee of success, but a plan nonetheless. 

“I’ll be right back,” the young artist promised before taking a step towards the exit. 

“Wait.” 

The word was spoken at a normal volume and yet it held all the power and authority of a drill sergeant. Audrey had no choice but to stop and wait. 

“Why are you looking for the Ink Demon?”

Closing her eyes, the young animator softly cursed. This was exactly the topic she was hoping to avoid. 

Although, it wasn’t too late to avoid it. She could just leave. She didn’t owe the old animator an explanation for anything she did. Besides, she would be back later to free him anyway.

And yet, she felt obligated to answer his question. Henry had been nothing but kind to her since they met, and honestly, she wanted to talk about Bendy with someone who had interacted with the demon before.

Caught in this internal debate, the decision was made for her when the man spoke up again. 

“If you’re hoping for help in escaping this place, you won’t find it from him. The lost ones may treat him like a god but he’s just as limited by the cycle as we are. You won’t get any benefit out of worshiping him.”

Offended, Audrey whirled around to face the old animator. 

“I’m not worshiping him!” she defended, disgusted by the thought. “He’s my friend!” 

The words slipped out before she could properly process them and the young woman was reminded of her confrontation with Memory Joey, especially as she read the disbelief and pity on Henry’s face.

“You might think so but I doubt he considers you the same way.”

When she went to protest, he raised his hands in a hear-me-out sort of gesture. “Trust me, I’ve tried to reach him many, many times and he either killed me or tried to kill me no matter what I did or said. All he cares about is killing and controlling the cycle.”

As he spoke, it dawned on Audrey just how difficult it would be to convince the old animator that the Ink Demon was anything but a monster. 

Even so, she was determined to at least try. 

“Maybe that’s how he used to be but he’s different now,” the young artist countered.

Then, just as Henry shared his story with her, she decided to share her story with him. She left out a few details, such as discovering she was Joey Drew’s “daughter” and the fact he could spy on her through her mind, mostly focusing on the events that built up her friendship with Bendy.

Besides asking a few questions about the Ink Demon’s toon form, Henry remained silent, his expression mostly unreadable. 

After describing the moment Bendy saved her from the Keepers and his subsequent capture, Audrey ended her speech with, “I have to go find him.”

Nervous, she waited for Henry’s reaction. He said nothing

Instead, the quiet between them grew and the young animator began to shift nervously from foot to foot as she watched for his response. 

After a minute or so of thoughtful silence, Henry quirked a playful eyebrow in her direction. “What, are you waiting for my permission to go?”

Stunned, Audrey gaped at the old animator. “You’re not going to try and talk me out of it?”

He huffed a quiet laugh at that. “I’ve already said my piece. It’s clear to me that no matter what I say, you’re dead set on finding th-Bendy.”

Audrey blinked at the answer, unsure if she should be offended or not. 

“Besides,” Henry continued, stretching his arms over his head. “You seem to have a good head on your shoulders and it sounds like the two of you have been through a lot together. If what you’ve shared is true and the Ink Demon has changed, that means there’s more hope for this world than I thought. Whatever plan you’ve come up with, I wish you luck in carrying it out, although you might not need it considering how far you’ve come already. ”

A wave of warm gratitude emanated from Audrey’s chest and she began rapidly blinking away a sudden wetness in her eyes. 

“Thank you,” she half-whispered. 

Henry nodded and the young artist hurriedly made her way towards the exit. She had forgotten how nice it felt to have someone believe in her. 

Shaking her head, she focused her thoughts on her next task. She needed to find the “thumping delicacy” in the Little Devil Lounge. While she wasn’t exactly sure what that could be, she figured she would recognize it when she got there. 

Breaking into a sprint, Audrey began to plan her way back to the studio. After reaching the area with the missing Keeper, she remembered her game with Heidi. 

Moments later, she was standing in front of a Linker pipe, her left hand tingling unpleasantly. The dark puddle in its basin shifted and bubbled unnaturally, causing her to second guess her plan.

Even though Heidi mentioned she could travel through them, she couldn’t imagine it would be a pleasant experience. 

Although, every second she hesitated was another second Bendy was left in the merciless clutches of Wilson and the Keepers.

Stepping onto the rim of the basin, Audrey braced herself, then jumped into the pipe. 

Just like that, she became one with the ink. Similar to when she died, she could sense voices whispering around her; however, they were distant and much less prevalent than before, hardly an afterthought as she traveled and flowed purposefully through the stream of ink. 

Suddenly, she sensed she was reaching the end of her journey. 

Ink-covered hands burst from the well underneath an entirely different Linker pipe and Audrey crawled out into a new room. 

As she shakily rose to her feet, she recognized the smudged writing on the far window and realized she was at the city entrance. 

Shaking off the uncomfortable experience, the animator dashed into the sewers. There, she managed to find another Linker pipe that let her pass through most of the area. She was incredibly grateful for that, especially since she didn’t know how to handle another interaction with her followers. Ugh, she hated calling them that. 

As she passed the area where Memory Joey lived, she briefly paused to consider its entrance, then shook her head. Yes, she wanted answers from him about her origins, the cycle and a lot of other things but she needed to find Bendy first. 

When she arrived at the elevator shaft, she was dismayed to find that a few of the widow pods had grown back. Instead of wasting time destroying them, Audrey flowed up the shaft, trying not to think about how painful it would be if she fell again. 

The next Linker pipe she found took her to Animation Alley, where she found not one but two other Linker pipes. 

Hesitating, she considered them both, ignoring the lost ones that entered the area only to immediately flee her presence. Something led her instincts to believe she was already close to the diner, so she decided to continue on foot.

Finally, she found herself in front of the Little Devil Lounge. As she searched through the area for the “thumping delicacy”, she let herself wonder why none of the lost ones she’d seen had attacked her. Perhaps those in sewers had spread word of her interactions with the Ink Demon. 

Before she could reflect for much longer, she heard a thumping noise coming from the kitchen. 

Eagerly rushing into the area, Audrey searched for the source of the noise, only for her eyes to fall on the beating heart lying on the stove. 

Disgust flooded her body. As much as she tried to convince herself otherwise, this was obviously the “treat” described as Big Steve’s favorite food. She only hoped it would be enough to convince him to assist her in her jailbreak.

Flowing through the gap that separated the kitchen from the rest of the studio, the artist stared at the heart in distaste before thinking of Bendy. 

Steeling herself, Audrey reached out and picked up the heart from the stove, gagging at the texture and the awful sensation of holding a beating heart in her hand. Besides dying, she counted this as the worst experience she’d had in this horrific and forced adventure.

With the heart in hand, she flowed out of the kitchen and glanced around for something she could store it in so she wouldn’t have to feel it beating in her hand anymore. 

After spotting an empty coffee mug and successfully squeezing the disgusting thing inside it, she heard an innocent click.

Falling into a defensive crouch, Audrey scanned the area for threats as Joey Drew’s iconic voice filled the area. 

“Everyone knows that a happy work environment needs a place where you can sit back and enjoy something tasty.”

A moment later, the animator recognized the recording from the odd tour of the studio voiced by the original Joey Drew. 

Still wary, her attention zeroed in on the diner’s entrance. Whoever or whatever just pressed that button must have been right outside, blocking her return to the Gent building. 

Switching the coffee cup to her non-dominant hand, she readied her Gent pipe for a fight. Hopefully it was just another wandering lost one that would run away the minute it saw her. 

As she crept around the corner, she froze, nearly dropping the mug in shock. 

Memory Joey smiled up at her from his seat on the bench next to the speaker. A reel of labeled film rested in his hands, and although from this angle Audrey couldn’t see what it read.

“I thought that might have been you I heard in there,” he said cheerfully, appearing completely at ease despite the fact she had yet to lower her weapon. “I’m glad I was in the area, especially since our last conversation was…interrupted.”

Patting the seat next to him invitingly, the man innocently asked, “Why don’t you take a seat and we can pick up where we left off?”

Blinking away her shock, Audrey glanced at Joey, then at the heart in her hand. She thought of all the questions she had for him, the rage, fear, confusion, and sorrow she felt as thought of her creator father, Mr. Drew, especially when she remembered the note she found in the Gent building. 

“Walk with me,” the woman commanded, before speed-walking out of the room.

Behind her, the formerly confident man sputtered as she heard his footsteps follow after her. “Wait, I think it would be better if you took a seat-”

“I don’t have time for that,” Audrey snapped over her shoulder, although she did slow the pace of her walk by a small fraction. “If you want to talk to me, you need to walk with me.” 

When he finally caught up to her she didn’t bother looking at him as she stalked onward.

 “By the way, I met Henry, or at least the version of him that the real Joey Drew made so he could torture him eternally.” 

Ignoring the way the memory flinched when she mentioned his originator, she continued to speak increasingly caustically. “Also, I found it funny that you failed to mention that the ‘angel’ Joey sent to help him locked him up for days before actually helping him. Sounds to me like he wasn’t really sorry for what he did.”

“Mr. Drew was a…complicated man.”

“Really?” the young woman scoffed as they turned a corner. “He seems rather simple to me”

A lost one confronted them but when Audrey bared her teeth at it with a scowl, it turned tail and fled. “Seems like he was just another self-obsessed asshole determined to make everyone around him suffer.”

Before her companion could respond, the artist followed up with, “Also, if Joey really felt bad about what he did, why didn’t he just end the cycle? Why keep torturing Henry?”

Eager to defend his creator, the memory cut in with, “I want to believe he would have if he knew how. If he had stopped the cycle, he might have destroyed this world altogether and everyone he created within.”

Audrey snorted derisively at his answer. “That’s awfully convenient.”

Hurrying his pace, so he was just ahead of her, Joey fixed her with a pleading stare. “Joey Drew had a dream,” he explained even as she avoided his gaze by staring forward. “This world, albeit imperfect, is extraordinary! A world without death, where you can create anything, even life from ink! I believe he wanted to perfect this world, eventually. However, he was so focused on his next dream that he left this one behind.”

Despite recognizing the change of subject as the bait it was, Audrey’s curiosity couldn’t help to cause her to ask. “What dream?” 

Smiling knowingly, eyes sparkling with affection and pride, Joey responded with, “You.”

The animator rolled her eyes. 

“So it’s my fault Joey never fixed this place?” she asked sarcastically. 

For the first time since they met, the memory turned angry. “Of course not! I’m simply saying that you were more important to him than his past mistakes. He only had so many years left to live and he dedicated them to you!”

“Are you trying to say I should be grateful for that?

“I’m trying to say that Joey was an imperfect man-”

The word made Audrey stop in her tracks. 

Only noticing her pause a second later, Joey turned around in surprise as she let out a bitter laugh. “So he’s allowed to be imperfect but no-one else is?”

He winced at the phrase. “I-”

“What about his other daughters?” Audrey pressed, searching the man’s face. “What happened to the girls he made before me?  What excuse did he have for murdering little girls because they called him their ‘uncle’ instead of their ‘dad’?

Eyes widening fearfully, Joey took a step back from the young woman.

“Please, you have to understand,” he pleaded, “the act of creating life using the machine is a complicated process.”

At her disbelieving scoff, Joey stepped forward to grasp her hands with both of his. “It’s incredibly difficult to make ink beings that last, especially without a human soul to base it around. Some trial and error was inevitable. Only once he managed to create a perfect soul was he able to create you.”

When Audrey pulled away from the man, he let her go. She eyed him distrustfully. “What do you mean?”

Despite the obvious discomfort on his face, Joey elaborated. “Those…earlier versions of you were doomed to failure. Without a proper soul to cling to, they would eventually return to the machine and the ink they came from. My guess is he purposefully had them call him ‘uncle’ because he knew they were not long for this world. I can’t imagine the pain he went through of losing child after child until he finally created you.”

For a moment, sympathy flickered through Audrey’s heart before she it was smothered by suspicion. 

“You would ‘guess’?” she questioned dubiously, “So you don’t know for sure?”

Taking a deep breath, Joey let it out with a sigh. His eyes fell to the floor and he shook his head in the negative.

Humming disapprovingly, Audrey moved on and continued her journey forward. She couldn’t help but feel a little better about her existence. While she still disapproved of the majority of his actions, it was a little easier to accept that Joey Drew was her father without imagining him as a child murderer. 

“By the way, where are you going?” Joey called out. 

Glancing over her shoulder, the artist noticed he hadn’t moved from his spot. 

“To the Gent building,” obviously, the young woman added internally as a sassy afterthought.

“You’re going the opposite direction.”

Whipping around, Audrey tried and failed to fight the embarrassment welling up inside her. Thankfully, Joey didn’t mention her oversight but that almost made it worse. 

They walked together in silence while the animator stewed over this new information. While she still wasn’t happy with all of Memory Joey’s responses, she had other questions she wanted answers for. 

“Fine. Let’s set aside the fact that my father created a bunch of other versions of me and how we don’t know where they went,” she said, ignoring how Joey brightened at the resolution. “Why can’t I remember him?”

Expression turning thoughtful, Joey responded with “That is a question I can only guess the full answer to. You would likely know better than I, seeing as it was your choice to forget him.”

Scoffing at the claim, Audrey was about to question how he knew that when Joey held up a pleading hand. “I know it must be difficult to accept but could you please bear with me for a moment? Let’s try and solve this puzzle together.”

Rolling her eyes, the artist decided to humor him. “Fine.”

Joey gave her a grateful smiling before moving on with a question. “Why do you think you might choose to forget him?”

The answer to that was easy. 

“Because he was a bad father?” However, as the words fell from her lips, they rang false.

Joey seemed to pick up on her doubt. “I would hope not, but let’s try exploring some other reasons. You lost him not so long ago, perhaps you chose to forget him because it’s too painful?”

The birds were singing, the sun was shining, and the world was altogether too cheery for a funeral. It didn’t match the sorrow in her heart as she stood in front of a gravestone. 

“Are you Mr. Drew’s daughter?”

Turning around, she was greeted by a man and a woman about her father’s age. 

Hurriedly wiping the tears from her eyes, Audrey nodded wordlessly. 

The woman stepped forward with matching tears to gift the young artist a hug. 

Breathless, Audrey hesitated, then hugged the stranger back. 

“I’m so sorry, dear.” 

“Thank you.”

They stepped away from each other and Audrey blinked away the rest of the liquid sorrow leaking from her face. 

“You knew my dad?”

“You could say that,” the man responded with a warm smile. “We were old friends.”

Suddenly, there was a business card in front of her. 

“Would you mind giving me a call later this week? I would love to chat about your father’s legacy, whenever you’re ready.”

With all the force of a garbage truck hitting an empty bin, shame hit her full force and knocked her back into the present. 

“Audrey, are you alright?”

There were two hands on her, one on her shoulder and the other on her forehead. 

Waving off the concerned man, the animator clutched her chest as the earlier sensation of shame mixed with guilt battled with an odd sense of helpless justification within her. 

“I’m fine.” she lied as she blinked away the dizziness. That was the most aggressive memory yet, and unlike the other ones, it wasn’t fading. She wished it would. It filled her with a strong rush of negative emotions she never wanted to experience ever again. 

Glancing around at her surroundings in a desperate attempt to distract herself, Audrey realized they were almost at Animation Alley and set off in that direction.

“Wait just a moment,” Her father’s copy pleaded from behind, “you’re unwell!”

“I’m fine!” the artist insisted, when something grabbed her left arm. 

The golden sigil flared defensively and Audrey whipped around in a defensive stance, raising her gent pipe in alarm. 

