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Post by Bluedramon on Jul 24, 2015 20:50:15 GMT -5
Chapter 27:
That was it...
Almost there...
Just a little more...
When Biclops heard the snap, he felt a sense of elation rush through him. Finally, after all this time, he had broken through the bar. Okay so it didn’t take as long as he thought, but still it took a while. He could feel himself wanting to let his jaw drop open and relax a bit. He could feel his muscles there aching, demanding a break. He rubbed his hand against them to try to soothe them.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t celebrate. Not yet. He still had a few more bars to chew through first. He looked at them up and down and he gritted his teeth nervously. He wasn’t looking forward to biting through another of those. He had chewed through only two so far, and they really worked his muscles to the very core. He needed a break, but he knew that time was of the essence. He couldn’t afford to just stand around and do nothing.
But his jaws... He wasn’t sure how much more he could work them without having to take a break. He wished there was a faster way, something that was cheaper in terms of labor, but faster in terms of time. There was nothing he could think of. He was stuck doing this.
The giant licked his lips nervously. He might as well get this done and over with. He looked left and right, and then back at the bars. He narrowed his eyes. He might as well continue now before too much time passed. He gripped the bars tightly and he opened up his jaws. He paused for a moment and then he bit down on it hard. He began to grind his jaws from side to side like before. He winced at the pain, but he struggled to push it aside as he started to slowly cut through this. At least it snapped a little quicker than the other one, allowing him to move onto the next one.
As Biclops began to chew on this one, he tried to think of what his plan was going to be. If the memotrice really had screwed with his memories before, than he knew that just rushing up to the creature was going to be a huge mistake. He was going to need to be stealthier and quieter. He needed a way to get there without being noticed. Was there a way to do that? At the moment, he didn’t know. But he knew he’d have to think of something fast.
When he got in there, though...then what? He needed to have another plan of some kind. Just getting there was one thing. But it was another to try to sneak through that place, and it was even another thing to confront someone there. How would he deal with the Beanie Boys? How would he deal with Snap?
His first thought was that he could pretend to still be an ally but....would that even work? The memotrice may have been the one to have Skrawl attack him. This would mean that if he went in unannounced and the memotrice, or any of them, found out, he would be immediately targeted. That would certainly create a lot of trouble for him. They could hunt him down and tear him apart if they had more of those crystals.
The thought of those crystals being used on him again made him shudder. He didn’t know what they were exactly or where Skrawl got them. Well other than from the memotrice, which was a certainty. He could still feel the shockwaves of pain move through him, making him shiver in fear. He didn’t want to feel something like that again. If he wasn’t careful, however, that may very well happen, and who knows if he’d be lucky enough to recover so easily from this next blow.
He wondered how Rudy and Penny were doing. He hadn’t seen them since he attacked them that one time. Well no, that was the last time he saw them together. He recalled he had actually held Rudy prisoner before, a thought that filled him with dread. He wished that he could just forget all that, but it was impossible. He was constantly forced to watch the horrible scene play out in his mind over and over again. He recalled how he had pretty much broken Rudy’s mind, made him believe that he really was responsible for...things that he was certain never happened.
He had even gone as far as throw back the good deed Rudy did for him when he was eight years old. He was led to believe that he lost an eye, but no, Rudy was right. He did start off with only one eye; Rudy had given him an extra eye so he could see better. The fact that he had denied that made him sick. How could he have forgotten something as important as that?
Well there was nothing that he could do about it now. He needed to get out of here first. He could apologize later. In the meantime, he needed to break himself out and head to the hideout...if he could even find it. He wasn’t even sure if there was a way. Perhaps one of the zoners might be able to help him. If not...well he could probably figure out something on his own. Or at least, he hoped so.
His mind shifted to Snap. What was he going to do about him? He had his doubts that striking Snap would knock any sense into him. Snap was not a memory-based zoner. His lock in those fake memories may be stronger than his were. Besides, if he hit Snap, that he might sound the alarm and call him out as a ‘traitor’.
He knew that blue zoner was going to be problematic if he ran into him. Snap was quite clever. He recalled the traps he made a while ago, and the ones he made more recently. He was rather resourceful and he had a knack for making traps. He wondered if he got this knowledge from Penny. Where he got it didn’t matter in the end, though; it was still going to be a problem if Snap wound up catching him in a trap. He was going to need to do something about him if he ran into him.
He sighed. As much as he hated to do it, he might have no choice but to strike Snap or trap him. He would need to attack him before he had a chance to go against him, or send anyone after him. He could try reasoning with Snap and try to kick in his real memories. But he had no way of knowing if that would work or not. It could be a hit or miss. Those kind of odds were not good in a situation like that.
Could he trap him in a bag of some kind? He had some bags around here laying around, not being used for anything. Perhaps one of them could help? He wasn’t entirely sure. Snap’s voice would be hard through it. So unless he gagged him, with could be difficult due to his size, or knocked out, which would be way easier, he’d be stuck with a bag with Snap’s voice coming out of it, alerting the Beanie Boys, Skrawl, and the memotrice.
He hoped that, during the struggle, Snap’s memories would be restored. Or at least, he would begin to really doubt the ones he was feeling now. He hoped that, somehow, someway, his real memories would come to the surface and begin to battle with his fake ones. It won’t be a pleasant experience, but he knew how necessary it would be. Once it was all over, if all went well, he should be able to remember what really happened.
Biclops heard the snap of the final bar ring in the air. He took a step back and looked at the damage he had caused to this cage. All the bars in the middle row had been cut through, now dangling at the sides like useless, torn pieces of paper. There wasn’t too much space even now, but it was still a lot better than before. He could probably squeeze through here if he was careful enough. He took a few steps closer and looked more closely at it. Yeah there seemed to be just enough room here.
Biclops pushed one of the supporting poles to the side, which was also flexible like the bars. He gritted his teeth, his eyes halfway closed, exerting his strength to bend it to the side. It wasn’t as flexible as the bars; he could feel his arm muscles starting to ache as he struggled to get through. He soon found himself sandwiched between the two poles. He winced as he felt some slight scraping. He began to shuffle himself to the side, struggling to get out of that little trap.
Soon he managed to squeeze all the way out. He winced as he hard a slight clang of the poles, and he took a few steps away. He looked back at where he had been trapped. He couldn’t help but wince as he saw just how small it really was. He clenched his teeth for a second before he looked down the cave tunnel. He narrowed his eyes in determination. Now he needed to get out of here and find a way to locate the hideout.
But how was he going to do that? He would need some kind of tracking device and...
His thoughts halted at that. Tracking device? Wasn’t there someone he knew that had one? He thought back to that one plan that Skrawl, Snap, and the memotrice wanted him to participate in. They lured Rudy and Penny to this one spot, using something with a tracker. And just what were they tracking?
Something inside Cornerstone...
Biclops felt a sudden rush through his body as all of it came together. Yes, he remembered that now. Cornerstone has a tracker inside of her. One that he was certain she might either not be fully aware of, or cannot get out even if she did know. If he could track her...
How would he even do that? He didn’t have access to that tracker Rudy and Penny were using. He didn’t know what happened to it. Even if it wasn’t the only one drawn, he had no idea where he could find it. On top of that, he didn’t realy know anyone who might know or be able to help him. He was stumped.
Hmm...well...there was Rapsheeba and Blocky. He knew that those two sometimes worked with Rudy and Penny. They were their friends after all. Maybe he could find them and talk to them? He was certain they’d be willing to help him out. But...there was one question he had to ask: Just where were they?
That was the downside of living in seclusion. He didn’t really know where all the zoners were at any given moment. He had ideas of course, but it wasn’t like he knew every single thing that happened. He wouldn’t really know where to find those two right now. They could be anywhere. Well Blocky could; he was all over ChalkZone, similar to Snap. Rapsheeba might be in a music-based location, maybe picking up an instrument or maybe in a parade of some kind.
He couldn’t stand around here any longer. He had wasted enough time trying to think of his next move. In that moment, he quickly decided for himself. He would just head straight into ChalkZone City and ask around for Blocky or Rapsheeba, or even both, preferably. Once he found them and talked to them and found a way to locate Cornerstone, then he could find where Skrawl was. That is, given that she is even with him or not.
It was a risk, he knew. He was fully aware that he might be wasting his time. But this was the best lead that he had. It was better that he just go through with this idea so at least he had potentially something. And if it ended up being nothing...well he would get to that when it came to it.
The giant navigated through the tunnels and it didn’t take him too long to get to the outside. He wasn’t too far into the Chalk Mine, thankfully. He stood outside, taking in a deep breath and enjoying the fresh hair for a second. He then looked around until he knew he was looking in the direction of ChalkZone City. He paused for a momment, his heart twisting as he imagined what might happen if this threat wasn’t taken care of soon. He then exhaled slowly and, his eyes still narrowed, he began to make his way towards the city.
sss
When Rudy woke up, the first thing he noticed was the sound of crying. He was confused. Was it his own? No, he couldn’t feel any wetness from his eyes. He lifted up his head and looked around, trying to find the source. He soon spotted Penny not far away from him. The girl was sitting down next to him, her head lowered, and her shoulders shaking. He blinked in confusion. What was she crying about?
He almost reached out and touched her, but he stopped himself when he remembered that she had caused the pain in his right eye. The pain was coming back. Not was strong as before, but the mere feel of it was enough to trigger that uncomfortable, horrible memory. Especially after his mind cleared enough and he realized what had happened. He found himself narrowing his eyes at her and he felt like laying back down. He did still feel really tired for some reason.
But then another memory soon came into focus. He recalled that she had tried to help him earlier. Yeah, she had done her best to do something to help him feel better, and that had been the whole reason he could even go to sleep. If it hadn’t been for her, he would have been forced to stay awake, and he knew how well that’d go down. He still couldn’t remember much of the time he had spent in ChalkZone while tired, but from what Snap had told him, he was... quite the sight, to put it mildly.
The memory of Penny helping him out did ease some of his fear and anger towards her. She never meant to hurt him, and he needed to remember that, keep that in mind. If Penny really wanted to cause him pain, she would have done so as soon as she had the chance. He was asleep while she was awake, and she didn’t do anything worse to him. Why was he afraid of her hurting him?
She was his best friend, for crying out loud. And he knew this. Yet he still couldn’t help but react in fear. Even knowing that she had helped her didn’t help get rid of the fear and anger completely. He still cringed at the idea of letting her close liek that again.
Yet....he wasn’t heartless enough to not care that she was crying. A part of him wanted to reach out towards her and try to comfort her. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and pull her into a hug. Despite being terrified of physical contact with her, a part of him was drawn to her crying, and he felt compelled to try to do something to help her feel better. He bit his lip, trying to think of what he should do. Should he just leave her alone and let her cry and keep himself from freaking out, or should he, as a friend, take action and try to help her feel better?
Eventually, his compassionate side won over. Fighting against the instinct to cringe away or back off, Rudy pushed himself up and leaned towards Penny. He held his hand out towards her. He paused for a moment, and then he forced himself to lean in closer and soon his hand touched her, a little difficult given his lack of depth perception. He tried to ignore the cold chill that rushed through his body as he forced himself to speak.
“Penny..? What’s wrong...?”
By this point, Penny gave a loud sniffle and her crying had softened up. He wasn’t sure how long she was crying, but judging from the look on her face when she turned towards him, it had been a while. Her face and eyes were all red and sleek with the salty liquid. She soon turned her gaze down and turned away.
“Rudy....we need to get out of here.” That was the first thing that came out of her mouth after a few moments. “We need to escape.”
Rudy looked left and right. He frowned. He wasn’t sure how Penny thought they were going to get out of here. There were no doors. At least, no permanent ones. They needed to be on the other side to operate that thing.
It wasn’t that he was going against what she said. She was right, even if it was rather obvious. He didn’t need her to tell him that they needed to get out. The problem was he couldn’t really see any way they could escape. At least not on their own. If they had a piece of magic chalk...maybe. But he didn’t really see anyway to get a piece. The only other way was to try to trick their captors, and at the moment, he couldn’t think of a way to do that either. He was stumped.
But...perhaps Penny had a way? She had been awake longer than he had. Maybe she was thinking of a way to escape? But then why was she crying? Was it out of frustration? Had she sifted through the options and now she was relying on him? If so, then she was going to be quite disappointed.
“I wish we could, but...I’m not sure how we can get out.” Rudy took a moment to look around again. Just as he thought, there wasn’t a single hole or crack here. Snap had really gone out of his way to design this thing. If anyone knew a secret entrance, it was him. But in his state, not like he is going to talk. “So unless you had an idea...”
Penny shook her head. Of course, just like he figured. He turned away and gave a sigh.
“Well..I do agree that we need to get out somehow. But...” He leaned his head back. He stared up towards the light above them. “I don’t see how we can. This glass is just too thick and struck. No amount of striking it will help us.”
Penny was silent for a few moments. She didn’t bother looking at him as the seconds passed. She was staring at something that Rudy couldn’t see. Perhaps it was nothingness. He couldn’t tell. Soon Penny looked over at him and her face was filled with worry and fear. He could almost see a story trying to jump out of her eyes at him, trying to get him to listen to her. He found himself staring intently, waiting for her to speak.
“Rudy... Thoughtless... It’s.. it’s going to fuse me to the red chalk.” Penny’s voice was barely a whisper.
Rudy stared at her, slowly blinking. As the words that she said soon came into focus, as he realized just what she had spoken, his left eye grew wide. He found himself leaning back away from her as if she were the plague. He stared at her disbelievingly, his mind trying to process such a horrible idea.
Being fused to the red chalk... Is that even possible? Well sure, he knew that a piece could get stuck to his hand and he’d be forced to draw what it wanted, but with the way Penny had spoken it, it sounded more like she was going to...become one with the red chalk. He didn’t want to think of such a horrible possibility, but..what if that’s the case? What if Thoughtless really was going to... Oh no.. Penny...
“C-Can you explain...?” Rudy was afraid to ask, but he knew he had to. He needed to know more about this. He needed to know how urgent it was.
Penny didn’t waste time answering. “Thoughtless was to...make me into red chalk.” Rudy couldn’t stifle the gasp at that. Despite guessing that’s what it was, it’s still horrific to actually hear it. “It told me about how it was done before, that Biclops had been the one to lock those children into the red chalk. That’s apparently why the red chalk behaves like it does; there are children’s souls trapped inside. I-I have no idea what Thoughtless wants to do with you, but I do know that after me, it wants to expose ChalkZone.”
Rudy had a hard time believing what Penny was telling him. It was all so horrific. The idea of being fused with the red chalk was bad enough. He had dealt with the red chalk himself, and he knew how dangerous it was. The idea of being forever a part of that was a terrifying one. But Penny had went on, and the things he heard later were just as bad, if not even more horrifying.
He had a difficult time imagining Biclops doing what Penny described. Trapping child souls into red chalk? Isn’t that a bit too..well, cruel? Biclops, at least before his brainwashing, had been a pretty nice and reasonable zoner. He hadn’t tried to hurt him or Penny or Snap or...well anyone really. He seemed too peaceful, too interested in just enjoying his life than spending it dishing out pain to some youngsters. But then he thought back to when they first met, and he realized just how much horrifying sense this seemed to make.
Biclops wasn’t always such a nice guy. When he had first met him, he had been bent on stopping him, and he was certain that the giant would have hurt him then. It seemed plausible, at this point, that Biclops would have resorted to some rather cruel measures. He seemed determined to do whatever it took to keep humans out of ChalkZone. This caused his blood to run cold. If he had failed to get away, would he have been trapped inside the red chalk, too?
But that hadn’t been the only thing to make his blood run cold. There was also what Penny had said sometime after that. The whole ‘exposing ChalkZone’ bit. He couldn’t begin to imagine how the memotrice would pull that off, but it didn’t matter. The idea alone was horrifying enough to warrant attention. If Thoughtless was able to do such a thing....
Just as terrifying to him as the damage as the fact that this zoner would even want to do these things. What would possess it to want to cause so much pain and misery to the other zoners? Why would it want to expose ChalkZone? Didn’t it know the risk? Did it have any idea what it would be doing? It would be an absolute disaster. Humans swarming ChalkZone... That was an unpleasant image, and he still occasionally had nightmares about it after the last few close calls he had with Vinnie Raton and Terry Bouffant.
The only comfort is that the memotrice didn’t really have any use of any magic chalk. And he didn’t know of any zoner, except for maybe the crazy few, who’d want to help it expose ChalkZone. He doubted even Skrawl would want to do something like that. He imagined that if Skrawl found out about this plan, he’d turn against the memotrice quite quickly.
Still...why would the memotrice even want to do that? His mind just couldn’t comprehend the idea. Most zoners wouldn’t even dream of it. Why would this zoner...?
Rudy found himself choking out, “E-Expose ChalkZone? Wh-Why...?”
Penny’s eyes filled with horror at this question. She stared off blankly in his direction, her expression gaining a haunted look to it. “I-It said that humans were sup-supposed to be part of the ecosystem... That they were meant to run around here a-and wreak havoc. I-It was the way this world kept zoner numbers i-in check...”
Rudy widened his left eye. “What...? It said that?”
Penny nodded her head. “It insists that humans should be brought back. That we are the apex predators of this world and it’s our job to keep the population under control via introducing dangers.” Her voice became a harsh whisper at this. “I-I can’t imagine doing anything...deliberate to hurt anyone...”
Rudy looked at her sympathetically. Despite being rather shaken up by what Penny told him, he tried his best to try to remain strong. He tried not to let himself fall into despair at this and tried to focus on trying to get them out of this slump. He leaned closer towards Penny, his arm slinging across her shoulder as he pulled her into a hug. This took a lot of mental courage on his behalf, but he managed to fight away his fear of her, his sense of compassion taking over.
“Me neither..” He told her in a gentle voice. “I’m not sure what this zoner thinks it is, but it’s not going to get that far in this...this heinous plan. We’ll find a way to make sure that it doesn’t open the gateway to allow humans inside. I promise.”
Penny gave him a small smile. “Yeah..I know...” A frown came over her face. “But...”
“What?” Rudy asked as he stared at her in worry.
“Promises won’t get us out of this.” Penny’s voice was slightly darkened. She glared off in the direction that he guessed Thoughtless had been. He then noticed the small scratch on it, giving him an idea of how strong that thing’s talons were. “We’re going to need a lot more...”
Rudy stared at the scratch, envisioning Thoughtless cutting it with its claws. Rudy couldn’t help but gulp. He couldn’t get even a slight scratch when he tried to get out. The fact that Thoughtless could do this so...so effortlessly.. It was terrifying to think about.
Yeah, Penny was right. Promises alone weren’t going to cut it. They needed more than luck. They needed skill, a plan, peserverence. They needed get out of here as soon as possible. He wasn’t sure yet how they were going to pull that off. But he was certain, in time, they would think of something before Thoughtless could execute this horrific plan. Then they could lock away that creepazoid, this time deep underground where no zoner had to dare cross it.
Just then, they heard footsteps coming towards them. A small shadow moved in from the darkness. Talons scraped the ground. A tail swished out behind. Piercing brown eyes shone through the darkness, ripping into their souls. Rudy and Penny huddled closer as they glared at the maniac before them. Of all the times....
Thoughtless simply gave an open grin, as if this was the best welcome it ever had. <Did you miss me...?>
sss
Snap tried to relax the best he could. He leaned back in the chair, folding his arms against his chest. He had already done his deeds. He had no more orders to follow right now. So he might as well relax.
But he just couldn’t. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t bring himself to relax for long.
He was constantly assaulted by memories of what happened. He could still see that Beanie Boy’s face in his mind. Despite it looking not much different from any other, it still stuck out in his head. He could see Delta’s pained face, his eyes bulged and his mouth open as he struggled to scream. His blood on his hands. His screams in his ears. They haunted him relentlessly.
A part of him wondered why he cared so much. Delta was nothing more than a rival to him. A partner yes, but still a rival. There was no reason for him to care too much about what happened to him. And yet, here he was, feeling his intestines twist into knots at the mere memory of that zoner. Here he was, fighting back this guilt that was starting to take him over. And no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t completely push the guilt away.
He knew why he kept feeling guilty. It was because he led Rudy straight to him. If he hadn’t been so stupid and actually paid attention, then he would have noticed what Rudy was doing and he could have avoided the whole thing. Now because of him, another zoner laid dead on the ground. Either buried or not, that didn’t change the fact. And he....he was the one who helped to cause it. He might have disliked Delta, but he never wanted to kill him. The other Beanie Boys still listened to him, but he could tell their trust in him was shaken up after what had happened. Not that he blamed them.
He tried to refocus. There was nothing he could do right now. Nothing would be accomplished by sitting around here, feeling sorry for himself. He had to remind himself that he wasn’t the only one present. He wasn’t the one who actually deliberately caused that unintentional attack. No, that had been Rudy.
Snap could feel his blood heat up at the very thought of that name. He gritted his teeth, clenching his fist tightly. It had been mostlly his fault that this had happened. Rudy was the reason that Delta was now dead. Did that little monster know no boundaries? Did he not stop to think of what he was doing? Now he graduated from torturing to actual murder. Snap had to wonder.... if Skrawl hadn’t saved him, then...would this have happened to him? Would he have been another murder victim?
Yeah, he imagined so. Rudy and Penny would have killed him and...well, he wasn’t sure what they would have done after. Perhaps eat him? They would be deranged enough to do that, he was certain. Then his body would never be found and Blocky and Rapsheeba would never know what happened to him and...
He let out a soft sigh as his thoughts trailed off. For the first time, he was growing a little tired of all this anger and rage. It was wearing him out, not to mention making him feel sick. He needed to do something else to pass the time. Perhaps he could check on Thoughtless. Maybe he needed something else done. Or maybe Skrawl; surely that jellybean already thought of a new assignment for him, right?
The small blue zoner got out of his seat. He brushed himself off and he looked towards the open door. The light from the outside shined in, illuminating the dark room he had placed himself in. It reflected perfectly well the thoughts that shifted through his mind. He bit his lip and then he began to head out.
There were no other zoners around. The hallway was empty. The other Beanie Boys were probably with Skrawl right about now. Maybe he was giving them another training exercise. If that’s the case, then maybe he should join them. Skrawl expected his best to be prompt and not need to be told when a meeting took place. Kind of strange, but it was simple; he always held them the same time every day. He looked up at the hallway digital clock and he quickly saw that yeah, he should be there now.
He made his way down the hallway slowly. It was pretty easy to navigate despite only being here for a short time. Skrawl always marked the important hallways with a few knicks along the wall. He was soon able to discern them and he recognized what each knicked hallway was for. When he found the one he was looking for, marked by crossing knicks, he headed down that way. He was grateful to be in this hallway. Better lighting. If only the rest of this place could have lighting like this.
Down at the end of the hallway, he could see the large, double door that led into the training room. He could already hear Skrawl’s shouts at the Beanie Boys. This was enough to make the zoner crack a small smile. Despite what happened before, despite his lingering guilt, it was nice to feel a sense of humor to help lighten the mood a little. It certainly was helping him feel a little better, although his stomach still twisted into a knot, making him feel rather ill. He did his best to push it aside, trying to ignore the burning sensation in his chest and body, as he continued to head down. It shouldn’t be long before he reached it.
He stopped several feet away. He stared blankly at the door. Without warning, his visuals were assaulted with white flashes, showing him different moments of Skrawl. His head pounded with pain each time, getting stronger the more he saw. The images of Skrawl invaded his head, making him clutch it tightly, his fingers driving their nails into his scalp.
These images of Skrawl.... These moments he was forced to see... They...they weren’t right.. Something was wrong with them.
These visions he was seeing were portraying Skrawl in a way that he knew wasn’t possible. He knew Skrawl wasn’t like this. So why was he constantly having visions of them? Why were they plaguing his mind? Why wouldn’t they leave him alone?
He was witnessing Skrawl as a....a monster...
But that was impossible. He knew the guy could be rather tough. He knew that he wasn’t exactly the nicest person. But a monster...? That was going too far...wasn’t it...? He tried to shake the thoughts out of his head, fighting back against them. But they wouldn’t leave him alone. They assaulted him constantly, forcing him to watch these strange, alien images of Skrawl deliberately causing harm not just to Rudy and Penny, but to innocent zoners as well. And in these thoughts, it was Rudy and Penny who tried to stop him.
But that was all wrong. There was no way that could have happened. Rudy and Penny were the true monsters, weren’t they? It was Skrawl who was trying to stop them. He was doing it for the benefit of all zoners. True he can be a jerk, but he was doing it all for the benefit of ChalkZone...right?
Then he saw something that nearly made his blood freeze. It was so unbelievable, a part of him wondered just how this thought slipped into his head. No, thoughts; there were multiples of them.
Images of him fighting Skrawl...
Images of Skrawl trying to hurt him...
He shook his head hard, struggling to stop those horrible, fake memories from plummeting into his head. He could feel his body tremble from the effort. The fake memories appeared to be having a blast with him, constantly wrapping around him and tormenting him, refusing to leave him alone. He clenched his teeth tightly, breathing in and out quickly. Why did these fake memories have to do this to him? Why must they torment him? What did he do wrong?
ooo I am believing something that isn’t true. My memories are trying to correct themselves, and I am not allowing it. ooo
Snap felt a tinge of fear when those doubtful thoughts returned. This time, the doubtful voice was louder in his head, clearer and sharper. He doubted that he’d be able to push it aside so easily this time. It was going to haunt him, whether he wanted it or not.
ooo These aren’t fake visions. This is what really happened. I need to get out of here before they catch onto me. Before Skrawl tries to.. ooo
No, no, no...
Snap shook his head, trying again to banish those thoughts. He couldn’t let himself fall into this. He could get the thoughts out of his head before. He could do it again. He just had to try harder, be more diligant. He clenched his teeth tightly, his eyes shutting, trying to cast aside those thoughts like before. It almost seemed to work and he could feel himself starting to calm down. But then...
ooo Skrawl plans on killing Rudy and Penny. My friends.... And he’s going to do the same to me. I must get out of here. He and Thoughtless cannot be trusted. No matter what my mind tells me, they cannot be trusted. ooo
Snap felt a rapid headache spread throughout his head. He clutched it tightly, his teeth gnashing together. He tried harder and harder to regain himself, but this time, all he ended up doing was causing himself more pain. He found his knees buckling and he was soon on the ground. He hunched over, his rounded, gloved hands struggling to hang onto his sweat-covered head. He breathed in and out quickly. There had to be a way to stop this... Somehow...
He quickly ran out of energy and he just collapsed onto his side. He let out a few small whimpers as the ache kept penetrating his skull, spreading throughout his head. It was like someone had taken a hammer and was pounding it against his head constantly. He had never been in this much mental pain before. He could feel his head start to burn and he was honestly surprised that he didn’t light up on fire.
All the while, the thoughts kept sifting through his head had a constant rate. They refused to leave him alone, constantly tormenting him, ripping him apart mentally. He gritted his teeth even tighter, to the point where they nearly popped out of his skull. This feeling only got worse as time passed, and he was almost certain that he was going to need a visit to the dentist after this.
Soon, the pain suddenly went away. It happened without warning. He widened his eyes as far as they could go as he felt the shift in sensation, and then his whole body relaxed. He became still and quiet for a few moments. There was still some dull aches, but he was practically in bliss. The release of the emotional torment was such a relief to him. He almost felt like falling asleep now and enjoying this moment of peace. It took him a lot of effort to actually get himself off the ground and back up to his feet. He placed his hand against the wall, leaning towards it as he rubbed his head carefully.
Did those thoughts go away finally? Was he at last going to be free of their relentless tormenting of him? Or was he going to be forced to endure their taunts more?
...No... It seemed it finally stopped. This allowed him to breathe a huge sigh of relief. He had never had an attack this bad before, and he feared that the next one will cause an even worse breakdown. But if he remained careful and cautious, then those thoughts shouldn’t bother him again. He just needed to remember what really happened.
He knew what Rudy and Penny had done to him. He knew how they had strapped him down and forced him to endure all that pain. He knew that they were the reason he was so messed up and jittery. He could barely keep himself calm half the time because of what those two did. He was afraid of even closing his eyes, feeling as though as soon as he opened them, he would be back in that horrible room, strapped down and experimented on.
And Skrawl...
That jellybean had been the one to save him. He remembered how he had effortlessly and fearlessly burst in through the door with his Beanie Boys. He had those two children pinned down while he undid the straps that held him down. He had gotten him to a hospital so he could be treated. Rudy and Penny sadly got away, but at least he himself was able to live to see another day.
How could he even start to think that Skrawl would want to hurt him? If he wanted to do that, then he would have just let those two monstrous children get away with hurting and torturing him. He had the chance to let him die at their hands, but he didn’t take it. He saved his life. No one dangerous would dare do such a thing, right? And besides, it wasn’t like....
“Attention!”
Snap whipped his head over to the door. That call had been a little muffled, but he could still tell that it was Skrawl’s. He took in a deep breath and sighed. He might as well go in now before he missed out fully on training. He knew Skrawl would understand if he explained to him what happened. Who knows? Maybe Skrawl would be willing to help him recover mentally by providing him tips on how to fight back against those insane thoughts. Perhaps he suffered from them too, courtesy of Rudy and Penny.
The zoner moved in closer towards the door. He had to use the wall for support; his legs still felt a little work. Despite the trouble, though, he was still able to reach the door in a short amount of time. He placed his hand against the door and reached his other hand down to open it up. But another shout caused him to stop.
“You call that a chase?! Put more muscle into it!”
Skrawl seemed a little more harsh than usual... No, this was normal. He was always harsh on new recruits. But still..there was something about his voice that felt...off. Something about it that told him that something was very wrong. He just couldn’t quite place what it is yet. Maybe if he opened the door slowly and peaked inside, he might get an idea of what was going on in there.
Slowly, quietly, he pushed the door a little open and he wriggled himself partway inside. His round head turned from left to right as he tried to find Skrawl in this large training room. He wasn’t on this top level, so he had to move in deeper. He soon came to the controls. He noticed that they were switched to automatic. Looking down and seeing Skrawl standing there in front of a small group of Beanie Boys, this made sense. It was easier for him to ‘grade them’ while he was down there, watching them face to face. At least, sometimes.
The Beanie Boys looked as if they had just gotten back to him. They were panting heavily, their eyes widened and their faces red. Snap felt some tinge of sorry for them as they looked ready to collapse into the ground. Wasn’t Skrawl running them a little too hard?
The Beanie Boys certainly seemed so.
“B-Boss...can’t we...rest...?” One Beanie Boy asked, his tongue hanging out.
“Y-Yeah..” Another said. He puffed heavily a few times before he continued, “We’ve been at this for a while...” He raised his hand up in gesture. “Can’t we take a break or something?”
Skrawl snarled at this. Although Snap couldn’t see his face from this angle, he guessed he was frowning, judging from the way the other zoners were reacting to him. “I want you all to be prepared for anything! We are in a sensitive situation! I am not going to let this slip out of my grasp!” Skrawl raised his hand up, his claws curving inward. “If anything starts to go wrong, I want you all to be able to respond quickly! On the dime! I’ve never been so close to victory before! I will not allow it to slip out of my grasp this time!”
Snap tilted his head in confusion, frowning softly. What kind of victory was Skrawl talking about? Against Rudy and Penny? Possibly, but they were locked up without magic chalk. There was no way that they could be of any threat right now. And Skrawl was acting like something else was amiss, that something else could go wrong. But what could it be?
He wondered if he would figure it out if he continued to listen. Skrawl had a tendancy to rant and reveal a lot in those rants. At least to his minions. Yes, if he just waited here long enough, he will figure it out.
“But..boss.. What is there to worry about? We have those two creator kids locked up and we trapped Biclops in his cave.”
This Beanie Boy echoed his thoughts. Except..wait a minute.. Did he just mention Biclops? But...wasn’t he on their side? Didn’t he help set up traps for him so that the two kids couldn’t get magic chalk? Why would they need to lock him away? Something didn’t make sense around here.
Skrawl’s growl cut him from his thoughts. “I don’t care! We need to stay prepared! Well...you do anyway. We can’t allow anything to happen to ruin this! I’m not going to allow anything to happen to let this victory slip away from me. I have fought too hard and too long to let this get out of my grasp! Now Master Tabootie and his genius girl friend are locked away and defenseless, while their little comical sidekick remains my new servant!”
“You mean Snap?” One Beanie Boy asked.
Another one chimed in, his voice tinged with nervousness. “Aren’t you worried that he might figure this all out? What will happen if he....?”
Skrawl scoffed at this and said, “Oh don’t worry. Thoughtless had really done a number on him. There’s no way that little blue boy will remember anything that really happened. I know the risk of keeping him around in case he remembered, but I’ll tell you this....” He let out a low chuckle. “He has been such a good ally...with such useful information...”
“Yeah, and getting one of us killed..” Murmured a Beanie Boy.
“Hey! Regardless of what happened..” Skrawl glared at the Beanie Boy intently. “...Snap still outperformed most of you in his first attempt! I’m not giving him up so easily!”
“But still...if he remembers...?”
Skrawl was silent for a few moments. This silence caused tension to rise in the air, growing incredibly thick. Everyone watched intently, awaiting an answer. Skrawl seemed to be deliberately dragging this out, taking his time with it, as if he enjoyed watching them all squirm.
Then he finally responded.
“We kill him.”
Snap’s blood ran cold at this. He could feel his eyes widening beyond their capacity nearly. His vision blurred, no longer able to see what was in front of him. Anything else said, he couldn’t make out. Not right now. He was too busy trying to process what he had just heard. His thoughts were going a million miles per hour. He found it in creasingly difficult to breathe. He couldn’t help but shake his head slowly from side to side, wanting to deny what he just heard.
No, it wasn’t possible. This couldn’t be happening. This...this couldn’t possibly be... He struggled to try to make sense of it all. He tried to keep his mind relaxed and focused. He tried to keep himself from freaking out. He tried to slow down his breathing. Yet all attempts failed, his heart thumping so fast, it was like it was trying to burst open from his chest at any moment.
He couldn’t believe this turn of events. All this time, he had... He shook his head slowly, struggling to keep his tears from falling down. Despite the fact that it was better he found out sooner than later, still, it was rather painful to find out. Disorienting, changing everything he thought he knew was happening. His whole body was shaking in emotion and he had to push himself up on his hands to keep from falling down onto the ground.
In his racing mind, with his rapidly moving thoughts, he realized one thing. He was not safe here. He needed to flee from here before anything happened to him. Getting up wasn’t easy; his legs felt like gelatin. But he knew he had to get moving, or else he was just one easy target. He began to make his way towards the door slowly, making painful, slow, though gradual progress. If he could just get out before it was too late....
Yes, he made it. Now he was on the outside, moving along the hallway carefully, his eyes darting left and right to make sure now one saw him. Despite his head aching and swirling, he was able to make considerable progress. Slowly and surely down the hallway, he moved. He needed to keep his focus on walking. Once he reached a room somewhere, his resting room, he could relax and try to think about what he was going to do. No one was going to find it suspicious if they find him resting in his guest room, but if he was caught out here....
His doubtful thoughts began to return with a vengeance. He could feel those images playing in his head uncontrollably. No matter how hard he tried to stop them, they wouldn’t leave him alone. They pounded furiously in the back of his mind, constantly stating certain things over and over again, trying to plant doubts in his memories.
Or were they doubts? Were they the truth?
He shook his head hard. He didn’t need these doubtful thoughts right now. They were hurting him too much. He couldn’t concentrate. He couldn’t stop the tears from flowing down his face. He needed to get back to his room now. He had to run and quickly.
But even when he got back to his room without incident, he still couldn’t calm himself down. His breathing was as quick as ever. His hyperventilation was sending a burning sensation throughout his body, causing a constant shiver. His lower lip quivered as he let out a series of whimpers. For the first time when he was here, he started to feel like a prisoner, with walls closing in all around him. What had once been a safe haven for him turned out to be a nightmare.
At least no one saw his face. At least no one knew he was there. He had some time to take a breather and relax. He had a chance to figure this all out and what he was going to do. Not much time, but he was going to milk it for all it was worth. He was not going to pass up this chance to figure a way out of this mess.
He still couldn’t believe he had trusted that thing. He hadn’t thought much of that guy and assumed that he didn’t have to worry. Now this happened, and his naive trust was going to cost him so much. He could feel his stomach twisting inside of him, making him feel sick. He could feel his teeth chattering from all the fear that continued to sweep through him, despite his best efforts to try to calm down.
He needed to figure out something. He told himself this over and over again. It was getting repetitive but he knew that it was important. He didn’t have much choice, now did he? Either he did something about this now, or he may remain trapped here with no way out. What if suspicions spread...?
Or perhaps he should go to the root of the problem. Going up against Thoughtless was not going to be easy. But...if it meant getting out of here alive, he might have no choice. He just needed to make sure that he didn’t make himself suspicious in front of that bird thing. He needed to tread lightly, but try to act as casual and calm as possible. Just one misstep might make Thoughtless suspicious of him and if that happened, he could be targeted next.
He felt a pang of guilt for what happened to Skrawl and the Beanie Boys. Even though it wasn’t his fault, he still couldn’t help but feel a level of responsibility for what the memotice had done to them. They were given false memories and now they think they’re his enemies. They think they were meant to fool him as part of some big grand plan. It hurt him, nauseated him. He wanted to rush up to them and try to slap sense into them just as he had for himself. Yet he knew there was nothing he could do for them right now. All he could do was either hope that they realize they were being used...or he gets out of here fast.
The next time he saw that memotrice, he didn’t know what he was going to do. The fact that it was tormenting his savior like this, twisting his mind... How dare it do such a thing... He thought that it was on their side, but this whole time, it was plotting something behind their back. It was never their ally; it had been using them all. It must be also the one to torment him with false memories of Rudy and Penny saving him on that day.
This memotrice appeared to love to torture innocents. Now it was going way too far. It was one thing to target himself, but to target Skrawl of all the zoners.... No, not on his watch. He narrowed his eyes as he stared intently at the doorway. He would make sure that Thoughtless never messed with Skrawl again...
sss
“What..? Are you sure?” Mrs. Sanchez’s voice was barely a whisper. She couldn’t take her eyes off the disgruntled Tabooties, whose eyes had a confused yet angered look to them. “You sure it wasn’t someone else? Maybe a look alike or...”
“No, we know what we saw.” Mr. Tabootie spat at her. He turned his head to glare in her direction. “Don’t try to tell us we saw some different.”
“But...” Mrs. Sanchez tried to explain. But Mrs. Tabootie cut her off.
“Save it. Nothing you say will convince us it wasn’t Reggie working with Terry. We know their faces well enough to identify them, even from a distance.” The large blonde woman lowered her head, her eyes narrowing into slits. “And whatever they are up to... it is certainly nothing good.”
Mrs. Sanchez sighed softly. There was nothing she could do to convince them otherwise. They were both determined to believe that it really was Terry and Reggie they saw. They were right. Nothing she said would convince them otherwise. All she could do was just play along with it for now until she found a way to prove that they were mistaken.
She just found it hard to believe that Terry and Reggie would work together. What would they possibly have in common that they’d agree to help one another? Terry had never shown interest in Reggie before, and since when was Reggie interested in the news, or in this fabled chalk world anyhow? The only things that she knew Reggie would like was bullying other students and, perhaps, picking up the trash, although that might be a bit of a stretch. Either way, there was nothing that suggested he was interested in anything Terry is.
That was why she was certain it was someone else they had seen. Some kind of lookalike. She knew that there were people who looked like other people. Sometimes just enough similarities was all that it took for someone to mistake a person for another. It happens all the time. These two were so certain that Terry Bouffant was involved that they were just wanting to see her just to prove their suspicions. As for Reggie...well they were still kind of a rocky relationship, so perhaps the same principals applied here, too.
However, she couldn’t just tell them these things. They would never listen to her. Not while they were in this state of mind. No, she would have to show them they were wrong. The only way to do that was to go to wherever they had last seen Terry and Reggie and confront those people. They could then confirm that they aren’t who they thought they were and that whole misunderstanding would bed cleared up. She’d feel bad for breaking their hopes of getting closer to finding their kids, but she couldn’t let them go off on some delusional quest; that would only make things worse.
Tilly hadn’t said anything since they came back. She wasn’t sure if the brunette agreed with this assumption or if she thought the same thing as she. She hadn’t really bothered her. She had that contemplative look in her eyes. If she came up with anything, then she would speak up on her own. She’d give her all the time that she needed.
“Well...” Mrs. Sanchez decided to break the uncomfortable silence. She struggled to try to word her next statement carefully. “What do you think we should do now?”
Mr. Tabootie looked over at her with narrowed eyes. Mrs. Tabootie followed suit. They weren’t angry at her; they were angry at those they believed had taken Rudy and Penny. They turned their heads towards the door, to where their car was. Their expressions alone spoke many words. They didn’t need to speak for the vet to realize what they wanted.
“We need to go after them...” Mr. Tabootie said.
Yeah, that’s exactly what she figured he’d say. The man did look ready and rearing to go, fully prepared to jump out there and track down Terry and taken her on. He looked like he would fight through anything to get his son back. Mrs. Tabootie, who was usually more passive than her husband, reflected this, even if it was a little more subdued.
“But we will be careful of course.” Mrs. Tabootie added. Her husband looked over at her, his eyes filled with slight confusion. She stared at him before letting out a soft sigh. “It’s true. We can’t just rush into this, Joe. What if she expects us to....?”
“But we can’t wait that long. Who knows what she and Reggie are going to do?” Mr. Tabootie’s teeth clenched tightly. “Do you want her to get away with..with whatever else she’s going to do? Millie, that witch has the children! We should be rushing out there, confronting her, and getting her to bring back our children!”
Mrs. Tabootie placed her hand on her husband’s shoulder. “We still need a plan, otherwise we might get captured, too.” She stared into the man’s eyes, listening as he breathed in and out quickly. She placed her hand on his cheek, gently stroking it. This seemed to start calming the man down a little. “We will find a way to save them. Don’t worry.”
Mrs. Sanchez felt a sense of relief that Mrs. Tabootie was able to get things back under control. It was getting pretty scary just now, with how close the man was to actually walking out and trying to get at Terry. Rushing out without a plan was not the smartest move in the world. She could think of all kinds of ways that could go horribly wrong. One of which, which hung strongly in her mind, is that the woman could simply call the police and they could have a lawsuit on their hands.
But despite Mr. Tabootie being pacified and Mrs. Tabootie understanding the risks, they were still at a loss of what to do. Even if Terry really was involved, and she wouldn’t doubt if she was, where could they go to look for her? They didn’t really know if she was working on her own or for someone. They also didn’t know what she wanted exactly. The chalk world most likely, unless she had something else in mind. Without having much of an idea of this woman’s plan, in case she is involved, they didn’t really know where they could start looking, let alone the types of action they should and could take.
Just then, she could see movement coming out of the corner of her eye. She looked over and she could see that Tilly had finally stood up. She was walking towards the center of the living room. Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie both stopped what they were doing and turned to look at her, as did Mrs. Sanchez. They remained silent as they watched Tilly take position in front of them. The look in her eyes suggested she did have something she wanted to say. She looked at each of them, as if to make sure she had their attention and that they were all going to be quiet. Once she was certain that she had the speaking floor now, she cleared her throat and began to talk.
“We should contact Mr. Bullnerd first.” Tilly said, her voice stern. “Before we make wild accusations about his son, we need to speak to him first.”
Mr. Tabootie scoffed at this. “After the way he threatened to ‘expose our lies’?”
“I’m not sure what you mean, but whatever it was, I’m sure it could be explained by you all overreacting.” Tilly flinched at the expressions she got. She quickly moved her hands back and forth and said, “Look I didn’t mean it like that. I just...” She raised her shoulders and hands up. “You are parents in pain and you just want to make sure your kids are safe. That’s all find and all, but keep in midn taht Mr. Bullnerd is also a father, and if you gang up on his son like that, he’s going to retaliate.”
At this, Mr. Tabootie’s frown faded slowly. “Yeah...you’re right. He was upset when he was over here last...” He then glared back at her. “But that was no excuse for him to think that we did something to our son!”
“Perhaps, but you do understand why he might think that, right? With all the intense emotions going on?”
“...yes, I suppose.”
“Okay then, now that we’re in agreement, we can try to move forward.” Tilly tapped her fingertips together. “We need to speak to him and make sure we’re all on the same page. And then after that, we can move onto the next step, which is organizing a plan. I know this might take some time, but we all can agree that this is better than running in blind, right?”
Mrs. Tabootie nodded. “Yes, of course.”
Tilly smiled at her sister. “I thought so. Now...” The woman took a moment to look at all of them. “If you’re all willing to listen, I did have an idea of my own.”
While Tilly began to explain her plan, Mrs. Sanchez found herself looking out the window again. It was such a deceitfully beautiful day out. She could hear the faint chirps of birds, their sounds muffled by the windows. She could see the breeze moving through the branches gently, almost a caress. She could see the bright blue sky, the few clouds in the air, and the golden sun that was shining down upon everything. If it weren’t for the fact that her daughter was missing, she would view this as a beautiful day.
Despite her fears, though, she did believe that she would get her daughter back. And the Tabooties would get back their son. Even if Terry wasn’t the culprit, they will find out who was, and they would bring them to their justice. Their children would be safe. And everything would go back to the way it should be.
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Post by Bluedramon on Jul 25, 2015 20:40:10 GMT -5
Chapter 28: The memotrice narrowed its eyes at the display of protectiveness with these two children. It sort of took it by some surprise. It would have thought that Rudy and Penny would be a bit more apart than this. The action of Penny taking out Rudy’s eye would have surely shattered their relationship, right? Well it appeared to be incorrect, ut only partially. It wasn’t too surprised there was some sort of connection still between them. It just would have thought it would take more than usual to make it come to the surface. It would have thought that Rudy would be trying to inch away from Penny, to keep his distance from her. The fear in his mind would have told him it was best to get away from her before she had a chance to strike at him. Yet here he was, his arms wrapped around her, ignoring any pain he had, glaring at its direction. From the look in his eyes, it guessed that Rudy knew what it wanted Penny for. It couldn’t help but give a quick, bitter chuckle. If only zoners could work well together like these two... But no matter. Nothing those two did would stop it. Its whole posture was brimming with confidence. It had its head held high up. Its eyes pierced right into theirs. Its body was both rigid yet flexible. Each step it took towards them was practically overflowing with haughtiness. This walk alone would tell the children that it wasn’t giving up so easily. Oh they could try to stop it, if they so desired. But they will not get far, and Penny would be its. Penny looked the most fearful out of them. Why shouldn’t she be? She was about to become one with the red chalk, which will help pave the way for its goal to opening the bridge between ChalkZone and the Real World. It knew that neither of these children wanted this to happen, and they would do whatever it took to ensure that nothing like that ever happens. Such foolish children, messing with the order like that. They were doing more harm to ChalkZone than they realized. But they were still children after all. Of course they wouldn’t understand. So it couldn’t exactly fault them for that. Penny didn’t have just fear in those eyes, though. She had defiance. This was something that always amused the memotrice. How its victims would always try to be defiant in the end, despite knowing there’s no way they could escape. Well it would give them points for bravery, that’s for sure. Getting these two separated was going to be too easy. No magic chalk, no way to fight back. Sure it was a bit smaller than they were. It wasn’t very large itself, especially compared to Skrawl. But its skill more than made up for it. Skrawl learned that the hard way. And these two were close to its level... Oh how easy this was going to be... It was almost not going to be any fun. As much as it fancied the idea of toying with them just to prolong this fun, Thoughtless knew that wouldn’t be a good idea. It was aware of what might happen if it monologued to them right now, or just played around with them for a bit. Oh such a cliche.... And how easily exploited it could be. If it spent time talking to them, one of them could get the jump on it. So it just won’t grant them that ability. Time to take action now. It didn’t give so much as a warning cry when it charged towards them. Up and down, its feet hammered as it raced towards the two children. They were bracing themselves, trying to prepare for the attack. But Thoughtless moved too quickly for them. It launched itself in the air before twisting its body around and, with one hard kick, it struck Rudy against the side of his head. “Rudy! No!” Penny cried out as she watched Rudy’s body rolling across the ground and landing in a heavy heap not far. She turned her attention to Thoughtless. “You...” Thoughtless began to walk around her, its body arching inward in a sort of half circle. Its smile appeared to chill Penny to the bone and it slowly began to advance on her. It spread its wings out at its sides, its sharp claws sparkling in the little light that came in through the ceiling. All it needed to do was strike her in the right location and it could then drag her off without much of a problem. It just needed to be sure it didn’t cause too much brain damage, otherwise the red chalk might not accept her. It didn’t get a chance to make a move against her when it heard footsteps behind it. Thoughtless turned its head to the side and watched with a single brown eye as Rudy came up towards it. He could see the clenched teeth and eyes narrowed in fury. Neither of these got much of a reaction out of the bird-like zoner. It took quite a bit for it to suppress a yawn of boredom. When Rudy got close enough, Thoughtless jumped a bit to the side, using its wings to give it a boost. It swung its tail around and tripped the boy up. He watched in amusement as the boy fell into the ground, his face hitting against the hard surface. Thoughtless jumped onto his back, pressing its talons against the boy’s flesh. This caused Rudy let out a cry of pain. “Stop! Let him go!” Penny began to rush over. Thoughtless’s eyes twinkled. <Not so fast, girlie...> It pressed its claws even further, its leg muscles tightening up as it prepared to kick downward, which would cause horrific damage. <Take another step, and I will rip his back open.> Penny immediately froze at this threat. She stared at it and Rudy with wide eyes, constantly shifting her line of sights between the two. She breathed in and out heavily, her mouth open, teeth occassionally gritted. She looked at a loss of what to do next, her body remaining still as she feared one move closer would be enough to trigger the attack. Thoughtless smiled in satisfaction at this. Oh how these two were so easily manipulated. Even when angry at each other, they still proved to be such...close companions. For several moments, neither of them said a word. Penny didn’t dare try to take another step forward. She looked like she was struggling to speak, but she couldn’t think of a thing to say. Rudy remained on the ground, his body squirming a little from the talons that were stuck into his back. Thoughtless kept them there, threatening to pierce the skin. It watched Penny carefully, curious to see what next move she will make. Finally Penny lowered her head, her shoulders slumped. “It’s me you want. You can take me, but..please leave him alone..” Rudy’s good eye widened at this. “P-Penny...” Thoughtless smirked at this. <Such a brave girl you are. But oh so predictable...> Its talons pressed harder against the boy’s back, forcing another cry out of him. <You really would do anything for him, would you?> Penny gave him a horrified look and then she nodded her head. <So predictable...> As if to just drive the point home, Thoughtless suddenly raked its claws down. Rudy let out a scream of agony, his left eye bulging open, as the talons slashed down his back and tearing it open. Blood poured rapidly from the deep gashes. Thoughtless shook its foot and rubbed it against another part of the boy’s body to get rid of the bloodstains on its claws before they dissolved too much of it. The sight of this horrified Penny. “Rudy!” She cried out in anguish. She reached her hand out towards him, her body shaking. Her eyes didn’t leave the sight of Rudy quivering on the ground in pain, his mouth open and letting out loud whimpers. “R-Rudy...” She shut her eyes tightly, letting tears flow down them. She swiveled her head to the memotrice, her teeth clenched tightly. “How could you do that?!” Thoughtless looked down at Rudy, giving a soft ‘hmph’ sound. It turned back to Penny and shrugged its wings. <Not a big deal. He will recover.> “You’re a monster!” Cried out Penny. At this, Thoughtless narrowed its eyes. It could feel its feathers raising up a little as emotion washed through it. Its eyes remained glued to Penny and there was a long, intense silence between thet wo. Penny went quiet when it saw the look in its eyes. She gulped a little, wondering if she had gone a bit too far there. Normally, the memotrice would ignore her, but something about now changed things. It didn’t fully understand why it was not able to ignore her. Perhaps it was the tone, or the circumstances. Whatever it was, it caused it to narrow its eyes in her direction, its small beak open a little as it showed her its sharp teeth. Its tail held out rigidly behind it, the tip moving from side to side. A constant, low growl kept escaping its throat, its waddle moving slightly due to the vibrations. <No..I’m not the monster. You are...> Penny gave it a slight glare. “How dare you try....” <No! How dare you!> Thoughtless interrupted her, its teeth clenched tightly, its sharp beak looking poised to strike her. <You and your friend here are the ones who deliberately created a life equipped with a horrible background and you were just using her to find me!> Penny looked stunned by this, but only temporarily. She shook her head once and she clenched her hands into fists. “We had no choice! We needed to stop you! You are the one who likes to warp memories just to fuel your own sadistic pleasures! Don’t you dare try to use our one time, which we had no choice with, to justify your own!” Thoughtless’s pupils shrank a little. <At least I had the decency not to trap them...> It raised its wings up slightly, allowing Penny to see its sharp claws. <You should be glad I am giving you a chance. The red chalk could redeem you for what you’ve done, by allowing you to usher in a proper era of ChalkZone. One where both humans and zoners may cross worlds!> “But...you have no idea what kind of damage that will do!” Penny held her hands out towards it. “Please, you must listen! Look at what you’re doing! Do you really want to damage your homeworld just for some kind of...fantasy?!” Thoughtless hissed at this. “Humans and zoners could never get along on a large scale and certainly not for too long. There would be chaos!” <You don’t seem to get it, do you? That is the natural order of everything.> Thoughtless straightened itself up, its brown eyes peering deep into Penny’s. <ChalkZone needs humans to keep everything in check. Chaos is just the way that it’s done.> It turned its head to the side. <Of course you would try to deny this. You think that perfect harmony will fix everything! Well what about the population?!> Thoughtless spread its wings out further, arching them to indicate everything around it. <Did you not notice how there are so many zoners here? Do you think that there is endless land around here? Zoners can’t die unless killed! So with more zoners equals less and less land! And with how often you brats draw..don’t you realize that something is going to give eventually?> It looked down at Rudy, giving him a disgusted smile. It then turned to Penny and said, <What will you and your friend here do when that happens? Draw an exansion to ChalkZone? Well let me tell you something...> Thoughtless, knowing that it didn’t have to worry about Rudy getting up with that back injury, began to move slowly towards Penny. Its body was arched in an almost parallel posture. Its eyes were wide as its body shook in anger. Its tail was still stiff as stone. Its movements towards Penny were quite rigid. Its beak opened up a little wider, as if to prepare to bite. Penny took a few steps back until she was pressed against the wall. Thoughtless stood in front of her, its head slightly pointed up so it could look at her in the eyes. They remained like this for several moments, neither of them saying a word or trying to speak. Penny’s eyes were wide in fear before they narrowed in an attempt to be defiant. Thoughtless merely hissed at this as it raised its foot up and pressed it against her stomach, holding her there. <You can’t expand ChalkZone. Trust me, I know this quite well.> Thoughtless put its face close to Penny. It was certain she could feel its breaths against her. <No matter how hard you try, it won’t expand. Which means, with all these zoners coming in...> It looked left and right slowly, before leaning in a tad closer, putting its eye close to her. <...we will run out of room.> Penny shivered at this, though whether out of fear or out of what the zoner said, it couldn’t be certain. It stared at her long and hard, its tail swishing from side to side. Silence fell upon the room for a few moments. Soon Penny narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth. “You’re lying...” Thoughtless raised an eyebrow. <Oh? Am I?> Penny nodded her head. “You’re just trying to guilt trip us so that you don’t have to feel so bad about what you’re doing. At least Rudy and I care about this place! You...you just want to unleash chaos so you can toy with any zoner you want without repurcussions!” She pointed an accusing finger at the zoner. “That’s all you care about! Having what you call ‘fun’!” Thoughtless shook its head. <Of course you’d say that. You’re just trying to hide your own guilt.> It leaned in again, seeing the hidden emotions behind the girl’s eyes. <I can tell that you feel bad about Cornerstone. I suppose that makes you somewhat redeemable...> It took a step back and looked away, its foot lowered back to the ground. <Of course, the fact that you did it at all...> It looked back at her. <Quite despicable.> “Oh you’re one to talk...” Rudy spluttered behind him. Thoughtless turned its head, a little surprised that the boy was able to sit up on his knees with that back injury of his. “With all that you’re doing now... s-somehow you’re better than us...?” He gave a soft cough at this. Thoughtless wasn’t sure if it was directed at it or if it was the result of the boy’s pain. <Hmmph. Typical.> Thoughtless rolled its eyes. <I would expect this from you.> Rudy just glared at it, saying not another word. Thoughtless turned its attention back to Penny. <If you are really sorry, then you will come with me. You will join with the red chalk and you will help me expose ChalkZone. You will help me to restore balance to this place, and it will only cost you your free will.> A small smile spread across its beak. <Wouldn’t that be fair?> Penny raised an arm up, her hand forming into a fist. “You’re crazy if you think I will help you do something so...so horrible!” <It’s not like you have a choice, my dear.> Thoughtless spat at her, any front of being nice easily broken through. <You will undo your sinning by sacrificing yourself.> Thoughtless raised its wings up once more, arching its body downard. <It is the only way for you to redeem yourself for what you done not just to Cornerstone, but to all zoners when you denied them the balance this world deserves!> Without warning, Thoughtless lunged at Penny, colliding with her. It pushed her into the ground, grabbing onto her arms with its feet and pinning them down. It glared at her in the eyes, filled with intensity. Penny’s own widened ones looked back at it, and the two remained locked like this for several seconds. Thoughtless did not want to waste time. It ended up doing too much of that when it spoke to them. It felt shame with itself for this. It should have tried harder to push forward. Sure it was difficult to hold back with the idiocy of these two and how they irritated him with their denial of doing anything wrong. But it couldn’t dwell on that anymore and now it had the chance to move forward. It looked down at Penny, its chest puffing up widely. It raised its tail up straight and it prepared to strike down. “Wait! Stop!” Thoughtless froze at this. It looked over slightly, just enough to see Rudy out of the corner of its eye. He was limping towards it slowly, his body shaking in pain. His left eye was filled with horror, his hand reaching out towards it as if that alone would stop it. “Please...just wait...I...” Rudy slumped a little, forcing him to lean against the wall for a moment. “Just wait...please... I...” “Rudy...” Penny whispered. Thoughtless shot her a glare, telling her silently to be quiet. It then turned to Rudy. <What do you want? Can’t you see I am busy?> But Rudy wasn’t willing to leave. He made no attempt to. He just continued to move closer towards the bird zoner. He only stopped when Thoughtless pressed its claws further into Penny’s arm, nearly piercing the skin, causing her to yelp. “Please...can’t we talk about this?” Thoughtless shook its head. <The time of talk is over. Why don’t you lay down? I need to talk your friend here and...> “Switch us.” Penny and Thoughtless looked at the boy in shock. They wondered if they had heard right. Did Rudy really say that? Yes, he did. The look in his eyes, there was no mistaking it. The boy did his best to put on a brave face, his eyes narrowing slowly. “Rudy, no...” Penny whispered under her breath. “Y-You can’t...” Thoughtless was confused. It didn’t fully understand why Rudy would do this. For his friend, yeah. But he and Penny both made it clear that they would never help it fulfill its plan. They both believed of the risks involved, and they both knew the chaos this would unleash. So why would Rudy risk such a thing? Was he willing to throw away his life and the lives of countless others all for the sake of one person? It looked down at Penny. It was...interesting, it had to admit. These humans did think differently than it did. And there were still some aspects it was trying to understand. But the boy’s sacrifice still made sense deep down, and it was still rather predictable. Thoughtless swiveled its head back to Rudy and it gave a twisted smile. <...okay then. It’s a deal.> Penny squirmed against the memotrice’s grasp, her eyes wide in horror. “Rudy! No! You can’t! You..” Thoughtless silenced her by slashing her across her face. She screamed as she held onto her face, blood dripping from between her fingers. She looked up at Thoughtless, her eyes wide in pain and fear. The memotrice just glared back at her, giving her a wordless warning to remain silent, or else it would do it again. It looked back at Rudy, who was staring in Penny’s direction. He was horrified by what happened, but he was smart enough to know not to go up against Thoughtless. He simply gave Penny a look of morbid acceptance and silently pleaded with her not to speak up again. Rudy’s gaze then shifted towards Thoughtless. The two looked at each other for several moments. Rudy’s eyes narrowed, and Thoughtless could tell that his blood must be boiling right about now. It did not speak a word as the young boy began to move a little closer to it. He did stop eventually, but only after he had made some considerable progress. Now they stood in front of one another, Thoughtless’s head tilted up to meet the boy’s eyes, or rather eye as one was still covered up by that bandage. Rudy looked like he wanted to attack. The energy he was giving off gave away this fact. If he had more control over thet situation, it certain that he really would try to attack it. But Rudy knew he was boxed into a corner; Thoughtless was still near enough to deliver another blow to Penny, and it could also attack Rudy without warning, which kept Penny at bay. He had both of them cornered and neither of them could make a move without provoking it. The only thing they could do was give into its demands. “There is no other way, is there?” Rudy finally said. Thoughtless raised an eyebrow. <Why would you think there was? It’s the same no matter what. The only thing that changes is if you sacrifice yourself...or your friend here.> Thoughtless looked down at Penny. She remained on her stomach, looking up at this whole thing with frightened and shock-filled eyes. She looked like she wanted to stop this. She was looking at Rudy, her eyes pleading with him not to do this. All Rudy could do was look at her sadly before turning to look back at Thoughtless. Though he glared at the memotrice, it was more of a look of bitter acceptance than any attempt to be defiant. “I will only go if you promise not to hurt Penny.” Rudy whispered softly. “I know you said ‘deal’, but I want to lay down the ground rules. Violate them and I’ll...” Thoughtless smirked at this. <Or you’ll what?> Rudy’s left eye darted from side to side. His head lowered as his voice was reduced to mumbles as he struggled to think of an appropriate response “Well I...” He continued to stammer for several moments, trying hard to think of something to say. Thoughtless let this go on for a while before it decided to intervene. <I see...> It waved its wing to the side dismissively. <Well you need not worry, lad. If you cooperate, then I promise no harm will come to your friend.> Lies, all lies. Thoughtless had no intent on letting Penny go. But of course, it would not tell Rudy this. It would allow him to believe that Penny would be released and left alone if he agreed to this. It just won’t make a move against Penny until after Rudy was dealt with. By then, it would be too late for him to do anything. It then thought of something. Perhaps it should test to make sure that this sacrifice was genuine, and it knew of a way to do that. <Of course, I can change my mind. I did have my sights on Penny here.> Thoughtless walked back towards Penny, moving around her slowly. His tail trailed along her face in an almost affectionate way. <I’m sure the red chalk was quite pleased with her. It may want her back. She is so...intelligent. They could use that on their side.> Thoughtless smiled as Penny winced at its stroking of her hair with its toes and talons. It gave Rudy a sideways glance. <What makes you think that you would be a more worthy sacrifice...?> Rudy bit his lip for a moment. His eyes had a haunted look to them, as if remembering something from the past. “I..I was controlled by it once. It didn’t want to let me go...” He shifted his eye to the side, almost ashamed. “I think the red chalk would want me more. I’m the Great Creator. I would be a much bigger prize.” <Perhaps... But then all the artistic skill in the world could be rendered moot if you’re clever enough.> Thoughtless tilted its head around, its neck flexing about. <Why would the red chalk trade all this intelligence...> It ran its head along the top of Penny’s. <...for your mere skill?> “Please!” Rudy took a few steps forward. He stopped when Thoughtless drove its claws against Penny’s arm, threatening to tear it open if either of them made a move. Rudy looked at Penny sorrowfully before addressing Thoughtless. “Please just...let her go. I-I’ll do anything... Just please, don’t hurt you...” Thoughtless smirked at this. So the boy did pass the test. He really was willing to sacrifice himself for this girl. Well if that’s the way he wanted to be, then so be it. It ultimately didn’t matter to it anyway. So long as one of them got sacrificed in the end, then that’s all that was important. For that will usher in the new era. Or rather, start the pathway. Thoughtless threw Penny aside, letting her collide with the wall. Rudy called out her name as she slumped down. The blow irritated the injuries on her face and she covered her had with her hands, struggling to cope with the stinging pain. Thoughtless gave a quick chortle at this and then its gaze fell upon Rudy. The boy froze where he stood, looking like he was in midstep as if to help his friend. Thoughtless shook its head and it walked closer to Rudy. <Leave her be. She will be fine.> Thoughtless brushed up against Rudy before turning itself around behind him and pushing with its rooster-like head. <It is yourself you should be worried about. Now come along. Your destiny awaits...> Rudy snarled at the memotrice, but he did not attempt to turn back on his deal. He looked back at Penny sadly, the two exchanging horrified expressions, before he lowered his head and he began to walk with Thoughtless. “Rudy! Stop!” Penny reached her hand towards the boy. “Don’t do this! Please!” Thoughtless growled at her, growing tired of her pleas. <Shut up!> It struck Penny with its tail across her head. She screamed as she was slammed against the wall again, the back of her head making painful contact with it. She gained a dazed look in her eyes as she slumped down, looking almost lifeless. The only thing indicating that she was not actually knocked out was the fact that she was still looking at them, and her expression indicated that she could very well see them. Rudy’s left eye was filled with terror at the sight of his friend slumped like this. He looked ready to rush over and hold his friend and try to comfort her. The only thing preventing him from doing any of that was Thoughtless itself. One more towards her could result in the girl’s further injuring. As much as the boy clearly hated doing it, he knew he had no choice but follow Thoughtless if he wanted Penny to not get further injured. That didn’t stop the boy from casting a scowl at the memotrice. Thoughtless returned it, its own beating Rudy’s. <Try anything, say one word, and I will do worse.> Rudy’s expression melted away into horror. He nodded his head to answer Thoughtless’s silent question. <Good. Now come along.> Rudy paused for a moment, looking uncertain of the choice that he made. He looked at Penny, towards the ground, and back at Thoughtless. The memotrice wondered if, at any moment, he was going to back out of this. It didn’t matter if he did or not. It could always just take Penny move on. If Rudy wanted to be selfish, then that was his decision. But Rudy did soon cave in. His love for Penny outweighed any need to protect himself. Although he had a small glare on his face, his eyes were also a bit wide in defeat and he lowered his head, moving along behind Thoughtless slowly. When they got to the wall, Thoughtless opened it up with the controls built into its collar. After a few pulsating beats, it interacted with the locking mechanism of the dome and a door opened up. It ushered Rudy to go out with it, giving a glare to Penny warning her to stay put. As soon as they were out, Thoughtless closed the door, trapping Penny inside and all alone. It gave a satisfied sneer at her before striking Rudy with its tail. <Get moving!> Rudy gave Penny a sympathetic expression. The two looked at each other for a couple seconds. Penny mouthed the word ‘no’ and shook her head, hoping that Rudy would change his mind the last second and back out. But all Rudy did was stare at her sadly, a look that was saying ‘I’m sorry’ over and over again. A strike from Thoughtless’s tail made Rudy continue his walk down the hallway. Penny began to pound on the glass wall, yelling at Rudy to stop. But he did not answer her as he and Thoughtless continued their way down the hallway. It was almost a shame to do this. From what little it saw of them, these two did make a good team. It was a darn shame that it couldn’t see more of that, and definitely a double shame that it couldn’t make use of this. But that was life, right? At least now it could finally start on... Suddenly a couple of hands gripped against its throat and it was lifted off the ground. It felt itself beind slammed against the wall. Thoughtless let out a squawk, its tail wriggling around wildly, its legs kicking out in desperation. Neither of them were able to hit anything. It managed to open its eyes to see what had happened. Its brown eyes widened in shock when it saw that it was Rudy himself who had made the move. It was clear he was fighting against the pain in his injuried hands, the way his left eye was twitching. The boy’s anger provided enough energy for him to fight against this and hold the memotrice agaisnt the wall. His body was bent forward, leaning in a way that made it difficult for it to strike at him. <What’s the meaning of this?!> Thoughtless managed to shout. Its mouth was open as it struggled to take a breath. The boy’s grasp wasn’t cutting off air completely, but it was making it difficult for it to take in any sort of breath. <I thought we had a deal!> Rudy stared at it long and hard. His face then contorted, showing a mixture of anger and morbid happiness. It was almost evil, and creepy even for it. “Yeah? Well..time’s change...” The boy moved his face close to Thoughtless, causing the memotrice to turn its head to the side to avoid their heads colliding. “I think I am going to make a proposal of my own.” Placing a finger against Thoughtless, he said, “You are going to help us get out of here.” Thoughtless narrowed its eyes. <Really now? You think that you can just come along here and tell me that I am going to.... Really...?> Thoughtless was struggling hard not to laugh. It looked back at Penny. It could tell she was confused by all this too. It looked back at Rudy. <What makes you think that I am going to agree to this?> Rudy’s eyes narrowed further, his grip on the zoner’s neck tightening. “I’ll break your neck.” Penny put her hands over her mouth and she gasped in horror. “Rudy...you wouldn’t....” Thoughtless felt a brief pang of horror at this statement. It shook its head and proceeded to call the boy’s bluff. <You don’t have it in you.> It gave a half smile at this. <I can tell from the look in your eyes. You don’t have what it takes..> But Rudy was unrelenting. His smile remained, growing slightly twisted. He gave a quick ‘hmph’ sound before he leaned in, tilting his head to the side slightly. “Do you want to try me..?” Catching the look in the boy’s face, Thoughtless’s blood ran cold. sss The back of the news van was pretty large. There was some room despite all the stuff cluttering around. Enough for two adults... at least months ago it had been this way. Months of time had a way of changing things. In place were now other research bits that were picked up. More photos, an extra computer, some boxes to hold more evidence... It was to the point where a new van might be required. But with her budget, she doubted that she would get such a thing any time soon. She was stuck with this one. She needed to organize her things whenever she got back to the station. She had pushed some of the stuff aside to allow room for the kid. It wasn’t much, but it would do. The kid was still able to squeeze through, despite his large size. She didn’t say a word to him while he looked over at the computer, watching the images play on it. Terry ahd popped in the camera’s video tape inside, allowing Reggie to view what she had recorded. It was strange hearing her voice over the video static; it was so distorted and a bit garbled. But that didn’t seem to bother the child. He was too busy looking at something on the screen, as though entranced by it. No matter what display or movement was shown, Reggie always stared at the same thing, intriguing Terry. She remained silent and allowed Reggie to watch it all. She folded her arms against her chest, leaning against the chalkboard. She hoped that this kid could shed some light on this. He had claimed to have seen a strange light at recess a few days ago. Perhaps this was that strange light he was talking about. While she couldn’t be certain, the only way to find out was to let him watch it. She crossed her fingers that he knew something about it. Maybe he could even connect it to something that would help move her case forward. Once the video feed stopped, Reggie looked over at Terry. She could see the look in his eyes. Something was definitely up. He had seen something that definitely caught his eye and from the look of it, it was definitely familiar to him in some way. This caused Terry to crack a small smile. She tried not to make it too obvious; she didn’t want the kid freaking out on her or anything. She knew she had to be gentle with this. She leaned forward and motioned her hand towards the child. She spoke in a gentle voice. “Well...?” Reggie bit his lip for a moment. He looked somewhat hesitant to say more. This caused Terry’s eyes to narrow. If this little brat was going to back out of their deal now... “Yeah, I saw that before. I think..” Reggie turned and looked back at the black screen, his reflection showing quite clearly. “I didn’t see much before, but I do remember seeing a light like that, and it was right in that spot, too. I tried to ask Rudy and Penny about it, but they refused to say anything.” Terry nodded her head slowly. “Well that does not surprise me. They are quite...secretive...” She avoided using any insults. Although Reggie wasn’t exactly friends with them, he might get turned off if she freely insulted those two. “And you beat them up to get the information you wanted?” “Tried to get the informatio.” Reggie corrected her. “They wouldn’t talk, even under the threat of pain.” His expression contorted into guilt. “I...never meant to hurt them that badly, though.” Terry was quite surprised by this herself. Reggie liked inflicting pain, didn’t he? He liked bossing the other students around and she was certain that he had done more than one beatdown against Rudy. It just seemed so obvious. So why would he feel upset about this? What was different about this time than the others? She gathered it was because he used his two ‘friends’ to do the work for him and he did it longer and more fiercely than usual. Yeah that was probably it. She was not surprised to hear that it didn’t work. Rudy and Penny were sticklers to holding onto that information. It seemed nothing would make them break. If even pain wouldn’t work... So she and Vinnie had been right to outright steal it. It’s not like those children would have listened to them anyway. She had already tried to talk. Since that didn’t work, the only other thing to try was the direct approach. Although that ultimately failed. She remembered how frustrated she was when she and Vinnie’s creation failed. What was its name...? She didn’t remember anymore, but it didn’t matter anyhow. It was still a failure, provided it even came to life that is. She and Vinnie didn’t even get proof of that. She thought that she had finally gotten it, that she would be able to expose that chalk world. In the end, it ended in utter failure. She had no idea what else to do in order to get information. It seemed as if she was doomed to just fail time and time again. That is, until she met Reggie. The boy’s reveal of seeing the light like she did, and connecting that to Rudy and Penny... that could prove useful to her. It might be hard to prove that Rudy and Penny were the cause of it, but at least now she had this footage of a strange, small light, and she had someone who believed that it really was light. Even having just one person believing her was an accomplishment. The more she secured on her side, the better. She wasn’t sure how long that light was going to last there. For all she knew, it was already cleaned up by someone. Not that it mattered anyway. She had the video footage, so no one can deny that it wasn’t there, especially if they saw the raw footage of it. After all, she can’t edit raw footage on the camera; it just wasn’t possible. It wasn’t during the day time either. That light should not be there. But there was a small problem. If she was able to show anyone this footage, would they believe her that it was related to the chalk world? Or would they think it was paranormal activity? The thought of paranormal stuff made her scoff, but many people took that shit seriously, and they might take away her camera and video to ‘research’ it or something. She gritted her teeth. She would just need to make sure that this didn’t happen. “Well now that I told you...what now?” Reggie raised his arms up. “I mean...what should we do?” Terry glanced down at him, thinking for a moment. That is a good question. What were they going to do now? They still had no leads on Rudy and Penny, or any proof that Dr. Von Doktor wasn’t involved. Was there something else that they could do? Oh yes, there was. “We will be heading to the school.” Reggie frowned at this. “You do know that I’m suspended from there for a week, right?” “Oh yes, that would be problematic.” Terry rubbed her chin thoughtfully. Then she motioned off to the side. “Well that’s not a problem for me. I’m not banned from the school. I just need a special permit and I can go right inside.” Reggie nodded. “Yeah, true...but what do you want me to do?” He motioned ot himself. “What am I supposed to do while you’re at the school? Just sit around here?” “Well you were the one who wanted to help, kid.” Terry put her hands on her hips. “Sometimes that requires sitting around, doing nothing. If you want to bail out, that’s fine. Just don’t try getting in my way again.” “I’m not quitting!” Reggie called out to her. “I just...think that I could contribute more than just..sitting around. That’s all.” “Well that might be true. I’m not saying you wouldn’t be useful. But while I’m at the school, you are to sit here and wait. All I am doing is going in there and trying to see if there’s any evidence linking Dr. Von Doktor to Rudy and Penny’s disappearances. I doubt it will take long, and I am not expecting to find anything. If you want to know why I am still doing this even if I am certain it is wrong, well...” Terry made a quick, dismissive gesture with her hand. “That’s just how it needs to be at times. You need to check and doublecheck in order to make sure that everything fits. You can’t leave a stone unturned.” “I see... And after this is done...?” Reggie asked. “Then I move onto the next thing.” Terry told him. She got up and she walked over towards one of the walls, still filled with pictures. She couldn’t help but smirk when she saw the look in Reggie’s eyes when he first saw them. A worry at first, but she was able to subdue him with a simple, subtle threat. “I have my own idea on where they are.” Reggie gave her a frown. “You think they’re in that chalk world, don’t you?” Terry gritted her teeth at the boy’s tone. While it wasn’t the worst that she heard, it was enough to remind her of what she had gone through before. She remembered all too well how people had mocked her, the tones of voices they used. She did not need a reminder of that. Least of all from this little brat. “I don’t think. I know. They’re always sneaking off into that place. I know that world is real. I’ve seen it for myself!” Terry looked down at the boy, giving him a warning glare. “Try to mock me, and I will...” Reggie took a step back before the redhead could finish. He waved his hands in front of him as if to protect himself from a sudden attack. He gave her a nervous smile and a weak chuckle. “I didn’t mean to upset you.” Terry immediately halted. “Good. Glad to know your boundaries, kid.” Reggie lowered his head, his hands fumbling together. “It’s just that...” Terry’s eyes narrowed once more. “Yes...?” She swore, if that kid said just one thing out of line.... Well, she hoped she would be able to control herself enough to not lash out at the kid. She didn’t need anything else on her head right now. The threat from before was risky enough. But an actual, physical attack? She would be looking at prison time for sure. “Well...I thought it was just a dream at first. I mean..everything seemed so bizarre and unusual...” Reggie made gestures with his hands and he spoke, explaining something to the woman. “I saw Rudy and I thought that it was odd, but I.... and then I woke up and... I thought it was a dream, but then that light...” “Get on with it, kid.” Terry said through gritted teeth. “What is it you’re trying to tell me?” Reggie looked at her, remaining silent. He smacked his lips together, looking like he was trying to gather up the courage to continue speaking. Terry simply scowled at him. She didn’t know why he was bothering telling her about a dream anyway. What did this have to do with what they were trying to do? It was completely useless. Unless this dream had an important, crucial detail, then she might as well just tell him to shut up so she could get ready. But the next words out of his mouth took her by complete and utter surprise. “I have been to that chalk world.” sss When Mr. Tabootie had come in through the door, along with his wife, Tilly, and Mrs. Sanchez, all Mr. Bullnerd could think of doing is rolling his eyes and trying to tell them to get lost. He was not in any mood to see them. Even though he understood their pain, he didn’t want into yet another argument with them. He was surprised to learn that they didn’t come to accuse him, like he thought they would. This in of itself was quite the relief. He would have thought for sure that they were going to try to argue with him again. He allowed them to come into his home and motioned for them to sit down in the living room. They weren’t going to leave, so he might as well let them come in and they could start to chat. However, his anger returned when they mentioned his son. He couldn’t help but scowl at them. Weren’t they already finished with this? Why couldn’t they leave his poor boy alone? Granted, he knew that he wasn’t innocent and he wasn’t happy himself with how Reggie had treated Rudy and Penny. But it was still getting tiring how these people continued to bring him up, suspecting him of foul play. He had just about enough of it. He was stopped before he could say anything when Mr. Tabootie made it clear that they weren’t blaming Reggie either. Mr. Bullnerd was a little skeptical of this. There was something about the man’s voice that didn’t seem sincere to him. Maybe it was just him. Maybe he was just so angry that he wanted to believe that Mr. Tabootie was up to no good. He still remained quiet and decided to listen to what he had to say. He might as well, right? The last thing any of them needed was for him to jump to conclusions and start another argument. When Mr. Tabootie explained it all, Mr. Bullnerd was in shock. Well denial first, and then shock. He had a hard time digesting it. He licked his lips slowly, his gaze pointing downward. He didn’t attempt to look at any of them as he thought about this. Of all the information he thought he would get from them....this was one of the least that he expected. Reggie...with Terry Bouffant? But...how..? Why...? His boy had very little reason to be running around with that strange woman. What could he possibly be doing with her? He had tried to ask the other adults about this, hoping they’d have any answers. Unfortunately, they were just as stumped as he was. They were hoping that he himself had answers, but he had none. He was quite confused himself. He had a hard time believing that this was happening. Yet he knew it was. There was no denying it. That would explain why Reggie wasn’t home. He had thought that he went to his volunteer place, but he had called them up just before these adults walked in and Reggie wasn’t there. He would have thought that he had just finished early, but he wasn’t there at all today. He had no leads on where he was. Now, with the arrival of these four people, he did have a lead now. Even if he didn’t fully understand it, at least it was something. He struggled to think of why Reggie would be hanging out with Terry Bouffant. They had little of the same interests, and his boy had mentioned before how he thought she was ‘weird’. Even if he did share the same interests, why would Terry take interest in him? Wouldn’t she be busy working on more important things? Like..he didn’t know... her job? Wouldn’t that take higher priority than listening to a little child speak? Not like Reggie saw enough to really have any useful information for her, unless she was doing a report on low grades or the garbage. Sadly the adults couldn’t think of anything either, even after they spent some time in the living room, talking. Tilly had brought up an interesting idea, that perhaps Reggie had simply gone to Terry for help. It would seem odd that he’d choose her of all people, but..he didn’t want to totally dismiss it. Mrs. Sanchez, on the other hand, thought that, if Terry really did kidnap Rudy and Penny, that perhaps Reggie was a third victim. This did seem to clash with what the Tabooties had seen. Apparently Reggie had gone willingly with her. According to Mrs. Sanchez, however, this didn’t really mean that he wasn’t kidnapped. Terry might have lured them into a false sense of security before teaking them away, and the same was done to Reggie. Mr. Bullnerd had to admit, he didn’t like this theory as much as the other one. At the moment, they really had no way of knowing until they got more information. They needed to figure out where this woman was going to be next and confront her. Just because she was with Reggie simply being with Terry wouldn’t really be that suspicious, since newsreporters do approach children to speak ot at times. No, if they want something suspicious, they would have to try to find her and see if she was doing anything strange. Mr. Bullnerd would make sure to have his cellphone with him at all times. It was Tilly who realized that she might have went back to the school. Mrs. Sanchez immediately agreed, since that was where the redhaired woman had apparently confronted Penny. It was a good start. School was still open today, and if Terry really had been at the school at night, like they said, then it was easy to believe that she might return there again. She had apparently snuck into the school without permission before. There was no doubt in their minds that she would do it again. So it was agreed. They would meet at the school in an hour. In the meantime, the adults would try to prepare themselves, each going back to their own homes for the preparations. The other adults had left a littlel while ago. Mr. Bullnerd didn’t know how the other adults were going to prepare, but he already had his own ideas. He had the dresser pulled open and he was presently rummaging through it, trying to find something in it. He knew he had kept it in here just in case for an event like this. Well not exactly something like this, but this was a good enough excuse to bring this out. He didn’t want to have to use this, but in case something goes horribly wrong, he wanted something to fall back on. Now where was it...? Oh yes, here it was. He wrapped his fingers around something cold and solid. Keeping a good grip on it, he pulled it out swiftly. Clutched tightly in his hand was a taser. He cradled it in his hands, holding it out in front, examining it carefully. Still in good shape, just how he remembered it. He had used this while he was in the police business several years ago, before he got fired. He had managed to sneak this baby out and had hidden it in case he ever needed it. And well...now was a good time as any. He felt almost bad if he really did have to use this. He didn’t want to hurt Terry if it didn’t have to come to it. But he had no idea just how dangerous she really was. If she had kidnapped her son, it was best to err on the side of caution. He needed to be prepared in case she tried anything funny. On the off chance that she did plan something sinister to do with his son, and with those other two kids, at least he had this to even the odds a little. He knew the other adults might not approve. Such devices should only be used by actual police, they’d say. Even though he was a cop at one point, they would be right in calling him out on this, since he is no longer a cop and he should have reliquinshed this years ago. But no matter... He had it now and if he needed to, he would use it. He looked down at his watch. He narrowed his eyes slightly. He needed to get going. The other adults were going to meet up with him and they were going to head to the school. No telling if it was going to be a productive day or a waste of time. Only one way to find out. He placed the taser in his pocket and he made his way outside and towards his car. |
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Post by Bluedramon on Jul 27, 2015 20:10:22 GMT -5
