Don't Fret Precious

Part 4 of a series about Rudy dealing with a more cunning Terry.



Rudy took in a deep breath and sighed. He could feel the sun rays beating down on him. It created a nice contrast to the cold ground that he was tredging through. The thick coat that was wrapped around him made it difficult for him to feel too much coldness.

Today was quite nice. Despite the coldness hitting his face, and the confusing contrast of the sun, making parts of him feel warm, he was enjoying himself. His parents were right. A nice walk in the woods was exactly what he needed to help cope with his changing reality. He would need to get back to them soon. They were waiting for him. But for now... Yeah he was going to enjoy this.

Walking through here made him forget everything that happened recently. He forgot about what Terry had done to him and he had forgotten about the pacemaker that he now had to wear thanks to her. Even the dull ache in his chest was gone as he walked along the path, shaded by the tall pine trees all around, accented by the white blanket of snow.

Perhaps coming here in the winter time was not the smartest idea. But it was the cheapest, enabling him and his parents to come with on the trip. His parents wanted him to relax more and stop worrying so much about Terry. He had tried his best before. He found it difficult. This was his parents' best solution.

And he was glad they had taken it. Ever since they arrived, he just felt...free. It was as if nothing could hurt him. He was truly free to do whatever he wanted.

Except stay out much later. Rudy looked down at the watch on his phone and noticed it was getting late. Yeah, he should probably head back before his parents get too worried. He didn't want them thinking that something happened to him. After how Terry kidnapped and tormented him, he did not want a repeat of that happening. He turned around to head back, but froze when he realized something.

He didn't know where to go.

Rudy bit his lip as he realized he had lost the map earlier. He must have not secured his bag enough and it flew out. He looked left and right, but saw no sign of where it could have gone. He growled softly, realizing that he was lost.

No..oh no... He needed to get inside. He wasn't going to be able to stay warm forever. He could already feel the warmth of the sun vanishing as it was starting to get late. His parents were expecting him. If he didn't show up... He didn't want to put them through that emotional pain again.

Okay...not to panic. There was probably a way he could get back without trouble. He just needed to retrace his steps. That shouldn't be too difficult, right? He just needed to walk the opposite he came. Sooner or later, he would begin to remember where everything was, and he could soon return to the log cabin his parents had rented.

But as he continued to walk the opposite direction, he eventually realized that this was not going to work. He couldn't recognize anything. No matter how much he looked around, nothing was clicking with him. He realized that he had been so lost in his mind and in the relaxation, that he hadn't bothered to really pay attention to his surroundings. He was left unable to figure out which direction to go in, and he forced himself to stop.

What was he going to do? If he didn't get to a shelter soon, he may freeze to death. He couldn't even call his parents up because his cellphone didn't work out here. Damn stupid reception problems...

He should have listened to his dad and had taken one of them with him. He didn't know why he had to insist on coming alone. He had no idea why he wanted to do this on his own. He wished he had just listened to his parents. Then he wouldn't be in this damn mess.

He refused to give up. He looked all around him, squinting his eyes. He looked for any small detail that might look familiar. A part of him wanted to just stay put and wait for rescue, but he was driven to try to find his own way back. Maybe if he were to find something that was familiar enough, he could head that way, and he could find his way back.

When he found something that he believed reminded him enough of the area around the log cabin, he immediately headed that way. The path seemed simple enough. Just follow this path to the east and he would eventually get there.

A problem came to him almost five minutes of walking later. He stopped in front of a tall rocky face. He took a step back and looked up. He could see indentions that indicated a path. Looking left and right, he noticed there was no nearby way of getting up there. It was too high up for him to grab, taller than he. His arms would not reach, and it would be too dangerous to try to climb up on his own. He realized he must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. Now he was going to have to go all the way back and...

Or could he do that? He didn't know which direction was the right one. He couldn't even see any signs right here. Maybe they were buried by the snow. Maybe they had been blown away by some strong wind. Maybe an animal tore them down. He wasn't sure. He could search for the signs, but he had no idea how long that would take. Looking at the sun, he knew he didn't have that much time.

He looked back up the rocky face, noting the ice sheets and snow covering it. He licked his lips nervously. Did he really want to try it? Did he want to risk hurting himself?

Well, if he did climb up, he could get back on the trail and be able to head back. This shortcut would save him a lot of time, and would prevent him from having to tredge through the potentially dangerous forest when it was getting dark. Who know what dangers lay ahead if he tried going through more forest? Yeah, climbing up may be his best option.

Ignoring the side of him that was screaming at him that this was a bad idea, he grabbed onto the ledge and started to climb up. He could feel his feet slipping with each step and he struggled to hang on. He shut his eyes tightly, gritting his teeth. He slowly pushed himself up, lodging his feet into foot holds wherever he could find them. Gradually, he made his way up, getting closer and closer to the top.

Soon his arms jetted outward, feeling the cold grass and snow next to the path. He grabbed onto it and held on tightly. He started to raise his feet up slowly. This was a delicate procedure. One wrong move and he was in big trouble. He pressed the foot against the edge. Easy now...just a little more...

Suddenly, he felt something crack underneath him. His eyes bulged and he let out a cry as he struggled to hang onto the grass. He could feel his body start to slip down and his legs soon dangled, hitting against the side painfully. In his panic, he started to climb back up, kicking his legs against the side frantically.

But the crack spread further, and he could hear the rock start to separate. His eyes widening even further, he tried to get himself out of harm's way in time.

He failed.

Rudy let out a scream as he plummeted down. It was not a long fall, but it still felt like forever. His arms and legs flailed as he struggled to grab onto the ledge that was no longer within his reach. He could feel a rush of air move past him and he felt his tears start to form, flying by him as he fell.

The next thing he was aware of was hitting the ground. A wave of pain moved through him, making him feel as though someone had taken a large hammer and struck it against his entire body. He let out a series of groans as he laid there, shivering in pain.

He tried to get up. He attempted to push himself up with his hands. As soon as he put a foot out and put pressure against it, he screamed and dropped back down. He clinched his eyes tightly and clenched his teeth, grinding them against each other. He must have done more damage to himself than he thought. The fall, he must have sprained his leg at the very least. And his sides were hurting badly. He couldn't check it in his condition, but it didn't take him long to realize that he had bruising there. He shuddered to think that he may have broken a few of his own ribs.

He became aware of something wet and cold hitting against his skin. He turned his head just enough to see that something white had landed on him. Snow? Oh no... Not now... Rudy knew what this was going to mean. He tried to kick his legs out and push himself up. He only ended up bending his sprained leg the wrong way and he screamed. He soon collapsed, his bretahing becoming ragged and slow has he tried to cope with the pain.

What was he going to do now? If he stayed here, the snow was going to... He needed to get up. He needed to kep trying. But no matter what he did, he stayed stuck on the ground. Too much pain...

Tears began to flow down his face, stinging it as the temperature around him began to drop. He kept trying to struggle on the ground. But he knew at this point, his best chance of survival was if someone would find him.

But how would find him way out here...?

sss

"I still can't believe you convinced me to come all the way out here with you!" Vinnie snarled as he glared over at Terry. "We could have went to a nice hotel or somewhere in civilization! But instead you choose here! I don't know why!" He looked down at his phone. He gritted his teeth. "I can't even call anyone here..."

Terry rolled her eyes. She was getting sick and tired of hearing this man complain about everything. Seriously, he had hardly done anything but complain since they first arrived. She didn't bother saying anything at first because she thought he'd shut up on his own. Well she guessed she was wrong on that.

"Oh be quiet, will you?" Terry hissed. "This is the best spot for our experimentations."

"Will you quit calling them that? We're hardly doing much except looking at the same information and drawing on the chalkboard again and..." Vinnie had to stop. "Phew.. this thing is heavy..." He glared at her. "Why aren't you carrying this? This was your idea!"

Terry took one look at the large chalkboard that the short man was holding against himself and shook her head. "You're the man around here." She gave him a small smirk, remembering his comment earlier on why he should be in charge. "You can man up once in a while, can't you? A little chalkboard like that shouldn't be a problem for you."

Vinnie let out a low growl. "You bitch... This is the thanks I get for getting you out of that prison..."

Terry's eyes widened at this and then she narrowed them. "You did not help me! Don't you fucking dare try to take credit for something I did!"

"Hey I'm the one who reminded you of the magic chalk! And that is what helped you escape!" Vinnie shouted. He then paused, as if something else came to his mind. "You could have left us a permanent portal or something! But no... You just had to..."

Terry silenced Vinnie with a strike on the head. He let out a yelp and turned his head away. He looked up and glared at her. "Now you listen here. It was too dangerous to leave the portal open for long. I didn't want any of those idiots ruining my chance. And I couldn't stay in ChalkZone for long. I'm sure that little brat would have told them about me. They would have chased me out. Besides..." She leaned back, folding her arms against herself. "I think it is best that I plan this out better. I nearly screwed up with Rudy. I won't do it again."

Vinnie grumbled softly. "Yeah. Shooting him in the chest certainly got you places, didn't it?"

Terry felt burning anger rush through her at that statement. She then shrugged it off the best she could. There was no use in getting upset with Vinnie. She merely gestured with her hand for him to follow, and the two continued on their way.

Vinnie had learned of what happened to her, and he had been able to grab some of her evidence before it was destroyed by those lousy cops. He had also offered refuge for her, where she could hide and continue her business without fear of getting caught.

Of course, he wouldn't have been able to help her muh if it weren't for the magic chalk. Sadly, by the time she realized she had it, most of it had dissolved in the shower. She had enough for two portals and that was it. She used it to make her getaway. It hadn't been the easiest escape she ever pulled off, not that she pulled off any others, but in the end, she had been able to get out and hide with Vinnie.

The taste of freedom was wonderful. Despite being in hiding, having to wear vastly different clothes and a different hairstyle to keep herself unrecognizable at a distance, she still enjoyed being able to walk around and not have to worry about the horrible smells or the screams or the shouts. Just her, a nice breeze, and plenty of time to think and plan.

Some might call her obsessive for still focusing on Rudy. If she went to a therapist, they would attempt to help her get out of that obsessive faze. They would try to 'fix' her and prevent he from causing further damage. They would think she was hurting herself by obsessing night and day over that one child and they would think that she'd be happier if she would just move on.

No, she wouldn't. She rejected their kind of help. There was only one thing that was going to help her feel better, and that's if she finally got back at the kid for what he had done to her. He had taken away her freedom, her life, everything. It was all his fault that the city now hated her, and she couldn't even get back to her old job. Who would hire a former criminal like herself?

Oh how she was going to make him pay... How she was going to make him suffer... He was going to wish that the gunshot had killed him.

"Do we turn here?"

She turned her head to see that Vinnie had stopd in front of a sign. She took a few steps towards it and read what it said. After a moment, she turned to Vinnie and nodded her head once. "Let's get going."

The two of them turned onto the path and started to head that way. They continued along. She knew that the log cabin they rented wouldn't be too far away. Maybe another ten minutes of walking and they would get there. She was going to be glad when they could finally warm themselves up and she could take off this ridiculous getup.

The fact that they were moving so close to the edge made her feel a little uneasy. She had no idea that the path was going to be this narrow. She kept as far away from the edge as she could, trying not to drip over the snow. She didn't know what was hidden underneath there, and she would personally like to never find out. At least it didn't seem to last too long. Even from here, he could see where the path curves away from the edge, up towards where she was certain the log cabin was waiting for them.

"Hey, what is that?" She heard Vinnie say. "There's something down there."

Terry let out a groan. "Oh Vinnie... just let it go, okay?" She gave him a sideways glance. "You can go play down there if you want later." She resumed her walk forward. "For now, let's just keep going. We're almost at the log cabin."

"I suppose you're right." Vinnie said softly. With a groan, steadying the chalkboard in his hands again, he started to follow her. Suddenly, he stopped again and Terry could hear the chalkboard hit the ground. "Terry! You've got to see this!"

The former news reporter whipped her head around and snarled at Vinnie, "What do you want?!"

Vinnie wasn't paying attention to her. He instead stood near the edge. Dangerously close. He was looking down at something below them. His eyes, though hard to see, were wide in shock. He slowly looked over at her, his mouth partially open. "Just look down there..." He said softly, pointing his finger.

Terry couldn't believe it. They needed to get to the log cabin before someone sees. Vinnie only booked for one person, and if they find her... Oh gawd why was Vinnie wasting time with this? Couldn't he see that they had to get going now? He was such an idiot. What was so important about what he saw that he was insisting that she'd come and see it? Probably just a fallen sign or a dead animal or something.

Oh well, she might as well check it out. The man wouldn't budge for her when he was this fixated on something. Besides, he had the keys. Letting out an exasperated sigh, she walked down towards him, glaring softly as she went.

When she arrived, she continued to glare at him, unable to believe just how annoying he was being right now. Vinnie was not fazed by her expression and merely stepped out of the way for her to see. She positioned herself at the edge, keeping her glare on him. She gave him a harsh glare which made it clear to him that she would smack him across the head if he was wasting her time. His expression indicated that he thought this was worth her while. She would see about that.

"I do hope that this is worth it, Vinnie." She said in a low growl. "Because you know how much I hate to..." Terry turned her head and looked down. What she saw caused her to freeze immediately. "...waste...time.." She finished slowly, her mouth soon hanging open.

Vinnie gave her a smirk. "What did I tell ya?"

Terry continued to stare down at the form below her, unable to believe what she was seeing. This...this was some kind of joke right? There...there was no way that...

But the longer she stared, the more she realized it was true. She could feel her insides well up with emotion, intense, burning, ready to burst out. Waves of thought moved through her. She could feel her hands tingling as she could feel a million plots go through her head.

There, laying on the ground, was Rudy.

It was hard to tell it was him. He was buried under so much snow, and he wasn't moving. It was pure luck that she and Vinnie were at the right angle to see him. But it was him alright. And he was all alone.

This caused a smile to spread across her face. It was as if her greatest wish had been granted, given to her on a silver platter. She had dreamed of this moment day after day since she got arrested. Finally, she had gotten what she always wanted. A moment for her to make Rudy pay for all that he had done to her. There was no one around to protect him this time. No parents. No friends. No police. Nothing.

It would be so easy, too. All she'd have to do was grab his neck and break it, and it would all be over. They would just think he fell on his neck wrong and snapped it. They would dismiss it as a tragic accident. No one would think to look to her. It was perfect.

Terry eased her way over the edge. She pushed herself off and slid down. She ignored Vinnie's confused cries behind her as she landed on the ground painfully. She hissed, clenching her teeth as she pushed herself up. She ignored the aches in her leg joints as she made her way slowly over to the prone from of Rudy Tabootie.

He looked so helpless... She circled around him slowly, her smile growing bigger as she imagined all the things that she could do with him. She could practically do anything, and she'd get away with it. Vinnie wouldn't dare tell on her. And Rudy, in his state, would not be able to resist. He was unconscious, unmoving, silent. He looked as if he had tried to get away, and the snow beat him.

What should she do with him? Should she crack his skull? Should she break his neck? Should she poison him? Should she beat him up while he was unconscious until his heart stopped beating? Should she stomp on his chest and try to damage his heart further? Oh the possibilities were endless...

Then a thought crossed her mind. She frowned slightly, folding her arms. Perhaps she needed to think of another way to do this. It would be gratifying if she killed the kid, but it wouldn't last for long. And with him gone, she wouldn't have much of an outlet. Besides, she really wanted to make him pay for what he did to her. And he couldn't do that if he was killed off. No...she needed to think of something else.

She thought back to her original plan. She wanted to break him emotionally, and force him to do things that he wouldn't do otherwise. That had been a lot of fun even if it didn't get that far. The feeling of power over Rudy was wonderful. She felt as if she had taken back control of her life. Having Rudy cower and whimper in her presence, constantly show submission to her, was the best justice she had ever had. It was about time that little brat learned his lesson about messing with her.

If only she could have that control back. If only she could make him helpless, and force him to 'bark like a dog' whenever she told him to. Reducing him down like that would be the best revenge.

No...not just that. Making him help her expose ChalkZone like she did before would have been even better. The stupid brat was so selfish and refused to let that world be explored. And his reasoning was so stupid and idiotic, she dare not think about it. Forcing him to go against that was more satisfying that trying to break his jaw.

She froze at that, and as she stared down at the boy, a plan began to formulate in her head. The longer she stared at Rudy, the more in focus the plan became. It was so sinister and diabolical.

She loved it.

Terry turned her head to where Vinnie was. She motioned for him to come down. Vinnie looked at her in confusion, but he soon obligued anyway. He put the chalkboard down and he slid down the side of the rocky surface and fell into the ground. He grunted and climbed up to his feet. He walked over towards her, giving her a look of confusion.

"What is it?" Vinnie asked. He soon joined Terry at her side. "What do you want me to do?"

Terry stared at Vinnie for a few seconds. Then she pointed her finger down at where Rudy still lay unmoving. She then uttered a simple command, her tone of voice darkened, which seemed to disturb Vinnie. "Break his leg."

Vinnie let out a small gasp at this. Not out of horror or concern, but out of shock that she would suggest such a thing. "You want me to do what? Why?"

Terry narowed her eyes. "I will explain on the way." She swung her head towards the freezing child. "Just do it!"

"Well..okay..."

Terry watched in sick satisfaction as Vinnie grabbed onto Rudy's left leg. He used his body weight to keep the leg still as he grabbed onto his shin. The man began to bend Rudy's leg, gritting his teeth as he mustered up as much strength as he could. In a matter of moments, perhaps a minute or two, Vinnie successfully snapped Rudy's leg in the middle of his shin.

Terry's grin grew twisted at this. "Excellent. Now, let's take him up to the cabin." Vinnie stared at her in confusion. "He is going to be our...guest."

sss

Rudy let out a soft groan as he opened up his eyes slowly. His vision was blurred and dark. He found it hard to make out any details. The first thing he became aware of was something soft, and it was warm.

