Bendy and the Imp's Survival

Episode Twelve: Breaking the Loop (Part 1)

(Whoops my fingers slipped for 30+ pages
TW: Kind of gory. Reader discretion is advised. (I've underlined the words where the gore starts and ends for those of you that are sensitive to that kind of thing.))

After the business with the Searcher, the trio made their way to some kind of boat dock-just in time to see Alice, Tom, Bendy and Audrey disappear out of sight on another boat. There was a silver lining to this, at least: they knew where they went.
Henry nudged Moxxie's shoulder and held his hand out. The imp gave him a blank look for several seconds before it finally dawned on him what he wanted and he reached into his jacket pocket for the seeing tool to hand it to him. Millie, for her part, seemed to get excited. "Moxxie, look! There's another boat! We can follow them!"
"That's the plan." Henry handed the seeing tool to Moxxie again, who put it away. "You two get in. I'll get it on the water."
Millie grabbed Moxxie's hand and half led, half dragged him over to it. The couple got settled in and grabbed the side of the boat when it lurched foreword to clang against something.
"Why is there always two of them?" Moxxie heard Henry ask no one in particular. He gave Millie a curious look and she shrugged in response-then grabbed the side of the boat when it lurched again, this time landing in the water.
Henry made his way over to the smaller part of the dock as Millie ran to the front, eager to drive. She hesitated when she realized that the boat's steering wheel was both more of a lever than a wheel and the base taller than she was. "Um...Henry, honey, how're we supposed t' drive this?"
"I've got it." Henry motioned her away from the thing. "You watch the side with your husband."
"Is that all we're good for?" Moxxie asked as Millie bounded over to him.
"I don't-I don't know, Moxxie. Alright?" Henry ran his fingers through his hair. "I've never done this with one other before, let alone two."
"It's fine, honey." Millie wrapped her arms around Moxxie and nuzzled her head under his chin. "We'll be fine. Let him drive, we can just enjoy it."
Henry started the engine with that, ending the conversation. Moxxie rested his cheek on Millie's head and watched the world go by.
One absurdly long tunnel later, they arrived at a sort of landing where another boat was already docked. Henry slowed the boat down a little, most likely considering following after them when a loud clunk from the paddles on the back startled him (and made Millie knock her head into Moxxie's, which hurt). Moxxie pulled his legs closer to him and the human went to see what was wrong with the paddles.
"Uh...Honey?" Millie tugged at Moxxie's sleeve, her eyes pinned on something he couldn't see due to Henry blocking his view. "I think we should try and keep drivin'."
"Why, what is it?"
She looked back at him like she was going to be sick and moved over. Moxxie followed suit just in time to see a large, warty hand slam down against Alice's boat and drag it into the depths of the ink.
"Oh...Crumbs."
The engine came to life again, most likely a result of Henry fixing the paddles. Millie ran to the lever, jumped on top of it and hauled it foreword. The boat slowly moved away from the landing and went down another tunnel.
"So much for that thing." Moxxie slumped against the side of the boat again. "What was in the paddle?"
Henry joined him and rolled his shoulder. "Blobs of ink."
"Must've been big ones."
He didn't reply. Moxxie stretched and settled back for the rest of the ride when the paddles jammed again, almost making Millie fall off the lever stand. Moxxie ground his teeth. "You've gotta be kidding me."
Henry patted his shoulder and stood up again, flipping over the pipe in his hand to attack what Moxxie presumed to be more blobs of ink. Millie took his place beside Moxxie and rested her head against the boat's side. "That thing is so hard to keep goin'," she groaned tiredly.
"Why don't I run it next time, then?" Moxxie offered, putting his arm around her.
Millie snuggled up to him with a purr. "Ya could do that..."
The last blob of ink was freed a moment after that-and almost took Henry with it due to him almost falling over the back of the boat. Moxxie carefully moved out from under Millie and found he was just tall enough to reach the lever and push it up. Funny how much leverage a few inches can get you.
The two behind him started talking in hushed whispers. Moxxie tuned them out until his name entered the conversation.
"How did you and Moxxie meet?" Henry.
"It was a long time ago." Millie.
"How long?"
"How old are you?"
"Um...64, why-"
"Before you were born. That's when."
Henry faltered here. "There's-There's no way you're older than I am."
There was a creak as Millie turned to her husband. "Moxxie, how old are you?"
"Three hundred."
"And we met when you where...Two hundred 'n five, right?"
