Inked in Mystery
Chapter 11: Bendy's true story
WARNING! This chapter may contain some shocking scenes. I know those are Toons but I prefer warn in case of sensitive souls.
After several hours discussing (Boris explaining to Pandora that he was not quite dead), Dolores had closed the bar and Bendy and the children had fallen asleep. The little ones slept tightly together, using Casper's blanket, and Bendy rolled into the fetal position on Henry's lap, one hand holding the animator's shirt.
When her younger sister realizes it, she begins to chirp with joy.
« Awww! He is so cute ! »
The human looks down at him and smiles. He takes him right in his arms like a child and cradles him quietly.
« Could I ask you a few questions? » Eddie asks Henry.
« About what ? »
« About the studio, the director, all that. There is too much unclear behind all that. »
Henry's eyes darken and he looks down at the sleeping demon.
« I think the best thing would be to talk with him. » the former animator responds.
« It's getting late. » Dolorès intervenes by finishing putting away her glasses. « If you allow, we'll talk about it tomorrow. »
« You're right, Dolorès. Listen to Henry, since you have just found Bendy and it is dangerous for him to come out for the moment, I will ask you to stay here for this night. That way, you will be able to reassure him if he is afraid and you will be able to watch the mosquitoes. » Eddie suggests showing the kids.
« I see. » Henry smiled. « There is no problem. »
Dolorès and Eddie leave the secret room where the Toons hide, leaving Henry to lie on the floor, putting Bendy on his lap. But as soon as he does that, Pandora jumps not far from his brother and snuggles against him to sleep smiling. It was like two cats sleeping in a ball one nestled against the other.
« Don't be shy especially. » Henry laughed ironically as he now served them as mattresses.
But as the little devils are too cute and by living with Pandora, he had become used to seeing the girl having this kind of reaction, he said nothing. Boris, on the other hand, lies down and huddled behind Henry, curling up a bit to allow the animator to rest his head against him (which surprised the Human who didn't expect the soul of the Wolf can have that kind of sensations), then close his eyes for the night with his old friend.
The other souls also rested except for Pepé who is looking towards ToonTown, thinking that this creature was still there, and Gods alone knew what this horrible thing was capable of. The skunk looks up to the full moon and thinks of his dear Penelope. He hadn't dared to see her again in this form of fear that she would reject him.
I sense there's something in the wind
That feels like tragedy's at hand
And though I'd like to stand by her
Can't shake this feeling that I have
The worst is just around the bend
Sighing, the skunk crosses the wall and goes perched on the roof to better observe the star, thinking about Penelope and the many evenings they spent under the moon, the very amorous cat and the skunk amazed by her beautiful eyes that shone like diamonds under the lunar light.
And does she notice my feelings for her?
And will she see how much she means to me?
I think it's not to be
Pepé feels tears in his eyes. His worst nightmare was becoming reality: he was separated from the one he loved by a monster and now he had lost everything. His companion, his friends, his life ...
Under a tree at quarter three, I had some hope in me
But life was taken from me, but I did not feel peace
I made a vow within my own that love will come to me
but then she is and suddenly I had been found
I adore her!
Penelope invaded his head, making him cry tears. This wish under the moon, it was something he had heard from his elders the first time he went to ToonTown after meeting the previous females he was chasing. Bugs had reassured him as a friend, a big brother, and had told him that by making a wish to the moon, he could have what he wants. Shortly after, Penelope was created. From then on, they had been a couple.
Wiping his tears, he stands up and advances on the roof.
What will become of my dear friend
Where will this actions lead us then?
Although I'd like to join the crowd
In their enthusiastic cloud
Try as I may, it doesn't last
His body trembles with grief. He feels that his heart is tightening but his heart is no longer in his chest. Sniffing, he stares at the sky, seeing his first encounter with Penelope, scenes they were playing together and their evenings 'en tête-à-tête'. How is it possible for a Toon to suffer as much? At this moment, Bendy and Boris seem like heroes to him. For thirty years, they suffered like him, one with one heart and the other without.
What is this, a painful twist, is this a bitter kiss?
There's so much life left in her eyes, it should not end like this
My dreams were slain, my face was stained with memories of my pain
But peace still came, I'll give her the same, I will be okay….
Smiling, feeling as if his heart was beating again, he feels better, feeling like a hope even if he knows that it's tiny.
And will we ever end up together?
No, I think not, it's never to become
For I am not the one
Even if hope in his ''heart'' remains, his reason tells him that it will be very difficult for him to relive and find his sweet Penelope. Smiling, he looks up at the moon, hoping everything will work out.
At ToonTown, sleep comes slowly after all the hustle and bustle of the wasted Halloween party. They fell asleep knowing that night watchmen had been placed at each entrance and exit of ToonTown in case Bendy tried to return. Grief had weakened Penelope, who had taken refuge in her sleep, her tears still running down her cheeks.
But only the families of the ''corrupt'' children remain awake, too concerned about the fate that this demon could have for their little ones. Roger was pacing and mumbling, SourPuss caressing Gandy's feathers, the goose crying silently, unlike Jeckle, who is crying loudly in the arms of his husband. Although their tears were exhausting, they would stay up all night if necessary, waiting for news of their children, hoping maybe to see them back in the night after escaping the demon.
Bendy moaned, stirring in his sleep. Suddenly, he feels something sticky on his hand. Intrigued, he opens his eyes... and he sees ink. Horrified because it isn't his, he stands up screaming and moves away as far as possible. Suddenly, a tall figure appears in front of him ... and the dancing demon shakes while recognizing him.
« Joey? » he's horrified.
The Human approaches him, his eyes shining red and smiling like the Devil himself ... or like that perverse priest of the novel Notre-Dame de Paris that Boris had read once. Bendy feels the fear invade him and the strange energy invades him like at Halloween or at the SillyVision disaster. He walks away as fast as he can when, to his horror, Joey begins to melt, becoming black and looking like a being of ink. Panic invades even more Bendy seeing this despicable hand approaching him (black drool coming out of the mouth of the Human). He fled as fast as he can when he freezes in horror at seeing the bodies of his friends, all heartless!
« AIDEN! KEFFAN! CANDICE! PANDORA! HENRY! » he panicked.
He restrains himself from screaming as he feels the fear and tears flood over him and turns around to see that Joey has disappeared to make room for a horrible, fat demon that look a lot like him, limping because of a twisted leg. Joey's voice chuckles in the air and Inky monsters emerge from the ground, maddening the dancing demon, when he feels a sharp pain in his arm. Lowering his eyes, the demon froze at the sight of his arm, which seems to be boiling before swelling, using much of the excess ink that composes him. His other arm suddenly starts to act the same way, making him panic. It had happened once and, to his horror, he knows what that means.
« No ! No no no ! No, stop! » he fumbles, trying to chase the ink out of his arms. « I don't want to become a demon! STOP ! NO ! LET ME ! » he shouts as he feels his body acting the way his reason vanishes, engulfed by fear and hatred.
Bendy stands up screaming, horrified and dripping galore, making everyone around him jump.
« Bendy? Are you okay ? » Boris worries about joining, putting his transparent hands on the demon's shoulders.
Bendy raises his eyes filled with tears towards him... before sobbing uncontrollably. As Henry have finishes redrawing his wounded face, Pandora runs to hug his brother.
