~Dramaturgy~ [Batim AU Project]

Chapter 7: The Lights, Camera, and the Action

(Alan/Bendy POV)

We were called to set and got into our places. After memorizing the script, we got into our places. "ACTION!" The megaphone rang in our ears. "Don't worry, Bendy! We'll pull you up!" I hung from the side of the fake cliff, clinging to a 'branch'. Boris went to grab my arm, but the 'branch' broke and I plummeted to the net below. That wasn't supposed to happen. "CUT!" The cameras stopped rolling.

I felt a sharp pain in my hand. I lifted my arm and sure enough, I was bleeding. Ink pooled into my palm and overflowed down my arm. I don't know why, but I couldn't stop staring at the ink running down my arm. There was a lot. Henry rushed over to my side and lifted my arm to check out my wound. I winced when he took my hand. "Tch, Joey..." He whispered under his breath. "What's Joey got to do with it?" I asked. Henry took to his feet and shook his head. "Joey's just been cutting corners lately. Ratings ain't like they used to be." He sighed. I stood. "Let's get you to the infirmary, buddy." Boris said, lifting my arm. Alice inspected it for a minute. "It doesn't look that bad. Does it hurt?" I shook my head. "Not much. Stings a bit, though." I lied. My hand was numb, and it felt like my mind was, too. I kept my gaze on my wound. There was something about it. It felt...wrong. I don't understand.

Joey brought us to life from the ink, I know that. But...It still felt wrong. The ink was hypnotizing. Almost as if it was calling me. My head was soon dragged out of the clouds by the stinging of the rubbing alcohol on the wound. I winced as the nurse pulled at something under my skin. She pulled out a shard of plastic and set it down on the tray next to her. She bandaged my hand and released me from the room. I walked back up the stairs and looked around. The nurse said it would take some time to heal, and with me out of commission, we can't record for a few weeks.

I walked past Joey's office on my way to my room. Thankfully, I'm not on bed rest. Well, it was just my hand. Joey and Henry seem to be arguing again. Grant Cohen was there, too. Joey sure doesn't seem happy. "-Joey, I'm the one responsible for the finances! We can't afford a theme park! We can barely keep the show afloat as it is, with the animations shut down! We can't even afford to keep the Ink Machine running!" Grant, whom had yet to lose his temper, told Joey. Joey slammed his fist on the table. "I'm the one responsible for the ideas! This is my decision! This theme park will rake in money for the studio!" A theme park, huh? Nice! I kept listening. "Joey, listen to the man! He knows what he's saying!" Henry was always the peacekeeper. Level headed and down to earth, Henry was a reliable guy. He'd never lie to anyone. Joey stomped over to the cracked door. I panicked. What was I supposed to do, stand there and just say: "Oh, don't mind me, jus eavesdropping!"? No. I hid in a nearby potted plant. Master of stealth!

Joey took a few more steps. Then he stopped. My heart raced. What will he do if he catches me? Will he play everything off as fine? Will he take his anger out on me? He took a few more steps toward the plant and stooped down. "It's okay, Bendy. I'm not mad at you." I slunk out of the plant. Joey plucked a leaf out of my hair and patted my head. "Just don't eavesdrop on conversations that don't concern you." I nodded and made my way to my room.

I flopped down onto my bed. I held my bandaged hand above my head. Ink had completely saturated the gauze and wrappings. Yeesh, did that shard of plastic hit a vein? I sighed. How long until we film another episode?

A few weeks later, we received shocking and heartbreaking news. It had come to light that someone was retiring. That someone was Henry Stein. He said that he wanted to spend more time with his wife, but we know the real reason. Joey had become too much to deal with. He didn't care anymore. All he wanted was money. All he wanted was power. Upon hearing the news, I collapsed to my knees. Alice covered her face, and Boris just stood there. Alice wept into my shoulder. I couldn't stop the flow of tears from my own eyes. He was one of our creators! He was one of our friends! He was like a grandpa to me... Just like Joey used to be.

Months passed by. Gradually, everyone's morale dropped significantly. Joey seemed to show up to the studio looking more and more disheveled with every passing day. Joey, once a happy-go-lucky, idealistic man with a dream, now turned Power-hungry and sour. We didn't speak casually to him much anymore. Boris didn't speak much at all since then. We recorded as usual, but the show didn't have as much flair as they used to. Ratings went down, and with them, Joey's happiness. New levels were added to the studio, but we didn't get to see them. We were kept under strict watch.

Working here was once fun. What happened to the good old days?

(word count: 929)