Chapter 29: Biclops flinched when he stared down at the two zoners. They certainly had seen better days. Both were covered in bandages, especially Rapsheeba. Despite the white clothes hiding what happened, Biclops could already tell they both suffered quite a bloody fate. It didn’t help that Rapsheeba was poisoned and was presently in too much pain to talk. Not that Blocky was any better; he was so shaken up that he hardly spoke a word since Biclops arrived. The giant didn’t give up, however. If he was going to be of any help to anyone, if he was going to stop this memotrice, then he was going to need to get information. He was going to feel bad about prying information from Blocky, who was clearly in no mood or shape to be interrogated. But he knew there was little choice in the matter. Blocky should understand this. “Blocky please...you have to tell me...” Biclops said, staring down intently at the green squarish zoner. “You can’t keep quiet about this forever. You need to tell me...anything I need to know... Something that will help me... Please.” But just like his other attempts, the zoner wasn’t talking. He tried his best not to feel too angry about it. He had to understand Blocky’s perspective here. Would he be happy if someone came along and tried to force information out of him while he was still recovering? No, he would not. Blocky’s reaction was perfectly understandable. But now wasn’t the time for this. Whatever that memotrice was up to...he could not give it a chance to succeed. All of ChalkZone might be in danger, and the idea of it succeeding all because Blocky didn’t have the guts to relinquish information made his blood start to boil. This all could be riding on him, but all he was doing right now was just staring into nothingness. There was hardly even any indication that he was still there, still aware. It was taking all the giant’s strength and will power not to grab the zoner and shake him. He noticed that Rapsheeba was glaring at him. At least she was responding to him. He tried not to look at her face for too long. It was making him feel bad. Right now wasn’t the time for guilt. He needed to focus on getting information, or else who knows what was going to happen to ChalkZone. He didn’t want to begin to think of what all could go down, what that memotrice was capable of doing. So despite the difficulty, he continued trying to pry information out of Blocky. At the moment, that’s really all he could do. He can worry about feeling guilty later. “Blocky, if you don’t say something, I...” Biclops’s voice trailed off. He tried to make himself sound calmer and less threatening. “I would appreciate it if you told me anything regarding that creature.” Blocky just kept his head turned away. He hardly moved or made any sort of sound. His eyes had a wide, haunted look to them. The zoner was probably remembering the attack and just how vicious it was. All the while, Rapsheeba was looking more peeved, and the giant guessed she was going to order him to leave the grounds of the building so that she and Blocky could resume their time sitting outside and relaxing. He knew he had to make this quick. He could see Rapsheeba moving her hand towards the red button. He flinched at this. He couldn’t blame Rapsheeba for being angry. But why couldn’t they understand the seriousness of the situation? Well it was obvious that they did. They were just angry at his rough attempts at getting information from them so quickly. Not to mention they had no idea of what was going on. He let out a soft sigh. Perhaps it was time that he told them. Maybe after he admitted what he had done and where they were with that memotrice, perhaps then they would be more willing to help him out. “Look...if you two don’t tell me about that snake creature... Rudy and Penny might...they might die..” At this, the two zoners immediately tilted their heads up at him. He could see the look of terror and shock in their eyes. This caused him to lower his head in shame. “And it is my fault.” He mumbled softly. “The memotrice..it got me... I think..Yeah, I remember now. It made me think Rudy was the enemy, and I helped to catch him.” He shut his eyes as the different versions of his past memories rushed through him, both sets filling him with a twisted, uncomfortable sensation. “Please, if you don’t help me...” He couldn’t say anything more after that. He just looked back down at them sadly. He could see the anger and disappointment in their eyes. It was almost immediately overshadowed by an expression of understanding, neither of them looking like they were going to hold this against him. They understood that with the memotrice causing issues, it was understandable that he would fall for its tricks. The two zoners exchanged looks with one another. Rapsheeba sounded like she was speaking, but it was really just mumbles. Her eyes and motions did most of the talking. Blocky’s own was low, a whisper, and it carried a strong sense of fear. Biclops understood that the small zoner didn’t really want to talk about this, yet at the same time understood that he didn’t really have that much of a choice. Blocky let out a trembling sigh. “All right.... I’ll tell you one thing that I remember about.... that encounter...” His body gave a visible shake. Biclops looked at him with sympathy, as did Rapsheeba. They remained silent as he spoke. “I... I remember the machine. The creature destroyed it but...the parts might still be there. It could be put together. Maybe you could...you could track C-C-Cornerstone with it...” “A machine?” Biclops questioned. “Like a tracker?” At this, Blocky nodded his head slowly, shakingly. “A large machine... Rudy and Penny and Rapsheeba and I...we were all using it... and C-Cornerstone attacked and....” It was clear to the giant that he was not going to get anything else out of these two. Rapsheeba had put her arm around the shivering Zoner, pulling him into a partial hug. The rectangular zoner was trembling and whimpering at the memory of what happeed. He pressed himself against Rapsheeba for comfort. Not wanting to disturb them further, and not wanting to upset Blocky more, the giant waved goodbye to them, thanking them for the information. He turned and he began to walk away from the hospital. He suddenly realized when he wasn’t too far out that he had forgot to ask just where this machine was. He looked over his shoulder, back at the hospital. He could still see the two forms of Rapsheeba and Blocky. He could see how distressed Blocky was even from over here. He bit his lip. Did he really want to go all the way back there to ask for information? He soon shook his head slightly. No, he spoke to them enough. Blocky didn’t need to be interrogated further. Besides, he already had a pretty good idea on where to look first. Rapsheeba’s New Place seemed like the perfect spot. It was out in the middle of nowhere, out of sight of any prying zoner. It was certainly large enough to house a large device as well. Yeah, that would be the first place he would look. Without saying a word, he immediately veered to the side a little and he began to head towards the direction of Rapsheeba’s New Place. sss The situation was quite intense. A small boy holding a zoner against the wall, threatening to cause it untold pain unless it spoke... It was enough to terrify anyone who watched it. But most of all, it terrified Rudy. He knew full well what he was doing. He knew the consequences if he actually went through witht his threats. He could tell just how horrified Penny was. He couldn’t even get himself to look at her, he felt so ashamed of himself. This wasn’t who whe was. This wasn’t what he ever wanted to do. Yet....sometimes compromises had to be made. Thoughtless had proven itself time and again to be an untrustworthy zoner. He had little reason to exercise too much restraint with this creature. It seemed the only way to make this bird zoner listen was to use force. And if that is the case, then so be it. Thoughtless should have thought about this before it decided to mess with him and his friends. Now look at where that got it. Thoughtless didn’t attempt to speak. It was too busy just staring at the boy with a mixture of shock and horror on its beaked face. Rudy almost chuckled bitterly at the sight of the memotrice actually looking scared. That was something that he thought he’d never see. It caused a sensation of bitterness to grow inside of his stomach. Just how many zoners felt this way around it? How many zoners did the memotrice strike fear in? He wondered with morbid curiosity if Thoughtless was realizing how much the tables had turned. Although he did a good job at hiding it, Rudy still felt bad about this whole thing. He did hope that Thoughtless would cave into his demands without resorting to an actual fight. He didn’t want to actually hurt it if it didn’t have to come to it. Avoiding such nasty resorts was always a plus for him. It felt better to him to defeat an enemy through wits rather than through pain infliction. This extended to even Skrawl, despite all that jellybean had done to him, or tried to do. Rudy realized something while he held the memotrice against the wall like this. It was so obvious, he was shocked it took him this long to realize it. Thoughtless couldn’t alter his memories. And by extention, Penny’s. Thoughtless might outright deny it. It might try to say that it was just not interested in wasting time and effort on it. But Rudy knew the truth. If Thoughtless had this ability, it would be using it on him now. It was pinned against the wall with the promise of pain infliction of it didn’t cooperate. It would be insane to not use its powers on him to make him think he worked for the bird reptile thing. The fact that it wasn’t doing anything told Rudy that Thoughtless really could not use its powers against them. That didn’t mean that it was defenseless. It still had Skrawl and the Beanie Boys, along with Snap and Biclops, on its side. Even without them, it had sharp claws, a sharp beak, and even sharp teeth, and its tail was not something to be taken lightly. So long as he kept Thoughtless in this position, it couldn’t hurt him. But how long would this last? He hoped that Thoughtless would realize soon that it was beat and cooperate with him. It would be quite an unsteady partnership that would only last a short time. All Rudy needed was a very brief cooperation. Just enough to help Penny get out of that room she was locked in. He had to act quickly, however. His hands were hurting from holding Thoughtless. He could feel the chalk particles interact with the wounds, irritating them further. “So...are you going to help me?” Rudy asked in a calm, collected voice. Thoughtless squirmed in his grasp. Rudy did his best to ignore the pain. “Come now, it wasn’t that hard of a question. It’s not that difficult, is it? All you have to do is help Penny get out and I will release you.” Thoughtless shot him a death glare. <If you do not release me right now, I will destroy your memories!> Rudy gave a quick chuckle at this. “I know you can’t do that. If you could, you would have defended yourself that way the moment I threatened to break your neck. Since I hadn’t been altered to think that Penny was my enemy the whole time, or that I was really a spy for Skrawl...” He leaned in slightly, staring at Thoughtless in the eyes. “...I do not think that you can change my memories.” Thoughtless snapped its head back and gave a hiss, a combination of fear and surprise and anger. Its eyes narrowed into slits, looking quite displeased by this discovery. This only made Rudy’s smile broaden further. It did feel good, being a step ahead of this creature. Maybe now it would get a window into how unfair and monstrous it had been acting. Not that it would change the memotrice; Rudy had his doubts it would ever change. But at least it was getting a taste of its own medicine, right? That would be something of a wake up call for it. <Even so...if you do not release me, I will make you sorry. Don’t underestimate me, kid.> Thoughtless spat in his direction. <Once I get free, I will rip your back open further!> Rudy tried his best not to flinch at this comment. He could feel the aches and pains spreading through his back, the way they burned and practically simmered. He struggled not to think about the agony that was wreaking itself across his back. He focused his attention on Thoughless, doing his best to pretend like he wasn’t frightened of that comment. “Do you think I’m afraid of that?” Rudy asked innocently. “Do you think I believe a word that you say? Not like you can do anything as you are now.” His grip on the zoner tightened, and he twisted his hand slightly to the side, causing the zoner to yelp in response. “Rudy! What are you doing?!” Penny called out from behind the glass wall. She pounded against it. “Stop it! You’re no better than it if you do this!” Rudy looked over at her sadly. He wished that he could tell her that this was all a ruse. He wished that he could reassure her that he did not really intend on hurting Thoughtless that badly, that he was just trying to scare it into releasing her. But he knew if he said one word about that, Thoughtless would immediately realize what was going on and it would struggle harder to get free knowing that there was no fear of it getting hurt. This was not something he could allow and he had to keep this up. But how was he going to convince the memotrice to talk? He couldn’t really think of anything other than breaking its neck. He didn’t know how far he could go with that, however. Such a move would force him to get closer to Thoughtless in order to get a good grip and he would need to do it fast before Thoughtless attacked. That gave Thoughtless very little time to surrender and he would end up with a possibly dead, at least paralyzed, zoner on his hands. He needed another way to get Thoughtless to speak, or at least free Penny. But what? <You best listen to your girl friend there.> Thoughtless’s voice ripped through his head. <She is right, you know. You really shouldn’t be doing this. After all, what kind of hero would you be if you cruelly snapped the neck of a zoner? What makes you think I woudn’t tell everyone what happened?> Rudy gritted his teeth at this. He couldn’t help but feel pang when he realized that Thoughtless was starting to turn this around. While he wasn’t sure if Thoughtless really could convince anyone, the very idea of this spreading around and potentially ruining his reputation among the zoners was enough to make his blood run cold. Thoughtless could see his expression and it gripped onto this like a vice. <Yes...you realize this as well. The zoners would hate you for what you did. They wouldn’t care if you did it to help them. The sight of one of their own maimed by you would be enough to make them reconsider, especially considering their bad history with creators.> Rudy narrowed his eyes at the zoner. “Like they will listen to you anyway...” <Then perhaps they will listen to Cornerstone.> Rudy could feel his heart freeze at this. “Cornerstone...?” Thoughtless grinned at this. <Oh yes, her. Don’t think I don’t know what you did to her. The fake memories you implanted... What would happen if word of that got out? Would the zoners believe you or her?> It tilted its head to the side. <I would love to see how you’d handle that, oh Great Creator...> Gritting his teeth, the boy said, “You have no proof of what happened, and neither does she.” <Of the past? Perhaps not... But she still has the ropes that you tied her up with. And your fingerprints are probably still on them.> Thoughtless sneered as Rudy’s eyes widened in horror. <You really should have thought this through more, Rudy dear. Now your ‘brilliant plan’ is being turned against you! Then again, it really is all your fault. If you hadn’t tried to leave Cornerstone trapped like a wild animal, then maybe things would have turned out different...> Rudy took note of the zoner’s tone at this. There was a stronger sense of bitterness on its tongue when it started talking about Cornerstone being trapped. But why? What was different about Cornerstone and this trap business that would result in the zoner speaking this way? It was then Rudy was able to piece the puzzle together. Thoughtless apparently hated the idea of traps and being locked up. It was a pet peeve of its, which made sense considering it was locked up itself. It must feel a connection to Cornerstone due to this. Rudy had to wonder if he could use this to manipulate Thoughtless into releasing Penny. Maybe it could turn its pet peeve against it somehow. Or perhaps the creature will see right through him and resist... Well there was really only one true way to find out. At this point, there was little else he could do. He just hoped that, whatever happens, they will be closer to freedom....and victory. Before he could speak, Thoughtless beat him to the punch. <I can tell what you are thinking. And you are more heartless than I realized if you are considering that.> Rudy blinked a few times. Thoughtless had no power over his mind. How could it tell just what it was thinking about? No matter. He pressed on, “Not like you are any better...” <Touche.> Thoughtless said, admitting with that single word that it had done a lot of terrible things itself. It then lowered its head a little, giving a soft sigh. <Look..why don’t we just strike a deal? How about you let me go and I will let you friend out?> “No.” Rudy hissed. Thoughtless and Penny widened their eyes at this. He elaborated. “You let Penny out and I will let you go. Rudy was aware that the memotrice could easily betray him the moment that he lets it go. At least this way, Penny had a chance at freedom. Thoughtless blinked a few times at this. <Um...you do realize that I can’t do anything while you are holding me like this?> “I can lift you up towards that control panel that I can see.” Rudy said in a soft voice. His eyes looked up towards the panel, which wasn’t too far away. “Once you let Penny out, then I will let you go.” Rudy hid the fact that he planned on tossing the memotrice into the dome after Penny got out. He knew there was no way for this plan to work if Thoughtless knew what was going to happen. Thankfully, Thoughtless didn’t seem to really understand where he was headed with this. It seemed mostly interested in getting free. <All right then. It’s a deal.> “Rudy....” Penny said in a warning voice. “I don’t like this...” Rudy didn’t pay attention to her. He was too busy smirking to himself. It did feel good outsmarting the memotrice. Now, finally, they were going to be a step closer to stopping it for good and saving ChalkZone and returning everything to normal. All he had to do was get the memotrice to release Penny and then he could lock it up. While a part of him felt bad for subjecting the memotrice to this, another part dismissed it, reminding him that Thoughtless pretty much deserved this. Another part of him wondered if he should heed Penny’s warning. It did seem a little sudden and strange that it would just up and agree to help him like this despite clearly indicating that it hated the idea. But on the other hand, this might be the only time he could get Penny out. If Thoughtless was decieving him, then they would stand a better chance if Penny were out here with him. Carefully, Rudy raised the memotrice up towards the panel. He tried to get high enough so that the creature could reach over with its feet and proceed to press the buttons, or whatever it was doing. He hoped that the memotrice would hurry. He was growing nervous like this, the claws coming closer to him than before. The memotrice was also pretty heavy, which, considering its size, was not a surprise to him. After a few awkward and tense-filled moments, Thoughtless had finished crunching in the command that it needed for the door to open up. Penny remained frozen there for a few moments, looking left and right cautiously. Rudy ushered her to come out, his left eye looking at her up and down to make sure that the memotrice hadn’t done something secretly to hurt her. Not that it seemed likely, but he didn’t want to take the chance. Penny slowly walked out of the enclosure and she stood a few feet away. She was still looking at Thoughtless warily, her gaze turning around as she tried to see if there was anything there. Rudy understood why she would be so nervous, but there was little Thoughtless could do right now. It was defenseless. <Okay, I let your little friend go.> Thoughtless told him. <Now release me.> Rudy remained silent. <Hey! Didn’t you hear me?> “I heard you, yes.” Rudy said to it calmly. “I was just thinking...” <So you were going to turn your back on me. You were going to trap me.> Thoughtless interrupted him. Its feathers raised up slightly in anger. <I should have known that you would fool me like this!> It was Rudy’s turn to glare. “You are the one who threatened to expose ChalkZone! Why the fuck would I want you running around free?!” Thoughtless seethed at this, remaining silent. Rudy felt a sense of satisfaction knowing that the memotrice wasn’t going to try to defend itself. There was no way that it could, not while he knew what its plans were. This zoner was so disgusting... The idea of it wanting to allow humans in here just to fulfill some imaginary ‘circle of life’ was just... He couldn’t put it to words that would be meaningful enough. He turned his attention towards the door. Tightening his grip on the memotrice, keeping it held out away from him so it couldn’t attack, Rudy began to head towards the door. In a few moments, he would toss the zoner in and keep it trapped there until this whole mess was taken care of. Then he would create mind blockage helmets that actually worked, somehow, and Thoughtless would be taken somewhere where it cannot do anymore harm. ChalkZone would truly be safe once more. Suddenly he could feel Thoughtless shaking in his hands. When he looked at the zoner, he realized that it wasn’t out of anger or fear, but instead out of amusement. Rudy stared at the zoner in confusion, wondering what it was so darn happy about. It wasn’t like it had a way out of this. ...unless... Rudy didn’t have time to react when he felt a large hand grab onto his neck. He let out a gagged sound as he was yanked into the air. He could hear Penny call out his name, but she dare not come any coser out of fear that he woud get hurt. Rudy struggled to get free, but soon he fell limp from exhaustion. He glared off at the one who was holding up. Skrawl let out an evil chuckle as he squeezed Rudy’s neck tightly, watching as he gasped for air. “Looks like you were right, Thoughtless. Master Tabootie really is predictable...” Rudy’s left eye widened at this. Thoughtless knew that this was going to happen..? He looked down at the memotrice and he could see the smirk spreading across its beak. Rudy felt his gut twist up inside. Why didn’t he listen to Penny? He felt so stupid. If he had just thought things through more, then maybe he... <Predictable or not, this was rather fun.> Thoughtless folded one wing against itself. The other was raised up, motioning towards Penny. <A shame your little friend didn’t listen to you, eh, dearie? How does it feel being ignored?> It chuckled at the girl’s frown. Rudy felt a pang of guilt. He wished he had taken the time to listen to Penny and realize that something was up. This all seemed suspicious from the start and yet he chose to ignore it in favor of giving themselves a chance of escape. He had thought that, if he had worked quickly enough, he could get a chance at freedom before Thoughtless could spring its trap. Oh how wrong he had been... “So what do we do with them now, boss?” Skrawl said as he looked down at the memotrice. “Should I lock the girl up again?” Thoughtless rubbed its beak with its wing as it watched Penny, staring into her glaring eyes. <No...bring her along. I think we should deal with both of them...> It looked up at Skrawl, giving him a smirk. <...don’t you think?> Skrawl sneered, “That seems like a perfect plan...” Thoughtless turned to Penny. It smiled at her and then slowly it began to advance on her. <Come here, little girl...> “Penny! No!” Rudy struggled to get himself free of Skrawl’s grasp. But there was nothing he could do to get free. He was forced to watch as Thoughtless advanced on his friend, its brown eyed face twisted with the grin of many sadistic promises. And it was all his fault. sss Snap remained hunched around the corner. There wasn’t too much room in this small groove, but it was serving its purpose just fine. He kept his head stuck out only enough to see what was happening. He had to squint his eyes; he was pretty far away. He would get closer, but he felt safe here in the darkness. And besides, he was able to see enough to know what was going on. He could see Thoughtless and Skrawl taking Rudy and Penny somewhere. Exactly where he didn’t really know. He couldn’t really hear anything that was being said. He assumed that one of them thought of a way to ensure that Penny didn’t try running off. It may have to do with Rudy; he was being held by the throat by Skrawl. Although he was glad those little monsters aren’t going to harm anyone anytime soon, his eyes remained focused on the present monster of the hour. Thoughtless didn’t look like it was up to anything. None of its present behavior suggested this. But Snap wasn’t fooled for one minute. It was doing a good job with hiding its true nature. He could never forgive it for what it did to Skrawl. He knew the real Skrawl wouldn’t dare dream of wanting to kill him. Not after how the jellybean had saved his life. No, this was the work of Thoughtless. There was simply no other explaination. Following these two without being seen was not going to be easy. He had to keep his body low and his steps quiet. He did his best to remain as far behind them as he could without risking losing them. He had a guess on where Rudy and Penny were headed, but he cared not about them. He wanted to see where Thoughtless was going to head to after this. Perhaps back to its little room or maybe elsewhere. Or, as his fear began to lurch inside of his throat, it might be wanting to do something with Skrawl. So far, Skrawl appeared to be safe, allowing the blue and white zoner to take in a breath of relief. But that could change very easily. All it would take was one wrong misstep and Skrawl could be under the memotrice’s wrath. As the savioree, or whatever the word is, he needed to repay Skrawl by helping to save his life. He didn’t trust that memotrice, and he wished that Skrawl could see that it was using him. If he could... No, it was still his own fault. If Snap had been more vigilant, maybe he would have noticed what was happening and he could have.... Well, at least he was doing something about it now, right? Snap had to struggle and fight against the temptation to rush after the zoner and punch it in the face. No, he couldn’t do anything brash like that. Not now. He needed to wait until the right moment to strike. That meant following the memotrice until he was able to find it alone. He didn’t exactly have a plan for if he was caught before he could succeed in this...but oh well. He didn’t want to focus on that too much. His anger kept bringing him back to Thoughtless and what the memotrice did to Skrawl. His anger was enough to keep pushing him forward. They began heading down a familiar hallway. Snap narrowed his eyes slightly. Yes, he believed he knew where those two children were going to be taken. And it worked well into his favor. They were going to Thoughtless’s own room. Why they were going there, he didn’t know. Perhaps Thoughtless had something planned for Rudy and Penny and it wanted them to be within its sights. Maybe it just wanted to hold onto them for later until it was ready to...whatever it wanted with them. But whatever the case, at least they would be secured. Snap was a bit grateful for this. It was nice that Rudy and Penny will be locked up somewhere, in a single location that he had easy access to. That way, after he was finished taking care of Thoughtless, he could move onto these two. He gave a soft smile as he stared at them intently. He had unfinished business with these two. He thought of so many ways he could attack them. He couldn’t choose, but he was certain, when the time came, he’d know what to do. Rudy still had much to pay for how he had caused him to kill Delta. And they both needed to pay for how they had tricked him and tortured him. He shuddered as he shut his eyes for a moment, briefly remembering the knife going into his belly. Perhaps that’s what he will do. Yes, they won’t be laughing this time if he was the one who was going to vivisect them. For a moment, he was actually scared of himself. To cut another open like that, slowly and painfully, even more so since these are humans and any weapon used on them would dull and melt at the contact of blood, that truly was sadistic. Could he really do something like that? ooo Especially since these two are his friends? ooo Snap widened his eyes, horror plastering over his face, paling more so than usual. No, he couldn’t. He... Snap struck himself in the face, knocking his head to the side. What was he thinking? No, he couldn’t allow himself to get distracted like that. He narrowed his eyes once more as he stared in Rudy and Penny’s direction. Cruel or not, they deserved it. If they didn’t want to get hurt like this, then they should have thought twice before they hurt him. This was their own fault. They played the bull by the horns, and now they were going to get gouged. He couldn’t help but smile darkly at the thought. He moved his hand over the cut on his eye. He couldn’t wait to ‘return the favor’... He returned his attention back to Thoughtless. Right now, this was the monster that was his present target. He clenched a fist tightly as he continued creeping along, watching as Thoughtless communicated with Skrawl. No... Controlled Skrawl. Well soon this was going to come to an end. Once he had an opening, he was going to strike. And then Skrawl was going to thank him. Perhaps he will even reward him. The eager zoner slightly picked up the pace as he continued to follow them down the corridor. sss It wasn’t as difficult getting into the school building as they all thought it was going to be. Princial Stringent did allow them to look around so long as they didn’t touch anything in case of contamination. However, if they were to find anything that they felt could lead to discovering what happened, they were more than welcome to document it on paper. The police would then look at them and see if these clues actually lead anywhere. Mr. Bullnerd had some concerns that they wouldn’t really find anything here that would help them too much. Whoever had taken the children didn’t do it during school time and there’s little reason to think that it was someone at this school. Certainly not his boy, and he didn’t fathom any reason for why one of the mature adults would do such a thing. But he did have to agree with the other adults. There might be some sort of hint somewhere in this school. Someone who may have had a problem with them secretly. Any sort of message of meeting somewhere. Any kind of clue that would reveal something that they didn’t know already. The chances were pretty slim and for all he knew, this could be a gigantic waste of time. But it still wouldn’t hurt; besides he could end up being very shocked by what might be discovered. It might help not just them, but any future child. With all this searching around and the increased agitation from Mr. Tabootie, Mr. Bullnerd had little reason to be surprised. If it was his boy kidnapped by this...this monster, he would be quite irritable himself. He was glad that Reggie wasn’t captured. ...for now. With a pang of bitterness in his stomach, he remembered what the Tabooties had found. His boy running around with that crazy woman, who was currently a suspect. He clenched his teeth tightly. It was bad enough that Mr. Tabootie thought Reggie was in cahoots with Terry Bouffant, but he was even more upset by the woman. Just what was she doing with his son? Why was she making him follow her around? What did she want from him? He hadn’t spotted her on their way here. Such a shame. He would have loved to give her a piece of his mind. Or at least his taser. He didn’t care that it was against the law unless self defense. His boy might be in danger. That was defense right there, wasn’t it? And if she captured Reggie, then who is to say that she didn’t do the same thing with Rudy and Penny? He gently patted his pocket, a sense of eagerness rising up inside of him. The other adults were unaware of what he had in there, and he had no intention on telling them about it. They would probably think he was crazy or something and have it taken away. But when the time came to use it, they would understand why he hid it. They would understand why he needed to use it. After all, the safety of the children was the top priority here, wasn’t it? And maybe after being shocked, Terry would realize the trouble she was in and never bother their kids again. That would certainly make Rudy and Penny’s parents happy. So far, they hadn’t really found anything worthwhile. They didn’t notice any marks or any notes, no matter where they went. They had concentrated on their children’s favorite places to hang out first, and then they went to the lesser visited places to see if anything was there. But they found nothing. Absolutely nothing. This lack of results was starting to irritate even him, despite his best efforts to remain calm. He wasn’t quite at Mr. Tabootie’s level, but he was getting there. He was gritting his teeth tightly, gnashing them side to side. He realized what he was doing and he forced himself to relax. He stopped, along with the others, at the edge of a hallway. He looked left and right. Which way should they go? Well, they had already searched this portion of the school. So perhaps it was time to head down this other way. He recalled it led to the gym. Not exactly the socialing area for Rudy and Penny, but it was still a good idea to search that place. He was aware that some students here leave secret notes for certain people to find. So to the gym, they headed. They were relieved when they saw that there was no class going on right now. This didn’t mean they had all the time in the world. Mr. Bullnerd guessed that the next class would start in perhaps fifteen minutes. So if they were going to look through the gym for clues, they would have to do it quickly. And of course, above all, they needed to remember what Principal Stringent told them. Do not touch anything. It was going to be difficult upholding that, especially if they found anything that might attract their attention. Something that reveals an important detail of what happened back then. He would love to be able to look at any notes himself. Being a former cop, he might be able to trace the source and figure out an approximation of where the notes might have come from. “All right, Tabooties..” He turned to the husband and wife. “Look over there.” He pointed at the far end of the gym. He then turned to Tilly and motioned her towards the front. “You, search around here. “And you...” He pointed at Mrs. Sanchez. “Take the left wall.” He motioned his thumb in the opposite direction. “I’ll take this wall.” The adults nodded at him and, wordlessly, they split apart, each heading in their own direction. Soon the five adults were combing through the gym, looking for anything that might be useful. Mostly they were looking for notes, whether carved in the bleachers or walls if a kid was bold enough, or through pieces of crumbled up paper on the ground. Or anything else that could be a clue that they didn’t think of. So far, just like before, nothing. Mr. Bullnerd scrunched his nose up in irritation as he moved through the underneath of the bleachers. It was really hot underneath here. Sweltering. He was glad that he didn’t have to clean here. And..yuck..was that a pile of dead spiders? Gross... This school really need to keep up the cleaning here. Was this why students liked leaving notes here? They must have known that the dead invertebrates thing would be a turn off for many people. He tried to ignore them, kicking or brushing the dead tiny bodies away, as he made his way through. His dark eyes darted left and right as he tried to look for anything that might be useful. He didn’t see any papers here, though, and no matter how far he went in, this fact did not change. He was forced to let out a small grumble, his arms folding against his chest. Perhaps there really wasn’t something here after all. Maybe... Wait...what was this...? There, up ahead, the man spotted something that caught his eye. He blinked a few times as he stared at it. It looked like it might be important. From over here, he couldn’t tell exactly what it was. There was too much wood planks in the way. He moved closer. The item that he had seen, much to his surprise, was a piece of paper. It was colored yellow and it had a bit of a dust mark on it. He raised an eyebrow. This didn’t look like a paper that children would use to make notes. It looked more like a detention slip or something like that. But then again....perhaps students do use these as a way to cover up their tracks. A teacher would think they were just being disgruntled and decided to toss the paper away to try to escape detention. He was certain Reggie would do this a lot. He reached for the paper before he suddenly stopped himself. No, he couldn’t grab the piece of paper. He might contaminate it. What if it was really important? The last thing they needed was for him to ruin everything through touching something important. Then again, maybe if he just grabbed the very edge of it, he might... “...what are you all doing here?” Mr. Bullnerd jolted up at that sudden force. He let out a yelp of pain as he felt his cranium strike against the wood. He felt slightly dazed for a few seconds before he rubbed his head with his right hand. He let out a small groan as he felt the ache pound in his head. He looked over from the bleachers and saw there was another person in here. A seventh. But who could it be? It didn’t look like...no, she didn’t look like anyone that he knew worked here. Yet the shape was very familiar. He could have sworn he had seen someone like this before. Now who could it be...? He moved himself back out of the bleachers so he could get a good look at the person. Terry Bouffant... His eyes narrowed in disgust when he saw her. Immediately, his mind shifted into rage, despite the fact that Reggie was not with her and there was no indication she had actually kidnapped him. Judging from the expressions of the other adults, he was not the only one who wasn’t happy to see this woman. Not like Terry was overjoyed either; she was glaring at all of them, including himself as he stepped out of the bleachers. Terry had her arms folded against her chest. Her expression wasn’t so much anger as it was confusion and perhaps impatientness. She looked as if she were silently trying to tell them to leave so she could get to work with...whatever she had planned. Not a chance... “Look, I don’t know why you are all here, but I think it’s best if you leave.” Terry said as she motioned a thumb towards herself. “I have to do some searching around here myself.” “Why? Looking for another kid to capture?” Mr. Tabootie said bitterly. He immediately regretted it when his wife nudged him. Terry’s eyebrow was cocked, both visual orbs widened. “What..?” She took a step towards Mr. Tabootie. “You think I kidnapped your son?!” Mr. Tabootie was silent for a few moments as he struggled to think of something to say. But now that the suspicions were out of the way, he narrowed his eyes and took a step towards her in a challenging way. “Are you admitting to it...?” Terry rolled her eyes and let out a soft growl. “I don’t know why you think I did it. Why would I want to kidnap those sn... two?” It was clear that she was about to insult the two children before she thought better of it and stopped herself. “You didn’t even answer my question. Why are you here?” “What any good parent would be doing.” Mr. Bullnerd hissed. Terry looked over at him, her eyes narrowing to match his. “Looking for anything to help find their kids.” With his arms folded, he continued, “And by the way, where’s my son? Did you take him, too?” Terry slapped herself in the face. “I’m not sure where you all are getting the idea that I did anything. I didn’t touch your kids, okay?!” She looked at each adult. None of them, not even Tilly, were giving her any sympathy. She quickly got the hint that they all thought she played a role. Her behavior wasn’t convincing anyone, either. “Look, if you must know, I just came here to look around, just like you.” Mr. Bullnerd narrowed his eyes in suspicion at this. All this sounded like a disguised confession. Why would Terry want to be looking around here for, unless she was trying to decide on her next victim? A part of him realized that he might be exaggerating to himself. Perhaps he should try to settle himself down and think through this logically. But his emotional side was winning, and as anger began to burn in the back of his mind, he found himself jumping to more and more conclusions. All he could see standing before him was the woman who might have done something to his son. Why else would he be following her around like a lost puppy? She might have threatened him to stay with her. The fact that his son wasn’t reported injured did little to soothe his anger. The other adults didn’t seem like they could control their anger much either. What had started off as a forcibly civil discussion as they tried to get information from her was quickly escalating. The emotions of everyone could be felt, filling the entire room with this intense feeling. Terry was taking a few steps back, her eyes flickering with slight fear as she tried to get some distance between her and the disgruntled parents. But they weren’t going to let her leave so easily. They moved around her in a partial circle. They didn’t attempt to outright trap her. But they tried to convince her using body language to stay and talk to them. They also used words. They tried their best to remain somewhat calm in their speech, despite their bodies shaking with emotion. “You’re making my job a lot harder than it has to be.” Terry placed her hand against her forehead, her fingers slightly bent. “All I need to do is... Wait, why am I telling you this?” She looked back at the other adults. “This is classified!” “Yeah I’m sure it is.” Mrs. Sanchez scowled at her. “Just like it was ‘classified’ for you to stalk my daughter and her friend.” Terry’s eyes bulged at this. “What? You’re talking about that?” She narrowed her eyes once more, her teeth bared. “What does that have to do with this?! Besides, why are you even upset about that anyway?” She motioned jerkingly in the vet’s direction. “I didn’t try to hurt them or anything! I was just asking her some questions!” “About some fabled world that doesn’t exist.” Mrs. Tabootie murmured softly while her husband frowned in response. “Ugh...I don’t have time for this...” Terry said dismissively. She turned herself around and began to walk away. “Well if you five are not going to leave so I can search, then I might as well head elsewhere and let you go about your business....” Her voice trailed off when Mr. Bullnerd blocked her way out. “Hey! Get out of my way!” Mr. Bullnerd shook his head. “Not until you tell us what you’re doing here.” “And you tell us what you did with Rudy and Penny.” Mr. Tabootie said. “And my son.” Mr. Bullnerd added. Terry put her hand against her face. She rubbed it back and forth, looking like she was struggling not to snap at any of them. “I don’t believe this...” She looked at Mr. Bullnerd first, her eyes locking onto his. “First of all, I didn’t kidnap your son. He willingly came to me because he wanted to help!” “My son wouldn’t help you kidnap anyone...” Mr. Bullnerd seethed through his clenched teeth. “He wasn’t... Urgh... You just love making this difficult, don’t you?” Terry turned her attention to the other adults. “As for Rudy and Penny, I don’t know what happened to them. At least, not outside what you know. Do you think that, just because I kept asking them information regarding this ‘fabled world’ as you put it, that I would actually kidnap them?” She held her hands at her sides. “Wh-Why would I do that?!” She exclaimed in exasperation. “I don’t know.” Tilly frowned. “You tell us.” Terry let out a low hiss. She took a few steps back. She eyed the door with the clear intent on getting out. With Mr. Bullnerd in the way, however, there was no way she could do that. She was forced to remain put while the others questioned her. “Look, I...” But the other adults wouldn’t give her leeway. Almost right away, she was bombarded with several questions. Mr. Bullnerd noticed how agitated and nervous she was getting. To him, this all but confirmed that she had something to do with what happened. He could feel his hand going for the taser. He struggled, his hand trembling, as he tried to stop himself from pulling it out. The question of the adults kept rattling through his mind. They would echo inside his head as they were being spoken, each of them bringing him closer and closer to snapping. “What have you done with them?” “Have you no shame?” “Why were you stalking our kids?” “Just what do you have planned?” “If you weren’t involved, why are you here? How do we know you aren’t covering up your tracks?” “Why can’t you just admit what you did?” Tensions were mounting high in the air. It was so thick that Mr. Bullnerd found it difficult to move around, as if he needed some sort of hammer just to cut away a thin path. He was struggling as best as he could to keep himself remaining put. But placing himself near the adults, their emotions being contagious.... It certainly wasn’t one of his smarter moves. He was regretting it immediately. The other adults were showing similar agitations. He noticed Terry adopted a slightly more defensive posture, as if she were some prey being chased and they were all the predators. Out of the adults, Mr. Tabootie looked the most aggressive, although he still managed to keep himself under control and he didn’t try to attack Terry. All of them wore scowls on their faces and at least two had their teeth bared in anger or frustration, or perhaps both. Despite all their questioning, or rather outright demanding, Terry still didn’t falter. She still insisted that she wasn’t responsible for the loss of their children. She was growing more and more irritated herself and she found herself backing away more, attempting to go around them in a broader circle. She kept her eyes on them, refusing to turn away as if she would be attacked if she dare try to make the wrong move. Eventually she did manage to walk around to the other side in a complete circle, which allowed her a bit more breathing room. But that wouldn’t last as the adults began to move forward to try to cut her off again. “I told you once, I’ll tell you a thousand times.” Terry’s teeth were clenched tightly. Her voice that seethed through the spaces of her teeth had a growly edge to it. “I did not take your children! And I did not force Reggie to come with me! He came to me on his own!” “Why should I believe that? Why would Reggie want to hang out with you?!” Mr. Bullnerd hissed at her, pointing an accusatory finger in her direction. “Give me one good reason why he would want to hang out with you?” Terry blinked at him. Mr. Bullnerd waited, hoping for an answer, but all she did was growl and shake her head. Of course she would. She was still trying to deny what she did. He wondered how long she will keep this up before she finally caved in and admitted the truth. “I have no time for this...” Terry looked up at the analog clock that hung on the wall. “I need to get this done before I run out of time.” She glanced back at the other adults. Her expression softened up slightly. “Please...why don’t you let me finish and I will talk to you later?” A pause. “After your anger has subsided. I don’t think we will get very far like this.” “Yeah, you do have a point...” Mrs. Tabootie said as she nodded her head. She turned to her husband. “Perhaps we could all meet somewhere?” Mr. Tabootie said nothing, but he still nodded in agreement. Mrs. Sanchez didn’t complain either. “Sounds like a good idea.” She rubbed the back of her head. “We were getting a little out of hand...” “Taking a break would be a good idea.” Commented Tilly, her finger raised up. “Maybe we should have the talk outside in a park or something. That may help us stay relaxed.” “Park sounds good.” Mr. Tabootie said. He looked over at Mr. Bullnerd. “What do you think?” Mr. Bullnerd didn’t answer. This whole shift was confusing to him. How could they be fighting one minute, and the next be more...negotiable he guessed the word was? It just felt a bit too sudden. Well then again, the other adults weren’t irritated to the same degree as him just a minute ago. The worst was Mr. Tabootie, but even he’s more relaxed now. He wasn’t sure why, unless they were just forcing themselves to be like this to avoid a fight. That did make sense. Fighting would not solve anything. They wouldn’t get any closer to finding out what was going on. It would only allow them to release their emotions...as well as potentially hurt one another if it got bad enough. But while the other adults were in agreement, Mr. Bullnerd still couldn’t just let this woman walk away. He still had quite bit he wanted to say to her. He had never felt so insulted before in his life. The very idea of Reggie actually seeking her out... It was something he found difficult to accept. He wasn’t even sure why he felt like this all of a sudden; he didn’t feel this angry about the idea before. Maybe it has to do with mounting tension from the other adults’ previous accusations of his so? Or maybe it was something else. He didn’t know. Whatever it was, it made him unwilling to simply allow Terry Bouffant to leave. His eyes remained glued to her. She watched him, her eyes narrowed in confusion and nervousness. To him, that was a guilty look, and a part of him wondered why the other adults weren’t picking up on it. Were they blind? How could they not see? “Mr. Bullnerd...? Will you please get out of the way so she can leave?” Mrs. Tabootie asked, her voice as calm as it could be considering the circumstances. “We will talk to her later. The school isn’t a good place for this.” But Mr. Bullnerd refused to move. Nor did he even attempt to speak. He just stared at the redhaired woman standing not far from him. He gave her an accusatory glare, a silent way of telling her that he wasn’t finished with her yet. Sensing that this wasn’t going to end well, Tilly stepped up. “You can come out this way, Ms. Bouffant...” She stepped aside. Mrs. Sanchez did likewise. This left a gap wide enough for the woman to pass through. “There’s a backdoor over there.” “Thank you.” It wasn’t clear if Terry actually meant that or not. It did sound pretty forced. Nonetheless, the two women nodded their heads and gave a quick ‘you’re welcome’ while Terry walked passed them to get to the back door. What happened next, no one could have predicted. Even Mr. Bullnerd had a hard time explaining it, even to thimself, even though he was the one who took action. He didn’t even know why he did it. Maybe it was the fact that he still had a lot of emotion clawing up inside of him. Maybe it was a feeling of betrayal as the other adults were letting Terry go. Her agreeing to meet with them later did little to satiate this feeling. Whatever it was, it still resulted in the same action. It happened so fast, he didn’t even realize it until after the action was already done. As soon as he realized what it was, he knew that he was in a lot of trouble. He had pulled out his taser. He had leveled it with the woman. His mind was swimming with rage at this woman. No, not just her. It was at the whole situation going on, with his son’s accusations and him going around with this woman, which would bring out more accusations from the other adults. Even though they had not attempted to blame him again after their initial meeting earlier, he could see it in their eyes. They still blamed him....and it was all because of this bitch right here. Before he could stop himself, he pulled the trigger. The results were immediate. “Aaaaaahhhhh!” Gasps of shock and horror filled the air. Mouths were clamped by hands. Eyes were bulging open. Shouts of concern echoed. A flash and a few blurs, and Mrs. Sanchez and Mrs. Tabootie were right beside Terry, knelt down where she had collapsed into the ground. Sparks flew from the taser had struck her, causing the woman to thrash painfully on the ground. “What the hell did you do?!” Mr. Tabootie flashed a burning glare in his direction. His hands raised up, his fingers arching inward. His body was shaking more than it had been before. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?!” Mr. Bullnerd couldn’t think of anything to say. His mind was filled with shock. He could hardly even move. His head remained rigidly fixated to look towards Terry. Just a few seconds ago, he had been wanting to get back at her for what she did. But now that she had been struck and was in pain, he was immediately regretting what he did. He could feel his fingers slipping across the taser, nearly allowing it to drop down. His mind was going a million miles per hour. How could he have done this? How could he have lost control? Why did he do that? He had never meant to... Now Terry was writhing on the ground in agony and it was all his fault. It was one thing to want something, but..it was another to experience it. Now, in that moment, he remembered why he was fired as a cop. He was just...too eager. Just then, he heard pounding footsteps somewhere behind him. The sound of the door opening and shutting swiftly intermingled with the sound. He could hear gasping, and then a familiar voice. “Dad?!” It was Reggie. “What have you done?!” “Son...?” Mr. Bullnerd turned his head. Sure enough, Reggie was there. How did he get in the school, though? Wasn’t he suspended? But the question of how he got in hardly mattered to him at this point. Most of his attention was diverted to his own guilt and horror at his actions. “I-I didn’t mean to, I...” “She was trying to help find Rudy and Penny!” Reggie exclaimed immediately. At this, the adults gasped and looked at each other. They exchanged looks of guilt and regret. They then looked down at Terry, looking at her sympathetically while she continued to twitch and cry out in pain. None of them felt as guilty as Mr. Bullnerd did, however. In that single sentence, everything had come into rapid light. This woman..she had been doing what they were doing before. Looking for clues to figuring out what happened to Rudy and Penny. She had been on their side the whole time. While the other adults felt guilty, Mr. Bullnerd was the one who pulled the trigger. The other adults had wanted to meet elsewhere to avoid too much conflict, but he had... ..and it was all for nothing. He had jumped to conclusions about Terry. He had let his own anger get the better of him. He had shot her for his own selfish purposes.... He deserved to get fired as a cop. He looked down at Terry, feeling his heart sting as she continued showing signs of pain. Man, just how much electricity did this thing use? How long did it last? Or was fate purposely prolonging this to make him feel bad for what he had done? He knew that he was going to face charges for this, but none of that hurt as much as the realization that he had deliberately harmed someone for nothing, all because he couldn’t control himself. His body trembling, he dropped the taser to the ground. His mind numb, he hardly noticed what anyone else was doing. Although he was aware of his son standing next to him, he couldn’t tell if the other adults had left him or if they were staring at him or Terry, or both, in horror. But it didn’t matter to him in the end. He was completely unresponsive as he fell onto his knees. His eyes didn’t leave Terry’s twitching form. Then he could see the horrified statements by Mrs. Sanchez and Mrs. Tabootie when Terry had fallen unconscious at last. Oh gawd...What did he do...? sss Thoughtless smirked in satisfaction as it watched Rudy and Penny struggle to get out of their new enclosure. A part of it wondered why it didn’t bother doing this before. It would have saved it a lot of time and effort. Get them both taken care of quickly. Get it done and over with, and then it could move on. After all, they would be much more willing to cooperate once they become shells for the red chalk. The enclosure was pretty tall. The glass was thick, although it had no ceiling. What was the point when it was many times taller than the children and it was too slick to climb up? Besides, the red chalk was doing a good job with keeping them down. Pieces had fused to their feet and then to the ground, which locked their legs in place. That made it easier for the red chalk’s energy to start to flow through them. It had noticed some red flickering in Penny’s eyes. It assumed that this was because its attempt at merging her before had been, to some extent, a success. Too bad it had to destroy that piece of red chalk for threatening Cornerstone... But oh well. There was still plenty more that it could use for her. This was being proven right before it as the two pieces of red chalk holding her down was slowly creeping up her body. The red glow wafered around her limbs, crawling straight up. And looking over, it could see that the same thing was happening to Rudy. Perfect. This shouldn’t take too long. Secured here in its room, it could watch them and make sure that they don’t do anything to get out. There would be no more interruptiosn. No more potential disasters. Nothing that would ruin this. Well...there was one thing... It had gotten a weird sense from Snap lately. It wasn’t sure just what it was. It normally didn’t feel this way around those that it controlled. Then again, it hadn’t been around for that long. Maybe it was just exaggerating to itself. It was feeling a little stressed lately. It might be related to that. Still, this was not a feeling it could just ignore. It needed to be addressed as soon as possible. If Snap could potentially be a troublemaker, then he needed to be dealt with quickly. With it coming close to making one of its bigger plans come into fruition, it couldn’t afford any chance of someone screwing it up. It knew full well that Snap was never really loyal to it per say. He was loyal to Skrawl. And if Skrawl could become suspicious of it, then there was little reason not to think Snap would be either. If Snap was suspicious of it, then that would certainly be a problem later on. It had to wonder.. How would Snap respond to this? As it stood here, watching as Rudy and Penny tried to escape, listening to their shouts and demands and pleas, listening to Skrawl’s taunting responses, it was lost in its own mind. Thoughts of its own swirled around it, overshadowing the sounds it was hearing. It couldn’t help but wonder just what Snap might think of this. Would he approve? Or would he be like Skrawl and be skeptical, at least until it decided to ‘help’ him along? Could it convince Snap to remain cooperative or would it just be too much work in the end? It narrowed its eyes slightly. No, that would be too much of a risk. It was fully aware that its powers could be fought through if enough confusion entered its victim’s mind. That was why it often preferred having its victims try to kill each other right away, rather than make them do stuff for it. It already had issues with Skrawl, so perhaps it should do something about Snap before time ran out. It would be a shame, though, getting rid of him. Snap had proven to be pretty useful. He might be good for one more mission perhaps. Maybe if it sat down and thought about it, maybe it could think of something... Nah, it would still be too problematic. It was better off just doing something about him now before things got out of hand. It was better to fix a problem early than to wait until it becomes overwhelming. It turned its head so that it was facing Skrawl again. Now that its mind was clearing up a little, it could hear the conversation that was taking place. “Let us out of here!” Rudy shouted. He pressed his hand against the wall and was pounding on it with his fist. “You won’t get away with this!” “Oh how cliche of you, Master Tabootie.” Skrawl’s nasty grin was spread across his face. “I would love to see you crawl out of there on your own.” He motioned his hand towards him, his claws bending inward. “It would be quite a spectacle! Or are you going to say that the Great Creator is so pathetic and weak that he can’t get himself out of a mere aquarium..?” Rudy hissed through his clenched teeth. He gave another pound, despite flinching in response to the pain in his hand. “I mean it, Skrawl! If you don’t let us out now, I’m going to...” “You’re going to what? Attack me? Damage me just like how Snap believes?” Skrawl sneered. Rudy widened his left eye at this, and then narrowed it again, giving off a soft growl. Skrawl, realizing that he had struck a nerve, chortled at this. “Oh did I get on a touchy subject with you? Well sorry!” He made a dismissive gesture with his hand. “How silly of me! I should have known that you don’t like this particular topic.” “You...you won’t get away with what you did to Snap...” Penny joined in. She stood not too far away from Rudy, her hands pressed against the glass as she leaned in. Unlike Rudy, she was not trying to strike it, as if hse knew that such an act would not get her anywhere. Skrawl tilted his head to the side as he looked over at Penny. He couldn’t help but smile at her. “Oh really now? You going to play the cliche card, too? How about instead of telling me that I will pay...” He pointed a claw towards himself. “...why not crawl out of there and make me pay...?” The two children seethed at him, but they did not attempt to climb up. Not just because it was slippery, but because their feet were fused to the ground thanks to the red chalk. They had no way of getting away right now. Oh sure they could take off their shoes, but much to Thoughtless’s amusement, they were too angry right now to even think of that. Skrawl took their silence as a victory. He folded his arms against himself, smiling in pride. The sight of this almost disgusted Thoughtless as Skrawl did not do much outside of helping it carry the children here. This was mostly its work, not his. But Thoughtless allowed it to slide. There was little reason for it to get upset over something like this anyway. Still, it couldn’t let this go one for too long, or perhaps Skrawl’s dare would manifest into reality. It wouldn’t doubt that enough anger would motivate those two to do the ‘impossible’. So it intervened before things started to go downhill. <Skrawl.> The jellybean whipped his head around. “What is it, boss?” “Boss..?” Rudy asked in a slightly mocking and confused voice. Skrawl thankfully ignored him. Thoughtless took a small step forward. <I have a job for you.> Skrawl moved closer to the memotrice. He stopped a few feet away. His head lowered slightly in respect, and possibly out of fear, as he knew what Thoughtless could do to it. “What do you want me to do?” Thoughtless pulled its head back. <I need you to take care of a little problem before it sprouts into a bigger problem.> Skrawl stared at it eagerly as he awaited more details of its orders. Thoughtless thrust a wing up, the claws glinting slightly in the red light provided by the red chalk. <I want you to go find Snap. Once you do...> It brought its wing down in a slicing motion. <...kill him...> “What?! No!” Penny called out in horror. “You can’t!” Rudy shouted. Skrawl was just as stunned as the two children were. His mouth dropped open and he stammered a little. His mismatched eyes were blinking a few times, filled with utter confusion. He took a small step backwards. He motioned a hand to himself and pressed his claw tips against were it believed his chin might be. He finally managed to say, “Wh-What...?” Thoughtless tilted its head to one side, the motion shaking its crown a little. <Is there a problem?> “W-Well...this does seem sudden.. Why would you want me to...?” Skrawl’s voice trailed off for a few seconds before he shook his head to regain himself. “I don’t really know what the benefit is. He’s been doing fine as a worker here.” Thoughtless nodded its head once. <That is true. But lately... I’ve grown suspicious of him. I’ve considered letting him stay, but...> Its eyes narrowed, a glint shining from its eye. <..I think it’s best that he’s taken care of as soon as possible.> “I don’t really know...” Skrawl scratched his head thoughtfully. “We might be losing a really good ally here. Maybe we should think this through?” Thoughtless shook its head. <I hate this as much as you do. I do not like getting rid of an ally. But in order for my plan to succeed, sometimes sacrifices must be made.> It made a swift gesture in one direction. <Now get going. I think you might still be able to catch him in his room. Just try to make it quick, then report back to me.> Judging from Skrawl’s expression, it was clear that he didn’t want to do this. If Thoughtless had done this before, it wouldn’t have been a problem. But now the jellybean had grown...attached to the little zoner in some strange way. Perhaps it was because of Snap’s skill and his eagerness to do what Skrawl wanted. Or maybe Skrawl just liked having power over someone or maybe he did develop some kind of a weird sense of friendsihp with the zoner. Oh well, in a short time, that would not matter anymore. If Skrawl wouldn’t do it, then Thoughtless would. It had enough time and it wasn’t afraid to get dirty. It just needed to slash open the zoner’s throat and it would be all over swiftly. “Don’t you dare hurt our friend...” Rudy’s teeth were bared. “If you lay one filthy claw on him...” “Just leave him alone! Please!” Begged Penny. “He didn’t do anything wrong!” Thoughtless glared over at the children. Oh how annoying they were... But also so funny. Even when Snap had been turned against them, and how he had now believed that they were his enemies, they still felt protective of him. It was enough to make it want to laugh. Looks like whatever bond they had with him was not yet broken. Their bond with each other was weakened compared to the one they had for Snap, and even their weakened bond was still strong enough to make them not want to turn against each other. Perhaps it should do something about that soon... Maybe, but for now it wanted to focus on Snap. Hearing the children’s pleas to leave their friend alone only made it want to do this even more. Their relationship with the zoner might become a problem soon. If they managed to get through to Snap and they were able to place doubts in his mind...then yes, Snap would need become a threat to it. But he won’t be a threat if he were dead...now would he...? Thoughtless glared into Skrawl’s eyes. <Do as I tell you.> It spread its wings outward. <Get rid of that blue rodent!> Its feathers poofed up a little. <Do it!> Skrawl flinched a little at this, cringing away as if the memotrice was going to strike him. He didn’t stay like this long and he quickly regained his composure. He narrowed his eyes at the memotrice, placing his hands on his hips. “I’m still not sure about this...” Thoughtless narrowed its eyes. <Skrawl...> It was swiftly cut off. “But if you say it has to be done...” Skrawl waved his hand dismissively. “Okay fine I will do it.” He gave a sigh and stared off at the side with a somewhat saddened expression. “I will admit, I am going to miss him.” <As will I.> Thoughtless agreed. It motioned a wing forward. <Now get to it. Better do it now before you wait too long and it gets harder.> Skrawl nodded his head. He casted one more glance at the memotrice before he turned and walked down the hallway. In a matter of seconds, he disappeared completely. “You can’t do this! Please don’t do this! Leave Snap alone!” “Stay the fuck away from him! Don’t you dare hurt him!” Thoughtless let out a low hiss as it listened to Rudy and Penny plead for the safety of their friend. It looked over at them, narrowing its eyes in irritation. They never quit, do they? Now it was going to have to listen to them shout this for a while. They showed no signs of slowing down. “Monsters! Leave Snap out of this!” “Please don’t hurt him!” “Let him go!” “It’s us that you want! Not him!” Thoughtless resisted the urge to snap at them. It didn’t want to do anything to fuel their shouting. It also wanted to avoid hurting them. It would rather their bodies be in mostly good enough shape for the red chalk. It didn’t want to do anything to cause Rudy and Penny to be a hinderance to the red chalk rather than an asset. But it also didn’t want to stay here and listen to them shout and plead like this. It was going to grow on its nerves very quickly, and it wouldn’t really allow it much time to think. It needed to get away from them. It had little fear of leaving them unintended for a short time. Not like they can climb out, and the only magic chalk around was the red kind. The same type that it knew they would never willingly use on their own. So it was safe with leaving them alone. But where could it go? It wasn’t really interested in watching Skrawl kill Snap. Not that it didn’t love a good little blood shed once in a while. It just wanted to keep its mind focused on more important things. That, and on the off chance that Snap gets away, it didn’t want the zoner to potentially link it to the attack. What could it do in the meantime while it waited for Rudy and Penny to run out of steam? Hmm...well it could always go check on Cornerstone. It hadn’t really visited her in a while. It wondered how she was doing. Was she feeling any better from before? It hoped so. The poor thing.... Trapped and tied like some wild animal.... And it was all because of these wretched children. They were the ones who did that to her, and they dare call it cruel... Casting an icy glare at the children, Thoughtless turned and walked away. It ignored any further comments from the children as it left them alone and it headed down the hallway to see Cornerstone. As it left, it did not notice the pair of eyes watching it, filled with disgust. |
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Post by Bluedramon on Jul 29, 2015 17:57:31 GMT -5
Chapter 30: Even after the situation became more stable, Reggie still had a hard time believing what his dad had just done. He hadn't expected him to just...attack Terry like that. He couldn't fathom what his dad was thinking when he did that. And honestly, he had his doubts that his dad knew either. His dad did feel bad about it, which was something Reggie was glad about. It was one thing if he himself had done something bad, but his own father? Shouldn't he be the responsible one? Shouldn't he be the one to keep everything under control and be mature and all that jazz? To see him react in such an impulsive way..it was pretty frightening. Reggie had never seen his dad do something like that before. And frankly, he hoped that it would never happen again. He watched as his dad guided Terry over towards his couch. They had recently arrived back at their place, as his dad lived the closest to the school. The other adults were still angry at him, though they didn't do anything to make things difficult. That was good; the last thing they needed was more complications. Soon, Terry was resting on the couch. She didn't look as bad off as they all thought she would be. She had regained consciousness on the way here. She had a few small burns and her muscles sometimes still twitched a little. But it wasn't anything too bad or severe, thankfully. She was looking pretty relieved as she leaned back in the couch, but her eyes were still a little wide in pain and fear. It was clear it was going to take her a while to fully relax. Mr. Bullnerd remained next to her. He looked left and right nervously, his hands fumbling together. He looked like he wanted to talk, but he was having a difficult time. Given what had happened, Reggie was not surprised by this. He remained silent as his dad slowly, cautiously sank down into the couch next to her. Terry immediately leaned away from him as if he was going to shoot her again, despite him no longer having the taser. Reggie remembered what the adults had said, and he was certain that his dad was still thinking about them too. He was very lucky that no one saw what had happened...or at least they think no one saw it. They weren't sure and they were going to keep an eye out on things just in case something happens in the near future. If something did happen, then Mr. Bullnerd was sunk. Using a police weapon like that without permission, and attacking an unarmed civilian at that... Reggie felt a shiver as he realized what this might mean. If his dad ended up going to jail...what was going to happen to him? He did not fancy the idea of his mother coming out to take care of him. His dad and her had departed a couple years ago and for good reason. She was pretty abusive. She was part of the reason why he was like this, a bully. She did not help his behavior at all. She couldn't even be arrested because no one believed that a woman of her thin and small stature could be hurting a burly male and an usually strong male child. She did eventually leave them and that day was quite a relief. But his dad, far as he knew, never severed her rights to him. He couldn't remember why. If she had threatened him, or if it was too difficult, or whatever. This meant that in his dad's absense, she might be the one called forth to watch over him. He hoped this wouldn't be the case and it would be someone else instead. He tried not to think about it as he turned his attention back to Terry. He felt sorry for her. He understood what it was like to be afraid. He understood more things than people gave him credit for. He wanted to say something to help her out, yet something held him back. He wasn't sure what it was. Perhaps it was pride. Perhaps it was uncertainty. Whatever it was, it forced him to remain back away from the couch while his dad did what he could to settle her down. "I'm sorry about what I did..." Mr. Bullnerd spoke in a whisper. "I didn't mean to... I don't know what came over me..." Terry didn't answer. It was hard to tell if this was out of fear or if her body was still in so much shock that she couldn't speak. She looked at him warily, but her body remained slumped, looking too weak to even try to get away. Mr. Bullnerd turned his head away for a moment. He kept his gaze away from the other adults who were in the room with him. They didn't try to approach Terry; they were watching Mr. Bullnerd expectantly, wanting him to start making up for what he did. They did not want to interfere with any reconciling. Reggie wasn't sure what they will do after, but he was certain that Mrs. Sanchez was going to start treating Terry after his dad was finished. "Do you...want any water?" His dad offered her. He gave her a weak smile. "I can bring you some medicine too, if you'd like.." Terry cocked an eyebrow as she considered this. She opened her mouth to speak. She couldn't at first and she ended up giving a shaking exhale. What words could come out were broken and trembly. "O-Okay.. Th-Thank you..." She gulped in a deep breath, and a painful hiccup escaped her throat. She pounded her chest and rubbed it as she tried to fight back an uncomfortable sensation. Mr. Bullnerd nodded his head. He bowed his head towards her. "I will get right to that, ma'am..." With that, Reggie's father got up from the couch and made his way into the kitchen slowly. As soon as he had left, the other adults approached. Most of them remained silent. They looked at Terry with expressions that were a mix of anger and sympathy. Anger, because they had some lingering issues with Terry regarding their children. Sympathy because they never wanted her to be hurt like this. Reggie was certain he saw some guilt in those eyes, too. Now that they knew that Terry had only been trying to help, they probably felt bad for accusing her earlier. They hadn't yet apologized, but Reggie imagined they would before they headed out again. He couldn't really blame them for being upset with Terry. He did recall that day when Terry showed up at the school and she was pestering Rudy and Penny. He could understand why the adults would be upset with her about that, and why they would be so distrustful of her. Still, even he knew that this distrust wasn't good enough for his dad to attack her, and he was glad that he and the other adults realized this. He watched in silence as Mrs. Sanchez took position next to Terry. Although she specialized in animals, the woman still had some knowledge about human anatomy and could do certain things on her own, like some basic treatment. She began to speak to Terry gently. "It's okay. I just want to help you..." Mrs. Sanchez said carefully. She leaned a little towards the redhead, but not enough to make her feel too uncomfortable. "Will you let me help you?" Terry gritted her teeth. "You're n-n-not going to sh-sh-shoot me with a t-taser..are y-you..?" Her voice was a little tinged with bitterness, but also fear, when she said this. Mrs. Sanchez's eyes widened in horror at this. "No..why would I do that?" She placed a hand to herself. "Why would you think I would?" "I-I don't know.. It didn't s-s-stop h-h-him..." Terry looked over towards the kitchen, where Mr. Bullnerd was still filling the glass and looking through the cabinets for medicine. She then looked back at Mrs. Sanchez. "Y-You all think I took your kids..." "Well yes... But you have to admit we had a good reason..." Mrs. Tabootie spoke up. She was stopped from saying more when Mrs. Sanchez raised her arm up. "I know, and we are sorry we accused you. We didn't want you to get hurt. What Mr. Bullnerd did was out of line." Mrs. Sanchez reached her hand out towards her. Terry cringed away a little. "Please...will you let me help you? I just want to make sure you're all right. You took quite a nasty blow." "I-It was just a t-t-taser." Terry grumbled. "I-I'm fine..." "I just want to make sure." Mrs. Sanchez said as she leaned in a little more. "Please...let me help you." Terry's glaring face locked onto Mrs. Sanchez's more sympathetic one. They exchanged these looks for what felt like several minutes. The only things that could be heard was small encouragements from the Tabooties and Tilly for her to accept their apologies and Mrs. Sanchez's help. Eventually the woman appeared to give in. She rolled her eyes and let out a low groan. "Fine...go ahead." She grumbled. Mrs. Sanchez nodded her head once. "I will try to be quick." With that, she moved herself closer so she could have a good look at Terry. Reggie watched as Mrs. Sanchez began her examination on Terry. Although there wasn't much of a reason for it, he still turned his head away to give them a sense of privacy. He listened as the vet gave Terry a series of simple questions to answer to help her determine her condition. He could hear Terry's disgruntled answers. Based on what he was hearing, she seemed to be okay. So that was definitely good. At least his dad didn't cause as much damage as he could have to her. It wasn't until a few minutes later that his dad finally returned to the living room area. He had a small, clear glass of water clutched in one hand while his other held a bottle of advil. Cheap, but affective medicine. He brought it over towards the couch. At this point, Mrs. Sanchez wasn't yet finished. She was still positioned next to Terry, still looking her over, her hand on her arm. She paused only when Mr. Bullnerd had arrived by the couch. She leaned away and allowed Terry to grab the items that were brought to her. It looked like it was difficult for Terry to hold onto the cup. Her hand and arm was so shaky, it surprised them all that she didn't just let go by mistake and drop it. Mrs. Sanchez eventually intervened and helped her steady her arm so she could take the medicine and hydrate herself. Terry didn't bother saying thank you, but Reggie could tell, from the look in her eyes, that she was grateful on some level for the help. While Mrs. Sanchez returned to work on examining Terry a little more, Mr. Tabootie decided to break the silence. His head turned towards Reggie, he asked, "So..Terry was trying to find our children?" Reggie nodded his head slowly. "Yeah. That's all." "But...why?" Mrs. Tabootie raised her hand up in gesture. "Why would she want to do that? She doesn't exactly get along with them." "And that would mean she wouldn't try to help them?" Reggie raised an eyebrow. "Do you think that's that cold?" "Well no.. It's just that..." Mrs. Tabootie fumbled with her fingers. She had something of a guilty expression in her eyes. She remained silent, unable to think of anything else to add. Tilly stepped up for her. "She just doesn't have much..incentive to help. We just...don't understand why she would be wanting to try to find them. That's..." She held up her hand as she tried to explain herself. "..that's not what news reporters do. They aren't detectives. They aren't supposed to be looking for people. They..." "I was p-paid." Terry's voice cut through the air. They all looked at her. Terry took a moment to take another pill. She swallowed the pill loudly and gave a couple coughs. "If you m-m-must know, I had gone to Dr. Von D-Doktor..." Immediately, Reggie could hear the adults murmuring. He could hear just how surprised and distressed and upset they were. He couldn't really fully understand it. What was so bad about Dr. Von Doktor? He may not have met the guy before, but he didn't seem to be all that bad. From what he recalled during his visit to the school when he examined their projects, he didn't look dangerous. But from the expressions these parents were giving, one would think that Dr. Von Doktor was some kind of monster. "You went to see him...?" Mr. Tabootie's eyes were narrowed again. "Why would you associate with him?" Terry returned a glare at him. "H-H-He looked for me f-f-first, Tabootie..." She let out a groan, her teeth clenched as her head turned. She remained like that for a couple seconds as if she were trying to calm herself down. "Anyway..." She smacked her lips once and swallowed, likely getting rid of the bitter taste of the asprin that she took. "He w-wanted me to find them. He w-w-wanted me to find out who t-t-took them." "So he didn't take them?" Tilly questioned. Terry stared at her with slightly widened eyes. "If he did, wh-why would h-h-he hire m-me to find them?" "I don't know. Maybe to cover his tracks?" Mr. Tabootie hissed. "Now dear..." Mrs. Tabootie put her hand on the man's arm. "We don't have any proof that he was involved. Don't you think you're jumping to conclusions?" Mr. Tabootie growled. "Possibly...but I still don't trust that man..." Reggie could tell from the tone of the man's voice that Mr. Tabootie did not like Dr. Von Doktor that much. He wasn't really sure why. He wondered what could have happened that resulted in him being so bitter towards the man. It had to have been something truly awful to result in this behavior. He was glad that Mrs. Tabootie was able to keep his temper under control. Things went a little quiet after that. Save for a few comments between Terry and Mrs. Sanchez, no one spoke a word. Although Mr. Tabootie looked like he had more to say regarding Dr. Von Doktor, his wife, thankfully, kept him from saying anything else. This silence allowed Penny's mother and Terry to finish with the evaluation. Their voices were so soft, one could almost mistake that no one was saying a word. After a while, Mrs. Sanchez finally spoke up. "You seem to be okay. You just need some more rest." "Tsh... I c-c-could have t-t-told y-y-you th-that..." Terry said bitterly. It was hard to tell if she was mad at all of them or if she was channeling most of her anger towards Mr. Bullnerd. "Now will y-you let me l-leave?" "Well if you are feeling better, I don't see why not." Tilly paused for a moment, and then she added, "You sure you don't need anything else?" Terry shook her head. "I told you, I-I'm fine!" Terry got up from the couch. She stared to walk forward towards the door. She only got a couple of steps before she suddenly let out a cry of pain and her right foot toppled down. She hissed as her right knee banged against the ground. Mr. Bullnerd and Mrs. Sanchez grabbed onto her arms and helped her back up and into the couch once more. Terry took a few quick pants, her eyes bulging with pain. "No, you need to rest more." Mrs. Sanchez gripped her arms gently. "Stay here and try to relax." Terry hissed and yanked herself away. "I w-w-was just a cl-clutch! I-I can l-l-leave!" "No." Mr. Bullnerd's voice was a little louder and more firm than usual. Terry glared at him, letting out a low hiss of disapproval. This did not do anything to sway the man. His hands were against his hips and his back was straight and rigid. He carried with him a strong sense of authority. Given his previous cop background, that did not surprise Reggie at all. He stared at his dad with a sense of apprehension and appreciation as he attempted to take control of the situation. "You are not going anywhere." His dad pointed at the woman with a single large finger. "You're still too shaken up to walk straight. You will remain here and wait until it is deemed okay that you can leave." "Or what? You going to shoot me again?" Terry's mocking voice was filled with sarcasm. Reggie's dad widened his eyes at this. He quickly shook his head and said, "No I will not. I was out of line then. I apologize. I will not do that again." Terry grumbled at this. She turned her head away. "Not sure if I can believe you." She paused for a moment. She lifted her head up, staring at the ceiling. "But..I suppose I can't blame you. Perhaps I should have just been more upfront with you all." She looked at the Tabooties and Mrs. Sanchez. Her expression softened up very slightly, showing the faintest sliver of concern. "You are the children's parents. You had the right to know." "Yeah well we should have been less confrontational about it." Mrs. Tabootie admitted, her gaze lowering slightly. "Sorry about that." Terry cracked a small smile. "Don't worry about it." Her expression hardened slightly to concern. "I do hope that those children are found. I do mean that. I might not be buddy buddy with them, but that doesn't mean that I don't wish for their well being. I'm sorry I didn't make that clear earlier." Reggie watched as the adults continued to exchange comments like that back and forth, reaching an understanding. As he watched this, he began to realize something. From what he was hearing, they were all on the same side here. All of them, including himself, Terry, these adults, and Dr. Von Doktor, they all wanted to find Rudy and Penny. They all had the same goals in mind. So perhaps...they should work together. Yeah that seemed like a pretty lame conclusion. Very obvious. But it didn't seem like the adults were fully grasping this. With them all working together, they would surely be able to find something, right? Perhaps if they could talk to Dr. Von Doktor, maybe he would be able to think of an idea. After all, he's a scientist. He might have his own ideas on what had happened. In a time like this, they could surely use someone like him for help. There was also something else. They did have somewhere they could try to look. Terry was called crazy for it, but not from him. Reggie remembered the chalk world. He remembered interacting with them and he remembered clashing with Rudy in there. He knew this chalk world existed. While he didn't know how well the adults were going to recieve it, he should tell them. If they all got on the same page, it would make it much easier to try to find those two. After all, what if they really were in this chalk world? That would explain why there was no trace of their disappearance and why no one saw anything. But then, he could see why they wouldn't want to believe it. After all, if this chalk world was real, then it would change everything. Despite knowing the negative outcome of this, Reggie knew that he had to speak up about it. If this world was real and if those two were stuck in there, then the adults deserved to know of the possibility. Clearing his throat to get the adults' attention, he began to speak. "I have something I need to tell you..." sss Thoughtless wondered how Cornerstone must be doing right about now. Had she yet settled down? Was she feeling better? Or did she need some more help? It had some guesses, but it knew the only way to find out for sure was to go down there and see her. It was getting pretty close to her room it had given her. It wouldn't be too long now. Talking to her was going to be a problem. She was not created with any ability to verbally communicate. The same thing could be said about it, though. It understood this lack of communication. It recalled how frustrating it was trying to talk to Skrawl without any means to actually talk. It had to rely completely on body language and that wasn't always so easy. That was why it had brought along the best equipment to counteract this: its personal knowledge of body language. It began to wonder, as it continued down the corridor, if Cornerstone could offer more to its plan. Maybe she would be willing to do something for it. It didn't really see why not; it did take her in and showed her some comparitively true kindness. Nothing like what those brats had given her. Surely she would want to repay it in some way. Who knows? Maybe she could come up with an idea that would ensure its victory. Its thoughts were interrupted when it heard the sound of something moving. It could hear footsteps encroaching. They were faint and slow, but it could tell they were there. The footsteps were pretty soft and light, indicating someone that wasn't that large. Judging from how the footsteps sounded, this individual must be trying to... ...to stalk it. Immediately its eyes narrowed. It paused in its tracks and looked around slowly. It kept a good eye on everything, making sure that it didn't miss. Someone was trying to sneak up on it. Thoughtless felt its blood heat up slightly at the idea of someone trying to outsmart it this way. It flickered its forked tongue in and out, and it turned its head to the left. Its neck flexed around, its eyes darting left and right. There, it saw something. A shadow. It moved slightly, so much that it was easy to miss. But as it stared intently, it soon began to see a definite shape. Thoughtless turned its body around, its feathers raising up, its flightless wings spreading out. It slammed its foot in the ground and let out a loud squawk. <If you're looking for a fight, intruder, then you got one!> "Oh I feel so special.." At this, Thoughtless could feel its wings lowering down and its eyes widened in shock. <Snap?> Sure enough, out of the shadows stepped forth Snap. He had been hiding along the corridor, keeping to the shadows from a distance so that it wouldn't see him. Thoughtless had to admit that this was pretty clever. It would have thought that he would try to stick as close as possible. But putting in distance like that, definitely a smart choice. When its surprised state died down, it straightened its head back rigidly, its piercing, glaring eyes boring through Snap's white ones. The realization of what Snap was doing finally came crashing down all around it. So...it had been right all along about Snap. He really was untrustworthy. The fact that he was actually following it like this, trying to stay out of sight... Thoughtless could feel its teeth grinding inside its beak. It could have sworn that it felt a tooth actually pop out from its mouth. "I have something I want to ask you..." Snap's voice was filled with venom and the bird-like zoner was certain that it heard accusation in that voice as well. Knowing that it couldn't just turn around and leave this be, Thoughtless settled its wings at its sides and nodded its head once. <All right then... What did you want to now...?> It tried its best not to sound accusatory itself, but it was certain that it had failed in that department. Snap didn't really waste much time. He immediately rushed a few steps forward, the sudden movement startling Thoughtless and causing it to take a long jump back. Snap stopped when he was a few feet away from the zoner. He had adopted a slightly aggressive pose. Thoughtless wondered just how long this conversation wa sgoing to last before things turned nasty. "Why did you take control of Skrawl?!" Snap's voice was a little darkened at this, tinged with anger. "How could you do that to him?! After he had helped you?!" Thoughtless blinked once. How did Snap know about that? How did he reach that conclusion? It should its head once and offered its reply. <I did no such thing. You're just imagining things and...> Snap cut it off. "No, I'm not! I heard what Skrawl said about killing me! I know for a fact that he would never do that to me! No, it has to be you! I know you can change memories! You must have changed his memory so that he would want to kill me! You cruel, sick, twisted bastard!" He took in a few heavy, growly pants. "And I thought Rudy and Penny were monsters... But you..." He pointed his rounded hand at it. "You bring it to a whole new level!" He had overheard Skrawl talking about that? When? The only thing it coud figure is that he must have been walking past the door when Skrawl brought it up. It doubted that it was with him; it must have been earlier. It already knew that Skrawl had thought about killing Snap, but it also could tell, deep down, that he really didn't want to if he didn't have to. Skrawl wanted to remain heartless in front of his Beanie Boys, but in front of Thoughtless, some of his true colors shine through. Skrawl will not admit it, but he had started to kind of really like Snap. That was part of the reason that Snap had to go. It was either that, or it ran the risk of Snap holding too much influence over the jellybean. That was not something that it could afford. It needed to fix this problem before it got out of hand. And since Snap was here... Thoughtless took a fighting stance, its claws gripping into the ground, its wings spread up. Its plumage poofed a little, which made it look a bit bigger than usual. Its beak opened up, allowing Snap to see its small yet razor sharp teeth. A low growl eminated from its throat. This was enough to shake Snap up a little, but the zoner did not back down. Good... Struggling prey was always more fun to attack anyway. <I am not controlling Skrawl. He is doing what he wants.> Like hell it was going to admit to controlling him. If it admitted the truth and if Snap somehow survives, he might spread the word and then it would have even more difficulty with its plan. <But if you want to stand around and point fingers, I guess I have no choice but to...take care of the problem...> Snap rolled his eyes. "You think I'm going to buy that malarky?! You might have access to his mind, but I happen to know Skrawl!" He patted his chest a few times for emphasis. "He saved my life! I know that no one nasty would ever do that!" <Hrmph. And you didn't stop to think that he might have done that for selfish reasons?> Thoughtless tilted its head to one side. <Maybe he only did that so you would be loyal to him, and you would be more willing to work for him in exchange...> Snap shook his head. "You're just trying to confuse me!" <Or perhaps you are just confusing yourself. You're so deluded that you aren't considering any other possibility! You aren't even trying to think that maybe, just maybe, Skrawl never liked you!> Thoughtless took a few slow stepts towards Snap. It lowered its head, another hiss, louder than before, filling the air. Its pupils must have shrunk a little. <Face it, Snap! The only one confusing you is yourself!> Thoughtless hoped that its plan would succeed. If it tried using the right words to provoke Snap into attacking, then it could deal with him and be able to tell Skrawl without raising suspicion. It had to make this look like something that culminated and was largely Snap's own fault for being so accusatory. It could not do anything that make it look like it was doing this on purpose. Skrawl might get too suspicious and in that case, it would need to deal with him too. It hoped it wouldn't have to come to that just yet. It still had some usage out of that jellybean. Snap, however, it could do without. It already used Snap for what it wanted. It no longer needed him for anything. He gave it some ideas and it helped to capture Rudy and Penny. What more could he possibly do for it? Nothing. And since not only had no more usage available and he had grown suspicious of it already... "Why don't you just tell me the truth?! I know you are up to something!" Snap shouted at it. "I don't know what it is, but I'll be damned if I let you get away with using Skrawl like he was some kind of...toy!" His fists shot down at his sides as he said this. "Your trickery is going to end right here! I will make sure that you stop using innocent zoners like this!" Without warning, Snap charged towards the memotrice. This startled Thoughtless a little, but at the same time, it was glad for it. This is what it was hoping was going to happen. Now it had a definite excuse, an alibi, of attacking Snap. It didn't have to formulate a convoluted lie. It hunched itself, waiting for Snap to get close enough. Then it made its move. Leaping into the air, the bird-like zoner was able to dodge the first attack. It could hear Snap's fist slam against the hard ground right where it stood. Snap immediately whipped around and he pulled his arm back for another strike. Thoughtless managed to duck swiftly, its head flexing downward. It opened its beak and snapped at the zoner. It missed, but only narrowly. Snap growled at this and he tried for a third punch. This one did hit, and Thoughtless felt itself stumbling backwards. It wasn't out for too long. It managed to regain its footing quickly, shaking its head from side to side. It narrowed its eyes at the blue zoner. This time, it was the one who rushed forth. It spread out its wings so it could move faster. Snap smirked at it and moved to the side. Thoughtless was quick to react. Using its wings, it managed to turn on a dime and soon found itself facing Snap once more. The superhero zoner was taken by surprise by this and wasn't able to react in time before Thoughtless slammed its body against him. Now Thoughtless held Snap into the ground, using its weight to hold him down. Snap was in a state of shock for a few seconds before it grabbed Thoughtless by the leg and yanked it to the side. Thoughtless toppled and it could feel the zoner grab onto its head. Thoughtless struggled to get itself free, but Snap moved too swiftly for it and it could feel its head hitting against the wall. Thoughtless picked itself up a little, one leg splaying out at the side. It rubbed its head with its wing feathers lightly. It could hear Snap coming in from behind. Thoughtless turned and gave the blue and white zoner a backwards glare before striking with its long, thick tail. Snap let out a cry of pain as he slammed into the ground, tumbling away. The zoner let out a groan as he struggled up to his feet. The two took a stance in front of each other and began circling, neither taking their eyes off the other. Thoughtless watched Snap carefully, looking for any signs of movement. The small zoner had his back arched. He was ready to lunge at it. The only thing holding him back was probably the fact that he must be calculating a move as well. Thoughtless was going to read his mind, but that would take a while, and it didn't have time for such a thing. It would need to simply guess based on the way Snap was moving. Now, if it calculated right, in a few seconds, Snap was going to... Just on time. Snap charged towards the zoner. But instead of going in a straight line, he zigzagged a little. This caught the zoner by surprise. Such a clever move this was. It had to move its head side to side just to keep up. But then...perhaps it wasn't such a great move. Thoughtless crouched, flexing its long, sharp claws. It watched as Snap got closer, constantly zigging and zagging to the side. It waited until the right moment, and then it made a mock lunge to one side. Snap immediately turned, jumping to the side. Thoughtless turned on a dime, taking Snap by surprise as it leaped at him again. It slammed its body against the zoner, toppling him backwards. Snap struggled to remain on his feet. Thoughtless took advantage of his momentary stumble and charged at him again. Snap tried to defend himself, swinging a fist in its direction. Thoughtless reacted faster. It jumped high into the air and then it brought down its feet. The sharp talons were glinting, ready to shred into the zoner. However, it didn't count on Snap actually grabbing its feet. Its eyes bulged as Snap grinned and then yanked it back. Around and around it was spun until Snap finally let go. Thoughtless tumbled around the ground violently, hitting its head and shoulder multiple times. With aches and pains spreading through its body, Thoughtless struggled shakingly back to its feet. It shook its body a little, managing to get the shaking under control. It turned and glared at Snap, who simply sneered at it. Thoughtless gritted its beak and once more raised its wings in a threatening manner. "I thought you were supposed to be tough." Snap taunted it. "I guess I overestimated you. How poor of me." Thoughtless narrowed its eyes. <I've been holding back. But if you want me to show you just what I'm capable off...> It swished its tail violently from side to side. <...I will be glad to!> "Oh really? This outta be good!" Snap spread his legs apart and clapped his hands together. "Come on, chicken! You ready to tango?" <All right then... No holding back...> Thoughtless did not give Snap any time to react. It didn't give him any time to think of any sort of plan or to watch what it was going to do. It simply charged forward, moving faster than it had before. Snap's eyes bulged, clearly shocked by just how fast it was moving. Thoughtless let out a loud squawk before it jumped against Snap. Before the zoner could respond, the memotrice's feet connected with his body, knocking him against the ground. Snap squirmed on the ground, trying to strike back at Thoughtless. The memotrice bent its neck one way and the other to avoid getting hit. It opened its beak and let out a loud squawk before striking down against Snap. The zoner screamed as it created a long, bloody gash across the top of his head, tearing into his mask and flesh in the process. The pain, however, ended up being a motivator for Snap to twist his body around and strike at the zoner with his fist. Thoughtless grunted as Snap managed a strike against its stoamch. Hissing, Thoughtless took Snap's hand into its mouth and bit down hard. Snap let out a blood curdling scream as his hand was shredded, a long rip tearing deep through the glove and cutting into the flesh. Blood seeped out of the wound and stained the floor beneath the zoner. As Snap held his hand, rembling, Thoughtless pulled its tail back and struck hard against the blue and white zoner, sending him careening across the floor, his skull making contact with the wall. With a jerk, Snap fell limp. Thoughtless stared carefully, wondering if it was really over. No, not yet. It could still see movement. Snap was just dazed. It narrowed its brown eyes. Things are just never that easy, are they? Thoughtless moved over at a brisk pace as Snap pushed himself up. He wobbled from side to side as he tried to steady himself on his hand. His injured one touched his head and he flinched. It looked like there was a bump forming on the top of his head now, creating a slight dent in his mask. The zoner barely had time to turn around before Thoughtless grabbed him by his throat and pressed him into the ground. It stood over him victoriously, smirking at the fearful look slowly dawning on the zoner's face. <Looks like I win, eh you little punk?> sss Biclops couldn't believe the amount of damage that had been done to this place. He had to stop and stare for several moments, his wide eyes unable to leave the horrible sight. Even though it was dead silent, he could almost hear the crashing, clanging sounds of rubble as something struck against the building. The damage was that detailed and thorough. As he approached slowly, he couldn't help but feel a level of responsibility. His eyes moved over the damages slowly, noting the large holes made into the wall, how he could so easily see inside the building. True it wasn't really his fault that this happened. But still..he couldn't help but wonder if, had things been different, he could have prevented this. Regardless, he still had to push himself forward, getting ever closer to the building. He didn't see Blotz or Zibble nearby. His heart tightened as he wondered if they had been injured at all during the attack, or if they had been a way. He couldn't really remember where they were exactly. The idea of those two children zoners being crushed underneath here... He didn't want to think about it. He could only hope that they had somehow gotten away. The giant drew ever closer to the ruined building. He soon stopped right beside it. He was about to make another move when he realized he didn't think this through. How was he going to get inside? He was too large for this building. In fact, he was too big for most buildings. Unable to think of anything else to do, he just circled around it slowly, his eyes moving up and down, taking further inspection of the damages. Even if there was a hole somehow large enough for him, this building was about as tall as he was. This meant that any hole tall enough for him would cause the building to be too weak to support itself and it would crumble down. He stopped when he noticed the largest hole. It was too low to the ground and he had to lower himself onto his knees to get a good look. He peered inside with his large eye and looked around. He winced at all the ripped up items inside. Broken chairs, shattered furniture, among other things. He couldn't hear or see any sign of Zibble or Blotz. He wasn't sure if he should be relieved by that or horrified. So far, he didn't see anything that would be of use to him. Then again, there was just so much here. He needed to just keep looking, and eventually something would come up. He just had to look harder. Surely there would be something... Ah yes. There it was. A bit buried under the rubble, but still there nonetheless. It appeared to be a large screen of sorts. A little cracked, and it had a covered panel next to it. It was located around the middle of the room, in front of what had been a couch. That had to be it. The machine that Blocky had talked about. The one that could be used to track Cornerstone. But..how was he going to get it? It was still pretty far into the building, and he didn't know if his large arm and hand could fit through there without causing a problem. How was he going to grab it and take it out of there without resulting in the building falling down on him? He would feel awful if he ruined this house just to grab the machine. But then, the machine was kind of very important... Oh what was he going to do? He soon realized that there was just no choice. If the building collapsed, then so be it. He was just going to have to let Rudy know and he could recreate the building to the best of his ability. Positioning his hand the best he could, he slowly moved it forward, easing it into the building. He winced at the feel of the rubble against his skin. It made it feel itchy and at times it caused some bits of pain as well. At least once he yelped, and he feared that he had hit his arm against something sharp. But despite this inconvenience, he managed to reach in further into the building and grab onto the device. He slowly dragged it out, hoping to try to keep it in once piece. This was going well for a while until he had to try to get his arm out. He yanked it back a few times, but his hand was a little too large for the hole now that he was grabbing onto something. He realized he didn't have a choice. If he wanted to get this thing out, he was going to need to pull back harder. With a single, hard yank, his arm exited the hole, but in the process, he tore out part of the building. He leaned away from the building as he held the device carefully in his arms. He flinched as he watched the hole crumble a little, getting larger and larger. He shut his eyes tightly, and waited for the worse to happen. Soon the crumbling stopped and he dared to open up an eye. The building was still standing, much to his surprise. The hole had gotten larger, but not much else had happened. Seeing this, the giant couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief, wiping his sweaty brow. However, he didn't fully relax yet. He moved himself away from the building on the off chance that he did something to make things worse. He kept walking to the side until he was at least a hundred feet away from the building, all just to insure that he couldn't possibly do anything to harm the building. Only then did he turn his attention back down to the machine. Now...how was he going to get this thing to work? Looking all around it, he could see that it was broken in several places, more so than he had originally seen. The monitor might still work. The crack wasn't that deep. But what about everything else? The wiring might be shot in this thing and there was a large tear in a large cord that connected the monitor to the machine. Biclops could tell, just from looking at it, this was going to take him a while to figure out. Despite the difficulties that laid ahead, he realized he still had to try to fix this thing. At least make it turn on somehow. Maybe if he just pushed some of these parts together and held them long enough, he might be able to maintain an electric current long enough in order to see a blip mark. His memory was quite good; he would be able to remember the coordinates and use them to track down Cornerstone. Well...here goes nothing. Biclops wasn’t sure how long he had been working on this. He didn’t know how long its’ been since he first started. All that he was aware of was some movements of his hands as he tried to keep the thing together, the feel of it rubbling a little in his hands as he tried to hold it together. He tried to do whatever he could think of. It didn’t feel like a lot of time passed while he did this. It might have been just a few minutes, but for all he knew, it had been days. He kept adjusting himself, hoping that he would eventually get a picture. He kept moving his hands around, pushing at the machine in different places. He wasn’t even sure if it was turned on or not. The switch was to the O and not the X, so he had to assume that this meant it was on. But he wouldn’t even know until he kept fiddling around with this thing. After a while and with no success, Biclops moved his hands away and let his arm muscles rest to recover from the slight ache that was developing. He took in a few slow breaths as he stared at it. He was certain that it was on. He had seen the X and O before, and usually O meant on and X meant off. But...what if that wasn’t what it is supposed to be? This was designed by Rudy and Penny. Perhaps they changed the design a little to confuse any zoner that came across it? Or maybe he was just thinking too much into it and it was just the result of a quick draw design. Still, maybe he should flip it to the X and see what happens... His eyes widened as he saw a quick blip on the screen before it went out. He had been right. The meaning of X and O were switched. Perhaps O was representing the electricity being stuck in a loop while X represented it being sent all over the place. Maybe.... He shook his head once. He didn’t have time for this. Now that he had this thing turned on, he needed to hold it together again and adjust himself until he saw another blip. He needed to figure out just where it was in ChalkZone. Closing his hands around the device, he stared intently at the monitor. He moved his hands from side to side, around the machine he was struggling to hold together. He waited intently for something to show up. And there it was again. The small, reddish blimp. Biclops struggled to keep himself calm as he leaned in closer to take a good look at it. Hmm, he didn’t recognize this part of ChalkZone offhand... He wondered if that was why Thoughtless decided to use it? It looked to be an area that zoners don’t often visit. It was a bit aways too, even for him. It would take a little while to get there. He assumed at least twenty minutes at a brisk pace. He looked over in the direction that this blip indicated. Just how well protected was this place? Was it above ground or underground? The giant couldn’t tell just from looking at this thing. This could be problematic. How was he going to prepare for an encounter if he didn’t know if it was underground or not? Well, that was something he was going to have to think about on the way there. There was little time to wait. He needed to get over there as soon as possible. He simply couldn’t afford to waste too much time. Now that he had the coordinates memorized in his head, he could use it to head over to wherever Rudy and Penny might be held. Or at the very least, he’d find Cornerstone and stop her from doing...whatever it is she planned. He did have some concerns. What if he ran into Thoughtless and he ended up under his spell again? Even now, he could feel this false memories clamoring for attention, stinging him more and more horridly. He couldn’t even shut his eyes without seeing flashes of Fake Rudy gouging out his nonextistent eye. He struggled not to scream at the memory of the pain. Yeah, as soon as Thoughtless was taken care of, the better. Without another word or thought, the giant began his journey towards the jellybean’s current hideout. He hoped that he would get there in time to stop things from getting worse. He also hoped that Rudy and Penny were doing fine. How were those two coping, anyway? sss This was going to be harder than he thought. No matter how hard he tried, he just could not get his leg free. The red chalk had a good, tight grip on his feet. And these walls, they were too slippery. Even if he got his feet free, he would not be able to gain enough traction here to climb out. Yet that didn’t stop him and Penny from trying. What else could they do? Snap was in trouble. All of ChalkZone was in terrible danger. There was just little choice except to keep trying to escape. If they didn’t, then what was going to happen to ChalkZone and everyone that they cared about? How were their lives going to be affected? Were they even going to live for too much longer? The thought sickened the boy, which helped to fuel his energy to keep trying to get out. Maybe if he kept up with the yanking and pulling, maybe, just maybe, the red chalk would loosen its grip up a little. Okay so it was wishful thinking. But..what else did he have at this point? At least he can say he tried to get out. At least he could say that he had done all that he could to help his friends before it was too late. But no... that wasn’t going to be good enough. Even if he gave it his all and failed, he was still going to feel horrible. He was still not going to be able to sleep well at night knowing that ChalkZone had been ruined all because he could not climb out of this stupid enclosure. Come on... he should be able to do this. It shouldn’t be this fucking hard. All he has to do is get one foot free and then he could kick back against the red chalk and then he could try to break the glass or something. There had to be something he could do. He was not about to give up just yet. He could sense Penny next to him. Unfortuantely, she was on his blind side. He had to turn his head further to the side in order to see her. He stared at her and watched as she continued to try to escape. She was not having much luck either. Despite all her best efforts, she couldn’t get free, and she was still in the same boat as he was. He had thought about maybe they could do well if they worked together. But they had been placed a bit far apart. They couldn’t even reach each other if they tried their best. This wasn’t even done on purpose; when they were placed in here, their first act was to try to get away, but the red chalk grabbed them. These just happened to be where the red chalk had gotten them. Though a part of him couldn’t help but wonder if it had been done on purpose. It seemed too coincidental to have been an accident. Yeah...this must have been planned... He tried not to think about it too much. Whether or not this was planned didn’t matter. Ultimately they were still prisoners and they needed to escape, otherwise... He shuddered to think of the consequences. He continued trying to get himself free. He struggled to raise his foot up. He flinched as he could feel the red chalk practically tug downwards, keeping him in place. He could feel the slightly burning sensation of the red chalk as it began to crawl through his body, trying to make him ‘one’ with it. He had managed to fight it back so far; his constant struggling was making it difficult for the red chalk to take a hold. He didn’t know how well Penny was fairing, but he hoped that she was doing as good of a job as him, if not better. He tried to grip at the glass as tightly as he could. Just as he figured, he couldn’t get enough traction. His fingers just ended up slipping until they banged against one another. Yet he kept on trying, a part of him hoping that, somehow, it was going to work. He just needed to try harder. Maybe there was some kind of imperfection in the wall somewhere. A place where he could get his fingers in and grab a hold of, and allow him more leverage to try to yank his foot up. He just needed to keep feeling around and... There, he found something. There was an imperfection in this glass wall, just as he had hoped. It wasn’t as good as the illusionary dome he had been in before. He was surprised that Thoughtless and Skrawl didn’t try to use another illusion to torment him and Penny. With a cold shudder, he was glad that they did not. He hoped he never had to see that wretched dome again. He shifted his attention back to getting out. Placing his fingers against the groove, he once again tried to lift up one of his feet. Harder.... Some more force... Almost there... With a yelp of surprise and pain, he suddenly lurched forward. The force of the trip caused his leg to bend downwards quickly, banging his knee against the ground. He shut his eyes and hissed loudly, nearly collapsing forward from the partial fall. He let out another cry of pain when he felt a muscle in his other leg being pulled back with some more force than usual as he struggled a little too quickly to right himself. Soon he was leaning against the wall a little, his legs bent slightly awkwardly, trying to wait out the pain. It was not the worst that he has felt. His right eye still radiated in horrific agony, especially during times of great stress such as this. But his legs were still in agony, causing his left eye to be wide and filled with pain. He struggled the best he could to try to cope with it. Once he felt the pain start to subside, he crawled back up to his feet. This was hard with his feet still attached to the ground this way. He had to put his hands on the glass wall and push his way up, trying to fight against gravity and shift his weight to his favor during each movement. Not exactly a simple task. But at least he was back on his feet now. He wondered if Penny was having any better luck or... His left eye widened. He just realized something. Penny hadn’t said a word when he fell, nor did she act surprised. Could this mean that...? He didn’t want to believe it to be true. He wanted to think that she was strong enough to still resist. But she had been exposed to the red chalk before. Would it really be that much of a stretch if she was more easily affected by it than him? Gulping nervously, Rudy turned his head, positioning his head so that he could see Penny with his fear-filled eye. Penny wasn’t even looking at him. Her head was turned away, allowing him to only see the back of it. She was staring off at...something. He couldn’t quite make out what it was. He put his hand over his head to try to see what she was seeing. But there was nothing there. And why wasn’t she trying to escape? That’s what she was doing moments ago. If anything, she was trying even harder to get out as she was fueled by even more fear and terror than him. She had experienced this before. But if she wasn’t looking at anything, then what was she...? He immediately went silent when Penny turned her head towards him. When those eyes become level with him, he nearly froze. If he could move his legs, he would be backing up right about now. Penny’s eyes had gone a bright red. She wasn’t smiling or making any sort of expression. It was just..blank as she stared at him. Rudy darted his eye left and right as he tried to think of how he was going to get himself out of here. Penny wasn’t making a move yet, but how long would it be before she did? He needed to use this time that he had right now in order to think of an escape plan. At least she couldn’t reach him from over here. He spoke too soon. Penny didn’t waste time for action. Under the guidance of the red chalk, she began to struggle to get at him. She was eerily silent throughout the whole thing. This fact didn’t make the situation any better. If anything, it just made everything so much more bone chilling. He struggled to back away from Penny as she began to reach for him. The red chalk was permitting this; she was sliding her feet along the ground, inching her way closer and closer. But Rudy could not dislodge himself. As hard as it was to believe, the red chalk tightened its grip as if to ensure that Penny could get to him. Rudy let out a cry of pain as he felt Penny grab onto his arm. Her fingernails began to dig into the flesh. She was glaring at him intensely. The red glow from her eyes was almost hypnotic and he found it difficult to look away. He shook his head once and he placed his hand against her and, ignoring the pain like before, he pushed against her. But the girl wasn’t budging. Sure she was strong before. He knew that fully well. But the red chalk was giving her a boost. It felt like her muscles had gotten at least a fifty percent increase in efficiency and strength. He struggled the best he could to get her away, but his efforts just weren’t paying off, and Penny was leaning in closer. He let out a yelp as she yanked him forward, putting her face close to his. Rudy felt his eyes being locked by the red glow. He stared into them for several moments, realizing that it was even harder then to pull his eyes away. He yanked his head back and shut his eyes tightly, trying to keep himself from being pulled into that gaze. He flinched as he felt Penny grip his jaw and her hands moved around his head. He could feel her fingers pry open his left eye and she forced him to stare at her again. It was at this moment that Rudy realized that Penny, or rather the red chalk, was trying to put him in some sort of trance so he could hold still long enough to be taken over. He narrowed his eyes in determination. He was not going to allow that to happen. He had to make her let go of him. He had to knock some sense back into her. Without thinking, he pulled his hand back, the fingers spread out as far as they could go and he struck Penny across her cheek. The loud slapping sound filled the air, intensified by the walls of their enclosure. The force knocked her head to the side and she staggered back. He heard a quick hiss sound as her feet become stuck once more, noticeable by her rigid leg movements. This must mean that... His thoughts had been proven right when he saw Penny’s eyes blinking rapidly, her head still gazing downward. She had her mouth open and she was breathing in at a slightly irregular rate. She shook her head a couple of times as if she had just woken up from an unscheduled nap. She looked left and right, her eyes filling with first confusion, then realization, then finally fear. She turned her head towards Rudy. He could feel a sense of relief wash through him when he saw that the girl’s eyes were back to normal. Penny stared at him for several seconds, and then her eyes widened as if she realized what she had just done. “Rudy...I’m...I’m so sorry, I...” She looked away from him for a few seconds. She looked back at him and whispered, “I’m sorry... I didn’t know what...” Rudy cut her off. “It’s fine, Penny. It wasn’t your fault.” He turned his left eye down as he glared at her feet. “It’s the red chalk that had done that. If only we could figure out a way to make it let go of you and me.” Penny nodded her head. It was clear she still felt guilty, but she managed to keep her mind focused on what mattered more right now, and that was getting free. She looked down at her feet. “We could try removing our shoes, but...” “But that will be hard. The red chalk’s power seems to suck straight through the shoe as well, making it hard for us to try to do that.” Rudy concluded for her. Penny nodded in agreement. “I know it’s going to be hard. But...but we will think of something. I promise.” Penny stared back at him. She gave a weak smile before she looked away. She went silent. Whether or not it was out of guilt or if she was just thinking, Rudy didn’t know. He decided it was best not to ask her, and he left her be. He focused his attention on figuring a way out of this mess. Coming up with a solution was not going to be easy. From within here, there wasn’t much that they could do. They could try to break their legs free, but that could result in them injuring themselves. Then how would they get out? And just how far would they even get? They were defenseless, mostly, without any magic chalk, and who is to say that the memotrice or Skrawl still had it here? They might have destroyed it so that their plans for fusing them with the red chalk could come into fruition. In the end, it was really starting to seem hopeless. Despite his struggling to believe that there was a way, it was getting to the point where he had to admit it to himself. There just was no way out of here. Without magic chalk... His eyes widened at this. Magic chalk... He shifted his left eye around, looking at the containment unit that they were in. All around them sparkled the red chalk. The realization began to rapidly dawn on him. Many questions began to rush through his mind in a sweeping motion. The biggest one was... was it really worth it? But then...did they have a choice? They needed a way out of there, and this could be a way they could do that. It did come with a huge risk, however, and he knew that it could backfire horribly if he wasn’t careful. Still...they might have no choice but to give this a try. Maybe if they moved quickly enough, it wouldn’t be a problem. Maybe if they... “Rudy? What are you thinking about?” Rudy saw that Penny was looking at him. She must have noticed his behavior just now. She was staring at him intently, keeping quiet so that he could respond to her question. He paused for a moment. Just how was he going to break this idea to her? When he thought he figured it out, he said, “Well...I did think of something. But..you’re not going to like it...” Penny stared at him, her eyes narrowing very slightly. There was a flicker of realization in her eyes. “Rudy...you’re not thinking about...” Upon seeing Rudy’s head nod rigidly, her eyes widened in shock. “Rudy, you can’t be serious! You know how dangerous that would be! We...we just can’t do that! What if we...?” “I know, Penny. I’m not fond of it either. But..” Rudy looked down. He bit his lip, his teeth pressing against the flesh. He wished there was something else he could come up with. Anything else... But absolutely nothing could come to mind. “I’m afraid...we don’t have a choice.” Penny looked at him with fear-filled eyes. She looked left and right, turning her head to look all around them. Rudy did likewise. Was it just him, or did it seem as if the red chalk understood his intention? It was glowing a little brigher than usual. “Please... There has to be something else. We...just need to think harder.” Penny tried to whip herself around as if to look at something behind her. Of course, with her feet stuck, she couldn’t get that far. The motion nearly caused her to trip. “Maybe we could...no...” She looked in another direction. “Or maybe...no that wouldn’t work either...” Rudy gave Penny a sympathetic look as she tried and tried to think of another way of getting out of here that didn’t involve what he had suggested. He could see the despair in her eyes, the determination starting to dim from them as she slowly began to realize that, no, there really wasn’t any other way. Eventually Penny stopped struggling to think and her body became a little limp, the tension having reached such a point that she could do nothing except just relax. Her arms fell to her sides and she looked over at Rudy sadly. They stared at each other in the eyes. They exchanged the same expression of grim acceptance. Both of them were reluctant to do this, but both of them realized, at that point, they had no choice but to take this dangerous risk. “...we...we have to use the red chalk...don’t we...?” Penny whispered under her breath. Rudy nodded his head once. “Yeah. I’m afraid we do.” Rudy shut his left eye and turned his head to the side. “I wished there were another way. I wished that we had brought more help at least. But we are on our own here. Snap won’t help us...” He shuddered as he thought of his friend. “We need magic chalk to get out...and red chalk technically is magic chalk...” He looked back at Penny, biting his lip for a second before he managed to say, “W-We will have to use it...to get out of here...” “I don’t know if we should do that... You know how the red chalk is, and what it’s trying to do...” Penny looked around at the clusters of red chalk near them. Her eyes flickered in fear. “If we hold one for too long...” “I know... I’m not looking forward to this either.” Rudy remembered all too well how the red chalk controlled him physically before. He did not look forward to enducing that nightmare again. In the end, however, he didn’t have a choice. It was either this and gain a slim chance at victory, or do nothing and allow the memotrice to get away with what it was doing. And there was no way he was going to let that happen... Rudy stared at a piece of red chalk that wasn’t too far away from him. It was within grasping distance. All he had to do was grab onto it and force it to draw a circle. Just...a single circle... and maybe he and Penny could crawl their way out or something. He looked back at her, and nodded his head slowly. Penny gulped, but she gave him a firm expression, returning the nod and turned to a piece of red chalk of her own. “On the count of three...” Rudy whispered. Penny nodded her head in agreement. Rudy took in a deep breath, mentally preparing himself. “One...two....three.” As soon as he said three, he immediately lurched his hand forward. No delays. No hesitations. He just immediately grabbed onto the red chalk tightly. He heard a grunt to his side and he knew Penny had done the same thing as well. He took in a deep breath, exhaling swiftly with an O opened mouth. Then, mustering up as much strength as he could, he yanked back. Almost immediately he heard a snap, the red chalk almost eagerly breaking off. Rudy wobbled back before regaining his posture. He looked down at the red chalk that he now held in his hand. It was so...disturbing. Not because it felt strange or alien, but because of now... ‘normal’ this almost felt. It was just like last time. The red chalk didn’t feel any different than white chalk when he held it. This disturbed him far more than it would have if the red chalk did something, like...feel warmer or feel painful. As he held it in his hands, he could feel some kind of energy start to move through him. It seemed along his arm and hand, and he thought he could see some red tendrils start to form. With a shake of his head, they disappeared, making him wonder if it was all in his head. He struggled to turn his attention back to the task at hand. Now that he had a piece of red chalk, he noticed he could start moving now. The red chalk was satisfied so long as a piece of it touched him. He knew he would not be able to let go any time soon. He had no choice but to face the consequences of his decision. But first...he and Penny needed to get out. He was the one who moved first. Slowly, steadily, he walked forward towards the glass barrier. He raised his hand up and began to move it towards the wall. Surprisingly, no resistance from the red chalk. He pressed it against the wall, and, slowly, he began to move his hand around. Once more, no attempts to fight back from the red chalk. It just allowed him to draw this. ...just like how it let him draw those items from before, when he had used the red chalk last... He could feel his blood chilling at this memory. It took him a few seconds before he managed to snap back to reality and realize that the hole had been drawn. Rudy stared at it, blinking a few times. It was almost too easy... It looked as if all he had to do was walk through it and he was free and... Oh wait, there were those vicious looking eyes and teeth like he had expected. The hole remained open, moving slightly. He knew that if he made one wrong move, he was going to get chomped by this thing. How were they going to get through this way? Luckily it seemed Penny had thought of a solution. She moved in front of him, her wrist flickering around as she draw what looked to be some kind of reverse muzzle, preventing the mouth from closing. He was surprised at first that it worked, but then he remembered that the red chalk zoners probably didn’t care too much about themselves; after all, their default setting was to ‘attack everything’. Or perhaps the red chalk was just baiting them... “Rudy, we need to get out of here now!” Penny’s warning voice exclaimed. “I don’t know how long this will last!” Rudy knew that Penny was right. They needed to make their move now before it was too late. Before the red chalk started to control them physically, hindering their ability to escape. And unlike before, he had no white chalk to counteract the red chalk. He would need to plan everything more carefully, and above all, it couldn’t do anything that the red chalk would see as defiance against it. He took in a few quick breaths, trying his best to calm down. His trembling body was going to get caught in this opening too easily. When he felt he was ready, he looked back at Penny and nodded his head. He looked back at the opening, his eyes narrowing slowly. They had just one shot at this. He could see the brace Penny drew starting to break under the pressure. If they waited too long, then when they tried to make their move, they would get caught and...he didn’t want to imagine the kind of damage those teeth were going to do. He hesitated no longer. Tensing up his leg muscles in preparation, he moved his arms back and forth, hands clutched into fists, shaking in both determination and pain from his previous wounds. Then, with a single thrust, he lunged forward. He found time itself slowing down to an almost completely halt as he went through the opening, the sharp tips dangerously close to him, threatening to come crashing down on him. At first, it didn’t seem like he was going to make it and his left eye widened as he imagined the ‘mouth’ starting to come down and trapping him between its ‘jaws’. Then he found himself falling against the ground. He let out a grunt of pain as he tumbled along, his body rolling along and coming, eventually, to a hault. He groaned as he sat himself up, rubbing his sore thigh a little. He looked back and he saw that the hole was still there. It hadn’t closed yet. But Penny still hadn’t jumped... “Come on, Penny! Get out!” Rudy called out to her. “You can do it!” Penny hesitated, looking at the hole warily. The hole wobbled and there was a crunch sound as it started to break free of the reverse muzzle she had down. Her eyes widened in terror at this and she took a step back. Rudy shook his head. “No! Come on! Jump through! I know you can do it, Penny! Just do it!” Penny stared at him, their eyes locking onto one another. She then looked at the opening. Slowly, her eyes narrowed as her hope was renewed, along with her determination. She clenched her teeth tightly and she made a dash forward. She jumped into the air, positioning her shoulder so that it would take the brunt of the collision. She let out a pained filled yelp as she collided with the ground, her body doing an exaggerated somersault from the force of the impact. Soon she laid down on her back, her teeth clenched as she hissed in pain. “Penny...are you all right?” Rudy rushed to her side. He looked down at her, his left eye moving over her body as he tried to see if there were any injuries. “Anything broken?” Penny let out another groan as she pushed herself up with her hand. She rubbed the side of her face, her eyes flashing in pain, both old and new. She nodded her head slowly. “I’m fine.. Though I think that fall irritated that bite wound.” She looked down at the deep purple bruise on her arm, which looked a little worse now than it did before. Rudy flinched at the sight of it. He had almost forgotten about that injury. The sight of it made his own throb, causing him to look down at the bite wound given to him during their rather...nasty encounter with Reggie. He tried to shake the thought aside as he looked down at Penny. “Here...let me help you up.” He grabbed onto Penny and helped her up. He tried to ignore the jolt of pain in his hand as he did so. He just had to hang on a little longer... Soon he will be safe and he will be able to rest this hand. He just needed to endure this for a little bit longer. He turned his head and looked down the hallway. He narrowed his eyes slowly. Penny stood next to him, sharing the same expression as he did. They looked at one another, both thinking the same thing. Exchanging little more than a mere nod, the two children immediately began to run down the hallway. The red chalk in their hands glowed, and, though they were unaware, their irises gained a slightly reddish tinge. |