"That's correct."
The boat creaked again. Henry huffed a laugh of disbelief. "I don't believe it."
"Hell-born creatures live for a long time, hun," Millie said cockily. "Now respect your elders."
Moxxie shook his head with a smile. Their "really 300 years old" joke never got old, especially when somebody bought it.
The boat soon arrived at another landing-a bigger one, holding a village. A thought suddenly struck Moxxie. "Sir, can I ask you something?"
"Hm?"
"What kind of logic is it that there's an entire lake of ink and a village down here?"
Silence. Moxxie let go of the lever and turned to Henry. "Sir?"
Henry shrugged. "I've been wondering that myself every loop, buddy. I still don't know the reason."
"Nothing makes sense in this building," Millie huffed as she crossed her arms.
Moxxie couldn't argue with that.
After the boat docked itself (don't ask him how it knew to go there), the trio left it to balance on a wooden board taking them to the island with the village. Millie almost broke through the board, though thankfully Henry was close enough to grab her arm and free her from the ink.
The village wasn't much to look at. The buildings were cobbled together with metal and wood and looked like they'd fall over in a gust of wind. Needless to say, Moxxie wasn't impressed.
Just out of curiousity, he reached into his jacket pocket for the seeing tool and looked around with it. "YOU BRING DEATH" was written on a wall and "JUST HUMANS FALLEN TO DESPAIR" on a banner above a larger building. Lowering the seeing tool showed it had been painted over "NOT MONSTERS".
"Not monsters, just humans fallen to despair."
"What'd you say, Moxx?" Millie asked, walking up next to him.
Moxxie motioned to the message painted on the banner. He waited until he was sure Millie had read it before holding the seeing tool in front of her. Her eyes widened, then she looked a bit sad. "They're human?"
"Maybe once." Moxxie tucked the seeing tool away again. "Not anymore."
Millie took his hand and gave it a squeeze. He managed a smile and turned to Henry. "So, sir-"
Henry wasn't where he last saw him. Moxxie glanced around. "Where the Heaven did he go?"
Millie pointed ahead of them. Henry was walking over to the building with the banner. Moxxie smacked his forehead. "How did I not see him?!"
Millie started laughing. "You weren't payin' attention, hun, that's all!"
"What is he doing?! I sincerely doubt there's anything there of interest-"
"BETRAYED!! ABANDONED!!"
Henry stumbled back as someone with an ax went at him, chopping their way out of the building's entrance. Said someone was a well-built man covered in ink and wearing a familiar mask over his face. Millie pulled her hand out of Moxxie's before he could comment and rushed towards the two people. "Sammy, stop it! What're you doing?!"
"I TRUSTED you," Sammy snarled, stalking towards Henry like a starving jaguar. "I gave you everything! And you left me to ROT! Why?! WHY?!"
Millie put herself between Sammy and Henry, trying to force the ink creature back. Sammy grabbed one of her horns and threw her out of the way off-handedly. Moxxie ran to her side and helped her up again.
"What did your friend to do Sammy?" She asked, brushing off her legs. "He's never acted like that before!"
"I-I don't know!" Moxxie watched as Henry narrowly missed losing an arm to Sammy's ax by blocking it with his pipe (which must be made of titanium, it's taken a fair bit of abuse to still be in one piece). "Maybe he sees someone else?"
Millie ran for Sammy again. Moxxie joined her, jumping on his back as she lashed at his knee with her tail. The ink creature stumbled and Moxxie jumped off him to stand in front of Henry.
"I get the feelin' now ain't the time to ask what you did to him," Millie panted.
"You think?!" Henry grabbed the back of Moxxie's jacket and pushed him and Millie towards a chained-up metal gate. "Get that thing open, I'll deal with him!"
"Sir, you have a pipe!" Moxxie argued. "He has an AX! I think the battle is a little uneven!"
"I'll manage! Go!"
Millie ran ahead, already pulling on the chains and trying to get them to break or at least move. Moxxie grabbed them with her-and dropped them almost immediately. "They're made of ink?!"
"Everything is made of ink, Moxxie!" Millie snapped. "Now help me!"
Moxxie braced himself and grabbed the chains again, pulling back as hard as he could. They gave way for maybe a second before snapping back against the metal like they were made of rubber, making him smack against the gate. Millie kicked at the gate. "This isn't working!"
"We gotta get it open somehow-"
"Fuck with the gate!" Millie turned back to the fight between Henry and Sammy. "I'm helping him."