The man dropped her arm and backed away with his hands raised. The reel of film tucked underneath his arm fell to the ground.

Both of them watched as it rolled across the ground then fell to the ground, settling at Audrey’s feet. 

Finally, she could read the label. THE END. 

A dark shadow of dread and anticipation fell over her. In the same moment that Joey stepped towards the object, Audrey stepped away from it. 

“What is that?” she asked, despite knowing the answer. 

“It’s the key to sending you home,” he replied, picking up the reel and offering it to her.

Snatching her hands back, the animator backed away from both the man and the reel while he stared on in absolute confusion. 

“How is that going to help me go home?” she hissed. 

Realization dawned on Joey's face. He glanced at Audrey, then the reel before his expression became unreadable.

“Did Henry tell you that he was able to visit the real world after resetting the cycle?” he asked innocently.

Puzzled yet wary, the artist nodded. 

Joey gestured to the tape. “This is how. Whoever resets the cycle using this, will be sent outside the machine.” 

Taking a step forward, he offered her the tape again. “This is your best chance at getting home.”

Again, the animator took a step back. “But it’ll kill Bendy.”

His expression darkened. “Audrey-”

“I won’t do it.”

“You have to-”

“No! There has to be another way.” 

“That monster-”

“Saved my life!” Audrey retorted. “Multiple times. He’s done more to help me than you ever have!” 

Cringing away like her words physically stung him, Joey stared at her with eyes full of hurt.

Pretending that look didn’t affect her, she stormed into Animation Alley’s lobby and approached the chasm next to the Linker pipe that would take her back to the elevator. She had just finished making the leap of faith when she heard Joey call out to her from behind. 

Reluctantly, she turned around to see Joey offering her the tape again, holding it over the chasm. 

“At least take this with you,” he begged desperately, expression so concerned it appeared physically painful. “If he really cares about you, then he’ll let you do it.”

As Audrey stared at the tape she was tempted to knock it from his hands but decided that would be too cruel. 

Instead, she simply shook her head. “And if I really care about him, I won’t ask him to.”

As she stepped in front of the Linker pipe, she paused and looked back to see if Joey was still following her. 

He wasn’t. The memory was simply standing at the other edge, staring mournfully in her direction.

“I can’t follow you where you’re going,” he said helplessly. 

She had a feeling that he didn’t just mean that he couldn’t cross the chasm separating them. “Fine.”

As Audrey jumped into the pipe, she thought she heard him say, “Please, I only want what’s best for you.”

Chapter Text

Henry watched Audrey leave the area in front of his cell. The moment she was out of sight, the corners of his mouth dipped down. What a strange young lady. 

Troubled, he did what he always did when he needed to get his thoughts in order: he pulled out a sketchbook and began to draw. His pencil scratched against the rough paper in expert, practiced strokes. First, he drew a circle, added a few others, then connected them with thin black lines. Once the body and pose were blocked out, he added the details: pie-cut eyes, gloves, bow tie, horns, and most importantly, that special smile. It was only natural that, having drawn the little dancing devil countless times, he was the first thing Henry drew whenever his pencil touched paper. 

Tapping his pencil against the drawing pad, the old animator brainstormed his next art subject. Thoughts straying to Audrey, he started sketching her in his style.

The woman was a puzzle. The black streams under her eyes and the ink staining her clothes painted a tragic picture of yet another victim to Joey’s schemes. Her appearance in front of his cell was surprising but not unwelcome. In fact, he was relieved to interact with a new friendly, and, more importantly sane person in this insane world. Until she abruptly left and returned as a different person, nervous and fidgety, flinching every minute or so as though someone had interrupted them and bouncing somewhere between Allison and Sammy on the old animator’s scale of mental stability for the cycle’s inhabitants. What sparked the change?

Pencil pausing, Henry frowned, unsure how to translate her hair from the real world to the cartoon one. He drew a few separate busts to experiment with different hairstyles, making sure to include her characteristic curl in each one. 

With each interaction, he found more pieces to her puzzle, only to discover it was much larger and more complicated than he first anticipated. Audrey was hiding something, most likely several somethings, but it wasn’t his place to pry. What if she didn’t want to be solved? He should just be grateful that she took the time to talk with him and hear his story. He was especially grateful she offered to break him out of this prison. Whether or not she succeeded was an entirely different matter, but he could tell she had good intentions. 

That only made him worry about her more. 

Having finished filling in the hair of the last Audrey model, his pencil moved to another part of the page. There, it summoned an intimidating figure with a more realistic style. Long horns, eyeless face, dripping with excess ink. 

The Ink Demon. That piece of her story seemed impossible to place. 

 Many lost ones claimed the creature could speak to them. Henry himself never heard more than a roar from the studio’s resident terror. However, considering how distracted Audrey was during their conversation, he guessed that if she wasn’t simply hearing things then it was plausible she truly was hearing from the Ink Demon himself. 

Thanks to the position of Henry’s cell, he hadn’t even known the demon was free until he overheard the Keepers being massacred. He was both disappointed and glad his cell was out of the way. As much as he would have appreciated something to entertain himself other than his sketchbooks, he wasn’t eager to meet the murderous creature again. Just because he was desensitized to death didn’t mean he wanted to keep experiencing it. 

After choosing his favorite version of Toon Audrey, Henry added her next to the Ink Demon and linked their hands. Then, he frowned. 

Something about the picture didn’t seem quite right. Maybe it was the size difference? He checked and rechecked the proportions, then erased and redrew several lines. However, no matter what adjustments he made, the picture didn’t quite slot together in his mind.

The thought of the Ink Demon roaming free to torment everyone in the cycle again weighed heavily against the animator’s mind. What were his intentions? Why would he spare Audrey out of every other being he had ever interacted with? 

Biting his lip in regret, Henry wondered if he should have done more to dissuade her from rescuing the demon. If her story was true and he was helping her, the old artist couldn’t believe it was with innocent intentions.

Although, if the Ink Demon had learned not to be cruel to one person, perhaps he could learn not to be cruel to others. It was a nice thought, albeit hard to believe. 

With that, he began sketching his beloved cartoon once more. Again, he strayed from his usual artstyle, aiming for something more three-dimensional. Using Audrey’s description of him as a reference, the artist drew him mostly on-model except for his clothes and the drip near his right eye. All he had left to do was fill in those precious pie-cut eyes and…there. Finished. 

Something within Henry’s chest stirred as he stared at the image. 

For so long, the old animator held onto the hope that deep down inside the Ink Demon was his little dancing devil. The creature’s television-decorated throne room and fascination with Bendy’s cartoons proved he had other interests besides murder. This prompted Henry to try reasoning with the demon during the endless cycles. However, no matter what he said or did, their story always ended the same way: with either his or the Ink Demon’s death. After being killed hundreds of times, relentlessly and without mercy, it was difficult to believe that the cruel being was anything other than a monster.

Even so, the artist ached to see his new cartoon form for himself. That is, if Audrey was sane and it actually existed. 

Oh well, there was nothing he could do about that now. He had already explored every square inch of his cell. The only chance he had at seeing the little devil was if Audrey found a way to free him.

So, the artist flipped to a fresh page to start a rough storyboard for a new Bendy episode. It saddened him that it and none of the rest of his drawings would likely never be seen by anyone other than Boris (and that was only if the artist was lucky enough to get out of this damn prison), but that wouldn’t stop him from drawing. 

Just as he felt himself falling into the familiar rhythm of creation, he heard an odd noise. Initially, he tried to ignore it, used to overhearing strange sounds outside his cell even when the shutter was drawn. The problem was it was definitely getting louder…or getting closer? 

Pencil paused, Henry closed his eyes, listening intently. The sound turned into a series of thuds, like massive footsteps, and they were definitely getting closer. 

Then, he heard Audrey’s voice. 

“Keep it coming, you’re– wow you’re more flexible than you look. ”

“ARGLFH.”

“I have no idea what you just said but you’re doing great! We’re almost there!”

A door creaked open, followed by Audrey frantically yelling, “Waitwaitwaitwaitwait, watch your head-”

CRASH

“What in Bendy’s name–” 

“Hi Sammy! This is–GET AWAY FROM THE WINDOW!”

SMASH

“Awesome, great, good job, big guy. Quick note: you don’t need to break the glass and the wall behind it, just the glass but that’s okay!”

“Okay?! That thing almost killed me!”

“Oh you’re fine,” she quickly replied, her tone switching from encouraging to dismissive and back to encouraging so fast it gave Henry whiplash. `“Now, I need you to break out one more person then you’ll get your treat, but this time, please wait to punch until I tell you it’s okay, okay? ”

“ GRRHGLUMPH.”

Stunned, Henry wondered what sort of nightmarish creature was strong enough to break Sammy’s window. He didn’t have to wonder for long when Audrey popped in front of his cell. Her formerly well-styled hair had clumps sticking out in every direction (although her curl was intact, he noted with an artist’s interest), and her gold, pupil-less eyes had a crazed look to them. While that was concerning, what concerned him most was the coffee cup in her hand holding what appeared to be a hyperrealistic ink heart.

“Hi Henry!” she chirped cheerfully with a stressed smile. 

Normally, he would have at least given a nod in greeting but he just noticed the heart was still beating. 

 “Don’t freak out, I have a friend here to help get you free, so stay away from the window.”

Before he could react, she disappeared. Then, he heard her call out far-too-casually for his liking, “Okay, you can go break the glass now.” 

Half-expecting the ink demon to appear next, Henry retrieved his finished sketchbooks and hurried to the far corner of his cell. 

Without warning, a black mass covered his window. The old artist gawked as the largest lost one he’d ever seen matched his gaze with empty eyes. The being was so tall they were forced to crouch in order to fit in the hallway.

The beast of a lost one clenched their fingers into a fist, pulled it back, and launched it at the window with all the power of a battering ram. Henry had just enough time to note the lost one knew to place its thumb under the knuckles of its index and middle fingers rather than inside or in front of the fist when the glass erupted, sending shards hurtling into the room.

Right before the shockwave hit, Henry lifted the books to protect his eyes. Thankfully, the shards only lightly pittered against his clothing and the books before pattering harmlessly to the ground. When the old animator uncovered his face, the lost one was already gone, leaving a jagged gaping hole in their place. 

Glass crunched under Henry’s shoes as he approached the opening. He hesitated, then turned back to add an empty sketchbook to his stack and slip a few spare pencils into a pocket. 

Finally, he stood at the broken window’s threshold. Could it really be this easy? Was this really happening or was it a dream? 

Knowing there was only one way to find out, he pressed on. Once he was at the other side of the cell, he took a moment to savor his newfound liberty before heading towards the main room. 

The first thing he noticed was Norman’s head in a display case. He’d already guessed the projectionist was still in the area after he screamed at Audrey. It served as yet another reminder of how he failed this cycle. 

His attention was quickly stolen by the behemoth sitting on the opposite side of the room of the room. The massive being had plopped themself down on the floor and was taking surprisingly small bites from the heart previously held by Audrey. 

The young woman in question was speaking urgently to Sammy a few feet in front of the lost one. Her expression was annoyed until she noticed the old artist and it brightened considerably.

“Henry! I was starting to worry Big Steve had done more than smash the window,” she called out with a worried grin.

With that, she beckoned him over and he instinctively obliged, legs numb with shock. 

“Henry, this is Big Steve.” Audrey gestured to the ink monster. “Big Steve, this is Henry.”

Big Steve hesitated at the sound of his name, glanced at the woman, then at Henry, then resumed his snacking. 

Another puzzle piece fell into place and suddenly, the idea of Audrey befriending the Ink Demon didn’t seem so far-fetched. Too bad he didn’t have time to reflect on it for long. 

“We need to get out of here,” Henry stated plainly while checking for any signs of incoming Keepers and feeling both relieved and confused when he found none.

“Obviously,” Sammy chipped in sarcastically before giving Audrey a concerned look. “Please tell me we’re not bringing the lunatic with us.”

“Lunatic?” Audrey questioned, blinking at the prophet in disbelief.

Waving flippantly in Henry’s direction, Sammy explained, “This sad excuses for a sheep has this insane delusion that we’re copies of other people. It’s all he could talk about before I started ignoring him.”

“I brought it up two, maybe three times,” Henry refuted, throwing Audrey an exasperated glance. “I should have known better than to talk crazy with crazy.”

Even as he said it, his heart twinged as he looked over his--no, a copy of the real Henry’s former coworker. Not for the first time, he wished he knew what happened to the original. Sammy’s presence in the cycle proved Joey continued to be unhappy with the real him, so hopefully that meant he lived a better life after the real studio went under. 

Said individual ranted at the two of them. At first, he was mostly just insulting Henry but eventually transitioned into preaching about the Ink Demon again. 

In the middle of a pause as Sammy took a long breath so he could continue raving, Henry raised an eyebrow and shared a skeptical look with Audrey. “And he calls me the lunatic.”

The young woman snorted, then quickly used a hand to cover her smile at Sammy’s affronted gasp. Lips twitching but otherwise hiding her amusement quite well, she turned to the offended prophet. “To answer your question, no, Henry isn’t coming with us.” 

Henry frowned. He wasn’t expecting to be immediately excluded, but kept his surprise from his expression when Audrey turned to face him next.

Her face was open and vulnerable. “I was actually hoping you would do me a favor instead.” 

Ah. Now his exclusion made sense. Laughing in a friendly manner, Henry responded, “Young lady, you broke me out of prison. You don’t even need to ask, just tell me what I can do.”

Her grateful smile didn’t last long before she began speaking in a more concerned tone. “Even though there’s been no alarm, I’m sure this area will soon be swarming with Kee-” 

“AH-buh-buh-buh!” Quicker than lightning, Sammy whipped a hand over the young artist’s mouth. He leaned in close, voice dripping with disapproval. “Are you trying to tempt fate? A word of advice: avoid saying stupid unnecessary phrases that usually lead to the opposite of what you want to have happen, happen.” 

 Ripping the hand from her mouth, Audrey fixed the man with a withering glare before continuing. “As I was saying, I’m sure this area will soon be…compromised.” 

Sammy huffed disapprovingly but she ignored him. Instead, her attention switched to Big Steve, who was just finishing up his last bite of heart. With a mouth that large, it was impressive he managed to ration it for that long. 

Wait…Henry glanced between her and Big Steve, frowning as he guessed what she was about to ask.

“Can you lead Big Steve out of here? I don’t want him to get t-” she stumbled over her words, her gaze darkening, “to…get in trouble with the Keepers for helping us.”

Suddenly, Henry regretted his previous words. He didn’t exactly have the best track record in interacting with large inky monsters. 

Sensing his reluctance, Audrey sent him a pleading look. As he gazed into her hopeful, tear-stained face, he sighed. 

“Well, I can try,” the old artist replied copious amounts of doubt in his voice. 

Again, Audrey brightened, her eyes literally shining as she pressed something into his hands. 

Hearing the crinkle of foil packaging, he glanced down and recognized the item as a bag of chips. 

“You can use this to keep his attention,” Audrey explained after he raised a questioning eyebrow at her. “He loves snacks.”

Henry eyed the being warily. “How do I know he won’t see me as a snack?”

“He won’t,” Audrey reassured him, before doubt flickered over her face. “I think.”

“That’s very reassuring.”

Golden eyes grew wide and vulnerable as Audrey obviously struggled to come up with a reason for him to help anyway. 

