The Old Song.

~Eleanor's POV~

"Ellie? Ellie, can you hear me? Wake up!"

I woke up with a small, quiet moan, to the sound of someone telling me to wake up and shaking my shoulders. I found the strength to open my eyes and looked around. My vision was badly blurry. I sat up and rubbed my throbbing head. I rubbed my eyes for a second then blinked a few times. My vision got worse. I started searching the ground of my glasses.

"Oh, hold on. I got them." A familiar voice answered.

I felt a pair of hands put something over my eyes. I blinked and my vision became crisp and clear.

I turned to the owner of the voice and smiled, "Thanks."

The owner of the voice was none other than my younger sister, Samantha. She was looking at me with a worried and scared look on her face.

"What's wrong, Sam?" I asked, "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Sam shook her head, "More like a demon."

I tilted my head in confusion. Then I felt something move behind me. I turned and saw something black moving on the ground. It looked like a black snake with a spearhead-shaped head. I grabbed the item and pulled on it. The moment I pulled on the snake, I felt a sharp pain in my lower back. I gasped and my eyes widened in shock. The snake felt warm and caused me pain.

It wasn't a snake. It was a tail. My tail.

I looked at my hands and saw my hands were covered in black fur and slightly sharp nails. I felt my hair and found two horns sprouting from the sides of my crown. Even my hair has turned ink black.

My eyes widen and Sam put her hands over my shoulders, "D-Don't panic, Ellie. We'll find a way to fix this."

I nodded in agreement and grabbed the axe that was laying beside me, "Well, since we can't go back, I guess there's only one thing to do: Press on. Let's see if we can find a way out."

Sam nodded in agreement and helped me up to my feet. We found a boarded up door, on the other side of the room. I used the axe to chop the wood and opened the door. The door opened to reveal it lead to a flight of stairs, labeled 'Utility Shaft 9'.

At the bottom of the stairs was a wall with more pipes and a small cut-out of Bendy. A couple of bowls, a banjo, lit candles and cans of that bacon soup. Ink was written on the wall.

'He Will Set Us Free'.

"Someone's been using this place like a church." I noticed. I took a look at the candles and checked the flames. "These candles were recently lit." I summarized.

Sam looked at me, "What does that mean?"

"It means we're not alone." I answered.

On the other wall, we found another tape recorder. Curious, Sam pressed the 'play' button. The voice on the recording was different from the ones before.

"He appears in the shadows to rain his sweet blessing upon me. The figure of ink that shines in the darkness. I see you, my savior. I pray you hear me.

Those old songs, yes. I still sing them. For I know you are coming to save me. And I will be swept into your final loving embrace.

But love requires sacrifice.

Can I get an amen?"

With that, the tape finished and the same voice spoke, "I said, can I get an amen?"

Sam and I turned to the direction the voice was coming from, but no one was there. My blood boiled and the heckles on my back and tail raised.

"Sounds like he's acting like some sort of disciple, or martyr." I noted.

"Three guesses for who." Sam replied, crossing her arms.

I shook my head, as my angry calmed, "Come on. We still need to get out of here."

Sam nodded and followed me through the hallway of transmutation circles, Bendy cut-outs and cans of Briar Label bacon soup.

We were crossing through a flooded hallway, Sam and I saw someone walking across the other side. His body was black, and he was wearing overalls similar to Boris. He was mumbling to himself, "Sheep, sheep, sheep. It's time for sleep. Rest your head, it's time for bed."

"Hello! Excuse me! Can you help us? Hello!" Sam shouted, as she marched faster through the ink, pushing past me. She reached the other side and looked a corner, "Where the hell did he go?"

"What happened?" I asked, as I marched to meet her.

"The guy's gone. Like he walked through the wall." She answered.

I got out of the ink and followed her glance. Another transmutation circle and another Bendy cut-out.

"Ooohhh-kaaayyy..." I answered, unsure how to react. Then I shook my head, "We'd better get moving."

Sam shook her head and nodded in agreement. We followed to other side and it lead to a garage door and a switch with three blinking lights.

"We need to get power to this gate somehow." I concluded, "Maybe there's a couple of switches nearby. Then we can open it."

With that, Sam and I split up to find the switches, I found one in the back of the shelves of bacon soup, and another through the flooded hallway and next to a Bendy poster, near the beginning. Sam found the last on the other side of the ventilation system.

Sam and I met up back to the garage door. All three lights were solid. Sam pulled the switch and the door opened to a boarded up hallway. A moan was heard in the hall.

Someone doesn't want us here.

I used the axe to open the doorway and we entered a large room with a banner labeled; 'Music Department.' Decorated with vinyl records, music notes, large ink blots and more pictures of Bendy.