Considering the fact Henry was now on the ground and barely avoiding Sammy's ax, that seemed like a good idea.
Moxxie nodded to Millie and darted after Sammy, jumping on his back again and getting him in a headlock to yank him back. Sammy stumbled back and clawed at him to get him off, Moxxie tightened his grip, Sammy stumbled further and slammed him against a building's post hard enough to send them both to the ground. He landed on top of Moxxie and the imp wheezed-he was not light and was putting crushing pressure on his ribs, who responded by screaming in pain.
Sammy got up as soon as the imp let go and pinned him to the ground by his shoulder, raising his ax (which he'd apparently kept a hold of) above his head with his other hand. "You little creatures need to STAY OUT OF MY WAY!"
The landing above the two gave an alarming creak as Moxxie sank his claws into Sammy's arm, drawing ink (blood?) from the little scratches he managed to make. Sammy ignored him in favour of looking up at where the creaking was coming from and running out of the way as the landing above seemed to explode and rain debris down. Not having enough time to move out of the way himself, Moxxie curled up on his side and covered his head with his arms.
Miraculously, nothing vital got hit. A beam landed on his chest and further irritated his poor ribs but the debris more buried him than anything.
Another weight landed on him, making him cringe. Whoever was on him set to work moving the debris off and he hesitantly moved his arm down when light shone on him again. Millie gave him a tearful smile and reached down to help him out.
"Thank Satan," she whispered, letting him lean on her when he was freed. "I thought I lost you again..."
"M-Me too," Moxxie stammered, putting a hand to his aching ribs.
Millie noticed and took his hand away gently. "Did something land there?"
Moxxie nodded, forcing deep breaths. Millie winced in sympathy and cupped his face in her hands. "You've been through so much...I think you should-"
"NO!! Don't look at me!" Moxxie looked over Millie's shoulder at Sammy's cry. "Stay away!"
Sammy darted away from Henry, his hands over his now-maskless face. Moxxie and Millie shared a confused look before they made their way over to Henry.
"What did you do?" Moxxie asked, wincing at the bloody gashes on his back.
"Knocked his mask off." The winded tone to Henry's voice made Moxxie feel worse. "I'm not looking foreword to this next part."
"Are you gonna give it back?" Millie asked.
Henry hesitated, then walked over and picked it up. "I could..."
The two imps stood back as their human friend made his way over to Sammy almost nervously, the mask in his hands. Sammy looked up at him, he held out the mask with a smile-and the ink creature responded by grabbing the front of his shirt and lifting him a foot off the ground, much to the surprise of M&M. Sammy was strong!
"You lied to me," Sammy growled. "You said I'd be FREE!"
He slammed him to the ground on his back and swung his ax at Moxxie and Millie when they ran to defend him, catching Millie's forehead. (Thankfully it seems she dodged out of the way fast enough to prevent any damage-when Moxxie ran to check on her, she only had a badly bleeding scratch.) The ink creature put his foot on the human's chest to stop him from moving and hoisted his ax into his hand.
"Well I'm going to free YOU now," he snarled. "Free your head, right off your shoulders!"
He leaned in closer, teasing wagging his finger at Henry before raising the ax above his head. "Sheep sheep sheep, it's time for...Sleep."
Millie tried to run at him again, only for Moxxie to tighten his grip on her. He couldn't seem to look away from the gory death about to happen.
That is, until someone tapped his shoulder and made him turn around, pulling Millie with him. Audrey waved and motioned for them to stay quiet. Millie stopped squirming.
A yelp from Sammy caught their attention and they turned to see him stumble to the side and fall beside Henry, an ax in his head. Tom-who was currently looming over Henry in his place-yanked the ax back out and smacked it against his metal hand. For a few seconds Moxxie thought he was going to finish Sammy's job, then he flipped the ax over in one hand and held the handle out to Henry. The man flinched slightly but took it and let Tom pull him back to his feet.
"That was close," Alice said as Bendy ran to Henry, clinging to his leg and apologizing repeatedly until he picked him up. "You're lucky we were in the neighbourhood. Are you three okay?"
"We're fine," Millie said snidely.
"I-I don't feel very fine," Moxxie admitted.
Millie shot him a concerned look. Alice motioned for Audrey to look after him and turned back to Henry only for the ground to start shaking violently, cutting off any conversation. Henry put down Bendy and turned to the angel. "Was that 'him'?"