He struggled to keep his eyes open, but it was so hard. He was just so tired. It felt as if he had fallen asleep for ages, and his body was having a hard time waking up. He tried to shift himself, but for some reason, his one leg wasn't moving. Maybe he had slept on it wrong or something. He wasn't sure.

He could barely remember much of what happened. Just that he was outside for a walk. Nothing beyond that. He couldn't even remember if something terrible happened. He thought that maybe he had been so tired that when he fell asleep at the log cabin his parents rented, he just thought he was doing something else. Being tired and sleepy could cause confusion like that sometimes.

Just where was he anyway? Perhaps the bedroom of the log cabin? No...too large. He blinked his eyes slowly as everything started to come into focus. He turned his head from one side to the other.

He was in a large living room. There was a big flat screen television set mounted on the wall, a cabinet with some DVDs in it. There were at least two pretty paintings in the living room, a nice carpet, and he found himself laying on a long couch. There was also a fireplace not too far.

As his mind cleared, some confusion began to come over him. This didn't sound like the log cabin his parents rented. Even through his tired confusion, he recalled that his parents did not exactly get the most exotic room. So why was this place different? Did his parents decide to get some of this stuff after all? He had his doubts, but perhaps it was possible.

He craned his head and he could see where there appeared to be a kitchen. Although he felt pretty chilly and didn't want to leave the warmth of the blanket, he was feeling a little hungry. After all that working, he deserved to get a bite to eat.

But when he started to get up, he realized something was wrong. His leg still felt as if it were numb, and he could hardly move it, even after putting it in a new position for a while. He felt his heart clench and he wondered if he had permanently damaged some nerves. He also noticed that his leg felt a tad heavier than usual, another thing that caused great alarm for him. He couldn't help but wonder if he contracted some kind of dangerous disease. If so, he had to get out of here and fast.

He struggled harder to move his leg. He tried to lift it up, and slowly, he succeeded. But something about it still felt wrong. He still couldn't bend his foot, and he noticed a slight pain when he tried. He lowered the leg back down slowly and tried something else. Maybe if he pushed himself off the couch, he would...

"Ahhhhh!"

Rudy's scream echoed in the room as shere agony swept through his leg. He tried to pull the leg to himself, but that only inreased his discomfort and pain. He thrashed on the couch as he struggled to cope with the horrific pain. It felt as of someone was trying to cut his leg in half with a butcher knife. Although he struggled to think of how this could have happened, hardly anything would come to mind; his head was too clouded with pain to think of much.

It took several seconds before the bout of pain would finally stop. He could feel the pain slowly leave him, and he began to relax. Eventually, his crying and sobbing began to slow down, and he felt some sense of relief.

But the horror didn't leave him. Just what had happened to him? Why did his leg hurt so badly? Why was it surrounded in something so thick and hard? Just what was this stuff? This and many other questions just flowed through him, causing him a massive headache.

A sense of dread washed over him. He took another look around and realized that the whole layout of this place was different. This...this wasn't the log cabin that his parents had rented. This was someone else's. How...how did he get here..?

Then he heard footsteps from where the kitchen was. He could hear the sound of a door being opened and closed. He kept his eyes over there, staring intently, trying to see what was going on. He could see the shadows of two figures. One large, one tall and thin. He wondered for a moment if he had just been mistaken. Maybe he really was in the right log cabin and he was just remembering wrong. Maybe he...

"Hmm...looks lilke he's awake."

Rudy's blood ran cold at that voice. His eyes bulged, and he fought against hyperventilation. No..no it couldn't be... She...She had been arrested. There was no way that she...

The dark figure walked forward, stepping into the light of the living room. Rudy's eyes only took a second to fully register who this person was. He could feel his face losing several shades of color and he felt his veins filling with burning ice.

It was her... It was Terry Bouffant... She might look different. But it was her. He'd never forget that horrible gaze...

Terry looked down at him, a small smile stretched across her face. "Hello there, chalk boy..."

"Wh-What are you..d-doing here...?" Rudy managed to squeak out.

Terry tilted her head to one side, giving a soft frown. "This is my log cabin. Vinnie Raton and I rented it for a long time."

Flashes swept through the back of Rudy's mind as he continued to watch the woman in utter horror. He could see all those past events very easily. The way she had used chloroform on him and dragged him out to her place. The way she had strapped him down and forced him into submission. The way she had tracked him and made him give up a piece of magic chalk.

All that watching.. All that terror... All that menacing control she had over him... He would never forget it.

He had been doing better lately. But now, all that progress easily watched away as he looked at the woman, watching her warily. He hardly bothered to look at Vinnie. As much as he didn't like him, it wasn't him that he was most afraid of. There was good reason for him to fear Terry a lot more.

She had tried to murder him.

He could vividly remember that moment. She had lost it in the courtroom. Angry that no one believed her and that she was going to lose everything. She had brought a gun in court and she shot him with it. A horrible wave of pain swept through his chest at this memory, and he found himself clutching it tightly.

And the fact that this woman said she rented this cabin for a long time did not settle well with him. He couldn't stop shaking as he imagined all kinds of things that this woman might do to him. She had plenty of time, and no one knew where he was. He wouldn't doubt that she covered her tracks well. No doubt that this log cabin had no home phone or internet, so it would be really hard for someone to track them here.

And he didn't think that anyone even knew that Terry was free. No doubt she figured a way around that, fooling them all that she was somewhere else. Terry was quite masterful at planning. No doubt Vinnie helped her out with that as well.

He watched as Terry approached him slowly. Vinnie held back, remaining silent as he, too, watched her go. Rudy shrank himself on the couch, shivering in fright. He wished so much that he could just disappear, slink out of sight. The stare this woman was giving him was uncomfortable, even if the expression wasn't all that hostile.

The fact that Terry was looking at him more sympathetically than he imagined she would didn't do much to relax him. Rudy couldn't stop the horrible memories from flooding his mind. He couldn't stop the fear from swelling up inside of him, making him shake harder, making him feel like he was going to throw up. He found himself struggling harder on the couch, trying to get as far away from this evil woman as he could.

Terry stopped herself, now standing about a foot away from the couch. She continued to stare down at him with a look that he would describe normally as concern. But through his terror-filled eyes, all he could see was Terry looking at him maniacally as she brought a gun to him. That image would forever be painted deep in the confines of his mind.

"Rudy, try to relax. You're in no position to go anywhere." Terry said calmly. Her eyes trailed over the boy's body before turning her gaze back to him. "If you struggle too much, you're going to hurt yourself more." She paused for a moment, as if waiting for Rudy to calm down. When Rudy did not, she gave a slight frown. "Your leg is broken."

At this, Rudy took in a sharp gasp of air. He turned his head and back down at his leg, which was still covered up by the blanket. He realized now that was why he had screamed, why he felt such horrific pain, why he couldn't move the leg. At Terry's verbal confirmation, he suddenly felt a swelling of dull pain radiate from the middle of his shin, where he was certain the break was.

Just how did this happen? What had led up to this? Rudy struggled to make sense of it. His fear caused him to gravitate towards an obvious conclusion. He stared back at the two humans before him. Though he said not a word, in his mind, he was painting a rather gruesome picture.

Terry noticed this and her frown increased. "No. We did not do it."

Vinnie took a step forward, folding his arms against his chest. "We found you like that. You should be thanking us." Rudy stared over at Vinnie with a slight disbelieving look. "If we hadn't come along and gotten you out of there, you would have frozen to death."

Rudy wasn't sure if he could t believe their words. He remembered who these people were. He knew they would have little reason to help him. Something was up here. Something was very wrong.

What were they up do? What did they plan on doing with him? The fact that they took him to their cabin instead of trying to find his, or even to the hospital, was a red flag to him. He had to try to leave as soon as he could. But with a broken leg, just how far was he going to get?

His thought were interrupted when he was suddenly aware of Terry being even closer to him. Her face was lowered slightly as if she wanted to get a good look at him. Her expression was that of concern, but whether or not it was sincere didn't cross Rudy's mind. All he could see was the face of the person who nearly became his murderer.

He cringed away from her as she got close. He let out a few series of small whines, feeling his body shake harder. His wide, terrified eyes stared up at her, refusing to look away. Terry reached her hand out, moving it towards his head. At this, Rudy felt a rush of cold through him, his mind flashing back to how Terry had 'petted' him before when tormenting him mentally, establishing dominance over him. The fear swelled up inside of him, and soon he was hardly seeing anything except a twisted, disgusting hand trying to rip him apart.

His mind near its breaking point, it was only a matter of seconds before he reacted.

Raw, primal fear rushed through his body as he launched his hand forward before he could stop himself. He struck the side of Terry's head as hard as he could. He hardly heard her scream of pain over the pounding fear that gripped his head, or the dull pain that rushed through his hand where it made contact with Terry's skull.

When Terry looked at him again, this time, the look of sympathy was gone, replaced with anger. Rudy cringed back against the couch as far as he could go, realizing he may have just made the biggest mistake of his life.

All that anger and hate burning in her eyes in that moment, it served as a terrifying reminder for the situation he was in. Before, Terry had a reason to let him live. She wanted his help in exposing ChalkZone. But she had to limit herself as she did not want his friends or family to know what was happening.

But here, she had no such restraints. No one knew she was here. No one would know where he was. She could do whatever she wanted to him.

"You fucking brat! We go out of our way to help you and this is the thanks we get?!" Terry practically exploded in his face. Her hands were formed into fists and it really looked like she was going to strike him. "If this was how you were going to treat the people who went out of their way to help you, then maybe we should have just let you freeze to death!"

Rudy cringed underneath the harsh glare and words of the vile woman. Tears flowed down his face. His gut twisted as fears crept into his mind, wondering what this woman was going to do to him now. He turned his head away, shutting his eyes tightly. He began to whimper softly as he waited for whatever the woman was going to do to him.

Even though nothing came, Rudy couldn't bare to look over at her. He didn't want to see her face right now. He tried to block out the snarling sounds he was making. He tried not to remember how she had shot him, or how she had psychologically tormented him. He tried to pretend he was somewhere else. Anywhere else. Even the principal's office was welcoming compared to this.

"Take it easy." Rudy heard Vinnie say. "He's obviously scared. Try to calm yourself a little. You're not going to get through to him if you act like this."

Terry's seething continued. Rudy, his breaths going in and out so fast he might as well been hyperventilating, looked up at her with one fright-filled eye. He winced when Terry locked eyes with him. It felt as if knives were being shoved through his eyes and into his skull.

For a few seconds, Terry just glared at him. Then, as she watched him whimper and cry, something seemed to click with her. Rudy couldn't tell if it was genuine, but her expression began to soften up, replaced with something that looked kind of like regret.

Terry took in a deep breath and sighed slowly, almost forcibly. "Look, Taboo...er... I mean, Rudy..." She looked down at Rudy sadly. "I didn't mean to yell at you. And I know we've had...problems in the past. But I assure you, we have no intention on hurting you."

Vinnie nodded his head as he looked down at Rudy. Just like with Terry, Rudy couldn't tell just how sincere his words were. "We are only going to help you. And as soon as you are able to be moved, we'll get you back. We promise."

Rudy couldn't bring himself to believe them. He simply stared at them both in fear. He couldn't stop cringing away, and he pulled the cover over his body in an attempt to make himself disappear. He kept his eyes on them, watching them warily as they stood in front of him. No matter how non-threatening they tried to make themselves, Rudy could only look at them with a level of anxiety.

The fact that Terry attempted an apology only made him more terrified of her. He took it as a way for her to try to establish more control over him. She wanted him to calm down so she could manipulate him further. He didn't care what she said. There was no way he was going to let his guard down around her.

Vinnie eventually broke the awkward silence. "Are you hungry? We can get you something to eat, if you want."

Rudy couldn't bring himself to answer.

Terry frowned at this, causing Rudy to whimper. She immediately stopped herself and rubbed her fingers against her head. He could practically see the bit of steam moving out of her ears as she tried to fight back the urge to do anything to him.

"Well we'll fix you up something later. I imagine you are in shock right now, so you might end up throwing up anything we tried to feed you." Terry said calmly. She stared down at him with a softened expression. "Right now, just try to get some rest."

Rudy watched as the two adults started to leave. He didn't move from his spot. He kept himself hidden underneath the blankets as much as he could, only leaving a small opening for him to peer through. His fear clouded his mind and, in that moment, the pain in his leg was gone.

Suddenly, Terry stopped. Vinnie looked at her in confusion as she turned her head. Rudy snapped his head back when her narrowed eyes fell upon him. It felt as if someone or something had just covered him with cement and it turned into concrete, trapping him inside. He couldn't think. He couldn't move. He couldn't do anything except stare at her.

Terry stared at him for several moments. Long, silent, tension-filled moments. She eventually opened her mouth to speak. Though her words were softly spoken, Rudy couldn't help but detect a trace of a threat in them. Whether or not it was there, or if it was his own imagination, he wasn't sure. But that did little to lower the fear gripping his heart. "And please, don't try to leave again. You will regret it."

Rudy's eyes widened at this and Vinnie nudged Terry in the arm. Terry seemed to realize the implications of what she had said, and she put her hand against her mouth, shocked.

"Oh, that's not what I meant! I'm sorry!" Terry corrected herself. She moved her hand towards Rudy in gesture. She pointed a finger at his leg. "I just meant that you could make your injury worse. That's all." She noticed Rudy wasn't calming down. She let out a sigh. "Just...stay in the couch, okay?"

Rudy didn't answer her. He just watched as she turned and walked away slowly. He couldn't stop himself from shaking. Even when they disappeared into the kitchen completely, he couldn't move his eyes away. His mind was on full alert and he kept watching the area for any signs of his captors.

His mind swirled with thoughts. Just how was he going to get out of here? How were his parents going to find him? Would he ever see them again?

The intense emotions from what had happened lately came from all directions. It felt like something was snaking out of the couch and wrapping him in its tight grip. The feeling intensified, squeezing him harder, nearly making it difficult for him to breathe. He could feel his fingertips burning, and his muscles were aching to launch him out of the couch. Only his damaged leg stopped him.

He couldn't believe this was happening. This..had to be some kind of nightmare, right? Yeah...maybe if he went to sleep and woke up later, he will find that he was back with his parents, and this was all just a horrible dream.

But as he closed his eyes, he was not able to stop the intense emotions from overflowing in his body, reaching an eruption point. Tears flowed down his face rapidly as he began to cry.

sss

Terry let out a groan as she heard Rudy sobbing his heart out even from in the kitchen. "Gawd..is he seriously crying now?!"

"Shh...don't speak too loudly." Vinnie warned her, folding his arms. "I don't think you'd want him to hear what we're saying."

Terry realized she had spoken a little too loud. She resisted the temptation to slap herself in the face. "Yeah, you're right." She took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying to get herself to calm down. If she allowed Rudy to hear too much, he would remain suspicious. "I'm sure he'll cry himself to sleep eventually."

Vinnie nodded his head. "Yeah. He might cry again later, but he'll stop at some point."

"And if he doesn't..." Terry would have said she'd wring his neck. But that would ruin their plans. She couldn't do anything like that, or else this would not work. "I'll have to think of something."

"So..." Vinnie leaned against the refrigerator. "How are we going to do this, exactly? You only told me to hold my temper...which I don't have, by the way..." Terry kept her mouth shut, not wanting to waste time in correcting him. "And to not threaten him. But...what do you have planned?"

Terry looked over at Vinnie and gave a smile. Vinnie took a step back, looking a little creeped out. She gave a soft chuckle as her mind flowed with the thoughts of what she had in store for the boy. Of all the revenge plans she had thought up, this was probably her favorite one. No better way to thoroughly destroy the boy than this.

"Vinnie...you haven't given up on that chalk world theme park, have you?" Terry asked in a casual tone of voice.

Vinnie stared at her in shock. He shook his head. "No, of course not. Why would I?"

Terry smiled at this. "Well I think it will finally come true."

"Really?" Vinnie tilted his head to one side. He looked pretty skeptical. She couldn't blame him. "What makes you think so?"

"Because that little brat in there is going to help us." Terry motioned towards the living room, where Rudy's crying could still be heard.

"How can you be so sure? The boy had never answered any of your interview questions with anything helpful. What makes you think that he would tell us anything? You going to make him?" Vinnie raised an eyebrow.

Terry shook her head. "No, he's going to tell us on his own."

Vinnie rubbed his head slowly. "I don't get it..."

"Of course you don't. That's because you aren't thinking." Terry told him, curling her lip up slightly. Of course Vinnie would be too dense to see where she was going with this. He was never one to see the broader picture of things. Well maybe when it came to his theme park, but not much else. "Look, I'll make it simple for you to understand. You familiar with Stockholm Syndrome?"

Vinnie nodded his head slowly. "Yes... what about it?" It took him a split second to get an idea of what she was going to say next. He turned his head towards the living room. "You going to try to make him get it?"

"Precisely." Terry said with a smile. "And it will be quite easy. I had you break his leg so he will be reliant on us. We will be his caregivers. We will do our best not to yell or frighten him. Even if it pains us each time, we will be nice to him. Eventually, he will get used to our presence, and he will eventually come to trust us."

"I don't know... He's a pretty smart kid." Vinnie said. "What if it doesn't work?"

"Oh it will, don't worry. It may take a long time, but...we have this place for a while. So long as we remain gentle with him and take good care of him, he will stop seeing us as his captors and start to see us as his caregivers. He will stop feeling so afraid of us, and he will start to feel more comfortable around us." Terry's smile grew more twisted as the seconds passed. "And then...when he trusts us enough to give us the information..."

Vinnie stared at her for a moment. Then, after he seemed to finally understand what she was saying, he smiled back.

Terry didn't finish her sentence. Her smile and her chuckle were all that Vinnie needed to hear. She turned her head and looked back over at the couch. At this point, Rudy seemed to have fallen silent. She watched his sleeping form, her hate-filled eyes glinting with delight and hidden promise.

This may be tedious and take a long time, but she, in the end, it was all going to be worth it.

sss

No...this couldn't be real... It had to be a bad dream... Maybe he just didn't wake up yet. Maybe he needed to wait longer. There was no way he...

