Play The Game

HOPSCOTCH ON THE PILLARS:





Pain...horrific pain... Blinding agony...

That was the first thing Penny was aware of when she woke up. Fluttering her eyes open, she immediately began to moan in pain. Her mind was a little muggy, but that only lasted a split second. The pain that shot through her body reminded her of what had happened. She felt intense pain from where her right leg was. When she tried to move it, she was instantly paralyzed by the pain, seething through her clenched teeth.

She realized she was laying on her stomach. She pushed herself up on her elbows. Her hair, messy and having some blood caked on it, splayed in front of her face. She used a finger to push her hair away, wincing when she accidentally grazed the gash on her head. Her eyes were barely open, almost completely shut from the pain. She looked around, the room coming into focus now. Her eyes shot open when she saw Rudy on the ground.

Unlike her, he was on his back. She could see his chest rise and fall unsteadily. Each breath was shaky. She wondered if it was from the pain... Yeah it had to be from the pain. She saw his leg. There were deep bite marks in the thigh. She could see nothing but redness from where the skin was torn up. The leg was twisted to the side, broken almost all the way to the hip. The leg rested at an odd angle, further away from the body than normal, cementing the fact that it was broken.

Rudy's face was contorted, like he had wanted to scream when he fainted, but never got the chance to. He looked so...weak and helpless.. She wanted to do something for him. But in her state...what could she do? She couldn't walk. She couldn't move her leg without feeling so much agony.

But seeing Rudy like that...it made her heart ache. What had he done to deserve it? What had she done to deserve this either? Nothing... None of them asked for this to happen. And yet here they were...being tortured and starved to death. The lack of food and water was getting to her even worse now. She would love to sit back and eat one of her favorite meals that her mom cooks.

Her mom... Penny's eyes welled up with tears. She hoped she would be okay. Her mother must be worried sick about her by now. She must be looking everywhere for her. And Rudy's parents...they were surely going through the same thing. She knew they would do whatever it took to find them. Even if it means having to investigate themselves...

...which brought Penny to an uncomfortable realization. A crossroads, and she wasn't sure which path was the right one. If their parents investigated long enough, if they poked their nose in enough places, then they might find out about ChalkZone... The thought was chilling. Penny had no idea how they would react. They could cut off access to ChalkZone, or help expose it, or see it as a threat and want it destroyed. There were so many things that could go wrong from them finding out.

But on the other hand, if they found out, and if they accepted ChalkZone and understood why they kept it a secret, that would be more burden lifted from them. She remembered how much of a relief it was when she and Rudy found out Mr. Wilter had known about ChalkZone this whole time and was just putting on an act to make it seem like he didn't know. When they found out, it was much easier visiting ChalkZone during school hours, and now they had a new ally to discuss ChalkZone matters with.

If their parents accepted ChalkZone, then they no longer needed to hide it from them. No longer would they have to lie to their parents when they went off to visit. No longer would they have to feel guilty about staying late; their parents would know they were in ChalkZone. Maybe they could even bring their parents there. There was so much she wanted to show her mother. And Rudy had expressed the same longing; he, too, wanted to take his parents to all sorts of beautiful and unique places in ChalkZone that he felt his parents would love.

But the risk of what might happen if their parents don't like ChalkZone was too great for them to take the risk. If their parents don't want them going, they would do whatever it took to keep them separated, even going as far as taking away their chalkboards and chalk, cutting off any possible access point into the chalky world. Penny could only hope that, if their parents did find out, they would be understanding.

Penny attempted to shift herself on the ground. She accidentally brushed her leg along the hard floor. She let out a small cry of pain. Although she was scared to look, she still forced herself to glance at her leg and survey the damage that was dealt. She was horrified to see her leg had been horribly twisted and seemed to just dangle there, attached only by whatever skin and muscle hadn't been ripped apart. Looking very carefully, she could see a bit of bone sticking out.

Unlike Rudy's, her leg had been broken at the shin, not the thigh. Not that it really mattered. Her leg was completely useless now. Just a tiny movement sent shockwaves of pain, forcing her to freeze, tears escaping her eyes as she tried to ride out the pain.

She looked back at Rudy. Her eyes trailed along his leg once more. She couldn't believe those bastards still hurt him, even after she pleaded with them not to. They would pay for this. Somehow, someway, they would both pay dearly for what they have done. She shifted her eyes to his other injuries. She could see his side wound, which looked even worse now. It looked like one of those monsters had raked their claws against his side, just to be sadistic. And his wrist...it looked so horrible. The bone in the wrist had been crushed, making it useless. If there was little hope before for his right hand to recover...now it seemed like a complete healing of that hand was an impossibility now...

She knew it was a bad idea. But she still felt like she had to. She began to crawl over towards Rudy. Each movement forward was like crawling across fiery, heated coals. Even using her good leg to try to keep some weight off her broken one, it was still impossible to move without crying out in pain. She was leaving behind a trail of blood, and that was when she realized her leg wound was still bleeding. Yet she paid little attention to that as her mind was focused on Rudy.

When she finally reached him, she positioned herself at his side. She stared at his tightly shut eyes, her lower lip quivering. She wondered if, even knocked out, he could feel the pain. She wished she could take away the pain somehow.

"Rudy...please..." She whispered to him. "Wake up..." There was no reply. She tried again, a little more desperate. "Come on...wake up...please..." A sharp pang spread in her heart when he still didn't move. She reached over and gently shook him, careful to avoid his injuries. "Open your eyes, Rudy... If you stay asleep too long, you could go into a coma...please...wake up...wake up..."

His eyes shuddered. Penny looked at him, a sense of hope welling up inside of her. Slowly, his eyes opened up, and Penny silently rejoiced that he managed to wake up. He turned his head around. He looked up at Penny. He was confused at first, but a second later, pain had registered in his head, and he cried out. He tried to move, but Penny gently held him down.

"No, don't move around too much. You're badly wounded..." Penny said softly.

Rudy's memory had came back quickly, as the next thing he said was, "So...so are you..." His eyes shifted and Penny could tell he was looking at her twisted leg. "I'm sorry...I couldn't stop them..."

"Shhh..." Penny whispered. She reached over and touched his cheek gently. "It's okay...none of this was your fault... Please don't blame yourself, Rudy."

Rudy's eyes shifted up towards the ceiling. He looked deep in thought. Once in a while, he would wince from the pain. It seemed that he could manage it a little better so long as he didn't move around too much. He turned his attention back to Penny. "I'm sure Snap is...almost here by now..."

