Hey everyone! Sorry for the wait, but I've had a lot going on in the last few months. Had a double family death (within the same weekend) and my grandma found out she had stage four cancer the same day one of them died and then passed away about two months later. So yeah...it's been a rough few months. I haven't had much time or effort to write lately since this story can get dark at times, but I'm back and I'm ready to get this story back on the road again. I know we're all waiting for the Dark Descent and to see where this game story is going!

On the side, I wrote a new story within the My Hero Academia fandom. If you have a chance, you should definitely check it out! It's a little more lighthearted compared to this one lol ^_^

Thank you everyone who put me on your alerts, favorite lists, and reviewed. I love hearing what you guys think and what sorts of theories you have. I hope you guys enjoy the next chapter! Don't be shy to leave a review! I love hearing what you guys have to say! :)

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Bendy and the Ink Machine! That belongs to the Meatly/Kindly Beast. I only own Jane.

Review Responses: Thank you to all the amazing people who made the last few months better for me. It's been a rough few months and I appreciate your nice words.

BeebooattheDisco: Ohhhh my gosh! Thank you! I'm sorry! Life happens and it's kept me so busy! I swear, I'm not trying to torture! I'm glad to see that you're catching on so fast. And it was Travis! lol I loved doing the Jane and Henry moments. Henry seems like such a nice guy and I wanted him to be a good uncle to her! The one she can depend on! Awww I like that idea and I really loved this review! Thank you again and I hope you continue to read!

TinyCookies12637: Yay! Thank you!

As Jane crawled through the ventilation shaft, she could smell the scent of burning metal and ink fill her nose. And boy was it awful. The cold temperature of the vent didn't help her as she trembled with every second that she was in the enclosed space.

After she felt that it was far enough from the entrance and whatever Bendy was fighting off, she took her backpack off and began searching through the bigger compartment. "There's gotta be some flashlight in here." she mumbled, searching through it frantically. "I know there's one in here."

Her fingers grazed over various objects in her pack, but nothing felt like a flashlight. A wallet, an umbrella, a semi melted candy bar, a granola bar, an old shirt, but nothing else. "At least I can use the shirt later..." she grumbled before trying to find another pocket to unzip. "You just had to wade into that ink earlier. Why couldn't you have just said 'gee, that looks like a bad idea' and walked away?"

As she searched through the front pocket, the sound of something crashing echoed through the vent, causing Jane to jolt. The hair on the back of her neck stood up and goosebumps covered her arms. Her heart began to race as she kept feeling around. "Crap...crap...crap..." Another crash echoed through the vents, making Jane panic as she felt around on the very bottom of the pack. "Come on...come on...where are you?" she whispered hurriedly, her eyes darting back and forth even if she couldn't see.

When her fingers finally touched something metal, she couldn't help but let out a shaky sigh of relief as she pulled it out. Locating the button, she clicked on the small flashlight that was about the size of her hand. The beam came on, shining a small light that lit up the vent and shone down the tunnel.

Jane had a chance to look both ways to find herself alone in the ventilation system. "Good...this is...semi good..." she whispered to herself, even if she knew it still wasn't safe. Here she was, hiding in a vent that was way too small for her and she had no idea where she was going.

There was only one thing to do. Find a way out.

Jane zipped her backpack back up and slid it over a shoulder while balancing the flashlight in her hand. She began crawling again, trying to find an exit.

With every second that passed, Jane felt like it was taking forever to get through this. The pipe that she was currently in seemed to go on for miles! Her breathing was shallow as she felt the walls closing in on her and the fear in her body was expanding. She felt a pressure sitting on her chest as her mind raced.

Henry still didn't know where she was. Sammy's ink blobs were coming after her. Bendy was no longer by her side and was fighting off enemies for her. And above all else, she was alone once again.

She stopped for a moment to take a breather, running a hand through her hair, tugging on her stands a little hard. "Come on...you can do this." she told herself, trying to calm herself down. "You did it before. You can do it again. Just keep going."

