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Chapter Text

“You and I are the same…”

Audrey flinched as the Ink Demon’s voice rumbled through her mind.

“We’re not the same,” she said, gripping her pipe tighter as she wove through the strange labyrinthine office space.

“Oh, but we are,” the Ink Demon purred, and Audrey could practically feel his breath on the back of her neck, his hands on her shoulders. “We were both made by him. Created only to serve his selfish desires. Me, a vessel he could enact his pain and anger on. You…created to make him feel he wasn’t as much of a monster as he knew he was.”

“I don’t know what that means!” Audrey tried to ignore the panic rising in her chest. She didn’t understand why the Ink Demon’s words were making her so upset. She didn’t know either of her parents. This couldn’t apply to her. There was no way.

“Oh, but you do.” She could hear the smug smile in the Ink Demon’s voice. “You know exactly what I mean. You’ve simply chosen to forget. Because you know what he is.”

“Shut up! You don’t know anything about me!”

Was yelling at something that could kill her a bad idea? Yes, absolutely. Was she going to do it anyway? Also yes. But she needed him to stop talking. He had to stop talking. He was wrong. He had to be.

“Oh, Audrey….” The Ink Demon almost sounded paternal. “You cause yourself so much pain for him, but is it really worth it? What has he done for you?”

“Shut up!” Audrey covered her ears. She could already feel tears welling up in her eyes. Why was she crying?

Suddenly she heard her heart beating in her ears. And before she could hide, the Ink Demon was there before her. He towered over her, so tall his horns would have scraped the ceiling if it hadn’t been elevated above the cubicles.

He stood there, seemingly regarding her, his arms folded behind his back. Audrey wanted to run. She needed to run. But she couldn’t force herself to move.

“We could conquer this place together, you know,” he said, his voice becoming softer. “This world should be ours, not ruled by men who see us only as playthings.”

“I don’t…I don’t want to rule anything,” Audrey managed to force out. “I want to go home. I don’t want to be here! And I don’t want to work with you!”

The Ink Demon tilted his head to the side. “I suppose you wouldn’t, would you? Not when I look like this.” He gestured to himself. “This form is a manifestation of what he made me into, but I suppose it can be…offputting. Let me make myself more presentable.”

As the Ink Demon spoke, his form slowly began to shrink. Ink sloughed off of him, revealing a much more…human form. And as he shrank, the strange guttural tone in his voice faded away until he sounded…normal.

And when it was finished, a man stood before Audrey. He looked utterly ordinary, save for the black sclera in his eyes and the ink tears running down his cheeks.

Audrey couldn’t believe what she was seeing. This couldn’t be real. The Ink Demon couldn’t just be…a man. He looked so normal. Like someone’s dad.

“I guess I should reintroduce myself,” he said, smiling warmly at Audrey. “My name is Henry Stein.”

“Henry…Stein? The…co-founder of Joey Drew Studios?” That couldn’t be right. It couldn’t be.

“Well, not the real Henry,” Henry clarified, his smile becoming more of a snarl. “But a facsimile of him, created for Joey to take all his anger out on.”

Audrey stared at him, eyes wide and mouth hanging open.

“You see, this place was created as Joey’s little torture story,” Henry explained, beginning to walk around Audrey. “A story where he could take out all his frustrations on all the people who wronged him. A story where he could make his best friend suffer for leaving him. Again. And again. And again.” For a brief moment, horns rose from his hair and his voice dipped back into the Ink Demon register. He quickly reverted to “normal” though, continuing to pace and speak.

“I was forced to go through the same story so many times I lost count,” Henry continued, his genial smile returning. “Just because Joey was angry the real Henry left him. And I’m sure you won’t be surprised to hear that I got tired of it pretty quickly.”

“Were you…always the Ink Demon?” Audrey asked. She had so many more questions she wanted to ask, but that was the only one she could ask at the moment.

