Chapter 1 Unleash the Beast

Henry nearly puked all over the ink-stained floorboards. What he had initially mistaken as a prop or costume was a real, genuine, bonafide corpse. And it wasn't just any corpse, it was Boris the Wolf. A freaking cartoon corpse. Someone who never should have been real in the first place.

Henry leaned against the wall as the room swayed. He couldn't look away.

The poor, lifeless character was strapped to an operating table. The chest cavity was grotesquely torn open and paper-white ribs twisted outwards. Where piecut eyes should have been were instead two big X's.

Henry finally tore his gaze away and stumbled for the exit. The retired animator came back to his old studio to reunite and catch up with an old friend. He didn't want any part of whatever that was about.

"Henry?"

He froze. Standing at the end of the hallway was the very man he came to meet. But the sight only confused and worried Henry more.

"Joey?"

Lips spread in a wide smile, Joey strode forward, "Henry! Good to see you, old pal! I'm thrilled you could make it."

Joey made to hug him but Henry firmly pushed him away. It didn't seem to bother Joey, if anything, he just looked amused while respecting the clear boundary.

Both men were well into their fifties but Joey didn't look a day over twenty-five. Unlike Henry, Joey's face lacked any wrinkles or age lines. And while Henry still had a head full of hair, the brown locks had already started to gray, but Joey's was still completely black, as was his pencil mustache. But there was also something else... off about Joey's appearance. Something he couldn't put his finger on.

"You look so... young."

"Indeed! Remarkable, isn't it?" Joey beamed, either not realizing or choosing to ignore that it wasn't a compliment.

"Joey, what - I mean," Henry fumbled for words as he gawked at the man in front of him. He hadn't seen his friend in over 30 years and this wasn't how he planned this reunion to go. "How did you- what did you-"

Joey interrupted, his smile never faltering as he managed to wrap an arm around Henry's shoulders like he used to do so many times.

"Of course, of course! I'll explain everything, Henry." He began leading them down the hallway, "There's so much to tell you. I've accomplished so much!"

Snapping out of his shock, Henry wriggled away. He didn't want to get any further into the studio, he didn't want to get any further from the exit and he certainly didn't want to get any closer to the room with a dead cartoon character. Remembering what he just saw not five minutes ago cleared his head enough to form proper sentences.

"Whyis Boris dead on a table?!" Joey didn't so much as flinch as Henry yelled at him. He merely frowned, as if this was all a minor inconvenience. "He's a cartoon character! He shouldn't be alive in the first place! What the hell did you do?!"

"Now, now, calm down, Henry," he raised his hands in a placating gesture, speaking as if Henry was merely overreacting, "I can see how this looks but there's nothing to get upset over. Just calm down and I'll explain everything."

Henry had half a mind to turn around and march right through the front doors. The only reason he didn't was that no matter how crazy and disturbing the situation was, Joey was his oldest and dearest friend. Heck, they were even business partners once upon a time. They haven't seen each other since Henry left the studio 30 years ago and truthfully, he missed his old friend. He hadn't left on the best of terms but from what he read in the letter Joey sent, he wanted to make up as much as he did. That was the only reason he came all this way. Henry could hear him out.

Henry took a deep breath as Joey waited patiently, "You have five minutes."

"Excellent!"

Reluctantly, Henry allowed Joey to lead him down the hallway. Thankfully, they did not go into the room with the dead cartoon. Instead, Joey brought him onto a catwalk overlooking the biggest machine Henry had ever seen. Ink covered the walls and floors. He glanced at Joey who was drinking in the sight of the contraption. There was something unsettling about the gleam that entered his eyes. Henry didn't much care for it. Not one bit.

"Behold!" Joey exclaimed with a dramatic flourish, "The Ink Machine!"

Joey paused, waiting for a reaction.

He could feel the beginnings of a headache, "Great. That's really great, Joey. What does this have to do with anything?"

"This machine is everything, Henry." Completely ignoring the sarcasm, Joey continued with a grin, "This machine can make cartoons real, it can bring any drawing to life! Why it can even grant us immortality!"

