Play The Game

INTERRUPTION ON THE COURSE:





A small red ball was set on the ground. Green and flat, and seemed to glint in the light. Something cold and metal was placed next to it. This metal thing moved back and forth slowly, deliberately, before it was finally struck. It made a clang sound as it hit against the red ball.

The small sphere was sent flying through the air. It rolled across what appeared to be green hills, although grass was not present. The ground was still fuzzy, but it wasn't plants. It looked fake, synthetic. A little ruffled, yet not enough to slow down the ball. The object rolled easily over the structures as it headed towards what looked like a hole in the ground.

The ball kept rolling until it reached a metal rim. It rolled around in circles for a couple seconds. It was about to roll over into the hole, but then it stopped.

Suddenly, tiny mechanical legs sprang out from a hidden compartment underneath the ball. It stood up and, with the whirring of mechanical parts clanging together, walked away from the hole. It went roughly a foot away. Then the legs disappeared and it dropped back on the ground.

"What?!"

The cry came from Penny, who stood a distance away, holding a put in her hands. She looked absolutely shocked and frustrated by what had happened.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Penny." Snap said. He stood next to her, holding his own golf club plus a blue ball. "Why are you so worked up?"

Penny's eyes were still on the ball. "That ball just...walked away!" She exclaimed, pointing at the small object.

"Uh...yeah. So?" Snap asked.

"That's not how you play miniature golf!" She replied.

Snap shook his head. "Oh, Penny. Of course it's not how you play mini golf. We aren't playing mini golf, remember? We're playing..." Snap walked up to place his ball down. He twirled his golf club with ease, giving Penny a somewhat smug smile like he was showing off, which it was most certain that he was. "Chalk golf! It's way more fun than boring old miniature golf!"

As Snap placed his ball down and got ready to hit it, Penny put a hand on her hip and narrowed her eyes.

"At least 'boring miniature golf' makes sense! I don't know how I'm supposed to play this...chalk golf if the balls just walk away like that." Penny said. "They're supposed to stay put!"

"But that's where the fun lies, Penny." Rudy said. He was throwing his green ball up in the air and catching it repeatedly. He took a stand next to Penny and said, "In chalk golf, the object is to force the balls into the hole, not knock them into the hole. They will do whatever they can to get away from the hole. They are allowed to walk a foot away in any direction. That's where the fun comes in. The challenge. Don't you think that is more entertaining?"

"Hmm well I suppose..." Penny muttered. "But it still doesn't make a lot of logical sense."

"We're in ChalkZone, Penny. Different rules." Rudy reminded her.

Rudy was enjoying spending the day with Penny and Snap. His parents would be gone all day and Penny's mom allowed Penny stay over at Rudy's for a while. Since they had a lot of time, he decided to go into ChalkZone and play a round of chalk golf with Snap and Penny. He had played the game once before with Snap and he found it to be quite fun and challenging. He wanted Penny to have fun with it too, so he had asked if she wanted to play.

Penny wasn't too big into golf, but she did like miniature golfing from time to time. So she agreed. Rudy realized, too late, he should have warned her chalk golf was...different than mini golf. The thought hadn't crossed his mind, and he felt bad for not saying anything earlier. He understood her confusion of the ball walking away. He was perplexed too until Snap explained the rules of chalk golf.

He had thought about playing something Penny was more familiar with, such as chinese chalkers, but he wanted to do something new and different today. It would become boring if they played the same games over and over again. And he knew Penny would have wanted to try something new, so he thought this game would be perfect.

After Snap hit his ball, it was Rudy's turn. He went up to the clearly defined white mark on the ground where the ball is supposed to go. He put his green ball down and prepared to hit it. As he was preparing, he couldn't help but take notice of the golf club he was using.

It was shaped a little different from Penny and Snap's golf clubs. It was a tad heavier and thicker. It was designed to accomodate for his left hand. And one only needed to take one look at his palm to know that something was wrong with it. Although Snap's scars have all but disappeared, for some reason, the scar on Rudy's left hand never completely vanished. To this day, he could still see the reminders of when Mr. Cosmo stabbed him in the hand.

But the scar was not the only reminder. There was no pain, which relieved Rudy, but there was some permanent damage. The knife had done harm to some nerves and tendons there. He didn't notice it at first because of the adrenaline pumping through his body. There was so much going on, he hadn't realized that he could be doing more harm to his hand.

He had lost some range of motion and some strength from his left hand. He could still use it adequently, but he could no longer grasp things as tightly as he used to, nor could he close his hand as firmly. Due to this, if he were to try to use a regular golf club, his left hand would constantly be slipping and he wouldn't be able to muster up enough strength to knock the ball very far.

Rudy remembered how stupid he felt when the doctors told him that if he had allowed his hand to heal and not moved it around so much, the damage would have been less severe. Rudy recalled that he still used his left hand quite a bit in the fight, and he wished he had remembered to take extra care. Snap and Penny didn't fault him for it, though, as the situation handed to him at the time would have made it difficult to not use both hands.

The doctors had been hopeful that he would regain the lost motion and strength within several months. But now, being 18 months since they fought Mr. Cosmo, there was no sign of change in his hand. The doctors declared that it was, most likely, permanent and that he'd have to adjust to it.

For most tasks, Rudy didn't really notice. It was only when he tried to do certain things, such as hold a golf club in the correct manner, or manipulate something small such as a pencil or a piece of chalk. He was thankful for being right handed in this regard. If it had happened to his right hand, he wasn't sure how well he could protect ChalkZone if the task of drawing became too hard for him.

Rudy sometimes still has nightmares about Mr. Cosmo. Sometimes he dreams that he survived, somehow, and was coming back to get him and his friends. Penny and Snap admitted they had similar dreams as well. The man had left such a big imprint on all of them, and as much as they wanted to forget the ordeal, they knew it was impossible.

Rudy put those thoughts away. He didn't want to dwell on the topic of Mr. Cosmo right now. He was supposed to be having fun.

He quickly realized that he had been taking a little too long to swing his club. Penny and Snap were staring at him, eyes narrowed in annoyance. He smiled sheepishly and apologized quickly. He positioned his golf club and swung it.

The trio watched the green ball roll across the flat ground. Rudy's ball almost perfectly blended in, the only thing making it stand out was the fact that it reflected more light and thus was a little more noticeable. It went past Snap's blue ball, which rested two feet away from the hole. It did a circle around much like Penny's did, but unlike hers, his went right in.

"Great shot, Rudy!" Penny exclaimed, giving Rudy a few claps.

"Yeah!" Snap cheered. "Way to go, Bucko!"

"Thanks!" Rudy said, smiling. It was at times like these that Rudy forgot about how weak his left hand was.

Now it was Penny's turn again. She walked over to her red ball. She stood next to it and readied her golf club.

"Now you remember the rules, don't ya, Buckette?" Snap asked, a smile on his face. "Or are we going to enjoy another round of a loud 'what' in our ears?"

Penny glared at him for a second. Her expression quickly softenend and she let out a light chuckle. "No, Snap. I think I got it now."

She stared intently at the ball and looked at where the hole was. She moved her golf club back slowly. Her arms tensed up. Rudy and Snap watched as she did this. She looked like she was having some difficulty deciding what angle to shoot from and with how much strength. Finally, she pulled the club back and swung hard...

"What?! Are you kidding me?!"

The sudden shout caused Penny to overshoot her putt, causing her to stumble forward. She wound up kicking her ball clean out of the golf course and onto the grass. Rudy rushed forward and grabbed her arm to steady her.

"What was that?" Penny asked.

Snap had already found the source. "Over there!"

The trio saw a group of zoners gathered near a small chalky lake, located downhill from the golf course. There looked to be about five zoners, all of the stick figure variety. Most of them were a little shorter than Rudy and Penny, but one was pretty tall, about as high as an average human. And it was clear he was the one who was speaking. He stood in front of the group and made wild gestures with his hands.

Rudy, Penny, and Snap got closer to see what the commotion was. The tallest zoner was excited about something, but from the looks in his eyes, it wasn't anything too good. He looked startled, like something had really disturbed him. The other zoners either looked surprised or skeptical.

"No way, man! They, like, have tight security over there." One of the zoners said. "There's, like, no way something like that could have happened, man."

"I second." Another zoner agreed. "I think it is preposterous to suggest that one of the most refined...rehabilitation facilities...could fall prey to something like this."

The tall zoner shook his head rapidly. "No, you don't understand! This guy, he was fast!"

"He does have a point there." A third zoner commented.

The fourth one nodded his head in agreement. "I don't find it that farfetched that someone could have been skilled enough to pull a job like this off."

"Thank you!" The tall zoner said before turning to address everyone. "We need to be on the lookout! They don't know where he could be! He might be anywhere in ChalkZone by now! We need to..."

"Excuse me?"

Rudy hated to interrupt, but curiosity was getting the better of him. And from how this zoner was talking, whatever had happened was a huge deal. If there was anyway at all he could help, he wanted to do so. He was the protector of ChalkZone after all. Whenever possible, he would take up responsibility and offer aide wherever he could. And this sounded like a time where his help would definitely be needed.

The tall zoner turned his gaze towards Rudy. "Great Creator! Thank goodness! Maybe you could do something!"

"What happened?" Penny asked.

"It was horrible! Absolutely horrible!" The tall zoner cried, raising his hands in the air. "The jail..it had been attacked! And whoever it was helped a dangerous criminal escape!"

The trio gasped in surprise.

"Who managed to escape that place?" Snap asked. "And why would anyone help them get out?"

"I don't know, Snap." Rudy said. If he had to guess, whoever broke out this dangerous criminal must have wanted this criminal for something. But what, he didn't know. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good. He turned his attention back to the tall zoner. "Do you know anything else? Anything at all?"

"Yeah! I know who the prisoner was who escaped!" The tall zoner cried.

"You do?" Penny asked.

The tall zoner nodded. "I couldn't believe it when I heard the news. I thought it was impossible. But no! It's true! It's all true!"

Rudy only noticed now, but the tall zoner's frantic cries had drove away the other zoners. Even the ones who agreed with him. He guessed that they were tired of hearing him rant on about the same bit of news. But the zoner didn't really seem to care that they left, since he found someone else he could spew the information to, which was Rudy and his two friends.

"Well? Don't keep us in the dark. Tell us who escaped!" Snap asked.

"It was..." The tall zoner gulped, his eyes widening. "It was..."

"Yes?" Rudy asked, waiting somewhat impatiently for the zoner to spill the beans.

The tall zoner paused, gulping loudly. He looked at the trio in their eyes, his own filled with absolute terror. He finally answered. His voice was but a whisper. But it was enough for the three to hear. And what they did hear, made their blood freeze into ice.

"Draow..."

Rudy's eyes widened in horror at the sound of that name. No..it wasn't possible. It couldn't be. Draow was locked up in a tight facility, secured with the best cell and chains. There was..no way he could be out. Of all the prisoners there, surely he wasn't the one who escaped. No...no it couldn't be..

Rudy backed slowly away, his face going pale. His friends looked just as horrified by the news. They didn't move, just stared at the zoner in absolute shock. Rudy looked in the direction of the prison that Draow had been sent to. If that had been the one that was attacked, and if Draow was really free...

He tried to shake off his shock and turned to his friends. "Come on. We need to check this out."

DO NOT PUT YOUR GUARD DOWN, RUDY:





Rudy couldn't shake off the feeling of disappointment as he sat in class, listening to Mr. Wilter talk about an upcoming chemistry test. When he and Penny went back into ChalkZone later that night, they were both disappointed to learn that Snap was not able to find out anymore information. They knew just as much as they did yesterday, and that wasn't really a whole lot at all. Rudy had hoped that something new would pop up, something that would give them a clue to the identity and motives behind this mysterious zoner.

Snap had attempted to ask for more information, but he had forgotten about Skrawl, who wasn't too far away. The jellybean was determined to keep the three of them off the case. It frustrated Rudy because he feels that they, who had dealt with Draow before, should help in finding him. He thought Skrawl would have understood that.

Or maybe he does, and just doesn't want him involved in it. Rudy thought two things. Skrawl's pride was hurt, which was a very real possibility as he is often arrogant in his machinery. He claims they are state of the line, and yeah, they might be, but he refuses to acknowledge any flaws in them. So Skrawl is trying to fix his hurt pride by being the one to recapture Draow.

But another possibility, and this was just as likely, at least nowadays, Skrawl doesn't want them to get hurt. It was hard to believe, since he was so used to him causing trouble for years. And a few years ago, he wouldn't have considered the possibility of him and Skrawl being anything close to friends. They still weren't, at least not in the same way as Penny or Snap. But Skrawl, even if he didn't admit it, did start to care, if even just a little, for him and his friends. He guessed being stuck in a cell for hours all by himself with no way out forced him to do a lot of thinking.

Rudy thought back to his cameras. He hadn't thought to bring it up with Penny, and he kicked himself mentally for not doing so. But, whenver they could, he thought it would be best to head back to the prison and take a look at the cameras. He didn't know when they could do it as Skrawl would not be pleased with them returning to the jail so soon. He'd probably have his Beanie Boys, who he had turned into policemen to capture criminals, throw them out.

But Rudy felt it would be a good place to start. This criminal was said not to have been seen on the cameras. But Skrawl claims that his cameras catch everything. What if they didn't...? Rudy wasn't sure why he didn't think of it until now, but there might be a flaw in the camera that this criminal was able to take advantage of, to exploit so he could get into the jail without the cameras revealing he was there.

Obviously something had to have set off the alarm. From what he recalled, the alarm had gone off when the intruder was inside, so whatever this intruder used to get into the jail, it didn't work on the inside. But why? What could cause a camera to detect something of the prisoner on the inside, but not on the outside? Maybe Penny would have some ideas. She had a better understanding of technology than he did. After school, he planned on talking to Penny about it.

He remembered when the whole trouble with Mr. Cosmo started. He remembered how helpless he felt, not knowing just what that man's motivations were, and how the only person in the real world he could talk to was Penny. She was, at the time, the only person he knew that he could trust ChalkZone's existence with.