"It's really dark in here." Sam noticed, hugging close to me.

"Stay close and we'll be alright." I assured her.

There was another tape recorder beside the banner. I pressed the play button, and the voice from earlier spoke through the static.

"So first, Joey installs this 'Ink Machine' over our heads. Then it begins to leak. Three times last month, we couldn't even get out of our department because of the ink had flooded the stairwell.

Joey's solution? An ink pump to drain it periodically. Now I have this ugly pump switch right in my office. People in and out all day.

Thanks Joey! Just what I needed.

More distractions.

These stupid cartoon songs don't write themselves, you know."

The tape finished and Sam scratched her head, "That's strange. He sounds perfectly normal in this recording."

I rubbed my chin in thought, "Whatever happened here, it all started with that machine above us. And Mr. Drew treating it like an alter."

Then we returned to our objective, getting out of here. Sam and I turned and found another stairwell, that lead to a door that said 'Exit'. However the stairwell was flooded with ink.

"Looks like the stairwell is flooded." Sam noticed, "If we're gonna get out of here, we need to find a way to drain it."

"Well, the man from the tape said that Mr. Drew installed a pump mechanism down here." I pointed out, "Maybe we can use that."

Sam nodded and looked over and saw that there was a switched on the right-side wall, labeled 'Power'. She flipped the switched and the lights in the Music Department was switched on.

Sam and I returned to the large room, until we were attacked by a bunch of ink creatures. One dropped from the ceiling! They appeared from the large ink blots and charged toward us. I swung the axe at them and they disappeared after one strike. Sam decided to try and punch them out, as I struck them down.

I'm not afraid of a little ink, or get dirty!

Once the room was clear and the atmosphere calmed, a garage door opened and music started playing.

Sam caught her breath and asked, "What the hell were those?"

"I dunno. And I don't wanna find out." I answered.

We ventured through the hallway, the garage door opened to, and it lead to an office. Unfortunately, the door was blocked by an ink flood and a busted pipe. There was a window to see what was inside.

Inside the office was a desk with a radio and a blueprint of sort. On the other side was a switch that was labeled 'Pump Control'. Again, ink was written on the wall.

'It's Time To Believe.'

I nodded, "Well, there's the pump switch, alright. But that's one hell of a leak blocking the door, though. If we could just stop that ink from flowing, maybe we can get in."

Sam nodded in agreement, "Which raises a new, but old question; Where is it?"

I shrugged his shoulders and found another tape recorder of the other side of the leak. I pressed play. This time, it was the same fellow from the first tape we found.

"So I go to get my dust-pan from the hall closet the other day and guess what? I can't find my stupid keys! It's like they disappeared into thin air or something.

All I can think of is that they must have fallen into one of the garbage cans as I was making my rounds last week.

I just hope nobody tells Sammy. Because if he finds out I lost my keys again, I'm outta here!"

I noticed, "This man said that he must've dropped some keys in a garbage can."

Sam shrugged her shoulders, "How does that help us?"

"This entire place is like a big puzzle..." I explained, "Find the keys. Get the code. Use the code and the path becomes clear. You see?"

Sam scratched the back of her head in confusion. Then clarity hit her and she nodded in understanding. I smiled and we split up to look around the area for the keys. I entered the office on the other side of the hallway, and saw something shine in the light.

"I think I found the keys." I informed, as I picked up a pair of keys from the garbage can in the office.

Sam smiled, "And that's why you're the smart one. Now, let's find the next clue."

With that, she and I head back to the Music Director's room. We found a closet on the right and the key unlocked the door. Inside the closet was more bacon soup, bowls of stuff and another tape recorder.

Cautious and curious, I pressed the play button. The Music Director's voice spoke through the static.

"Every artistic person needs a sanctuary. Joey Drew has his and I have mine. To enter, you need only know my favorite song.

The bass fiddle sings with deep articulation.

The drum thunders in triumph.

The banjo playfully plucks.

The violin shudders with a piercing voice.

Sing my song and my sanctuary will open to you."

Sam scratched her head in confusion, "What the hell does that mean? What kind of song is that?"

I rubbed my chin in thought. I gasped as a light bulb went off in my head, "It's not a song. It's a code of sound. The Recording Studio."

I took hold of Sam's hand and dashed out of the hallway, to the Recording Studio. I stopped at the entrance of the recording studio and turned to my younger sister, "Wait here. I'll call you when it's safe to come inside."

Sam scratched her head, but nodded. I ran to the other side of the Music Department room and dashed up the stairs to the projectionist's office. There was another cassette player on the desk. I played the recording and it was another male with a southern accent,

"Every day the same strange thing happens. I'll be up here in my booth, the band will start swinging, and suddenly Sammy Lawrence just comes marching in and shuts the whole thing down. Tells us to all to wait in the hall.