'Stop doing that. You're embarrassing me. Just shut up and come on.' the familiar voice scolded her, making her heart drop and her throat swell.

Her body began to tense up as she sat on her backside. "No...no...no no no no no..." Jane whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut. "Stop...just...leave me alone..."

'Babe, can you just stop doing that for like five seconds? People are staring. You're making yourself look like a mental patient.'

Jane began frantically shaking her head. "No. You're not here...you're not here...you can't control me." She tugged at her hair again while her pulse began to quicken. "You're not here..."

As Jane started rocking back and forth, repeating the phrase over and over, while the familiar voice continued to throw insults at her. But suddenly, another voice slowly flowed through her mind like a wave on the ocean, causing the hurtful voice to disappear.

'Don't worry, Toots. It'll be okay. I'll come find you.' Bendy's calming words spoke to her mentally.

A strange feeling rushed over her, making her anxiety freeze for a moment.

At the memory of Bendy's reassurance, Jane tried to take a few deep breaths until her nerves calmed for a few moments. Her shoulders fell, breathing turned to normal, and the tense feeling in her stomach and chest eased as well.

"He's coming to get me when he's done. He's coming to get me." she recited slowly, releasing her hair and dropping her arms.

Bendy was going to find her later. He was going to help her through this.

Well what other choice did she have right now? Everyone so far was trying to kill her. Bendy was the only one who didn't seem keen on ending her life. Hopefully he would find her.

Hopefully.

After a few slow breaths, she rolled back onto her hands and knees. With a flashlight in hand, she continued to crawl through the vent, taking a few turns here and there.

Finally, as she turned the next corner, saw a ventilation door at the end of the tunnel. She only turned off the flashlight for a moment to see if it was an exit.

True enough, there were lights shining through the slits in the door.

Relief filled her chest as she turned the flashlight back on again, crawling towards the door to freedom.

Once at the end, she pushed on the metal gently, but it wouldn't budge. With a bit more force, she leaned against it. It still remained unmovable. "Come on..." she grumbled before another idea came to her. Rotating herself around, she pressed her shoes up against the grate and began stomping her feet against it. One stomp wasn't enough. But the second one, no luck either.

Over and over, Jane kept stomping against it, her legs aching with each hit.

"Come on. Move." she grunted before using her legs again. "I'm definitely going to have to go back to the gym at this point if I ever get out of here..."

Not that she really even started.

On the seventeenth time, she was able able to send the cover flying until it crashed into the wall ahead.

She cringed at the sound of a loud crash that echoed through the room before sliding out of the vent and into the dimly lit hallway.

Jane took a moment to turn off the light and slid it into a side pocket on her backpack to save for later. Cautiously, stood to her feet and glanced down both sides of a long hallway that seemed to go for quite awhile.

"Looks safe...for now..." she told herself as she began moving. As she walked down the hall, running a hand through her inky coated hair, Jane tried to take in her surroundings. The hall had no doors, but had several empty desks and crates sitting on the floor.

Sighing heavily, Jane lowered the backpack to the floor and sat down on a nearby crate that rested against the wall. "What did you get yourself into, Jane?" she mumbled before pulling out her cellphone that was still in her pocket. The screen was dark and wasn't turning on anymore. "Dead...just great..."

She leaned her head back, looking towards vent to see if Bendy was following behind her. Did he make it through? Did he win the fight? Worry began setting in as Jane stared at the dark tunnel ahead. "Don't leave me like this right now..." she whispered, pocketing the phone and biting her lip, her feet kicking back and forth against the crate. "Come on..."

There was a small crunch that echoed through the silent hall, making Jane jolt forward to see if something was coming.

However, when she looked down, she found a piece of crumpled paper under her shoe. "What's this?" She picked up the paper and pulled the paper apart to see what looked like a journal entry. The words were slightly faded and weathered, but she was still able to read the words on the page.

'It's dark. I can barely recall what's happened, but there are parts I can remember. I'm not sure if anyone will read this or not...or if you'll even know who or where I might be...but I have to put my thoughts down. To tell you who I am before I forget who I am. My memories of who I used to be and are fading.'