This time, things were a little different. Penny was not the only person he could speak to now. There was also Mr. Wilter. Ever since he revealed what he had been in the past, that he knew about ChalkZone, going to that world during school was easier. He and Penny no longer needed to sneak behind the man's back to gain entry. And Mr. Wilter would often cover for them if they were gone too long.

Rudy had plans on talking to Mr. Wilter about this as well. If there was anyone who knew Draow pretty well, it was him. He had faced off with him in the past, and he had confronted them when they did battle with Mr. Cosmo a year and a half ago.

He hoped that Mr. Wilter could provide some information, some clue, to why someone would want to free Draow, and where he could be. Draow was a tricky beast, and the sooner he was recaptured, the better. Mr. Wilter could have info they could use to achieve this. Mr. Wilter knew how dangerous Draow was, and he would definitely want him to be recaptured as soon as possible. The fact that Draow was similar to personality to Mr. Cosmo himself made the situation more dire.

Mr. Wilter would not be able to talk to Rudy just yet, though. They were still in class, and he hadn't stopped speaking. Once in a while, Rudy would glance over at Mr. Wilter. The man seemed to catch the expression on his face and, with subtle gestures, indicated he understood something was wrong. Rudy would still have to wait, however. He didn't know what kind of commotion there would be if Mr. Wilter suddenly talked about ChalkZone in class. Even if nobody believed him, that was something neither he nor Wilter would have wanted.

Class was almost over. In a few minutes, the bell would ring. And when it did, he and Penny would be free to speak to Mr. Wilter on the subject. At least, when everyone leaves. They couldn't risk speaking about ChalkZone until they knew, absolutely, that no one was around to overhear their conversations. Even if no one believed them, there was still that worry that someone would believe it, and then try to get more information out of them. With all that ChalkZone almost endured with Mr. Cosmo, another incident like that was the last thing that it needed.

Rudy thought back to the poisonous...no..venomous zoner. Penny was a little adament about them using the proper terminology, stating that there was a difference between poison and venom. From what they had heard had happened, Penny determined that Skrawl had used the right term, venom, because venom, unlike poison, is delivered via a bite or sting, and, interestingly, is often safe to injest. It's only deadly when it gets into the blood stream. Though she did not recommend going around drinking venom as small cuts in the stomach or intestines would allow the venom to seep through and spread into the bloodstream, where it would cause a lot of damage.

The venom that this zoner possessed was very lethal, at least to other zoners. Snap was not safe from the venom, and that was a great concern he and Penny shared. Since they know so little about this zoner, they don't know if he would be the kind to just attack any zoner it so pleased. They don't know if he won't go after Snap or not.

Penny had been, luckily, get more information on this type of venom. Knowing as much as they could about this venom was important, especially if they were going to have to tangle with him in the future. The venom's properties weren't like anything they had heard of before, making Rudy even more worried of the possibility of Snap being bitten.

The venom targets the marrow in zoners' bones. The marrow is where red blood cells are formed. It causes them to reproduce out of control, filling the target limb with an excess amount of blood, but only in that one area. The blood ends up clotting the veins and arteries and the limb rapidly swells. The clotting causes tissue to die, which was why they saw dead muscle and bone from the dead zoner's burst arm. Penny isn't sure how long it takes, but eventually, the skin breaks and the arm, for a lack of a better term, explodes.

When this happens, death happens swiftly. A ton of blood is lost in this process. And if the blood loss doesn't kill, the clots that shoot up towards the brain, blocking important blood vessels in those areas, sure would.

Rudy felt cold shivers sweep through his body as he thought about this venom. He was glad that he and Penny don't have to deal with it. But he was fearful of what would happen if any of his zoner friends were bitten. Penny was unable to find out if there was any antivenom for it, or how long someone who was bitten has before it kills them. He was very worried about Snap. He had already been through so much with Mr. Cosmo. He didn't want him to worry about suffering another near death experience...

Suddenly, Rudy was torn from his thoughts as the familiar, loud school bell rang. It came as a surprise to him as he wasn't paying attention to the time. He had all but forgot where he was, deep in his thoughts. So when the bell rang, it took all of his mental strength not to jump up from his seat in fright.

Although he managed to keep himself from jumping, his heart was pumping really fast, and he couldn't stop a few shudders going through his body. He thought that they went unnoticed, but he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked back and saw Penny looking at him worriedly.

"Rudy? What's wrong?" She asked.

Rudy smiled sheepishly and looked away. "N-Nothing. The bell just took me by surprise. That's all."

Penny tilted her head in confusion. "The bell always rings at this time. How could it have surprised you?"

"I wasn't paying attention." Rudy admitted. He was vaguely aware of the students turning to leave, and he knew, within seconds, the room would be empty, save for Mr. Wilter.

Penny decided not to question Rudy further. She simply gave him a nod of understanding before she shifted her focus onto Mr. Wilter. She then gave Rudy a sideways glance. "Let me know what Mr. Wilter says."

In that instant, Rudy was briefly confused, then he realized something. He recalled Penny could not stay after class for that long. Her mother was taking her somewhere, and she had to leave the school right away. She had apologized for it in advance, and he understood. It wasn't her fault, really, and it wasn't like her mom even knew there was anything important going on that would require Penny having to stay behind.

Things might be a little easier if they just told their parents the truth. But that might create brand new problems. They have no idea how either of their parents would react to the knowledge of their children going into some strange world where they have the chance of facing danger. They don't know how they'd react when they find out that, sometimes, that danger almost has them killed. He'd hate to think what his parents would do if they found out about what Mr. Cosmo really had done.

Rudy knew it was too much of a risk of letting their parents know the truth. Yet he couldn't help but wonder...just how long could it stay a secret? He had managed for the past eight and a half years keeping ChalkZone a secret from most people. But how long could he keep it up?

He already had some incidents where he almost exposed ChalkZone by accident. All it would take is one screw up and it would all be over. He bit his lip as he thought about the possible consequences of his parents, or Penny's, finding out about ChalkZone...

"Rudy Tabootie."

Again, he was broken away from his thoughts, but htis time, it was not from the bell, but from Mr. Wilter. Penny whispered goodbye to Rudy before she headed out to greet her mother, leaving Rudy alone with the teacher.

It still, sometimes, felt awkward talking to Mr. Wilter. He was so used to having to hide ChalkZone from him that, even after a year and a half, it was sometimes still hard bringing up the topic with him. He had to constantly remind himself that his teacher was an ally, not an enemy or unknown factor. He had to keep telling himself he could trust Mr. Wilter on the topic of ChalkZone.

Mr. Wilter walked up to Rudy's desk. His eyes were narrowed, but not from anger. It was from concern. "What's wrong? You look like you wanted to talk to me about something."

Rudy nodded his head. It took a few seconds, but he managed to get himself to speak. "Yeah I do. Something...happened in ChalkZone."

Mr. Wilter cocked an eyebrow. "Oh? Is it bad?"

"Yeah you could say that again." Rudy said softly. He looked at Mr. Wilter for a few seconds, before he turned his gaze towards his desk. "Someone broke Draow out of prison..."

At this, Mr. Wilter's eyes went wide. Rudy swore that he lost several shades of color. Mr. Wilter remained frozen there for what seemed like several minutes. When he spoke, his voice was hushed and shaky.

"A-Are you..certain?" He asked, his voice having a tinge of hope in it. Hope that Rudy was wrong about what he said.

Rudy nodded his head numbly. "Yeah. Penny, Snap, and I were in ChalkZone the other day, and we overheard some zoners talking about how some intruder broke Draow out of prison. We went there, and we learned that the intruder was venomous and somehow avoided the cameras." Rudy paused for a moment, letting Mr. WIlter take all of this information in. "We haven't been able to find out much. Nobody knows who or what this intruder is, nor what he wants with Draow."

Mr. Wilter remained quiet. He was in a state of shock. Rudy couldn't blame him. He knew just how dangerous Draow was. His freedom could only spell trouble for the rest of ChalkZone.

Rudy wished he could tell the teacher more. He wished he knew more about what was going on. Being left in the dark was terrifying. Not knowing really was scarier than knowing. He didn't know where this zoner was, or where Draow went or even if Draow is still with this mystery zoner. He doesn't know if Draow isn't on his way to Snap's right now to kill him. He doesn't know what kind of plans this mystery zoner has.

And given with what happened with Mr. Cosmo, not knowing was not something they could afford...

Mr. Wilter finally spoke after a long, uncomfortable silence.

"I...don't think it's Draow we should be concerned about." He said. Rudy's eyes widened and he looked at Mr. Wilter like he had gone insane. "I know what you're thinking. Yes, I am well aware of the threat Draow poses. I faced him before. However..." He paused, his eyebrows furrowed as he tried to think of how to continue. "Draow isn't as much of a planner as Mr. Cosmo was."

"But with him loose, he could try..." Rudy started to say.

Mr. Wilter held up a hand to quiet him, shaking his head. "Draow is capable of some planning, but not to the same degree as his creator. Draow has always been a follower-type. If he tried anything on his own, it would be apparent. You would see clear signs. The only time he is going to do something sneaky and efficiently, such as kidnap your friend Snap, is if someone else is behind the wheel, so to speak."

"Someone else? Like Mr. Cosmo?" Rudy asked.

"Yes." Mr. Wilter replied. "Draow functions at his best when someone else is doing all or most of the planning. He can do things on his own, such as when he used the glass to get closer to you and Skrawl. But that is about how brilliant he gets when he's acting entirely on his own." Mr. Wilter narrowed his eyes slowly. "No, the one you should be most concerned about is this mystery zoner. Whoever broke him out, the reasons can't possibly be good. Draow is too dangerous for just anyone to work with."

"Yeah...he's too volatile." Rudy said. He remembered his first encounter with Draow and how, even when he didn't realize how big of a threat he was, terrifying and vicious he was. And that was just a taste of what he'd experience later on. "The only one who could control him was Mr. Cosmo."

"And Mr. Cosmo was worse than Draow. He orchestrated all those terrible things you and your friends had to endure." Mr. Wilter said. "Given this information, it is safe to assume that this zoner has to be more dangeorus than Draow in order for him to listen to him."

Rudy let this information sink in. The intruder already sounded dangerous to start with. But the idea of him being more dangerous than Draow, at least in terms of personality, was frightening. Draow himself was scary. Even though the knowledge of Draow not being very subtle on his own did bring some comfort, it wasn't enough to shake off the feeling of dread welling up inside of him.

Now, more than ever, he had to find out about this intruder. What were his plans with Draow? Was he more dangerous than Mr. Cosmo? Where was he going to strike first? These questions and more flooded Rudy's mind.

"Don't get me wrong. Draow is still dangerous even without a leader. He could still cause a lot of harm to unsuspecting zoners. You should still keep an eye out for him. It is imperative that he get recaught as soon as possible." Mr. Wilter said in a serious tone. "However, priority should go to discovering more about the intruder, who he was. Finding out what his motives are will tell you everything you need to know about what Draow is going to do. If this zoner wants to flood ChalkZone, you can bet Draow will be the one to turn on the valve. If the zoner wishes to destroy important buildings, you can be certain that Draow will be the one doing the dirty work."

This dire warning made Rudy even more anxious than before. Mr. Wilter really drove home the point there. Where and what they'd find Draow doing would indeed highly depend on what this mystery zoner wants. And if they didn't find out soon, so many zoners could end up getting badly hurt...

"Draow isn't stupid by any means, Rudy." Mr. Wilter added. "He seeks opportunity. And if he has found someone to lead him who has plans that would benefit him in some way, he would jump on it."

Rudy's immediate thought was revenge. Draow would have surely remembered his creator's defeat. He was certain the bat wolf held a grudge against all of them for what happened. This did provide some clue as to what this mystery zoner might want. If Draow willingly involved himself with him, then whatever the intruder wanted...

...it had to do with him and his friends... His eyes widened in horror as the realization sunk in.

Mr. Wilter said what Rudy's mind was echoing. "Stay on your guard, Rudy."

A DANGEROUS COMBINATION:





Penny couldn't believe she hadn't thought of it before. Why hadn't she thought to find out if this intruder was one of Cosmo's drawings? It would explain why he would go through all that trouble to free Draow. Same creator and all. And this drawing clearly had the same viciousness Cosmo displayed. And he had clearly thought things through with that escape, much like Mr. Cosmo and his well thought out plans.

The idea sent shivers down her spine, and she didn't doubt that Rudy and Snap felt the same way. It was bad enough with Draow. The vicious bat wolf caused them enough problems. The last thing they needed was another vicious Cosmo drawing to worry about. It didn't help that, even if they were correct about him being Cosmo's, that still didn't answer their question on what he was after. Revenge was a possibility, but they didn't know for certain if that is what this intruder was planning.

They had to figure out, for certain, if this intruder was one of Cosmo's. The best place she could think of to look was going to the Chalk Mine and talking to Biclops. He would probably recognize this intruder if they tell him the very little information that they know. It wasn't much, but Biclops might be able to work with it. He had wrangled with Cosmo's creations before. So surely, he'd be able to tell them more about this intruder...provided he turned out to be one of Cosmo's that is. There was still that chance that he wasn't connected to Cosmo in anyway.

And if that were the case, they'd be back to square one. As much as it frightens her that the intruder is Cosmo's, she kinda hoped that it turned out to be the case. Because that means they would be a step closer to being able to deal with this intruder. They would have a better idea on what the intruder might want. It wouldn't tell them exactly, but knowing the intruder's identity was crucial in stopping whatever he and Draow were up to.

She was worried that Rudy might have been right. Maybe this intruder, regardless if he's connected to Mr. Cosmo, did want something with them. Draow must be furious with his master's defeat. He had been locked up because of them, and it's been over a year. Draow might still hold a grudge, and might only be willing to work with the intruder if he had a chance at vengeance.

That did mean they would have to be careful. They had no idea where Draow or this intruder was. And so far, there hasn't been any word from anyone on where they could have gone. Since they could be anywhere, Penny believed it would be safe to stay on their guard. Rudy and Snap surely wouldn't disagree with her on that. If they were a part of this plan, they would have to be prepared. They wouldn't know when or where they would strike. If there was one thing Penny was going to make sure to do, it is to avoid walking right into their plans, like how she and Rudy did with Mr. Cosmo.