But no...this was reality. No matter how much he tried to deny it, no matter how long he slept, Rudy couldn't keep fooling himself anymore. The reality was not changing. The pain was still there. He was still here. They were still here. He could pinch himself all he wanted. Nothing was changing.

Rudy couldn't remember how long he slept. The fact that the lights were out indicated that it had at least been a few hours. No, make that several. Vinnie and Terry must have gone into the bedroom to sleep, leaving him alone out here. A part of his mind reeled, telling him to escape. But he soon felt bitter reality weigh down on him when he reminded himself of one thing.

His leg was still broken.

There was no way he could move in this condition. Even if he could hop his way over, his unbroken leg would get tired very quickly. He might be able to support himself, but there weren't trees all the way down.

And what if he got lost in the snow again? What if he nearly froze like he did before? As much as he hated it, he had to stay with Terry and Vinnie. At least here, he was nice and warm and safe from the weather. Whether or not he was safe from them...that was an entirely different story.

Rudy couldn't fathom any altruistic reasoning for those two helping him. He knew they had to be up to something. He wasn't sure how they would benefit from keeping him here unless they think that they could use his broken leg to squeeze information about ChalkZone out of him. Well if that's the case, he was not going to cave in. There was no way he'd ever willingly give up that information. Especially not to those two creepazoids.

Rudy felt his stomach growling. Even through his fear, his bodily needs still cried out. Frustration settled in when he realized he could not get it himself. His stomach twisted as he realized further he'd have to ask them for food.

He did notice there was a remote with a button on it near him. It must be wired to something in the bedroom to alert them to whenever he needed something. They really thought things through, didn't they? They must have known that he would try getting something in the night despite their warnings. Staring at the remote gave him two feelings.

The first was temptation. He could feel himself drooling at the thought of whatever food was available. He felt so hungry, he'd eat just about anything put in front of him. He hadn't eaten much before he left for the walk, and now it's been, what, fifteen hours since he last ate perhaps?

He stopped himself, and narrowed his eyes. What was he thinking? He couldn't allow himself to cave in. And so comes the second feeling. Maybe he should gave them back for what they did to him. Just grab the remote and keep ringing and forcing them to run back and forth.

No.. that would not be a good idea. That would only make them angry. In his condition, he won't be able to run anywhere to save himself. No..best that he just let it alone.

Rudy set his head back down, took in a deep breath, and sighed. There was a slight shakiness to it. The fear still had a hold of him. He wasn't sure if he could go to sleep now. He was too terrified at the thought of Terry or Vinnie doing something to him at night. No matter how much he tried to reassure himself, he just couldn't get himself calm enough to go to sleep. His instincts were running wild, telling him to stay awake and alert.

And that's exactly what he did. Even if he didn't end up staying awake for long, even if he ended up getting so tired, he could no longer fight it, he would remain awake the best he could and search for potential threats. He was in survival mode now. Everything depended on him remaining alert when he was in enemy territory. If he made just one slip up... If he let his guard down too much...

He hoped that his family would find him soon. He didn't know how they would, but he trusted them. They might act goofy sometimes, but they weren't idiots. They would put the pieces of the puzzle together and eventually learn what happened to him. They would come over and rescue him and take him away from here. They'd get him to the hospital where he would get treatment, and Vinnie and Terry would get arrested and sent to jail. Well for Terry, it'd be back to jail. And everything would be fine.

He gulped nervously. At least..he hoped it would be.

But for now, he was trapped here. And he knew that if he was going to survive, he may end up having to rely on Vinnie and Terry for that. The idea made him sick, however, and he would do everything in his power to resist. He would not allow himself to lower his guard or begin to trust them. They were the enemy. This was something he would always remember.

Terry being involved especially did not make him feel better. He knew how cunning that evil woman would be. He could never forget the way she manipulated him, tore him apart mentally, how she made him uttery terrified of her.

How she had nearly killed him...

She was the reason he had a pacemaker. She was the reason that he nearly lost his life. She was the reason that ChalkZone nearly got exposed. It was all her fault. There was no way in hell that he would ever trust her. She was up to something.

The question was...what was it?

sss

Getting to sleep hadn't been easy. Rudy must have been up for another two hours, even while getting tired, before he started to flutter his eyes shut. Despite the terror that still clung to his head, Rudy's body had loved the rest, and he could practically feel it sigh with relief.

The sleep, however, didn't last too long. He had stayed up way too late. So the amount of time he had gotten to sleep was minimal. Only about five hours. He could still feel a heaviness in his eyes and he still wanted to sleep more. But now it was morning, and those two were prowling in the kitchen.

Rudy watched the shadows along the wall, the ones he knew belonged to Terry and Vinnie, warily. They may be just making breakfast, evident from the smell of coffee and bacon, but that did not lessen his anxiety any further. For all he knew, they might be trying to poison him later on, and then force him to speak in exchange for the cure.

He had to keep his guard up. He was still in enemy territory. He didn't know when or how they were going to make a move. He could feel his heart beat heavily against his chest. He could feel himself shaking at the possibilities of what might happen.

But that wasn't all. Much to his horror, he found himself starting to salivate a little at the smell of the bacon and eggs being cooked. He could hear his stomach growl louder. He licked his lips slowly in anticipation. He had to admit, he was getting a little hungry...

He wanted to slap himself in the fact. No, he could not cave in like that. He couldn't allow himself to think like that. Terry and Vinnie were the enemies here. He couldn't let himself stoop so low as to allow himself to be fed by them. That's probably what they want from him. He forced himself to look away and he shut his eyes. The smell continued to haunt him, and he found it impossible to completely ignore it.

He could hear footsteps coming towards him. He didn't need to move his head to know what it was. The tell tale pattern of the footsteps themselves were nough for him to know.

"Are you hungry?"

Rudy didn't bother looking at Terry. He could hear the sound of clanging, and he knew that she was holding a plate in front of him, a utensil, possibly a fork, being moved through the food in preparation of feeding him.

The smell of the food danced around his nose. It circled around, assaulting it, making his nostrils flare and saliva drip from his mouth. He quickly swallowed and moved his head further away,

"Hmm..I see.." Terry sighed softly. "Well I insist you eat something, Rudy. Come on.. It's just eggs." Rudy could feel her moving closer to him. "Come on, you need to put something in your mouth so your leg can heal faster. And if you don't eat, we won't be able to give you any painkillers. I'm sure you're going to want those."

Rudy kept his head turned away. He didn't bother to answer her.

Terry didn't seem willing to give up. "Now Rudy..." Her voice had darkened up slightly. It wasn't outright aggressive, but Rudy could tell she was easily losing her patience with him. "Are you going to eat this or not?"

"Hmph..." Rudy grumbled as he struggled to push himself further against the couch.

"Are you really willing to starve?" Terry asked.

At this, Rudy felt his eyes widen. The reminder of hunger made his stomach burn and twist. He licked his lips slowly, smacking his lips once as he imagined the savory taste of the bacon hitting his tongue. He was so hungry...

Before he knew it, he turned his head to face to where Terry was. He didn't look at her face. Instead, he focused on the plate that she was holding in her hands. He noticed there were a few pieces of juicy bacon on it as well as two sunny side up eggs. The sight of it made his mouth water more, and he found himself adjusting himself a little closer to the edge, his eyes remaining locked on the food.

Terry smiled at this and moved closer. She held the food out closer to him. Rudy could detect the smell getting stronger. He could feel his mouth water more. He found himself leaning a little closer, his eyes staring at the food intently. Without thinking, he started to reach his hand over towards the plate.

Terry shook her head and immediately pulled it away. Rudy gave a disappointed groan before he could stop himself. This caused Terry's smile to broaden more. "No. You won't be eating this on your own. I don't think you'll have an easy time doing it with your broken leg. So I will do it."

Rudy widened his eyes at that statement. Realization of what he almost did and what was going on struck him. He cringed back and shivered as Terry scooped up a forkfull of food and moved it close to him. Rudy stared at it wide-eyed, shaking his head in protest. Terry did not listen, and she kept moving the food towards him.

When the fork got close enough, he turned his head to the side, allowing Terry to move her hand past his head. Terry narrowed her eyes softly and tried again. Rudy, with his lips pressed firmly shut, continued to evade her. Eventually, Terry stopped trying and glared at him.

"Look, Rudy, if you want something to eat, you are going to have to let us feed you. You need to save your strength." She said with a soft growl. "I know how you feel about us, but please, can't you push that aside for now? You can't let yourself go hungry."

"Then let me feed myself." Rudy grumbled softly under his breath.

"No. You are not fit do to that." Terry insisted. "Now come on..." Terry again tried to get him to take the food. Rudy leaned his head back. This time, Terry kept coming in, trying to box him into a corner. "Come on! Just a couple of bites, okay?"

Rudy shook his head, turning his head further away from the food, despite his body yearning for it. The food was inched ever closer to his face. He could feel the tension and emotion rising up inside of him. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and his hand struck blindly forward.

"No!"

He could hear the sound of the plate and fork crashing into the ground. He could hear them break, followed by Terry gasping in shock at what happened. Rudy didn't dare look at her in the eyes after he realized what he had just done.

"Rudy Tabootie! What was that for?!" Terry hissed at him, using a reprimanding tone of voice. "Seriously, what is wrong with you?"

Rudy let out a whimper as he turned his head away further. The emotions he felt right now were confusing. On the one hand, he did feel some level of happiness that he was able to stop himself from making a huge mistake. But on the other, he was disappointed that he didn't get a chance to try that food. It did smell so good.

Terry let out an exasperated sigh. When he was brave enough to look at her out of the corner of his eye, he could see that she was rubbing her forehead with her hand, looking as if she was trying hard not to slap him. She then lifted her head and she stared down at him sadly.

"Well okay then. If you don't want to eat anything now, I suppose it can wait." Terry sighed again, looking behind her as if she was trying to think of something to do or say. Before she left, heading towards what appeared to be a cabinet at the edge of the kitchen, she added, "But sooner or later, you are going to want to eat something. You can't fight it forever, Rudy. And your body won't be able to go for long without eating and drinking something. So for your sake..." Terry looked down at him, narrowing her eyes slightly. "Please try to cooperate more."

Rudy refused to reply. He watched the woman warily as she went over to get a broom and dustpan and started to clean up the mess he made. A part of him was disappointed at the food was going to waste. But in the back of his mind, he knew he had done the right thing. If he had allowed himself to actually relent and allowed himself to be fed...

He shivered at the thought, trying to push it away. If he could just keep this up, ignoring his hunger the best he could, then he should be good. He just..had to hang in there...somehow.

But as he felt his stomach growl harder, gently rubbing it in his hand, he wondered just how long he'd last. He was aware of how desperate hunger could make people. Would his parents find him before he snapped and caved into Terry and Vinnie's desires?

He could only hope so.

sss

Vinnie held the jug of water over his head. The top of it was tilted towards himself. He drank the water noisily, feeling it stream down his face. He wiped off his mouth and placed the jug back in the fridge. He shut it, not caring if it was a little loud.

Upon hearing the groan of pain, he whipped his head and glared over at where Rudy laid. He was curled up on the couch, as much as what would be allowed with his busted leg, and appeared to be trying to sleep. He wasn't sure why. It was still daytime. Perhaps the boy just wanted to keep deluding himself that everything was okay.

Or perhaps his sense of night and day was getting a little warped. Upon Terry's advice, all curtains were closed. They were thick and heavy, so it made it hard for light to penetrate. This would allow them to further control the boy by screwing with his internal time clock. It woudl also make it hard for him to know just how much time had truly passed. This was why she insisted on removing the clock from the living room before.

Vinnie couldn't help but curl his lip up into a snarl. He was getting a little tired of hearing Rudy whimper like this. It had been three days and they still hadn't gotten much chance out of him. Well, Terry did say that it would take some time. Still...he wished there was a faster way of doing this. For all he knew, he could come up with a less stealthy plan and get results faster than what Terry had in mind.

He dare not to disobey her however. They had gotten closer to uncovering ChalkZone before thanks to her. Plus, she was the only person he could speak to on the matter who wasn't going to make fun of him for it. He didn't want to lose her as an ally.

He just needed to learn to be more patient. That's all. He had to remind himself of what Terry said. This was going to take some time. They weren't going to get results just like that. She isn't sure how long it was going to take, but she believed it would take shorter than however long they have here. He just hoped that would be enough.

Despite his irritation, he did kind of like this plan. It wasn't so much revenge he was most interested in, but the fact that, if this works, he'd soon be getting information on ChalkZone. That chalk world was soon going to be his to enter, explore, exploit.

He recalled how confused he was when Terry told him to break Rudy's leg. It was a rather simple task, but at the time, it just seemed random. He wasn't sure how he felt about breaking Rudy's leg like that. It had snapped like a twig, and he knew he caused enough damage to take a long time to heal. But why Terry wanted it broke, he wasn't sure. Well until she explained her plan that is. Then it became all clear.

Vinnie knew that this also meant that he and Terry may have to spend some time with the boy. For now, they were leaving him mostly alone. Again, Terry's idea. But sooner or later, they'd have to make contact, something that Terry acknowledged. They needed to give some positive interaction with the boy, try to decrease his negativity and anxiety towards him. He bit his lip, unsure of how he was going to do that. He tried to remember what Terry suggested, and soon something came to his head.

He heard some smacking of lips, as if on cue, and he turned to Rudy. He must be feeling quite thirsty now. He hadn't eaten or drank anything since he came. Three days is a long tiem to go without water. And Rudy's leg won't get any better if he didn't eat or drink.

He could see him squirming in pain on the bed. He watched as he let out a few yelps of pain, his face contorted. He couldn't help but feel some slight bit of sympathy for Rudy. It was not fun, having a broken limb like that. He had a broken arm as a kid. Never fun.

He went over towards the sink and he grabbed a cup. He put it underneath the tip of the sink's faucet and filled it with water. He stopped and stared at it. Not the most fancy thing in the world. But it would suit that brat just fine. Slowly, he made his way over towards Rudy. Each step he took was filled with great caution.

He tried his best not to frighten Rudy. Slow and steady, he had to go, and he had to remember not to make himself appear threatening. He kept a lowered head and he did what he could to hide his frown or anger. If Rudy was going to trust him, he needed to keep himself calm.

This was going to be hard.

He soon reached the couch where the boy was. He noticed now why the boy hadn't really spoken to him yet. He had just successfully managed to get to sleep. He laid there on his side, unconsciously shivering in fright.

Vinnie stood there in silence for a few moments. He pondered if he should just leave this alone, or if he should have Terry come help him. Or perhaps he should wait until later on. No... best not. He didn't need her help and Rudy did need that water really bad. He didn't think he was going to last that much longer unless something was done. But just..how was he going to go about this without frightening the little kid too much? That was going to be a challenge, considering his state of mind right now.

Well he supposed he was just going to have to wing it. Moving in a little closer, he reached over and gently touched Rudy on the shoulder. He shook him, hoping to rouse him and speak to him.

"Come on, Rudy." Vinnie said carefully. "Get up. Open your eyes."

Rudy hadn't been asleep for long, so it was pretty effortless to get him to open up his eyes. Slowly, Rudy's green eyes stared at his own dark brown ones. There was a moment of silence, a blink or two, and then Rudy immediately reacted to him being so close.

"No!" Rudy struck out with his hand. Vinnie moved himself to the side to avoid getting hit. "Get away from me!"

Vinnie glared at the kid. It was almost incredible how Rudy was able to strike out at him like that, especially in what pain and fear he was in now. But at the same time, it was also incredibly annoying. If the kid wasn't going to cooperate, he was just going to make things worse for himself.

Given how much he was shivering and whimpering right now, Vinnie knew it was not going to be easy to get him to drink anything. He could just leave the water here. That might be the smarter thing to do. But what if the boy knocks it over in his sleep? He didn't want to have to explain that to Terry. He didn't know what she was going to do to him if that happened. Forcing Rudy to drink, however, may also not be a smart move. He could end up hurting him by mistake. That is something he wanted to avoid.

So he did the only other thing he thought he could do. He had to try to talk the boy down enough and get him to take at least a couple sips. Just a little bit of water would make all the difference.

"Rudy, kid, just try to relax. I'm not here to hurt you." Vinnie moved the glass further out in front of him so that Rudy could get a look at it. The boy looked at it cautiously before turning his eyes up towards Vinnie. "It's not poisoned, kid. It's just regular, normal, everyday water. All I want you to do is drink it. That's all. You need some hydration. You haven't drank anything in days."

Not to mention, he hasn't eaten either. But food isn't the most urgent thing right now. Rudy could die very soon unless he gets some water inside of him. If he had to force feed him despite the risks, then he may end up doing that.

He inched his way closer to the child, returning to where he was before. Rudy didn't attempt to strike him, but his body still arched and he still clenched his teeth in fear. The short man was certain he heard the kid growling at him. This did cause him to pause, but it wasn't enough to stop him completely. Slowly, cautiously, he brought the cup over closer, trying to get Rudy to take at least one sip. That's all he needed.

"Come on... Just one little sip and..."

"Get away from me!"

Rudy struck out towards him. His hand hit against the cup. It didn't dislodge from the man's hand, but it did cause some of the water to spill on the ground and on Vinnie's shirt. The man took a step back, staring wide-eyed at this, and then he fixated his gaze on Rudy. The child still stared at him, low whimpers escaping his throat. Vinnie contorted his face, his lips curling upward.

"You little brat..! Well fine! Be like that!" Vinnie shouted at him.

This caused Rudy to whine loudly and turn his head slightly to one side. Vinnie quickly consumed the water right in front of Rudy, some of it leaking down the sides of his face. Rudy stared up at him, his eyes flickering as if he registered the water really was fine. He licked his lips slowly and cautiously reached a hand out. Silent begging.

"No, you had your chance!" Vinnie put a hand against his hip, the other clutching the glass so hard, he nearly broke it. "If you had just listened, I would have..."