“Relax, kid, I’m not backing out, just voicing a concern,” Henry reassured her before letting out a resigned sigh. “What are you doing?”

She shared a look with Sammy. “We’re going to find Bendy.”

Skeptical, Henry chewed on his lip, wondering if he should try to dissuade her again. The determined gleam in her eye made him feel otherwise, and he didn't want to give the Keepers any more time to catch up to them. Then again, it couldn’t hurt to ask. “Are you sure that's-”

“I am.”

The man huffed the air out of his lungs all at once. Well, he did his part. Gesturing at Sammy, he half-joked, “Don't let this one get behind you, especially if he's holding a dustpan.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Inside joke,” he said with a meaningful wink at Audrey. She nodded a little more seriously than he would have liked. 

Turning to Sammy, she gestured toward the exit. “Lead the way.”

With a prideful puff of his chest, the prophet left the room, quickly followed by Audrey. She paused in the doorway, then turned back to Henry, “Good luck.”

“You too,” he said easily, surprising himself when he realized he meant it. 

Then, she was gone. Henry turned to his new charge. 

“Well, Big Steve was it?”

The giant lost one stared at him, expressionless. The animator fought back a shiver as a chill crawled up his spine. 

“Wait here a moment, then we’ll get a move on.”

Big Steve responded by pulling a piece of sheet metal from his belly and sticking it in his mouth. Gritting his teeth, Henry tried not to let himself get too disheartened at the odd reaction. 

Before they left, the man gave the whole room a once-over, including the area above. The connecting walkway had a massive dent in it just over the entry door that he assumed occurred during Big Steve’s entrance. After climbing the miraculously undamaged ladder, he was delighted to find his axe and seeing tool in a now-broken display labeled CONTRABAND . The impact against the wall from Big Steve’s first punch must have shattered it. 

Next, he retrieved Norman’s head from its case. The projectionist screamed at him once, then quieted down as though accepting his fate. 

Henry tried not to overthink it as he slipped his axe, seeing tool and sketchbooks into a back pocket so he could carry Norman in one hand and the bag of chips in the other. He probably should have explained the studio’s hammerspace to Audrey before she left, but it was too late for that. She was a smart girl, and an animator too. He had faith she would figure it out. 

As Henry lured Big Steve out of the Gent building, he couldn’t help but feel a rush of excitement at the thought of sharing his sketches with Boris. That is, if the poor wolf was still alive. The animator also held a flickering hope that maybe…just maybe…he could show them to Bendy too. 

Chapter Text

Panic rose in Audrey’s throat. She stared at the hole in the wall in front of her so intensely as if she could will Sammy to reappear. 

The impossible moment replayed in her mind over and over as she tried to make sense of it. The false-prophet found the hole, turned, said, “Follow,” and melted into an opening with a slushing sound, leaving her to gawk at the space alone. Why would he say that?! How was she supposed to ‘follow’?! He must have said it to mock her, the ungrateful ass. Now she was just as stuck as before she wasted all those hours breaking him out of jail. 

Please, I only want what’s best for you.

Audrey mentally waved the thought away like she would wave away a swarm of wasps. Now was NOT the time. Unfortunately, the thought didn’t want to respect that. It kept ringing through her head ever since her last interaction with Joey. She knew that meant there was a memory attached, but she rejected it every moment it tried to make itself known. There were more important things for her to focus on, even if she wished those things weren’t happening. 

Mind racing, Audrey begrudgingly set aside the ideas based around tracking Sammy down and strangling him in favor of creating a plan B. She could try doubling back to find Henry, although she had no idea how he could help her. Or, she thought with a shudder, she could return to the Keeper hole. Maybe it was somehow connected to Laboratory Nine?  

Right as she was making a decision, Bendy’s cardboard cutout face popped out of the wall. 

“Why-” Sammy waited for Audrey to stop screaming. “Why do you linger?”

“I can't walk through walls?” the flabbergasted artist sputtered.

Fully exiting the wall, the prophet miraculously stood before her again, just like she was wishing he would do seconds earlier. “So, the Ink Demon hasn’t given you this power?” he asked with a self-important attitude. “And yet, you claim to worship him?” 

“I never-”

“Perhaps I should continue alone,” he suggested, turning back to the wall. “Or find another more worthy to bring to him instead.”             

“No!” Audrey leapt forward to grab his wrist but caught herself right before she made contact. She didn’t want to look too desperate. Sammy reminded her of the people on televangelist commercials, promising salvation and blessings for the low, low price of a measly five dollar donation. Something about them felt off and predatory, and if she didn’t trust them, then she certainly wouldn’t trust this nutjob. 

Still, she needed him to find Bendy, so she decided to play into his delusion a little. Not too much (she didn’t want to encourage him) but enough to get what she wanted. 

So, when Sammy turned to face her, she ignored the irritating smugness in his posture.  “No…you can’t find someone else, you said the Ink Demon sent me to you for a reason, right?” she said carefully, thinking back to his insane ramblings from earlier. “So, you’ll just have to teach me to do…whatever you did , ” she gestured at the wall, “so we can find him together. Like you said.” 

Poker-faced, the man stared at her for a long moment (or at least, his mask stared and he faced the same direction) before he sighed. “Very well.”

After brushing off his overalls, Sammy took up a prophetic pose. “Close your eyes.”

“Why?” Audrey questioned, immediately on guard.

“Must you question everything?” he temporarily broke his posture to make a little shooing ‘get-to-it’ motion. “Just do it, little miss faithless.”

With an annoyed sigh, the animator closed her eyes.

“Now, to use our Lord’s passages, you must act as he does.”

“I’m not eating anyone.”

“Shut up.” The words were said in the same preaching tone as before. As much as she wanted to snap at him, she reminded herself she asked for this and instead waited for him to continue. 

“As I was saying,” he paused, as though trying to remember what that was before continuing with confidence. “We are all composed of ink, just like our Lord. Ink can pass through paper, wood, and even stone so long as there is an opening for it to seep through. Find those tiny spaces, the pores and gaps, and let yourself slip between them as our Lord does. Then, you will be reborn in his glorious image on the other side!”

He’s just as bad as Bendy, she thought to herself, risking a peek at the man to make sure he wasn’t about to hit her over the head with a dustpan. 

While maintaining his stance, he said in an angry but still airy tone, “I’m not finished.” 

Embarrassed, Audrey snapped her eyes shut, feeling too much like a school child being scolded for interrupting class. 

“Now, think of our Lord.”

Shame, regret, and longing flashed through her as she pictured the living cartoon’s cheery face and the Ink Demon’s toothy grin. 

“Now, think back to a moment you witnessed him walk through walls.”

Frowning, the animator fully opened her eyes. “He can’t walk through walls.”

Balking at her claim, Sammy dropped his arms along with his prophetic act. “Yes he can.”

“No, he can’t.”

“Yes, he can.”

“No, he can’t.”

“He can walk through walls!” the musician insisted, lifting his hands in exasperation. “He does it all the time. How can you claim to follow him if you don’t know his most basic abilities?!”

“I don’t claim that and no he-” just then, Audrey remembered Bendy in his toon form, limping away from her with his arm clutched pitifully to his side and phasing through the wall outside the Gent building.

“Well,” she backpedaled, embarrassment tinging her words. “I’ve only seen him do it once. And the only following I’ve done with him is literal!” 

“Do you want to learn this or not?” Sammy challenged while folding his arms.

“Of course I do, but every other time someone taught me a new power they took my hand and suddenly I knew how to do what they wanted me to do.” Audrey matched his posture, firm and unyielding. “Can’t you just do that?” 

They were at an impasse. The animator stubbornly stared into the eyes of the musician’s cutout mask while he stubbornly stared into her own (at least, she assumed that’s what he was doing. How could he see through that thing?).

Finally, Sammy broke, throwing his hands in the air once more. “Well excuse me for wanting to do this right but fine. Let's try it your way.”

Reaching out, he grabbed her left hand in a rougher and ruder manner than Porter and Heidi had done. Audrey would have complained but the next moment her vision was tinged with gold. A novel power and understanding flowed through her. When he pulled away there was a new symbol on her hand, reminiscent of a window or a gate. 

Her attention switched from her hand and back to Sammy as he impatiently gestured towards the hole in the wall. 

As the artist approached, she nervously looked back at the prophet for guidance. He responded by moving his head as though he was rolling his eyes. 

Pursing her lips, Audrey returned her gaze to the wall. After some hesitation, she pressed her hand against one of the exposed wooden beams, feeling the lines and grit of the material under her fingers. She closed her eyes and remembered Sammy’s words.

Find those tiny spaces, the pores and gaps, and let yourself slip between them…

Everything went black and Audrey experienced a sensation somewhere between flowing and traveling through the linker pipes. She barely had time to register the whispers before light returned to the world and she found herself alone in an area she did not recognize. 

There was another slushing sound behind her and she turned to see Sammy with his arms yet again raised ceremoniously in the air. 

“Praise the Ink Demon!” he loudly declared, “You’ve been reborn in his image.”

Audrey raised an eyebrow, then made a show of checking herself over. “But, I’m still in my image?” 

Sammy’s arms turned to lead. “It’s a metaphor,” he responded in the driest voice she had ever heard. 

Despite the displeasure in his voice, Audrey smiled. She was starting to appreciate these moments where he felt less like ‘crazy cultist’ and more like ‘actual person.’ 

With Sammy leading the charge, they proceeded into an area nearly identical to the one where she was killed. The only differences were that the sound of chugging machinery was louder, there was an extra silo in the room, and it was an area the animator had never been in before. 

Quickening her pace so she could walk at Sammy’s side, she spoke softly, “We need to be careful. We don’t know how many Keepers are around here.”

Even with her trepidation, some of her giddiness from earlier returned. Right after they left Henry, she was positively bursting with excitement and hope, although it could have been leftover adrenaline from commanding Big Steve. Something about leading a creature of massive size and strength was empowering. Even so, one wonderful thing was certain: she was finally advancing her goal of finding Bendy. 

Sammy didn’t appear to feel any similar emotions regarding their progress, simply waving away her words. “The Ink Demon will protect us from harm.”

The phrase made Audrey stumble. While she knew Bendy would protect her, she was uncertain of how he would react to her new companion.  She was still holding on to the hope that the devil was simply lost somewhere nearby and all she needed to do was find him. If he was stuck in his toon form then she was confident Sammy would be fine, but if he changed to the Ink Demon…well, judging by Henry’s story, the demon saw the poor man as little more than another person to torture. She wasn’t completely confident that she would be able to convince him to spare another person. 

Maybe she should have tried convincing him to release that lost one he found during their game. It would have been good practice. But then, she might never have gotten into the Gent building, and then Bendy would have never been kidnapped and she didn’t like where this train of thought was going. It was making her feel really, really guilty. 

Deciding to worry about that problem when it came, she focused on searching for spare parts, food, and Bendy. Sammy did the same. She wasn’t sure what he was looking for but thought better than to ask. Who knew what was going through that demented mind?

Every room they came across was thoroughly inspected. At some point, Sammy started preaching to her again but Audrey ignored him, holding herself back from shushing him since they hadn’t seen any Keepers yet. Maybe the Ink Demon had killed them all. She could only hope. 

At the end of a long hallway, they found a side room with a gent pipe upgrade station. Thrilled, the artist counted up all the parts in her possession and compared them to the ones she needed. The thrill was swiftly replaced with frustration and she let out a loud groan. 

“What ails you, sheep?” Sammy asked curiously, pausing his search of the room. 

The nickname didn’t help Audrey feel less annoyed, quite the opposite in fact, so she let out an angry sigh. 

“I am this close,” she held her fingers together to the point they were almost but not quite touching, “to upgrading my weapon. I just need one more Gent toolkit but I can’t find one anywhere! I’ve been searching ever since I found these stupid blueprints but they all must have evaporated or something.” 

Tilting his head to the side in consideration, Sammy wondered, “Have you tried asking the Ink Demon for guidance?”

Rolling her eyes, Audrey answered with a short, “No.”

“Well, my sister in ink,” he replied smoothly while cracking his knuckles together. “That is your problem. This is clearly a test of faith.” 

Before she could do more than scoff, the man spread his arms out and raised his mask to the ceiling in a supplicating gesture. 

“Hear us, Bendy!” he shouted in loudest voice he had spoken since they met. 

“Shhh, they’re going to hear you!” Panicked, Audrey tried to quiet him. 

Deaf to her protests, he continued speaking as though he had never been interrupted. “Reveal the location of the final item we require to defeat your enemies! Help us on this quest to prove our devotion!”

Mortified, the woman covered her face with her hands, certain they were about to be swarmed by Keepers.

There were some sounds of rummaging, opening and closing lockers, then silence. 

“Ahem.” Rather than coughing, he spoke the word aloud in a dry and unamused manner. 

When Audrey uncovered her face she was greeted by the sight of a Gent kit dangling from the musician’s fingertips. 

Baffled, she retrieved the kit, staring at it with wide eyes. 

“How did you-what-” she stammered, glancing between it and Sammy in amazement. “Where?”

The man pointed to a drawer she swore she searched through when they first entered the room. 

When she told him that, the man gave her a disbelieving look, then nonchalantly suggested, “Perhaps a lack of faith wasn’t the problem.”

Narrowing her eyes at the snide undertone in his words, she asked, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“The Ink Demon blessed you with eyes. Use them.”

If they weren’t in a black and sepia world, Audrey worried her blush would have colored the room pink through the power of her embarrassment. 

Before she could embarrass herself further, she went to the upgrade station to work on her Gent pipe. Her efforts resulted in an electric prod added to the end of the weapon. She activated it and the metal sparked with electricity, crackling dangerously. 

A thought intruded into her mind; she could test it on Sammy. Immediately, she rejected the thought, horrified at herself for even thinking it. 

“Praise the Ink Demon!” yelled Sammy at the top of his lungs.

Audrey glared at the potential test subject. Maybe testing it wasn’t such a bad idea. However, when she noticed the charge spent two bars of energy rather than one, she elected instead to recharge it on the convenient recharging station nearby.

Feeling a little more confident, Audrey gave Sammy a sign that she was ready to move on. Eager to test the weapon on a Keeper, her sense of self-preservation and her thirst for vengeance clashed as she almost wished one of the monsters to appear. 

They walked for what felt like hours. Each area they passed through was too similar to the rest of the Gent building they already explored, and Audrey was beginning to feel frustrated at the lack of visible progress. Frustrated…and worried. 

Hang in there, Bendy, she thought, sending the words to the void in her mind that he occasionally occupied. I’m on my way. 

For a moment, she thought she felt something in response, a yearning so subtle she assumed it was her own. Before she could dwell on it, Sammy led her past a large doorway with a sign hanging over it. Dismissing the sensation as a figment of her imagination, she casually read the sign as they passed.

LABORATORY 1

“Wait!” Audrey cried excitedly, halting so she could point out the sign, “We’ve reached the laboratories!”

Reluctantly, the musician turned around and studied the sign with disinterest. “And?”

“Shouldn’t we go through this one to get to the other ones?” she suggested, confused and a little annoyed by his unenthusiastic response. “Or at least look through it just in case Bendy is here?”

As if commiserating with some divine being, Sammy shook his head at the sky. Then, he placed his hands authoritatively on his hips. “Who’s the one meant to be leading here, the sheep or the prophet?”

The woman’s lip curled. “Fine, we’ll keep going your way, but stop calling me a sheep! My name is Audrey.”