Although she had told Rudy that they shouldn't jump to conclusions about this intruder wanting something with them, she would be lying if she said she wasn't concerned about that herself. True, there was the chance that the intruder wasn't going to specifically target them. But why take the chance? Draow was involved with this guy, and if there was one thing she was certain of, Draow would want to come after them. Maybe not now. Maybe not tomorrow. But she was certain that he would come after them at some point. And even if he didn't, they would still eventually cross paths with him, somehow, someway.

And this time, they wouldn't have Tsere to help them. Draow's attack over a year ago had done a lot more damage than previously thought. His wing was so badly damaged he wasn't able to fly anymore. Tsere hadn't been able to use his wing since the attack, his wing membrane torn to shreds. Rudy wanted to help Tsere, but by the time he had gotten word, Tsere was relocated to some rehab place in ChalkZone where he could being a long recovery. It was already paid for, so Tsere chose to stay rather than let Rudy help him.

It wasn't out of any disrespect towards Rudy. Tsere just thought it wouldn't be fair for his stay at the rehab to be paid for and him not using it. Though his membrane mostly healed up, he still couldn't fly. The wing was a little weak from underuse and his new membrane was too thin for rigorous flying. The doctors there say he may not regain full use of his wing until another year at least.

They would be at a disadvantage without Tsere. He was the one zoner they knew who could not only take on Draow, but was also on the same level as him. Draow could fly and so could Tsere. The two were evenly matched. Without him, Draow had the advantage of sky. Though Rudy could easily draw them something they could fly with, that didn't mean they'd get an edge over Draow. And there was that chance that Draow could catch them offguard, when there was little to no magic chalk for them to use.

The thought of having no magic chalk also frightened Penny. That was the advantage of being human in ChalkZone. Using the magic chalk to create anything they could ever want or need. There were still times when, even with the magic chalk, they'd still be struggling. But even so, facing danger in ChalkZone was made a little easier with the fact that she and Rudy could use magic chalk to draw things into existence.

But without it...she and Rudy would be just as vulnerable as any zoner. They would still have some advantages, such as the venom from the intruder not effecting them, since it would just chalk, but they would still be in a lot of danger. Going up against Draow without chalk would be suicide. He was so much larger than them and his jaws could crush bone. They wouldn't stand much of a chance against him. Snap would be in the biggest trouble as he was the smallest of the three.

The very idea of having to face Draow and this intruder without magic chalk was a frightening thing. She recalled how helpless Rudy feels when he isn't able to use his magic chalk to help him and others against a foe or some sort of danger. One moment in particular she remembers is when she had acted like she betrayed Rudy and joined Skrawl, back when he was still evil. She had defeated Rudy not by shere force. No, she did so...by making him use up the last bit of his chalk.

And when he had lost all of the chalk, he didn't look like he had any fight left in him. Part of it, she knew it was because they were friends and he didn't have the heart to fight against her. But she also knew there was another reason. It was because he was chalkless and defenseless. She remembered vividly how he looked at her in fear and sadness, and backed away when she got close. Even going as far as putting his hands in front of him in self defense... She hardly ever sees him do that, and he did it because he knew he was at such a disadvantage.

Penny knew all too well what it was like to feel defenseless in ChalkZone. She rarely ever used the magic chalk. And Rudy is almost always the one to have it. So if she got separated from him, she'd be left to her own defenses. If a large and aggressive zoner were to show up, she would be incapable of fighting back efficiently.

It wasn't impossible, sure, but still, having no magic chalk would create a lot of problems for them. It would leave them weak against Draow and this mysterious intruder. They could be captured and locked up some place where no one will find them. And who knows what would happen after that.

Penny then had a horrible thought, her mind flashing back to the intruder. Skrawl's comment on the venom...he had only been partially right...

It was true that the venom's effects wouldn't hurt them. What happened to the guy's arm wouldn't happen to them. But..that didn't mean the venom couldn't hurt them still in someway... She hadn't thought about it until now, but there were other factors to consider with this venom.

The first thing she recalled learning was its heat. This venom was very hot, which explained part of the damage done to that zoner's arm. The venom was practically at a boiling level, and stored in a special pouch in this intruder's mouth so he wouldn't get hurt himself. The effects of the venom wouldn't do anything to them, but the heat sure would. Having that stuff injected into them might not kill them, but it would leave a lot of internal burns.

And it wasn't just the burns they had to worry about...

Having chalk inserted into their bodies would not have pleasant results either. Yes, the chalk would dissolve, but it wouldn't disappear. The chalk would mix in with their blood, and it could potentially interfere with getting nutrients taken to where they need to go. It could also potentially lower oxygen levels in their bloodstream. This would result in them getting tired and their brain slowly starved of oxygen.

So Skrawl was partially wrong. They may not have to worry about their limbs bursting off, but she and Rudy still had to fear the venom. They weren't completely safe from it. Both of them could be weakened by it. And if they were weakened by it, what chance did they stand against him and Draow then?

And then there was Snap. He was a zoner, so he would get the full effects of the venom. And since there was no known antidote for it, if Snap got bitten... She felt her heart clench as she imagined the results. Snap was so much smaller than that guard... He would get a far worse reaction. There would be a lot more damage done before he was violently killed... She and Rudy would both have to make sure Snap is safe from this intruder's venom.

Perhaps if she did some more research, she could find some kind of antivenom. There was so little known about this venom, but a little reading wouldn't hurt. Maybe someone, somewhere, had written something about it. Or if she could get a sample of the venom, maybe she could analyze it and come up with an antivenom. It would be difficult to do, especially since it wasn't in her field, but for Snap's safety and the safety of the other zoners, she felt it was worth the hard work.

Penny was taken out of her thoughts when she heard the sound of Biclops singing. She, Rudy, and Snap stopped in their tracks. They stood not far from the river that curved around the Magic Chalk Mine. Up ahead, they could see a shadow forming on the ground. It was so large they knew it could only be one zoner. And that was Biclops.

Seconds later, they could see Biclops coming out of the Chalk Mine, carrying some pieces of rotting chalk in a wheelbarrow. He pushed it along the side of the river, whistling to himself. He hadn't noticed them as he started walking in their direction.

Seeing the Chalk Mine reminded Penny of all the damage that was done to it with the real world water. Rudy had been able to repair the damage, though it took a while. A lot of the normal white chalk was destroyed, but Biclops informed them the numbers would increase with time. After the damage on the grounds and walls were repaired, Biclops went to clean up the remaining mess and to gather all broke pieces of chalk that remained in tact and gave them to Rudy.

Rudy was the first one to speak.

"Hey! Biclops!"

To get his attention, Rudy waved his arms back and forth. Biclops took notice of them and stopped the wheelbarrow. He set it down and took a few steps towards the teenagers.

"Rudy Tabootie? What are you doing here?" Biclops asked. "Do you need some more magic chalk? I'm doing some spring cleaning right now, but you..."

Rudy shook his head. "No. We came to talk to you about something."

Biclops said, "Oh? Well can't it wait? I'm a little busy right now."

"It's...urgent." Rudy said, putting emphasis on the word 'urgent'.

Biclops's eyes went a little wide. Penny had a feeling he was thinking of the last time they spoke to him about something serious. Biclops had been utterly horrified when he heard the name Mr. Cosmo. She wouldn't be surprised if he was worried that they were going to say he somehow came back from the dead or something.

"How urgent?" Biclops asked hesitantly.

"Have you heard of what happened?" Rudy asked. When the giant didn't answer, he continued. "Someone broke Draow out of prison."

At this, Biclops gasped and took a step back. His eyes grew large. He shook his head in disbelief. "What? No, I haven't heard... How...long ago was this?"

Penny said, "Very recent. There was an attack on the jail he was contained in, and the intruder specifically broke him out. He didn't bother with the other criminals. He only wanted Draow."

It was clear Biclops understood how serious this was. He knew Draow longer than they have. He was there when he was created. He was there, witnessing all the damage the bat wolf caused years ago, before they were even born. And he, himself, had fought against Draow before. He knows how vicious and vile he can be.

"Do you know who did it?" Biclops asked.

Rudy shook his head regretfully. "I'm sorry, Biclops. We don't have any idea who might have done it. Or even for what reason."

"I mean, we have ideas...but without knowing who this intruder is, we're left in the dark." Penny said. "Nobody even knows where they went. They hadn't been spotted since the breakout."

Snap nodded his head. "Yeah, we were hoping you might be able to shed some light on this."

Biclops tilted his head in confusion. "Me? What can I do to help?"

"Can you tell us if you know of any Cosmo's creations that would be very smart and fast who might be capable of bypassing security? And happens to possess a very potent venom?" Rudy asked, taking a step towards the giant.

Biclops remained quiet for a few seconds. He stared at Rudy, Penny, and Snap. Penny wasn't sure why he was taking so long to respond. Was it because of the shock that Draow was out? Was he trying to remember if he knew of any zoners like that? Was he upset by something they had said?

Soon, the giant did speak, but it wasn't the answer they had been hoping for.

"No, I don't. Not off the top of my head." Biclops said, pointing at his head to emphasize. "And I don't think this intruder is one of Mr. Cosmo's creations."

Rudy, Penny, and Snap were in shock. Well a mixture of shock and relief. It was a relief knowing that they might not be dealing with another of Cosmo's monstrosities. But it was still a shock because that meant that they were no closer to learning who this intruder was. It meant they really were back to square one, where they started.

Penny said, "Are you...absolutely sure?"

Biclops nodded his head once. "I am very certain. After Mr. Cosmo's defeat, I went all across ChalkZone to locate his drawings. It took me a while, but I rounded them all up. I didn't miss any, far as I know." He paused for a moment, then said, "And even if I did miss any, Mr. Cosmo had never created a speedy, venomous creature before. I don't think it was his style. Most of the stuff he created was weaponry, particularly cannons. I don't know if a venomous zoner would be something he would want to make."

"I'm not so sure about that." Penny protested. "He was an awful person. A venomous beast would be something he'd create, I would think, just to prolong suffering. I figured some things about this venom, and it does sound like something he would use."

Biclops shook his head. "While you could be correct, Penny Sanchez, and Mr. Cosmo might have taken interest in a venomous zoner. But I searched all over ChalkZone and never found any of his creations that fit that description. And he has been dead for over a year now. Unless he crawled out of his grave, there's no chance that any new Cosmo drawings could show up."

There was a moment of silence as the trio let this sink in.

"Well that is a relief." Snap said. "I don't know if I want to meet any other...creation...Cosmo would have come up with." He visibly shuddered, his mind obviously on Draow.

"But we're still no step closer into figuring out who this guy is." Rudy said. He sounded disappointed. "I...thought I had something..."

Penny understood how he was feeling. She was disappointed, too. It meant that they had gotten no step closer to finding out who the intruder is. If he wasn't a creation of Mr. Cosmo, why had he gone out of his way to break Draow out? Why would he possibly be interested in going after them? If he wasn't one of Cosmo's works, then they had no idea why they could be targeted, or why the intruder would risk working with Draow to achieve this. They were no closer to figuring out what this guy goal was.

If they didn't know what his goal was, it would be harder to stop him. They were stuck with no leads. No clues as to what might happen. All they know is that some dangerous intruder freed a dangerous criminal for an unknown purpose. They wouldn't know where they'd strike next. They had no clue which way they went. Any zoner that was questioned so far by Skrawl's police force haven't seen anything useful. It was like the intruder, or Draow, knew which path to take to avoid detection.

"Well now what?" Snap asked.

"Well I guess we'll have to do some questioning of our own." Rudy said.

Penny had some doubts about that. "But, Rudy. Skrawl and his men have already tried asking some zoners. Nobody saw anything. And they asked so many... What makes you think that we can get different answers?"

Rudy turned to her. "Because we'll ask zoners in areas Skrawl hasn't searched yet. Further away from the crime scene. Maybe someone in these parts had seen Draow."

Rudy did have a good point. Skrawl had only been asking around in areas close to the jail. He hadn't thought to spread out more. She guessed he just wanted to be as thorough as possible. He wouldn't branch out until he asked every single zoner in the immediate vicinity.

Maybe they could have better luck than him if they asked zoners outside the areas Skrawl had already searched. If someone knew something, anything, even something very small, it could help them. She just had to remember that they still had to be careful with Skrawl. He wouldn't be happy if he found out they were meddling in his case. She wished he would be more cooperative. Oh well, typical Skrawl. Even as a good guy, he was hard to work with.

"Come on, let's go." Rudy said, ushering Penny and Snap to follow him. He waved to Biclops. "Thanks anyway, Biclops!"

The trio started to walk away. They didn't get too far when they heard the giant rushing towards them.

"Wait!"

Rudy, Penny, and Snap stopped and turned around. Biclops came to a stop a few feet away from them. They wondered what he was going to say. And judging from the look on his face, there was a bit of an alarm to it. Whatever he had to say, it must be important.

"I just remembered something!" Biclops said, raising his hands up in the air. "Before Mr. Wilter stepped up, Mr. Cosmo had talked about creating a hybrid zoner."

"A hybrid zoner?" Rudy asked, his eyes widening.

Biclops replied, "Yeah! He never got the chance...or so I thought. I never came across any such hybrid, and I don't know if Cosmo was the only corrupted artist who thought of the idea."

"What's a hybrid zoner?" Penny asked. She had never heard of the term before.

"You see, Mr. Cosmo knew of the instability of red chalk. Although he created it, he hadn't been able to figure out a way to ensure the red chalk doesn't turn against its user. It was too wild. He needed a way to keep it calm, more obedient. So he had thought of combining it with white chalk, giving it a higher level of intellect and sentience like any white chalk creation, but it would also keep the same ferocity that red chalk creations have. It would be a dangerous combination."

Rudy gasped and took a step back. Snap's eyes widened. Penny put a hand to her mouth in horror.

"So what you're saying is..." Rudy started to say. He wanted to continue, but he couldn't bring himself to continue more.