Jane frowned as she continued on. What was going on? Who was this?

'I was a nobody. A small meek person from a small town. Didn't know what my purpose in life was. My mother used to tell me that I was meant for great things. My father...told me I was meant to work in the family business. Canning fruits didn't seem like a thing that I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I remember the day I told him that I wanted to move away and search for a purpose. I can still remember the look of disgust on his face when I said I was leaving. Even now, I can hear that voice, 'you'll never amount to anything. You'll just come back a nobody because that's what you are'. And that was it. From that moment on, I left home and I never turned back.'

Jane lifted her eyes for a moment, glancing down the hall to make sure nothing was coming. When the coast was clear, she went back to reading.

'After I left, I went looking for my purpose in life. That's when I found Joey Drew Studios. I wasn't really sure what to think when I was approached by their music director, Sammy Lawrence. He saw me waiting tables at a nearby diner and told me that my voice was made for cartoons. It's kind of funny when I think back on that. I should've just told him 'no thanks' and got back to my tables. Instead, I indulged him and listened to those...things he called compliments. I should've just walked away, instead I found myself saying yes to his offer. Next thing I knew, I was in the booth recording voices and I was on the payroll. Honestly, it was nice for awhile. But then things became...insane.'

Jane cringed as she flipped the page and a cold chill ran up her spine.

'I don't remember how it happened exactly, but...what I do know is...I'm not who I once was. I'm not myself and I don't know what's happening. All I know is now...I'm never getting out of here. I will probably die here, and nobody will ever know where I am or what happened to me.'

The last line made Jane's blood run cold. The paper shook in her hands before it fluttered to the floor below.

A crash from the side made her jump. Quickly, she wrapped her arms around herself tightly. 'No...this cant be how it ends.' Her body trembled as her lips quivered, fear creeping up her spine. If whoever wrote that letter was gone...supposedly. Who was to say that Jane was the next victim?

"I'm going to die here." she whispered under her breath, squeezing her eyes shut.

When another crash nearby alerted her, Jane jerked her head towards the end of the hall to see a dark figure standing there with its' arms raised. Her heart dropped and goosebumps appeared on her flesh. 'What was that?!'

The figured stared for another moment, dropping its' arms slowly.

Jane felt her chest rising and falling quickly as her heart pounded in her chest. "What..." she whispered softly and sharply. "What is that?"

It tilted its' head to the side for a moment before it turned down the hall at which it came from and suddenly dashed away in the opposite direction.

She was about to release the breath that she had been holding when a few inky blobs rushed past the hall, following after the figure.

There were several crashes and a few grunted groans echoing through the hall, followed by a whimper just like a dog would make.

Jane fought against her thoughts of ignoring it and climbing back into the vent, and slowly got up. Her curiosity go the best of her, blocking out all fear as she rushed down the hall after the figure, trying to keep her feet light as she stayed on her toes. 'One quick look won't hurt.'

She peered around the corner to see that the hall continued down for awhile. "Where did you go?" she whispered to herself as she began creeping her way down the hall.

There were several more crashes at the end, making her freeze. When she did, she finally spied about three blobs huddled around something. The whimpering filled the hallway along with the sounds of groaning.

'What are those blobs doing over there?' she asked herself. Were they looking for her?

Another loud whimper sounded, breaking off Jane's thoughts. Was that a cry for help?

One of the blobs threw a box off to the side, making Jane shrink back, while the one of the blob's held up a big hand as if it was going to strike. Those blobs wanted something and whatever it was, it didn't want to be found.

Jane felt fear creeping up her spine. What if someone was in danger? What if it was someone else just like her? Could there be someone else down here?

Another blob groaned as they grabbed a board and held it up.

The young woman gasped and her hands went to work immediately, trying to locate a weapon. Locating a board against the wall, she picked it up and rushed into the mix without another thought, swinging it wildly.

Loud splashes and groans echoed through Jane's ears as she kept swinging.

The blobs tried to fight back, but it was futile as they were destroyed within moments.