At that moment, a Keeper entered the hallway behind Sammy. Whatever the musician said next, Audrey didn’t hear it. Time seemed to stop as a debilitating terror overcame her. Her chest burned with phantom pain as her mind was sent back to the awful, whispering madness of a void she went to after she died. 

The monster let out an outraged scream and charged towards the nearest threat: Sammy. Audrey realized if she did nothing, they would strike his unprotected back. 

The spell of terror broke and she leapt into action, activating her Gent pipe and swinging it forward. It slapped against the Keeper’s outstretched arm and their whole body lit up with electricity. A pained growl stuttered from their voicebox. 

Entranced by the frightening display, Audrey and Sammy watched them suffer in silence.

The spasms abruptly ceased and the monster fixed their light on them again, letting out an offended screech.

Audrey responded by zapping it again before grabbing ahold of Sammy’s arm. 

“Gogogogogo!” she chanted as she pushed him toward the laboratory. The musician quickly caught on and began to run himself. 

Luckily, the door was unlocked. It automatically slid open as they approached and shut behind them. The walls were lined with lockers. Audrey dove inside the nearest one and closed it behind herself. Judging by a similar slamming sound, Sammy did the same. 

The Keeper entered the room, appearing hardly worse for wear despite its shocking treatment. Lingering in the doorway, they dumbly stared forward, as though asking themself why they entered the room in the first place.

After an eternity of waiting, they left.

Audrey melted in relief, resting her forehead against the cool metal in front of her and taking a moment to catch her breath within her metal sanctuary. She wondered if Sammy was doing the same. 

The unlikely duo exited their respective lockers at about the same time. They shared a look of relief before the prophet spread his arms again. 

“Praise the-”

His words were cut off as Audrey all but tackled him against a locker, slamming her hand over the place his mouth should have been.

“The Ink Demon is all powerful and all knowing, right?” she hissed through clenched teeth. 

After ripping her hand away from his ‘mouth’, Sammy shoved her away.

“Of course,” he hissed back, clenching his fists at his sides. “It’s blasphemy to even suggest otherwise.” 

“Great,” Audrey confirmed, voice dripping with venom. “Then he can still hear you if you praise him in a whisper, right?”

Scoffing, the prophet shook his head doubtfully. “And risk inciting his wrath with my cowardice? Don’t be absurd.”

“I think he’ll be more upset if we got ourselves caught because someone doesn’t know how to use his inside voice!” Audrey argued back, raising her voice barely above a whisper. 

The man paused to consider her words and the artist did her best to glare him into submission.

After a few seconds of tense silence, his hands relaxed. “Fine.”

Audrey didn't have long to celebrate her victory before he pointed an aggressive finger in her direction. “But if he is displeased I will hold you personally accountable for leading me astray. Our Lord’s wrath is not to be trifled with,” he finished with a shudder. 

The movement caused the woman to briefly wonder if he remembered the other cycles, the ones where he had been killed. Then, she brushed the thought away. Of course he couldn’t, Henry had said he was the only one capable of remembering past cycles, and even then he wasn’t safe from having his memory tampered with. 

So, she studied the room. Other than the lockers, the entrance and another door on the far wall, the room was bare. Audrey was about to turn back when she noticed Sammy approaching the new door.  

“What are you doing?” she asked sharply, emotions still raw from their argument. 

Letting out a long-suffering sigh, Sammy responded. “Seeking our Lord.”

“Don’t we need to turn back?” she questioned, glancing at where the Keeper disappeared and planning out how to sneak past it. 

“No.”

“But we were going the other direction,” the animator reminded, frustration mounting.

“Well, clearly our Lord decided we must take a different path.”

Suspicion rose within Audrey, what little was left of her feeble trust in the man rapidly dissipating. 

“What do you mean by that?” She interrogated, hackles raised. “Haven’t you been here before?”

“No.” 

“Then how do you know we’re going the right way to Laboratory Nine?”

“I don’t. Remember what I keep saying about faith?”

Red discolored Audrey’s vision. She stalked forward and jammed a finger into the man’s chest. 

“You said you knew where Laboratory Nine was!”

Swiping her hand away, Sammy contemptuously replied, “I claimed no such thing.”

“Yes, you-”

He cut her off. “I simply said if that’s where our Lord wills us to find him, that’s where he will be found.”

With that, he folded his arms so smugly that Audrey wanted to strangle him. Instead, she forced herself to take a few deep breaths. The red haze reduced into something closer to vermillion. 

“You said you would take me there,” she furiously growled through gritted teeth. 

“And I am.”

“How can you do that if you don’t know where it is?”

“Because I am the shepherd and you are the sheep.” 

The red returned full force: a fiery, burning scarlet. 

“STOP CALLING ME A SHEEP!”

Arms still folded, Sammy tutted patronizingly at her. “Inside voice, unless you would rather I call you a hypocrite instead?”

“Stop. Calling. Me. A. Sheep.”

“But that’s what you are. What else am I supposed to call you?”

“By my damn name!”

“I’m afraid I have trouble remembering unimportant things”

“It’s-”

“Don’t bother, didn’t you hear me before? I won’t remember it, sheep.”

Audrey slapped him. The sound echoed through the room, a sharp, satisfying smack. Her hand came away black, stained with the ink from his skin and stinging from the force of her strike. 

Reeling back, Sammy raised a hand to his cheek, then stared at her in shock. 

“You-”

“Don't.” She held up her Gent pipe threateningly, cutting him off before he could say anything else to infuriate her. Stalking closer, she took great satisfaction as he stepped back in the face of her rage. 

“You need to understand something,” Audrey snarled, voice low and cold. “I don't care who you are or who you were. I don't care if you're actually the Ink Demon's prophet. That demon, my best friend, needs my help. This is too important for your petty mind games. I am not another lost one to manipulate. No more hiding, no more lying, no more yelling. If you get in my way, I’ll kill you.”

Audrey hesitated, surprising herself with the gravity of her own threat and considered taking it back. Then, she remembered little Bendy clinging to her legs in the Downside Hotel, begging not to be separated. She thought of the Ink Demon pleading for her to join him, to understand him, to stay with him. Her resolve hardened into diamond. 

“Now,” she menaced, closing the gap between them. “I don't want to hear another word from you unless you have something actually helpful to share. Nod if you understand me.”

The man took an angry breath, as if to argue so she activated her Gent pipe, the crackling electricity accentuating her message.

Sammy swallowed, then nodded his head.

Satisfied, Audrey pushed past him, holding her pipe to the side to avoid accidentally electrocuting him. Once she reached the laboratory door, she paused, thoughtful.  

“If you’re thinking about stabbing me in the back, wait until after we find Bendy.”

Chapter Text

Entering Laboratory One was like entering a morgue. At least a dozen covered bodies lined the sides of the room, some on tables, some lying on the floor, some stacked on top of eachother. Ink stained the walls and pooled at the tables’ bases. Revolted, Audrey wasn’t sure what she was expecting before entering but it wasn’t this. 

The ink drying on her hand did nothing to temper her disgust. She wasn’t sure she should be proud or ashamed of how she treated Sammy. Glancing at the back of her hand, she noticed it was still in that new pattern from when he taught her to walk through walls and wondered if she’d been too hard on him. He did manage to help her. Without him, she doubted she ever would have accessed this area. 

The door opened behind her so she quickly pushed forward, reluctant to face the musician again. The one thing she knew for sure was that she meant her threat. She hoped he wouldn’t make her keep it. 

They explored the laboratory in tense silence, each giving the other a wide berth. There were less bodies in the following rooms but they were no longer covered. Lost ones lay on examination tables, scalpels and other tools of dissection laying around and sometimes inside them. Audrey ignored those while she searched for something to clean off her hand. 

Soon, the artist found a scrap of semi-clean cloth near the body of a lost one lying on an examination table. As she wiped off her hand with the unstained side of the material, she studied the corpse. 

Their limbs were twisted unnaturally, but they were one of the few mangled corpses that didn’t have any weapons sticking out of them. 

Disturbed and a little curious, she leaned in for a closer look at what appeared to be an exposed bone in their arm. She wasn’t sure the lost ones even had bones, but that would explain the sounds Bendy made when she caught him munching on one. 

Yellow eyes snapped open and the corpse sprang to life with a war cry. 

One of their flailing limbs caught Audrey right on her chin and she bit her tongue. Dazed and in pain, the artist lurched back before instinctively trying to activate her gent pipe. 

Nothing happened and the woman cursed when she remembered she used her last charge for her threat. As she prepared to beat them down the old-fashioned way, something pushed her back. She was about to attack the new threat when she recognized Sammy. The prophet had caught both of the lost one’s hands in his own and was speaking soothingly to them. 

“There there, little sheep,” he murmured gently, voice oozing with friendly charisma as though they weren’t actively resisting his grip. “What’s gotten you so upset you don’t recognize our Lord’s face?”

The lost one ceased their struggling and stared into his Bendy mask. Recognition flashed through their dull eyes. 

In a delicate, feminine voice that reminded her of Heidi, they asked, “The Prophet?”

Pleased, Sammy nodded. “Of the Ink Demon himself.” 

With that, they fell to the floor, bowing and trembling at his feet. 

“Oh-I’m so sorry-please forgive me-I thought you were Wilson-forgive me, please!”

“You are forgiven.” With a regality foreign to Audrey, the prophet gestured for the lost one to stand. The whole display caused the animator some serious discomfort, but at least they weren’t trying to kill her anymore. 

After they regained their feet, the man offered them a bag of Bendy Bites which they reverently accepted. After a moment of hesitation, they shoved the food into their face, bag and all, then breathed a sigh of relief as their skin knitted shut over the exposed bone in their arm. 

Their eyes traveled to Audrey and their breath stuttered. “Is that the Stranger?” 

Raising her weapon, the artist prepared to defend herself when Sammy stepped in front of her.

 “She doesn’t matter,” he said curtly. She would have been offended if she didn’t appreciate him drawing their attention away from her. 

Oblivious to the dismissal, the lost one gazed through him, gaze glittering with greed. “Wilson wants her, he promised a reward to anyone who brought her to him.” 

Audrey didn’t remember him promising anything of the sort, and was going to say so but Sammy never gave her the chance. 

“HOW DARE YOU SUGGEST ASSISTING THAT HEATHEN!” the prophet bellowed, looming over the lost one in his wrath. 

Instantly losing all confidence, the poor soul shrank before him, quivering with terror. 

Audrey had hoped they were done with the whole quivering on the ground thing but the lost one fell right back to the earth at his reprimand. 

 “I know, I know,” they whimpered into the floor. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I never should have left the Harbor.” 

“Rise, my sheep, and you may earn your forgiveness yet.” 

They gratefully followed his instructions, watching the prophet with an anxiety so intense it nearly infected Audrey. 

“Go to the Lost Harbor,” Sammy instructed, his voice strong and commanding. “Let the rest of the flock know that I will join them soon. Our Lord has returned to overthrow the Usurper.”

Pausing, he allowed the lost one to absorb his message and their expression changed from confusion to wonder. Then, he added an expectant, “Can I get an amen?”

“Amen!” his follower shouted enthusiastically before fleeing the room. 

Concerned, Audrey watched them run towards the exit and where they last saw the Keeper. “Do they know the way out?”

Shrugging, Sammy wiped his hand on his overalls as he addressed her in an exhausted tone. “By my Lord’s will, they’ll find it.”

Surprised, the animator studied the prophet. She would have assumed that finding someone who shared wholeheartedly in his delusion would have resulted in more manic babbling but he seemed more worn out than elated by the interaction. 

Sammy warily endured her inspection. “Are you going to attack me again?” he asked, his voice still tired. 

 “No!” Audrey flushed, hastily moving towards the door. She paused in the doorway, her manners reminding her that he just protected her from a lost one. “Thank you.”

“I didn’t do it for you,” he said flatly, approaching the table and picking up one of its scalpels thoughtfully. 

The hairs on the back of her neck prickled at his interest in the weapon. However, the artist wasn’t sure how to reply so she just left, troubled. She recharged her gent pipe at the first station she found, relieved to find she still had a decent stash of batteries on hand. She wouldn’t be running out of charge anytime soon. 

Soon, they made it through the first laboratory and into the second. There, they found a few more lost ones for Sammy to save. Each of them was interested in Audrey but if they mentioned Wilson, the prophet would thoroughly chew them out. Then, he would give them the same task: go to the Lost Harbor to tell of the Ink Demon’s and his own eventual return. 

“Do we have to stop for all of them?” she hissed angrily after a conversation with a particularly long-winded lost one. In the time it took for Sammy to send them away, she searched the entire laboratory twice over. The lack of any trace of Bendy did nothing to improve her mood. “Or have you already forgotten who we came here for?”

Sammy’s response was equally venomous. 

“Would you rather I abandon them? Leave them to be tortured until their minds give out? If not my Lord’s prophet,” he gestured at himself derisively, “who else will free them?”

Will you free us?

Shame flooded through Audrey as she remembered the longing, hopeful expressions of the lost ones in the sewers and her determination to help them. Was she always this callous?

“Just, do it faster,” she snapped, guilt adding extra fire to her inflection. They walked together in grumpy silence. 

The musician became more and more exhausted with each interaction, which interested Audrey despite her impatience. While he was speaking to his followers, he appeared every bit the prophet he claimed to be: confident, powerful, wise. Then, once they were gone, he transformed into the tired and sarcastic man she expected the real Sammy to be. 

Eventually, she caught him drinking from an inkwell. 

“Don’t drink that!” she yelled, knocking the thing from his hand. It clattered to the ground, spilling black liquid from its mouth. 

“What is your problem?” He retrieved the inkwell, raised it to his face and scoffed when he found it empty. “Did your parents raise you to be this infuriating?”

Please, I only want what’s best for you.

Wincing, Audrey shooed the pestersome thought away. 

“Why are you drinking ink?” she deflected. She wanted to reply with, ‘Did your parents teach you to drink ink?’ but was eager to steer the subject away from that particular topic. 

“Why not?”

“Ink isn’t edible.”

“Yes, it is.”

“No, it isn’t.”

“We are made of ink,” an exasperated Sammy explained. “The Ink Demon consumes ink on a daily basis. Follow his example, it will heal you.”

With that, he plucked another inkwell from the group on the desk behind him that Audrey failed to notice earlier. He offered it to her and she jerked away. 

“Are you trying to poison me?” she accused, scowling at the innocuous object. 

The musician made the head movement like he was rolling his eyes and pointed at her chin. “I’m trying to be helpful. Can’t have you returning to the Dark Puddles before we find my Lord.”

Audrey had forgotten about the bruise on her chin. Of course, the moment she remembered it panged sharply and she flinched at the pain, tracing her fingers over the spot and cursing the lost one that gave it to her. 

Despite her skepticism, she decided to give Sammy the benefit of the doubt. He hadn’t done anything suspicious since they saved that first lost one, and she was starting to feel guilty for slapping him. After accepting the inkwell, she cautiously raised it to her lips. She let a single drop leak through and immediately regretted it. The cool liquid had a sharp, burning flavor that paradoxically dried her mouth and reminded her of…well…ink. 

“Eugh!” the animator spat on the floor and rubbed her tongue on her clean sleeve, face screwing up in distaste. “That’s disgusting!”

Sammy laughed. The entertained noise shocked Audrey so much she forgot the awful taste in her mouth as she stared at him in disbelief. This wasn’t the first time she’d heard him laugh, but it was the first time it sounded genuine. 