Then I hear him. He starts up my projector, and he dashes from the projector booth and down to the recording studio, like the little devil himself was chasing behind.

Few seconds after, the projector turns off. But Sammy, he doesn't come out for a long time. This man is weird. Crazy weird."

"I have half a mind to talk to Mr. Drew about this. But then again, I have to admit, Mr. Drew has his own peculiarities."

I narrowed my eyes and tilted my head. Something happened to this 'Sammy Lawrence', and it wasn't healthy with this obsession with Bendy. I turned on the projector and called down to the bottom, "Sam! Play the notes!"

Within nanoseconds, Sam quickly entered the Recording Studio and played one note on the instruments in the right order. Bass, drum, banjo and violin. The projector automatically switched off and a garage door opened on the other side of the studio. Sam motioned me to join her. I nodded and jumped down from the Projector Room and into the Recording Studio.

Sam and I entered the sanctuary and found that it was a small office with another transmutation circle, a desk with music sheets, an ink flow valve and more writing on the wall.

'Sing a happy song,

Whistle a merry tune.

Wait for his arrival,

He's coming very soon.'

"Oooohhh-kaaaayyy..." Was all I could say.

Sam walked ahead and reached for the valve. She turned it clockwise and sighed with a smile, "That should do it."

I shook my head, "It's never this easy, Sam. There's another one somewhere in here." I smiled, "Let's try the Infirmary."

Sam nodded in agreement, then we made our way back to the Recording Studio. Of course, a cut-out of Bendy peeked from the corner, startling Sam and myself. We entered the Recording Studio and, from the balcony, next to the projection room, I saw a humanoid ink creature, wearing beige overalls and a Bendy mask, watching Sam and I. My blood boiled and my heckles were up again.

Suddenly, a group of six of the ink creatures, from before, appeared from the floor and attacked us. Sam and I took out the creatures and everything was calm again. Once the blobs were gone and the atmosphere calmed, the door opened and the man was gone.

What was that about?

Sam noticed another cassette player in the corner of a recording booth and pressed play. A female voice spoke this time,

"It may only be my second month working with Joey Drew, but I can already tell I'm going to love it here."

"People really seem to enjoy my Alice Angel voice. Sammy says she maybe as popular as Bendy some day.

These past few weeks I have voiced everything from talking chairs to dancing chickens. But this is the first character I have really felt a connection with. Like she's a part of me.

Alice and I, we're going places."

Sam scratched her head, "So much for that voice actress. I recall that they replaced her." She turned to me, "Did they?"

I nodded, "Yeah, they did. But... Alice was not as popular as Bendy. People barely remember her name."

"That's sad." Sam sighed, lowering her head.

With that, we made our way to Infirmary, which was a left from Mr. Lawrence's office. The Infirmary was covered in ink, but it was harmless ink. We turned to the power switch, but there was was no valve.

Sam frowned, "Oh no, there's no valve. Where did it go?"

I looked around and saw a stairway that lead to 'Utility Shaft 9'. My ears perked up, as I heard movement from down the path. I pulled the switch and grabbed Sam's hand, as I lead him down the stairs, to the utility shaft. The door opened to reveal another message on the wall,

'Down here, we're all sinners!'

Sam and I entered the shaft and walked through the system. Behind boarded up part of the system, there was another one of those ink creatures. But this one was different. It was a little bit bigger, wearing a hat, and it was carrying the valve that we needed. The creature looked at me and Sam and was about to sink into the ink.

"Wait, wait, wait. Don't go. We're not going to harm you." I told the creature.

As if it understood me, the creature rose from the ink and looked at me. I gave the creature a small gentle smile and knelt to its level.

"If it's okay, my sister and I would like to have that valve you're holding." I told the creature.

The creature looked at Sam, then at me, then the valve in its hand. It looked at me again, and handed the valve to me.

I took the valve and smiled, "Thank you."

The creature returned into the ink. I turned to Sam, who looked at me with shocked, wide eyes.

I shrugged, "What? It helps to be nice and polite. That way no-one gets hurt."

Sam blinked and smiled at me, "You're too nice for your own good, Ellie."

I smiled back. With that, Sam and I returned to the Infirmary and returned the valve back to its rightful place. Sam turned the valve clockwise and smiled, "Okay, that should do it."

Sam and I returned upstairs and continued toward Mr. Lawrence's office. The ink puddle was gone and the pipe stopped leaking, so we can enter. Sam wasted no time to look around and pulled the switch of the Pump Control.

