Pain

This takes place between Sinful Behaviors and Play The Game. This is the first encounter Barney had with Bardot.

sss

“Are you sure you don’t need any help?” King Mumbo Jumbo asked as he stood outside the doorway to Barney’s home. His head was stuck in partway, looking left and right. “You do have a lot of books in here... I could help you organize.”

Barney shook his head, waving his hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it. I can take care of it.” He moved his hand in a back and forth motion. “You go on to that meeting you promised to attend. I’m sure they will be expecting you.” He smiled.

“Well...if you’re okay with that...” King Mumbo Jumbo took another look around.

Barney nodded. “It’s not as bad as it looks. Now go on. They are waiting for you I’m sure.”

King Mumbo Jumbo still looked hesitant. He stared at the centipede, waiting to see if he woud change his mind. But the centipede remained silent, continuing to smile at his old friend reassuringly. He gave a simple nod of the head again, affirming that he was certain of this choice. The old tortoise eventually got the message, and he nodded his head in return. He took a few steps back, bowing his head in respect to the old centipede.

“All right then. I will see you later.” King Mumbo Jumbo said as he waved at his friend.

“So long! And good luck, my friend!” Barney returned the smile and wave. He watched as his friend turned and walked away, disappearing down the path that lead into the forest. Only when his friend was gone did he turn around and return inside his home.

He looked around at the mess present in his home. He put his hands on his hips and he let out a sigh. Despite what he had told the tortoise, this was still going to be a challenge. He didn’t really need any of these books as he had information about anything inside of him. History of ChalkZone and all. If one were to see this, and know who he was, they might think he wasted time gathering all these books to be placed inside his home.

But he felt this was a necessity after what happened during the epidemic of the inflatemice swarm. He had been nearly eaten by a large praying mantis and was forced to take himself apart. Without those pods attached to him, he was not able to function. Snap had described him as a ‘babbling moron’ and Rudy had to be extra careful when taking him to find one of his body parts. That caused cold shivers to move through his body. What would have happened if they didn’t find his parts in time..? What if something happened before even one part could be attached...?

That was why he came up with a solution. Having books here, placed in convenient alphabetical order. Books that he would also read, and allow others to read. If there was ever the off chance something like that happening, then someone could be sent here and have access to this knowledge. And he could reduce the effects of being torn apart by reading some of these books and absorbing the knowledge into his main brain, unlike his other information which was stored in his parts. Information that even he needed to sift through.

He decided to get to work right away. He didn’t want to waste any more time. He was getting a little hungry, but he didn’t want to eat until after he had managed to take care of this first. He grabbed his purple vest, stretched it down, and he marched over to the pile of books.

The first thing he did was he began to separate them by letter. He grouped all of them into tall piles, some needing more than one and others looking quite, well, sloppy. Any that began with ‘The’ or a number had its own pile. After that, he began to put them in alphabetical order, starting with A to Z and then working on the ‘off’ ones. Pretty soon he had multiple piles in a descending order, everything in its right place. Satisfied, he moved onto the final stage: putting them away.

He was thankful that he thought about getting that empty book shelf before he did all this. It quite tall and had several rows were things could be placed. There was a tall, adjustable ladder for anyone without wings, so they could get to the A’s, B’s, C’s, among those. But for him, he didn’t need it. With these wings Rudy drew him, it was a cinch taking the books and flying up there, putting them in their proper place.

Or at least, he thought it would be. His wings did get tired after a while and it was becoming tedious. A part of him wished that he had asked King Mumbo Jumbo to stay behind and help him out. Another part of him wished he thought about doing this sooner. He felt like an idiot waiting five years for this. Oh well, at least he was doing this now right?

Despite the increasing exhaustion, he did manage to get all the books put away. As soon as he pushed in the last book, he nearly collapsed against it. He pressed his body against the book shelf and took in several quick breaths. His arms and hands ached and his wings felt as if they were going to pop off at any moment. It wasn’t much of a contest in his mind; now was a good time for rest.

He walked over to his long purple and green couch and collapsed on it. He laid himself on his stomach, legging his arms and legs spread out and over the edge. He rested his chin on the arm of the couch and he shut his eyes. He breathed in and out slowly, feeling the aching muscles radiate a little. Relief rapidly spread through them, especially his wings, which draped over him, almost like piece of paper. Oh how good it felt to sit down... He couldn’t even bring himself to get up to get a cup of tea or read the newspaper. He just wanted to rest.

Despite the exhaustion, he did feel it was worth it. True he had a lot of books, but they were outdated or fiction-based stories. They were also in his more private quarters and he was not interested in people showing up in there and reading some of his more private stuff. But here in his living room, where Rudy had hung him up to get information, this would be a better spot. This room was feeling rather empty without some books anyway, and the door was right over there. Easy access. Yes, this was going to work out just fine.

He didn’t know who long he had been resting, but just as he was about to doze off, he heard a scratching at the door. He lifted up his head and looked over. He stared at the door, watching it wobble a little with each scratch. He narrowed his eyes, wondering why they weren’t just knocking.

“Hello? Who is there?” Barney called out.

A soft voice responded from the other side. An unfamiliar voice. “Is this the home of Barney the Encyclocentipedia?”

“Yes it is. But you will have to come back later. I’m rather tired right now.” Barney told him. “You can try to come back in a couple of hours.”

A long pause. At first, Barney thought that the zoner had left. But a small hiss made him realize that he was still there. “I’m afraid I can’t. I would much rather do this now, if you don’t mind. I have some...questions.”