"That maybe you guys are right and it is one of Cosmo's creations. But it could be a creation I had not seen him complete. Or maybe someone else completed it for him, maybe another corrupted artist. This zoner could be a fusion of white and red chalk. And if that's the case.." Biclops paused, biting his lip for a second. "You'll be dealing with a red chalk drawing that will be more cunning than any other red chalk creation you faced in the past."

Penny's eyes grew large at this. She felt her heart start to pound. A red chalk drawing with the control and sentience of white chalk? That was worse than she and her friends could have imagined. They never knew hybrid drawings were possible, and if that is what is running loose in ChalkZone...

She cast a worried glance at her friends. They looked her, their expressions anxious. They all knew how dangerous red chalk was. Anything drawn in red chalk is more vile than any white chalk drawing, even if they were already nasty to begin with. This would explain, partially, why Draow would listen to this guy. Draow was outmatched in ferocity by the intruder, if the intruder really is part red chalk.

Now, more than ever, they had to figure out who this guy was. They had to warn Skrawl and every other citizen out there. If there was the potential of a red and white chalk drawing out there, then they had much less time than they thought to stop him.

They had to hurry.

HER FINAL TRANSMISSION:





Rudy couldn't believe it. This wasn't what he had been expecting. If this was Mr. Cosmo's password, why would Ms. Saffron be on the video? Unless she was given the same password... Still, he had a hard time believing that it was Ms. Saffron they were looking at.

It felt...so odd to see her again after over a year and a half. And alive at that. It was just a prerecorded video, but he still couldn't fight off the strange sensation he felt. Memories of her death came flooding back to him, and the old feeling of guilt, what he had managed to fight off with the help of his friends, came back to him. To see her again, alive and..not dead...it was hard for him to describe the feeling.

Penny and Snap looked as surprised as he was. From their expressions, he could easily determine that they had not expected Ms. Saffron to be on the video. They all thought it was going to be Mr. Cosmo, gloating about some experiment he completed. The one thing they hadn't thought would happen was for Ms. Saffron to leave this video.

Then again, that would explain why it was called 'warning'... He doubted Mr. Cosmo would be generous enough to entitle a file as such. He had to wonder, when did Ms. Saffron have the time to make this video? And just how was it intended for? He figured the answer would be given when he and his friends watched more of the video.

So far, the first ten seconds or so was silent. Ms. Saffron looked very worried. Her eyebrows were raised up in anxiety. She was looking left and right, as if making sure that the coast was clear. Penny made a quiet comment that she must have done the video when she was sabotaging the security, and she was worried Mr. Cosmo was going to show up any minute.

After looking left and right again, Ms. Saffron turned to the camera. She reached forward and adjusted the webcam that was apparently mounted on the computer at the time. She leaned back in her chair and interlocked her fingers. She bit her lip and took in a deep breath.

And when she started speaking, it sent an uncomfortable feeling through their stomachs. Hearing her voice again after so slong... They tried to ignore the feeling and paid attention to the video.

"This message has been recorded and left behind for three people. Rudy. Penny. Snap. I am going to assume that you won't find this until much later on, which is understandable, given all that has happened lately. Today's date, when I recorded this, is August 20 at 4:30 PM."

Rudy and his friends looked at each other. Ms. Saffron had left them a video message? Why? Judging from the time, this video was recorded, like Penny said, when she was still sabotaging the security cameras. It was about half an hour before she showed up to help Penny with Snap. Was there a reason she didn't say anything?

It was almost like Ms. Saffron on the video heard them, for she did answer their question.

"I understand you three might be wondering why I didn't give you this message before. There is a good reason for it. I wouldn't have had time to explain. There was so much going on, and to add this onto it all... It would have complicated things too much." She frowned in concern. "I didn't want to slow down things for Snap...he...he really needs help... But if there's one thing I learned..." She gave a small smile. "..it's that you three don't give up. So I am going to assume that he made it."

Ms. Saffron smile only lasted a few seconds. Something was clearly on her mind, and she knew she didn't have much time to talk about it. Again, she looked around to make sure she was still alone. Whether she was looking for Mr. Cosmo or any of the controlled zoners, they weren't sure.

Ms. Saffron narrowed her eyes slightly. "When I was looking through Mr. Cosmo's files...I found something disturbing. It wouldn't have affected you at the time I made this video, adding to my reason why I didn't mention it. And I know...keeping secrets is not a good thing... That is why I left this video for you three to find. Anyway, in one of Mr. Cosmo's files, he detailed about a zoner I hadn't heard of before. Well that's not saying much given that I didn't get to know a lot of zoners personally...except Snap and...Draow..."

The mention of Draow's name sent shivers through Rudy's spine. Penny looked uneasy as well, and Snap had taken a small step back. Rudy could see he was touching his back, as if he expected Draow to attack him there.

"Apparently, when Mr. Cosmo was a child, he had been trying to create a chalk that would make the perfect zoners. You and I all know that his idea of a 'perfect zoner' would be one that was ferocious and totally obedient. He had already tried with red chalk. But red chalk...from what he detailed, it turns against its owner quickly, as soon as it detects what it sees as weakness. Mr. Cosmo admits the red chalk was a failure, a mistake. The only thing he is pleased with it is the fact that anything created with red chalk, even as smile as a ball or line, is evil and attacks on sight. He liked that ferocity...but he didn't like that he coudn't completely control it. So...he thought of a solution."

Biclops's words came flooding back to Rudy. He looked at his friends worriedly. Could he have been right? Was there...was there truly a hybrid zoner out there?

There was only one way to find out. Though clearly afraid of what they might find, the trio watched the video, morbid curiosity rising up inside of them.

"Although Mr. Cosmo hated the normal white chalk, he wasn't stupid. He did realize that white chalk drawings had a lot more self control. In fact, that's the chalk's main power. Creating things that have the ability to tell right from wrong pretty easily, and being able to stop themselves. That is why white chalk is most common, at least that's what Mr. Cosmo theorizes. I...think you know what I am about to say next..."

Ms. Saffron looked scared. It was clear whatever she found, it wasn't good news. She hesitated, gritting her teeth in anxiety. It seemed to take all her will power to talk more.

"Mr. Cosmo knew that if he somehow could mix the powers of the two types of chalk, the red and white... He could potentially create a zoner that did have self control but also had the ferocity associated with red chalk. This combination would, if it were successful, would have allowed Mr. Cosmo to create a...a hybrid zoner as he says. And he thought about all this when he was a kid."

Rudy's breathing started to quicken. So Biclops was right... They could be dealing with a hybrid zoner...

"However, according to his notes, it wasn't entirely a success. He had created one zoner with red and white chalk, but he didn't think his theory through very well. The zoner he had ended up creating was one with a severe split personality. It would be happy and cheerful one minute, and then destructive the next."

Rudy winced at this. It reminded him of the robot he and Penny created. It had been erased into ChalkZone without a purpose. Due to that, it had a split personlity, much like how Ms. Saffron described. It would randomly do harm and good, with no way to predict what he was going to do.

He looked at his friends. They clearly remembered the robot. Although the robot was under control now, memories of how the robot nearly killed all of them were fresh on their minds. Rudy swore to never erase anything again until it had some kind of purpose. He didn't want another Robot Rudy incident like that.

Ms. Saffron continued her talk, "He had erased the zoner with real world water.." She gave a shudder, clearly uncomfortable with the thought. "He didn't try to do anything with the mixing of two chalks for years. And as I looked through his notes, it was almost like he had stopped on the idea after the failure of the first one. But...I was wrong..." She closed her eyes and shook her head. "He didn't quit on it...he waited because he wanted to learn more, and then he got smart about it. You see, the first time, he had tried using white chalk to draw part of the drawing, and then red chalk for the other. This resulted in the two parts battling against each other for dominance, resulting in the split personality.."

Ms. Saffron paused to look again. She was looking more and more nervous as time passed. She looked back at the camera and said, "So instead, he created a new type of chalk... He only created one. And he only created two zoners with it. He had...put that experiment aside for...something else..." She gave a sympathetic expression to the camera. "I trust you three know what I'm talking about."

Rudy, Penny, and Snap looked at each other, nodding their heads once as if they thought that Ms. Saffron would see their answer. Mr. Cosmo was preoccupied with Snap at the time. He must have felt that bringing Rudy over to his side was more important than his hybrid zoner experiment.

Rudy felt a little bit of relief that Mr. Cosmo decided not to focus so much on the hybrid zoner plan. Yet, a feeling of dread told him that they weren't out of the woods. Something...must have happened...

"This chalk looked much like a candy cane, with white and red stripes swirling around it. He created two zoners with it. Knowing that the powers of magic chalk do transfer...to explain, if a red chalk drawing were created in the real world, when erased, it would be evil. Now it has to be genuine red chalk, not the normal real world kind." Ms. Saffron leaned forward in her seat. "Now what I'm going to tell you next is very important, so listen very carefully."

The trio leaned in instinctively.

"The first hybrid zoner created this way...didn't work out for him. Make no mistake, the result was what he wanted. The zoner did have the tenacity of red chalk but the intelligence of white chalk. But Mr. Cosmo had no control over it. The hybrid zoner was very dangerous. Even Draow was apparently afraid of it. Mr. Cosmo had no choice but to kill the zoner. Not like he was heartbroken over it, since this is Mr. Cosmo we are talking about but still... He hadn't planned on killing the zoner. He only did so because it was out of control. It didn't get along with the controlled white chalk drawings. It didn't get along with Draow. It was a complete and utter mess."

Although Rudy knew the seriousness of the situation, he did feel some bit of satisfaction of Mr. Cosmo's plans backfiring on him. He was still upset with how that guy felt he had the right to control the zoners. So it gave him a sense of relief that this experiment to create an obedient zoner failed.

"Because of the failure of the first experiment, he didn't bother erasing the second zoner. He felt that if he did, it would interfere with his plans. Now, since it was never erased, I cannot confirm how dangerous this second zoner would have been... But this is where I get to the most important part of the video, and I hope...oh I really hope you get this before it is too late..."

Ms. Saffron's voice took on a much more worried tone. Rudy bit his lip. He looked at his friends nervously. Had they been too late? Something told them...they were already too late...

Ms. Saffron stared at the camera with wide eyes. "I know this is tempting for you to do, Rudy...Penny...Snap... But please, whatever you do, do not erase Mr. Cosmo's equipment! Not until you do a thorough search and look for this hybrid zoner! If you erase before you check, you will erase the hybrid zoner! And after that...I can't tell you what would happen. If this second zoner was anything like the first one, the results would be catastrophic. You are looking at a zoner who is very similiar to Mr. Cosmo...except he has the potential of being worse..."

Someone worse than Mr. Cosmo...?

Rudy's body started to tremble. Mr. Cosmo had been a monster. He had done terrible things to him and his friends. He had killed Ms. Saffron in cold blood. He had tortured and nearly killed Snap. The idea of someone being out there worse than him...it was frightening to think about. He couldn't imagine someone being worse than Mr. Cosmo...

He looked at his friends. Penny stared at him with wide eyes, her mouth open in horror. Slowly, she turned her gaze back to the video. Just enough for her to see it, as if she was afraid something would pop out of she turned her head all the way. And Snap..he had brought his hands up to his face and started shaking. Rudy had a feeling he was remembering all the horrible things Mr. Cosmo had subjected him to. It must be horrible for him to hear that there was someone out there even worse than that monster.

Ms. Saffron looked at the webcam sorrowfully. "I...have a feeling this message will get to you too late. And I do not fault you. Who can say you will have a reason to look for this video? And why did I make it? To be prepared...just in case the...thing happens and you need to find information. And I am going to assume that, at the moment, the hybrid zoner is loose in ChalkZone. If you want to know how to tell if this is a hybrid zoner or not, there is one only one way to tell. Its outline, according to Mr. Cosmo's notes, will be striped, not a solid color. Look for that, and you'll find the hybrid zoner."

Ms. Saffron gave a pause. It was like she knew that they needed a few seconds to let this information sink in. Only after about a minute did she continue talking.

"You must exercise great caution when dealing with this zoner. It will be highly unpredictable, like the first hybrid zoner. Watch your backs and expect the unexpected. Treat it with the same level of caution as you would with Mr. Cosmo." Her eyes widened suddenly. "Oh I almost forgot! There is one more important thing to know about the hybrid zoner. Mr. Cosmo, before he destroyed the first one, had found the hybrid zoner eating the dry remains of a rat that had found its way into the base. A real world rat, mind you, not a chalk one. Mr. Cosmo had never known a zoner to eat real world food before, and I'm sure you guys haven't either. It might not seem like much. It's just a rat. But..." She stared into the camera and whispered, "...what if it decided to for a...larger target...?"

This made the three freeze, their blood turning to ice. The implication that Ms. Saffron had given was crystal clear and utterly frightening. The idea of a zoner eating real world food was startling enough. It didn't seem possible. The systems and the way things were set up were different. It would be hard to impossible for a zoner to eat real world food, especially with the water they got to worry about...

But this zoner...

Somehow, this zoner had found a way to eat real world food without consequence. Ms. Saffron had mentioned something about dry... Maybe there was no liquid left in the rat and thus the zoner could ate it with no problem.

But what Ms. Saffron implied...the idea that the zoner could go after larger game...that frightened them to the core. That meant that...the zoner might go after...humans...

Rudy and Penny stared at each other, their bodies shaking. Ms. Saffron didn't outright say that was what the zoner was going to do. She only hinted that it was a possibility. But it was a possibility they hoped was wrong. They didn't want to think of the idea of a zoner hunting and eating humans. Even though they were safe in the real world, they still had to be careful.

"I do apologize for that unpleasant thought. But I couldn't keep that from you. It was important that you knew of this potentiality. With a hybrid zoner, the more you know, the better equipped you are. I wish I could tell you how to stop the hybrid zoner, but alas, Mr. Cosmo never wrote that down. He just outright killed the zoner when it didn't meet his demands. I have a feeling you three would not want to go that same route. You would want to subdue the zoner. But I cannot tell you how to do that. You will have to rely on your own wits and courage to do so. I have no idea how long it would take for the hybrid zoner to strike. And I don't know if you will get this message before then. I pray that you do...if not...well I hope the best for you three."