Vinnie stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. There was a gentle squeeze, but he could tell there was no kindness behind that gesture. He slowly looked behind him and his eyes widened when he saw Terry standing there.

The woman was still wearing her shower robe from the shower that she had taken about an hour ago. She looked at him with a mixture of anger and displeasure. Vinnie felt his own anger melt away quickly and he lowered his head slightly. He didn't need her to speak to know that she was not happy with the way he was treating Rudy.

There was a brief exchange between the two of them. Terry wondering why Vinnie broke the plan. And Vinnie pleading for her to forgive him. Vinnie felt a level of guilt of letting himself lose control like that. He turned his head away and took a step back as Terry moved out in front of him, taking her place in front of Rudy.

Vinnie watched as Terry gently cooed to Rudy and tried her best to calm him down. Predictably, Rudy didn't respond quite as well as she had hoped. He still showed fear and terror towards them. However, her words did seem to have a slight soothing affect, and he seemed to calm down a little, even if not completely.

Once Terry was able to get Rudy to stop crying, she turned her attention to Vinnie. She glared at him again, looking like she was ready to strike him. She made sure to keep his expression away from Rudy.

Upon her gesture, Vinnie followed Terry towards the bedroom, away from where Rudy would be able to hear them. As soon as they were inside, and the door was shut, Terry whirled around on him. She gripped him tightly by his shoulders and she pushed him against the wall. Vinnie let out a grunt.

"You idiot! Do you realize what you almost did?!" Terry hissed at him. Vinnie didn't dare try to answer. "You nearly cost us everything!" Vinnie turned his head to the side. "Now do you realize just how much harder it will be earning that brat's trust?!"

Vinnie shivered. Never before had he been so unnerved and afraid of Terry's temper. Perhaps it was the fact that she was smarter than him, the fact that she had masterfully manipulated Rudy before all of this, that had him worried. Trying to find some way to calm her down, he squeaked, "I-I'm sorry..."

Terry's eyes widened at this. "You're sorry?!" She put her face close to his. "Sorry isn't going to get this plan going! Sorry isn't going to take back what you did!"

Vinnie shut his eyes and shivered. "I-I know.."

Terry seethed a few times, glaring at him in tense silence. Her mouth remained partially open, her lips curled up to expose some of her teeth. She almost looked like she was a wild animal ready to bite him. It took several moments, but eventually, when Vinnie looked back over, her expression softened up a litle.

Sighing, Terry said, "It's pointless for me to stay angry at you over this." She slowly released him and took a step back. She watched as Vinnie rubbed his shoulders. "Just...try not to do it again, okay?"

Vinnie nodded his head slowly. "I'm not sure what came over me."

Terry looked at him with slight sympathy in her eyes. "We both hate him, that's why. He played us for fools. It will be hard for us to completely control ourselves. But it'll get easier. I promise." She gave a small smile. "And remember the riches that will be waiting for us at the end of this rainbow..."

At this, Vinnie smiled in return. He detected image after image of him running his chalk world theme park. He could see himself selling the tickets and people paying huge amounts of money to come into that alternate dimension. He could see all the rides and tours. He could see it all.

And it was so close to their grasp.

If they could just control themselves for long enough, all that would be waiting for them. All of that would be theirs. They'd both be filthy stinking rich. And the only thing they had to do to get there was earn the trust of that little boy.

A fair enough requirement, right?

sss

Hmm... Looks like the idiot isn't back yet. How long did it take to get to the store anyway? She realized that she should have done this stuff more thoroughly sooner. But then...none of them could have known that they'd have a guest at the cabin.

The red-haired woman sat down on the armchair located near the couch. On occasion, she'd peer over at Rudy. The boy was watching her warily, his eyes wide and pupils slightly shrunk. She gave a quick smile before turning her head to watch the television set. A good way to pass the time while she awaited for Vinnie.

She had sent him to get more groceries. If they were going to be staying here for a while, they were going to need more food and drinks, and of course other essentials, such as toilet paper, dish soap, shampoo, whatever else. She needed to make sure their trips to the outside were limited. Each time Vinnie would out out, and the longer he stayed out, the more he was going to draw attention. She had little worry about the people running this log cabin business; as long as they got he money, they were good. But anybody else? The police? Not so much.

Terry hoped that Vinnie would do his best to remain hidden. She'd go out on her own to do this stuff, but she had to refrain from doing so. It was too risky for her to go out. Someone might recognize her. But Vinnie? He was not well liked, but he wasn't going to get stopped every five minutes.

It had been about two hours since the incident where Vinnie nearly lost his top at Rudy. The boy still hadn't drunk anything. Terry narrowed her eyes in concern at this. She certainly didn't want Rudy dead. Not now, anyway. She'd have to get him to drink something and fast.

Unlike Vinnie, she had a different way of going about this. Keeping her eye on Rudy for a few seconds, she got up from her seat and went over into the kitchen. She rummaged through the fridge and she smiled when she found one water bottle still available. She immediately brought it over to the little boy.

Rudy shivered and cowered away from her. "N-No...please..."

"Shhh..." Terry gently cooed to him. "It's all right. I'm just giving you some water."

Rudy didn't look like he believed her. On the one hand, Terry had to commend him for being smart. On the other, she just wished he'd relax already. In time... She reminded herself. In time.

Terry slowly reached towards Rudy with the water bottle. Instead of attempting to make him drink it, or allowing him any time to swat at her defensively, she instead set the water bottle next to the couch. She placed it where Rudy would be able to reach it on his own. The boy stared at it in confusion and looked up at her.

"I told you before, Rudy. We only want to help you." Terry said, trying her best to sound sincere and worried. "You may drink that water whenever you feel like it. No, it's not poisoned." She pointed a finger at it. "There's no puncture holes and the bottle hasn't even been opened yet. It's safe."

She watched Rudy examine the bottle carefully. His eyes moved around it, scrutinizing it. He didn't attempt to reach for it, resting his head back on the couch and letting out a sigh. He returned to watching her warily.

Terry sighed softly. A disappointment. She tried not to let it show too much. She looked at him as sympathetically as she could before she turned and left him alone. The little boy may have an easier time deciding to drink that stuff if he didn't see her anywhere near him.

In the end, as she walked away, she knew that Rudy would break at some point. His bodily needs would eventually cause him to cave him, and he would soon start to do whatever it took to get what his body needed. With a broken leg, there was only one option he could take to get that.

He would have to turn to her and Vinnie for nourishment.

There was always the chance he could find another way. But that isn't too problematic. She and Vinnie just have to remove that other option. They had to make sure that Rudy remains entirely dependent on them for survival. They must be recognized as his caregivers.

sss

Rudy stared down at the bottle of water with great suspicion. He tried to fight back the urge to grab it. He reminded himself of just who had given this to him.

Terry Bouffant.

Why should he drink anything she gave him? How did he know that it wasn't poisoned? He didn't buy her story that it hadn't been punctured or opened. She probably said that just to get him to lower his guard and feel safe around him. He knew better than that. There was probably some kind of horrible drug in here to make him...well he wasn't really sure yet. High, compliant whichever came first.

However, despite knowing that he was in trouble, and that Vinnie and Terry most likely did not have the best of intentions for him, he couldn't help but continue to argue with himself on what to do.

Part of him wanted to just strike the water bottle away and do whatever it took to make these two bring him back to his parents. He wanted to be loud and obnoxious. He wanted to remain uncooperative. He wanted to show them that their little mind game plan was not going to work on him.

But a part of him knew that this little charade of his wasn't going to last forever. He could on a courageous front as much as he'd like. It would soon break down. His bodily needs were calling out to him, and Rudy could feel his mind start to shift. The need to drink the water was getting stronger, and he didn't think he was going to be able to hold out for long.

He kept his arm pulled back for as long as he could. He tried his best to resist. He didn't want to show any sign of weakness around them. He couldn't allow them to believe that he was finally starting to cave. If he did...

But then..would they even know he drank the bottle of water? If he just took a tiny stop of it and wiped it dry and tightened the lid back on, perhaps they could go about thinking he didn't do anything with it. He could wet his mouth a little with the water. That would be good enough, right? Yeah, all his body needed was a little moisture.

Rudy couldn't keep himsef away for much longer. He looked left and right, his eyes shifting around. He reached for the bottle slowly. He grabbed it. Again, he looked around to make sure that Terry and Vinnie were nowhere in sight. He lifted the bottle up to himself. A brief shockwave of pain in his leg made him stiffen up, but he soon managed, by shere luck, to push the pain aside a little for now.

He grabbed the bottle cap and twisted it. Once it was opened up, he brought it to his mouth. He could feel his body quivering in earnest, his eyes locked on the clear liquid. He gingerly pressed the cap on his mouth and tilted the bottle up. He couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief when he felt the water move down his mouth, cooling his dry, scratchy throat.

However, he was not able to move the bottle away from himself. Despite his internal thoughts screaming at him to stop or else they'd figure it out, Rudy's primal needs had taken over. He tilted the bottle further up, opening his mouth wat. He allowed the liquid to splash down inside of him as he desperately tried to quench his thirst. By the time he was able to pull the bottle away, half of it was already gone.

Rudy started at the bottle in shock. Had he really done that? Did he drink all that water that fast? Rudy felt his heart clench at this, realizing what he had just done. He..he had caved in. He had allowed Vinnie and Terry that brief moment of control over him. He couldn't believe that he had...

Rudy shut the bottle and he let it drop down. He lowered his head and closed his eyes. He allowed his thoughts to wander as he realized the impact of this. What laid ahead of him now depended on him.

Would he try harder and resist as best as he could?

Or would he crumble once more?

He shook his head slowly. He reopened his eyes and glared off in the direction he knew Terry had gone. He might have made a fool of himself and drank the water she had given him. But it would be the only mistake he'd make. He looked down at the water bottle. As if to make his point clear to her, he pushed the bottle away, watching it roll several feet.

If that didn't get the message across to them.. Well he could always find another way to get the point to them.

sss

Upon feeling her foot it against something solid yet soft, Terry looked down towards the floor and noticed the stray water bottle. She picked it up, mumbling to herself how she nearly tripped over it. She stared at it, then looked down at Rudy. She could quickly piece the puzzle together.

So the boy had rejected their help yet again. Typical. The boy was being a little too stubborn for his own good. A part of her just wanted to force him to drink it. But that wasn't part of the plan. Rudy would have to drink it on his own terms. If Rudy died of dehydration, it would be his own fault.

Rudy was watching her in silence. He didn't whimper or cry this time. He didn't glare. He just watched her. The way he was doing this, the way he looked at her, it almost reminded him of how she would see a rabbit hiding from a fox. Staring, attentive, searching for details. That's what Rudy was doing right now. He was looking to see if she was going to be making any moves towards him.

Terry kept her distance for the time being. If Rudy wanted to be left alone, she will. He'll eventually want company, even if it is from her or Vinnie. But she knew that wanting company and actually trusting them were two different things. Craving their company would be a good stop towards that goal.

Before she headed back into the bedroom to work more in inputting the data into the computer, she went to put the bottle of water back in the fridge. She opened up the door and reached her hand over to put it in.

She stopped, noticing something about the bottle. She hadn't realized it before, but the weight appeared to have shifted somehow. She frowned softly. She wondered... She lifted the bottle closer and inspected it.

A smile spread across her face and she gave a soft chuckle. The water levels of the bottle had shrunk. The bottle was half empty. So..it would seem that Rudy had a little moment of weakness. He had drunk a bit of the water. Good... That was indeed a promising sign, especially considering he only got the water because she allowed him to.

But it was still just a small fracture in the ice berg. There was still so much more to do. If this trend kept up, however, they were golden.

sss

The mixture of tiredness and fear was not a comfortable one. The swirling thoughts around his skull gave him quite the headache. No matter what he did, or how hard he struggled, he simply could not stop himself. They just kept pounding at his head, threatening to crack it open.

The fact that he was starving didn't help either. Tingles of weakness rushed through him, making him shake. He licked his lips constantly as thoughts of food kept entering his mind. He could feel his stomach growling loudly, echoing in his head and serving as a painful reminder of the fact he hadn't eaten in days.

He had been offered food earlier, but he rejected it. He swatted it away and turned his head away. He refused to consume any food they offered him. He had thought he was doing the right thing, allowing himself to starve instead of allowing them any amount of control again.

Now his primal thoughts were kicking him in the head and berating him. He could hear his internal thoughts ripping him apart, calling him stupid, telling him he deserved to die if he was going to keep making such poor decisions in his life. He tried to fight back against the thoughts, clutching his head tightly.

But the hunger, the desire for consumption, it locked around his head like a claw coming out of the shadows, and refused to let him go. He shut his eyes tightly, before opening them widely and letting out a whimper. He..he had to eat something... Anything...

Rudy looked left and right for any sign of his captors. He was pretty sure they had gone to sleep by now. It was night time. Or was it..? He wasn't sure anymore. He could not find any way of telling if it was daylight or not. The curtains were just too thick and heavy, affective enough to block most, if not all, the light. He wasn't even sure how long he had been here. Just a few days, or weeks, or even months.

Maybe longer...?

He shook the uncomfortable thought out of his head when another growl caught his attention. He rubbed his stomach gingerly. He licked his lips slowly as he turned his attention to the kitchen. Maybe...maybe if he was careful, he might be able to grab a snack and come back before they realize what he had done.

Despite his better judgment screaming at him, he started to try to get himself off the couch. He squirmed and wriggled around, slowly getting himself closer to the edge of the couch. Soon he could feel his broken leg dangling over it. He had to be careful now. He inched his way closer, using his hands to steady himself. Almost there...just one more push and he could feel his body leave the couch.

Rudy landed in a thud on the ground. He thankfully missed hitting his leg too badly. He still had to clutch his mouth to keep himself from screaming. He wiped away the few pained tears that appeared from his eyes. He then grabbed onto the couch and forced himself up onto his right foot. He leaned against the couch the best he could. As he steadied himself, he remembered now why he hadn't tried this before.

He had already gotten this far, though, so he had to keep moving. He started to limp his way over. Hop after hop, grunt after grunt, he slinked his way along the wall. He ignored the aches and pains in his foot and hands the best he could as he got closer to the kitchen.

In his mind, the kitchen was like the light in the darkness. The potential end of his hunger suffering. He could almost taste it...

Suddenly, his foot stepped on something, and he found himself slipping underneath his own weight. His body flipped until it was horizontal and his back slammed against the ground. He gritted his teeth tightly, feeling his heart pound from the shock of what had happened. He struggled to regain his bearings, rubbing his head a few times. Then he attempted to get up.

He didn't get that far. Just when he was about to succeed, he lost his balance and tumbled back. This time, his leg clanged against the ground as he fell. This caused horrible, immense pain to shoot through his leg. He put his hands against his mouth, tears flowing down his face. He struggled to keep it in, but he quickly failed.

"Aaaaahhhhhhrrrgghhhh!" His scream echoed across the cabin, the volume as high as he could make it.

After that, Rudy was lost in his own pain. He couldn't tell what was going on. He thought he could hear the sound of a door opening, the pounding of footsteps. He couldn't tell for certain, and at the moment, he did not care.

He remained curled up on the ground. Any shout or statement that may have been said were lost to him. His head was pounding with a headache and horrible agony. It was like someone was holding an instrument next to his head and playing as loudly as they could in the scariest, most primal way possible. He cried loudly, clutching his thigh tightly. He kicked his good leg wildly as he twisted and turned.

Gawd the pain...so much pain... This was a stupid, horrible idea. Why did he have to do this..? Why couldn't he have just stayed in bed?

Rudy became vaguely aware of a choir of concerned voices and statements. He was not able to tell in the moment what was being said. He was still lost in the grips of agony. He could still feel himself being lifted up, and he thought he could feel four hands on him. He could feel himself being carried over, and then the softness of the couch greeted him, the warmth quickly spreading through him.

But he still couldn't stop struggling. He couldn't relax. His eyes clinched shut tightly, he tossed and turned, letting out a series of cries, his body twitching, as he tried to cope with the pain.

Rudy could feel fingers move through his hair, and the gentle caress of comforting words hitting his ear. He continued to cry and whimper as the two helping him tried their best to calm him down. Even through his agony, he did feel some comfort in the words being said to him.

"Shh.. It's going to be okay."

"You'll be fine."

You're going to be okay, Rudy. Just relax."

Soon, he could hear footsteps returning, and he could feel himself being adjusted on the couch. He felt sudden, firm warmth as he was cradled agaisnt someone. He didn't bother to struggle, the pain preventing him from doing much of anything. He then felt something being pressed against his lips. Something cold. He didn't know why, but he opened his mouth, and it was inserted inside of him.

Immediately, his tongue was assaulted by flavor. He couldn't specifically identify it. Some kind of soup? It drenched in his mouth, lathering over his tongue. He swallowed, feeling it move down his throat. Then the coldness touched him again, and the process was repeated. Slowly, as time passed, Rudy became aware of his hunger growls decreasing, and a sense of satisfaction spread through his stomach, even in the midst of his agony. He licked his lips instinctively in response to the delightful aftertaste of the soup still clinging to his lips.

Then, after he swallowed what appeared to be the final drop, he became aware of something else being pushed against him. Something small and hard and cylinder shaped. Pills. For a brief moment, he resisted, but he felt a hand push against his mouth and the pill was forced completely inside. Rudy grunted as he swallowed the pills in a single gulp. He coughed a few times, and he immediately could feel the cool familiar tip of a water bottle against him. He drank, assisting in the swallowing of the pills.

After all that was over, Rudy remained still, quivering and whimpering in pain. He still struggled, even with the gentle touches and words. He was pressed up against the warm thing and he could feel hands stroking his hair and face gently. He turned his head from one side to the other, praying for the pain to just be over soon.

It took quite some time. Longer than Rudy would have liked. It felt as though hours passed before he experienced any kind of change. He hadn't even noticed the pain starting to lessen until sometime later, when he realized there had been a significant drop of pain. This trend continued slowly, and he could feel his breathing start to slow down, the headache slowly leaving him.