Barney narrowed his eyes softly. A part of him wanted to try shooing the zoner away. Or at the very least, get up and fly off somewhere where the zoner can’t see him. But in his condition, with all that rapid flying and lifting those heavy books, he didn’t think he would be able to get far. Even the thought of flying left him wincing; his wings were still quite achey. He eventually waved his hand to one side and side, “Oh fine... Come on in so we can get this over with...”

“Thank you.”

The zoner grabbed onto the door knob and started to turn it. But it simply jiggled. The zoner kept trying to open it, but all it would do was clang as the locked knob would not allow him to turn it any further.

Barney slapped himself in the face. Of course he would have locked it. Letting out a groan, rubbing a sore side muscle, the centipede got out of the comfortable couch and walked over. He grabbed the keys on the small rack beside the door and he flipped through them. As soon as he found the right one, he placed it in the keyhole and turned it. There was a click. He took a step back as the door opened up, revealing his visitor.

His eyes immediately widened slightly before turning to normal. He recognized this zoner. It was Bardot. Brand new. The data only recently came in. He forgot when. A few weeks ago perhaps? This zoner was a hybrid, clearly noticeable by the red markings in his outline. A feature not shared by any other zoner. If his data is correct, this zoner appeared recently. Not long after Mr. Cosmo’s defeat. He tried not to think about the Dark Creator.

He was well aware of this zoner’s actions. No big schemes like Skrawl. But he was aware of the fact that he hunted a couple of zoners. That information was logged inside his body recently. It felt...chilly, unlike most of the data he would recieve. Then there was his red chalk half, and he was no stranger to the red chalk. Everything that he knew about Bardot told him that it was not a good idea to do much interaction witht him. He simply wasn’t a trustworthy zoner and if he was here seeking information, he knew it wouldn’t be anything good.

But Barney was smart. He wouldn’t just shut the door in his face. He would try to reason and bargain with him. Make him think that he was just busy and that he could come back later. Then he could call King Mumbo Jumbo and have him find another place to hide. Until he found a way to get into contact with Rudy and tell him what’s going on, it was the best thing he could do.

Raising his hand and giving a friendly smile, he said, “Well hello there! I’m so sorry, but I am busy right now.” He grabbed onto the door with both hands and began to push it. “I do apologize for the inconvenience.”

Bardot started to move forward. Soon his head and neck were in the way. Barney couldn’t close it unless he pushed the yellow and red zoner away. And that would only cause problems. “I thought you said I could come in. You weren’t busy before...”

“Oh I...” Barney stammered. He looked to the side as he tried to think of something. “I-I just remembered I had an...appointment somewhere, yes. So if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to get ready and...”

“Oh but this won’t take long.” Bardot said, tilting his head to one side. “I promise. You let me come in and talk, and if you answer all my questions right away, I will leave you alone.” He raised his foot up, spreading his three claws outward. “You have my word on it.”

“Well I...”

Bardot was not waiting any further. He pushed himself forward, brushing past him so that he was in the underground home. Barney watched as the yellow zoner sat down on his haunches not far from him, almost like some kind of dog. It would be adorable if it weren’t for the long, dangerous-looking fangs that protruded from his top jaw. Barney tried his best not to look intimidated by them.

For a few moments, there was nothing but silence, save for breathing. Bardot stared at him with those bright, green eyes of his, which almost seemed to glow. His tail twitched and swished from side to side on the ground, the long fur near the base becoming pushed up against the rocky ground. His gaze upon him never faltered, and Barney couldn’t help but shudder slightly. It was as though this hybrid zoner was looking straight into his soul.

After a few more seconds, Barney said, “Well you really should be going now. My... my friend will be here soon and he doesn’t like company and...”

“Oh? I thought King Mumbo Jumbo loved company.” Bardot interrupted. Barney couldn’t think of a response. “If I didn’t know any better...” Bardot got up onto his four feet, his head turning to one side. “I’d say you were trying to get rid of me...”

“What, me?” Barney smiled nervously, waving his hands in front. “Oh no no no!” He shook his head rapidly. “It’s not that at all! I just... have something to do and... well you know how it is, don’t you?” Bardot narrowed his eyes slightly. “You know how you think you’re ready for something, but then something else comes up? That sort of thing...?”

Bardot was silent for a while, his frown remaining. He then nodded his head slowly. “Oh sure I do.” His frown slowly changed into a smile. “But that doesn’t apply here. I’m not fool; I know you’ve got time, Barney. So...let’s chat.”

Barney could feel his heart clench a little at the way Bardot said that. True the zoner didn’t really threaten him or give any indication he wanted something bad or wanted to do something horrible. But he couldn’t feel fully relaxed around him. The sooner he got away from him, the better. “I still think that it would be better if you came back later and...”

“Too late.”

Before Barney could react, the yellow zoner suddenly lunged in his direction. He let out a scream and jumped back. He felt pressure move along his arm and he soon realized that the zoner had grabbed his keys. The four-legged zoner moved around and pressed it inside the keyhole, locking it. He then moved towards the window, opened it up, and tossed the key out before slamming the window down hard enough to break its lock, securing it in place.

The sight of Bardot’s expression after that caused Barney’s heart to race. Realizing what was going on, the centipede immediately turned around and he began to run towards the opening that led into his private quarters. There was another escape route through there. If he could just get there before Bardot...

Suddenly there was a rush wind, a blur of yellow and red, and before he knew it, Bardot stood in front of the opening, completely blocking his path. Barney skidded to a stop only a few feet in front of him. He looked down at the zoner wide-eyed, backing away slowly with his hands in front of him defensively. He looked left and right. He used to have other openings before they were sealed up years ago during remodeling. Where was he going to go now?