Then she went silent. At first, Rudy, Penny, and Snap wondered if she had said all she wanted to and just forgot to stop the recording. But seeing that there was quite a bit of time left, they found it unlikely. And they were soon proven right. There was more that the woman had wanted to tell them.

"Look, I...I don't know if I will make it through to the end with you guys... I have my suspicions that Mr. Cosmo will try to kill me."

This shocked the trio. Ms. Saffron had...known she was going to die? Rudy's eyes widened at this.

"I do not know for certain. But after I found out just what kind of man he is...I wouldn't put it past him. That is why I recorded this via video...just in case I...don't make it..." She narrowed her eyes and turned her head away from the camera for a second. She sighed and looked back. "And I would like to take this time, just in case I never get the chance to, to say that I'm...sorry. Rudy, I shouldn't have called you a juvenile delinquent. Mr. Cosmo told me to do that but...that doesn't make a good excuse. I knew it was wrong and I should have listened to my conscience. I didn't...and I am sorry for that. Penny I...hope you can forgive me..for being involved with that...monster...and helping him hurt your two friends like this. And Snap..."

The trio saw tears form in the woman's eyes. They dripped down slowly. She sniffled once and continued.

"I am...so very sorry I didn't tell you the truth...all of it... I didn't want you to feel so afraid. I...I wanted you to be a little more comfortable. But in the end I...only made it worse for you. I should have told you everything from the start, and I know you must feel so betrayed. I apologize sincerely, Snap. And in case we don't get to see each other again, let me say this. I did enjoy the time we spent together. You...seem like a really nice guy. You...don't deserve anything Mr. Cosmo has done to you... And I am sorry I helped him do this..."

Rudy felt tears form in his eyes as, at long last, Ms. Saffron got to deliver to Snap the apology she had wanted to give. Even if it was just in the form of a video, even though it would have been so much better if she had been...alive... It still brought some sense of happiness to him that, in a way, she got to apologize at last.

Penny whispered under her breath, "Looks like she got what she wanted..." She looked down to Snap.

Snap also had tears forming in his eyes. He tried to fight them off, rubbing his face with his round hand. He didn't say anything. He looked like he was deep in thought.

Ms. Saffron leaned back in the chair, looking like she was getting ready to leave. "I will wrap up this video. I don't have much time left. Mr. Cosmo won't be distracted for very long. But before I end this video, I want to say one more thing."

The woman paused for a moment. She looked distraught at first. Then, when she faced the camera, a smile started to tick, slowly creeping onto her face.

"I...really want to thank all of you, for opening my eyes. Rudy, Penny, and Snap... You made me realize what a horrible mistake I made in working with Mr. Cosmo. You helped me see just how wrong I was about ChalkZone. I realize now, more than ever, it is not ChalkZone I had to be afraid of. It was Mr. Cosmo, and anyone like him. And I thank you three for making me realize that."

Ms. Saffron started to move the mouse. The video was reaching towards the end. Before she clicked on it, she looked at the camera. Her eyes were glistening and the smile still on her face.

"Good luck...my friends..."

Then the video was over. And as it shut off, Rudy felt a pang in his heart, a tear dripping down from his face.

IN THE NIGHT:





"Uhh...A?" Rudy asked.

Penny shook her head, in her hand a small card. "No, the answer was C."

"Oh man..." Rudy grumbled. He narrowed his eyes as he stared at the floor. "I'm never going to get this right!"

Penny looked at him sympathetically. "Oh don't be that way, Rudy. You just need some practice, that's all." She set the small stack of cards down. She reached for another pile, this one a little smaller. "Here, how about this? I'll use these much easier questions instead. Think that'll help?"

Rudy nodded his head weakly. "Yeah...sure...I suppose..."

Rudy felt embarrassed that he had forgotten about tomorrow's test. Mr. Wilter had reminded them every day for the past week. How could it have slipped through his mind? Now he was going to get another bad grade and disappoint his parents and Mr. Wilter. He had promised his teacher and his mother and father that he would try harder to get better grades. Mr. Wilter, despite being an ally now, could not just fake the grades for him; he had to earn them.

He wouldn't have wanted Wilter to make up the grades anyway. That would be fraud, and if Wilter were caught, he'd lose his teaching credentials and be fired, then they'd be stuck with a new teacher, and going into ChalkZone would become difficult. Plus, Rudy would rather earn the grades. Just having them given to him wouldn't feel very good. He wanted to feel like he accomplished something.

At first, he had tried going solo and tried to raise the grades on his own. He had a difficult time. He wasn't stupid by any means. But with all that was going on with ChalkZone, he found it hard to study on his own. So eventually, he went to Penny for help. Penny got among the highest grades in their class. Being a good friend, she agreed to help him in any way that she could.

With Penny's help, Rudy did see some improvement in his grades. They weren't much, but they were at least a little higher than before. Rudy did start feeling a little better about himself now that his grades were higher. He still wanted to continue improving, so at least once a week, he had Penny come over and help him with studying, whether it be just to make sure he understood everything or to prepare himself for a quiz or test the next day.

Chemistry was the one class he still had problems in. His grade was the lowest here. It had barely raised up from where it was before. Despite his difficulties, Penny still continued to willingly help him. She seemed to have a lot of patience, and she understood that chemistry was a difficult class. She herself sometimes had problems in it as well.

Rudy really wanted a passing grade for this test. He didn't want to flunk this class like he had last year. He was determined to get at least a C. He would be satisfied with a grade that low, so long as it wasn't a D or an F. He was grateful that Penny was so willing to help him with the test tomorrow, especially since, for him, it was short notice, all because he had forgotten about the test. With all that was going on lately, he couldn't really feel surprised that he forgot. Neither could Penny. She admitted that she almost forgot about the test several times. Hearing this made Rudy feel a little better. He wasn't the only one.

The flash cards did help. He still had to do some work himself. In his hands, he held a notebook and a pencil. And as Penny would ask the questions and give a list of answers, he would do the work if he had to and try to find the answer. He found that this method worked the best for him, so it was what he and Penny stuck with when studying chemistry.

Holding the notebook steady was a tad difficult with his weaker left hand. He still managed to pull it off; it just took a little longer to steady it. Turning the pages was harder, too, with his left hand. When he found it was too hard to grab the pages with his hand, he instead opted to push his fingers against the pages and turn them. But this was too problematic as well, resulting in him skipping a few pages. So he just used his right hand for that, since he still had complete control over it.

This was one of the few times where the weakness in his left hand became very noticeable. Seeing how weak his left hand got did upset Rudy, as before the incident with Cosmo, he would have no problem doing tasks like this. It was true that the damage could have been much worse and that he could still perform most tasks without problem. But sometimes, he was worried that his much weaker left hand was going to become a problem in the future. He hoped he was wrong.

When Rudy dropped his pencil and it rolled to his left side, reluctantly, he reached down with his left hand. He attempted to grab it. Unable to grip tightly due to loss of strength, the pencil kept slipping through his fingers. He grabbed it as tightly as he could, but that wasn't enough and the pencil still dropped to the ground.

Rudy growled under his breath. He stared angrily at his left hand, his eyes looking directly at the scar caused by Mr. Cosmo. Even long after his death, even if this hybrid zoner wasn't on the loose, Cosmo was still affecting him to this day. Cosmo still, in a way, had a grip on him, and this time, he wasn't going to let go.

"Rudy, do you want me to help?" Penny asked. She was looking at him with sympathetic eyes. Penny understood how much this bothered him at times, and she tried to be as supportive as she could.

Rudy shook his head. "No...no I got it." He tried his best not to sound rude. "I want to do this on my own..."

Rudy reached down for the pencil again. This time, instead of trying to grip it, he manuevered his fingers until they pushed underneath the pencil. He slowly lifted his left hand up. The pencil laid across his fingers. It took all of what was left of his finger movement to hold the pencil there. He slowly brought his left hand over and let the pencil fall onto his lap, where he immediately gripped it with his right hand.

The difference between holding the pencil in his right hand versus his left was astounding. It had always felt different, but not like this. Nowadays, it was like night and day. His left hand could barely grip the pencil, left alone be of any use to him if he needed to draw or right. But with his right, he could hold it firmly, tightly. He felt more confident with the pencil in his right hand, which was also his drawing hand. Ever since the damage in his left hand became permanent, Rudy had been more careful with his right, knowing that any injury to it would result in him becoming, for a time, defenseless in ChalkZone.

Then there was the chance that his right hand could also become permanently damaged...He shuddered at the thought. That was something he hoped would never happen. Especially with this crazed zoner on the loose. When he was up against Cosmo, most of the time he didn't have any ability to use magic chalk. He was going to make sure that they didn't have to suffer through that again. He was going to make sure that, this time, the magic chalk will help them right from the get go.

During the next hour, Penny helped him more with studying for the chemistry test. The new questions she chose were a little easier for him to figure out, but he was still having a hard time. He did manage to get more questions right, at least, and he felt his confidence slowly rising.

Eventually, he wanted Penny to raise the difficulty of the questions. Once he got the easier ones down and once they were more understandable to him, he wanted to try his hand at harder questions. He needed to prepare himself, and he would not be able to do that if he only answered the easiest questions. He had to challenge himself. He had to prepare the best that he could for this test. The more times he kept facing these tougher questions Penny would give him, the easier it would become to answer them.

The questions were becoming a little easier to handle now. He was getting more and more right. It was still not enough to get a higher grade than C, but it was better than nothing. He was feeling even better now, since he was becoming more and more prepared for the test. He was glad that Penny was able to come over to help him on such short notice. Without her, he would have definitely have flunked this test.

After an extra twenty minutes of studying, the two decided to stop. Their heads were starting to hurt from all that studying and they wanted to relax a little. They had put in a lot of work, so they did deserve a break.

Rudy smacked his lips together. He was feeling a little parched. He turned to Penny. "I'm going to get something to drink. Do you want to come with?"

Penny got up from the floor. She nodded her head. "Yeah. My throat's feeling a little dry."

The two sixteen year olds left his bedroom and headed down the stairs. They headed into the kitchen. Rudy opened up the cabinet and grabbed two glasses. He filled them both with water. He put some ice cubes in them both. He handed one to Penny.

Drinking the water did help their throats feel better. They started to walk back towards the stairs when Rudy noticed his parents sitting on the couch. He hadn't noticed them there before. He wondered why they didn't say anything. But then, looking at their eyes, he realized that they were too fixated on what was on TV. He smiled a little. They must be watching one of their favorite old shows or something. Or maybe his dad finally convinced his mom to watch a show about meat with him.

But his theory was proven wrong when he heard Penny gasp and grab his arm.

"R-Rudy...look..." Penny pointed at the television.

When Rudy looked, he realized it wasn't some old show. It wasn't a cartoon or sports. Instead, it was the news. The words 'breaking news' flashed across the screen, moving at a pace that was clearly trying to draw attention. On the screen was Terry, only this time, it was clear what she had to say had nothing to do with ChalkZone. And the look on her face...it was fear... What had happened?

"This is Terry Bouffant standing outside the home of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Twenty-four hours ago, their 10 year old child, Jerry, had gone missing. The only thing that was left behind was bloodstains, but no signs of a struggle or any clues as to where he was taken could be found."

Rudy and Penny gasped in horror. A child had gone missing? They hadn't known about that. They weren't paying attention to the news. And watching this, they realized they should have been listening.

And nothing found other than blood stains? That was creepy. It was like the attacker knew what he was doing, and how to leave little to no evidence behind. They didn't know Jerry, but they feared the worst for him. And they hoped that, against the odds, he would be found, alive and okay. They felt awful for the parents too. What a terrible thing for mothers and fathers to go through...

"To make matters more serious, this isn't the first time this has happened." Terry said, her voice filled with solemn and alarm.

Rudy flinched, not used to hearing Terry speak this way. And the warning tone in her voice... His heart started to hurt, anticipating what she was going to say next.

"I don't like this, Rudy..." Penny whispered as she grabbed his arm. "I wonder what is going on..."

"Maybe Terry will say something." Rudy said as he kept his eyes on the screen.

As he looked over, he could see his parents expressions had gone quickly from curiosity to outright horror. They looked at him briefly, their eyes wide in fear, before looking back at the television. Hearing that someone lost their child to something unseen, something dangerous, something mysterious, was clearly upsetting them, for they were also parents.

"There have been multiple reports of people going missing. Jerry is the fifth victim. In this past week, four other victims have also been claimed. Rosie Williams, age 14, vanished four days ago. Teddy Bosco, only 5, disappeared three days ago. And two days ago, two victims vanished. Dean Rogers, age 16, and later on the same day, Andrew Sanchez, age 40, had gone missing. All under the same circumstances, with little clues left behind besides blood."

The last name sent cold shivers down Rudy's spine. He felt his friend's hand gripping him tighter. He looked over at Penny. Her body was shaking. Her eyes were wide in disbelief and fear. That last name...it had been her father...

Although Mr. Sanchez had been trying to reconnect with his daughter, he hadn't gotten back together with his ex-wife. They had gone their separate ways, but even his wife agreed that it was best that Penny not have any bitter thoughts about her father. So he had tried his best to spend some time with Penny. Sometimes it felt a little awkward as Penny was used to interacting with just one parent. But she still enjoyed the time she spent with her dad.

He remembered her briefly mentioning that his mom hadn't seen him, but she didn't think it was anything too serious. After all, her dad was quite busy and, though he moved back into town, he lived on the other side and his life was tangled with his job. He wasn't a terrible father, though, and he still tried to make a little bit of time for Penny. He even got her some very nice Christmas presents last year.

Neither he nor Penny would ever have imagined something bad happened to him. That was the last thing that was on their minds.

But now...hearing Terry's words, they realized how horribly wrong they were. Something bad did happen, and Penny's father hadn't been the only victim. Rudy wondered at first why this wasn't mentioned before, but he realized, wanting to mentally slap himself, that him and Penny not paying attention to the news is why this sounded so shocking.