Soon he became more relaxed. He still whimpered softly, some pain still shooting through his leg. It was not nearly as bad as it had been before, and as he pressed his head against his head against the warm, soft thing, he exhaled slowly in growing content. He could still feel the caresses, the gentle whispers, the reassurances. His crying eventually stopped and he became relaxed.

A few minutes later, Rudy felt himself being shifted. He was slowly set down on the couch, positioned so that his broken leg had no pressure against it. Although disappointed that the warm softness he had been leaning against was gone, that was short-lived as he rested against the warm surface of the couch.

He opened up his eyes and looked up at who had helped him. He frozen for a few seconds when he saw that it had been Terry and Vinnie. Well of course it would be them. There was no one else here. But still...just seeing it was enough to sweep him into confusion. This time, he didn't shiver or whimper in the sight of them. He just stared at them in shock.

Terry and Vinnie looked down at him sympathetically. Despite the fact that, to them, he might have been trying to escape, they didn't make any attempt to scold or discipline him. They were instead more focused on his well being, or so it seemed. Rudy's swirling mind couldn't make sense of it at the moment, and instead of talking, he could only breathe in and out quickly.

Vinnie grabbed the blanket and he carefully pulled it over Rudy, letting it rest at his shoulder. Rudy could feel its familiar, comforting warmth all around him. Terry reached down and once again stroked his hair. He could hear them say more comforting things. He couldn't tell if it sounded forced or not. In his weakened, pained state, they sounded pleasant against his ears. For a moment, he had forgotten about his predicament and, slowly, he shut his eyes.

sss

"Come on, Rudy. You have to eat." Terry held the spoon out towards him. The boy turned his head away. "I know you're hungry, Rudy. I can see it in your eyes. Come on. Just a few bites."

Rudy stared at the spoon, noting its contents. More soup. Probably the same that was given to him before. Minestrone. Despite his hunger pangs, however, he still turned his head away again, trying to resist. He didn't want to have another moment of weakness.

"Rudy, the last time you ate was little over twenty-four hours ago, when you had banged your leg." Terry said, her voice slightly scolding. "You really need to eat something and I'm sure you don't want to do it by hurting yurself again." Terry moved closer, inching the spoon near Rudy's face. "Now come on. Drink the soup, Rudy."

Rudy refused to comply. He knew it may not be the smartest choice in the world. He knew that he may eventually live to regret it. But right now, he just didn't care. He just wanted this woman to go away and leave him alone. He didn't want her messing up his dignity again.

Besides, that wasn't the only reason he was resisting. He pressed his leg carefully over his broken one, trying to fight against the unbearable pressure he was feeling there. He dare not say a word about it, not wanting to give Vinnie and Terry something else they could have control over.

But Terry had spotted it. "Hmm...I see you need a little trip to the bathroom."

Rudy froze at this, looking up at her. "N-No.. I'm fine. R-Really.." He couldn't stop himself from gritting his teeth and twitching his eye in discomfort.

"Uh huh..." Terry nodded her head slowly. "Well, I can't have your bladder explode." She looked down at the spoon full of food. She bit her lip for a second. "Well, I would feel better if you ate this first. Then we can take care of your...other needs."

"How about a shower?"

Rudy lifted his head and tried to see where Vinnie was. He was out of sight, probably in the kitchen or hallway. The implication of what Vinnie said caused his eyes to widen. Since he couldn't shower on his own...

"He stinks to high heaven!" Vinnie commented again. His voice was louder this time, and Rudy could see that he was coming from behind Terry. He soon stood at her side. "Which isn't surprising. The little kid hasn't gotten to bathe in days."

Terry stared at Vinnie for a few moments. She appeared to contemplate this. Rudy watched cautiously, wondering what she was going to do. Terry looked down at him. She looked a little unsure herself of what was going to be done. It took her several moments to reply. "Yeah...you might be right." She looked at Rudy up and down. "He could use a bath." A pause. "After he eats, of course."

"You mean if he eats."

Rudy lowered his head down on the couch, his eyes bulging. He could feel his face grow red as embarrassment of the idea of having someone else, especially his enemies, bathe him began to sank in. He shook his head in protest.

Terry said, "Now now, Rudy. You will feel much better after you get all cleaned up. Just relax, it's not going to be that bad." Rudy wasn't sure if he could believe her on that. With the exception of his parents, he didn't feel comfortable with anyone giving him a bath or shower. "But first, you need to eat."

Rudy stared at the spoon, and then glared up at Terry. He finally found the strength and courage to speak. "What makes you think I will eat that?"

Terry binked a few times. She then gave a small smile and said, "Well I do expect you to be resistant. But I also know that you are hungry, and if not now, then a bit later down the line, you will get hungry and you will eat, like it or not." She moved the spoon closer. "So why not just get it over with now?"

Rudy growled softly, baring his teeth. "Just get away from me..."

Terry shook her head. "I'm not backing down this time, Rudy. If you have to eat this soup ice cold, then you will."

Vinnie nodded his head. "We're not letting you go hungry for days like that again. We've tried waiting for you, but enough is enough." He folded his arms against his chest, giving Rudy a somewhat scolding look. "We aren't going to leave you alone until you eat."

Rudy glared at Vinnie and Terry. He couldn't believe it. Did they think that he was going to be dumb enough to trust them? Did they think that he was going to let down his guard like that, to allow them to feed him? There was no way he was going to allow that to happen. He was going to keep resisting for however long he could. He could do this. He just had to try harder. He just had to believe in himself.

But the longer he laid there, the more his stomach churned, the more he could feel his mind craving that food that Terry had. He couldn't stop himself from licking his lips slowly, leaning his body forward slightly as he imagined himself eating it. He stopped himself, shaking his head in an attempt to regain his barings. This didn't last long, and he was back to salivating at the mere smell of the soup.

He thought about his options. What choices did he have? He could keep trying to resist to keep his dignity. But what good would that do him in the long run? Did he really feel better about the idea of his parents finding him dead? The thought burned his stomach. And was it really fair to himself to force himself to starve just because Terry and Vinnie were the ones trying to feed him?

After several minutes of burning, frustrating thoughts as he debated with himself, Rudy eventually let out a defeated sigh. As much as he hated to admit it, he realized that the best path he could choose was to do what they said. At least this way, he could survive.

"...all right..." Rudy muttered under his breath. Upon seeing Terry smile and move the spoon of soup closer to him, he raised up his hand, stopping her. "But...I want to use the spoon myself. I'm fully capable of doing it."

Terry looked over at Vinnie. The man shrugged his shoulders. Terry looked back down at Rudy. She looked like she wanted to argue with him, but quickly thought better of it. "Okay, Rudy."

She positioned herself closer to him. She rested on her knees. She picked up the spoon and handed it over to Rudy. The boy shifted himself so he could pick the spoon up and hold it wihout too much trouble. Terry held the bowl of soup towards him. Rudy did not complain about this; it wasn't like he could hold it himself. Giving Terry one more wary look, Rudy reached down with the spoon and began to eat it.

Not bad. Not as good as the previous soup. Maybe it was because he had gone for hungry longer then, and his body was just grateful to have any food in his body at all. Still, he would be lying if he said he wasn't enjoying this. Spoonful after spoonful, he continued to consume the soup. And eventually, it was all gone.

Terry looked down at the now empty bowl. She smiled gently and said, "You ate the whole thing. Good. You are going to need your strength. Just keep this up, Rudy, and you'll be better in no time."

Rudy turned his gaze away, fighting back the feelings of embarrassment that he was feeling.

Terry spoke again, "Now that you've eaten, it's time for the trip to the bathroom."

Rudy looked up at her, wide-eyed. He knew he was not going to like this experience.

sss

Well it wasn't as bad as he thought it was going to be. At least, not with using the toilet. Terry and Vinnie must have decided on their way that perhaps it would be better if he used it on his own. So upon arriving in the bathroom, they simply gave him a walker, carefully strapped to his leg, and allowed him to use the toilet on his own.

It took him a while, and Rudy remembered growling in frustration. But those soon turned into sighs of relief as he felt his bladder deflate itself. He had never felt so relieved before in his life. And thankfully, Terry and Vinnie did allow him privacy, standing away with their backs turned while he went. Yeah, this hadn't been that bad.

But after he was finished going to the bathroom and he was off the toilet, he knew the next step was going to be a whole other story.

"Please, I can do this on my own." Rudy tried whatever he could to convince the two adults to let him alone in the shower. "Just turn on the water and I can take care of removing..."

Vinnie shook his head. "It's too risky. At least with the toilet seat, you had support. But the shower is more slippery than that."

"I just need a chair and.." Rudy started to say.

"You won't be able to clean all of yourself easily like this." Terry chimed in, cutting him off. "Look, Rudy, we promise we will be quite dignified about this. We'll even let you keep your underwear on if it makes you feel uncomfortable. We'll make the shower as quick as we can and we will let you clean whatever areas you can reach yourself without bending over the chair. Does that sound fair?"

Rudy gritted his teeth. He wasn't really sure what to think. How should he handle this situation? What would be the best course of action? Sure, the idea of a warmth shower did sound really nice. But the idea of Vinnie and Terry being the ones to give it to him... He wasn't sure if he liked that.

Well, the way they described it, he guessed the shower wouldn't be all that bad. And he was getting tired of smelling like he hadn't bathed in a while, which was true. Perhaps he should go through with it and just get it over with. Besides, it wasn't like they had really tried to hurt him or anything. Perhaps they really were trying to help and...

Oh what was he thinking? Terry and Vinnie didn't care about him at all. They were just using him. They wanted to get him to spill the beans on ChalkZone. They...

Well..they did help him feel better after he hurt his leg. He had to admit.. It was kind of nice...

He shook the thought out of his head. He stiffened his body, forming fists with his hands. He trembled once, trying to release some of the tension building up. Then, after some seconds passed, he bowed his head in submission. "Okay.. let's just get this done with..." He couldn't believe he had just said that, and a part of him wanted to resist again. He was ashamed when he did not.

As soon as he said that, Vinnie took action. Rudy watched the man in slight confusion as he walked towards him. Rudy gave the man a quizzical look, and soon realized what the man was up to as soon as he gripped the bottom of his shirt.

His heart pounding, Rudy immediately struck the man's hand away. "Stop it!" He shouted at him, his body hunching over defensively. He took in a few quick breaths. "I can do it myself!"

"Okay! Okay!" Vinnie waved his hands out in front of him. "Yeesh, no need to be so testy, kid!"

With Terry and Vinnie watching, Rudy wasn't sure if he was going to be able to do it. Their stares were making him really uncomfortable. Well more so than he already was. He kept trying to remove his shirt, but he would stop each time he'd look over and see Vinnie and Terry looking over at him expectantly.

Terry seemed to realize what was wrong. She frowned slightly, and then gave a nod of her head. She tapped on Vinnie's shoulder and gestured for him to follow her. The two adults walked away, further into the bathroom with their backs turned, just like before. Terry waved her hand to him to signal that he may continue. This was a little better, but Rudy still felt nervous.

Despite some mental difficulty, however, Rudy managed to proceed. Little by little, as he sat on the closed toilet seat, he removed his clothes until he was down in his underwear. He placed his clothes in a pile nearby.

Rudy stared at the pile of clothes and then looked down at himself. He gave a shiver. He had never felt so vulnerable in his life. Even though the two adults hadn't tried to hurt him or indicated they were going to do anything to him except help him survive, he didn't feel comfortable having this little clothes on around them. It felt almost as if he was a turtle without the shell. It felt as if he could be struck down where he sat, and no one would be able to find out.

The only comfort in this is that, soon, it was all going to be over. The shower would go by faster than he would expect. He would be clean and feel better. He would be back on the couch. And he wouldn't have to worry about another shower for a while. Then his parents would come rescue him and everything would be fine.

Right...?

"I'm ready." Rudy squeaked softly.

"All right then." Terry said as she and Vinnie returned. "Let's get you in the shower."

Rudy tried to hide his blush of embarrassment and he tried to control his fearful shivering as the two adults grabbed each of his arms. They lifted him up and they took him over to the shower, which he noticed already had a seat in it. They helped him step over the ridge that separated the shower from the rest of the bathroom. They gently lowered him down and soon he was sitting down on the seat.

Before they went any further, they brought over some kind of bag, which Rudy recognized as the ones used for keeping casts dry. They slipped it over his leg and secured it. It felt a little weird being on, but Rudy knew he would prefer this over ruining his cast. Which reminds him... just how did they make this cast anyway...?

His thoughts were interrupted when Vinnie leaned over and he pulled the handle and Rudy was immediately sprayed in the face. He coughed and turned his head away. He folded his arms against his chest. That water was so cold... Vinnie immediately corrected it and shifted the knob. Rudy felt a difference quickly and soon he could feel the droplets of water fill with warmth.

Terry grabbed a sponge and some soap and handed it to Rudy. The boy took them from her cautiously, unable to fully push back the worry of her taking this chance to hurt him. He was almost genuinely surprised when she did not.

"Wash whatever you are able to. Except your broken leg of course." Terry instructed him. "Vinnie and I will just do your right leg and back. You can take care of the rest, I'm sure."

Rudy felt some relief that he was still doing to do most of the work. That didn't fully relieve the tension of what was going on, however. He still felt nervous about these two helping him at all with the shower. But...at least they had the decency of allowing him some dignity and doing most of the areas himself. It did help him feel less...helpless.

As the two adults left to a corner of the bathroom to wait for him, Rudy went to work cleaning himself. He thought about taking his time to try to prolong when they would come in, but he refrained. It would only make them angry if he deliberately took too long. So he went about as if this was some normal day for him. He did try to clean his leg, but he soon saw what they had meant; it was painful for him to lean forward and he found he couldn't do it without applying pressure to his broken leg, which made him seethe.

After a few minutes, Rudy was finally finished. He hesitated to speak for a few moments. He could feel the gentle caress of the warm water droplets against him. They washed away the soap that covered his body and it just felt good. It almost made him forget where he was.

Keyword: Almost.

He called out to Terry and Vinnie, wanting to get this over with. They immediately came over and Terry took the sponge from him. Vinnie grabbed his own and he wet it in the shower's water, and then coated it in soap. Terry did the same thing. Rudy shivered as he felt their bodies near him, their fingers beginning to touch him. He shut his eyes and just waited for all of this to be over.

He could soon feel the soft, warm sponges move along his leg and back. Rudy pretended not to feel them, but he found it difficult. It was not something he wanted to admit, but this was feeling kind of nice. Soon he was feeling more relaxed and he felt his body grow less tense. He found himself enjoying the gentle rubbing, and he found himself leaning back slightly, pushing his back further into Terry's hand as she scrubbed his back for him. It was soon over before he knew it, and the hands were taken away. The shower washed away the soap, leaving him feeling squeaky clean.

Rudy hated to admit it, but he was almost...disappointed that it was over. There was a part of him that wanted more. There was just something almost...therapeutic about the whole thing. He couldn't describe it. But a part of him was still glad it was over. Now he could finally completely relax and...

Rudy was suddenly aware of something cold in his hair. He jolted, looking left and right in shock at the touch.

"Yeesh, relax, kid." Terry said. "I'm just doing your hair."

"Oh..." That was all Rudy could bring himself to say, despite the urge to want to say more. He wasn't sure if he should feel happy or upset that there was still a little more to go.

Rudy couldn't help but let out a few sighs of contentment as Terry worked the shampoo and conditioner into his hair. He could feel her fingers pushing against his strands, trying to get the hair care products covering every inch of them. Rudy would never admit it openly, but this did feel good. It reminded him of when his mother would do his hair.

The thought of this did make him freeze in horror. Did he really compare Terry to his own mother? He felt a coldness crawl up his spine as he tried to shake the thought out of his head.

The chilling thought was brief and fleeting. He soon found himself going back to enjoy this. He leaned his head back, feeling the woman massage his scalp as she worked in the soap, and he shut his eyes. For a moment, he thought he was just at the hair salon, and his parents were nearby and...

He found himself being pushed forward. Terry grabbed his head and forced it down. The shower began to wash away the soap with Terry's help. Rudy kept his eyes shut to avoid getting the water in his face and eyes.

Finally, it was over. The shower was turned off and he was taken out of the seat. He was placed back into the toilet seat. Terry and Vinnie, each with a towel of their own, worked together to dry him off. It felt good, especially when they did his back and hair, which was the last thing that was dried.

After they were done, they handed him his clothes and allowed him to get dressed. He needed some help with his pants, however, requiring Terry to hold him up while Vinnie slipped on the pants for him.

Then they were done. And soon, with the walker and Terry and Vinnie's guidance, he was able to get back to the couch.

Rudy felt some relief as he laid back down. Even though a part of him came to view the couch as his prison, it was still better than being in the bathroom, needing Terry and Vinnie's help to take care of himself. Even if he enjoyed it a little...

Rudy shook his head furiously mentally. He couldn't believe he was still having those thoughts. What happened in the shower, him relaxing to their touch, was just a moment of weakness. He couldn't let himself have such thoughts, or show any weakness to these two. He had these thoughts off and on constantly, telling himself this stuff over and over.

But much to his horror, he was beginning to cave in a little. The fact that he enjoyed the shower was proof of that. He wondered just how much further he would let himself drop...

Rudy tried to push the uncomfortable thoughts aside. He curled up on the couch, resting his head against the pillow provided for him, and shut his eyes. Perhaps after a nice nap, he will have forgotten about the whole thing. He just wanted to put this behind him.

sss

The smell of chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, and broccoli filled the air. The smell was so tantalizing, so delicious... It would make any hungry mouth water, especially those who hadn't eaten all that much. The smell, combined with the steam rising up, made for an almost irresistible scene.

A silver fork was pushed into it, and lifted from the plate. Even suspended in the air, it still looked like a piece of edible art. It was hard to prevent salivation just from the looks of it.

Rudy still turned his head away and resisted, however. Broccoli wasn't his favorite food, but that wasn't the reason he was turning it down. Terry was attempting to feed him again. But this time, she wouldn't just give him the plate. She was insisted that she help him out. Not wanting to stoop down to that level, Rudy refused.