With that, we left the office and made our way back to the stairway. However, the heckles on my back and tail rose.

Sam noticed and asked me, "What's wrong?"

"Something doesn't feel right." I answered, "I'll go out first."

She nodded in agreement and I exit the hallway. Once I took my first step, I felt something blunt and metallic hit me at the back of my head. I collapsed on the floor, as my body went numb. I turned my head to see the man from the balcony holding a metal dustpan.

"Rest your head. It's time for bed." He told me as my vision faded to darkness.

When I regained feeling in my body, I couldn't move my arms or legs. I opened my eyes and saw the man, that hit me, standing in front of me.

"There we go. Nice and tight. We wouldn't want our sheep roaming away now, would we?" He spoke in a smile, as he held my axe.

His voice. Mr. Sammy Lawrence? What happened to him?

He shook his head, "No. We wouldn't." Then he smiled, "I must admit I am honored you came all the way down here to visit me."

I tried to move, but I found myself tied to a chair and sitting on another transmutation circle. Oh no...

"It almost makes what I'm about to do seem... Cruel." Mr. Lawrence finished, as he turned to put the axe down close-by.

"You're making me some sort of sacrificial sheep to someone?" I asked.

"Indeed. For Him. For Bendy." He answered with a nod.

"Bendy?" I repeated.

"But the believers must honor their savior." He told me, "I must have him notice me." Then he took a proper look at me, "Wait. You look familiar to me... That face..." He leaned closer to me.

"I'm not-" "No." Mr. Lawrence cut me off, "For our lord is calling to us, my little sheep. The time for sacrifice is at hand. And then, I will be free from this... Prison... This inky... Dark... Abyss I call a body."

I raised a brow at the man before me. I was about to say something, but then there was a sound of metal moaning and wood creaking.

"Shhh... Quiet! Listen!" He told me, as the sounds grew louder, closer, "I can hear him. Crawling above. Crawling!" He looked at me, "Let us begin. The ritual must be completed. Soon, he will hear me... He will set us free."

With that, he walked off into a room on my left. Wait. Ritual? Completed?

I struggled free and shouted, "Mr. Lawrence! Wait! You're making a huge mistake! Bendy won't free you! Don't be a fool!"

But the door was closed and Mr. Lawrence's voice spoke from the speakers in front of me, "Sheep, sheep, sheep. It's time for sleep. Rest your head. It's time for bed. In the morning, you may wake. Or in the morning, you may be dead."

The garage door opened to a hallway.

Mr. Lawrence continued through the speakers, "Hear me, Bendy! Arise from the darkness! Arise and claim my offering! Free me! I beg you!"

I gasped as my body pulsed with the same surge of pain that I blacked out from before. I gritted my teeth as the pain intensified and my body started changing some more. My body grew taller and more slender. My tail grew longer. My teeth snapped and grew into fangs. My eyes grew bigger. My nails grew longer and my horns grew. My entire body was on fire.

I looked ahead and saw my younger sister grabbing the axe and using it to cut the ropes.

"Sammy..." I was able to whisper.

"Hang on, Ellie. I'll get you out." She told me.

"I summon you, ink demon!" Mr. Lawrence cried through the speakers, "Show your face and take this tender sheep!" There was a loud roar and Lawrence screamed, "No! My Lord! Stay back! I am your prophet!"

Another roar and Mr. Lawrence screamed. Sam got me free and picked me up, bridal style. She dashed into the hallway, Sam using the axe to clear the path, however she ended up breaking the axe.

"Dammit!" Sam cursed, then she looked ahead, to the flooded room to the exit, "Hang on, Ellie. We're almost out."

We approached the flooded room, but the entity appeared from the ink.

"Bendy..." I whispered.

Sam turned and ran down the other hallway on our right. The entity chased after us.

"EleANoR!"

We continued running down the hallway. A door opened, leading to a room with shelves full of Bendy plushes. We ran into the room, the door closed and a bar lowered, locking the door. The entity banged against the door and roared, but eventually left us alone. Sam caught her breath, once we felt we were safe. She put me down and I sat on my knees.

Sam knelt to my level, "Ellie, you okay? Are you hurt?"

"My body feels like it's on fire. But other than that, I think I'm okay." I answered, "I guess Mr. Lawrence got his wish." I sighed, "He was free from his 'prison'."

"Sammy wasn't himself." Sam told me, "That was just what was left of him."

She helped my to my feet and we continued through the hallway. There was a door with a sign 'Lift' beside it. A can of soup rolled by us from the corner.

"Hello? Someone there?" Sam called, "I know you're in here. Come out and show yourself."

To our surprise, a familiar person emerged from the corner. Someone we both saw dead on an operating table.

"Boris?"