“Oh, no.” Henry shook his head. “The Ink Demon used to be the force Joey used to torment me. There was a way things went. The Ink Demon chased me, and I ran. We were both shackled to our roles, forced to act out Joey’s story until he got tired of it. But when Wilson took over…” He paused in front of Audrey, meeting her gaze. “Both the Ink Demon and I had a vested interest in standing against him. And since our roles didn’t apply anymore, we decided it would be better to work together.”

“But why are you fighting Wilson?”

“Because he’s a tyrant,” Henry growled, the horns and Ink Demon voice returning. “He’s no better than Joey, trying to force his will onto everything and everyone.”

“He’s not a tyrant!” Audrey insisted.

“How do you know that for sure?” Henry asked, once more looking normal. “How well do you even know him?”

“I…” Audrey faltered. “I just…He can’t be bad!”

She didn’t even know why she was defending him. Maybe because he was the only person she knew here? He was the only person she could think of who might be able to send her home. He…He had to be good. If he was good, she’d be able to go home. She needed to be able to go home.

“And why’s that?” Henry gave a cruel little smile. “He brought you here, didn’t he?”

Audrey’s mouth abruptly snapped shut. Wilson…had brought her here, hadn’t he? He’d been the one to drag her into the ink.

“I don’t know why he brought you here,” Henry said. “But I guarantee, it isn’t for anything good.”

“He…He can’t be bad.” Audrey’s voice was small. “He’s my only way home…”

Henry’s expression softened and he walked forward to cup Audrey’s face in his hands.

“What’s waiting for you out there?” He asked gently. “What do you have to go back to? There’s so much more for you waiting here. We can rule this place together. No one will be able to hurt us ever again!”

Audrey’s tears, which had mostly dried by this point, started up again. She was so tired. She hadn’t even been here all that long and she was already so tired. She just wanted to go home.

“I don’t want to be here,” she whimpered.

“I know it seems scary now, but it could be wonderful!” Henry looked so hopeful and earnest. “No one would be able to hurt us again! We could make things better for everyone too!”

“I just want to go home!” Audrey pushed Henry away from her. “I don’t want to be here! And stop talking like you know me! You don’t know anything about me!”

Henry stumbled back, his back hitting a support beam. He didn’t look angry, as Audrey had expected he might. Instead, he looked sad and disappointed.

“I understand,” he said, hanging his head. “You’re not ready to confront the truth yet.”

“There is no truth!” Audrey yelled. “You don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“Whenever you’re ready, I’ll be here.” Henry stepped back, the ink reforming around him until he was the Ink Demon once more. “We don’t have to be enemies.”

“Of course we do! You’re a monster!”

But the Ink Demon, no, Henry, was already gone, leaving Audrey alone in the office to collect the drawings for the Lost One.

“He doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” Audrey muttered to herself, snatching up a piece of paper.

But deep in her heart…A seed of doubt had been planted. Henry had spoken with such certainty. He’d said that they had both been created by Joey. That they’d both been hurt by Joey. But that couldn’t be right.

Could it?

Chapter Text

Audrey broke the chain holding the door to the GENT headquarters shut, pushing it open. Tentatively, she stepped into the strange little courtyard area in front of the building, which was dotted with discarded cardboard boxes.

The building loomed before her, imposing and ominous. A large sign adorned the front, reading GENT in big blocky letters, lit up by a single spotlight on it. Below the GENT sign was another, seemingly painted in ink. It read, “We are the Keepers.” Lost Ones hung from the ceiling, bags over their heads just like the dead one she’d encountered in Animation Alley.

Audrey couldn’t help but shiver. She didn’t like this place at all. But she needed to keep going.

As she fully entered the courtyard, surveying the area, she was startled back by something leaping down to land before her. She knew before it even landed what it was, her breath catching in her throat.

The Ink Demon.

She stumbled back. She could run if she really had to, but the Ink Demon would catch her, she was sure of it. It was too close for her to outrun and the path back was too cluttered to navigate quickly. This was how she was going to die. She was all but sure of it. She wanted to cry, to scream, to do something, but all she could force herself to do was slowly stumble back.