With every word, Joey grew more and more excited. The gleam in his eyes only grew and something cold was curling in the pit of Henry's stomach.

"It took me years to make it this far. So many failed experiments and rituals. But I finally figured it all out! All it takes is a bit of paper, a little ink, and human blood and I can create anything I want!"

Henry felt cold. He finally took notice of the faded red stains on the floor. It was easy to miss amongst all the ink. Joey failed to notice the horror that was growing on his friend's face.

This wasn't the Joey he remembered.

"I can't do this without you, Henry. Everything that I create is imperfect. It all comes out flawed in some way or the other. But I finally figured it all out! At first, I thought there was something wrong with the human sacrifices-"

At "human sacrifices", Henry had enough. He didn't understand what was going on and at this point, he wasn't sure he wanted to. Part of him wanted to believe this was all an elaborate joke between friends but he couldn't. The panic building in his chest wouldn't allow it.

Henry slowly backed away and was nearly at the door when Joey noticed. Joey's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Henry felt his blood turn to ice. He didn't like the way Joey stared at him. It was at that moment he identified the gleam in his eyes. Insanity. Complete and utter insanity.

"I'm leaving."

"Don't be a fool, Henry," Joey spoke much too calmly to be genuine, "We can accomplish so much together! We can create anything we want! Together we can cheat death itself!"

"Listen to yourself. You're talking about human sacrifices."

"They weren't anyone important."

"They weren't anyone- Joey, have you," He couldn't stop his voice from cracking, "Have you murdered people?"

"They were my employees. I used people that can be replaced, people that no one would notice if they went missing."

Faces appeared before Henry's mind. Faces he knew before he left the studio behind. Wally, Susie, Jack, Norman, so many others. Who did Joey murder? How many did he kill?

"It was necessary."

"Necessary?" A spark of anger raged against his shock. He spoke so casually, so calmly. They could have been discussing something as frivolous as the weather.

"They were our friends!"

"They were a means to an end."

Jaw agape, Henry could only slowly shake his head. He inched closer to the door without turning his back.

"Is that why you brought me here? To use me as one of your 'sacrifices'?"

"Of course not. Henry, my friend," Joey's smile broadened as he beseechingly held a hand out for Henry. "I invited you because you're the key to making this all a success!"

Henry paused but he made no move forward, "What do you mean?"

"Whatever drawing I put into the Ink Machine comes to life. However, it never comes out perfect. There's always a flaw, an imperfection, a blemish. They were all mistakes. They were all monsters. But then I put in one of your drawings."

Joey's eyes met Henry's and a bolt of fear flashed briefly through him. There was a hunger in the way his old friend stared at him.

"I didn't have many of your old drawings but the ones I put into the machine came out perfect. That's why I invited you back. Anything you can draw, I can create! Together we can make the impossible possible!"

"You're crazy."

Those two simple words seemed to echo in the silence. Joey's smile vanished. A deep-set frown crossed his lips as Henry's hand reached for the door handle.

"I wanted to make this easy and painless for you Henry. We can be partners, it can be just like old times. But if you refuse to be partners, then you're my prisoner."

"I'm calling the police."

Henry's hand found the doorknob.

And Joey changed.

Henry figured out what was so off about Joey's appearance. The tips of his nails were coated in ink and that ink was spreading. They sharpened into wicked claws and inky veins spread over his skin. Henry could only gape as the whites of Joey's eyes blackened and his pupils turned to red glowing pits.

Henry turned and bolted.

Now Henry may have been in his early fifties and occasionally suffered from a bad back but at that moment, he could have entered the Olympics.

But Joey was faster.

Henry only made it to the end of the hallway when Joey was suddenly on him. A swift punch sent Henry crashing onto the floor. Spots swam before his eyes. He had no time to recover as hands grabbed the back of his shirt and slammed him against the wall - no, not a wall - a door. Henry blindly kicked out, landing a good hit on Joey's knee. Joey cried out as Henry shoved him off and turned the handle. He tumbled into the room and slammed the door, relieved to find it could be locked from the inside.