The man took the bottle from her unresistant hand and downed it in one swift motion. Sadly, his mask was obscuring his face so she wasn’t able to see how he could do that without a mouth but she wasn’t too upset by that. She was more concerned that he just drank straight ink. 

“That cannot be healthy,” she remarked doubtfully, pulling some real food from a pocket as he stretched with renewed vigor. 

He shrugged. “Healthier than dying.”

As they entered the next laboratory, gold assaulted Audrey’s vision. She cried out as the pain from those horrible coils returned. However, this time it only lasted a few seconds, before leaving as swiftly as it arrived. 

There was a pained hiss to her right and the artist remembered she was not alone. When she turned to find him, Sammy was on the ground ahead of her, holding his head as though his fingers were the only things keeping it in one piece. 

“What are they?” she asked after he had risen, noting the odd sensation the pain left behind. There was an emptiness inside her, as though she hadn’t eaten for more than a day. She resisted the urge to pull out one of her many snacks, reminding herself those were for injuries or Bendy. 

“Signal towers, built by the Usurper,” the prophet spat. “He’s trying to separate us from our connection to the Dark Puddles. We won’t be able to use my Lord’s passages but that won’t stop us from seeking him.” 

Sammy recovered slower than she did, lagging behind her as they walked, his breathing rough and labored. 

“Are you alright?” she questioned after he sent away the next lost one they rescued. He was fine until his new follower was out of sight, then he collapsed in a nearby chair, breathing heavily. 

After he caught his breath, he stood and walked past her like nothing was wrong. “Don’t ask stupid questions.” 

Deciding that was the last time she would show concern for him, she followed, leaving a gap between them so he didn’t feel rushed. Briefly, she considered leaving him behind but abandoned the idea. He had already proven his worth as a companion once, twice if she included finding the Gent toolkit but she would rather pretend that never happened. 

Despite this new obstacle, they continued their search through the laboratories, occasionally finding lost ones so mutilated it was miraculous they hadn’t melted into the Dark Puddles yet. In those cases, Sammy would simply retrieve the nearest weapon, whether it was a scalpel, a hammer or a pipe, and use it to end their misery with soothing and encouraging words that directed them to the Lost Harbor once they reformed. They kept traveling through laboratory after laboratory, each one filled with more horrors than the last. With every awful discovery, Audrey hoped more desperately that she was wrong and Bendy was ignoring her or hiding somewhere she hadn’t looked yet. He couldn’t be trapped under the Keepers’ nonexistent mercy. She knew what awaited him if he was.  

Eventually, they made it to Laboratory Six. After liberating an entire room of lost ones, the animator spied a rectangular shape with rounded edges implanted into a wall. 

COMFORT COFFEE

“We need mugs!” she declared, spooking Sammy from his inspection of a particularly nasty examination table. 

“Why?” he questioned irritably, obviously annoyed at the interruption.

Audrey pointed at the machine and his annoyance vanished. 

Two tased Keepers and a ransacked laboratory later, they were standing before the machine again.

Sammy beat her there, painstakingly counting out each slug as he put them in. 

“What happened to ‘ladies first’?” Audrey asked, miffed at her loss and his lack of manners.

Pausing, the musician glanced theatrically around the room. “I don’t see any ladies here.”

The woman regretted asking, resorting to venting her impatience by tapping her foot. 

“How many will sate this greedy machine’s lust for coin?” he cursed, digging in his pockets for more slugs after putting in twelve. 

“Fifteen.”

“That’s ridiculous!” 

“That’s one thing we can agree on.”

A few seconds passed and he was still searching his pockets. 

Frustrated, Audrey pulled out a handful of slugs and shoved them into his hands. “Hurry up already, you’re not the only one who wants coffee.” 

Sammy hesitated, giving her a peculiar look. 

“What?” she challenged, wishing he would just buy his coffee already. “I can be helpful, too.”

“It’s a miracle.” His voice was saturated with sarcasm but he still used her slugs to pay for his coffee. Once his mug was filled, he returned the leftover slugs to Audrey, which surprised her. She figured they were gone the moment they left her possession.

Finally, she had her coffee and joined him on the ground, sitting against the cleanest wall in the room with a comfortable barrier of a few feet between them. She sipped her coffee and groaned with delight. 

“Better than ink, right?” she teased, lifting her mug with immense satisfaction after catching him filling an inkwell with the dark liquid in his mug. 

“Shut up.” His tone was flat but she could’ve sworn she heard a hint of amusement behind that wall of apathy. He leaned closer and she was surprised again when he clinked his mug against hers. She hadn’t meant the motion as a toast but was happy he interpreted it as such. 

As they enjoyed their coffee, Audrey thought of Bendy again. She hoped he wasn’t getting too hungry, wherever he was. The majority of snacks in her pockets were saved for him. Guilt plagued her for taking such a long break but she knew Sammy needed it.

Subtly, out of the corner of her eye, she examined the man. She meant to check on his wellbeing but didn’t get far before that disturbing mask caught her attention and she frowned. 

“Why do you worship the Ink Demon?”

Whipping his head to face her, the prophet took an excited breath. 

“AH-buh-buh-buh,” the woman held up a finger. “Don’t give me any of that culty nonsense, I’ve heard enough of that for a lifetime. I know you’re not all crazy under there. Why Bendy?” 

Pensive and likely offended, Sammy sat back. He said nothing, and after a half a minute of waiting, Audrey went back to her coffee, figuring he decided to ignore her. Minutes passed without so much as a twitch from the ink man-turned-statue. The animator was starting to worry the question broke him when he finally spoke up. 

“Look at this body.” 

Audrey regarded him. He was well-built for a lost one, and weirdly muscular. His overalls were too big but it was only noticeable close-up. They were stained with ink, especially around the ankles, and there was a patch in the fabric of his left pant-leg. His shoes were nothing special, round and black. He only had three fingers, four including his thumb. Although, the artist wouldn’t call that a flaw. It would make him easier to animate. 

“I don’t get it.”

“It’s. Wrong.” His voice was oddly strained. 

She was almost afraid to ask. “What’s wrong with it?” 

“EVERYTHING!”

Audrey jumped, nearly spilling her coffee as he ripped his mask off his face. 

“I don’t have a face, no mouth, no eyes,” he stiffly counted each body part off his fingers, “ears, nose, NOTHING.”

Not daring to shush him, the animator searched the room for a hiding place just in case a Keeper overheard all this noise. She spotted an empty crate and prayed it would be enough. 

Sammy continued, unaware or uncaring of her apprehension, “And if that wasn’t enough, I’m weak, we all are,” he waved his arm at the closed door and Audrey assumed he meant the lost ones. “After only a few strikes we melt into puddles. Once, I made the mistake of kicking a chair and my foot almost fell off.” A hysterical laugh bubbled from his chest at the memory. 

“Every day is composed of pain. Every day, I wake up wrong. My body knows it, I know it, everyone but apparently you in your perfect form knows it!”

Audrey thought of her hand dripping with ink after slapping him and flinched. 

“But why should you care, the Ink Demon is your ‘best friend’,” the resentful man mocked, sarcastic fingers quoting the words. 

“So, you remember that but you don’t remember my name?” she weakly joked in a desperate attempt to alleviate the tension in the room.

“Oh, I know your name, Audrey, ” he spat out the name like it was poison. “Why you? Why do you get a perfect body?”

“It’s not perfect,” she argued, thinking of her eyes and her hands. Had he accused her of this in the real world, she would have heartily agreed. Now, that was different. 

He waited, obviously judging her answer as not good enough. After comparing her body to his, she reluctantly agreed. Memory Joey’s speech came to mind and she thought of her soul. Unsure if it was safe to share that information with him, she hesitated. 

“I don’t know,” she muttered with a half-hearted shrug. It wasn’t a lie. 

Sammy scoffed caustically. “No-one does. No-one here knows anything, except the Ink Demon.”

Opening his hands, he gazed at their glossy black surface, then closed them. “This body is a prison, this place is a prison, the studio is a prison, everything is a prison.” He sighed and leaned back, letting his head thump against the wall. “I just want to be free, like him. He’s the only one powerful enough to do something about this.”

The belief sat awkwardly between them, fat with falsehood. Audrey shifted uncomfortably with the knowledge in her possession. He had a right to know the truth. Should she share the Keeper tapes with him? Prove to him that the Ink Demon isn’t the omniscient god he believed him to be?

Eventually, after much internal deliberation, she decided to at least wait until after they found Bendy. She didn’t want to give Sammy a reason to abandon their mission before it was completed. The false prophet was not the priority: Bendy was. Besides, who was she to rip his one hope for a better life away from him? Better to wait until she found something to replace it with. 

Instead, she apologized, her voice thick with guilt for hiding the truth from the distressed man at her side. “I'm sorry I slapped you.”

Slowly, neck creaking, he turned his faceless head towards her. He stared at her for so long Audrey began to wonder if he knew she was hiding something.

Then, his shoulders relaxed and he returned his mask to his face. “Buy me another coffee and we’ll call it even.”

Relief overpowering every other sensation within the animator, she grinned and did just that. There were some perks from becoming the Amok, her favorite being the wealth of slugs she looted from their storage room. She thought about buying him another after that but figured they had spent enough time here. 

As they were finishing up with her third and his fourth cup, the sound of static filled the air. The artist looked up in shock as speakers she didn’t notice on the ceiling crackled to life. 

“Audrey…” Wilson crooned. “Thank you for visiting the Gent building.” 

Furious, the woman whirled on Sammy. “One of your followers ratted me out!”

Gasping, the prophet held his hand to his chest in affronted shock. “They would never!”

Simply turn yourself over to the Keepers and they will bring you to me. 

She laughed aloud at the suggestion. Like they wouldn’t rip her head off like the last time she was within the reach of one of those monsters. 

Somehow, Wilson managed to read her mind. If you’re worried about another…misunderstanding, I assure you, I’ve punished the Keepers responsible. Those remaining will leave you unharmed, he took a wheezy breath. I promise. 

Huh. She definitely wasn’t going to give herself up to the Keepers but she couldn’t deny the offer was a little tempting. She still needed to talk to her crazy coworker about sending her home, about helping the lost ones, and, most importantly, about leaving Bendy alone. At the very least, the old man deserved an earful for kidnapping her and a broken nose for what happened to her friend. That was only if he was unaware of his Keepers’ actions. If he endorsed the little devil’s torture, well, Audrey hoped he was just as resilient as the rest of the souls she’s killed.

As she waited for Wilson to say something else, the weight of a disapproving gaze prickled her skin. She turned to face Sammy right as the speakers shut off. 

The mask’s pie-cut eyes watched her emotionlessly. “Do you walk the path of the Demon or the Usurper?” he asked cryptically. 

Audrey snorted. “If you’re asking if I would choose Bendy over Wilson: Bendy, every time.”

Once they finished their coffee, they moved on to the next lab. 

The Keepers were more active after the announcement. They patrolled nearly every room and hallway in Laboratory Seven and Eight. Audrey felt terrible but they were forced to leave behind the tortured lost ones within rather than risk capture for their sake. They could barely sneak past the Keepers with the use of her Gent pipe and every hiding place available between them and the exit, let alone stop to heal a lost one. She worried that Sammy would protest but with a glance, an unspoken agreement went through them. Bendy was more important. 

Finally, they reached Laboratory Nine. It was the cleanest of the laboratories, and as they passed through it appeared as though most of its rooms had not been used in ages. Audrey was expecting the area to be swarming with Keepers and was beyond relieved when it wasn’t. That is, until they reached the back of the lab and were forced to retreat, cramming themselves into whatever hiding places were available.

In the next hallway, just past a broken table, were not two, not three, but four Keepers stationed outside a door. 

When they weren’t followed, the animator crawled out of her barrel and the prophet stepped out of his locker. With some experimentation, they found the Keepers could only see as far as the table. 

Audrey examined the door they guarded with keen interest. Her mind told her to turn back but her soul disagreed. It sprang up in her chest and warmed her heart, almost as if it was pulling her toward the door, past the Keepers, and into the area beyond. 

The longer she stared at the door, the more sure she became. Her heart made the decision. 

“Bendy is behind that door.”

To her outrage, Sammy chuckled quietly at her claim. Early on in their journey, they’d discovered the Keeper’s hearing was only slightly less limited than their vision. As long as they kept their voices low, they were safe at this distance. “Are you trying to claim the title of prophet for yourself?”

“No!” she snarled. The musician took a step back at the venom in her tone, and it was his turn to look worriedly at the Keepers. Luckily for both of them, they continued to gaze blankly forward. 

“I just know,” Audrey continued at a volume barely quiet enough, almost forgetting the Keepers were there in her urgency to get past them. “Bendy is back there. That’s where we’ll find him. That’s where we need to go.”
Sammy regarded the Keepers guarding the door, before glancing back to her. “I have an idea-”

“Then do it!” she hissed back, eyes barely straying from the door. 

“I’ll need your-”

Audrey shoved the Gent pipe into his hands. “I’ll want that back,” she warned, before returning her attention to the door. She didn’t care to see his reaction, or watch him leave. She just stood there and prayed that whatever he did, it would work. 

Several minutes later, every speaker in Laboratory Nine switched on. Expecting Wilson, the animator was surprised to hear a Keeper’s voice instead. 

“Keepers,” they stuttered through what had to be an impossibly poorer quality microphone than the one at the gate, “To Laboratory Eight. Show…no mercy to the rebels within, except…to the young lady…Audrey…Bring her to Wilson.”

The moment the speakers crackled off, the Keepers guarding the door left their posts. The woman barely remembered to hide in the previous room, and was about to leave her hiding place when a straggler followed after them. 

Forcing herself to be cautious, Audrey counted to thirty before she sprinted for the door. 

It opened without resistance and she crept inside, once again forcing herself to scout for danger rather than rushing in headfirst like her heart demanded. 

There were no Keepers, but what she did see destroyed her just as thoroughly. 

Bendy, in his toon form. He was lying on a black table behind a large observation window to her right, similar to the ones that imprisoned Sammy and Henry. However, this one had a door and a smaller, partially open window attached. 

In an instant, Audrey was at the large window and pounding against the glass. “Bendy!” she shouted, voice hoarse with fear, worry, guilt, and relief.

Gradually, as if trapped in slow-motion, the toon turned his head weakly to the side. His eyes widened in shock, then filled with tears. From here, she observed five pieces of what looked like rebar sticking out from the table. Whatever they were, they were keeping him from moving. 

“Don’t worry, I’m coming in,” she reassured him before examining the window next to the locked door. She tried to force her way through the opening but couldn’t quite fit. Holding back a scream of frustration, she pulled herself back into the open. If she had her powers back, she could flow through it. 

Backing away from the window, Audrey studied the room, her gaze landing on the construction in one of its corners.

There. A signal tower. Its colorful energy flickered mockingly around its coils. A panel at its base was labeled, ON/OFF.

Audrey ran to the thing and clawed at it until whatever bit of metal holding it in place snapped and it ripped open. Her hands stung and her nails were bleeding but she didn’t care. 

A switch and an opening that could fit her gent pipe greeted her coldly. She tried to pull the switch down but it refused to move. She tried to put her hand in the opening and pull the switch with the other, but it still didn’t move. 

Audrey swore every swear word she knew, then swore them again. Why did she let Sammy take her Gent pipe, just when she needed it most!?

In desperation, she threw herself at the door to Bendy’s cell even though she knew it was locked. It automatically opened right before made contact and she tumbled to the floor with an embarrassing yelp. 