The Ink Demon rose, letting out a guttural roar as it approached her. It was on all fours, like an animal. Audrey’s back was almost against the door. She could hear her heart hammering in her ears. She almost wished it would speak to her, taunt her as it had before.

The Ink Demon reached for her with one long clawed hand.

Suddenly, the strange coils on either side of the courtyard sparked to life, crackling with colored electricity. Audrey let out a yelp, clutching her head as a stabbing pain lanced through it. It was like someone was driving nails into her skull. She dropped to her knees, one hand still on her head.

The Ink Demon let out a pained screech, stumbling as well. Strange black particles began to float off of it as it too collapsed. The particles began to resemble ribbons, more and more ink evaporating off of the Ink Demon as it began to shrink until…

Audrey’s eyes widened.

There was a man on the ground before her. A man was laying where the Ink Demon had been. A man dressed in a rumpled suit, his blazer open, sleeves rolled up to the elbows, and tie untied. Slowly, he pushed himself up into a kneeling position, looking up at Audrey. Something about him seemed…so familiar. Audrey was sure she’d seen him before, but she couldn’t remember where. He looked like someone’s father, his face kind and careworn. And yet, there was such pain and anger in his eyes.

“You weren’t supposed to see this,” the man said. His voice matched his face, quiet and gentle. 

Audrey couldn’t say anything, her mouth hanging open.

The man gingerly got to his feet, his eyes squinted in pain, then turned and began to limp away. Audrey wanted to grab his arm and demand he tell her what was going on, but the combined shock and splitting headache prevented her from moving, allowing the man to disappear into a puddle of ink by the courtyard wall. 

Even when the coils powered down and the pain in Audrey’s skull abated, she remained frozen, trying to process what she’d just seen.

Just what on Earth was going on?

Chapter Text

The glass of the cell had been shattered.

It was hard for Audrey to tell whether the glass had been shattered inward or outward, but either way…there was a big hole in it. A big hole with ink splattered around it and dripping down into a puddle on the floor, almost obscuring the written label “Subject 414″.

She could feel the emotions in that ink, emotions so strong they made her stumble. Rage, grief, frustration, and pain. So much pain. The feelings crashed into her, almost overwhelming her as she leaned on a wall for support. There were tears welling up in her eyes and her breath had quickened.

It took her a bit to get a hold of herself again, pushing back against the emotions pouring off of the ink until they were barely audible to her. Once she felt stable again, she allowed herself to push off of the wall to inspect the cell.

She could see a singular stool inside, a notebook and pencil set gingerly on top of it. It looked so bare. So…isolating. There wasn’t even a bed. She didn’t know if ink creatures necessarily slept, but laying down was nice, even if you didn’t sleep.

Had they really kept that man here?

It didn’t seem nearly as bad as what the Keepers had done to the Ink Demon, but…still…It seemed pretty awful.

“If you’re looking for Henry, he’s not here.”

Audrey jumped at the sudden voice, turning around.

Behind her, in one of the cells on the ground level, an inky figure sat in a chair, plucking mournfully at a banjo. He looked…different than the Lost Ones Audrey had seen, more solid and defined, but lacked the truly humanoid form of someone like Allison. He had his back to her, but she could see he seemed to be wearing pants and suspenders. His chair sat in the middle of some strange sigil, with candles all around him and a mask on the floor by his feet.

Painted below the glass window was “Subject 418″.

“So he was…here before?” Audrey asked slowly, tentatively approaching the cell and the strange man.

“He was,” the man replied, not bothering to look back at her.

“What happened? Why did he leave?”

“My lord-” The man began, only to tense and shake his head before continuing. “The Ink Demon sought him out. He escaped from those…” He paused, and Audrey almost thought she saw his lip curl in disgust. “Wretched creatures and came here.”

“Did he…know Henry was here?” Audrey pressed a hand against the glass.