His parents might have said something to him, but he had been so focused on ChalkZone, he must not have noticed. And the only reason Mr. Wilter didn't say anything was because he wasn't allowed to bring in real world news into the class; only teach, and it wasn't like they had a ton of time to talk to the man. And during lunch, when the news was on, he and Penny would be focused on each other, talking about ChalkZone and their next move they should make, or even about upcoming tests, paying little to no attention to the tv screen.

Now, more than ever, Rudy wished they had been paying attention. He looked at Penny. Tears had filled her eyes. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a hug. He hated seeing her like this. Knowing that multiple people disappeared was bad enough. But the fact that her own dad was gone too... He could tell how hard she was taking this.

And just when he thought it couldn't get any worse, Terry delivered the next message, her voice raised a little to emphasize her words.

"The mayor of Plainsville has issued a dire warning. Because all of the disappearances happened right here in Plainsville, the mayor strongly urges the residents of this town to keep their doors and windows shut and locked at all times. If anyone has any information on this attacker, contact the mayor. The mayor is doing all he can to try to stop this menace. And until the culprit is captured, he urges everyone to be very careful."

The news that this has been happening right in town...all the disappearances were hear...it sent ice through Rudy's veins. Without thinking, he held onto his friend tighter. He looked over at his parents, and they looked just as spooked as he did. Five disappearances in a few days...all under the same circumstances...

Rudy suddenly felt very unsafe. He felt vulnerable, like the walls were closing in all around him. His heart was racing, beating against his chest. The room had gotten so quiet that he heard the heartbeats from everyone else in the room. No one spoke. Everyone was quiet, staring at each other in complete and utter horror. And suddenly, everything seemed so much darker to Rudy.

He realized how late it was. It had gotten dark out. Knowing that a kidnapper was on the loose, he wasn't sure if Penny would feel safe going out tonight, even if her mother was supposed to be picking her up. He looked down at her and said, "Do you...want to stay over here for tonight?"

Penny, trembling from the shock of the news, meakly nodded her head. "Y-Yeah...if that's okay with your parents..."

Rudy turned his head to his parents. "Mom, dad, can she...?"

Mrs. Tabootie immediately answered, her voice filled with anxiety. "Yes, of course she can!"

Mr. Tabootie nodded his head in agreement. "I think it would be for the best. It is dark out." His body shook a little, making it clear that the news had spooked him.

Rudy smiled, grateful for his parents' understanding. "Thanks."

sss

A few hours had passed since they got the news of what happened. Although it was well passed the time Penny usually slept, she found it hard to close her eyes. The news of her father's disappearance froze her heart, filling her with dread. She had no idea something bad had been going on recently, and judging from Rudy's reaction, neither did he.

She was happy that his parents decided to let her stay. It was a little harder convincing her mother. Mrs. Sanchez had gotten word of what had happened, and she immediately wanted Penny to come home. It took about ten minutes of talk before Penny finally got her mom to agree to let her stay. She promised she would come home immediately tomorrow.

Rudy had brought out sleeping bags for them to use. They were both frightened by the news and they didn't want to sleep apart. His bed was a little too small for the two of them. Maybe as 10 year olds, it would have worked a little. But not as 16 year olds.

He rolled out the sleeping bags on the ground. He crawled into his while Penny did the same with hers. In an attempt to comfort Penny, Rudy had placed his arm over her and gently pulled her close. While Penny still felt scared by what was going on, she did feel safer with Rudy.

Penny bit her lip. She looked over at Rudy, nudging him gently. When she got his attention, she said, "Do you...think my dad is okay?"

Rudy winced slightly. This didn't comfort Penny at all. "I..am sure he is okay... We'll find him." He said in the most reassuring voice he could muster.

Penny had a horrible thought. "What if this...hybrid zoner is behind this?"

Rudy said, "If he is...we'll make him pay... We'll stop him and save the people he had kidnapped. Don't worry, Penny."

Penny wanted to feel reassured by this. But though she smiled and acted like she was satisfied, she couldn't fight back the dread welling up inside of her. She couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was going to befall her father, and perhaps...herself. She couldn't ignore the fear that was taking a hold of her.

She did manage to get herself to lay down. She did finally manage to make herself close her eyes. She tried her best to relax. Knowing Rudy was right in front of her helped her calm down a little. And all the doors and windows had been locked, via the mayor's orders. She knew that she was safe. If anyone tried to get in, they would know.

But as she started to doze off, she failed to hear the sound of a door being forced open. She didn't hear the creak of the stairs as something went up them, slowly, deliberately. She didn't hear open up slowly. She hear the individual creep up slowly upon her and her friend.

It wasn't until she felt something brush up against her leg that she took notice that someone else was in the room. Thinking it was just Mr. or Mrs. Tabootie checking on her and Rudy, she picked up her glasses and looked up to greet them...

...only to find herself staring at an all too familiar enemy.

"Y-You..."

"Shhh...don't wanna wake anyone, now do we...?"

As a large shadow covered the two teenagers, Penny moved backwards, her eyes wide in horror. She tried to let out a scream, but she was immediately silenced as the intruder lunged forward.

And where she once stood, a small puddle of blood formed.

BLOODSTAINS ON THE WALL:





Snap stared numbly at the piece of paper he got from Wilter. Over and over again, he read the message. He kept hoping that he missed something, that he was just misinterpreting what it said. But now, there was no way to mistake this message. There was no doubt what it was saying.

Rudy and Penny were in grave danger.

He couldn't believe it. He just couldn't believe it. The last time he had seen them, they had been fine. There was no indication they were in immediate danger. Sure, they knew there was possible danger for them, but they thought that wouldn't come until later. There had been no signs of Draow or this intruder. There were no signs of them making a move. They had just simply disappeared. And now, so have his friends...

And what was worse is that he had no idea where he was going to go to find them. He didn't know where to start. Mr. Wilter says they may be in ChalkZone, but..how? Rudy was the one with the magic chalk usually and he wouldn't leave a portal open all night long. Penny sometimes had a piece, but like Rudy, she wouldn't do something so stupid as to keep a portal unattended for so many hours. And then there was Mr. Wilter. His use of magic chalk was even less than that of Penny's, and he understood the importance of keeping ChalkZone a secret. Surely he wouldn't forget to erase any portal he created.

This lead to Snap consider that, whatever happened, it was related to the real world only. Maybe some thug decided to break in and take his friends. Or maybe they left on their own accord for whatever reason and just never came back.

But if five others disappeared like them, the only real world possibility Snap could think of was a serial killer. His heart started to pound as he considered that thought. He knew that anyone, regardless of they are from the real world or ChalkZone, was capable of cruelty, and it wouldn't be that much of a stretch to believe that a serial killer went into Plainsville and started to slaughter people. The idea frightened him because, if that were the case, he'd never see Rudy or Penny again...

The possibility of whatever happening being real world only hung heavily over Snap's mind. It was the only explanation he could think of that made sense. He couldn't fathom how Draow or this intruder could have gotten into the real world in the first place. He didn't know how Mr. Wilter could think such a thing. There was no way there was an open portal somewhere...unless there was another creator he was unaware of. But that was hard to believe. He would have heard something by now if there was another creator loose in ChalkZone.

Snap felt so helpless. He didn't know what he should do, or what he could even do. He might have a better idea of what happened if he could get into the real world, but he could only do that if Rudy or Penny were with him. They could use the magic chalk. Not him. He was stuck in ChalkZone unless Mr. Wilter drew a portal for him.

But why would Mr. Wilter do that? His message clearly indicated he wanted him searching around ChalkZone. He wouldn't suddenly drew a portal for him if that were the case. If he had intended on doing that, he'd left a message regarding that. And there was no way Snap could communicate back to him and ask him to do that. The only thing he could do was look around ChalkZone, but he didn't know exactly where to go first.

There had to be something he could do. Something he was overlooking or missing. He thought about what happened recently, with the escape of Draow. He thought about the scene of the crime, the claw marks, the blood, the fact that two zoners were murdered by this intruder.

Then he thought about the hole in the wall. He had overheard the investigator say that the hole looked like something Rudy could have drawn with his magic chalk. This did indicate the presence of a creator, but Snap already ruled that out. Again, he could have heard something about it. This lead to the same conclusion he was sure Rudy had.

And that was that this particular magic chalk could be used by zoners...

Admittingly, Snap was almost...enchanted by the idea. He had always wondered what it was like to wield the magic chalk. He thought about what it meant to be able to create anything in midair, and have it materialize right before him. Almost anything was possible with the magic chalk. No matter how convoluted the idea, how matter how ridiculous it may sound, the magic chalk made it possible.

The only way to know for certain is if he got a closer look at this hole. He was used to seeing portals in ChalkZone. Out of all the zoners, he uses them the most. He was familiar with how the edges feel. It was hard to describe the texture. It was kinda chalky, but kinda not. A sensation that could only be created by a piece of magic chalk. If he got a close look at this hole, he would be able to tell if it had been created by magic chalk or not.

That seemed to be the best move for him. And if he could prove that the hole had been created by magic chalk, then that did reopen the possibility of Rudy and Penny being kidnapped by Draow. If that bat wolf had found a way to get to his friends, there was no doubt in Snap's mind that the fiend would use that opportunity.

He needed to report to Skrawl anyway of what had happened. He wasn't sure how the jellybean was going to take it. Years ago, he would have just smiled and claimed victory. But now that they were pretty much friends, he would certainly not be very happy with their disappearance. He wondered if he would have a 'I told you so' moment, where he would rant to Snap about how he knew it was a bad idea for Rudy and Penny to be involved with the case.

But even if he did that, Skrawl wouldn't dwell on it too long. Oh sure, he'd be angry, furious even, but he would understand dwelling on it too long wouldn't help them at all. He wouldn't waste so much time yelling. Heck, he might not even bother yelling at Snap, and instead he would focus on spreading out the search party to locate the intruder and Draow.

And even if Skrawl did yell at him, even if Skrawl decided to ran to him on how he should have kept the trio off the case and let him do all the work, it wasn't like it was going to stop Snap. Skrawl knew by now that he couldn't keep them from doing what they felt was right. Snap sometimes wondered if Skrawl really did know this and was just ignoring it, or if he was truly blatantly unaware.

His mind went back to Rudy and Penny. He had no idea what their condition currently was. He didn't know if they were hurt, if they were battered, if they were torn up, or even if they were still alive at all. The thought frightened him. It was terrifying not knowing exactly what happened to his friends. He only knew that something terrible happened and now they were both gone. Even if he knew for certain Draow took them, that was no indication on just what exactly happened with Rudy and Penny.

He knew Draow wanted revenge, but he didn't know exactly what he had planned to do with them. Draow could have outright killed his friends. A terrible thought, but, as much as he hated to admit it, that was a possibility. If the bat wolf hated them that much, it would make sense he'd kill them off as quickly as possible.

But then, he had been Mr. Cosmo's right hand 'man' pretty much, and they had some similarities in personality, as he found out the hard way when he had been yanked from the hospital.

When they were up in the air, after Tsere had tried to get him back, Mr. Cosmo had decided that he got tired of the chase and had Draow drop him, a blatant attempt to murder him. In that moment, Snap realized that he had been wrong about Draow. He thought he was just a terrifying 'beast of burden' more or less, a pet that followed Mr. Cosmo's orders loyally because he had been trained that way. Nothing before gave him a clear indication that he was more than what he appeared.

And then he had spoken. As soon as words came out of his muzzle, Snap knew that Draow had been more like Cosmo than he ever imagined. Because Draow, like Cosmo, had decieved them. He had played them all for fools, tricking them that he was dumber than he really was. He revealed, in the very first line he ever spoke, that he was capable of scheming and cruel planning just as much as Mr. Cosmo.

Because Draow enjoyed inflicting pain on others as much as Mr. Cosmo, Snap realized that it was more likely that Draow would torment Rudy and Penny rather than kill them outright. This wasn't too much better. He shuddered at the thought of his friends being tortured. It hit home for him; he had been tortured himself. He wouldn't want anyone to go through that. But at the same time, if Draow planned on keeping them alive for a while, that did give him some time to save them.

As much as he was still shaken up by what happened, even though he was still filled with sorrow knowing that his friends were in danger and he had no idea where they were, he knew he couldn't just stand around. He had to take action.

That's what Blocky had done. He was going through ChalkZone, informing as many citizens as he could, about Rudy and Penny's disappearance. He had gone in the opposite direction of the jail, so he knew he did not get to Skrawl yet. But he knew, by now, he had told a lot of zoners already of what had happened. Snap hoped that some of them would be willing to help him find his friends. He may need all the help that he could get.

Snap looked in the direction where Skrawl's jail was. He sucked in a deep breath. He knew what he had to do next.

"I promise you, Bucko...Buckette..." Snap whispered. His fists shook as sadness and anger started to overtake him. Sadness of what happened...anger at whoever was the culprit. "I will find you..."

With that, he made his way over to Skrawl's jail.

sss

"What?!"

Skrawl's voice rumbled through the prison. Most of the wardens nearby immediately fled away from him, all knowing how Skrawl can be if he recieves bad news such as this. The few wardens that dared to stay behind pressed their backs at the wall, staring at Skrawl, expecting him to strike out in rage.

Snap stood in place, staring up at the jellybean, who looked down at him furiously. This didn't faze him. With what he went through when he found out Rudy and Penny were gone...this was nothing. Besides, it wasn't like Skrawl was mad at him in particular. He was mad that the search party had failed to nab Draow and this intruder before something bad had happened.

"Are you sure?!" Skrawl demanded. He had lowered his head, putting it close to Snap's.

To the wardens, this was a clearly threatening move. Skrawl was cleary very angry, and when he wants to be intimidating, he knows a few ways of how to do so. And this was one of them. But to Snap, it didn't bother him that much. His mind was still clouded from the news, filled with so much sorrow and worry. He barely reacted to Skrawl's move.

Snap stared at Skrawl and said in a soft voice, "Yes. Mr. Wilter told me of what happened... And he believes Draow played a role in their disappearance."

Skrawl growled. "And you say that other humans have vanished too? Not just them?"

Snap nodded his head. "That is what Mr. Wilter said. He didn't say how many..." Snap made a quick gesture with his hands to emphasize. "...but the fact is...Rudy and Penny aren't the only victims. And I know that they wouldn't leave a portal open... That leaves just one possibility..."