« Awww, my Bendou. It's useless to cry. Look at all your friends! You have lost a lot but you have found as much now. »
The eldest of the little devils looks around to see the souls of the victims of the monster who smile at him, just like the children. None of them had left. They were all there, with him, to support him. Henry approaches with a smile. Bendy hardly notices him jumping around his neck crying like a child. The human pats his back and squeezes him gently.
« All right, Bendy. We are here now. We are all here for you. You never squeezed alone again. » the animator promises by wiping the big tears inks of his darling devil.
Despite the flashes of his nightmare that mingle with memories of the SillyVision disaster, Bendy calms down and ends up smiling by listening to the heart of his creator.
A little later, Dolorès arrives to open the bar but, first and foremost, she wants to check how her 'guests' are doing. She sees Henry shirtless under his overalls cleaning brushes and ink stains on his shirt with a little thinner he still has on him (old animator's reflex).
« Everything went well ? » she asks, coming closer, drawing the brown man's attention.
« Of course. » the fifties smiled before showing his hands full of ink. « Just a nightmare in the morning. But Bendy is calm nom. You can bring your customers without problems, Dolorès ... if I can call you like that. »
« Eddie isn't jealous and everyone calls me by my first name. » the owner reassures.
Henry smiles and, finishing washing his hands and putting away his clean brushes, he asks:
« When will Eddie come to question Bendy? I would have to prepare it before otherwise... he could do like this morning. »
As proof, he shows his shirt where big ink stains are still visible despite the thinner. The Human nods, understanding.
« It shouldn't be long. This story has been working on it for months! His desk is as tidy as 47! »
Even if Henry doesn't understand the hint, he suspects it means ''not very orderly''.
Eddie arrives at the bar a little later, knowing that there are only regulars as rare customers in the morning. They would be quiet to talk. Upon entering, he finds the little troop installed near the bar on which Bendy happily dances on a classic tune. Seeing the so-called demon spinning like a ballerina without tutu, the detective refrains from giggling. It was this little effeminate guy who was terrorizing the entire city of Toons?
« Even Bugs do that kind of gag. » he mumbled with a small smile as he stepped forward.
He sits next to them (not being strangled by Candice's hug) and waits for the dancing demon to finish his little dance. As soon as the music stops, Bendy bows to the applause and laughter of the guests before noticing Valiant. He bows one last time and runs to join his friends while Dolorès continues to serve his customers.
« I'm glad you're fine, Bendy. » the detective smiles even if the little devil looks away, still not reassured by the Human. « But I have to ask you a few questions to better understand what's going on. »
« You open an investigation, Uncle Eddie? » Candice chirps with a look that reminds her father's to her godfather.
« Candice, it's been weeks since he opened an investigation! » Keffan sighs. « Since the day you met Bendy. »
« Really? First news... » the rabgirl mumbles thinking.
« Henry, when did you start working at SillyVision? » Eddie questions without considering the children who continue to explain themselves to each other.
Henry smiled, caressing Bendy's little head, catching the demon's gaze. Turning to others, he says:
« I think everyone will understand better if we take up the story from the beginning. »
At the mention of a story, the children are silent and everyone settles to hear, Aiden perched on the head of Keffan who is carefully sitting on the chair while Candice is standing and head carefully held in her hands, elbows on the table. Casper, on the other hand, settles on a shelf not too far (his ghostly body passing through the different objects) and the souls listen without releasing their duty of surveillance.
Smiling at the impatient little faces of the children, the animator begins:
« It started in 1920, when the Toons were just starting to become famous. At the time, Joey and I were friends and young people. I was 15 years old and he was 20. When we started the animation watching the success of cartoons, people thought we were crazy to get into it as young and that's what we have given the name ''SillyVision''. Boris is the first character I drew and who was 'born' in the studio. »
The wolf blushes a little with a small smile before circling his arms around the neck of his demon who looks up at him before enjoying the embrace even if it isn't so warm from before. Henry watches with a small smile before continuing.
« We did little cartoons until in 1925, Joey decided to make a mascot who would become the star of our studio and our cartoons. And ... how to say? ... his conditions for creating the character were very ... weird! »
June 1925:
Joey Drew had gathered all his animators to talk about his new project: a mascot for their studio! A little star who would become the face of SillyVision! Except Henry, then 20, is surprised by the conditions.
« Excuse me !? » one of the oldest animators is indignant (to Henry's right).
« You understood me very well! » the young director responds standing upright and straightening his glasses. « This mascot must be an evil creature! »
« But how are we supposed to seduce the public with an evil being? » another gets angry.
« You are the animators! Look Henry! » he says, pointing to his young friend. « He managed to get us started with a wolf! And it's not the sweetest animal we can find! »
« And why Boris can't be the mascot? » Henry asks. « After all, this is our first character and... »
« IT WON'T WORK ! » Joey screams, punching the table.
All are frozen by the explosion of anger of the young man ... but it calms and stands up.
« I want a creature known to be evil! » he insists, straightening his glasses. « Offer me your drawings, gentlemen! I would choose our mascot in two months! »
2 months later, in August:
Henry is at his desk, always thinking about the future character. He had tried everything: vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and so on... but none pleased him. Sighing, he puts down his pencil and mumbles. Boris is quietly reading when he hears his creator get upset.
« Are you all right, Henry? » he worries closing his book.
The Human turns to his character and smiles at him.
« I'm fine, Boris. It's just Joey and his new mascot. He wants an evil creature, but at the same time he must be able to please... »
Henry sighs again as the wolf watches the white sheet while thinking.
« What if you tried with a devil? » Boris proposes.
The young animator freezes and stands up suddenly. He looks at the page and thinks.
« A devil ? »
« Yes, but a little not to scare the children. » the Toon responds while watching his animator.
Henry is frozen ... then he smiles and jumps around the neck of his drawn friend.
« You're a genius, Boris ! » the young man exclaims.
Boris smiles and, as soon as the Human has let go, he goes away to read elsewhere, leaving the young man to finish his sketch he starts with a big smile.
A few hours later, all the animators are gathered in the room and present their character ranging from a bloody vampire to the blind zombie through the fearful ghost and the vegetarian werewolf ... but Joey like none. The young director grumbles while reading his book ''The Illusion of Living'' and notes in a small notebook. Furious, he begins to rage:
« BUT YOU ARE A REAL STRIP OF BROKEN ARMS!? I'm just asking you for an evil creature! Not a bunch of failed monsters! »
The animators nervously put away their drawings... except Henry who finishes scribbling.
« I just finished, Joey! » he exclaims, sliding his pencil behind his ear.
Joey looks at him with a jaded air... then sighs. With a gesture of hand, he allows his friend to present his character. Smiling like a child, Henry stands in front of everyone and hangs his drawing on the board. When he departs, all are surprised. The drawing depicts a small figure with horns on his round head (head that seems floated above his body and adorned with a broad smile), a long tail with a tip at the end (tip vaguely reminiscent of a heart) and hooves on the feet. A devil! And all around, accessories are drawn like a bowtie and white gloves and black shoes. A name is even written under the picture: Bendy!
« Gentlemen, I present to you Bendy, the Dancing Demon! » Henry happily presents with a big smile.
The other animators look at each other and chatter, wondering if this little round and likeable character could really be the evil being that Joey is looking for. The young director observes the drawing without any particular expression then puts down his book, gets up with his notebook in hand and goes to the drawing, disturbing a little Henry. His friend stays there watching the drawing and then observes his notebook. Pulling a pen out of his pocket, he starts ticking things and a smile begins to appear. Observing the drawing one last time, he reads his notebook again ... then nods, smiling.
