Ink Demonth 2024 Short Stories - Bendy : The Untrusted AU

Day 13 : Bow

Grant wasn't athletic, nor was he strong. He was just some salaryman who's been loyal enough to a single company that got him out of a sticky predicament in life, that was all.

He blinked.

A tether of black, sticky liquid rushed towards his neck, solidifying into a sharp blade.

He swung the pipe in his hand without hesitation, just barely blocking off the lethal attack. The tether exploded into droplets of ink, raining down upon him and the room.

He felt his vitality drop in an instant, only to be rejuvenated again.

Grant heaved a sigh, glaring straight at the figure of a man standing on the other side of this strange, metal-walled circular chamber. The pipes on the ceiling spurred, screeching loudly as if they're ready to burst at any moment.

From top to bottom, the room was drenched in ink.

Yet his boss wasn't touched by any of it, as if there's some kind of barrier between him and the world.

Grant, on the other hand, besides being covered in ink, the pipe in his hand was a prototype of a weapon Thomas had been working on. The colorful electrical sparks danced around the weapon.

But it also was painful to Grant.

"What are you doing this for!?" Grant mustered, trying to stall for time. "This- this place-!!"

"You should stop hurting yourself."

That man opposite the room coldly spoke to him, yet it was tainted with a sliver of kindness.

Grant recalled in that moment, that Joey Drew once told him the exact same words.

He stopped his entire body from trembling in exhaustion, quickly forcing his head to look up.

The man named Joey Drew lunged towards him without any care in his eyes.

Grant raised his arm, his lips curving into a small smile.

"If only I'd never met you."

He felt something sharp shatter the back of his head at that moment.

.......

The chamber that was rumbling and screaming just now had quietened down. Joey's frail hand slowly let go of a handful of wet hair, letting it droop over a lifeless face again.

He watched as the ink began to seep up the corpse, happily consuming it and taking it in as one of them.

He looked down at the disgusting, human heart-shaped object in his palm. Without another word, he carefully placed it nearby the lifeless body.

"This is my final gift." Joey whispered under his breath, unknown whether he was talking to the dark ink, or the corpse.

He slowly stood up, watching as the liquid that once backed away began to crawl towards him again, only to retract on its own.

The man who lost everything made his way across the chamber to the exit door, his smile growing wider with every step.

He turned around one last time, looking up at the throne he erected himself. It was empty, standing tall and proud like it was looking down on the world.

Joey stared for a few moments, before solemnly bowing down to that throne, saying his final farewell to this dramatic play he wrote, casted, and directed.

A certain broken dream has come to an end.

Bendy : The Untrusted AU - Act 2 (Part 2/5)