A shuddered breath escaped Penny's mouth. Rudy sounded so much weaker now. The pain was finally starting to get to him. Yet some hope still remained inside of him...as it did with her. One thing she would fight to keep until her dying breath...

...was the hope that Snap would find them in time.

"Yeah...I'm sure he is too..." Penny said. She gave Rudy a small smile. This only lasted for a second as a shockwave of pain rushed through her leg when she accidentally moved it. "I just...hope it's soon..." She said, her teeth clenched tightly and eyes shut.

Rudy smiled the best he could through the pain. "I'm sure he will..."

Penny let it all sink in. They were both still hopeful that Snap would save them. They both tried their best to hold onto that hope. Yet, she realized, with an icy chill, that just sitting around hoping would not ensure their rescue. As the mental clock in her head ticked, she knew they were running out of time. They were growing weaker as each minute passed by, their bodies starved of food and dried from the lack of water.

And the injuries they just keep recieving...

They had lost a lot of blood already. Her mind was already aching, a side effect from the loss of too much blood. Their bodies would start shutting down soon as energy is not able to reach to the various parts of their body anymore. And as their bodies start to shut down, they would get worse and worse. And that's not even getting started with infection. None of their wounds had been cleaned. Infection would or had already settled in. And with their bodies so weak...there wasn't much to stop the infection.

They were indeed running out of time. They had very little time left. Snap didn't have long left to find them. And even if he did find them with just barely enough time left, he'd still have to face Draow and Bardot. As much as Penny wanted to hope that they could still make it, a part of her was starting to realize that maybe...just maybe...they wouldn't make it out this time...

The realization hit her hard. Suddenly, all the horrific things that happened to them came crashing in on her. It was too much to bear. Unable to stop herself, she started to sob. She pressed her head against Rudy's, slinging her arm across his chest, doing a sort of half hug. Emotion had also overwhelmed Rudy for he, too, started to cry.

As the two teens cried, laying close to each other for comfort and reassurance, they both were thinking the same thing.

They both hoped that Snap would find them in time. And that, soon, this nightmare would be over.

sss

Snap and Rapsheeba leaned against an old tree as they looked at the note for the next game. It was a little longer than the other riddles. They both read it out loud together.

It read:

"Insanity seems to run throughout this world
A story you should know was told
You've been trapped here once before
And it was your friend who had to endure
To reveal a secret that wasn't even there
A new enemy was born that you had to bear
An enemy that wouldn't listen to reason
An enemy that committed treason
In this world, everything is failure and a success
Bizzarre things here you will find in excess"

Just when he thought the riddles were becoming easier to understand, this one baffled him. He looked at Rapsheeba. She looked like she was having a hard time figuring it out. Far as he knew, this riddle involved something Rapsheeba wasn't a part of. The remaining riddles, Snap guessed would be things Rapsheeba couldn't help him with. Just like Bardot to make things harder for them.

He thought about the long riddle. He analyzed each line. They had to be telling him something. They were giving off hints of where the next area was. He stared at the card, rereading each line over and over again. His head was starting to hurt as he thought too hard. Unlike the other riddles, so far, no line here was jumping out of him. None of them were giving him an idea of what was being talked about here.

He started to panic a little. If he didn't figure out this riddle soon, Rudy and Penny would be... He had to keep trying. He kept rereading the riddle. There had to be something he missed. Something he hadn't even considered. But the more he read it, the more frustrated he became, and the harder it was to concentrate on figuring this out.

There had to be something he was missing, something he wasn't considering. He rubbed his head, trying to get rid of the headache that was taking him over. Rapsheeba looked at him sympathetically. She wanted to help him, but it was clear she had no ideas herself.

Snap couldn't give up. As hard as it was to figure this riddle out, he couldn't give up. He had come so far already. After this, there was only three more games left to play. They were over halfway done. They could do it...they could do it... He glanced at the paper again, rereading each line carefully. Slowly and deliberately... Then something caught his eye at long last.

An enemy that wouldn't listen to reason...an enemy that commited treason... There was one zoner Snap thought of that might fit that bill. There was Skrawl, but considering he changed sides, he had a feeling that wasn't what Bardot was referring to. There was still another that fit that description. One that Snap hadn't seen much of lately.

Craniac 4...

After that, everything else came like a lightning bolt in the back of his mind. Suddenly, the rest of the riddle started to make sense. Being trapped there before, yeah he and Penny were captured along with Rudy. But it was Rudy who ended up suffering, being interrogated by Craniac 3, though thankfully he wasn't injured in the process. Things being a success and a failure...that describes the Future Dome in a nutshell. A lot of things there worked but kinda didn't work.

A secret that wasn't there, that must have been referring to how Craniac 3 thought there was a secret to using the magic chalk, no matter how much he was told that only a human could wield it. Treason..when Craniac 4 was created, he immediately trashed Craniac 3 rather than team up with him. And then he, too, wouldn't listen to reason and tried to get Rudy's 'mater materializer'.

The Future Dome...that must be their next location. But it was raised above the ground. Just how were they going to get up there?

Snap turned to Rapsheeba. "Well...good news and bad news."

Rapsheeba looked at him worriedly. "What is it?"

"The good news: I know what the riddle is talking about. Bad news: I have no idea how we are going to get there." Snap said. He shifted his eyes skyward. "The next place is in the Future Dome."

Rapsheeba blinked at him. Her eyes widened a little. "But that place floats high above the ground. How does Bardot think we can...?"

"Maybe he has provided us a way to get up there." Snap said, his voice slightly bitter. "He wouldn't want his little 'game' ruined, so he probably thought ahead, now that I think of it, and provided a form of transport we can use to get up there, into the 'cereal bowl' as Rudy had called it." His mouth ticked slightly into a small smile.

"Cereal bowl?" Rapsheeba asked, looking confused.

"Rudy had a Dumb Dart in him." Snap said. "And oh boy did it work a little too well..." Snap recalled how stupid Rudy got the longer he had the dart in him. As funny as Dumb Dart Rudy was, he was glad they never had to experience that again.

"Oh I see..." Rapsheeba stared out ahead. "So which way is that?"

"It's this way." Snap said. He began to walk towards the left. He waved his hand at Rapsheeba, gesturing her to follow. "Let's hurry up and get there."

sss

"What? What happened?!" King Mumbo Jumbo stared at Skrawl, his eyes wide in absolute horror.

Skrawl knew he was going to react like this. Why wouldn't he? Barney was his best friend. When they were separated for so long, it had been hard on both of them. They missed each other so badly. Poor Barney even though his friend had died after all that time, and he blamed himself for it.