« Perfect ! » he says, astonishing the others. « As always, Henry, you found the perfect character! And that name, Bendy, is nice. It will please the audience! We start the projection on the matrix womb immediately! » Joey ordered out of the office, closing his notebook after picking up his book.
The other animators resumed their drawings grumbling and leaving Henry alone. The young animator remains neutral a few moments then, as he is alone, he bursts out laughing and screams with joy. But before he has time to start a dance of joy, Joey returns to the office.
« Henry! We're waiting for you and Bendy to start his creation! » the young director smiled.
The young man nods and retrieves the drawing. Following his friend, he smiles at the drawing.
« We're going to have a great adventure, Bendy! »
November 1959:
« What is the matrix womb? » Aiden wonders.
Candice and Keffan also seem lost. Bendy and Boris are a little surprised that the two Toons don't know what the matrix womb is ... but Casper explains:
« Aiden and Candice are Toons-born. They are born from an egg or a mother and not from the matrix womb like us. »
Henry smiles, shaking his head and calmly explains:
« The matrix womb is a very old, very thick special screen that serves as a 'pocket' for the development of a Toon, much like the belly of a mother. Each studio has a matrix womb and by force to project drawings on it, it becomes magic. The Toon's prototype or final drawings are projected several times on this screen and, as the Toon is formed, it is formed between the layers of the matrix womb, getting closer and closer to the real world. When it is finally near, the Toon moves to try to go out and we open the matrix womb to allow it to ''be born''. The first days, we are with a Toon in its final form but with baby behavior. »
Bendy frowns and pulls out his animator, feeling that comment was mostly for him. Boris bursts out laughing, remembering Bendy's early days.
« You were there at the birth of Bendy? » Candice smiled.
Henry smiles ... but at the same time, he seems saddened. He nods and says:
« Bendy was born 2 months later, on Halloween. Normally, he should have been born around mid-November but ... I should have noticed that Joey was weird right now. »
October 31, 1925:
Henry enters the office of the matrix womb with Boris smiling. The huge screen still fascinated the Human and the Wolf Toon saw this for the first time since his own birth. The young man greets the projectionist who responds with a big smile and a nod before approaching the screen. A movement is perceptible across the canvas and, marveling, Henry puts his hand on it to feel the Toon moved. He is surprised to feel the shape of the Toon more precisely but he doesn't move more. Intrigued, he turns to the projectionist.
« Hey, Tom! Something happened during a screening? » the young man asks as the wolf approaches, too curious to be able to feel his younger brother move.
« No, nothing special. » The other employee answers. « Mr. Drew simply asked me to project the image on the matrix womb more often and longer. »
« What!? » the animator suffocates.
« What is happening ? » a voice sighs.
Turning, Henry falls face to face with Joey who enters calmly, straight despite his stained fingers. The young man then rushes to his associate, obviously furious.
« What are you doing, Joey? You are crazy ! You know that the matrix womb needs time to develop the Toon! Trying to go faster, it's not going to fix things! On the contrary! »
« We need Bendy very quickly! This Toon must come quickly! »
« It's been just two months since we projected Bendy! He still needs a good month, maybe two! If we continue like this, there may be problems and you know it! » Henry pleads.
Joey just stares at the young man without the shadow of an emotion on his face. His young friend is also almost scared, outraged …
But before he can react, Boris scream:
« HENRY! I think there is a problem! »
All turn around and see that the matrix womb suddenly becomes horribly black! Like a piece of fabric dipping in black ink! To tell the truth, ink drips as if the matrix womb was more than gorged.
« Damn it ! » Henry swears running towards the matrix womb. « You have to open the matrix womb or Bendy will drown! »
The others (except Joey who remains terribly neutral) are frozen by stupor and fear. Not finding the scissors usually used to open the screen, the young man takes out his penknife and plants it in the matrix womb by cutting a large cut in the canvas. He deviates suddenly to avoid ending up covered by the ink that comes out of the screen... but no trace of the Toon. Joey grumbles looking up visibly annoyed while everyone thinks that the little demon didn't survive his accelerated creation. Boris lowers his head, his heart tight.
Henry mumbles, passing his ink-covered hand through his hair, his heart squeezing with fear and sadness... when he notices a tail with a heart-shaped tip coming out of the opening. Approaching, he sees that something is still in the matrix womb... but it's closing.
« NO ! » the young animator suddenly screams, maddening everyone by throwing himself on the matrix womb to keep it open. « Help me, fuck! Bendy is here, he may still be alive! »
The wolf Toon rushes to the matrix womb and grabs the edges to keep them open. The young projectionist, a janitor and other studio members rush to help him, allowing Henry to dive his hands into the matrix womb to recover the Toon. The young man sees Joey standing, without flinching, and that would scorn him if he wasn't busy trying to get the Toon out. He pulls his legs (unable to enter the matrix womb) and looks for the body and head to be able to take it out and hold it immediately. Once his legs are pulled out of the womb that his colleagues and friends have more and more trouble keeping open, the young man finally feels the whole body and head.
« Hurry up, Henry! » One of the animators panics. « The matrix womb is closing! »
« It's good ! I hold him ! »
Holding the body with one hand, he grabs his head with the other hand and pulls the Toon towards him. As soon as the head is out, Henry hugs Bendy against him and moves away as fast as possible, letting the others let go of the closing matrix. It was going to have to wait a little while the matrix womb 'heals' before being able to recreate a Toon.
Henry sighs, squeezing the Toon against him but panic, feeling that Bendy isn't moving. Pulling aside the little character to see him, the young animator is captivated to see how much he looks like his drawing but the fact that the little being doesn't breathe make him panic.
« Oh no ... Bendy! Breathe, little guy! » he yells, tapping the Toon's cheeks to try to make him react.
« Don't tired yourself with it, Henry. » Joey sighs, more disappointed than sad. « If the matrix womb hasn't managed to hold it, there is nothing to do. »
The animator freezes, horrified. How could Joey be so cold? It was perhaps his first Toons birth, but he knows they are alive and deserve to be treated as living beings and not vulgar objects. As Joey slowly walks out of the room, Henry hugs Bendy against him, feeling a faint heartbeat through the little character's ink, and rage:
« You're a coward, Joey! But don't count on me to let go if he still has a chance! »
While everyone is stunned because no one talks like that to Joey (who froze in front of the door before glaring to his friend), the young man poses Bendy on the ground and listens to the heart that beats weakly under all the ink that makes up the little demon. Determined by this sound, Henry opens the mouth of the Toon (allowing the ink that was there to flow), blows air into the little one's mouth hoping to start breathing but, as he gets no result, he begins to do a cardiac massage. Boris and the others watch Henry sweat blood and water trying to resuscitate the little Toon... and as Joey prepares to make a comment, a violent shiver runs through Bendy's body, forcing Henry to step aside.
The demon begins to wince and then coughs violently, spitting ink from his lungs. After several coughs, the Toon can finally take a deep breath. Henry smiled when he saw Bendy shake and breathe and he felt tears of relief on hearing the little moan and seeing him fidgeting ''foolishly'' on the ground, nervously moving his tail and his hind legs to the white hooves.
