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Joey raced through the decrepit hallways, searching for an exit only to be stopped by a dead end.
No. No, no, NO! This couldn’t be right! He knew these halls like the back of his hand. This should have led to the emergency exit, not this!
Instead of a pathway to safety, two closed doors stood mocking him, one on his left, one on his right. He reached towards left door and grasped the old doorknob, pushing it open to reveal a dimly lit room, bare of anything except for a writing desk covered with old, used sheets of paper. He turned to his right, about to check the other door when he heard the sound of dripping ink behind him.
Out of time and out of his mind he sprinted through the already-open door and slammed it closed. Running towards the writing desk he scrambled to the other side and shoved it towards the door with all the strength his adrenaline filled body could muster. The drawings flew off the desk and scattered across the floor as he pushed it towards the door. He barricaded it against the door and stepped back. He pulled out his master key and inserted into the keyhole, twisting it to lock the door. Pulling further back, he watched in utter terror as a shadow briefly flickered and came to a stop at the bottom of the door. Joey held his breath, afraid any sound, however minute, would betray his location.
The doorknob jiggled as whatever force on the other side of the door attempted to open it and ceased when it discovered the door was locked. The shadow paused and moved away. Joey listened and half-heaved a sigh of relief as he heard the sound of the other door being opened and closed.
Suddenly ink began pouring under the crack of the door. He cried out and backed up until he hit the back wall furthest from the door. Joey had no other choice but to watch in horror as the puddle grew until a dripping hand reached out and smacked against the floor in a splatter of ink. The hand was then followed by two curved points that could almost have been horns. The horns were attached to a black head with a face that made Joey shudder when he saw it. What used to be a white face with old-style cartoon eyes and a bright grin was now half-covered in dripping black ink, causing those wonder-filled eyes to disappear. The grin still remained, but it was dead, devoid of any the cheer or joy it once held.
Joey tried to step back but with a soft bump his heel was once again met by the wall behind him.
At the sound the head whipped towards him, staring him down without eyes. The grin seemed to widen as the thing began to pull the rest of its body out of the ever-growing pool of ink. The single lightbulb began to flicker as it took the vague shape of a human, and began to step forwards, ever-smiling as it slowly advanced on Joey, leaving a trail of ink behind it.
The movement jolted Joey out of his horrified stupor and in last-second desperation he began to plead with it.
“Bendy, buddy, please you’ve got to calm down.” Joey entreated in the most charismatic voice he could muster, followed by a weak and terrified smile. “There’s no need for violence.”
The creature stopped in its advance, possibly shocked that Joey had the nerve and the ability to speak to it.
Encouraged, but still fearful, Joey took a single step forward, stretching his hands towards it imploringly.“Just hear me out, please, before you do anything you might regret.”
The thing stayed paused, then cocked its head slightly to the side, as if taking his words into consideration. It straightened its head and continued to stare at Joey without moving forward, the sound of ink dripping from its body filling the space between them.
Taking that as another sign of encouragement, Joey took another step forward, his phony smile gaining strength. “Listen bud, I know you must be mad about your body-”
With that, the creature began its advance again, and Joey panicked, backing straight back into the wall, all of his bravado gone in an instant and replaced by mortal terror.
“Please, nO PLEASE WAIT I’M SORRY!” He closed his eyes and shoved his arms out in front of him as if he could stop his impending death with that motion. When said death didn’t occur, he opened his eyes to see the creature bending down to pick up one of the scattered papers on the floor, taking utmost care not to drip any ink on it.
Taking advantage of its distraction and this time without feigning confidence Joey clasped his hands together and continued his plea. “If you kill me, I won’t be able to fix you.” He stared at the monster, trying to see anything in that dead smile that might lead to his salvation. “I can try again, I can make you better, I can give you a real body!”
Joey was caught completely off guard when the thing let out a sharp laugh, looking up from the paper in its hand. It stared at him again, its smile no longer dead but seemingly filled with genuine amusement.
“Frankly, Joey, old chap,” Bendy began with a grin, pulling a lit cigar out of seemingly no-where with his other hand as Joey stared at him in astonishment. “I don’t give a damn about what I look like.” Bringing the cigar to his mouth he took a deep breath and exhaled smoke, looking down at the paper as the ink from his hand slowly stained the corner and began to spread. “Hell, I don’t give a damn about any of the things you did to me.” He tried to take another puff from the cigar but was interrupted by a glob of ink as it dripped down from his forehead and doused the cigar, putting it out. He looked at the cigar with disappointment, then uncaringly dropped it to the floor, returning his attention the the paper in his hand. “There’s really only one thing I care about.”
Bendy’s broad smile began to flatten, then bend upside down as he stared down at the darkening sheet of paper in his dripping hand. Bendy dropped the paper and let it drift to the floor. Joey managed to catch a glimpse of the tall lanky character scratched onto the page before Bendy stepped on it, ruining the sketch and covering it with ink.
“You killed Boris.”