Since Master Tabootie had freed the king, that gave the long lost friends a lot of time to catch up and to spend some time together again. Skrawl had learned that Mumbo Jumbo had started to take care of Barney after he had gone blind, treating his injuries, but, thanks to Bardot, he was forced to believe that they were inflicted accidentally by Barney himself. And no matter what the king said, his friend never told a different story.

Being best friends for so long, Mumbo Jumbo had no reason to believe Barney would lie to him. He trusted his word, and did whatever he could to help him. He was clearly worried about how badly hurt Barney was getting. He kept an eye on him, but, from what Skrawl was told, it seemed any time he was away for a short time, he'd come back and find Barney injured again, sometimes rebreaking his legs or old wounds reopening. It was so bad that the king had suggested following Barney wherever he went, and was confused when Barney had turned it down.

And now, here stood Skrawl. He had just delivered to Mumbo Jumbo the truth of what was really going on. And just like he predicted, the tortoise didn't take the news very well. In fact, he was horrified, his green skin having lost a couple shades of color.

"I...I knew something was wrong... but I..." Mumbo Jumbo stammered, his voice shaky. "I had no idea it was...something like that..."

Skrawl nodded his head. "It came as a shock to me, too. I had never known anyone to seek out Barney to...hurt him like that... And this abuse has been going on for over a year." He shook his head. "Truly disgusting... At least he's safe for now."

"How is he...?" King Mumbo Jumbo asked, his eyes shimmering as tears started to form.

"Physically, he's a wreck. He was found out in the jungle by one of my Beanie Boys, barely alive. I guess Bardot didn't have a need for him anymore and tried to torture him to death." Skrawl said. Mumbo Jumbo gasped at this. "Mentally, he's not that well off. He's very shaken up and terrified by what happened, and I don't blame him. He doesn't want to be left alone for long periods of time. He says he's afraid that Bardot will come back to get him."

That was a real concern Skrawl had for the centipede zoner. He did convince one of the doctors to stay in the room with Barney after explaining the issue. But he didn't think that would be enough. He knew how close he and Mumbo Jumbo were, and the tortoise was a pretty strong zoner...

"I would like to take you to go see your friend." Skrawl said, looking at the king sympathetically. "He needs you right now. You can stay with him and help him feel safe."

Mumbo Jumbo nodded his head. He took in a shaky breath. The horrific news of his friend had affected him deeply. "Take me to him..." He said softly. A spark of anger flashed in his eyes. "And if I see Bardot..."

"I trust that you will make him regret ever laying a claw on your friend." Skrawl said, reading the king's mind.

"Yeah..." The tortoise zoner said, nodding his head. "You can bet on that."

sss

"Welcome to the seventh game. For this, let us go back to a childhood favorite. A simple game of hopscotch...but beware. Things aren't always as they seem. And if you aren't careful, you may lose another."

That was what the card had said. The last sentence terrified Snap. It was hinting, strongly, that in this game, he will lose Rapsheeba, and the remaining games, he'll be completely on his own. He didn't want Rapsheeba to suffer the same fate as Blocky. He would do whatever it took to ensure that Rapsheeba didn't lose this 'game'.

Hopscotch seemed like a too simple of a game. He thought Bardot could do better than that. But then his thoughts traveled to the first game. The scavenger hunt...and how easy the items were to get there... Snap's eyes widened. What if this game also hid a very horrific and surprising deathtrap? Several of the deathtraps came from below. He was careful of where he stepped.

Getting into the Future Dome wasn't too hard. Just like he had predicted, Bardot had left them a way inside. Not surprising. He wanted to continue the pain, the bastard...

The dome was still inhabited. He could still see many zoners living here walking around, enjoying their lives the best they could. But he didn't spend a lot of time looking at them; his mind was focused in reaching the location the next game would take place in. Luckily, none of the zoners here really talked to him or Rapsheeba, too preoccupied with trying to work an invention or crashing into things due to malfunctioning devices.

In the very center of the dome was where they found the card. And not long after reading it, the ground shifted just a little, revealing square shaped indentions that raised up a tad. Lines quickly formed, soon taking the shape of a hopscotch board, looking much like what a kid would draw. This time here was no timer, but the eerie glow of the hopscotch board made Snap apprehensive about starting.

A small rock rolled against Snap's foot. He knelt down and picked it up. He stared at Rapsheeba. "Are you ready to start this, queenie?"

She paused for a moment. Then she nodded. "Y-Yeah..."

With a flick of his wrist, Snap tossed the rock over. As it landed on a square, he went forward. It was hard with his bad leg, even worse since he couldn't use his walking stick to play effectively. But he managed, albeit slowly, to complete the hopscotch all the way to the end. He gestured for Rapsheeba to follow him.

Rapsheeba hopped along, taking care not to touch the square with the rock in it. Soon, she made it to the other side. And now it was time to go back. Rapsheeba went first, and then Snap. He had to fight against the pain as he knelt down to grab the rock without touching the square, and he made it to the other side. Snap wasn't sure how many times they'd have to do this before the deathtrap activated. But he had a feeling he would soon find out.

And he did.

When Rapsheeba tossed the rock and it landed on the dead center of the hopscotch board, something had activated. The whirring sound of machinery could be hard, things twisting and turning under their feet. Walls rose up all around them, blocking the bystander zoners from witnessing what was happening. The metallic ground rumbled and started to give way. With a scream, the two jumped onto the hopscotch board.

The hopscotch board began to break apart and separate, creating tall metal pillars. They each clung to one, barely enough room for them to stand on. They looked around, watching in horror as something began to fill the bottom of the floor up, going halfway. Something bubbling and clearly heated. It wasn't lava; it was the wrong color. It was too clear.

Snap's eyes widened in horror. It didn't take him long to realize what the stuff was. It was acid... Chalk acid but still acid nonetheless. And it was slowly rising...

He looked at Rapsheeba, horror etched on his face as well as hers. They looked at the pillars. They did form an escape route, but they were still so far apart... It would take all their strength and physical prowess, whatever was left of it, to get out of this one. And as Snap stood up, he cried out in shock as a piece of the pillar he stood on broke apart, landing in the acid below him. The sizzline sound sent chills through his body, causing his body to tremble in fear.

He heard cracking all around him. Slow, deliberate cracking... He realized, in horror, that they had a time limit to get out of this thing.

He turned to Rapsheeba and cried, "Hop! Hop for your life!"