He thought about perhaps grabbing the zoner and tossing him, then bolting before he could do anything. But before he could even think of putting that in effect, Bardot took action. The zoner must of read his mind. He began to strike at the opening. His claws were stronger than they appeared to be, and to his horror, they managed to collapse the opening, making it difficult to get through quickly. The sight of the collapsed opening and Bardot’s piercing glare caused him to back away further. Oh, why didn’t he let King Mumbo Jumbo stay here?

“Now then...” Bardot began to approach him slowly. He hunched his body low, his tail swishing excitedly. He stared intently at the centipede. “...you and I are going to have a good, nice chat... I will not leave until I get what I want from you. Make it easier on yourself and just give in. It will be a lot less painful that way.”

Barney continued to move backwards as the zoner approached him. Instincts were telling him to flee, but he had nowhere to go. No matter how often he turned his head around, there were no escape routes. Even the window wasn’t an option; the glass was just too thick to break through on his own, and even if he could grab a heavy object and toss it, he just wouldn’t have the time. This zoner, he was just way too fast. And he was not unfamiliar to that venom...

At this, he could have sworn he could see a bit of venom drip from the zoner’s mouth. He was certain he saw the boiling hot effect that it had. He had doubts that this zoner would bite him, if he needed his information. But if he were desperate, then there would be little reason for him to believe that he wouldn’t try something.

There had to be a way out of here. Barney refused to believe there still wasn’t a way. He just needed to think about this from a different angle. He turned his head up toward the ceiling. He looked at the overhanging root that Rudy had used as leverage to hang him in the past. Staring at it, he suddenly remembered that he had wings now. He didn’t waste any time. He unfurled them and he started to flap hard. About half of his body was lifted in the air before he heard a voice call out to him.

“Oh no you don’t...” Bardot hissed before he lunged at him. Barney let out a grunt as the zoner wrapped his front limbs around his lower body. “You aren’t going anywhere.”

Barney felt the zoner’s weight start to pull him down. He started to swing his body from side to side, hoping to dislodge the yellow zoner somehow. His efforts were in vain, and he winced as he felt the zoner start to press his claws into his body. Despite that, he continued to swing and buck his body, his wings pumping harder and harder to try to keep himself aloft. The sight of the zoner flashing his long, sharp fangs, opening his jaws wide to bite, caused him to stiffen and let out a scream of horror. The brief weakened state this caused made him fall to the ground.

He could feel Bardot walking over his body quickly, using him as some kind of path. He grunted as Bardot was not being gentle, pressing against his body as he walked over him. When those feet hit against his buttons and screens, very sensitive parts of his body, he stiffened and he let out a yelp almost each time, despite efforts to control himself. Soon Bardot stood near his front, right behind his wings.

“I think I shall take care of this nuisance.” Bardot said coolly as he raised his paw up. The claw tips glinted.

Barney widened his eyes in horror. “No... Don’t do that.. Please..I...”

His begging did not faze Bardot. The yellow zoner struck down. Immediately there was a horrible flash of pain. Barney’s eyes bulged as he let out a scream. The claw tips easily pierced through the thin membrane of his wings, and the zoner pulled his paw back. The claws ripped along, from near the base of his wing all the way to the tip. Bardot soon pulled his claws away. The relief Barney felt at this was short-lived as the zoner struck again, this time targeting his other wing. The claws ripped through and tore along that wing’s membrane, doubling the pain he was feeling. Now both of his wings looked as if they had been through a shredder machine.

Barney shut his eyes tightly and let out a few low whimpers. He struggled to deal with the pain as it wracked through his wings and spread through his shoulders and back. His fingers twisted slightly and he found it difficult to hold back his tears. He wanted to speak, wanted to say something, but for the moment, his voice was stolen.

“Now...how about that information?” Bardot asked in a sickeningly sweet voice. He acted so dissonant from what he had just done. So casual, as if he did nothing wrong. It terrified Barney. “We have some time to chat still. Come on, time’s a wasting. Let’s talk.”

Barney took in a few shuddering breaths, a few soft cries escaping his throat. “Wh-What... what did you want to kn-know..?” He managed to say through a broken voice.

“Why...information about Rudy Tabootie, Penny Sanchez, and Snap White of course.” Bardot replied.

Barney widened his eyes. “What...?”

Bardot sat down on him, applying more weight to him. Barney struggled to ignore the pain that this caused him. Bardot lifted a paw and press it against himself. “I need it for an experiment of mine. You see, I am quite amazed by this three. Especially Snap. I am curious about...how great his endurance is. As for Rudy and Penny... I won’t lie. They would make great...motivators, if you catch my drift.”

Barney felt his heart tighten at this. He could see the cruel intent shining in that yellow demon’s eyes. The glint that showed that he had so many hidden promises. A rush of adrenaline caused him to start wriggling underneath the zoner’s furry body.

“All I ask of you, Barney, is information that will help me accomplish this.” Bardot pointed a claw outward, turning his paw around so it was palm face up. He stared at his claw, as if to examine it. “I would love to get started quickly, and the sooner I get your help, the better.”

“Y-You’re going to experiment on them...?” Barney whispered in horror as he kept struggling.

“Why yes of course I am. Isn’t life just a game? Besides, after what I heard they endured, this wouldn’t be much different, right?” Bardot didn’t bother waiting for him to answer. He pressed his paw against Barney’s face and pushed on it. The centipede soon felt the fiend’s fur against him, his hot breath hitting him. “So let’s just get this over with. Help me get started having my fun, and I will let you go.”