His face going blank, Skrawl let this sink in. He stared at Snap, understanding clearly showing through his blank expression. Snap knew that the jellybean understood exactly what he was implying. A thought that was unheard of, and, given the circumstances now, terrifying.

"He can use magic chalk..." Skrawl said, his voice barely audible. Shock had taken over his mind in that moment. "Somehow...he has found a way to use magic chalk..." He spoke slowly, as if trying to let it all sink in for him.

The idea of a zoner using magic chalk...

On the one hand, it was fascinating. The ability to create anything in midair... Snap had wondered what that felt like. He had wondered what it was like for Rudy to use the magic chalk and create things. Yet he knew that the magic chalk could easily be misused. The ability to create anything can easily go both ways... And in this case, it was going far in the opposite direction than Rudy would have used it for.

Rudy only used the magic chalk for good. He wanted to help people, and that is what he did. He never used the chalk to deliberately harm anyone. Sure, there was the black chalk, from what he was told, but Rudy was never in control of himself; the black chalk used him. So he didn't count that. Even against Mr. Cosmo, he had apparently not used lethal force or been overly violent with the man, no matter how much he deserved it. And even in the end, Cosmo caused his own death, not Rudy.

But now here was another possible creator, but a zoner this time, and he was clearly using the magic chalk to do harm. He was using it to gain access to the real world, so he could kidnap unsuspecting humans for some diabolical reason. He must have set up a portal somewhere. He didn't know where it could be. He would have seen it...unless it was an invisible portal like Mr. Cosmo had...

He was interrupted from his thoughts when he heard Skrawl scream loudly into the air, his hands clutched into fists. Snap took a step backwards, his eyes widening slightly. He hadn't expected him to scream like that. Neither did the remaining wardens, who immediately fled the area to join the others that went away earlier.

Skrawl glared down at Snap. He looked at first like he was going to strike him out of anger, but instead, he turned around and walked away. He folded his arms behind his back and stood in the middle of the room. He looked like he was trying to think of something, perhaps the next course of action. Perhaps he was thinking about what they should do, now that the idea of a zoner being able to use magic chalk was a real possibility.

Skrawl looked over at the hole in the wall, the one that was still there. It was only kept there because it was evidence. He had set up some sensor bars around the spot as a way to 'cover' it up, so that no more intruders could get in or prisoners could get out using that hole. He sucked on his lip, his expression thoughtful. He looked down at Snap.

"You're able to recognize creator handiwork, aren't you?" Skrawl asked.

Snap nodded his head. "We're all technically 'creator handiwork', but I take it you mean I can tell if damage was done by a zoner or by a creator."

Skrawl narrowed his eyes and growled, "Yes...yes that's exactly what I mean." He pointed his finger towards the hole. "Take a look at it, and tell me. You've hung around chalk boy the most, so I'm sure you, out of all zoners, could tell if this was done by magic chalk or not."

As Snap approached the hole, Skrawl turned the beams off. Snap continued to walk closer to the hole, and then, finally, he was able to place his hand on it gently. He felt the edges, getting an idea on the shape, any grooves, any imperfections. He stared at the hole, studying how it was shaped, if there was anything left on it, anything that would help with identifying what made this hole.

After a few seconds, Snap stared back at Skrawl. His eyes widened big. Shock and fear showed clearly on his face. He gave a rigid nod.

"Yeah...it's magic chalk alright..." He whispered, prompting a gasp of surprise from the jellybean.

sss

Snap was running as fast he could. His feet pounded on the ground. His breath quickened. His throat started to get a little dry. His mind was racing as fast as his feet, trying to digest what he had just been told. He couldn't believe it. He had to see this for himself.

After he had told Skrawl about the hole definitely being of magic chalk origin, Rapsheeba had come rushing in. She looked like she was in distress, her eyes wide in panic. Something was troubling her. When Snap and Skrawl tried to ask her what was wrong, Rapsheeba just said to come with her and grabbed Snap. She had dragged him out of the jail and had him run with her.

Snap hadn't expected Rapsheeba to show up like that. He had thought she was busy with her next concert. He wondered what had caught her eye that scared her so much that she would practically drag him out with her.

But as they got close to where she wanted to take him, something seemed out of place... Something that he felt was the reason for her being so scared.

He couldn't tell what it was at first. He saw something, but at the angle he was at, he couldn't really understand just what he was looking at. It wasn't until he got closer that it started to look more familiar to him. That familiar feeling began to get eerie as he started to understand just what this was. And was they got within inches of it, his heart started to race.

It was a portal... And clearly not one drawn by Rudy or Penny. The edges had a different coloration to them. The portals Rudy and Penny draw had either no outline, or it was black, at least from ChalkZone's side. If it had an outline in the real world, it would be white. The only time he remembered the outline being a different color was when Reggie had the red chalk, so the outline was, obviously, red.

This portal had a blue outline.

Blue chalk? He hadn't heard of it before. He'd seen it used once in Biclops's flashback he showed him shortly after Rudy first discovered ChalkZone, but it didn't seem like it had any special powers of its own. Then again, they had seen the black chalk being used and they thought it wasn't a big concern...

Snap stared at the blue edged portal. It was his ticket into the real world. If he used this portal to get to the other side, he could find out more of what happened to his friends. He was a little scared. He had no idea where the portal led to. He didn't have Penny with him to guide him. He didn't have Rudy to help him. He was completely on his own. He hoped that his few visits into the real world were enough to help him find Rudy's home.

As he started to go through the portal, Rapsheeba grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "What are you doing? You don't know where this portal leads to!"

"I know, queenie." Snap looked at her. He understood why she was so worried. The last time a mysterious portal appeared, Mr. Cosmo had been kidnapping zoners... He looked back at the portal. "But Rudy and Penny are in trouble... I have to see what happened to them."

Rapsheeba's eyes widened. "They're in trouble?"

Snap nodded his head slowly. "Yeah. Mr. Wilter said they..disappeared. And other humans vanished as well." He closed his eyes, trying to fight back the tears that started form. "I...I need to go Bucko's house and see for myself...maybe find some clue as to what happened..."

Snap started to go through the portal. He noticed Rapsheeba coming towards him. He stopped himself and held up a hand to Rapsheeba.

"No, Queen Rapsheeba. Stay here. I know the real world more than you. If something happened to you...I wouldn't forgive myself..." Snap said, his eyes narrowed in determination. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

Rapsheeba looked reluctant to let Snap go on his own. But she understood where he was coming from and she gave a nod. "Okay. Best of luck, Snap. I'll wait for you here."

Snap nodded his head. "See you around, queenie."

With that, Snap went through the portal.

sss

Snap walked down the street. He didn't have much of a hard time. It hadn't rained recently, which was good, so the ground was dry. He didn't see any sources of real world water anywhere, so he knew he was safe just walking down the street. He did stay off the grass, though. He could see some dew on them. Unless he wanted some tiny painful holes in his feet, he avoided the grass like no tomorrow.

The portal had opened up into an abandoned building deep in town. It made sense, Snap realized. The hybrid zoner would have wanted to open up a portal in some place where no one would ever go. A building that was falling apart and thus was a safety hazard for anyone that dared live in it seemed like a great idea. There were no plans to tear this building down, or at least, no indication it was going to be torn down. With little to no humans coming in this area, it was no wonder no one would have noticed a strange opening on a dusty old chalkboard.

When Snap had exited the building, he was overwhelmed by all the sights and sounds. He felt confused and lost. It wasn't because he wasn't used to a city. He had been in plenty of those in ChalkZone. But real world cities were different, and completely unfamiliar to him. The cars rushing by him, people honking and yelling at each other, the lights flashing, everything seemed so different to him because it was real world, not ChalkZone.

He had to ask directions to find Rudy's place. He only remembered the street name, which he had a glimpse of after Boorat through him out of the window. Luckily, the first person he asked, a woman pushing her baby in a stroller, was able to give him directions to said street. Snap thanked her and took off as fast as he could.

He had ran most of the way there, determined to get to Rudy's house as soon as he could. But as he came onto the street, he was getting really tired. His heart pounded against his chest and he was very thirsty. He wiped the sweat from his forehead. He realized he had to slow down, so he began to walk the rest of the way. Despite his urges to keep running, he knew he would end up collapsing on the ground unconscious if he continued to run.

And today was not a good idea to do that. He had a feeling that he would see Terry somewhere near Rudy's place. She had been promoted to bigger news since she stopped trying to reveal ChalkZone. He had his doubts that she gave up completely; she was just biding her time. He knew that if he collapsed nearby and she saw him, she would take him again and try again to reveal ChalkZone. He couldn't allow that to happen.

Soon, Rudy's house was in view. He walked a little faster. When he got much closer, he froze and hid in the bushes. Just as he thought, Terry was there. She was with her cameraman and was talking with Rudy's parents, asking them questions on what had happened during Rudy and Penny's disappearance. Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie were joined by Penny's mother. All three looked very distraught and upset.

Snap stared at them sympathetically. He knew how hard it must be for them, to know that their children were missing but not being able to figure out where they were. Snap wanted to rush out and tell them where he thinks they might be. He wanted to inform them of what was going on in ChalkZone. He wanted to do something to help them.

...yet he knew that would have been a horrible idea. He didn't know how Rudy's parents or Penny's mom would react to ChalkZone. He didn't know if they would think ChalkZone was a horrible place and try to do something about it. He had no idea if they would go as far as bring in the government to investigate. And from there, it would all just go downhill...

And Terry would just make things worse. If he rushed out and said something about ChalkZone, she would do whatever she could to get him to reveal more information. She would turn the camera on him and box him in a corner, trying to make him speak. She would be even more determined to learn more if she knew that the disappearances lately could have been ChalkZone related.

Snap snuck around them. Terry was so focused on talking to the distressed parents to really notice him. He moved around to the side. He turned his head up, looking around for Rudy's window. It took him a second to realize Rudy's window was in the front of the house. He'd have to find another way in.

He saw that one of the windows in the back was open. Snap started to climb up. It wasn't easy to get up there, but his two dimensional powers did come in handy. He flattened himself against the house's surface and started to snake his way up towards the window. He still had to be very careful; it took all his strength to keep himself clung against the surface, and his whole body was aching as he yanked himself up. Moving along the blanks didn't feel good, and he felt himself get scraped a little.

Snap went through the window. He realized it was the bathroom window. He looked around, trying to keep an eye out for real world water. He saw a small puddle on the ground. Trembling, he moved around it slowly, never taking his eyes off of it. When he noticed he almost touched the wet counter, he froze in fear.

He still never fully got over what Mr. Cosmo did to him with real world water. He tried to pretend he was okay. If Rudy or Penny said something, he would hide it. He didn't want them to worry, and there was really almost never a case where he'd have to get close to real world water.

He had never feared real world water before until that incident. The sight of the water on the ground and on the counter he almost touched sent shockwaves through his body. It brought back the horrible memories of the water cutting into his head, where the mind control device was violently pushed into. It made him remember how Mr. Cosmo almost had him murdered with water, and how he had burned and tormented him with vinegar, which was much worse than water.

Snap managed to calm himself enough to get out of the bathroom. He gave a quick shudder, and he walked down the hall. He made sure to be very quiet. The last thing he wanted to do was alert Rudy's parents, and then have them believe he was the kidnapper. He wasn't sure how well he could defend himself. Ironically, Terry might defend him as she knows that he is Rudy's best friend. Or she might just use that as an excuse to make him come with her.

Snap got close to Rudy's door. It was partially open. His heart started to clench as he got closer. Dread filled his chest, his body shaking. Each step, he felt worse and worse. He wasn't sure if he wanted to see what was behind the door. Yet he had to. He had to know what happened to his friends.

When he got to the door, he put his gloved hand on it. He hesitated for a moment. He sucked in a deep breath, trying to mentally prepare himself for what he might see. He pushed the door open gently, not wanting it to bang and alert the people outside. And as the door fully opened, Snap looked around, his eyes widening in absolute horror.

There were claw marks on the ground, deep into the wood. Rudy's bed had suffered some damage. There were a few thick nicks in it, like something banged up against it. Some items had been dropped on the ground. He could see what looked to be sleeping bags, but they were ripped to shreds, pieces all over the ground.

But that wasn't what made him freeze in terror. No, it was the blood... Oh man the blood... It was everywhere. The walls, the floor, even a bit on the ceiling. It looked like a scene straight out of a horror movie or game. Most of the blood was on the sleeping bags, where he knew his friends were. The blood was darkest here, almost black. The blood on the walls and ceiling were brighter red by comparison.

It...it looked like an absolute massacre... It was like someone came in and butchered his friends... He looked at the blood with wide eyes, his body trembling, his mind racing. His breathing became ragged. He didn't want to believe they could be dead...

What terrified him even more was the fact that...he didn't even know if they were alive... There were no remains of them to be found. Not even a single strand of hair or a torn piece of clothing. The only thing was blood. Rudy and Penny's blood... He couldn't fathom what could have happened to cause this much blood splatter.

His lower lip quivered and he tried to fight back tears. Things just got a lot more serious than before. It was one thing to know that his friends vanished. But now...they were out there somewhere...trapped...

...and badly injured...

"Rudy...Penny..." Snap whispered, trying to hold back a sob. "W-Where are you...?"

He dropped onto his knees, staring at the blood splatters before him. Unable to hold back any longer, he started to cry.

WHAT TO DO:





Snap's mind felt like it turned into a block of ice. As he walked down the street, slowly back to where the old building was so he could return home, he found it hard to think of anything. Nothing...except what he had just seen in Rudy's bedroom.

That blood...so much blood... Was it even possible his friends were even alive after that? They must have had some serious injuries to lose that much blood. And their attacker...from the damage he had seen, he must have tossed them around a little. He wouldn't be surprised if his friends were suffering from some internal bleeding as well. The blood...he couldn't get it out of his mind.

