Let Darkness Come

[Katrielle Layton]

It didn't take long for the demon and wolf to arrive at Darkshire. They stood in front of a monumentous stone wall, withering vines gnarled in the cracks in a desperate attempt to stay alive. The city, while not quite bustling, could still be heard on the other side. There was no gate, however. They must've arrived opposite to the entrance. Bendy glanced around for a moment, then turned to urge Boris to join him. "Let's follow the wall this way."

They continued along the path for about 30 seconds before the inky imp paused. They arrived at the gate, a little tower serving as a watch station. The guard stood inside the tower, decked out in armor.

Bendy waved up at him. "Hey! Buddy! I'm Bendy, this is Boris, and we've been wandering around for hours and we just need a place to rest. Can we come in?"

The watcher stared down, more than a little surprised at the new arrivals. "...What are you?"

"We're cartoons!" The imp splayed his arms out and did little jazz hands.

"That doesn't really explain much."

"We can't really explain it. We're cartoons, nothing more."

The guard raised an eyebrow at this, but continued. "Either way, you can't come in right now-- we're not allowing strangers inside until we've recovered. The gate to the Nexus is over there," he said, pointing away from the city, "so why not try one of the other universes?"

Well, guess they'd have to find another way. Bendy scowled, shaking his fist at the guard in partially-fake outrage. "Oi, I ask nicely and this is what I get?" He paused for a moment, waiting to see if the guard would respond. When he didn't, the demon huffed and crossed his arms. "Come on, Bo, let's try somewhere else." He took the lupine's hand and they walked into the darkness in the direction the man suggested. As soon as they were out of sight, however, they immediately retooled their stride so they returned to the side of the barrier.

The inky devil examined the wall, flexing his fingers against the bricks as an idea came to him. "Okay, Bo. Change of plans: follow my lead." And with that, he launched both of his hands towards the top of the barricade. Once his fingers latched onto the eroded brick wall, he hoisted himself to the top. His friend followed suit, and both of them stood atop the barrier, watching the town below them, almost invisible to the masses as their black skin blended into the perpetual night. Bendy shuddered when he caught sight of a church, but shook off his anxiety and turned to look at Boris. "Alright. You don't want to hurt anyone, so how about you wait up here and be my sentry?"

His pal hesitated for a moment, but nodded anyway. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Bendy gave him a reassuring smile. "100%, Bo."

"You know I trust you. Just try not to get into too much trouble, okay?"

"I'll try. You know I like trouble, though." The imp melted down into a puddle and began slithering down the wall into the town.

"I know," Boris mumbled, watching his friend disappear into the city below.

Word count: 3,300/8,000