WHAT CAN YOU TELL US?:





Terry stood in front of the Tabootie's house. She stared at the door for a moment. Then she reached up and knocked on the door. A few seconds later, Mr. Tabootie answered the door, a forelorn look on his face.

"Hello, Ms. Bouffant." Mr. Tabootie said sadly. He stepped aside and moved his arm out to the side, a gesture that clearly meant she could walk inside. "Come on in. My wife and her friend are in the kitchen."

"All right then." Terry wasn't sure what else to say. She didn't want to say quiet; that would have been rude.

She followed Mr. Tabootie into the kitchen. Sitting in the chairs, just like the man said, were a large woman she recognized as his wife and another woman whom she recognized as Penny's mother. The two women were trying to console each other. Their faces were red with tears. She wondered how long they had been crying before she got here. Losing your children...not an easy thing to go through. She felt sorry for them.

Mr. Tabootie didn't look much better. He, too, had been crying. Maybe not as much as his wife, but his face showed clear signs of constant tears. She saw him at least once wiping his nose and giving a sniffle. She couldn't blame him or the women for being upset. Their children had been missing for over forty-eight hours now, with no signs of any evidence being gathered to find them. She had known worse cases, of children missing for much longer, but even just a day of not knowing where their children were was heartbreaking, and not an easy thing to deal with.

When Terry had gotten the phone call, she was in complete shock. She had been in the restroom washing her hands when she heard someone knock on the bathroom door. When she opened it, she found her boss standing there with the studio's phone in his hand. He gave it to her and told her someone wanted to talk to her. This surprised her. Ever since the whole 'world of chalk' thing, hardly anyone called to speak to her directly about anything.

Then she found out it was Mr. Tabootie calling. She was confused, unsure of what to think. Why had he called? Maybe a new piece of evidence surfaced that he wanted her to report on? Hmm unlikely. If that were the case, the man would have contacted the police, and through there, she might have been chosen to go back to the house to report. This wasn't how evidence was reported. So it had to be something else. But what? She couldn't think of anything.

Even now, she still had no idea why she had been brought over. On the phone, all Mr. Tabootie said was that he wanted her to come over to meet with him, his wife, and Mrs. Sanchez. He didn't say why exactly, just that he'd feel more comfortable talking about it in his own home.

Terry wanted to ask more about why he wanted her over, but realized she wasn't going to get any answers over the phone. So she agreed to come over as soon as she could. She spoke to her boss to work something out, and he let her take an early leave. She packed up her things, got in her news van, and headed over to the Tabootie's as quickly as possible.

And now here she stood in their kitchen. Mr. Tabootie had went over and pulled up a chair to the table, sitting next to his wife. He put a comforting hand over her shoulder, pulling her close. Mrs. Tabootie turned her head and pressed her cheek against his shoulders. Terry looked at them sympathetically.

Terry took the spare chair and pulled up to the table. She positioned herself so she was on the opposite die of the table, like she was the boss and these people were her clients. She spent a few silent moments staring at them, waiting for one of them to speak up. When no one did, she decided to break the silence.

"What is it you wanted me to come over for?" Terry asked. She tried her best not to sound too forceful. She knew this was a bad time for that. "I know you didn't want me to come all this way unless it was really important."

At first, she got no response. The parents looked at her, sad expressions plastered on their faces. They looked like they really wanted to tell or ask her something, but from the way they were looking at her, they seemed...worried. But why? It was almost as though what they wanted to ask...would make her laugh or something.

There was a sense of nervousness she was getting from these people. Not just worry and sorrow for the loss of their children. But apprehension. They were looking at her with a wanting expression. It made her feel like they believed she knew something they didn't. A horrible thought crossed her mind. Did they think she was responsible for their children going missing? Sure, she didn't like Rudy or Penny, but hurting them wasn't high on her priority list, and was far removed from her mind.

But..no...they weren't accusing her. Their expressions didn't yield anything that suggested they blamed her for anything. And if they did think she did something, they would have reported her to police, not invite her over to the house. No, something else was going on.

Mr. Tabootie was the one who finally spoke up. "Ms. Bouffant...the reason we called you over here was...well.." He stammered over his own words. "We think we found something."

So they had found something to report. Something about this seemed strange. Why would they call her over here into the house then? Why hadn't they called the police? Or had they? She wasn't psychic. Maybe they had called the police and they told them to...no even that didn't make sense. She would have gotten the report from her boss and given the order to come over here. She wouldn't have been called by Mr. Tabootie. That wasn't the way things worked.

"I know it is strange to call you over here like this but..." Mr. Tabootie paused for a moment. "We...given what we found, we felt it was best to talk to you..in private. We know what kind of reputation you had for a time, so..."

Terry raised an eyebrow. Reputation? What reputation was he talking about? There was nothing she could think of except... Her eyes widened a little at the realization. The fabled world of chalk she had been trying to report on for so long. Was this meeting about that?

No, it couldn't be. It had to be a coincidence. No one had ever taken her world of chalk story seriously. In fact, the only ones who would believe her were Vinnie, who had been there himself, and Rudy and Penny, who did whatever they could to keep her and Vinnie from exposing ChalkZone.

"Let me cut to the chase." Mrs. Sanchez said, cutting off whatever Mr. Tabootie was going to say. "We were wondering...if you could tell us anything about this 'world of chalk' you kept trying to report in the past. This ChalkZone."

Terry was in complete shock. Were they being serious? Did they really want to sit down and listen to her blab on about that place? From the looks of it, they were being completely serious. They weren't doing this to make fun of her. They weren't doing it for a laugh. No, they were really serious about wanting to hear about ChalkZone. A part of Terry had never been happier.

"Sure but...why?" Terry asked, unsure of what else to say.

"We found some tapes left behind by Mr. Cosmo. He kept talking about this world of chalk. Then Reggie told us how our kids would disappear for extended periods of time...they'd disappear at home as well. The things Mr. Cosmo talked about...the way he talked about our kids..." Mr. Tabootie said. He paused, taking in an uneasy breath. "It was..."

"It was horrible. He was absolutely insane!" Mrs. Tabootie cried, her body shaking. "I'll never be able to unhear those words, or unsee those eyes..."

Terry nodded her head. She had heard about Mr. Cosmo, and how he went crazy and killed Ms. Saffron. Or at least, that was the cover story Rudy and Penny came up with. Terry wasn't as easily fooled, and she guessed that the murder was linked to ChalkZone. She was frustrated that the two kids wouldn't give her any information, but then she had come to expect that from them. Just like Rudy and Penny to hide information even if said information could lead to proper justice and help keep others safe.

