Beware the Ink Demon? (BATDR Ink Demon x Reader)

Chapter 9 - Overwhelmed

By the way, I'm planning to edit and rewrite this whole book once I'm finished it all. It feels very messy and shoddily put together to me right now. Probably because every chapter I post is a first draft, and then I don't reread it. If you didn't notice that this story's quality isn't great, disregard what I just said. I'm actually the best writer ever. I'm even better than Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, Agatha Christie, and Roald Dahl combined. You can tell because I'm writing with Wattpad.

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For a moment, nothing happens. Then one of the Keepers dashes away. The other two remain quiescent, as though they are waiting for something to happen.

"Why is that one leaving?" I whisper to Allison.

"It's probably going to get backup. We have to go Y/N, right now. Before more show up and turn this whole area into a death pit," she explains hurriedly.

Inky's face finally emerges from a wall, followed by the rest of his giant body. Both of the remaining Keepers hastily turn to face him. Immediately, Inky slugs a Keeper in the face. It recoils backward, but the other one wastes no time trying to bring the demon down.

"What if that other Keeper comes back with even more, and then the Ink Demon isn't able to fight them all at once? We should chase after it before that happens!" I say.

I spot a thin metal pipe loosely attached to the wall, looking as though it's about to fall out. Still crouching, I grab ahold of it and pull. I don't worry about the grunting sounds I'm making, since the Keepers probably won't notice me when they're focused on Inky. Allison begins to protest, but the pipe suddenly comes out with all my effort. I hold it in my hands, assessing its weight and how good of a weapon it would be.

I stand up and look at Allison, who is now standing too. I move my legs to start running after the first Keeper, but she grabs my hand before I can take a step.

"Y/N, if we don't get away from here, we will both die! Even if you chase after the other guy, you won't reach him in time! We've got to go back to my hideout, grab my supplies, and run away. The Keepers know where I live now and we have to hide," she says, exasperated and genuinely frightened.

"Well, I can't just abandon the Ink Demon!" I exclaim. Maybe I'm being unreasonable, but I don't care. I don't want to leave him.

I break away from Allison's grip, and bolt away with the slim hope that I can somehow catch up to the rogue Keeper. I look behind me to see her standing there, looking unsure of what to do. Then one of the Keepers that had been attacking the Ink Demon appears from behind her.

"Look out!" I scream. It grabs hold of one of her arms, and with a single motion, snaps it backward.

I stop running automatically. Allison yells in pain, then falls down from shock. The Keeper decides that this is all that needed to be done with the angel, and drops her arm on the floor next to her. I shriek at the gruesome sight.

I'm about to rush to her side, but I'm forcefully pushed down by a hand on my back. The floor meets my chest, and I feel the wind get knocked out of me and my pipe fall out of my hand. I look ahead to see a whole hoard of Keepers rushing past me, toward Inky. He spots me on the ground, then begins to move towards my position. He barrels past several oncoming Keepers, shoving each of them aside to reach me. He stands in front of me like a shield against the invading monsters. He swipes them away, picks them up and eats them, punches them and claws at them, etcetera etcetera. I notice Tom discretely dragging Allison away.

Our attackers get a little smarter. About half of them start targeting me, whereas before it was maybe only a couple of them. The Ink Demon wasn't having too hard of a time before, but now with the both of us being attacked on all sides, it's a lot more difficult for him. Keepers claw at me and grab my limbs, and Inky throws them off while one of the slug abominations is clinging to his own leg.

I attempt to stand amidst the chaos, spotting my pipe across the floor. As I go to pick it up, a Keeper notices me. It grabs my head and slams my skull back into the floor. I feel like my bone has been fractured, and I can't tell if this is an overstatement or not. Inky whirls around to find me on the floor all over again, and three Keepers immediately flank his open side.

Dazedly and only half-consciously, I reach for the pipe again. My arm doesn't get very far though, as I slump down. I feel so tired. My eyes naturally close.

The last thing I hear before falling asleep, or losing consciousness, or dying, or whatever it is, is the sound of Inky roaring in pain.