Ink Demonth 2024 Short Stories - Bendy : The Untrusted AU

Day 20 : Gossip

"Hello, this is.."

"Hey, where are you taking those files!? Put them back here!"

"Do you need a headline idea? I've just got.."

Dot's black heels clattered against the dull tiled floor of the underground newspaper office. She approached a tidy desk in the far back corner of the room, pulling out a chair.

"Ey, you're in today?" An article writer whose desk was right opposite her asked teasingly. "You're rather eager to work for a part-time gig these days."

Dot laughed dryly, dumping out a few notebooks and papers onto the desk. She adjusted her rusty typewriter casually. "I've ran into some good scoop recently." She answered.

The writer's eyes lit up. "Lucky you." He muttered. "Even the independent writers aren't coming out with good ones lately. Knowing you, something crazy's gonna come out of that."

Dot didn't reply. Her gaze fell down at the empty paper in the typewriter. She took a deep breath, pushing the pile of documents she put aside closer.

"Trent, do you know anything about Joey Drew studios?" Dot looked up at the man she called Trent.

"A little. I wasn't into cartoons." He replied blankly. "Why?"

"Do you remember when they shut down all those years ago?" She continued to ask.

"Yeah. Fiona over there was in charge of that article." He pointed to a middle aged lady in the center of the room. "What are you asking this for?"

"Are you not interested in it?" She smirked slightly.

Trent made a shocked expression, his hands quickly pushing aside his own typewriter. "You found something?"

Even though it wasn't a popular topic, the mysteries behind the sudden shut down, the testimonies given by the eyewitnesses of a strange light and rumble on the last night Joey Drew studios ever opened their doors, were all still intriguing topics to converse about every now and then. Some people have came up with conspiracy theories, but no answers nor confirmations had ever leaked out.

"Yeah." Dot nodded, knowing Trent couldn't do anything with the information they're about to gossip about.

Trent's eyes lit up. "How?" He then paused, and shook his head. "I shouldn't ask that— of course you have your own ways."

Dot didn't mind the question, but didn't answer either.

"Certain equipment belonging to Joey Drew studios was transferred to Gent Corp."

"Gent Corp.? Ah, right." Trent recalled that they were cooperating together on some projects. "The materials were that valuable? Their businesses don't seem to line up too much."

"Which means there was something that was important enough that Gent demanded it back desperately." Dot shrugged. "If you were to think it in a little negative light, perhaps even Gent was the cause of Joey Drew Studios' downfall. I do have some evidence that point to this, but nothing too concrete."

Trent acknowledged her words. "Some secret business practice?" He suggested.

Dot smiled.

"Do you recall Gent's sudden job notices flying around?"

"Yeah." Trent's eyes darted around. "Think I have one of them, actually."

"No need for it." Dot waved it off. "I recently ran into one of the people who took the job."

"Oh?" Trent wondered what it had to do with everything, exactly. His mind had imaginations, but he dare not think too much about them.

Dot reached for a small document file on the pile, removing the contents inside and handing it to Trent, who began reading without question.

His eyes slowly turned wide as he kept staring at the paper.

His mouth turned agape, and he slowly looked at Dot.

"Seriously?" He asked in disbelief.

Dot's smile didn't fade away. "Right from the source."

Trent threw the documents back to Dot, who caught them in her hands. He leaned back in his seat, massaging his face in exasperation.

"You.. you really terrify me, sometimes."

Dot gently nodded, reorganizing her folders mindlessly.

"Indeed, maybe, the one who exposes a horrifying truth is far scarier than the truth itself."

..........

In a quaint little diner, opposite a peculiar TV studio.

Archie Carter stared for a long time at the small pile of cash in front of him, pondering what to do with it.

He took out a sheet of crumpled paper from his dirty trench coat, examining the neat handwriting on it.

"Come to Giselle's Diner everyday at four P.M."

That was given to him by a lady in disguise.

Well, not like he could give a comment. He too was always heavily disguised every time he moved from place to place.

Now that he had a stable income, perhaps things could get better.

Besides the lady, he didn't think it'd be entirely safe to get a job anywhere else.

After all, people are often terrified of things they don't understand.

And nobody in the outside world can truly understand him anymore.

He looked down at his pitch black nails adorning his sepia skin solemnly.

Bendy : The Untrusted AU - Act 3 (Part 3/5)