She had only met the man once. It wasn't for very long, but in that brief moment, she knew something was off about him. He was giving off a weird vibe that she didn't like. And the way he spoke to her, it wasn't necessarily degrading, but he did act a little too high and mighty of himself. Like he could do no wrong.

A part of her wondered if these tapes were still in tact. Maybe she could use them for... Hmm, no. They probably wouldn't work. She didn't really think he'd have any video evidence of zoners, and even if there were, it could easily be dismissed as just an animation project. That was why she wanted to bring a newscaster down into ChalkZone so they can see for themselves that it really was real. With actual physical evidence, there was no way anyone would dismiss her as being crazy.

"We tried to talk to Mr. Wilter, but he..." Mr. Tabootie paused. He was rethinking his words. "He wasn't able to provide any information."

"We were hoping you could." Mrs. Tabootie said, looking intently at the reporter. "We know how much you obsess over this 'world of chalk' thing, and, after all we found out... We wondering if it's...if it's really real...and if our children could be there."

Terry looked at her, surprised. Mrs. Sanchez spoke up next, and Terry turned her head to look at her.

"Please tell us everything you know. What is...ChalkZone? What do you know about it?" Mrs. Sanchez asked. A few tears welled up in her eyes. "Please, you're the only one who can help us. Please...we just want to find our children..."

Terry stared at the family. She was feeling mixed emotions. On the one hand, she was excited that someone finally believed her. They sounded really serious, too. They really wanted to know more about the world of chalk she and Vinnie tried to expose before. It was nice to finally talk to someone about that world and not be laughed or scoffed at. It was nice that, for once, someone was taking her seriously.

On the other, she knew how serious this was. Now wasn't the time for her to gloat. Now wasn't the time for her to toot her own horn. No, that would be inappropriate for now. Terry pushed aside her feelings of excitement. She could feel happy later, when lives weren't on the line.

"Can you tell us anything?" Mr. Tabootie asked.

As he asked this, the parents looked at her expectantly. She could see their sorrowful expressions tinged with a bit of hope. She realized just how much they were relying on her now to find their children. For once, Terry felt important, like she could really make a difference, rather than just reporting the usual stuff or standing idly by.

She thought about showing them her evidence she had gathered but...that would ring all the wrong bells. She would come off as a stalker to them, and they might not accept her help again. Heck, they might think she was the one who kidnapped their children, or was working with that Teddison Cosmo fellow. No, she would keep that evidence a secret. It was for the best.

But that didn't mean she still couldn't help. She was no expert on ChalkZone, and she admitted there was a lot she didn't know. She had hoped that Rudy and Penny would, eventually, turn around and give her information willingly. After all, they go to ChalkZone all the time; they were bound to be filled with knowledge on how that place worked and everything. But she had, long ago, accepted that they would never willingly tell her anything. Due to that, all the knowledge of ChalkZone she had was minimal. But she could still try to help.

Terry realized she could do more than just tell them about ChalkZone. She knew that she could just sit here, telling them what she knew. But there was something else she could do that was even better.

Terry slowly smiled at the parents. Not a triumphant or gleeful smile, but a sympathetic and reassuring one. "I've got a better idea. Instead of just telling you about the world of chalk... why don't I take you there?"

Mr. Tabootie's eyes widened at this. "You mean you can..."

Terry nodded her head. She looked at each of the parents, noticing the hopeful expressions grow more dominant on their faces. Sadness was still there, but now, even more strongly, was hope. "If you come with me, I can take you to ChalkZone. I have a way in. And from there, we can look for your children."

The parents stared at Terry. Then one by one, they all smiled gratefully, a few tears escaping their eyes.

"Thank you..." Mrs. Tabootie said, relieved, wiping away a tear.

sss

Bardot smirked to himself as he traveled through the hospital. Their security wasn't up to snuff. With no cameras to worry about, it was easy for him just to scale the walls. As of now, he was walking on the ceiling, avoiding all the motion detectors this place had installed. He was pretty much invisible to anyone working the security. And it wouldn't be too hard to disable the sensors in the room he was headed to, leaving him plenty of time to do this.

He had left Draow in charge of Rudy and Penny while he was gone. This time, he made sure the bat wolf didn't leave his post. He had threatened to rip out his eyes if he dared leave them alone for an extended period of time. The bat wolf, clearly frightened, at obligued.

It wasn't like the threat was even necessary. With broken legs, Rudy and Penny wouldn't go far. But it wasn't about just efficiency. It was also about control. He had to keep a leash on that bat wolf, for the moment he turns against him, he was in trouble. Sure, he could bite him with his fangs to inject venom, but that was only if he managed to land the first blow. It wouldn't take much for Draow to crush him in his jaws. He had to keep control over the beast.

Bardot wasn't pleased with the recent turn of events. Looking at one of his cameras, he began to suspect that Skrawl really was sticking his nose where it didn't belong. He was getting a little too close to discovering everything that was going on, and no doubt he was going to send his Beanie Boys to look for Rudy and Penny.

On top of that, he had found out that he brought Barney to the hospital. There were some cameras he did try to watch, but they had gotten corrupted, so a lot of important information of what else happened, he didn't have access to. But what he did know was that Barney had told Skrawl about what had happened, and he was certain Barney even told Skrawl his weakness against the purple chalk, which was so rare that even Biclops wasn't sure if it really existed.

Bardot's lips curled back into a snarl. He was not happy at all. Barney was supposed to be dead. He knew that pathetic insect was going to do something to ruin his plans. He should have gotten rid of him a long time ago. He should have ripped out his throat, rather than just beat him like he had. He should have snapped his neck, tore his stomach open, something to ensure the centipede would die before he got any help.

Well now he was going to correct this little oversight. The bug was in this hospital, injured and banged up. He would be too weak to fight back. He would be easy to pick off. All it would take is a single bite from his fangs...and then it would all be over. He would be finished with Barney in just a few minutes. Just bite and run. The people in this hospital wouldn't be able to save him. They didn't have enough knowledge to create an antidote. And after this, he could go after Skrawl.

Bardot soon found the centipede's room. He pushed it open slowly, being as quiet as he could. He stared at Barney laying on the beds, and shut the door behind him. Barney shifted his head a little, but otherwise made no reaction. He was awake. Bardot could tell. He had interacted with him enough while he had no eyes to know when he was asleep or not.

Bardot found a small switch on the side, which he knew controlled the sensors of this room. He pressed his claws against it and tore it off as quickly as he could, being as quiet as he could about it. Only after he knew that the sensors of this room were deactivated did he make his next move.

