Author's note: Welcome back!
Since the game is out on Steam, after two long years, I might as well do my take on the first chapter (Drawn to Darkness). I've also decided to alter Arch's personality a bit, too. With that said, enjoy!
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(Audrey's POV)
Fleeing the basement, my jaw dropped almost instantly (in a figurative way, so to speak). The studio now had a pretty cartoony facade, much different than the way it looked when Katy and I investigated.
I also noticed that almost all the doors that were previously locked had now been open. That's funny, I think to myself, I thought they were closed.
Regardless, I would continue my trek. Along the way, I found a gent pipe in one of the empty hallways, before finally locating one of the animation rooms.
Animation Alley, in other words.
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Once I opened the door, I went inside. It didn't take long for someone to be yelling, "Yip yip yappity yip! So the Stein girl wants to snoop in on us, huh?"
Audrey Stein...that's my name, in case you're curious.
I look up to see a rather mutilated creature had just escaped from a vent in the ceiling, and I ask, "Who are you? What are you doing here? Or better yet, am I the Stein girl you're talking about?"
The creature raised his head and snarled, before replying, "Yeah, I'm talkin' about you, alright."
"You look an awful lot like one of the Butcher gang characters. Better yet, the leader Charley."
"How'd you guess?"
"I watched all those Bendy cartoons, a long time ago. Back when my uncle used to run his studio, unfortunately, it has been abandoned since its closure, but my friend Katy told me about Archgate Films. They were looking to have another studio in their repertoire besides the ones in Los Angeles and Orlando." I explained.
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(Katy's POV)
"Have you heard all these weird rumors about Archgate coming to New York?" I asked.
"Not that I know of; why do you ask?" Audrey inquired.
"Because they earned the rights to the Bendy franchise recently, and I've a feeling they're looking to get themselves a new studio, evem though they have some in LA and Orlando, too."
While we were talking, we were getting ready to watch E.T. . This was one of my favorite films, and I wanted to invite Audrey over to watch it together.
In addition, it was the summer of '83. While most of our friends were out hanging at the beach, I just wanted to lay low for once and check out some movies.
"So, uh, about Elaine..." she said.
"Yep?"
"My cousin's gonna get married somewhere around '84, not to mention she's invited me to her wedding!" she exclaimed in excitement. "Since I'm planning to be a maid of honor, I want you to be there, too! Totally rad, huh?"
"So rad!"
Both of us squealed in delight, before the opening credits began to roll.
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(Audrey's POV)
"Oh really? Never heard of 'em." he said.
"Anyway, who are you? That's the other question I just asked."
"Well, if you were expecting my name to be Charley, you're dead wrong. It's Piper."
"What?!" I asked, close to flinching as my hand held the pipe almost tightly.
"And besides, my men are probably lookin' for you, too." Piper said with a dry grin.
I shudder, but before I left, I asked, "Do you know where Katy is?"
Piper just scoffed, and replied, "Dunno where she could be. Besides, your wannabe boy-toy has been expecting you. If you're still alive, that is."
Almost instantly, I exit the room, shutting the door behind me. Piper snarled, an indication that he and his henchmen were at the ready.
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A boy-toy? Doesn't he mean Bendy?
I was baffled at how Piper brought Bendy up, albeit not name-dropping him. However, it didn't stop me from entering a few more rooms, until I found a vinyl record.
It seemed it could play some music, but I had to find out for myself as I took it. I vowed to myself that I'll be obtaining almost all of the records within the studio.
Eventually, I found a room (the Heavenly Toys room) that had a portable record player. Opening the case, I take the record out and put it on, and it played something like this:
City #3 - Walton Arch
"We're looking to extend Archgate a second time. We started off in Los Angeles, and then to Orlando, and now...Brooklyn. Even better we've even picked up on a new intellectual property in the form of the lucrative Bendy series. I highly suggest we give it a more mature edge, granted that its fans have grown up and what-not."
As I listened, I was unaware of the sound of Piper yelling, "Get that Stein girl! If she doesn't wanna meet Bendy herself, then we're gonna have to do it on our own!"
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Once it was finished, I exited the animation room. But I knew that the yelling I heard gave way to feet walking at a slow pace. Out came what resembled Barley, except he too was screwed up like Piper.
He growled, before raising his wrench to attack me. I gasped, but soon remembered the pipe I picked up in one of the hallways.
I narrowly shielded his incoming attack, but he struck me with the wrench. It did deal a bit of damage, but I did my best to dodge his attacks, some succeeding and some failing.
The pipe figuratively tore through it, earning it some fair damage. After that, he groaned as I made my escape, running through the corridors until someone blocked my way.
Before my eyes was a monster who was much faster than the previous one, and yelled a somewhat intelligible, "You're gonna die!"
Its fists gave me a couple of good hits, though I blocked his last one with the gent pipe. I then struck him with the weapon, earning him a bloodcurdling screech.