The door was unlocked. Audrey could have strangled herself. Of course it was unlocked! Why would a prison cell be able to lock from the inside?! 

Springing to her feet, she was at the little devil’s side less than a moment later. 

“Hey buddy, I’m here,” she comforted, taking his nearest hand in both of her own. Her soul fluttered happily in her chest. “I’m right here.”

Tears leaked from Bendy’s eyes as he stared at her. The corners of his mouth pulled upward in the beginnings of a smile and he tried to sit up. Something stopped him and he fell to the table, smile disintegrating as his expression twisted in pain. 

Audrey made the horrible observation that the rebar wasn’t just sticking up from the table: it was sticking up through his body. Four of the pieces jutted out from each of his limbs and one of them sprung up through his side, just off center from his middle. 

“Woah, buddy,” she stroked his forehead, applying gentle pressure to discourage him from trying to get up again. “We gotta get those out of you first, okay?” 

ဗ

Closing his eyes, Bendy nodded, giving the artist the courage to start. She gave the nearest piece bar an experimental tug. It didn’t move. It must have been embedded deep into the table by the Keepers who put it there. 

Cursing quietly, she looked to the demon again.

“Can you phase through it?”

He opened his eyes and closed them again. Between labored breaths, he shook his head. 

Despite her sinking heart, Audrey told him, “Don’t worry, I’m gonna get you out, let me see what I can do.”

Gritting her teeth, the animator decided to start with the hand closest to her. As carefully as she could, she gripped the toon’s arm. He flinched at the contact. 

“I’m sorry!” she exclaimed, pulling away as though she was the one in pain. 

Lifting his head so he could face her, his gaze filled with pleading. 

“Are you sure you can’t phase through it?” she tried again, hoping beyond hope his answer had somehow changed. 

Head falling back with a thud, Bendy squeezed his eyes shut until they were nothing but lines. 

“C’mon, baby,” she encouraged, holding his hand again and giving it a gentle squeeze. “You’re made of ink. Ink can go through anything! Just try it for me, you can do it.” 

Eyes opening, he locked gazes with her and she gave him an inspirational smile. At least, she tried to.

Whatever it was, it worked because he closed his eyes and the air seemed to thicken. His form flickered and melted on the table. For a brief, hopeful moment, Audrey thought he would do it. Then, he let out a violent shudder and collapsed in the same place as before, chest heaving. He watched her with such helplessness she wished more than anything it was her on the table instead.

Wishes would get them nowhere, the artist internally scolded. She took a deep breath. “Okay, I have to do this,” she muttered, saying it more to herself than to him. 

Again, she took a hold of his arm, one hand on either side of the rebar, keeping contact even as he flinched. It was a smaller flinch than the last one, and she could tell he was trying to hold back. 

She tugged lightly. The limb didn’t move. Frowning, she pulled slightly harder. Still nothing. 

“Bendy, this is going to hurt,” she warned, voice trembling. She knew what she had to do but she didn’t want to do it. “I’m sorry.”

Then, she pulled again, this time with real strength. There was a rip and the little devil’s inky flesh made it up a full inch before stopping at a groove in the rebar. 

Bendy screamed, a pained, ethereal sound no other creature could replicate. Ink spurted from the wound at both entry points, flowing over his skin, across her hands and onto the table. With horror, Audrey realized he must have healed around the metal.

Gloved fingers weakly gripped her skin and the artist suspected that if it wasn’t for the metal jutting out of their arm it would be a deathgrip.

Audrey would have impaled herself a thousand times over to save him from this pain, but she couldn’t. All she could do was free him. 

Despite her blurring vision, she kept pulling, wincing at each fumble and blunder but knowing that the sooner she had him free, the sooner the pain would stop. The fresh blood lubricated the metal, making it easier to remove. 

Someone was saying, “I’m sorry,” over and over again. Right as Audrey watched the end of the rebar disappear through Bendy’s flesh and reappear on the other side, she realized she was the one saying it. 

The toon’s freed arm limply resisted her hold and she delicately led it over his chest. Once there, it clutched at his mouth and he silently sobbed into it, trembling.

Something wet trickled down Audrey’s face and she touched it, finding fresh tears on her fingertips mingling with the demon’s blood. Clenching her fist, she rapidly wiped her eyes so her vision was clear. She needed to be strong for him. 

One by one, she painstakingly freed his limbs. He didn’t scream again, but hit her in the chest at the start of each attempt. She didn’t blame him. Even if he wanted it to, he was too injured to put any power in his blows so it didn’t hurt. She wished it did. 

The ink running from his fresh wounds covered much of the table in a new layer of shiny black. At some point, her arm wiped at one of the particularly wet spots and she noticed the area become discolored. She came to another terrible realization that the table wasn’t black: it was covered in black blood. Bendy’s blood. 

Finally, she slipped her hands under his small body to free him from the metal pierced through his side. The devil weakly wrapped his body around hers, clinging to her with the little strength he could muster. 

ဗ 

As fast as she could bear to do it, she pulled him up and over the last piece of rebar. 

An airy whine leaked from Bendy and she held him against her chest as tight as she dared, whispering soft, loving words to console him. He weakly hugged her back, tears still streaming from his eyes. 

“I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry,” she whispered into his horns before planting a kiss between them. If only kisses could heal injuries like parents pretended they did. 

Please, I only want-

Wait. 

Audrey slid Bendy to one arm so she could use the other to fish some food out of her pocket. It was tricky but she managed to do it without dropping her ward. 

Tasty Eats: Chocolate-Covered Raisins. She was hoping for Bendy Bites but she couldn’t be picky. 

“Here you go, buddy,” she said with a forced grin, pushing the snack into his hands before re-securing him with both her arms. “This should help you feel better.”

The toon fumbled with the packaging. Right as Audrey was about to intervene, he managed to rip it open. Finally, his smile returned to his face and he poured about half of the package’s contents out into a shaking hand. Then, he raised it past his mouth, above his head, and in front of hers. 

“No, Bendy,” she laughed wetly, leaning away from the offering. “That’s for you. I can have some later. ” 

His expression changed from pained and happy to pained and angry. He pointed at her own still-bleeding hand and she noticed it was throbbing. Both of her hands were. 

Worried he wouldn’t eat until she did, she opened her mouth and allowed him to feed her. 

Only after her nails stopped bleeding did Bendy raise the package to his mouth.

“My Lord?”

Whipping her head around, Audrey witnessed her Gent pipe slide from Sammy’s limp fingers and clatter to the floor outside the cell.

With the little devil still in her arms, she quickly joined the stunned musician. Once there, she glanced into the hallway past the open doorway to his side and paled. 

Half-a-dozen Keepers were slinking towards them. The one in the front was already far past the broken table. The moment they saw Bendy in her possession, they let out a glitchy battle cry and sped toward them, the others following close behind. 

Moving faster than she’d ever moved in her life, Audrey had just enough time to push Bendy into Sammy’s arms, run to the door, and flip the switches to close and lock it before they slammed against its metal surface. 

The Keepers pounded and scratched at the door, their glitchy wailing making the woman’s head ache. She waited for them to forget what they were doing and leave or at least go back to silently guarding the door, but they didn’t. They kept beating their many hands against the door, its dents growing deeper with each strike. 

“But…how? This…this can’t be my Lord.

Audrey turned to Sammy, who was frozen in place, holding the demon away from him as though he had been gifted a basket of rotting fruit.

She had to get Bendy out of here. Eyes frantic, she searched the room for an exit, a door, a vent. There were none. 

Just as she was about to despair, something dark caught her attention. There was a hole in the wall next to the signal tower. 

It gave her an idea. A stupid, risky, dangerous idea but an idea nonetheless. She didn’t know if Keepers could flow through walls like her and Sammy, but she did know there was something she was dying to try ever since she listened to that first tape describing the Ink Demon’s torture. It might kill her to be separated from Bendy again, but it would definitely kill her more to see him captured too. Based on Wilson’s and the Keeper’s announcements, she might even survive long enough to be captured in his stead. 

Retrieving her Gent pipe from the ground, she quickly inspected the weapon. It was fully charged. In different circumstances, she would have thanked Sammy for being so considerate. Instead, she started to push him towards the hole. “You have to get Bendy out of here.”

Dazed, the prophet glanced between her and the toon. “Wha-who-how?”

“The hole!” she grunted, briefly wondering if the little devil was somehow making himself heavier again as he tried to escape Sammy’s grip and wriggle back into Audrey’s. “Take Bendy and go become one with the walls or whatever, just get out of here!”

Once he was at the wall, she pulled away from the both of them, ignoring the betrayed look in Bendy’s eyes. It didn’t hurt any less than the first time, but Audrey shoved her feelings down as she shoved her Gent pipe into the signal tower and pulled the switch down. 

Gold tinged her vision as her powers returned to her and the emptiness left. She didn’t waste any time celebrating. However long it would take for the demon to recover his ability to change forms, she needed him to be long gone before that happened.

Audrey looked to the hole, expecting to find Bendy and Sammy gone but they weren’t. They both stared at her, lost and confused.  

“Why are you still here?” she shooed at them, ignoring how the little devil reached for her. “You need to get out before the Keepers break in!” 

 Sammy glanced at the living toon then at Audrey. “How?”

Somehow, she knew he wasn’t asking about escaping. 

Desperate, the artist pulled the tapes from her back pocket. “These explain everything, you can have them if you promise to take Bendy out of here.”

He continued to blankly watch her so she stuffed them into his overall pockets. 

“Please, just take him,” she begged, voice breaking as she resorted to his own methods of manipulating lost ones, “You’ll be rewarded for your service, I swear, just get him out of here and I’ll hold off the Keepers.” 

Finally, that roused the musician from his stunned trance. “You can’t fight them.” he stated flatly, adjusting his hold on the child-sized creature in his arms to be more secure.  

Audrey raised her gent pipe and flexed her banishing hand. “Yes, I can.” 

Crying, Bendy reached out to her and the animator took his hands in hers. 

“It’s okay,” she gave his gloves a quick kiss, wishing she could give him a hug instead but knowing he would never let her go if she did. “You saved me more times than I can count. Now, it’s my turn. Be nice to Sammy, he’ll take good care of you. At least, he better.” She directed a threatening glare at the man but he was busy gazing listlessly into the distance again. 

Even though it physically hurt to do it, she pulled her hands out of Bendy’s because he wouldn’t let go. He was still reaching for her even when his captor stepped up to the hole. 

Audrey gave the little devil a brave smile and raised her glowing hand in farewell. “See you soon,” she promised, hoping beyond hope that it wasn’t a lie. 

Once they were gone, she searched for something to brace the door but there was nothing. The table in the other room was bolted to the floor, and the signal tower was far too large and heavy for her to move. So, she waited to the side of the entryway, sweat trickling down her face. They wouldn’t kill her, she reassured herself. Wilson wanted her alive. They wouldn’t kill her.  

Three deformed hands pushed their way underneath the warped door and shoved it upward. 

With the guttural cry of a cornered mountain lion, Audrey charged the first Keeper she saw. Her sparking gent pipe collided with its head with all the power she could muster. As it convulsed from the shock she used her left hand to pull its head to her level, digging her fingers into the rubbery material of its hood. She stared hatefully and without fear into its glowing oval face and willed it to melt, to disappear, to die. 

Resistance, then a pop. The thing disintegrated under her fingers and she followed it to the floor, growing stronger as she absorbed its lifeforce. 

Then, it was gone. There wasn’t even a stain left as evidence that a living, breathing being had ever existed in that space. 

Something struck the side of her head and she fell to the ground. 

When she blinked upward she saw several glowing silhouettes above her. The sight of Bendy impaled on the table flashed across her vision and her heart filled with rage and hate. 

“I’ll kill you,” she growled, propping herself up on one arm and using the other to search for her Gent pipe. “I’ll…kill you all. I’ll…kill-” 

Her head was hit again and everything went black. 

Chapter Text

Hairbrush? Check. Birth Certificate? Check. Social Security Card? Check. Nimble hands packed the items into a well-used backpack as their owner checked each of them off a well-rehearsed mental checklist. It wasn’t ideal but at least this way she would have all her essentials secured; there was no chance something would ‘suddenly’ disappear like the last time she mentioned moving out. Audrey picked up an old sketchbook, one of many lying in stacks at the foot of her bed. 

With the straps of her backpack slung securely over her shoulders, she retrieved her shoes and crept to her bedroom door, switching off the lights as she went. The tarnished metal doorknob stole heat from her hands as she slowly twisted it as far as it would go. Then, she nudged the door open, lifting it slightly so it wouldn’t catch on the doorframe. The hinges she oiled the day before gave no resistance as she peeked across the dark hallway to the other bedroom door, which was blessedly shut with no light leaking out from underneath it. A silent sigh of relief escaped her lips as she snuck out of her room for the last time. 

Breathing softly through her mouth, she traversed the hallway in near silence. Years of similar expeditions had taught her which floorboards were safe and vice versa. Each sock-muffled step was calculated, and she was grateful when she reached the living room and could place her feet near the furniture, where the settled floor was less likely to creak. 

She passed the spare room holding the poorly covered Ink Machine without a second glance. She’d lost interest in the dirty thing ages ago. 

Finally, she reached the kitchen, her freedom only a few feet away. She would have smiled if the lights didn’t suddenly flicker on, revealing the man waiting for her beside the counter. 

Rather than stand, he sat in his wheelchair, an increasingly common sight in the Drew household. A folder of miscellaneous documents lay open in his lap. The papers rustled as he meticulously examined them one by one. 

Internally kicking herself, Audrey hid her shoes behind her back and schooled her expression. She should have just used her window. Ruined clothes and a few scrapes from the brambles below would be much less painful than this conversation.

Masking her guilt with concern, the young woman greeted her creator father a little too casually. “Hey, Dad. What are you still doing up?”

Joey didn’t answer, opting instead to pick up another sheet of paper and hold it up to the dim light. Audrey knew the charade for what it was: she had his full attention. 

“Do you want help getting to bed?” she asked helpfully, as though she hadn’t already tucked him in hours ago. 

“I was looking for your Birth Certificate.” he replied nonchalantly as he thumbed through the folder of documents, ignoring her second question. After a moment of awkward silence, he raised a harsh eyebrow at Audrey. “Any idea where it scampered off to?”

Instinctively, she began conjuring lies only to reluctantly dismiss them. He knew the answer. The truth would have to come out eventually

“I have it,” she responded carefully, “I-”

“Well, great!” The aged man smiled, closing the folder with a snap. “ Give it here and I’ll put it back in the safe where it belongs. No need to talk about how it ‘escaped’,” he ended with a hardened smile and an extended hand. 

Audrey immediately recognized his offer. It was an old tactic of his, a chance to avoid the conflict and a promise not to punish her for starting it. “No,”she stated plainly before folding her arms. “We need to talk about this.”

“Fine.” he dropped the folder onto the counter. “We can talk about it tomorrow, but you won’t like how the conversation goes.” 

Another way out paired with a threat. She could have countered them with a threat of her own but she didn’t want to play this game anymore. 

“I’m moving out,” she declared more confidently than she felt, her eyes on the door as she busied herself with her shoes, leaning against the wall so she could put them on. 

The old men let out a horrified gasp, quickly followed by a pained wheeze. A moment later, the folder and its contents scattered on the floor between Audrey and the door.  