Tom made eye contact with Alice and shook his head. "I don't think so," she said hesitantly. "The Searchers and Lost Ones built this place. Sammy must have been keeping them at bay. Now that he's gone-Audrey, look out!!"
Audrey moved away from a puddle of ink as fast as she could, pulling Moxxie with her. The arm that sprouted from the puddle waved around uselessly before it slapped against the ground and hoisted up a very angry-looking ink creature.
"Watch out!" Alice called, moving to stand back-to-back with Tom. "Here they come!"
"Moxxie! Millie!" Henry tossed his pipe to the imps. "Get the gate open, we'll take it from here!"
Moxxie caught the pipe and ran for the chained metal gate, Millie and Audrey behind him. He jammed the pipe between the chains and the metal and pulled back, hoping the inky chains would give way before the pipe did. Neither one budged.
"Can't you call them off?" Audrey asked Millie, putting a hand on her shoulder.
Millie waved her off. "Ah, they'll be fine, honey. Just watch th' gate."
"This thing isn't gonna give anytime soon," Moxxie grunted.
There was silence for a moment. Moxxie put his hooves on the gate and pulled on the pipe with all his might and something finally gave-the pipe, slipping out from under the chains and sending Moxxie falling onto his back. The pipe flew from his hands and landed at the feet of a Lost One, who picked it up and swung at Bendy with it.
"Alright, I guess it's time I stepped in." Millie helped Moxxie stand up and dusted off his shoulders. "Wait right here, honey."
"You're not gonna join the fight, are you?" He asked, reaching to wipe away the blood running down her face. "Your cut-"
"I've got a splittin' headache but I'll be fine!" Millie took his hand in both of hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I've been in worse shape before."
"One more hit could kill you, Millie."
"I'm not that fragile-"
"Nor are you that strong!"
Millie bit her lower lip and looked over Moxxie's shoulder. He took her chin in his hand and turned her head back towards him. "Please. You're in no shape to fight. Please believe me."
The female imp sighed and finally gave in, freeing her hand from his and kissing his forehead. "Alright. I'll see what else I can do."
She moved away towards the group. Moxxie moved closer to Audrey and crossed his arms to watch.
Millie waved one arm first, then both arms, then put two fingers in her mouth and whistled. All ink creatures but Alice, Tom and Bendy stopped and looked at her. With a wave of her hand, the ink creatures made their way over to her and a Lost One crouched down to squish her cheeks affectionately. Millie hugged them in response briefly before stroking a smaller hunched over creature on the head.
It took a lot for Moxxie to hold back from running over and tackling her out of harm's way. Audrey's hand on his shoulder made him look up and she gave him a smile. Whatever it meant, he didn't know.
"That's a little anticlimactic," Tom grumped, walking over with Sammy's ax over his shoulder.
"I thought it was cool!" Bendy dragged Henry over to the two as Millie shooed the ink creatures away. "How'd ya do that?"
"They just seem t' like me," Millie said with a shrug. "All I do is talk to them and they listen."
"I think that's all of them." Alice ruffled Millie's hair and smiled slightly when she leaned into her hand. "You two couldn't get the door open?"
Millie looked pointedly at Moxxie's empty hands. Moxxie stuck his hands in his pockets. "Ah...No."
Alice moved past him and used her sword to get the gate open with one swing. "Probably best if we stay together from now on," she said, ignoring Moxxie's twitching eye. "Henry? Think you can lead the way?"
All eyes turned to Henry, who gave in with a shrug and made his way through. Moxxie was the first to trail him and pulled him back before he could go through the doorway. The floor beyond it was gone, replaced with a path of wooden boards impossibly balanced on rafters.
After a nervous pause, Moxxie looked up at Henry. "Maybe I should go first."
There was no mistaking the relief in the human's eyes as he took a step back. Moxxie carefully put a hoof on the board and winced when it creaked alarmingly.
"Be careful, honey," he heard Millie whisper. He swallowed hard and nodded.
No other conversation was had as the group made their way over the boards a few steps behind Moxxie, who felt a little like their Guinea Pig. He paused on one of the rafters to wait for the others to catch up, then continued across the second board.
It split in half right in the middle.
Moxxie froze, his weight being the only thing holding the board together somehow. Taking a deep breath, he looked back at the shocked group and gave Henry an unimpressed look.
"Sir, you have horrible luck."
That was all he had time to say before the board broke at last and sent him plunging into the darkness below, Millie screaming his name in alarm.