When things grew silent again, Jane stopped swinging and let out a sigh as glanced around at the reduced puddles of ink. "Huh, guess I'm getting better at defending myself."

A whine erupted by her side, making the girl jump. It sounded desperate and scared.

Jane's fingers tightened around the board in her hands as she slowly turned to stare into the corner. There was a large shelf surrounded by several crates and boxes. A dark shadow was crouched down behind the shelf.

Taking a deep breath, Jane moved toward the shelf, trying to stay calm. Could this be a friend or foe? Either way, she had to find out. On the positive side, she had a weapon at least.

"It's okay now, they're gone." she began, creeping closer, holding tightly to the board in her hands. One more step had the figure lifting its head to look at her.

When he did, Jane's mouth dropped and her eyes grew wide.

The creature had tall pointed ears, big black eyes, and a dog-like face. Jane had seen that face for years whenever she watched Bendy cartoons with Uncle Henry. She always adored how cute the character was and how mischievous he was towards Bendy. Now that he was in the flesh by her side, she wasn't sure what to think.

"B-Boris?" her voice wavered with shock as she stared at the wolfish character with wide eyes.

The cartoon's eyes widened before he quickly buried his face behind his lanky dark arms. His body trembled as he moved further into the corner, sliding behind the shelf even further.

Realizing that he didn't seem like a threat, her heart slowly sank. The board slowly slipped from her hands as she let it rest on the floor. "Hey hey, it's okay." Jane told him softly, taking a step towards him.

A small whimper came from the corner, making Jane's heart ache. He was scared? Well...after the blobs came after him, who wouldn't be?

As he continued to shake, Jane tried to to let things sink in.

Boris the Wolf was actually...alive? How was this possible?! Then again...most things in the last several hours seemed impossible, but true. But a living cartoon character...this was insane!

But seeing him scared in real life...it made Jane's practically sick at this point. The poor thing looked traumatized.

What could she do?

It didn't seem like Boris would hurt her. He seemed innocent enough, just like Jack Fain did. And he wasn't attacking her like Sammy or like the other blobs did. Maybe Boris was just another innocent creature who was just trying to survive.

Wetting her lips, Jane took another step closer. "B-Boris..." Jane began, her mouth a little dry. "I...I'm not here to hurt you. Those blob creatures are gone."

The wolf still never moved as he continued to tremble.

'Well...words aren't working. Better try something else.' Jane thought to herself as she set the board against the wall. Then she turned her backpack around and began rummaging through it.

While she searched, she failed to see that Boris was now lifting his head from his arms. He blinked a few times, his head tilting to the side, watching with curiosity.

When Jane managed to find something, she held it up in the air. The light glinted off the shiny wrapper of a granola bar. She wasn't sure what Boris would think of the small treat, but it was worth a shot.

"Are you hungry?" she asked, crouching down beside him.

His head tilted to the other side.

She slowly unwrapped it, the crinkling of the wrapper filling the room. "It's food. Do you want some?" she asked him before taking a small chunk off the top and popped it into her mouth to show that it wasn't dangerous.

The second it touched her tongue, Jane suppressed a sigh. It had been so long since she had eaten anything. The taste of granola mixed with dried fruits filled her mouth and nearly caused her to moan at the the relief the bar had given her.

Boris' nose lifted like a cartoon dog and began sniffing the air.

When Jane swallowed the bite, she held the bar out to him. "See? It's not bad. I'm not here to hurt you." Then she broke another piece off and held it out to him. "Here, you can have some."

It took a few moments before Boris slowly leaned over, his arm reaching towards the offering.

"That's it. Nothing to worry about." Jane cooed softy. "Just some tasty food."

When he was barely a few inches from her, Boris held out a shaky hand that trembled in the air. Being the kind soul that she was, Jane gently placed the chunk of granola in his hand, or well...his glove.

When he sensed that he wasn't in danger, Boris quickly took the snack and popped it under his snout where his mouth was. He chomped for a few moments, keeping his rather big eyes on hers.