"Henry!" Joey's pounding fists shook the door, "Henry, open this door!"

"Screw you!"

Even though it was locked, Henry kept his weight firmly pressed up against it. The wood felt fragile. It wouldn't keep him safe for long.

"Creee...atooor..."

Henry's eyes shot up. Joey was still yelling from behind the door but that voice came from inside the room.

"...heeeeelp...meeee..."

In the center of the room was another machine. It looked just like the Ink Machine Joey showed him but just a little bit smaller. At first, Henry thought someone was hiding behind the machine. But he quickly realized that was not the case. It was coming from inside the machine.

"...heeeelp..."

Henry shook as the door rattled and banged against his back. Who was that? Was that one of his old friends? Did Joey trap someone inside that metal contraption? Or was it one of those 'monsters' Joey had mentioned?

"...pleeeease..."

At that moment, Henry decided it didn't matter. Friend or foe, the voice sounded so small and helpless. He couldn't ignore it. Besides, there wasn't much else he could do. There were no windows and only one door out this room and Joey was on the other side, looking like he jumped out of a Lovecraft novel. If the voice turned out to be one of his friends, there'd be two against one. If it was whatever Joey labeled as a monster, well, his situation couldn't get much worse.

Ignoring Joey's muffled threats, Henry stumbled towards the machine, "What do I do? How do I get you out?"

"...puuuuuull... leveeeeer..."

His eyes landed on a long lever that was next to a long nozzle. Henry took hold of it and pulled. Or well, he tried to. It was rusted and refused to budge.

Crack!

Henry jumped as the door splinted at the hinges. Joey was almost through.

Adjusting and getting a better grip, Henry grunted as he pulled with all he had. It slowly gave and the air filled with a loud screech! He stepped back when gears shifted and turned. The metal groaned and ink started to sputter out the nozzle, forming a small puddle on the ground.

Henry had been wrong. He had been so wrong. The situation could get much, much worse.

As the machine died down, the ink puddle started to sizzle and bubble. Then it started to grow. It stretched taller and taller and taller. Backing away, Henry had to crane his neck up as the inky substance took shape. It was humanoid in shape with sharp ridges along its spine and even sharper claws for hands. Horns twisted out at the top of the head and a long tail snaked behind it with a wickedly sharp point. Amazingly, a little white bowtie hung limp around its neck. If he weren't so terrified, Henry would have laughed at how out of place the accessory was. Cloven hooves stepped out of the puddle and it turned towards Henry.

It smiled. Henry didn't like how pointy those teeth looked.

"Creator."

Its voice no longer sounded small and helpless, in fact, it sounded the exact opposite. The tone was deep and a bit gravely from underuse. Above all, it sounded inhuman.

Henry pressed against the wall as the thing took a step towards him but it froze as the door crashed open. Joey took two whole steps into the room before he stilled.

For a moment, time stopped. Joey's furious sneer was whipped off his face as his glowing red eyes registered the creature before him. The black inky lines in his face seemed to be almost pale. Henry couldn't remember a time when Joey ever looked so scared.

The creature had a completely different response. Its cartoonish grin twisted into something truly sinister as it stared at Joey. At least, Henry assumed it was staring at Joey. If the creature had eyes, they were covered in a considerable amount of ink. Its claws twitched in anticipation as it turned fully towards Joey, Henry forgotten in favor of this new prey.

"Traitor!"

The tension in the room reached a crescendo when the ink creature suddenly shrieked in something akin to anger and delight as it pounced for Joey. He screamed and bolted, the hunter suddenly becoming the prey, and Henry was left alone.

Henry slid down the wall, listening as the thundering footsteps grew further away as it chased after the man he once called friend. He sat shaking on the floor for quite a few minutes before he scolded himself. Now was his chance to get the hell out of here! He pulled himself up on legs that felt like jelly and booked it.