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Post by Bluedramon on Jul 31, 2015 17:04:10 GMT -5
Chapter 31: Rudy didn’t know how long he and Penny had been running. It felt like a long time, but then maybe it was only a few minutes. Either way, they had definitely been moving down these hallways for a while now. He could feel his chest rumbling with the sound of his heart beating, and he could also hear his own heavy, labored breathing. He wanted to rest, but knew he could not. He had to keep going. So far, he and Penny hadn’t really run into much trouble. He didn’t know how long their luck was going to last, though. At any moment, someone could jump out from the side and attack them. He gritted his teeth at this thought. They weren’t exactly in any position to fight back, not while they had the red chalk clutched in their hands. So far, they were able to keep the red chalk from taking over, but..how long will that last? It was a little odd that they hadn’t run into anybody in the hallways yet. Then again, Skrawl and Thoughtless didn’t sound like they were worried about them escaping. Perhaps they didn’t feel the need to have patrollers, and just had them all meeting somewhere to talk about their plans of exposing ChalkZone. The thought caused his mind to burn with a mixture of terror and anger. He still could not believe that Thoughtless would be stupid enough to actually try something like that. Did it not realize just how dangerous such a move was? He was certain it did to some extent; it was just choosing to ignore this in favor of just doing whatever the hell it wanted. The thought sickened him and he had to struggle not to let this anger overtake him. He could feel the red chalk glowing a bit brighter the angrier he felt. He took in a deep breath and he forced a sigh out. While this helped to subside the anger a bit, he knew it was not a permanent fixture. What he and Penny needed to do now was get to the chalk mine. This was going to be quite tough as first they needed to actually get out of this place first. And then..well, would the red chalk even let them go to the mine? Or would it try taking them back to...what was it called... the red chalk root instead? Where some of the red chalk grew outside of the main Chalk Mine itself? This question did not have a one hundred percent exact answer. On the one hand, it might let them go as there was a chamber of red chalk there. The red chalk might drag them to the mine to get more red chalk. But on the other hand, it might realize what they were trying to do and keep them seperated from the Chalk Mine, or work even harder to ensure that they don’t get a chance to grab a piece of white chalk. It might even make them not want to go for red chalk. If the red chalk influenced their mind enough while they are there, they might feel too much disgust towards white chalk and go straight for the red chalk. Despite this, he was still hopeful that they would be able to think of something for whenever they escaped. So long as these hallways remained empty, they might be able to get out of this place quicker than he expected and they could head to the Chalk Mine. Sure it might seem a little too easy. However, he knew they couldn’t let this deter them. Easy or not, they had to take whatever chance they could. Still, he did not let his guard down and he knew Penny wasn’t going to either. They needed to remain as alert as possible just in case something or someone tries to ambush them. He turned his left eye side to side, trying to see any sign of danger. Suddenly, before he realized what was happening, he felt himself smash up against the wall. He let out a yelp of pain as he felt his teeth biting into his tongue. He stumbled back and placed his hand against his mouth, struggling not to scream too much. His body trembled a little from the shock, and he could feel a tiny tear of pain emerge from his eye. “Rudy!” Penny rushed towards him. “Are you okay?!” Upon seeing Penny approach, Rudy suddenly tensed up. His swirling mind remembered what she had done to him before and he took a step back. He narrowed his eyes at her and clenched his teeth tightly. He had to struggle not to growl at her. “Please...don’t get too close...” He spoke to her in a darkened voice, his left eye practically glowing. Penny widened her eyes at this. “Rudy...” The boy shook his head once, struggling to get the fearful thoughts out of his head. He wasn’t sure why he had reacted that way. He thought that he had tamed his fear of her. Well he was wrong about that. He guessed that this fear was going to be harder for him to fully recover from than he thought. He tried to soften up his expression towards Penny, forcing himself to crack a small smile as a way of saying that things were okay now. This didn’t change Penny’s expression much. Not that Rudy was surprised. The guilt was going to remain in her eyes for a long time. She still blamed herself for what happened, and while he did feel some shame in admitting this, he couldn’t help but blame her on some level as well. Even though it was just an accident, he found it hard not to feel anger towards Penny for what she had done. “Yeah...I’m okay...” Rudy said, managing to use a softer, gentler voice this time. He took a few steps away from the wall he had run into. He stared at it, rubbing his head a little. Although he had zero depth perception, he couldn’t blame this on that. “I guess I had zoned out there for a while.” “Yeah, you did seem like you spaced out a little.” Penny pointed out. She remained where she was, a bit nervous of getting too close to him. She moved her head up and down, giving him a quick look over. “You don’t seem like you’re too badly hurt.” “Just a few new bruises probably.” Rudy agreed. He didn’t really feel like he got too badly hurt. Other than a bitten tongue of course, which still ached a bit. But aside from that, nothing. He turned his head and looked down the hallway. Or rather, hallways. They had apparently reached a splitting point in the corridor and they could go either left or right. Which path would be the better one to choose? He couldn’t really tell. They both looked the same to him. They would have to eventually chose some direction to go, otherwise they were going to be here forever. Now wasn’t a good time to waste precious moments like this. He struggled to pick a direction to go in. He eventually settled on going on the right. He couldn’t tell if it was a bigger gamble or not. For all he knew, this hallway offered the same amount of danger as the other one. He tried his best to worry about the decision too much and just focused on walking down the hallway slowly, Penny not too far behind him. Rather than run, this time they walked. It was a safer deal. They must be getting closer to the center of the building by now, where the Beanie Boys and their bosses would be hanging out. If they ran here, they would more likely be heard by one of the enemies. Best to go nice and slow this time. But even going slowly, they both felt a sense of dread rising up inside of them. They were heading deeper and deeper into enemy territory with nothing but the red chalk to help them. They could just scoff at the word ‘help’ there, as the red chalk would do no such thing. It was out only for itself. If anything, it would just make them easier to catch so that Skrawl or Thoughtless, should they encounter them, could take them back to their enclosure to complete the ‘become one’ thing faster. They continued moving down the hallway slowly, constantly looking around to make sure they didn’t run into anyone. Rudy kept his hand against the wall to ensure that his lack of depth perception didn’t become a problem during these crucial moments. He could feel his gut tying in a knot, frustration sweeping through him, the further they went down. He had no idea if they were getting any closer to an escape route or not. Oh how he wished that they had spent more time planning than just running off like this. The lack of planning was going to bite them in the behind soon. He just knew it. Up ahead, the corridor was moving to the side a little, a wide curve. He found himself pausing at this. He wasn’t sure why, but something didn’t feel right about this. Penny looked over at him, her eyes filled with confusion. If she was saying anything, he didn’t hear her. Why did he stop here? Why did he feel this hallway felt strange? He tried to force himself to take a few steps foward, but he still ended up stopping. He felt a shiver move through his body, almost chilling in feeling. It almost felt as if the curving hallway was taunting him, beckoning him to try to move towards it. Yet something was stopping him. What could it be? Why couldn’t he move forward? The red chalk... That had to be what it was. He looked down at his piece. It was glowing a little brigher than usual. Something about that location, even the red chalk didn’t want to go towards. But why? What was so special about this direction that the red chalk didn’t want them to go down in? Did Thoughtless have something monstrous down here that frightened even this crimson menace? Should they stay on this track and take the chance? Maybe what was down here could help them. Or maybe they should head back. Maybe they should heed the red chalk’s warning and stay away. During his state of confusion, he could barely hear Penny shout, “Look out!” Before he knew it, he felt something warm push against him. He let out a grunt of pain as he was forced into the ground with a loud thud. He laid there, letting out a groan of pain, his left eye blinking a few times. He could see Penny on top of him. The sight of her like this caused his heart to begin racing in fear and he found himself pushing her back, crying out in pain as he hit his wounded hand against her. Before he could get up, he could feel Penny wrapping her arms around him and pulling him back against her. Rudy’s left eye bulged and he began to struggle against her. His foot kicked against the ground wildly, especially when Penny’s grip began to tighten around him at an alarmingly uncomfortable rate. “Let...go...” Rudy growled as he gritted his teeth. “What are...you doing?!” Penny’s voice was filled with terror. “I-I can’t stop! The red chalk... It’s...” In that moment, Rudy could feel his vision start to change. What appeared to be a red filter rushed through, coloring everything red. He blinked a few times in hopes of clearing it up. But no matter how many times he blinked, no matter how many times he shook his head, the vision stayed the same. He let out a confused ‘what?’ comment before he started to struggle against Penny’s grasp. Rudy could feel his mind start to cloud. He felt something crawling in the back there, wrapping around his skull, pulling him into what felt like a trance-like state. He could hardly think; all he could do was take action. His mind became numb and only raw emotion could be processed. And right now, the emotions that took the strongest hold on him was fear....and anger. This person holding him.. How dare they try to stop him... He couldn’t remember what he was trying to do, but he did know that this person was trying to stop him, whatever it was. He could feel his body shaking in emotion, his lips curling back into a snarl. If they were trying to have a piece of him...well he will give them a piece that they will not soon forget. If they wanted to mess with him, then he will show them exactly what his horns looked like. Rudy managed to whip himself around, turning to face what he had percieved as his attacker. His fury-filled eyes could only process a quick shape and glowing red eyes staring down at him. He let out what could best be described as a wild, primal cry before pushing back against the person, grabbing onto their arms, his fingernails sinking into the flesh. He could hear his attacker let out a cry, but that did little to stop him. He felt almost invigurated from that sound and he lunged himself against his attacker, pushing them into the ground. His eyes bulged as he felt the person bite him. The teeth sank into his arm, nearly drawing blood. He let out a few primal shouts as he struggled to yank his arm back. He soon managed to dislodge it, but the result caused a tooth from his opponent to slice into his arm. He recoiled, clutching his arm to himself. He stared at his wound before looking at his attacker, eminating a low growl from his mouth. Without warning, he lunged at the person, his body weight holding them down affectively. He could hear them giving a grunt and then a groan of pain. He couldn’t help but smile twistedly. Perhaps now the fool will realize what a mistake they made in trying to mess with him. He glared down at their form, his mouth curled up in a wicked smile. He opened his mouth wide, his face contorting like that of a wild animal ready to strike. He could see a flash of fear in those glowing red eyes. He then lurched his head forward, fully prepared to bite his opponent. When his teeth actually collided with the flesh of the shoulder, and he heard that cry of pain, he felt a strong sense of satisfaction. “What..what are you two doing?!” That strange voice, out of nowhere, brought Rudy back to attention. He blinked a few times as his vision suddenly righted itself. He remained frozen there for several seconds, his mind slowly processing what had happened. He turned his head slightly, his left eye catching the glimpse of a horrified Beanie Boy. The presence of the zoner caused memories to snap through Rudy’s head and he suddenly remembered where he was and who he was and what was happening. Slowly he turned his eyes over to see the person he had attacked. His left eye bulged when he saw that it was Penny. He immediately released her and moved back. “P-Penny...I...” The girl didn’t respond to him. She wore a similar look of horror in her eyes. Not simply fear towards him like he expected, but raw terror and guilt at what she had done. Did...did Penny also....? Yeah she did. He remembered now. She had been the one to make the first move and she had try to warn him and... Oh gawd, what was happening to them...? Rudy clutched his hands against his head, his fingers driving against the scalp. He looked over at the Beanie Boy, watching as he backed away slowly. Normally, Rudy would be more alert and know that he shouldn’t let him get away. But his mind was in too much shock to even think about stopping him. All he could do was stare at the Beanie Boy, carrying a haunted look in his eyes. That Beanie Boy looked so frightened and startled by what had happened. Could he really blame him? Rudy shifted his gaze down towards his hand. His body shook as he watched the red lightning bolts jump out from the chalk at an increased rate. He took in a few quick breaths as the back of his mind flashed with images of what had happened. He turned to face Penny, feeling his stomach sting as he saw the expression in her eyes, and the fear he could see clearly shining in her eyes. Remembering the Beanie Boy that was still there, Rudy watched him carefully. The Beanie Boy didn’t attempt to leave yet, but Rudy noticed his body language. He clearly wanted to turn around and fly away, yet he remained there, watching them as if morbidly curious of what they were going to do next. Rudy turned to face him completely. They locked eyes with each other for several seconds, an uncomfortable silence filling the hallway. Then, with a sweeping feeling, Rudy remembered the dangers of letting this guy leave. If this zoner alerted anyone to him and Penny escaping, then they were going to get caught. This realization caused his eyes to narrow. He lifted his hand slightly. He had no plans on drawing. He didn’t need to; all he really needed was to make the zoner think he was going to draw and that would be enough to hopefully scare the zoner into submission. At least, he hoped this would be the case. “Don’t go anywhere.” Rudy ordered the zoner. “Or you will regret it.” The Beanie Boy’s eyes widened in horror at this. He looked left and right as he struggled to think of what to do. He turned back and watched Rudy warily. He moved back a little, causing Rudy to take a step forward. “I said hold still!” The Beanie Boy froze, his body shaking a little. His eyes were glued on the red chalk that shined in his hand. Rudy didn’t know if this Beanie Boy understood the dangers of the red chalk or not. Rudy wasn’t sure which he would rather it be; the zoner knowing or not knowing. He pushed those thoughts aside and pointed his red chalk at the zoner, giving a nonverbal threat to draw if the Beanie Boy didn’t obey. “You’re going to be staying with us. We can’t afford you sounding the alarm.” Rudy noticed the Beanie Boy opening his mouth. He quickly cut him off. “Don’t say a word! If you do... I’ll...” His voice trailed off, but at that point, it darkened a little. Just enough so that the zoner got the point. Penny moved beside him. Her expression was somewhat sympathetic, but her eyes were also narrowed. Rudy noticed how fake it looked, as if she were having a hard time with this. She wasn’t alone. This didn’t make him feel comfortable either. But he knew it had to be done. He could hear Penny say, “Please...don’t make this any harder than it has to be...” But the zoner refused to listen. With a scream of terror, he turned and he zipped away. “Somebody help!” In that moment, Rudy’s mind shut down again. His vision flashed and became red. His primal instincts kicked in, and his teeth clenched tightly. He once more saw a target moving up ahead. He growled softly as his body tensed up. If he had long fur, his hackles would be raised right about now. His left eye watched the fleeing target, his nostrils widening and snorting. How dare this zoner disobey him... How dare he try to get away... Did he not know who he was dealing with? Was he dense to what he was doing? Oh how he was going to make him pay for his insolence... Without warning, letting out a primal shout intermixing with Penny’s, the boy gave chase. He ran as fast as he could after the Beanie Boy. He could vaguely hear footsteps behind him as Penny ran along with him. No longer were they children trying to escape. Instead they were predators, and the zoner was their prey. Rudy became aware of his mouth salivating a little as he subconsciously imagined what the zoner tasted like. This thought surprisingly didn’t horrify him, and it inspired him to run even faster. Their prey was getting away. His eyes narrowed. Oh no he doesn’t... He pumped his legs harder, pounding his feet against the ground, launching himself in longer and longer strides. His mouth opened up, his drool flopping off his face as his tongue hung out, trying to keep himself cool as he ran in this unusually warm corridor. He didn’t notice, but his eyes had all but became a solid red, no pupil in sight. Eventually, after all that running, they came to a dead end. The Beanie Boy nearly slammed against the wall. He looked left and right, and, realizing that he was trapped, he looked behind him and watched in fear as Rudy and Penny began to advance on him slowly, their faces contorted and crazed. “Please...don’t..” But neither child listened. All they could do was see the cowering zoner before them. Their drooling increased slightly as they went even closer to the zoner. They were practically upon him now, their hands raised up in preparation to draw something to finish the zoner off. All it would take was a sharp enough knife and... ...what the fuck was he doing...? Rudy blinked a few times and shook his head rapidly. The cloudy sensation began to leave him and he realized what he was doing. He could see, at last, the frightened zoner before him. His body shook in horrific realization. He could recall those horrible thoughts from before, how he wanted to eat the zoner and.... Oh gawd what was happening to him...? He looked down at the red chalk. He knew now for certain that it was to blame for all of this. But he knew it was too late to chuck the chalk. He heard a growl beside him and realized that Penny hadn’t broken free yet. He watched as she tried to lunge at the zoner, mouth agape. His left eye filled with terror, he rammed against Penny, pushing her against the wall. He struggled with his own mind to keep himself from being drawn back into that state by Penny’s fighting back. He could hear a whirl and felt something zip by him and he realized that the Beanie Boy fled. His heart twisted in horror, but he couldn’t do anything about it as he struggled to hold onto Penny. “Penny! Stop! Please!” Rudy pleaded with her. “Please...don’t do this!” Penny snapped at him, narrowly missing. He could see the glow in her eyes, her teeth exposed in an animalistic snarl. “Please stop! I know you’re still in there! Please don’t let the red chalk control you!” Rudy tightened his grip on her, trying his best to keep her from biting him or slashing at him with her finger nails. Though he hated to do it, he pulled his hand back and he slapped her again, hoping that this would snap her out of it like it did before. But to his horror, it did not. She just continued struggling. Rudy realized that the only thing he could do was wait this out. He pressed himself against Penny and held her there, waiting for her to snap out of the trance that the red chalk had placed her in. As he did this, he began to wonder just how much worse this was going to get. How much more of this would they be able to take before their minds are completely clouded over by the raw rage of the red chalk...? sss <Hold still while I try to fix up your face!> Thoughtless raised its foot up and brought it down, trying to snag Snap’s face. <This won’t hurt for long! I promise!> Snap’s racing mind could barely register the zoner’s words as he struggled to keep those claws away from his face. His hand gripped around the memotrice’s leg tightly and he pushed up as hard as he could. He could feel his arm wobbling and shaking as he struggled to keep that foot away from him. He could hear the memotrice’s low hissing as it applied more pressure. Snap did likewise, doing whatever he could to make sure that Thoughtless did not slash up his face. His heart pounded as he realized the situation that he was in. He couldn’t believe he didn’t see this coming. How could he have been so blind? He should have known that the memotrice had been using them all along. He had to wonder just what more it had lied about. What other things did it tell them just to keep them off its trail? He watched as the talons were being brought down closer to him despite his best efforts. He gritted his teeth and turned his head. So..this is how it was going to end? By getting his face raked up like a pile of leaves with those claws? He closed his eyes and he felt a pang of guilt at this realization. He so wanted to tell Skrawl about this, to warn him of what was coming. But now his savior was never going to get that chance. He was forever going to be this creature’s pawn. At least, until Thoughtless got tired of him. Maybe if he had paid more attention earlier, he might have noticed something was wrong about Thoughtless. There had to have been some kind of clue earlier. Something that would have helped him understand that it was not his friend. But then, Thoughtless had been a good actor. No, not just that. It had been a master manipulator. It had used its powers to control their memories. It had messed with their heads so that they would never suspect what it was doing. At first, Snap wondered why the memotrice hadn’t tried to use that power on him again. Then he realized.... Thoughtless probably had no more use for him... At this realization, a cold feeling rushed through him like a wave on steroids. He gripped the thing’s leg tighter, using that adrenaline inside of him to push back harder. The cold fear burned through him, his mind flashing back to the horrible pain he had been put through by those he had called his friends. Now that Thoughtless was trying to make him go through all that again, he knew he couldn’t allow it. He had to fight back. He just had to keep trying. But wait...just how much of his past was real? If Thoughtless altered Skrawl’s memories to control him, wouldn’t it have done the same thing for him? What if he had been wrong this whole time? What if his doubts had been correct? ooo Of course they were. Rudy and Penny would never have done anything like that to me. They would have been the ones helping me. It was Thoughtless that turned me against them. ooo Unlike the other times he had this thought, this time, Snap began to dwell on it. For a few seconds, all he could do was replay that thought over and over again and wonder to himself if it was making a good point. Perhaps his memory of that day had been altered. If that is the case, then... He felt a brief flash of horror at just what this would entail. Snap wasn’t able to finish his thought process when Thoughtless took advantage of his stunned state and broke through his defenses. Those sharp talons and cold, scaly feet wrapped around his face tightly. He let out a grunt of pain and immediately tried to pull the foot away from him. The talons swiftly pressed against his scalp and he gave a soft whimper as he felt them pierce the skin, drawing blood. His mind locked in fear, his body froze, unmoving. Thoughtless lowered its head and stared at him in the eyes. <I never wanted to do this. But I don’t really have a choice.> Snap took in a few growly breaths, baring his teeth. “Y-You fucking liar... I know you had planned this...” <Think whatever you want to. It doesn’t matter what you think, for soon, you won’t be able to think again.> Thoughtless hissed at him, its beak partially open to show its sharp teeth. <If you want to know anything, ask me. I do not fear telling you anything. I have nothing left to worry about you in the next few minutes.> Snap glared at the zoner, baring his teeth, trying to hide his fear from the zoner’s prying eyes. He tried his best to look brave, doing whatever he could to not allow a spec of fear to show on his face. Despite his best efforts, he could tell that Thoughtless could see right through this pathetic attempt. He could tell just from the glint int he zoner’s brown eyes. The sparkle in those eyes was enough to make him realize that he was not fooling the memotrice. As a retaliation, he almost thought about yelling at the zoner to keep the information to himself. He didn’t want to give the zoner the satisfactory of delivering important information just to kill him next. This was not a relinquishing of anything the zoner was doing; this was nothing more than rubbing it in his face that he had utterly failed. Snap did not want to allow that to happen. He didn’t want to give it a chance to brag. He found himself opening his mouth as he prepared to release the insult that was growing inside of him. But then he stopped and started to think about it. Did he really want to throw away his chance at finding out what was going on? Did he want to tell the zoner to fuck off just because he wanted ‘the last laugh’, so to speak? What if he did get out of this? What if he found a way? Did he want to throw away that chance just of some stupid dignity or whatever? No, he did not. Letting out a disgruntled sigh, he growled his question, showing no sense of politeness towards the memotrice. “Just what is your plan, you little fucker?” Thoughtless widened its eyes at this comment. It was momentarily surprised before it gave a wry smile. <Defiant in the end. How classic...> Snap glared at it. Thoughtless shook its head at that, almost like a parent getting ready to scold his or her child. <I think you will find my plan quite interesting, Snap. I do believe you had ben to the Real World before, am I right?> Snap felt a pang in his stomach at this. Despite not knowing much yet, already he could feel a sense of dread rising up inside of him. “Yes, I am. That’s where Rudy and Penny come from..” He closed his eyes as he recalled what felt like a distant memory. “I had been there before, due to an accident.” <An accident? You don’t say?> Thoughtless tilted its head as it mocked Snap. <It must have been so horrible for you, am I right?> Snap gritted his teeth. “Just tell me what you have planned for the Real World, you...you pile of feathers!” Thoughtless smiled at this. <Eager to know, eh?> It shrugged its shoulders. <I suppose I cannot blame you. After all, I do come up with fascinating plans! I know you are just dying to know what I came up with! You must be trembling in your cute little shoes to know what I am going to do! Aren’t you, am I right? You want...> “Just get on with it!” Thoughtless paused for a moment. With a nod of its head, it said, <Yeah you are right. I did ramble a little too much there. But can you blame me?> It placed its wing against its chest. The hand claws pressed lightly gainst the feather covering. <It truly is a work of genius! I don’t think anyone else had ever thought of this!> It paused for a moment. Its eyes narrowed. <Okay maybe not... But I will be the first one to succeed!> Snap couldn’t help but narrow his eyes in confusion. Just why did Thoughtless look at him that way a few seconds ago? What was up with that facial expression? One second, Thoughtless was looking all haughty and arrogant. Then, without warning, it flashed some kind of realization that was enough to get notice from Snap. The memotrice had faulted and retracted its statement, only to return to its previous train of thought. How peculiar.. Snap didn’t dwell on that long before he realized that the memotrice probably looked at his memories. At this blatant violation of his privacy, he let out a low growl at the memotrice. It merely smirked at him as if it knew what it had done. Snap grunted as he felt his head being forced to the side. The claws pressed harder against his face. He shut his eyes. He could feel Thoughtless’s face near his, and then he could feel the warm breath enter his ear. <Are you that mad, Snap? Don’t take it too personally...> Snap turned his head as much as he could and glared up at the memotrice. He bared his teeth threateningly, growing irritated when it had little to no effect on the zoner. Thoughtless moved his head back and stared down at him. Seeing that horrible face so distorted and stretched like that, it made Snap want to punch the zoner in the face. <Now as for what I am going to do...> Thoughtless leaned to one side, its body gaining a diagonal position. Even with the bird-like zoner positioned like this, Snap still couldn’t push it off of him. <Be quiet now! Because this one is a doozy!> Snap tried his best to settle down, despite the back of his mind yelling at him to try to run, fight back, something other than hold still while this zoner was about to murder him. In a low voice, he hissed, “Okay then... tell me...” Thoughtless’s beak stretched into a dark smile. <I am going to expose ChalkZone to the Real World.> Snap’s eyes bulged. He couldn’t think of anything to say. All he could do was stammer at this. About the only thing that he could utter out that made any sense was, “Wh-Wh-What...?” <That’s right. I plan on opening the bridge between the two worlds.> Thoughtless spread its wings a little. <No longer shall these worlds be separate! They will be combined as one! Just as they should be...> Snap shook his head at this. “Y-You can’t be serious... No way you could be this insane...” <Insane? Of course not!> Thoughtless cocked its head to one side. <I am not doing this because I am insane, but instead because I am the only sane one here!> Thoughtless moved its head close to Snap’s. <Humans are meant to run around in this world. They are meant to bring down zoners to help control the population. They are meant to be part of the life cycle of ChalkZone. It was wrong to banish them. And now I, the only one that can see this problem, will be the one to correct it!> Snap couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He didn’t know anyone could be this insane. He couldn’t get himself to move his invisible pupils away from the zoner. He couldn’t stop staring at it. He kept watching Thoughtless, a part of him almsot hoping that this was all a mistake, that Thoughtless really wasn’t that crazy. But the more he stared, the longer he remained like this, the more he realized that Thoughtless really was serious about this. Snap could feel the back of his mind flashing with red-tinged horror images as he imagined just what was going to happen to the zoners if this plan were to be a success. What he believed he had been put through by Rudy and Peny...it was going to become a reality. This world was going to witness the pain he had been forced to endure. No...even more pain that that. With many more creators, many of them worse than even that Reggie character. The thought sent a chilling cold sensation through his body. No...this couldn’t happen. No... This zoner was insane. It was dooming everyone in ChalkZone to a horrible demise. It didn’t even seem to realize just how crazy this plan was. It didn’t, not even for a second, consider just what its plan was going to entail. Snap gritted his teeth tightly, knowing that there was nothing he could do to reason with this thing. If Thoughtless was crazy enough to think of a plan like this... Then absolutely nothing was going to knock sense into it. The only thing he could do was escape and warn the zoners of what was going to happen. ....and warn Rudy and Penny... For a brief second, he felt a sickening hot stab in his stomach as he thought of those two. Even though he started to think that maybe his negative memories of them were inserted, he still felt a level of anger and hatred towards them. A part of him didn’t want to let go of those memories for he knew what that would make him out to be. He didn’t want to believe that he was a bad guy. He didn’t think he could come to terms with it. But regardless of that, he knew that it would be best if he did tell those two. If nothing else, then it could just be a way of showing how he was the bigger person. If he wanted to prove that he was better than them, then helping them out of this istuation despite wha they have done...yeah that would be a good way. If need be, he might even end up having to join forces with them. Now that would be quite the awkward team up, what with his hatred of them and their fear towards him. He didn’t know how long such a team up would last. But when it comes to the safety of ChalkZone, then bitter resentments didn’t matter and needed to be cast to the side. But first, he needed to answer himself one question: How was he going to get out of here? <I can see it in your eyes. You want to escape, don’t you?> Thoughtless chortled, flashing its sharp teeth at Snap. The blue and white zoner just glared back at him. <No need to try to hide it from me. I can see right through you!> Thoughtless turned its head to that a single brown eye was practically glowing down at Snap. <I do hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you will not get a chance.> “Cliched villain talk.” Snap spat at it. “Why do you make claims that you cannot be certain of?” Snap immediately realized what a mistake it was to say that. As soon as he saw the memotrice’s nasty smile, he bit his lip and felt a sickening feeling in his stomach. <Oh I can tell you. But why don’t I...> Thoughtless suddenly gripped Snap’s head tighter. The claws practically popped into his face, increasing the blood flow. Snap let out a scream at this. <...show you?!> Snap immediately began to thrash on the ground. His legs kicked out desperately, each of them missing the memotrice. He tried to push it back with his hands, but he stopped when he felt the horrific pain in his face. All he was going to achieve with that is causing more damage to himself. Tears began to flow down his cheeks as the pain spread like wildfire, trapping him in a grip of agony. Thoughtless didn’t even bother to laugh. It didn’t attempt to make any kind of corny speeches. It was going straight for the kill now. Its grip on his face only tightened more, worsening his pain, his skin starting to tear up in the process. Snap wanted to jerk his head away, or at least try to, but the fear of ripping off his own flesh hung strongly in his mind. It was enough to keep himself as still as possible. That didn’t stop his body from thrashing and squirming about, nor did it help him cope with the pain any better. Snap could feel the zoner’s foot twist a little, causing him to let out a pained cry. He gritted his teeth and sniffled as he felt more hot tears moving down his face. He gave a few pained shudders as he could feel them irritate the cuts on his face, the salty fluids seeping into the opening, straight into the blood. Realizing what was about to happen, all he could do was sit there and wait. Then, without warning, something caused both of them to freeze. “Aaaaaaahhhhh!” The scream echoed down the hallway they were in, reverberating in their ears. They turned their heads to the side, and they both noticed something moving towards them. They could see something flailing about in the air, arms out stretched, a terrified scream continuing to echo from its mouth. Snap blinked a few times. A Beanie Boy? What was he doing here? And why was he screaming like a little child? Why was he flying off like this? And why wasn’t he looking where he was going? Snap’s eyes widened as he realized the zoner was not going to stop. And if the Beanie Boy collided with them now... <Hey you! Stop!> Thoughtless’s crest raised up slightly, the feathers around its neck poofing up a little as it showed clear irritation for this interruption. Snap felt relief when it released his face, but any attempt to get free was immediately haulted as it pushed against his chest. <Hey, are you even listening! I ordered you to stop!> But nothing was going to stop this Beanie Boy. He just kept flying towards them, his flight not even in a straight line; it was going all over the place, looking like one big spiral. Thoughtless realized that this zoner was not going to stop and that it should get out of the way. It made this conclusion too late, however, and the Beanie Boy collided with the bird-like zoenr. Thoughtless let out a loud squawk as it was knocked to the side. Its had wammed against the wall hard and its body fell limp. Snap stared at the fallen form of Thoughtless for only a few seconds. He didn’t have time to check to see if it was dead or simply unconscious. Now was the chance for him to make his escape. He turned his attention to the Beanie Boy, who was still struggling to get away from...something behind him. Thinking fast, Snap got up to his feet and jumped into the air. The Beanie Boy let out a surprised cry as Snap landed on his back. The flying zoner began to zip his body around as he tried to buck Snap off. The blue zoner merely grabbed onto the Beanie Boy’s ears and held on tightly. The Beanie Boy jerked his head from side to side before he finally gave up and stopped yanking. His breathing was still quick and heavy, but with Snap’s intervention, at least he was flying straight again. “Let’s go see Skrawl.” Snap whispered into the Beanie Boy’s stretched ear. At this, the Beanie Boy widened his eyes. “G-General Snap..?” His voice was a mixture of fear and awe. Snap growled at him. “No time for talk! Just keep flying!” The Beanie Boy obeyed immediately. With his body steadying more and his breathing returning to normal, the zoner seemed to all but forget what had frightened him earlier. He began to fly down to where Snap assumed he believed he had seen Skrawl last. Snap didn’t know how long it would take to find Skrawl, but he hoped it wouldn’t take too long. He had to warn him about Thoughtless. sss Where was that little blue runt? Why hadn’t he come across him yet? He had been looking and looking for him, and he was certain that he would have found him by now. But instead, all he could see was the long, seemingly endless corridors that made up the hideout he was currently using. But despite the frustrations, Skrawl wasn’t about to give up so easily. He knew that if he kept on looking, he was going to find that zoner sooner or later. There might be a lot of places for Snap to go, but eventually, they were going to cross paths and then he could grab him. He wasn’t sure yet how he was going to kill him, but he knew he would think of something as soon as he found the zoner. A part of him felt strangely reluctant about this. Skrawl usually wasn’t one to feel much reluctance when it came to carrying out his plans. But when it came to this order, he couldn’t help but feel a level of uncertainty. It wasn’t because this order didn’t come from himself. It was the shere nature of the order. It was really strange, but he had to admit it to himself. He was just uncertain about the idea of killing Snap. This certainly didn’t sound like himself. When he had first met the zoner in that museum trap, he had no qualms about hurting the zoner. He fully intended on killing him and everyone else in one massive swoop of revenge. And earlier, before Thoughtless spoke to him, he had already discussed with this Beanie Boys about killing Snap should he become a problem. So..just why was he having a hard time with accepting this order? Why did he feel a sense of reluctance towards the idea of killing Snap? He shouldn’t care...right? He had thought about this before, and those same thoughts were returning. He realized that the reason was because he had started to identify with Snap a little. He started to see potential in him, see him more than just a little pest that occasionally got in his way. Deep down, he wanted to keep Snap around, and use him for something more practical than just some dead body to toss from side to side like some kind of throw rug. But...if Thoughtless wanted Snap gone, he supposed he couldn’t argue against him. He normally hates the idea of following orders, but he did agree to let Thoughtless take the reigns. He couldn’t quite remember why, but he was still going to follow through with it. They were making good progress and he knew better than to jeopardize it all because of his own disgruntlement. He remembered how his plan to destroy the Chalk Mine was ruined because Craniac didn’t listen to him. He was going to be better than that stupid robot and he was going to ensure that he didn’t do anything to ruin Thoughtless’s plans. Now...where was that blue zoner? Where could he have gone? He had to be somewhere in this building. Skrawl hoped to find him soon. The sooner he took care of this, the better. He would rather get this over with as quickly as possible. And he would do that if he could just find that blue rodent. Just where could he have possibly went to? Maybe he should have had his Beanie Boys look for him. They might have have been able to find him faster. Send out a dozen in all directions, and they would have been able to bring Snap to him in a much shorter time frame. Heck, they might have been able to find him in the amount of time he had spent looking for him. Speaking of his Beanie Boys, where were they? He thought that a few of them were supposed to be patrolling the hallways. He slapped himself in the face when he remembered that he had called them all for a meeting, and told them to stay in there while he went to fetch Snap. There wasn’t a single Beanie Boy present to help him, and he really didn’t feel like walking all the way back just to grab some Beanie Boys. Reluctantly, he just continued down the hallway, searching left and right for any sign of Snap. Suddenly, in mid thought, he stopped in his tracks when he heard a strange sound echoing off the walls. He looked left and right as he tried to figure out just what that sound was. It took him a few seconds to recognize that sound as some sort of scream. Frowning in curiosity, he leaned to the side and listened intently. At first, he didn’t really recognize who had screamed. The sound was a little distorted due to the reverberations. He didn’t stop trying to listen, his ears constantly trying to sort out the sound for any sign of familiarity. It wasn’t until another loud, long scream was emitted that he suddenly recognized the scream. It was from a Beanie Boy. His eyes widened at this. A pang of horror spread through his body. The Beanie Boy sounded injured, frightened and in pain. That was not a sound he liked to hear from them. During training, this would have annoyed him. But right now, he could only feel terror swell up inside of his chest. With anxiety clutching at his chest, he took a few steps back and stared in the direction he had heard the scream in. He could see the Beanie Boy now. Just a small dot at first, but it rapidly grew. He could see the zoner’s eyes bulging, his mouth still open and screaming. His face was pale in color, almost white as a sheet. But the one thing that got Skrawl’s attention the most were his injuries. He had a few bloody gashes on him and a couple small bruises and scrapes. He had been attacked by someone, and since Thoughtless wouldn’t do this and Rudy and Penny were locked up, it meant that there was an intruder here. As the Beanie Boy attempted to fly by, Skrawl jumped to the side and grabbed onto him. The zoner was startled and tried to scream again. Skrawl covered his mouth and yanked him back, pressing his back against the cold wall. “Quiet!” Skrawl ordered. He could hear the Beanie Boy muffle, “Skrawl?” Skrawl nodded his head. “Yes it’s me!” He hissed in a low voice. “Now can you tell me what’s going on?! Why are you running?” He hadn’t meant to sound that harsh. But his racing mind was clamoring for answers. He really wanted to know just what he was dealing with. “I-It’s Rudy and Penny, s-s-sir...” The Beanie Boy whimpered. “They got out and...” Skrawl’s mismatched eyes widened in shock at this. He stared down at the Beanie Boy before his eyes narrowed into slits. He grabbed the Beanie Boy and pushed him against the wall. “What?! You didn’t have anything to do with that, did you?!” “N-No, I swear!” The Beanie Boy placed his hands against the claws gripping him and pushed down. “I didn’t do anything! I-I just found them and...” He let out a soft gag. “Please, Skrawl... I didn’t l-let them out...” Skrawl just glared at the Beanie Boy. Realizing he was holding the zoner too tightly, especially with those injuries, he loosened his grip up a little. The Beanie Boy relaxed a little, but his body still trembled in fear. Skrawl let out a small sigh. He supposed it would be best if he just focused on what was important, not his own frustrations. At least Rudy and Penny were chalkless. They should be easy to hunt down and recapture. “So what are we dealing with here?” Skrawl held the flying zoner up with one hand, his other making a couple of quick gestures. “What was chasing you?” The Beanie Boy looked at him, his eyes filled with more horror than he ever thought was possible for any Beanie Boy he had ever met. “Rudy and Penny...” Skrawl froze at this. He stared at the zoner, blinking his eyes a few times. He wondered if he was hearing right. The zoner didn’t look like he made a mistake. And that expression in his eyes... There was no way this was some kind of a joke. But...it had to be... This zoner looked way too frightened if it was just Rudy and Penny, and those two would never hurt a zoner like this... When the Beanie Boy gave a frightened scream before he had a chance to respond, the jellybean froze where he stood. He then heard a growling sound behind him. Although not the worst sound he has ever heard, it somehow struck a cord with him. He could feel a cold sensation rising up inside of him. Slowly he turned his head to see where the sound was coming from. He felt his mind freezing in raw terror at what he saw. It was Rudy and Penny. They were racing towards them, their faces contorted almost animal-like. Their eyes were a solid red, blazing brightly, trailing and wifting behind them. Skrawl didn’t understand why they were like this, but then he happened to see what they were holding in their hands. Red chalk... His eyes widened in horror. Oh no... sss How much further was this thing going to take him? He could have sworn that he would have reached this location by now. It wasn’t that far away. How long was he going to need to keep walking before he finally reached this place? He hardly paid attention to what was around him. He was vaguely aware of some brown and green. A forested area. These colors became more and more sparse as he kept on walking. He only partially realized that he was entering a more stoney area, with mountains jetting up out of the ground. He didn’t know if anyone was around him. He could hardly hear anything except for the beep that kept playing inside his head over and over again. He knew he had to be getting close. He had to be approaching this place by now. His eyes scanned the area, seeing nothing but blurs of different colors. He was looking only for a familiar structure, yet he couldn’t find it. Not yet. But he refused to give up. He knew he was getting close. He just had to be more vigilant, remaining constant on the alert. Ah there it was now. He finally saw the familiar structure, the one that he knew would be present here. It jetted out of the ground and twisted, looking very much like a unicorn’s horn. This place had no unicorns, making this stick out like a sore thumb. And that’s exactly what he was hoping for. Someone had placed this horn here to mark this hideout. At least an entrance around this area. With the land a mixture of rock and grass, with jagged rocks sticking out, the side of a swirly, almost soft-looking unicorn horn colored gold with a red tip was really noticeable. But though Biclops had finally arrived at the location, that didn’t mean that he was quite done yet. He still needed to figure out just how he was going to get in here. He didn’t see any buildings around him, suggesting the place might be underground. Either that or it was even further away and this was just one of the many entrances. Well, he knew one thing for certain. The snake-like beast had to be in this area, just below his feet. Biclops lowered himself to the ground and began to look along the ground, trying to find a way inside. He immediately stopped himself before he went too far. Get inside the hide out? What was he thinking? There was no way that he could. He was just too large. He would end up destroying those hallways. He couldn’t possibly fit in. What he needed to do was find someone who could get inside and deliver the pieces of white chalk that he remembered to grab before he exited the Chalk Mine. He had them hidden in his pocket, out of sight of anyone. But...who was going to be willing to sneak in there knowing that the memotrice was around? Who was going to be courageous enough to run the risk of meeting that memotrice just to deliver some pieces of magic chalk? He knew there had to be somebody that would be willing to do that. He just had to think long and hard. Surely someone would come to mind... “Hey Biclops! What are you doing?” Biclops looked down, blinking in surprise when he saw Howdy standing nearby. He wore a friendly smile, although his expression was that of confusion. Biclops didn’t expect to see this zoner here. He almost never saw Howdy outside of the city. What was he doing here? “Hello, Howdy. I...didn’t expect to see you here...” Biclops admitted. “I just finished a gig back that way.” Howdy motioned his thumb behind him, indicating some area that Biclops could not see. Probably behind the tall hill there. “What are you doing here?” Biclops realized something. Although he hated to put Howdy in such danger, he knew that the small zoner did have an advantage. He was pretty fast and flexible, and being a comedian, he was also a quick talker. He might be able to talk his way out of trouble, distracting his enemies while he gave them the slip. He was also a living puppet. He could ‘play dead’ if need be, and trick the evil zoners in there that he was just a regular old puppet. This would allow Howdy to get closer and closer to wherever Rudy and Penny were being held and he could give them the chalk. This didn’t mean that he liked this plan completely. He was going to continuously feel bad about putting the zoner in danger like this. He would give anything to switch places so he was the one venturing deep in those corridors. But alas, fate didn’t see things that way. He had no choice in this manner. Either he had Howdy do this and help Rudy and Penny, or... He did not want to think of the other possibility. He did not eat around the bush. He did not use subtly. He went straight the point. “Rudy and Penny are in danger.” At this, the puppet’s eyes immediately widened. Biclops could almost feel his mood snapping as horror took over his once peaceful mind. “Wh-What...?” He stammered. He looked into the giant’s eyes, hoping silently that the zoner was lying in some way. “You’re kidding...right..?” “I’m afraid not.” Biclops shook his head. He looked down towards the ground, where the unicorn horn was. “They’re here, somewhere. Hidden in an underground tunnel.” Howdy turned his head to look at the horn as well. He bit his lip. “How...did they get here?” Biclops sighed. “That would take me too long to explain. All you need to know right now is that they are being held prisoner by Skrawl and Thoughtless.” Howdy blinked. “Thoughtless? Who is that?” “The memotrice.” Howdy instantly recognized that name. He brought his hands to his mouth, his eyes bulging and gasping loudly. Biclops had never seen the puppet look this terrified before. In fact, he never saw anyone this afraid before. The transformation was incredible...but horrifying. The poor guy’s skin was so pasty white that he looked like a ghost. It was almost as if he were being forced to face a more ferocious version of Dumpster, the dog that had ‘licked him to death’ when he was in the Real World. “I...I don’t believe it.. How could it have...?” Howdy stammered as he looked at the ground. “I-I never thought that they would be...” Biclops looked at him sadly. “I know. I understand your fears. More than you might know.” Biclops reflected for a moment about his own fears of being taken over again. He felt a flash of fear in his stomach as he recalled those horrible, realistic memories. He struggled to keep them at bay as he addressed Howdy once more. “I hate to have to ask this of you...but...” He bit his lip. Howdy stared at him, his wide eyes making it clear that he realized what the giant was going to ask of him. “I need you to head down into that hideout and give Rudy and Penny these...” Biclops took out the small bag of magic chalk and dropped it down. The bag hit against Howdy, causing him to stumble back. He rubbed his head as he stared at the tiny bag, which had only about four pieces in it. The bag was small enough for Howdy to wear on his back like a backpack. As Howdy lifted up the strap and examined the back, once more Biclops could feel a sense of guilt. He didn’t like the idea of sending this small zoner into danger like this. He didn’t like the idea of potentially sending him to his death, into a place he might not get out of. He wished he could just try to find somebody else to help. But it was too late for that; he was already here and he wasn’t about to leave now. For all he knew, this opening might be closed when he got back, and then what? No, he had to get Howdy do to it. There was just no other way. Regardless of how he felt about it, no matter how bad he was going to feel afterwards, there was absolutely nothing else he could do. And deep down, he had a feeling that Howdy understood this as well, even in spite of all his fear and unwillingness. “Rudy and Penny need your help, Howdy. They are in danger, and you’re the only one who can help them.” Biclops told him in a gentle, yet firm, voice. “Please...I’m begging you.” He pointed a finger at the bag. “Get that to them.” Howdy looked at the bag, his small hand still wrapped around one of the straps. He looked ack up at Biclops. “But...what about Snap? Did he escape? Couldn’t you ask him for help? He’s more cut out for this than me. I...” Biclops shook his head. “That isn’t an option. Snap, he...” This was going to break his heart delivering this news. But he knew that Howdy needed to know. Especially if he does end up going into those underground tunnels. It was better he tell him now and not when he ran into Snap later on. That would not end well. “He is one of them.” Howdy gave a soft whimper at this. “Oh no...” He looked away slowly. “What...what if the same thing happens to me...?” He looked up at Biclops, his eyes bulging wide open. “What if the memotrice gets me too...?” “I know you’re scared and I can understand. I will not lie, this is a huge risk. If I could do it myself, I would. But as you can see, Howdy...” Biclops spread his arms outward at his sides. “I’m too large to fit in there. You will have to do it.” “Can’t you get someone else to...” “No, there is no time. Howdy, listen to me. Lives are on the line here. Those two creators are our only chance at stopping the memotrice. You need to help them, or else no one is going to be able to stop the memotries. It might even come after you next for all we know. So please....do this.” “I-I...” Howdy fell silent, turning his head away. Biclops watched him intently, waiting for an answer. He could only hope that he chose the right one. |
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Post by Bluedramon on Aug 1, 2015 21:13:34 GMT -5
Chapter 32: There was almost no time to react when Rudy rushed towards him, wielding a long, red-tinted blade that he had just drawn. Skrawl moved to the side just in time, the blade swooshing beside him and clanging against the wall. He had to jump back when Rudy easily dislodged the blade and tried to strike at him again, the sharp tip nearly grazing his stomach. Penny was coming in at him as well. Her teeth clenched tightly, she let out a low, growly hiss as she tried to strike him with the mace she drew. This one, he had an even harder time dodging and he ended up feeling a sharp tip of a spike lightly cut against his side. He hissed, but kept himself from staggering to the side, which would have allowed her to strike again. He pulled his hand back and he struck her against her head, knocking her to the side. Whipping his head around, he glared down at the Beanie Boy and shouted, “Well?! Don’t just stand there! Get reinforcements!” The Beanie Boy looked at him with concern. “But..what about you, sir?” “Just do it!” Skrawl showed the Beanie Boy his claws. “Or I will use you as my own personal target practice!” The Beanie Boy widened his eyes. He gulped and he quickly nodded his head. Without another moment’s hesitation, he turned and he flew down the hallway, leaving Skrawl alone with Rudy and Penny. The jellybean turned his head back to them, watching the two children as they began to circle around him a little. They were going off on different sides, hoping to corner and flank him. He shifted his eyes from side to side, watching them very carefully. It soon got to the point where they were too far apart and he had to actually turn his head around. He was not able to watch them both at the same time, and he could feel his gut twitch a little in worry and apprehension. Rudy and Penny hadn’t attempted to attack him yet. They were just glaring at him viciously, their red eyes making it all but impossible to recognize who they actually were. There was a wild look in those eyes, something he never saw in the children before. He gritted his teeth, cursing himself for allowing the red chalk plan to unfold. He should have known that something like this was going to happen. Now he had to face off against not only creators who couldn’t control themselves, but also against red chalk creations that were so aggressive, it even put him to shame. Those things combined together.. It was quite a horror show. Despite his fear, the jellybean did his best to look brave and hold his ground. He spread his arms out at the sides, his claws curved downward. His remaining limb drove its claws into the ground, hoping to keep himself locked here while he tried to fight the children. He watched as they raised their weapons again. Though his heart pounded quickly, he managed to ignore it as he opened his mouth in a wide grin. “Think you two have...what it takes to fight..me?” Skrawl taunted them, allowing a laugh or two to escape his throat. “Y-You’re nothing...! I’m not afraid of you!” It was hard to say if his words had any effect on the red chalk or the children. They were glaring at him, but their expressions did not change. They were filled with just as much malice as before. No more, no less. He didn’t know if that should scare him more or not. He found himself leaning a bit forward, holding out one of his hands towards them, curling a claw inward back and forth in a beckoning gesture. “Well come on... Are you scared?” Skrawl’s smile stretched further. “Come on... Just try it...” Rudy and Penny seemed to respond to this. Their eyes narrowed a little further and their weapons were raised up. Skrawl watched them carefully, his mismatched eyes moving over their bodies as he tried to judge just what they were going to do next. He tensed his own body up in preparation, getting himself ready for whatever they were about to throw at him. Suddenly, the two children, with a primal roar that chilled him to the bone, rushed towards him on either side. They pulled their weapons back and they prepared to strike him. Skrawl looked between them, his racing mind struggling to figure out just which way he should turn. They were moving in too fast. He might not have enough time. He realized he made a huge mistake. Unless... Skrawl leaned back as Rudy struck the sword towards him. The jellybean grabbed onto his wrist tightly and yank the sword out, holding it back. Rudy let out an angered hiss at this and tried to bite him. Skrawl immediately swung him around and threw him against Penny. As they collided and let out a grunt, Penny’s grip on her mace loosened and it fell to the ground. As gravity came full circle, they fell into the ground, Rudy on top of Penny. Skrawl immediately grabbed the mace and picked it up. He now held both weapons. He looked over and watched as Rudy and Penny began to fight with each other a bit while they got up. He blinked a few times, a bit surprised by this behavior. But then, given that it’s red chalk, should he really be so shocked? Still, it was odd seeing these two, who were supposed to be friends, biting, clawing, striking, and pushing each other like this, growling like wild animals. A part of him almost considered separating them. Keyword: almost. He soon remembered that he had red chalk weapons in his hands. He looked down and he saw that the weapons, none to his surprise, were sentient and they were struggling to strike against him. He was strong enough to keep them back, but he knew he couldn’t hold onto them and fight Rudy and Penny at the same time. Taking advantage of the time that he had, he threw the weapons into the ground as hard as he could. He mustered up as much strength as he could and kept beating the weapons into the ground until pieces of them began to break off. Soon the weapons had enough and they began to slink away on the ground, letting out loud whimpers of pain. His attention was soon turned back to Rudy and Penny. By now, the two of them had stopped fighting with one another. Their red eyes were glued on him. They didn’t seem to care that their weapons were gone. They still had the red chalk. Skrawl watched as they raised their hands up, the red chalk glinting in the air. Realizing what was going to happen, the jellybean rushed towards them as quickly as he could. Before either child had a chance to draw, he pulled his hand back and he struck at them. His claws only grazed them as the children jumped back. But it was enough that it stopped them from trying to draw. The children tried to pull back away from him long enough to draw something, but Skrawl, despite his large size, managed to turn on a dime and dash towards them, striking at them any time they tried to do anything with the red chalk. This went on for...the jellybean wasn’t sure for how long exactly. He just kept racing towards them and striking at them, doing whatever he could to keep them from drawing. At the same time, he was hoping to exhaust them. Even with the red chalk’s help, these two children had to tire out at some point, right? He just needed to keep this up, dodging them and attacking them to keep them from drawing anything with the red chalk. After a while, he could feel himself starting to pant. Rudy and Penny must be tiring out too, right? Well it didn’t seem like it. They were still moving about at roughly the same speed and with about the same energy as before. He couldn’t believe it. Just how much more of this were they going to be able to take? Soon, his tiredness began to get the better of him. While he had been able to keep the upperhand for a while, he began to slow down and found it harder and harder to stop them, and even harder to dodge them. The red lines that filled the air became more frequent and complete. He found himself tripping over the red lines as they became tangled around him, desperately trying to bring him down. This caused a chilling realization to enter his mind. Even in just line form, the red chalk creations were brutal and ruthless. The red lines wrapped around two of his limbs, holding them together. He did manage to break free, but he still tripped into the ground. He found his face smashing up against the hard surface. But the red lines weren’t through with him yet. He could feel their small, burning bodies moving over him, pressing his limbs together and holding him against the ground. Skrawl attempted to free himself. He struggled against the red lines, his body squirming from side to side. He tried to yank one of his arms out, but he had to stop when he felt a red line nearly cut into his thin, black arm. He tried to kick another limb out, but no matter how hard he tried, it just wouldn’t work. Despite this, he still kept on trying to free himself. There was no way he was going to just give up. But eventually, he used up most of his energy and his thrashing weakened. Soon he just laid there. He gave a few quick struggles here or there, but he soon found himself unable to move much on the ground. His heart was racing against his chest and he was panting heavily, his tongue hanging out. He turned his head and watched as Rudy and Penny began to approach him slowly, their red eyes glaring down at him with...not contempt, but something else that he couldn’t identify. But considering the chill he got from looking at them, would he even want to know? As Rudy and Penny walked towards him, their wrists raised in preparation to draw, he could feel thoughts sifting quickly through his skull. He thought back to what the memotrice had said, about fusing them to the red chalk, making them one with the crimson menace. Skrawl just had to wonder to himself... Exactly when did he think that this was a good idea? Why did he ever agree to such a crazy and dangerous idea? He should have resisted more. He should have tried to convince Thoughtless of another plan. And now it was too late for that. Now, he was going to pay for that poor decision he had made. He could only lay here and watch as Rudy and Penny approached him menacingly, dark intents shining their eyes. Even though he was doing his best to be brave, Skrawl couldn’t help but allow an expression of raw terror come over his face. He turned his head to the side and he waited for the blow. sss “Okay, is everyone ready to go?” Mr. Bullnerd said as he surveyed the group of adults before him. “Yeah I believe so.” Tilly said. She turned her head and stared over at where Terry and Mrs. Sanchez were. “How about you two?” Mrs. Sanchez had her arm around Terry’s, locked into it to help support the woman. Despite Terry’s protests and statements that she was fine and able to walk on her own, the vet refused to let go. She made a few soft comments insisting that she help her. She eventually turned her head to answer Tilly’s question. “Yeah, we’re good.” “Let me go first!” Terry yanked her arm to the side. “I can walk on my own!” Mrs. Sanchez glared at her. “In your condition, I don’t think so. We don’t want you falling again.” Terry hissed, “I’m not going to....!” Her voice trailed off as she started to yank harder, hoping to dislodge herself from the woman’s grasp. But her efforts were in vain and she eventually stopped trying. “Fine...have it your way...” She grumbled. Mrs. Sanchez guided Terry towards the door where the other adults were waiting. Soon they stood by the Tabooties and Tilly. The last adult to start approaching was Mr. Bullnerd. He was a little more cautious and nervous, which was understandable considering what he had done. He cast a sympathetic and regretful glance at Terry, who simply returned with a suspicious glare, as if she thought that he was going to attack her again. Turning his head to face Mrs. Sanchez, he asked, “Are you sure you saw something on the chalkboard?” The vet nodded slowly. “It wasn’t much. And honestly I doubt that we will find anything useful there. But...if there is just a slight chance..” Her head lowered, her eyes narrowing as she entered into a deep thought. Terry cast a sideways glance at her. “Of course there is a chance. You heard what the boy said!” “Yes, but... It’s still so hard to believe. It sounds too...incredible to be true.” Mrs. Tabootie’s voice was low and mostly quiet, difficult to hear. But it was still loud enough for everyone hear. Including one person who wasn’t supposed to be there. Reggie had been watching this play out from a bit of a distance. He was standing at the edge of the couch, his brown eyes casted upon them. He had remained silent while the adults headed to the door, preparing to leave. He bit his lip as he watched them, wondering in the back of his mind if this plan was going to locate Rudy and Penny. Things had gotten more complicated and now he wasn’t sure which direction everything was going to go in. This was going to be an unpredictable route, he realized. The adults just stood there for a while. He wasn’t sure why. Perhaps they were uncertain of this; Mrs. Sanchez and Mrs. Tabootie both made it sound that way. They were likely worried of wasting time on a hunch that may or may not be true. He didn’t know if they even believed him when he told them about his visit to the chalk world. Of course, Terry believed him, but that was to be expected. It was Terry, after all. Well since they were about to leave, he might as well join them. He didn’t want to delay them anymore than they already had been. He had no idea what happened to Rudy and Penny, if they were in that world or not. But if they were and if they could find a way in, then he knew that slowing them down was not going to do them any favors. Letting out a long, quiet sigh, Reggie pushed himself away from the couch and he headed down towards the adults to join them. When he arrived, they were looking at him strangely. He couldn’t tell why. He assumed it was because they had been wanting to leave and they were wondering when they were going to get here. In that case, he felt a pang of guilt. He hadn’t meant to hold things up. Well he was here now and that’s what mattered, right? But as he stood there, no one was trying to move. Only a few seconds passed, but he would have thought they would be on their way now. Why were they waiting? What were they waiting for? And why did they keep staring at him like that? Raising his arms, he said, “Aren’t we going to leave?” “Yes, we are.” He heard his father say. A hand gently gripped his shoulder. “But you’re not.” At this, Reggie widened his eyes in shock. “What? But...but why?” “It’s too risky. I don’t want you to get hurt.” His father said as he moved himself around in front of him. “You need to stay put in this house, where it’s safe. Just make sure the doors are locked when we leave, okay?” Reggie shook his head. “No, I want to go with you! I’ve been to that world! I could be of some help!” “We don’t know if it exists or not. We might be wasting our time with this.” Mr. Tabootie’s voice was rather blunt and to the point. Mrs. Tabootie added, “Besides, Ms. Bouffant here did say that she had been to this world, too. So if it exists, we have her for help.” “For a very short time. Like a few minutes.” Mumbled Terry. “But yes, I can try to help.” Reggie couldn’t believe it. They were going to force him to stay home and rely on help from Terry, who had hardly seen anything of that world. He would be of a much better help. Why wouldn’t they give him a chance? He had been to more places and had stayed in that world for longer. He couldn’t remember how long it was. An hour? Longer? In the end, he had still been in that place longer than Terry. Therefore, he was the better choice when it came to navigating this place. And yet they were still forcing him to stay behind... Why? Was it because he was a child? Or was it because of what he did to Rudy and Penny? That’s what it was, wasn’t it? The Tabooties and Mrs. Sanchez don’t want him to come because they were still angry at him. Why won’t they allow him a chance to redeem himself? Why did they insist on he stay out of this, despite wanting to help? “You...you can’t just leave me here!” Reggie spread his arms out, his body bending forward. “I can help you! I know more about that place than you all do! I was there for a long time before Rudy got me kicked out! I would be of much better help than that reporter!” “We appreciate the offer, Reggie, but...sorry, you will have to remain here.” Tilly told him as gently as she could. “Please don’t take it personally.” Mrs. Tabootie added, clasping her hands together. “We just feel it’s better if no more children got involved in this. We would hate for you to get hurt in the process. Please...try to understand.” Reggie gritted his teeth. “You’re just afraid that I’m going to hurt those two again!” “No, it’s not that at all. We trust that you won’t do that again.” Mrs. Sanchez’s calm, gentle voice entered the boy’s ears. Compared to his own anger laden voice, this was downright soothing for him to listen to. “All we want is for you to remain safe. Just stay here, out of our way, so you don’t end up..whatever is happening to Penny and Rudy now...” She turned her head to the side, her teeth clenched. “The less children in trouble, the better.” The large child refused to believe this. He knew for a fact that they just didn’t trust him enough to let him be around their kids. He could see the looks in their eyes, the expressions they were giving him. They weren’t that worried about him; they were only worried about what he might do to Rudy and Penny if they found them. They thought that he had gone off the deep end and could no longer be trusted. This realization was quite hurtful. All he wanted to do was make up for what he did, and they weren’t given giving him a chance. And what of his dad? Mr. Bullnerd was going with them, and they had no protest in that. Yet Mr. Bullnerd was the one who had attacked Terry and knocked her out. Why would they trust his dad if he was so trigger happy and nearly got himself arrested? They had shown displeasure towards him earlier, and yet they were doing nothing to stop him. So why does his dad get to go on this journey and offer his redemption by helping them, but he is denied the same right? How could they see this as fair? He opened his mouth to speak when he felt his dad’s hand touch his other shoulder as well, and both were gripped gently. He could see his dad drop down onto his knee in front of him, looking at him directly in the eyes. They remained like this for a few seconds before his dad gave a soft sigh and finally spoke. “Reginald...” Reggie flinched as his dad used his full name like that. He usually didn’t do that unless he was going to say something really important. The sound of his full name was enough to lock his mind, freezing the anger that was swirling inside of him. “I understand you are frustrated. I know you want to help. I’m sure that you could. But...right now.... I just... I don’t want to see you getting hurt. Rudy and Penny had been missing for many hours now and their parents...” He looked over behind him to stare at the Tabooties and Mrs. Sanchez. He furrowed his eyes in concern. “They don’t know what happened to them. They don’t even know if they’re all right...” He looked back at Reggie. “Please...just...stay here, okay? I understand what they are going through because they are parents, and I wouldn’t wish that horrible feeling of not knowing where your kid is on myself nor on anyone else.” Reggie stared at the man, remaining quiet for a few seconds. “Dad, I...” He began to say, but his voice quickly trailed off as he couldn’t think of what to say. “Please, son..” Mr. Bullnerd placed his hand on his son’s face. “Just...stay here, okay?” Reggie wasn’t sure what to say. A part of him just wanted to shout ‘no’ and go with them whether they wanted it or not. A part of him didn’t want to stay here and do nothing, especially when he could contribute. He didn’t think that he could stand around in the house for possibly hours while they go of frolicking in a world that they knew almost nothing about. Why couldn’t they just allow him to go with? Why couldn’t they just trust him? But the more he thought about it, the more he began to understand why they didn’t want him to go, especially his father. It may not be about what he had done to Rudy and Penny. Maybe it really was just that they didn’t want him getting hurt. He might be a bully and he would not deny it, but he was still a child. The adults, especially his father, must be worried about them causing him to get injured or something by having him tag along. That was why they wanted him to stay. At last, the burning feeling that was moving through his chest, the frustration that was eating away at his stomach, finally subsided. He inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. He could practically feel that extra energy moving out of his mouth and into the air. He lowered his head and shut his eyes. “Okay, dad... I’ll stay...” Reggie whispered softly. He moved in closer towards his father. “I promise I’ll stay...” “That’s my good boy.” Mr. Bullnerd said gently. He wrapped his arms around Reggie and pulled him into a hug. “It’s going to be all right. You will see...” Reggie hugged his father back, not saying a word. He wasn’t sure if he could fully believe his dad’s words. None of them could be sure that anything was going to be okay. They didn’t know if this chalk world really existed; perhaps it was only a dream like Rudy seemed to indicate it was. But chalk world or not, he knew that finding Rudy and Penny and stopping whoever took them was not going to be an easy task. He bit his lip, feeling a cold chill rush through his body. What was going to happen to them...? Regardless of his fears, he did try his best to cheer himself up. These adults were shown to be quite capable in the right circumstances. And they did have dad with them. He would be able to keep them out of trouble and keep everything in line. His dad was able to manage those meetings really well despite some other members being rather pushy. If his dad could handle them, then no doubt he could keep the other adults here in line. Perhaps, just perhaps, they would succeed. Reluctantly, he let go of his dad and took a few steps back. He lowered his head slightly, his eyes turned up so he could stare up at his father. They remained silent for a few seconds, exchanging glances with each other. An understanding was being nonverbally broadcast between the two. His dad gave a small smile, which Reggie returned, albeit a little weak. Mr. Bullnerd looked over his shoulder, addressing the other adults. “Okay everyone. Let’s head out!” Reggie remained silent as he watched the adults start to leave. One by one, they exited the door. The last one to go was his dad. The man paused and looked over at Reggie. They exchanged brief glances at each other before Mr. Bullnerd slowly, reluctantly, shut the door. Reggie now found himself alone in the house. He turned around and he headed back towards the couch. He climbed into it and laid along it. His legs stretched out along the cushions, his head resting against the arm of the chair. He folded his arms behind his head and stared up towards the ceiling. He took in a deep breath and sighed. Despite understanding why, he still felt hurt at being left behind. But oh well... What was he going to be able to do anyway? Still, he hoped that the adults knew what they were doing, and just what they were getting themselves into. sss Mr. Bullnerd stood by his car. His head was turned towards the door to the house. He kept looking at it, his mind going many miles an hour. He kept asking himself the same question over and over. Was he really doing the right thing? He wanted to believe that he was. He wanted to think that, by keeping Reggie here, at home, that he would be safe and wouldn’t get into any trouble. He wanted to believe that it was best to leave him behind in case something were to happen. He would feel horrible if he let the boy come only for him to get injured in the process. He had already caused Terry to get hurt. He didn’t need to do the same thing to his own son. But he couldn’t help but think about what his son had told them. What if he turned out to be right and they did need his son in order to navigate this world, should it exist? His son claimed to know about this world and had apparently been in it longer than Terry had. He likely knew even more about it, whereas Terry would be mostly in the dark like them. Should he go back and tell his son to hurry along? ...no, it was best at he stuck to his guns and leave him here. The safety of his son was very important to him. And at least, if he left him here and they don’t come back, his son could alert the police and tell them that they were missing. Whatever happened to them, he was confident that the police would be able to find their trail and be able to help them. At least, he hoped so. He didn’t know how his alternate world worked, and if that’s where they ended up... He couldn’t begin to imagine how Reggie would be able to tell anyone. Would they even believe him? “Aren’t you coming?” Mr. Bullnerd turned and looked at the other adults. He could see their expressions, the way they were looking at him. They were staring at him expectantly, waiting patiently, or rather impatiently, for him to get in the car. Terry looked the most annoyed, her lip curled up slightly and a glare plastered over her face. If she wasn’t nervous about him hurting her again, she would probably be speaking up aright about now. She’d probably insult him and tell him to hurry up or something. These other adults... Did they believe Reggie? He knew that he himself had a hard time accepting it. It was too bizarre and strange to even be considered reality. The only reason they had agreed to check was just in case. They had literally no other leads and this was the closest one that they had. But while he had trouble accepting it as reality, what did the other adults think? Did they believe that Reggie spoke the truth? He recalled Mrs. Tabootie had a hard time with it like him, but what of the others? Did any of them, aside from Terry of course, believe that Reggie spoke the truth? Or did they have their doubts like him? Well he supposed it didn’t matter. They were still going to check Penny’s room anyway, and then later Rudy’s room in case they found nothing in the first one. They were still willing to check to see if there was any merit to this chalk world. But it was only because they were worried about their children and were willing to seek out any clue, no matter how bizarre and strange it was. In the back of their minds, he had a feeling that they all quietly agreed that this might be one giant goose chase. But perhaps...just maybe... they will uncover a real clue about where Rudy and Penny were. He wasn’t sure, and was unable to say anything with absolute certainty. But here was to hoping. “Yeah...I am.” Mr. Bullnerd finally said, his head nodding slowly up and down. “Sorry about that. I guess I...” “Just hurry up and get in the car!” Snapped Terry. “You’re wasting our time!” Mr. Bullnerd exchanged a brief glare with her, but said nothing else. He walked around to the side of the car and opened up the door. He stepped inside, feeling the car shift slightly with his weight. He shut the door and applied his seatbelt. He could feel the roar of the engine rumble through the vehicle and before he knew it, they were on their way down the road. As they drove, he couldn’t help but look at the other adults. Terry looked serious and ready to tackle what they were about to confront. Out of all of them, she was the least nervous and apprehensive. It helped that she had supposedly seen this chalk world already and, even though it wasn’t much, she had a bit of a better idea of what to expect. The others, however, were more sullen and nervous. Mrs. Tabootie looked like she was struggling to fight against tears forming. Mr. Tabootie was doing what he could help her keep calm. Tilly had her hands clasped together, her eyes darting left and right. Mrs. Sanchez had something of a haunted look in her eyes, remaining completely silent. He wasn’t surprised by any of these behaviors. After all, they were practically heading straight into the unknown, into a place that, except for Terry, had never been to. Again, he wondered briefly if they should have brought Reggie along anyway. Maybe he would have been able to provide more inside. Maybe he would have been able to help them understand this supposed world and navigate it better and... He shook his head, once again reminding himself the dangers of bringing Reggie along. He just couldn’t afford to let him get hurt. What kind of father would he be if he did something so reckless and stupid? “This chalk world sounds so..spooky.” It was Mrs. Tabootie who broke the silence. “I mean, I know it might not be real, but...” “Oh it is real.” Terry cut her off, casting a small glare in her direction. “And I can promise you, if there’s any place those two b...I mean... children are, it would be there.” She turned her gaze away, glaring off into nothingness. “I know that they tend to visit that world a lot. It’s like their past time.” “It’s still so hard to believe. I mean...a world made out of chalk... It sounds too incredible to be true.” Tilly murmured softly. Mr. Tabootie furrowed his eyes slightly in realization. “That would explain why Rudy disappears for a long time multiple times a week. We can never find him while he’s gone. If he is going off into this world, that solves that mystery.” “But Joe...if they are going there...” Mrs. Tabootie looked at the man with wide eyes. “...what are we going to do...?” Mr. Tabootie was silent for several seconds. His mouth hung open as his wide eyes stared down at his wife. At long last, he simply exhaled slowly and turned his head away, his eyes shutting for a few seconds. “..I...really don’t know.” He reopened them. “I don’t know, Millie.” “This place could be dangerous.” Mr. Bullnerd found himself saying. He placed a hand against his chin, rubbing it thoughtfully. “We may need to take drastic measures to keep them out. If something happened to them there...” Tilly nodded her head in agreement. “That might be for the best.” Mr. Bullnerd wasn’t sure how Rudy and Penny would feel about being barred out of this chalk world. He didn’t know how they felt about it, except that they apparently liked it enough to want to keep using it as a hideout. But just how attached were they to this world? What would they think about them if they tried to stop them from going? Hopefully, they would understand. They weren’t doing this out of hatred or anything. They weren’t trying to punish them or make them feel bad. All they wanted to do was keep them safe and sound. They wanted to keep the children out of a world that just might be dangerous. They just want them to be safe. Besides, those children shouldn’t be running around in an alternate dimension like this. Just what were they thinking? What if they got hurt? Even if they were angry at first, he trusted that Rudy and Penny would eventually agree. It might take them a long time, but sooner or later, they would realize what they had done and be grateful for what they did. Yeah, eventually everything was going to work out. He was confident that they would. “I don’t think that world is as dangerous as you’re making it out to be.” Terry’s voice sifted through the air, catching the attention of the other adults. They had their attention on her, their minds filled with confusion as to why she would say something like that. She immediately realized this and elaborated more. “What I mean is... They seem to like going to this world a lot. And they may have done so for a long time. If it was dangerous, do you think they’d go back. I know they’re just kids, but they aren’t stupid.” “Perhaps...” Mr. Bullnerd whispered. He had to admit that the woman made a good case. But still, it wasn’t enough for him. “They still should have been more careful and at least told someone about it...” “I agree.” Mr. Tabootie nodded his head almost furvitively. “They should have told someone about this place so, in case something like this happens, we know about it.” Terry frowned at this. “You may have a point there.” She looked away and folded her arms. “Still, they aren’t that dumb. This place might not be as bad as you are all making it out to be.” Mrs. Sanchez’s comment was rather blunt. “Didn’t you tell us that anything could be drawn and created in this world? I thought that was one of your insane theories about it you tried to spill all over the news.” She tilted her head to the side. “Or was that just something you made up for publicity?” Terry hissed softly. “I am certain that’s how it works.” “And if it does work that way, wouldn’t that mean that anything ever drawn on a chalkboard would be found there?” Tilly asked. At Terry’s nod, she continued in a hushed voice, “Do you have any idea what kind of things are drawn on a chalkboard...?” Mrs. Tabootie’s voice gained a fearful tinge to it. “I remember some classmates would draw some beheaded people and blood and...” Her voice trailed off, unable to continue. Everyone went silent for a few moments at that. Even Terry couldn’t think of anything to say. They briefly exchanged looks with each other, while being careful not to veer off the road or ram into anything. Silent questions filled the air, thickening the air with tension. They were constantly asking themselves the same question. If this turned out to be the case...then what were they going to do? Mr. Bullnerd couldn’t help but keep his eyes wide open in horror. The idea of anything drawn on a chalkboard being in that world was horrifying. If beheaded stickfigures could exist there, then did this mean that everything else did? All the monsters and vicious things that he recalled drawing when he was in school? The thought filled his blood with ice. Suddenly, this place didn’t seem so friendly anymore. Perhaps a ban is in order. sss This was it. The moment she had been waiting for. She practically drooled with anticipation, her body quaking, wanting to lunge at the jellybean creature before her. Bite him, taste his flesh... Destroy him, annihilate him. Penny’s vision might have been red and wobbly, but she could still see her prey before her. She and her partner, Rudy, had cornered him successfully. The jellybean hardly had any strength to fight back now. He was covered in bruises and he was groaning in pain. His body was tied up, unable to do anything to fight back. He glared up at them, but she could see the fear in his eyes. Ah, such delicious fear... She and Rudy grabbed onto him and held him down. She smiled dementedly down at him, letting out a soft chuckle from her throat, her smile broadening. Oh how this was going to be so much fun. She tried hard not to laugh too much. But her excitement could hardly be contained. At last, her...no, their prey could not go anywhere. He was going to pay for thinking that he could get away from them. Such a stupid little zoner. She couldn’t wait to sink her teeth into him and make him suffer slowly and painfully. She quickly draw something with the red chalk that she held in her hands. Such a powerful device. She could feel its energy flowing through her body. As she drew, it felt as though that energy was becoming a part of the creation she made. It didn’t feel like just a creation; it was a part of her and she wielded it. The heavy axe, made light by her own newfound strength, raised above her. She watched as the thing’s eyes widened in horror. She thought she heard him scream and plead. She ignored it as she start to bring the axe down. Suddenly she felt something collide with her. She gave a loud grunt as she felt her body being slammed against the wall. She felt air escaping her lungs and she had to breathe in and out quickly, trying to replenish her oxygen supply. She reopened her eyes and she glared at a form that was pressing against her and Rudy. The two children were affectively pinned against the wall. They could see their prey struggling to his feet after more of these intruders came in. Furious, they struggled to get themselves free. They let out snarls and barks and all kinds of horrible sounds as they tried to get at their prey before he managed to get away. They tossed and they turned, trying to yank their arms free, tried to draw, anything to get out. But no matter how hard they struggled, they just were unable to get themselves free. They eventually hung there and glared at their captors. Penny couldn’t believe it. How dare they interfere with the hunt... How dare they get in the way of what they rightfully deserve.. How dare they stop them from achieving victory... She swore, she was going to make this zoner pay. She opened her jaws and snapped at the zoner, trying to make him let go. The zoner pulled his head back and she missed. She soon targeted something that she could reach and that was one of his arms. She felt a sense of delight as she heard the zoner scream at this attack. Another one came over and grabbed onto her head. She bared her teeth and hiss as she felt her head being jerked back. The rough hands kept her head still and were kept away from her mouth so she could not bite them. She opened her eyes and glared at this new zoner. It was the same type as the other one, sharing a similar round, large body. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Rudy was being similarily restrained. Penny struggled a little, but once she realized she had no way of freeing herself, her blood began to boil. She let out a guttural growl, and soon she let out a loud, primal roar of frustration, startling the zoners but it wasn’t enough to make them let go. Penny lowered her head and panted heavily, her heart pounding in her chest. Her teeth were clenched tightly and her breath moved between them. Her body shook from a mixture of anger, frustration, and exhaustion. What felt like a few minutes passed, and she could feel her mind soon starting to calm and relax. She reopened her eyes and, for the first time, really saw what was all around her, and her mind drew a blank, confusion replacing her previous anger. What...what was going on here...? What happened...? She let out a groan as she tried to shake her head a little, only to realize someone was restraining it. A Beanie Boy? Why were there Beanie Boys holding her and Rudy? She blinked a few times, her groggy mind struggling to take hold once more. She felt like someone had taken a hammer and tried to pound something into her. With this throbbing pain, she wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case. She lifted her eyes and looked over at the ground. She could see Skrawl kneeling down on there. She could see him shivering very slightly, a look of fear and pain in his eyes. She wondered for a moment just what happened to him. It looked as if he had seen better days. Did he have a nasty encounter with Cornerstone or... Her eyes snapped wide in raw horror. No...that’s not what happened. Her mind quickly flashed before her, and she could see red-tinted memories of what really took place. She and Rudy..they had been hunting him... Oh gawd no... What..what did they almost do..? Skrawl turned to stare at her. She wanted to say something, but the sight of his expression was enough to keep her from opening her mouth. She looked over for a second to see that Rudy was suffering from a similar revelation, his horrified eyes staring off at Skrawl. She looked back at the jellybean, her trembling lip struggling to say something, anything, but she only ended up garbling up her sentences. It wasn’t like Skrawl was going to listen to her anyway. She could see the look in his eyes. She could tell that he had no intent on wanting to know what she was going to say. His face, tinged in fear and laden in hatred, showed only contempt for her. If there was any chance of Skrawl being reasonable before, it was all gone now. In that moment, when they had attacked him, they had pretty much sealed their own fates. Now they had no choice but to face the consequences of what they had done. She still couldn’t understand it, however. Why did they lose control? Just what had happened? She recalled they had grabbed red chalk to escape, but they had been careful not to use it no more than necessary. They hadn’t even used it three times to activate its control on them. How did this happen? She realized that somehow, during the time they were forced to spend slowly fusing with the red chalk, it must have bonded with them enough to allow the red chalk to assume control. She recalled how the red chalk influenced her before, but this was more terrifying. She had actually begun to crave to eat a zoner, something that didn’t happen before. The thought caused her heart to skip a beat. She struggled to keep her lunch in as she was forced to witness gruesome mental image after gruesome mental image. She watched as Skrawl began to move towards them. She could see a visible limp in his walk. She couldn’t tell if his legs were damaged or if they were just sore from being tied up. She could feel her wrist trying to move and draw something, the red chalk trying to fight back. She struggled to keep the arm still. She did not want to make the situation worse. She did not want to fall under that horrible spell again. She clenched her teeth as Skrawl put his face close to hers. He glared at her with such contempt, his eyes practically burning through hers. He turned to give Rudy a similiar look, letting out a growl in the process. He didn’t bother to make any kind of gleeful comment about winning or boast about how stupid they were. This provided her and Rudy a good idea on just how pissed off the jellybean really was. “...bring them with me.” Skrawl said as he motioned to the Beanie Boys. “Make sure they don’t escape.” “Where are we taking them, boss?” One Beanie Boy asked. Skrawl glared intently at Rudy and Penny, trying to think of an answer. The two children could practically see the thoughts that were sifting through his mind, giving them a good idea on just what he was planning. They wanted to say something, but they kept their mouths shut tightly, afraid that they would dig themselves a deeper grave if they dare try to say anything. The silence that followed filled the room with a thick layer of tension. So thick in fact that Penny could barely move at all. It was as if the room’s atmosphere was crushing up against her, assissting the Beanie Boys at keeping her pinned. She glared at them but made no attempt to struggle as she kept her attention focused on Skrawl. The jellybean was watching her and Rudy thoughtfully, his claw tip tapping against his flat chin. After a moment, the jellybean’s dark voice sliced through the silence. Penny flinched as she thought she heard a slice of silence smash into the ground. “For now, we will just lock them up. I think Thoughtless will be able to figure out an...appropriate punishment for them...” He stretched his mouth into a wicked smile. “It will think of something that will make them wish they hadn’t messed with me...” “No..please...we didn’t mean it!” Rudy begged, his eyes wide in desperation. “I-It was the red chalk! We swear!” Skrawl scoffed at this. “I don’t care. You still messed with me and you still deserve to be punished! Don’t try to wiggle your way out just because you were ‘being controlled’ or whatever bullshit!” “This isn’t fair, Skrawl! You can’t blame us for this! If anyone is to blame, it’s Thoughtless!” Penny shouted at him. “Why can’t you just...” “Shut it, genius girl!” Skrawl seized Penny by her face, his large claws pressing against her skin. “Or do I have to...” “Leave her alone, Skrawl!” Rudy struggled, his left eye glaring at the jellybean with such fury. “It wasn’t her fault! And it wasn’t my fault! You’re blaming the wrong people! If you want to punish someone, go after Thoughtless!” Skrawl shook his head, folding his arms against himself. “Tsk, tsk, tsk, for shame, Master Tabootie. Shifting the blame onto someone else.” It was hard to tell if the zoner was being truthful and he was aware of Thoughtless being untrustworthy, or if he was being serious and felt the need to scold Rudy and Penny. “You really should learn how to accept responsibility. You call yourself the Great Creator. Isn’t that one of the things that it entails? Accepting when you have done something wrong?” “But we didn’t do anything wrong!” Rudy tried to explain to him. “We were being controlled!” But it was clear that Skrawl wasn’t listening. Not that this surprised Penny too much. Skrawl didn’t seem interested in an actual confession. He just liked trying to mess with their heads and saying things to screw with them. He was such a hypocrite himself. He wouldn’t admit when he was wrong and yet the moment anyone does something stupid, he shifts the blame on them, even if he were the one at fault. It was pointless trying to explain this to him. He just won’t listen. Skrawl released his grip on her and he walked away from them. He kept his back towards them, an arm folded behind his back. He remained silent for a few moments, and then he looked over his shoulder and he sneered at them. “You are both going to pay for what you did. I do not let people off lightly for trying to do me in...” “But it was the red...” Penny tried to say. “Shut it! I don’t want to hear another word for you two!” Skrawl raised up his hand. “If you two didn’t want this to happen, then you should have thought about that before you escaped from your littlel prison! At least while you were there, you didn’t have to worry about hurting another zoner, am I right?” Skrawl chuckled before he narrowed his eyes. “You two brougth this on yourselves...” Rudy and Penny hissed at this. They both knew this was a bunch of malarky. They didn’t ask for this. They never wanted this. It was Skrawl and Thoughtless whose actions had led up to this. But they knew that they would never accept responsibility and they would just continue acting as if it was their fault this happened. How sickening... They then felt a pang of fear rise up through their bodies. They weren’t sure which was worse. Being punished by Skrawl or by Thoughtless. They glanced at each other, exchanging looks of horror. They began to realize just what kind of situation they were in. Restrained, having a piece of red chalk in their hands, knowing that at any moment, the red chalk could take them over again and make them act like wild animals... The cold sensation swelled up inside of them, causing them both to shiver in fear. Skrawl took this as a token of his victory. “Yes, that’s right. Be afraid. For I assure you that Thoughtless will not go easy on you.” “But...please...” Rudy said. “Can’t we just...” Penny asked. “We can talk about this, right?” “Sorry, but time of talk is over.” Skrawl raised his hand up and he snapped his finger once. “Come on, Beanie Boys. Let’s escort our...guests to their new room...” sss Howdy couldn’t believe that he had actually agreed to this. He had tried to reason with Biclops. He tried to make him realize what a mistake this was. He was just one zoner. A small, weak zoner. What good was he going to do if he ran into Skrawl or the Beanie Boys or the memotrice? Why would Biclops think that he was equipped enough to handle them? What if something happened to him in the process? What then? Yet....he still allowed himself to be convinced to come in here. He couldn’t stop grumbling to himself. He couldn’t stop wanting to slap himself in the face for agreeing to this. He couldn’t even turn around and leave anymore; it was far too late for that. The only thing he could do was just accept this and go through with it. At least he was able to find a way inside that didn’t have anyone nearby. He didn’t see any enemy zoner despite all the walking he had done. Not even the sound of a Beanie Boy floating around caught his attention. It was just...empty. Not that he lowered his guard or anything. He knew that he was in enemy territory regardless. For all he knew, there might be hidden cameras somewhere, lurking about, watching his every move. The thought filled him with horror. He gritted his teeth. He kept looking left and right, wondering if an enemy zoner was going to jump at from the side and try to tackle him. He kept his eyes out for any sort of ambush that might be laying in wait for him. Not that he felt Skrawl had much to fear from him, but the jellybean didn’t like having any....loose ends roaming about. He could feel the bag strapped to his back slip a little. He grabbed the straps and yanked on them, putting them back in their original positions. He felt a sense of relief when the bag returned to its original position on his back. He tightened his grip on the straps, determined not to let them drop. Rudy and Penny needed the magic chalk that this bag was carrying. If he lost them... Speaking of those two, he wondered how they were doing. Biclops wasn’t entirely sure what was happening to them and he could only have a small guess. But based on what he knew about Skrawl and that memotrice, Howdy already realized that they were likely in huge trouble. He could feel his heart clench as he thought of all the terrible things that were being done to them. He hoped that they were all right. At least okay enough to use the magic chalk to defend themselves. Then there was Snap... Howdy nearly froze as he thought of that name. Never before had Snap’s name ever filled him with such horror and dread. He considered Snap a close friend and he was one of the zoners he trusted the most. To know that he was forced into this... He hoped there was a way to save him. He hoped that Snap wouldn’t remain locked in the memotrice’s mind control for long. There had to be a way to bring the real Snap back and help him remember what had truly happened that day. He hoped that he didn’t run into him. He didn’t want to have to fight his friend. He hoped that, wherever Snap was now, he was nowhere near where he was right now. He felt a burning sensation in the back of his mind. Though he was usually friendly, he couldn’t help but feel a small snarl coming over his face. The idea of someone messing with his friend’s head like that... It was enough to make his blood boil. He hoped that the memotrice gets locked up for doing something so horrible. Howdy continued to move down the hallway slowly, hesitantly. He took careful steps as he moved along. He kept himself against the wall, his head turning around constantly to make sure that he wasn’t being followed. Much of the hallway was dark. There was some light of course, but with all these shadows around, he felt a sense of dread rising up inside of him. He wondered if the hallways were deliberately designed this way so that it would be harder for intruders to navigate, making them easier to catch. He gritted his teeth and continued to walk. Soon he can around a bend, and he could see a tunnel immediately opened up to the right. He paused for a moment, watching it. Then, licking his lips nervously, he walked forward, keeping his eyes open for anything suspicious. He noticed how the hallway here was brighter, and he immediately realized it must lead to a more....used part of this place, if the term was correct. He realized that this tunnel might lead down to the prisoner section, if there was one here. He wouldn’t doubt it. He imagined that Skrawl and Thoughtless would want to keep Rudy and Penny locked up somewhere where they couldn’t do any harm to them. It was hard to say if they would be locked up together or seperated. Well there was only one way to find out. After he forced a rigid sigh from his mouth, trying to settle down his speeding heart, he started to make his way down there. A shadow appeared on the wall. He immediately recoiled and moved back. He held his breath and he struggled to keep his heart from beating too loudly. His back pressed against the wall as his eyes widened. He could feel sweat pooling down his face. He wanted to wipe it, but he feared the drops would splash loudly on the groud, thus drawing attention to himself. He could hear footsteps approaching. They were a little soft and yet heavy at the same time. It was a strange combination, but the oddness hardly entered his mind. He then heard something that sounded like growling. No, grumbling. He caught a word here or there. The voice began to sound so familiar. Where had he heard this voice before? Being very cautious, Howdy inched his way over, peering his head from the corner just enough to see who was coming down. The shadow had taken on a familiar shape. His eyes bulged and he couldn’t help but let out a gasp of horror. He pulled himself back and he put his hands to his mouth. It was Skrawl...and it appeared he wasn’t alone. Although he was still hidden, he could hear footsteps and scrapes as someone, or two people, fought against Skrawl. No, against the Beanie Boys. He could hear them. There were at least four of them. And they were dragging someone with them. Howdy realized who it must be, and yet he couldn’t look over yet to confirm. Luckily, he didn’t have to. “Let us go, Skrawl! We didn’t mean it!” That voice was clearly Rudy’s. Then another voice, belonging to Penny, called out, “You can’t do this!” Skrawl hissed at them. “Oh be quiet! Just be glad that I am not recommending Thoughtless get rid of you! As much as I would love to tear you apart myself, Thoughtless still wants you alive. Why, I don’t know. But I am not going to question it.” “But you can’t...” Howdy flinched when he heard the sound of slapping. He could hear Rudy and Penny letting out a cry of pain as Skrawl struck them both. Although he couldn’t see it, he could still imagine just how horrible it must have looked. He hoped that those claws didn’t slash their skin open. Rudy and Penny had been through enough. They didn’t need anything else to worry about. “Just shut up! And keep up the pace!” Skrawl commanded them. “We have to get you two down to that room! I will inform Thoughtless and it will decide what it wants to do with you!” Howdy waited a few moments, listening to the sound of retreating footsteps. He waited until it was a little faint before he dared to peer down the hallway with a single eye. He would see Rudy and Penny being restrained and dragged by the Beanie Boys. Although he couldn’t see all of them, he was able to see enough to know that they were injured. He flinched at this, feeling a pang in his stomach. Poor Rudy... Poor Penny... Slowly, he narrowed his eyes into slits. How dare they treat his friends like this... How dare they hurt them like they didn’t matter... They weren’t going to get away with this. He swore it. He turned his head and glared at the backpack strapped to him. Inside, he held the key to turning everything around. He might not be able to help with their wounds, but once he delivered to them the magic chalk, he was giving them a chance to fight back. A part of him couldn’t wait to see the look on Skrawl’s face when he realized that the tides had been turned. Narrowing his eyes and not wanting to waste anymore time, the small puppet zoner headed down the hallway slowly, keeping himself quiet as he followed Skrawl to wherever he was taking Rudy and Penny. sss How was that possible? How could that little blue runt have gotten the best of it? It just didn’t make any sense. It had the upperhand. It could have done anything it wanted to Snap. There was nothing that little zoner could do. And yet...here it was. Head hurting and Snap nowhere in sight and no recollection of what had actually taken place. It just couldn’t believe it. Somehow, Snap had knocked it out and now that zoner had escaped. It didn’t even know which direction the zoner ahd gone in. He could be anywhere by now. It gritted its beak. This was a rather unfortunate turn of events. If Snap got to Skrawl and told him about what its plans were... It couldn’t allow that to happen. It wasn’t about to let all its hard work be for not. It wasn’t going to give Snap the chance to tell Skrawl. These corridors were long and maze-like; there was little chance Snap would find Skrawl soon. That give it plenty of time to track him down and take care of him. But it was going to need some help. It needed to find someone who would be willing to help it find Snap and bring him into custody to be disposed of. As good of a hunter it was, it still wasn’t perfect. There was little chance it could find Snap quickly, but if it had some help, things would move so much faster. And it knew just who to should come with him. A certain someone whom it was sure would be glad to help it. Someone who deserved a chance to get back at someon, even if Snap wasn’t the one whom she had the biggest bone to pick with. Cornerstone. While it understood that Cornerstone didn’t have a good sense of smell, she was still a good hunter, based on what it knew of her and seen of her. She still had a good sense of sight and it was pretty sure that she still had a heat vision of sorts. She would be able to find Snap no problem. It just needed to locate her and explain to her the situation. Surely, she would be willing to help it out. Thoughtless continued to move down the hallway, looking left and right to make sure that it was alone. It didn’t really want to explain what it was doing, nor did it want to talk to anyone else. Just Cornerstone, the one zoner with whom it felt as if it had a bond with. Anyone else was just a tool. Cornerstone was...she was just much more to it. It could identify with her and understand her on more levels than any other zoner it had come in contact with. It wondered if she felt the same way about it. It soon walked into a shadowy part of the hallway. It had entered an area of poor lighting. It was not sure why this part existed or what it was for, but it did make for a good safe spot for Cornerstone to heal after what had been done to her. It hoped that she was well rested. It could see the door from here. It gave pause for a moment, listening intently as it turned its head to the side. It couldn’t hear anything, so Cornerstone was not sleeping. She wasn’t the quietest thing when she was asleep. It took in a deep breath and sighed, and then, after mentally preparing itself, it moved forward, heading towards the door. Upon entering it, the first thing it took notice of was Cornerstone herself. She was curled up on the soft padding provided for her. The tail, whiplike tail was curled around against herself, the blade tapping against the ground a little in idle motion. The bandages around her neck and shoulder were blood stained, but it was relieved to see that there was no new blood on her. As soon as he hit his foot against something and made himself known, Cornerstone raised her head up and looked over at him. She stared at him intently, but remained silent. <My apologies.> Cornerstone bowed its head a little. <I came to see how you were doing.> Cornerstone narrowed her eyes slightly. Her voice echoed inside her head, enabling Thoughtless to percieve the message of, <I know there’s something else. I know you didn’t just come here to see how I was doing.> Thoughtless was momentarily stunned. It hadn’t expected to be able to communicate with her like this. It thought that she would need a collar or something. But then, it did make sense. It was able to read minds after all; that was part of the package of being able to alter memories. It gave a soft smile to Cornerstone and moved a little closer towards her. <Yes, I admit there is. But it isn’t just about me. It’s about you, too. I’m sure you want to do something other than lay here with a sore shoulder.> <My shoulder is fine, thank you very much.> She hissed at him, her senselss tongue flickering in and out. <Yes, I’m quite sure that it is.> Thoughtless wasn’t going to argue with her. If she insists that her shoulder is fine, then okay. Besides, it wasn’t like it was going to stop it from asking her to help anyway. Her tenacious nature would have been enough to fuel her to go on a hunt. To her, the pain would have been worth it. <How about I tell you my proposal?> Cornerstone rolled her blood red eyes. <Go right ahead. Not like I’m going anywhere.> Thoughtless moved even closer. It only stopped when Cornerstone glared at him and bared her teeth. A part of Thoughtless felt disappointed that it couldn’t get any closer, even though it had saved her life. But another part of it could understand this reaction. She was injured after all, and she was still created with a wild mind. It should consider itself lucky that it didn’t trigger a more violent response from her. Those fangs looked awfully dangerous... Thoughtless settled on the ground in front of her. It stared up at her, locking eyes with her. It motioned its wing towards her and said, <I need your help catching a certain blue rodent.> <Blue rodent. I can only guess you’re referring to Snap.> Thoughtless nodded. <Indeed.> Cornerstone tilted her head to one side. <I thought he was an ally.> <Sort of. I made him into one when I found him snooping around the Chalk Mine.> Thoughtless explained. <But it seems he is getting suspicious. I need him taken care of and quickly.> Cornerstone narrowed her eyes. <And what makes you think I will help with that?> <Oh because there is something interesting about him that may change your mind.> Thoughtless grinned almost mischeviously as it said that. Cornerstone blinked her eyes a few times and listened intently for it to continue. Thoughtless raised a wing claw up, the claw tip pointing up towards the sky. <He is Rudy’s greatest creation, as he would usually call himself. Before the change, Snap was one of Rudy’s closest friends. He would be so hurt if something happened to him, even if he was brainwashed.> There was a flicker in Cornerstone’s eyes. Her whole demeanor had suddenly changed on a dime. Where before, the zoner held almost no interest in what it was talking about, now there was complete and total attention from her. The pupils in her red eyes had dilated into slits, and the corners of her mouth had curved down as her mouth opened up in shock. She leaned her head forward, watching it carefully as though she thought it was going to say something else. <I think I remember that now... I can’t believe I forgot.> Cornerstone whispered softly, her eyes shifting to the side as the thoughts swirled around in her head. <Hmm....so the blue zoner is one of Rudy’s creations, eh...? The same one who had put me in this mess in the first place, the bastard.> Thoughtless nodded its head. <So...what do you say?> There was a moment of silence beore Cornerstone looked over at Thoughtless. Her eyes narrowed and her mouth corners curled up slightly in a smirk. <All right then. I will help you with this...problem.> Thoughtless felt a sense of elation wash over him. <That’s great! Let’s get going before he...> <Not so fast.> Thoughtless froze, staring at her in confusion. Cornerstone struggled up to her feet. Her body wobbled from side to side. She stretched herself and shook her body once. Then she took a few steps towards him, her paws of twin claws tapping against the ground as she did so. <I have one request.> <Okay...> Thoughtless said, narrowing its eyes softly. It was confused. It had offered her a chance to hurt Rudy mentally. What more could it possibly want? <What is this request?> Cornerstone’s jaws stretched into a broad, sadistic grin. <Allow me a chance to rip Rudy into pieces.> |