« All right, Bendy. » he smiled, taking him in his arms like a child. « Here, hush... »
Everyone applauds as they see their new Toon alive (and frightened by cries of joy, forcing him to hug his animator) and Boris approaches to finally see him. The two Toons then look into each other's eyes... and the wolf feels his heart melt as he sees Bendy's innocent look. The little one reaches out towards the wolf's face, making small noises that are quite similar to those of a baby, and when he touches the wolf's muzzle, he calms down and holds out his other hand to touch it. At this moment, he really looks like a baby who discovers the world.
« Come on, Bendy. » Henry smiled as he picked up the little one, drawing the demon's attention to him. « We'll make you discover the studio. »
November 1959:
Pandora cannot hold back a little cry with a smile.
« I didn't know my brother was so cute when he was born! » Pandora chirps, making Boris laugh and blush Bendy. « Even though my big brother has always been so cute! »
« Pandy! » the Dancing Demon grumbles, becoming almost as red as Candice's dress.
The devil girl smiles like a child proud of its small effect while the children burst out laughing.
Eddie watches the Toons antics amusedly before turning to Henry.
« So you say that Joey Drew had already started to be weird? »
« Yes, but since the studio worked well, nobody said too much. » the former animator sighs. « It's just that we thought he was a little crazier than normal. We were all more interested in the success of the Bendy episodes and, as soon as the matrix womb was ready, we looked for other scenarios. One of our doublers, Susie Campbell, who had the idea to create a friend-foe in Bendy and we created Alice Angel. »
« Alice? This Alice Angel? » Candice asks, dipping her hand into her hammerspace.
She then takes out the stuffed angel and shows it to the Human, trying to see if she is right. He nods.
« It's her, yes. Initially, it should have been a real little white and pure angel with big wings... but there was a problem with her ''birth''. There was ink left from Bendy's birth and when she passed, the ink clinked her white clothes with black. Seeing she didn't look like a real angel anymore but she wasn't a failure, we shot her first episode with Bendy trying to make her angelic for the beginning, then we changed her back-story. »
April 18, 1926 :
« Perfect ! We cut ! » Joey screams, interrupting the shooting at the end of the penultimate scene.
The new recruit, Alice Angel, finally allows herself to breathe and falls heavily on the ground, finally losing her form of pure angel to that of black angel.
« Alice? Are you okay ? » Bendy worries as he helps her get up.
« Bendy! Concentrate on your demon role! » the director rages.
« But Alice is barely standing up! » the dancing demon defends.
A look from the Human silences him and Boris runs to join them. Alice might be younger than Bendy, she was much more mature than him, almost like a mom.
« All right, Bendy ... I just have to catch my breath. » she smiled, sweeping a strand of hair.
Henry watches that, sorry. Alice was really not stable at all. The fact that the overflow of ink from Bendy's birth had tinged black made her fragile. Grabbing Joey's arm, he mutters:
« You see she's not doing well! You smile and you make the peacock to please Susie but Alice won't stand if we do nothing! Doing the ostrich won't solve anything! »
« Do you think I'm doing the ostrich? I reviewed the scenario of the episode, figure yourself! Sammy has already made the music and the props for the stage are prepared. » he said, handing the script to Henry.
The young man frowns and reads.
« Having fun with young cherubs, Bendy meets a beautiful angel named Alice. Favorite of Paradise by her kindness and purity, our demon decides to seduce her ... Then ... accept despite the warnings of her cadets ... Down on earth ... despite all the temptations ... Alice remains to see the good ... »
The Human then freezes while reading the last paragraph.
« When Bendy agrees to bring Alice back to heaven, the pure angel embraces the devil to thank him for this day. But this act removes her purity, changing the pretty angel... into a Fallen Angel !? Do you want to show the public a Bendy guilty of corrupting an angel? Bendy is a nice devil, not a demonic being! »
« Even a dancing demon remains a demon! » Joey sighs. « And that's the only way to make Alice stable. She must be colored black to hold and an angel isn't black. By making it ''Fallen Angel'', we explain her black color. »
Henry glares at Joey. It was another excuse to force Bendy to behave like a monster... but he knows that Bendy isn't like that and that if they didn't do anything, Alice wouldn't last long. Sighing, he eagerly throws the script and returns to the Toons to make the changes that will save Alice's life.
A few hours later, the episode director ends the episode Sent From Above.
« Perfect, everybody! We pass it in front of Joey and everything is good! »
Bendy sighs, delighted that the director wasn't there during the shooting of the end of the episode. The script didn't please him at all so he had improvised everything to make Alice's good friend and the angel understood it very well. Even though it wasn't the scenario, the Humans had found it so well that they let them do it.
« Sorry, Alice... » the dancing demon muttered.
The Fallen Angel turns to him, smiling. Now in her new form, she had black hair in which two horns protruded and with a beautiful halo, a beautiful black dancer's dress which revealed her beautiful legs and a little bow on her dress.
« Why be sorry? Look at me ! » she smiled, spinning on herself. « I was unable to go three steps without feeling exhausted and there I can sing and dance as much as I want! I should thank you, my little Bendy! »
Smiling, she kneels in front of her new friend and takes him in her arms to kiss her on the cheek.
« Yuck! Keep your germs! » Bendy grunts like a child, making Boris and Alice laugh.
November 1959:
« But where is Alice now? » Aiden asks.
Bendy starts shaking, tears bead in his eyes and forcing Boris to hug him. Henry sighs and turns to Eddie to explain what he knows.
« Bendy and Alice became friends but more like a family and their episodes worked well even though fans preferred Boris. Pandora was created in 1928 to create a fiancée in Bendy but they just became brother and sister. »
The devil girl smiles at the mention of her name. Her animator smile back.
« How long did you stay? » the detective asks.
« Until July, 1929. Afterwards, Joey had gone crazy. He was isolating himself in the basement, had secret talks with Sammy Lawrence the director of the music department, and many other things. »
Boris starts shaking, worrying Bendy, but a look and a wolf's smile calm him down. Henry sighs.
« I don't know what happened next but... I knew I couldn't stay. And as Joey refused to leave me the Toons, I left to find a legal way to get them back. I remember other people who thought I was leaving for another studio and wished me good luck for the future but also the Toons who were sad to see me go ... especially Bendy. »
The dancing demon blushes thinking back to this day. At first, he had shunned like a spoiled kid hoping that Henry would eventually stay. Boris had even had to drag him for official farewells... but as soon as the animator had joined the door, he realized he wouldn't see him again. He sees himself calling him, trying to join him, but Joey refused to let him approach the door. He remembers his tears (still light at the time) flowing cascading down his cheeks as he struggled to join Henry while shouting the name of his creator. With a last smile and a wave of his hand, Henry had left the studio, not without glaring at Joey.
July 1929:
« HENRY ! HENRY, DON'T GO ! PLEASE DON'T LET ME ! » Bendy cries, struggling.
But Henry goes through the door and walks away without another look. Wally closes the door behind him and the corridor is again plunged into the darkness tinged with the light of the lamps. Bendy freezes, allowing Joey to place him on the floor. He remains there, stupidly, to fix the door hoping to see Henry cross but the minutes quickly become hours and nothing moves at the door.
All went back to work, leaving the Dancing Demon alone... until Boris went to get him. Tears run down the little Toon's cheeks, saddening his elder brother. Putting a hand on his shoulder, he calls:
« Bendy? »
« He's gone ... Henry is gone... » he breathes, eyes haggard and tears streaming endlessly on his cheeks to black mark their passage.
