Entities' Studio

(Finished at last! Hope you all enjoy this chapter! I tried to pack in as much humor, action, and suspense as I could!)

(Warnings: slight injury, fear, fighting, death mention)

Well, they didn’t die immediately, so Sammy counted that as a small win.

The inky sewage water sloshed about the musician’s lower legs. He tried not to focus on that, but it was a bit hard not to. He also tried not to think about the fact that he was inhaling toxic fumes; even while wearing the spare nose pin Jack had lent him, he could almost taste it on his tongue. How did Jack work like this? He glanced at the lyricist trudging along beside him. He seemed unbothered, though that was probably because he was geared up with both a nose pin and high, rubber boots, while Sammy was forced to slog through the muck in regular, non-water resistant shoes.

Sammy didn’t realize he’d been glaring until Jack glared back.

“What?” the lyricist said testily.

“You sure you didn’t have any extra boots?” Sammy asked for the third time.

“Positive,” Jack replied through gritted teeth.

Sammy relented and grew spitefully silent. His hand reflexively clenched and unclenched the wrench he’d grabbed before they embarked on this rescue mission. He wasn’t sure what good it would do against a massive ink monster, but it was better than going in empty-handed.

Or maybe worse, he mused, Gives you a false sense of hope.

He shook his head. No use getting pessimistic. Susie needed rescuing and that was all he needed to worry about, though the fact that this would very likely go horribly wrong and all three of them would most certainly be eaten was an irritatingly persistent thought.

Jack spoke, as if hearing Sammy’s thoughts, “We will save her, you know, despite the odds.”

“Because we have to?” Sammy asked.

“Yeah,” Jack replied, “Because we have to.”

Sammy glanced at the lyricist, who flinched at his own shadow cast by the candle in his quivering hand. He was no fighter, but neither was Sammy. Come to think of it, they really should have asked for more backup. It wasn’t like there’d be any forthcoming, though, at least not of the useful variety. The only employees that might stand a chance against the ink monster were Thomas, Lacie, and Henry, and even they might fail. Besides, Susie needed help now and hunting those three down would take up precious time they didn’t have.

So it was up to them: a lyricist spooked by his own shadow and a musician with bird-like limbs. Yeah, they were definitely going to die.

And of all the people to die beside, it had to be Jack Fain.

“What’s the plan anyway?” Sammy snapped, “Or were you just going to go in swinging and hope that would be enough?”

Jack glared at him, “Do you have a better idea?”

No. “Of course.”

“Then by all means, let’s hear it.”

(This chapter’s a bit shorter. Rest assured, plenty is yet to come...)

(Part 1)

(Warnings: None)

Sammy remained still as a statue, not so much as a breath escaping him. His mind was a broken record repeatedly replaying the scene of that ink monster spiriting Susie away. Eventually, the record scratched and he regained his senses.

Jack was screaming. Quite loudly.

“Shut up!” Sammy hissed. As if a switch had been flipped, Jack clamped his mouth shut. His whole body trembled with the force of his barely constrained panic. Under normal circumstances, Sammy would have teased him. Right now, though, it was taking all the musician’s willpower not to start shrieking too.

Jack forced out a few words, “Wha-What...What just happened?!”

“I don’t know!” Sammy cried. His heart thundered against his ribcage and he struggled to take a breath, “It just...It just took her!”

“We have to do something!”

“Against that thing?” Sammy pointed down the tunnel the creature and Susie had disappeared down, “Are you nuts?! What can we do?”

Jack glared at the music director, “We can’t just leave her!”

“I know that!” Sammy said defensively, “But we won’t be much help if it gets us before we get her.”

“Have any better ideas?”

Sammy went to say something but found he had no response. Instead, he dragged a hand down his face, a low growl escaping him.

“Where’s Joey when you actually need him?”

The studio’s usually ever-present manager hadn’t come into work today. He’d said something about “New supplies! It’ll be revolutionary!” before he left. Sammy had been glad to see him go; now, though, he’d toss himself into this sewer if it meant he’d come back.

Well, he won’t, Sammy’s gaze settled on the inky sewage water swirling around Jack’s boots, But I’m going in anyway.

Jack was still regarding him coldly. Sammy took a deep breath, resisting the urge to gag at the smell that assaulted his nose.

“Okay, okay…” He exhaled, “We’ll rescue her ourselves.”

Jack’s eyes widened. Apprehension flickered in his eyes but still he nodded solemnly, “Yes, we will...How exactly will we do that?”

Sammy threw his hands up, “You tell me.”

Eyes narrowed, Jack turned away to inspect his surroundings. Spotting something, he reached into the filthy water and started to pull. Sammy wrinkled his nose in disgust.

With a mighty tug, Jack dislodged what looked to be a stray bit of pipe left there to corrode. Eyes sparkling with determination, he brandished it toward Sammy.

“We fight!”

Sammy eyed the small, fragile pipe before looking at the small, equally fragile lyricist.

Some fanart of our favorite projectionist!! This is the first time I've ever used digital so don't be too cruel hehehe (nah I'm just kidding, all critique is welcome and highly appreciated!!!)

Haha, aww, thanks!!! We've had it since we first started. It was my first digital drawing, actually!!!