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Post by Bluedramon on Aug 3, 2015 15:48:02 GMT -5
Chapter 33: The two children, despite their situation, continued to struggle against their captors. The hands holding the red chalk were constantly thrusting about with the greatest force, trying to tear itself away from the Beanie Boys. Its efforts continued to fail and it only succeeded in nearly tearing off a limb. Knowing that it needed the children alive, it eventually stopped struggling so hard. Rudy clenched his teeth tightly, not wanting to believe the situation that he and Penny had been stuck in. He looked over at her, exchanging a look of fear and horror with her. Neither of them knew just what they were in for exactly, but both were clearly having similar thoughts. There were plenty of horrific things that these zoners could do to them. The fact that they weren’t going to be harmed at the moment did little to comfort them. They were being dragged down this long hallway. It was rather strange compared to the other ones. It was half lit, creating a serious of strange shadow markings that weren’t seen anywhere else. It was almost jagged and sharp, ready to slice into them the moment they crossed these areas. Rudy could have sworn he felt a pinch as they walked over theese sharply contrasting shadows. He winced and turned his head to the side when he felt what could best be described as a phantom pain in his arm. And it wasn’t because of the bite wound. Down further, he could see something. An end point to all these shadows and lights that intermixed together in a swirl. A rectangle shape that he eventually recognized was a sell of some kind. He looked over at Penny once more, almost hoping to see some kind of plan in those eyes. He felt a level of disappointment when he did not. He was not surprised. “Throw them in there.” Skrawl said when they got closer. The jellybean stopped several feet away and motioned with his hand. “And make it snappy! I don’t want to keep Thoughtless waiting!” The Beanie Boys obeyed immediately without any hesitation. They carried the two children towards the door. Rudy could see now that it had a small, rectangular opening with some bars that cut up and down, preventing anyone from trying to crawl through it. The Beanie Boys opened it up and it led them into a small, rectangular room. The smell alone was quite bad. Dank and dirty and all, but it all had a sense of foreboding in it. Rudy couldn’t explain what it was, but something about being in this room made him very uncomfortable. The sight of a couple of bones and the dirty bowls of rotten food and murkey water did little to help this. When did Skrawl have a placel like this? The Beanie Boys took him and Penny over towards the back wall, where he could see there were some chains. They had some red rust all over them, but they didn’t look like they had been all that weakened. He doubted he and Penny could break themselves free. He grunted as he felt himself being pushed against the wall. The Beanie Boys went to work, rapidly securing him to the wall until he was shaped like an X. He flinched as the rough metal squeezed tightly against his skin, some of the edges feeling almost sharp. He heard a pained grunt beside him. He turned his head and watched, his eyes wide, as the Beanie Boys secured Penny to the wall, doing nothing to be gentle with her. He could see the pained look in her eyes and how roughly she was being handled. He clenched his teeth tightly and let out a hiss. Before he could say anything, a shadow casted over him. He turned his head to see that Skrawl had stepped into the doorway. “Did you make sure you.... Ah yes you did.” Skrawl smiled in satisfaction as he stared at Rudy’s hands. “Now they won’t be able to use that red chalk. Perfect.” His smile faded slightly. He turned his head downward a little. “Now I need to talk to Thoughtless about this. Perhaps this whole red chalk business was a mistake.” That was the only amount of sense that Skrawl made in most of the time he knew him. Rudy felt almost happy that Skrawl was understanding the dangers of the red chalk and why it shouldn’t be messed with. It was a shame that this realization came so late, however. This mess could have been avoided and they could have gone on with their confrontation without the red chalk causing issues. Not that it made the situation that much better, though. He was still chained ot the wall, unable to move. Penny was in the same position. He winced as he saw just how tightly they were on her. So much that it seemed to almost cut off her blood supply there. He wondered if the same thing was true for him. He wanted to try to struggle and see if he could loosen these cuffs, but with Skrawl and the Beanie Boys here, he didn’t dare give that a try. At least, not yet. He would wait until they leave and then he’ll try. At least to make himself, and hopefully Penny, more comfortable. Skrawl moved in closer after the Beanie Boys were done hooking them up. His smile returned, though his eyes flashed with anger. Although Skrawl was injured, he certainly didn’t act like it. He moved his body just smoothly as when he was unharmed. Rudy wasn’t sure how he was able to do this, except that maybe his anger and hate towards him and Penny was enough to give him strength to overcome the pain. Nonetheless, he still clenched his teeth when Skrawl got closer, turning his head to one side and watching him warily. When Skrawl reached out with his hand, Rudy opened his mouth a little. In an act of desperation, he tried to snap his jaws at the jellybean’s hand when it was moved too close to him. Skrawl had moved his hand around quickly, as though he had predicted such an action. Before Rudy knew it, he felt Skrawl grab onto his face, pressing his claws into his skin. “I do hope you enjoy your stay here, Master Tabootie. For this is the last place that you will ever...” Rudy didn’t know why he did what he did next. He didn’t know what possessed him to do it. He should have known that it would have been a huge mistake. But he ended up doing it anyway. An act that shocked even Penny. He spat at Skrawl. He didn’t even realize what he did until he heard Skrawl let out a cry of pain. The small bit of saliva that he had lobbed at him it between his eyes. He could see the small wift of steam rising up from that location. The jellybean had released him and took a step back. From the sound of his scream, it wasn’t as bad as it could have been, but it was still causing some pain for the zoner. Skrawl wiped the saliva off of him, causing him to hurt his hand a little in the process. He shivered slightly in pain, but soon he was able to return himself to his original composure. He glared back at Rudy, the frowns of his face contorting the small burn, irritating it. Rudy simply bared his teeth back, making no attempt to apologize. After a while, Skrawl’s snarl dissipated and he let out a series of low chortles. “That really is amusing. I never thought you would be capable of doing such a thing.” Skrawl tilted his head to one side, his glinting eye staring off at them. “Perhaps you really did do something to your little blue friend...” At this, Rudy felt a rush of adrenaline pump through his body. With his body shaking with energy, he began to struggle against his chains. He could hear the metal clanging as he tried to free himself. He let out a yell in the process, his burning left eye practically shooting a beam directly at the zoenr. His actions only seemed to amuse the jellybean more, which in turn made him struggle harder. “I would love to stay here and chit chat with you on this matter, but...” Skrawl raised his hand up in gesture. “You understand, right? Meeting with the boss and all. That is something you know well enough I’m sure.” Nether child bothered to answer, both just glaring back at him. “Well I shall bid you all farewell! And don’t worry, you two won’t be alone!” Rudy and Penny watched as the jellybean and the flying zoners left the room. The Beanie Boys were first, followed shortly by their jellybean boss. They kept back while Skrawl stood just outside the doorway, smirking at the two children. One of his limbs was straight out at the side, his claws interlocking around what Rudy assumed was the doorknob. Before the turned it, the jellybean leaned his head in towards the door. He gave the two children one last dark sneer and said, “You will at least have each other. If you want to say your farewells, you have plenty of time. Aren’t I generous?” “Oh go jump off a...” Rudy started to hiss through his clenched teeth. Skrawl cut him off. His voice heavy with sarcasm, he said, “Farewell, oh you great creators!” Rudy and Penny flinched as the door was slammed hard. The sound of clanging filled their ears, irritating them. They could feel a slight reverberation through the ground for a couple of seconds. They soon relaxed themselves a little. They then felt a twisting in their guts as something climbed up through their stomachs, spreading along almost like wildfire. They felt their bodies shiver at the realization of the situation they were in. They looked at each other, eyes wide in fear. They then did the only thing they could think of doing. They struggled. Their bodies squirmed from side to side as they tried to free themselves. Their limbs were shook and yanked around, their skin being pulled and scraped around as they attempted to get them out of the cuffs. Their legs and arms were constantly banged against the wall through their efforts, causing them to hiss in pain. The two children refused to give up. Despite the pain in their aching limbs as they tried to escape, they kept up the attempts. They thought that, if they struggled hard enough, maybe they could weaken the rusty cuffs that were wrapped around their wrists and ankles. Maybe if they kept stressing them, something would break and they would be able to get themselves free. They wouldn’t know until they tried. So they continued their struggling, using up whatever strength they had to get away, their loud grunts filling the air. Eventually, however, they had to stop. Their limbs aching and pounding, they simply hung on the wall. Their heads lowered and their mouths were open, heavy pants coming out of them. They could feel their lungs burning from the effort. As they looked at their limbs, they were shocked to see the marks they had left on their arms. Their struggling had irritated their limbs. No wonder they ached so much. They soon fell silent, their mouths clenching tightly as they both felt a sweeping feeling of dread and horror rush through them. The realization that they were truly trapped and unable to escape from whatever doom Skrawl brought to them snapped open in the back of their minds. They couldn’t help but give a few shivers, a feeling of helplessness rising up inside of them. Neither of them wanted to give up and back down. Yet they both realized that they were in quite the predicament. How were they going to get out of here now? Rudy struggled to think of something, anything that would help him and Penny get out of this situation. There just...had to be a way out of this. He just needed to think hard about it. He had to search through his mind, try to figure out something that could help them out. But he could only draw a blank. The only thing he got from all that thinking was a pounding headache. If his hands weren’t cuffed, he’d be rubbing his head right about now. As he hung there, he could feel the pain from his injuries, both old and new, sweep through his body. He had to close his eyes for a few moments while he felt the jolts of pain, especially around his eye, palm, and bite wound. They swirled together, creating a sharp clang of agony. It took several seconds for it to die down. “Well there is one good thing that came out of this.” Rudy turned his head to see Penny looked at him. She had a depressed look in her eyes, but there was still a small smile, her mouth corners ticked a little. He wasn’t sure why she had this expression. What good could come out of being trapped like this? Penny seemed to sense his confusion. She didn’t waste time to elaborate. “We don’t have to worry about the red chalk for now. Our hands are cuffed so it cannot draw anything right now.” Rudy looked at his hand where the red chalk was still glued to his skin. He would feel his wrist being turned about as the red chalk tried to draw something as a means of escape. But of course, with him restrained like this, the red chalk didn’t get far. This caused a mixture of emotion to rush through him. On the one hand, it was disappointing, since he was not interested in hanging around here for long either. But then, at least the red chalk could not do anything to cause trouble. He and Penny were safe from it...for the time being. That didn’t do much to lower his fears, however. Even with them hanging like this, restrained, the red chalk could still take over. True they wouldn’t be able to go anywhere. But the idea of being under the red chalk’s influence once more terrified him. Having the red chalk controlling him like that was terrifying. It was though he had strings attached and he was being pulled around and manipulated by some unseen force. He wanted to get free, but with that freedom, just what would happen? Would they be able to control themselves? Or would they be locked in that ‘feral state’ once more? Would they target Skrawl again or would they attack a friend? These thoughts chilled Rudy to the core. “We’ll get out of this...somehow.” Penny’s voice had a slight crack to it. She was doubtful herself. But Rudy still appreciated her trying to be strong. It certainly helped. “I promise.” He nodded his head slowly, but he didn’t say anything. He looked out ahead, his eye focusing on nothing. He could see the door in front of him, and the walls, but he hardly paid attention to them as he found his mind slipping back into a thoughtful state. Despite Penny’s words, he was still worried about what was going to happen to him and Penny. Just how were they going to get out of this situation when they can’t even free one of their limbs? He still believed it was possible. They had gotten out of tough scrapes before like the situation with the balloonemia epidemic. That felt really hopeless and a part of him had wondered if he and his friends were ever going to save ChalkZone. Yet, despite all the trouble they went through, they still came out on top. This caused him to smile slightly, feeling a warm sensation move through his chest. If they could get out of that situation, where ChalkZone was threatened with painful, gruesome deaths, then surely, they would figure out a way out of this. They just had to keep trying, think harder, not give up. “Listen Rudy...I...” Penny’s voice cut through the air unexpectantly. Rudy noticed the sad expression in her eyes. A part of him wondered what she was going to talk about. When he saw the slight tears forming, he had a feeling he knew what it was. “I just...wanted to say...sorry...” Rudy raised an eyebrow. Why was Penny apologizing about that again? Didn’t they already talk about this before? He understood already that it was an accident. Sure he still held some level of anxiety towards her, but he did at least understand that she didn’t mean for him to practically lose an eye. That had never been her intention. None of them could have predicted that would have happened. “Penny, you already said that..” “I know. I just...can’t help it. I stare at you, I see those bandages...and I’m reminded of my mistake...” Penny whispered. She locked eyes with Rudy, a watery distortion in her eyes. “I am your best friend. At least...I’m supposed to be. But in the end, I..” She shut her eyes. She took in a shuddering breath. “I’m so sorry I hurt you, Rudy. I’m so...so sorry...” “Penny...” Rudy whispered. He couldn’t say anything else after that. He just watched sadly as Penny allowed a few more tears to flow down her face. He couldn’t really blame her for feeling this way. He still had some lingering negative feelings about what had happened. While he understood that it was an accident, he still couldn’t help but feel angry towards her. A part of him wanted to snap at her, to make her feel horrible for making him lose an eye. Yet..he knew he couldn’t do that to her. That wouldn’t be fair. Penny didn’t really mean for it to happen and she was feeling awful about it. Would it really be fair of him to snap at her even though she already felt bad about it? Would he be any better if he constantly tore her apart? No, it would not. He needed to keep his grip and not allow his emotions to get the better of him. Although he was certain he already accepted her apology, not able to think of anything else to say, he whispered, “Shh..it’s all right, Penny. It’s all right. I forgive you. Please..it’s going to be okay, like you said. We’ll...we’ll get out of here somehow.” Penny sniffled a bit and looked over at Rudy. Her eyes glistened a bit as she smiled. A silent ‘thank you’. Rudy returned the smile. They remained like this for a few seconds before they allowed the reality of the situation come over them again, both of them remembering just what kind of trouble that they were in. “Even if we do get free, I’m not sure what we are going to do about the red chalk.” Penny’s wary eyes looked up at the chalk that was still glued to her hand. “Once we are free, so will be the red chalk. It would be able to make us do anything it wants...” Rudy shivered at the idea. “Yeah I know... We need to figure out a way to make sure that we don’t fall under its spell again.” “Yes, but how? We don’t have any sort of means of locking the red chalk up or blocking anything it’s going to draw. I know we could try holding our arm back, but from what you said, the red chalk is physically stronger than us.” Penny said. “Yeah.” Rudy nodded his head. “I tried fighting it before, but if the red chalk wants something...” His voice trailed off. He knew that Penny understand what he was getting at. “We can’t even help each other on this. We still only have two free hands between us and we have two red chalk. One with me and one with you. We could try to focus the two hands on one arm, but that still leaves one hand free to draw.” “Which means that we still need to restrain it.” Penny said as she turned her gaze down. Her eyes narrowed in thought. “But...how are we going to do that?” “Maybe with some tape?” Rudy asked. Penny gave him a look. “Sorry. It was the first thing that came to my mind.” Penny stared at him for a few seconds before she sighed and shook her head. “I doubt tape will stop this.” She looked towards the ground. “We need something better. Something thicker, stickier. Something that would keep our wrists from being used like toys.” “Yes, but..how?” Silence fell upon the room. The two kids looked at each other before looking down. A sense of hopelessness moved between them, filling the air around them. They could feel their bodies start to burn slightly in anxiety. Their teeth gritted tightly, a slight, concerned frown adorning both their faces. They struggled to think of something that could help. Anything... Before they were able to complete their thoughts, however, they were suddenly interrupted by the sound of tapping. They swiveled their heads over and stared at the door. They watched as the knob was being wobbled back and forth. They took in a deep breath, holding it as if they lost the ability to breathe. Someone was coming in... It must be Thoughtless. Skrawl must have gotten it here already. Their hearts pounded as they watched the knob turn slowly. They pulled their heads back, hitting them against the wall behind them. They bared their teeth defensively, prepared to bite if they had to in order to defend themselves. They saw the door opening slowly and a shadow forming along the wall. This was it... This was.... “...Howdy...?!” “Hey guys!” Howdy said as he greeted them. He shut the door behind him and he moved forward slowly. He said softly, “Please...keep it down...” Rudy and Penny fell silent as Howdy approached them slowly. Many questions began to rush through their minds as they tried to come to grips with what was going on. Just...how did Howdy get here? Why was he here? Where did he come from? How did he know what was going on? How did he not get captured? Despite their confusion, they felt a strong wave of elation rush through them, their mouths curling upwards into broad smiles. The sight of Howdy caused so many emotions to crawl into the back of their mind, becoming the forefront of their thoughts. They weren’t sure if Howdy would be able to release them or not, but they knew that with him here, they stood at least a slightly better chance than before. Rudy wanted to say something to Howdy, but he was unable to form any kind of sentence structure. All he could do was babble slightly before he became quiet again. Penny appeared to be having the same difficulties as him, but she did manage to say a couple tiny, squeaked words. “...how did you get in here...?” Howdy waved his hand to the side. “That’s a long story. I don’t have time to explain it to you now!” Howdy took off what appeared to be some kind of bag. “Here, I brought you something.” Rudy and Penny couldn’t stifle their gasps of shock and excitement when Howdy pulled out two pieces of magic chalk. Regular white magic chalk not red. The sight of the white stick with the sparkling tips was so beautiful and welcoming. Neither of them thought that they’d ever be this happy and excited to see a piece of magic chalk. A sense of dread suddenly filled their stomachs up, twisting it. The anxiety caused them to start feeling a little sick. They bit their lips as they looked down at Howdy, exchanging looks with one another. “Howdy...” Penny spoke, being a little more ‘stable’ compared to Rudy. “..how did you get those...?” “I told you, I don’t have time to explain.” Howdy looked over his shoulder, his teeth clenched and eyes filled with worry. “If we don’t get you out of here soon, Skrawl might come back and..” He paused for a moment, his eyes flickering with realization. He looked back at them. “...what is he going to do to you two anyway?” “We....don’t know. He’s getting the memotrice.” “Yes, I think I heard that as I followed.” Howdy nodded his head slowly. “But...you don’t know what the memotrice wants with you?” “Other than make us one with the red chalk and...” “It’s doing what?!” Howdy cried out, his body jumping back and hands shooting at his sides. “Shhh! Quiet!” Rudy hissed at the zoner. “Remember? We don’t want to draw attention!” Howdy nodded his head quickly, smiling in embarrassment. “Yeah...right...” He wiped his forehead. “But...fusing you with red chalk...? That sounds horrible... Quite a doozy. Why would the memotrice want to do that? From what I heard, it didn’t seem like the kind of zoner that would want anything to do with red chalk...” “We would tell you. But right now is not a good time.” Penny told him. “Now... will you help us get out of here? We’ll talk after we find a safer place to be.” “Yeah. We don’t know when the memotrice will show up.” Rudy narrowed his eyes slightly as he thought of that foul creature. It was all its fault that this was happening. But of course, it didn’t care. All it cared about was whatever sick, twisted plans it had. “Hurry up and unhook us.” “I’ll do my best.” Howdy said. Rudy didn’t like the tone in the puppet’s voice. He did know what he was doing, right? Howdy performed a lot of tricks and some were escape based. Surely he would know what to do to get them out of here... at least, he hoped so. He took in a deep breath and sighed. He tried to have more faith in his friend. Howdy could do this. He knew that he could. Howdy walked towards Rudy. He grabbed onto his leg and he began to climb up, using his leg as leverage to get higher. Rudy giggled a little as Howdy accidentally tickled him in the process. He then could feel the zoner grab onto his shirt and continue pulling himself up. Soon Howdy was up on his shoulder. Rudy flinched at the feel of the feet against him. He stared at Howdy in confusion, wondering what he was doing. Howdy then began to stand up on his shoulder, his hands reaching up to wrap around Rudy’s arm. He began to climb up his arm like it was some kind of pole, getting closer and closer to his hand, the one that did not have any magic chalk in it. Rudy watched the little zoner go, still uncertain of exactly what Howdy had in mind. It wasn’t until Howdy was nearly there that it clicked in his head. This was confirmed when Howdy pulled out one of the magic chalk pieces into the air, clutched tightly in his palm. The small puppet zoner reached up towards Rudy’s hand, struggling to bring the magic chalk towards it. Rudy flexed his fingers, trying to grab onto the chalk and assist Howdy, but this task was impossible. He just couldn’t reach with his wrist restrained like this. As he tried to grab the white chalk, he could feel his other hand going crazy. He could see the bolt shapes shooting out of the red chalk as it tried to free itself. Rudy felt a cold sensation moving through him as he realized that the red chalk was trying to stop him. The fact that it was still restrained by the cuff was of little comfort to him. If it kept banging his arm against the rusty, metal band like this, it just might get free and... Suddenly he could feel the cold white stick against his hand. Almost instantly, it warmed up, and he could feel a warm sensation shooting through his hand, heating up the chalk in an instant. He held the chalk tightly in his hand, unable to stop smiling at it. At last, he had a piece of magic chalk. ...so...now what...? Rudy tried to move his wrist around and draw something. But no matter how hard he twisted his wrist around to draw, nothing was coming out of it. He just couldn’t move his hand enough in order to draw anything. How was he supposed to draw a means of escape? Suddenly Penny cried, “Howdy! Help him!” “Huh? How is he....?” Rudy questioned, but he was stopped when he felt small hands on his own. He blinked once and said, “Howdy...?” The puppet zoner didn’t answer him. With his hands tightly gripping his own, the zoner began to manipulate his wrist. Rudy flinched as he felt the zoner moving his wrist around further than he himself was capable of doing. He had to struggle not to fight back as the puppet continued manipulating his wrist around, assisting him in drawing. It took a little while, a bit longer than Rudy would have liked. But with their combined efforts, Rudy, with Howdy’s help, was able to draw a small key in the air. With a flash of light, it came into existence. It dropped down and clanged against the ground not too far away. “It worked...?” Rudy whispered, in a bit of disbelief at what happened. Then he spoke again, this time with more confidence. “I mean... it worked!” “I wasn’t sure if it would.” Howdy admitted. “Well it did.” Penny said as a matter-of-factly. “Now don’t just stand there. Free us!” Her voice was filled with urgency, which was understandable given their situation. Howdy jumped off of Rudy. He grunted as he hit the ground, one of his knees bending down from the force. He went up to the key and he picked it up. It was only then that Rudy realized that while the key was small to him, it wasn’t small to the zoner. Howdy had to use a bit of strength in order to lift the key off the ground. He then move back over towards Rudy, going first towards his feet. Rudy felt a wave of relief when his legs were unhooked. The bands were snapped open, allowing him room to actually move his legs around, unrestricted and free. Howdy then climbed up the boy again. He used the back to help him carry the key up with him. He went over towards the white chalk-wielding hand first for obvious reasons. After working the key around and unlocking that cuff, Rudy let out a yelp as he felt all his weight now being focused on his red chalk-wielding hand. Howdy started to make his way over there. “No, wait!” Rudy called out, a flash of horror striking him. “If you undo that arm, the red chalk might make me draw something terrible!” He swung his free hand over to where Penny was. “Free her first! But don’t unlock the arm with the red chalk!” Howdy nodded his head. The zoner jumped from him and made his way over to Penny. While the puppet zoner began to uncuff Penny, Rudy looked over at the red chalk still clutched in his hand. He narrowed his eyes in determination. He looked at the white chalk and he squeezed it tightly. He knew exactly what he had to do. Struggling as hard as he could, he reached his free arm up to where the still bound wrist was. He pressed his feet against the wall the best he could, trying to keep himself from slipping. He pushed himself up a little, struggling to reach his bound arm. Once he got close enough, his arm shaking from the effort, he quickly began to draw a simple circle shape around his red chalk holding hand. Soon it became encased in a soft, rounded padding, the band around his wrist a little tight to ensure that it wouldn’t slip off easily. With the red chalk no longer able to draw anything, Rudy let out a sigh of relief. He looked over and saw that Howdy had finished uncuffing Penny....mostly. Like him, he made sure he did not unhook the arm that was holding the red chalk. Penny was doing like him and was presently drawing something around her other hand so that her red chalk couldn’t draw anything either. Once he was certain that Penny had finished, Rudy motioned to Howdy. “Give me the key, Howdy.” The puppet zoner nodded his head. He went over towards Rudy and climbed up his leg again. With Rudy at an angle, he didn’t have to go up as far as before. He lifted up the key until Rudy was able to grab onto it. With the key now in his hand, Rudy moved himself over and he pressed it into the lock. He twisted it and with the final cuff removed, he dropped to the ground. He coughed a few times before pushing himself up. He looked over at Penny and tossed her the key. As Penny unhooked herself, Rudy looked towards the door. He narrowed his eyes slowly. Now that they were unhooked, what would be the best course of action? It didn’t seem like anyone was there, but he didn’t know how long it would take for Skrawl to get Thoughtless. For all he knew, he had Thoughtless already and was on his way over now. In that case, they would need to get a move on quickly. But what if they were already in the hallway? What if Thoughtless spotted them? What if it turned Howdy against them? There had to be something they could do in that case. A way of making sure that no one was coming. He could look through the bars, but if they are coming down, then wouldn’t they see him and realize that he had freed himself? He folded his arms against himself, realizing that this was going to be trickier than he thought. If only there was a way to... Rudy let out a grunt as he was suddenly yanked forward, his feet stumbling a little. He looked over as he saw that it was his hand wielding the red chalk. True to the red chalk’s nature, it was struggling to get itself free. Rudy grabbed onto his arm and tried to keep it still. But the red chalk had other plans. He could almost hear it hissing at him as it tried to strike back against him, managing to land a couple of blows against his face, knocking him back. “Rudy!” Penny cried out. “Are you...” Rudy heard Penny let out a yelp of pain. He lifted up his head and saw that her red chalk was starting to fight back as well. He looked over at Howdy, who was watching the scene with wide, frightened eyes. Rudy tried to think of something to say, but his voice was taken from him when the red chalk struck him against the throat. He gagged, struggling to take in a breath. “Wh-What’s wrong with you guys...?” Howdy whimpered. His wide eyes suggested that he understood, but his shocked mind was having a hard time processing it. “What should I do?!” Neither Rudy nor Penny were able to provide an answer. sss Thoughtless motioned its wing out towards the snake-like beast. <Well? Do you see anything?> Cornerstone was positioned several feet in front of the memotrice. She gritted her teeth in frustration, the result of a combination of two things. Her own anger that she hadn’t been blessed with a snake’s usual scent abilities, and the fact that Thoughtless appeared to be growing slightly impatient. But perhaps that was just in her mind. She swung her head around and glared back at the memotrice. Her red eyes locked onto its brown ones. The memotrice, unlike other zoners she encountered, didn’t back away. It just stared at her, likely due to its power over her. That was part of the only reason she was doing this. She feared what might happen if she didn’t do what the memotrice told her. Sighing, she said, <Nothing yet. Can you please give me more time? I can’t automatically detect anything and you harrassing me isn’t going to speed things along.> Thoughtless nodded its head. <Yes, of course.> It lowered its head. <My apologies.> Cornerstone raised a scaley lip at this, but made no response. She turned her head back towards the front and continued to move along. She hoped that she would find her target soon. She wasn’t sure how many more interruptions she could take. But finding this target was not going to be easy. Her monster of a creator deliberately created her without any ability to detect scent. Well for the most part. She could still smell some things, but it was incredibly weak. A smell had to be very potent in order for her to detect it, so the subtle smells that belonged to, say, a little zoner would not be detectable to her nose. Very frustrating indeed. How in the world was she supposed to hunt her food if she can’t smell them? Did her creator want her to die a slow, painful death? Knowing how her creator was, she wouldn’t doubt this to be the case. At least she still had her eyes and ears. Her hearing wasn’t as great as it could be, but it was still better than a human’s. And her eyes were sharp. Whether or not this was compensation didn’t matter to her. All that did was that her vision allowed her to see very well, especially in dark areas. She could easily detect the body heat signatures of anyone and spot them from far away. Such a perfect hunting tool... Though it would be better if she still had some kind of strong sense of smell. Oh well. She moved along the ground slowly, her body hunched down slightly. Her two-toed feet pressed lightly against the ground as she walked, careful not to make a sound. She was not stupid; if Snap heard her, the little runt would flee for his life. Best to do what she could in order to prevent him from trying to scramble away. She was able to hear Thoughtless moving along behind her. It was being quiet as well, although its talon tapping was ringing in her more sensitive ears. She thought about telling it to be more quiet, but she kept her mouth shut. She felt it would be better if she just focused on locating Snap. Not like that little runt would hear tapping as light and fant as the memotrice’s, anyway. This hallway was providing plenty of shadows for her to slip into. She constantly zigzagged into them if she found one. She used her claws to carefully dig into thte wall while at the same time making sure she didn’t make too much noise. She crawled up the wall at one point and began to move along the ceiling, enjoying herself in the shadows as she crept forward. She felt quite safe up here, hidden from view, away from anyone who would want to hurt her. A part of her hoped that she would run into her creator this way. She would love to see the look on his face when she jumped off from the ceiling and onto him, pinning him down and then ripping him apart. But oh well. Snap would make a good substitute. This was another reason she agreed to help Thoughtless. Even though Snap was not the one who had harmed her, and though he was just a pawn in all of this, that still didn’t mean she wouldn’t hurt him if it meant getting back at Rudy. She knew how much Rudy cared about Snap, so logically speaking, if she did anything to hurt him, she would hurt the boy as well. She licked her lips slowly in anticipation. She could almost taste her vengeance now. She suddenly stopped when something began to flash in her eyes. She clung tighter to the ceiling as she stared out ahead intently. She opened her mouth and let out a soft hiss. Something bright and colorful had gotten into her field of vision. And it was too large to be Snap’s. <What do you see?> Thoughtless’s voice tore through her mind. <Is it Snap?> <No.> Replied Cornerstone. She clenched her teeth tighter, swinging her tail in an almost excited manner as she prepared to attack. <Then who is it?> Thoughtless moved closer. <Can you tell who it is?> Cornerstone didn’t answer it. Her eyes focused on the red, orange, and yellow shape that was moving towards her. She narrowed her eyes, a glint shining off of them as she waited to see who this was. Right now, the colors were too far for her to really recognize who it might be. She had some ideas, but she needed to wait until they got closer first before she could confirm her suspicion. It wasn’t until she heard a faint sound enter her earholes that she was able to recognize who it was. She could feel her body relaxing in relief and her tail was slowly moved back into a neutral state. <It’s only Skrawl.> Thoughtless tilted its head. <Skrawl?> It turned its head and lifted a wing and placed it over its eyes. It watched the hallway carefully, which had a lot of shadows this way. After a few moments, it appeared to finally see something. <Why it is... Hey Skrawl! What are you doing here?> The faint footsteps that Cornerstone had been hearing suddenly stopped. She thought she could hear the faint gasp of the jellybean. Then after a few moments, she could hear the jellybean say, “You knew it was me?” Thoughtless nodded its head, though whether or not Skrawl could see it was uncertain. <Come on over. I’m sure you didn’t come all this way to find me for nothing.> It motioned a wing in front of itself. <Please...come on over. Share your thoughts with us. We won’t bite.> How strange Thoughtless would word things like that. Did it want Skrawl to be suspicious? Well, it seemed that Skrawl let it slide as he moved forward at a quickened pace. His eyes were set on Thoughtless only. It didn’t seem as though he noticed her hanging on the ceiling right above him. Cornerstone thought about jumping down and scaring him just for fun, but she thought better of it. She remained on the ceiling and just watched as Skrawl moved towards Thoughtless. Skrawl was panting slightly. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to tell the snake-like beast that the zoner had been rushing through the hallways to find the memotrice. How curious.. Why did he want to find Thoughtless so badly? What could have been so important that he would need to rush to see Thoughtless like this? She could see the look in his eyes even from up here. They were shining with...something that she could not identify, and yet it still felt very familiar. <You have news to bring me, I presume?> Thoughtless spoke, its head pulling back a little. Upon seeing Skrawl’s nodding, its eyes narrowed a little. <I do hope it’s important. I was just on a mission with...> “I do apologize for the intrusion. I didn’t mean to interrupt you. But I do think you will find this very important.” Skrawl interlocked his fingers. He moved his hands back and forth, slicing his long, thin claws against one another. “You see, Rudy and Penny had been recaptured and...” Thoughtless’s feathers rose slightly at this. It wasn’t much, but enough to freeze Skrawl. <They got out...?> Skrawl took a small step backwards. It was almost amusing seeing the jellybean react with this kind of fear. So much for him being big and tough, right? “Well yes... I’m not sure how they did it... B-But don’t worry! They’ve been caught!” The jellybean gave a clenched smile as he motioned down the hallway. “I locked them up down there. Chained to the walls so they can’t draw anything. Not even with that red chalk.” Thoughtless cocked its head to one side. <Red chalk? So they still have those?> “Yes. One piece on each of them.” Skrawl gave a quick shudder. It was just enough to be noticeable by both Thoughtless and Cornerstone. “They had gone crazy... They were really trying to hurt me. It was as if they had lost their minds...” Cornerstone gave a soft, inaudible ‘hmph’ at this. What Skrawl said wasn’t anything that she didn’t already know. Those two children were already crazy to begin with. She wasn’t at all surprised by this behavior. They had been doing a good job with keeping it under control. But she knew deep down what they were really like. She felt a small level of pity for Skrawl, knowing that the jellybean had to endure something like that. Skrawl was silent for a few seconds before he continued, “Why did you want them to become one with the red chalk, anyway? Did you not know of these dangers or...?” <Are you questioning my orders?> Thoughtless’s tone was surprisingl neutral, as if it regarded mutiny as a rather minor thing. Skrawl shook his head, waving a hand out in front of himself. “No! No...It’s just...” He raised his limbs up into a shrug. “I just don’t know how you can benefit from two kids who are out of control. What are you going to do? Drop them in ChalkZone and let them wreak havoc?” <That isn’t really your concern..> Thoughtless replied. <All you do need to know is that everything is going according to plan.> “Plan? How is this part of the plan? You said you wanted to fuse them, but you never told me why! At least...I don’t remember you telling me.” Skrawl gritted his teeth in frustration. He let out a low growl, as if to push out that frustration from his body. “Can you tell me why you’re doing this?” Thoughtless remained silent. It simply stared back at Skrawl, the only movements being its tail slowly moving from one side to the other. It turned its back to Skrawl. It slowly straightened its body as its head was lifted up, turning back until the zoner could almost see Skrawl. <You will find out in due time, Skrawl. When the time is right, I will tell you. For now, just follow my orders. We do not have time to sit and chat about this.> But surprisingly, Skrawl didn’t seem to back down. Cornerstone was almost impressed by this. She wondered how this was all going to go down. Would Thoughtless cave in? Would Skrawl? How far are they willing to go? What was the outcome going to be? Rather than help either side, Cornerstone resigned to remaining on the ceiling and watched with a mixture of growing excitement and curiosity. “I want answers now!” Skrawl demanded. <Skrawl.... We don’t have time for this.> Thoughtless took a few steps forward. <We will talk about this later.> “No! We’ll talk now!” Skrawl pointed a claw at Thoughtless’s direction. “Those brats nearly killed me! I have the right to know just what is going on here! Tell me what you have planned!” Thoughtless gritted its beak in annoyance. <Settle down, Skrawl. I understand you are upset, but this is no way to...> Skrawl wasn’t backing down still. He moved closer to the memotrice. The movement was fast enough that it caused Thoughtless to jump back as if it thought Skrawl was going to hit it. “Upset? Upset?! You’re darn right I’m upset! How would you like to have a couple of bloodthirsty creators try to rip you apart and eat you?!” Thoughtless was silent at this. <..eat you..?> “Yes! I saw the look in their eyes!” Skrawl raised his hands up. “They were going to eat me!” Thoughtless was speechless at this. Cornerstone tilted her head in curiosity. Why was Thoughtless so shocked by this? Was this not how the red chalk was supposed to behave? If she hadn’t seen the look in Thoughtless’s eyes, she would have thought that this was normal behavior for the red chalk. Thoughtless looked as if it was having a hard time responding to this. Its eyes were wide in astonishment, its beak hanging open a little. It watched Skrawl intently like it was waiting to hear if Skrawl had been lying to it. But of course, Skrawl made no attempt to state otherwise. It was then that Cornerstone noticed that Skrawl had a tinge of fear in his eyes as well. It didn’t take a genius to know that he had been traumatized by the experience, even if he tried not to show it. She frowned in slight concern. She could relate to this quite well. <But that’s...that’s not how it’s supposed to...> Thoughtless’s stunned voice trailed off. It looked to the side, its eyes widening slowly. <That’s not its normal behavior, I thought. Why is...> It looked back at Skrawl. It breathed heavily threw its open beak for a short while before it continued, <This is not what was supposed to happen.> Skrawl bared his yellowish teeth. “Well it is now! Just what were you thinking?!” Thoughtless took a small step forward. <Now Skrawl, let’s be reasonable. No need to fight.> It raised a wing up in gesture. <Let me look into it and I will see what I can do to fix it.> “Right after you tell me just what you planned with the red chalk.” Skrawl’s hand was out, palm up. His claws curved inward slowly. “After the way they tried to eat me, I deserve to know what you have planned. Tell me, Thoughtless... just what did you want to use the red chalk for? You said it yourself that it’s not supposed to go this way. So explain to me...” He pointed a claw at the memotrice. “....just what was supposed to happen?” Thoughtless pulled its head back. It stammered, <I-I...> Cornerstone was rather curious about this herself. She might not have known Thoughtless for that long, but based on what she had seen of it, it seemed like it was usually pretty organized and confident. To see it a bit shaken up like this by what Skrawl said... She had a feeling that this wasn’t a normal response for it, as if it realized it had bitten off more than it could chew. How very interesting... She moved a little closer, listening intently for any response that Thoughtless might give. She was careful not to allow her thoughts to be too loud; she did not want to distract Thoughtless from its own thinking. She waited quietly, curious abut how this was all going to turn out. But then something caught her eye. She saw a blip in the corner of her field of vision. Something small... a bit fast moving, and it was heading straight over here. She turned her head to try to get a better view of what it was. It took a few long, straining seconds, but she soon recognized the form, or rather, both the forms. It was Snap, and he was riding a Beanie Boy. Before Thoughtless had time to respond, before Skrawl could think of anything else to say, Snap suddenly jumped off the Beanie Boy and landed between the two. His appearance was so abrupt and sudden that neither Skrawl nor the memotrice could response. They simply stared at him in silence, their eyes wide and looking around briefly, as though they wondered just where he had come from. Snap straightened himself up, his rounded hands clenched tightly as he glared off at nothingness. His slowly shifted his gaze upon Thoughtless. His lip curled back into a snarl. There was a flash of recognition in the zoner’s brown eyes, making Cornerstone wonder if these two had fought before. Then Snap turned to face Skrawl. The glare remained, but now it took on a level of concern. It almost reminded Cornerstone of her own thoughts towards Skrawl earlier. “Skrawl! You have to get out of here! You can’t trust Thoughtless!” Snap immediately shouted. His voice was energized, almost panicky. Skrawl looked down at Snap in confusion. He looked between him and Thoughtless constantly. “What are you talking about? It’s our boss! It’s..” “It’s been using you for a fool!” Snap cut him off. He glared down at the stunned memotrice. He pointed his rounded hand towards it. “It has been toying with your memory so you would do exactly what it wants! It tried to kill me when I found out what was going on!” It glared intently at the memotrice. “Isn’t that right, you pathetic sack of feathers? You tried to off me before I could warn Skrawl of the truth!” The memotrice remained silent for a few moments. <I have no idea what you are talking about.> Snap gritted his teeth tightly. “Liar!” He turned his head to Skrawl. “Come on! What are you waiting for? Get out of here before Thoughtless can screw with you again!” He looked at Thoughtless with a sideways glance. “I’ll keep it busy!” Cornerstone wondered how things were going to go now. Curiosity was practically overflowing through her body. Which side was going to take hold? Which direction was this going to go? She looked at Skrawl carefully and waited to see what kind of answer he was going to give. Was he going to believe in Thoughtless or in Snap? Fortunately for her, and rather unfortunately for another, the answer came quickly. “Cornerstone...” Skrawl said as he lifted his gaze up at where Cornerstone remained. He then looked back at Snap, pointing his law in his direction. “...kill him.” Snap let out a horrified gasp. “B-But...” He didn’t get a chance to finish as Cornerstone leapt from the ceiling, down towards him. She slammed against him and pinned him to the ground. Snap struggled to escape, but her large paw held him down. She raised her head up and opened her mouth. She let out a loud hiss, a bit of venom dripping from her fangs and landing on Snap’s face. Finally, her vengeance was about to commence. sss Reggie paced back and forth in his bedroom. His arms were folded behind his back. His mind was going many miles per hour. He constantly kept asking himself the same question over and over again: should he have allowed himself to stay behind or should he have gone with? He remembered what his dad had told him. He remembered what the other adults had said. They don’t want him to get into trouble and he could understand that. They were possibly diving into a dangerous situation after all, and to have another child at risk...that was just something they wanted to avoid. And that was understandable. Yet at the same time, he felt as though he should have tried harder to go with. He could have been able to do...something. He wasn’t sure what yet. But he was certain he could have been some sort of help. Maybe he could have found something that they could have used to help find Rudy and Penny. Maybe he could have found a clue or hint at where those two could be. Maybe he could have even found them altogether. He just didn’t feel like he should have stayed here. Despite the dangers he knew were likely involved with going to that world if it existed, or even just finding the kids’ kidnappers, he wanted to tag along. He didn’t feel like he was making the most out of what he could do if all he did was sit around here sucking his thumb. The more help those adults had, the better. Like he had told himself before, like he had brought up before, he knew more about that world than Terry did. He had actually walked around in it, explored it, met all kinds of creatures there. He was aware of how that world might seem peaceful, but he did recall being jossed around by one of his own creations, so it wasn’t all fine and dandy. There was a danger element to that world and only he knew what they were. If they had just allowed him to go with, then he could have told them and... He let out a sigh. Of course, he had been left behind. He had been forced to stay here, unable to do anything while the adults went out and risked their necks for this. He gritted his teeth tightly, letting out an exasperated groan. He wasn’t sure what he could do now. There was no way he could catch up to them now. He might be strong, but he sure as heck wasn’t a fast child. He let out a small groan as he sat on the bed, crossing one foot over the other. He placed his hands on his cheeks and rested his elbows on his thighs. What was he going to do now? He wanted to help. But could he even catch up to them now if he did decide to go after them? How would they react when they find that he had been tailing them? How would his father react to that? He was already in trouble as it was. He didn’t want tot hink of what his dad might do if he found out he had been following him. ...if... Reggie’s eyes widened at this. That word echoed over and over again. What if his dad didn’t find out? What if the other adults were kept in the dark? What if he came along secretly, remaining in the background while being able to watch them? He lifted his head and turned it towards the window. It was open a little and he could feel a small breeze coming in. He closed his eyes, allowing the gentle breeze to move through him. As it did so, he could feel his thoughts starting to clear up. Yes...that’s exactly what he could do... Reggie was no stranger to being able to lay in wait and hide. He had snuck up on other students before. It was a fun little habit of his. True he was not the best stalker, but he could still sneak up on these adults if he tried hard enough. He just needed to be careful, remain far enough behind so they don’t see him, but close enough that he could still see them. It was a delicate procedure of course, and he had to be very careful. There wasn’t much time, he knew. He had to get to Mrs. Sanchez’s house before they got too far. The adults had been gone for several minutes already. Or was it longer? He gritted his teeth as he realized he might already be too late. But then, he is not going to find out just sitting around here, now was he? No, he needed to head out now, before he changed his mind and before the adults could get much further than they already were. He jumped off of his bed. He proceeded out of his bedroom and down the hallway. He headed towards his dad’s bedroom. Normally locked, but his dad was in such a hurry that he forgot. Once he was inside, he headed right for the phone that his dad had next to his bed. He reached over towards it and lifted it up. He knew exactly how he could call. His dad wanted him to use it just for an emergency. And well...this was an emergency, right? He quickly dialed the number. The phone made beeping sounds for each number that he pressed. The LCD screen showed the numbers he crunched, allowing him to make sure that he was pressing the right ones. The phone then began to ring a few times. He stood there patiently until he heard a click sound. He heard the sound of a quick breath, and then a masculine voice came over the phone. “Hello, welcome to Pit Stop Express. How may I help you?” Reggie didn’t hesitate. “Hello. My name is Reggie Bullnerd, and I need an express ride.” “Okay...where are you going?” “Inez Sanchez, located in Plainsville.” |
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Post by Bluedramon on Aug 5, 2015 16:30:05 GMT -5
Chapter 34: Ms. Charlotte wasn’t sure how much more of this she could handle. Watching Dr. Von Doktor pace around like this, it was getting really annoying. He hadn’t stoppd for the past few hours. A part of her was almost impressed by it. The other just wanted him to sit down and relax. But she doubted that would happen anytime soon. Eventually, she found herself shouting, “Sir, can you please just...stop?!” Dr. Von Doktor did stop, to her surprise. When he looked over at her, she flinched at the look in his eyes. It was almost patronizing, tinged with anger as if he was offended that she would ‘dare tell him to stop’. She would have said something else, but she thought better of it. She didn’t want to get herself into deeper trouble. “You know I can’t relax. Not until she comes back.” At this, Ms. Charlotte felt a wave of anger inside of her. Her stomach clenched tightly. He knew exactly who the old man was referring to. She tried not to allow too much of her anger show, although she could feel her face contorting in response. “I still don’t know why you sent her out...” She grumbled before she could stop herself. “Because I need her help.” Dr. Von Doktor said bluntly. “Fah!” Spat Ms. Charlotte. “That woman?!” She swiveled her head to the side. “If you needed help, you should have asked for me!” Dr. Von Doktor didn’t respond to this. Ms. Charlotte wasn’t sure what made her angrier. The lack fo a response, or the potential response the man could have given defending Terry Bouffant. He had done the same thing before, when he had suggested getting in contact with the reporter. She had tried to object to it, stating that Terry was just a nuisance and a nutjob. But Dr. Von Doktor apparantly saw....something in her that made him decide to go to her for help. But what in the world could he have seen in her? Why would he choose her of all people to go on his mission? Just what did Terry have that she did not? She clenched her teeth tightly at this. She couldn’t believe that Dr. Von Doktor would choose her instead of his loyal assistant. It was just...not fair. She had to struggle with herself not to scream or strike out in rage. She glared at Dr. Von Doktor and she could feel an overwhelming desire to punch him. Yet she could never bring herself to do something like that. How fair would that be? She couldn’t turn against him like that. He trusted her. Would he still trust her if she struck him all because of her jealousy towards Terry being chosen? No, he would not. She took in a deep breath and did what she could to avoid losing it and keeping herself calm and collected. At least as much as possible. “I know you feel wronged.” Dr. Von Doktor said, speaking up after he noticed the look in her eyes. “And I’m zorry if I hurt your feelings. But lizten, Mz. Bouffant is quite good at her job. She iz able to find details zat no one elze has. If anyone can zave my reputation, it’z her.” Ms. Charlotte nodded her head slowly. She didn’t bother trying to reply to that. The only things she could say were either bitter remarks or words of sarcasm. While she understood why Dr. Von Doktor would want someone intelligent, she still had a hard time understanding why he’d go to Terry of all people. The one woman who was tainted by the conspiracy theory about a chalk world. How was she going to help him? By trying to find evidence of this chalk world for him? How ridiculous... “But..” Dr. Von Doktor’s voice cut her from her thoughts. She could feel his hands on her shoulders, gently gripping them. She turned her head and she could see him looking at her in the eyes. “Don’t zink zat, for a moment, I’m doubting your ability. I know you’re a ztrong, capable woman yourzelf, and zat you’d alzo have been able to help me.” Ms. Charlotte narrowed her eyes. “Then why did you choose her over me?” “Because..” Dr. Von Doktor paused for a moment. He turned his head to one side, rubbing the back of his head. He looked at her sideweays. “I know how you feel about me.” Ms. Charlotte nearly jumped back at this comment. She could feel her heart starting to race. She looked left and right, her face heating up. She tried to speak, but all she could manage was a few stammers and mumbles. Her tongue constantly tripped over her own words, creating incoherent sentences and slurred statements. When she was finally able to say something, she said but one word, trembling and shaky, “Wh-Wh-What...?” Dr. Von Doktor gave a half smile at this. “Don’t zink I didn’t notize.” He held up his hand in gesture. “I’ve zeen the way you look at me zometimes. And I can zee right zrough your jealousy. You want to please me, and you can’t ztand the idea of anozer woman doing zat inztead.” “I-I... I just...” Ms. Charlotte tried to say. “I just feel that I’m...a better pick...” “Oh? Are you a detective? Have you ever zolved any major puzzles?” Dr. Von Doktor asked, prodding Ms. Charlotte. When the woman was not able to answer, he pressed on, “I’m not zaying I don’t appreciate you. I do. But I feel zat Terry is a bit more talented in ziz area. Besides, she has little reason to care about me, which is another reason I hired her for ziz.” “That...th-that makes no sense!” Cried Ms. Charlotte. What was Dr. Von Doktor talking about? If Terry didn’t care about him, then why in the world would he..? “As zuch, if I were to have hired you, because of your...feelings towards me, you would have been diztracted. You would have been too focuzed on proving I was innozent that you would have jumped to conclusions, came up with the wrong evidenze, accused the wrong people, and any other number of zlip upz. Love does zat you know.” Ms. Charlotte couldn’t respond to this. She lowered her head slightly. Slowly, she realized that he was right. She would have been so focused on ‘pleasing him’ as he put it, that she wouldn’t think to realize if the evidence doesn’t match up or not, or whether or not it was fair. She might have, in the end, made things a lot worse. She didn’t know if she could live with the guilt of that. Dr. Von Doktor had been through enough. If she did anything to make it worse, she.... Despite this, she still couldn’t help but feel some level of anger. Even though she understood why he did it, that didn’t mean that she was willing to accept it yet. She just hoped that she was able to control herself for when Terry Bouffant returned. She didn’t want to let her jealousy get the better of her. She felt the man’s hand on her face. She looked up and saw the concerned look in his eyes. She placed her own over him. She didn’t really care how ‘wrong’ this was. She couldn’t help but smile a little at him, his gentle caress allowing her to settle down. She felt a warmth rising up inside of her when he began to speak to her again. “Do you underztand, Mz. Charlotte?” Ms. Charlotte nodded her head slowly. “Yeah...I do.” sss Although they couldn’t have been in the car for that long, Terry couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief when they had finally reached Mrs. Sanchez’s place. Her impatience had made the trip seem much longer than it actually was. She scolded herself for losing her patience. She had always been patient before, so what made this so different? She realized that it was because of what was going on. She was getting close to what might be her one chance to prove that the chalk world was real. She had never felt closer to making this discovery before, save for when she had an actual piece of magic chalk once. She couldn’t help but feel a level of excitement rising up inside of her, and the longer it was taking to get here, the more irritated she started to feel. At least they were here now. The car had been parked in the driveway and she, along with the other adults, had gotten out. She was the second to last to get out. The last person was Mr. Bullnerd, who stepped out beside her. Terry immediately recoiled from him, casting him a cautious glance. A part of her was still worried that he was going to shoot her again with the taser. She felt little reason to be secure around him. He noticed her expression and though he looked guilty, it did little to ease Terry’s swirling mind. She had to race out in front of him and towards the house to feel better. As she approached the house, she took a moment to look around, getting an idea of how large this place was. She never really came out here often. She drove by here, but that was it, and it was only once. She had forgotten how large the yard was or how big the house was. A part of her was impressed that Mrs. Sanchez was able to run this place by herself. Well, mostly by herself. She did have Penny, but that little child wouldn’t be able to do too much, she didn’t think. Impressive that the vet was able to keep her private business from going under. She didn’t say a word as they all entered the house. They immediately went up the steps. No questions asked. No talking. Just walking. She flinched a little as the steps echoed in her mind, swirling together to create one massive clamor of noise. She gritted her teeth and did what she could to bear it. It didn’t take long before they reached the top and they immediately headed down the hallway, going towards a closed door which Terry realized must be Penny’s bedroom. With the door soon opened and swung over, Terry immediately realized just how right she was. With the pink walls and the small, handheld chalkboard on the ground that looked like it had some scientific equations written on it, Terry knew for a fact that this had to be Penny’s bedroom. She took a moment to look around. She noticed the other scientific-related stuff that were on the shelves around her. She could see some chemicals, some measuring tools, rulers, all kinds of stuff. Although it pained Terry to do this, she had to admit, Penny certainly had a grasp in this field. She was quite intelligent. No wonder Rudy kept her around. She truly did live up to her nickname as ‘genius girl’. But there was something that just didn’t feel right. She frowned a bit and looked around. The other adults had already started to look around for anything suspicious, although they didn’t know what they were looking for. She ignored them while she tried to find something that appeared to be missing. She didn’t realize that someone was calling out to her until she could feel a hand on her shoulder, nearly causing her to jump. “What are you looking for?” Terry looked behind her and saw that it was Mrs. Sanchez. Terry blinked a few times and, seeing the concerned look in the woman’s eyes, felt a small pang of guilt. It was fleeting though and she immediately frowned and motioned away from her. “I’m trying to find a chalkboard. A large one.” Terry glared down at the handheld one. “That one’s too small for...” Mrs. Sanchez frowned in confusion. “Too small for what?” Terry sighed. “Nevermind... Just...” She moved her fingers through her hair. “Does Penny have a large chalkboard that she uses for....well whatever it is she does?” Mrs. Sanchez nodded her head. Her eyes flashed a bit. Terry couldn’t quite catch the emotion, but she didn’t pay attention to it. “I took it from her as punishment. I was going to give it back but..” “Yes, I know.” Terry cut her off abruptly. She didn’t pay attention to the expression Mrs. Sanchez was giving her. “Bring it back in. It might be useful for us to find out where she and Rudy are.” If the woman had been angry at her before, this new comment was enough to satiate her anger for now. She could hear Mrs. Sanchez’s footsteps retreating away as she presumably went to get the large chalkboard. At least, Terry hoped that this is what the woman was doing. She hoped that she understood what she was saying. It did seem like an odd request, but they would all understand very soon. She looked over and saw that the others were still looking around. Mr. Bullnerd was flipping through one of Penny’s notebooks. Mr. Tabootie was near the window, rummaging around the items there. Mrs. Tabootie was looking through her closet and her sister Tilly was searching through one of the dressers. The room was rapidly becoming a mess as the adults tore through everything, trying to find something that they weren’t sure of. Terry wondered if they would even recognize what it is they were looking for even if they did find it? Realizing that they were going to need help, she decided to join them. Knowing that they probably didn’t realize they saw anything important, she began to go over everything again. She looked in all the same locations, taking care to be extra cautious and alert. Her eyes scanned around, looking for any sign of a chalk piece. This was difficult as there was a numbef of white things here, which caused her to get her hopes up, only to be crushed when she realized it was just a toy or a piece of clothing or something. But she didn’t give up. She continued her relentless searching. She was even more determined than the adults. This was becaus she actually knew what she was looking for, allowing her to be more focused and thorough as she constantly rummaged through, tearing things from side to side as she looked for that piece of magic chalk that she was certain the little girl had. But no matter how hard she looked, she couldn’t find anything. She growled in frustration, making a few unintentionally loud remarks on how unfair this was and that there had to be something here. But so far, there just...nothing. She eventually stopped and sat there on her knees, panting a few times. She didn’t want to believe that there was nothing here. Rudy would have kept a secret stash, she was certain. So wouldn’t Penny? She was the smart one of the group. Surey she would have had a piece hidden here somewhere. But where did... She soon realized that she was being stared at. She looked around and flinched at how the other adults were looking at her. Glares, shocked expressions, and confused looks were all upon her. She gritted her teeth nervously, feeling those eyes bore through hers. They were all silently asking her the same question: what was she doing...? Before Terry had time to say anything, she could hear the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching. She and the other adults turned their heads just in time to see Mrs. Sanchez coming into the room, holding a large, rectangular object in her hands. It was the large chalkboard that Mrs. Sanchez said she had taken away from her daughter. She moved towards the middle of the room, the others clearing up space for her as she placed it down, setting it up in a matter of less than a minute. Once it was set up, Terry moved out in front of it. She examined the chalkboard carefully. The erased formulas were enough to tell her that this was indeed Penny’s chalkboard. But she didn’t see anything on here that appeared to be magic chalk, or any evidence of the chalk world. Well there were these faint marks that looked circular, but that didn’t mean that it belonged to a portal. She frowned at this. She was hoping that Penny had stuck a small piece of magic chalk on the railing thing here, in one of the grooves. But there was nothing. She gritted her teeth. Well, so much for that. She could feel the others’ eyes on her, waiting for her to say something. She looked back at them. She had hoped this was when she told them she found a way in, but she had to face facts. She had nothing she could show them. She... “Ow! Hey...what’s this...?” Terry swung her head over to where she heard that sound. It had come from Mr. Tabootie. He had apparently sat down on the girl’s bed, only to jump back at...something. He was looking at the bed with widened eyes, filled with shock and confusion. He was staring at a particular spot on the bed. Terry moved in closer, narrowing her eyes at this area. She soon noticed there was some kind of lump there. Mrs. Tabootie, who was the closest, rushed over quickly, faster than Terry thought was possible. The large woman stood by her husband and she reached underneath the blanket. She moved her hand around quickly, trying to find whatever it was her husband sat on. She grabbed something and she pulled it out quickly. She held it in the air, the item resting in the palm of her hand. Mrs. Tabootie blinked a few times. “What is this?” “What in tarnation...” Mr. Tabootie moved in closer, his eyes unable to tear away from the object. “It’s...chalk..?” “But..it’s glowing.” Tilly whispered. Her pupils shrank slightly as she continued staring. “How is that possible?” “Is it dangerous? Should we chuck it?” Mr. Bullnerd looked like he wanted to get closer, but judging from the look in his eyes, it was clear he was hesitant about the idea of getting too close to the object in question. “No. I think that’s what we were looking for...right?” Mrs. Sanchez stared at Terry expectantly. When the reporter didn’t answer, Mrs. Sanchez pressed on. “Am I correct...?” Terry only managed a small nod as she locked eyes with the magic chalk piece. Her mouth hung open slightly as a wave of emotions rushed through her. She never thought she would see magic chalk again. She never thought that she would get a chance to be in the presence of one after her last encounter with it. So many thoughts and feelings were moving through her, causing her body to tremble. At last, she finally had a means of proving that she wasn’t insane, that she was right. Finally, she had a way of proving to everyone that she was not insane. She took a few steps towards Mrs. Tabootie. She hardly stared at the woman’s face; only the magic chalk. Even from this distance, she could feel the power rising up from that sparkling white piece of chalk. She could feel the magic that radiated from it, begging her to draw with it. She couldn’t ignore its pleas and she continued moving closer until she was right in front of Mrs. Tabootie. Slowly, she reached out with her hand, her eyes still not bothering looking up to stare at the woman in the eyes. Mrs. Tabootie frowned at this, but nonetheless, still gave her the chalk. While the adults waited for her to speak, Terry was too busy staring at the piece of chalk. She could feel her excitement start to overflow through her body. The magic chalk almost seemed to beckon to her, pleading with her to draw with it. She could practically hear its voice echoing in the back of her mind. She only snapped out of it when she heard one of the adults speak up. “So...now what..?” Tilly asked. “Yeah...” Spoke Mrs. Tabootie. “What do we do now? If that thing is going to help us get our children back, how do we...?” Terry lifted her head and stared at the other adults. Another torrent of emotion, this one a mixed bag, moved through her. She could feel conflicting emotions arise inside of her, pounding in her head, giving her a strong ache through her skull. She rapidly sifted through her thoughts as she tried to think of what the next move should be. Now that they had the chalk...what now? She held in her hand the key to getting to that world. She could open up the gateway now and head into that chalk-based world. She could then search around for those two little brats and get them out of there. She could help prove Dr. Von Doktor’s innocense and he would award her immensely. Then she could use the magic chalk to meet her own needs. ....or.... Or she could just skip all that and go straight for exposing the chalk world... At this, she felt a sweeping realization rush through her body. It was as though someone had switched the lightbulb on inside of her, brightening up her vision of what was going on and what she could do. This feeling bubbled up inside of her and, slowly, a small smile crept up along her face. “Ms. Bouffant..?” Mr. Bullnerd asked cautiously. “Aren’t you going to explain to us what we are supposed to do?” Terry turned her head and she looked back at the adults. She could see the looks in their eyes, how confused they were. She looked from one adult to the other and back again. Her smile only broadened slightly, enough that the adults had clearly noticed it. She could see them shift a little uncomfortably. It was clear none of them fully understood just what she was thinking; they only knew enough that it wasn’t anything good. She confirmed this for them when she gave a slight chuckle. No, she was not going to waste time helping Rudy and Penny. Those two brats were just going to ruin her chances anyway. No, she was not going to accept Dr. Von Doktor’s money offer. She could get all the money she could ever want after this chalk world was exposed. She didn’t need to save the kids if she was going to open the gateway to that world anyway. Their parents could find them themselves. Dr. Von Doktor could prove his own innocense. And screw Vinnie Raton. He doesn’t deserve to share the limelight with her. This was her chance. This was her one time to show everyone just how wrong they were. And she was not about to give it up for anyone. Not even for those worthless little brats. Terry turned her back to the adults. With her grin still etched on her face, she pressed the chalk on the board. She moved it around, light shining along it as she did so. She ignored the adult’s shocked gasps as she created the portal. She took a step back and stared at it, her pupils shrunk in disturbing glee. “Is that...?” Mr. Tabootie began to say, but Terry cut him off. “Well it was nice doing business with you!” Terry turned and smirked back at the adults. “I hate to leave you like this, but I have a world to expose!” “Wait!” A panicked Mrs. Tabootie rushed forward, holding out her hand. “What about our children?! You promised you’d help!” Terry stared at her for a few moments, her expression going blank. She thought about this for a few moments. The woman did have a point.... Oh who cares? Her smile returned, this one a bit more twisted than before. “I don’t care about those two brats!” Well partially. She didn’t actually want them hurt, but she also didn’t want them a chance to ruin her shot at fame. “They got in my way too much! I am not about to let them ruin my life again!” The adults gave her a horrified expression. They couldn’t move, or even speak. All they could do was stare at her, their mouths looking like they were trying to reach the floor. “But tell you what. After I get done exposing this chalk world, I’ll let you enter it and you can find your snot-nosed kids yourself!” Terry climbed through the portal quickly. She peered back into to the real world, her mouth stretched from ear to ear. “I hope your kids will last, though. It’ll be a shame not to see the looks on their faces when they find out I out smarted them!” She gave a short, cruel chuckle at this. Mrs. Sanchez was the first adult to respond. “Y-You...” She narrowed her eyes, and formed fists with her hands. “You bitch! I should have known we couldn’t trust you!” “Oh really?” Terry asked mockingly, twisting her head. “Why didn’t you say something? I guess Penny really doesn’t get her intelligence from you after all.” Mrs. Sanchez growled at this. “You’re a monster!” Called out Tilly. “How could you do this?!” Mr. Tabootie hissed at the redhead. “Oh I’d love to sit here and chat, but I have a schedule to keep.” Terry waved her hand dismissively. She picked up the eraser and she turned to smile at the adults. “I bid you all farewell!” “Not so fast!” Terry could see Mr. Bullnerd aiming his taser at her. Her eyes widened slightly, but she continued to smirk. That stupid device no longer frightened her. She quickly went to work using the eraser to destroy the portal. She didn’t need to erase much. If she disrupted the line than that’s all she’d need to ensure that the portal no longer worked. She rapidly erased as she heard Mr. Bullnerd pull the trigger and... ...she pulled her hand through the destroyed portal. The adults were still back in Penny’s room while she was.... She turned around, looking left and right. The realization rushed through her and it felt as if she was given a drug high. She smiled and let out an almost insane giggle. She was in the chalk world... sss The small blue zoner let out a scream as he jumped to the side. He barely dodged Cornerstone’s attack. He watched as she slammed against the wall, cracking it with the force of her attack. He moved back quickly as she got back to her feet, her tail wriggling behind her wildly. She opened her mouth and let out a loud screech before she charged towards the zoner. He gritted his teeth and jumped up into the air. He landed on Cornerstone’s back, letting out several rumbling grunts as he was flung to the side with a swat of Cornerstone’s tail. Snap pushed himself up, rubbing the side of his head with his hand. He let out a small moan as he looked over at the snake-like beast. She was clearly not done with him yet. She lifted her tail up high, swinging it from side to side. The sharp blade at the end glinted at its tip. The sight of it caused Snap to grit his teeth in horror. How long was he going to be able to dodge her before she managed to land a blow on him with that thing? He didn’t have much time to think about this as the zoner immediately charged towards him again. Her mouth was split wide open, exposing her long, sharp fangs that extended down. He could see the venom dripping off of them and he couldn’t help but feel a rush of horror move through him. He had no idea just what would happen to him if he got bit, but he knew that it wouldn’t be pretty. Whatever he did, he had to make sure he avoid getting bit...or struck with that tail blade of hers. But he was already getting tired. He kept jumping back and dodging. He recalled his training and used whatever moves he had to ensure that she wouldn’t get him. But this would only last for a short while. Eventually, she was going to get the upperhand. He was going to slow down, allowing her enough time to strike him. If he were slashed open, would he still stand a chance at dodging her? No, he would not. As he continued his dance around Cornerstone, he looked over at Skrawl briefly. As his white eyes laid upon him, Snap couldn’t help but feel the sting of betrayal rising in his stomach. In all this time here, he never thought that Skrawl would be capable of such...such treachery. It was the Rudy and Penny incident all over again. “Master..how could you do this..?” Snap called out to him. He grunted as Cornerstone pushed her face against him. He grabbed onto her head and held on tightly. “I only wanted to help you...and this is the thanks I get?” He looked at Skrawl with eyes filled with hurt and shock. Skrawl narrowed his eyes at him. “You’re just a little nuisance. I should have done this a long time ago.” “B-But...” Snap stammered. “Oh shut up, will you?!” Skrawl hissed at him. “Do you think you ever meant anything to me? You’re nothing but a worthless little brat who had outlived his welcome! You already served your purpose to me and now it’s time for you to be...dismissed!” Snap could have sworn he saw Thoughtless’s eyes glow during this. “Now, if you want to do me any last favors, just lay down, stop squirming, and let Cornerstone rip you into shreds! That’s the least you can do for me now!” “Please...Skrawl...stop this! I’m begging you!” Snap pleaded with the jellybean. “I-I’ll do anything! Just please... I...” However, despite his emotional response, Skrawl simply curled his lip up and snarled at him, showing no signs of caring about him in that moment. Snap could feel his heart break in two. He didn’t know what he did to make Skrawl hate him like that. He couldn’t understand why Skrawl would one day call him his second in command, only to have him be killed by this snake-beast. Didn’t what they had meant anything to him? Didn’t Skrawl actually care about their friendship? Okay maybe not friendship, but he would have thought that their time together meant something, anything, to the jellybean. Well, apparently not. But...no... That’s not what is going on. Snap wanted to slap himself in the face for forgetting about one small factor. Thoughtless. Snap glared in the direction of Thoughtless. As he struggled to push Cornerstone’s head back, his white eyes burned through the memotrice’s own. The bird-like zoner was filled with shock, but not against him. But he would soon change that. Soon he would make Thoughtless cower before him. How dare it continue to use Skrawl in this way... How dare it brainwash the jellybean zoner and tear his mind apart just for its sick little games... This was its doing. He knew this to be true. Skrawl was not acting himself. Skrawl would not do something like this to him. The memotrice was behind it all....and it was going to pay the price for that. If he could just push away Cornerstone and rush over, all he’d need is enough time and he could break its scrawny neck. Feeling energy rushing through him, the adrenaline powering him, Snap managed to push Cornerstone back some more. He could hear her annoyed hissing as he shut her mouth and pushed his hand against the top of her head. He forced her head to the side as he continued moving her back. He pressed his foot against her head and kicked it back, forcing her to take a few steps away from him. Snap took this chance to swing himself around and run towards Thoughtless before Cornerstone could make a move. Snap raced towards Thoughtless, his eyes wide in anger, teeth clenched tightly. This was it. The moment he had been waiting a long time for. A chance to get back at this monster who had tried to ruin him. He could hear a loud hiss behind him and he knew that Cornerstone was off after him. But if he could just push hismelf faster, then he could land a blow before that zoner had time to... Suddenly images flashed in the back of his mind. He froze at them, stopping in his tracks. He widened his eyes as images of some kind of horrible past came to light. He could barely see or hear anything around him. He barely let out a grunt as he felt Cornerstone slam him into the ground. He felt some dust kick up and he coughed, but he hardly paid attention to any of that. His mind was too clouded with the flashes to really notice. He couldn’t even understand why this was happening now. But something about running around like this, something about what was going on and Skrawl’s cold glare at him, was triggering something in his brain. Somehow, it appeared to activate a long forgotten part of him, and there was absolutely nothing he could do to stop it. He could feel the wheels turning in his head and he could feel the energy pumping through him, giving him a headache in the process. He began to see things that he hadn’t before, or at least, he couldn’t remember if he did see them or not. Horrible things that made him cringe, his blood running cold. He tried to push them away, but his mind would not let him go. He was forced to watch them, to feel every bit of fear that these images were inducing in his mind. Skrawl being a villain... Him trying to drown zoners just because Rudy ‘made him ugly’... How Skrawl and Craniac 4 nearly destroyed the mine just so they could make Rudy suffer, and the zoners he had harmed while doing this... When he had created the large brain so that he could try to control all of ChalkZone... Then there was the time that the jellybean had nearly ripped him apart during a news broad cast. Sure that was partly his fault, but still... Snap shook his head, managing to get the images out of his head. He laid there on the ground, staring up at Cornerstone as she hissed at him, saliva dripping around the corner of her mouth. He didn’t know why she hadn’t tried biting him yet, although his attempts to understand this were only half-hearted. Most of his thoughts were towards Skrawl. He could feel his body shaking. Had he been wrong this whole time? Had he been led astray? Was he really used as some kind of tool for this jellybean to wield? All this time, had...had he really been...? No, he couldn’t have.. It was all wrong. There had to be something else. Something more to this. It...It had to be Thoughtless. Yeah. There was no other explanation. He knew how badly that bird thing wanted him gone. He knew that it would resort to whatever it could to get rid of him. This was just one of its tactics. It was trying to turn Skrawl against him so that he had no more allies left to protect him. The thought of this heated up the small zoner’s blood. He would make Thoughtless pay for this. He... ooo Skrawl was never my friend. I had been used. It was me who was used as a tool, not Skrawl. ooo He tried to shake the thought out of his head. He knew it was wrong. He knew what the reality was. If he didn’t do something soon, then Skrawl was... ooo I shouldn’t care about him. He is the enemy. ooo No, that wasn’t true. Skrawl was never his enemy. Sure he was rather harsh at times. He wasn’t always the nicest zoner. But he only wanted what was best for ChalkZone. He just wanted to keep it safe from Rudy and Penny. He couldn’t forget that. He couldn’t allow himself to be drawn into these false memories. He couldn’t let himself be controlled. ooo But if Skrawl is my friend, then why is he attacking me? Why is he trying to kill me? And what about those memories? They felt too real. Even more so than the ones about me being experimented on. Was I ever experimented on...? ooo The doubtful thoughts, intermixing with the memories, both sets that depicted a different past, swirled around inside of his head. They clamored around, building up inside of him. He gritted his teeth tightly, struggling to cope with the mental pain that this was bringing to him. Cornerstone looked confused by this, resulting in her pausing her attack. Snap hardly noticed as he let out a series of small growls, his hands clutching the sides of his face. He struggled to try to control the pain he was feeling, but it only seemed to get worse. He felt his mentality being attacked by all sides. It felt as if someone or something was using a pair of scissors to literally cut apart his mind. He could feel a sweept of confusing, conflicting emotions rush into his head and spread about his body. He could feel a sharp pain in his stomach as the conflicting, rising emotions began to take their toll. His body trembled hard and, unable to control himself anymore, he let out a scream. “Aaaaaahhhhh!” His scream echoed off the walls in the hallway. It froze the other zoners who were there with him. Everyone, including the random Beanie Boy he had ridden on, were staring at him with wide, shock-filled eyes. Skrawl’s face soon melted away to one of disgust. He pressed his claw against his ear hole and twisted it around. “Sheesh, for the love of....” Skrawl turned to Cornerstone. “What are you waiting for? Gut him!” Cornerstone nodded her head before turning to face Snap again. She still looked a little visibly shaken from Snap’s sudden scream. The zoner watched as Cornerstone opened her jaws to bite him. But he could hardly move; his head felt very heavy and he could hardly think of anything. It was as if he were frozen, the state of shock making it impossible for him to do anything to defend himself. He could only watch as Cornerstone struck down, trying to sink her fangs into him. He shut his eyes tightly. He guessed this was it. He had been a fool...but by the time he realized it, it was already too late. At least, in a few seconds, it was all going to be over. Suddenly, he felt a rush of air in front of him. He heard a sharp squeak from Cornerstone as something hit her hard, knocking the wind out of her. He opened his eyes to see what was going on. He could see that Cornerstone was now laying on the ground a few feet away. Her eyes were wide and she was clutching her side, paw pressing against it. Her breathing was a bit heavy and somewhat sporadic, her long jaws wide open. But how did she get like that? What happened to make her lay on the ground this way? Then, a few seconds later, he got his answer. Something moved out in front of him. Something tall, almost familiar... No, two somethings. They positioned themselves about two feet away from him, their heads turned towards the fallen zoner. He could see one of them was holding a long pole in their hand, weilding it out in case the snake-like zoner decided to attack again. Snap blinked a few times as he stared up at his saviors. Who were they? How did they get here? What was... And then one of them turned their head towards him. Then the other. It took him a few seconds to recognize the faces obscured by the shadows. But when he did, he could feel his heart nearly stop, a sharp intake of breath freezing him where he was. He stared long and hard at them, unable to believe what he was seeing. Then, after the initial shock, he managed to choke out a single statement. “R-Rudy...? P-Penny...?” sss Finding a way to stop the red chalk from striking them was not very easy. Rudy and Penny had struggled with the red chalk for a while, longer than they would have liked. The red chalk got a few good blows against them and it made it difficult for them to draw anything with the white chalk. It was determined to make sure that they were unable to stop it from drawing what it wanted to. The children refused to give up, however. They both knew that there was a way to try to disable the chalk further. They just needed to think harder and delve deeper into the situation. They needed to keep trying and surely some kind of solution would show itself. The red chalk might be strong, but if they could just come up with a solution to immobilize it somehow... And that's when it hit them. Immobilization... If they could just draw a rope, they could use it to keep their arm from flinging about so much. That should stop the red chalk from trying to attack them. But the problem was they didn't know how they were going to do it. With only one hand available, they couldn't hold and draw at once, not to mention it would be hard to tie with just one hand. They couldn't even help each other because of the red chalk moving about. What they needed was some assistance. But the only one available was Howdy. They weren't sure how well he could help but...they had to give it a try at the very least. Surprisingly, Howdy did a pretty good job. He suggested they just draw long ropes. They were such simple shapes that there was no way that the red chalk could stop them. He and Penny moved around the hallway in small and wide circles, looping their arms around so that they were able to create long, thick rope. Once they were finished, Howdy went to work. Picking up the rope, he rushed over towards Rudy first, and then later Penny. With both of them, he had them hold their hands back, creating 'chicken wings' like in some dance moves. The kids struggled to keep their arms back long enough for Howdy to tie the ropes around them. Around and around the ropes looped, pressing against their skin. Soon Howdy was finished and he tied the rope tightly, securing the arm in that position. They waited to see if it worked. Rudy and Penny could feel their arms moving about, trying to get free. But no matter how hard they tried, they just could not do much except just wobble about. The red chalk was unable to even strike them. It was completely immobilized and helpless to stop them. This caused Rudy and Penny to smile at one another briefly, but it was short-lived. Narrowing their eyes, they looked down the hallway. It was time to go searching for Skrawl and the memotrice. Penny couldn't remember how many turns they took or how long it took them to get here. But eventually, they had gotten close enough that they could hear Snap's pleas. It was enough to make them both freeze, looking at each other in horror. They knew Snap was in big trouble and they had to get over here quickly before something bad happened to him. When they arrived here, they were horrified to see Snap being attacked by Cornerstone. The blue zoner was trying his best to get out of the way, barely dodging most of the time. He was pleading with Skrawl, making Penny deduce that Skrawl must have finally decided to get rid of Snap. She and Rudy both knew if they didn't intervene quickly, Snap might not last much longer. Before they could get that close, Snap was slammed into the ground heavily. He let out a cry of pain as his body hit the hard surface, causing them both to gasp and flinch in horror. The snake-beast stood over Snap and was getting ready to attack him. At that close range, there was no way Snap could get out of the way in time. He needed help fast. Penny glanced at Rudy, sharing a silent message with him. Either they blew their cover and rushed over to help their friend or Snap was going to get a fatal dose of venom, then there'd be no way to get him back. They didn't take long to make a decision. Rudy was the first one to take action. He quickly drew a long pole with a hard, smooth rock at the end. Penny followed suit, creating something similar in her hand. They rushed over as quickly as they could, Howdy trailing along behind them. When they got close enough, Rudy and Penny struck out with their poles. The hard tips landed against the side of the beast. She let out a screech, her head flinging back, as she was tossed across the ground. As she clutched her side painfully, Rudy and Penny immediately got in front of their friend, taking position to protect him. And that brings them to the now. Penny glared off at Cornerstone along with Rudy. The zoner was back on her feet now, letting out a long, low hiss. She arched her body around, showing them her long, muscular side as if to intimidate them. Her tail swung side to side rapidly, ready to strike out at them at any given moment. Her sharp tail blade glinted in their direction. She was ready to launch an attack against them. They raised their poles up and out in front of them, showing her that they were not defenseless. They both knew they had to be careful. Her venom might not work on them, but her claws and tail spike sure would. This zoner was strong enough to kill them both easily. If they allowed themselves to be distracted long enough, then this zoner could land a fatal blow against them. They must be extra careful. The snake-like zoner was pacing around them, occasionally glancing down at Snap. She wanted to attack Snap. They weren't sure why, but it's not like they cared. No excuse it could come up with would justify its attacks on their friend. They would make sure she never hurt him again. As Rudy took a step forward, holding his pole out horizontally as he faced against Cornerstone, Penny looked around the room, getting an idea of what their surroundings were. She could see a Beanie Boy floating nearby, but she hardly worried about him. He didn't look like he wanted to make a move. He looked instead like someone that hat witnessed something horrible and he was still recovering from it. He was not the Beanie Boy they attacked, so he must have been a witness. Penny felt a pang of guilt at this. Skrawl and Thoughtless were just standing there, not far apart. Skrawl's eyes were narrowed, gritting his teeth at the situation. At the moment, he wasn't saying anything. The last words he spoke were likely revolved around killing Snap. He must be too angry to give out another order, but this could change. And then there was Thoughtless. The memotrice wasn't moving too much. A bit of tail movement and its head turning around a little. But it was otherwise silent. Thoughtless was staring blankly at what was going on. Well almost blankly. She thought she could see a tinge of worry in its eyes. Probably related to its plan; she doubted that it would care about Snap. She wondered what was making the memotrice worried. That seemed a bit strange. The memotrice had always been so confident before. What changed? She then took notice of something about Thoughtless's eyes that caused her own to widen. They almost appeared to be glowing... Faint, but still there, still noticeable enough for her to see it. But why were they doing that? She had never seen them do this before. And it looked as if it was looking straight at Skrawl and... It instantly snapped in her head. Thoughtless...it must be doing something with Skrawl. Was it altering his memories so he would act the way it wanted? It's quite possible. Maybe Skrawl was resistant to what the memotrice wanted and it was taking active measures to stop him from getting away. But if Thoughtless was using its powers... Penny looked down at Snap. She could see the confused and frightened look in his eyes. He was staring up at Rudy. Then, upon realizing that she was looking at him, he turned to face her. She couldn't see the look of hatred like she did before. All she could see was a frightened little zoner who had no idea what was going on. He looked shocked that they were even here, as if he could not understand why they'd come over and help him out after what he did to them. Penny bit her lip. She needed to get Snap out of here before Thoughtless could think of changing his memories again. Plus, being around her and Rudy while his mind was a mess may not be the best thing for him. Lifting her head, she turned towards Howdy and motioned him to come over. The puppet zoner moved over quickly, eyeing her with wide, concerned eyes. "What is it?" Howdy's voice was low and soft, as if to make sure that the evil zoners didn't notice him. Penny motioned towards Snap. "Get him out of here!" Howdy glanced at Snap. He gave him a sympathetic expression. Then his eyes widened and he looked back up. "But..what about you..?" "Don't worry about us!" Rudy said as he turned his head enough to stare down at Howdy with his undamaged left eye. "We will be fine!" "A-Are you sure...?" Howdy still seemed reluctant. "Just go!" Rudy hissed through clenched teeth. "Get Snap out of here!" Penny looked over at Cornerstone worriedly. "Hurry, Howdy! I don't know how long we can hold her back!" Howdy still looked uncertain. He clearly didn't want to leave them behind. Despite the fact that there was little he could do, he was hesitant to want to leave them alone. But he did seem to realize quickly that he didn't have much of a choice. He gave the two children a sad, accepting look and nodded his head slowly. He then turned his head to Snap, who in turn glanced over at him in confusion. "Come on, Snap." Howdy grabbed onto Snap's arm. "Let's get out of here!" Before Snap could protest, Howdy immediately tugged on his arm and started to drag him down the hallway. Cornerstone noticed this and she let out a loud hiss. Following an order to kill from Skrawl, the snake-like beast immediately rushed around Rudy and Penny, going along the side of the walls to get past them. Panicking, the children took action. Penny struck Cornerstone in the side while Rudy rushed out in front. He whacked her in the head, causing her to lose her grip. She fall off the wall from the daze. She stood up and shook her head. She glared at them and let out a loud hiss. "Don't waste time with them! Get Snap!" Ordered Skrawl. Cornerstone moved from side to side, trying to find a way past the two protective children. At first, it didn't seem like she could think of anything. She took a few steps back, raising her head up. Her head turned from side to side, alternating between the two children. Her lips curled back in a snarl and she rumbled in her throat deeply, a clear threat for them to move. But Penny and Rudy refused to comply. There was no way they were going to let her by without a fight. Snap was their best friend, even if he was acting rather crazy right now. They needed to give Howdy and Snap enough of a head start to ensure that the snake-like beast wouldn't be able to get past them quickly enough. And so far, they were doing a pretty good job of it. With their poles striking Cornerstone, they managed to keep her back. But this didn't last for long. Without warning, she made an unexpected move. With a whoosh of her body, she wrapped around the wall again. Before she and Rudy could strike against her, the snake-like beast was now on the ceiling. She and Rudy tried to strike against her to get her down. But the zoner was very fast, too swift for them. She zipped down the hallway, her claws clanging against the ceiling, making her way swiftly to where Snap and Howdy were racing down. "No! Snap! Howdy!" Rudy cried out. "Leave them alone, you beast!" Penny shouted. The two children started to rush down the hallway to try to stop Cornerstone. Their eyes were wide in horror and their hearts pounded in their chests. They had to get to Cornerstone quickly, before she could... "Get them!" Before the children could react, they were suddenly slammed agains the wall by a strong force. They grunted as they hit against each other, letting out yelps of pain. They fell to the ground, letting out soft groans and moans. They pushed themselves up, rubbing their heads with ther free arms. They looked over to see a Beanie Boy hovering in front of them. From behind, Skrawl was wearing a sadistic grin. “Good... Keep the children busy! Cornerstone can take care of the other two brats!” Penny’s eyes widened in horror. She looked back and her heart skipped a beat when she saw that Cornerstone had already disappeared out of sight, on the tail of their friends. “No! You can’t do this! Leave them alone!” “You’re in no position to tell me what to do, genius girl!” Skrawl snarled. He took a glance at them and appeared to finally notice the condition of their arms. “Why did you...?” <It seems they are trying to hinder the red chalk.> Noted Thoughtless. A sly smirk spread across its beak as it looked up at Skrawl. <Affective strategy...but it also leaves them vulnerable....> Skrawl blinked a few times, but quickly seemed to get what the memotrice was saying. “I couldn’t agree more...” Skrawl turned to stare at the children. Rudy and Penny tensed up, their eyes shifting from the Beanie Boy to Skrawl and Thoughtless, wondering what he was going to do. “Rho! You know what to do...” Rho nodded his head slowly and smirked at Rudy and Penny. Whatever fear he had in him before was gone. He must have realized that the red chalk wasn’t a threat to him anymore and likely believed that Rudy and Penny couldn’t be controlled by it at the moment. A part of them wondered how much this assumption was true. They also wondered which would be worse: if they weren’t possessed and had to fight handicapped, or if they were and acted like wild animals. They didn’t have much time to think about that. Rho had immediately flown towards them. Rudy and Penny raised up their magic chalk. They prepared themselves for a confrontation with the incoming zoner. After all, he was just a single Beanie Boy. He couldn’t be that much trouble... ....right? sss “Is this the place?” Reggie needed only to look around once to affirm that, yes, this was the place he had wanted to be. He turned to the driver next to him and nodded his head. “Yeah, it is.” “Should I pull in the parking lot or...?” Asked the driver. Reggie shook his head. “No, just park here on the street. I can make my way over just fine.” “Okay then, kid.” The driver responded. “Hold on...” He flipped on a switch, signalling to any cars behind him that he was pulling up. Then he began to move the car to the side, preparing to make a stop at the sidewalk. Reggie couldn’t believe just how lucky he was to even have gotten this service. He knew the only reason they had bothered taking his call this fast was because he was Mr. Bullnerd’s son. They highly respected him as, in some way, his dad kind of owned them. It was complicated and he didn’t care to think of the details right now. He just knew that his dad still had enough connections to the company to get special treatment. Not the best business practice, but for the moment, he didn’t care; at least it got him here fast. Of course he had to prove he was Mr. Bullnerd’s son, and that wasn’t exactly easy. He had to rummage through to get a piece of identification for them before they would accept him as that man’s son. He guessed he never really told them about him, or it could just be that he had never met them before. So they had nothing to base their assumptions off on. He was impressed with how quickly this man had been able to get him to Penny’s house. Faster than he would have expected. And much to his luck, the familar car was still there. The adults hadn’t left yet. He didn’t know how long they had actually ben here, but at least he had arrived in enough time to try to help them. He wondered how they were doing. Maybe Terry found something that could help them. He understood why the other adults hadn’t trusted her at first. She was...odd, to say the least, and he did know that she didn’t really like Rudy or Penny. Neither did he, honestly. At least, not enough to call them his friends. But he knew that Terry did want to do the right thing and help find them. He was confident that she is working hard right now, trying to find some way to find Rudy and Penny. If she hadn’t, well...that was why he was here. To help. His thoughts were interrupted when he felt the car pull to a stop against the sidewalk. He could feel his head jerking forward a little by the force of the stop. He could hear the man pull the stick back and put the car in park. He looked over and he could see the man’s hand was on the key and he was looking at him, his eyes radiating with a questioning glow. “Do you need any help?” He asked. Reggie tried not to groan in frustration. While he understood that this was just company policy, and he was still Mr. Bullnerd’s son, he couldn’t help but feel annoyed by this man’s assumption that he needed help walking a few yards towards a house that was right there. Not like there was any kind of hidden lasers or whatever that would hurt him. Still, he tried not to show too much anger. As politely as he could, he said, “No thanks. I can walk.” He reached into his pocket and gave the man the money for the ride. “Here you go.” He knew his dad was going to be upset with him for stealing some of his money. But he would understand why he did it....hopefully. The driver took the money and shoved it in his pocket. “See you around, kid.” He paused. “You don’t need a ride back?” “Nah. One of them can take me home.” Reggie pointed a thumb back towards the house. “But thanks anyway.” “No problem!” Reggie opened up the passenger door. He climbed out of the car and slammed the door behind him. He turned around and waved goodbye to the driver. He watched as the man pulled out from the sidewalk and began to drive away. Reggie then turned his attention towards the large house. He took in a deep breath and sighed slowly. Well...this was it. Without further adue, the boy began to make his way towards the house. |
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Post by Bluedramon on Aug 7, 2015 17:31:54 GMT -5
Chapter 35:
Oh geeze... just how fast could this guy go? He had never seen a Beanie Boy move this quickly before. It was unprecedented. Sure he knew they weren’t exactly slow, but the way this guy was zipping around, it was difficult for him to keep up.
