Damien Smith stared at the computer screen in front of him with a zombie-like expression. His posture was slouched over and he held his mouse and keyboard with a loose grip. To put it simply, he was exhausted. He hadn't expected to be up until 2 A.M. on a Wednesday night, but here he was. He was playing Bendy and the Ink Machine and was nearing the end of the final chapter, struggling to beat Beast Bendy in the final level. Normally, it wouldn't be this hard for him to complete the level and move on. But that was before being put through 4 hours of non-stop gameplay and working a 10-hour shift on top of it.
He sighed tiredly and shook his head to keep his eyelids from closing. He hated his job and he hated his stupid boss who seemed to be dead-set on making Damien "work 'till he dropped". The money was the only thing that kept him coming back. Still, he dreaded going to sleep and waking up just to work another long shift. So he stayed awake, ignoring the fact that lack of sleep would kill him in the morning, and played a game in hopes that he could distract himself from the inevitable.
Like most people, Damien found Bendy from YouTube. He watched all his favorite YouTubers' reactions to the first chapter, completely amazed by the art style and fully invested with the story. He bought the game shortly thereafter and followed the game's progression closely as each chapter was made, trying to piece together the storyline along with the rest of the fanbase. Once the final chapter was released, he put all his efforts and countless hours into finding all the secrets of the game. Now it was just a game that he could turn on and speedrun when he was bored, or in this case, restless.
He took another swig of his half-empty soda, mindlessly sliding it back onto his desk. He walked down the last hallway in the ink machine's labyrinth and saw the inky throne come into view. Clicking the projector started the cutscene Damien was very familiar with.
His screen turned to see Bendy reaching out to grab him, only to be cut off by the projector's light on the screen. He smiled as the cutscene played out, feeling a small bit of triumph for his accomplishment. He watched as Bendy began to fade out and a white light began to overtake everything. Damien frowned. All good things must come to an end, he thought bitterly. He sighed again, this time with disappointment. "Almost time for bed," he mumbled to himself. The screen faded back into the world of color and a familiar tune was being whistled close-by.
He pressed the "w" key lazily and moved forward, ignoring the surroundings that he had seen a hundred times before. He entered the kitchen and watched as his screen began to turn to the left. Joey Drew stood leaned over a sink, facing a window to the outside world.. Damien sat back in his chair with his head leaned back. He stared blankly at the ceiling that was illuminated by the screen.
"Henry. So soon? I didn't expect you for another hour yet. Now you're just trying to impress me," Joey began. Damien leaned forward, not bothering to fix his posture. "But I know, I know…you have questions. You always do! But the important question is this..." Same thing, different day… Damien moved to press the power button on his computer, uninterested in listening to the same dialogue he had heard plenty of times.
"Why are you still here?"
Damien stopped. The voice, the words that he had heard so many times before, suddenly didn't sound the same. He looked up at the screen in confusion.
Joey had already turned around. He stood straight ahead instead of hunched over like he was no longer struggling to stand. His eyes were full of life and his mouth was a jovial, if not a little mischievous, smile. He no longer looked like an old defeated man. Instead, he looked like younger Joey, or what Damien imagined he looked like anyway. This can't be real. Damien blinked as if it would end the illusion.
"Your determination is undeniable, I'll give you that. But I just don't understand how someone can just keep coming back to the same thing over and over." He moved his hands while he talked, showing off some energy Damien never knew he had. "Me, personally… I like to move on to the next big thing. I crave the change; the evolution…" Even the way he talked was different. It was less raspy and laced with confidence. Just like younger Joey.
"And I think you do, too." His eyes were staring at him now: at Damien.
"Why don't you head on down to the old workshop." He pointed off to his left, his smile widening. "There's something I think you'll want to see."
The screen turned away from Joey and turned to the door leading to the studio. Damien was, without realizing it, literally on the edge of his seat. He didn't blink, not wanting to miss anything. The door began to open and Damien gasped-
The screen cut to black. He stared blankly for a few seconds; unable to process what had just happened. When it finally registered what had happened, he felt himself go completely limp in his chair. Did the game crash? The thought made him want to press every button to try and stop it, but he also didn't want to mess anything up in case his tampering would ruin his progress.
So he waited. A few seconds passed in the darkness. Then a few more. He felt anger rise in his chest. He let it fester inside him until he was boiling. "SON OF A-!"
Something flashed on the screen and Damien ceased immediately. His eyes scanned the words on the screen several times, making sure he had read them correctly each time.
Congratulations! You have unlocked bonus content in the Archives!
At first, he thought the game had glitched his save file and reset his playthrough. However, reading it through multiple times revealed something else.
"Bonus content in the archives..." Damien's mouth had dropped open. He blinked multiple times, afraid the words would disappear like a mirage. He wanted to pump his fists in the air and shout his excitement from the top of his lungs. But he had a feeling his neighbors wouldn't like that. So instead, he chugged the rest of his soda in a few gulps and finished with a satisfied sigh. For the first time in weeks- months, even... something was new.
He wasted no time exiting to the menu and opening the chapter select. He clicked the archives icon and watched the loading screen pop up. He sat back in his chair and watched the bendy cut-out blink in the corner. He sat there for a few minutes, waiting patiently for the game to load. Jeez, this thing is taking forever.
The longer he watched the bendy in the corner blink, the heavier his eyes became. Like a trance, his eyes glazed over and his eyelids fell up and down repeatedly. Finally, his eyes closed.
A loud crash shook him awake. He lifted himself from a hunched position and winced in pain. When did my bed get so hard? My back is killing me... He tried opening his eyes. His vision was a bright haze that blinded him. A low rumble sounded around him. It sounded like hundreds of footsteps at the same time. Who the hell is making all that noise? I've got a killer headache...He tried opening his eyes again.
He suddenly felt a hand reach down, grab the collar of his shirt, and with no hesitation lift him into the air. His body went limp like a ragdoll for a moment before he recognized he was being choked and his reflexes kicked in. In a panic, he pounded on the grip that held him captive. With now wide eyes, he looked down from the position he was in.
Two long arms and legs, a pair of overalls, a set of boots, a gloved hand holding an ax, a pair of floppy ears, a protruding muzzle, and furrowed brow shadowing a pair of pie cut eyes. One look and Damien knew exactly who this was.
"B-Boris?" he managed to squeak out.
Boris dropped him on the ground and he landed with a thud on his back. He watched as Boris shifted the ax from his gloved hand to his other one. The one made of metal.
"No, no, no..." The realization hit Damien fast as Boris raised the ax high in the air and swung down.
"TOM, NO!"
(A/N: Hey, everyone! TU365 here! I hope you enjoyed my first chapter of A Night in the Archives [or ANITA as I'm going to call it]. I've had this idea for a really long time and I've wanted to write it but didn't really know how. Honestly, I still don't and that's why there's going to be a lot of improvisions from here on. Hope that doesn't bother too many people.
So anyway, if you like the story or have any questions, be sure to leave a comment and I'll respond as soon as I can. Also, be sure to follow the story to keep you updated on future chapters. Stay AWESOME! BYE!)