Trying to shake, his heart squeezes and his lip trembles... then he burst into tears. Falling to his knees, he cries his pain, hoping to bring it out, but the more he cries, the more his heart sinks. It was as if the pain took hold of him... when Boris hugged him tightly against his chest while keeping a comforting softness. The wolf gets up and brings him into the room that he use as his bedroom.
« I'm sorry, Bendy... but I'm sure Henry will come back and get us out of this studio. As soon as you're 5 years old, Joey can't stop you from going out and we can live in ToonTown ... »
« But if Henry comes back ... » the demon sobs, calming himself to the sound of Boris's voice.
« He'll find us, Bendy. Henry always finds us. » the Wolf Toon promises before giving a light lick on the head of his younger brother.
Bendy feels his heart quicken at the feeling of the wolf's tongue on his forehead. For some time, Boris had been giving him funny sensations that he had never felt but had seen in many humans in the studio ... like Susie with Joey (although he doesn't understand what she finds him).
« Boris? ... »
« Hmm ... » the wolf mumbles as he looks down at him.
The little demon take his head in his hands and can plunge his big black eyes into those of the wolf. He feels Boris freezing but he asks:
« You will always stay with me! Isn't it ? »
Seeing the tears come back in those big eyes, Boris smiles and wipes the ink drops away from the demon child's cheeks before answering:
« Always, Bendy. Forever and ever… »
The two Toons look directly into each other's eyes... then join their lips as they have often seen making love, leaving their feelings passed through this first kiss.
The following days, the two lovers often found themselves in secret after their episodes, trying not to be noticed by the director, one knowing that Joey wanted him to behave like a demon, the other... because he knows that Joey Drew wouldn't approve of this 'liaison'. Pandora and Alice were the only ones in the know. The youngest had jumped like a kid before kissing her brother and the one he had chosen while the Fallen Angel had just smiled, very happy, like a mom (it was even the role she gave herself to Bendy and Pandora).
Except that with the departure of Henry, the atmosphere becomes darker in the studio and Joey began to experiment again and again on the Toons. Only Bendy and Pandora were spared and Boris made sure his devil darling didn't discover the horrors the director was doing. Bendy's soul was still too innocent for him to bear those horrors... but it was very difficult to hide the truth from his lover.
Alice arrives in the room where Boris was, sewing a piece of his arm. The wolf turns to her and bites his lips as she sees her condition. One of her arms had just come off his body and he had only one arm left (which held the other). She looked more than angry especially when she slammed her dismembered arm violently on the table.
« Can you explain exactly what Joey is doing? Because there I don't understand anything to his unlogical logic? » she indignantly assumes in front of him. « Yesterday, one of my brothers loses both wings and today me and my arm! I'm starting to get more than enough of these strange injections! What is he trying to do? »
After having finished repairing his own arm, the wolf stands there looking at the other wall in front of him seriously, as if he feels an unwanted presence on the other side.
« Boris, as our elder, you are our leader! You must intervene! It becomes more than insane! Joey scares us! » she insists.
« I know it! But whatever I say or do, Joey has decided to stay deaf to my words! We can only ask the other animators that we have to get back on our feet every time. » the wolf replies with a sigh.
« But the poor must be exhausted by force! And why don't they complain to Joey? » Alice asks, annoyed.
« Do you think they didn't try? And look at the number that it leads them! No need to insist, Alice. Joey gave himself the goal of drowning the studio in the abyss and him with it! » Boris answers.
Alice sighs, resting her arm intact on her hips, furious. Although she was an angel, the girl had an almost explosive temperament. She knew how to be very kind to those she loved but could take the behavior of a real tigress when it came to protecting hers... like a mother! Boris smiles, amused by the sulky girl.
Suddenly, they hear a shrill cry! As if someone was suffering the death of his life! The worst thing is that Alice knows who this cry belonged to! They leave the room and rush to where the cry could come... until they see the Toon cherub crawling before them, diluted little by little. He couldn't speak anymore, only spitting and grumbling with pain at the diluent that was gnawing at his being until he stopped, exhausted, almost dead and melted before them! Alice cries out in terror while trying to kneel, but the wolf stops her.
« But let me go! He is suffering! » she cries, trying to free herself from Boris' grasp so she can comfort her baby brother in his painful torment.
« We can't do anything for him, unfortunately. And if you touch him, you will die! » the wolf insists even if his tone shows that he is sad.
Fortunately, the sufferings of the poor little cherub stop quite quickly, leaving just a big task of painting on the floor. The beautiful Fallen Angel is frozen in horror... then she burst into tears, squeezing her older brother with her only arm. Boris gently squeezes her to comfort her... when he hears a voice he doesn't want to hear at this moment.
« Boris? What is happening ? Who has… ? »
Bendy suffocates, unable to finish his sentence by seeing the remains of the little cherub with Pandora, followed by Susie and other animators. All are horrified at seeing the remains of the little Toon on the ground. Bendy suddenly becomes pale and looks up at his friends... when he sees Alice's missing arm.
« Alice, your arm! But ... but ... but what happened? »
A door slams and everyone turns to see Joey arrive in the hallway, handing his tie properly. When he sees the hustle and bustle in the hallway, he frowns and looks at all the people without paying attention to Toon's leftovers on the floor.
« What is happening ? » he asks in a calm tone that immediately enrages Alice.
« You know very well what's going on, you're sick! » she yells, rushing towards him. « You killers! KILLER! »
If it weren't for Boris holding her, she would throw herself on this monster and strangle him before giving him all the horrors he had inflicted on them.
« Alice? ... » Bendy worries in a very low voice.
The young Fallen Angel freezes at this voice and turns to see Bendy (and Pandora) completely paralyzed. They never saw their friend like that and they had been spared by Joey for some reason she doesn't know. She calms down before turning to the director to glare at him.
« It's nothing, Bendy ... it's just the shock ... » Boris smiled as he joined his dancing Demon, lovingly caressing his lover's little black head.
The little one looks at Alice, worried, but the young lady forces a smile to comfort him... before bursting into tears when she sees one of the animators cleaning up the diluted remains of her brother. Despite Joey's eyes, Bendy runs to hug her to comfort her. The director goes away without a word but gives a look at Boris who says a lot. The wolf grumbled slightly, knowing that he had to intervene as soon as possible if he wanted to protect the chosen one from his heart.
The next day, the entire studio (except Joey) was surprised to see a huge ink machine arrive. The director said it was going to help them become bigger... but the guinea pigs of this crazy scientist knew that it was mainly to explain the excessive consumption of ink by the studio to repair his experiments.
Numerous pipes were installed throughout the building and a room was reserved for starting the machine. Unfortunately, the rickety installations didn't support the ink pressure. Many pipes exploded and were replaced, the music department was often flooded with ink, forcing them to install a pump in the office of the music department director, Sammy Lawrence.
The two men spoke frequently, disturbing others who found them more and more bizarre, and many complained of the noise of the machine and the ink running down the pipes as well as the unstable side of the installation. Many left the studio because of that, leaving the Toons behind without a look. But after many months, things accelerated one day …
February 10, 1930:
Bendy wakes up on Boris's chest. After the incident with the cherub, the wolf had wanted the dancing demon to sleep with him. Needless to say, the two lovers had gone from kisses to something else. The little black and white Toon smiled as he watched the sleeping wolf, knowing he was seeing something no one else was seeing. He kissed his lover on the cheek before getting up, knowing that it was likely to surprise them if they stayed longer together. He quickly returns to the room that serves as their bedroom, for him and Pandora. The little devil girl still sleeps so it is noiselessly that he goes to bed and goes back to sleep while waiting to be woken up.