Every so often, the Beanie Boy would ram into him or Penny. He could feel the collision, hear it rattling his brain despite it being soft matter against soft matter. He cried out a few times as he was pushed into the ground. Getting up with just one arm free was difficult. He still managed to pull it off somehow, climbing up to his feet and struggling to keep himself from falling down. He brushed himself off, but before he could even look, let alone begin to make a move, he felt a fist against his jaw, tossing him back.
The boy laid on his back, his hand against his bruised jaw. He rubbed it back and forth carefully. He lifted up his head and stared over at Rho. The Beanie Boy didn’t make any facial expressions. In fact, he never did. This scared Rudy more than a nasty glare would. There was something just..unsettling about this Beanie Boy. A part of him just wanted to flee.
That was not an option, he knew. He struggled to get back up to his feet. He turned and glared at the Beanie Boy, gritting his teeth tightly, his eyes narrowed. To his side, he could see Penny bent over and panting heavily. Her eyes were wide and her hand was against her stomach. This caused Rudy to witness a flashback in his head, showing him how Rho had rammed him head against the girl, knocking the wind out of her. The memory caused him to flinch before turning back to glare at Rho.
All the while, Rho did not speak. He simply remained quiet and stared at them. Even if he or Penny shouted at him as they fought, even if Skrawl or Thoughtless barked out an order, he still responded with nothing more than a nod. This was in high contrast with the other Beanie Boys, who usually spoke their ‘Beanie Boys we are the boys that Skrawl employs’ line or at the very least, actually smiled when given an order or made a glare or something.
But this guy...he was just a blank slate now. Comparing this to his previous state of being terrified, it was quite a jarring change. Rudy couldn’t understand it. How could this Beanie Boy be like this? Why couldn’t he emote like normal and not glare at him like...
Rudy immediately flung himself to the side when Rho took advantage of his silent moment and tried to punch him. He could hear the sound of the wall cracking from where the Beanie Boy had struck. Rudy rushed away before looking over his shoulder and seeing that there was now a large indention in the wall. The sight of it caused his blood to freeze. It gave him and Penny a very good idea of just what they were dealing with.
And of course, despite shaking his head and showing some signs of pain or at least irritation, Rho was not slowed down by much at all. He simply rubbed his hand, getting the small particles of rock off of his skin before he turned and tried to attack them again.
This time, Rho circled around them quickly. His body zipped around them so quickly, at times he appeared as nothing but a blur to them. Rudy and Penny turned their heads this way and that just trying to keep up with him. The sight of the Beanie Boy moving so fast was enough disorient them. They put their free hands on their heads as they struggled to settle themselves down. Unforutnately, this provided an opening for Rho and he knocked his body against them, knocking Penny into Rudy.
The two children fell to the ground. Penny laid strewn across Rudy, her stomach pressing against his back wound. Rudy’s eyes bulged and he let out a scream. He squirmed underneath Penny, struggling to get away from her.
“Get off!” Rudy pleaded with her. “Please get off now!”
Penny paused, confused. Then it clicked with her. “Oh my gosh..I’m sorry, Rudy!”
“Just get off now!”
Penny struggled to get up. With only one useable hand, this task was difficult. Although it didn’t take her too much longer to get up, it was an eternity for Rudy. He ended up bucking upwards and pushing her off himself. Realizing what he did, he immediately turned to her and gave her an apologetic look.
“Penny, I’m so sorry!” Rudy’s voice was tinged with alarm. “Are you okay?!”
Penny nodded her head. “Yeah I’m fine. I...” Her eyes bulged. “Rudy! Look out!”
“Huh...?” Rudy turned around just in time to see a fist collide with his face. He saw a brief flash of Rho’s blank, somehow darkened expression before he was forced several feet away. His body collided with the wall and he fell down. He laid there and let out a soft groan. “Ow...”
He heard Penny let out a scream as well. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see swift movement. He turned his head and he could see Penny’s body being flung across the air and against the hard vertical surface not far from him. He watched her slide down slowly, her eyes shut and teeth bared in pain. Then more movement came into his field of vision. He could see that the pudgy zoner was now making his way towards him. Rudy gritted his teeth and managed to sit himself up. He raised up a fist and prepared to strike the zoner as he came closer.
This, however, backfired quickly. He had been lucky before with his lack of depth perception. Now it was catching up to him a bit. When he attempted to strike, his fist missed its mark completely. But Rho’s attack was enough to push him against the wall further, cracking it more, sending shockwaves of pain through his injured back.
Rho didn’t stop there. As Rudy was still a bit dazed, the Beanie Boy grabbed his shirt collar and then thrust him into the ground. Rudy’s face collided with the hard surface. He screamed as his face hit the floor, the thud echoing in the hallway that he was in. He thought for sure he could hear his brain wobbling around inside his own skull, which increased his headache more and irritated his eye injury.
“P-Penny...!” Rudy said through his pain. “T-Try to draw something..!”
As Penny struggled to raise up her magic chalk, Rudy did likewise. Rho might have been able to prevent them from drawing before, but maybe now that Rho used up some of his energy, they could try to draw something to help them out. All they needed was something to slow him down with. It didn’t need to be anything fanciful. Just enough to delay him for a little bit.
Rudy looked down at his chalk, clutched in his hand. It was shaking, nearly falling out of his hand. The young boy tightened his grip, trying to prevent himself from dropping it. He glared at Rho, who hadn’t yet begun his new attack. He just needed to be quicker than him. If he could just draw this around like this, and connect a line to this, he could...
He never got a chance to finish. Rho moved quicker than he had expected. Even with the simple, quick drawing he was going to do, Rho still managed to be faster than his hand. He grunted as the zoner pressed him against the wall, emptying his lungs of oxygen as his partially formed lines materialized and fell to the ground. Rudy’s eyes widened and he struggled to take in a breath. Rho kept pressing against him as if to keep him from breathing. Rudy pushed against him as hard as he could, but the Beanie Boy proved much stronger than him.
Just then, Rho let out a gag and he was being pulled back roughly. Rudy could feel the pressure being pulled away, granting him some relief. He held his stomach, rubbing it carefully. The ache slowly subsided. As he rubbed it, he looked over and saw that Penny had her arm looped around Rho’s neck and was yanking him backwards. Rudy couldn’t help but feel impressed by this feat. Sacrificing her chance to draw to help him...
But of course, it couldn’t last. While Penny’s actions might have stopped Rho for a short time, it still wasn’t enough to stop him forever. Wrenching himself from side to side, the zoner eventually managed to grab onto Penny’s arm. She let out a scream as the Beanie Boy flung her towards him like some kind of canapult. Rudy wasn’t able to get out of the way in time. She collided with him, their skulls hitting against each other. A pound of pain rushed through them, leaving them dazed and confused on the ground.
With them unable to fight back for a few seconds, Rho was able to snatch them up by their free arms. Being a physically strong zoner, it didn’t really take much for him to be able to lift them both into the air quite easily. They dangled there for a few seconds, their feet a couple of inches off the ground. By the time they did realize what was going on, it was too late. The two children tried to struggle, swinging themselves around, trying to hit the zoner in some way. But it was of no use. They couldn’t get a strike in at all.
It was only then that Rho showed any kind of emotion. Seeing his twisted smile, Rudy and Penny felt their blood freeze. They both asked themselves why they thought the emotionless version of this zoner was scarier. Suddenly, they missed that blank expression.
Judging from the look in his eyes, he wanted to continue hurting them. He wanted to play with them more. He wanted to make them pay for all that they had done. And there was nothing they could do to stop him. Not in their present state. They simply glared at the zoner, wanting to show some level of defiance towards him while he continued hurting him. At least he wouldn’t get the satisfaction of their fear.
However, before he could, Skrawl and Thoughtless immediately came over.
“Wait, don’t do anything else.” Skrawl said. The Beanie Boy looked at him with a shocked and disappointed expression. “Oh don’t give me that. We have other plans for these two, remember?”
Thoughtless nodded its head. <Indeed. If you would be so kind....please drop them.> Rho looked at it like it was crazy. <Don’t worry. They won’t go anywhere. We’re close enough we can stop whatever they try to draw. Although I take it they won’t do anything stupid in the meantime... am I right?>
The two children hissed at the memotrice when it gave them that look. But they said nothing. They just lowered their heads slightly. They both knew that, at the moment, there wasn’t too much they could do. They needed to buy time and wait until the right moment to strike. For now, best to act as if they were surrendering.
Thoughtless grinned at this. <That’s good, children. Cooperate and you will come out fine after this.”
“You mean being fused with the red chal..” Rudy grumbled.
Thoughtless nodded. <That’s better than being dead, right?> Rudy didn’t respond to this. Neither did Penny. This didn’t seem to bother Thoughtless. It turned to Skrawl and Rho. <Let’s get them contained again. And this time, we’re putting someone in charge of the containment unit. We don’t want them slipping out again. Understand?”
Both Rho and Skrawl nodded their heads. They gave Thoughtless a quick salute. Rudy simply shook his head. He would have expected that gesture from a Beanie Boy, but he still couldn’t wrap his head around the idea of Skrawl doing this, of all zoners. He didn’t get a chance to finish his thought when he was suddenly shoved forward roughly along with Penny.
“Come on, you two punks.” Hissed Rho. His voice was a tad more gravelly than most Beanie Boys they heard. “Time to get going!”
Rudy and Penny casted a glare over their shoulders at Rho. They wisely decided to keep quiet and they began to follow Skrawl and Thoughtless, who were beckoning the children to follow. Soon the group began to move down the hallway, Rudy and Penny in the middle, Rho behind them, and Skrawl and Thoughtless in front of them.
sss
Reggie slowly approached the house, taking his time. He wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was the feeling of how large this place was, or maybe it was the feeling of dread of how the adults were going to react when they find out he had followed them. Whatever the reason, it was resulting in really slow movements. He tried his best to speed things up a little, but he couldn’t get his legs to move all too fast.
He looked around as he approached the front door. He could see the large barn and several housing areas where the animals were being held. He could hear loud animal sounds echoing in his head as he passed by. For some reason, this gave him a strong sense of ‘hugeness’ about this place. It wasn’t as large as the vet clinic he had taken Dumpster to a few times, but still, this place always felt a bit more..epic to him. He wasn’t sure how to describe it.
Sometimes he wondered just how Mrs. Sanchez was able to keep up with all these patients all these people. How did she do all of that without going insane? She must deal with hundreds of clients a week... Okay maybe not that much, but certainly enough to warrant keeping the place open and to keep feeding herself and Penny and keeping a roof over their heads. He had to give them credit. This place did look well maintained. At least, from what he was seeing so far.
But he wasn’t here to critique her work or anything. No, he was here to speak to the adults. Maybe now that he was here, his dad would be more willing to just give in and let him help. Reggie was aware that he might end up paying some sort of price down the line. But at least he would be able to do something other than just sitting around the house being, well, useless.
He soon entered the house, shutting the door behind him. He slowly walked in, taking light steps as he moved away from the door. He looked left and right, seeing no sign of the adults. A good sign. They were still upstairs then. He began to move up them slowly, taking his time. He tried not to let the steps squeak; he didn’t want to make too much noise. He wanted to be able to at least get to the room before he’s flipped around and forced to go back down the steps.
As he got closer to the door that he was certain was Penny’s, he could hear some murmuring. At first, he thought that they were just discussing a course of action and were having a hard time deciding what to do. He had expected something like this. Even if they found something that could help, they still needed to then figure out what they were going to do right after. It wasn’t enough to just get some ideas; they had to actually plan things out.
Bu he more he got closer, the more he noticed how these murmurs and statements sounded. They were...angry. And sad and upset. Strong distress was hanging off their voices. Even if he couldn’t yet understand what was being said, he could still tell that something was bothering the adults. And much more than just a ‘we didn’t find anything’; no, something big happened here. But what?
He pushed himself lightly against the wall and crept closer. He kept his ear against the wall as he moved, trying to pick up more soon. Eventually, he did begin to hear some words more clearly. He listened intently, hoping to figure out the gist of what was going on.
“I can’t believe it... How could she have...”
“Now, now... Let’s not get too upset. We need to think clearly for...”
“How can you say that?! Our children are still missing and the one person who could have helped us is gone!”
“And we have no way of going after her, either! I just...can’t believe that....she would...”
Reggie widened his eyes at these statements. He pressed his head a bit further against the door, hoping to hear more. However he failed to realize that the door wasn’t shut all the way. He found himself flopping into the room, letting out a loud grunt as he hit himself against the ground.
Suddenly all the comments had stopped and it was dead silent. He opened his eyes and took a look around. He could see that everyone had their eyes on him. Eyes widened, some mouths open, others with teeth clenched. Reggie turned his head slowly to look at them all. He took in a few slow breaths before he managed to give a small, awkward smile to them. He raised his hand and waved. Of course, none of them returned this gesture.
“Reggie?!” He heard his dad call out, causing him to flinch. After a moment’s pause, he shouted, “What the hell are you doing here?! I told you to stay home!”
Reggie clenched his teeth, turing his head slightly to the side. “I’m sorry, father. But I...just wanted to help.” He held his hands out towards his dad. “I couldn’t just stay home. I had to do something. I...”
“Were you in on with Terry...?” Mr. Tabootie asked, his tone slightly accusatory.
Reggie stared at him in confusion. “What...do you mean?”
Although he had overheard parts of the conversation, he still wasn’t entirely sure what happened. He was having a hard time piecing all of it together. The sudden drop kind of screwed his thought processes earlier.
His question clearly didn’t sit well for the grieving faster. He had never seen Mr. Tabootie this angry before, especially not at him. Reggie, still on the ground, pulled himself away, keeping his eyes on the man. He kept expecting the man to run over towards him and attack him or something. He didn’t really have to worry about that; the other adults would likely stop him. But still, that didn’t stop the fear from rising up inside of him.
Mrs. Tabootie was able to calm him down. She placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently. The man’s shoulders slowly relaxed, followed by the rest of his body. However, that piercing glare was still pointed at him. This man was definitely accusing him, something that Reggie couldn’t help but take offense to. Did he think that, just because he was a bully, that he would help with worsening the situation that their children were in?
He was almost grateful that his dad had intervened before he had a chance to say anything.
“What Mr. Tabootie was trying to say, son, is that...” Mr. Bullnerd paused for a moment, clenching his teeth nervously. He looked a bit uncomfortable with delivering news related to other parents. But it didn’t seem that the Tabooties or Mrs. Sanchez, judging from their expressions, would be able to say much without sounding too emotional. So Mr. Bullnerd had to do it. “...Terry betrayed us.”
Reggie’s eyes bulged at this. He remembered some of the comments now. He did recall mentions of something terrible that a ‘she’ did. He didn’t know why he didn’t fully connect it to Terry at the time. He pushed that thought aside for now as he let this bit of information slowly sink in. Suddenly, as he glanced at the parents, their glares towards him made sense.
He had been working with Terry. Briefly, but he was still associated with her. He had joined up with her to help find Rudy and Penny. She claimed to have been given the assignment. Now that this happened, he had to wonder just how accurate that was. Was she lying to him? Or was she telling the truth? Did she simply turn against her assignment for something she felt was ‘better’? He just couldn’t believe it. She had seemed sincere in wanting to help and then she pulled something like this. No wonder the adults were upset with him.
But he hoped that they understood he wasn’t their enemy. He never planned this with Terry. He never once thought that they should betray Rudy and Penny. The very idea of him helping Terry do something like that...it left him feeling uncomfortable.
Although he knew that his next question might not be the most welcome among the adults right now, she knew it had to be asked either way. “What...did she do...?”
He didn’t expect any of the parents to speak up. He didn’t think that any of them wanted to. The Tabooties looked like they were too busy comforting each other. Mrs. Sanchez was clearly struggling to keep her anger at bay. Whether or not it was aimed at him, he wasn’t sure. And Tilly was her head turned to the side, looking towards the large chalkboard in the room. Her expression alone showed that she was thinking many thoughts.
He was expecting his dad to talk. He was the one facing him with the least hostility. Yes his dad was angry at him for coming here, angry that he was likely putting himself in danger. But at the same time, he was angry at Terry’s actions. He recognized that look in his dad’s eyes. It was enough to tell the small boy that Terry had done something particularly nasty. His dad never has this expression around just anyone. This was the look that, if aimed at you, then it was best to flee quickly.
His dad exhaled slowly. “You see, she...”
Without warning, Tilly spoke up above him. “She found I guess was ‘magic chalk’ and she used it to go into that world of chalk and she just left us here! She said she didn’t care about the children and that we could find them ourselves!”
The emotional response from Tilly was unexpected. Reggie didn’t think that she would have said anything. From Mrs. Tabootie, perhaps, or her husband, or Mrs. Sanchez. Not that he didn’t think Tilly didn’t care. She was still Rudy’s aunt, after all. But then again, she had her own daughter, right? It was easy for the woman to imagine these horrible things happening to her own offspring. So her outburst was understandable.
Mrs. Sanchez followed suit. “That...bitch...! We trusted her! We actually trusted her...and this is the thanks she gives us!” She formed a fist and raised it up. She was holding some kind of object. Difficult to tell what it was at this distance. “I should have known she’d do something like this!” Mustering up strenght in her arm, she threw the object into the ground, making everyone else, including Reggie, to flinch.
“I mean...I know she probably wasn’t the biggest fan of Rudy or Penny, but..how could she have been so heartless?” Mrs. Tabotie hissed softly. Despite her calming Mr. Tabootie before, she was just as high strung as he was. “Doesn’t she realize what she just did?”
Mr. Tabootie shook his head. “She’s an evil woman. She only cares about herself. But don’t worry; she will get what’s coming to her in due time.” He shut his eyes. “But we still need to figure out how we’re going to find our children without her.”
“Well...there is my son...” Mr. Bullnerd tapped a finger against his chin lightly. The other adults looked at him curiously. “He did say he knew more about that world than Ms. Bouffant...” The man turned his head and looked down at Reggie. “Am I right?”
“Well...I wouldn’t say I’m an expert.” Reggie admitted. It was true. He was only there one time. “But I still been to more places than she has, if I remember right. If she’s in there, I’m sure she’s bound to get herself into trouble. We may find her before she has a chance to leave.”
“Well.. if you know more, do you know anything that would be useful to us on the outside?” Mr. Tabootie asked. His voice still had that accusatory tone, but it sounded like he was making more of an effort to sound calmer.
“Yeah. Can you tell us something that would give us an edge?” Mrs. Sanchez folded her arms asgainst herself. “We’re taking suggestions there.”
Reggie remained quiet for a little while. The feeling of the adults all staring at him was...rather uncomfortable and awkward. He tried not to let it get to him as he struggled to think of something to respond with. He closed his eyes and thought back to his previous conversations with Terry. Maybe something she said would help. Maybe she had let slip something that would be useful for them. He tried not to let his anger towards the woman get to him as he thought of her and her words.
He recalled that she did tell him a few things about this world of chalk. She had sounded almost too excited to tell someone about it. Not too surprising, considering that most people didn’t really listen to her much. The revelation that the chalk world was real didn’t strike him with much awe; he had already known this. He continued thinking about Terry’s words, struggling to try to remember something that might be useful for him and for the others to know. She had said so much. Surely there had to be something that...
He suddenly went silent, his eyes widening slightly. His dad and the other adults looked at him strangely, but he hardly paid attention to it. He did recall something that she said almost offhandedly. A small remark, but it had big implications.
Slowly, he turned his head towards the chalkboard. He stared at it long and hard. He had to wonder... Could Terry have been right?
“Reggie...?” Mr. Bullnerd whispered softly, concern laced on his voice. “What is it, son...?”
Reggie was silent for a couple of seconds. Then, slowly, his eyes narrowed into slits. “I think I have a plan...” With that, much to the confusion of the adults, he began to make his way over to the chalkboard.
sss
She did it. She finally did it...
How long has it been? A year at least since she started?
Oh who cares? The end result is that she was finally in this chalk world. She couldn’t help but feel a strong sense of accomplishment and elation. She could feel her chest puffing up in pride as she looked around, confirming for herself that, yes she was indeed in the chalk world. And of course, there were no signs of Rudy or Penny anywhere. They were simply not here.
The thought of them did make her freeze for a moment. Despite everything she said before, there was a small part of her that still felt a little guilty about what she did. She had agreed to help find the two and she still turned her back on them. They must be so worried...
She shook her head. Oh what did it matter? It didn’t really affect her at all. Those children would have just gotten in the way of her discovery. They would have tried to convince their parents to kick her out or something. At least this way, she could get what she needed done before the children would be able to do anything. Besides, the parents could be reunited with their children after this place was exposed. With the gateway open, they were more than welcome to come in here and do some searching around themselves.
Pushing away any lingering feeling of guilt, the woman began to walk further into the chalk world. A wide smile on her face, she looked left and right, taking in the sight of everything that she was seeing. This place was...the only word she could use to describe it was ‘incredible’. An absolutely amazing place.
Just as she remembered, it had that chalky look and feel to it. Everything here, even the sky and the very ground she stood on, looked like something out of a children’s book. Yet they all looked real, like she could reach down and touch them. Which she could of course. It was just amazing, how this world managed to look real and fake at the same time. Some people might be turned off by this. But her? It intrigued and excited her. This world was certainly much different than the one she had come from.
Many questions ran through her mind as she continued to walk. She couldn’t help it; being a reporter, she had to analyze so much stuff. And as she looked around, getting a better idea of what this world looked like, questions just popped in left and right.
Did these zoners eat? Or was this not necessary since they were child drawings? Did they age and die like things in her own world? Or did they live forever? Were they capable of being injured? Or did they not have any internal organs and thus could not be hurt? How did living inanimate creations work? How did they move and breathe? Did the sun and moon rise and set here? Was there more than one sun and moon? Did the inhabitants grow their own food or were they reliant on people erasing food for them?
These were questions that she hoped she would be able to answer during her stay here. She was in no hurry to try to find out how to get out of here. So long as she had the magic chalk, she had nothing to worry about. Right now, she just wanted to enjoy herself a little and try to seek a few answers here.
She could feel her heart pump in excitement. She was the first human...okay the first adult, to enter this chalk world. And she was definitely the first one who was going to find answers to share with other people. Many others deserved to see this world. It was just too amazing a discovery to keep to oneself. She couldn’t believe that Rudy and Penny didn’t try exposing it to make money. They would have been famous....
Well they were just children after all. What did they know? And them not exposing it did allow her to fill in that step herself. She smirked. It was her who was going to be famous. Not those two little brats.
As she looked left and right, she couldn’t help but gasp at the sight of all the different things that she saw. She could see different types of trees, landscapes, bizarre designs like a twisted mountain. On one side, she could see a large jungle that still managed to look beautiful even though it was still a child’s drawing essentially. On the other side, she saw faint building structures, obviously a city. No doubt tons of inhabitants lived over there. And then further still, she was certain she saw the sky start to shift color, and then some darkness. Could it be that this place really didn’t have a day and night cycle?
She continued her walk, her smile spreading further and further across her face. This place was just absolutely amazing. Better than she had remembered it. And now here she was, walking around this place, taking in the sight and beauty of it all. She couldn’t wait until she started to take video recordings of this place to bring back as proof. She wasn’t too worried about video footage, though; no, this time she wanted to bring the producer in here so he could see for himself that she was not lying. She grinned darkly. She couldn’t wait to see the look on his face when he realized just how wrong he was about her. It was going to be so satisfying to hear his stuttering apologies.
She stopped over by a tree and leaned against it. She took in a deep breath and sighed as she looked out at the land around her, turning her head slowly from one side to the other. She could see why Vinnie wanted to make an amusement park here. With all these interesting designs and such, it seemed like the perfect spot. And the inhabitants, if they truly were immortal, would make for good, permanent labor. They would be in business for a long time.
But...she had to wonder...could this place be used for something better? She wasn’t really sure yet what that could be. She hadn’t thought too deeply on it yet. She was certain that she could come up with something better and more profitable than what that Vinnie Raton idiot could think of, though. With her brains and intellect and cunning, she’d be able to think of a way to truly milk this world for all that it was worth. This world was a gold mine, and it was all for her.
Suddenly, she was interrupted by the sound of footsteps behind her. She paused her thinking and turned her head. She noticed that one of the inhabitants was approaching her slowly. He appeared to be some kind of stick figure. He had a pretty simple design, yet it was enough for her to tell what he was supposed to be. A baker, definitely. He was purple in color and appeared to have some kind of short beard, if that’s what those lines were supposed to be.
She immediately noticed the expression on his face. He seemed rather...cautious of her. Suspicious and uncertain, yet still curious. He was inching his way closer to her. His body was hunched as if he was preparing to run. His eyes, which were mere dots on his design, were staring at her intently. Terry remained silent, watching the thing get closer to her. Or whatever it was... What would they call themselves? Zoners?
“H-Hello...” The zoner said warily. He looked down at her hand, as if looking for something. Magic chalk, perhaps? “Wh-Who are you...?”
Terry turned around to face the zoner completely. She just stared at him for a few seconds, which appeared to unnerve him. “What is your name?”
The zoner seemed slightly taken aback by this. He looked rather hesitant. He turned his head from side to side as if he were hoping that someone would come out and help back him up or defend him from her. He turned back to her, his teeth pressing into his lower lip. He then leaned forward slightly and he said in a shaky voice, “I-I’m L-L-Lazlo.”
“Ah... Lazlo... Nice name.” Terry commented.
Lazlo paused for a moment, unsure of how exactly to respond to that. He took a small step forward, showing a lot of hesitation in this movement. Then he said, “So...what is your name..?” He motioned his hand out towards her. “A-Are you a friend of Rudy and Penny...?”
Terry’s eyes darkened at the mention of those names. Her eyes narrowed slightly. The zoner gulped at this and he moved back from her a little. His expression was enough to tell her that he realized his mistake. She didn’t bother trying to speak to him just yet; she just let him act this way, let him be in this state of mind for a little while. It was almost amusing seeing his expression. No one had ever looked at her like that before...and it felt almost amazing.
She felt almost insulted that this zoner had dare call her a friend of Rudy. She was not his friend, no would she ever want to be. That little brat had cost her most of her reputation, the same reputation that took a long time to build, and even longer time to repair. Why in the world would she care enough about him to want to be his friend? The thought was revolting to her. She wanted to just slap this zoner across the face for thinking that.
But there did seem to be some silver lining to all of this. This zoner did seem familiar with those to brats. Perhaps he was also familiar with the places they went to. Maybe this zoner wouldn’t mind giving her some information that she could use.
Lazlo noticed the look in her eyes. He took another step back. He looked over his shoulder, looking behind him. “Well I should...probably get going...” He looked back at her. He gave a weak smile. “I’m...sorry if I bothered you. I..will just...get going now...”
Terry’s eyes twinkled. “Not so fast.”
Lazlo froze at this. He stared at her in confusion. When Terry pulled out her magic chalk, something clicked in his head and his eyes widened in fear. He turned around and started to run off in one direction, trying to get away from her. Terry rushed forward, moving as quickly as her legs could carry her. She managed to jump in front of the zoner, letting him slam into her. He tried to turn around and run, but Terry was too fast for him. She reached out and grabbed onto his arm, holding him as his body flung forward a little from the remaining force.
“I want to ask you a few...questions.” Terry said. She smiled as she watched Lazlo struggle to get free. He pushed against her desperately, his eyes wide and teeth bared in fear. “Oh come now... I’m not asking much.” She showed him the magic chalk, letting him watch the sparks fly off the tip, letting him know just who was in charge right now.
“P-Please... Just let me go.. I-I don’t know anything!” Lazlo pleaded with her. He pushed against her hand harder, yanking his arm back to get free. Terry only tightened her grip, twisting his arm a little. He flinched at this. “Please... I don’t have anything you want... J-Just let me go...please...”
“Oh contrare. I’m sure you have a lot of information in that little head of yours...” Terry placed her hand on the zoner’s head. She relished in the fact that she was a little taller, and certainly larger, than the zoner. “All I want from you is for you to answer my questions. I will let you go after I’m done. I have no intention on hurting you.”
Lazlo stared at her, blinking his eyes. “You...promise...?”
Terry nodded. “I promise.” She placed her hand against her upperchest. “All I want are some answers. Then I will leave you alone and let you run off doing...” She made a few motions with her hand. “...whatever it is you normally do.”
Lazlo thought about this, his eyes frowning slightly. “Well...I suppose...” He gave her a sideways glance. “Just...who are you..?”
Terry gave him a grin. “I’m sure Rudy Tabootie told you all about me. I am Terry Bouffant.”
“Y-You’re Terry...?” The zoner whispered under his breath. “The one who wants to expose ChalkZone?”
Terry tilted her head at this. “ChalkZone? Is that what this place is called?”
She didn’t get an answer. Instead, the zoner, clearly panicked by the revelation of who she was, suddenly bit down on her hand out of fear. Terry’s eyes flew open and she let out a cry of pain. She released her grip on the zoner, backing up and clutching her hand to herself. She looked down at it, staring at the tooth marks that the zoner left behind. Looking up, she could see that Lazlo had already begun to run away from her. Clenching her teeth tightly and seething through them, she took off after him.
“You stupid little insignificant piece of shit!” She shouted as she chased after the fleeing zoner. “How dare you... You’re just a stupid child’s drawing! You’re nothing! Wait until I get my hands on you!”
“Please! No! Go away!” Pleaded the zoner.
Terry narrowed her eyes dangerously. How dare the zoner try to plead with her... He had already given up any fair treatment from her by biting her. This zoner wanted to play dirty? Then fine. She will play dirty with him.
Her eyes twinkled when she remembered that he was just a zoner. Something made of chalk. Nothing more than a mere drawing. He didn’t really mean much to anyone. He was not a human. No one back in her world would really defend him. He wouldn’t even be considered an animal. He was just...an alien. And far as she knew, aliens get no rights... She could do anything she wanted to him.
She stared down at the magic chalk, watching it sparkle. Then she looked out at where Lazlo was running. Slowly, her smile grew more twisted. She raised the magic chalk and she began to draw with it.
sss
Howdy pounded his feet against the ground as he ran as fast as he could. His lungs felt as though someone dried them up and then set them on fire. He didn’t dare look behind him no matter how tempted it was. He could barely feel his own hand in Snap’s, in spite of how sweaty it was as they continued running down the hallway.
The only thing he was fully aware of was the sound of loud hissing and snapping. He could hear each growl and roar that Cornerstone was making, and he knew, from the sound of her foot falls and claws clanging, that she was getting closer and closer. If he and Snap didn’t lose her soon, then the snake-like beast was going to be upon them. They wouldn’t be able to dodge her attacks well in their current state.
Especially Snap.
Howdy could see the look in his eyes. He could see how confused and startled and stunned he was by what was going on. It was as if he was having a war inside of his owm mind, which Howyd wouldn’t doubt was happening. It was clear that the blue and white zoner did not expect Rudy and Penny to save him, and now his mind must be having a war with itself as he struggled to make sense of it.
While Howdy was happy that some doubt was being casted in Snap’s mind, now wasn’t exactly a good time for it. Snap was having a hard time keeping up due to his mind being partially shut down. This forced Howdy to pull on him harder, hoping to get him to move faster and faster. Howdy wasn’t sure how much more of this he could take, and he felt that it was just a matter of time before he slipped up and fell or caused Snap to get caught or something. The only thing that kept him going was the adrenaline rushing through his body and the fear of what will happen to them if they dare try to stop.
Any time he could feel himself starting to slow down, he would think of Rudy and Penny and remind himself of why he was doing this. He would think of the words of Biclops and take them to heart, re-energizing the reason why he had to keep going. As he did this, he could feel some energy start to return and he could feel himself start to move faster.
But would it be enough? And how long would he be able to do this before his body simply gave out? He wasn’t sure, and he tried not to dwell on it. He focused on just running as fast as he could, pumping his legs and arms, holding onto Snap as they continued running.
This hallway was like a huge maze. He had no idea where he was going. He dodged left and right, dragging Snap with him. He tugged on the zoner’s arm to make sure that he didn’t get loose from him. He felt guilt as he heard Snap crash against the walls a few times due to the turns being too sharp. These dank walls were pretty rocky...
But it wasn’t just Snap who hit them. Behind him, he could hear the slipping of claws and the crashing of something large against the hard surface. Even with her ability to climb the ceiling, it seemed that Cornerstone was not immune to getting hurt from turning too quickly. This gave Howdy an idea. He started making more abrupt turns. This startled and confused Snap, but Howdy didn’t attempt to answer his panicked questions. He simply focused on making sharp turns whenever he could, hoping to disorient Cornerstone enough that they could get more distance from her.
Left and right he turned, through random directions. He winced when he hit the wall a few times, feeling the coldness of it scrape against his body. He tried his best to ignore it as he continued on with his plan, turning again and again, not sticking to any pattern to further ensure that the snake beast would remain confused, increasing her chances of hitting against something solid.
Eventually, Howdy could hear a heavy thud and a low hiss and groan. He dared to look behind him for a brief second. He was able to look long enough to tell that Cornerstone had fallen off the ceiling. She wasn’t out cold, but she was rubbing her head slowly, laying on the ground as she tried to regain her senses. With her head no longer turned this way, Howdy knew it was best to use this opportunity. With one more strong tug, he pulled Snap down one of the corridors before the snake creature had a chance to look.
They were now in a thinner hallway. Howdy looked around, seeing the small, dim lights as they partially illuminated the hallway for them. It headed straight down and he could see a door at the end of it. It was difficult to tell if it was locked or not, but nonetheless, he slowly began to approach it. This time, he was more gentle when he tugged on Snap to make him follow.
Snap rubbed his head carefully. “What...what was that for...?”
Howdy stared at him in confusion. He soon realized that Snap must have been talking about all the random turns and what not. “To get rid of Cornerstone. Hurry, let’s head in here. At least we’ll have a chance to hide from her.”
Snap looked left and right. “Yeah...she might have a hard time coming in here.”
There was no argument from Howdy with that. This hallway was smaller than the other one, and a tad more rounded too, if that made sense. It’s not that Cornerstone couldn’t fit in here, but she’d find it trickier. The smaller space gave her less manueverability while he and Snap were small enough to be nimble. Cornerstone would have less of a chance catching them in here. At least, in the hallway itself. He wasn’t so sure about the room...
But there was no other choice. They didn’t have much to fight back against Cornerstone with. There was no place to hide here. All she’d have to do is walk by and she would detect their heat signature and then she’d attack. Regardless of the reduced ability to move, she would still have a chance at slashing at them and the closer she got, the less space he and Snap would have to dodge. And all it would take was a single bite from her and... Howdy shuddered at the thought.
The two of them soon reached the door. Howdy tried to reach up and grab it. The knob was too high up for him. He was about to ask Snap for help when he could feel the zoner lift him up onto his shoulders. Howdy thanked him quickly before he reached over and grabbed the door knob. He could feel it turning in his hands. He pushed it open, allowing the door to give a loud squeak as it did so. He jumped down and he and Snap headed into the small room.
The room was mostly empty. There were a few things in here. Mostly broken pieces of previous attempts by Skrawl to conquer ChalkZone. But no shelves or desks or anything. It was just...one large storage unit. He had to wonder why the jellybean had placed this here like this instead of just throwing it out. What use did he have with what the jellybean would call ‘failures’?
The only thing that Howdy could gather is that maybe he reuses some parts later on. That would explain such a storage unit, instead of just sending this out to the dump to be destroyed. Skrawl may have liked some of the stuff he came up with before and felt they could serve another use for him. It was possible... But Howdy tried not to focus his mind too much on what this room was for. After all, that’s not why he came. He and Snap were here to hide, not admire.
Looking around, he couldn’t really see too many places they could hide. There were plenty of debris everywhere from destroyed machine parts. But many of them were either too small for them to be of use, or the damage just wasn’t large enough for them to crawl in. Howdy gritted his teeth. Even in a room filled with stuff, he still had a hard time finding a place they could hide. They were just as better off in the hallway.
He then heard some kind of crumbling sound intermixed with scraping. His heart pounding, he turned his head, expecting to see Cornerstone trying to open the door. But there was no one there. He blinked in confusion. He could have sworn that he...
“Hey over here!” Snap suddenly called out to him. Upon looking over, Howdy could see that Snap appeared to have found something. “I think this might work!”
Howdy saw that Snap had dug into a tall pile of different robotic parts. It looked surprisingly sturdy, as if they were so cluttered together that they somehow managed to support one another. Howdy still hesitated for a moment, flinching as he looked at all the sharp bits and what not. But Snap didn’t look too worried. The zoner was already crawling inside the small gap he had made. Sighing softly, Howdy decided to follow suit.
When he arrived, he dropped down onto his knees. He tried not to yelp at the feel of the hard rocks against his skin, threatening to pierce it. Slowly, ignoring the pain the best he could, he crawled into the small hole where Snap was. He then pushed some of the debris inward, forming a small ‘door’ of some kind to help further disguise the opening.
He realized quickly there wasn’t too much room in here for him and Snap to share. He was pressed up firmly against the blue and white zoner. He struggled to get away from him a little for some breathing room. But even when he was practically hanging out of the ‘door’ he had made, he still felt Snap’s intense body heat combining with his, making him nearly start to sweat from the intense warmth that was blanketing around him. Still, despite how uncomfortable it was, he did his best to hold still and try to endure it as much as he could.
And from there, he and Snap fell silent. They listened intently for any signs of Cornerstone coming. They could hear some faint footsteps, but they weren’t enough to let them know if she was coming here or not. They tried their best to hold still. Perhaps if they waited here long enough, they could sneak out before Cornerstone even realizes they are here. But there was a question that neither of them were able to answer.
Just how long could they wait? How long was enough? When was it was too long?
Okay so that was more than one question. But they were all equally important. Howdy realized they didn’t have much of a plan at this point. They could just keep waiting here, but they would have to leave at some point. How were they going to figure out when the best time to do that was? They had nothing to go on except for the sound of Cornerstone’s foot steps, and those could be inaccurate. What if she was being silent and sneaking up on them and...
Howdy shook his head, trying not to let it get to him. He concentrated on being quiet. Surely, an idea would come to him or Snap soon. So long as they weren’t captured, then they still stood a chance of escape.
“So..I...uh...”
Howdy turned his head over to Snap. He could see the zoner was looking a bit awkward and it wasn’t from the crampiness of this small hole. He could see the look in his eyes and immediately tell that there was something on the zoner’s mind. Howdy had a feeling he knew what it was.
“So...why did..those two...help me...?” Snap finally said after a couple seconds of awkward silence. “Why would they..do that for me?”
Howdy knew this is what was bothering the zoner. He offered Snap a small smile. “Because they are your friends, Snap. They would do anything to protect you.” He frowned slightly. Not out of anger, but out of pity. “I am..sad that you don’t remember this.”
“I do...but I don’t...I don’t know what to think anymore.” Snap clutched the sides of his face, shutting his eyes tightly. “I wish I knew...then my head wouldn’t hurt so badly...”
“Snap...” Howdy whispered, his voice trailing off.
But Snap didn’t let him speak any further. He looked at the puppet zoner with wide eyes, looking like they were going to pop at any second. “Howdy...I’m...so scared.. I don’t know what to do. My mind is a mess. It’s like...it’s like...” He shut his eyes and clenched his teeth. “There’s a war going on inside my own head. It’s a battlefield. One side telling me this...another telling me that...and I don’t know which side to listen to!”
Howdy couldn’t help but shed a single tear or two at this horrid description. Poor Snap... He knew that his mind would be a mess. He just didn’t realize to what extent. At first, he couldn’t really think of anything to say. What could he say to something like that? It wasn’t like he had all the answers. He didn’t have some magical response that was going to help all of this go away.
Still..he had to do something to help Snap. He couldn’t let him beat himself up forever. He needed to help him feel better.
Without thinking, Howdy reached over and he touched the zoner on his arm. Snap flinched at this, surprise by the touch. He looked down at Howdy’s hand and then looked at Howdy himself, blinking a few times. Howdy did his best to smile at the blue superhero zoner, trying to be as reassuring as possible. “It’s going to be okay, Snap.” He found himself saying as he squeezed Snap’s arm gently. “You will see.”
Snap stared at him for a couple of seconds. He then sighed and turned his head away. “I..am not really sure how much of that I can believe.”
Howdy frowned slightly in concern. He understood why Snap felt this way. “Snap, I...”
He never got a chance to finish.
Suddenly there was a loud roar. They heard a loud whack and crack. They could feel something rumbling all around them. They looked up and saw that the pile they were in was being violently torn down. It was wobbling from side to side as something large kept striking it. The two zoners, unable to think of anything else to do, immediately jumped out of the hole, pushing against each other as they did so.
They didn’t get far before they felt something wrap around their bodies. Something stiff and hard and yet warm. They were then quickly raised up into the air. The force of it caused them to be slightly dazed and dangle a little before they came to their senses enough to realize just what had happened.
Howdy’s eyes bulged in horror as he stared down at Cornerstone. The snake beast was glaring up at them, her eyes narrowing into slits. Looking down, he could see that it was her tail that they were trapped in. Long and flexible, it easily wrapped around them and held them in place. Howdy couldn’t help but flinch as he felt Cornerstone tighten her grip on them, crushing him against Snap.
As they were being held up like this, Howdy’s mind was racing. Just how did Cornerstone find them so fast? How long had she been here? Did she follow them and simply wait for the right time to strike? Or did she just find them now and decided to make her move?
Whatever the case, it still resulted in the same thing. Now he and Snap were dangling in the air, unable to move or defend themselves. Their arms were painfully pinned at their sides. No matter how hard they tried to free themselves, their arms simply weren’t budging. If anything, their attempts to get free were only causing them more pain as they nearly yank their arms right out of their sockets. Howdy let out a cry of pain when he almost pulled a muscle. He stiffened up and then forced his body to relax, feeling the pain slowly move through his arm towards his finger tips.
As he and Snap were being held like this, as he stared down at the open maw of the vicious snake-like zoner, Howdy couldn’t help but ask himself one question.
....what now?
He had no idea how to answer that. He couldn’t think of any way for him and Snap to get out of here. Their small size might be of some use at times, but in other situations, like this, it was their downfall. It was going to be so easy for Cornerstone to crush them to death. If they didn’t think of something soon, then they were as good as dead. It wouldn’t take much for this large zoner to pulverize them, and just a single bite would inject enough venom to be deadly to them...
However, it seemed that Snap had an idea.
The zoner opened his mouth wide open. Wider than Howdy had ever seen him perform. In a matter of seconds, his jaws slammed down, his teeth pressing up against the flesh of the snake beast’s tail. The force was enough to cause Cornerstone to throw her head back and let out a loud screech before her tail wobbled and loosened, letting the pair fall down.
Howdy thought that Snap was going to use this chance to escape. That seemed like the best option that they had. But what Snap actually ended up doing took him by complete surprise. Rather than running away from the venomous creature, Snap actually began to run towards her.
“Snap!” Howdy cried in horror. “What are you doing?!”
Snap ignored him as he raced towards the golden beast. Cornerstone, who had recovered from the bite, merely hissed at him and opened her jaws wide to try to bite. She launched herself forward, snapping her jaws wildly in the air. Snap, incredibly, was able to zig zag around, going from side to side, dodging her attacks. He pulled his hand back and struck forward, landing a punch directly between her eyes. Cornerstone stiffened her body, her spine arching from the force, and then she stumbled back a little.
This dazed state didn’t last long. Cornerstone soon stood tail, her body quaking in rage. She lowered her head and bent it to one side. Her cold red eyes stared directly at the blue zoner, her eyes scanning around, trying to find a particular spot for her to attack. Snap stood his ground, his eyes narrowed and teeth bared in determination, his fists clenched tightly.
The two began to circle around each other, neither taking their eyes off the other. The sight of this made Howdy move back a little, not wanting to get caught in the cross fire. He looked from Snap to Cornerstone and back again. He had no idea what to expect will happen. He wanted to do something to stop this before it got out of hand. But he could try to think of anything, the two zoners stopped circling one another and had launched themselves at each other.
This time, Snap wasn’t quite so lucky. Cornerstone had gotten wise to his tactics from before. She manuevered around quickly, copying Snap’s zig zagging almost right to the point. The superhero zoner’s eyes were filled with terror as he realized that his tactics weren’t working this time. Before any of them had time to blink, Cornerstone slammed her foot against Snap and held him against the ground. She launched her head forward, trying to bite into him. Snap grabbed onto her head and pushed it back. His body shook as he used up whatever energy he could trying to keep her from sinking her teeth into him.
“Snap! No!” Howdy cried out in horror.
Oh...what was he going to do? He couldn’t just stand here while his best friend was going to get ripped apart by this...this monster... He had to do something and fast. But what could he...?
Something caught his eye. He turned his head and he saw something laying on the ground. A small shard that rested on the ground. Long and pointed. Clear, too. It was some piece of glass. He kind of remembered it from The Brain, that large robotic thing that Skrawl invented before. This might have been once part of her eyes. He picked it up and stared at it. Then he turned to Cornerstone. Without hesitation, he rushed over.
Pulling back his arm, mustering up as much strength as he could, both mental and physical, the puppet zoner struck as hard as he could against Cornerstone. The loud screeching that followed nearly burst open his ear drums.
sss
Biclops stared down at where Howdy had disappeared into. He wasn’t sure why he kept looking as if the puppet zoner was going to come crawling out at any moment. He knew it would do him absolutely no good. No matter how long he stared, he was never going to be able to will Howdy out of that place.
He did feel a tremendous level of guilt for making him do this. He recalled how scared and reluctant Howdy was to participate in this. He knew that Howdy was so small and weak and could be easily killed if he made the wrong moves. He wished that he could have been able to go in his place...and yet he knew that he could never have done it. All he could do was stand here and hope that Howdy will return, safe and sound. And with Rudy and Penny to boot.
At least he didn’t run into the memotrice again yet. He flinched at the thought of that beast manipulating him again. He placed a hand on his head. It was still hard to push back those fake memories. At times, they started to feel more real than his own memories. He had to struggle, using as much will power as he could, to keep them from overtaking his mind once more. If that memotrice came back and tried that again...he wasn’t sure what he was going to do.
Would he even be able to land a blow before Thoughtless could make its move? No, probably not. It was likely too swift for him to catch, dodging left and right, being overall a slippery little thing. He clenched his teeth tightly. There had to be some way to prevent Thoughtless from changing his memories.
But if there was..he had yet to hear of it. For all he knew, it was a well guarded secret. The memotrice knew what this weakness was. There was no doubt in Biclops’s mind of this fact. And he also knew that the memotrice would not allow for the information to be leaked. He would never be able to make it it talk. Maybe he could, if he was lucky, land a strike against Thoughtless, but then his mind would be attacked. Rudy and Penny might be able to stand a chance against it, but somehow, Biclops doubted that Thoughtless would speak even for them.
Slowly, he realized there really was only one option for Thoughtless. This was not a route he liked going. Not that it wouldn’t be satisfying; he knew that many zoners would probably be pleased with this result. But for him, it would just bring back some rather...uncomfortable memories that he almost wished Thoughtless had destroyed.
They may have to kill the memotrice.
He would have vouched for simply locking it away, but...they already tried that before and look at what happened. The memotrice got out and he was certain that most of those workers at that prison had been killed or at least traumatized. The helmets they used to block its powers didn’t even work; Thoughtless had played them for fools, wanting to toy with them a little. They could try figuring out something else, but what if Thoughtless just fakes it again? Or finds a way around it? Considering the danger this thing posed...it seemed the only sensible choice was to just kill it. At least in death, Thoughtless would be harmless.
He wished there was another option, but he knew there wasn’t. While some people might protest and say that it wasn’t a good way to avenge the dead, Biclops would argue that the living took the highest priority; the living could still be helped, but dead was dead. No amount of punishing Thoughtless was going to bring them back. The focus should be helping prevent more living from dying, and that’s exactly what killing Thoughtless would accomplish.
But how would this be done? What could be done in order to ensure that Thoughtless did die? He wasn’t even sure if he could get close enough to make a blow. Perhaps another means could work? Long range might be...
He paused for a moment at that. He tapped his chin thoughtfully. Long range, eh? There might be someone that he knew that could help. But the question was...would they even listen to him? There was really only one way that he could find out. He just hoped that he could get to them and bring them here before Thoughtless did anything extreme.
He still gave pause to the idea. Despite knowing how necessary it was, he still didn’t feel right about helping to take the life of another zoner, even if it did deserve it. Thoughtless was a menace that would just keep hurting zoners, and dodging any attempts to control its powers. And trapping it only seemed to increase its hostility and aggression, and those who get caught in the crossfire...
He narrowed his eyes, which practically glowed from determination. He knew what he had to do. He knew he had no choice. He would need to find this ally of his and use them to destroy Thoughtless.
It wasn’t the first time he made a decision like this. No, there was another time. Back when all those children used to run amock in ChalkZone. When they used to create at random, destroy at will, leave behind messes for everyone else to clean up... He shivered at the memory. He hadn’t truly liked the decision, but he didn’t have too much regrets for it. After all, it still led to ChalkZone being a much more peaceful place to be. At least....this area of ChalkZone.
Still, those children’s screams still haunted him at night. He could still see their faces as he had.... and then Rudy had almost joined them and....
He shook his head. He couldn’t think about that right now. He needed to stay focused. He needed to get help and do whatever it takes to stop Thoughtless once and for all. The sooner that Thoughtless was out of the picture, the better. It was only a matter of time before it...
No more hesitation. It was time for action. He glanced over at where Howdy had disappeared to. He gave a sympathetic look and quietly wished the puppet the best of luck. Then, without another moment’s hesitation, he turned and he began to walk away.
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Post by Bluedramon on Aug 9, 2015 15:23:10 GMT -5
Chapter 36:
“Why don’t you stop running?” Terry called out. “You are only making things worse for yourself!”
“Get away from me! Please!” Lazlo replied. His mouth was wide open and panting. “Please! Just go away!”
Terry chortled softly at this. “Oh but I can’t do that! Now why don’t you stop and we can talk this whole thing out? Trust me, you’ll be much better off!”
“No! I won’t!”
Terry narrowed her eyes and shook her head. “Okay then...suit yourself...”
Terry couldn’t believe what an idiot this zoner was being. She had offered him a chance at working things out more peacefully. If she could avoid violence, she would be glad to. She’d much rather get this done and over with quickly. But instead, this zoner just had to be an idiot and keep running as if somehow that was going to save him. True, he was keeping up a good pace and was remaining in front of her, but sooner or later, this was going to fail. Already, she noticed he was starting to slow down a little.
Terry clutched the weapon of choice against herself. She had yet to use the whip. She would wait until the right moment before she would pull it out. She hoped she hadn’t gotten too rusty on it. She almost wished that Rudy would be around to see this. She wondered how shocked he would be when he sees her using the whip like a master. Or better, Penny. That brat was the one who had implied that she thought she was stupid. What better way to get back at her than by proving her wrong like this?
She didn’t think too much on those two. The time for them would come eventually. Maybe while she’s here, she could find them and stop by where they are and say hello. She wanted to see the looks on their faces when they find that she had come into this world without them realizing it until it was too late. She wondered if Rudy and Penny would try to reason with her. The thought made her smile, but she soon pushed it aside in favor of this zoner.
Lazlo was definitely tiring out. She could hear his panting from over here. His movements had slowed down and were becoming less...graceful she guessed was the word she’d use. She could see him move from side to side as he struggled to keep up the pace. He was such a fool, thinking that he could outrun her. She was used this type of running when trying to get interviews with swift, crafty people. This was nothing, although she too could start to feel the burn. She’d have to stop eventually, but at least she would outlast this zoner.
They were running through a jungle. She was a little puzzled by this choice. Why didn’t the zoner choose the more populated city? At least there, he would get some help. Oh well, it didn’t really matter. This played right into her plans.
The jungle was not as thick as she had expected it to be. Then again, it was still a child’s drawing; they hadn’t learn yet just how much was in any jungle. There were plenty of open patches and so far she only saw one river. There were still a lot of trees, much more than where she was before. She had to keep an eye out for them, moving from side to side and around in order to avoid getting struck by one of the trees. She narrowed her eyes. Perhaps the zoner wasn’t as much of a fool for choosing this place as she thought.
Soon they were heading down a steep hill. It cut down pretty sharply. Though it wasn’t very tall, it was enough to make the woman nearly trip and fall down. She had to really watch herself to avoid getting her foot caught in one of the vines. She jumped over some loose roots and rocks that jetted out of the ground, all the while making sure that Lazlo remained in her sights.
She noticed him trying to make an exit to the side, running off along the side instead of just straight down. She grinned at this. Another clever choice, but not good enough. She began to go off after him. Doing this would have been tricky if she had brought her high heels along. She thanked herself for getting her high heels dirty, prompting her to use regular sneakers for the job. This helped out immensely, especially with running along this terrain.
Lazlo looked behind him and saw that she was still keeping up with him. His eyes bulged in horror and he pushed himself to move faster. He was panting even louder by this pound, his eyes looking like they were going to fall out. His hands formed into fists and his arms pumped from forward and back. His heart must be ready to burst out of his chest by this point. He struggled to move himself along the ground, but at this rate, he wasn’t going to be able to keep this up for much longer. She could tell.
The pathetic zoner must have finally realized that this side running wasn’t going to do him much good. So he headed back down, the land evening out and entering another large junk of trees and plants and other foliage. Terry did likewise. This time, instead of running right behind him, she ran along the side, using the foliage as cover. Even though it wasn’t as much as a real jungle, it was still enough to obscure her view. The zoner was looking around for her. It was clear he could not see her. But he was still wise enough to keep running. She had to give him credit. He was pretty smart for a chalk drawing.
They continued running like this. Terry did well in avoiding the obstacles while running after him. Jumping over rocks and small puddles of water, swinging around thick vines and roots and trees. She surprised even herself. She was not expecting to do this well while racing through here. But perhaps it was her determination that was helping her to prevail. She was terrified of losing, of having all this snatched away from her, and she was not about to let it go this time. She was going to catch this zoner. She was going to expose this world. And she was going to enjoy all the riches this world had to provide.
She couldn’t help but smile at the memory of what she learned before, with Rudy and Penny being a couple of missing children now. A part of her felt a sense of happiness at this. It was a good thing that someone decided to take those two children for a while. She was glad that they were preoccupied right now. A part of her almost hoped that they remain prisoners for a long time. That would give her enough time herself to expose this world before they could stop her.
That didn’t mean she didn’t feel some level of guilt at this. They were still children after all. Young and having a lot ahead of them for the future. Well at least Penny did. Rudy probably wouldn’t amount to anything other than an annoying artist boy, but still... She shook these feelings off as she continued running, barely managing to dodge one of the uplifted roots. She had to keep more focus on her surroundings instead of her inner monologuing.
Up ahead, she saw there were two tall mountains. They jetted up out of the ground, rising high up into the air. They were pointy at the top and both had an unusually smooth, flat surface, forming a line of sorts that went down. It almost looked as if someone had sliced a single mountain in half. Which, knowing how this world works, might have been exactly what happened.
She could see Lazlo was making his way into this place. He didn’t even stop to think about where else he could go. He just kept running in this direction. He went up the grooved land, jumping along from rock to rock that made up the entrance of this place. He soon began to run into the space between the mountains. His panting was now echoing off the sides of the walls around him.
Terry followed suit. She had a little bit of a harder time going up these hills and rocks, much to her surprise. But then, she wasn’t used to these. She guessed this zoner was here before. He looked as if he did know this place better than she. Maybe he lived around here or something? She pushed those thoughts aside and refocused her efforts on the task at hand.
Despite the rocky start going up, however, Terry still managed to pull through. The only thing that happened as her leg slipped a bit and she had to quickly right herself before she injured the limb. She did end up twisting it a little, causing her to hiss in pain. She rubbed her leg carefully before she continued running, trying to catch up with the fleeing zoner.
She was irritated that she was back behind the zoner once more. She would have liked to run along side him instead. Then she...
Wait...there was still a chance... If she were just quick enough, then maybe she could... Yeah, it was worth a shot. She could hear him panting heavier and he did look as if he was slowing down. Such a foolish zoner.... She should take advantage of this.
Terry turned around and began to race back out of the mountain crack. She did her best to keep quiet, not wanting to draw attention from the fleeing zoner. She soon managed to exit out of the opening. She had a bit of an easier time going over the precariously placed rocks this time and she ran around along the side of the mountain, choosing to go right.
The foliage was surprisingly thin here. She had expected at least some vines. But it was just barren except for the small rocks and pebbles that made up the ground. It reminded her of a rock drive way she sometimes sees once in a while at parks. Not surprisingly, she had some trouble running here thanks to the rocks. She could feel her foot getting caught against one of the loosely placed rocks. She bent her leg forward painfully and she let out a yelp of pain. She clutched her leg to herself, rubbing it carefully while she tried to soothe the pain. Once she was able to, she pushed herself up and started down the pathway once more.
She kept her head turned towards the mountain much of the time. She couldn’t help but admire it. She wasn’t even sure why she was; it wasn’t like it was as big as some of the mountains she knew existed. Perhaps it was because she had never seen a large mountain like this up close. Chalk or not, it was still pretty awe-inspiring. Perhaps once she exposes this world, this place will get turned into a national park. A protected location where she could absorb huge wads of dough. No doubt the public would pay a lot of money to see a place like this.
But even then, this place was just small cash compared to the other locations she knew had to exist. This place was probably chock full of all kinds of bizarre and wonderous places that she had yet to see. If people would pay a couple hundred just to camp out at a place like this, just imagine what they would pay to be in, say, a forest that was made entirely of light or a place made of liquid diamonds or something. She smiled at the thought. She couldn’t control the shaky, warm feeling inside of her.
She was so lost in her thoughts, her day dreams of her future success, that she almost didn’t notice that she was rapidly approaching the other side of the mountains. The land dipped downwards. She struggled with her feet to keep herself from falling down. Not easy with all these rolling rocks, but she soon managed. Soon she reached the bottom, where a large boulder was placed. She put herself behind it and she watched carefully for any sign of the zoner.
When he didn’t show up, she moved around the boulder carefully and looked. She made sure only to stick out enough of her head to look sideways. Her dark brown eye darted around, looking for any sign of Lazlo. Soon she could see his form coming this way slowly. She pulled back and kept herself behind the rock, her legs bent and ready to lunge as soon as the zoner got close enough.
“That..was...close...” Lazlo said to himself as he panted. He wiped his brow, sweat covering his face and body. “I wonder where she went... I should tell the Great Creator about this, but...where is he...?” He looked around as he continued walking forward, continuing to speak to himself for a bit. “I should try to find him. He might be in ChalkZone City. But that’s too far...” He wiped his brow again. “I should get some rest first.”
Terry tried not to chuckle at this. It was easy for her to tell from just how relaxed his zoner was and how he was talking to himself so much that he really must think he was out of danger. He doesn’t realize that she was just around the bend. Well he was going to find out in just a few seconds.
She didn’t move right away. She waited for him first. He was just exiting the mountains’ gap now. He looked a bit more relaxed, although the expression in his eyes showed that he was still a little wary. Well that was good. She would have been disappointed if he had completely let down his guard after all of that running.
Almost there... just a little more... and...
Now.
Without warning, she pushed herself from her hiding spot, around the boulder, and towards Lazlo. The zoner’s eyes widened in horror, his face paling, as Terry pounced on him. She wrapped her arms around him and the two of them stumbled along the ground. Their bodies obtained small cuts and scrapes as they moved along the ground, the rocks relentlessly hitting against them. Soon they landed on the ground, the land beneath them at a slight angle as they were at the edge of another dip.
Lazlo let out a terrified scream as he tried to strike Terry. She managed to dodge the first few attacks and chuckled at the zoner’s pitiful attempts at getting her off of him. She grabbed onto his throat and held him down. He kicked his legs wildly and one of them managed to strike against her side. She hissed at this and her smile faded slightly. She grabbed onto his arm and pushed it down while one of her legs looped against one of his, trying to keep it from striking her again.
That was when Lazlo made a dirty move. He pulled his free leg back and struck her between her legs. Her eyes bulged from this blow. She immediately released him and fell back a little. She held this area for a few seconds, her teeth gritted and her breaths seething through her teeth. She looked over and watched through slightly blurry vision as the zoner raced down the hill. In that moment, she remembered the thing she had drawn. With a guttural growl, she pulled herself up to her wobbly feet and held up her whip.
She took off after the zoner, racing down the hill after him. This time, she didn’t bother trying to flank him like before. This time, she simply chased behind him, her feet pounding the ground relentlessly as she quickly gained on him. Her hand holding the whip tightly, she pulled her arm back and she struck out towards him.
With a loud cracking sound, the whip struck against the zoner’s back. He let out a loud screech of pain. But he still kept on running. This didn’t bother Terry in the slightest. With a growl, she just continuously struck out against the zoner. Some of the blows missed, while others landed either on his back or legs. One of them nearly caused the zoner to fall. To her surprise, he was able to right himself up and keep running. She growled, wondering how he could keep this up. She pushed it aside and just continued to run.
Again and again, she struck the zoner with the whip. She could hear him start to whimper a little, his legs slowing down. He had used up too much of his energy from before and he hadn’t had enough time to rest. She smirked and she pushed herself to go faster. She was able to get even closer, making it easier for her to strike him even more, the whip easily tearing small gashes against him. Red marks and blood appeared all over the zoner’s body, his clothes torn in a few places. Or what she imagined would be his clothes.
Finally, with one more strike to his ankle, which was already pretty damaged from before, the zoner finally buckled. His body fell to the ground and rolled down the rest of the hill. He landed in a thud on the ground. There was a loud crack and an echoing scream of agony. Terry, who had stopped running by this point, just stared down at his injured form coldly. It was the zoner’s own damn fault that he chose to run from her. At least now, she would be able to get what she wanted, now that the zoner could not resist her anymore. Slowly, she made her way down to his shaking, crying form.
The zoner lifted up his head and saw her coming. Before he could even think of reacting, Terry closed the gap between her and him swiftly. She pressed her foot against him and pushed him down. She raised the whip up at her side, her hand gripping it tightly, threatening to strike him with it at any time. A dark smile spread across her face.
“Uh uh uh..I wouldn’t dare try to move if I were you...” Terry’s voice was low and slightly hissy. She stared at the zoner intently, her eyes going over his body. She noted all the wounds that were on him. “We wouldn’t want you getting more hurt...now would we...?”
The zoner shook his head. “P-Please...don’t hurt me...”
“I will leave you alone after you tell me what I want.” Terry narrowed her eyes into slits. “And just so you are aware, I’m not taking no for an answer.” She raised the whip up threateningly. “Now...either speak or I will just have to add more ‘lovely additions’ to your body.” She tilted her head to one side. “So..what do you say...?”
Lazlo stared at her in horror and fear. His body shook tremendously from the mixture of fear and pain. His heart was beating so fast that she could hear it pounding in his chest. She could hear his heavy breathing, sucking and exhaling each breath quickly. She could see the nervous sweat that was spreading across his head and face. His eyes were darting around, almost as if he actually thought he could get away from her.
He didn’t try to respond for what felt like several minutes. It was probably not that long, but Terry didn’t care. If this little zoner wasn’t going to speak soon, then she would make him talk. Her grip tightened on her whip. Pain was a great motivator after all. He might be resistant now, but how long would he be once she gave him a for more cracks of the whip? Soon, she would find out.
Finally, the zoner began to speak. “I-I can’t tell you anything... Please... just let me...” The whip was sent out, striking him across the face. “Ow! Please! Stop! Ow!” Another blow, and then another. Lazlo turned his head to the side and shivered. “P-Please...stop!”
But Terry did not stop. She simply grinned down at his pained form. “The longer you don’t talk, the more wounds you will get!” She cracked the whip again, hitting him against the arm a few times and on his throat once, making him gag. “If you want the pain to stop, you know what to do!”
The zoner struggled to get free, his head turning from side to side, his limbs pushing and kicking and striking. This time, his attempts to hit her between her legs had failed. A good thing, too. Otherwise she would have decided to punish him for that. No one gets away with hitting her like that. Absolutley no one.
“I told you! I can’t tell you anything...yeow!” Lazlo put his hand over his face after one of his eyes was nearly slashed out. “Please..c-can’t you see what you’re d-doing...?” He looked up at her with tear stained eyes. If he was hoping for any amount of sympathy, he wasn’t going to get any from her. “Please.. I-I am begging you...stop this...”
Terry narrowed her eyes and answered that with another crack of the whip. This one went across his hand. She watched as he yelped and clutched his hand to himself. He stared from it and then to Terry. She merely scoffed at his pitiful expression. “Either give me what I want or I will keep doing this. Don’t think I’m afraid to keep going. Even if you end up dying... Well, it doesn’t matter to me either way.” She shrugged nonchalantly. “You’re just a chalk drawing. You have no rights. I can just find someone else to talk to. Maybe they will be more cooperative than you.”
“Th-They won’t talk either...” There was a tinge of uncertainty in the zoner’s voice. Terry had to smirk at his attempts of sounding a little brave. She wondered just how much of it he believed himself. “Y-You’re wasting your time..”
“And you are wasting your breath.” Terry pointed a finger at him. “You think any of this is getting to me? No. I never give up. I always get what I want.” She pressed down harder on his chest. She pressed the end of the stick against his chin, forcing his head up. “Even if you don’t give me what I want, I will always find someone else. Do you really want this kind of fate placed on one of your little..pals?” Terry narrowed her eyes into slits. “Are you that heartless?”
Lazlo grabbed onto the whip, his eyes narrowed. “I-I’m not...”
Terry hmphed at this before yanking the stick back. “Such a selfish little zoner... You’re so determined to keep me from getting information that you aren’t even thinking about anyone else. What if I were to find one of your little friends?” Lazlos’s eyes widened at this. “Yes... I could find one of your dear friends and ask them. Maybe toy with them a bit. Who knows?” She made a casual motion with her hand. “I could just...tear off their limbs or something...”
“What?! No!” Howled Lazlo in horror. “You can’t!”
“Oh? Why not?” Terry tilted her head to one side. “Give me one good reason why I can’t.”
“Because it’s wrong!”
Terry shrugged her shoulders at this. “Is that the best that you’ve got? How pitiful...” Terry glanced at her whip, turning it from side to side. “I would have thought you’d think of something better than that. But I suppose it’s too much to ask for.” She looked down at him out of the corner of her eyes. “I suppose I will just have to...”
“Raaaaawwwrrrr!”
Terry and Lazlo froze at that sound. A roar echoed through the land, rumbling deep in their chests. Their blood turned to ice. Although they had not seen the creature yet, the very roar that it emitted already shrouded the beast in an ominous air.
Terry looked left and right frantically. She struggled to see where the beast was coming from. She could hear it. She could feel the ground shaking as something started to come towards her. But she could see nothing. It was almost as if the thing was invisible. But it wasn’t. She could see the look in Lazlo’s eyes. He could see it. She tried to follow his eyes as they tracked the creature. She turned her head, and then her vision filled with a blur of brown. Then she felt the impact of a large paw against her face. She was ripped away from Lazlo and was flung several feet away.
She laid there, letting out a groan of pain. She opened her eyes. Her vision was a bit blurry. She groaned again and rubbed her head, slowly shaking it from side to side. She pushed herself up on her arm, her eyes blinking slowly. She stared out ahead to see the creature. Her eyes bulged as she saw something large and brown coming straight towards her.
The thing was absolutely ginormous. It was covered in bristled, brown fur. It had a huge hog-like face with tusks jetting out from its lower jaw. A main of pitch black moved down its back. Its tail was long and covered in spikes. Its claws were short but sharp looking. Its eyes were glowing pure white. Spots adorned its body, a few of them looking like they were splotched on clumsily.
Terry struggled to get up, but the beast was upon her. It pressed its human-like hand, equipped sharp claws, against her body, holding it down. Terry pushed against the thick limb, but it would not budge. Her teeth clenched tightly as she stared up at the beast in fear.
The beast stared long and hard at her, its mouth wide open and breathing slowly and heavily. Then it uttered a small growl and spoke two words. “Terry Bouffant...”
Terry felt her face pale faster than it would take her to melt a stick of better. How did the creature know her name...?
sss
This was it. The moment of her revenge. She glared down viciously at Snap, her saliva dripping out the sides of her mouth as she anticipated the taste of his flesh. This was going to be so rewarding, so rich... She opened her jaws wide in preparation for the bite.
But it never came. She never got a chance to.
First, it felt like a prick. Something that was just a mere annoyance to her. Then suddenly, a sweeping wave of pure agony rushed through her body. Up and down it went like some kind of quake inside her own form. She jumped back, releasing Snap from her grip. She could barely hear the zoner scramble to get away as she struggled to deal with the brief echo of pain in her head. She looked down at where the pain was radiating from and it didn’t take her long to find it.
There was a small hole in her leg. It was located around where her leg started to bend, between her forearm and upper arm. The hole was pretty deep and bloody. She couldn’t help but widen her eyes in horror when she saw how much blood was spilling out from that one seemingly little wound. It made her shudder, gritting her teeth tightly. Just how did this happen? Snap was pinned on the ground before, so that meant it had to be...
As she turned her head, she saw the zoner named Howdy standing there. He was a few feet away, having scrambled to help Snap up to his feet. She watched in silence as Howdy tried to make sure that Snap was okay. Snap appeared to be fine, if not badly shaken up. She narrowed her eyes at this. A level of disgust clawed its way in her stomach at the sight of Snap being fine. If only she had been given enough time, then she would have been able to land a blow on one of Rudy’s precious creations. She would have gotten the chance to hurt him like he had hurt her.
But of course, this little puppet just had to ruin that, didn’t he? He had to be a pest and get in her way. He could have just left and allowed her to work. He would have been spared if he had done that. She had more interest in Snap than she did for him. She would have been satisfied with just tearing out the throat of Snap or poison him or whatever. But now this puppet zoner took that away from her. He had dared to delay her. And now he was going to pay the price for that.
Without allowing Howdy time to react, Cornerstone dashed towards him. She thought she could hear Snap try to warn the puppet, but Cornerstone closed the gap too quickly for that to have any benefit. Pulling her paw back, she struck Howdy hard. The zoner’s eyes bulged and he was sent flying across the room. His body rolled painfully across the ground. He soon came to a stop near a large pile of....whatever they were. She watched as he climbed up to his feet. He still had that piece in his hand. The sharp metal he had used to stab her. She could see her red blood caked on its tip. She snarled at the sight of this before racing towards him a second time.
“Wait! Leave him alone!” Snap cried out.
Cornerstone hissed when she felt the blue runt grab onto her tail. She looked behind her for a few seconds, watching the zoner cling to her even as she swung her tail from side to side. She tried striking it on the ground, but still the blue zoner held on tightly. She hmphed at this. Seems he was more determined than she had given him credit for. But she had to put an end to this. Mustering as much strength as she could, she struck down even harder. This time, Snap let out a grunt of pain, a strangled gasp, and he released her tail. He rolled away a little from the force of the impact. Cornerstone sneared at this before turning to face Howdy once more.
The small puppet was climbing up one of the piles to get away from her. His little feet scrambled for foot hold after foot hold as he struggled to get up higher and higher. He was getting near the top of the pile. He stood up on there, holding his arms out in hopes of keeping himself balanced. Cornerstone could see just how shaky the pile was, which gave her an idea.
As soon as she reached it, she reared up on her hind legs. She reached forth with one of her paws and tried to strike out against the zoner. Howdy let out a few terrified screams before moving himself back, trying to keep out of reach. Cornerstone tried multiple times to get at him this way. Her twin claws, though long, weren’t enough to reach him. Oh well, she could just use that idea she thought of before. She gave the zoner a dark smile before she dropped down and turned herself away. She thought she could see Howdy’s confused expression as she did so. As she raised her tail up, she thought she could hear the zoner gasping in horror. Without giving him a chance to get away, she struck.
Each time she hit, she could feel the pile shaking. She could hear the sound of her tail and blade collide with the material. She could hear Snap’s pleas for her to stop and Howdy’s cries for mercy. She could hear them both scream and gasp as the tower of debris began to wobble further and further to different sides. Then, with one more strike at the base, something loosened and it all began to crumble down towards the ground.
Cornerstone ran away a bit to avoid getting hit. She tried to ignore the painful clanging of the stuff dropping down like that. She winced despite her best efforts. The loud clangs and bangs irritated her ear drums, forcing a hiss through her mouth in response. Her red eyes watched, scanning the pile constantly, as Howdy fumbled and fell through it, constantly rolling across the debris, getting hit, screaming. The sight of it made a smile spread across her face.
Eventually, it did stop. Howdy’s body hit against the ground with a thud. Some of the debris and scrap pieces fell on top of him. He soon laid there, groaning in pain. It didn’t look like he suffered too much outside of a couple bruises and scrapes. Well, she was about to fix that.
Howdy’s eyes widened as he watched the snake beast slowly approach him. Cornerstone felt satisfaction at this. She was glad that this zoner was feeling some fear regarding his situation. He better be afraid. He would have been an idiot if he tried to stand up to her like she was some kind of pushover. He did try to hold up the shard from before in an attempt to defend himself, but he wisely did not try to rush at her. She smiled at this as she continued to approach him slowly.
“Don’t you dare...” Snap’s feet pounded behind her. “I won’t let you!”
Cornerstone turned her head enough to see Snap’s lunging body out of the corner of her crimson eye. She hissed and then brought her tail back. She struck out against Snap, the back of her blade colliding with his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He was sent flying against the ground, crashing painfully against it. He struggled to catch his breath as his body shivered.
“H-Howdy... G-Get away... Please...” Snap managed to say through his gasping. His voice sounded so horrible, so coarse.
Cornerstone’s eyes practically bathed Howdy with an intense red glow, filled with intent. She moved closer to him. He struggled to get up, but the debris had him trapped. He looked like some little rat that was trapped by a cat. He looked so pitiful and pathetic with all that squirming about. It was almost a pity of what she was about to do. Oh well. He did have it coming. She kept on smiling as she continued her slow approach. Her tail whipped from side to side threateningly, venom tripping from the tip of her fangs.
It didn’t take her long to reach Howdy’s struggling form. She placed her paw lightly on the platform that held him down. Slowly she applied pressure. This kept Howdy in place, unable to get away, as she stared at him intently. Her eyes scanned over his body, or what she could see of it. So many targets to choose from... How would she be able to pick any?
Seeing his pleading eyes made her wish she could speak verbally. She had so much stuff she wanted to say to him, as well as to Snap. She wanted to make them feel the same terror she did when she was abused and trapped like a wild animal. She wanted them to suffer just as she did. With a few simple words, she could strike fear in their hears. She could make them terrified of her, more so than they already were. Words were like swords if wielded right. If she chose the right ones, she could strike more pain in them than any physical wound.
Oh well, physical pain worked just as well. And venom was such a great substitute for damaging words, now wasn’t it? The way it flowed through the body, making them feel sick and dizzy... It might not last as long, but it was equally tormenting and equally satisfying. She pulled her lips back in a snarl, showing Howdy her razor sharp teeth. Slowly, she opened her maw, allowing him to see deep in her throat.
“W-Wait...please..” Howdy whimpered. He held up the sharp stick. Cornerstone merely swatted it away with the back of her claws. “Please don’t do this...” Tears formed in his eyes. “Please..d-don’t...”
Cornerstone wanted to laugh at this. She wanted to pull her head back and let out those cruel chuckles to further drive home to this puppet zoner that he was not going anywhere. The only thing that stopped her was her own anger towards the zoner even trying to plead with her right now. Amusing as it was, it also burned her up inside. She had pleaded with her creators and they still hurt her. So why should she really care about this little runt? He was not important to her, like she was not important to her creators.
And the creators did seem to care more about him, and of Snap, than her. She hissed at this. What made them so special? What was different about them that they deserved more concern than her? Was it because they were cute while she was monstrous-looking? Well sorry if she looked this way. She couldn’t help it. Those two designed her this way.
Anger pumping through her body, shaking with emotion, she no longer could hold back. With her mouth open as far as it could go, she launched her head forward. Howdy let out a terrified scream and struggled to get away. This was going to make his blood taste all the sweeter...
Suddenly there was a blur of blue in front of her eyes. She didn’t have time to react before she felt herself bite into something that wasn’t wooden like Howdy was. Instead it was much softer, easier to tear, the blood pouring out more easily. She froze where she stood, her wide eyes staring down at her long muzzle, trying to see just what she had bitten into. Howdy’s scream, however, answered her question very quickly.
“Snap! No!”
Turning her gaze down further, she could now see some bits of blue hanging off the sides of her mouth. She lifted her head up slowly, feeling the weight of the zoner inside her mouth. Heavier than Howdy, but the right weight for that Snap character. Not who she was aiming for, but it made no difference. Her mouth spread in satisfaction.
She knew her fangs had gone into the zoner’s body. She could feel them penetrating the skin easily, encased in the warmth of the flesh. She could feel the zoner’s body start to convulse a little as the effects of the venom spread through his body. If she weren’t too busy holding him, she would be tempted to laugh right about now. The combination of Snap’s sweet blood inside her mouth and the sight of Howdy’s pale, wide-eyed terrified face just made this all the better.
Suddenly she felt something cut against her neck. Her eyes bulged at the feel of something cold and sharp against it, slicing in deeply. All of a sudden, she found it difficult to breathe and she could feel something warm slipping into her throat. The pain was enough to make her release Snap as she struggled to take in a breath. She moved a few steps back, shaking her head from side to side. Why couldn’t she breathe? Just what had happened? Her mind raced as she struggled to think of something.
Her eyes soon settled upon the shivering Snap. In his hand, he clutched a familiar object. It was the same sharp thing that Howdy had used against him earlier. Only this time, it had a lot more red on it than before. The sight of it caused her eyes to widen as she realized what happened.
Snap had slit her throat open.
She suddenly became aware of the rapid pools of blood that came out of her neck. She pressed her paw against it, trying to stop the bleeding. Her eyes shut tightly and she clenched her teeth tightly. That little blue rodent... He must have slit a vital blood vessel. She couldn’t... She glared off at him. She managed to let out a strangled hiss as she moved towards him to finish him off.
She didn’t get far before she collapsed to the ground. Strength was rapidly leaving her. She could feel her lungs setting themselves on fire as they tried to get oxygen. She could feel her mind racing faster and her heart beating as fear settled in the back of her mind. She didn’t want this. She didn’t want to die...
But as she looked at Snap, her vision rapidly going blurry, she managed a smile and a weak, gaspy chuckle. At least she would not be going alone. Snap was going with her.
With that final thought, her eyes shut and her body went still. And everything was dark and silent.
sss
“But...but you have to do something!”
“There is nothing I have to do.”
“Please...if you don’t....”
“It doesn’t matter. You know how the universe is. Everything will be fine.”
“No it won’t! You have to help!”
“No I don’t. And if I were you, I’d stop bothering me and look elsewhere if you’re so desperate.”
Biclops gritted his teeth as the glared down at the zoner before him. He didn’t come all this way this fast just to be turned down by this zoner. He knew that if anyone could help turn the tides, it was this individual. He wasn’t about to leave empty-handed. If only this zoner would just...listen to him.
He will say this about the zoner. For all its beauty in its own home, from the smooth wood structures to the marble curves that made up the small castle, none of that reflected in this zoner’s attitude. Sure its body might be quite pretty, but its personality was rotten to the core. A fact that shocked and horrified Biclops. He knew that this zoner had gotten quite soured over the years, understandable considering its past. But he never would have thought that this zoner was this cold and heartless.
The zoner before him was a chinese unicorn named Zebin. Much like a chinese unicorn, it possessed an equine-style body, but it had sharp toes and feathers covering it from head to toe. Long tufts of fur drifted off from its ankles and elbows, wafering in non-existant wind. Its rainbow body continuously altered between the colors and it glowed even in darkness. It would do poorly in a game of hide and go seek, being easy to spot with all those color droplets moving up from its body. Its eyes, which were gold in color, stared directly at him, causing him to flinch as though his very soul was being ripped out of his body.
He was never exactly good friends with Zebin, but he recalled that it was a lot nicer years ago. Well before the problem with the human children creators became such an issue. But he supposed having to tolerate those rotten creators had done much to harden Zebin. It didn’t really care too much about humans in general and showed absolutely no concern for Rudy and Penny, despite the fact that Zebin must know the good they have done for ChalkZone.
Biclops had to keep trying. Maybe if he continued trying to reason with the zoner, it would eventually come to realize how silly it was acting and come with him to help Rudy and Penny. It was quite a strong zoner and that horn of its, even though it was tipped with a bulb, could still do some damage. He had seen it in action before when it was forced to fight against a group of creators. He had no doubt that it could hold its own in a battle against those evil zoners down there. Even Thoughtless couldn’t do much as Zebin’s horn did block psychic powers, meaning that, to date, Zebin is the only zoner immune to Thoughtless’s powers. Or at least, he hoped that this was the case.
But so far, Zebin wasn’t budging. The chinese unicorn zoner showed no interest in wanting to help out. It simply looked bored, even going as far as yawning, probably as a way of trying to discourage him from continuing to try to convince it to come with. Biclops pressed his teeth tightly together. He was not about to give up. Zebin was the only zoner he could think of who could help and if it doesn’t come willingly, then he would just have to keep trying until he convinced it to come with.
“We can’t just let this go!” Biclops cried out, holding his hands out in gesture. He stared down at the small form that was Zebin. “Please...you have to help me! ChalkZone is in danger! We can’t just sit around and do nothing!”
Zebin simply shrugged its shoulders. “Of course we can. Like I said, the universe will correct everything.” It turned its head to the side, glaring off into nothingness. “I did nothing when those children tortured me. And everything still worked out in the end.” It looked back at Biclops. “The same thing will happen now. I think you should try relaxing more.”
Biclops grabbed the sides of his face, pressing his fingernails against his skin. “You nutcase! The only reason that the children stopped bugging you is because I had...” He paused for a moment. Then he let out a sigh and said, “...because we took action...”
Zebin narrowed its eyes. “I only did as you said.”
“But you still did something. You can’t deny that.” Biclops murmured.
Zebin stared at him for a moment. Then it nodded its head once. “I suppose you are right, Biclops.” It raised its head up, lifting up a clawed hoof in gesture. “I still remember that day. I never knew anyone could scream so loud...”
Biclops shuddered as a wave of cold rushed through him. He didn’t want to be reminded of that day. Back then, he had been a different person. More nasty and unfriendly and grumpy. He vowed never to become like that again. At least, on his own accord. He was still shaken up by his experience with the memotrice. Eager to get back on topic, he said, “Come on... Play a part in saving ChalkZone again. Help me free them.”
Zebin gritted its teeth slightly. “I have no reason to help out those creators.” It turned its head down. “Or anyone for that matter.” It looked back up at Biclops, giving off another shrug. “So sorry to say it, but you are on your own, giant.” Its teeth clenched slightly. “You want to help them? Fine. But as for me, I will just let the universe decide what it wants done with those two. And for the rest of us as well.” With this, Zebin started to walk away.