“I don’t believe he did. At least, not before he arrived here.” The man plucked a sour note and flinched. “But once he did arrive…Henry was all he was interested in. He didn’t even spare a glance my way.” The man let out a laugh. It was a broken and mournful sound. “All my prayer, all my devotion, and he didn’t even know I was there.”

“You worshiped that thing?” Despite herself, Audrey couldn’t hide the disdain in her voice.

The man was up and slamming a hand against the glass faster than she had thought possible. Despite not having any discernible facial features aside from two glowing golden eyes, Audrey got the distinct feeling that he was furious with her.

“Do not pass judgement upon me, little lamb,” he hissed, nails scratching against the glass. “You know not what it means to live in this place.”

“I’m sorry,” Audrey stumbled back. “I just…I don’t understand. Why the Ink Demon? Why worship him?”

The man stared at her. His expression hadn’t changed (mostly because he wasn’t really capable of making expressions) but his anger seemed to have lessened. Finally, he turned away from her, sitting back down on his chair.

“The Ink Demon is power, little lamb,” he said, beginning to play once more. “He always has been. Is it not natural to seek to appease the powerful?”

“I…guess that makes sense,” Audrey conceded. “Anyway, uh, back to Henry?”

“Back to Henry,” the man hummed.

“So…The Ink Demon came here and…he went to Henry? Why?”

“He saw a kindred spirit in Henry. Both made to suffer at Drew’s hand, both full of pain.” The man let out a little sigh. “And born from that pain was desperation, a desire to make others hurt as they had been hurt.”

Audrey went silent, considering this. Considering what Joey had told her. Technically…None of this was real. The Henry here wasn’t the real Henry. And he…He had to know that. The Ink Demon had to know that. Joey had created them solely to suffer and that had to be…absolutely horrible.

No wonder they wanted others to hurt.

“You’ve gotten very quiet, little lamb,” the man remarked. “Many things to think about, I assume?”

Audrey instinctively hunched her shoulders, wrapping her arms around herself.
“…Something like that.”

“There are many truths you must learn, little lamb,” the man said. “I pray they will not destroy you.”

Audrey blinked, letting her arms drop. For a moment or two, she just stared at the man, utterly baffled by his response.

“What the Hell does that mean?” She finally demanded.

“It means what it means.” The man continued to play as though he hadn’t just said the most ridiculous and cryptic shit.

“Who are you?”

The man stopped his playing, his shoulders tensing for a moment before slumping. “Once upon a time…I was called Sammy Lawrence.”

“Well, it’s…nice to meet you, Sammy. I’m Audrey.” She would have extended her hand to him to shake but, well, y’know, glass.

“It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Miss Audrey.” Sammy didn’t turn around.

Audrey decided it was probably best to get going now. She still needed to find Wilson. Hopefully, he’d be able to send her home.

And…maybe she could find a way to talk to Henry and the Ink Demon. 

She had a feeling they had a lot to talk about.

Chapter Text

Audrey woke up in a black void.

Looking around, she couldn’t see anyone or anything else. She was the only person in this void. The only thing bathed in light while the darkness churned around her. But… how had she gotten here? The last thing she remembered was being consumed by the Ink Demon.

Was this… Was she… dead?

“No. No no no.” She shook her head, pulling at her hair. “I can’t be dead. I can’t! I need to get home!”

After everything she’d gone through, it couldn’t end like this. She had to get home! She’d been through too much to just fail!

“You’re not dead,” a familiar voice said from behind her.

Audrey whirled around, expecting to see the Ink Demon menacing her, or at the very least Henry menacing her while wearing the Ink Demon’s form.

Instead, she saw Henry sitting on the ground, with the dapper little Bendy clinging to his arm. He looked tired. They both did. For once, Henry looked… normal. There was no black sclera, no inky tears running down Henry’s cheeks. Just an exhausted man holding a child-sized demon close to him.

“…Where are we?” Audrey asked.

