AN: Exposition time! Get ready for the heartbreaking tale of what really happened in Joey Drew studios...

Chapter 48:

The group gathered around the desk in the main room, sitting on whatever they could use for chairs. Noir had a blanket wrapped around him, clutching it for comfort as he tried to shake off the remnants of the Ink Demon's emotions. The group was silent for a moment, wondering where to begin.

"So what do you know already?" Allison asked, finally breaking the silence.

"Not much…" Henry began, thinking over everything they had found and discovered. "Joey seems to have been obsessed with the idea of bringing the cartoon characters to life, so much so that he ended up using you and all the other people that worked here. Only for it all fail horribly, leaving this inky nightmare behind. I don't know what Joey hoped by inviting me back to this place, but I'm going to fix his mistakes like I always do."

"Well… you're only partially right," Allison sighed, leaning on the desk. "Now what I'm going to tell is a mix of our own scattered memories of what happened and what we've been able to put together over the years we've been trapped here. Joey did want to make real-life characters and he actually succeeded. Alice, Boris, and Bendy were all created perfectly and without any human sacrifice, at least as far as we know. A lot of employees were skeptical about the toons at first, but they quickly won us all over.

"For a few months, everything was fine. Cartoons and toys were still being made, plans for a Bendy Land were underway, and the toons did their best to make sure everyone was happy. Sure, there were still some concerns about finances, but it wasn't too big of an issue yet. But then there was an accident. One of the toons, Boris, and a maintenance work ended up falling down several flights of stairs. Boris was a little shaken, but otherwise completely fine. The maintenance worker, however, was severely injured and was never able to return to work. After that Joey began to change and the toons disappeared. When we asked about them, he just said that they were becoming unstable and he was working to keep them from falling apart. Since none of us really knew how the toons physiology worked, we just accepted it. We should have realized that something was wrong, especially once people started disappearing a few months later," Allison said regretfully.

"I should have known something was up," Tom growled, slamming his metal fist on the desk and making the others jump at the sudden noise. "I was the one hired to help create the Ink Machine and I thought it was strange when Joey started demanding more and more changes, forcing the studio into greater debt. I knew something wasn't right, but I never questioned it. Not even when he started talking about sacrificing people!"

"None of us did," Allison agreed, putting a comforting had on Tom's shoulder. "We bought whatever excuses and stories he fed us. That is until the day the ink creatures came swarming and started dragging people into the ink. We tried to escape. Only to find the exits blocked or sealed shut, trapping us all in here."

"Did you ever find out what happened to the toons?" Henry asked softly. "And why Joey would do all this?"

"He experimented on them," Allison informed with disgust. "We're not positive, but we think Joey became obsessed with the toons' ability to withstand and recover from things that would severely injure or even kill a regular human. He put them through all sorts of torture to test the extent of their limits before eventually melting down first Boris than Alice to use their ink as the source for all the living ink you see all around you and throughout the studio. Boris and Alice are still within the ink, but it's so spread out and infused into so many creatures that they are barely conscious of what's happening most days. Though I suppose it's better that way."

"If they're in the ink… can they talk through it?" Henry wondered, thinking back on the voice he had heard when he had been in the ink puddles. Could that have been them?

"Sometimes," Allison confirmed, glancing briefly at the ink filled buckets. "It's how we first started learning about what happened to them. But there are so many other voices and souls trapped in there, that it takes a lot of effort on their part to be heard. And of course, the longer you remain in contact with the ink, the more likely you are to get pulled back in yourself. That tool I gave you actually shows messages they have made and it's a much safer way for them to contact us."

Henry pulled out the seeing tool again and looked through it, the other's gathering around to look through as well. Once again Henry saw the glowing words "Hello Creator" on the wall, but this time it also said, "Please find a way to set us all free."

"So if Alice and Boris are in the ink…" Noir began carefully, looking down at his white-gloved claws. "Then is the Ink Demon..?"

"…Bendy," Allison confirmed sorrowfully when Noir couldn't finish. "We aren't sure exactly how, but after Joey had finished experimenting on him, he turned him into a monster to use as a weapon. When the ink creatures first started dragging everyone in, many of us were able to hide or even fight back. That's when the Ink Demon was sent in to get us. At the time we didn't understand it, but Bendy was fighting against Joey's control. His movements were incredibly staggered and clumsy allowing many to escape him though not all. But throughout the following weeks and months, the Ink Demon became more efficient at his task and there were fewer signs of Bendy fighting for control. After a few years all signs disappeared completely we figured that Joey had succeeded in just turning him into a mindless weapon. Alice and Boris told us that he wasn't completely gone once we got into contact with them, but we didn't have any reason to believe them. Until now…"

"He's hurt… and broken… " Noir said softly, speaking what he knew deep down to be true. "And the Liar is mad that he hasn't been able to locate Henry. Once he's done being punished… He will be sent after us once again."

"And it won't be long before he finds this place," Tom concluded, getting up and grabbing his ax.

"Then we better get going," Henry concluded, getting nods and determined gazes.