Biclops took in a few quick breaths. He could feel his blood start to heat up. “Do you have any idea what you’re doing?!” Biclops cried out, pointing an accusing finger at the zoner. “You’re pretty much just walking out on everyone and everything here! What if you could turn the tides? What if your actions can make sure everyone, including yourself, is safe? What if your actions of walking away end up dooming everyone?”
Zebin stopped in its tracks. Its head raised up slightly. Biclops wondered if his words finally got through to the zoner. Maybe now Zebin would be willing to actually speak to him and they could plan a rescue mission or something. Even though Thoughtless might already be aware of Zebin and may have taken some actions to ensure a level of difficulty, Biclops was confident that Zebin could give it a run for its money...at least for a little while. Its help would surely turn the tides and...
Zebin looked behind it. Biclops didn’t see much of a change in its expression. More blank if anything. He couldn’t tell just from looking at it what it was going to do. He hoped that, deep down, Zebin was realizing that it needed to help. This was its home too and if something happened to it, then it would also be affected as well. Surely Zebin must realize this. Maybe its silence means that it was coming up with a plan or something.
But after all this time waiting, after the minute passed and Zebin started to give an answer, Biclops could feel his hopes being crushed when Zebin gave the most nonchalant shrug he had ever seen the zoner make before.
“Then so be it...” Came Zebin’s dull response, which somehow was more icy than its previous coldish voice.
“Wait!” Biclops cried out as he held out his hand. “You can’t...!”
Zebin didn’t bother answering. It simply continued to walk down the hallway, ignoring any shouts from the giant. Biclops eventually gave up and just watched as the zoner continued making its way down the corridor, eventually leaving him all alone. Biclops stood there in silence, his eyes still staring ahead at where Zebin disappeared to. Now what was he going to do?
sss
Thoughtless remained uncharacteristically silent as they continued to move down the hallway. No one else was speaking either. The silence around them became thick, difficult to move through. A part of it wanted to speak, say something to end this silence. But it couldn’t think of anything.
Its mind was too busy buzzing with what it had learned recently. The situation with Rudy and Penny was not what it thought it would be. Yes, it was aware that red chalk was dangerous. It was no fool. It did read all those articles and took them to heart. No, what shocked it was the very nature of what happened. If it didn’t know Skrawl well enough, it would think that he was lying when he said that those two tried to eat him. Skrawl wasn’t lying about that, and it frightened Thoughtless more than just the idea of it.
It hadn’t known the red chalk to cause this kind of change in a human. It had thought that it would simply go for its own violent tendencies. Cannibalism...or at least chalk eating, whatever it could be called, was not something that it had imagined the red chalk doing, nor was it ever recorded. It tried to think of just why the red chalk would do something like that. What prompted such a change? Or had this been a part of the red chalk all along?
It was difficult to say at this point. It couldn’t exactly talk to the red chalk right now. And would it even want to listen if it tried? It couldn’t be sure. At least in chalk form, it was harmless. But attached to these two.... Just what was the red chalk fully capable of?
And furthermore, what had it gotten itself into...?
It wasn’t easy for the memotrice to truly feel guilt or regret for its decision-making. It took every step with stride and confidence. It was always certain its decisions, even if some weren’t easy, were the right ones. It had to admit, it had gotten a little too cocky for its own good. It hadn’t realized this before. But this situation with the red chalk had allowed it to open its eyes more, and make it face the reality that it had created for itself. A part of it wondered if it should back out of this now, before something happened.
It shook its head. No, it couldn’t do that. It chose this path, and now it had to keep following it. It wanted to improve ChalkZone and that’s exactly what it was going to do. Regardless of any previous feelings it may have had, any doubts it felt, it knew it had to keep going. Everything would work out in the end. It just had to.
This silence all around it, the memotrice was starting to get tired of it. It just wished it would end. It wasn’t even sure why exactly it felt like this. It had been in silence before. Even enjoyed it. But perhaps the presence of the children, both of which had red chalk, and remembering what Skrawl had said, made it a bit on edge. It felt as though, at any moment, Rudy or Penny might make a move against it. A silly thing to worry about...right?
Thoughtless turned its head to the side so it could see the children behind it. Rudy and Penny were still following them, their heads lowered. But it could tell that they were up to something. They had those thinking expressions. They were trying to find a way out of here. Whether or not this involved the red chalk was not certain. The only thing that offered Thoughtless any sense of relief was the fact that Rho, who appeared to rival Delta in terms of affectiveness, was right behind them. He would take notice if they tried to make a move and he would stop them.
But even then, Thoughtless couldn’t help but wonder if something was going to happen when it least expected it.
“Are you sure we should lock them up?” Skrawl said. The silence finally broke, much to the memotrice’s relief. “I mean, they might just escape again.”
<Well that’s why someone will be watching them this time. I thought I mentioned this.> The memotrice replied.
“Well that’s true. But still... with the red chalk...” The jellybean bit his lip nervously, becoming silent. “Well, you know...”
Thoughtless tried to put on a brave face. It didn’t want Skrawl or Rho to think that it was scared. Even if it was, it needed to maintain some kind of dominance over them. It was hard to do that when it was shaking in its feet like they were. It cleared its throat and spoke with an air of confidence. <Do not worry, Skrawl. I will have everything sorted out soon. This incident will not not repeat itself.>
Skrawl looked at it with his eyes narrowed slightly. “Are you positive about that? You sure that nothing like that is going to happen again?”
Thoughtless nodded its head. <Of course I’m...>
Suddenly a loud scream echoed through the hallows. It wasn’t one of anguish. Upon listening to it closely, everyone in the hallway, who had frozen at the horrific sound, realized it was out of grief. They looked left and right, but were unable to determine the exact location, nor could they hear any actual words. At least for a while.
But when the second scream came, Thoughtless was certain that it could hear what was being said. Judging from the looks in Rudy and Penny’s eyes, they, too, could hear it.
“Snap! No! Wake up! Please!”
Thoughtless narrowed its eyes at this. So it would seem that Cornerstone had managed to do Snap in. Well at least that was one less problem to worry about....
Suddenly there was a loud shout. Two of them, intermingling together. They echoed off one another, intermixed with anger and sorrow and horror. Thoughtless was aware of a few cries of pain, thuds against the ground, gasps of shock and pain combining with that. It barely had time to turn its head to see Rho against the ground before something flashed in front of it and knocked it to the ground. It let out a yelp of pain as hands encircled around its neck.
In the confusion of what was going on, its mind echoing with its own frantic thoughts along with listening to Skrawl and Rho’s confused shouts and cries of pain, Thoughtless struggled against the ground. It kicked its feet out wildly as it struggled to get up from the ground. It opened its beak a little more so it could breathe. When it managed to make itself open its eyes to look up, it felt its eyes widen at the sight of Rudy staring down at it, his eyes gleaming red and his face contorted in rage.
Turning its eyes to the side, Thoughtless could see that Penny had drawn a mace and was fighting against Skrawl and Rho. She looked determined to strike them, her face uncharaceristically scrunched in anger, vicious and almost primal looking. Thoughtless wasn’t even sure how this happened. Could the possible declaration of their friend’s death have enabled the red chalk to control them?
...or were they channeling the red chalk of their own accord..?
Thoughtless was torn from its thoughts when Rudy tightened his grip on it. It struggled to breathe, but it was getting harder by the second. Any time it showed a struggle, Rudy appeared to take advantage of this and try to make it even worse. Thoughtless continued to struggle, but in its panic, it just wasn’t able to land a blow on Rudy.
Soon Rudy put his face close to Thoughtless. The memotrice gave a small shudder at seeing those horrible red eyes so close to its face. And the voice that came out of Rudy’s mouth after was enough to make its heart nearly stop beating.
“Maybe I will take up that offer before...” Rudy hissed under his breath. “I imagine your neck is nice and..brittle...am I right...?”
Thoughtless felt its blood run cold at this.
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Post by Bluedramon on Aug 12, 2015 17:01:57 GMT -5
Chapter 37: Zebin hissed softly when it noticed that Biclops still hadn’t gone away. It had already told the zoner many times to just leave by this point. Why wouldn’t the giant listen? The giant knew full well what he was doing. It wasn’t like he could be stealthy; he was too big. Very easily noticeable. Biclops was aware that it knew that he was still there. And that’s apparently what he wanted. Zebin gritted its teeth. If Biclops understood that it had heard every word, why wasn’t he just leaving? Well it wasn’t like there was much it could do to make him leave anyway. It lived alone. Okay, mostly alone. It chose a life of mostly solitude, but it did have some servants that helped it out. None of these servants would do it any good here. They weren’t large or imposing enough to make a giant leave. It’s only option right now was just to simply wait it out. Biclops would leave on his own accord if he ends up convinced that it wasn’t going to help him. “Look, I’m not going until you agree to come with me.” Came Biclops’s stern voice. This made Zebin want to roll its eyes. Again with this whole ‘you’ve got to help me’ bullcrap. Didn’t Biclops learn anything from the balloonemia incident? Barney was right in what he said about knowledge, and with helping people. They really wouldn’t leave you alone once you started. That was something it had learned in the past. Although, arguably, it probably got the shorter end of the stick. Biclops knew this, too. Zebin was certain of it. The giant had been there with it when it had happened. They both were witness to that terrible time. They both had seen so many horrible things. And yet here the giant was, actually asking it to help, despite the fact that he knew what happened to it the last time it tried to help someone. It hadn’t been pretty, and that was simply putting it mildly. This didn’t include all the thigns that happened, or the fact that it had barely survived this incident. Why would Biclops think that coming to it for help was the best idea? He could take care of this himself for all it cared. What made this whole affair even more offensive to it was the fact that Biclops wasn’t asking for help regarding zoners. Maybe in the long run, yes, but in the short time, he was focusing on a couple of humans. Two young creators that were trapped in this world. The very thought of them made Zebin want to claw apart the ground beneath its feet. Of all the things Biclops could be asking help for, it had to be these children, who happened to be the same species as the ones that nearly wrecked ChalkZone years ago. Why in the world should it care about them? It didn’t really care what Biclops said or showed it regarding who these two help the world. They were still creators and that was all that mattered to it. They were a threat to it just by being what they were. It had no intent on helping two members of the species that nearly killed it and many others long ago. A part of it was horrified that Biclops would even consider trusting these two. Had he lost his mind? It was difficult to say. Biclops still spoke like he was fine. He still carried that same intelligence from long ago. But it also detected something else on his voice that he could not quite catch. Perhaps Biclops had gotten softer? That was possible. He didn’t detect as much hostility as how it was back then. Impressive....and yet concerning. Could these two creators have something to do with Biclops’s softened heart? The chinese unicorn tried not to think about that too much. It didn’t want to believe that its old...acquaintance per say, was changed by the words of the dangerous species. It still wished to see Biclops as an ally. But right now, it simply wanted Biclops to leave. “No matter what you say...” Zebin hissed, its eyes narrowed. “I am not going to cave in. I have no intent on helping you or your...friends, as you call them.” “But they’re the only ones who can help save ChalkZone! Please! There’s a dangerous zoner out there and I know you’re capable of stopping it and...” Zebin whirled itself around, facing Biclops directly. Its eyes narrowed, the pupils turned into slits. It opened its mouth part way, allowing for its gaspy breathing to be heard. It pointed its round-tipped horn in Biclops’s direction. “That is enough! I don’t want to hear anything else! If you want them saved, fine! You do it yourself!” It pulled its head back, almost S-shaped. “I have more important things to attend to.” Biclops took a step forward. “But...” He said as he motioned towards it. “Please...This is...” “Just routine.” Zebin bitterly said. It gave a dismissive shrug of the shoulder. “Why should I care about them? Why should I care what happens? Fate will decide everything.” It was true, after all. Zebin did think that mostly everything is predetermined to happen. It survived the attack because fate willed it. And if ChalkZone was in danger, then fate willed it, and fate will then save it from utter destruction. All they really needed to do was wait, and the events required to save ChalkZone would flow forth. It simply wanted no part of this; fate would do well without it. Zebin could understand why Biclops didn’t want to believe this. Biclops was one of those who tries to fight fate and change it to suit its needs. The giant simply wasn’t aware that fate still decided that; it wanted those events to succeed and thus used Biclops as the tool, the means of getting this accomplished. Biclops simply refused to see things this way. And that’s fine. It just wished that Biclops would respect its view on the matter. Why couldn’t Biclops just go away? He knew it wasn’t going to help, so why was he staying? “I don’t believe this...” Biclops growled. Zebin looked up at Biclops, staring at him with one eye. Biclops continued, “You know what you’re doing...and yet you don’t care.” The giant placed a hand against his face, rubbing it carefully. “I would think that, if you knew what was going on, you would be more willing to help. Yet you still...just... I don’t get you, Zebin.” The giant rested his arm at his side. “This isn’t like those other times. If you don’t decide to help...” “I told you.” Zebin said through clenched teeth. “Fate will decide. And right now, fate is not calling me to your suicidal cause.” “Suicidal?!” Exclaimed Biclops. Zebin nodded its horse-like head. “Yes. Don’t try to sugar coat it for me. You told me about this memotrice and you told me about these creators. Combined, it’s really dangerous. I imagine if I tried going in and helping, I will be risking my life.” “Yes, but to a good cause.” Biclops nodded his head once. “Isn’t that worth something?” The chinese unicorn narrowed its eyes and growled. “No...” Biclops widened his eyes at this. Having spoken enough, the chinese unicorn turned around and began to walk away. If Biclops wanted to follow it and continue trying to convince it to join his cause, then he was more than welcome to. But he was wasting his breath in the long run. He was better off just leaving and finding some other guinea pig to take with him than keep pestering it. He was wasting time. Couldn’t he see that? It walked several feet down, never once stopping to look behind. In that time, Biclops had gone silent. A bit surprising, but also relieving at the same time. Perhaps Biclops had finally seen that that there was no way that he could convince it to come with him to do anything. It had no intention on helping those creators. And there was nothing that Biclops could say that would make it change its mind. Absolutely nothing. “So...you’re really going to let it come down to this, are you...?” This statement confused the chinese unicorn. It stopped in its tracks. It swiveled its head to look behind it. The giant was glaring at it, but there was something else intermixed with that besides anger. Disappointment perhaps? “I can see right through you. I can see what you’re really are.” Zebin blinked a few times. Just what was the giant getting at? What was he trying to imply? He was being a bit too cryptic right now. The chinese unicorn was tempted to slap Biclops in the leg and try to make him speak. It wisely refrained from this. It would rather not be on the receiving end of an attack should the giant retaliate against it. But still..it wondered just what Biclops was trying to say. He was talking like what he was about to say was a bad thing. Zebin could feel its own aura start to darken a little at this. Just what was Biclops going to tell it? It didn’t have to wait too long. And what Biclops eventually said took it by surprise. “The reason you don’t want to help is because you are a coward. You are afraid to face a challenge again. You are terrified of the idea of confrontation now, especially after your unfortunate mishap. I understand that, but now is not the time to allow such things cloud your judgment. Our very world is in peril and all you can think about is hiding with your tail between your legs!” Zebin gasped at this and narrowed its eyes. But Biclops was not done yet. “And don’t try to ‘fate’ your way out of this, Zebin! Not for something as severe as this! We can’t just sit around and allow this ‘fate’ nonsense guide our ways! That’s not going to help us here! And you know it!” Zebin hissed at this. “How dare you...” “No.” Biclops cut it off. “How dare you use your own fear and guilt to ‘dismiss yourself’ from having to help anyone...” Zebin cocked an eyebrow. “..excuse me? Fear..?” Biclops nodded his head. “Even if you do hide it well, I know you still feel guilty about what you did in the past.” Upon seeing Zebin’s expression, Biclops narrowed his eyes. “Oh don’t try to hide it from me, Zebin. I know you still feel guilty about it, regardless of what you say about them!” “Feel guilty about what?” Zebin asked. “For helping me trap those children in the red chalk.” Zebin went silent at this. sss Reggie tried to keep up with the bombardment of questions. He tried answer them all in neat succussion, but they were coming in so fast, he barely had time to answer them all. He found himself placing his hands over his ears just so he could concentrate. And still the questions kept rolling in. “Are you sure this was a good idea?” “What if Ms. Bouffant is killed? We can’t arrest her if she’s dead.” “What if that thing goes after our children?” “Can it be trusted? “Are you sure that there was no other way?” “Please, isn’t there a better solution?” It was all getting to be so much. Reggie couldn’t handle much more. How was he expected to answer any of these questions if the adults kept asking more and more. Granted, he could understand why. But he was not a genius like Penny; he couldn’t keep up with all these questions no matter how hard he tried and struggled. He just wasn’t like her. Or Rudy, who, while not a genius himself, was still, in some areas, smarter than him. He was a little slower to respond at times. He needed a bit more time to respond and these worried adults just weren’t giving him enough time to think. It wasn’t like he could blame them, of course. They were just worried about their kids, like any parent would be. They also didn’t know about this chalk world. While he might know more things, he was still pretty much a newbie to that world. He could only guess on certain things. Due to this, he could see why the adults weren’t entirely reassured by his words, leading to more and more questions. Still, he wished they would slow down. How do they expect him to answer anything if they don’t give him a chance to answer the other questions? And some of these were even repeats. Did they think that asking the same question twice, or even thwice, would somehow change his answer? He just... “Everyone, please be silent!” He could hear his father shout at the adults. In a matter of seconds, they all stopped, much to Reggie’s relief. “I know you are all upset about what happened. And that is understandable. But you are overloading my boy. He simply can’t keep up with all those questions. Please...try to take it easy on him.” Reggie was thankful that his dad was here. He was used to being in a room of debating, chatty adults. He was able to command even the rowdiest of people, making them shut up and listen to him. In this situation, this was nothing. His dad had controlled more people than this. It took the child by no surprise just how quickly his dad was able to make the adults stop speaking, especially with his political background. “You’re right. We were getting a little carried away.” Tilly admitted as she rubbed the back of her head. “Sorry about that.” “It’s okay. I understand.” Reggie said with a small smile. “I would be pretty worked up in your guys’s place as well.” “Are you sure about this, though?” Mr. Tabootie asked. “I know we asked you this many times, but..how can you be sure that this plan will work?” “What if something were to happen?” Mrs. Tabootie raised her hand up in gesture. “Do you have another plan?” Mrs. Sanchez joined in. “You are certain there’s no other way?” Sensing that the adults were about to drop another many questions upon him, Reggie was quick to answer before they could get another one out. “I cannot make any promises, unfortunately. I do not know as much about this world as I presume Rudy and Penny do. But I do know more than Terry, and I am pretty sure that a creation does what its creator wants.” He carefully let out the fact that this was something Terry thought up, not himself. “So you are absolutely certain this will work, son?” Mr. Bullnerd stared down at his son. “You are sure that this would help catch Terry Bouffant before she gets too far away?” Reggie bit his lip. “Honestly, I’m not entirely sure...” At this, he could hear the adults’ nervous comments and perplexed expressions. He looked at them one by one. He wished he could be more certain than this. But the truth was... There was no way he could be one hundred percent certain in all of this. “But I am mostly sure....” He made an effort to sound more positive in that sentence. It didn’t seem like it was working though, judging from their expressions. “Is that supposed to help us feel better?” Mr. Tabootie’s eyes narrowed slightly. “You told us this plan would absolutely bring Terry back!” Reggie shook his head. “I told you that this was the best way to get her back.” He held his head up a little higher, an attempt to look more confident than he felt. “Right now, this is our best chance at bringing Terry back. The beast will not harm her, and it will drag her back to this point where it was created, where she had exited. It will make her draw a portal to come back in and we can apprehend her.” “And what do you expect us to do in the meantime?” Mrs. Sanchez’s skeptical voice filled his ears. “Just wait around?” Reggie was silent for a few moments. Then, in a soft, stern voice, he said, “Yes.” The adults glanced at each other, their eyes furrowed with confusion and concern. He could hear them start to vocalize their concerns to one another. Some of them were uncertain of what to think of this. He knew that at least Mr. Tabootie was unwilling to go along with this, wanting to instead just take action. At least Mrs. Tabootie was trying to be more reasonable. Deciding to let the adults speak about this amongst each other, he turned his attention to his father. He could see the man’s furrowed brows, the uncertain look in his eyes. Despite this, his father did still seem to hold a sense of trust for him. This caused Reggie to smile a little. At least his dad understood where he was coming from. At least his dad held some kind of faith for him. That did help him out immensely. His dad still had a question, however. “The beast will not harm Terry... That much you are sure of?” Reggie had to admit to himself, he wasn’t really sure about this. A part of him was worried that maybe the beast will go too far. Maybe he was wrong and maybe the beast will just do whatever it wanted. The last thing he, his dad, and the other adults wanted was a broken, dead body of a woman just tossed in like it was nothing. Regardless of his doubts, however, Reggie did try to remain positive. He sucked in a deep breath and sighed softly. He looked up at his father, giving him a reassuring smile. He nodded his head once. “Yeah. It should be all right.” He stressed the keyword there: should be. sss Terry’s hands gripped the sides of the beast’s mouth. It was lowering its head towards her body, its mouth wide open, preparing to sink its teeth in. Terry clenched her teeth tightly as she tried to push it as far back as she could. She could feel her arms start to shake as she used up so much of her strength doing this. She tried to push back as hard as she could, but she didn’t know how much more of this she could take. Sure maybe the beast wasn’t going to hurt her. Maybe it just wanted to grab her... But no, she couldn’t allow it a chance. She couldn’t take that risk. She pushed harder and harder against it, fighting against the burning sensation that was crawling in her arms. She tried not to look fearful as she glared at the beast. But in truth, she was not able to stop the fear from crawling through her body, freezing her blood. She had never known zoners like this existed; she had thought they were all cuddly, overly friendly things. Why would something like this exist? But then again..not all children are so sweet and innocent.... Terry felt like slapping herself in the face for forgetting this detail. Of course something like this would be here. Some children were downright sadistic and others didn’t know right from wrong. It would make sense that this world would have a lot of aggressive, dangerous zoners in it. And now she was being harrassed by one of them. Speaking of harrassment.... She turned her head and saw that the zoner she had been trying to interrogate earlier was making a getaway. He had a horrified look on his face as he was racing through the trees, getting far away from her and the beast. She didn’t know why she did this, but before she could stop herself, she let out a scream, “Wait! Come back! Don’t leave me here!” But of course, Lazlo does not respond. She couldn’t tell if it was because he couldn’t hear her or if he simply did not care. Both possibilities were likely, propelling the zoner to keep running down the hill, leaving Terry alone with the beast. The sight of this filled her with mixed emotions, burning and chilling her at the same time. She knew it made no sense, but she couldn’t help but feel...betrayed. She tried to shake off the unwarranted feeling of betrayal. There was nothing to justify it. She did nothing to earn that zoner’s trust nor was he friend. Why should she feel betrayed? Perhaps it was because no one had ever left her in such a dangerous situation before, or perhaps it reminded her of what Rudy did, although he wasn’t a friend either... She was shaken out of her thoughts when she felt the beast push harder against her, its tail swinging rapidly from side to side. She looked into its eyes, flinching as they practically glowed, bathing her in nonexistant light as if she were some kind of star. She clenched her teeth even more, nearly popping them from her jaws. Feeling a rush of adrenaline burning through her body, she pushed back even harder, and this time, the beast seemed to move back this time. Despite how her arms just wanted to fall off, she continued her pushing, hoping that she could get enough space for her to slip out and run off. She didn’t know how long she had been doing this. She couldn’t even tell if it was working at first. All she could do was keep pushing back further and further until she could feel the head start to cave in a little. She could feel less and less of the beast’s drool on her, less of its hot breath hitting her against the face. The beast tried to move back, but the adrenaline that was fueling her was giving her enough strength overpower the beast. At least a little. Then at last, with a single shove, the beast finally moved its head back, giving her some temporary sense of relief. Terry and the beast glared at one another, both panting heavily from their struggle. The beast, obviously, didn’t show as much exhaustion as Terry was. It looked like it was ready to attack her again at any given moment. Terry was struggling to calm her heart down and gain some kind of breather before the beast made its next move. Thinking fast, she raised up her magic chalk and began to draw quickly. She made sure to move as quickly as possible, not allowing for even a second of a break. Around in the air, her arm moved, her wrist twisting around, rapidly filling the air with lines. Floating ones that were waiting for the complete picture. They did not have to wait long before she pulled her arm away and the object fell to the ground. It was a knife. Simple, like the whip she lost, but affective. She grabbed onto it and raised it up. It was hard to tell if the beast had any comprehension of what she was holding. It looked at it and it saw, but its gaze soon focused entirely on her now. It was lowering its head once more, its mouth opening wider, the tusks looking like they were ready to pierce her. Terry reacted as fast as she could. The beast’s scream as she plunged the knife deep into the beast’s front leg nearly caused her ear drums to pierce. It was like she was in the front row seat of a needlessly loud concert. She managed to plug one ear with her hand, but the other, due to her remaining hand holding the knife, could not be covered all the way, subjecting it to the pain of the loud, agony-filled roar. However, it had been worth it as the beast did relent, removing its paw from her and stepping back. While the beast was checking out its wound, Terry took this opportunity to run. She began to run through the space between the mountains. She knew it wasn’t small enough to stop the creature, but at least it was enough to slow it down a little, giving her a chance to gain a head start. It didn’t take too long for the beast, in a rage, to start chasing after her here, but she did not stop. She just kept running. Moving through here was rather difficult. She struggled to keep up a good pace, her feet pounding the ground. But there were so many twists and turns, so many places she nearly collided with as she tried to make rapid adjustments. Not to mention the ground seemed to ripple; it went up and down several times, often without much warning. She realized now just why Lazlo had tried walking through here. It really was such a deterrent to chasers. At least the beast was dumb enough to follow her through here, but..how lucky was she going to be in the end? She tried not to think about it as she kept on running, doing her best to avoid hurting herself. Despite her best efforts, she still managed to hit up against some of the turns. A few times, a sharp edge of rock would hit against her. It wouldn’t cut her, but it would leave her briefly wracked in pain before she continued. She dared to look behind her only once. The beast was quite a bit aways, which was a relief. But that relief was short-lived. The beast was still managing to gain on her and the trail ahead of her was not getting any easier to run along. All it would take was a few more mistakes and she might as well surrender; getting out of here with the beast so close would cause her to get caught swiftly the moment she got out of the comparitively safe confines of this long crack. There had to be a way to... There, up ahead. She could see something coming into focus. There was a dip in the side of the wall. It was just slightly visible, but enough to grab her attention. Her eyes widened at this. Was it large enough to hold her in it? Should she take the chance or should she keep running? “Rawr!” Terry shuddered at that loud roar behind her. In that moment, she made up her mind. Pumping her legs even faster, she moved towards the crevice. She dared not look behind her for fear that would slow her down enough to be caught. Her eyes focused on the crevice alone, her mind blocking out the horrible roaring behind her. Soon she made it. She took only a second to look at it. Not a very large crevice, but it was still large enough for her to squeeze through. She immediately pushed her body into it, ignoring the scrapes as the rocks rubbed against her arms and green uniform. She pressed her back against the deadend wall and flattened herself there. She watched as a shadow casted upon the crevice and she could see the beast, glaring at her intensely. Terry did her best to keep herself against the wall, scrambling her legs to create as much space as possible between her and the beast. Her legs slipped a few times, causing her to press her fingers against the wall. She winced as the scraping sound that they made. She clenched her teeth tightly and shut her eyes as she struggled to keep herself from falling down, straightening herself up the best she could. She reopened her eyes and looked back at the beast continued to just stare at her, unusually silent and unmoving. The sight of this made her gut twist in worry. Why wasn’t this monster trying to attack her? Why was it just standing there? Didn’t it want to rip her to shreds? Instead of doing any of that, the creature was just staring at her up and down, its eyes moving over her as if studying her. It was almost as if it was trying to... Terry widened her eyes in horror. The beast was not staring and doing nothing... It was trying to find a body part to grab onto... But her realization came too late and she had no time to react. The beast’s jaws suddenly clamped down on her arm. She could feel the teeth pressing against her flesh. Her mind barely had time to register the initial pain of the teeth going on before the beast bit down harder. A loud crack suddenly reverberated through the wall. “Aaaaaaarrrggghhh!” Terry’s mind became blinded with pain. She looked down at her arm through blurry vision, tears moving down her cheeks. She could see how her arm was bent at an odd angle. She could only see this for a few seconds before her vision went dark, her eyes clinching tightly as she tried to hold back her agony. But there was no way she could do this for long and she soon unleashed more pain-filled screams. The beast yanked her back, forcing her out of the crevice. She could feel herself being lifted into the air. She kicked her feet wildly, trying to strike something. But her feet constantly missed, and the only thing the beast did in response to her struggle was bite down harder. She sucked in a sharp breath and her eyes widened, the pupils shrinking to dots, as she felt another crunch, the bone giving way more. The warm blood dripped down her arm rapidly, flowing from the wound. Then, with a lightning flash of pain stiffening her body, the worst pain she had ever felt in her life, Terry’s body went limp and darkness took her over as her mind shut down. sss No matter how hard he tried, the jellybean was not able to hide the horror that was rushing through his body. He watched, his eyes wide and mouth agape, as Rudy and Penny continued acting like...the best word he could think of was wild animals. Not a terminology that he ever expected to use towards these two do-gooders. Or were they even that anymore? No, they weren’t. Not while the red chalk controlled them. The fact that the red chalk could control them to this degree was horrifying. Sure it might prove useful for him to maintain control over ChalkZone, but not while the two children were going crazy like this. If he could find a way to harness their power and control it... Gah, now wasn’t the time to be thinking about that. Right now, he had to struggle to keep himself alive. And of course, Thoughtless and Rho, too, if possible. Rudy was upon Thoughtless, having pinned the zoner on its back. Thoughtless looked absolutely petrified, something he never thought he’d see in all his short time knowing it. Thoughtless was struggling to get away, but Rudy held a vice-like grip. He could have sworn that he heard Thoughtless start to gag. It was hard to tell from this distance, especially in the mixture of all the snarls that these children emitted, almong with Rho’s angry shouts and Thoughtless’s screeches, whenever it could manage them. Rho himself was trying to battle Penny. It was obvious, though, that he was having problems. He might have had an advantage before, but back then, Rudy and Penny weren’t possessed. Now backed up with the will and aggression of the red chalk, Penny was not giving Rho any chance to fight back. This enabled her to keep him up against the wall. He would occassionally try to fly off for distance, only to be knocked back by the mace that Penny drew. Already Rho was covered with several injuries. Yet he still kept on trying to fight back. How impressive. Definitely more than Thoughtless right now. Skrawl couldn’t help but feel some level of disgust at the way Thoughtless was struggling so pitifully. He would think that such a dangerous zoner would be able to fight back easily. Instead, the memotrice was panicking. This was clear on its face. Its kicks, though violent, were still blind and missing their target completely. But despite his disappointment, he knew he couldn’t just leave Thoughtless to die. He needed to help it. He still needed it around. He knew a large reason why they had gotten so far in their plans was because of Thoughtless. Not wanting to lose the winning chip, Skrawl proceeded to make his way over to where Rudy had it pinned down. Suddenly, he took pause. His mind rewound back to what Snap had said before. Did he not say something about Thoughtless using him for a sap? He hadn’t thought much of it then. He thought that Snap was just trying to cause trouble. It had been the catalyst that he needed to make up his decision about killing him. He had decided then that it was best to just get rid of him before he could spread more trouble. But now that he thought about it... What if Snap had been right? What if Thoughtless had been using him this whole time? What if this zoner had been messing with him for who knows how long, and had only been acting like it was on his side? The possibility was not too far fetched. This memotrice did have the ability to alter memories. What if that’s exactly what it did? What if it had clawed into his mind and changed his memories from what they were supposed to be? What if it had assumed control and he only believed that it was the leader because of these changed memories? Skrawl didn’t want to think it was possible but..what if it was...? His mind was torn from his thoughts when he suddenly heard a dark laughter. It was so chilling.. He almost didn’t recognize who it came from. He turned his head and he could see Rudy had his mouth contorted to the side in a twisted smile. He was still holding onto Thoughtless’s neck, but now his eyes took on an almost glowy kind of look, his expression that of twisted amusement. It reminded Skrawl so much of himself, but to see it from Rudy was quite a shock. What surprised him even more was how this expression seemed to not only rival his own, but it almost seemed to...shame him in some way. This boy, with his expression alone, was able to make him look like nothing but a pussy cat. Skrawl narrowed his eyes at this. He was not going to allow Rudy to best him like this. No one was going to be more fierce or dangerous than him. Only he deserved the title. He arched his claws inward, the tips glinting in what light was available. His teeth, as yellow as ever, were exposed even more as he bared his teeth. He felt that primal urge like he did with that potato zoner. Now it was returning, causing him to rush towards Rudy. <Stop this! You aren’t yourself!> Pleaded Thoughtless. “Heheheh...how pitiful for you to say that. You just want to save your pathetic life!” Rudy sneered, flashing his teeth in a horrifyig grin. He tightened his hand around the zoner’s neck even further. “Why do you think I will show you mercy when you did not show us any? You are better off destroyed.” Thoughtless shook its head. It continued trying to beg with Rudy. Its voice rang through the heads of anyone that was in the immediate area. <Please! Knock this off! Calm yourself! This isn’t what you are!” Rudy’s eyes flashed at this, the red seeming to glow even brighter. “Like hell you care about what we are. You only care about trying to change us. Well guess what? You succeeded!” Rudy pulled his head back and gave a dark chuckle. “Well? What do you think of us now?! Do you like what you see?!” Thoughtless managed to press its foot against Rudy and started to push. <You need to stop this!> Rudy gripped the memotrice’s foot tightly. “Why don’t you try to fight me then, Thoughtless? I thought you had that oh so special power of changing memories!” At Thoughtless’s silence, Rudy laughed. “Oh I know! It’s because you don’t have power over humans....” He tilted his head to the side. “Isn’t it..?” Again, Thoughtless did not answer. It seemed to be trying not to show any kind of revealing expression, but there was a flash of something. And Rudy had caught it. “Hah! I knew it! You miserable piece of filth... You have no power over me!” Thoughtless appeared to be trying to swallow, but its oxygen supply seemed to be cut completely by this point. If it could, it would have likely swallowed hard at what Rudy said. The sight of this seemed to be enough to excite Rudy, causing him to lick his lips slowly. “I do wonder what you taste like....” Thoughtless paled at this. <No..please...!> Rudy cackled at this and started to bring his head closer. Before he could attempt to do anything, Skrawl had already closed the gap between them. He pulled back his hand and struck as hard as he could. Rudy let out a scream as the claws ripped into his side and flung him back. Skrawl watched as Rudy staggered up to his feet, turning to face him with an expression of shock, which soon gave way to anger. “How dare you intervene...” Rudy growled under his breath. Skrawl narrowed his eyes, trying his best not to show fear in front of this possessed child. “Like hell I’m going to allow you to take away my key to victory!” “Your key?” Rudy tilted his head to the other side. “It? Yours?” He pointed from Thoughtless, who was now staggering up to its feet, coughing painfully. He then slapped the back of his wrist against his forehead, letting out a cold laugh. “Oh ain’t that rich! Isn’t it the other way around, Skrawly?” The jellybean growled at that nickname. “Aren’t you nothing more than its tool?” Again Skrawl froze, his mind swimming with the possibility of being controlled. He looked down at Thoughtless, watching as it climbed up to its feet. The two of them locked eyes with each other. He could detect something in Thoughtless’s eyes. Something that made him wonder if it really was using him, or if it was just shocked at the accusation. Skrawl didn’t allow himself to stare at it for long before he forced himself to look back at Rudy. He let out a long, low growl. Regardless of what Thoughtless might be doing, right now his eyes and attention were for Rudy only. He was the most urgent on his mind, and he knew he had to restrain him before things got any worse. The fact that Rudy still had a piece of magic chalk certainly didn’t bode very well for him. But he still remained, ready to fight. As he continued to glare at the zoner, Skrawl’s eyes scanned around, looking for Rho and Penny. He soon found them. They had gotten further down the hallway. They were still locked in combat. It seemed Rho was able to get the mace out of her hands, and he was keeping her from drawing anything else. A relief, but just how long was it going to last? This distraction, however, had cost him. Before he could do anything, he felt something hard strike him against the head. Dazed, he fell to the ground. He laid there, his hand rubbing his head tenderly. The cries from Thoughtless about his condition echoed in his head, causing a dull ache to spread through it. Skrawl didn’t attempt to reply, only letting out a groan and sigh as he pushed himself into a seated position. He barely had time to open his eyes before he could see Rudy’s foot coming towards his face. He felt it slam against him, forcing him to cry out in pain. His head was flung backwards and he could feel it slam against the hard wall. A bout of dizziness struck him, intermingling with the pounding pain that decided to join. Skrawl wobbled from side to side only for a second before he attempted to strike out at Rudy again. The little chalk boy, however, had moved too quickly and his claws only slashed through the air. He attempted to try again, but Rudy had other plans. Rudy pulled out his weapon that he had just drawn while the jellybean was distracted. A long bat, thick at the end with what looked like diamond. The sight of it horrified him. He was well aware of what would happen if he let Rudy strike him with that again. He managed to jerk himself to side as it was struck down. He winced at the loud crack that this produced. He turned his head and saw how large the dent was, and with a cold sensation, he realized just how close that had been to being his head. He stared at it for a few seconds before turning his head and stared up at Rudy in horror. The boy was grinning broadly, a snicker rumbling through his throat. He raised the bat up again to strike. Skrawl managed to seize the boy’s hand before he could hit him. He pushed as hard as he could. He was able to keep Rudy’s arm from lowering down too much. But with the boy empowered by the red chalk, this was quite an even match. He clenched his teeth tightly and pushed back as hard as he could, hoping to knock Rudy back. But that didn’t seem like it was going to happen this time. Rudy looked determined to bash his head in. He could see the look in the boy’s eyes. He could see that wicked desire that now radiated from them. He could see that horrid smile that held so many twisted promises. He could see just how darkened his face was. A single thought graced his mind for a second. He did not recognize the Great Creator anymore. Suddenly there was a loud squawk and a flash of red. Skrawl was taken aback when he saw Thoughtless launch itself from behind, landing on Rudy’s back. The boy let out a loud hiss and struggled to grab onto the bird-like zoner. The memotrice clung to the boy, pressing its talons against his body, causing him to flinch. It flapped its pitiful wings desperately, trying to gain enough force to pull Rudy away from the fallen jellybean. Skrawl couldn’t believe it. He had not expected Thoughtless to come save him like that. But then again...he did help it. The memotrice must be returning the favor. Or was it because Thoughtless needed him as much as he needed it? He shook his head. It didn’t matter why Thoughtless came in to help. The important thing was that it was here, and it was the only thing keeping Rudy from attacking him. Skrawl knew that this was not going to last long and he needed to take action fast. His thought proved to be correct when he saw Rudy grab onto Thoughtless’s leg and swung it into the ground. Rudy raised the bat over the memotrice’s head, preparing to crack it open. Skrawl took action immediately. Pulling his arm back, Skrawl struck the back of his claws against the side of Rudy’s head. The boy let out a cry of pain, his body being knocked to the side. Skrawl noticed that Rudy still managed to stay on his feet. So he went in to attack again. He formed a fist with his hand and he struck Rudy in the middle of his forward before the boy had a chance to recover. This caused Rudy to stumble and roll painfully across the ground, letting out yelps of pain in the progress. Skrawl cocked an eyebrow. Despite that, Rudy still managed to stay awake. His body shivered a little from the pain that must be wracking through him. He placed his hands on the ground and pushed himself up. He turned his head and glared at the jellybean, his eyes glinting with intent. The boy began to climb up to his feet, seething deeply through his teeth. Skrawl hunched his body, preparing for another attack. He was fully ready to take on Rudy if he had to. Even as Rudy had raised his chalk threateningly, preparing to draw, Skrawl did not run off. He would not grant Rudy that kind of satisfaction. Skrawl runs from no one. And he was going to prove it here and now. <You’re mine!> Skrawl was startled when Thoughtless started to race towards Rudy. He could feel his blood boiling as he saw the memotrice ruin his shot. How dare it intervene... But there was nothing he could do except watch as Thoughtless struck against Rudy, making him go back a few feet. The boy, teeth clenched, began to strike at Thoughtless, trying to crush him with the diamond bat. Skrawl just narrowed his eyes at this. He felt no need to try to help Thoughtless this time. It got itself into this mess. It could get itself out. Of course, this wouldn’t have happened if it had just stayed back while he took care of Rudy. He was the largest one here. He could have knocked out Rudy if he just hit him hard enough. His past attempts failed, but he would not have messed up this time. He was sure of it. But now he was stuck here, watching as Thoughtless ran circles around Rudy. Now he couldn’t even tell how he was going to strike Rudy. Thoughtless was just in the way. The memotrice had good moves. He’d give it that, especially with how it danced and dashed and jumped, avoiding Rudy’s each attempt of trying to harm it. Suddenly, Skrawl appeared to realize just what Thoughtless was doing. It was biding him time. It was giving him a chance to strike. It was distracting Rudy so he could make a move. Skrawl’s eyes widened at this realization. How could he have been so blind before? How could he not have noticed this? Well if that was what Thoughtless was doing, Skrawl was not going to keep it waiting. His teeth clenched, his arm muscles tightening, he ran towards Rudy as fast as he could. He made quick adjustments as he tried to stay behind the boy. A task that was difficult with all the moving around, but not impossible. He then hung back, watching as Rudy and Thoughtless took turns striking at each other, moving around in rapid circles. Gritting his teeth, Skrawl raised his hand up and, waiting for the right moment, he struck down. This time, instead of a scream, Rudy let out a gasp, his body becoming rigid from the blow. He remained like this for a few seconds before his eyes shut. He collapsed to the ground in a heap, his breathing having become shallow and ragged. He and Thoughtless stared at this for several moments. Neither of them spoke a word or made a sound. They had a hard time tearing their eyes away from the prone form. Both of them kept imagining Rudy getting up onto his feet and attacking. Yet there he remained. Unmoving, still, only weak breathing. Skrawl couldn’t helpt but wonder if he had caused permanent damage to the boy in some way. He shrugged it off. It’s not like he really cared about the boy’s well being. As long as he still became ruler of ChalkZone, nothing else mattered. <Well that was cutting it close.> Thoughtless grumbled. It stared up at Skrawl with narrowed, brown eyes. <You couldn’t come any faster, could you?> Skrawl gritted his teeth at the zoner. “At least I came, didn’t I?” Thoughtless nodded. <Yes, after the boy got a few good blows on me.” “Oh quit your belly aching!” Skrawl rolled his mismatched eyes. “Be glad that I even thought about saving your ass!” At this, Thoughtless gritted its teeth and beak. <Perhaps you should choose your words more carefully...> Skrawl did feel a pang in his chest at this. The way Thoughtless said that...it sounded like a threat. Skrawl wanted to move away, but he found himself planted to the ground. His feet simply refused to move. He stared down at Thoughtless, his eyes widened. He managed to shake his head once and continue to glare at it. He was not going to allow this zoner to strike fear into him. And yet he could not push away that fear, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. He couldn’t help but imagine all the horrible things this zoner could do to him. It could change his very identity if he wasn’t careful. It wouldn’t be too hard for the zoner to accomplish. All it needed to do was concentrate enough and his memories would be its to play with, to mold and change to however it pleased. Skrawl remembered what happened to those guards and he felt a shiver rush through his body. That look it was giving him...it started to remind him of something. Could it be he had seen this look before? But...where could he have seen it? He couldn’t quite place it, and yet he couldn’t shake off the familiarity of it. It was on the tip of his tongue. Oh why couldn’t he think of it? “Aaaaahhh!” Skrawl and Thoughtless were ripped away from their little confrontation when they heard Rho being slammed against the wall. They turned their heads just in time to see the Beanie Boy get struck again, this time by Penny’s fist. She had lost the magic chalk apparently; Skrawl could see it laying on the ground not too far away. But she was not defenseless and this was something Rho was figuring out the hard way. Skrawl’s mind flashed back to what happened to Delta. He would be damned if he allowed another of his Beanie Boys to fall. Seething through his teeth, his mind burning and racing, he dashed towards Penny, Thoughtless right behind him. sss She knew Dr. Von Doktor wasn’t going to approve of this. She knew that he wanted her to stay out of it. He didn’t want her strong opinion of him taint the investigation. And she understood this of course. She knew the dangers of complication of interest, or however that term went. She wasn’t trying to say that he was wrong. But she could just sit down and do nothing. She had to do something to help out. She had a feeling that if she didn’t take action, something bad could happen. She didn’t know what yet. She wasn’t entirely sure, and she had a feeling that maybe she was just exaggerating everything to herself. Yet what if she wasn’t? She couldn’t shake off this feeling, and it was only growing stronger by the second. There was just...something about Terry she didn’t trust or like. She rubbed her the wrong way. Ever since she first met her, that woman gave her uncomfortable vibes. She had done well to hide it for a while. She even tried to convince herself that maybe she was just jealous that Terry was chosen. But though that might be partly the case, in truth, she just really didn’t like this redhaired woman that Dr. Von Doktor was trusting his reputation to. That was why she had to take action. There really wasn’t much of a choice. She had to do this. She had to put herself in this investigation. She needed to be extra careful and not let her bias get in the way. She didn’t want to create any additional conflict or anything. That would just make things worse. And given what was going on, that was the last thing that ther boss needed right now. Some other complication to worry about. She bit her lip, recalling Dr. Von Doktor’s temper. He was going to be so mad at her... She hoped that he would understand in the end why she had to do this, though. She hoped that he would be reasonable and not take any drastic actions. She was doing this for him. Sure a lot of people would find her interest in him creepy, and they would tell her she was just defending him because she liked him. But she didn’t care what they thought. All she cared about was doing the right thing. She continued to move down the road slowly. She struggled to remember exactly where Dr. Von Doktor had said the child disappearances had taken place. Something Sanchez.. Mrs. Sanchez? That vet? Yes, that was correct. She remembered that now. Dr. Von Doktor had said that the man he spoke to, possibly the father, mentioned it at some point during their conversation. She struggled to remember the address of that place. Upon remembering, she realized she was coming to the turn. She pressed on her brakes quickly to slow down. She did it so suddenly that she heard a loud beep behind her. She turned her head to look at her rearview mirror and saw that there was someone behind her, shouting angrily at her, hand waving out. She gave a sheepish smile, but did not speak a word to them. Not wanting to face a confrontation at the moment, she turned her wheel to the right and went into the road. She followed it down, this time making more of an effort to keep an eye on anything behind her. At least the angered driver went away and didn’t bother chasing her. That could have been much worse. She continued down the road slowly. She scanned left and right. She couldn’t remember which side of the road that woman’s house was on. She kept a sharp eye out, constantly scanning both sides to look for any sign of a vet’s office. This was going to be trickier with Mrs. Sanchez’s clinic, considering, the last she checked, she held her business in her own house. The thought of this made her lip curl in disgust. How did that woman deal with all those animals and the filth they left behind? Oh well, it wasn’t her life. She soon spotted a house that was different from the rest. It was located on the left side. She slowed down, pulling herself to the right, her tires almost touching the curb. She parked the car and opened up the door. She stepped out and took a good look at the house. What made this house stand out wasn’t its color or its size. This was pretty average; she had seen lots of houses like this in this small city. No, that made it attract her attention was the large red barn in the back, the fence, and all the different kennels or whatever they were. She could also hear the occassional animal sound, and that disgusting smell... Yeah, this was it all right. Without another hesitation, she made her way towards the building. She did her best to ignore the horrid smell as she drew closer to the house. It didn’t take her too long to reach it. By now, the smell had only gotten worse, but she imagined that, inside, it wasn’t so bad. Then again, Mrs. Sanchez and her daughter were likely ‘nose blind’ or whatever people call it. That term for when one was so used to a smell, they no longer detected it. She tried to slap the thoughts out of her head. Right now wasn’t the time to be complaining about smells. Now was the time to take action that could help out Dr. Von Doktor. And, if she was lucky, those children as well. She reached forward, grabbed the door knob and stepped through the opened door. Oh of course, it had to have a smell in here, too. Well, at least it wasn’t as bad as before... Shaking her head once, she looked around, trying to find the adults. Were they still here? They had to be; their car was outside. Well, they weren’t down here, so they had to be upstairs. It didn’t take her long to find it. She grabbed into the railing and she proceeded up the steps. In a matter of seconds, she was already at the top, her feet touching the soft carpet once more. Once she was up there, she could hear some talking going on. Soft murmuring, some words spoken more loudly. She approached the source, which was a door at the far end. She guessed this was a bedroom; she couldn’t imagine a bunch of adults gathering in a bathroom. That just seemed....weird. She was careful as she approached. She didn’t want to make too much noise and startle them. Then again...wasn’t she already trespassing? She suddenly felt a pang of guilt. Oh how could she have been so stupid? She had to go back down. She just made a terrible mistake. She was going to leave such a bad impression if she just waltzed in like this. Gritting her teeth, she turned around and proceeded back down the stairs. But she never made it past the second step. A door creaked open behind her. She could hear the sound of footsteps. Then she heard a gasp, and an apprehensive voice say, “...who are you...?!” Turning her head, the woman could see that it was Mrs. Sanchez. She caught the look in her eyes. One of shock and suspicion. Ms. Charlotte offered a weak, nervous smile. No surprise, this did little to improve the vet’s mood. Not that she could blame her. She did make a terrible mistake by coming in unannounced. She lowered her head humbly, clasping her hands together. “I do apologize... I know this was not the smartest of moves. I apologize if I offended you...” Ms. Charlotte could hear other voices, and she heard Mrs. Sanchez speak a few hushed statements to them, probably keeping them from coming out. The woman’s eyes then turned back to her. She flinched at how blazed they look. Ms. Charlotte knew right then that she had already overstepped her bounds. She was going to have to be careful to ensure that she didn’t do anyting to make things worse. “What do you want...?” Mrs. Sanchez asked, her voice low and somewhat darkened. “I hope you have a good excuse for what you did....” “Y-Yeah...I do...” Ms. Charlotte stopped herself, realizing she was starting to gain a defensive edge. She cleared her throat and continued in a gentler, softer voice. “I came to help you.” Mrs. Sanchez blinked a few times. She tilted her head to one side. “Help me...?” At Ms. Charlotte’s nod, she narrowed her eyes softly. “How...would you know that I need help?” “I come here on the behalf of Dr. Von Doktor.” Ms. Charlotte said, fumbling her hands together nervously. She hoped that she would be able to calm the woman down enough to keep her from calling the police. “I understand that you were already sent Terry Bouffant, but no offense to her...but I just....don’t trust her. I want to offer my assistance.” She gestured to herself. “I hope that isn’t a problem. I...” Mrs. Sanchez’s eyes seemed to darken at the mention of Terry. This caused Ms. Charlotte to pause. She didn’t attempt to speak again. Not while the woman was glaring at her like this, her mind invaded by what were likely darkened thoughts. The silence around them grew, wrapping Ms. Charlotte in a blanket of anxiety. But almost as suddenly as the eyes darkened, they softened once more. She gave out a sigh. It sounded almost...defeated and resigned. This sound was enough to make Ms. Charlotte’s heart clench tightly. Even though she didn’t know these people that well, her heart couldn’t help but reach out to them. There was something about the look in the woman’s eyes that reminded her of herself. She wasn’t sure just how much right she had to do this, but she found herself taking a few cautious steps forward, her concern-filled eyes locking onto the vet’s. In a soft, gentle voice, she asked, “What’s wrong...?” Mrs. Sanchez looked at her for a few seconds. She remained silent, but her eyes spoke volumes. They told an uncomfortable, wordless tale of...the only thing that the woman could think of was ‘loss’. At this, Ms. Charlotte already had a feeling of what happened. She didn’t say a word, and instead allowed Mrs. Sanchez deliver the news that she was expecting. “....Terry Bouffant...” Mrs. Sanchez’s voice came. As she did, Ms. Charlotte noticed the other adults, along with a child, started to peak out of the door. The vet was so consumed with emotion that she didn’t say anything to make them back away. “She...betrayed us...” Ms. Charlotte let out a soft gasp, although she was not surprised. She had a feeling this woman couldn’t be trusted. But a part of her wished that she wouldn’t have gone this far. She looked at the adults, seeing their pain and sorrow practically glowing in their eyes. The sight of this made her clench a fist tightly, shaking it. Betraying these people, who just wanted their children back...how low could Terry sink...? She struggled not to think about her, though. It wasn’t going to do her much good to be angry at this woman. It wasn’t like she could do anything about it right now. At least she was here right now and she could offer some support for them. These poor people... The least she could do was offer her assistance. However, she did hesitate. A part of her wondered if they would even accept her help. They had trusted Terry to assist them after Dr. Von Doktor hired her and she still betrayed them. Would they trust her, another worker from the same man, to help? She had a feeling that she might get a negative response from them. But..she still had to try, right? She wouldn’t know if they would accept her until she at least gave it a shot. If they say ‘no’, she could just offer her condolences and hope for the best. Although she had to wonder.... if she didn’t help them, then who would? They had each other at least, but a part of her still felt that she should at least try to help them in some way. If not directly, perhaps spreading the word about the missing children some more. Or maybe look among her own friends and see if any of them have any skilled that could be useful. She tried to think of the best way to make her offer. She felt she needed to word it in a way that didn’t upset them. Coming up with such a thing was difficult; she was not used to these types of situations. She eventually decided that she was more likely to slip up if she thought too hard on this, and instead she just gave her offer. She made sure to use as gentle a voice as possible so that she didn’t accidentally provoke them or anything. “I would like to offer my services.” Ms. Charlotte said. She placed a hand to herself and, knowing she needed to be honest, she admitted, “I work for Dr. Von Doktor. I understand if you don’t like him very much. Not many do. He was the one who hired Terry Bouffant.” Upon seeing their expressions, she added, “I don’t know if you were aware of that or not, but rest assured that Dr. Von Doktor did not order Ms. Bouffant to do...this.” She realized she wasn’t sure exactly how Terry betrayed them, but she imagined it was awful. “I know you don’t have much of a reason to trust me but...I want to help you. Please...give me a chance.” The silence that followed was unbearable. Ms. Charlotte could feel the tension rising in the air. She wondered if she said a little too much. She caught the way the adults were looking at her. They looked quite unhappy, and the child looked skeptical. It was clear that Terry’s betrayal of them had tainted their view on Dr. Von Doktor, even if he wasn’t directly involved with her betrayal. And by extension, she was now cast as untrustful in their eyes by mere association. She hoped that they would see past this and realize she did want to help, but she also couldn’t get too mad at them if they pushed her away. They had every right to be angry with her. She could see the adults glancing at one another. They shared different facial expressions. Most of them were just various types of frowns. But some of them were sadder expressions, some of regret, likely towards the fact that they had trusted Terry and look at where it got them. She could also detect heartbreak from the parents. She could just see how much they were missing their children just from the looks they were giving. All the while, she said and did nothing. She didn’t want to do anything to speed this up. She wanted to stay on their good side, and thus she allowed them all the time they needed to decide on this. She hung back and waited for them to respond. She hoped that, whatever they decided, they weren’t going to regret it. Though she didn’t know the children, her heart still went out for them. Poor little things... She wondered if they were all right. Finally, after what seemed like many minutes, Mrs. Sanchez, who seemed to be leading the group by this point, turned and looked at her. The others were looking at her sternly, but were no longer glaring. Mrs. Sanchez had a slight frown, but she didn’t actually appear furious or angry with her at all. More just... unsure she supposed. Like she didn’t know if she was making the right choice or not. “We need to...think about it.” Mrs. Sanchez finally said. “We will talk about it and we will get back to you.” Ms. Charlotte nodded her head once. “I understand.” Mrs. Sanchez gestured to one of the women. A medium-sized one who wore some kind of red shirt and blue pants, with shoulder-length brown hair. She immediately walked over towards the vet, a look of confusion and curiosity in her eyes. “Do you mind staying with her, Tilly?” She asked in a low soft voice. “Just make sure she doesn’t get into trouble.” Tilly nodded her head once. “Sure thing.” She approached Ms. Charlotte and took position beside her as the other adults went back into the room, shutting the door behind them. Ms. Charlotte wasn’t really surprised by this. They had little reason to trust her on her own in here. Even though she would never do anything bad to someone else’s home, they had no way of knowing that. Leaving someone behind to watch her was a good idea. She hoped it wouldn’t take too long, though. She wasn’t sure how much more of this staring she could take. Tilly was looking at her carefully, her blue eyes never leaving her. They scanned around her body, as if to look for anything dangerous. Ms. Charlotte was careful not to make any sudden or inappropriate movements. She couldn’t help but think that this brunette was going to sound the alarm the moment she did anything suspicious. Wanting to look non-threatening, she chose to lean against the wall carefully, placing her hands in her pockets and cross one leg over the other. She looked at the door for a moment before turning away, keeping her gaze slightly down. “So...you came here to help?” There was a slightly skeptical tone to her voice. Ms. Charlotte merely nodded. “I’m not sure if I can trust you...” “I know.” Ms. Charlotte sighed. “You have every right to be uncertain.” She closed her eyes. “I’ll understand if you guys end up not wanting my help.” Tilly sounded like she was going to say something, but she was cut off when a ring sounded out. It nearly caused Ms. Charlotte to jump. She had forgotten she brought in her cell phone, and she also forgot that Dr. Von Doktor had her number. Pulling out her phone, she could tell that it was indeed him. She pressed the button and addressed him. “Hello, Ms. Charlotte speaking.” She said. “Hello, Mz. Charlotte. Where are you?” The voice on the other end said, “I wanted to zpeak to you, but I can’t find you anywhere. Where you not feeling well?” Ms. Charlotte bit her lip at this. She had forgotten to tell him she was checking out early today to avoid suspicion. There was no way she could just lie to him, and that wasn’t what she was planning anyway. But she was still ill prepared for this call so fast and she found herself stammering for a few seconds before she was able to find her voice again. “I’m fine. But I..uh..” She bit her lip, trying to think of how to word it. “I’m...at Mrs. Sanchez’s place.” There was a bit of silence. Then the man on the other line screamed, “What?! I told you not to interfere! What the hell are you doing zere?! You’re going to ruin zee inveztigation!” “I know but... sir, there’s something you need to know.” Ms. Charlotte said quickly before the old man could rant some more. “It’s about Ms. Bouffant.” “What about Mz. Bouffant?” Dr. Von Doktor questioned. “Did she find anyzing?” “No, sir...she...” Ms. Charlotte tried to think of how to word it. The adults didn’t really tell her exactly how all this had gone done. She didn’t want to say anything that was untrue, but she also didn’t want to intrude and ask them what happened. So she said the only thing she could think of that was true enough. “She bailed.” “.....what?!” “I’m sorry, but it’s true.” Ms. Charlotte closed her eyes softly. “The parents told me when I came here. Terry had betrayed them, and by extension, you. I’m sorry.” Dr. Von Doktor was silent for a few moments. No doubt he was taking all of this in. Although she could not see him, she could only just imagine the look in his eyes at this news. He must be fuming right now. He did not take kindly to being betrayed, and she couldn’t blame him. No one likes that. What Terry did was wrong and disgusting. She couldn’t believe she’d do something like this. After a while of silence, Terry finally responded. “..Tell me what happened.” sss With a single thrust of his arm, Skrawl tossed the unconscious bodies of Rudy and Penny into the room. He watched their bodies as they rolled across the ground, his eyes narrowed in disgust and contempt. He didn’t hesitate to slam the door, the echo ringing through his ears. This was the largest and most secure room he had. He wasn’t sure why he didn’t think of using this before. This room had the tightest security, and though it was large, there was really only one way out and it was through this door, which had two locks on it along with bars in the front, which now activated, and of course on the other side, as well as having electricity coursing through it. There was little chance that Rudy and Penny could get out through this way. But he knew, from experience, to never underestimate these children. So he turned over to where Rho was and he gestured for him to come closer. When Rho was close enough, he began to relay his orders. “Stay right here and make sure those two brats don’t get out.” Rho frowned at this and nodded his head once. He didn’t speak a word and instead he saluted him. Skrawl smirked briefly at this before his frown returned. He turned back to where Thoughtless was and he began to approach it slowly. His earlier thoughts doubting Thoughtless came back. He started to wonder again if Snap had been truthful or not. Or had the zoner just been trying to mess with him? It was difficult to say. The scream he heard earlier...he was certain it was a sign that Snap was dead...or at least badly injured. Either way, the little blue zoner was in no condition to to be interrogated. He would have little to no luck, so all he could rely on was intuition. He tried not to think about it too much right now, though. This wasn’t a good time for him to be thinking about whether or not Thoughtless was trustworthy. At the very least, they both held the same fear regarding Rudy and Penny and the red chalk. His mind felt a little chilly at the memory of what had happened just a few minutes ago. Rudy and Penny...they had gone absolutely insane. He had never seen them behave like this before. He could feel a cold shiver move through his body just thinking about it. They were too violent... and he knew it was because of the red chalk. Why else did Rudy try to bash his head in? Why else would Penny nearly kill Rho? This wasn’t like them at all. They were being controlled by the red chalk. The only thing that made him feel better was the fact that they were subdued, the red chalk was encased, and their magic chalk had been taken away, rendering them chalkless as they should be. But how long would this last? These two were a slippery bunch. It seemed that no matter how much they try, they always find a way out. He and Thoughtless needed to think of someway to ensure that this didn’t happen again. He did feel more confident with Rho watching them, but knowing their luck, something else might come up. The biggest thing at the moment, however, was that red chalk. With what was going on, it was becoming problematic. Thoughtless had yet to explain to him just how it was going to be useful to them. It didn’t tell him what it had planned for this. He wasn’t even sure if Thoughtless himself knew, judging from the look it had given earlier. It didn’t look like it was trying to tell them before they were suddenly interrupted. Well now Thoughtless was going to tell him. He was not going to wait any longer. If Thoughtless felt that it was worth the risk to use the red chalk, then it must have a good reason. At least, he hoped so. Otherwise, he was going to be furious that the memotrice had taken such a huge risk over nothing. He wasn’t going to ask here. No, it was too risky. He didn’t want to get interrupted again. The discussion about the red chalk needed to happen quickly. They needed an understanding about it fast. No, it was best that they went somewhere to discuss this. Somewhere private, where they wouldn’t be disturbed. And he had a feeling he knew exactly where they could go where they wouldn’t suffer from any interruptions. “How far is your guest room from here?” Skrawl asked as he continued walking beside Thoughtless. The memotrice paused, looking up at him with a single brown eye. <Don’t you know?> Skrawl shrugged. “I just figured you might know.” The jellybean understood the memotrice’s point, however, and he took a moment to look around. He tapped his claw thoughtfully as he scanned the area around him. He soon pointed his claw in one direction. “I believe it’s this way.” <So why do you want to go there?> Thoughtless asked. “...We need to talk.” Skrawl said sternly. He glared softly down at Thoughtless. “You know exactly what I’m talking about.” Instead of resisting, like he thought it would, Thoughtless merely let out a soft sigh and nodded its head once. <Yeah... I had a feeling about that.> Thoughtless stared in the direction Skrawl had pointed in. It turned its head to look at Skrawl. <Okay..let’s get going. I know I’m not going to be able to stop you.> Skrawl wasn’t sure how sincere that was, but he didn’t question it. Without another word being spoken, the two of them headed down the hallway, going to where Thoughtless’s guestroom was. From there, they were going to have a nice, long discussion regarding Rudy and Penny. Oh and of course, the red chalk. He glanced behind him as they walked. He could still see Rho’s figure even from here. He bit his lip nervously. He hoped that Rho was able to hold out long enough for him and Thoughtless to come up with a solution. Otherwise... Well...he didn’t want to think of what would happen. sss No...no this couldn’t be happening... No.. please... Not this... Not him... Howdy could feel his blood temperature dropping rapidly as he stared down at the fallen form that was his friend. His throat felt dry and scratchy. He was no longer able to scream for Snap. No longer able to wail; his tears were almost completely dried up. All he could do was let out a few dry, trembling gasps as the waves of negative emotion continued to rip him apart on the inside. He couldn’t believe it... This couldn’t be real. Please...this has to be some kind of nightmare. Snap couldn’t be dead. It was impossible. This...This was Snap after all. He was still there. He just knew it. He just..needed help. He had to find him help fast... But what was he going to do? How could he help him now? They were still deep inside Skrawl’s hideout. They had nowhere to go and no place to hide. They were trapped down here in a place that was infested with Beanie Boys. Not to mention this place was like a maze. He would be lucky to find a way out of here before he or Snap fell to thirst, and even luckier still if they managed to avoid getting caught. How was he going to transport Snap, though? He looked all around, and he couldn’t really see anything off hand that he felt they could use. But he knew he had to find something. Otherwise the only other way to get Snap anywhere was by carrying him, and this zoner was quite large compared to him. There was simply no way he could try to lift him up. He might end up hurting Snap more than he already was. He looked over at where the snake zoner’s body laid. As much as it pained him to watch, a part of him was glad that she was dead. He knew this for a fact; he had checked her pulse. She was no more, no longer able to do anything to harm him or Snap. One less threat to worry about as far as he was concerned. Though he was a little rattled by his own dark thoughts, he couldn’t exactly feel too much surprise. This snake was the reason why they were in this situation. She was the one who had chased them down and tried to kill them. She was the reason that Snap was unresponsive. She was the reason that this had happened. If she were still alive, no doubt she would have tried to tear them apart at this very moment. Now she was no longer a threat and he no longer had to worry about her. But he still needed to worry about Snap... Howdy casted a worried glance at his friend. He bit his lip nervously. He hadn’t yet checked the zoner’s pulse. He had been too busy trying to shake him awake to even think of checking. He moved closer to Snap, bringing himself down onto one knee. He could feel his heart racing as he moved his hand close to his neck. A part of him didn’t want to do this, but the other half knew there was no choice. He had to... He... He needed to be sure... Howdy nearly jolted as he felt his fingers press against the warmth of Snap’s neck. He froze there, expecting to feel nothing but pressure. He mentally prepared himself for the bad nows, feeling his eyes somehow manage to water up already in anticipation for the chilling conclusion he was certain that he was going to make. But instead of his heart breaking in half, it swelled with excitement as he could feel a slight pressure against his finger. Not much, but enough to confirm that Snap was...still alive. At this news, Howdy was tempted to let out a scream of joy and wrap his arms around Snap’s body in a tight hug. The only thing keeping him from doing this was reminding himself of Snap’s grave condition. If he wasn’t careful, he might have ended up making his already dire situation even worse. He would never forgive himself if that happened. His smile vanished quickly as sorrow began to take him over once more. His eyes scanned over Snap’s body, noting the condition that it was in. He could now detect some slight rising and falling of Snap’s chest, but that did little to comfort him. The venom that was injected into him was still ravishing his body, and he knew if something wasn’t done fast, there was no way Snap was going to survive for long. But was he... Rudy and Penny... Of course... Why didn’t he think of this sooner? Rudy and Penny were able to draw and create anything with the magic chalk. Surely they could draw an antivenom for Snap, right? He had given them magic chalk earlier. This... This just had to work... But before he could even think of putting it into motion, he first needed to answer himself a couple of questions. How was he going to find them? And just as importantly, how was he going to get to them? Howdy remembered that he had no idea just where these two were. He didn’t know if they were still fighting Skrawl and that memotrice fellow or not. He didn’t even remember just where they were. He couldn’t remember all the twists and turns that he and Snap made in order to try to dodge the snake beast’s attacks and advances. For all he knew, he could go down the wrong path and end up more lost than ever. Yet despite the hopelessness of the situation, he wasn’t ready to give up yet. He was going to keep trying to think of a solution. Something will pop into his head. He just had to continue thinking harder. He had to remained determined and never give up. He reminded himself of how it wasn’t just him in danger, but his friends as well, two of them being the creator protectors that guarded ChalkZone with their creation abilities. If anything happened to them... He didn’t want to think of what could happen. Horrible image after horrible image kept shooting through his mind, tormenting him relentlessly. He had to do whatever it took to keep those images from happening. No matter what it took... Turning his head and looking off in one direction, something caught his eye. He looked down at Snap for a second before he climbed up to his feet. He looked over at the item in question, biting his lip nervously. As much as he didn’t want to leave Snap’s side, he knew he had to see if this item in question could help them out. Slowly, he made his way over. He could see the item, which looked like a slab of wood, stuck inside one of the smaller piles. He grabbed onto it and shook it a little. A bit sturdy, quite stuck in there. He grabbed onto it tightly and, licking his lips in determination, he yanked backwards as hard as he could. He pulled and yanked, but instead of getting the item out, his fingers ended up slipping from the device and he was sent flying backwards. He tried again with the same result, but this time, the item did move a little bit. As Howdy rubbed his head from the second fall, his arms aching from all the pulling and tugging, he did take notice of how the item stuck out further than before. It was enough that the puppet zoner could finally see just what it was. It was a skateboard. There was no doubt that’s what it was. He could not mistake the curvature of the wooden board nor the small black wheels, two on each side from the part that stuck out, for anything else. And those colorful markings... He’d only ever expect to see such things on a skateboard. Howdy realized that this item just might be the key for him and Snap having a better chance of moving around here. He could place Snap’s body on this thing and push him. He’d have no trouble moving Snap’s larger body when it rested up on a board and a set of wheels. But first, he needed to get the skateboard out of the pile. Howdy grabbed onto the skateboard tightly, his hands gripping the sides of it. He took in a deep breath, preparing himself for this. Then, with a hard yank, he started to pull backwards. He planted his feet firmly against the ground, his arms feeling like they were setting on fire, as he continued to yank back. Almost there.. Just a little more... Suddenly his body flew back as he felt the skateboard loosen and pull out from the pile. The puppet zoner was flung back, rolling across the ground in the progress. He pushed himself back up, his legs shaking, his body wobbling from side to side. He rubbed his head as he looked over to see what he had accomplished. There, laying not far from him, was the skateboard. He was slightly disappointed that it wasn’t as large as he thought, but it would still work. All the wheels seemed to be intact. A part of him wondered why Skrawl would even have this. Maybe he had a penchant for sports at one point? The puppet zoner couldn’t help but get an amusing picture in his head of Skrawl skating in a park, doing some cool moves and tricks while wearing sunglasses. He immediately shook it out of his head as he reminded himself of the situation. Grabbing onto the skateboard, he began to push it towards Snap. sss Although Penny had been a wake for several minutes now, the headache she was feeling never went away. It still bombarded her, tormenting her relentlessly. No matter how much she tried to rub it, the headache just wouldn’t go away. Not that she paid much attention to it. Although she still had some confusion, most of her mind was cleared up and she remembered what had happened earlier. The memories were incomplete and some information was missing. But what she could remember frightened her. She wished Rudy would wake up soon. She could use someone to talk to, plus Rudy needed to know what had happened. She hoped that it was just a faulty memory. She wanted to think that it was Thoughtless’s doing, or perhaps nothing more than a bad dream. But one look around her, she knew that this just wasn’t the case. Those horrible memories that were flooding her mind...were true. She and Rudy had been under the control of the red chalk again. She remembered feeling its burning energy consume her and overtake her. Before she knew it, she had started acting so unlike herself. She may not have spoken like Rudy did, if she remembered right, but she was still downright maniacal. She had tried to kill a zoner. Not just hurt, not even just maim, but instead kill. This realization horrified her. Rudy was no better. She recalled a couple things that he said, and he was absolutley out of his mind, just like she had been. Neither of them were recognizable in memory, despite having the same looks. And their eyes... She remembered a strange warmth around them. Had they been glowing? Oh gawd, they must have looked like monsters... One of the actions she remembered doing was using a mace to attack another zoner. That Beanie Boy if she remembered right. She was trying to beat him to death, and she remembered how she had tried to strike him again and again.... Oh and those screams that he made, she could not shake off the feelings of guilt that moved through her body. A zoner nearly collapsed in agony because of her deplorable actions. If she had killed that zoner, regardless of how he was treating her, she didn’t know if she could forgive herself. But just how were they stopped? She didn’t have much of a memory on that. She did recall Skrawl and Thoughtless going after her, and she thought Rudy was unconscious by that point. But the rest was a blur. And now they were both trapped in there, prisoners in this horrible, dreadful place. Once more, they were without any magic chalk. This fact chilled her. The feeling of being defenseless again caused her gut to twist in a knot. The only comfort was knowing that at least they had less of a chance of drawing a weapon to attack the zoners with. She was thankful that their captors hadn’t been stupid enough to remove the containment units she and Rudy drew over their hands. She wondered momentarily why Thoughtless hadn’t removed the red chalk like it had before, but she concluded there may not have been time. For all she knew, Thoughtless could have been only half way done before she’d wake up and try to break its skull open. She shivered and tried not to think about it. There was no use in getting worked up over something that didn’t happen or she can’t change. She needed to try to calm her speeding heart and relax, her back pressed against the wall. Only when she was calm could she properly think of a solution to get out of here. At least the room they were left in was pretty roomy compared to the others. If they weren’t locked in here like criminals, she would think that this was a guest room of some kind, although there was no bed in here. It was mostly empty save for a desk and a few chairs, along with a cabinet with a few books on it. She had no interest in the books. She’d already looked at them and none of them had anything worthwhile or helpful. She was pretty disappointed. She then looked over towards the door. She noticed the bars that were in front of it, blocking their path to get to the door, but even if they could, she could tell there were other obstacles in the way. The bars sparked with electricity, running up and down, dancing over the metal bars like they were trying to have some kind of party. She could also tell that there were a couple of locks on the door as well, likely put there for good measure. In short, there was no going out that way. Not to mention, she was certain that someone was placed there to guard them. She couldn’t tell who it was, despite there being some openings in the higher part of the door. At this angle, she didn’t see anyone, but she knew Skrawl well enough to know that he would not leave them here by themselves. Chances are he had someone there, likely that Beanie Boy from before. Well provided he was still alive that is... And then there was Snap. She had no idea what happened to him. The last she saw him, he was rushing down the hallway with Howdy. She thought she remembered hearing a loud scream that had come from him, but that memory was so fuzzy, she wasn’t certain. Regardless if the scream happened or not, that didn’t lesson her worry for the little blue guy. She and Rudy made Cornerstone to be venomous. That was how she was designed. She was also made to be a monster, ready to rip apart anyone who got in her way. If Snap and Howdy ended up caught by her... It was just too horrible to imagine. She knew that it would not go down so well. With her temperament, for all she knew, both of them might have been in pieces right about now... No, they were fine. Both of them were pretty fast and nimble. She was positive that Snap and Howdy could have gotten away. Surely they found a way to lose her and are now hiding somewhere, waiting for her and Rudy to locate them. Once they got out of here, they could... But would they find them in time? What if Cornerstone found them in the meantime and what if she...? She shook her head from those thoughts when she heard a groan beside her. She turned her head and she could see Rudy was finally waking up. His left eye was fluttering open. It looked so dull at first, the exhaustion still pinning him down. But slowly, the spark returned and the boy began to push himself up. He let out a groan and rubbed his head with his free hand. Penny gave him space, not wanting to rush into things after what had happened. She watched as Rudy looked around, trying to regain his bearings, the confusion never leaving his eyes. “Rudy...” Penny whispered softly. “P-Penny...?” Rudy let out a yelp as he felt something sore on his head. “What happened...?” “Please, Rudy,” Penny said softly as she moved closer to him. “Don’t move too much. You have a nasty bruise on your head.” “I-I do?” Rudy questioned. He moved his hand behind his head to feel for it. “Right here...? Ow!” Rudy pulled his head back and his body stiffened up. Penny felt her heart skip a beat at this show of pain. Oh poor Rudy... She wanted to hug him, but she feared she might hurt him more. Thankfully Rudy seemed to be able to push aside the pain pretty quickly. “Where are we, Penny? I-I can’t..” Without thinking, Penny cut Rudy off before he had a chance to finish his sentence. “I am not sure where exactly, but I do know that we are still in Skrawl’s hideout.” She turned her head from side to side slowly. “I’d say, from the color of these walls, we are not in a section we were in before. This is new, and.. I can’t explain it, but this feels like a last resort. As if Skrawl only used this place out of desperation.” Rudy gave a bitter chuckle. “Well you can’t blame him, can you?” He held his hand up in gesture, his gaze turned away from her. “We have been getting out quite a bit lately.” “Yeah. He must have gotten annoyed by that and this time wants to make doubly sure we don’t get out.” Penny commented, nodding her head in agreement. That did make sense. After all, she and Rudy escaped at least twice now, unless she miscounted. No wonder Skrawl is going the extra mile this time. “Are there any escape routes?” Rudy asked cautiously. He looked around slowly. “I can’t see...” “Anything? No, me neither. Other than that door, there aren’t any other escape routes here.” Penny bit her lip. She knew just how tricky escape was going to be this time. Even that dome they were trapped in wasn’t as difficult to get out of as this. “And the door is well protected. There’s no way we can get through there.” At this, Rudy raised his head up, his left eye blinking slowly. “How is the door protected?” Penny blinked in confusion at this. She stared at Rudy, her eyes narrowed slightly. How could Rudy not know? The door was out there in plain sight. Was he just not paying attention? He wasn’t even bothering to look at the door himself. His gaze was off to the side. If he was trying to find some invisible door, then of course he was not going to see what she does. She reached over and placed her hand on his shoulder. The boy let out a cry of surprise, his body jolting and back arching. His left eye widened bigger than she had seen it do before. Penny shushed Rudy gently and rubbed his shoulder carefully, reassuring him that it was just her. Rudy’s heavy breathing began to slow down as he started to settle himself down. Slowly, he turned his head in her direction. Once she had gotten his attention, she motioned her arm towards the door, her finger lifted and pointing in its direction. “Just look over there, Rudy.” Penny looked over at the door. “Look at all of that...” She winced as she saw the electricity spark a little more than usual. Sucking on her lip for a second, she looked back at Rudy. “There’s no way that could be crossed so easily.” Rudy just looked at her in confusion. His head tilted to one side. “Cross what easily?” Penny was taken aback by this. “The... The security around the door. There’s bars and electricity and...” She looked into his eyes, and something seemed to click with her. She could feel her heart skipping a beat. “Rudy...can’t you see it?” Rudy stared at her for a few moments. His eyes furrowed as he seemed to be struggling to understand what she was talking about. Then his eye seemed to flash with recognition. “Wait..you can...?” He pulled his head back, his eyes widening further as something seemed to dawn on him. “I thought this room was pitch black...” Penny took in a few shaky breaths. “I-It’s brightly lit in here.” She breathed, her voice filled with disbelief. Rudy’s head turned from one side to the other. He looked as if he were trying to search for something. No matter which way he looked, that expression remained the same. “If that’s the case... then I’m... I’m...” Penny hated to say the dreaded word. When it did slip out of her mouth, her lips remained close together and her voice was barely audible. “Blind...” There was a silence that fell upon the room at this realization. The two childen looked at one another, one seeing the other, and the other looking into nothingness. The truth of the situation dawned on them quickly, and both recieved a slap in the face of reality. Almost out of nowhere, they could feel something clawing against their hearts and chests and stomach, threatening to rip them apart on the inside. Their minds raced, struggling to come to terms with what had happened. Both wanted to deny it, but both realized that...this was reality. Rudy slowly brought his free hand up to his head. He placed it against his face, moving it around. He felt around his eyes, as if he wanted to make sure they were still there. He yelped when he touched his wounded eye, bringing his hand back. Then he turned his left eye to where his hand was. He stared at it intently, constantly moving his fingers around, trying to see if he could detect something, anything. But Penny could tell, from the panicking look in his eyes, that he did not see anything. His breathing started to quicken. His heart pounded so loudly that it echoed in the walls of the room. He looked around left and right constantly, trying to find something, anything. But no matter how hard he tried, it was clear that he was not finding anything. His breathing only became quicker and Penny was surprised that his heart hadn’t jumped out of his chest yet. Then, without warning, Rudy let out a terrified scream. “No! This can’t be! My eyes! I can’t see! Penny, help me! I can’t see!” He kept his hand beside his head, arching his fingers like claws. His left eye darted around wildly. “Where is everything?! What’s going on?! Why is this happening?!” Penny’s eyes widened in horror at Rudy’s panicked display. She immediately moved over towards him. She dare not get too close for fear that, in this state, he would try to strike against her. She needed to make sure that he was calm enough before she tried to touch him. In his current state, touching him too quickly might make him panic even more. “Shhh... it’s alright, Rudy. It’s going to be okay.” Penny cooed in a soft voice. “H-How can you be so sure?!” Rudy said through clenched teeth. “I’m blind! I can’t see anything!” Penny looked at him sympathetically. “I know, Rudy. I understand how you must feel. But you cannot allow yourself to get worked up. We will find a solution to this problem. You have nothing to fear.” Rudy narrowed his left eye, facing it in the direction he heard her voice. “That’s easy for you to say! You’re not blind! You can still see!” He took in a few heavy breaths. “You did this on purpose, didn’t you?!” Penny gasped in shock at this. How could Rudy think such a thing? She would never do anything like this on purpose. She tried to dismiss it as Rudy’s emotions getting in the way. But that didn’t make it any less hurtful. “I promise, Rudy... I will try to help all this get better. You’re my best friend. I love you...” Cautiously, she moved a little closer, reaching her hand out towards him. “I care too much about you to want to see you like this. Please, Rudy... it’s going to be okay. Shhh... Everything will be alright. I promise.” She placed her hand on his shoulder. Rudy jolted a little at this, glaring almost viciously in her direction. She almost pulled her hand away when she noticed that Rudy was not trying to harm her. As the seconds passed, he seemed to grow less and less tense, and his facial expressions were softening up. His left eye turned from side to side as he took in a few quick gasps of breath. Then the faintest hint of tears began to swell up inside Rudy’s eyes. Being very gentle, Penny slowly pressed herself against Rudy’s body, allowing him to feel her solid warmth against himself. She placed her trapped hand behind him, pushing it comfortablely against his back. She placed her free hand behind his head and pressed it against her shoulder. Her head pushed up against his head, feeling the softness of his hair and skin against her face. Rudy remained still for a couple seconds before he brought his own hands up and held onto her tightly. He soon began to cry. “O-Oh Penny...” He said in a shaky voice, sniffling. “I-I’m so scared...” “I know, Rudy... I know...” Penny whispered to him. She ran her fingers through his hair. “Shhh... It’s going to be okay.” Rudy didn’t answer her. He just continued to cry, his sobs wracking through his body. Penny kept him pressed against her, caressing his hair gently and whispering soft words of comfort. sss Zebin was trying really hard not to bite Biclops’s face off. It was really trying to understand the situation and try to cut him some slack. It was hoping that all of this would be resolved quickly and the giant would leave it alone. But Biclops just wouldn’t leave. He was still trying to convince it to come with him to help out these two children. Why should it other doing that? Why couldn’t Biclops see there was just no point in it? Why couldn’t he understand that this just was not the way to do things? Fate would take care of everything. The universe is always watching them. Why couldn’t the giant just let the universe do whatever it wants to? Why intervene? And now the giant has had the gall to dare bring up that incident with the human children from countless years ago. It had been nothing more than a distant memory, but now that Biclops brought it up, it could feel flashes in the back of its head of what had happened that day. How dare Biclops try to use this as propoganda to try to make it do what he wanted. It was rather disgusting. Well it didn’t care what Biclops thought or said. Nothing he said or did was going to make it follow him to the hideout. It was adamant about staying out of this no matter what. And it was not about to back down from that. “Why can’t you just listen to reason?! Why are you letting your guilt taint you like this?!” Biclops growled softly, forming a fist with one of his hands. “You used to be so responsible... And now look at you! Hiding away with your tail between your legs!” Zebin twitched its ear in irritation. “If that is the way you feel, then why don’t you just go on and leave and rescue them yourself?!” It bared its teeth at this. “You’re big and capable! Did you suddenly become weak?! “I’m too large! I can’t fit in there! I might crush them!” Howled Biclops. Zebin curled its lip up. “A likely excuse.” It lowered its head slightly, its eyes burning through the giant’s. “You’re just trying to make me cave in so I would help you. Well sorry, but I have no intention on leaving this place. It is not my job to interfere with what destiny wants out of us. We are all nothing but pawns to be pushed around, and all we can do is sit back and take it.” It did not react to the snarl coming from the giant’s mouth. It simply took a few steps to the side, its flank pointed towards the giant. It swished its tail from side to side, not daring to remove eye contact from Biclops despite the intensity of the huge zoner’s glare. “I suggest you do the same.” Biclops let out a low growl at this, exposing his teeth. It did make the chinese unicorn freeze for a second. But it quickly calmed itself down, keeping a stern look at the giant, showing no signs of letting up. It was not going to back down and if the giant wouldn’t accept that, then it was his problem, not its. But it wasn’t just anger that the chinese unicorn could sense. It could also feel some betrayal in those eyes as well. It could understand why. Biclops had relied on it for help before. More than once, in fact. For it to turn him away after being willing to help so much before must have come as a shock to the giant. It hated having to be the ‘bad guy’, but sometimes there was just no other way. It just wished that Biclops could see this. Things would run much more smoothly if the giant were more willing to accept its point of view. But that’s not the way life goes, now is it? Sometimes people will accept your views and sometimes they won’t. All you can do is hold strong and steadfast in your beliefs regardless of what others call you. That is what it was going to do, no matter how bad it was going to feel about not helping. “If you think that I am doing this because of some ‘guilt’ with those children...you’re wrong. I did that because I knew it was the right thing to do. I hold no shame in that.” Zebin raised its head up, its face growing a bit more stern than before. “I am refusing this time because the universe does not want me to help. If it did, I would be more willing.” Biclops’s teeth were clenched so tightly it looked like they were about to pop. The giant’s body shook tremendously from the emotion that surged through it. Zebin could sense the intense emotion radiating from Biclops, making it freeze in place. Slowly it began to back away, realizing that it might have pushed Biclops’s buttons a little too much. “You...you fucking hypocrite!” Biclops boomed, his voice rattling through the palace with its volume. “Do you have any idea how contradictory that is?! So you won’t help because the universe doesn’t want you and if it did, you’d be willing to help? That’s a bunch of bullcrap and you know it! You’re just don’t want the responsibility, the burden, of doing what it takes to help out ChalkZone! You are afraid that you will feel as awful as you did when you helped me lock those children in the chalk!” Zebin spoke shakingly, “I-I am not...” Biclops struck the nearest wall, causing Zebin to flinch. “Don’t you dare fucking lie to me! I know for a fact that you feel awful about that and now you are refusing to help because you can’t handle the emotion of what needs to be done! You don’t want the responsibility, so you push it into others! You are nothing but a weak, selfish little zoner and you will never amount to anything!” Zebin wanted to say something, but its voice was taken from it. All it could do was stare at Biclops in shock, its mouth hanging open. Biclops appeared to have had enough of it. “So good day to you!” The giant snarled as he turned himself around and stormed out. There was no sincerity in that voice. Only rage and a bit of hurt. Soon the giant was out of its home, continuing his stomping back in the direction he came from. For a few moments, Zebin could only stand there and stare off into the distance with wide, horrified eyes. It had never heard Biclops speak to it like that before. Biclops had never addressed it in such a harsh way. In fact, no one had ever spoken to it like that before. As much as it tried to push it off, it couldn’t help but allow those words to ring inside its head. It was doing the right thing, wasn’t it? Allowing fate to decide? Just letting everything to flow naturally? That’s what it had done for years, and it always worked out for it. Why couldn’t Biclops understand this? He had ended up wasting so much time with it that he could have spent helping his little friends. The universe wanted the giant to help. That was why Biclops was so determined. Zebin...it was not meant to help. Not this time around. It wasn’t about being a coward. It was about doing what the universe wanted, what fate and destiny had decided. It was not going go against the flow, otherwise bad things would happen. Couldn’t Biclops see that it simply did not want him to fail in his mission? Couldn’t he see that? Apparently not. Despite its confidence in its decision, the chinese unicorn couldn’t help but feel some kind of pang crawl up inside its stomach. It recognized this nausea-like feeling as guilt. It stared down towards the ground as it allowed this feeling to crawl over its body. It became to ask itself a question that it hadn’t in such a long time. Not ever since that dreadful day that it had to help push living things into chalk, trapping them for all eternity. Was it really doing what was right? sss "Please! Please...this can't be happening to me!" "Rudy, it's going to be all right..." "Oh shut up!" "Rudy..." If Rho could, he'd be twitching his ears in irritation right about now. He has had to listen to these shouts and cries and arguing for several minutes now. For a while, it did seem to stop, only to be picked up again with vigor. He didn't know how the children went from being mostly silent to shouting back and forth with each other. And quite frankly, he didn't care. All he wanted from them was to be quiet. Is that so hard to ask? He glared towards the door, lifting himself up so he could look through the openings. It was a little hard to see them through the bars, but eventually he found them up against the wall almost directly across the door itself. He narrowed his eyes in disgust when he saw the girl attempting to comfort the boy, who didn't look like he was ready to stop crying. Oh if only he could open up the door, fly in there, and give them a piece of his mind... Oh the stuff he would have to say to them... But he couldn't lay a hand on them. Skrawl did not want him to unless they tried to escape. And right now, though they were being annoying, they weren't attempting to leave. He was not authorized to do anything at this point, so he just had to sit here and take it. At least, that's what Skrawl would have expected. Keeping the children locked in the room was more important than his own personal comfort. So long as the children remained in here, they were essentially harmless. They couldn't do anything to hurt him or the others locked up like this. And that's pretty much all what Skrawl wanted right now. Preventing another mishap like...what happened before. Rho did his best not to think about that. He might not have looked it during the fight, but he was terrified. That hadn't been the first time he was scared of these children. He had seen what they did to that other Beanie Boy. He didn't want to be the next victim. A part of him did feel shame for showing fear before them. Skrawl had trained them not to feel fear. He felt like a disgrace to the Beanie Boys. This was why he had decided to remain and help out with these two. He wanted to make up for what he had done. Though he would not lie. Part of the reason he was doing this was for selfish reasons. He wanted to rise higher up in the ranks. He was already a high-ranking Beanie Boy. But he had been seeking out Delta's job for a while, and then along came Snap. Well now that Delta was dead and Snap was on the run, now was a good opportunity to take that job. He smiled darkly at this. Maybe if he did well enough with guarding these two humans, Skrawl would give him a promotion on the spot. Suddenly, he flinched when he heard another scream from Rudy. The boy was obviously in pain from his wounds. The Beanie Boy turned his head from the door and covered his ears. He seethed through his clenched teeth. That's it. He wasn't going to stay quiet any longer. He had given these brats enough chances to be quiet. Forming a fist, he began to pound against the wall near the door. Each slam caused a few vibrations to go through, and each one grew louder and louder as he used more force each time. "Hey shut up there! Not one more word or sound from you too!