He knew that he as upsetting her. And he knew that he may cause her to lose her temper. But he still ignored her. He tried to resist the smell of food, and the growl of his stomach, all in the name of keeping some of his dignity. He would eat their food, but only on his terms.

"Rudy, don't be difficult." Terry told him, her eyes narrowing. "You haven't eaten too much. You need more food, especially if you want more of those painkillers."

Rudy flinched at the mention of painkillers. He felt a small throb in his broken leg. The medicine did help him feel better, but it couldn't fully take away the pain in his leg. Terry's warning caused the pain to swell up slightly, reminding Rudy of what it would be like without any medication period.

He still kept his head turned away, folding his arms stubbornly. "Just let me have the plate like you did with the soup. I can feed myself."

Terry replied, "That was different. Soup isn't that hard to eat without causing a mess. But in your condition, eating this stuff would be harder. It's best if you just let me feed you."

"No." Rudy said stubbornly.

"Rudy, now's not the time to be stubborn." Terry growled softly. Despite her clear anger, she was still doing her best to be patient and gentle with him. "You can swallow your pride for a while when it comes to your health, can't you?"

Rudy let out a soft groan. His expression softened up as it became harder to resist the smell of the food that Terry had prepared for him. He thought about what she had said. Would it really be that bad? It would just be a one time thing. And it wasn't like she was going to give up anyway. And he was getting really hungry...

Rudy let out a sigh of defeat. "Oh fine..." He grumbled. "But I'm not going to like it."

"I kind of figured you weren't going to like it." Terry said softly. "Don't worry. You don't have to. Just try to relax so we can get this over with. It won't be as bad as you think."

Rudy rolled his eyes, but he didn't attempt to speak back to her. Besides, she might be right. It might not be as horrible as he was thinking. Unwillingly, Rudy opened his mouth slowly.

Almost immediately, he could feel the fork being pushed into his mouth. He was instantly greeted with the lovely taste of the chicken, which tasted even better when he was hungry. He slowly chewed and swallow. Terry lifted another fork-full of food towards him. He again opened his mouth and allowed Terry to put it into his mouth.

This process went on for a little while. Fork in, fork out, swallowing, the taste of chicken, potatoes, gravy, and buttered broccoli filling his mouth. He could feel a mixture of emotions well up inside of him as this went on.

Shame, for allowing this to happen to him.

And relief, his stomach aches going away as food was sliding into his belly.

After a few minutes, it was over, and he had finished up the whole plate. He licked his lips slowly. He tried to ignore the sting in his stomach at the realization of having lost some dignity and pride in doing this. He was grateful that Terry didn't say a word about it, and simply slinked off quietly to put the dishes away for cleaning.

Terry soon returned, this time, with a small glass of water and two pills. The same ones he was given before. She handed him the pills first. He popped them into his mouth. He took the glass from her as she lowered it to him. The cool, refreshing water hit his tongue as he used it to wash down the pills. He rapidly drank the water and only stopped when he was almost gone. Terry took this glass into the kitchen along with the rest.

Rudy closed his eyes and tried to forget the whole thing. He tried to imagine that he wasn't here, that he hadn't just gotten fed by one of his worst enemies. He tried to imagine that he was just resting on the couch at home, and all this was some kind of dream. He tried to imagine he was in ChalkZone, and Snap was calling out to him, trying to get him to make his next move in Chinese Chalkers.

But of course, reality gave him a cruel reminder of where he was.

Rudy stiffened up when he felt something touch his hair. He immediately pulled his head back and looked up to see Terry staring at him. He immediately cringed back and growled softly at her, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck raise up.

Terry looked confused by his reaction. "I don't know what you're getting so worked up about, Rudy. I didn't hurt you."

Rudy bared his teeth at her, feeling like he was a wild animal trapped in a cage. "Just don't touch me again."

"Well fine. If you insist." Terry let out an exasperated sigh. "I need to do a bit of house work, anyway. I hope you don't mind loud vacuum cleaners."

The words chosen made it almost sound like a threat. The tone of voice, however, explained a different story. Rudy wasn't sure which part of his mind he should believe.

A few quite minutes passed after Terry disappeared from sight. The boy watched the area cautiously. She was pulling something out. Large, and he could see its shadow. For a split second, he thought that it was something she was going to use to hurt him, and he pressed himself flat against the couch in a weak attempt to try to hide.

Then Terry flipped a switch, and the loud roar of the machine, revealed to really be a vacuum cleaner, filled the air. Rudy flinched and covered his ears, the pitch causing them to ache.

He wasn't sure how long it lasted. A few minutes. An hour perhaps. But it was still longer than he would have hoped for. He hid underneath the covers to try to get away from the sound, and he waited until it was all over. He let out as igh of relief when Terry finally shut the thing off, and the roar died down rapidly into nothingness.

"Oh come on. It wasn't that bad." He heard Vinnie say as he walked into the living room. Rudy wondered just how much he had seen. "It could have been worse."

Terry cut him off before he could continue his sentence. "How is the weather out there?"

"Real bad." Vinnie muttered. "I think a storm just blew in. We may be here for a while."

"Shit..." Terry growled under her breath. She turned her head away, her eyes narrowed in thought. "Well...at least we were able to do some shopping before it hit."

Vinnie nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, you're telling me."

Rudy's eyes widened as he listened to their conversation. They were snowed in? Rudy wanted to try to look, but he couldn't even lift himself off the couch without causing him pain, and the curtains were too thick to allow him to see all that well.

The realization of him being trapped here with Terry and Vinnie caused his stomach to get unsettled. It was one thing to be kept here against his will. Definitely kidnapped he was certain, despite what they said. But now he was utterly trapped here. Even if he tried to make a run for it, he wouldn't get far. Now he had no choice but to stay here.

He felt his heart sink as he realized what this meant. His parents may not find him as quickly as he hoped. He really missed them, and his friends... But at this rate, it may take a much longer time to be reunited with them. He couldn't help but wonder just how long it would be before he would even see them again.

Or if he ever would.

sss

"Do you think he bought it?" Vinnie asked softly as the two stood near the hallway. He watched the sleeping boy warily. "You don't think he..."

"Judging from his expression, I don't think he has a clue." Terry replied, keeping her voice low and hushed. "If he did see through our little lie, he would have reacted to it."

"He might just be a good actor..." Vinnie pointed out.

Terry paused for a moment. "In that case, if he reveals his bluff, we'll just think of something else."

Terry had to admit that Vinnie did have a point. Rudy was a clever little brat, and he might be able to see through their little lie. So far, it seemed to be working. But perhaps she should think of a backup plan, just in case.

For now, she'll stick to the current one. Convincing Rudy there was a bad storm and they were stuck here was a good way of keeping him from trying that stunt a few days ago, when he tried to escape with the broken leg. It took her and Vinnie a while to calm him down after that. She did not want a repeat of that incident.

This also made a good cover for a few other things as well. This would prevent Rudy from trying to demand seeing his parents, and it would allow one of them to slip away for a while to get some supplies without Rudy knowing, providing they did it carefully, even if they have to come in through the window to do it.

Rudy also won't be expecting his parents to come rescue him any time soon. This may make him a little easier to control. Now he knows he must truly rely on him and Vinnie to survive. This cover would allow them to break him down further. As Rudy continued to rely on them, he would begin to trust them more and more. And when they had fully earned his trust...

The gateways of ChalkZone would be open. Terry smiled at the thought.

"I do hope this works." She heard Vinnie growl. "It's been about two weeks now and..."

"It's only been little over a week. These things take time." Terry hissed at him, her eyes narrowed. "You need to be more patient, Vinnie. I don't know how long it will take, but you'll see. Sooner or later, Rudy will start to trust us."

"I hope you're right." Vinnie rubbed his head, shaking it. "I don't know how much longer I can handle being nice to that little bright."

"Well keep it up and you will be...rewarded."

Terry wasn't sure how long this was going to take. It might take them many weeks, or even months, depending on how strong Rudy's resolve was. But she knew if they kept this up, his willpower would eventually crumble. Everyone had their breaking point. They just needed time and eventually, Rudy would reach his. It was just a matter of having patience.

She stared over at Rudy, watching him as he slept. She couldn't help but feel a pang of bitterness in her chest as she remembered the trouble the runt put her through. It was because of him that she lost her job, all her previously meticulously gathered evidence, her reputation...

She managed to push back the burning thoughts from her head. It was all going to be over soon. In a short time, that would be nothing more than a foot note in her success. None of it would matter as soon as she proved to the world that ChalkZone really does exist. And she could finally have her revenge on Rudy Tabootie.

All she had to do was keep up the charade. Like Vinnie she had some difficulty being nice to Rudy. After all the pain he caused her, it was hard not to slap him. She kept her anger in check, against all odds, and if she kept it up, the rewards were going to be great.

And all she had to do was wait. Just keep up what she was doing, keep treating Rudy with kindness, and soon, he'd crack open like an egg. Sooner or later, he would find himself in the grips of Stockholm Syndrome, and there'd be nothing he could do about it.

She and Vinnie just needed to be patient. After all, patience is a virtue, right?

sss

The next week seemed to have flown by quickly. It was hard for any of them to believe that it was going onto the third week now. Especially Rudy, who was unable to even see anything outside, or even a clock, to know how much time had passed.

The routine had always stayed the same. Vinnie and Terry would try to feed him, and he would always resist. Sometimes for longer, sometimes not for nearly as long. They would make sure he got pain medications twice a day to keep him from being in too much agony. They helped him with getting to the bathroom, and they got Rudy to take another shower, despite his protests.

They had to go out and buy Rudy more clothes. Doing this without Rudy finding out wasn't easy, especially when it came to explaining why they had them. They weren't even sure if Rudy bought their lie about the clothes having been left there by the previous people who had the place. At least it was nice to have Rudy in new clothes and not wearing the same ones, otherwise he would have stunk no matter how many showers he had.

Despite the frustrations, Vinnie and Terry were both pleased to see that Rudy's attitude was improving a little bit. It wasn't to the same degree as they would have hoped, but as time went on, the boy protested less and less. They wondered if it was because the boy realized he had little choice or if he was starting to trust them.

Well that might be wishful thinking. The boy hadn't really said or done anything that shown he really trusted them yet. He may just be begrudgingly accepting their help if only for the sake of survival. But it was still a nice step forward, and Terry and Vinnie both agreed that if they kept it up, they would start to see more and more positive results from him. They just needed to remain patient.

Which wasn't easy. There were times when Rudy would do something to anger them. Either he'd strike at them in anger or fear, or he would stubbornly refuse to comply at random, or even attempt to escape, despite his condition and despite knowing better. It was moments like these that made it hard for them not to yell. They tried to refrain from doing so, and tried to be as kind and gentle to Rudy as they could be. Such a task was not easy, but they feel they were doing a good job.

Time seemed to move so slowly. With the routines being mostly the same, it started to feel repetitive and monotonous. The days started to feel like they were dragging on, and both the adults wished they could simply leave and do something else. Only the promise of entry into ChalkZone kept them going.

There had been some close calls with Rudy. At least, Vinnie would nearly come in at the wrong time, and nearly had Rudy see him. Or he would almost pull up the curtain, which would allow Rudy to see if it was day or night.

But the worst would have to be when they were watching television and the news had come on. There was a report of a missing child, and the picture was that of Rudy. The news report had just gotten to his parents talking about what had happened when Rudy started to wake up. It was shere luck that they were able to change it before Rudy could see.

They were worried that if Rudy had seen the broadcast, he would have found out how long it's been, and he may try to get in contact with his parents somehow. It would also allow him to have some kind of emotional feedback from his parents, even if indirectly. Terry and Vinnie were doing their best to ensure that they were the only ones whom Rudy got any feedback from. It was the best way to ensure that he would eventually crave company, even from the likes of them.

And it started to work. A little. Rudy did seem to start disliking being alone, even if he seemed unwilling to admit it. Terry had went through with the plan of leaving him alone most of the time and keeping her and Vinnie's interactions with him minimal, expect for survival-based things, of course.

Their efforts appeared to be starting to work when Rudy began to express further and further distress at the thought of being alone. He wasn't exactly happy to see them or anything, but he was starting to become more...content around them, they guessed would be the word. A bit happier with them around than just on his own. A good improvement.

But there was still work to be done. Rudy was not yet ready to show them ChalkZone or reveal its secrets. They were going to need more time and effort.

But they felt that they were getting close to victory. They were so near, they could almost taste it. Each passing day brought them closer as Rudy showed further signs of improvement, even if they were just slight.

Each new increment would build up. They would accumulate, creating larger changes over time. So long as Rudy kept this up, and so long as they kept up with their efforts, then all was going to be fine. Rudy would eventually come to trust them and see them no longer as his enemies, but as his caregivers.

They weren't exactly sure yet what they were going to do with Rudy afterwards. The thought of killing him crossed their minds, but they both remembered how that backfired. Terry would never forget the increased sentence she got for trying to murder him in the courtroom.

Well, they'll figure out what to do with him eventually. For now, they needed him. He was their ticket into ChalkZone. They could figure out how to dispose of him later when he was no longer of use to them.

For now, they will continue playing this little game.

sss

Rudy let out a soft groan. He rubbed his head slowly. He wasn't sure why, but there was a pounding ache shooting through his head, mostly concentrated around his left temple. No matter how much he rubbed it, it wasn't getting any better. It almost felt like someone was taking a hammer to his head and smashing it.

He wondered what could be causing it. Maybe it was the warmth of this couch? He had been here...he didn't know how long, but maybe his body was yearning for a new place to rest. Or maybe it was from being bored and frustrated. Maybe it was something else.

There was little he could do about it except wait for the pain medications. They might be able to help him relax more. He did have a brief thought that maybe Terry and Vinnie were giving him bad ones, but he had his doubts about that. They had been giving him pills every day and they only managed to make him feel better, not worse. If they were trying to poison him, they were doing a poor job of it.

The headache had come on suddenly. He had been fine when he woke up in the morning...or afternoon or night..whenever it was. It was so hard to tell; Vinnie and Terry were unpredictable at times if they were going to be out here or not.

He was still certain that he did not have this headache for very long, and he never had one since he got here, other than the headaches of frustration and anger. Those went away on their own. But this was sticking with him, almost like a cancer. And he had no idea how he was going to stop it.

He looked around the living room for any sign of those two. Normally they would be here right about now...right? He hadn't seen them yet, or heard them. Perhaps they were still asleep? He hoped they would wake up soon. He didn't want to ring the bell to get them. He tried his best to wait, enduring the headache as he did so.

He felt some level of shame in thinking this, but he was also getting a little lonely. Terry and Vinnie would usually leave him alone save for a few things, like feeding him. At first, Rudy liked it this way. He wanted to keep his distance from those two. But now, things seemed to be shifting. Now he wanted to be in their presence. He wanted to be near them, all because he was getting lonely.

He pushed the thoughts aside the best he could. He tried not to allow himself to sink down even further. He shouldn't show such weakness to them. He could do without company for long periods of time.

He found it difficult to completely shake off the feelings of loneliness, however. They clawed at him, making him curl up on the couch further, his eyes darting around for any sign of Vinnie or Terry. They might be his enemies... But they were the only ones he could interact with. And humans were a social species. His heart twisted as he wondered how long he could resist before his instinctual urge for company started to take over.

Suddenly, there was a spike shooting through his head. The sudden, intense pain caused Rudy to let out a scream of agony. He clutched his head tightly, digging his fingernails against it. He squirmed on the couch as he tried to ride out the horrible headache.

As he did this he began to notice a scratchiness in his throat, a muggy sensation coming over him, his sinuses starting to ache. These combined together, creating a typhoon of misery striking him from all angles.

He eventually was able to ride it out the best he could, and the pain did lower. It, however, did not disappear completely, and remained with him. A dull pounding could be felt in his head, a reminder to him of what happened.

Rudy took in a few shaky breaths as he tried to make sense of what happened. He had never felt something like this before. It was so strange...and so horrible. He had also felt something in his leg. It had throbbed in time to the misery sweep from a few seconds ago. Still now the leg continued to throb and pound, and Rudy let out a small whimper as he felt it feel as though someone was taking a hacksaw to his leg.

It had been at least a week now he was sure...or even longer than that for all he knew, and his leg was still hurting him. He wasn't even sure how far the healing had gotten. If Vinnie and Terry checked on it, it was when he was asleep, or perhaps they knocked him out for it. That thought filled him with chills.

Rudy lifted up the blankets and he looked down at the cast. With it on, he couldn't tell how far his leg had gotten. There was no way he could remove it. Maybe if he touched it, he might...

"Aaaaahh!"

Rudy let out a scream as he applied pressure to the leg. He got his answer right away when a torrent of agony rushed through his leg, forcing him to relive the painful memory that he could not recall of it being broken. Sobbing heavily, he pulled his leg to himself, shivering as he tried to ride out the pain.

"Rudy?!"

Rudy lifted up his head and looked over, noticing Vinnie staring at him in shock. He was dressed up in a robe, holding what appeared to be a cup of coffee in one hand. He immediately put the coffee mug down and rushed to the boy's side.

"What's the matter, kid?" Vinnie asked, his eyes wide with concern.

Rudy opened his mouth to speak, but only whimpers and cries could escape. He simply moved his broken leg a little, just enough for Vinnie to see it. Rudy made a quick motion with his hand before letting his limb fall limp on the couch.

Vinnie narrowed his eyes softly as he stared at the leg. "You hit your leg again?"

Rudy nodded his head. "...y-yes..." He managed to choke out. He stared up at Vinnie. His vision was blurred by the tears. "...p-please...I-I..."

Vinnie seemed to understand immediately what he wanted. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bottle of pills. They looked a little different from what they had given to him before. He poured out about three into the palm of his hand.

"These are just sleeping pills. I would normally go get the painkillers, but this is urgent. Besides, these do have some ability to reduce pain." Vinnie realized he was monologuing a little too long. He lowered his hand and lifted up Rudy's head in it. "Here you go, kid."