When she turned to face the culprit, he was clutching at his chest with one hand and the counter with the other. “Are you trying to kill me?” he accused with another wheeze. 

“Of course not,” she responded plainly, brushing off her hands before readjusting the straps of her backpack. “You knew I wanted to move out someday.”

“It’s too soon!”

They’d already had this argument but Audrey was more prepared this time. “There was an unexpected opening in the apartment complex we were hoping for. We had to act fast or we would lose it.” A white lie. Her father didn’t need to know how long she had been working towards this. 

“We? Oh hell, you aren’t moving in with a boy are you?” he challenged, dropping the victimized attitude and replacing it with aggression. “Are you pregnant?”

It took all of the young woman’s willpower not to roll her eyes at the suggestion. Instead, she took a calming breath and reminded herself to keep her answers short and sweet so there was less for her dad to criticize. “No, my roommate is a she.”

“Not that photography girl?”

“Yes, that photography girl.”

“You’re too young.”

“Old enough to hold a job,” she countered, her hands on her hips. “Old enough to sign a lease.”

“Where is it?” 

“Closeby,” she evaded. “I’ll visit every day.”

Joey slammed his hand on the countertop and Audrey flinched. 

“Not good enough! How will you pay for everything?” 

“I have a job-”

“You should be working in a studio, not a diner!”

“It pays enough.” This was it. The moment that would cure her guilt for leaving her elderly father to live alone, even if she was only moving a hop and a skip away. She pulled an envelope out of her pocket and offered it to him, her heart pounding. “Enough to pay for my apartment and extra.”

Joey stared at the envelope, understanding dawning on his face. “I don’t want your money!” He slapped the envelope out of her hand and it joined the rest of the papers on the floor with a flat smack. “I need you here!”

The calm, reasonable mask she crafted for herself shattered. “And what about what I need, what I want?” she shouted back. Her dad fell back into his chair as though physically slapped. 

Guilt burned in her chest and she attempted to quench it with more anger. “I can’t stay here forever!” she insisted, eyes stinging with years of built-up resentment. “I have friends, I have a job, I have my own life to live and I’m sick of living it in this rotting, rat-infested apartment.” 

Her gaze ran over the water stained walls and the molding furniture with unveiled disgust. “This place should be condemned.” She sneered, “And I hope it is soon so you’re finally forced to move someplace liveable.”

Knowing she should leave before she said something she couldn’t take back, she stormed past him and his betrayed expression to open the door. A breeze brushed past her, the warmer air of the kitchen escaping into the cold night air. 

Eager to follow, she stepped through the threshold, only for the moment to be ruined by Joey’s voice as he made one final, pitiful plea, “Please, I only want what’s best for you.”

Resentment welled in her heart and Audrey didn’t turn to see his mournful face, staring instead at the smoggy sky above. Closing her eyes, she pictured stars behind the smog. They glittered enticingly, shining with secret promises and unspoken reassurances. Her eyes opened. “No, Dad, you only want what’s best for yourself.”

ဗ

She would have left then, but a loud thud and the cry of pain that followed prevented her.

“Would you stop doing that?” she said in a dry tone, still facing outside. She didn’t need to see it to know that her father had thrown himself out of his wheelchair again. “At some point you’re actually going to hurt yourself."

Even so, she hesitated, waiting for the usual moaning and groaning to start, signalling that he was actually okay. 

It didn’t. She turned around with a reluctant sigh.

The old man lay crumpled on the floor. He was breathing hard, eyes wide and unseeing.

Fear attacked his daughter. 

“I’m not falling for it this time,” she tried to scold, the doubt in her voice betraying her. 

No response.

“Dad?”

His breathing weakened. Audrey’s backpack slipped off her shoulders. “Dad…? Dad? DAD!”

ဗ

“And from the hallowed darkness…” A familiar voice rasped, rousing Audrey from her troubled sleep. Why did her body feel so heavy? And why were her wrists so cold?

“...from the wretched abyss…” 

Her head ached and yet she fought against the alluring call of sleep. She didn’t want to sleep anymore. She wanted to be free from that awful memory.

“...a savior comes at last.”

Golden eyes opened and found themselves staring at a metal ceiling. Her bed shook underneath her and her drowsy mind recognized the rumbles and screeches of a train. They confused her. She knew better than to sleep on the subway. Had she already missed her stop? No wonder she had been caught in such an awful- 

Nightmare, not a memory , Audrey lied to herself, willing it to be so despite the shame crushing her lungs and the guilt twisting her throat. Not a memory, not anything, nothing, nothing at all. 

Every detail of the memory burned with perfect clarity through her mind. Suddenly restless, she tried to reach out to the back of the bench-not-bed she was sleeping on so she could sit up, but found her arms were stuck behind her head. She could move them a little, but not enough to use them for anything. Anxious but not yet panicking, she instead swung her legs off the seat towards the floor, using the following momentum and the meager leverage she could gather from her bound hands to swing herself into a sitting position, blinking rapidly as the world spun around her and a wave of dizziness clouded her brain. 

Please, I only want what’s best for you

Guilt, shame, fear, despair and self-hatred threatened to overwhelm her. Desperate to escape that haunting voice, she searched for something else to distract her, and found the perfect target. 

“Wilson!” she snarled, redirecting all the negative emotions she felt toward herself to the man sitting peacefully across from her, adding on the already plentiful amounts of resentment and anger she held for him.

Wilson smiled calmly. The memory of Bendy speared through with blunt lines of rebar flashed through her mind and she latched onto it. Had she been thinking clearly, she might have been ashamed to prefer that image to the one of her father gasping on their kitchen floor. 

Frenzied, she lunged forward, eager to discover Wilson’s reaction to finding her Gent pipe speared through his midsection.  

Her wrists didn’t follow her body. Instead, they broke her momentum and she just barely managed to keep herself from falling as her murderous lunge turned into a clumsy stumble to her feet. Her vision began to spin again and the nausea that followed prevented her from resisting further. Still reeling, she fell back into her seat. 

“Rest yourself, Audrey,” Insisted the old man, unbothered by her display of aggression. “You’re still weak. The Keepers can be relentless to strangers. But there’s nothing to fear, as long as I’m with you. You’re safe now.”

The animator barely heard him. Her gaze was on the dingy metal cuffs around her wrists, chaining her to the vertical handrail next to her seat. 

Fortunately for Wilson, looks couldn’t kill or melt metal. “My apologies for taking such a …drastic measure,” he continued, pausing to take the occasional wheezing breath between words, “The Keepers felt it…necessary to protect myself on account of some…disturbing…rumors.”

Her Gent pipe was gone. A suitcase rested on the bench next to Wilson, as unreachable as the man himself. There were a couple more further into the train car, one propped upright and the other lying flat on the bench across from it, both just as tempting and useless as the first. The area above their heads was tragically bare, while the other seats were adorned with hanging straps, their perfect loops taunting her with the image of a perfect noose wrapped around Wilson’s wrinkled, ink-stained neck. She strained against the cuffs, tortured by the close proximity of her target and the impossibility of reaching him. 

Although…

Judging by his wide, sweeping gestures, the old man was speaking again but Audrey didn’t care to listen. Taking in the distance between them, she realized that while might not be able reach him with her hands, he might be close enough to-

Wilson yelped as Audrey’s foot slammed into his shin. 

-kick. 

A cruel and triumphant grin overtook the woman’s face, and she enjoyed the addictive rush of thrilling satisfaction that surged through her once the pain-filled cry reached her ears. The sensation was so intoxicating she failed to notice the panging in her toes, a consequence of kicking something full-force in cheap flats. 

As she was reeling her foot back for another kick, Wilson swiftly scooped up his suitcase and scooted down the bench, placing himself out of range of her fearsome flat. 

Disappointed, Audrey stomped her foot to the ground. She scowled at the man, who returned her look of animosity with a look of surprise and confusion. The expression was so genuine that she didn’t need to hear the question to know what he was asking as he silently raised the suitcase between them, as though to protect himself from further attacks. 

“What the hell is wrong with you?” she shouted, bristling at the sheer audacity of her kidnapper to ‘ask’ her why she kicked him. She stomped her foot again and would have yelled more if not for the bone-chilling shriek that erupted from behind the door separating them from the rest of the car, the door she failed to notice while scanning her surroundings for possible weapons. 

Time slowed as the young artist watched a terrifyingly bright and familiar yellow light shine through the door’s cracked and dirty window. The spotlight fixated on Wilson first, who was still holding his suitcase like a shield. There it paused, glowing slighter brighter. Then, the beam dimmed, gliding away from the old man, across the floor, up her bench before landing on Audrey herself.

The door slid open with a shake and click. A Keeper charged through, reaching for her with long, deadly fingers. Acutely aware of her helpless state, the animator closed her eyes and braced for death. 

“Don’t!” Wilson’s voice cut through the air, somehow simultaneously panicked and furious. 

For a moment, all she experienced was fear. Heart-stopping, breath-snatching, crushing, freezing, pounding fear. Except, the pounding wasn’t fear. The pounding in her ears was her heart, and that’s how, to Audrey’s growing shock and relief, she knew she was still alive. The stressful yet welcome sound was accompanied by other sounds, some that belonged, and one that didn’t. She determined one sound to be the air rushing through her nose, into her lungs, and back out again. The metallic shaking and clattering that thudded through her skull was quickly identified as the familiar sounds of train travel. However, there was a strange grinding and clicking noise nearby that she couldn’t place, not until she risked a quick peek through her lashes. She immediately regretted it. 

The strange noise was from the gears on the Keeper’s left forearm, whose fingers were less than an inch from her face. 

Her body was too scared to process her brain’s command to reclose her eyes, so instead she tried to relieve her terror by edging away from the threatening digits. 

It was then Audrey noticed her feet on their torso, her legs already pushing at it with every ounce of strength they could muster. With her hands still chained to the side, the position she was forced to take to hold this angle was incredibly awkward, not to mention painful. The edges of the bench, wall, and handrail dug uncomfortably into her skull and shoulders but she didn’t dare move to relieve the uneven pressure. Death still terrified her, however impermanent. 

“I’m alright,” Wilson told the creature, his voice calm and controlled. The artist risked a glance in his direction and saw he was back in the center of his seat, with the suitcase resting innocuously on his lap. “Please give the young lady some space.”

To Audrey’s dismay, the Keeper didn’t move, although she noticed they were trembling. Her eyes traced their figure and she realized they hadn’t fully entered the room. The two hands on their other arm clung to the doorframe, and they were forced to stoop uncomfortably low to fit through the doorway. Without those obstacles to slow it, she would be dead, even with Wilson’s command.

Finally, the creature spoke. “Subject:..Audrey….is a threat,” they stuttered ominously.

The woman couldn’t stop her nose from wrinkling in disgust at hearing her name in a Keeper’s voice. For once, she would have preferred being called ‘Subject’, or any other of the weird nicknames the other cycle inhabitants seemed so eager to assign her. 

Wilson laughed, the carefree sound surprising Audrey. She could tell it surprised the Keeper too when they leaned back, forfeiting a few inches of precious air between them. 

Despite her relief at the added space, the animator kept her feet firmly planted against them, even if there was no visible evidence that her efforts affected them at all. 

“No, she’s not,” Wilson reassured the creature with a patronizing chuckle. “She’s probably the least dangerous thing in the entire studio, except for Boris, maybe.” 

Choosing to prioritize survival over pride, Audrey decided to be offended later. 

“The young lady was simply airing a grievance,” Wilson’s voice was strangely amicable as he waved the Keeper away. “You can leave now.”

They hesitated and the artist held her breath. By now, she was also trembling, her legs shaking from the growing strain of keeping the creature away. With each second that ticked by, the heartbeat in her ears got louder and faster as she worried they would disregard Wilson’s commands and kill her anyway. 

“Leave. Now.” Commanded their master in a more stern tone. 

The Keeper disappeared into the other car.

Legs flailing at the sudden unexpected freedom, Audrey barely managed to keep herself from tumbling off the bench by twisting her hips and catching herself with her feet. She winced as her right foot slapped against the floor at an odd angle. It didn’t hurt, but the weird bend was still uncomfortable. It was a good thing she was naturally flexible. 

Wilson was quiet while Audrey struggled more than she would have liked to return to a sitting position. He remained silent even after that, expressionless except for a brief flash of emotion distorting his face when he glanced at her cuffs. 

Was that guilt? she wondered in vague amazement. Did he feel guilty for chaining her up even after she tried to kill him and successfully hurt him?

Flexing her hands, the artist moved her gaze to the floor. She wanted to be angry about her restraints, she really did, but all she could think of was how close the Keeper was and what could have happened if she had been free to attack Wilson like she planned before. She glanced at the door, then returned to her study of the floor. Maybe she could have banished the monster in time. Maybe. 

Finally, the old man broke the silence. “I understand why you feel upset.”

A flicker of anger reignited in her chest, which she desperately fanned. Anger was a much more preferable sensation to the all-consuming fear attacking her more and more frequently in this horrible world. 

“Upset?!” she screeched in offense, only to flinch at the volume of her own voice. She glanced worriedly at the door, but its window remained unilluminated. 

Relieved, but still offended, Audrey lowered her voice, talking in an angry, almost-whisper.

“You did this to me,” she accused, the metal of her cuffs scraping noisily against the handrail as she pointed at herself, thinking of her disfigured hands and horrible yellow eyes. “You brought me here. Turned me into this… this thing!” Her heart ached as she remembered her formerly beautiful self. Would she ever be restored to what she once was? 

“This doesn’t make sense!” She continued, too absorbed by her own predicament to notice her kidnapper’s rising agitation. “I’ve never done anything to you!”

Suddenly, Wilson angrily shoved his suitcase to the side and sprang to his feet, acting much more energetic than the average man of his apparent age. Her heart began to pound again as he closed the distance between them, ranting angrily. “Open your eyes and look around you! None of this ‘makes sense’.” 

A literal captive audience, Audrey had no choice but to keep listening despite her dislike for his patronizing tone.

“Drawn walls. Nightmarish creatures. An ancient studio that died out almost thirty years ago. It’s all fiction. Utter nonsense! And yet…”

The woman was ashamed of how relieved she felt when he sat down again, pulling the suitcase back into his lap. 

 “In here, it exists.” He continued as he patted the suitcase almost lovingly. “It breathes. It flourishes! Reality guided by its master's pen.”

While he wasn’t even half as charismatic as Sammy and twice as unsettling, Audrey couldn’t help but watch with genuine curiosity as he opened the suitcase and pulled out an ink canister. 

“The foundation for a new reality we can bleed…into our own. Just think of it. Anything we create in here…we can release out there.”  

As he spoke, he poured a glob of disturbingly thick ink into his hand. The animator watched, first in disgust, then in astonishment, as it bounced in place then popped up into the shape of a mini-Bendy.

HE COULD MAKE MORE BENDYS?! Entranced, Audrey watched with perfect amazement as he nudged the tiny ink creature to a standing position. The little guy waved at her and she couldn’t stop herself from waving back even if she wanted to. Henry told her that Joey tried countless times to make more versions of the little dancing devil, but the Ink Demon was the first and only one that ever came to life. What did Wilson know that they didn’t?

Eyes flicking to the open canister, she wondered if she was made of the same material. 

“These…things. These angels and demons…Are they really life?”

Distracted, Audrey took a moment longer than normal to process the question. Once she did, she was about to answer with an obvious, yes, when Wilson abruptly snatched up her new friend. Before she could comprehend what was happening, Bendy exploded in a burst of ink.

