Ink Demonth 2024 Short Stories - Bendy : The Untrusted AU

Day 30 : Cage

The cold, dark hideout exuded an isolating aura, the rusty walls illuminated by a flame lit by a kit Tom found fueled a small pile of papers Henry ripped from his notebook. The environment was eerie and silent, besides the flickering of the flames that comforted Henry just a little. Tom glared at him without a word, grabbing a soup can from his pocket and opening it up. Henry stared at the inky, slimy soup in the can as Tom handed it to him.

He cracked a small, gentle smile, politely denying the food.

Out of the corner of his eye, he swore he could see the Projectionist's decapitated head flash for a second just then.

Tom nodded, understanding Henry's decision.

Henry felt like such a scene is a familiar, yet also different in a way.

Eating keeps me sane.

Henry blinked. It occurred again. The strange moments when a mute toon caricature's voice would reverberate through his mind.

"Are you implying I'm not sane?" Henry laughed dryly.

Tom kept his glare fixed on the man.

We're all mad here. And that includes you.

Henry sighed.

Tom wasn't exactly wrong, either. He was certain that his mental state was far, far different than what the common norm would accept.

The Boris pulled out a spoon from somewhere, swirling the disgusting looking soup in the can, his posture straight. He stared at the swirling, black vortex for a while.

What was Joey like?

Henry jolted slightly from the question that was thrown out of the blue. He didn't meet Tom's gaze this time, instead opting to stare at the dancing flames.

"...." Henry opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

He pressed his hand to his face, pulling it back to comb his hair. He repeated the same face-massaging gestures for a couple times, unable to structure a single coherent sentence in his mind.

Suddenly, he mustered out a single word.

"...Cage."

Tom made a puzzled expression, evident by his exaggerated eyebrows. However, it seemed like he also understood what Henry meant.

"It was.." Henry clasped his hands together, pushing it towards his chest like he was praying. "It was like a cage. One that.. that had a key, but you don't know where it is."

"So, the only way out was to break the cage." Henry enjoyed using visual metaphors. He felt like it turned his creative gears very well.

Break?..You..

Tom caught on to the keyword rather quickly.

Henry's thoughts ran as he recalled back to that day again.

Still, those memories were still shrouded in mystery, for reasons Henry himself hasn't yet to discover.

"I was tired." Henry blankly said. "That was all."

He knew such curt words wouldn't get through the gleaning eyes of Tom Boris. But it was the best he could figure out to say.

Tom's eyebrows tied into knots, like he was trying to confirm something.

Then, he nodded, going back to his soup again.

This place has always been a cage.

Henry laughed mirthlessly, looking up at the worn down ceiling.

"No- no, it wasn't." He said, bits of dry, bitter chuckle mixed into his tone.

"This place was everyone's land of lost dreams, once, then.. then it would shift, until you realize, all that remains are cruel, cold, metal bars that would keep you in, embrace your pitiful self, and never let you go."

Henry's tone shifted all of the sudden again, like he became a completely different person. Tom caught onto this, turning to look at Henry again.

But in the next second, the artist had returned to his usual demeanor.

His face still had his usual, gentle but tired smile.

"I think I'll eat. Every prisoner still deserves food."

Bendy : The Untrusted AU - The Cage (Part 3.5/5)