Rudy didn't question the man and simply took the pills. At this point, he'd be happy to take anything so long as the pain would just go away. In his mouth the pills went and he swallowed.

"I'll stay with you until it kicks in, okay?" Vinnie said.

Rudy nodded, not even bothering to protest as the man stood beside him, watching him carefully. Rudy did strike out towards Vinnie if he attempted to sit down, his mind becoming a little wild in pain, despite the fact that Vinnie helped him earlier. He shut his eyes tightly and gritted his teeth, hoping that all of this was going to be over soon.

Slowly, gradually, he started to notice a chance. His head was getting groggier, more tired. His breathing was begining to slow down and return to normal. The throbbing pain in his body, including his leg, had a dent pushed into it. All the while, Vinnie stood next to him, whispering words of comfort while keeping his distance.

Rudy wasn't sure how long it took, but the sleeping pills eventually took a hold of him. He didn't fall asleep per say, but he did feel much more tired than before. He had a hard time keeping his eyes open and he let out a small yawn. He looked up at Vinnie before he rested his head on the couch and shut his eyes.

"Hmm... you look a little flushed. Are you feeling well?"

At Vinnie's voice, Rudy whimpered softly and shook his head. "H-Headache..." He stiffened and remained still as Vinnie's hand was placed against his forehead. It was then that Rudy realized something else. "C-Cold."

Vinnie pulled his hand away. "You might have a fever. I'll go get Terry and we'll take your temperature."

Rudy just nodded his head. He was not in the mood to protest. He listened to Vinnie's footsteps walking away as he rested on the couch. He cursed to himself softly. What a time to get sick.

sss

Terry waited for a minute as the thermometer read the small boy's temperature. As soon as it beeped, she grabbed it and pulled it out. She held it close to her face, reading the numbers on it. "Yep... He does have a fever."

Vinnie grimaced at this. "Just what we need. A sick child. What if we catch it?"

"Oh you big crybaby..." Terry glared down at him. "You're a grown man. You can't tell me you never got sick before."

"Yeah," Vinnie raised his hands into the air. "And why do you think I don't want to catch anything?"

Terry rolled her eyes. If Vinnie wanted to leave and go hide somewhere, she wouldn't stop him. She just continued to focus her attention on the sickly child, who was close to falling asleep on the couch thanks to the sleeping pills that Vinnie gave him. Honestly, he should have just given him regular painkillers; these sleeping pills weren't made for this. She could see the boy was still twitching in pain. At least sleep would calm him down.

She had already gotten the information she needed from him to understand what happened. He had hurt his leg again, this time from simply touching it. She resisted the temptation to call him an idiot and focused on making sure he falls asleep so he could escape at least some of the pain. She didn't want to deal with a screaming child.

She would have walked away, but the fever had caught her attention. She wasn't sure how the boy had caught anything. They were careful to keep everything clean, even going as far as change the boy's clothing. So how did something slip through?

Perhaps it was his leg. She and Vinnie didn't exactly give him any antibiotics while he was here. Maybe the break was getting some infection. Yeah, that had to be it. There was no other explanation. It would explain why the leg still hurt the same as it did when it initially broke, despite about three weeks already having gone by that should have reduced the pain at least somewhat.

Her first thought was to have this treated. They did have the medications for it here. They had gotten some earlier, just in case something like this were to happen. But she was thinking more along the lines of her or Vinnie, not Rudy. Well, she couldn't have him sneezing all over them, and he wouldn't be of much use if he was sick.

She stopped herself, pausing to think. She remembered what she was like when she was sick with a fever. Each and every time, she had wanted some company. She preferred being alone most of the time, but when sick, she was suddenly more interested in just laying down with people than going off on her own, doing whatever.

She stared at the boy, who had finally went to sleep. Would the same thing work on him? If it did, perhaps she could use the fever to her advantage. If it would make him crave company from her and Vinnie, it might also make some other changes as well. Maybe even make him more compliant. After all, a fever can really screw with the mind.

She smiled softly. This fever was going to work in their favor. Sure, they'd need to moderate it so that it didn't kill him. But this might just be the breakthrough they were waiting for. She turned her head to Vinnie and said, "Don't give him anymore medication."

Vinnie cocked up an eyebrow. "What about his leg?"

Terry paused for a second. "Okay, one painkiller a day." She turned her head slightly. "We need to make sure he keeps running a fever."

"Why?" Asked Vinnie.

"Because fevers change the way a person thinks. Rudy won't be as cautious when he's sick. He'll be much easier to talk to and manipulate." Terry told him.

Vinnie folded his arms against his chest. "He will also be loopier." He motioned his hand out. "So how do we know what to take seriously?"

Terry froze at this. She realized the man did have a point. Fevers might make Rudy more complacent. That didn't mean that anything he said would be all that useful. She would need to come up with a testing mechanism to prove or disprove what he said. She tapped a finger against her jaw as she tried to think of something.

Her eyes soon twinkled, and the smile returned. Yes, this should do it. She believed she figured out a solution to their problem.

"We simply wait for the fever to break and for the boy's mind to return to 'normal'. Whatever he would call normal, anyway. And then we simply, using perfect timing, mention the things he said. Then we gauge his reaction. Depending on what he does, it will expose whether or not it was a lie or not. We can use this to determine how much truth he had told us while he was under."

Vinnie didn't look too convinced. This was given away by how he raised an eyebrow. He exhaled slowly, shaking his head. "Well all right then." He said, making no attempt to argue. "If you say so."

Terry simply smiled, ignoring Vinnie's tone of voice. She stared down at Rudy, watching as the boy breathed in and out slowly. "Come on, let's give him some time to sleep."

Vinnie nodded his head. Before he attempted to leave, he asked one more thing. "What should we do when he first wakes up?"

Terry thought about this for a moment. Then she said, "For now, exactly what we've been doing before."

sss

When Rudy first opened up his eyes, he wasn't sure what to think. It was hard for him to tell how he should react to anything. He was aware he wasn't home, and yet that didn't seem to frighten him too much. How very strange...

He wasn't sure why, but it also felt so much...darker, despite there being plentifiul light in this living room. He felt both comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time. The heavy blanket on him, he wanted to remove it, and yet he wanted to cuddle up underneath it and try to stay warm. Why did it feel as though all the power had gone out and the cold from the outside was seeping in?

He felt so scared and vulnerable. He looked left and right, trying to see if there was anyone else here. Had he been abandoned? Was this his grave sight? Just what was going on?

There was a tingle in the back of his mind, trying to tell him something about this place. That perhaps he should be more worried, not eagerly looking around for company. He began to have a slight feeling that he was not really all that safe here, and he could feel his heart clench at the thought.

Which only increased his desire for company. There had to be someone around here, right? Anyone... He didn't want to be alone. His eyes darted left and right again. He looked for any sign of movement. He could detect some kind of smell in the air. He couldn't tell if it was food or not. It smelled good and yet he couldn't bring himself to want any. He stared off in its direction and waited.

Then he saw a shadow move along the wall. He could feel his eyes twinkle a little. There was someone here after all...

..or was there? What if this was some kind of wild beast that was coming to pick him off? Rudy cringed back as the figure came towards him. He immediately hid underneath the covers, letting out a few soft whimpers.

"Rudy...?"

Rudy moved his face out from underneath the covers. He peered over and saw there was a human-like figure standing before him. He narrowed his eyes, squinting as he tried to see who it was. His vision could see the details just fine, but his mind was a little slow to fully register. When it did, he snapped his head back, instincts staking him over.

"Rudy, what are you doing?"

Rudy narrowed his eyes further and growled. This person wasn't a friend. He recognized this person. She was the enemy. His instincts reminded him of the fear and pain she put him through. He pushed himself further underneath the blanket, growling at her, his arm muscles tensing up.

Terry, who looked both distorted and fine in his vision, looked down at him. It was hard to tell what expression she had on. The only thing Rudy could see was that twisted smile and glowing, red eyes. She moved in closer, making Rudy shiver harder, growling louder.

"What's wrong?" Terry asked. She reached out with her hand towards him. "Are you...?"

Rudy snarled and struck back her hand. Terry hissed and pulled her hand to herself. Rudy locked eyes with her as he kept his teeth bared. Terry might have said something after that, but he couldn't tell. All he cared about right now was keeping her away from him.

Then a wave of dizziness began to overtake him. He wobbled himself from side to side, trying to regain his bearings. It was as if someone drove in on a drill car and struck him with it. He clutched his head, shutting his eyes as he tried to cope with it. The gentle touch against his head only seemed to make it worse. He let out a shout and struck out against Terry. He missed, hitting nothing but air. He resumed to clutching his head, letting out low whimpers.

Oh why won't the headache go away? Why wouldn't it just leave him alone? Just what was causing his headache, anyway? He was so tempted to just rip his head open and pull out his brain and massage it. Yet he knew he could not, and he was stuck just trying to ride it out.

All the while, Terry stood there and watched. He still could not see her face too well, and he couldn't tell what she was thinking. She just stared down at him, not saying a word as he struggled to regain his bearings.

Then at last, the headache started to subside. He let out a sigh of relief, his eyes shutting in a more relaxed manner. He laid there for a few seconds, breathing in and out slowly. He opened up his eyes and he looked up at where Terry was.

Now that he didn't have that darn headache anymore, he could see that she looked more concerned about him than angry or upset. This caused him to feel a level of confusion. Why would she be worried? But he couldn't think too hard on the subject as he started to feel the reminder of the headache coming back. He shut his eyes again, hoping that a little rest would help him.

He felt his nose tingle. He inhaled shakingly, and before he could stop himself, he let out a sneeze. He shivered in pain, and sniffed. He wiped his nose before he settled himself back down. He hoped that this will all be over soon.

sss

Terry felt her ears ache when the boy sneezed again. She noticed that there was a bit of mucous trailing down his face. The boy was trying to wipe it, but it was clear he was going to need some help. She knew he was going to put up a fuss, but he would thank her later.

She went into the kitchen and grabbed some tissue paper. She walked back over towards the small boy. He looked up at her, growling softly. She realized that the fever was messing with his head in ways that she did not predict. She would have to act soon, before the fever caused him to react like this to her and Vinnie always. After she showed him he wasn't at hreat, perhaps the fever would then alter his behavior around them.

She reached over to wipe his nose. He cowered back and attempted to strike at her. She moded herself to the side and managed to grab onto his head. He let out a few shouts of fright. She was careful not to hurt him, and she wiped his nose gently with the tissue. She spoke to him softly and tried her best not to raise her voice.

After she was done, she let him go and she threw the tissue paper away. Rudy looked up at her in confusion, as if he had no idea how to take what she had just done. She smiled down at him gently before she disappeared into the kitchen.

What should she give him to eat this time? She reached on top of the refrigerator and pulled something down. Perhaps this banana? Yes this banana would do the trick. She quickly returned to the boy's side and rested one thigh and knee on the couch. The boy cringed back, but he did not attempt to fight back this time. The look of his eyes weren't of fear, but of curiosity.

Peeling the banana, Terry began to give it to him. She would break off small pieces and hand it to him. Rudy looked at them tentatively, as if he expected them to be poison or something. He would eventually put them in his mouth, chewing slowly and then swallowing. He soon finished the whole banana. She also got him something to drink, helping him to wash down the food. This wasn't much, but with him being sick, she didn't want to risk feeding him too much, lest he throw up all over the couch.

Terry decided it was best to leave the little boy alone for a while. He was still wary around her, and she didn't want him to feel afraid in her presence. She felt it would be better if she didn't push her luck, and cause whatever progress she and Vinnie made with Rudy to vanish just like that. Getting up from the couch, she turned and walked away.

She thought she heard a noise behind her. She turned her head, peering back at Rudy. She noticed him staring at her. He didn't say a word and he still looked frightened of her. But he also looked almost...sad that she was leaving. A promising sign. She said not a word and she disappeared down the hallway.

sss

Three days.

That's how long it's been since Rudy first got the fever.

Three long stinking days.

It might as well have been three months, with how everything was dragging on. Even worse than before. Even Terry and Vinnie were starting to have a hard time realizing just how much time had passed, despite having access to time, unlike Rudy. They would often feel shocked when they find that it hadn't been nearly as long as they thought it was.

Rudy retained the fever and the sickness. Day in, day out, they would hear him sneeze painfully, watch him shiver, give him only enough medications to keep his pain in check, as well as his fever, which they didn't want to get up too high. He showed no signs of improving anytime soon.

Their biggest concern was that he still was cautious around them. Terry had realized that she had forgotten that fevers can sometimes make someone even more wary of strangers or enemies. Well for her, that's what they did. Rudy wasn't craving their attention like she hoped, and she and Vinnie did whatever they could to help him realize they were the ones taking care of him. They both hoped that, eventually, Rudy would come to realize that he was in no danger from them and start to see them in a more positive light.

This was truly a test of their patience. They were doing their best not to lose it, and to remain as gentle and calm with Rudy as they could. It was often quite tempting to say something to him. Only the reminder their plan would prevent them from going all the way.

However, there was some good news. Despite Rudy still being fearful, his reactions were getting less and less extreme. Almost every day, it would take less effort to calm him down and he seemed to get less suspicious of them as they brought him food and water. Perhaps with time, this would continue to improve.

Then again, that's what they had been hoping for nearly a month ago and Rudy still didn't fully trust them, despite being the very people that were keeping him alive. He was quite a stubborn little boy, and he had a strong spirit. Much stronger than either of them had thought before. Despite the improvements, that wasn't cause for celebration. Not yet.

Though Vinnie was growing increasingly frustrated, Terry managed to keep her cool. She was still confident that Rudy would eventually break soon enough. His will couldn't possibly last forever. And she knew the perfect way to tell just how much he was weakening.

She would sit next to Rudy once a day, at night time specifically. The same time every night. Rudy would growl, but he only tried to strike at her twice. He would opt to just watch her warily. She made no move towards him. She'd just sit there and watch television.

This exercise would help Rudy trust her more. A part of her wished they had done this in the first place. As she sat there with Rudy for a few hours and not doing anything, it would eventually get into his head that she was not going to hurt him and that he was safe with her.

Vinnie asked her how would she know if it was even working. She understood his frustrations and disbelief. She could see why he would have a hard time believing that this plan was working. This had been taking them longer than they thought, and it was understandable that Vinnie was staring to lose his patience. But she warned him to keep his cool and to not walk away from this mission. They had come too far now.

"Okay..so how do you know when this had finally gotten through to the kid?"

She remembered that question. It echoed in her mind and refused to leave the woman. Vinnie had asked this a short time ago, staring at her with narrowed eyes and arms folded against his chest. He would not leave until she had given him an answer.

And she did.

"As a news reporter, I have talked to all kinds of people, including of all ranges of emotion. I have more experience with a variety of people than you do, Vinnie. So this is my answer to your question: Trust me, I'll know."

sss

Terry let out a groan as she flipped through the channels. There didn't seem to be anything on tonight. Strange. She would normally find something on to pass the time while she sat down with Rudy. This time, there was just nothing. Well nothing good that caught her eye, anyway.

She growled softly to herself. Well she supposed that's what she gets for only getting one of the smaller packages. There were only about thirty stations available. Not exactly a wide variety of stations to choose from.

She leaned back against the couch, holding her arms out against the top of the furniture. She leaned her head backwards and she took in a deep, long breath. She let it out slowly. She felt her frustrations slowly leave her body. She told herself that getting upset over something as silly as nothing being on TV was just ludicrous. She needed to learn to chill more.

At least Rudy hadn't really done anything since she got there. No growls or hisses. No whimpers. No cowering. He was looking at her, continuing to rest on his side of the couch. Terry was thankful that this couch was quite long, giving her plenty of space for herself. Sometimes, she would even forget that Rudy was on the couch with her, and she would be reminded when she felt herself tap up against something solid and warm.

At least, she thought she found something worthwhile. Some kind of comedy show. She turned the volume up a little so she could hear what was being said. She kept it a modest volume, not wanting it to disturb Rudy. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Rudy appeared to be trying to sleep. He had just eaten and taken his medication. So she imagined that he wanted to rest now.

Terry gritted her teeth as an unpleasant memory came to her. Before Rudy woke up the other day, she had spotted a news report on TV, and now the police were looking for her. Now it really was too dangerous for her to go out in public. On top of that, the search for Rudy was continuing, and it was only a matter of time before they started to comb this area, since this forest was the last place Rudy was seen before he disappeared.

She hid it well from Vinnie, but a part of her feared they wouldn't get far enough with Rudy to get much benefit from him. There were times when she felt it was best to just revert to the old ways and just make the kid talk. Yet she still decided it was best to follow through with this plan. There hadn't been any police around this area, and she did not hear the sound of barking dogs. For now, they were safe.

But the question was...for how long...?

Her thoughts were soon interrupted when she suddenly felt the couch shift. She turned her head and looked over at where Rudy was.

Much to her surprise, the boy was shifting himself. He had done this before, but this was different. This wasn't just a little adjustment. The movements didn't seem to match it. The way he was grabbing the couch and pulling, the way he was trying to move himself onto his stomach and how he was getting closer to her... Terry was able to conclude what was going on quickly.

Rudy was crawling towards her.

Little by little, the small boy wormed his way towards her. Terry watched, realizing from his expression alone just how hard this was for him. She didn't attempt to help, instead opting to let him come to her. Then, a few seconds later, Terry could feel the boy's warmth against her.

The woman did her best not to smile too much, not wanting to make the boy suspicious. She gave a small, gentle smile down at the boy as he cuddled up against her. She could feel his head rubbing against her thigh as he nestled beside her, curled up in a ball almost like a puppy looking for affection.

Terry noticed the blanket was still back on the other end of the couch. She reached over, careful not to push against Rudy too much. She managed to grab the tip of the blanket and she pulled it over. She carefully laid it across Rudy's body, covering him in the blanket's thick warmth. At this, Rudy rested his chin on her leg and he let out a sigh of contentment.

