BATNG-Chapter 2
The field trip last week was still fresh in Alex's mind as well as the story Wally was telling her, with a google search Alex was able to see the business story of Joey Drew Studio, kind of, she was sent to SillyVision instead with more link clicking and swiping, an address was found, along with a very old picture of the building already running down and abandoned, the photo being printed out in the year 1987, "Hm... I wonder if the building is still standing..." She thought out loud as her college course class ended with a ring of the bell. "What building?" Asked a classmate. "Just an old cartoon studio Wally was telling me about." "Who?" "The old man from the field trip." "Ah, that man. He was funny." Chuckled Matt. "Yeah, I think imma check it out when I get free time." "Why? Sounds like a stupid movie plot thing that the protagonist do to start some drama and kill off their friends." "Who thinks like that?" Alex shows her discomfort throw her face expression before packing her belongings and leaving the remaining others. "You know I'm right but seriously, look. You're gonna go to the Studio, saying you're just gonna look around but something catches your eye, something pulls you in with some strange force and bam! Stuck in a crazy world, fighting against all odds to leave. Now that could be a movie or video game but know this, out of one of 'em you get one chance. So you can go but will you be coming back?" Matt all the while speaking with his hands for visual effects. Alex is soon feeling sick but at the same time, excited. "Man, you sure have a way with words, idiot." Smiled Alex jokingly. Parting ways with Matt, Alex turned to her next class, after unpacking her subject's items, she ended up drawing on the back of her notepad with her cell phone hiding from view of other nosey classmates. Soon, Alex googled searched what Joey-Vision made during their golden years. There were many of many pictures of the workers and upon closer look, she saw a doodle of a character over the shoulder of someone turning away from his work to smile for the photo, it was just the head and parts of the top body. With a circle, heart-shape in the middle, a Cheshire smile, and Pac man eyes. A simple character with a bowtie, yeah that seems about right during those times, but what was it, a cat? No, the ears don't look right, it's not like Felix the cat. Hm. With a beat of the pen, she closed her book and began to focus on the class having that image slip from her mind. 'Maybe Wally would know? Only one way to figure it out.' A train ride on a weekend later... "There he is dear." Pointed a young kind nurse that really enjoys working in the retirement home. "Thanks!" Wally Franks was staring out the window with a smile on his face as if in his own little world. "Uncle Wally?" Wally jumped from surprise and began to cough. "Oh I'm sorry, didn't mean to scare you." Alex took the empty chair across from the older man. "I shouldn't have zoned out like that, someone might think I'm dead." He laughed. "I was wondering if you can tell me the name of this character from the studio you were working for." With a nod of acceptance, Alex slipped the notebook out her bag and showed him the last page. Wally lifted his glasses to his weak eyes with a nod- he laughed. "The Dancing Demon... Been some years since I seen this runt." "...Demon?.. for a kids show?" Alex asked skeptically. "Back in the day, everyone was accepted Sweetheart, Bendy, he was something special in a lot of people's eyes. He was a sweet one by far." "You're speaking as if he was a real person" Wally looked at her for a moment before looking back the face of the Dancing Demon before handing 'him' back to her. "To Joey Drew, he was more real than anything else in the world, even though he had nothing to do with him, so I heard." "Whatever happened to Joey?" "I don't know. I walked outta there and never looked back, As did Henry." "Who was he?" "Joey's right-hand man, for a bit, left before I did, Joey didn't like it. I ran into him one day and he said Joey wasn't giving what he offered him beforehand so left. As I said, I wasn't near the animators unless it was clearly their bins but Henry was a hard working man. Whether him quitting turned the studio downhill or Joey doing a co-op with SillyVision do focus on that Machine of his. The place was shut down because nothing was getting done, crew, getting sick...missing." Alex soaked in every word Wally was saying. "Joey does sound like a coconut." "Yeah Joey and that Ink Machine." "You really didn't like that Machine did you?" "That and the pipes, duct-tapes weren't enough. Ink everywhere, make 10 pools and an ocean with how much we had. Never figured out where it came from though but I could never figure out where I put my keys." Alex laughed as she looked at the picture of Bendy, with a raised eyebrow at the smile on Bendy. 'Looks better than how I made it.' "I apologize but it's time to end guest hour." Said another much older nurse. Alex stood up and waved Wally goodbye. "I'll try to visit a little bit earlier next time," Alex promised. Wally gave her a kind smile and turned back to his window. 'Now the question remains, do I want to waste time looking at that studio? Nothing could be there but an empty lot but still, the story behind is pushing me towards it.'