Bardot slowly crept towards the bed. He was being as quiet as he could. There was no one else in this room. None that he could see. He smiled evilly as he got closer to the centipede. Oh how easy this was going to be. He froze when he made a slip up and accidentally kicked some piece of trash on the ground. And at this, he saw the centipede's antennas stretch out. He had heard that.

"Who's there?" Barney asked.

In response, Bardot let out a dark chuckle. He got the reaction he wanted. Barney immediately reacted in fear. His antennas curled up tightly. His long body started to tremble. He looked around, desperately trying to find the source of the sound. If he still had eyes, Bardot would imagine they'd be wide open in fear right about now.

Bardot jumped onto the beds. He slowly walked beside Barney, rubbing himself against the centipede to let him know he was there. His tail grazed along him, occassionally wrapping around a leg or his side. Then he finally reached Barney's face. He reached down and pressed a claw against his cheek. He pushed the claw in a little, causing Barney to yelp in paw. He scraped along, giving Barney a cut to match the one on his other cheek.

"B-Bardot..." Barney whimpered. He turned his head towards Bardot. He couldn't see him, but he knew he was there. "Wh-What do you w-want?"

"Your suffering..." Bardot hissed through his sharp teeth.

With that, he suddenly seized Barney's throat with his claws. As he did so, Barney struggled. He grabbed his paw and tried to yank it off. The centipede had lost some of his strength from the year of abuse he had given him, and Bardot was easily able to keep a vice grip on him. As he started to yank him up, Bardot put his face close to Barney's, making sure the zoner could feel his breath against him.

"Knowledge is power..." Bardot started to say mockingly. "Power is pain.."

He suddenly drove his claws into Barney's side, slashing into a recently patched wound. Barney tried to let out a scream of pain, but he was silenced when Bardot kicked him in the stomach hard, knocking the wind out of him. He dragged Barney off the bed and slammed him into the ground as hard as he could. Barney let out a few groans and tried to get up. Bardot rushed over and swung out with his paw. His claws collided with Barney's face, giving him three deep gashes that spread from his chin to his forehead.

The force knocked Barney to the side, causing his head to slam against the wall. Bardot stood there, smiling at the downed zoner. This was going to be such a satisfying kill. He moved over and stood on top of Barney, using his weight to hold him down. He pressed his claws deep into him, uncaring if he were cutting into healing wounds or not. He put his face close to Barney's.

"Isn't that right, Barney...?" Bardot whispered in a growly voice.

"N-No...please..." Barney begged. He gagged when Bardot gripped his neck again and held on tightly.

"You should have just stayed in the jungle, Barney..." Bardot growled softly. "It would have been a less painful death. But since you're still breathing..." His pupils shrank a little, giving him a look of insanity. "I will just have to correct that!"

Barney struggled as Bardot opened his jaws. He positioned his fangs so they were over Barney's shoulder. Heated venom starting to drip from the fangs, Bardot kept this position for a few moments, just savoring every second, glaring down gleefully at his victim. He struck downwards.

Suddenly, Bardot felt something grab him from behind. A large hand wrapped around his front limb. He was yanked up into the air so fast, he wasn't able to react. Then another hand grabbed his other front limb, and he quickly realized who it was that pulled him off of Barney.

It was King Mumbo Jumbo.

The tortoise looked clearly enraged. His eyes were filled with hatred and anger. He glared at Bardot, holding him above his head a little, and, after two seconds of this, he let out a roar, which sounded ferocious even coming from a tortoise zoner. Bardot stared into the tortoise's eyes, his own eyes widening and ears lowering as he realized what kind of trouble he was in. For the first time, he felt an emotion he'd never thought he'd be the one feeling.

Fear.

Mumbo Jumbo threw Bardot against the ground. Bardot tumbled across the ground a few times. He let out a small groan of pain. His shoulder started to hurt a little. That had taken the brunt of the impact. He looked back at the tortoise. He had taken a stance in front of his injured friend. He slammed a fist into an open palm. His eyes practically glowed as he glared down at the hybrid zoner.

"I have been waiting for you..." Mumbo Jumbo hissed. "I will make you sorry you ever set foot in here..." His voice was filled with anger and vengefulness. "And I will make you pay for what you did to my best friend."

Bardot got up onto his feet. He brushed off the previous feeling of fear. What was he so worried about? Mumbo Jumbo was just some tortoise. What could he possibly do to him? An evil smile spread across his face. Looks like he was going to have some turtle soup later today. This old fool was going to be easy to take down.

"Bring it on..." Bardot growled as he made a dash towards Mumbo Jumbo.

DO I NEED A REASON TO HURT YOU, RUDY?:





When Bardot had returned to his base, adorning several injuries on his body, Rudy knew something had happened. Something had gone wrong, but for the first time, it wasn't against him or his friends. It was against Bardot. Rudy wondered what could have happened to him. After all this time being tortured by him, it was surprising to see that it was Bardot, this time, who had been injured.

For a little while, Rudy was...well not amused, but satisfied. At least, Bardot got a taste of his own medicine. It was certainly icing on the cake when he saw Bardot looked visibly frightened and shaken up. He could have sworn, for a moment, Bardot's tail had been between his legs. Yes, this was quite satisfying. A little bit of payback for all this monster had done to him and other living beings. Not that he believed it would stop Bardot from doing what he's doing, but it was still some kind of payback.

Bardot had ordered Draow to go get Rapsheeba. Rudy's satisfaction immediately went down the drain as he realized what that had meant. It means that now Rapsheeba was going to suffer at Bardot's claws. And it also meant that Snap had to endure the final 'games' all alone.

A sense of dread welled up inside Rudy and Penny. What would happen if Snap wasn't able to complete the final games alone? What if Bardot pulled something and one of the final games would require a second person? If he did that, then Snap would be unable to finish these 'games'; he would become stuck on one game, and when time ran out..they were all doomed. Their hope for their friend still rang true, however, and they were confidend that, somehow, Snap would be able to get to them soon.

Before Draow left to fetch Raspheeba, he had tried asking what happened to Bardot. The hybrid zoner responded quite aggressively. He snarled at the bat wolf and chomped at him, missing his foot by a few inches. He was clearly not in the mood to talk. Whatever happened to him, it rubbed him the wrong way. It was as if his pride had been shattered when someone, whoever it was, had been able to injure him this badly.