(I live!!! It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Anyway, this will be a multi-chaptered piece starring Jack, Sammy, and Susie, since they’ve been quite the subject of interest on this blog recently. Expect action, drama, and lots of bickering!)

(Warnings: I don’t think there are any)

“Let’s see...what rhymes with dance?”

Heavy silence followed Jack’s words. That was how he liked it, though. Down here in the sewer, no one bothered him. He was left entirely alone to his own thoughts. All that could be heard was the occasional slosh of the inky sewer water beside him. It’s a bit turbulent today, he thought absently.

He adjusted his nose pin to better block out the smell and continued to brainstorm.

“Prance, trance, chance-”

“How about romance?”

A very high-pitched noise escaped Jack and he instantly smothered it with a hand clapped to his mouth. He spun in his seat, nearly toppling over into the inky river below.

Susie smiled at him, her shining blue eyes accentuated by the sparkling necklace she wore. Jack had to prize the hand from his mouth to speak.

“Susie! Wh-What are you doing here?”

The voice actress held out a few leaves of paper, “This is the sheet music for the next episode. Sammy should be delivering it himself, but…” she sighed heavily, “He didn’t want to see you.”

Jack’s good humor dimmed a bit at the mention of his hated rival. Neither of them had ever seen eye to eye (Sammy would say that was because Jack was so short; yet another reason to despise him). The lyricist couldn’t think of a single time where they’d ever agreed about anything. This mutual hatred wasn’t made better by the fact that they vied for the attention of the very woman smiling at him now.

He tried to push away the negative thoughts. After all, Sammy wasn’t here now; it was just Susie and him. Just Susie and I…

That brought another strong reaction, this one of terror. Jack liked to think he was a master wordsmith, but that skill only extended so far as the page. Talking was a whole other challenge.

On the subject of talking, Jack realized he hadn’t said a word in quite some time and Susie was looking at him expectantly.

“Right, be there in a second!” he stumbled out of his seat and hastened to slip on the boots that he wore to wade through the sewer. Susie wrinkled her nose a bit, but unlike everyone else, didn’t compare him to a rat. He took that as a win.

He’d just about reached her, one hand extended, knees close to buckling under Susie’s warm gaze, when Sammy Lawrence appeared on the staircase. His knees threatened to collapse for an entirely different reason now.

“Sammy?!” his voice was far too screechy so he cleared his throat and tried again, “What are you doing down here?!”

Sammy didn’t even look at Jack, just handed another paper to Susie, “You missed this one.”

Susie arched an eyebrow at the paper then nodded to Jack, “You could hand it to him yourself.”

Jack was gratified to see Sammy’s cheeks redden a bit, “I’d rather not.”

Primly, Susie snatched the papers away from Jack’s waiting hand and proffered them to the musician, “It’s your music. You should be the one to deliver it, don’t you think?”

When Sammy made no move to grab them, Jack sighed loudly.

“It’s fine, Susie. I don’t need his grubby hands all over them anyway.”

Susie frowned, “Well, he did write it, so he already had his grubby hands all over them.”

Now Jack helt his face flush. He tried to hide it by adjusting his hat. Sammy snorted at the awkward movement and Jack glared at him.

Susie glanced between the two of them and rolled her eyes, “Honestly, you two are worse than five-year olds. Is it really so hard to get along?”

For once, Jack and Sammy agreed.

“Yes.”

The voice actress huffed in exasperation and held the papers out to Jack again, “Fine, be that way. But I’m done being the mediator for you two. Figure this out or...or…” she fumbled for an adequate threat, “Or...I won’t talk to either of you ever again!”

Sammy and Jack stopped glowering at each other to turn to Susie, “What?”

Susie nodded quickly, “Yeah, I won’t talk to either of you ever again. Well, I guess I’ll have to for work, but other than that, no!”

All Jack and Sammy could manage were a few sputters, followed by some mutters, ending in a long stretch of silence that Susie interrupted.

“Are you two okay with that?”

“Of course not!” Jack exclaimed just as Sammy shouted “No!”

“Then start getting along!”

Sammy scowled at her, “It’s none of your business!”

Susie crossed her arms, “It is my business when the two people I work closest with decide they can’t be civil for even a full minute.”

“It doesn’t affect our work-” Jack began.

“Yes, it does!” Susie seemed to have reached a limit, “Think of how much better our songs would be if you two collaborated! Think of how much less tension there’d be! Maybe I wouldn’t constantly feel like the middlewoman for you two! Maybe we could be…”

Jack’s heart rate quickened, “What? We could be what?”

Sammy also perked up at her words.

The sewer ink sloshed insistently against Jack’s boots and he stumbled to stay upright.

Susie met their hopeful gazes with a glare, “We can’t be anything if your hatred for each other is more than your love for me!”

Jack’s racing thoughts stuttered and stalled. He wanted to tell her that he loved her. Of course he loved her so much more than his hatred for Sammy! He wanted to assure her that the two of them could make it work.

Then something big and dripping rose up just beside Jack. So caught up in his thoughts, it took the lyricist a moment to fathom that there was a gigantic ink creature swaying beside him. He stared wide-eyed, a scream frozen in his throat, as it reached forward. Susie shrieked as its seeking fingers grabbed hold of her. Jack and Sammy couldn’t move.

Before either of them could so much as blink, the creature disappeared down the long, dark sewer tunnel, carrying a screaming Susie with it.