Charley And The Swap Machine: Re-Ink'd

CHAPTER 2: Part 1 - Welcome To The Gospel Of Dismay

The Voice Of Thomas Connor

It's dark and it's cold and it's stuck in behind every single wall now. In some places, I swear this godforsaken ink is clear up to my knees!

Whoever thought that these crummy pipes could hold up under this kind of strain either knows something about pressure I don't, or he's some kind of idiot.

But the real worst part about all this... are them noises the system makes. Like a dying dog on its last legs.

Make no mistake, this place... this... machine... heck, this whole darn thing... it just isn't natural.

You can bet, I won't be doing any more repair jobs for Mister Joey Drew.

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"Ugh, my head....what happened?"

Henry came to his senses, and found half of his face squished against a pentagram, surrounded by candles. What the hell is this? How did I-

Soon, every memory came flowing back to him, and he went to one conclusion. Well, I guess there's only one thing left to do...press on. See if I can find a way out.

He staggered to his feet and looked around for his axe, soon finding it propped against a coffin of some sorts. As he picked it up, that same, strange curiosity came though him once more.

No, Henry, you are NOT opening that thing. He thought to himself, turning away from it before turning his head back.

....Well, maybe a small peek wouldn't hurt.....right?

Putting down his axe, he ever so carefully opened the coffin.

.....Henry then felt a wave of disgust go through him.

Inside lay a rotting cadaver, covered with the black substance found everywhere in the studio. It hugged the body loosely, but was just tight enough to expose a grotesque figure, mouth agape and hands in an unnatural position. Rigor Mortis. The teeth had rotted already, and the body itself gave a stench putrid enough to make Henry gag. This is a dead body. Joey used this to do something....horrible. Oh, god.....Joey, what the hell were you doing......?

Henry quickly shut the coffin, shutting the nauseating scent of rotting flesh and ink back inside. Keep pushing forward. He thought, as he blinked a few times and turned away, grabbing his axe again.

He hacked through the doorway before him, before finding himself before a staircase. Goin' down again, huh?

And so, he descended downwards....

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.....Hey, Joey. Again, what the fuck?

Everywhere were......shrines. Shrines littered with writing, candles, maybe a few bowls and cans of that soup he found everywhere. Bacon soup? How would you even do that? Put bacon in salty water and throw in a few bits of vegetables? Shrines containing that same, grinning face he saw everywhere. Charley. What was Joey doing? Running a cult? Turning this....what is he even? Some oversized cat? A monkey? Some guy with a horribly deformed nose? I'm the one who designed him, what was he again...? Was he trying to turn this oversized whatever-the-fuck into the next Jesus or something? He was just discovering more and more things as he went on....

A larger shrine caught his eye, with words in dark scribbled letters. 'He Will Set Us Free' Who the fuck is 'he'?

He pressed play on the tape recorder, and stepped back.

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The Voice Of Sammy Lawrence

He appears from the shadows to rain his sweet blessings upon me.

The figure of ink that shines in the darkness.

I see you, my savior. I pray you hear me.

Those old songs, yes, I still sing them.

For I know you are coming to save me.

And I will be swept into your final loving embrace.

But, love requires sacrifice.

Can I get an amen?

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The tape shut off with a click. Henry stood there, dazed. He sounded familiar...but I can't put my finger on it. Who was he..?

"I said, CAN I GET AN AMEN?" A voice echoed out of nowhere, and Henry turned around wildly to search for the source. "Oh, FUCK OFF!" He shouted in response.

No reply followed. ....Either he shut up, or I'm finally going crazy. I'm hungry.

Going over two one of the shrines, he grabbed a can of bacon soup, searching for a pull tab. ....Oh. No can openers here, guess I'll have to improvise.

Switching the axe upside down, he awkwardly pried opened the can, tearing off an uneven chunk of metal. He then gulped down the contents like soda pop, expecting something rotten, but...

Oh. That's actually....decent? When did this.....'expires in'....oh, that is a long time ago. Well, it certainly doesn't taste rotten, so I guess that's fine.

Tossing the can away, he continued onwards.

Making his way to a hallway, he soon found that it was flooded with ink. I need new shoes anyways.

He trudged through the dark fluid for a while, before noticing a figure pass by and freezing up.

"OH! Hello! Excuse me! Can you help me? Hello?" He called after the figure, as they stared at him with glowing eyes, before turning back around and walking away.

"Hey, come back!" He continued, rushing through the ink, before turning the corner and realizing they were gone.

"Where the hell did he go?" He muttered, staring at the Charley cutout in their place, giving that toothy grin to Henry.

He was sure he'd gotten himself into a bigger mess now as he looked around...