He didn't want to give up hope on them. He wanted to believe that his friends were okay. That they were alive somehow and waiting for help. Yes, that might be the best thing to believe. Draow wouldn't want them dead so fast. If he was anything like Cosmo, and he knew that he was, he would want to torment them first. And as much as he hated the idea of his friends being tortured and put through so much misery, it did still give him a chance to find them and rescue them.

As he cleared his mind a little, he thought about what the next course of action should be. He had no doubt in his mind that they were taken to ChalkZone. Heading back there was priority. Plus he couldn't stay in the real world for very long. Even the act of standing in the real world was dangerous for him for too long during certain days. Not just rainy days, but humid days. The moisture in the air eats away at his body, and it itched, and if he stayed too long, it would start being pretty painful.

Normally, he wouldn't even dared go into the real world without Rudy or Penny with him. He was helpless to get back on his own should they lose access to the portal. And he felt safe with his friends; they would know what was dangerous to him and help him avoid it at all coss. Being taken by Cosmo for a few days had made him even more apprehensive about going into the real world alone.

He had overridden this fear when he knew his friends were in danger. He needed to know what had happened, see it for himself. It was the only way for him to decide what he should do next. And though he felt nervous being in the real world, he was glad he went. As much as it terrified him to see all that blood, he felt better having an idea of what happened to his friends.

He hadn't left the house right away. He had cried for several minutes, just letting it all out. The emotion built up inside of him, and he couldn't hold it back. The fear of what happened, the fear that his friends might be gone, it was more than he could handle, and he just broke down.

He managed to make himself get up when he heard the sound of the door opening. He could hear soft crying, and voices. Rudy's parents had went back into the house. Just them. Penny's mom must have left and Terry was likely gone too, maybe to go back to her newswagon or whatever it was called to edit the footage for broadcast.

Although Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie stayed downstairs, trying to comfort each other, Snap had to leave. He couldn't take the chance of them finding him. He didn't want to risk them mistaking him for their son's attacker. He would never hurt Rudy, but they wouldn't know that. They weren't aware of the strong friendship he had with their son, as well as Penny. For all they knew, he was an intruder, and once they saw he was made of chalk dust, he shuddered to think of how they might react.

Snap left the house the same way he came in. That meant going by the dreaded water again. This time, he did manage to control his fear a little. He kept telling himself that it wasn't going to hurt him, that it wasn't going to jump up and race towards him. He slipped around the small puddles of water and went out through the window, all the while being as quiet as he could.

And now, after some time of walking, trying to remember which way to turn, Snap could see the building up ahead. It was on the other side of the street, and, judging from the light, he would have to wait to cross. He watched the cars zip by. He coughed a little as he accidentally inhaled a bit of car smog. He had to stop and wonder how these humans managed to live like this.

Then, something caught his attention. The smell in the air, it had changed. He didn't notice until now. Before, he didn't really smell much of anything except some smog, and some food off in the distance. Food that he couldn't eat unless he wanted to kill himself or, at the very least, make him sick. He had no idea how long the smell was there, and nothing about it seemed familiar.

It was...an almost chemical dampy kind of smell. Nothing like the vinegar. He shuddered at the memory. This was less intense, and yet it still smelled thick and heavy. Snap looked around, trying to find the source of the smell. He forgot all about watching the traffic ahead, and he spent some time walking around, trying to figure out the smell.

Then, slowly, he turned his head up. He wondered...could the smell be coming up from the sky? Now that he thought about it, the sky was looking unusually dark...

His eyes widened. He let out a gasp of fear. No...no not now...

His mind began to race, and as he heard the sound of thunder in the distance, it took all his strength not to scream aloud, which would have drawn unwanted attention to himself. He heard the sound of drops hitting against the ground. Tiny drops, and they hadn't yet reached him. But that would all change in a matter of seconds...

Without thinking, Snap bolted across the street. Several cars screeched to a halt. He heard humans spewing insults at him, waving their fists in anger. The loud honking of cars filled his eardrums, almost overshadowing the thunderclap that sounded.

Snap ran as fast as he could. He watched the ground start to get a little wet. Droplets fell all around him. His heart began to race. If he didn't get inside that building soon... He pushed himself to go faster, his throat getting dryer by the second. He could see the building to his side. He just needed a few more seconds... Just a couple more seconds, please...

Snap slammed himself against the door. He didn't bother opening it. He used his two dimensional powers to squeeze under the door. As soon as he got inside, he heard another thunderclap and the rain falling down much heavier than before. He walked over to a window and he let out a scream when he took notice of what was going on out there.

It was like a mansoon had struck. The rain came down thick, filling almost every part of the air with water. The wind picked up, washing the water across the ground. Already, there was a thin sheet of water on the ground, being rippled and rolled around by the wind. Another crack of thunder rattled through Snap's body, making his heart beat faster and faster as realization sunk in.

If he had just been a few seconds late, he would have...he would have been...

Tears formed in his eyes once more, this time from fear and shock. He couldn't believe how close he had gotten to dying... And his friends would not have known what happened to him. They might die never knowing what had happened to him, not knowing that he had gone into the real world to find them.

Snap shuddered at the realization of how close he was to death. A few seconds, and he would have died. He placed a hand on his chest, feeling his heart thump against his ribcage. He took in deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. He took one last look through the window, swallowed hard, and forced himself to walk up the rickety steps towards the portal that would take him home. He would feel much better when he went back home, in a dimension that couldn't kill him as easily as a knife cutting through melted butter.

When he went back through the blue portal, and his feet touched the familiar ground that was ChalkZone, he felt a wave of relief hit him. All the fears that he had regarding his own safety had vanished. He felt secure here. He knew, here, the rain wouldn't be able to get to him. He was away from the real world water. He wasn't in danger anymore.

...but he knew his friends still were. He needed a way to track down Draow. But how? There was no blood trail leading outside. There would have to be some other way to find him. Strands of hair maybe. He decided he should go home, to his place, to locate his detective outfit Rudy drew for him when Penny first came. The magnifying glass might help him here.

He didn't get two steps away before he found himself being smothered by Rapsheeba. She had pulled him into a hug and she had a look of great relief on her face. He had almost forgotten she was there, his mind clouded by the memories of what he had witnessed in the real world, the sight he beheld when he went into Rudy's bedroom.

"My man Snap! You're okay!" Rapsheeba cried out.

Snap gagged. "Please let me go..." She was squeezing him too hard.

When Rapsheeba realized what she was doing, she let go of him. "Oh I'm so sorry... Are you okay?"

Snap rubbed his head and brushed himself off. "Yeah, I'm fine."

After a few moments of silence, Rapsheeba sucked her lip nervously. "So uh..." She hesitated, looking at Snap worriedly. She forced out the question she was afraid to ask. "Did you find out anything?"

At this, Snap furrowed his eyebrows and he stared at her. He gave a rigid nod. "Y-Yeah, I did..." He tried his best not to cry.

Rapsheeba noticed how red his cheeks were. She knew that he had been crying. She put a hand over her mouth and took a step back. She stared at Snap with a combination of horror and sympathy. Snap didn't need to say anything for Rapsheeba to understand the gravity of the situation.

Feeling a tear roll down his cheek, Snap looked at Rapsheeba and said, "It...it was horrible. There was..blood everywhere...So much blood..."

Rapsheeba gasped in horror. She took a step back, staring at Snap. She looked like she wanted to say something, but no words would come out.

Snap's body shuddered once. He fought back the tears that continued to form. Yet he couldn't stop a few more tears from trinkling down his face.

"D-Draow attacked them... I know it was him..." Snap said in a shaky voice. Rapsheeba's eyes widened at this. "He must have taken them into ChalkZone.. I don't know where they are but I swear...I swear..." His fists shook in determination. "I will find them..."

Rapsheeba placed a hand on his shoulder. She looked at him sympathetically. In an attempt to encourage him, she said, "I'm sure you will..."

"Thanks, queenie..." Snap said softly, offering a weak smile.

She smiled back, but her attention turned back to the portal. "What are we going to do about this?"

Snap stared at the portal. He hadn't thought about that. He could try to get rid of the portal and...no that wouldn't work. Zoners could not erase portals. It was too risky for them. Even the act of touching an eraser was dangerous. He couldn't take the chance of hurting or killing himself.

The next best thing to do was to hide the portal somehow. But...just how was he going to do that? He could try slinging something over it, but that would make it even more noticeable to anyone walking by. While most zoners would not want to go through the portal anyway, he knew that some scrupulous zoners might want to go through and cause a bit of trouble themselves. And even if no zoners like that came across here, the act of going into the real world not only posed a threat to the individual, but risked exposing ChalkZone.

He couldn't very well draw a cover for the portal. He wasn't a creator like Rudy or Penny. So he would have to make do with what he had. Maybe he could find something tall that could drap over the portal and cover it up or something. He looked around, trying to find something to help him with this.

Snap turned to Rapsheeba. "Do you see anything we can use to cover up the portal?"

Rapsheeba looked confused. She glanced around quickly before saying, "I don't think so. Why?"

Snap walked around the immediate area, searching around desperately for something he could use. There had to be something here. There just had to be. "We need to cover up the portal with something. Preferably something dark but inconspicuous. We don't want any zoners or humans finding this portal. I would erase it, but we zoners can't do such a risky thing without hurting ourselves in the process."

"Sorry, Snap." Rapsheeba said. "I just don't know if we can do that. I don't see any concievable way we could..."

"Well we have to try!" Snap said, his voice firm. "ChalkZone would be in danger if we don't..."

"Our friends are in danger, Snap." Rapsheeba reminded him. "We can't be wasting time on this. From what you said, we need to go find them, and fast."

Snap paused and thought about this. He knew Queen Rapsheeba was right. The more time they spent on this, the less time he had to help his friends. They were somewhere, badly hurt, maybe barely alive, and they needed help fast. And if he kept wasting time on this portal...

...he might never see them again...

Snap knew he had a tough decision to make. He could try to cover up the portal, or he could start to look for his friends. And both had their own form of consequence. Leaving the portal out in the open increases the chances of a zoner or human stumbling across it and crossing through. And there was a probability that the zoner or human who finds it would have less than ideal intentions. But if he kept working on hiding the portal, that was less time he had to find his friends. If he kept at this, he would lose his two best friends, and he wouldn't be able to forgive himself for that.

He growled in frustration, clutching his head. It was so hard to choose. He didn't want to lose his friends. But he also didn't want to put ChalkZone, his home, in grave danger. He weighed the two options in his mind. He felt a sick feeling rising in his stomach annd chest, making him feel like he wanted to throw up. Oh, why did he have to be forced between a rock and a hard place...?

Rapsheeba tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to face her. She gave him the best smile that she could, trying her best to reassure him.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I'll take care of the portal. I'll...think of something." She said. "You go figure out where Rudy and Penny are."

Snap's eyes widened a little. He hadn't thought about asking Rapsheeba to help with the portal. He was grateful that she offered to take care of it. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. "Thank you, queenie..." He said in a soft voice, smiling gratefully.

Rapsheeba returned the hug, rubbing his back. "No problem."

Letting go of her, Snap smiled at Rapsheeba for a few seconds, then he turned his head towards where his sleeping quarters were. He narrowed his eyes in determination. He was going to find Rudy and Penny, and he will do whatever it takes to save them. They tried so hard to save him when he was held captive by Cosmo, and when he felt like he was on his last leg.

Now it was time that he returned the favor.

sss

Five disappearances...no, make that seven disappearances. All within a short amount of time. All with no evidence left behind except blood, and some minor destruction, most likely from all the struggling. And they all happened in Plainsville...

To most people, these events were alarming, confusing, and horrifying. No one knew what was going on. Nobody had a clue where the bodies where, if the victims were even still alive. There was nothing left at the crime scenes that offered any clues as to what was going on. The families in mourning are desperate to find out what happened to their loved ones. They would hope and pray that someone, somewhere, has any kind of clue as to the whereabouts of the victims.

That is, except one person. There was one person in town currently who wasn't as confused as the others. Terry Bouffant was her name. She sat in her television van, parked in an empty parking lot, looking over the evidence she had gathered.

She had an idea of what was going on. She had learned how to recognize the signs after all her encounters with Rudy and his friends. She looked at the pictures of the crime scenes and narrowed her eyes at them. There was one thing that would explain the disappearances. However, her theory could never be broadcasted, not unless she wanted to lose her job. It had taken her a long time to get a higher position. Not as high as she used to be, but it was a step up for her.

She knew that ChalkZone had to be connected. It would explain why there were no bodies found. She had been to ChalkZone before, and from what she'd seen, it was a large place. Maybe not as big as earth, though she couldn't tell. But it was still quite big. There were many places for people to disappear to in that place.

The only thing she wasn't sure of was the circumstances of the disappearances. They all seemed random at first. And she wasn't even sure if the attacker was a zoner or someone who had access to ChalkZone. The seemingly random attacks became more focused when Andrew Sanchez, whom she believed was Penny's father, disappeared. It might have been a coincidence, but her gut feeling told her that he had been targeted on purpose.

And then Rudy and Penny both vanish. And the room they were taken from had a lot more blood... She shuddered a little at the memory. The sight of all that blood made her feel uneasy. She might not like the kids that much, but even she wouldn't wish that kind of fate on them. She did feel a little sorry for the parents. But she kept most of her focus on trying to figure out just what happened.

She had seen Snap White running into a building. She had been trying to drive home when someone rushed into traffic. She almost hit a car in front of her as she slammed hard on her brakes. She was pissed off and looked out the window to see who the jerk was. Her eyes widened when she saw it was Snap, apparently trying to escape the rain, as seconds later the rain fell.

She wondered why he was in the real world and not back in ChalkZone. And why would he run into that building of all places? Why not Rudy's house? After doing some quick thinking, she deduced that there must be an open portal in that particular building. He could have ran into another building right next to it, or even passed it, but instead, he chose that one building. Old, worn, nobody having used it in a long time.

Terry narrowed her eyes. Yes, there had to be an open portal there. If she could go in there and locate the portal, she could finally get irrefutable evidence of the chalk world's existence. And, as much as she never really wanted true harm to come to Rudy and Penny, nothing like what had happened to them, one good thing that came out of it was that, unlike her first attempt to expose ChalkZone...

...this time, there would be no one to stop her.