Jane was completely shocked and awed at the character before her. Boris the Wolf, one of the sweetest and most mischievous characters in the Bendy cartoon was actually sitting in front of her! This was completely surreal!

He was rather big with inky dark skin like Bendy. His face was as exactly as the cartoon depicted, a face like a dog or a wolf with a large snout with a black nose and pointed ears that pointed up to the ceiling. His glassy eyes were just as big as Bendy's eyes. And just like the cartoon, Boris wore a pair of ratty overalls that seemed to be white at one point and now was faded and yellow.

His nose bopped up and down as he finished chewing and swallowed the granola.

Quickly, she pulled another piece off and offered it to Boris. This time, he practically snatched it from her, popping it into his mouth.

A shaky smile appeared on Jane's lips. It was rather strange and yet comical. It was like the character had stepped out of the television set and was standing before her. Oh wait...that was actually happening.

"That good for you, Boris?"

His eyes met hers as he chewed. No words left his mouth or any sound to indicate that he could speak.

Jane sat there awkwardly, wondering if he would ever speak like Bendy.

Was he like Bendy? Well for starters, he didn't talk in complete sentences like Bendy. And he definitely didn't speak like Sammy did. He just whimpered and whined like a dog. Actually, from the way that he was acting...he kind of reminded her of Jack Fain back in the sewers. Maybe he didn't have a voice. He was silent just like some of the other ink blobs out there.

Except for Boris, he was a living character! There didn't seem to be a certain thing out of place. He wasn't creepy and dripping ink all over the floor like Sammy, the blobs, or Bendy.

When he finished eating, he slowly bopped his head up and down, answering her question.

Jane felt her heart lighten. 'Oh my gosh, that's so cute!' she squealed mentally. 'If things weren't so bleak right now, I'd probably hug the wolf for that.'

Suddenly another crash followed by a growl made them both freeze.

"Oh boy..." she whispered softly.

Before she could say anything else, Boris suddenly stood up, practically towering over her.

Jane let out a gasp as she stood as well. Boris was about six feet tall and made her feel smaller than him. When she opened her mouth to say something, Boris reached over, wrapping his large fingers around her arm before tugging her towards him.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" she squeaked before be began yanking her along with his as he began rushing down the opposite way of the hall.

The cartoon ran past several doorways, up and down a few sets of stairs, and around a couple corners.

"Boris! Stop I need to go back!" Jane shouted, thinking about Bendy waiting for her.

What if he came back for her?! Would he assume the worst?

"Boris!" Jane shouted again as he turned another corner and then glanced around when they reached a fork in the hallway.

There was a crash behind them, prompting Boris to drag Jane down a corridor where several machines and gears were turning.

At the end of the hall, Boris finally stopped in front of a huge door that had a dial on the front of it, just like a vault.

Jane stared at the door for a moment before turning her head towards Boris. "What are you..."

Boris dropped her hand and began working at the dial, turning it from side to side, trying to find the combination. Once it was found, the door creaked opened and Boris grabbed Jane by the arm, tugging her into the room before shutting the door with a loud slam. A loud click was heard, sealing them inside the small room.

Jane glanced around the rather large room in shock. It looked like a little apartment. There was a small kitchen in the corner next to a dining table with several papers scattered across. It looked rather...homey.

"Wow..." she awed softly.

Boris turned to her and held out his arms to adjust to the room as if he was saying 'welcome to my place'.

"Is this where you live?" she asked tentatively, walking around to look at her surroundings.

The dog bopped his head up and down before turning to walk down a hallway.

Jane slowly followed him, taking in the rest of the place. It was a long hallway that led to a public bathroom with two stalls and a small room with a hammock and several boxes. There were poka-dot underwear and trousers hanging everywhere.

"Oh..uh..." she stuttered as she stared at them before meeting Boris' eyes. "Nice place you have here."

Not saying a word, he took her hand and pulled her back to the small bedroom and pointed to the hammock.

Scrunching her face in confusion, she tried to think of what he was trying to say to her. Was he showing off his bed? Or was he offering it?