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. "I am not warning you again! Either zip it or I will personally come in there and rip out your tongues!" He continued to glare at the door for a while, watching the children through there. He could see them casting a nasty glare in his direction. But he was no fool. He could see the fear in their eyes, the looks of hopelessness and pain. He spread his smile further and folded his arms against his chest as a way of establishing dominance over them. The children couldn't do anything against him and they knew it, too. He was pleased to see that they had heeded his warning. Although they continued glaring at him, neither of them tried to speak against him. They simply shut their mouths tightly and fell completely silent. Ah, that's what he likes to hear. Peace and quiet... Satisfied with the newfound silence, Rho returned to his post. He leaned up against it, his arms remaining folded against himself. He stared towards the ground, at nothingness, while he waited for Skrawl to get back. He hoped it wouldn't take too long. He wasn't sure if those two brats were going to try to escape again. Despite the security, he was worried that the two creators might find a way out. They had escaped before; they could most certainly do it again. The thought filled him with horror, even if he tried to hide it well. Skrawl and Thoughtless were probably speaking right now on the issue, trying to figure out just what they were going to do. He hoped they thought of something quick. Who knows what these two will try next. He was lucky to be alive. He suffered a few bad wounds from that girl. He tried to hide it the best that he could, but his body still wracked with pain. Oh he could try to pretend that everything was all right, but he couldn't hide the puncture wounds or the bruises that he had. At times, it even hurt to move and it took all his will power not to cry out. If they get out again, would he be able to survive another attack? Probably not. But like a good Beanie Boy, he would still try to fight anyway. Not like he had much of a choice in the matter. He knew what would happen to him if he dare try to defy Skrawl. Just then, there was movement in the corner of his eye. He slowly turned his head, trying to see what it was. But as soon as the movement had come, it was gone. The Beanie Boy tilted his head to the side in confusion. Perhaps he was just seeing things? Yeah, that had to be it. He resettled himself against the wall and tried to focus on his watch. The movement came back. This time, it was more pronounced, larger. Closer... Rho looked from side to side, trying to figure out just what was going on. Then another flash of movement in the corner of his eye. He swung his head harder and faster, but once again he found nothing. Just what was going on? He couldn't dismiss it as 'just seeing things'. Not after all these times. Something was going on here. He had to figure out what it was. Narrowing his eyes in determination, he flew out a little ways in front of the door. Slowly, he turned his head from one side to the other, his eyes scanning the hallways for any sign of movement. Though he saw nothing at first, like before, he still continued to look. He knew there was something there. He just needed to... Suddenly something slammed against him from above. His eyes widened, feeling a flash of stupidity for not thinking of looking there and of fear, from not knowing just what had hit him. He felt himself falling to the ground from the suddenness of the new weight. He started to push himself up, but he soon felt something grab onto his ears and pull them back. He let out a yelp of pain and reached up with his arms to try to grab who or whatever got on him. But he was not able to reach. "You have no idea the trouble I had gone through..." Rho froze at that voice. It sounded kind of familiar. He was certain he had heard it before. Not too long ago either. The name was on the tip of his tongue. Oh..who was it? "You are going to help me..." Rho could feel the figure adjust on his back a little. They were pushing themselves forward. He could feel their hot breath against the back of his head. Soon the figure casted a shadow over his face and they were leaning forward, head lowering down. In an instant, Rho recognized who this figure was, causing his eyes to widen in shock and disbelief. It was that puppet zoner. sss “Okay, this has gone on long enough!” Skrawl said, facing Thoughtless with eyes narrowed into slits. “I’m not taking anymore excuses, Thoughtless. I want answers and I want them now!” He pointed a finger in the memotrice’s direction. “And you’re going to give them to me!” Thoughtless remained silent. It simply stared at Skrawl, eyeing him up and down. It didn’t take a genius to tell just how furious Skrawl. The sudden shift in demeanor hadn’t all surprised it. Thoughtless expected this to happen after what they had gone through earlier. The only thing that surprised it was just how long Skrawl had taken to get back to it on this. Its silence seemed to be irritating Skrawl. Not that Thoughtless cared too much. It had the necessary power to intervene should the jellybean decide to take action against it. Though honestly, it doubted Skrawl would actually try to do anything too serious. After all, he knew what would happen if he crossed the line too much. He might be an overeager zoner, but he was not a stupid one. Thoughtless had thought about simply not giving an answer. Although it had little fear of consequences given its special ability, it still didn’t want to give Skrawl anymore reason to try to turn against it. The plans that it had might not be something Skrawl would want, and would fight against. The last thing Thoughtless needed was more conflicts and confrontations and what not. It wanted this operation to go as smoothly as possible. It had already hit a few bumps in the road. It couldn’t afford another. But then... Skrawl was nearly killed today, as was it. Rudy and Penny had acted much more violently than it thought they would. The red chalk was not behaving as it thought it would. It had thought it could maintain and control the red chalk to some extent. It turned out to be incorrect on the matter. After what happened, didn’t Skrawl deserve to know at least some of what it was planning? It only seemed fair. It certainly would want to know more if it were in Skrawl’s shoes. But the risk of betrayal... Thoughtless was not yet done with Skrawl, nor his Beanie Boys. It wanted to use them for a little while longer. At least until it was ready to go solo. They had been a big help to it and it would definitely be a shame if it had to lose all that help. Doing things on its own wasn’t easy. Group efforts certainly help things move a lot faster. Still, if it didn’t tell Skrawl anything, wouldn’t he turn against it anyway? Skrawl was clearly tired of not getting any answers. If it continued to refuse to tell him, then there was no doubt in its mind that Skrawl would take action somehow. Whether it be try to assume control again or just simply leave. The only way that it could avoid this was to give Skrawl what he wanted, and that was answers. It was decided. Exhaling slowly through a slightly open beak, Thoughtless raised its head up and said, <So...you want answers, do you?> Skrawl growled softly, clenching a fist tightly. “Don’t you play stupid with me! You know very well that I want answers!” He took a step forward, closing some of the gap between him and it. “You saw how Rudy and Penny acted! And from the way you spoke, they weren’t supposed to do that, am I correct?” Thoughtless nodded. “Then what the fuck were you trying to achieve?! And don’t try to tell me that you ‘didn’t know about the red chalk’. I know full well that you know!” Although there was still plenty of space between the two zoners as they stood in its guest room, a small part of Thoughtless couldn’t help but feel a little intimidated. It didn’t know exactly what it was. Perhaps it was the mere size of Skrawl. He was huge, larger than most zoners. Or maybe it was just its own apprehension and the thickness of the air around it. Maybe it was a bit of its own self doubt in what it was doing. Either way, it tensed up its body in preparation for a possible fight. <Yes, I knew about it. But you see, despite these..setbacks, we still need the red chalk.> “Why?! Why the fuck would you want to use the red chalk?!” Skrawl held his hands up, the claws flexing inward. His eyes narrowed further. “After what you saw the red chalk do, why would you want to...?!” <Because it is necessary.> Thoughtless merely said. Skrawl growled through clenched teeth, his fist raising up and shaking. He shot his hand out at his side, slashing at the air beside him. “Why?! What are you trying to accomplish?!” Thoughtless was almost amused by how Skrawl still reacted around him, even when his mind was altered into thinking it was his boss. Seems that changing memories didn’t always affect personality the way one would expect. Perhaps Skrawl’s grumpiness was just innate. For a brief moment, it almost felt like experimenting a little and see what would happen if it changed an important memory of his. It stopped itself before doing so, however, reminding itself that it had a much more important mission at hand. It still wasn’t sure about telling Skrawl, but it also knew that there was no way Skrawl was just going to relent. It was either it told Skrawl or Skrawl would do something to jeopardize the mission. And while it might be able to reverse the damage before too much was lost, it would rather avoid that scenario if possible. It would rather not waste valuable time or effort if it didn’t have to. <I am trying to accomplish something....quite important.> Thoughtless began. <You see..> It moved its wing out in front, gesturing towards Skrawl. <You know what a wonderful gift life is, am I correct?> Skrawl blinked a few times, his frown lessening a little. “Well..I suppose... But..where are you getting with this?” Thoughtless pressed on. <And you know that such...wonderful life can be brought forth using the magic chalk, right? Those humans, the wielders of the chalk, are also the bringers of life.> Skrawl didn’t look any less confused from before. Not that this surprised Thoughtless too much. Skrawl wasn’t thinking outside the box. It could see his eyes scrunching up, trying so hard to think of just what it was talking about. And he was failing hard. It could tell. It was almost amusing to watch, but also frustrating. Why couldn’t Skrawl see it? Wasn’t he supposed to be a ‘genius’, as he liked to call himself at times? “What does all this have to do with the red chalk?” Skrawl finally asked. <Ah yes, glad you asked. Well I’ve done some research and found that the red chalk was created by zoners. Selfish ones, who wanted the power of creation all to themselves. They tried combining chalk with this new material, a special type of crystal. I gave you a red one from before.> Thoughtless noted the look of recognition in Skrawl’s eyes. <That very thing you used to injure Biclops with, that’s what was used to make the red chalk. These zoners, they thought it would make their creations powerful... Well they were wrong.> Skrawl narrowed his eyes slightly at this. “I never thought that it was zoners who made that dangerous chalk. Why would they want to do something like that?” <Well you see, the red chalk wasn’t always as dangerous. Not that it was a picnic before. The zoners created from it were always quite rowdy. But something happened that resulted in the red chalk becoming dangerous.> Thoughtless explained. Skrawl remained silent and stared at it expectantly. <You probably would not believe me if I told you how, but let’s just say something....interesting got thrown into the mix.> It turned its head to the side, staring at Skrawl with a single brown eye. <And now it is bonded with human creators.> “Is that why you wanted to ‘sacrifice Rudy and Penny’ to this stuff?” Skrawl raised an eyebrow at this. “You wanted them to become one with the red chalk...” His voice trailed off and his eyes widened slowly. “...the red chalk has other humans in it, doesn’t it...?” There was no way Thoughtless could lie about this. It simply stared at Skrawl, noting his expression. It nodded once. <That is correct.> Skrawl’s eys widened at this. “What...?” <And there is more. Because of their connection, red chalk and creators were meant to be together. Red chalk has been around for a very long time. Much longer than you would expect. I doubt you will find too many zoners who are old enough to remember.> It gave pause. <Biclops would be one of the few.> It paused again, giving Skrawl a bit of time to digest all of this information. It didn’t want to continue until it was certain Skrawl had an inkling of what it was talking about. When it was sure of this, it continued to speak. <Of course, back then, the red chalk wasn’t always ‘red’. Strange, isn’t it? It existed in all kinds of colors, like blue and orange. It only gained its red tint after some of the child creators were forced to become a part of it. And the creations only became even more dangerous from that point forward.> Thoughtless took a step forward. <But that was the point. The red chalk and creators served an important purpose back then. Something that we are missing now.> Skrawl looked unnerved by all of this, although he sitll managed to wear a frown on his face. “And what is that?” Thoughtless gave a small, crooked smile. <Population control.> Skrawl jolted back at this, his arms out at his sides, his hands up and claws spread from the shock. “What? Population control?” Thoughtless nodded its head. <You know, I think I wasted enough time explaining. So I will get right down to the chase of what this is all leading up to.> Thoughtless moved a little closer, raising its wings up slightly. Its eyes stared right into Skrawl’s, a silent warning of what it was going to do should he try to attack. <I am going to expose ChalkZone.> It took only a second for Skrawl to respond. “What?!” sss Biclops could feel his blood boiling to the point were he was shocked that it wasn't tearing open his vessels. He couldn't stop clenching his fists tightly, pressing his fingernails against his palms. He was trying his best to calm down, but no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't settle himself down completely. And how could he? He had sought out this zoner's help and was rejected not for anything reasonable. No, it was because the zoner was a big fat coward who hid behind 'the universe' to avoid doing anything. Such a thing was just...disgusting. He was so tempted to slap that zoner around on the face. The only reason he didn't was because he wanted to be the bigger zoner and keep his cool. He knew any physical attacks would make things worse. He just...couldn't understand how Zebin could be this way. How could it be so..casual and laid back about this sort of stuff? How could it just 'go with the flow' and just allow things to happen? How could it resign itself to fate like that? Fate and destiny weren't going to help them win any battles. It was not going to stop Thoughtless or Skrawl. No, only actions would do that. But of course, Zebin just had to come up with an explanation or that, too. It believed that any action taken to stop something was put there by fate, the universe. Zebin was so caught up in these insane beliefs of its that it failed to realize just how little sense it was making. It wasn't comprehending the contradiction of what it was saying. He could try to point it out, but he knew that Zebin would just dismiss it as nonsense and walk off or give another 'rousing philosophical speech about the universe'. Or something like that. He knew that the biggest reason that Zebin wasn't going to help him was because it felt shame for what it did. It might pretend to hate most humans, but it still had a soft heart and a gentle spirit, unless provoked. Though a good fighter, it still preferred more peaceful options if there were any. And for Zebin, the act of helping him trap those children in the red chalk all those years ago, an act that he himself regrets to this day, must have been damaging to his mental health, his psyche. He felt bad for forcing it to be involved with that. He was certain that was why Zebin wasn't wanting to help out. It didn't want to be reminded of what it did. But that was still no excuse for not doing something. Rudy and Penny were in danger. They needed help. And it wasn't just them. Much of ChalkZone was, too. It was going to be Zebin's inactions, rather than its actions, that were going to increase the chances of doom being set upon them. Didn't Zebin care at all? It certainly didn't seem like it. The way it had spoken to him before, it sounded as though Zebin had detached itself from others in an attempt to defend itself. Such a cowardly move... Oh well, there was nothing he could do about it. As hurt as Biclops was from the rejection, he knew he could not have stuck around for too much longer trying to convince it. Time was running out for Rudy and Penny. He needed to go back to Skrawl's hideout and try to help them. No more wasting time. Now he needed to take action. If Zebin was determined not to help. Well...that was on it then. He hoped Rudy and Penny were doing okay. He had no idea what their condition was. He didn't know what was going on in there. And once again, he had to remind himself that he was not able to actually go into the hideout itself. He was too large. He could feel himself grit his teeth in frustration. He wished he could try to find some way to help. But...what could he do? Well there was tearing open the hideout and exposing it, but he didn't know if that was a good idea or not. A part of him was worried that if he tried that, Skrawl might take some action and decide to have his Beanie Boys dispose of Rudy and Penny. Or that he might try to do something else just as bad, if not worse. There was no way that he could allow for that to happen. He didn't want to be responsible for them getting hurt even worse. If he was going to help, he needed to figure something else out. But...what could he do? That was partly why he went to Zebin. He was hoping the chinese unicorn knew of some other way that he could contribute to help. It was always such an intelligent zoner. He thought that it would be of some help. But now he was starting to see Zebin for what it really was. Just a lonely coward who refuses to help anyone because of hurt feelings. It was not the intelligent zoner he had remembered it as. It was an entirely different zoner. One that he had no qualms with not knowing anymore. If it wanted to say in hiding and not try to help, then so be it. At least the hideout wasn't too far away. He should be able to return there soon. He didn't know what he was going to do to help. But he was certain that, if he thought hard enough, he'd think of something quickly. "Hey! Wait!" Biclops froze at that voice. His vertical eyes widened slowly. It couldn't be... Slowly, he turned his head and he could see a familiar chinese unicorn rushing towards him, its mouth open and panting heavily. Soon the chinese unicorn stopped in front of him. It lowered its head and opened its mouth wide so it could breathe in and out quickly, trying to restore the oxygen in its burning lungs. Then it lifted its head up and stared up at Biclops. "Do you...still need...help...?" It panted, its tongue hanging out the side of its muzzle. Biclops stared at Zebin in shock for a few seconds. He certainly didn't expect this to happen. Zebin had been so adamant about not coming. Just what had changed its mind? He narrowed his eyes somewhat suspiciously and tiled his head to one side. "Yes... But, why are you coming? I thought you didn't want to help..." Zebin nodded its head slowly. "Indeed." "Then why are you here?" Biclops inquired, his frown deepening. "Are you here to convince me not to help them?" He pointed a large finger at it. "Because if that's the case, I..." "No, that's not it." Zebin waved clawed hoof in front of itself from side to side. "I actually came here because...well..." Zebin paused for a moment, turning its head to one side. Its face contorted a little, its eyes moving from side to side. It looked as if it was having a difficult time spitting it out. Then it looked back up at him and finally words flowed from its muzzle once more. "You were right." Biclops widened his eyes a bit at this. "What...?" He wasn't sure if he was hearing things right. "What did you just say?" "I said...you were right. I was being a coward." Zebin lowered its head a little. "I had allowed my own guilt to consume me, and I hid behind a veil of philosophy so I wouldn't have to be responsible again. I see that this line of thinking was invalid." It paused for a moment. Then it said, "At least...for this kind of situation." Biclops couldn't help but frown at this. He wasn't entirely sure how truthful this zoner was being. Not that he thought Zebin was up to anything all that bad. But...why would it suddenly change its mind like this? And the way it was talking... Something just...didn't feel right about this at all. But he couldn't just turn it away either. Regardless of Zebin's motivations, it was still an extra helping hand. The situation was so dire right now, he would feel like an idiot for not accepting this zoner's help. After all, this zoner could help turn the tides of what was going on. Its intelligence could pave the way for an escape plan to be made. It could help stop Thoughtless as its memory could not be altered. With its help, they could win against Thoughtless and Skrawl, and they could save ChalkZone. At least, he hoped that's what they'd end up doing. Biclops knew he was going to feel dumb for not thinking things through more, but he just...didn't have the time right now. Instead of waiting and judging Zebin's intentions, he motioned its hand out towards him and asked a single question. "So...you want to help now?" Zebin was silent for a couple seconds. It locked its eye with the giant, neither daring to look away. Then, slowly, the zoner nodded its head once. "Yes..I do." Biclops had a feeling he might regret this. But there was just not enough time. They had to get moving now. Raising his arm up a little, he made a few quick gestures with his wrist and said, "Come along with me, then." Quietly, the two zoners began to walk side by side. They headed towards Skrawl's hideout. Biclops wasn't entirely sure what they were going to do when they got there, but they would figure something out. He just hoped that Rudy and Penny could hang on a little while longer. As he and Zebin continued their walk, he whispered a soft plea to himself, hoping that, somehow, Rudy and Penny would hear it. "Please stay safe, you two..." |
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Post by Bluedramon on Aug 14, 2015 15:54:36 GMT -5
Chapter 38: The shouts and screams filled the boy’s ears. Each thud pounded against his psyche, causing his mind to swirl with thoughts and questions. What was going on over there? What was happening? Why couldn’t he see anything? What was happening? The mere fact that he wasn’t able to actually see what was going on filled him with even more horror than if he could just see. His mind desperately seeking affection and comfort, he huddled as close to Penny as he could. The feel of his body against hers did provide some security. He could feel her breathing, her chest expanding and deflating with each air intake. He could feel her hand gently rubbing the back of his head, stroking his hair. He could hear her soft words of comfort gently entering his ears. Even though he couldn’t see her, he knew that this was indeed Penny. He could feel her tighten her grip on him as the loud sounds continued to bang from over there. He couldn’t tell just where it was. The exit maybe? Or another corner of the room? The mere idea of something going on right inside this cage or room or whatever filled him to the brim in fright. He let out a soft whimper and hugged Penny more firmly, unwilling to let her go. He pressed the side of his face against her, rubbing his head up and down in a nuzzle. He hated doing this. He hated acting like this. He hated feeling like this. He was Rudy Tabootie, the Great Creator. He should be the one standing up and facing the threat. He was the one who should be protecting Penny, not the othe way around. He should be the one confronting..whatever the hell was going on over there. He didn’t want to be a burden. He didn’t want to rely on someone else for comfort, for strength, for safety. He felt as though he was just being a little weakling, and that he should ‘man up’ and try to do something. But what could he do? He really was useless right now. What good was a blind artist? The word ‘blind’ struck him like a truck full of cement. He wanted it to be just some sort of bad, horrible dream. But he knew that it was the case. There was no denying it. He really was blind. All around him, nothing but darkness. Maybe a bit of shadow or light here or there, but not enough to really be of any use to him. Without his sight, he was utterly defenseless. He was nothing more than a target ready to be blasted. The only thing keeping him from freaking out more was Penny. Her gentle words and gestures had managed to sooth him not once, but twice. Pushing himself against her allowed him to have a stronger sense of his surroundings and assured him that she really was there, doing what she could to protect him, keep him safe. Unable to see, all he had to go on for what was happening were the sounds. His wide left eye stared off in the direction, hoping to see at least a scrap of movement or shadow, something. But nothing came to view, no surprise. Instead, his head was bombarded with the thuds and screams from..whatever it was coming from. And as the seconds passed, it only seemed to be getting worse, more filled with desperation. He couldn’t help but give a shudder. Just..what was happening? What was going on over there? He kept asking himself these questions, but, due to limited information, he was not able to answer the question. He could feel his fingertips burning in frustration as he was unable to figure out what was happening. A cold chill caused goosebumps to start to form as the horror of not knowing became more prominent on his mind. All the while, the sounds just kept getting worse. Louder and louder, more forceful, more terrifying. The back of his mind kept screaming at him to run away. Yet blind as he was, there was no way he would get very far, leaving him to just hug Penny harder. Just then, as suddenly as the screaming and thudding started, they stopped. A silence rapidly spread through the area, creating an uncomfortable, chilly feeling. Rudy could only hear the sound of his and Penny’s breathing. This sudden silence provided no comfort and he felt himself stiffening up. Just...what had happened over there...? He listened intently, trying desperately to pick up a scrap of sound in this blackness that remained of his vision. He turned his head to one side, aiming an ear in the direction he was certain the sound came from, hoping to increase the chances of him picking up something. He struggled to swivel his ear, despite the fact that this was impossible. He leaned himself slightly to the side, putting his head as close as he could to the sound without letting go of Penny or leaning too far away from her. He struggled intently to try to pick up any sort of sound. Then he heard something. It was sort of a scraping sound. He thought he could a tiny bit of whimpering. Then a small growl that seemed to shut it up. Then some clanging and some kind of metallic jiggling. He tightened his grip around Penny as he realized that there was a door over there and someone was opening it. Slowly, the creak filled his ears. Despite already being blind, he shut his eyes tightly and turned his head away, his body shaking. Oh how he felt shame in this... How he wanted to show some kind of bravery... But now he was reduced to a frightened little child, unable to stop trembling at the mere presence of a few unknown sounds. He wanted to slap himself in the face, making himself grow a backbone. But he could do nothing except just hold onto Penny. Man, he must look really pathetic right now, wasn’t he...? He heard Penny gasp in shock, and he found himself tensing up. He didn’t like the sound of that. Just what kind of danger had come into the room? What enemy were they going to be forced to fight when he couldn’t even see a damn thing? What kind of.... Penny’s voice cut him off. And the name he spoke immediately broke through his painful barrier. “Howdy...?” Rudy widened his left eye at this. Howdy...? Was it really him...? He listened and he did notice how the footsteps appeared a bit too light even for the memotrice. But..But that shouting from before.. Could that have involved Howdy? If so, how? “How did you get here?” He could hear Penny say. He felt movement and he realized she had let him go partially to gesture towards the puppet zoner. “And what are you doing with him?” Him? Who was Penny referring to? The Beanie Boy that told them to shut up earlier? That’s the only zoner he could think of offhand, considering that Skrawl and Thoughtless had left earlier. But if that is who Howdy was with then... Rudy felt a wave of confusion strike him from all sides. He couldn’t help but echo Penny’s question in his mind. Just why was Howdy with that guy? “There’s no time to explain!” Rudy could almost imagine Howdy waving his hands back and forth at this. The sound of his voice gave a clear indication of his face looking terrified. “You have got to hurry! There’s no time to lose! You have to come and help!” Rudy bit his lip at this. Judging from the tone of the puppet zoner’s voice, this was something quite serious. He wondered what it could be. Was Snap in trouble? Was there another zoner in danger? Was Skrawl, or even Thoughtless, doing something else that they weren’t aware of? Whatever it ended up being, Rudy knew there was almost nothing he could do to help. He felt horrible at the idea of telling Howdy he was useless. He knew the zoner must be relying on him, as well as Penny, so much for help. He must have been so scared until he had managed to find them, and now that he has, he must think that they could be able to get up and help him right away. Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to be case. He was blind. He was useless as an artist and as a protector. How could he draw anything when he couldn’t even see the lines? He might as well just put on a blindfold and tie one arm behind his back. That would produce the same results. Oh Howdy... He wished he could help. He wished he could do something to ease the fear that had gripped him. But...no matter what he said, Rudy knew he would not be of any help. He might as well just... “It’s Snap!” At this, Rudy immediately froze. He felt like a wave of ice just struck him. His unseeing eye widened, practically feeling his pupil shrink. In a shaky, trembling voice, he managed to say, “Wh-What happened...?” He heard hear the puppet’s frantic footsteps running forward for a bit, getting closer to them. He could hear the zoner’s voice panting even more, his tongue likely hanging out. Rudy struggled to hear what the other zoner was doing, but he heard not even a peep from them. Though he felt a pang of fear at this, most of his attention was focused on the panicking puppet zoner. “H-He was bitten! That big snake thing!” Screamed Howdy. Rudy could imagine the zoner waving his arms frantically as he relayed the horrifying information. “He jumped in the way... He saved me from her.. She bit him! She’s dead now but Snap is unconscious.. I can’t get him to move! Please...you have to help!” At this, Rudy couldn’t help but take a sharp intake of breath. He could feel his heart nearly stop beating. He could feel his mind racing, struggling to comprehend what Howdy had just told them. He could almost sense the horror that was circling around Penny. She, too, must be in the grips of terror as she tried to process this bit of information. Snap had been...what..? Bitten...? Chilling images flashed in the back of his head as he remembered what happened the last itme a zoner was bit by Cornerstone. Rapsheeba was bit and she had to go to the hospital and it was a close call and... Oh no... Snap couldn’t have been... No, please, don’t let him be bitten... Yet he knew this is what happened. Howdy wouldn’t lie about something like this. His voice was filled with nothing but terror and sincerity. It was reality... He remembered, a cold shiver going through his body, how he had designed her to be dangerous. He wanted it to be convincing, and both he and Penny had agreed on a venomous trait. It would allow her to be percieved as dangerous enough that Skrawl would take her in and try to use her. And now that very trait was being thrown back at them. Because of this, because of their stupid, horrible idea, Snap had been poisoned and was laying dead as they spoke. Oh how could they have been so...so stupid...? Rudy felt his heart clench tightly as he imagined the pain and discomfort the poor little guy must have been through before he passed out. Cornerstone had rather painful venom if he recalled right. There was no way he could have been knocked out without first feeling horrific agony sweep through his body. And it was all his fault... Oh Snap... He wanted to tell him how sorry he was. How he never meant for this to happen... that he never meant for him to get hurt.. He wasn’t sure if Snap would forgive him or not. And if he didn’t, he couldn’t blame him. After all, it was, no matter how he looked at it, his fault. He was the one who designed Cornerstone. He was the one who had given her venom. Penny came up with some of the ideas, but he still drew her in her entirety. He could have rejected the venom idea but no...he just had to keep it, didn’t he? Now because of that, his best friend was dying... He had no one to really blame but himself. He could feel himself getting sick, his stomach nearly setting on fire, just at the mere thought of what happened, what he did, how he was involved, it was enough to almost make him want to throw up. It took a lot of will power for him to resist that temptation. Finally, after the long, painful silence, Penny broke it, her soft voice moving through the air, stopping the uncomfortable quietness that was gripping the room. “Can... Can you take us to him...?” “Yes. I was able to bring him with me.” A pause, and a slight clang. Possibly clenching his teeth. “But I warn you... It’s not a pretty sight...” Rudy wasn’t sure if he should be happy that he won’t be able to see it, or terrified. He might be temporarily spared the mental torment, but he would only be bombared later by feelings far more intense and burning than if he could just see it in the first place. His mind would always conjure up more terrifying imagery than his eyes could ever detect. And since now he couldn’t see, he was left only with his mind’s eye. And considering what his mind could bring up.... A cold shiver rushed through his body. But though he could not see, he still wanted to come with. He still wanted to be physically close to his best friend. He just...couldn’t leave him. Not now. Not while he was in such a dangerous situation. He needed to come with. He needed to... ...but what about that zoner...? The one that Howdy was with? What if he....? “Oh don’t worry about him.” Rudy was confused by this. Had Howdy read his mind? No, he did not. He must have been looking at Penny. Her expression must have given away some anxiety and suspicion regarding this mysterious other zoner. She had not actually uttered an expression, but her look alone was obviously enough to tell the puppet zoner all that he needed to know to answer her unspoken question. “How do we know he won’t...?” Penny’s voice trailed off. Howdy must have done something to make her stop. Perhaps raising his hand. Now she remained silent as the puppet zoner responded. “Rho will not try to do anything. I guarantee it.” Howdy stated, his voice a tad lighter as if to comfort them. “And how are you certain of that?” Rudy found himself saying. “How could you be sure that he wouldn’t try to do anything?” “Well, let’s just say...I have my ways...” At this, Rudy couldn’t help but feel confused. He couldn’t understand just what Howdy was talking about. He was assuring them that Rho, the Beanie Boy they had to fight earlier, was not going to make a move towards them. He found this hard to believe. How could Howdy say this with any great deal of certainty? How could...? Then he remembered the sounds from before. How there were thuds and grunts and screams.... Had they had come from Rho and not Howdy? Could Howdy have possibley...fought Rho into submission...? The idea sent more questions through his mind than answers. How could Howdy have been capable of doing something like that? He was not designed to be a fighter. He couldn’t be that strong? How had he managed to pull off something like this? He shook the thought out of his mind. Right now, there was just no time for this. They could learn about Howdy’s achievements after they helped Snap. Right now, that was of the greater importance. Tilting his head, he turned it so that his eye must have been facing Penny. “Can...can you help me? I can’t even tell where the door is, I...” “Don’t worry, Rudy. I will help you.” Penny’s gentle voice replied. “You will?” Rudy couldn’t help but feel a little surprised in spite of knowing how silly it was. “I don’t want to be a burden. I...” “It’s no trouble at all. You’re my best friend. Of course I would help you. Now...” Rudy felt Penny shifting a little. Then he felt a warmth around his arm and a tight pressure. “Let’s get you up to your feet.” “Wait...” Came Howdy’s confused voice. “Can’t he...?” “No...He can’t.” Penny said sadly. Her head was probably lowered and shaking at this. Howdy’s confused expression was probably replaced in horrific realization. This must have became even more pronounced when Penny delivered the bombshell. “Rudy’s blind.” “B-Blind...? Oh my gawd... Rudy...” Howdy’s terrified voice spoke. “I-I....” “Don’t worry about it.” Rudy tried his best to smile. “I’ll be fine.” He wasn’t sure just how sure he was of himself there. He didn’t know how much he could believe himself, or how much the others would believe him. But still, he wanted to try his best to sound as brave as he could, especially given this situation. He didn’t want to do or say anything that would cause them to worry a lot more than they already were. They didn’t need more thins on their plate right now. That was the last thing they all needed. So as scared as he was, he did his best to sound and look braver than he really was. He did whatever he could to put up a front and try not to look fearful. He tried to push aside his own needs as thoughts of Snap came to mind. He cared more about his best friend than he did for himself. A part of him wished so much they could trade places... He should have been the one bitten. He should have been the one who was poisoned. The fact that he was from the Real World and not from ChalkZone didn’t cross his mind then. He just kept wishing that Snap was fine and well and he himself was the one who was writhing in pain or unconscious, dying. He...He was the one who deserved it. Not Snap. He just... He felt his internal monologuing ending when Penny yanked on him gently, forcing him to start taking a few steps. He realized that she was leading him towards the door. She and Howdy must have spoken while he was lost in his thoughts. He thought of asking them what they said, but his desire to try to help Snap outweighed that, and he simply started to follow Penny as she guided him out of the room. “And don’t you dare think of doing anything.” Came Howdy’s low hiss. Rudy froze at that. At first, he thought it was directed at him. It took him a few seconds to realize that Howdy was actually speaking to Rho. Although he couldn’t see him, he imagined that Rho was acting a little submissive towards him. The fact that a Beanie Boy was showing even just a little fear towards Howdy, of all zoners, was just..incredible. It lead Rudy to try to wonder just how Howdy had managed to accomplish this. He and Rho must have had quite the fight. It was intense from what he remembered hearing. Whatever Howdy had done during that fight, it resulted in the Beanie Boy being willing to listen to Howdy. If he wasn’t here to witness this, he certainly wouldn’t have believed it. “Snap’s not far. Just follow me, Penny.” Howdy said. His small footsteps appeared slightly faded, and Rudy guessed that he was in front of them. “I’ll fill you in on the details along the way.” “And I will tell you what happened to Rudy and me. You do deserve to know.” Penny said. “Yeah.. That sounds like a plan.” Howdy said before he and the others continued on their way. sss Exposing ChalkZone... There was a reason why no one dares to do that. Well except for the insane few. There was a reason why Rudy and Penny fight so hard to keep this from happening, why great deals of measures were taken to ensure that this would not happen. It was just far too dangerous. It was something that could never be undone. Once ChalkZone was exposed, there really was no going back. Even if humans weren’t allowed into this world, they could still influence it on the other side. There could be attacks and threats that would reach here, and they could not be stopped due to the barrier. Skrawl might be evil and be proud to admit it. He might enjoy tormenting the zoners, especially after how they treated him for ‘being ugly’. But not even he would ever wish this sort of fate upon them. This...this was just too cruel. Releasing one creator on them was one thing. A creator he could control and inhibit so they wouldn’t do more damage than he had intended. But to unleash creators on a global scale.... There wouldn’t even be much of a world left worth ruling beyond that point. He kept watching Thoughtless, looking for any sign of backtracking, any sign of the zoner not really meaning what it said. It...it couldn’t possibly be serious with this, right? Why would it do something so...so crazy? Did it not comprehend what this was going to lead to? Did it not realize how much it was putting itself in danger by doing this? But Thoughtless just stood there, as calm as ever, showing no signs of taking back what it said. It really seemed like it meant what it said. It really did want this. It wanted to expose this world, and all for what? For some stupid ‘circle of life’ bullcrap, that’s what. Skrawl could feel his hands clutching tightly into fists. He really didn’t want to argue with the memotrice. He knew what might happen if he pushed its buttons too far. He did not want to be the next victim. He did not want to experience the wrath that this creature had to offer. But after hearing this... There was no way he could push back his anger for much longer. This creature needed a wake up call. And he would be more than happy to offer it. “You... You are insane!” Skrawl finally said after several minutes of stunned silence. Thoughtless blinked at this. Its expression changed to that of mild surprise. <Oh really now?> It sounded actually shocked that Skrawl had responded this way. This caused Skrawl to clench his teeth. <What makes you think so?> “You know exactly why I think that! You want to allow just any human into this world! Do you know just how...freaking insane that is?! How could you think that is a good idea?!” Skrawl shouted. He raised his fists into the air for a few seconds. “Do you know what would happen if this world is ravaged by creators?! I wouldn’t have anything left to rule! That’s what!” Thoughtless shrugged its shoulders. <You were more than willing to use a creator in one of your earlier plans.> Skrawl widened his eyes at this. How did it know that? <What makes this situation so different?> Skrawl didn’t respond for a few moments. He was too busy trying to get over the shock regarding Thoughtless knowing about that. He didn’t recall telling the memotrice the time that he had tried to recruit Penny to his side. He was certain he didn’t tell it that. The only way it could have known that was if it...if it had searched through his memory... Skrawl could feel his body freeze at this realization, forcing himself to take a small step back. Was Thoughtless looking through his memories against his will? He shook off the thoughts as he allowed a growl to escape his throat. “That was just one creator!” He snapped at the memotrice. He raised a fist up and shook it in front of himself. He didn’t want to strike Thoughtless, but he was getting close to wanting to. “One creator is easy to keep tabs on! But hundreds? Thousands? Millions?!” Thoughtless raised an eyebrow. <And your only concern is that you wouldn’t be able to rule ChalkZone...?> Skrawl paused for a moment. He did feel some amount of sympathy before when he thought of what the creators might do to the other zoners. It wasn’t much, but it was still there, and it was enough to make him feel a little disgusted with himself. Why should he care at all about the other zoners? Clenching his teeth tightly, he hissed out a single answer. “Yes...” Thoughtless looked at him for a few moments. Then it gave a soft sigh and shook its head slowly. It looked so disappointed by this answer. It was hard to tell if it was genuine or not. For all Skrawl knew, it was a faked expression. Just something to probably make him feel a little guilty. Skrawl narrowed his eyes. Thoughtless was going to have to try harder than that if it wanted him to feel bad about what he said. <Such a pity you think such a thing. You seem to believe that only you matter. You do not care about this world that you are in.> Thoughtless pulled its head back, looking upwards. <You do not care if it all comes crumbling down due to overpopulation.> “Oh and you share more sympathy for it?” Skrawl said sarcastically as he rolled his eyes. “Sure, all that time releasing the hell that is countltess creators on them is a good way of showing how much you care!” Thoughtless gave a bitter chuckle at this. It raised its wing up. <You misunderstand me, Skrawl. There’s more to it than that.> Skrawl looked at it suspiciously. Thoughtless began to pace around him slowly. <Think of this world as...as a video game in the making. With people creating more and more characters, filling up the space. But that space is not infinite. It is finite and would come to and end. But they just keep creating and more and more things get filled up. Eventually space will run out, and what’s left?> Thoughtless gritted its beak at this. <It is not a pretty sight, I assure you.> “And what does this have to do with ChalkZone?” <Oh everything. This place does not have all the space in the world. This chalk planet might be huge, but it’s only the same size as the Real World earth. We will run out of room eventually.> Thoughtless narrowed its eyes as it spoke. <We zoners do not naturally die on our own. We need that extra ‘shove’. Without a means of population control, then we will run into major problems down the line.> Skrawl clenched his teeth tightly at this. “So your plan is to reintroduce the zoners’ natural predator, the humans? Is that seriously what you’re going to do?” At Thoughtless’s nod, Skrawl pressed his claws against his head as he tried to figure out just how someone could be that crazy. “This is just... I can’t believe that you... Gah!” <I see you are having a hard time grasping reality. I can understand that. Not many zoners understand this.> Thoughtless tilted its head, eyes narrowed again. <But rest assured, I know what I’m talking about. I believe I was created to restore this balance. And I will not go against my destiny, my path. If you are going to stand in my way, then woe be you.> Skrawl couldn’t help but stare at the memotrice in shock. He tried to digest all of this information in. It became increasingly difficult. The more he thought about it, the more insane it all sounded. He could accept a lot of things, but this just wasn’t one of them. To allow the ‘natural predator’ back in would only spell trouble for everyone, including himself. If they were allowed in here, and if they were allowed to do whatever, then how was he going to properly rule this place? Skrawl was not willing to share domination of this world with anyone. He was not about to let a bunch of snot-nosed brats take away what was rightfully his. He had enough trouble with Rudy and Penny. He did not need more children, or even adult humans, coming in and ruining everything. He would make sure that no one took that away from him. No one was going to stand in his way, not even Thoughtless. “This is my world! You hear me?!” Skrawl raised a hand up, flexing his claws threateningly. “I am the rightful ruler! I will not share it with anyone else! No one is going to outrank me! No one is allowed to have more control than me! If you want this world to be a better place, then let me rule it! Help me conquer it!” Thoughtless simply shook its head at this. <Such a pathetic response.> Skrawl bared his teeth. “What did you say?!” <You heard me.> Thoughtless took a step forward. It turned its head around, allowing a single eye to look upon the jellybean. <You are so caught up in your own greed... Your actions will only make this world fall even faster. You are not willing to accept the fact that restoring the natural balance to this world is more important than your little fairy tale dreams.> “Fairy tales?!” <Indeed. You think that you would last long running this place? You would make such a weak ruler, Skrawl. You are too caught up in your own selfishness to see the broader picture. You think you are so tough, but really you’re just a pushover. Anyone who knows you long enough would see this as the case. You quite a stupid zoner, Skrawl. If you cannot see the blatant truth before you, if you cannot accept what needs to be done, then you deserve to have been drawn the way you are.> That did it. Skrawl could not take it any longer. His patience regarding Thoughtless had worn thin. He had thrown out all caution he had towards Thoughtless out the window. All he was aware of was the blind rage that started to take him over. Before he knew it, he had rushed towards Thoughtless and struck it across the head with his sharp claws. Thoughtless was thrown to the side. It let out a loud squawk of pain, three long, bloody gashes appearing on its face. The memotrice soon managed to regain its footing. It lifted up a wing and pressed its small clawed fingers against the wound and looked at it. Its brown eyes widened in shock, and then it looked over at Skrawl, who was hunched in a fighting posture, his mismatched blazing eyes boring through his. Thoughtless accepted his unspoken challenge and jumped towards him. Skrawl didn’t have time to react before Thoughtless’s small body rammed into him. It was a lot stronger than he thought it would be. He found himself stumbling back. He yelped in pain when Thoughtless’s sharp, toothed beak slashed across his lower stomach. He put his hand there for a few seconds, teeth clenched tightly, seething. He then reopened them and stared at the memotrice. Bodies hunched, low growls escaping their throats, the two zoners began to pace around each other slowly, eyeing each other up, waiting for the right moment to strike. Their eyes almost seemed to glow in anger as they practically shot daggers at one another. They then stopped and continued to lock eyes with one another for a short time. Then, the tension reaching a boiling point and spilling over, the two zoners rushed at each other. They soon became a blur of green and red, snarls and claws clanging, echoing in the room. sss The silence that permeated this room was almost unbearable. A part of Ms. Charlotte wanted to speak, to say anything to try to stop this uncomfortable silence from tearing her apart. And yet she said nothing, remaining as still as everyone else, doing the same thing they all were. Waiting for Terry Bouffant to come back. Ms. Charlotte was relieved that the adults had let her into the room. They were willing to give her a chance, although they were going to keep a sharp eye on her. One wrong move, and they were going to take action. Ms. Charlotte accepted these conditions. As she leaned against the wall, one leg crossed over the other, she was hardly bothered by Tilly’s presence. She had been assigned to continue watching her just in case. While she was in here, the adults did get her caught up on the situation, informing her of exactly how Terry had betrayed them. The details were quite a shock to her, and even now, she had a hard time believing it. But judging from the looks on their faces, there was very little reason for her to doubt them. Their expressions practically shined of someone who had just loved a lost one. They would not make something like this up. But still...a chalk world? Could Terry have been right the whole time? Was there really a parallel world where creatures made of chalk existed? It seemed way too bizarre and unreal to be fact. That sounded like something a little child would come up with. Ironically, as she remembered from one of Terry’s rants, that world was populated by child drawings. According to what they said next, Reggie was informed by the woman regarding how things drawn on the chalkboard, when erased, would appear in that world, just as the creator had intended. Reggie had taken advantage of this and created something to go after the woman and, hopefully, drag her sorry ass back here. He wasn’t entirely sure if it would work or not, but he was confident that they’d at least have a better chance using this method. Now all they could do was play the waiting game. There was no telling how long this plan would take to work, or if it would at all. Reggie admitted there was no way to really know if it worked or not unless the creature just never came back. This fact was frustrating but there really wasn’t anything they could do about it. They had all agreed to wait and see if anything happened. Ms. Charlotte doubted that they would want to wait for too long, considering the fact that their children were in danger and there might be something else that they could do. But they were still willing to wait at least a little while and see if Reggie’s plan pulls through. If it did, then Ms. Charlotte knew what the next step was. Terry would have to be apprehended. That won’t be too difficult here, with the doors shut and several adults waiting for her. She had informed the others that she would be taken to Dr. Von Doktor. After learning of what she had done, that man was more than a little interested in speaking to Terry himself. He was not very happy when he had learned about what she had done. Understandably, the other adults weren’t entirely sure if they could trust the man. Despite Ms. Charlotte reassuring them that he had no intention on pulling some kind of stunt, the adults couldn’t help but remain distrustful. Well they would get to that situation when it comes. Right now, she tried to focus her attention on waiting for Terry. She kept her eyes glued to the chalkboard. Altough staring at it for a while caused her vision to blur, she still forced herself to keep eye level with it. She looked around on the black surface, looking for anything that might indicate something was happening. But so far, nothing. Just endless blackness, just like before. Nothing but a dirty chalkboard with remnants of equations and she thought she could see a large circle where the portal probably had been. But other than that, nothing. She looked all around for anything, even the faintest of light because supposedly the portals glowed. But of course, the chalkboard remained as dark as ever, as if it was nothing more than what it really was. A chalkboard. This waiting game was getting rather annoying, and Ms. Charlotte could feel her patience being tested. If it weren’t for the fact that Dr. Von Doktor ordered her to stay and help, if it weren’t for the additional fact that she had said she wanted to offer assistance, she would have walked right out of the door. There just had to be a better way of doing things. There had to be something else they could do other than just stand around here, staring at some stupid chalkboard. For all she knew, these adults might have just hallucinated seeing Terry go in the chalkboard and maybe that woman was running around somewhere in town. And yet here she was, wasting time in here instead of going out there and looking for her. How could... Something caught her eye. She noticed something sparkle. It was only for a brief second, but it was enough to make her swivel her head over towards the chalkboard. There it was again, this time even more pronounced. A bright glow appearing around the botton right corner of the chalkboard. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open at the sight of this. Could it be...? She and the others watched intently, no one saying a word, as the golden, bright light moved around. Up, to the side, down, and then back again. Soon the light formed a squarish shape, engulging it completely. And then it vanished, allowing them to see wait laid before it. Ms. Charlotte could feel her heart nearly stop beating. Her eyes were unable to look away from the sight, her mouth dropping open. She took in a few quick breaths, her mind struggling to comprehend this. Her pupils shrank and she felt herself struggling to speak. But all that would come out where stumbles and slurs. This... This couldn’t be real...right? But it was right here before her. Just in front... Her eyes couldn’t be lying to her, could they? No, they weren’t. The sights, the sounds, the smells...it was just way too real to be a mere hallucination. She was seeing the chalk world. There was no doubt about it. From the brief glimpse she had been given, that was the chalk world all right. She could tell from the texture. Even the look itself had a cartoony kind of feel to it. This place really did look like a child went in and drew it. Or even a lot of children. And if Terry’s theory was right, then this very well could be the case. She didn’t have a lot of time to let this information register when she heard Reggie shout something. “It’s her!” Noticing the aura around her tensing up, becoming hot with anger, Ms. Charlotte knew right away just who Reggie was talking about. She narrowed her eyes and scanned the area as she waited for Terry to show up. Sure enoug, there she was. Her arm slung over the portal, grabbing onto the bottom edge of the portal. With a seething gasp, Terry pulled herself through the portal. Behind her, something large and furry growled and snapped, although did not appear to be trying to hurt her. Was this the creature that Reggie had drown? Ms. Charlotte pushed that question aside in favor of staring down at Terry, noting her injuries. It was tough to say if this creature caused them or something else. But that did not mask the brutality of them. Most of them were a few gashes and bruises. Though they looked bad, Ms. Charlotte did believe that they weren’t too dangerous. The most dangerous looking one was the wound located on her arm. Ms. Charlotte might not be a doctor, but even she could tell the bone had been broken; her arm was twisted to one side and looking a little loose. The pained look in her eyes completed the image. Terry appeared to be in so much pain that she wasn’t really paying attention to what was going on around her. They all watched in silence as she quickly and hastily erased the portal. Her heavy breathing filled the room. It was shaky and tinged with not just fear, but of pain as well. Ms. Charlotte could have sworn that she heard Terry about to cry a little. No doubt she probably already did, indicated by the redness of her cheeks. Once the portal was erased, Terry took a few steps back. Her whole body was shaking hard, her mouth opening a little wider as she tried to control her breathing. Her heart pounded inside her chest, threatening to burst open. No doubt her mind was racing as she struggled to think of what she was going to do. For the next several moments, she was frozen in terror, unable to move as if she were encased in something thick and hard. Then, at last, she turned and attempted to leave. She kept her head turned to the side, looking back at the portal. She did not seem to register that they were there. She just kept on walking slowly away, trying to escape the hell that she had been in. She let out an ‘oof’ when she collided with Mr. Tabootie, who was blocking her path. Terry, her body hunched, tilted her head to look up at him. Upon seeing his angry, twisted face, Terry started to move backwards. The expression in her eyes changed to realization as she took a moment to look around, finally noticing how she was surrounded by several furious adults. She knew right then just what kind of trouble she was in. All she could do was stay put in one spot, her good hand placed on her bad one protectively. Ms. Charlotte decided to be the one to break the silence. What she had to say, she was certain all of the adults would agree with her. “You’ve got a lot of explaining to do...” Terry’s eyes widened in fear and she gulped nervously. sss Getting back to the hideout didn’t take as long as Biclops thought it would. A good thing, too, considering how time was of the essence, even more so now than ever. They really couldn’t afford any more delays. Who knows what condition Rudy and Penny were in in that wretched place? He didn’t want to imagine it. The thought made him shudder. He still had some suspicion regarding Zebin, but he tried to dismiss it. There wasn’t much of a reason for him to be that suspicious. It wasn’t like Zebin had ever tried to do anything against him before. It had never been an enemy or given him any reason to distrust him. Perhaps it was just his lingering anger from before that was clouding his view. Besides, now wasn’t exactly a good time for suspicions. And after all, Zebin might have changed its mind on its own. Maybe his words finally got through to it after a few moments on its own and it realized it needed to help. Maybe it realized just how selfish it was being by refusing to help him and the others and sought out to rectify that. Zebin was still an intelligent zoner, after all. It was fully capable of making these sorts of realizations. He just had to have more faith in it. He and Zebin slowly approached the entrance to the hideout. The one that Howdy had used to get in. He kept his eyes glued to it, carefully scanning it to see if anything changed. He wasn’t sure if one of the Beanie Boys had spotted him and informed Skrawl of this security breach. When he had started to approach, he was honestly expecting some kind of security measure around this area. Perhaps some guards or something. He was pleased to see that there didn’t seem to be anything, but he still felt it was a good idea to keep their guard up just in case. “So this is the spot?” Zebin’s cool voice asked as-a-matter-of-factly. The giant nodded his head once. “Yeah. There is an opening somewhere around here. You’re small enough to fit through it.” Zebin gave a quick chuckle, turning its head to the side so it could look up at him with one eye. “I suppose all that time I spent at the dessert section isn’t going to be a problem here.” Biclops blinked in confusion at this. He then realized that Zebin may have been referring to a past eating problem. He remembered vaguely something like that, though it had been so long. Not wanting to spend too much time on the irrelevant topic, he said, “All you need to do to get in is pull that thing there up. It’s some kind of circular opening.” He pointed at the section. “See it?” Zebin looked at where the giant indicated. It looked from side to side, and soon eventually found what Biclops was pointing at. “Yes, I see it.” Zebin moved in closer to it, its eyes focused on the circular structure. “Yeah this is pretty small. But good enough for me. You’re right.” “As I told you, I would love to go in there and help myself. But..as you can see..” Biclops motioned to the structure. “That’s kind of an impossibility at this point. There’s no way I could fit in through there.” Zebin stared at the ground, moving its head around slowly, examining it. “I don’t suppose you would want to try tear an opening in here?” Biclops shook his head. “You know that wouldn’t be a good idea, Zebin. What if Rudy and Penny are underneath there?” “And what if they aren’t?” “There might be a Beanie Boy there.” Biclops pointed out. Zebin tilted its head. “Well..that’s one less enemy zoner to worry about.” “True, but it’s still too big a risk.” Biclops said. “If I were to try that, then Skrawl might get alerted to my presence and...well, then what?” He raised his arms at his sides. “You and I both know how dangerous that would be. He might send out the Beanie Boys to hurt those two, or try to come after me. Besides....” He took another glance at the small circular structure. “What if the roof isn’t even large enough for me to walk through? I could tear this open, but then I might only be able to stand here. I wouldn’t be of much use.” He looked at Zebin intently. “That’s where you come in. That’s why you’re important in this.” “I see...” Zebin took in a deep breath and sighed. “Well all right then. Let’s see what I can do.” Biclops smiled softly at this. He was glad that Zebin didn’t seem to be trying to back out of this. He wasn’t sure how he would have reacted if they came all the way here and Zebin still tried to flea from this. Would he have been able to control himself? He asn’t entirely sure. He still would have liked to know just what changed this zoner’s mind. He wanted to know just what thoughts had went through Zebin’s head that had allowed it to change its mind. Considering how adamant it had been before about not helping, whatever had made it change its mind must have been pretty major. He wished that he could understand what ths thought process had been. He still had a hard time believing that it would change its mind so fast. Well at least it was here now. At least it was willing to help out. That was good. He couldn’t imagine just what made it want to help, but the important thing was that Zebin was going to aid, which he was certain both Rudy and Penny needed desperately. He couldn’t begin to imagine what kind of trouble those two children were in. He could only hope that they are holding on and will continue to hold on until Zebin could find them and get them out of there. He had no doubts in Zebin’s ability. It might not enjoy fighting so much, but it was no pushover. It knew exactly how to use its body like a weapon if it absolutely had to. He doubted that even Skrawl would be able to catch Zebin so easily. That was a big reason why he had wanted Zebin’s help specifically. It seemed like the perfect zoner to use for this rescue mission. Equipped with both cunning and speed, Biclops had no doubt in his mind that it could dance circles around Skrawl and his forces easily to get to Rudy and Penny. He thought about showing Zebin a picture of those two using his visual memory ability, but he declined. There was no need. It was not that hard to tell a zoner from a human. Zebin should be able to recognize them as soon as it saw them. He had already described some of their appearance, too, so it also had that to go on. One other thing he did remember to inform Zebin of was Snap’s condition. He made sure to tell Zebin what Snap looked like , and the fact that he was under the control of Thoughtless. At least, the last time he saw him, he was. He had no idea how big a problem Snap was going to be, but he knew it was a good idea to tell Zebin anyway. He also made sure to tell it that Snap was supposed to be an ally and to not hurt him too much if possible. Zebin did say that it would try to get Snap out as well, along with the other three. But it could make no promises. It wasn’t even sure if it could get Rudy or Penny out of there. Well, at least it was willing to try. That was something at least. So long as the zoner tried to help out, that increased the chances of Rudy and Penny, and hopefully those two zoners, being taken out of there as soon as possible. Then they could get them the help that they most likely needed. And of course, Rudy and Penny can return to the Real World. No doubt their parents were missing them. And of course, Skrawl and Thoughtless would be stopped. Whatever they were planning, it was coming to a halt. They would not get much further in their little scheme. Biclops would see to that, even if he had to chase down the giant to do it. And as for Thoughtless itself, well Biclops would see to it that the memotrice was no longer a threat. Killing was not something he enjoyed, but in this case, he was willing to make an exception. Thoughtless was just too dangerous to be allowed to live. His thoughts were interrupted when he saw the chinese unicorn struggle to get the lid open. It was pushing its body against it, trying to use its shoulders to lift it up. It wasn’t having too much luck with that. Realizing that it needed help, Biclops reached down and, pressing two fingers agaisnt the edge, easily lifted it up, a loud creak sounding out. He flinched, wondering if anyone had heard that. “Way to be stealthy.” Zebin remarked sarcastically, giving Skrawl a knowing expression. The giant rolled his eyes. “Just get down there!” “Yes, I know.” The chinese unicorn replied. It looked at the opening for a few seconds. It frowned slightly, in deep thought. After a few moments, it looked back up at Biclops and said, “You know I can’t promise much, right?” “I am aware of that. But...you can try at least, can’t you?” “Yeah, I can. I can’t promise I will succeed. But I will try.” Zebin gave him the most reassuring smile it could muster. Which wasn’t much. There was obviously a lot of doubt swimming around in the zoner’s mind. At least it was willing to still try despite knowing the grand task that laid before it. “If I find them, I will bring them out here as soon as possible. That much I can promise.” Biclops gave it a small smile. “I can’t thank you enough for helping out.” Zebin smiled at this. “No problem.” Biclops didn’t know why. He knew they were on a time restraint. But he still found himself asking a curious question. “Just...what changed your mind, anyway?” Zebin frowned at this. Not out of anger, but out of sadness and regret. It lowered its head and turned it to one side. “Let’s just say I...got a taste of my own medicine. After I really thought about it, I got slammed in the face of one of my other memories and... Well I realized that I was being pretty unfair to you by refusing to help.” It lifted its head up. “I promise I won’t make that mistake again.” Zebin’s response seemed quite sincere. He could see the sincerity shining in its regretful eyes. It really did seem like it regreted not helping before. Zebin certainly wasn’t heartless, and if reminded of what it’s actions could cost, it seemed like the type of zoner to turn around. But for some reason, the giant still couldn’t help but feel some level of suspicion. Something else was missing here. Something just seemed...off. He wished he could pinpoint exactly what that is. But unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried, nothing would come up. Nothing more than a blank image that clouded his mind and made it hard for him to conjure up anything concrete. It was quite frustrating. The giant hated the burning sensation of knowing something wasn’t right, but being unable to pin point exactly what that problem was. He pushed the thought aside. There was no use in obsessing over it. Not like it was going to do him much good right now. He needed to stop slowing Zebin down and letting it get on its way. He felt awful for slowing down the rescue mission for Rudy and Penny. Those poor children... He hoped they were okay. Zebin seemed to understand the look in his eyes and immediately put its feet around the edge of the hole. “Well I better get going now before we carry this on for too long.” “I agree.” Biclops nodded his head a couple times. He pulled the lid back further to allow for more room. “Hurry, get inside!” Zebin jumped through the opening. His horse-like body made contact with the ground below. Biclops could hear the feet clanging and tapping as Zebin landed a few feet below. He leaned himself forward and peered down to make sure that it was all right. He was relieved to see that Zebin was not only standing, but already looking around for a direction to go in. Its ears twitched around, trying to pick up the slightest sound of those children. It didn’t take it too long to find something. Its ears immediately pricked up and Biclops knew that it must have found something. Without casting another glance at him, the chinese unicorn took off, its feet pounding against the ground as it ran down the hallway. Biclops watched it flee, listening to its fading footsteps. Biclops bit his lip and whispered softly, “Good luck, my comrade.” With that, Biclops closed the lid and backed up a couple of steps. Now he was back to what he was doing before. Waiting. That was all he could really do. Just sit here and wait. He hoped that everything would turn out all right in the end. That Zebin would find those two and bring them back quickly before anything bad happened. But for now, all he could do was wait. sss Upon seeing Snap’s condition, Penny couldn’t help but gasp in horror, putting her free hand against her mouth. Her wide eyes stared down at his unconscious form, unable to look away. Howdy was not joking about what he had said before. Snap needed help and fast. The zoner’s eyes were closed tightly and his face was contorted, as if he were still struggling in pain despite not being awake at the moment. She could see the large puncture marks in his body where the fangs had sunk deep into the flesh. His breathing was quite shaky, with his ribs only rising and falling a little bit. It was only noticeable enough that she could tell that he was still alive. But it was so weak that.... She clenched her teeth tightly. She turned her head to the side. She could see just how terrified Rudy was. He could not see Snap’s form, but her gasp was enough to tell him that his condition was serious. She could see his left eye darting around, trying in vain to see his friend. A part of her felt sorry that he could see him, or anything at all. She could tell that he was scared and frightened. But another part of her was almost glad that he was blind. She would not want him to see such a horrible sight. Snap just looked awful. She winced as she saw all the wounds on his body, the bruises from his fight with Cornerstone. His face looked paler than usual. His breathing sounded quite horrible. His eyelids appeared a little dark and shrunken. Overall, he looked like such a sick little zoner. She could only just imagine how Rudy was going to react if he saw Snap in that condition. He might end up grabbing him and accidentally making everything a lot worse. She then eyed Howdy. She could see the look of guilt on his face. Though she and Rudy tried to tell him it wasn’t his fault, the small zoner still blamed him for what happened to Snap. He looked like he was ready to punch himself in the face for ‘allowing’ Snap to get bitten. She doubted that this guilt was going to go away any time soon and she could understand why. Still, at least he managed to get Snap help at all. That’s what counted right now. She was feeling rather cautious of Rho, who floated beside Howdy. Although Howdy did assure her that he would make sure he didn’t do anything, and though Rho did display a level of fear towards Howdy, she still didn’t feel all that comfortable around him. For all she knew, at any moment, he might decide to launch an attack against them. Despite her fear, she did try to keep herself calm and focus on trying to help Snap. But no matter how hard she tried, she could not completely shake off the cold feeling moving up the back of her neck. Penny returned her gaze upon Snap. She had paused a few feet away from him, her eyes scanning over his body. From this distance, it was a little hard to tell just how bad off he was. She knew it was still serious, but just how far did the venom reach? The only way to have some kind of idea was to get near him and look more closely. Slowly, she approached the small zoner on the ground. Her eyes looked at his mostly still form, trying to see if there was anything that she had overlooked earlier. She didn’t see anything different at the moment, but she knew that could change at any moment as she continued getting closer and closer to her best friend’s unconscious body. It was almost funny. Seeing Snap like this, it almost looked as if he were back to normal. His mind never altered, him still being their best friend, loyal to them and not to Skrawl. She bit her lip at this, feeling her stomach wrench. Such a cruel way to hide this harsh fact. There was no doubt in her mind that Snap probably still carried some hatred towards them. As soon as he woke up, he would not greet them with ‘Bucko’ and ‘Buckette’ like he normally would. No, he would probably go into a frenzy and try to kill them. She couldn’t help but shed a small tear at this. She wanted the real Snap back... She lowered herself onto her knee beside him. She placed her free hand on his face, caressing it gently. He did not respond to her touch, which didn’t surprise her. After she moved her hand up and down his cheek a little, she began the inspection. She recalled the time her mother taught her about snake venom and how to tell just how bad someone is who had been bitten. She used this knowledge to help her assess Snap. It helped that Howdy had given her magic chalk earlier, which he had managed to recover from their captors. This allowed her to draw the equipment that she felt was necessary to check Snap. Admittingly, at least one of them was made up, but in the context of ChalkZone, it still worked. While she examined Snap, she could feel Howdy staring at her expectantly. She could almost feel Rudy’s ear turned towards her, listening to anything she was going to say. She could just imagine Rho waiting for the right moment to strike, watching and waiting like a predator ready to ambush its prey. This caused the air around her to feel more and more tense. She felt as though she had a lot to uphold to. Both Rudy and Howdy counted on her. If she were to give the slightest bad news... She tried not think about it. She couldn’t allow herself to be distracted by what could be. Bad news or not, it was her duty to find out what she could and relay the information to them, no matter how negative it would be. After the end of the examination, her eyes widened in shock. A part of her could not believe this to be the case. But another part of her hoped that this was true. Please, let this be the truth... Please... Some good news in all this chaos... She redid the examination a few more times double checking and rechecking. And she kept coming to the same conclusion. Snap...was okay. Well almost. There was still venom inside his body. That was still causing damage. But, according to what she was able to gather, not as much venom got into his body as she thought. This meant they had a better chance at helping Snap. He had longer to live, more time to be helped by a professional. This wonderful news spread through her body, making her feel lighter and more warm than before. She couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across her face. At last, they finally got some worthwhile news. “W-Well...?” Rudy’s cautious voice filled her eyes. “What..What did you find out...?” Penny turned her head to smile at him. While Howdy looked relieved though confused, Rudy’s nervous, hopeful expression did not change. Remembering that he could not see her, she said, “Snap got a dry bite.” Rudy frowned at this, tilting his head. “A what?” “But...I saw the fangs enter his body...” Howdy said. “How did he...?” “Let me be clear on this.” Penny raised her hand up. Howdy fell silent. Rudy, sensing that Penny wanted to speak again, shut his mouth as well. “Snap still got venom inside him. That much is clear from how weak he is, and the fever, too. However, it seemed that Cornerstone was not able to inject too much venom inside. I am certain this is due to the fact that Snap fought back and was able to slice her neck open, causing her to lose strength and make her release him before she could put too much into him.” She glanced down at his body. She couldn’t help but flinch as she imagined what it felt like having those large fangs pushed into his body. “But like I said, he still got injected. With those large fangs, even a little bit is dangerous.” She turned back to look at her two friends. “But the fact that he was spared some of that venom is great news. This gives us more time to help him. He has a better chance at survival now.” This bit of information did cause Rudy and Howdy to smile. They were somewhat weak smiles due to the seriousness of the situation. But they both still looked more hopeful than before. Penny felt more hopeful herself. Snap having even the slightest increase of chance of survival was wonderful news. But they couldn’t celebrate just yet. Now wasn’t the time for that. They still needed to get the zoner help. If they just left him as is, he was going to die anyway. But the question was...how were they going to get him out of here...? This whole place was like one giant maze. They didn’t know where they could go to escape. They didn’t even have the luxury to explore. With Snap still dying slowly from the venom, they needed to be precise in the directions they chose to go in. They needed to know exactly where they were going and make all the right decisions. There was little to no room for mistakes or second chances. They had to be near completely accurate. Something that wasn’t going to be possible given that they had no idea what the layout of this place was or where anything was located. They were like mice in a large maze, like the one she and Rudy had worked on several months ago. She glaced at her friends again. She noticed how their expression changed as they let it sink in just how serious the situation still was. They both appeared to realize just how stuck they still were, and how little time they still had to help their friend. She could see the looks of despair in their eyes. She felt so awful; she wished she could think of something else to brighten up the situation. But she had nothing, and her hopelessness reflected in their eyes. Rudy looked so devastated. Not only did he lose his sight, but now he was going to lose his best friend on top of that. The first zoner he had ever come in contact with and befriended. And Howdy.... She could see it in his eyes that he was being ripped apart by guilt, still feeling responsible for what happened to him. Sure the good news did help spark some hope in them and it did mean that Snap had an increased chance of survival, but the threat was still very much real. And they were still trapped in here, in a place they could not navigate. How were they going to find help for their friend? Just how....? Suddenly, she remembered something. She looked down at the piece of chalk that she held in her hand. This magic chalk... How could she have forgotten about it? She could use this to help them get out of here. She... Without warning, there was a blur of color beside her. A loud grunt and then something pushing against her. She let out a cry of pain as she felt herself knocked into the ground. She could feel rough hands on her, and then she felt the chalk being ripped away from her. Her eyes widened in horror and before she knew it, Rho darted away towards the door. She stared at this in horror, her blood running cold. She knew that zoner could not be trusted. She knew they should have just tied him up and left him by the door. And now because of their stupidity, the zoner was making off with the one thing that might be able to help them to escape. “Get back here!” Penny found herself shouting. “Give that back!” At this, a startled Rudy looked in the direction of Penny’s voice and called out, “What did he do?!” “He stole the magic chalk!” Penny told him. She watched as Rudy’s mouth dropped open and his face paled. She only stared at him for a moment before she made a dash towards Rho. “Come back here with that!” Penny began to chase Rho down the hallway. She did not pay attention if Howdy followed her or if Rudy made the attempt to despite his blindness. She didn’t pay attention to see if there were any other Beanie Boys nearby or if Skrawl or Thoughtless were returning. All she noticed was the zoner’s fleeing body before her, moving faster and faster as time ticked by. In response, she pushed her feet harder against the ground, moving as quickly as she could to try to keep up. There was no way she was going to allow the zoner to get away from her. She could feel something burning inside of her. Something that wasn’t just anger. She had felt this feeling before, and it caused her heart to sting in fear. No...not now... Please...anything but that... She couldn’t... But there was no fighting against the feeling. It swepted over her swiftly. She could feel this terrifying yet exciting warm feeling tingle through all corners of her body. She could feel her heart pumping faster. She could feel the adrenaline energizing her body. Her body started to move faster, accompanied by heavier and swifter breathing. She could see the zoner’s horrified expression, but all she did in response was grin at him and continue to chase him. The vision all around her had gotten a red tint. She could feel a warmth from her hand as the red chalk was activating once more. She felt its power, both terrifying and yet comforting, coursing through her. She could feel her mouth ticking into a broader smile as she had her eyes glued on the zoner before her. This zoner, her prey... He was not going to get away from her. Suddenly, reality slapped her in the face. A cold sensation rushed through her body as she shook her head, realizing just what she almost did. She gritted her teeth tightly as she struggled to push the horrible feeling back down, struggling as hard as she could to prevent herself from being overtaken by the red chalk’s power again. She could not allow herself to be controlled by it again. She was not going to be its tool once more. She was not going to be a wild animal again. She.. Without warning, she found her face slamming against the wall. She realized too late that, in her effort to stop the red chalk from controlling her, she had failed to pay attention to her surroundings, and now that had cost her. She found herself wobbling back, her hand pressing against her face as pain sifted quickly over its surface. By the time she was able to open her eyes, she noticed that Rho was gone, nowhere to be seen. Taking in swift breaths, she looked left and right, desperately trying to find him. Where did that zoner go? Which direction should she go in? Her racing mind struggled to figure out the best course of action. But...what could she do? She realized that she had only two options. Either she could try to follow Rho and get the magic chalk back, but get herself even more lost than before and not being able to find her friends in time, or she could go back to them, but have even less of a chance of getting out of here. Neither option ended really well, both resulting in Snap’s possible death because they waited way too long. ....she had a third option. She looked over at her secured hand. She sucked on her lip nervously, a chilling sensation making her skin crawl. The very idea of going with this plan.. It... It was just crazy. Suicidal... But...what other choice did she have? Maybe..if she concentrated enough.. There was no time to ponder. No time to ask questions. No time to think of another plan. Looking around, her eyes narrowing, she reached over and she grabbed onto the encasement that kept her possessed hand from drawing anything. Taking in a deep breath, she yanked it off as hard as she could. A flash of pain shot through her wrists, lasting only a second. She slowly raise her hand up, the red chalk sparking, obviously glad to be free. Before she had time to fully comprehend what she did, she could feel her arm start to yank upwards and start to draw. |
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Post by Bluedramon on Aug 15, 2015 15:09:36 GMT -5
Chapter 39:
Rho panted heavily as he moved as quickly as he could down the hallway. He didn’t dare look behind him. He knew that Penny was still there, giving chase after him. He knew that if he looked just for a brief moment, it could buy enough time for Penny to catch up to him and get him. All he could do was keep flying forward and hope that he managed to stay ahead of her for as long as possible.
He didn’t even know which way he was going. He just chose random directions, zipping this way and that, as he struggled to stay ahead of her. So far, he was doing a pretty could job of keeping ahead of her. But the question was...how long could he keep it up for?
He clutched the magic chalk tightly. No matter what, he couldn’t allow her to have it back. If she got this chalk back, then he was in big trouble. So long as he had it, Rudy and Penny wouldn’t be a threat anymore. Well Penny, considering that Rudy was blind at the moment. He would do whatever it took to prevent her from getting it back, and thus he kept on moving quickly.
He had to get to Skrawl before he was captured. He had to get up to Thoughtless’s room, where he recalled Skrawl say he and the memotrice were going to go. Though he didn’t pay as much attention to his surroundings as he should, he was confident that he was still heading, more or less, in the right direction. If he could just reach Skrawl, he could give him the chalk, as well as the news of what was going on. Then they could take the appropriate action and do something before the plan could fall apart.
Not that he knew what the plan was exactly... He just knew he couldn’t allow it to be taken down. Not after all the hard work that was put into it.
Admittingly, part of the reason he was doing this was out of selfishness. He wanted to prove to Skrawl how great he was, and how much better of a general he’d be. He was always better than Delta and yet Skrawl always favored him for some reason. The thought boiled his blood. A part of him was almost happy that Delta was dead. He certainly wouldn’t miss him. Now he had the chance to shine and prove his skills to Skrawl.
He was so enthralled with his thoughts, his daydream of Skrawl praising him, that he didn’t notice just where he was going. He didn’t realize that he was heading straight for a dead end until it was already too late.
The first realization that something was wrong was when he slammed against the wall face first. He wobbled a little and then backed away, shaking his head. He flew back a couple of feet and looked around. His heart began to pound when he realized there was no way out of here. He felt around the wall, hoping there would be a secret entrance, as Skrawl sometimes had those. But nothing. He turned around slowly, his teeth gritted.
Penny was coming straight at him, her eyes narrowed in determination. He pressed his back against the wall and prepared to confront her. Not like he had a choice in the matter. He should have been paying more attention to his surroundings. This was his fault. Skrawl wouldn’t approve of this...
So he was going to give him something he’d approve of.
Shoving the magic chalk in his pocket, the Beanie Boy raised his fists up and moved them around threateningly. He didn’t bother with any hammy speeches or threats. He simply floated there, showing his fists to Penny, waiting for her to get closer so he could take a strike at her.
And of course, Penny didn’t heed his warning. She continued approaching him, although her movements had slowed down a little when she saw his fists up like that. She tensed up, her eyes wide, but she still continued to come forward. As she continued to come forward, the Beanie Boy soon became aware of something that caused his face to pale.
Penny’s hand, the one holding the red chalk, was no longer covered. The red chalk was out in the open, sparking those crimson bolts all around. Rho recalled how much more dangerous red chalk was compared to white chalk. Dangerous to the creator dumb enough to use it, and dangerous to everyone else around it. This was much worse than Penny simply having the white chalk. Swiftly, Rho realized just what kind of trouble he was in and he began to look around, trying to find a way out.
He realized, to his horror, that Penny had already drawn something. It appeared to be some kind of taser. Square-ish in shape, archs of electricity shooting out menacingly. He could hear the hum of the device even from over here. And the thing was pointed straight at him...
He then noticed something about Penny’s expression. That determined expression...it was not related to her trying to catch him. At least not entirely. No, instead, it looked as if she was being determined regarding the red chalk. He noticed how her arms were more tense than before, her legs and feet more planted and rigid than usual. Slowly, he realized that Penny was struggling to hold back so she wouldn’t hurt him that badly. The fact that Penny was trying to make the red chalk hold back wasn’t a relief to him.
It terrified him.
Realizing that Penny may not be able to control the red chalk for long, Rho immediately resumed trying to find a way out of here. Penny was doing a good job with keeping herself from hurting him too much. But he knew that she wouldn’t be able to hold back for long. It was just a matter of time before...
Suddenly, he could see Penny giving him a terrified expression and he realized just what was about to happen.
Penny opened her mouth and gave a terrified shout, “Look out!”
Before Rho had time to react, Penny’s arm suddenly jerked upward. He could hear the girl wince at this, her teeth clenching tightly. The device, now pointed directly at him, suddenly unleashed an arch of blood red lightning. It collided with his body and it began to rip through him. It took him seconds to register the pain.
Horrific agony tore through his body, ripping him up from the inside. His body stiffened, his muscles starting to burn. He let out a loud, echoing scream as he struggled to get away. The electricity arched around him, wrapping him up in a sea of volts, holding him in place. His eyes were shut tightly, trying to protect them from the electricity. But soon, as pain continued tearing through him, they opened up as he screamed again.
Big mistake.
Rho became aware of unbearable pain as the electricity invaded his eyes, filling his vision. He could feel them getting burned. It was acting worse than normal electricity, as if it were alive and deliberately targeting him here. He screamed again and again, his body becoming wracked in pained sobs, as his eyes were being destroyed. Soon he became aware of blackness and some kind of wet substance moving down his eyes.
He wished he had passed out by that point, but cruel fate kept him awake and aware for a while longer. His head echoed with the sound of his own screams. He could hear Penny’s pleas for this to stop, grunting as she tried to pull herself back and stop this madness. He could feel his muscles burning, almost simmering, as the electricity continued to char him up inside. He twisted his body from one side to the other, trying in desperation to get away from here. He tried shouting pleas to Penny, but his voice was garbled up and his lips too burned to even move all that much.
Then, after a few more seconds, he felt himself being flung to the side. His body collided with the wall and he slumped down. He laid there in a heap, taking in shaky breath after shaky breath, letting out low, constant whimpers. He cried softly for several seconds, trying to endure the pain and agony.
Slowly, mercifully, he became shrouded in darkness and he became unaware of the pain.
sss
No... No... What had she done...?
She didn’t mean to... No...
This couldn’t be happening...
Penny couldn’t stop staring at the prone from that was Rho. He hadn’t moved since he had fallen unconscious. He was still alive, she could tell. But just barely. His breathing was incredibly shallow, more so than Snap’s was. She watched and waited for him to get up, but nothing.
By this point, Penny had managed to keep herself still, but it had come too late. Even if Rho survived this, he was quite heavily damaged and would have to spend a long time in the hospital. And afterwards, he would still be permanently changed as his eyes were destroyed by the horrid red chalk electricity. She looked down at the red chalk, taking in quick breaths. She could just imagine the red chalk laughing at its cruel deed. She clutched it tightly, wishing she could crush it in her hands. After a while, she gave up and turned her attention back to the fallen Beanie Boy.
What was she going to do now? She couldn’t just leave him here. But she also couldn’t get near him. The red chalk might force her to do something so much worse. She gritted her teeth. She wished she had brought the others with her. Maybe they would have an idea of what to do. It was foolish of her to run off on her own.
She felt her stomach clench in guilt. She recalled how she had left them behind all alone. She left Rudy, who was presently blind, all by himself, and Snap, who was poisoned... Then Howdy... How could she have done something like that? They were her friends... And she still abandoned them. Left them all alone back there, and they probably had no idea where she was. True she was trying to get the magic chalk back. But still... she should have waited for them or something.
Now she was way over here, with no way of getting in contact with them again. No way of telling them where she was. Getting back with them would be next to impossible. She couldn’t remember what way she took. Oh how was she going to...?
She slapped herself in the face. It stung, but it was enough to knock some sense into herself. How could she let despair almost grip her like that? Now wasn’t the time for such nonsense. True, she was in trouble and didn’t know what to do. But she would solve nothing by standing around, feeling sorry for herself. The best thing to do at this point was plan. She didn’t have an idea now, but if she stood here and thought really hard, maybe she could think of something.
She closed her eyes and struggled to remember the chase. She recalled that Rho hadn’t actually turned too many times. That did make things a bit easier. If she could just remember the turns.... Oh yeah, there were some marks on at least two of the turns. That could help get her back. And then another had a different shaped wall than usual. More roundish than the otheres. If she could find that, she might be able to get on the right track and get back to the others.
Provided they were still there that is. She was certain they would remain put, however. They were smart and knew that coming after her may result in them all getting more separated than before. If one of them held still and... But how do they know who was moving and who was not? Penny bit her lip, realizing how difficult this was going to be. Still, she had to do something.
Hearing a shaky breath from Rho, she looked down at the Beanie Boy sadly, biting her lip. Poor guy... He was a jerk of course, but she never wanted to hurt him like that. She wished she could do something to help, but nothing she drew with the red chalk would work. They would all try to hurt him.
And she couldn’t even get the white chalk back. The red chalk would do whatever it could to stop her from trying. If she got close enough, the red chalk might take control of her arm and force her to kill the Beanie Boy. The thought filled her veins up with ice and she couldn’t help but shiver. She could try to resist all she wanted to, but she was certain that, no matter how hard she tried, the red chalk would take her by surprise and force her to kill the zoner.
She didn’t like being negative about this. She wanted to remain determined that she could do this. But she did have to admit that this was going to be quite hard. She couldn’t risk getting too close to the zoner. It was just too dangerous. She couldn’t allow the red chalk to harm him even more.
That left her with only one choice. If she wanted to help him, then she was going to have to leave him behind and get back to the others. She could have Howdy look at him and make sure that he was all right. That was the best chance she had right now of doing anything to keep Rho from dying.
Then a chilling thought crossed her mind.
What was going to keep her from hurting anyone else...?
She looked down at her hand, turning her wrist so she could see the red chalk. Again, she could hear it practically laughing at her pathetic attempts of containing it. She had no white chalk to draw a sort of ‘cage’ for the red chalk and she couldn’t get close to Rho without the red chalk trying something. How was she going to prevent herself from hurting anyone if the red chalk was free and able to draw whatever it wants? For the moment, it was just standing still, but how long would that last?
Despite the difficulties that laid ahead, however, she was not willing to give up just yet. She could think of something. If she tried hard enough, she could think of a way out of this mess. She just hoped that the others didn’t...
“Penny?”
She froze at that voice. No... It couldn’t be... They couldn’t have gotten there that fast. Please..no...
“Penny! Are you there?”
Slowly, Penny turned around. She became aware of footsteps heading in her direction. She could see a few shadows forming on the wall. The footsteps grew louder and the shadows grew bigger with every second. The shadows soon began to take on familiar shapes, and she knew, right away, that the others had found her already.
She looked around, trying to find a place to escape into. She couldn’t allow the red chalk a chance to attack them. She had to run away, somewhere, so that she could figure out a plan to keep the red chalk from hurting them. But no matter which way she turned, there was just...nothing. She couldn’t find anything. Nothing but walls everywhere. As she saw a figure walk into the hallway, she knew that it was too late.
There stood Howdy. He was panting heavily as if he had been running for a while. There was a look of relief in his eyes, but it also intermixed with anger, causing Penny to flinch. She wondered if Rudy as mad as well.
From behind came Rudy. He must have been following Howdy’s voice. In his arms, he held Snap’s body. Rudy wasn’t looking directly at her, obviously. But there was a saddened expression on those eyes. A look close to betrayal. Seeing this hurt Penny more than Howdy’s expression did. Seeing Snap unconscious in his arms only made her feel worse.
“There you are!” Howdy shouted. She winced at the anger that laced over his voice. “How could you leave us like that?!”
Penny moved away from them. “I-I’m sorry. But I needed to...”
“You could have waited! You could have stayed with us so we could help! How... How could you do something so...so stupid?! Do you have any idea how worried we were for you?! Do you have any idea how afraid we were when you suddenly left us like that?!”
Penny felt her gut twist. She took a small step back and lowered her head in shame. She knew she had screwed up when she had run off. She knew that the others wouldn’t have been too happy when they saw her again. She had expected this kind of response. But no amount of preparation could have made this encounter any easier. She slowly shut her eyes as she allowed the regret to burn through her body.
“I’m so sorry, you guys...” Penny whispered. “I’m so very sorry.” She reopened them and looked at Rudy and Howdy, and then briefly glanced at Snap. “I know it was a stupid thing to do. I wanted to prevent Rho from destroying that chalk but I... I was too ill prepared and...” She looked behind her, staring at the unconscious from that was Rho. She looked back at them. “I should have thought things through more. I’m sorry.”
Rudy, though he still looked sad, gave a small, understanding smile. “I understand. You just wanted to get the magic chalk back. Especially for Snap.” He turned his head down so his unseeing left eye gazed upon his small, blue friend. “He’s still holding on. But he still needs help.”
Howdy, however, didn’t look any happier. “I understand why you did it. Don’t get me wrong. But it was still a stupid move.” Seeing the puppet zoner this angry and out of character unnerved Penny. Not that she could blame him, though. A situation like this can bring out the uglier side of just about anyone. “Your move did more to put us at more risk than actually help us.”
Penny nodded her head slowly. “I understand.” She paused for a moment, and then raised her hand up in gesture. “At least we’re all together now. So let’s just focus on getting out of here.”
Howdy frowned his eyes slightly. And then he gave a small, soft sigh. “Yeah, you’re right.” He rubbed his head. “Sorry about that, Penny. I didn’t mean to get that angry at you. I just...”
“Don’t worry about it. I understand why you are upset.” Penny took a small step towards Howdy, giving him a sympathetic look. “It was dumb of me to...”
Penny couldn’t believe what happened next. It all occurred so fast, she had no time to react, let alone stop herself. Her muscles twitced, her fingers flexed, her wrist was forcibly turned from side to side, the red chalk assuming control over it. Before she knew it, her arm was yanked upwards and was forced to draw at the red chalk’s whim. Penny tried to stop it, but no matter what she tried, the red chalk easily outpowered her.
Before she knew it, she now wielded a long, heavy, jagged sword. It had some fancy designs on it, curly on the handle. Penny would admire its design if she wasn’t too busy trying to keep her arm from beind raised. With a sharp yank, her arm now pointed straight up, showing the red chalk’s would-be victims just what they were in for. Penny stared into Howdy’s terrified eyes, her heart clencnhing tightly. She looked up and gasped at the horrible thing that she was forced to draw. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw sparks.
The sword was electrified...
Penny tried shout a warning, but the red chalk moved faster. She felt her arm being thrust downward, pointing the tip at... Rudy...
“Rudy! Look out!” Howdy shouted as she pushed his small body against Rudy. “It’s going to attack!”
Rudy’s face paled in fear. He looked left and right as he tried to see the uncoming danger. He was not able to see the sword arching with electricity. He was not able to see the sword preparing to shoot at him. He could not see the coil that moved through the air, twisting around, ready to rip him to shreds.
But he could still hear it. He titled his head up and turned an ear towards the sword. His eyes widened when he realized just what was going to happen. Following Howdy’s gesture, Rudy immediately moved to the side, holding Snap carefully against his body. Though Penny was relieved that Rudy was able to dodge this attack, she couldn’t relax for much longer as the red chalk immediately turned the sword back towards him and prepared for another attack.
This went on for a while. Penny struggled to keep the sword down, but the red chalk was too strong for her. It constantly shot electrical archs towards Rudy. She couldn’t understand at first why the red chalk was only targeting Rudy when it also had Howdy it could go after. She soon realized that the red chalk must know that he was blind and it wanted to eliminate such an easy target first. She breathed in and out quickly at this horrible realization. She grabbed her arm and pulled it back, planting her feet firmly on the ground. Yet she still felt herself being dragged forward by the red chalk’s force, her heels skidding along the ground, her body shaking with each coiling volt sent towards her best friend.
Penny watched helplessly as Rudy struggled to stay away. She did feel some relief when Rudy was able to set Snap down somewhere. At least he was out of danger, but Rudy was not. The blind boy continued jumping out of the way, only having his ears to rely on for when the sword was about to attack. He was dodging blindly, unable to make a good judgment call of which way to go.
And the red chalk knew this too... Penny could feel the red chalk start to aim more strategically, trying to catch Rudy off guard. So far, it continued to miss. But the distance was rapidly shrinking, and she knew that, at any moment, the red chalk was going to be able to land a blow against her best friend. And even if the sword was stopped, the red chalk would just draw something else, and then there was a taser that was still in her pocket. No doubt it would jump into action soon.
Oh what was she going to do...?
Suddenly she felt something land against her. She let out a yelp of surprise as she felt small feet and hands gripping her around the neck and shoulder area. She looked over and her eyes widened in shock, and a bit of relief, when she saw Howdy there.
“Howdy?!” Penny cried as she stared down at the puppet zoner. “What are you...?”
Howdy didn’t give her a chance to finish nor did he attempt to explain how he did this. Instead, he moved down her arm and shoved something into her hand. “Quick! Use this!”
Penny looked down in shock when she saw that Howdy had managed to get the white chalk back. How did he...? When did he...? He must have grabbed it while she was too busy struggling to stop the red chalk. He had taken advantage of the red chalk’s focus on hurting Rudy and used that time to get the white chalk back. If she weren’t in such a dangerous situation right now, she would have offered Howdy a smile.
Not wasting any time, she glared at the sword that was clutched in her hand. She had to get this sword out of her hand first. Moving as quickly as she could, she drew a hammer, and then clutched it in her hand, pressing her chalk against it. It felt awkward to hold, but it would do. She then turned her attention back to the sword. She struck against the long metal blade again and again. She flinched when she irritated her hand in the process. It took a couple of blows, but eventually, she managed to loosen her grip on the sword, causing it to fall down.
Not allowing the red chalk any time to force her hand to reach down and grab it, she quickly drew a white box around it, ceiling her hand in side. Almost immediately, the red chalk lunged for her, trying to wham her with the box. She dropped the magic chalk and grabbed onto her arm, struggling to pull it back as hard as she could.
Just then she heard a terrified scream behind her. She looked over and her heart skipped a beat when she saw the sword floating in the air. With a terrifying chill moving through her body, she suddenly remembered what Rudy said about red chalk objects being able to move on their own even if that wasn’t the intended idea. By forcing herself to let go, she had put the others at risk.
And now the red chalk sword was moving towards Rudy...
Unable to hold her emotions back, Penny let out a terrified scream, “Rudy!”
sss
“Rudy! Watch out!”
Zebin picked up its head at this. It looked down towards the source of the sound. Though it had never met them, it was certain that this voice belonged to that girl Biclops mentioned. The female human creator, Penny. And from the sound of it, she and the other creator were in huge trouble. Just like Biclops had said.
It wished it could get an idea of just how far away they were located. These screams and shouts weren’t much to go by. They echoed so much and were so distorted, that it was impossible for it to make any clear cut conclusion of where it was scoming from precisely, let alone how far away it was.
However, despite the obvious difficulty, the zoner didn’t just stand around, doing nothing. It continued moving forward, knowing that, at any moment, it just might run into something that might be helpful. It couldn’t remain in one place for long. If it kept walking, then surely it would run into something, right? It just needed to keep following the direction that seemed the most appropriate. Even if it didn’t run into them, then it might run into a guard or something. They would be most handy at getting information from.
A part of it couldn’t believe that it had agreed to do this. Risking its neck to come in and help these people out. It could be sitting at home right now, reading a scroll or something. Instead, it chose to follow Biclops here and now it was in enemy territory. True, it could just keep fighting like it had earlier not long after it entered this place. It was more than capable of handling itself in a fight if it needed to.
But it knew, regardless, what a mistake it was to come here. It may be able to fight off a few Beanie Boys, but the longer it stayed here, the more it risked blowing its cover. It wouldn’t be able to handle the onslaught of dozens of Beanie Boys at once. It would be overpowered quickly, and if it was lucky, killed swiftly. If unlucky...well it was certain that Skrawl had all kinds of things planned for it if it came to that. That jellybean, from what it understood of him, was almost never out of cruel, sadistic ideas.
It managed to keep moving when it reminded itself of why it was doing this. It knew that Biclops would not approve of it. In fact, most of ChalkZone would not. But it didn’t feel like there was much of a choice. At least this decision could help further seal ChalkZone’s safety. Even if others hated it for it, in time, they would see things its way. It just needed to...
There was a flash of movement before it. Zebin lifted its head up a little, its eyes darting around slowly as it tried to locate to locate the source of the movement. There it was again, some kind of brief shadow in the hallway. It thought it heard some kind of gasp. Whether or not it was directed at it, it wasn’t sure, nor did it really care. Without a moment’s hesitation, it began to creep forward slowly, its body arched up a bit, its feet touching the ground lightly like they were all just large feathers.
Eventually, it spotted the movement again. This time, it got a clearer view of a shadow, and a blur of something. It quickened its pace and peaked its head over the beginning of another hallway. It kept most of its body hidden, allowing just enough of its head so it could look over with a single eye.
Ah, a Beanie Boy. It was hoping it would run into another one of those. It had felt stupid earlier for not asking that other Beanie Boy for directions, and now he was dead, his neck having been broken. Now Zebin had another chance at getting information...
It didn’t get a chance to formulate much of a plan, however. As it had become to creep forward, its spit hoof managed to hit against the ground, creating a thud and scrape sound. Immediately, the Beanie Boy in front of it tensed up. Slowly, the Beanie Boy turned its head around and it soon spotted the chinese unicorn.
The next few moments were filled with tense silence between the two. Neither dared to look away from the other. Neither attempted to make a sound. Only their heavy breathing could be heard, and only when they listened hard enough. The air around them grew thicker by the second. It was to the point where Zebin was glad for its horn as it felt as though it would need to cut through this unbearable thickness. Even the Beanie Boy looked like he was having some difficulty.
After a few seconds, the Beanie Boy finally took action.
Zebin had to admit, it was not expecting the Beanie Boy to dash towards it when it was all alone. It would have thought that the Beanie Boy would try to fly off to find Skrawl. So it was taken a little off guard when the Beanie Boy lunged at it, colliding with its body and forcing it to the ground.
“What are you doing here?!” The Beanie Boy snarled. “What business do you have here?!”
Zebin didn’t answer. It was too busy struggling to free itself. The Beanie Boy tightened his grip around its front legs, spreading them to the side painfully to try to keep it still. Zebin tried to ignore the seering pain that this caused, glaring up at the Beanie Boy and bearing its teeth. Then, slowly, it began to smile, confusing the Beanie Boy. If he thought that he could keep it down for long, well it was in for a big surprise.
Showing more flexibility than the Beanie Boy had accounted for, Zebin stretched its head and neck around and bit down hard on the Beanie Boy’s arm. The zoner let out a scream of pain and immediately released its right leg. Zebin took immediate advantage of this and struck its foot against the Beanie Boy’s face knocking out a tooth and a dark bruise already forming around his eye. The force of the strike caused the zoner to be rammed against the wall, wobbling a little as he tried to keep himself aloft.
Zebin didn’t give him much time to relax. It immediately rushed towards him, its head lowered, prepared to strike. The Beanie Boy let out a surprised shout before twisting his body around, managing to avoid getting hit, just barely. He then pulled back a fist and struck against the side of Zebin’s head.
The chinese unicorn stumbled to the side. It soon stood there, shaking its head as it felt the pain spread through the side of its head, concentrated on its cheek. It then felt the slightest change of air pressure around its horn and it opened its eyes to see the Beanie Boy coming towards it. Thinking fast, Zebin lowered its body a little and then struck upwards. Its horn rammed against the Beanie Boy’s stomach, right against its diaphram.
The force of the impact caused the Beanie Boy to give a weak gasp, his eyes widening intensely. Though the horn did not pierce his body, it was clear from the Beanie Boy’s expression that it still caused him a lot of pain. He grabbed onto the horn and started to push back weakly, his mouth open as he struggled to breathe. Realizing that this could end up killing him if it wasn’t careful, Zebin took a step back, removing its horn and letting the Beanie Boy fall to the ground. It stood there, glaring down at the zoner, as it struggled painfully to breathe.
“If you don’t want that to happen again...” Zebin said as it approached the Beanie Boy slowly. The zoner looked up at it in fear. “You will tell me where that shout for Rudy had come from.”
“I-I...”
Zebin narrowed its eyes dangerously. “Do not try to lie to me. I know that you could hear it too.” Zebin placed its sharp tipped hoof against the Beanie Boy’s body. “Unless you want me to impale you again, I suggest you speak.”