She didn’t approach them. Nearly every interaction she’d had with the Ink Demon/Henry had been strange and more than a little threatening, and she was pretty sure this interaction was going to be more of the same. She didn’t trust him. She didn’t trust either of them. Whoever Henry had been before, he had clearly been changed by this latest Cycle and his fusion with the Ink Demon. This had to be some kind of trap.

“We’re inside the Ink Demon,” Henry said, patting the Bendy between his horns. “You’re a part of the collective entity now.”

“Because you ate me!” Audrey snapped.

“We integrated your ink into ours,” Henry said, somehow still calm.

“No, you ate me!” Audrey insisted, stalking closer to jab her finger at Henry. “Why?! Why did you do that?!”

“We wanted to give you power,” the little Bendy at Henry’s side answered. His voice made Audrey jump a bit, as it was very disconcerting to hear the low, guttural voice of the Ink Demon coming from such a tiny body.

“We’re tired, Audrey,” Henry said, holding the little Bendy a bit closer. “We want this to end. And we think you can end it.”

“And how does eating me factor into that?” Audrey folded her arms.

“You need to take the End Reel to a projector,” Henry said. “We figured it would be easier to do that with the power of the Ink Demon.”

“The followers of the usurper will try to stop you,” the Ink Demon added. “You could not overcome them as you were. They would overwhelm you.”

“Why couldn’t you just do this yourselves?!” Audrey demanded. “Why rely on me for this?! WHY EAT ME?!”

She was so tired of all of this. She was tired of people saying the weirdest, vaguest shit she’d ever heard and offering absolutely no explanation for any of it. She was tired of weird monsters chasing her and trying to kill her. She was tired of running and hiding. She wanted this to be over. She just wanted to go home. She didn’t want to have to do anything else for anyone. She didn’t ask for any of this. She didn’t ask to be the heir to some kind of weird ink dimension.

Henry watched her as she began to sob, covering her face with her hands. Slowly, he got to his feet, picking up the Ink Demon in one arm before going over and using the other to enfold Audrey in a hug. Audrey hesitated for a moment before collapsing into him, wrapping her arms around and holding tight. The Ink Demon patted her head with one gloved hand.

“I’m sorry you got dragged into this, Audrey,” Henry said, his voice quiet and gentle. “You didn’t deserve any of it.”

“Then help me go home!” Audrey sobbed into his chest. “Let me leave! I don’t want to be here!

"In order to leave, you’ll need to play the Reel,” Henry said. “It’ll send you back to the real world.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that sooner?!” Audrey demanded, beating a fist against Henry’s chest. “Why didn’t you tell me that from the beginning?!”

Henry hesitated, glancing at the Ink Demon. Looks of guilt crossed both of their faces.

“We were…. consumed by our own rage,” the Ink Demon offered. “We only thought of the hurt we wished to inflict on others.”

“Plus, getting the Reel would have been dangerous for you,” Henry added. “But… We came to an understanding with Joey.”

Audrey frowned, pulling away. “An understanding? I thought you hated him.”

“We do,” the Ink Demon growled, his original Ink Demon appearance beginning to peak through as his fingers and teeth sharpened and his horns seemed to grow longer. “I am very displeased with this outcome. I do not believe he will be true to his word. He never has been before.”

“He said he wants to make amends,” Henry explained, reaching over to absentmindedly pat the Ink Demon between the horns, returning him to his small Bendy state. “He said he’d get the Reel from the Pit and bring it here. And then we could send you home.”

“He will double-cross us,” the Ink Demon grumbled.

“If he does…” Henry paused, the sclera of his eyes flashing black for a moment. “We’ll deal with it.”

Audrey sniffled loudly, wiping her nose on the back of her less inky hand. “So I just… need to get the reel to a projector and I can go home?”

Henry nodded. “The Lost Ones will try to stop you but you can handle it now. We’ll help you.”

“Yeah, it was really helpful to eat me,” Audrey muttered. “Whatever. Thanks, I guess.”

“It’s time to wake up,” the Ink Demon said. “There is work to be done.”

And slowly… Audrey’s eyes began to open.

It was time to go home.