Draow, not wanting to stay there much longer with Bardot that angry, had fled immediately, flapping his wings and taking off. This left the two teenagers alone with Bardot. And they were both visibly afraid. It was hard remaining defiant against this guy, with their injuries becoming infected and pain overwhelming them. It didn't help that they never seen Bardot this angry before. They thought that, at any given moment, he would jump on them and inject venom into them.

But luckily for them, he didn't. Bardot didn't bother talking to them. He simply stood in the doorway, much like Draow had been, and sat on his haunches, much like a dog. Although injured, Bardot acted more or less like he wasn't in any pain. Well most of the time. Sometimes Rudy or Penny would notice a quiver of pain from his torn ear or the tip of his tail. And when he walked, there was a noticeable limp.

This did raise some hope inside of them. If Bardot were injured like this, then he wouldn't be able to fight at full capacity when Snap arrived. He was likely still pretty fast, but with his foot injured like that, they both doubted he would be able to pick up the pace as well. He would be easier for Snap to fight now.

While that might seem like an unfair advantage, Rudy and Penny knew it wasn't so. Snap was getting hurt as well. And Bardot's whole plan seemed to be weakening Snap so he would be easier to take down. Now that Bardot is hurt, at least the playing fields are a little more even.

However, as satisfied as Rudy and Penny were with Bardot getting some taste of his own medicine, though they were happy Bardot was ignoring them for the time being, not even sparing them a glance, they were both uncomfortable with him being in the same room as them. The low growls he was uttering chilled them to the bone. Once in a while, he would strike the ground, slashing his claws against it in vain. They could see his body trembling a little in anger. It looked like the little zoner was about to explode.

Rudy and Penny felt unsafe. Even though Bardot hadn't made a move towards them, his clearly hostile behavior terrified them. He had been so calm and calculating before. Still frightening, but now...it was much worse. He looked like he had gone feral. And in a state where he likely couldn't control his actions as well, who knows what he was going to do?

It had been a little while now since Draow left. The bat wolf still hadn't returned. They didn't know how far away she was. They both silently wished he would return. If Bardot wanted to unleash his anger against another living being, they hoped it would be against Draow, who looked like he could handle the abuse better than them. So badly injured already, the last thing either of them needed was more injuries.

It didn't help that they couldn't walk anymore. Rudy was in so much pain that he had to remain on the ground. Penny could still sit up a little. But with her leg so badly damaged, it caused her too much pain to move around as much. Despite their captors' word that Penny would be their main target, it seemed the most serious injuries were inflicted on Rudy. Perhaps it was because Draow blamed him the most for his master's death and, despite Bardot's orders to hurt Penny more, Draow couldn't control his thirst for vengeance and focused on Rudy.

But either way, the biggest concern on their minds right now were their broken legs. It meant they were much more vulnerable now. Not that they weren't before, but now it was so much more so. They wouldn't be able to get away from their captors. No more escape attempts were possible. And if the two were to approach them, they could do little to back away.

This all reminded Rudy too much of Mr. Cosmo and what he had done to Snap. The memories came back to him, causing a shudder to go up his spine as the horrific reminder flooded his head. He remembered it all too clearly...

He remembered how, the first time Cosmo took him to see his friend, Snap was curled up in the middle of the cell, and how Cosmo walked in to get him. Snap had tried to get away, but wound up cornered. Then Mr. Cosmo grabbed him by his scarf and hoisted him up like it was nothing. Snap looked so scared, so frightened... And the second time around, it was even worse.

For that time, Cosmo had damaged his feet. And with both his feet badly burned, Snap was not able to get up and walk away. That time, when Mr. Cosmo approached, Snap was absolutely terrified, laying on the ground and silently wishing for the man to go away. He looked helpless, and those scared eyes locking onto his... Rudy could still feel the pang in his heart.

And now, he and Penny were experiencing what Snap was. They were feeling the fear and helplessness their friend felt when being held prisoner by Mr. Cosmo. It was a horrible feeling, one that made them feel a little nauseous. And the more they felt it, the more sorry they felt for Snap when he had to endure being Mr. Cosmo's 'favorite' prisoner. Nobody should have had to go through something like that, least of all their best friend. He hadn't done anything to deserve such a fate.

A cold, terrifying thought entered Rudy's mind. Mr. Cosmo had used Snap as bait of sorts. He had used his own friend against him. What if...what if Bardot planned to do the same with Snap? He hadn't thought of it before, but there was a chance, a possibility, that when Snap arrived, he wouldn't even be allowed to fight. He would would be subdued as Bardot and Draow threatened to kill Rudy and Penny, forcing him to surrender...

It was true that Bardot never mentioned such a thing. But..did that really matter? Bardot could still decieve without outright lying. He only told Snap that he would have to face the hybrid zoner and bat wolf. He did not say that he wouldn't harm Rudy and Penny while doing so...

His thoughts were torn from this when he felt Penny touch his shoulder. He turned his head towards her. Her arm was still slung over his body, holding him close to her. She stared at him, her eyes wide in fear. He looked at her sympathetically, wishing there was a way he could calm her down.

Then she uttered something that took him by complete surprise. Something that hadn't crossed his mind.

"What if our parents find us here...?" Penny asked. Her voice was an odd mixture of hope...and fear.

Rudy's eyes widened. He hadn't thought of that possibility. He was worried his parents would be captured. That, alone, was a terrifying thought. But the way Penny said that line...it wasn't the simple fact of them being captured she was referring to. She was outright suggesting that their parents could be looking for them, and they could have found the portal Bardot used to get into the real world.

The thought was chilling, making Rudy shiver. During one of the conversations Bardot had with Draow, the hybrid zoner mentioned the zoner-usable blue chalk, which he used to create a portal. Rudy had no idea where the blue chalk was found, and it sounded like Bardot found it by mistake. It wasn't certain if Bardot still had some blue chalk left or if he had used the rest of it creating these elaborate death traps and equipment.

"I mean, I'm sure they are looking for us." Penny whispered, a pained edge to her voice. "What if they...?" She turned her gaze towards Bardot. Rudy noticed her lower lip quivering. "It's bad enough that they would be putting themselves in danger..." He turned back to Rudy and said, "But what if they...?"

Rudy had a feeling he knew what Penny was getting at. "You mean...what if they try to do something drastic, like...keep us from coming here?"

Penny nodded her head. "Yeah. Or what if they tell other people about ChalkZone?" At this, Rudy's eyes widened. "This is where those other people disappeared to. What if they...what if they tell others about this place?"