Just how crazy was this zoner? He was absolutely insane if he thought he was going to help him do that. Barney would never betray Rudy or Penny or Snap to this...this monster. He fought against the pain, narrowing his eyes and baring his teeth. Using whatever strength he could gather, he managed to swing his body back and knock the zoner off of him. He immediately got up to his feet and pointed a finger at him.

“If you think for one minute that I would ever turn my back on them...the ones that helped to save ChalkZone and freed my best friend...” Barney flinched once from the pain in his wings. “...you really are insane!”

Bardot was on his feet already. He didn’t seem angry despite Barney’s fears. This unnerved him more. “Oh really now?” Bardot chuckled, his mouth stretching up into a twisted grin. “Your friend is King Mumbo Jumbo, am I right? That old tortoise...?” Barney’s expression was enough for Bardot. “How would you feel if I took care of him?”

“No..”

Bardot nodded his head. “All it would take is one bite. And he’s down.” He tilted his head to one side. “But don’t worry. I will do it in front of you so you can say your goodbyes.”

Barney trembled at this. He could feel waves of cold horror rush through him as Bardot’s threat echoed in his head. He shook his head slowly, not wanting to believe that Bardot would stoop so low. He took a few steps back, his heart threatning to burst open from his chest. Horrible images rushed through his head of what that would look like, and the pain-struck look his friend would give when he died. He... he couldn’t betray him...

But he couldn’t betray Rudy or his friends either. They had helped save ChalkZone. They had helped reunite him with his best friend. Could he really trade one life over three? Could he choose between any of them?

No..he couldn’t. He could never do such a thing. He cared about all of them. He could feel so filthy and rotten no matter which path he took. He never felt so torn in his life. His mind was at constant war, one side advocating saving his friend, whom he only recently reunited with, while the other said that keeping the Great Creator safe was the better option. Both sides were at constant battle, creating an ache in his head. Neither side was winning, and it almost created a chilling yet numb sensation, spreading throughout his skull.

All of it eventually culminated into one thing: he had to escape.

Without his wings, he could not fly. But he knew of another way to get away from the evil zoner. He turned his head towards the curving walls of his cave-based home. He took one more look at Bardot and, hoping to get a head start, he bolted away. He ran as fast as he could towards one of the walls. He hoped he would make it and climb far enough up that Bardot stood no chance of getting him. But he was not so lucky.

A weight struck against him as Bardot made his lunge. Barney felt his body being tossed into the ground, rolling across it. He winced and yelped in pain as his torn wings were constantly pushed and brushed against the hard, rocky surface. Even going across the carpet did little to soften the blow. They soon came to a stop.

Barney found himself on his side. His other side radiated in constant pain as his body weight was pressed against one of his injured wings. He attempted to adjust himself, but a paw pressing against his shoulder held him down, forcing him to stay in place. He turned his eyes upward and stared at the hybrid zoner that loomed over him. He found it difficult to tear his terrified eyes away, taking in a few shaky breaths as he wondered just what the zoner was going to do with him.

“You are making this harder for yourself, dear Barney.” Bardot spoke in a disturbingly calm voice. “There is no harm in talking to me. Why resist?”

Barney clenched his teeth. “Y-You’re going to hurt my friends! Why would I help you?”

“Good question.” Bardot turned his head curiously. “Why are you going to betray them?”

“I’m not!” Barney spat. “Especially not to a coward like you!”

“Hmph...” Bardot raised his head up. “I see...”

Barney was still unnerved by this zoner’s calmness. Why wasn’t he responding with anger? Why wasn’t he showing any other emotion aside from what appeared to be friendliness and a calm, relaxed nature? He...he didn’t like it...

He watched as Bardot’s eyes trailed over his body. He stiffened up at this, wondering why Bardot was examining him like he was a piece of meat. Soon Bardot’s head pivoted back to him, both of his horrible, green eyes staring right into his. The silence that followed was unbearable, and yet Barney couldn’t bring himself to say a single word.

“You have marvelous legs, Barney.” Bardot finally broke the silence. “You have so many. I wonder how hard it is for you to keep up with them. It must take a lot of brain power to keep them in synch with one another.”

Barney didn’t like where this was going. “I...”

“I wonder what will happen when I do this...”

Barney could feel Bardot grab onto one of his legs. One paw gripped his leg tightly while the other grabbed his foot. The zoner hardly wasted any time and in seconds, he applied pressure. Barney’s eyes bulged open and he let out a series of screams as Bardot pushed his foot beyond its joint, twisting it to the side. His other legs kicked out in response, his body wriggling on the ground. None of this deterred Bardot as he continued applying pressure.

Soon there was a loud snap and crack, the joint connecting his foot to his leg having been broken. Barney let out a bloodcurdling scream at this, his body thrashing and twitching as shockwaves zipped through him. The pain... oh gawd the pain... Barney couldn’t hold it back and he started to cry loudly, his tears staining his face.

“Aww isn’t that a shame?” Bardot cooed. “Don’t worry, dear Barney. I think I can fix it. Maybe I can correct the synch with this...”

“N-No..” Barney whispered. “Please...”

But Bardot wasn’t listening. Barney was too wracked in pain to do anything to stop Bardot as he grabbed another leg. He laid there, helpless, as Bardot started to bend another leg.

“Maybe if I bend it like this...?” Bardot asked.

Barney could feel him grab this leg differently. This time, both paws were on his leg. With his grip tightened, the yellow zoner began to bend it. This caused burning pain to immediately spread through the leg. Barney clawed at the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, as the zoner rapidly applied pressure. Then crack, the leg was busted, causing him to release another loud, wet scream. His body stiffened up once before it gave into quivers of pain.