"It's uh...it's a nice bed, Boris." she told him with a hesitant smile. "Looks...comfy."

He continued to stare, making her feel slightly uncomfortable.

"Can...can you speak at all, Boris?"

Lowering his head, he shook it slowly.

Another silent one. Wow...this place just wasn't fair to some of these creatures down here.

Biting her lip, Jane tried to ask something different. "Can you understand me?"

A nod this time.

So he could understand, but he couldn't talk.

A light bulb went off in her head as an idea popped up. Quickly, she reached into her backpack and felt around until she located a notebook. "Boris! Can you write?"

His head shot up and his dark eyes widened. Suddenly, he rushed past her into the main room. A few crashes echoed before Boris rushed back in with a pencil.

She handed the notebook over and watched as the cartoon flipped it open to a blank page. He began scribbling a few words onto the page before turning it so she could read.

'Yes I can.'

A gentle smile appeared on her lips. "Good. I think we should use the notebook for now. Make things easier."

Boris nodded again before gesturing her to follow him back to the main room.

Now they were sitting across from one another at the table, the notepad between them.

Jane had taken her backpack off and was now trying to finally relax.

Boris began writing down on the notepad before sliding the book over to her.

'What is your name?'

She glanced at the note before meeting his gaze. "Oh...well my name is Jane."

'Nice name.' Boris wrote before blinking a few times.

A smile crept on her lips. "Thank you. Do you have a name? Or do you just go by Boris?"

He hesitated for a moment before responding. 'I don't really know my real name, but I'm fine with being called Boris.'

"Okay...Boris..." she tried, earning a quick nod from the cartoon.

There was a silence again before Jane cleared her throat. "Uh...Boris, I-I don't mean to sound upset or anything like that, but...why did you bring me here? I don't quite understand why you did this."

Boris tilted his head again before writing down something else. 'You were in danger. You needed to be safe.'

"Safe?" she muttered as she glanced around the space. "Is this a safe house?"

He nodded slowly in response.

But was it as safe as Bendy's hideout? What was up with all the ink creatures either trying to kill, kidnap, or attempting to keep her safe? Well whatever the reason, this place didn't seem that bad.

"Wow, so how long have you been here?"

Boris shrugged in response. 'Not sure. Lost track of time.' Then he paused before writing something else. 'How long have you been here?'

Biting her lower lip, she shrugged. "I mean, I assume a day or so. Just like you said, I lost track of time as well."

'You don't look like...me. No offense to you being...what you are. Human?'

"Yeah, I'm a human."

'Then how did you get here?'

She propped her elbow up on the table, resting her head against her hand. "Well...it's kind of a long story."

Boris placed both arms on the table and quickly wrote a quick note. 'I'm in no rush.'

Jane bowed her head, pursing her lips. "Well...I'm not really sure what to say or...where to start..."

How exactly do you explain to a cartoon character about yourself? Of course Bendy was different, but Boris...she wasn't quite sure.

After a long pause of silence, Boris sat up straight and then took a blank piece of paper from the notebook, ripping it out. He placed it in front of her and then began drawing a random shape that puzzled Jane.

"What...what are you..." she began before the image became clear.

Was that a...Tic Tac Toe bracket?

Lifting his head, Boris tilted his head to the side before writing down a message. 'Wanna play? Break the ice a little?'

It took a moment for Jane to process this.

Boris was wanting to play a game with her? Well this was definitely unexpected. Well...a few games wouldn't be too terrible and maybe it would help her relax and share her story. What was the harm in that?

Glancing up at the dog cartoon character, a gentle smile appeared on her lips.

"Are you X's or O's?"

Again, I'm really sorry for the long wait! Things were just rough on my end and writer's block sucked. Hopefully, I'll have the next chapter out soon! This chapter was a little difficult and I'm sad Bendy isn't around, but hopefully I'll have more soon! Don't feel shy to leave a review or let me know your thoughts! You guys are the best! Seriously! I love hearing from you guys! Thank you again! You readers are what help inspire me to continue!