At first, she simply sat there, gaping in horror and dismay as her kidnapper nonchalantly wiped the black blood from his face. There was a ringing in her ears, muffling his words into self-righteous nonsense. 

Then, her anger returned, blazing in its full glory. Forgetting her restraints, she lunged forward, screaming in frustration when her attempts to reach her target were again thwarted. 

“HOW COULD YOU!?” she howled, again straining against her cuffs despite logically knowing she wasn’t strong enough to break them. Instead, she focused her blurring gaze on Wilson, fantasizing about what she would do to him if she wasn’t trapped. Gouge out his eyes, smash in his teeth, force him to the ground and stomp until his head exploded in a burst of ink. “HOW DARE YOU!? HOW-”

Her cries were cut off when the door opened again. This time, her instincts prompted her to swing around the handrail so it could serve as a meager barrier between herself and the Keeper. 

Luckily for her, it was unneeded. The creature remained where they were, crouching awkwardly in the doorway. 

Wilson had his hand raised, which explained why Audrey wasn’t dead yet. Apparently, that was all the signal they required to hold themself back. 

“I told you already, she’s harmless,” the old man stated with a frown, although there was a new wariness in his eyes to contradict his words. “I’ll call you if I’m in danger. You can go.”

The monster hesitated and the artist prayed that she could somehow manipulate them to break her cuffs before they killed her. Hopefully, she could banish a Keeper without the Gent pipe’s help. 

“There was simply…another…misunderstanding.” Wilson explained. “Go.”

Again, they hesitated, then looked directly at Audrey. A professional chill with extra-sharp cleats sprinted down her spine, but she managed to keep legs straight and her feet underneath her. 

“Keep. Your grievances. Quiet.” They growled before shoving themself back into the other half of the car. Audrey was sure that if the car door wasn’t automatic, they would have slammed it.

 This time, the rage stayed with her, even with the threat of the Keeper nearby. Seething, the animator watched in helpless fury as Wilson wiped his inky hand on his shirt. 

Again, Wilson spoke first and again had the gall to appear surprised at her reaction. 

“You’ve better watch that temper,” he scolded, shaking his head in disappointment. “Such pointless anger is…unbecoming.”

“Pointless?” Unbecoming?! This time, she remembered to reduce her voice to angry almost-whispering before challenging  his absurdity. “You just murdered that Bendy! He didn’t deserve to die!”

“Bendy?” Wilson shook his head, appearing both amused and sympathetic. “Oh no, my dear, that wasn’t Bendy. It wasn’t even alive, just…a moving…construct of ink. ” 

“Then explain why he waved at me!” she demanded, her resentment towards his patronizing tone only building on to her anger. 

“An automatic reaction…nothing more. Simple…influence from its creator’s hand. Although, I supposed you’re partially correct,” he added thoughtfully. “It didn’t deserve death…or life…it doesn’t deserve anything at all.”

Appalled into speechlessness, Audrey wondered how Archgate Films allowed such an awful person to work there, even as a janitor. At least the Ink Demon had a decent excuse for his sociopathic tendencies. 

Her disgust must have been obvious, judging by Wilson’s perturbed frown. Fearful of triggering another random angry outburst, she quickly schooled her expression.

Luckily for her, he simply released a half-frustrated, half-understanding sigh. “While your empathy is…commendable, believe me when I say…it wasn’t truly alive. Without a soul, a human soul, it can’t feel anything…not really.”

Something akin to pity reflected in Wilson’s eyes, which Audrey hardly noticed, her gaze drifting towards the rest of the mostly-empty car. She was distracted by thoughts of her Bendy. If she believed what Memory Joey told her, he was soulless too. Despite that, he was very much alive and feeling, which was obvious in either of his forms. As a toon he was shy, playful, and kind. Sometimes he could be a little greedy or downright bratty but his overall good nature made up for it (not to mention his extreme adorableness). As the Ink Demon he was bossy, overprotective and rude, but he meant well. Despite his terrifying appearance and murderous habits, he could be surprisingly sweet when it mattered. He deserved life, a good life, just as much as any other person and possibly more considering all he had suffered. She would do everything she could to give him that.

Not that she could share any of these thoughts with Wilson. She might have a tendency to lose her temper but she wasn’t stupid. Even she had the common sense to know that sharing her unique bond with the sworn enemy of the man holding her life in his hands was probably a bad idea. 

Narrowing her gaze at said man, she wondered how much he knew about her, specifically her soul. Despite her outbursts, he was treating her mostly kindly. However, he was kind to Henry too before locking him away. And even if he did believe she was human, he still kidnapped her. Either way, she would have to tread carefully. 

Fully aware that she had been silent for too long, Audrey let out a reluctant sigh, then prepared herself to interrogate Wilson. As much as her heart panged for that poor mini-Bendy, she needed to focus on her own survival. The right information could mean the difference between freedom and wasting away in a cell for the rest of eternity. 

Deciding to start simple, she asked, “What do you want from me?”

“I…need your help,” the old man hesitated, and for the first time since she’d met him, he appeared vulnerable. “To save my father’s life.” 

Audrey’s heart stopped. Her nightmare, no, the memory overwhelmed her senses.

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She was back in that tiny, rat-infested apartment, listening for sirens while screaming for her father to wake up, to forgive her, promising that she would stay, that she would never even think of leaving again if he would just wake up. He was still warm when the firefighters pulled him from her arms. 

Then she was standing alone in front of the cheap casket, holding his cold hand and her face burning with guilt, shame, and regret. His face was too peaceful: it should be glaring at her. If only she had stayed, or used the window, or chosen a different night, or checked his bedroom.

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Joey Drew

Dreamer

Animator

Beloved Father

A tired finger slowly traced the carved letters one by one, its owner wondering how she would tell her roommates she didn’t have her portion of the rent this month. When she finished tracing the last letter, she pressed her hand flat against the headstone. The rough concrete burned her skin, heated by a far-too-cheerful sun. She frowned. Funerals should be rainy. Didn’t her dad at least deserve that? After shielding her eyes and craning her neck upwards, she scowled towards the sky, as though to shame it into bringing a flurry of thunderclouds to cover up its insultingly bare blue self. 

The sun rebelliously grew brighter and brighter until she realized she was staring at a Keeper, not the sun. 

An embarrassingly loud squeal escaped her lips and Audrey instinctively flung her arms up to protect herself from the threat. There was a clink followed by a clatter as her shackles dropped to the floor.

It was then she noticed the key in the Keeper’s right hand and her Gent pipe in one of its left hands. She rubbed at her wrists, eyeing the creature nervously.

“Thank you,” she risked, years of polite habits temporarily conquering her fear. 

The Keeper didn’t react, the only hint that they heard her indicated by the slight increase in volume from their whirring gears. Before she could muster the courage to reach for her Gent pipe, Wilson's voice responded with, “You’re welcome,” from further down the car. 

Audrey looked over just in time to see him disappear through the open door of the now motionless train car. 

Carefully, the artist edged around the Keeper, then booked it off the train as though chased by Joey’s ghost. Right as she was stepping off the train and entering the train station, an unfortunately familiar gold haze distorted the edges of her vision, letting her know that there were signal towers nearby. Powerless and pipeless, she realized she would be completely defenseless if she continued forward. 

The whirring from the Keeper behind her got closer and Audrey forced herself to keep walking. As much as she didn’t like it, staying close to Wilson was her best guarantee of safety. Besides, if he didn’t want her dead yet, it was unlikely he would want it later. 

The animator passed two more Keepers on her way through the train station. The first one drawled a sarcastic, “Take a picture, why don’t you?” when she let her gaze rest on them for longer than a second, and the second one was holding up a begging lost one in the following corridor. Pity filled Audrey’s heart as she passed by, but she forced herself to move on without interfering, especially since she still hadn’t caught up with Wilson yet. 

At the end of the hallway was a set of stairs, and Audrey was more relieved than she’d like to admit when she spotted the old man waiting for her at the top. 

Once she reached him, Wilson started a new monologue as he led her towards the closed door behind him, reaching for its adjacent switch. “The Demon’s evil continues to spread. This world has begun to shutter…”

The unpleasant voice faded as her ears began to ring and gold, again, distorted her vision. Head aching, Audrey raised a hand to her forehead. Despite knowing she was still under the influence of the signal towers, she felt…something. A familiar presence pushed against the golden membrane that blocked her from accessing her powers. Even with the pain, she subconsciously welcomed the presence even before she recognized who it was. 

The membrane split and the Ink Demon roared into her mind. 

YOU MISERABLE FOOL !

The pain was gone, replaced with his thunderous voice. If Wilson was speaking to her, she couldn’t tell. The demon’s words overpowered every other sound she could possibly hear. Like the last time he had interrupted her with Henry, a flurry of emotions accompanied his words, the most obvious being anger.  

YOU STUPID IMBECILE! IDIOT! BUFFOON!

Once Audrey stopped reeling from his sudden intrusion, she was overjoyed to hear from him, despite the insults and the anger. That meant her sacrifice was worth it! Sammy and Bendy escaped! He was free!

HAVE YOU NO INTELLIGENT THOUGHTS IN YOUR HEAD? 

Which meant he was free to berate her as much as he liked, she thought grumpily. Just because she was happy to hear from him didn’t mean she was happy to take his insults. 

EVEN THAT FOOLHARDY SYCOPHANT OF A PROPHET HAS MORE SENSE THAN YOU. 

Okay, that one stung. She did save him, couldn’t he lay off a little?

OF ALL THE DIMWITTED MORONIC THINGS YOU COULD DO, YOU DELIVER YOURSELF INTO THE HANDS OF THE SAME FOUL CREATURES I SACRIFICED MYSELF TO SPARE YOU FROM. 

“-y dear, — you –right?”

HOW HAVE YOU SURVIVED THUS FAR WHILE LACKING ANY SENSE OF PRESERVATION OF SELF? 

A hand placed itself on her shoulder and the woman recoiled, backing into the wall behind her.  A fierce growl reverberated through her mind, dripping with protective possessiveness as she took in a surprised Wilson. 

DO NOT TOUCH HER

The words were so loud Audrey flinched and glanced at her kidnapper, certain he must have heard them too. Instead, he only grew more concerned as she waited for him to react, gaze flicking in the direction of the Keepers outside. 

“Sorry,” she blurted out before he could summon a Keeper, reverting to the same excuse she used with Henry. “I get headaches sometimes. This one is,” she grit her teeth, trying and failing to keep the annoyance from her voice, “especially loud.”

I RESENT THAT.

“Hm.” Wilson regarded her carefully, doubt and uncertainty flashing across his expression.  

Feigning pain, she rubbed her forehead, then tried to give him an innocent yet convincing grin. She didn’t want him to know the Ink Demon was listening in on their conversation. 

His gaze was piercing, as though he could read her mind. Thankfully, whatever he saw seemed to satisfy him and he returned her grin with a slight, closed-mouth smile. “My housekeeper can give you something to help with that.”

Resuming his position by the door, he pulled the switch. The door slid open, revealing more stairs and a glowing sign attached to the ceiling that read, ‘Checkpoint,’ at the top. He gestured for her to walk ahead. “Almost there. Just a quick stop. Won’t take but a moment.” 

Reluctant, the animator obliged. The moment she passed through the doorway, the door closed behind her. She tried not to panic when she realized Wilson was no longer with her. So much for her safety guarantee. 

WHY ARE YOU OBEYING HIM?

“Just a moment,” she pleaded as she climbed the stairs. 

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say. It set the demon off again and he resumed his insult-filled rant. Audrey tried to ignore him, instead taking in her surroundings as she climbed the stairs leading to the security checkpoint. The room was less than welcoming, especially when she spied the glass observation window overlooking the area and the Keeper waiting behind it. She ran back down the stairs, praying that Wilson had already moved on and couldn’t hear what she was about to say through the door. 

“Can you please wait to chew me out until I'm not surrounded by Keepers?” she pleaded in a whisper. 

I REFUSE. YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE THE JUDGEMENT YOU DESERVE SO EASILY.

“Do you want me to get killed again?” she challenged. While she felt a little guilty for pulling the death card, she wouldn’t hesitate to keep doing it until he gave her the space she needed. 

Luckily that was unnecessary, as she was answered only with silence and a vague sense of guilt. 

“Great,” she replied, taking that as confirmation. “I promise you can question and berate me all you want after I’m done dealing with Wilson. Until then, please try to keep your comments to yourself.” 

A displeased growl reverberated through her mind. YOUR PROMISES ARE WORTH NOTHING .

Offended, Audrey opened her mouth to argue the opposite when she remembered the last promise she made him before he disappeared with Sammy. See you soon. It hadn’t been too long since then, right? She might still be able to uphold it. 

Running through every other promise she had made to Bendy (at least, the ones she could remember), she was devastated to find she was just as likely to break them as she was to keep them. No wonder he didn’t trust her anymore. 

“Okay, I can understand why you might not believe me,” she admitted, thinking of how betrayed he was after she cheated during their game of Capture the Card. “But only once did I break a promise intentionally, and that’s because you didn’t give me another choice.” 

LIAR. YOU COULD HAVE STAYED. 

“No, I couldn’t have!” she argued back. “Not without giving up my last chance to get us home.” 

Audrey didn’t recognize the weight of her words until a wave of shock flowed in from whatever space Bendy was taking up in her mind, and then she too was shocked into silence. Until now, she hadn’t realized she had unconsciously committed to her previous offer of taking the little devil with her when she finally escaped despite his larger demon form. She longed to take him home, both versions of him, away from this world whose primary purpose was to torture its inhabitants. Bringing a demon into the real world might be irresponsible, but abandoning him would be worse, consequences be damned.

The realization scared her. What if she failed to get them out, or worse, what if he didn’t want to come with her?

Anxious, the woman chewed her lip while waiting for him to react, to question her, to ask her to repeat herself, to say something but he didn’t. She probed into that area of her mind, trying to get a sense of what he was feeling. It was then she learned that the emotions she experienced from him weren’t constant. She almost wished they were but knew that would just make their strange connection even more overwhelming. 

“The subject will stand in the designated location.”

Audrey jumped at the sudden interruption, glancing up the stairs toward where the Keeper was waiting for her. It served as an uncomfortable but much needed reminder that now was not the time to start a discussion over such an important topic. 

“Listen,” she pleaded, willing Bendy to understand. “ I know that I don’t have the best record when it comes to making promises but the sooner you let me go take care of this,” she gestured toward the checkpoint, “the sooner I can get back to you, okay?”

This time, even though he didn’t say anything she sensed his reluctance, and knew she had to push harder. “Besides, I didn’t give you permission to spy on me this time,” she scolded half-sincerely. “So you kind of owe it to me now.”

Shame mixed with that reluctance and Audrey hoped that meant he was giving in. 

SO, YOU PREFER MY ABSENCE?

“No!” she protested, then checked herself, embarrassed to have responded so strongly. “No, I…I don’t want to go through this alone, if that’s okay.”

She waited for his response. The longer she waited, the more she worried he was already gone. Just as the devastation was setting in, he mournfully replied, I CANNOT REACH YOU. 

“Maybe not physically,” she reassured him, mildly worried that he was trying to break into the train station, “but it would be nice to have someone–you–listening in while I do this.”
The Ink Demon rumbled in what she thought was agreement. 

Choosing to believe that was the case, she took a deep breath, braced herself, and pushed forward to the security checkpoint.