Once I was able to temporarily subdue him, I continued fleeing from them. It wasn't until I came across a small building with the logo 'Little Miracle Station'.
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Once I got in, closing the door shut, I took a few breaths of relief. Just as I thought I was alone and would take my time recuperating, I heard someone speak.
"Audrey Stein?"
I jolted, before looking around as to where the voice came from. "Wh-Who's there?!" I asked shakily.
The owner of the voice walked towards me, and smiled faintly. "So it seems Bendy has chosen you to rule New York with him, huh?" she asked.
My fear slowly dissipated as I nodded. "Y-Yeah, he has."
"But I can tell you didn't come alone." she said.
"Really? Then tell me, where's Katy?" I asked.
The woman replied, "Actually, I haven't even introduced myself. I'm Allison, but you can call me Alice if you wish."
"Actually, I'm fine with Allison. Now do you have any idea where Katy went off to?" I inquired.
"Well," Allison began to ponder for a moment, before replying, "I do believe that Bendy has taken her hostage within the studio. Is it true you're looking for her? Even in the state that you're in?"
"Yes! That's the answer that I was looking for! And one more question: How on earth can I revert back to my normal self?"
"Audrey, it's possible if you finally come face to face with Bendy and end his suffering. Or better yet, George's." she told me.
"George? You mean Sammy's nephew?" I asked.
"Yes, but I do not know much about how he died."
"I know how...but I'm afraid my memory's foggy as hell." I said to her. "But Bendy and George...? Are they the same person?"
"No, but Bendy has taken a human form that closely resembles George if he were still alive."
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George Lawrence was the nephew of Sammy Lawrence, and he had always looked up to his uncle. Not only was he a music teacher at Elaine's high school, but she was also his only friend.
When Sammy got very drunk one night, he consumed so many ink bottles from the ink machine, which were always hazardous to one's health. After he was hospitalized and passed away, George became somewhat of a loner.
He had constantly blamed himself for not standing up for his uncle, and it was Elaine who'd always comfort him and tell him that everything would be okay.
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(Elaine's POV)
1976.
"You looked awfully young for someone in your twenties."
As I spoke those words, George smiled. "Thanks, Elly."
"And this older gentleman? That's Sammy Lawrence."
"He's my uncle, by the way." he told me. "When I was close to reaching my twenties, Uncle Sammy became pretty uppity about his ethics. Not to mention, that his frustrations with his schedule were really starting to bleed in a figurative way.
But at least I was a pretty friendly kind of guy, having a fair amount of friends. But when he simultaneously drunk alcohol and ink, his death hit me so hard, that I just nearly shunned myself from society.
He was my role model, and I had always wanted to be a composer like him. But I've decided to just become a music teacher, just to teach kids on the joys of making unforgettable tunes."
George smiled, almost bitterly. I placed a hand on one of his shoulders, to which he'd notice and say, "Thank you, Elly."
"I had always wanted to be a detective instead of a musician, but everyone has their own unique paths and futures, just like you and me." I said.
"And if you want to be a cop, then go for it. I won't stop you; heck, no one will stop you from pursuing your dreams. But...aside from not being a musician, why didn't you become a cartoonist like your father?" he asked.
"Because..." I closed my eyes and let out a drawn-out sigh. "Because of what happened in '46. Before I was even born." I then added, giving him a warm smile, "But don't let all these troubling moments get the better of you; and not just you, but me as well."
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(Audrey's POV)
Tragically, all the guilt and sadness overcame him. Three years later, in 1979, he took his own life via gunshot.
Now this may come out of nowhere, but I understand Elaine told me that he was in his late fifties when it happened. But when I saw the mysterious man, he looked like a much younger version of him.
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"I feel like I'd be following your advice from this point on." I tell her.
Allison nodded, before she added, "Just remember: be careful. You don't want to die a husk of your former self, do you?"
"I don't."
She slowly disappeared before my eyes, and I take another deep breath, before exiting the station.
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I was relieved to learn that none of the Butcher Gang replicas were out to find me (for now), and I was certain that my quest to find her would resume.
Trekking through one or two more rooms, my mouth gaped as I saw the words 'Where is your friend?' drawn on the walls. Clearly they were mentioning Katy, and that was my top priority, besides stopping Bendy.
I had also listened to another record / audio log in the same room, which gave me some clues concerning a possible security lock: 451.
When I finished, I ended up hearing some more yelling, but it was very muffled, so I couldn't figure out what they were saying. They were obviously arguing about not wanting my head, so believing them to the Butcher Gang, I escaped, taking both the pipe and the record player with me.
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(Katy's POV)
I'm trapped, right here in the Little Devil Lounge. I'm also close to freaking the fuck out, because I'm certain those bastards brought me here so that they can track Audrey down, too.
Funny thing is, I didn't get transformed into some 40s reject. That pretty much did explain me exiting the basement.
But still, I'm waiting until she's here so that she can get me out of this 'funhouse'.
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Chapter 1: To Be Continued...
With love for my fans,
Chrissy