Just a Happy Ending

No Wandering

Henry ran as Bendy's cold and cruel laughter echoed across the halls. His feet moved on their own, taking him straight back to the Machine. He stopped short and slipped behind the door frame while trying to quiet his breathing.

What on earth had he just witnessed? Bendy was a mischievous little toon, sure; it was literally his whole shtick. But that? Taunting him? Threatening him? Perhaps Bendy really was mad at him. Was the little devil going to "play" with Henry for another four-hundred cycles? The thought summoned a wave of despair that threatened to manifest itself through tears.

Press on!

Henry set his jaw and clenched his fists. No. This was going to be different. He remembered it all, now; he knew what to do. He knew Bendy. So what if it took a few more cycles? He'd set them free. All of them.

He swiped his hands in one motion from the back of his head over his face, exhaling slowly all the while. Refocus. Get his head in the game. Press on.

What needed doing? The Machine needed to be turned on.

The cycles came back to him.

Raise the Machine, find the six objects, turn on the pressure, then the power.

The steps were completed in quick succession with a brief pause for a bacon soup snack. The Power Station hummed to life and Henry turned on his heel to head back to the Machine. He didn't think much of it; go back to the Machine room, look through the boards, and Ink Bendy would- ...

No. He wouldn't. This was different. There was no Ink Bendy anymore.

And no footprints.

That detail was such a consistent thing, Henry didn't notice until he did a double take. There were normally ink footprints leading from the Machine room to a locked closet.

Sammy's? Henry had never known for sure.

Regardless, they weren't there.

Somewhat on edge now, Henry continued to the Machine room. The doorway wasn't boarded up, so Henry walked right in. No jumpscare, no demon, just the Machine loudly chugging away.

"Okay, now what?" Henry asked the air. Should he just... turn around and go back to the entrance? Fall through the floor?

He sighed and rubbed his eyes with his fingers. This was going to be the most confusing cycle, for sure. He glanced back up, and was met with a pair of wide, beady eyes.

Henry yelped and jumped back, tripping over his own feet and landing heavily on his back. He scrambled to his feet, ready to bolt, then paused.

Those eyes belonged to a cutout. A cutout of Bendy, but... terrifyingly off-model. Ink dripped down the forehead and leaked from the eyes and mouth. It stained the bowtie and gloves. Some of the shaded parts of his body were chipped and faded. The cardboard toon held a sign that read "WANDERING IS A TERRIBLE SIN."

Henry took a step back. Was this... supposed to keep him away from whatever wasn't... normal? Keep him from 'wandering'? His gaze drifted in thought. It made a bit of sense, actually.

He looked back up and discovered that taking eyes off the Wandering Bendy was a mistake. It was now across the threshold of the Machine room and up in Henry's face, far too close for comfort. Henry inhaled sharply and skipped back again.

He glanced to his left. The hallway was clear. He looked back to the cutout. It hadn't moved.

He took a step. Then another. He kept staring at the cutout. When his sight of it was cut off by the wall, he turned and ran to the exit's hall. He almost charged straight down it but stopped and dared a look back the way he'd come.