The Beanie Boy trembled, his hand placing itself over his stomach. The look in his eyes told the chinese unicorn that the Beanie Boy was having flashbacks to what had happened, remembering what the horn had nearly done and what it had accomplished when it was holding back. The Beanie Boy was apparently smart enough to know that he was outmatched all by himself like this. So it did not offer more resistance.
“I-I think it was c-c-coming from there...” The Beanie Boy pointed down a nearby hallway, located about a hundred feet away. “T-Turn there... You might find th-them...”
Zebin tried not to roll its eyes at the way this Beanie Boy was behaving. No doubt this was one of the weaker bunch of the Beanie Boys. Probably a low ranking member. Well good thing it had encountered this Beanie Boy; it would have a heck of a time trying to pry information from one of the more courageous ones. “Thank you for the information.”
The Beanie Boy nodded his head. “N-No problem...” He paused for a moment, and then held his hand up in gesture. “C-Can I go now..?”
Zebin stared at the Beanie Boy for a few moments. It had pondered letting the zoner go. It had gotten the information it wanted, and it doubted that he would reach Skrawl before he found the others, although that was still a possibility. This zoner wasn’t too much of a threat, really. It was too much of a coward, and chances are, all it is going to do is run and hide somewhere, perhaps whimpering about how a ‘big bad unicorn’ tried to beat him up.
But then it gave pause. It began to realize that this Beanie Boy might still be a threat after all. Maybe Skrawl is wandering the hallways and would alert him to his presence. Maybe there was something else going on that it wasn’t considering. True it had held back before, but only because it needed information. Now that it got it, there was no reason for it to hold back anymore...
The Beanie Boy appeared to catch its expression. He moved back a little, his breathing increasing slightly. “S-Sir..? Aren’t you going to let me go...?”
Zebin moved in closer, adopting an aggressive posture. The confused and frightened Beanie Boy continued to move backwards, eventually pressing itself against the wall. A part of Zebin could not believe it was doing this. This was..out of its nature. Yet it still recalled Biclop’s words. Sometimes to do some good, you had to be the bad guy.
And that’s exactly what it needed to do right now. For the benefit of everything, it needed to do what was necessary, no matter how sick it would make it feel on the inside. It did it before; it could do it again.
“Yes... You will be let go.” Zebin spoke softly. Slowly, it raised its hoof, causing the Beanie Boy to widen his eyes. “This will only take a second...”
The Beanie Boy’s screams echoed in its head.
sss
“Watch out, Rudy!” Howdy shouted as he jumped in front of the sword’s electrical path. “Get away before... Aaaaahhhhh!”
Penny’s eyes bulged at this. “Howdy! No!”
She tried to wrench her arm back, but she wasn’t able stop the sword from electrifying Howdy for a few seconds before tossing his body to the side. Penny flinched as she watched his small form ram against the wall like that, slowly sliding down and slumping to the ground. She stared at him in horror, her heart speeding up as she wondered what condition he was in.
She didn’t have much time to think about that before the red chalk sword, which she grabbed into her hand again to try to control it, yanked her forward, pulling her towards Rudy, the only one still up and moving about besides her. Without Howdy’s help, Rudy was having a harder time getting away. Penny did her best to shout warnings to him, but even with that, occasionally the sword managed to slash Rudy’s clothes or graze his body. Rudy let out yelps of pain, each time twisting Penny’s heart more. She tried her best to give him an advantage, but the red chalk was quite clever, still managing to land a few small blows.
Penny struggled to pull herself back, scraping her feet against the ground to gain some traction. She grabbed her arm even tighter and pulled back as hard as she could, trying her best to ignore the pain that this caused her. She managed to move back a little, giving Rudy a bit of time. But with a violent shake, the red chalk sword managed to regain some ground and went towards Rudy once more.
“Rudy! Get out of the way!” Penny called out.
Rudy was trying to scramble to get away, his head turning from one side to the other. “Where am I? Howdy? Which way do I go?!”
“Howdy’s been knocked out! You’re the only one left!”
This news caused Rudy’s face to pale. He turned his head in the direction of the sound, his blind eye wide in horror, his mouth opening wider than before. The sight of this made Penny’s heart nearly stop beating. A flash of fear twisted her gut and made her feel sick when the red chalk sword began to drag her more vigorously towards the frightened blind child. Seeing Rudy look around so helplessly caused tears to form in Penny’s eyes.
A wave of regret moved through her body as she was forced to advance on her friend. She didn’t dare try to let go of the sword, fearing that doing so would only speed up Rudy’s fate. Her actions did slow it down, but it wasn’t going to be enough. Rudy was agaisnt a corner now, his hands feeling around the wall as he tried to figure out which direction to go. But it was already too late for him. No matter which way he went, the sword was now in such close proximity that it would not miss. Rapidly, her arm began to raise up.
No...please... Not this... Anything but this...
No matter how much she pleaded with the red chalk to stop its attack, it just was not listening to her. She could practically feel its determination pumping through its object body, her arm muscles tightening in response to its will and wants. She could do nothing to stop her arm from being jerkingly forced into an attack position. Before she had a chance to react, she was suddenly thrust forward, the sword ready to pierce through Rudy’s body.
Penny opened her mouth wide and screamed, “Rudy! Watch out! I can’t stop!”
Rudy immediately twisted his head in the direction of her voice. For a split second, she could see his look of terror, the realization that he was trapped dawning on his face. Although he must have known there was nothing he could do, he still turning himself to the side to escape...
...which only exposed his side for attack.
Penny’s body went cold at this. In a few seconds, the sword was going to plunge into her best friend’s side. And there was nothing she could do about it. All she could do was watch in horror as the sword got dangerously close to her friend, the sharp tip ready to cut him up.
Suddenly, something flashed in front of her eyes. A blur of colors, and then something solid. She felt the red chalk sword being knocked to the side, away from where Rudy was trying to flee to. The force caused Penny’s arm to be jerked to the side. She felt seething pain move through her wrist as the sword was ripped away from her hand. She grabbed onto her wrist and gently rubbed it, her eyes looking over it to see what kind of damage was done to it. Then she looked over to see what had happened.
To her shock, there was some kind of zoner there. It looked to be a chinese unicorn. Someone she hadn’t met before. Many questions raced through her head, like where did it come from and how did it get here? These questions soon took a back seat as she watched in awe and shock as the chinese unicorn fought against the levitating electric sword.
The red chalk sword was trying to electrocute the chinese unicorn. But the zoner was quite fast on its feet. It moved about, so nimble and graceful, and dodged the electric volts like it was nothing. It jumped through the air and landed on the otherside, dodging the sword’s attempt to gut it. It then turned itself around and charged forward. The sword attempted to use this moment to slice up the zoner, but the zoner was one step ahead, moving around to the side before striking with one of its sharp tipped hooves. This knocked the sword away, which only seemed to anger the red chalk more, causing more electricity to rush through its body.
While this display of raw power frightened Penny, it didn’t seem to bother the chinese unicorn all that much. If anything, it took it as an invite. It pawed the ground before rushing forward and proceeding to run circles around the sword. The red chalk sword struggled to turn itself so it could get a good shot at the chinese unicorn. The zoner was just too nimble for it. It was not able to defend itself when the chinese unicorn came in from behind and knocked it into the ground before jumping off and landing a few feet away.
While this fight went on, Penny immediately rushed towards Rudy. She wrapped her arms around him, feeling him jump in startlement before relaxing after he realized who it was. He hugged her back tightly, his body shaking as he listened to the uncomfortable noises ringing in his ears. Penny placed her hand on the back of his hand, holding his face against her shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. Her eyes looked at him sympathetically before they turned to watch the chinese unicorn continue to do battle against the red chalk sword.
At this point, the red chalk sword appeared to have stopped trying electricity. Either it ran out, or it seemed to realize that the zoner was too fast for the electrical coils. Now it was resorting to physical attacks. Again and again, it struck outward, the blade clanging against the ground each time it tried to slice into the chinese unicorn’s body. This went on for what felt like several minutes, and all the while, the chinese unicorn never seemed to lose any momentum.
Just then, quicker than Penny had anticipated, the sword tried to slice into the zoner’s neck. Time itself seemed to slow as the chinese unicorn ducked down, the sword just barely grazing the tip of its horn. However, this seemed to be enough to cause the chinese unicorn to let out a neigh of pain. The chinese sword took advantage of this and slammed its body against it, knocking it against the ground.
Panting heavily, Penny cried out, “No!”
Her shout appeared to draw the attention of the sword. She bit her lip, her mouth opened and inhaling and exhaling quickly, as the red chalk sword began to move towards her now. Its tip glowed brightly and arched with electricity. Penny shivered and looked around, trying to find a way to get out of here. But she found nothing.
Suddenly there was a loud crackle and she saw the electricity coils rushing towards her, threatening to wrap her up in its painful embrace. She managed to move over quickly, pushing Rudy along with her. Her eyes bulged when the electricity still managed to strike her. She let out a scream, along with Rudy, as a brief dance of electricity shot through them. She heard something crack in her pocket and explode and she was certain it was the white chalk.
“Rawwwr!”
Penny swiveled her head over just in time to see the chinese unicorn ram itself against the red chalk sword. This caused the sword to be flung back from her. The chinese unicorn lowered its head and rushed towards the sword. At first, Penny thought that it was going to use its horn, which carried what appeared to be a fleshy tip, against the sword.
And apparently, that’s what the red chalk sword thought as well. It was rushing over at full speed, ready to tear into the chinese unicorn. Penny shouted at the chinese unicorn to stop, to get away. But the zoner was not listening to her. It continued its dash, its feet pounding the ground as it rapidly closed the gap between them. Penny clenched her teeth tightly as she watched this play out helplessly.
At the last possible second, the chinese unicorn did something unexpected. Rather than ramming its horn like she thought, it instead stood up into its hind legs. It lifted up its front legs and pointed the sharp tips of its hooves towards the oncoming red chalk sword. The sword had no chance of changing direction in time, and it ended up ramming against the claw tips of the chinese unicorn’s feet.
A loud shatter rang through the room as the sword was cut in half, several crack lines spreading through, breaking it into more pieces. The red chalk sword froze in shock at this, allowing the chinese unicorn time to strike it from behind, ramming it into the ground. Again and again it struck, breaking the sword further until it was nothing more than a few pieces.
Silence hung in the room. Penny was not able to tear her eyes away from this scene. She looked from the shattered sword to the chinese unicorn. Her own breathing ran in her ears as she struggled to make sense of what happened. Never before had she ever seen anything like this. It was..just incredible... The fact that this chinese unicorn managed to best an enchanted, electrical sword like that... She never thought she’d see the day, or even imagined that something like this could happen.
She was about to speak when the chinese unicorn turned to look at her. Its eyes were narrowed slowly and it was looking at her up and down, as if to examine her. Penny felt her body stiffen a little at the expression it was giving her. She couldn’t tell if this zoner was an actual ally or if it simply wanted to deal with her itself. At this thought, she held onto Rudy tighter and narrowed her eyes in return. If this zoner wanted to hurt her friends...
“I see you seem to be okay... Penny I think your name is.” The chinese unicorn said plainly, no signs of aggression in its voice.
Penny relaxed a little. “Yeah... That’s my name...”
The chinese unicorn barely seemed to acknowledge this as it looked over at where Snap and Howdy’s unconscious forms were. It seemed to snort at this. “They weren’t so lucky I wager.” It then turned its attention to where Rudy was. “And this one must be Rudy.”
“Yeah...” Rudy managed to say.
Penny spoke up quickly, “Excuse me but..who are you? And what are you doing here?”
The chinese unicorn stared at her for a few moments, tilting its head to one side as if it were surprised she would ask something like that. It then seemed to detect the suspicious expression she was carrying and it waved its hoof in front of itself. “Do not worry. I am not here to harm you.”
Penny couldn’t help but feel some level of skepticism. She turned her head slightly to one side, raising an eyebrow. Despite the fact that this chinese unicorn did save them, something about its attitude seemed off about it. She wasn’t even sure what it was. “What are you here for?”
“To help you.” The chinese unicorn pulled its head back, a small smile appearing one its muzzle. “I was sent to help you.” It took a few steps towards them. “My name is Zebin, by the way.”
“Okay Zebin...” Penny narrowed her eyes slightly. “Who sent you?”
Again the zoner smiled, this time a little more broadly than before. “You are going to love this. The one who sent me was an old acquaintance of mine, but to you, he’s a friend. None other than Biclops himself.”
Penny and Rudy gasped at that name. They remained in stunned silence for a few seconds, their breathing all but stopped.
“D-Did you say... Biclops..?” Rudy managed to say.
Zebin nodded his head in reply. “It took him a while to convince me to do this. But he has a way with words and well... Here I am.”
Penny felt her blood temperature dropping rapidly. She knew there was something wrong with this zoner, but to be allied with Biclops... especially when he was still under the memotrice’s control... That wasn’t what she expected. She glanced down at Rudy before turning her fear-filled gaze towards Zebin. What were they going to do now?
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Post by Bluedramon on Aug 16, 2015 16:56:21 GMT -5
Chapter 40:
Skrawl couldn’t really remember what had led up to this point. In all his time working with the memotrice, he never once thought it would come to this, especially not this fast.
Yet right now, his mind was too swirling with anger and rage to really care about that. All he saw right now was the little fiend who thought that it could take over his job, to steer his beautiful plans away from their intended course. All he saw was the zoner who mocked his authority, dared to say he would be an awful ruler, dared to indicate that his plans were stupid. Here lay a zoner who had dangerous ambitions, ones that needed to be taken under control before it was too late.
This zoner had no idea what it was doing. It didn’t know just how severe its plans were. It didn’t know all the damage that it could do. And most importantly, it failed to comprehend that he wouldn’t have an easy time to rule a place that was torn apart by the red chalk, by a bunch of humans.
Of course, the memotrice didn’t seem to care about this detail. It had already showed the utter most contempt for his rule, and for that, it needed to be taught a lesson. Gone was his fear of the memotrice’s power to change memories. And replacing that was rage regarding just how bold this creature had gotten. No more would it intimidate him. Now it was time that he intimidated it.
The two of them were pacing around each other, neither taking eyes off the other. They were already covered in a few wounds. Skrawl with some bite marks and Thoughtless with some slashes. Despite the blood seeping down from their wounds, neither of them showed any signs of slowing down. They continued their attacks against one another, managing to ignore the pain that radiated from their wounds.
Skrawl raised his hand up and he struck down towards Thoughtless. The small bird-like zoner was able to dodge it quickly. It landed a few feet away, its half wings raised threateningly as it flashed its claws in his direction. Skrawl was unimpressed, flexing his own claws in front as a way of showing how much bigger his were. Thoughtless froze for a moment, but then dashed towards him at full speed. Skrawl attempted to strike, but the zoner was able to zip around his defenses. He was aware of a flash of pain in his limb, causing him to look down.
He saw that Thoughtless was biting into his limb. Narrowing his eyes, he struck down against Thoughtless’s back. This caused the memotrice to let out a loud squawk of pain and released him. Skrawl then grabbed it by the throat and lifted it up. He glared at it in contempt for several seconds before he raised his claws up. This time, since the memotrice could not dodge the attack, the claws hit their mark. Another set of red cuts appeared on the memotrice’s face, causing its legs to kick out in desperation.
Skrawl’s eyes widened when he felt some of the claws plunge into his stomach. He arched his body back, pulling Thoughtless further away. All this did was irritate the wound further. Thoughtless, who realized that the claws were in, flexed them downward, driving the claws further into the flesh. Skrawl clenched his teeth tightly, trying his best not to scream. But when he ripped Thoughtless’s claws out of himself, he couldn’t help but give some yelp of pain.
Letting out a loud roar, he threw Thoughtless to the side. He watched as the zoner bounced and rolled across the ground. Rapidly, Thoughtless scrambled up to its feet, its claws scraping the ground as it did so. It glared off in Skrawl’s direction and let out a squawk of fury, its jaws opened up so that he could see its many small yet razor sharp teeth.
The two of them glared at one another for a few moments before they dashed towards each other once more. Rather than colliding with each other right away, they instead began to run circles around each other. They didn’t pay attention to how dizzy they were getting; they just focused on one another, not allowing the other to leave their sights. Their teeth were bared, eyes narrowed, and constant growls eminated from their throats.
Only after a while of this did they begin to take shots at one another. Skrawl struck at Thoughtless with his claws over and over again. Thoughtless managed to dodge them, its body twisting around while it tried to bite him. Skrawl managed to knock it away most of the time. Not heavy strikes as Thoughtless was moving around too much for a calculated blow, but they were enough to deter Thoughtless from being able to bite. The memotrice was growing irritated from this and began to employ faster motions. But Skrawl was able to match it with strength that rivaled it.
The two of them had become a blur of green and red, claws clanging against the other, teeth gnashing and biting. More blood was spilled as both of them accumulated more and more wounds. Pain spread through their bodies, but rather than slow them down, the pain was motivating them to continue their fighting.
Skrawl let out a scream when Thoughtless managed to land on his back. The sharp talons pressed into his flesh, drawing blood from it. Skrawl struggled to grab onto the zoner, but he found that his hands just couldn’t reach. Thoughtless took advantage of this and began to peck at him madly, its sharp teeth tearing small pieces of flesh from his body. Skrawl’s eyes bulged as the seering pain spread through his back. His eyes shining with pain, he looked around as he tried to find a way to dislodge the memotrice. Staring at the walls around him, he got an idea.
Before Thoughtless could react, Skrawl slammed himself against one of the walls, squishing Thoughtless between himself and the wall. The memotrice let out a weak squawk, the breath pushed right out of it. Skrawl moved back and he could feel the stunned memotrice drop to the ground in a thud.
Skrawl gave an evil smile of triumph down at the memotrice. He reached down to grab onto its throat. But it seemed that Thoughtless was not out of the fight yet. The memotrice lunged at him and collided with him. Skrawl, taken off guard, was sent back into the ground.
Now the memotrice stood on his chest and stomach. He flinched when he felt some pressure being applied to the wounds there. He glared up at Thoughtless, baring his teeth. He then gave pause when he noticed the memotrice’s expression. It was a similar look back when it had...
Wait a minute...
Snap had been right.
This situation, it caused something to be triggered inside of his head. The back of his mind flashed with images of what really happened. He recalled Thoughtless standing on him like this before. The adrenaline rushing through his body helped his memories to resurface faster. Snap had been telling the truth.
For a brief moment, Skrawl actually felt some level of regret. He had just sentenced to death to someone who had been trying to warn him, to help him this whole time. But that regret soon popped out of his head. He couldn’t allow for such soft and weak feelings to overcome him. Not now.
The idea that this memotrice had altered his memories, and was trying to do the same thing again... He could feel his blood coming to a boil. How dare it do this to him... How dare it try this same stunt again.. This thing thought it would get the better of him? It thought that it could just toy with his memories just like that, eh? Well not this time. He was not going to allow this memotrice to use him anymore.
Pulling back his hand, his fingers flexing, he gave the memotrice a sneer before he made his move. Thoughtless didn’t seem to realize what was going to happen until it was too late. It only had time to look down at the claws before there was a loud ‘schlunk’ sound as the claws were suddenly in its throat.
The feel of his claws in the creature’s neck was so satisfying. The blood that intermingled in the air as well danced in his nostrils. Skrawl couldn’t help but smile at this. Though his claws were only in the neck for a second, the brief moment of warm wetness was something that he was going to cherish for a while to come. Then as his claws exited out of the throat, he still smiled even when specks and splashes of Thoughtless’s blood landed on his face.
The zoner gave a gaspy choke, its body stiffening. Skrawl managed to push it off of him and he quickly got up to his feet. He watched in amusement as Thoughtless scrambled to stop the bleeding, pressing its claws against its throat to apply pressure. The blood dripped down at a steady rate. It glared at Skrawl and tried to squawk, only for nothing by a shaky gasp to exit out.
<Y...You.... Y-You....> That was all Thoughtless managed to broadcast.
Skrawl just smirked at it as Thoughtless’s trembling body slumped into the ground, its legs giving out beneath its body, laying out at different angles. He took a few steps towards it, circling it slowly as he watched Thoughtless struggle to get up, trying so much to fight against the blood loss. Skrawl couldn’t help but chuckle at this and fold his arm behind his back. No one can fight against blood loss forever, and judging from the look in the memotrice’s eyes, it knew this, too.
“Let me take this moment to remind you that I am the leader here.” Skrawl growled softly, his smile hiding the rage that bubbled in the back of his mind. “I call all the shots around here. You are nothing more than an underling. That’s what you were supposed to be. Yet you tried to steal my job, my Beanie Boys.. You tried to turn me into your lackey.” Skrawl pointed a claw in the memotrice’s direction. “Well I’m sorry, but that isn’t the way things work around here.”
Thoughtless gritted its teeth. <Y-You w-w-won’t...>
Skrawl didn’t give it a chance to finish. “From this point forward, I am the leader again, as I should be. As for you... Well I will think of something for you.” He paused as he looked at the blood. He smirked and gave a small chuckle. “...if you survive this, that is.”
Thoughtless began to scramble on the ground, trying to get up. To run away or to attack him, Skrawl was not certain. Whatever it was, it still amused him to watch the memotrice even attempt to try something in its condition. Skrawl decided to let it struggle on the ground for a couple of seconds before he took action.
He rushed forward and, pulling back his foot, he unleashed all his anger and disgust and contempt for the memotrice in a single kick. The memotrice let out a squawk of pain as its body was tossed across the ground like some kind of rag doll. Its body convulsed and twitched on the ground from the shere agony that it was in before it finally passed out.
Skrawl moved towards the memotrice, narrowing his eyes at it. He lowered himself down and pressed his claws gently against the creature’s neck, away from the wound. He waited for a few moments before he was able to declare that the memotrice was still alive, just unconscious. He let out a soft grumble before he grabbed onto Thoughtless’s tail and lifted it up from the ground. He watched it dangle limply before he proceeded to head down the hallway. Despite what Thoughtless had done, he still felt hat he could still get some use out of it.
The key was to figure out just what that would be.
sss
Zebin blinked a few times. It had to admit to itself, this was not the kind of response it had expected from these two. Wasn’t Biclops their friend? Why would they act so horrified of the idea of it being sent to help them? Did they want to do things on their own? Were they afraid that Biclops was going to get hurt? Or was it something else?
Zebin had thought about giving the children some time to recover and speak on their own. It didn’t want to sound rude. But given that neither of these children were budging, it concluded that if it wanted answers, it had to get them itself.
It proceeded to move a little closer. It noticed how Penny’s expression became more cautious than before, eyeing it up and down warily. That certainly wasn’t a good sign. It hadn’t even done anything to her, except save her life, and for her to act this way... Yeah something was definitely up. It wasn’t sure what, but it would find out soon enough. Perhaps there was a lot more going on than it had initially thought.
It was confused when it saw that Rudy’s expression hadn’t changed much. He was still fearful, but he wasn’t reacting to it getting closer. Heck, he wasn’t even looking its way. Rather odd... Was Rudy hoping to avoid eye contact or was there something going on with him? Peering a bit more sharply, it did start to notice something seemed off about his eyes. They weren’t tracking anything, just staring off into empty space. That didn’t sound like Rudy, based on what it had heard about him. What was going on with him?
A thought crossed its mind. Was it possible that Rudy was...blind? The thought was rather uncomfortable. It could only conclude that this had occurred recently; Rudy certainly wasn’t blind before. It wondered if it was permanent or if it was just temporary.
Well regardless, that didn’t matter at the moment. They needed to get out of here quickly. Rudy might not be able to see right now, but he sure as hell can run. So long as he had Penny with him, he should be able to navigate this place no problem. They could discuss the how on that subject after they were at least out of this wretched place.
But first, it needed to convince them that it was an ally. Their reaction to it stating that it came on behalf of Biclops had definitely unnerved them. It didn’t take a genius to know that this was going to make things rather problematic. How could it hope to guide them to safety if it couldn’t even gain their trust yet? It needed to think of something quickly to clear up the misunderstanding. At least long enough before it had to....
It tried not to think of that. Instead, it cleared its throat, stared at Penny in the eyes, knowing she could still see, and said, “What is going on here? Why are you two so scared of Biclops?”
Penny glanced over at Rudy. The boy had bitten his lip nervously, his head tilted a little so it faced Zebin, although he still wasn’t actually looking at it. The boy looked a little too nervous to speak right away, so Penny took the helm. “Biclops’s memory had been altered.”
At this, Zebin felt like an idiot. Of course that would have been a problem.... Zebin was aware of this as Biclops had told it while he was trying to convince it to help him. Honestly, that had taken a backseat in its thoughts as it was trying to make Biclops leave. It had forgotten about it overall until Penny reminded it. And now that it knew, suddenly the children’s fear made sense. After all, how were they supposed to feel around someone who was sent by someone whose memory was altered into thinking they were villains?
Slowly, Zebin’s expression softened up into one of understanding. It lowered its head slightly, trying to look harmless, as it proceeded a little closer to Penny. The girl, nervous, took a few steps back. This caused Zebin to stop itself, realizing that it might be pushing its boundaries a little too much.
“I am not your enemy.” Zebin simply stated.
“Then why did Biclops send you...?” Rudy’s voice was laced in haunted fear.
Zebin gave a soft sigh. “I know what it looks like, but I promise you, Biclops had sent me to help you, not destroy you.” The two children looked confused and uncertain. “I promise you that’s what he told me.” Zebin raised a foot up and pressed it against himself. “He had tried so hard to get me to help him. He talked about needing to help you, but not being able to come in, how I’m the only one who could...all that.”
It paused for a few moments to give a bit of time for the children to digest this. Despite its words, they still looked a little unconvinced. Zebin gave another sigh. This was going to be a little harder than it thought it would be.
“If Biclops didn’t want you safe, why would he send me? If he had truly meant you harm, why would he send a rescue mission? I promise you, he isn’t trying to trick you or lead you into a trap. I am here to rescue you and nothing more.” Zebin was careful not to include certain information. Otherwise, it might screw up its own mission. “Just come with me. I know the way out of here. I can get you to safety.”
“How can we be so sure that you’re speaking the truth?” Rudy asked softly. “For all we know, you’re just lying to us so you can get us into a false state of security and..”
“I’m not!” Snipped Zebin, raising its head up high. “I’m trying to help you!”
“Well I...”
“Wait, Rudy.” Penny placed her hand on his shoulder. “Maybe... Maybe we should listen to them.”
Rudy’s mouth dropped open at this. “What?! But we don’t even know this guy! How can we..?”
“They might be the only ones who can get us out of here.” Penny explained to him. This didn’t change Rudy’s expression too much except to show more skepticism and uncertainty. “Look, I’m not so sure about this myself. But..what if it’s possible? What if Biclops did remember what really happened?” She raised her hand up in gesture. “Maybe we should give this guy a chance.”
“But what if he traps us...?” Rudy hissed in a low voice. “As we have learned lately, we can’t just run off taking risks like this. We have to...”
“Yes, I know. But Rudy... we’re already trapped anyway. Would going from one trap to another really be that much different? At least this time, we have a chance of escape. And if something goes wrong, well...” Penny held up her piece of magic chalk. “We have a way to defend ourselves now.”
Zebin froze when it stared upon the magic chalk. It had forgotten about that little detail. It might be problematic later on. Perhaps it should do something about it.
But that would be for later. For the moment, it found itself just staring at the object. It had never laid its eyes upon magic chalk before. It had only heard of it and seen illustrations of it. Seeing it like this was...quite a whole different experience than just seeing a picture of it in some random book. It was quite a thing of beauty. Though to it, all it was was a glowing stick. It felt no power from it. But judging from the girl’s expression, this thing was something to be wielded.
It had often wondered why zoners could not use the magic chalk. It always did seem so strange. Then again, life would become a little too easy if that were the case. Either that, or much more violent as any superweapon could be created. Considering how some zoners could be, it was a good thing that only humans could use the magic chalk.
As Rudy and Penny talked with one another, Zebin heard a soft noise to its right. It turned its head and saw that the puppet zoner was starting to wake up. He was giving off a soft groan as he pushed himself up with his hand. Seeing that the two children were still deep in their conversation, Zebin decided to approach the small zoner.
“Where am I...? What happened...?” The puppet zoner murmured as he rubbed his head. “It feels like some kind of mountain decided to land on me...”
Zebin remained quiet as it continued its approach. This puppet zoner looked familiar... Oh yes, wasn’ this Howdy? Yeah, definitely was him. Zebin felt a little foolish for not recognizing him earlier. Even if Biclops never mentioned him to it, it still should have known the small zoner from all the performances he did in the past. Howdy might be small, but he certainly was no stranger to large parts of ChalkZone.
Howdy turned his head and seemed to notice the chinese unicorn. His eyes widened slightly. “Who are you?”
Zebin approached at a slower pace, lowering its head. “I am Zebin.” Howdy just stared at it. No surprise that he didn’t recognize his name. It continued, “As for where you are, you and the others here are located in Skrawl’s hideout. I was sent to rescue you and...”
“Wait... Skrawl’s hideout...?” Howdy whispered softly. His expression changed a little, as if somethin was finally clicking in his mind. “You certain...?”
The chinese unicorn nodded its head. “That I am. And just a few minutes ago, you were all fighting some kind of red sword...”
At this, Howdy immediately jumped up to his feet. His eyes bulged as realization dawned on his face. He began to look around quickly, his breathing erratic. “Is everyone all right?!”
“Don’t worry, they are fine.” Zebin reassured him. “I took care of the sword.”
Howdy stared at it for a few seconds, blinking slowly. It seemed to take a little while for him to fully register what he was told. Even then, he still looked rather cautious and uncertain. He looked around slowly, getting an idea of his surroundings. It was only when he seemed to notice the shattered pieces on the ground, and saw how there was no one around here trying to attack them, that he seemed to relax. Then the puppet zoner gave it a small smile.
The fact that it took a little while for the zoner to finally accept that he and the others were safe wasn’t too much of a surprise to the chinese unicorn. It might not be a doctor, but it was aware of the problems concussions can cause, and it was likely Howdy suffered from this. The fact that he could remember this quickly about what happened was a good sign; things weren’t as bad off with him as it could have been.
Then Howdy’s smile faded as his eyes narrowed slightly. Not out of suspicion like with Rudy, but instead curiosity. He lifted up his finger and he pointed in its direction. “Did you say...Biclops?”
The chinese unicorn nodded its head once. “I was sent by him to help you get these guys out of here.” It looked in the direction it had come from. “I know the way out of here. It shouldn’t take too long to get back to the surface.”
Howdy tilted his head to one side. “So Biclops sent you as well, did he?”
“What?”
The two zoners looked over and saw that Rudy and Penny had finally stopped talking and were focusing on their conversation. Their eyes were wide in shock and realization at what Howdy had just said. Judging from their expressions, it was clear that they weren’t aware of this detail. Zebin did think it was strange that they accepted help from Howdy but not it. It had thought it was because they knew Howdy, but this small detail did add more sense into the mix.
It remained silent as Howdy stared at the two children. It didn’t want to do or say anything that might accidentally ruin this. They were already wasting enough time as it was, but Rudy and Penny would not go with them if they thought they were heading into danger. Well Rudy wouldn’t anyway, and Zebin couldn’t help but doubt that Penny could convince him otherwise so easily. But maybe, just maybe, Howdy could convince him, convince them both, that Biclops was an ally once more. They may not trust the word of a stranger, but surely they would listen to a friend...right?
Well considering the memotrice was involved, a part of it realized that this might not go as smoothly as it would hope. It remained quiet and waited to see how things would turn out.
“Yeah. I ran into Biclops a little while ago. He was bringing the magic chalk over to help you guys but he could not get it in here. So he saw me and asked me to do it. I admit, I was not certain if I was qualified enough to sneak through this place, but he had enough confidence in me and he convinced me to go come in here.” Howdy raised his hands up at his sides. “And the rest you know.”
Hmm, how interesting. It seemed Biclops had to also convince Howdy to come and help the children. Zebin was certain the unwillingness to help at first was related to the memotrice’s involvement; no one likes the idea of their memory being wiped and changed forcibly. Even it means helping a friend, losing one’s identity is something almost everyone fears, and the threat of losing it is enough to most in their tracks. It was nothing personal.
Rudy frowned softly at this. He looked a little angry, but mostly, he was more sad than anything. Disappointed. He glanced over at Penny, once more biting his lip. The expression he gave was one of ‘please don’t let this be true’. This look didn’t even seem foreign on the boy’s face, as if he had encountered this once before.
Penny, however looked a little more convinced. She wasn’t smiling, but she still looked more relieved than Rudy. It seemed that Howdy revealing he, too, was sent by Biclops was enough to convince the girl that the giant really was their ally once more. And her words reflected that.
“Remind me to thank him later.”
Rudy gave Penny a shocked look. “Penny... You can’t...”
“Why not? Rudy, both these zoners say they came to help us and if they both say that Biclops is willing to help us... well...” Penny paused for a moment. She gritted her teeth for a few seconds as she glared at Rudy. Her face soon relaxed as she sighed. “I understand where you’re coming from. This does seem a little strange. But.. Look, we’re wasting time and Snap needs help. Don’t you think it is better to take a risk that might lead us to the outside rather than taking another risk that might lead us further down this place?”
“Well...you do have a point...” Rudy lowered his head and turned it to the side. “It would be unfair of me to hold everyone back...especially for Snap..” The mention of the zoner’s name seemed to awaken some uncomfortable memory in his head. “But...but your emember what happened with Snap... He acted like he was still our friend, but he still...” He shut his eyes and gave a shudder. “I don’t want that to happen again...”
“Oh Rudy... I understand. I don’t want it to happen again either.” Penny put her arms around the boy and pulled him into a hug. His unseeing left eye seemed to relax and show signs of being comforted as Penny continued to hug him. “But I promise you... at the first sign of trouble, I will get us out of it. You can trust me.”
Zebin hated to interrupt this, but they had wasted far to much time on this. They needed to get out of here before Skrawl or that memotrice decided to rear their ugly heads here. Not to mention, if what they said about Snap was true, then the little blue guy was running out of time as well. Not bothering to give the children anymore time, it moved towards them quickly, its feet tapping the ground loudly in order to get their attention.
“I hate to break up this lovely conversation, but we have to get going now.” Zebin narrowed its eyes a little. “I don’t think I need to remind you what kind of situation we are in. So...” Zebin turned its head to the side. “Are you going to come with me or not?”
Rudy and Penny remained silent for a few moments while they thought of an answer. However, as they clearly understood their situation and knew that any further delays would only land them into more trouble, and especially for Snap, they quickly nodded their heads.
Zebin relaxed its expression and gave a small smile. “That is good.” Its smile faded as it turned around and began to walk down the hallway. “Follow me.”
sss
Terry couldn’t believe just how stupid she had been. As soon as she woke up from the break, no matter how much in pain she was, she should have fled somewhere. No..she should have drawn something. She should have whipped out the magic chalk and drawn something against that creature.
Instead she chose to run back here. She couldn’t choose some other place. No, it had to be right here. Back where she had come from. Back where she had had first entered the chalk world.
And now, because of this, she was surrounded by the angry parents. None of them were showing her much sympathy. Either they didn’t see her broken arm or they didn’t care. She would bet on the latter. From their expressions alone, she could tell that they were too infuriated by what she had done to really show much concern for her. And after the stunt she pulled, this did not surprise her in the least.
But now what was she going to do? With these adults surrounding her, glaring harshly at her, did she really stand much of a chance of getting away? No, not really. They blocked her path. Even the window was off limits. There was no way she could get over there, or even open it, especially with only one working arm. She was at a disadvantage, both physically and the fact that she was greatly outnumbered. Even that stupid secretary of Dr. Von Doktor’s was here.
Any attempt to escape was futile. In her condition, even that stupid fat kid, Reggie, would be able to stop her. All it would take was a tap on her broken arm and that would be it. Her mind was already swirling in pain as it was, and it was making it a little hard for her to properly concentrate. She couldn’t begin to imagine how much worse it would be if her arm was messed with.
She realized that she really had only one option left. She didn’t like the idea of it. She wished there was something else she could do. But she had to face facts. This was her only option that she could go with.
She had to cooperate with them.
“..all right...” She whispered softly, her eyes shutting. She struggled to keep herself from showing too much pain. “What do you want to know?” She flinched at this question. Of all the stupid things she could ask... And the adults’ reaction to this cemented this.
“What the... What the bloody hell do you mean? You should know exactly what we want, you bitch!” Mr. Tabootie’s face seemed to turn red as he said this. The sight of him caused Terry to freeze, clenching her teeth tightly in fear. “You betray us! You condemn our children! And you dare ask us ‘what we want to know’?! You sick, disgusting...”
He only stopped when Mrs. Tabootie placed her hand on his shoulder. Slowly the man’s expression softened up a little as he turned towards his wife. She gave him a reassuring smile before she turned to Terry. She did not hold much more sympathy towards her than her husband did, but at least she seemed as though she was going to be a bit more calm about it. “How could you have done that? How could you say those things about our children?”
Terry narrowed her eyes at this. Despite her pain, she still could concentrate enough to remember her hatred towards the children. The mere mention of them reminded her of what they had put her through, and how difficult they had made her life. They were annoying little pests who didn’t know their boundaries.
But she was fully aware that she could not very well say this to the parents. That would only make them even angrier, and that wasn’t something she wanted. She could feel how uncomfortable the atmosphere was in this place. She could feel their anger and hate towards her start to boil over. If she did anything to tip them over the edge, there was no telling what they were going to do to her. She did not want to get caught in the wrath of the parents. There was hardly any wrath worse than that.
“Look, I just...” Terry started to say.
Mrs. Sanchez cut her off. “You just what? What in the world do you think gave you the right to..” Her voice trailed off as her voice got a little too growly. The fact that the most logical of the adults was acting this way indicated the level of severity regarding Terry’s actions. “You just... We trusted you and you did this... and you said those things about our children and..”
Tilly approached, her hands formed into fists. “Have you no shame..?”
Terry looked around her. She could see the other adults nodding in agreement. Reggie just glared at her, saying nothing. None of them showed her any kindness or sympathy, too governed by their emotions in the moment. Terry realized just how delicate this situation was getting, and if she wasn’t careful, she could say a trigger word that was going to turn this situation into something far, far worse.
She couldn’t really blame them for being angry of course. She had been quite awful regarding their missing children, and she realized now that she had gone a bit too far with that. She should have kept her mouth shut and just left. But now the cat was out of the bag that she downright hated them, and she knew that these adults weren’t going to leave her alone until she answered their questions.
She wasn’t entirely sure how she was going to tell them, however. In their angered situation, she would have to be really careful how she worded things. This was not going to be easy, especially considering that she was in a lot of pain. The only reason she was able to talk right now was the fear of what might happen if she didn’t speak, and the adrenaline that accompanied this. At the very least, she could try to explain her side of the story. If they really want to know why she hated their kids, well...they did deserve to know the reason, right?
“So, you want to know why I don’t like those two...why I said those things...” Terry began to say. Her voice had some tinge of pain to it. “That is understandable... You are those b... I mean.. kids’ parents.” She nearly slipped up there. Good thing she caught herself before it was too late. “So if you want to know.. Okay, I will tell you.”
The parents continued to frown at her. So did Ms. Charlotte, Reggie, Mr. Bullnerd, and Tilly. None of them took their eyes off of her. Some had their arms folded. Others had fists formed at their sides. Others were just standing there, glaring harshly in her direction. While she did at least notice a couple of them showing a tinge of sympathy as they finally noticed her arm, none of them made a comment about it, their emotions too raging, too swirling to think of anything except finding answers.
Terry tried her best not to think about her injury. Some of the pain had died down a little, and some of it she was able to ignore so long as she kept concentrating hard enough. She would get help soon enough. Surely these adults wouldn’t be cruel enough to deny her that, regardless of what she did to them.
She decided to start speaking now.
“Well you see, I have been trying to expose this world for a long while now. Many months actually. This world of chalk, it’s the reason for all the strange happenings in this town. I felt that everyone had the right to know about this place, especially if they cross into this world frequently. What would happen if something dangerous from that world came into here?”
At this, she looked over at the portal. She shuddered as she remembered that east that had chased her here. She could feel her blood running cold as she remembered just how close she had come to having her head bitten off. She turned back to the adults.
“So many terrible things could have come from it. So I tried to get your children to cooperate so the word could be spread. But they refused to listen to me. Every time I tried to get some information, they would just...shut me out. Yeah I ended up not liking them so much, but can you blame me? I mean, that Rudy child caused me to go bald on national television!” She had to stop herself. She could feel herself getting a little too angry there. “I just...wanted what was best for everyone...”
It was hard to say if the adults believed her words or not. In fact, Terry hardly believed them herself. Her initial reasons might have been a bit more noble, but she could not lie to herself; she knew that the reason now was simply to earn back her reputation and money. Selfish reasons.
But she tried to keep that aspect a secret. She doubted the adults would like that for a reason. They might be a bit more reasonable if they thought she was doing this for the greater good. This world of chalk was a mysterious place that they weren’t aware of. Maybe, if she chose the right words, she could rouse them by her side and they could help her expose this world, under the guise of simply wanting to protect others.
Or perhaps..that was still her reason? Maybe deep down, she did still have some level of caring towards others regarding this. Maybe she wasn’t as selfish as she thought...
She shook the thought out of her mind. What a stupid idea. Why should she care about the ones who had insulted her, shunned her, turned her away? Why should she be worried if some zoner got out and attacked this place? It would simply make for a good story. Maybe she could even find a way to pose herself as the hero so everyone would respect her. Yeah...that’s what she could do...
However, when she looked upon the faces of the adults, she began to realize that none of their expressions changed. They were still glaring at her. In a heartbeat, she knew that they either did not believe her words, or they noticed the expression on her face and realized that she wasn’t being entirely sincere. She licked her lips nervously at this, staring from one adult to the other. She dare not speak another word and merely waited for them to talk. As her nervousness increased, she became aware of the pain in her arm even more now. She struggled not to grab onto it and scream.
“Do you really expect us to believe that?” Tilly placed her hands on her hips. “Do you think we’re stupid?”
“We know you don’t care about anyone but yourself. You’re a disgusting, filthy liar...” Mrs. Sanchez hissed through clenched teeth.
Mrs. Tabootie folded her arms against herself. “You’re better off speaking the truth. Tell us why you’re doing this. And no more lies about ‘trying to help others’. That’s bullshit and you know it.”
Mr. Tabootie nodded his head. He took a step out in front of the adults. He cracked his knuckles. It was doubtful he would actually strike her in her condition; it was more for intimidation. It worked, causing Terry to move her head back. “Spill it, Ms. Bouffant...”
Terry took in a few quick breaths. She could feel her mind swirling, frustration and confusion intermixing together. She could feel a tingling sensation in the fingers of her unbroken arm. She looked all around. All of a sudden, she started to feel more trapped. She wasn’t even sure why. Perhaps it was due to the angered aura around her growing even greater. While she could handle it before, it was now becoming a bit too much to bear.
Unable to stop herself, she let it all lose, her own emotions, intermingled with the peain, ruling her mind now. “Okay you want to know? Fine! I want that world all to myself! I want to expose it and get rich off of it because I deserve it! And I hope your children remain trapped for a while because those little brats have gotten in my way time and again! There, are you happy now?!”
Terry realized too late just how far she had gone with that. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw the parents move in closer to her. She could feel the tension and anger from them, and as they got closer, this only got stronger and sharper. She felt as though she were being crushed from all sides.
The tension growing even strong, her mind spinning as she found herself baring her teeth. She struggled to remove it from her face, but the expression stayed. She also found herself raising her arm up, her fingers flexed as if to prepare to strike. No matter what she did, she still found herself obeying her mind’s instincts to prepare to defend herself. At any moment, these adults could lunge at her, the woman’s mind told her. She had to be prepared, lest she finds herself getting ripped apart.
Just then, before anyone could make a move, there was a quick flash and blur, and then a shadow casted upon Terry, blocking her view of the adults. She tilted her head upwards, and slowly she began to recognize this figure. It was Ms. Charlotte. What was she doing? Why was she standing there?
Ms. Charlotte glared off at the other adults. One of her arms was held straight out at her side, as if to shield Terry from their wrath. This was quite strange. Ms. Charlotte didn’t seem to like Terry any more than the adults. So why was she protecting her like this? Or... or did she have other plans for her? Was she just trying to keep her to herself so she could... No, that didn’t seem like her. Based on what little she knew of her, Ms. Charlotte didn’t seem like the kind of person who would do this.
Then again, the parents never crossed her as aggressive before until today. So this was of little comfort to her. She decided to remain quiet and see where this was going to head into.
“I think tempers have flared up for now. Let’s stop right here before it gets any worse.” Ms. Charlotte said. Without waiting for input from the parents, she turned and glared down at Terry. “As for you, Ms. Bouffant, you will be coming with me.”
Terry’s eyes widened at this. “Why?”
Ms. Charlotte growled softly, “Because Dr. Von Doktor has a lot he wants to say to you...”
Terry remained quiet. She had already forgotten about that old geezer. She had been so caught up in the chalk world and feeling the thrill that she had let him slip out of her mind. She found herself glancing down.
Ms. Charlotte, obviously thinking that she was looking at her broken arm, commented, “He can have your arm fixed up when we get there. But first, you will need to explain to him why you turned your back on him. I am sure he will be happy to hear that you foregoed the mission just for your selfish ass.”
Terry flinched at this, but said not a word. She was already in a lot of trouble as it is. The last thing she needed to do right now was dig herself a deeper hole. She whispered a soft response, hoping to diffuse the situation a little.
“Fine... I’ll go quietly.”
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Post by Bluedramon on Aug 18, 2015 18:25:51 GMT -5
Chapter 41:
There was some sense of relief when Terry willingly surrendered. Well, not sure if he would call it ‘surrendering’, but at least she wasn’t putting up a fight. Not that it meant too much to him. She was probably only surrendering because of her broken arm. It would have been quite problematic if she had tried to do anything in that state.
Not that he didn’t feel a little sorry for her. He might be a child, but he knew well enough that broken bones were a huge deal. He could tell just how much pain she was in by the look in her eyes. Her eyes were twitching, she gave a few shakes constantly, and though she tried to hide it, he could hear some whimpering from her once in a while. The broken bone was likely affecting her judgment as well, which probably would explain the rather harsh things she said earlier. Not that it made it too much better, of course.
Well at least they won’t have to deal with her anymore. Ms. Charlotte had taken it upon herself to take Terry away. They had asked her if she needed any help, but she insisted on doing it on her own. He wasn’t really sure why. It was almost as if she felt she had to prove something. But... prove something to who?
He decided not to question it. He simply stood there and watched as Ms. Charlotte guided Terry out of the room. The adults around him watched, their eyes narrowed in disgust, likely remembering what the woman had said earlier. He had a feeling that, if Terry tried to apologize, she wasn’t going to get much of a warm reception. He knew he wouldn’t be so willing to give her another chance after what she had done. He couldn’t blame the adults for acting this way around her, in spite of her broken arm. She did kind of deserve it anyway after she ran off like that.
As soon as they had left, Reggie looked down at the piece of chalk he had taken from her. It rested on his palm and he was gripping it tightly. He loosened his grip and spread his fingers out, allowing him to see all of the chalk as it rested there.
This...felt different than the red chalk. When he had held the red chalk, he felt a little stronger. He could feel its energy pumping through him. And when he drew with it, it was like a part of him had awoken up inside, energizing him. It was thrilling to hold it, thrilling to use it. That was probably why he had never wanted to leave; the red chalk just made him feel powerful. It was like they had bonded.
And when he really thought about it, that was pretty terrifying. It was like the red chalk had wanted to become a part of him. It didn’t want to leave him. It wanted him to stay with it, as if they shared some kind of unbreakable bond. But this bond was not very healthy. The red chalk was controlling, trying to make him do what it wanted. It was like he was pulled into an abusive relationship, with the red chalk trying to dominate him and everything that he did. It might have made him feel powerful, but it came at the cost of his free will.
But this white chalk... It felt...different.
It was hard to explain what it was. It wasn’t a plain ordinary feeling. He wouldn’t feel this way holding regular chalk. But it wasn’t a power mongering kind of feeling either. It was different than that. It was more..soothing? Yes, soothing was the word. Welcoming, mystical. It did give him energy, but it wasn’t intense like with the red chalk. While the red chalk promised power in exchange for control, the white chalk seemed to be offering creativity and freedom, something he could not get with the red chalk.
He looked over at the chalkboard. He stared at it long and hard. He could hear the adults speaking on what they were going to do, but he hardly paid attention to their words as he continued to stare at the black chalkboard that laid before him.
It has been a long time since he had gone into that world. Well not that long. He was certain he was in it just a month or so ago. Whenever that day happened... He wasn’t sure; sometimes days get all muddled up. But it was recent enough that he did remember some things about it. Would it be enough to be useful? Well he wasn’t really sure. But it wouldn’t hurt to try, right?
A part of him still couldn’t believe that he was actually going to go on a rescue mission to help Rudy and Penny. Those two who he liked to tease, especially Rudy. Those whom he didn’t usually get along with. Then there was the fact that Rudy learned his embarrassing name and...
Well he couldn’t explain it, but there was something that was driving him to help them. Was it guilt of what he did? That’s what he believed it to be. Could that still be the case or was it something else? In the end, whatever it is, he was making him want to rush into the world and try to do something.
Yet he still remained frozen, questions bombarding his head.
Just how were they going to do this? True they now had access into that world. But that didn’t mean that they could just waltz right in there. Not without some kind of plan. They didn’t even know if Rudy and Penny were in this world, let alone just where they were. He did recall the natives were friendly, but that was just the ones he ran into. What if there were more dangerous ones lurking around? And even if they did run into some friendly creatures, would they be able to help find the lost children? Would they even know what happened?
Well, he wasn’t going to figure it out just standing around here, now would he? No, if he just stood there, twiddling his fingers, he wasn’t going to get very far. All he was going to succeed in doing was wasting time. He needed to take responsibility. He needed to take action.
And that’s exactly what he did. Without another moments hesitation, he took a few steps towards the adults. They immediately stopped speaking to one another as they noticed him coming towards them. As they fell silent, Reggie immediately began to explain what he had in mind.
“I know we hadn’t had much time to really think this out, but I don’t think there is much time for that. We will have to take action.” He raised up the magic chalk. “I can use this to help us through that world.”
“How are we going to find Rudy and Penny?” Tilly asked. She narrowed her eyes softly. “Would you happen to know where they are?”
Reggie shook his head. “Of course I don’t know. And that place is huge. If we search normally, we might not find them in time.” He noticed the worried expressions on the parents’ faces. He continued, hoping to diffuse things before they got too bad. “However, I could probably draw us something that could be useful. In that world, drawings come to life. If I drew, say, a tracker, we might be able to use it to find them. Or if not, we could find a friendly native and...”
Mr. Tabootie interrupted him. “How do we know any of them are friendly?”
“Yeah, son. Not that I don’t trust you or anything. But...” Mr. Bullnerd bit his lip for a moment. He rubbed the back of his head nervously and said, “How are we to know if any of them mean any amount of kindness? I mean...they aren’t human, are they..?”
Reggie recalled several of the beings he had met. Now that he thought of it, many of them weren’t human. There were all kinds of species, even some living inanimate objects. But he also saw other things, like an anthro polar, a flying pterosaur, a monkey, among other things. It was a whole mix up of all kids of creatures and beings.
Such a thing might be frightening to the adults. He could try to lie to them, but that would be pretty stupid. As soon as they stepped through, they would know that he lied. It was better that he just tell the truth right away. At least now, they would know what to expect. Better this than them going in ill prepared for what they would encounter and having a heart attack or something.
“There’s a variety of species there. From what I remember, some act like normal animals, while others are sentient. Most of the ones I encountered are either friendly or they simply want to be left alone. I hadn’t really encountered anyone truly victious in that world.” Reggie paused for a moment. It was true that he didn’t find any villains there, but he wasn’t going to rule it out. “I’m not saying there isn’t any dangerous creatures there. I’m just saying that it’s not quite as infested as you are probably thinking it is.”
The adults looked at one another at this. He could hear them start to speak and whisper to each other. He couldn’t really hear too much of what they were saying. He decided to take a small step back and allow them to continue speaking. He didn’t want to interrupt them. He wanted to give them a bit of time to discuss this. He hoped it wouldn’t take too long. They might have some time, but it wasn’t infinite.
Then, as their whispers got louder, he began to pick up some of the things they were saying. He tried not to eavesdrop, but he still felt his ear picking up some sentences, and he couldn’t help but listen in on them.
“Are we sure we want to do this?”
“It’s for our children. What else can we do?”
“But those creatures....”
“Well, Reggie did say they were friendly.”
“You’re talking about Reggie here. The bully. To him, a punch in the face is probably considered friendly.”
Reggie flinched at that comment. Although it was understandable why it was said, it still hurt. His dad didn’t like it either, and he had something to say.
“Don’t talk about my boy like that! He is a bit of a troube maker I admit, but he’s not...”
“Enough! Look, we can all agree that the kids are probably in that world, and Reggie is the only one among us who knows anything about it. So let’s just focus on getting them back and then we can make discussions later. Are we all agreed?”
“...yes.”
“Okay, sure.”
“We’re wasting time as it is.”
Reggie watched as the adults became quiet once more. They were looking at each other, huddled closely, nodding their heads, giving a few extra comments and whispers. He simply stood there, positioning himself close to the portal and waiting for them. Then slowly, the adults all turned around and faced him.
His father took a few steps in front. The other adults hung back. The man looked down at his son for a few moments before reaching out and placing his hand on his shoulder. He stared at him for a bit longer before he gave a small, reassuring smile. “Okay, son. Take us there.”
With a smile of his own, Reggie turned around towards the chalkboard. The portal was still open. He glanced down at the magic chalk and then back at the portal. His eyes narrowed in determination. He looked back at the adults and immediately gestured them to follow. “Come on. Let’s get in there.”
One by one, they all crawled in through the portal. Reggie was the first one. It was a little hard given his size, but he still managed to squeeze through relatively easily. He grunted as he felt the portal’s edge press against his stomach. Fortunately his dad was able to help him through, lifting his legs up and pushing him in. Reggie landed in a heap on the ground.
The other soon followed. He moved back as he gave them room to get in. Some had harder trouble than others, while for some, it was pretty smooth. It didn’t take too long for all of them to now be standing on the other side of the portal, brushing themselves off and then getting their first glimpse of the world.
Reggie was not at all surprised by the amount of gaps and ‘hand to mouth’ gestures he saw, or how wide their eyes grew and how many did this. The adults were slowly turning their heads around, taking in the sights all around them. They were absolutely stunned by all of this. And he couldn’t blame them, either. This was quite a remarkable world. Something that none of them would ever have dreamed existed.
Until now.
Well that was enough staring around for now. They needed to get going. He noticed that his beast wasn’t here anymore; it had probably left as soon as it was certain that they had Terry. Maybe they would run into it again at some point. But for now, he concentrated on beginning the navigation.
“Come along, everyone!” Reggie motioned to the still stunned adults. “We have a couple missing children to find.”
The adults snapped out of their trance and stared at the boy. One by one, they nodded their heads and made comments of agreement. With that, they all began to walk together as a group, trekking in deeper into this mysterious world of chalk.
sss
Should it really be doing this? Could it really go through with doing something like this? Was this really the right way?
These questions continued to enter Zebin’s mind as it continued to lead the group down the hallway. It hadn’t spoken a word since it began this journey, and the others remined silent, focusing their attention on following it than anything else.
It would be easy getting back. Zebin had quite a good memory and could recall specific details of important information. And getting out of here was considered quite important in its mind. It shouldn’t take too long getting back. All it had to do was follow this path here that it had taken earlier and...
Hmm, it could have sworn it had to go right here. The chinese unicorn paused at an intersection, trying to recall the exact direction it went. It didn’t remember the details on the path on the right, but the left one looked more familiar. Hmm... which way should it go?
Not wanting to cause any kind of alarm in the group it was leading, it decided to go to the left. Maybe it simply remembered wrong and it got its directions mixed up. It was possible after all. It happened to the best of them. It still felt a little foolish, but it tried its best not to let it get to it. Right now, its pride wasn’t what was most important. They had to get out of here soon, lest that blue and white zoner perish to the venom that coursed through his body.
It did start to have some concerns that perhaps it wasn’t as sure of the directions it had come from as it thought it was. It had prided itself in the past of having a good memory, but maybe it had exaggerated its capabilities, over inflating itself to tmake itself look good. It gritted its teeth at this. It hoped that this wouldn’t cause too much trouble as it navigated through the hallway. This group was counting on it to get them out of here. Despite the difficulties, it couldn’t allow for its uncertainties to stop it from at least trying.
But of course, there were other issues at play.
The questions from before came back with a vengeance. It clenched its teeth again, more tightly this time. It tried not to make a sound as it struggled to control the thoughts that moved through its head. They got worse by the second, and he could feel the slightly burning, uncomfortable sensation move through his body, concentrating in his feet and chest.
Once more, it began to ask itself...was it doing the right thing? It had never considered taking action quite like this before. Not ever since....
It tried its best to shake the thoughts out of its mind. There was no reason for it to feel all that guilty about what had happened back then. It had only done what was necessary for ChalkZone. Both it and Biclops had agreed that it was the only way. Those children had it coming anyway. They had been warned and still they wreaked havoc across the land. The only thing that could be done was to seal them away.
So this task... It should treat it the same way. It should treat it as the proper means of protecting this world. It knew that many zoners would probably disagree, even become angry at it. But they all wanted a better, safer world, right? And everyone can agree that creators are trouble, was it not correct? So why not just go through it? Once it finished its task, ChalkZone would indeed become safer. Less of a chance of another break in of creators.
But still... killing them...?
Was that really the way to go...?
Zebin couldn’t help but give pause to this thought. It wasn’t aware that it was slowing down in its walking as it become locked in its thoughts. Its eyes were staring out ahead at nothing, hardly seeing anything around it aside from shadows that told it if it was nearing a wall or not.
It couldn’t help but feel a chill move through its body as the thought of killing them came into mind. It wasn’t sure if it could handle the guilt too well. With the past creator children, it had never had any kind of bond or interest with them, so it was easy. But here, in this situation, it was a little different. They were relying on it. It actually spent time with them, talking to them even if it was brief. It had spent time in their presence. And yet it was still going to turn their back on them. Once they got out...
It wasn’t going to be easy at first. There was the matter of the magic chalk that Penny had. If it tried to do anything without planning ahead first, it might wind up finding itself on the receiving end of some creator wrath, and it was not interested in that. It would first need to separate the magic chalk from Penny. If it moved quickly enough, it could make its move before she’d have time to react. Then she would be helpless, and then it could make its move.
Zebin wondered what looks they were going to give it when it would thrust its fleshy-tipped horn against the children’s necks, striking that one nerve so hard that it would cause them to ultimately die. Would they have time to look at it before death came? Or would they look upon it with horror and betrayal.
And what of their puppet friend? Would he understand why it did it? Or would he look at it like some kind of monster and try to fight it? Would it be forced to kill him, too? What would happen to Snap? Should he be killed out of mercy or should it take him to the hospital? Just what would Biclops think of it? Would he be happy to hear that it had killed those that it was supposed to save? Would Biclops even try to understand why had done this?
Chances are, no one would understand. No one would want to try to understand its decision making. They would see it as nothing more than a monster who betrayed everyone. Nevermind the fact that it would kill Skrawl and Thoughtless afterwards. Nevermind that doing this would make ChalkZone safe again. No, all anyone will ever see is the blood stains on its body.
Well, if that’s what they wanted to see, then so be it...
Sometimes, certain actions must be taken. Sometimes the only thing that could be done was to kill. It was not something it was entirely happy with. But it was able to kill that one Beanie Boy. It had the power to kill. So...why shouldn’t it use this to protect ChalkZone? Just a few more kills and....
Suddenly, a loud whirring noise filled its ears. It flicked them about, trying to find the source of the sound. It turned its head from side to side. Out of the corner of its eyes, it could see that the others were doing likewise, trying to find whatever had made that sound. From the looks on their faces, they couldn’t see anything. Well, obviously Rudy couldn’t due to his blindness, but Penny, despite being sighted, couldn’t see anything either. And neither did it. But it didn’t stop looking. There was something out there. It just had to keep looking and...
There, more sound, and this time a flash of movement. Intermixed with that, the chinese unicorn was certain it heard a low growl as well. It caused the children to stiffen up. It, however, stood its ground, gritting its teeth tightly. Judging from that last sound, the intruders were getting closer. It sounded like they were coming from...
It lifted its head and looked back in the direction they had come from. Penny and Howdy immediately turned their heads over, looking around for...something. Whatever it is that made that sound. It didn’t take them all too long to see what it was.
Down behind them, moving swiftly towards them, were a pair of Beanie Boys. They were quite fast, moving more swiftly than any of them had ever seen Beanie Boys move. They had looks of angered determination on their faces, and they had their teeth bared. Such expressions usually looked goofy on them to the chinese unicorn, but this time, it seemed a bit more unnerving. It tensed its body up as the pair zipped towards them.
One of the Beanie Boys paused in front of where Rudy and Penny were. The Beanie Boy let out a low growl, thrusting his body down with his fists in the air, attempting to make himself look scarier. The other Beanie Boy moved above them and sailed through the air. Zebin attempted to grap it, but missed entirely. The Beanie Boy now moved in front of it and then rammed against it, his shoulder hitting againts its neck and knocking it against the others. It listened to them grunt as they all climbed back up to their feet.
Zebin looked from one side to the other. It realized immediately what had happened. It couldn’t believe that it had been stupid enough to fall for this. It had been so focused on its inner monologue and getting out of here, it had failed to consider that maybe they were being followed or hunted.
And now because of it, they were all trapped...
Zebin let out a low growl. Well this was just perfect...
sss
How long has it been since Biclops had left? Was it just a few minutes? A few hours?
It was really difficult to say. Blocky had all but lost track of time lately. He hadn’t even bothered looking at a clock since the incident. He focused much of his time being with Rapsheeba and trying to help himself calm down after what had happened. Although the danger passed, he still felt lingering fear and adrenaline pumping through him.
And who could blame him? It wasn’t just some minor incident. It wasn’t something that could be fixed so quickly. It wasn’t like when he was bullied a few times or when he accidentally screwed up one of Snap’s inventions. No, this was much, much more serious.
He and Rapsheeba were attacked by a monster...
His mind flashed with horrific memories of that incident. Over and over again, the back of his mind flashed as he recalled the gruesome details. He could feel flashes of pain as he remembered his own injuries. He felt his blood run cold when he recalled how the beast had bitten Rapsheeba. His body started to shake as the memories briefly took hold of his mind, freezing it in a terrifying block, forcing him to relive that incident for several minutes before he was finally able to snap out of it.
A part of him couldn’t help but feel guilty for what happened. He should have moved faster. He should have been able to dodge Cornerstone’s attacks. Instead, he was an idiot who got himself in trouble, and because of him, Rapsheeba was hurt, nearly killed in the process. And though she was alive, she could no longer speak.
Okay so it wasn’t permanent. Still, the fact that he may have played any part at all in her temporarily losing her voice, even just a short time, was enough to make him feel sick. He could feel his heart pumping inside his chest, speeding up. It was difficult to even look at Rapsheeba; the very sight of her reminded him of what happened, and teased him about how he had played some kind of role in the whol endeavor. He tried to tell himself that it was an accident and that Rapsheeba didn’t really blame him. But that didn’t stop the guilt from twisting him up on the inside.
That wasn’t the only thing on his mind, either. It wasn’t the only thing that was tearing himself apart internally. There was also the fact that he and Rapsheeba don’t know much of what happened to Rudy, Penny, or Snap. Biclops was able to tell them a little, but he and Rapsheeba were still largely in the dark. The fact they didn’t know terrified him more than simply knowing. He had a feeling that Rapsheeba felt the same way.
He wished he knew what was going on with them. He wished he knew the status of his friends. But there was no way he could find out. Not while he was confined in the hospital. He was not as badly hurt as Rapsheeba, but he still could not leave. If he tried to, the doctors and nurses would surely stop him.
Not that he would try to leave, anyway. Rapsheeba... He couldn’t leave her all alone. Not while she was in this horrible condition. Not while she was suffering. Just...what kind of friend would he be if he abandoned her?
Still, there had to be something that he and her could do. She had expressed through facial expression and writing that she did want to do something to help Rudy and Penny. So she did feel the same way as him. Like him, she didn’t want to be sitting around, doing nothing, while their creator friends, and Snap, were out there somewhere, being hurt, tormented, who knows what else. Perhaps if he sat here long enough and thought hard enough, he’d be able to think of some way that they could help.
He leaned back in his chair, letting out a small sigh. That was going to be easier said than done. He had already spent what was probably a few hours, or actually less, who knows, trying to think of a way to help. He could feel his hands burning in frustration as he continued to fail to come up with something. He resisted the temptation to moan as he leaned his head back and looked up towards the sky.
The Day Zone sky was quite beautiful, as it always was. Bright sun overhead, some pretty clouds, stationary most of the time. He had learned to appreciate it more after the incident with Cornerstone. That snake beast had almost took his life, too. Now he leaned to adore each day that passed, and learn to love the fact that he could still see the sky overhead.
But it did little to cheer him up now. A part of him felt almost sickened. Here he was, enjoying the day, enjoying the sight of the Day Zone sky, when his friends were in grave danger. How could he be doing this? Why wasn’t he helping them? He couldn’t stand around here doing nothing anymore. It was time that he took action.
Then he immediately stopped himself when he realized that there was nothing he could do. He was stuck in the hospital, and so was Rapsheeba. He felt as though he was being placed in an arena and being locked out with a force field and made to watch his friends be slowly killed. And this fact irritated him, causing him to form a fist with his hand. He was usually an easy going zoner, but knowing that his friends were in danger was awakening another side of him that he didn’t know existed.
Oh if only he could run out there and find his friends and help them... If only he could jump out of the chair, locate them, and pull them away from the danger they were in... If only he could do something instead of staring up at the sky like this. If only...
Suddenly he froze at that thought. The sky... His eyes slowly widened as something entered his mind. Of course.. He should have thought of this sooner. He felt like an idiot for not thinking of it.
He turned his head towards Rapsheeba, a small smile appearing on his face. He noticed her expression, her eyes frowing a bit as she tilted her head to one side. She looked clearly confused by his change of demeanor. Her eyes scanned around him as if to look for the reason of his happiness, and then she started to murmur something as she attempted to speak. They were quite slurred and distorted, but he could hear enough to know what her question was.
‘What is going on?’
“I think I figured something out.” Blocky said. His voice was tinged with a mixture of emootion. One was happiness, knowing that they may have gotten closer to being able to do something. But along with that, there was caution. He was not a fool; he knew that this might not work. Still, it was better than nothing.
Rapsheeba blinked her eyes a few times. He could see her eyes spark with curiosity and she leaned in closer. Though she still muttered, he understood her question immediately.
“Here’s what I had in mind...”
sss
Terry shifted her arm uncomfortably. She apparently couldn’t ignore the unbearable itching too well and she found herself trying to scratch at her arm, which was wrapped in a makeshift cast that was swiftly put on her in order to stabilize her arm.
No surprise, she got no look of sympathy from Ms. Charlotte. Why should she care that her arm was broken? Yeah it seemed pretty cruel. But what Terry did to those parents was quite disgusting. Far as she was concerned, this backstabbing bitch deserved a little bit of comeback. The broken arm would suffice just nicely.
Curling her lip up slightly, Terry said, “Is there anything I can use to stop the itching?”
Ms. Charlotte narrowed her eyes. “You can either take that, or I can remove the cast and you can deal with the pain.” Terry looked at her with wide eyes. “Well? Tell me what your choice is.”
Terry continued to stare at her wide-eyed for several moments before she eventually looked away from her. “Fine...”
“Good. Now keep your mouth shut.” Ms. Charlotte seized her roughly by her arm. “The sooner we get this over with, the better.”
Ms. Charlotte ignored the looks that her coworkers were giving her. She ignored any comments she got from them, or any questions. Right now, she had only one thing on her mind, and that was getting this filthy, disgusting woman to her boss’s room. Dr. Von Doktor had been waiting long enough for this. Okay so only about ten minutes. Still, that was long enough for him.
She could only just imagine the look on his face when she shows up with Terry. She could only imagine how he was going to feel when he finally had Terry in his custody. He was going to be so pleased. And she herself? Well she was going to be quite excited as well. She loved seeing him happy. She loved seeing him succeed. She might not always show it. She might sometimes act skeptical of him. But in truth, she did care a lot more him. Dr. Von Doktor wasn’t exactly far off the mark with what he said to her before.
A small part of her was a little worried about legal problems. What they were doing, she was positive it wasn’t exactly legal; they weren’t the police. It wasn’t their job to put anyone in custody. It wasn’t their job to seek people out and forcibly drag them somewhere against their will. If the actual police department caught wind of this...
Nah, that would never happen. Who was going to tell anyway? They wouldn’t believe Terry. She was a laughing stock in the town. Even Dr. Von Doktor wouldn’t be believed. They would think that he had just gone crazy. She smirked at this. That was the advantage of the old man being considered insane still by some. It worked in their favor.
She could feel Terry shifting uncomfortably as they continued on their way through the hallway. It was clear that she was holding her arm a little too tightly. But she didn’t care. With a sharp twist and pull, she caused Terry to stumble forward, letting out a cry of shock at this. She then flinched as Ms. Charlotte roughly pulled her arm upwards to keep her from falling, which irritated her arm.
They continued walking down the hallway. She continued to hold onto her arm tightly, walking at a pace that was a little too fast for her, forcing Terry to move a little quickly on her feet. They moved left and right to avoid any of her fellow coworkers. She could hear them calling out to her in confusion like the ones before, but once more, she just ignored them, refusing to answer their questions. A few of them expressed concern for how roughly she was pulling Terry, but that was only because they didn’t see what she had done. If they knew, she doubted they would be so sympathetic towards her.
Ah there was their destination ahead. She pulled Terry a little harder. She wanted to get this done and over with as soon as possible. She wanted to see exactly what Dr. Von Doktor was going to do with her. She wanted to see, once and for all, Terry get some some true justice in what she did.
She betrayed that family. She betrayed the children she claimed to be helping. They trusted her, and she still turned her back on them. But most of all...
She betrayed Dr. Von Doktor.
And that was unforgiveable.
“Get in there!” Ms. Charlotte said as she roughly pushed Terry into Dr. Von Doktor’s office. She flinched a little when Terry hit her broken arm against the wall and let out a cry out of pain. She then rolled her eyes and said, “Oh get over it, you big baby! You...”
“Now now, Mz. Charlotte. Zat’z no way to zpeak to Mz. Bouffant.” Dr. Von Doktor’s cool voice filled the air. Ms. Charlotte could see the man leaning back in the chair, his hands resting on the table, a small glare on his face directed right at her. “She iz hurt. Do not mock her for it.”
Ms. Charlotte bit her lip, a little confused by this. She hadn’t expected him to defend Terry like that. She placed a hand on her chest and leaned a little away from him. “Doctor, I....”
Dr. Von Doktor raised his hand to silence her. “I underztand how you feel about her. I am not too pleased with her myzelf.” He shot a quick glare over at Terry, who was too busy recovering from the pain in her arm to really notice. He then softened his expression and sighed. He turned to look back at Ms. Charlotte. “But deliberately hurting her iz not going to zolve anyzing. Zat was wrong and you know it.”
Ms. Charlotte lowered her head at this. She felt a small tinge of guilt climb into her stomach. He was right. She should have been a little more gentle. Terry was already going to be punished anyway. She didn’t need to make it worse. “I understand, sir.”
Dr. Von Doktor gave her a gentle smile. “I am glad to hear zat. Now...” He motioned towards the door. “Please shut zee door.”
Ms. Charlotte looked at the door, placing her hand on it. She gave pause before she looked over her shoulder. “Do you want me to leave?”
To her surprise, Dr. Von Doktor shook his head. “No, no. You can ztay here. I juzt want zee door closed. I don’t want everyone in zee whole building to hear what I want to zay to Mz. Bouffant.” He glanced over at the red haired woman. “Ziz iz a...private converzation. Juzt between zee zree of uz.”
Ms. Charlotte nodded her head in understanding. She was still surprised that Dr. Von Doktor was letting her stay. Usually he preferred doing business on his own. The fact that he was letting her stay... She wondered if this was his way of saying that she meant something to him too. A part of her felt a sense of happiness at this. But another part of her was a little worried. What if this compromised his business?
She would worry about it later. Right now, it was more important to deal with Terry. She didn’t waste any more time and she turned around and closed the door. She made sure that it hooked in correctly. Once she had established that sense of privacy, she turned herself around and stood near the corner. She folded her arms behind her back and proceeded to watch everything go down. She couldn’t help but curl her lips back into a smile as she waited to hear just what Dr. Von Doktor had to say to Terry.
“Mz. Bouffant...” Dr. Von Doktor said softly.
Here it comes...
Terry slowly looked at the man. Her face still showed signs of pain. But now there was a tinge of nervousness mixed into it. She couldn’t possibly know what Dr. Von Doktor might be able to do with her; she had never worked with him for long. But she was right to be nervous. Dr. Von Doktor was not one to be trifled with.
“I underztand zat you took zome... libertiez in our deal.” Dr. Von Doktor said, his voice taking on a slightly colder tone. “I had told you to find proof of my innozenze. Zat included hopefully finding zose kidz. When presented wiz a chanze, you dezided to betray me and ran off. And not only did you betray me, but you betrayed zat family zat had truzted you zo much. Am I correct...?”
Terry swallowed, obviously feeling the tension rise up. “I-I...”
“Answer his question.” Hissed Ms. Charlotte.
“Zilenze, Mz. Charlotte. I will be doing the talking.” Dr. Von Doktor told her.
Ms. Charlotte lowered her head and took a step back. “Yes, sir.”
Dr. Von Doktor glared over in Terry’s direction. “Anzwer me, Mz. Bouffant.”
“I... Well.. I...” Terry looked left and right, obviously trying to find an escape route. She continued to stutter and slur her words as she tried to find something to say that didn’t sound so bad. But slowly, she appeared to realize there was no escape. She had no choice but to admit the truth. She lowered her head, closed her eyes, and whispered, “...yes.”
Dr. Von Doktor didn’t answer right away. He simply stared at the woman, chillingly calm and quiet. The only sound that he made was the tapping of his finger against the desk. His eyes remained level with Terry’s. He continued to stare at her as if he were expecting a longer, better answer. And when he didn’t get any, he simply took in a deep breath and sighed.
To anyone who didn’t know the old man well enough, they would think that he was being accepting of this. They wouldn’t pay attention to the more subtle details that painted a bigger picture. Ms. Charlotte had worked with him long enough to know that when Dr. Von Doktor got like this, it meant that he was trying to control his anger. It might not be too easy to see, but she was able to notice that his body was shivering a little. Not extremely so. It was just barely enough for her to pick it up. And it was how she knew that the shit was about to hit the fan.
Terry was smart to look worried. Despite the man’s seemingly calm response, it seemed that Terry was able to detect that something was quite off about the man’s demeanor. She was biting her lip nervously and moving her head back a little. This silence carried on for a while, neither side saying a word.
Ms. Charlotte wondered how long it would be before Dr. Von Doktor said something. She hoped that he would hurry up and do something. She wanted to hear what he had to say to Terry. It was going to be quite enjoyable to hear.
Thankfully, she didn’t have to wait too much longer.
“Mz. Bouffant, I am very dizappointed in you. I had hired you because I had zought zat you were the bezt I knew of at what you do. You are really good about getting zee detailz, and I zought zat, with your help, we would have figured out what really happened. Well I zee now zat I had been wrong about you. If I had known zat you would have pulled a ztunt like ziz, I wouldn’t have conzidered azking for your help. Never before in my life have I zeen zomeone dizplay zuch unfprofessional behavior.”
Terry shifted uncomfortably where she stood. She didn’t attempt to speak. She was just standing there, taking the heat from the old man as he continued to tear into her. Ms. Charlotte couldn’t help but smirk. It did feel good seeing this woman get what she deserved.
“Wordz cannot dezcribe how I feel about you right now, Mz. Bouffant. I was not expecting you to care all zat much about me. Zat was partly why I hired you. I did it zo that your feelingz did not get in zee way. But it would zeem like you had ozer feelings zat I did not conzider.” Dr. Von Doktor’s eyes narrowed further. “Inztead of acting like an actual news reporter, you dezided to let your obession about ziz chalk world take you over, and because of zat, zoze children remain in trouble and I remain a zuzpect to many.”
Ms. Charlotte couldn’t help but widen her eyes in surprise at this. “Sir...?”
Dr. Von Doktor nodded in her direction. “Do you zink that the boy’s fazer iz zee only one who had accused me of kidnapping zoze children? No, he was not.” The man furrowed his eyes. “Zere had been ozers.” He turned his head towards Terry. His eyes almost seemed to darken behind his glasses. “You didn’t exactly help my caze.”
This time, Terry didn’t seem capable of remaining silent. “But...you have to understand... I had good reason for...”
“Oh gawd, are you really going to try to defend yourself?” A disgusted Ms. Charlotte said. “Why not just face the...”
“Wait, Mz. Charlotte...” Dr. Von Doktor raised his hand. His eyes remained locked onto Terry. “I want to hear what she has to zay...” Though a little reluctant, Ms. Charlotte did shut her mouth and then eyed Terry.
The red head continued, “Look, this world... that world of chalk, it exists. I saw it for myself, and this is the second time... They all saw it too! Including her!” Terry pointed in Ms. Charlotte’s direction. “She must have told you as well, I’m sure!”
Dr. Von Doktor cocked up an eyebrow. “She simply told me that you ran off with the piece of chalk and abandoned the parents that you had promized to help. She zaid nozing about a chalk world outzide of you being ztill convinzed zere iz one.”
“B-But... You...” Terry stammered. She looked over at Ms. Charlotte. She cried, “You didn’t tell him?!”
Ms. Charlotte gave a half smile. She took this as a chance to get back at the woman a bit. “Why should I encourage such a fairy tale?”
Terry shivered at this. “B-But it was not a fairy tale! You saw it! Tell him!” She pointed a finger at the woman. “Tell him right now what you saw!”
Raising her hands up and leaning back, Ms. Charlotte replied with, “I have nothing to say.”
“You..” Terry fumed in Ms. Charlotte’s direction. She then whipped her head in the old man’s direction. “I’m telling you, that world is real and that woman knows it!” She pointed again at Ms. Charlotte, her hand shaking. “She saw me coming out of the chalkboard! That place is real! Just as real as you or me! It’s right across the surface of a chalkboard! Any chalkboard is a gateway!”
Despite his anger, Dr. Von Doktor gave a partial smile as if to amuse Terry a little. “Oh really now?”
“I’ve explained this to you before, you idiot!” Terry snapped. Ms. Charlotte wanted to say something, but the woman continued shouting, not giving her a chance. “Listen, dealing with that world is more important than you or a couple of lost little brats. It has limitless potential, and limitless danger. Those things can cross into our world. It’s happened before! The rain that made adults into idiots! The mutant frogs that infested the town and at everyone’s hair! I know that sounds stupid, but what if something worse comes out? If we don’t act soon, get that world exposed, and properly tame it, then...”
“Oh you zing I’m going to buy zat bullshit, Mz. Bouffant?” Dr. Von Doktor cut her off before she could continue further. “You zink zat I really would believe zat you care about zee well being of ozers? Don’t try to lie to me, Mz. Bouffant. Zee only reason you want zat world exposed is to make money off of it.”
“That’s not...” Terry stuttered. She soon shook her head and growled, “Don’t pretend you wouldn’t try the same thing, too. Just think about it... All kinds of groundbreaking inventions...there for the taking! They could be drawn in seconds! Aren’t you at all interested?”
Dr. Von Doktor narrowed his eyes at this. “I zee you love taking zee easy route. Zat is zo pitiful...”
“What...?” Terry whispered.
“Yez, it iz interezting zat ziz world can make zuch zings quick and eazy to get. Eazy to tezt out ideaz and what not. Zo much zings might be dizcovered. It could very well revolutionize zee way we live. But let me azk you zomezing.” Dr. Von Doktor leaned forward on his desk. “Where iz zee zenze of accomplishment in zat? If all I do iz draw zomezing and it workz, where iz zee challege? If zomezing iz just handed to me on a zilver plate, how can I feel much pride in my work if I didn’t work for it?”
“But...the power...” Terry whispered. “The ability to create what you want... That doesn’t appeal to you...?”
“On zome level, yez. I’m sure I could find much uze out of zat world.” Dr. Von Doktor admitted. “But at zee zame time, it feelz...too eazy. Pluz, how would I know if zomezing worked? Here in the real world, if a zeory iz to be tezted, a lot of work and effort is put into it to zee if it does hold up. If what you zay of ziz world iz true, all zat iz zrown out zee window. I could make an impractical design work. In zat world, any crazy zeory might turn out to be true. Tell me, Mz. Bouffant... How could I feel I accomplished zomezing if it iz just handed to me on a whim like it were zome kind of present?”
Terry looked at the man in confusion for a few moments. Then she cocked an eyebrow and tilted her head to once side. “So...you would stick to your old ways just because of your pride? And you say I’m pathetic...”
“Watch it..” Hissed Ms. Charlotte.
Dr. Von Doktor glared softly at Terry. “And you would razer let zomeone or zomezing else do all zee work for you zo you can walk up and take credit for it. You would razer zteal an idea inztead of coming up wiz zomezing yourself.”
Terry stammered, “That’s not...”
Dr. Von Doktor wasn’t finished yet. “Zat iz truely zad....” He shook his head slowly from side to side. “I uzed to zink I could rezpect you, Terry Bouffant. But now I can zee you for what you really are. You are a zelfish woman who would razer take the eazy route zan do any real work. You want everyzing handed to you zo you don’t have to do anyzing yourzelf. You want to expose ziz world zo you can make a quick buck. You are truly a pieze of work, Mz. Bouffant.” His voice darkened a little. “Zee very idea of you letting ziz...ziz fairy tale get you like ziz... It iz no wonder that mozt news zationz turned you down. You muzt be quite a zenzation in your family..am I correct...?”
Ms. Charlotte couldn’t help but widen her eyes at this. She couldn’t believe that Dr. Von Doktor had really gone that route. As much as she hated Terry, she did think that the old man did go a little too far by bringing family into this. Granted, she wasn’t really sure of what kind of relationship Terry had with her family, but judging from the horrified look in Terry’s eyes, she guessed they had some kind of rocky or sensitive relationship.
She wanted to say something in Terry’s defense. Nothing too extreme. Just enough to try to diffuse the situation before it got any worse. It was fine when the man was criticizing Terry for her actions. She did deserve that. But bringing up her family was a step too far, and it could easily cause the conversation to spiral into dangerous territory.
However, any attempts to settle things down was rendered impossible. Before she could react, Terry, boiling over with emotion, had taken action.
Terry rushed over towards the startled old man. Her face was scrunched up in rage, her lips pulled back into a snarl. Her whole body seemed to radiate anger from almost every corner. Her unbroken arm was pulled back, the muscles tightening up all along it. The hand was formed into a tight fist and in seconds, it locked against the man’s face, right on his cheek bone.
The force of the impact was enough to send the man hurdling backwards. He let out a cry of pain as he was forced out of his chair. The side of his head slammed against the edge of the desk, creating a loud thud sound. The man let out a small groan before he fell onto the ground behind his desk.
Silence fell upon the room. The two women stared at this scene, their eyes wide in shock and disbelief. Any amount of anger from Terry was gone now, replaced with the horror of what she had done. She took a few steps back, casting a wary glance over at Ms. Charlotte. The secretary ignored her, her eyes set upon where Dr. Von Doktor had been. She took in a few quick breaths, shaking her head slowly.
No...this couldn’t be possible... He couldn’t be...
Ms. Charlotte rushed to Dr. Von Doktor’s side. She went around his desk and looked down at his prone form. Her bulging eyes scanned his body for any sign of movement. When she didn’t spot any, she lowered herself down, pressing her knee against the ground. She lowered her hand towards his neck, pressing two fingers against it. She waited for a few seconds.
A very faint, thready heartbeat. She let out a sigh of relief.
She carefully leaned forward to look at his head. She couldn’t stop herself from gasping when she saw the deep bruise and the blood from the gash that formed. Her breathing increased, her mind racing. Had the man suffered a concussion?
Slowly, she rose up and looked over at Terry. That woman... That slimy, disgusting woman... She was the reason Dr. Von Doktor was like this. And now, she was going to pay for it. No one got away with hurting those she cared about. And Terry was going to learn this the hard way. She didn’t care if the woman’s arm is broken. That wasn’t going to stop her from giving Terry a little taste of karma.
Terry sensed the woman’s rage and she immediately began to back away. The fear that was spreading through her body was preventing her from trying to escape through the door. Not that Ms. Charlotte would have given her chance.
“You...” Ms. Charlotte hissed, her body hunching aggressively.
“P-Please...I...” Terry soon found herself pressed against the wall with no where to go. She looked back behind her, her wide eyes scanning over the wall briefly before looking back at Ms. Charlotte. “Please don’t...”
Ms. Charlotte’s eyes flickered at this. She would have spoken a response, but at the moment, she was too clouded by anger. Her eyes narrowing into slits, she raised her hand up into the air, watching as Terry’s eyes widened as she did so.
sss
“What are you doing here?!”
“You should be back in your cages!”
“Surrender now! You don’t stand a chance against us! Alpha!”
“And Beta!”
“Give it up before we rip you apart!”
Rudy couldn’t help but flinch at this. Although he could not see, he could just imagine the arrogant smiles that were plastered over the zoners’ faces. The tone of voice that they used as they spoke those words... He shuddered. They just sounded so arrogant. A little more so than what he was used to from a Beanie Boy.
And Alpha and Beta? Really? More of those greek letter names? Couldn’t Skrawl have thought of something better? Or did the Beanie Boys think that this was a good idea?
He didn’t bother thinking about it for a while. At the moment, it wasn’t really necessary to know why they were named that. He was more interested in knowing just what they were going to do. Without his sight, he couldn’t tell if they were diving in to attack or not. Only the sound of their caps gave away where they were and even that was not completely reliable. If only he could see their faces.. then he’d know if he should prepare to dodge or not.
He still felt the sting of fear as he fully comprehended that he was blind. He had no idea if it was permanent or not, and that only added to his terror. He was trying his best to control his fear and focus on trying to get out of here. But how long would he be able to hold it off? How long would he be able to remain this calm before he eventually flipped out? He had never felt this helpless before..so vulnerable...
The only thing that kept him calm was Penny’s presence. This whole time, she had never let go of him. He could still feel her hand around his arm, keeping him secure against him. He knew that, if something happened, he could trust her to help him. He leaned a little against her, attempting to keep himself calm. He didn’t want to be a burden. He hated Penny being forced to look out for him like this. Hopefully this was just a temporary thing. Hopefully, soon, his eye sight would return and he’d be able to do something to stop Skrawl and Thoughtless.
Speaking of them, he wondered where they were. Had they already gone back to their holding chamber to see them? Did they find out that they were gone? Is that why these Beanie Boys found them?
Were Skrawl and Thoughtless right behind them...?
No one said those names. Maybe they weren’t here. Still..what if they were sneaking up on them somewhere? What if these zoners were just a distraction? He clenched his teeth tightly, stiffening his body. His unseeing left eye kept darting around, trying to find those two desperately.
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard Zebin start speaking.
“If you really think we are going with the likes of you...”
Alpha snorted. “You don’t have a choice, punk.”
“Yeah.” Agreed Beta. “Why don’t you just give it up? You have no where to go!”
“Yeah, and nowhere to hide!” Chimed Alpha. “We have you surrounded!”
Their words, however, didn’t seem to bother Zebin. It was actually chuckling, as if this was the funniest thing it had ever heard. Rudy turned his head in its direction, his face contorting in confusion. He heard Penny and Howdy give soft comments about this, both being as confused as he was. Why did Zebin think this situation was funny?
Zebin, however, didn’t pay any attention to them. Its entire focus was on the Beanie Boys. It was hard to say which one it was looking at right now at a given moment, or the kind of look it was giving them. If Rudy had to guess, it was probably more taunting expressions, perhaps grinning. Was it trying to make them mad at it? Was this some kind of strategy? Well anger can make it harder to make rational decisions, but..still....
“I imagine you two are on the lower end of the stick, am I right?” Commented Zebin. There were some gasps from Rudy and the others. He could hear a growl from Alpha and Beta. Was Zebin losing it? “I mean, you two don’t look like you’re very special. Why are you all alone? Did you get lost? Did the others just say ‘screw you’ and leave you? I wouldn’t be surprised.”
“Why you...”
“Why am I saying this? Because it’s true.” Zebin made no attempt to apologize or diffuse the situation. Though Penny tried to say something, Zebin kept talking over her, doing whatever it could to anger the Beanie Boys. “Or maybe I shouldn’t blame you... No, I should blame that stupid boss of yours.”
Beta hissed, “Don’t you dare...”
Zebin chortled, “Don’t I dare what? Speak the truth?” A few taps. Was Zebin actually walking closer? “If you don’t think I am being honest about your boss, and about you...why don’t you come and try to prove me wrong? Come on, big boys... Come and get me...”
And that’s when it happened. The two zoners, their loud growls indicating that they had enough, let out loud yells and there was a rush of wind. Rudy knew in a split second that they had lunged towards Zebin. He pushed himself closer to Penny as he heard a crash in front of him. He could hear the grunts of the Beanie Boys and the yep from Zebin. He could hear the clamor of rolling to the side, and then footsteps as they seperated.
And that was only just the beginning.
Soon the whole hallway echoed in shouts and cries and screams and thuds. Sometimes the Beanie Boys screamed. Sometimes it was Zebin. He thought he could hear the sound of ripping and tearing. He could hear Penny and Howdy shout at them, pleading for Zebin to come back or for the Beanie Boys to stop.
All this noise, not being able to see it... Rudy could feel his heart racing. He couldn’t help but gulp nervously. His eyes constantly darted around in case one of the Beanie Boys decided to come after him. This didn’t seem like it’d be a problem as it sounded like Zebin was doing a good job of keeping them away from them. But the fear still lingered. He licked his lips anxiously, turning his head as if that would somehow help him see better.
He hated being like this, but he just couldn’t help it. It was like he was in a dark voice, blindfolded, and surrounded. He was completely defenseless if those Beanie Boys decided to attack him. He couldn’t help but shiver. This was worse than the time that he went into ChalkZoen with a hurt arm. At least he could see then.
As the minutes passed, he continued hearing the sounds of the fighting. He could hear more shouts and cries. He could hear slams against the ground and crashes into the walls. He could hear insults being shot out, pleas being made, taunts spewing from mouths. He could hear Alpha and Beta’s voices being a bit more shaky, as if they were starting to fear Zebin. But that didn’t do much to comfort Rudy. He had no idea just how the fight was going. How long was this going to last?
“This it!” Beta called out. “Enough fooling around!”
“We’re going to show you, asshole!” Shouted Alpha.
“Show me what? How pathetic you are? I look forward to it.” Chuckled Zebin. Rudy could just imagine the grin on his face.
“Wait! Stop!” Pleaded Penny. “Don’t do this!”
Howdy called out, “You’re hurt enough as it is, Zebin! Please stop this nonsense! Let’s just run!”
Alpha let out a dark chuckle at this. “That’s right, Zebin. Don’t fight us. Just run long with your tail between your legs. It’ll suit you.”
“Nah, that ain’t my style.” Zebin said calmly. “But I do agree that this should be ended....”
Without warning, Zebin suddenly rushed towards the Beanie Boys. Its feet clamored on the ground loudly. The Beanie Boys let out growls as they, as Rudy imagined, dove towards it. There were a few more thuds against the ground and wall. And then, without warning, he hard some kind of strange sound and he heard one of the Beanie Boys, he couldn’t tell which one, give a weak gasp.
This only lasted for a second before he heard a loud crash. Unlike the other ones, this one was towards the ceiling. He heard a thud and groan as the Beanie Boy came crashing down. He heard his comrade trying to get him up. He could hear Zebin pawing the ground as it prepared to charge them again.
Then everyone went silent. A low rumbling crack was spreading through the roof. It got louder and louder, and then he heard something give way. He could hear Penny shout ‘look out’ to everyone. She grabbed him tighter and yanked him back. Something hit the ground, cracking into presumably a few pieces, and then a bit of dust was kicked up. Rudy coughed heavily as he tried to suck in a breath of fresh air.
Before he had a chance to recover, he heard Howdy shout something that caused him and the others to freeze.
“It’s a way out!”
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