Snot and mucous poured out of his nose from his sobbing. His vision blurred with his tears. His antennas curled up tightly as he tried so hard to endure the horrific pain that now plagued him. It felt like his body was being set on fire. He wasn’t able to stop the twitches of pain and his attempts to try to stop crying were only met with more tears. He managed to open up one eye and looked over at Bardot. The fact that this zoner could stand there, smiling calmly like that while he did this, it was sickening and horrifying.

“It doesn’t have to be like this, Barney.” Bardot said in a soft voice. “You can make the pain stop if you just tell me what I want...”

A part of Barney was so desperate for relief that he almost said yes. He wanted to get away from this pain. He never felt anything so horrible before. Even the bite from this bats was hardly anything compared to this.

But...but what about his friends...? He couldn’t betray them. That wouldn’t be right. Even through his pain, he was still reluctant to tell the fiend anything that could be used to hurt them. At least Bardot appeared to have forgotten about his threat towards King Mumbo Jumbo. But given the situation he was in, that was of little comfort to him.

He watched as Bardot lowered his paw towards him. Barney flinched and he tried to look away. He could feel the hybrid zoner grab his head, his claws pressing against his chin, and forced him to look at him. Bardot lowered down his other front paw and started to pet him on the head. Barney shuddered at the feel of the furry paws and the hard calws moving along his head, playing with his small mass of red hair.

One of the claws pressed against his antenna. He gave a shiver at this. The sensation this created...it was unusual. Not painful, but not comfortable either. Encouraged by this, Bardot grabbed his right antenna between two claws and started to move his digits upward at a slow, steady right, applying pressure. Barney shut his eyes and tried to endure this uncomfortable, almost violating sensation. When Bardot went all the way up and his antenna was free, he couldn’t help but let out a sudden gasp.

“Are you willing to talk yet?” Asked Bardot.

Barney shivered and he managed to shake his head. “N-N-No.”

“Isn’t that a shame?” Bardot turned his muzzle down and he looked at the twitching, quivering legs. “I still have more targets. I’m sure if I break enough, you will speak.”

Barney shook his head. “No please...stop hurting me...please...” He sniffled loudly, his voice trembling. “I-I can’t take it.. Please st-stop and l-l-leave me alone...”

Bardot stared at him intently for a few moments. “Are you going to tell me what I want to know?”

“I-I can’t do that..” Barney started to say.

“Then I have no choice.” Bardot released his head and he moved towards one of his back legs.

“No! Please!” Barney cried out. Tears flowed down his face as he tried to plead with the monster. “Leave me alone! I-I won’t tell anyone ab-about this!”

“Of course you won’t... If you do, I will murder your friend before your eyes...” Bardot hissed in an almost playful tone of voice.

At this, Barney shook his head rapidly. “No..please...have m-m-mercy...!”

Bardot let out a cold laugh at this. “Mercy? I’m sorry, dear Barney. I don’t play mercy.”

“P-Please... I... Ahhhhhh!”

Bardot grabbed another leg. He held it tightly and he already had begun to bend it. Barney kicked and writhed on the ground, his finger tips clawing against the floor as he tried to get away. Bardot chuckled as if he was having the greatest time of his life. The leg began to burn and ache at a particular location and soon there was another, sickening crack. Barney howled in agony.

Bardot wasn’t finished. Almost immediately, he went for another of his legs. The same, horrific process repeated itself. This leg, Bardot didn’t bother with taking it slow. It only took him seconds to snap this one. Barney’s body stiffened again and he thrashed more vigorously on the ground. His screams and cries increased in volume, doing little more than cause Bardot’s ears to twitch. Barney tried to speak, but was stopped when a fourth leg was grabbed. It too was snapped into two in seconds, causing a shockwave of pain to zip through his suffering body.

Soon Barney laid there, whimpering and crying. His tears continued to flow down his face, his body’s trembling increasing as he tried to cope with the pain. He could hardly think, could hardly even try to speak. Any attempts only ended up in whimpers. His mind constantly swirled as pain wracked through his body and invaded his skull. He opened his eyes and he looked over at Bardot. Even though his vision had been blurred due to the pain, he could still make the zoner’s features out well enough to know that he was smiling at him.

“I bore of this side. Let’s make it even, shall we?” Bardot suggested with a grin.

“No..please stop this... Please...” Barney whispered under his shaky breath. “You...you have to stop this.. Can’t you see it...hurts too much...?” Barney closed his eyes, allowing the burning tears to drip down his face. “Please....stop...”

“Oh but I can’t stop now, dear Barney. Not until I make you...symmetrical...” Came Bardot’s hissing voice. Before Barney knew it, the hybrid’s paws were on his shoulder and side. “Let’s just turn you over...”

Barney let out yelps of pain as Bardot turned him over not so gently. He stared up at him with pleading eyes. “Please...don’t...”

Bardot ignored this comment completely. “There, isn’t that better?” He asked with a smile on his face. “Now, let’s continue, shall we?”

Barney tried to speak again, but he was immediately stopped when Bardot grabbed a hold of another leg. His body was wracked with even more horrific pain as Bardot began to break it, this time using his jaws. He slipped the leg into his mouth past his fangs and bit down as hard as he could. The teeth tore through him easily, causing him to emit more screams. When the jaws finally broke through, the cracking was so much worse than before. It felt as though his leg had been splintered, and the burning agony that followed was unbearable.

“I-I’m begging you... P-Please s-s-stop.. Stop hurting me... Please...”