This morning, Bendy is weird. He is completely smeared and yet he is starving. But what he swallows doesn't stay long in his stomach. Susie Campbell approaches the lightly pale demon.
« Bendy? Are you okay? »
« Yes ... I just have a big stomach ache... well, I think... »
Pandora watches her brother with a small smile. She had already observed this kind of behavior on one of the secretaries who worked at the studio. She wasn't in the studio anymore because of that. As soon as Susie moved away to get Bendy's new animator (a young lady as dreamy as Henry), the little devil girl jumped next to her eldest with a big smile.
« What? » he wonders because the girl had that kind of smile only when she had an idea behind her head (often a stupidity).
« Tell me, you and Boris ... didn't you go to another stage by chance? »
The dancing demon blushes like a tomato, missing strangling with saliva.
« How is it important to you, first? » he fumed before sulking.
« Well, it's important to me in the sense that, if that's what I think, you'll soon not be able to hide it. We take... three to four months to come to the world so it may be the same here. »
Bendy looks at her like she's crazy but Pandora keeps smiling.
« Do you remember Katty, Joey's switchboard operator? Do you remember why she left? »
« Pandy, she didn't left! » the dancing demon sighs. « I already told you ! She is on maternity leave! »
Pandora's smile becomes similar to the one on the little SillyVision mascot's cutout. Their model freezes and looks down at his belly.
« Wait, you... you think that... »
« Why not ? I don't see why humans could have babies and not the Toons. »
Bendy puts his hands on his belly and thinks. It's true that the symptoms that he had presented since this morning resemble those of Joey's attendant's pregnancy. She had been more than happy to explain to them how a Human baby was born, but was it possible for a Toon to bear a child in the same way?
« You know what ? » Pandora offers. « You quickly run to see Isa and you ask for a quick check without warning Joey since you have no episode today. Like that, you're fixed, Bendou! »
« She's going to think I'm crazy... » he mumbles.
« Isa? With Henry, it's the one who considers us the most like real living beings! Come on! I want to know if I will become an aunt! As soon as you know, I want to know everything ! »
Bendy laughs, amused by the enthusiasm of his younger sister. As they are alone, he takes the opportunity to go to the office of Isabelle (his new animator) under the « good luck » of his sister.
Meanwhile, in front of Joey's secret office, Boris is waiting with Alice and her cherub brothers. The little ones are all tight against their big sister who smiles at them sadly. They don't know what the director had planned for them but, as usual, it was going to be horrible.
After a few minutes, the office door opens and their executioner walks towards them. The cherubs huddle behind their eldest while shaking as she glares at the murderer. Without being afraid of the look of the Fallen Angel, he points to one of the cherubs.
« You, come here! » he said, coldly.
The little one seems to be about to cry and Alice is reluctant to let him go but Joey insists. Finally, the little Toon stands in front of the director and raises watery and frightened eyes towards the Human. He looks at him disdainfully and looks at the others.
« You can all leave. And you, go get me Bendy! » he orders.
« WHAT!? » Boris horrifies as he gets up. « Why ? »
« It doesn't concern you! » Joey moaned. « Go elsewhere if I'm there. And you, » he grunted, shooting the cherub, « go get me Bendy! After, you can leave! »
The little Toon trembles at Joey and starts moving forward ... when the wolf blocks the cherub, furious.
« No way ! » he growls. « Leave Bendy out of your horrors! You have enough guinea pigs with us all! No need for him! »
All are shaking, knowing that Joey hates receiving orders.
The Human fixes Boris coldly.
« I'm the director of this studio. It's me who makes the decisions here! »
« But I refuse that you send a cherub look for Bendy! »
« Perfect ! In this case, the cherub can leave. »
The little sigh and Boris restrains himself from seeming too happy when ...
« It's you who will go and get him for me. » he says then.
The wolf freezes and all the other Toons suffocate. All know what united Bendy and Boris and Alice knows perfectly well that Boris will never drive the imp to serve as guinea pig to Joey.
« No ! You can't ask me that! » Boris gets indignant.
« Oh yes ! Of course I can! So, all the others, you can leave! But you, Boris, go get me Bendy! And if in 10 minutes Bendy isn't in front of that door, get ready for the worst experience of your life. »
Boris trembles when he sees the director and the murderous gleam in his eyes. Flirting, Drew turns and locks himself in his office.
All leave the office, relieved to escape the daily torture, except Boris and Alice. The Fallen Angel turns to the Wolf, worried.
« What are you going to do ? » she asks.
The Wolf is dark. He knows that one way or another, Bendy would learn what Joey has been doing to them for several years while he has always done everything to preserve it. Taking a deep breath, he turns to Alice.
« Take your brothers and go hide yourself in the music department! Put yourself where you want but do not show up! Especially not by Sammy! Come on! »
« And Pandora? »
« She isn't risking anything. She's probably chatting with Susie and Joey wouldn't take the risk of showing his true face to your 'singing teacher'*. So you, go! Go hide yourself! » he orders firmly.
« But ... what about you? »
« I'll do what it takes to protect Bendy. » he answers as he walks away, his step heavy and dark.
Alice trembles, feeling that there is going to be a big problem... but she obeys her eldest and runs to get all her little brothers to hide them in the music department in the basement.
« Congratulations, Bendy! » Isabelle smiles as she finishes repainting the demon who smile, visibly filling with joy. « This is the first time I see a Toon embryo! I didn't even know that it existed ! »
« We didn't know it either. » Bendy laughs as he gets up, putting his hands on his belly.
He can't believe it. He is pregnant! Boris and he were going to have a baby! Isa had explained to him that he was born hermaphrodite (surely because he was born too early for his body to be totally as the Creators wanted) and that's how he got pregnant.
« I can't wait to tell Boris. » the dancing demon smiled, looking at the young woman.
« Ah! For sure, he'll be happy! » she laughs before darkening. « Joey, though ... »
Bendy shrugs. He knows Joey wouldn't be happy but it's out of the question for this Human to say something. This child would be born and Boris and he would be a real family. Bendy jumps to the floor, determined, and leaves the office saying to Isabelle:
« I must warn Boris! »
The girl looks at him, wiping her hands full of ink and smiling, moved to see this little devil be as happy to become 'mom'.
Bendy has been looking for Boris for several minutes when he sees the wolf at the end of the corridor.
« BORIS ! » he calls (leaving a few small, inky hearts flying around him).
The wolf freezes when he sees the chosen of his heart running towards him with a big smile.
« Bendy ... »
« Boris! I have a great news to announce you! »
« Great ... but ... not now, Bendy ... » Boris mumbled, looking all around them, worried.
Bendy freezes, intrigued by Boris's tone.
« Hey ! What is it, Boris? »
« Nothing, Bendy... but you have to trust me, okay? »
« Of course ! Like always ! » the little one smiled.
His eldest and lover smiles and take the dancing demon with him, as far as possible from Joey's office, pondering what he can do to save his Bendy from their crazy director.
Suddenly, he walks past an old office that was no longer used since its owner, Wally Franks, had resigned by annoyance. He grabs Bendy by the arm and pushes him inside. The surprised devil lands on the armchair.
« Hey, Boris! What's the matter ? »
« Trust me, Bendy! Stay there until I come to get you! Close the door and open to no one, okay? »
Bendy sees that his lover is worried (even if he doesn't understand why).