With one hand on the wall, Henry hurried through the halls. He could no longer hear any sounds from Joey or the creature. He couldn't decide if that was good or bad.

When he turned the last corner and finally laid eyes on the exit door, Henry thought he would pass out from relief. He hurried forward and his hands barely touched the cool metal of the handle when the floor gave out from under him.

A scream tore through his throat as Henry felt himself falling way more than just a few stories. His eyes squeezed shut. He seemed to be falling down a shoot of some sort and was certain he'd be dead by the time he reached the bottom.

But something stopped his fall.

Something that could have been ropes wrapped around him. His fall slowed considerably before coming to a gentle stop. Tentatively, Henry cracked open his eyes. Soft, inky vines wrapped around his arms, torso, and legs, almost like a harness. His gaze traveled up. The inky ropes stretched high up through the hole where he fell. It was so far up, he couldn't even see the top. Daring to look down, Henry was relieved to see that he was hanging just a few feet off the ground.

Henry hung limp. His heart was racing and his head pounded from where Joey had punched him. He allowed himself only a few seconds before he fully acknowledged the freaking ink that was holding him aloft in the air. It wrapped around him tightly without hurting but the whole situation was making him very uncomfortable. Just as he pulled his arm in an experimental tug, movement on the walls caught his eye.

Inky veins were spreading everywhere. They grew across the ceiling, floor, and walls. However, he found his focus glued to one wall in particular.

Henry watched in quiet horror as a figure emerged from a huge splotch of ink. Stepping out from the wall was the same creature from earlier. While Henry couldn't see its eyes, he somehow knew that the thing was staring at him. It smiled. Henry started struggling as it walked towards him.

"Henry."

Oh God, it knew his name! He thrashed against the ropes wildly but they only tightened in response. He couldn't help but shriek as its arms reached for him. The ink he fought so hard against easily slipped away for the creature when it grabbed him and held him against its chest.

No amount of fighting or screaming helped Henry. Kicking seemed to do nothing and attempting to punch the creature only resulted in having his arms pressed to his sides. Its grip was like iron and Henry realized there would be no getting out of it in time. Squeezing his eyes shut, Henry braced for a terrible death.

After an alarming moment, Henry was still alive and unharmed. Breath ragged, Henry didn't dare move as the creature continued to keep him in a firm hold. Fear was quickly mixing with confusion.

There was a soft vibration. Henry was shocked when he realized it was purring. Half his face was pressed against its chest and if it weren't for that, Henry might've missed the sound.

And then it hit him. It was a crazy thought. An absolutely insane idea but there was no other conclusion Henry could come up with.

The monster was hugging him.

Tentatively, Henry awkwardly lifted an arm as far as it would go in the monster's hold. He gave it an experimental pat on the back. The response was instantaneous. The purring grew louder and the already firm grip tightened without being crushing. Henry suddenly felt like the world's unluckiest teddy bear.

Once Henry realized his head wasn't going to get torn off, he decided to try his luck, "Uhm, h-hey there, big fella. Mind putting me down?"

With visible reluctance, the creature set the man it did nothing more than stare at him with that unnerving smile, Henry decided to break the silence.

"So uh, how did you know my name?"

For a moment, Henry feared he might've said the wrong thing. The fanged smile wavered.

"You don't remember me?" Without waiting for a response, it continued, "You created me."

Henry bit his tongue from denying the outrageous claim. The monster had at least three feet over Henry and he was really feeling that height difference. He couldn't forget the animalistic rage that it displayed when going after Joey not twenty minutes ago. It could have killed Joey for all he knew. He didn't want to upset a creature who looked like it could take on a polar bear and win. He couldn't afford to say the wrong thing.

Just as Henry was contemplating what to say, a slow realization hit him. The horns, the tail, the ridiculously out-of-place bowtie, the smile...

It... it couldn't be...

Henry's jaw dropped, "Bendy?"

Stunned, Henry openly gapped. How could this monstrosity be the cute little cartoon devil he used to animate? The Bendy he drew was tiny, friendly, and above all, harmless. This thing was not that Bendy. Besides, his Bendy was a picture on paper. Not a living, inky, monster.