Despite his attempts at pleading, Bardot showed no signs of slowing down. He went for more of his legs on this side. He was targeting the legs adjacent to the ones he broke on the other side. Three more times, he had to endure the horrific cracking of bone, the burning agony, the horrific pain that shot through his body. Each time, his sobbing got worse, and his head started to swirl a little. He found it harder and harder to keep his vision sharp and clear. He wondered how much longer he was going to have to endure this before he would pass out.

After the fourth leg on this side was broken, Bardot at last got off of him and took a few steps away. He stared down at the quivering centipede, his tail swishing from side to side. His cold, green eyes observed him from a distance, showing no fear of him getting away. In this condition, how could he even try?

The pain of having eight of his legs broken and both his wings shredded were too much for the zoner to bear. He kept crying loudly, constantly releasing whimpers of pain. He couldn’t understand why this was happening to him. What did he do to deserve this? How...how could anyone be so cruel...?

“Heheheheh...” Bardot chuckled. “Knowledge is power..power is pain...”

Barney felt a jolt through his chest as Bardot spoke his catch phrase in a mocking tone. He turned his head and watched with blurred, wet vision as Bardot took a few steps towards him. He let out a whine as Bardot grabbed his chin again, tilting it upwards. He put his face close to his, letting Barney feel his breath against him. The horrible smell was hardly noticed as he tried so hard not to scream, his eyes wide in fear.

“...isn’t that right, Barney...?”

“Wh-Why won’t you g-g-go away...? Why won’t you l-leave me alone...?” Whimpered Barney.

“You know why.” Bardot’s eyes narrowed slightly. “The longer you refuse to help me, the worse it will get.”

Barney sobbed at this. “Please.. Have mercy... C-Can’t you see that this...”

Bardot cut him off. “Give me what I want and I will let you go.”

“I-I can’t betray my f-f-friends...” Barney whimpered. “Please... i-isn’t there something else we c-c-can do..? I-I-If you want information that doesn’t involve h-h-h-hurting someone...I-I will be glad to help..”

Bardot tapped his jaw with a claw. “Hmm.. is there something else we can do...?” He looked as if he was deep in thought. Barney didn’t dare speak up as the yellow zoner thought of something. Then his digits were spread out and his eyes twinkled. “Oh yes there is...” He stared at Barney, his smile growing vicious. “I can do... This!”

Barney let out a scream of pain as Bardot struck down on his shoulder. “Aaaahhhh! Stop this! Please!”

“There’s more where that came from!” Declared Bardot as he spread both paws straight out, wriggling the digits eagerly.

Barney struggled to scramble back, ignoring the pain in his broken legs the best he could. He waved his hand out in front of him in desperation, shaking his head wildly. “N-No..please..leave me alone.. Let me go...please don’t...”

Barney was not able to finish as Bardot lunged towards him. He let out a cry as the zoner impacted against him rolling him across the ground. His body twisted and turned, his injuries banging against the ground from the force, making him whimper and cry and scream. These only intensified as the claws came down, and he felt his side being ripped open.

Again and again, Bardot struck. Each time, his claws tore open a larger portion of his body. Blood began to pool rapidly from the ever increasing number of wounds. Barney tried to clench his jaws tightly and not scream, to not give the monster the pleasure of hearing him scream. But each time, he failed constantly. The claws continuously ripped him apart, constantly tearing open more and more flesh. They easily ripped through his endo skeleton, and his interior flesh stood no chance.

The room filled with his screams of pain and agony. His eyes continued to flow with tears, a fact that surprised him. Would he ever run out? Perhaps he would find out this day. He felt his head jerk to the side when Bardot struck his left cheek, creating three long gashes there. Then his shoulder, and then his chest, ripping apart his vest. Through his blurred vision, he could see that Bardot’s claws were stained in his blood, and he could see his jaws dripping with blood as well, obviously from when he broke four of his legs. The fiend’s mouth was twisted up in a sickening, disgusting smile.

Finally, with a final blow, Bardot struck across his stomach, nearly tearing it open enough to spill his intenstines. He fell into the ground in a trembling heap. Barney continued thrashing on the ground, crying and screaming. The pain... so much pain.. It wouldn’t stop... He stared up at Bardot, petrified in fear, his eyes wide and glistening with the message of ‘why?’.

He watched as Bardot approached him slowly, his head lowering, his ears stretching out back behind him. His tail raised up, doing its side to side turn. “I don’t see why you keep torturing yourself like this, Barney.”

“Y-You’re the one..wh-who...” Barney choked out. He couldn’t get himself to complete that sentence. He let out a few coughs, detecting the iron-taste of his own blood in his mouth.

Bardot gave a quick chuckle. “You are the one who is refusing to talk. If anyone is to blame, if anyone is making the situation worse, it’s you. You should have just relinquished the information to me right away. But instead, you made things worse on yourself...and me.” Barney gave him a disbelieving look. Bardot placed a paw against himself. “I didn’t want to hurt you, Barney. I didn’t want to waste my time. But you...” He waved his paw towards him in gesture, his blood-stained claws tilted up towards the air. “...forced my hand...”

Barney gave a painful wheeze. “Y-You expected me to...to turn my back on my f-f-friends... I-I can’t betray them...”

“Not even for the life of your best friend? Surely he means something...” Bardot asked. He took a few more steps forward. “Which do you find more valuable? Those three who saved ChalkZone, or the one zoner who understood you the most, the only one you could confide in for so long...?”

Barney couldn’t believe that this guy still thought that he was going to make such a decision. Even after all the resistance that he had given him, this guy still had it in his head that he would, somehow, get information out of him. Why couldn’t Bardot see that, no matter what he tries, he was not going to get him to speak? There was absolutely no way he would sell out Rudy like that. What... what kind of friend would he be if he betrayed him all to save his own hide? He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he did something like that.