In an attempt to help Rudy feel even safer, Terry reached down with her hand and began to stroke his hear. This time, Rudy did not protest. He was allowing her to touch him without fighting back. She continued to run her fingers through his hair gently. She sometimes would move her hand down along his shoulder, giving it a few gentle squeezes.

She continued to watch television as she gently petted Rudy. She could feel his breath against her pants, and she did her best to ignore it. Her hands continued to massage Rudy's shoulders and stroke his brown hair. She sometimes would comb it back behind his ear, which she would gently stratch with one or two fingers. All the while, Rudy appeared to be enjoying it, judging by how he would push himself even closer against her, making no attempt to get away.

Then, after several minutes of this repeated petting and watching the comedy show, she heard something that she didn't expect.

Snoring. Which would mean that..

Upon looking down, she was able to confirm that, yes, Rudy had indeed fallen asleep. She looked down at him, noticing the way his eyes were closed, how closely against her he was pressed, the small smile on his face. She took all of this in, and she could feel her heart swell with excitement.

"What's going on here?" A low, hushed whisper said.

Terry looked over to see Vinnie staring in confusion. She smiled at him, which only seemed to confuse him more. So Terry decided not to leave him in the dark for much longer.

"It's finally working, Vinnie. He's starting to trust us." Terry said as she moved her fingers along the top of Rudy's head. "He came over to me on his own. I didn't make him. And he has fallen asleep without the use of sleeping pills." She glanced down at Rudy. "You never sleep next to someone unless you are sure they aren't going to hurt you." She gave Vinnie an upwards glance. "To him, we're no longer the enemy."

At this, Vinnie's eyes widened in shock. Then, as the implication of what this meant began to sink in, his mouth slowly ticked into a smile.

sss

Rudy fluttered his eyes open and he lifted up his head. He looked over and he could see Terry sitting down next to him. It took him a few seconds to fully realize who it was.

There was a very brief, fleeting moment when he felt his heart clench. A flash of images entered his mind, recalling the trouble that those two, especially Terry, had put him through. He could still see the gun in her hands pointed at him. His chest ached from the memory of that horrible day.

But now new memories entered his mind. They clouded his ead, pushing the bad memories back further, replacing them with newer, less terrifying ones. He could feel himself start to relax as he remembered that Terry, as well as Vinnie, had been helping him. They hadn't hurt him, and it was because of them he was even still alive. Pressed up against Terry, he could no longer feel threatened, but instead, comforted.

He wasn't really sure why they had a change of heart, or why they would even think of helping him. A part of him couldn't help but remain suspicious. But that part was pushed so far back, he hardly noticed. He couldn't help but feel...grateful for the help these two adults had provided for him. Perhaps...perhaps being trapped here wouldn't be so bad after all.

He stiffened once when he felt Terry's hand move along his head again. He tilted his head up and noticed she was awake still. She appeared to be watching television, her gaze pointed away from him. He stared up at her face and he could no longer feel so terrified, but instead, calm.

He lowered his gaze and rubbed his cheek against her leg once as he relaxed and got comfortable again. It was a little odd, being petted like this. But the woman's touches still felt good. They were nice, especially compared to his headache and the fever that has him feeling quite chilly. He pressed himself further, wanting to get more warmth from the woman.

He started to believe that Vinnie and Terry really were trying to help. Why else would they have put up with him for so long? He felt a level of guilt washing over him. They had tried to help and he had shunned them away. He would be sure to not allow that to happen again.

He slowly shut his eyes and he began to drift off to sleep.

sss

Getting out of the couch wasn't going to be easy. She should have known better than to sit next to Rudy on the couch. She should have known that this was going to happen.

Well, she couldn't be too mad. It was the exercise needed to finally know if Rudy trusted them or not. And the test was a pass. A full success. Not only did Rudy come over to her on his own, but he had also fallen asleep next to her. Such an act was quite risky, and would only be done if the sleeper felt truly safe in the environment.

Considering what she had done to the boy in the past, him trusting her enough to sleep next to him was quite a shock, and a step up. Now if she and Vinnie continued, they would soon get exactly what they deserved.

Terry still had to get up, however. She was feeling hungry and it was time for breakfast. Hold Rudy's head, she managed to get up, and then gently set the head back down. She stared down at him for a few moments, watching him breath, occassionally giving a shiver due to his fever. She then walked into the kitchen.

She wasn't feeling up to making anything grand, so she opted for some coffee. Not particularly her favorite thing, but it would do. She grabbed the packet and she went towards the machine. She set it up and turned it on. It didn't take long for the smell of coffee to fill the air. It was a nice change of pace from the smell of slightly dirty clothes. Rudy was going to need another shower very soon.

While she waited for the coffee to cook, she might as well check up on his fever. She picked up the thermometer and went to Rudy's side. The small boy was still sleeping. She grabbed his shoulder gently and shook him.

"Hey, time to wake up." Terry said carefully.

Slowly, Rudy opened up his eyes. Halfway at first, and he gave a loud yawn. His eyes soon opened up all the way and he stared at her. Rather than cringing or showing signs of fear like before, Rudy smiled at her. Terry let this sink in for a moment. Rudy was smiling at her. Not an aggressive or taunting smile, either. But a friendly, greeting one. She returned the smile.

She brought the thermometer towards him. Rudy immediately opened his mouth and allowed her to insert it. The boy closed his mouth around it. The termometer was kept in his mouth for the required minute, and it soon beeped. Terry pulled it out and stared at the reading.

She gave a small frown. It had climbed up a little. Perhaps she could give him something for the fever to lower it slightly. Maybe a small sliver of a pill would do? She was no pharmacist, but that sounded like it'd work, right? Well it wouldn't hurt anything. She shook the thermometer and held it with one hand.

She reached out with her other hand and gently stroked Rudy's hair. She felt satisfaction swell inside her as Rudy didn't even growl, but instead sighed in contentment. She moved her hand down so she was touching his cheek. Her finger moved towards his ear and she rubbed the skin behind it. Rudy turned his head and pressed it further against her hand, an act that showed that he was really enjoying this and wanted more.

Terry couldn't help but feel excited at how much Rudy had improved since he came here. This was a far cry from the frightened child that she and Vinnie first had to deal with. Their efforts were truly paying off.

She moved her hand away and went to return the thermometer. But before she got far, she suddenly heard a small whimper. She paused and looked over her shoulder. Rudy was staring out at her longingly, his eyes widened as if he was terrified of being left alone. He was reaching out towards her, like he wanted to grab her and pull her back.

The implication of this was obvious. Terry knew in that moment that her plan of making Rudy crave attention from her and Vinnie had worked. He didn't want her to leave him alone He wanted her company, something that he never would have wanted, or admitted to, before. Terry kept herself from making any sort of noise of excitement. This was a delicate moment. It would be bad if she screwed things up now.

Terry did her best to ignore the small whines from the boy as she went back into the kitchen. It was time that she checked up on her coffee. Then she would make something for Rudy.

The coffee was finished at this point. She poured herself a small mug, and turned the heat down to low so it wouldn't cause the coffee to boil over. She mixed in creamer and stirred it, noting the steam lines that continued to rise from it. Even holding it in her hands, she could feel the heat of the coffee and it almost felt like it was going to burn her fingers.

She yelped in pain when she attempted to drink it. The hot fluids nearly burned her lips. Yeah, it was best if she waited for this to cool down. She smacked her lips together as she set the mug down on the table.

While she waited for it to cool, she decided to start making food for Rudy. She went over to the cabinets and opened them up. She turned her head from one side to the other. Hmm, the cream of wheat looked like a good choice. She grabbed it and went over towards the microwave.

It didn't take her long to set up the bowl. She slowly stirred milk into the cream of wheat that she had poured in. She applied some spoonfuls of sugar and she placed the bowl in the microwave. She pressed the two minute button and the microwave roared to life. She waited there. It felt like it took forever, but soon the microwave beeped and the food was ready.

As she stirred it slowly, she noticed it looked just as hot as the coffee did. She didn't want to burn Rudy's mouth, so she had to play the waiting game again.

After about twelve minutes had passed, the cream of wheat, as well as her coffee, had cooled down enough for safe consumption. She brought them both over, taking it nice and slow so she didn't spill them. She set the coffee down on the table and then turned her attention to Rudy.

She noticed Rudy's whimpers had stopped, and his sad expression was replaced with one of happiness and relief. She smiled back at him. She held the bowl of food in front of her. Rudy eyed it eagerly, licking his lips slowly. Terry pressed the spoon into it. She scooped up a small thing of the food, and she moved it towards Rudy's head.

Without a struggle, without a fuss, Rudy took the food right out of her hands. Terry was quite impressed. This was the first time Rudy did this willingly, without needing to be scolded or convinced. What an improvement this was over before.

She continued to feed him. Rudy continued to take it. No complaining. No grumpiness. No indication of him feeling like he was being treated like a child. The only thing he was doing was taking the food that she was giving him. It didn't take long for the food to be all gone. She held the spoon close to him and allowed him to lick some small bits of food that remained on the silverware.

She soon placed the bowl and spoon on the coffee table. She took her mug and began to drink the coffee. Almost instantly, she felt herself start to wake up more. The grogginess was slowly going away, and she was feeling more alert than before. She hardly noticed the bitterness of her coffee as she could feel herself gaining some energy. Once she was done, she placed the mug down.

She took a step back and she was about to leave when she noticed the look in Rudy's eyes. Once more, he was silently pleading with her to stay. She looked into his eyes, noticing how desperate he looked. She found it difficult to look away.

She had wanted to leave and speak to Vinnie some more. But with the way this boy was looking at her... Perhaps she should instead work more towarsd gaining his trust further. Even though she had already won it, for the plan to work, Rudy must trust them enough to tell them more about ChalkZone. It wouldn't hurt to sit with him more, would it? After all, they could always heighten his trust in them.

Terry opted to sit down next to Rudy. She could see Rudy nearly grin when she returned to her position beside him. She leaned back in the couch and lifted the remote to find something good to watch.

Just like last night, she could feel Rudy cuddling up against her. His warmth covered her legs and she could feel him breathing as he inhaled and exhaled. But this time, Rudy took it a step further. Much to her surprise, Rudy managed to set up, and then he immediately leaned against her, the side of his head pressed against her. His arms wrapped around her and he began to hug her tightly.

Terry stared down in shock. She hadn't expected this kind of behavior from Rudy. She soon smiled, doing her best to keep it gentle. She looped her hands around the small boy and pressed him against her. She rested her chin on top of his head, running one hand along his back in a comforting manner.

It was amazing just how far they had come with this little boy. He came in scared and frightened and uncooperative. Now they had finally broken through that veil of distrust. Now they had earned the boy's trust. He felt safe around them now, which was something that even Terry wondered if they could ever accomplish.

But they weren't ready just yet. If they asked about ChalkZone now, Rudy might get suspicious. Instead, it was best to just continue building the trust up in the child. A few more days should do the trick, or even one more week. Only after that allocated time would they even risk asking Rudy about ChalkZone. If all goes well, the boy will not hesitate to tell them what they want to know.

sss

Another week had gone by. This time, it didn't feel like it was a painfully slow process. With Rudy now trusting them, it was becoming easier to further build that trust with him. Both Terry and Vinnie were confident that so long as they managed to hold their tongue and not harm the child, they would be able to create a strong bond with the boy. And then he would not see any problem with telling them about ChalkZone.

Rudy's leg was doing much better as well. The infection had stated to go down and the bones were becoming mended. It got to the point where Rudy could get around on his own with the use of a cane. Well, he still had some difficulty; bones don't heal quite that fast. But the pain had still gone down, along with the swelling.

This did pose a problem to them. Terry and Vinnie wondered if Rudy was going to try to leave now. So far, he hadn't attempted it, and his leg was still in bad enough shape that he wouldn't dare try to go outside on the rougher terrain to use it yet. But would he remain on the couch like they wanted him to? Or would he start moving around and seeing things that he shouldn't know?

He hadn't asked about his parents yet. They weren't sure why. Either he didn't see the point since he might know, deep down, that they weren't going to tell him. Or maybe it was because he was starting to forget his own family. Okay that seemed a little too extreme. Still, they hoped he would remain silent about his parents. They weren't sure what kind of lie they could come up with to ensure that he wouldn't get to talk to them.

So far, though, things were going great. In spite of having some more mobility, Rudy still remained on the couch, just like how they wanted. The fact that he still had a fever may also have helped. They were amazed that they had managed to keep the fever lasting this long without it becoming too much of a problem.

Everything became easier to do. Feeding him, even cleaning him, as the boy no longer struggled against them, and readily accepted their help. It was a welcome change of pace, and quite a relief to them. It was getting harder to put up with Rudy's attitude. Now that he was comfortable around them, they no longer felt flustered, and they could get near him without him freaking out.

Rudy had begun to speak to them more freely. Nothing about ChalkZone, but he was certainly much less guarded from before. He willingly carried out conversations with them as if they had been his friends all along, rather than just his enemies.

While Vinnie was eager to ask Rudy quicker about ChalkZone, Terry halted him. She decided to wait about two more days before they would ask. In those two days, they would do whatever they could to test Rudy's tolerance and see just how much he puts up with them now. If he pasts the test, they would ask. If not, then some more time wouldn't hurt.

They had come so close. And soon, the fruits of their labor will blossom.

sss

"Are you sure now is the right time?" Vinnie asked, his eyebrow cocked up in suspicion.

"I thought you wanted to get this over with sooner." Terry said, rolling her eyes. "What? Did you have a second opinion or something?"

"Well...I..." Vinnie paused for a moment. He tried to think of something to say. "It's just that...after what you said, I'm just... I don't know." He rubbed his head, trying so hard to think of something. He could feel a headache coming on, making it harder to think. "I'm just worried it'll backfire. That is all."

Terry nodded her head once. "I can see why you'd think that. But don't worry." A smile spread across her face. "I've spent enough time with the boy, and I can guarantee you that now is the perfect time." Her hand pushed the door open slightly. "So you coming with?"

Vinnie held his hands out at his sides. "I suppose so. I might as well."

"Alright then. Let's get going."

Vinnie still wasn't sure if now was the right time or not. Terry had told him several times that timing was everything. If they made a move too soon, they'd undo all their hard work. But if they waited too late, there might be other problems. Exactly which ones, he wasn't sure. But there was still that possibility.

But so far, Terry had been right about everything. Rudy had started to trust them after spending enough time with them. They had taken care of him and nursed him partially back to health. Rudy no longer made a fuss around them and he almost seemed to enjoy their company.

So what would be different this time? If Terry thinks that they should act now, then perhaps they should. All they had to do was walk up to him and gently ask him about ChalkZone. If Terry's plan was a full success, then Rudy would cave in and tell them. If not... Well he'll think of something if that were to come.

The two adults made their way into the living room tgether. Rudy was still on the couch, laying down on his side. Terry had left the television on for him. She left it on a cartoon station, thankfully away from any of the news-related ones.

They approached the child carefully, not wanting to scare him. Even though Rudy trusted them now, they feared that if they approached him too quickly, they might cause a relapse of some kind. So they took their time getting over to him. They kept their facial expressions relaxed. Not a frown in sight. It didn't take them too long to reach Rudy.

The small boy looked up at them. He blinked a few times, looking a little surprised at their presence. Then he smiled, the corners ticking upwards. He was clearly happy to see them.

"Hey there, Rudy." Vinnie was the first to speak. He kept his voice low and calm. "How are you feeling today?"

"I'm feeling a little better." Rudy paused for a moment. He bit his lip and looked up at them sorrowfully. "I-Is there a way I can contact my parents...?" At this, Terry and Vinnie's eyes widened. "I-I miss them. Please... Can I talk to them...?"

Terry and Vinnie looked at each other at this. This was something they feared would happen. What were they going to tell Rudy? The words they said next would mean all the difference. Their whole plan hinged on what they would say in the coming moments.

Luckily, it seemed Terry was quickly able to devise a plan.

"The snow storm cut the phone lines. There's no way to call out to anyone." She said, clearly trying to sound as sad as she could. "I'm sorry, Rudy. There's nothing we can do about that, except wait and hope that someone digs us out."

Vinnie nodded his head. "As soon as we can, we'll get you on the phone with your parents."

Rudy looked disappointed. But he still smiled nonetheless. "Thank you."

"And while we wait..."

Vinnie remained quiet as Terry walked over towards where Rudy rested. She sat down next to him, making herself comfortable. Rudy looked up at her, his eyes filled with curiosity, wondering what she had in mind.

Vinnie knew what was coming. He could only hope that Terry doesn't screw things up. He hoped she knew what she was doing. Asking Rudy about ChalkZone had always been so difficult. They never had so much luck before. There was no telling if this time would be any different. As Terry opened her mouth to continue, Vinnie watched in silence, and crossed his fingers, hoping it would all turn out fine.

"I'll understand if you don't want to say anything, but...Vinnie and I were curious." Terry placed her hand on Rudy's head. She gently caressed it as she said, "Do you mind telling us more about ChalkZone? You seem to really enjoy that place. Vinnie and I are wondering why you love it so much." She gave a small smile. "It must be wonderful if you keep going there all the time, you know?"

Rudy nodded his head slowly. "Yeah, it is."

Terry looked down at him. "Would you mind explaining why in more detail?"

There was a moment of silence from Rudy. The two adults watched him carefully, making effort not to make him feel afraid or nervous. They were patient with him, and gave him all the time in the world to answer.

The silence was unbearable to Vinnie, and he believed Terry felt the same way. Everything now hinged on what Rudy said. Would their plan show to be a success? Or would it be an utter failure? Had they really acted too soon? What were they going to do if Rudy said no?

Time seemed to pass slowly. Every second became longer, more stretched out. There was tension filling the air, and Vinnie could feel his heart pounding at the delay in Rudy's answer. He did his best not to give into the tempation to snap at Rudy. He had to remind himself of what Terry said. Patience was a virtue.

Then, at least, Rudy opened his mouth to reply. The two adults leaned slightly in to hear what he had to say. The words the boy spoke next caused them both to explode on the inside with triumph.

"Yes."