« Um ... ok ... » he mumbles before smiling. « Boris! I have something to tell you ! »
« Later, Bendy... I love you... » Boris mumbles as he locks the door before moving away.
His little lover is frozen but he obeys and locks the door before settling on the chair. He hums quietly then looks down at his belly smiling before putting a hand on it.
« I can't wait to meet you, little one. » he smiled before making himself comfortable while waiting for Boris to come back for him.
Boris advances to Joey's secret office, determined. Bendy would stay safe no matter what! Joey wouldn't touch him! When he arrives in front of the cursed place, the director is already there waiting. He looks up at the wolf and looks at his watch with his calm look, almost 'I don't care'.
« I said ten minutes, Boris! »
The wolf advances towards him, restraining himself from growling. The Human (if he still deserves this name) looks for the other Toon.
« Where is Bendy? » he sighs.
« I didn't go to get him! »
« I thought I was clear! » the director gets mad.
« Yes... and I prefer to preserve it from all this! Bendy is the star of our studio and the public loves him because he is natural and innocent. If you have to experiment, do it on me! You will still need him if you don't want to destroy your studio. »
Joey glares at the wolf and then stands up.
« Do you want to play that? Perfect ! As I said, if Bendy isn't here, it will be you who will suffer for him. »
Boris fixes Joey, resigned, and follows the director into the office.
Upon arriving in the room and as soon as Joey backs away, he is shocked to see the new tool that Joey still paid with the money that the studio was no longer likely to have: a human-sized operating table with restraints says ''Toon proof''. The wolf observes it attentively and notices that ties regulated for a dwarf size were also set there. No doubt! Joey wanted to go after Bendy! The second roles didn't satisfy him anymore. But why? Why did Joey make these experiments as sanitary crazy as dangerous and painful? What was he looking for?
« Lie on it! » the director curtly orders (rather, executioner if you want the opinion of the wolf).
Boris remains hesitant, standing facing this table, imagining the worst. He was afraid... but he knew he was doing it for a noble cause.
« LIE ON IT, YOU IDIOT! » Joey rages impatiently and pushes the wolf against the table.
As soon as he was crushed by Joey's push on the table, he felt the coldness of the tool. It was as cold as Joey's soul and heart. He glares at him with a growl before lying on the operating table. He was cold in the back now (literally as metaphorically) while Joey tied him like a boa choking on his prey before swallowing it completely.
Once his victim is securely fastened, Joey approaches a closet he opens and pulls out a black leather bag as the doctors used to put it next to him and open it. The wolf saw him take out a saw to cut flesh and bones, an immense amount of thinner, gloves and a forceps that was intended for surgical operations. Seeing this, Boris realized that Joey was going to remove a member or even see an organ. He restrains himself from swallowing... but as soon as he sees Joey painting his chest, he panics, guessing that what Joey wanted was his heart! He tries in vain to get rid of his links but there is nothing to do when it is ''Toon proof''.
« Don't move, you idiot! » Joey orders, trying to keep the wolf steady.
But Boris bites his hand as soon as it's within reach. Joey screams in pain and tries to pull his hand out of the wolf's mouth, but the wolf doesn't let go, though Joey's blood begins to flow between his teeth. The director tears his hand out of Boris' mouth, leaving a little flesh that the canine Toon spits out immediately. He was bleeding profusely but he doesn't care. He looks at the Toon.
« If you think that's going to stop me from doing what I've planned for you! » he replies, retrieving a tissue to stop the bleeding.
« What do you want to do, Joey? » the wolf rages.
« What I want to do ? WHAT I WANT TO DO? ACCESS IMMORTALITY! THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO DO! » the human screams in response. « Throughout your life, you Toons have qualities that God has denied to man, while we are his first creation! It is us and only us who should possess this quality! Immunity! Immortality! The possibility to challenge all contradictions! But I also understood that only certain elites could access it. People like me who dare everything, even the worst sacrifices, to prove my value! »
His bottomless speech frightens Boris.
« You're crazy, Joey! » he sighs, unable to believe that a man can have such a twisted mind.
« Crazy? Me, crazy? No! No, you aren't clairvoyant enough! You aren't elites! You can't understand how difficult it is to access something through hard work and reflection, no! You are too stupid! You are illusions of lives! Your existence should be ephemeral! But you had the nerve to cheat with destiny to be able to possess immortality! ... Yes, that's it! You are only idiots! Puppets! All at my mercy! » Joey laughs, insane.
Boris trembles with all his being. Luckily, he protected Bendy from that... but what did Joey imagine? The Toons aren't immortal! It was the love of humans that kept them alive longer than average. Toons only depended on men for their lives and their survival. This was the very vicious circle of their existence! Especially if you work with the kind of person ''that was'' Joey... before going crazy!
« You prevented me from recovering what Bendy had always taken from me when he just had to be an offering to the one who helped me. This dirty devil hides his game! This dirty little thief! » Joey takes the meat saw (panicking Boris) and the thinner. « But the more I think about it ... the more I realized that you were all in the game. All of you have stolen what is right for me! As I start with Bendy or another, it won't change anything that I intend to do. » he said, coming dangerously close to the wolf with a sadistic smile. « And even once immortal, I would dethrone Good and Evil in my name! »
And, without warning, he plunges the saw violently into the wolf's chest, making him scream in pain under the violent blow that tears and burns the flesh. Tears began to flow out of Boris' eyes, who couldn't breathe at once... but that doesn't end there! Joey takes the saw in his hand and cuts the rib cage of the wolf who was suffering from his whole being. It would be impossible to describe to you the pain he feels so much it was horrible! Each saw cut him and burned the flesh and bones of his ribs. Boris felt himself dying slowly. Then Joey pulls the saw out of the chest and, with just his hands, he spreads the ribs and opens a gaping hole that reveals the heart of the wolf who hardly knew how to react so much the pain was excruciating!
« Give me back my immortality, you thief! » Joey screams, catching Boris's heart.
And, with a violent gesture, he tears it in any form of lawsuit. The wolf dies in a dull scream, his mouth wide open... then his eyes turn up (and thus behind the orbits) to display two large X. A wriggling hand tries in vain to maintain life in this body but, after a few seconds, it doesn't move. Boris had just die!
Bendy freezes when he hears Boris scream, like everyone else in the studio. He hesitates a few more moments, trying to calm himself by respecting the instructions of his lover... when he freezes feeling his heart beat differently. Since the beginning of their relationship, his heart and that of Boris beat at the same pace! But there, his heartbeat seemed to break down. Distraught, he leaps from his seat and runs to unlock the door.
« Boris?... » he calls softly.
The studio seems too quiet. A true silence of death! Trembling, the dancing demon goes down the halls in search of his lover, the father of his future baby. He caresses his belly, but when he hears footsteps he runs to hide in the wall. Joey passes with something in his hands but Bendy is unable to see what. As soon as he is far away, the demon goes out of his hiding place and runs in the direction from which the director came. He walks past the room that turns on the ink machine... when he sees massive ink stains on the floor. For the Toon, they are similar to blood stains. His breath becomes short, horrified. Where could all this ink come from?
Trembling, he walks forward, following the stains, feeling his heart panic. He doesn't know what Joey did to Boris but he must find him. He arrives in front of Joey's second desk, wondering why he's never been here.
« Boris? » he calls.
He doesn't receive any answer but his heart seems to tell him that he has to go. He grabs the handle, turns it and pushes the door open in a sinister grinding.