The pain was getting worse, though... He wasn’t sure how much more he would be able to take. He was doing his best to endure it. He tried so hard to fight against it. But...he also wanted so much to get away from the pain. He knew Bardot wouldn’t kill him, and he knew that Bardot was going to keep inflicting pain on him until he spoke. He would hold up his will as long as he could, but how long would it be before it broke?

“I see you are faltering...” Bardot said, who had noticed the centipede’s expression.

Barney struggled to stand on his remaining legs. He grabbed against the nearby piece of furniture and tried to pull himself up. “Let’s just...stop this right now. There’s..nothing you can do...to make me talk...” Despite his pain and fear, he managed to narrow his eyes at the zoner. “You aren’t...getting anything out of me...”

“Oh contrate... There’s always a way.” Bardot looked at his claws, flexing them. “You just have to find the right method.”

Barney sucked in a shaky breath through his clenched teeth. “Y-You’re blind, Bardot... Y-You think you can g-g-get anything out of m-m-me...?” He gave a shaken half smile. “Y-You need to l-l-look with your eyes. If you did...you will f-f-find that..I w-w-will not relent.”

“Hrm... Perhaps...” Bardot said as he looked at the centipede up and down. “I do not wish to kill you. Your information is useless to me dead. But you are showing some spirit...”

Barney watched the hybrid zoner carefully. The furry creature had begun to pace back and forth in front of him. Barney watched the movements carefully, his pupils moving back and forth, following each step to and fro. From the look in the zoner’s eyes, it almost seemed as if he was starting to undersatnd his efforts at interrogation were useless. But when Bardot snapped his head back over his shoulder, grinning at him head on, he realized that this was not the case.

“However, the only one who is truly blind here...is you.” Bardot pointed a claw in his direction. “You seem to think that this is some kind of fairy tale. That you can just resist me for however long you want and I will eventually leave.”

The zoner approached him quickly, his feet carrying him across the ground at incredible speed. He suddenly stopped, his body arching, his tail raised up, his face close to his, contorted in a fierce-looking grin. Barney was so startled by this, he stumbled and fell back into the ground. He gave heavy pants as Bardot grabbed onto his throat and held it tightly. He gagged and struggled to get it off. His grip was like a vice.

“Allow me to show you...just how wrong you are...” Came the zoner’s hissing voice as his paw was leveled in front of his face. Barney stared in horror. “Perhaps this will finally make you see...” He paused for a moment. “Er..well in a way...”

Getting an idea of what was going to happen, Barney struggled against his grasp frantically. “No..Please...n-not that! Please don’t!”

“You should have listened to me before.” Bardot hissed. “Now, here’s your punishment.”

“No!”

It was too late. Bardot struck his paw forward, aiming two of his claws towards his face. It took seconds for them to delve into his eyes. His vision rapidly filled with the claw before everything clicked to black.

His bloodcurdling screams echoed in the room. So loud they were hurting his voice. Horrific wracks of pain tunneled their way through his head, straight through his eye sockets and out the back of his skull. He struggled to jerk back, pushing and striking blindly at the enemy. He could feel Bardot twisting his claws in his head, increasing the pain, increasing the bloodflow. His screams somehow still managed to get louder.

Then more pressure was applied as Bardot pushed his claws in deeper, tearing through his eyes’ flesh even more. Then the claws began to twist around roughly, mercilessly. Barney opened his mouth wider and continued to scream. Bardot soon yanked his paw back. Barney was aware of a slippery snap as his optical nerves were severed, and he felt something large and soft being pulled out of his face.

His eyeballs...

The centipede squirmed and convulsed on the ground. He curled his body inwards, his hands grabbing onto his face. His world had become dark, echoing with pure agony. He was aware of something slippery, wet, and warm moving down his face. Blood, or perhaps remnants from his eyes. He wasn’t sure. All he could do was hold onto his face, against his now empty eye sockets. His screaming continued to rip through the air, intermixed with his loud sobs of pain. After what felt like several minutes of screaming, he finally began to quiet down, letting out low, constant whimpers as the pain continued to rip through him.

“It didn’t need to go down this way, dear Barney...”

Barney shivered at this voice. No longer able to see, the blinded centipede could only try to turn his head in the direction the voice came from. In his present state, however, the voice seemed to almost come from all directions. Unable to think of anything else to do, he waved his hands in front of himself defensively.

He almost jolted when he felt something soft brush up against him. Something furry and warm... He realized it was Bardot. He was moving his body along him almost like a feline. He didn’t understand why he was doing this. He tried to move away, using his hand to desperately feel the ground. But now any slight movement caused him to be wracked in pain and he froze. His instincts to stay as still as possible kicked in. Soon he was nothing more than a quivering, whimpering mess on the ground, his sniffles constantly filling the air.

“Now will you speak?”

Before, Barney’s response would have been a ‘no’. He still wanted it to be a ‘no’. He wanted to keep defying this monster. He wanted to keep himself quiet for as long as possible. He didn’t want to betray anyone. Not Rudy or Penny or Snap or King Mumbo Jumbo, or the rest of ChalkZone depending on what else this monster wanted his information for.

But at the moment, he had run out of gas. His mind was so exhausted from all the pain. Any will to keep resisting was gone. Right now, all he wanted was for the pain to end. He took in several shuddering breaths, his tears stinging his cheeks. He weakly nodded his head up and down. He would feel the sting of regret later.

“I knew you would finally break.” The villain’s voice taunted him. Barney could imagine a smug smile on his face. “Now, let’s begin the series of questions.”

Barney quivered as he felt Bardot’s breath against the side of his face, near his ears. “Wh-What are y-y-your questions...?”