Henry grunted as Bendy wrapped him up in another hug. Thankfully, Henry wasn't lifted off the ground this time.

"You do remember me!"

Choosing his words very carefully, Henry spoke, "Look, I think you have me confused with someone else."

Bendy allowed Henry to pull out of the hug but kept two massive hands on his shoulders. It took all of Henry's self-control not to shrug away.

"What do ya mean? You're Henry Stein, ain'tcha?"

"Well, yes, I am. But-"

"And you created me. Bendy the Dancing Demon, right?"

"Not... exactly." Bendy's smile twitched and Henry scrambled to explain himself. "I only designed and animated a cartoon character. You're... more than that. You're real. Joey was the one who-"

Henry immediately froze when a low growl filled the air. But what sent shivers down his spine was the fact that Bendy was no longer smiling. He was frowning. Henry stiffened at the view he got of Bendy's fangs.

"Don't," Bendy snarled, "Say that name."

Voice completely lost, Henry only nodded and Bendy relaxed. His smile returned, though it was a bit forced. Bendy used a tone that left no room for argument, "You are my creator. Mine!"

Henry decided that he really didn't like that declaration.

"Look, it was nice to meet you but uh," Henry swallowed the lump that crawled up his throat, "But I really have to go now."

Henry tried to pull away but the grip on his shoulders tightened. He didn't like the possessive way Bendy was staring at him.

"You can't leave! I won't let you. You're mine."

Henry reminded himself to remain calm. "I have to go home."

"You are home."

Screw it. Calm had no place in a situation like this and Henry knew there would be no reasoning with this creature. Henry jerked and twisted in the monster's grip. For a split second the claws on his shoulders disappeared and he turned to run, but the hands reappeared under his armpits and Henry found himself lifted up into the air once again. If he wasn't so frightened, Henry would have been furious that he was being manhandled like some unruly toddler.

"Let go of me!"

"No."

Bendy clutched Henry close like a kid with a teddy bear and began carrying him off. Adrenalin rushed through his system and Henry thrashed like a wild animal. He even scratched and clawed, but again, it had absolutely no effect. Bendy remained wholly unbothered by Henry's kicking and screaming. The arms that were wrapped around Henry's torso may have been made of ink, but they were solid and awfully real.

"Ya don't gotta make such a fuss, Henry," Bendy practically purred, "You'll like it here, really! I'm gonna take real good care of you."


Joey cursed as he exited the Little Miracle Station. Those stations were one of his only defenses against Bendy. The sigils painted on the wood made the box invisible to that abomination. Originally, Joey meant to dismantle them once he captured the Ink Demon. Good thing he never got around to it.

He shouldn't be too surprised. This wasn't the first time the Ink Demon escaped one of his cages, Joey had just hoped it would be the last.

From a careful distance, Joey peered down through the hole in the floor. No doubt it was the same one Henry must have fallen through. In an ironic way, that had been lucky for Joey. While the Ink Demon couldn't see the Little Miracle Stations, it could still feel. It had been methodically pawing the room to find Joey's hiding place when the sound of Henry's scream caught its attention. The Ink Demon quickly abandoned the hunt to go after the old animator.

But now that was the complication, wasn't it? Joey knew well enough that Henry survived his fall and that the abomination had him. He wasn't too concerned about that thing killing Henry. Years ago, Joey lost all his control over that freak all because it wanted to meet its "true" creator. The ingrate.

No, Bendy harming Henry wasn't the problem. Getting Henry back was the problem. A real conundrum.

A scowl twisted its way over Joey's face. It had been difficult to trap the Ink Demon the first time, near impossible the second. Well, he supposed the third time's the charm.

Joey hadn't been to the lower levels in years. It was where he dumped all his failed experiments, all the imperfect rejects. The creatures down there were dangerous, disgusting, and unpredictable. It was basically Bendy's playground. Finding Henry would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

Joey was going to need help.

He would need his employees.