« Boris? You are here? Bo... »
Bendy freezes and puts his hands on his mouth when he sees the inside of the office. His dear Boris is tied to the table, his chest wide open and heartless. Out, heartless, a Toon can't live!
« BORIS ! » The dancing demon scream, bursting into tears before running to join the corpse.
He jumps on Boris's neck and tries to see if it's possible that the wolf is still alive but nothing. He trembles, leaving big tears running down his cheeks. The chosen one of his heart and father of his child had just died!
« But why ? Who did that to you, Boris? ... » he sobs, squeezing him as hard as he can.
He cries all the tears of his little body for several minutes.
Suddenly, he hears footsteps. Distraught, he deviates from the body and look to the corridor where Joey reappears. The Human is covered in ink and his shirt is slightly unbuttoned. He stares at Bendy with a neutral look... before smiling in a way that freaks the little demon.
« Bendy! What a joy to see you! » he smiles. « Nice to see you in my humble den! »
« Joey ... but ... that ... WHAT DO YOU DO IN BORIS !? » the little demon screams in tears.
« Boris? I just took what he had taken from me. »
« What? ... »
Bendy is disturbed by Joey's eyes. He never saw the human like that. The only one he had seen with such a look was Sammy who thought of himself as a great manitou of music! Distraught, he backs away when the director approaches with a small smile.
« Bendy... you're so innocent... I admit that it has very often irritated me but now I see things differently. I find you pretty attractive. »
The dancing demon refrains from screaming, shocked. Joey found him attractive?
« But you lost your head! » the little one is indignant, trembling with horror and disgust.
« No, I have all my head. I now see things better than anyone. Even better than Boris. I did well to take care of him before anyone else. »
« What? What do you mean by 'the others'? » Bendy horrifies.
« I mean, I intend to recover what the Toons took from me. But you, Bendy, I want you to stay by my side. » Joey smiled advancing towards Bendy as a predator to his prey. « Imagine, you and me ... together... »
Thinking of his baby and refraining from puking at the thought, Bendy manages to slip between Joey's legs and runs out of the office.
« HELP ! » he yells as he runs away... except that Joey catches him fast.
With a disdainful gesture, the murderous Human throws him into the ink machine room and Bendy rolls to the ground, bumping into the machine. Smiling like a pervert, he approaches and says:
« Don't try to escape, Bendy. This studio is mine and you belong to this studio so, you are mine! »
Joey says that with such a look that Bendy feels like he's taking him as his thing. Trembling, he sticks against the machine by fixing the director of SillyVision.
« I offer you a deal, little envoy of Satan! » the Human proposes while kneeling at his height. « Accept to stay with me, to offer me your heart, and I let you live. So ? What do you say ? »
Bendy feels his heart go crazy and his breath gets shorter and shorter, his body trembles, a violent energy seems to wake up in him and, without him controlling anything, a pentagram of glowing flames appears on the ground, pushing Joey violently. The human fixed, flabbergasted, the pentagram all around Bendy. The Demon shakes without understanding ... when the ink machine starts all at once. A large stream of ink then comes out of the craft and sinks on Bendy, making the pipes creak and the little devil scream.
Fear and anger invade him... as he begins to absorb the ink all around him. His body doubles or even triples in volume, making him bigger than Joey and extremely wide. The Human observes this metamorphosis, subjugated ... when Bendy's eyes turn red and the 'monster' of several meters begins to roar with rage! A roar worthy of the most cruel Tyrannosaurus! A large black hand rises and falls on Joey but the Man manages to escape him before fleeing. Bendy starts to roar pursuing him, maddening all the humans who see him.
« Run! Bendy went crazy! » Joey screams, trying to escape.
The dancing demon who was driven mad by the pain and the desire to protect his baby puts the ink machine in full power, blowing up the pipes. Employees scream and run away as quickly as possible. Pandora is trying to find her brother.
« BENDY? BENDY, WHERE ARE YOU !? BENDOU ! »
Suddenly she is caught by Isabelle and forced to the outside. Those in the music department are stuck with dripping ink. Alice squeezes her little brothers crying while the ink invades the entire floor. Even the pump that Sammy started isn't enough to stop the flow of ink.
« Everything is fine ! » he cries, trying to calm them all down. « Our Lord will save us all! »
All those on the upper floors run to escape, panicking when they see the monster that has become their little demon. Joey glare at the raging ''Toon'' and orders the ink cut, which is done... but the ink that Bendy has absorbed allows him to fight. While all are fleeing, Joey remains face-to-face with the demon. Bendy tries once again to kill him when a violent pain spreads in his belly. The Human takes advantage of that to escape.
No sooner is Joey outside than Humans barricade the door to prevent the Toon from coming out and attacking them. But Bendy doesn't care about Humans right now. The pain in his belly seems excruciating. He calms down and becomes the little Toon demon that he is again but the pains don't stop. His body drips with too much ink... when Bendy suddenly feels horribly empty and smells ink between his legs. Distraught, he looks down to see ink lighter than his. He understands what happened.
« Oh no... no no no... » he stifles, placing his hands on his stomach.
Isa had told him to go slowly now if he wanted to keep his baby... but by wanting to protect him from Joey, Bendy had done just the opposite! The child couldn't bear the change of the body that bore him. The little demon has just lost his baby. The only thing left of Boris! Big tears run down his cheeks and his heart seems to break. He almost chokes on his sobs before screaming in pain and despair!
November 1959:
When Bendy comes out of his thoughts, he is surprised to find that he is crying. Boris had never been informed for the child. What good is it since it would never be born? Sniffing, he wipes his tears before listening to Boris. The wolf had just told what Joey had done and tore his heart out.
« The pain was such that I fainted... and when I opened my eyes, my body was slaughtered and there was ink everywhere. So I looked in the studio and... I found Bendy in tears against the machine and he told me everything. From then on, we found ourselves locked in the studios, until the little ones arrived. » the wolf smiled.
The little dancing demon smiled at Aiden who perched on his head. He remembers the joy he felt seeing Boris 'alive', in his soul with him in the studio, rather than him alone and the happiness he found when the children came to find him out of curiosity to discover who he really was. He suddenly feels a small pair of arms encircling him, trying to comfort him. Lowering his eyes, he sees Casper hugging him, tears in the corner of his eyes. The demon smiles and hugs him cradling and humming.
Eddie mumbles as he finishes writing down everything he has learned. If Joey Drew had gone so crazy as to tear a Toon's heart for Immortality, he might have been linked to ToonTown's attacks.
« Um ... we have a big problem ... » he mumbles, closing his notebook. « If Joey is determined to get Immortality with the hearts of the Toons, he surely has a role in what happened to Pepé and Ortensia. »
« So we can prove that Bendy has nothing to do with it! » Aiden smiled, straightening up on the demon's head.
« It's not so simple, Aiden. » Boris sighs. « Bendy is cataloged as a monster by others. Without proof, they won't believe us. »
The children sigh, annoyed. How to help their friend without any proof of his innocence? How to prove that a monster was only a victim of a monstrous crazy much more dangerous?
And here is chapter 11: D Finally, you have the answer to many questions like "what exactly happened to Bendy?", "What did Joey do to them?", "What will he to do? "
Ah yes! and also ... mention of mpreg! Well yes and I assume!
Ah! The notifications! I forgot them:
* Nickname Toon given to Humans who gives them their voice.
That's it: D see you next time, friends! And don't forget to leave a little comment to leave me your opinion :)