A low, cold chuckle. “Can you tell me...everything you know about those three? I need to know everything. I don’t care how long it takes. I want you to tell me everything.”

Barney shivered, letting out continous whimpers. He didn’t know if he could continue speaking with all of this pain moving through him. But he feared what Bardot might do if he didn’t relinquish the information. With a pain-filled voice, he said, “Y-Yes... L-Let’s see...”

He began doing the one thing he was going to regret for the rest of his life: he began to tell the fiend everything that he knew about Rudy, Penny, and Snap. Or at least, what he was able to in that moment.

He didn’t know how long he had been speaking. He didn’t know how much time had passed. It could have been minutes or hours. The time that passed by was so gruelingly slow, and the pain interrupted his perception of what was around him. The darkness that had overcome him made it even harder for him to fight back the fear. He could no longer see Bardot’s face, no longer tell what he might be doing. Even with his antennas working extra hard, it was still difficult.

Finally, after what felt like forever, he could no longer speak. He collapsed his head against the ground, his empty eye sockets widening as he struggled to take in breaths. The pain was starting to overwhelm his mind, and he could no longer concentrate on the questions that Bardot had been asking him.

“I’m not done with you yet!” Bardot’s voice came. There was now a tinge of anger in it. Not much, but enough to fill Barney with fear. “Tell me more!”

Barney opened his mouth to speak, but all that could come out was a torrent of blood and a series of coughs. A series of whimpers came out after that, his body stiffening as he struggled with the pain and agony.

“Hrmph...” Bardot snorted. “I guess I did a little too much to you. Oh well. I did get a lot of information out of you already. I suppose I can work with this.”

Barney felt some waves of relief when he realized that Bardot wasn’t going to make him talk further. But that did little to comfort him. The fiend could still do more to him if he wanted to. He was vulnerable and helpless. Anything the zoner did to him now, even nothing, was undesirable. Death might relieve him of pain, but he did not want to die.

Barney suddenly heard a grunching sound. A sickening slop. An unusual smell filling the air. It took him a few seconds to realize that Bardot was eating his own eyeballs that he had torn out. This realization made him nearly throw up.

“Delicious... Maybe I could eat you now...” Bardot suggested. His tongue slurped around. “I’m sure the rest of you is just as tasty.”

Barney shivered at this. He tried to plead, but his voice no longer worked. He could only tremble and whimper as he felt Bardot’s eyes moving along his body, scanning him for a suitable place to start digging in. He curled up as much as his broken and torn body would allow and he simply waited for the new pain to begin.

“But on second thought...”

Barney turned his head slightly in the fiend’s direction.

“I might need you for later. Hmm yes... I think I will keep you alive.” Bardot’s paw was placed against his shoulder lightly. “After all, you did give me what I want. I must thank you for that, Barney.” The centipede whimpered at this. “Don’t worry. I will take you somewhere where you will be found. You will survive this day.”

Barney felt something soft push up against his face. He flinched and cried out as something was shoved into his eye sockets. He squirmed weakly, trying to turn his head away.

“There, that should keep you from bleeding out completely.” Bardot said nonchalantly.

Barney wasn’t sure if he should feel grateful that Bardot was preventing him from bleeding to death, or if he should be horrified that he was prolonging his pain. He then could feel Bardot’s body push underneath him. He tried his best not to scream as his broken legs were knocked about and his gashes irritated.

“Grab onto me.” Bardot said. When Barney did nothing, the hybrid zoner growled. “I said grab on! I know your arms work!”

Whimpering in fear and pain, Barney wrapped his arms around what he guessed was the fiend’s neck.

“Good. Now hold on. I know exactly where to take you.”

Barney became aware of his body suddenly being dragged rapidly along the ground. The beast had broke into a run. The force of it caused his body to fly back a little. He struggled to hold on, the pain weakening him. This became difficult as time passed. When he hit against some things, possibly rocks and plants, it only got worse. He couldn’t hold back and he let out a few cries of pain. Bardot didn’t say anything about being quiet, almost as if he wanted attention to be drawn to him.

After a few minutes of running, Bardot suddenly stopped. He jerked his body to one side, flinging Barney from him. The centipede let out grunts and yelps of pain as he crashed into the ground. He could feel that it was soft and kind of wet. He also could feel what might be roots, and something hard. A tree? He must still be in the Mumbo Jumbo Jungle somewhere.

“This is your dropoff.” Bardot said. “I will leave you here for someone to find you. Don’t worry. I don’t think it’ll take long. Oh and Barney..”

The centipede shivered in fear as he felt Bardot’s tail curl around his neck. He felt the tail pat against his throat lightly. Despite the urge to push it away, he held still.

“Don’t tell your dear friend about this. In fact, do not utter a word that I’m the one who hurt you. If he asks, tell him it was an accident that you do not wish to talk about. I know you are wondering ‘how will I find out’, well, let’s just say I have ways of finding out. If you dare tell anyone of my involvement...”

Barney could feel the tail tighten around his neck, pulling upwards almost as if to choke him. He let out a strangled yelp.

“I will kill your friend. Understand?” Barney nodded quickly. Bardot chuckled. “That’s a good boy.” He let his head fall back down. “Now, why don’t you take a nap before someone finds you? I’m sure you could use the rest.”

Nap...? What was Bardot talking about?

Before he could even think to ask, there was a sudden blow to his head. A rip of skin. A hurricane of agony. He let out the loudest, most bloodcurdling scream he could muster before his body finally gave into the darkness unconsciousness. But at least one good thing came out of this.

For a short time, he didn’t have to feel any pain.