Rudy couldn't believe he hadn't thought of this before. He didn't know how it hadn't crossed his mind before. If their parents were kidnapped and taken here, or if they found this place on their own, there was still a very real problem that existed even if they all managed to get out okay.

What if their parents came to distrust ChalkZone so much...that they would help expose it? What if they were to ban them completely from the place?

The thought was scary. To think that they might not ever be allowed to come back to this place... Rudy didn't want to think about it. And he could tell neither did Penny. They both wished for the best case scenario. That their parents never find out...or if they do come here, that they would be understanding and help hide ChalkZone. They were their parents after all. Wouldn't they trust their own children when they tell them ChalkZone is harmless?

Then Rudy thought, with a shudder, that they might not believe them. If their parents found out, then a lot of their lies would be exposed. Their parents would learn about all the lies that they told, all the fibs they made, all for the sake of keeping this place a secret. They had been lying to their parents for so long... And while it was for a good cause, Rudy couldn't imagine what that would feel like to their parents, for them to believe that their own kids didn't trust them enough...

Their parents might feel betrayed and angry. Another dimension was a huge deal to keep secret. And it's made worse by the fact that he and Penny had been hurt here before. They had been in so much danger, and yet they never told their parents any of it. They just lied to them, did whatever they could to cover up their injuries. And now it seemed, all that might be biting them back hard.

Rudy refused to let himself give into despair, though. He wanted to hold onto some hope. He wanted to believe their parents would either never find ChalkZone...or they would be understanding. He didn't want to believe that it was all hopeless. He didn't want to believe that, even if Bardot and Draow were defeated, ChalkZone would have to face a much bigger threat. Being exposed to the real world would be very damaging. The lives of everyone living here, compromised and exploited.

Rudy gave Penny the best smile he could in spite of his pain and worry. "I'm sure...it'll work out for the best..." He winced, a pain shooting up his various injuries. Despite this, he kept smiling at Penny. "We just...have to hold onto hope..."

Tears flowing down her face, Penny hugged Rudy a little tighter. "I know. I'm still worried, though."

"I'm sure that we will get out of this." Rudy tried his best to sound hopeful.

Penny gave a smile of her own. A small, faint one. But a smile nonethelss. "As soon as Snap gets here..." Penny said in a soft voice. "We'll be fine."

Yes, Snap. He was their only chance now. He was their hope. And they had to hang onto that hope for as long as possible. No matter what Bardot or Draow did, the two refused to let go of their hopes for Snap. They still believed in him. Even though it was starting to seem hopeless, they wouldn't let their faith in their friend waver.

And if there was one small comfort in all this, they still had each other. Being in each other's company really helped. Rudy didn't know how well he or Penny could manage against their captors mentally if they were separated. He bit his lip as he stared at Bardot. He wondered if Bardot really did plan on doing something like that to them soon. The thought frightened him. He...he didn't want to be separated from his friend...

"I see you two are still holding onto some..lingering hope..."

Rudy and Penny sucked in a sharp breath at the sound of that voice. They looked over. Bardot's head was turned to the side. One of his bright green eyes was staring at them. His torn ear was flicked in their direction, showing that he was listening to their every word.

"Well then..." Bardot slowly turned to face them. His tail moved slowly from side to side, like he was a cat and they were his prey. Rudy shuddered as he realized that is probably how this zoner saw them. "Perhaps it's time I fixed it, don't you think?"

The smile had come back. The same creepy smile they came to know and hate. The anger seemed to be mostly gone. But the tone of his voice as he spoke, little gestures like him digging his claws into the ground, suggested he was far angrier than he let on. He was doing a good job hiding most of it.

In response, Rudy and Penny felt their hearts beat faster and they held onto each other a little tighter. They were scared, but instead of whimpering in fear, they still showed some defiance against their captor. They didn't want to give him the satisfaction of being completely dominant over them. They, despite their fear, were going to do whatever they could to give them a hard time.

Bardot smirked at their bravery. "I am impressed that you two still have some spirit in you after all this time. Usually my victims break down long before this. In fact.." He took a step towards them. He stared intently at Penny. He placed the tip of his claw against the human tooth still slung around his neck and tapped it a few times. "Your dear old daddy fell apart after just six hours of torture."

At the mention of her father, Penny's eyes went wide. For a moment, she was petrified with horror. Her eyes stared at the tooth, the same tooth she knew belonged to her father. Then her face contorted into anger. She clenched her teeth, glaring daggers at the hybrid zoner.

"Bastard..." Penny hissed. "You will pay for that..."

"Hmm... I see you sound so confident in that." Bardot was amused. "I hate to burst your little happy bubble, deary..." He lifted up his uninjured paw and flexed his claws. He stared at the tips, glinting slightly in the light of the torches. "But life can be cruel sometimes."

"Oh shut up will you?!" Rudy snarled.

At this, Bardot turned his head towards him. His eyes were slightly widened and his smile gone. Instead, he stared at the boy with an almost sense of curiosity. He let the boy continue.

"You think you can keep us down? Well you can try and try all you want! But we have been in terrifying situations before, and we always came out okay! And you want to know why? Because we're a team! My friends and I, we will do whatever it takes to help each other! I can trust on their backup. I can trust that they will be by my side. And guess what? I don't use fear or pain to motivate them!" Rudy shouted at the hybrid zoner. "The only reason Draow listens to you is because you threaten to hurt him if he doesn't! If he wanted to, he could take you down very easily...and you know that, don't you?"

Bardot narrowed his eyes a little. Then Penny spoke up.

"Yes, we are afraid of you. Yes, we are both injured and weak. But we are here for each other every step of the way. You can crush our bodies, but you can't crush our spirit! Not completely!" Penny told him. As she spoke, she subconsciously pulled Rudy even closer to her. "You are so confident that you are going to win, so confident that everything will go your way...but judging from those injuries, you aren't invincible, are you? In the end, you are just a bully who uses intimidation to get his way. You...you are the one who is truly pathetic!"

Bardot's ears flattened a little as Penny said that. He growled softly, but didn't make a move towards the two teenagers. Whether or not he was going to attack them was anyone's guess, for the reason Bardot didn't do anything was because footsteps could be heard in the tunnels. Draow had returned.

Draow walked into the room. He folded his wings against his side like a bird, and then walked over to where Bardot was. He stopped in front of the hybrid zoner. His teal eyes did not look in Rudy or Penny's direction.

"I have taken the singer zoner like you told me to." Draow said. "She has been placed in a holding cell. I kept her separated from the rectangular zoner like you ordered."

Rudy and Penny stared at each other. They knew who Draow was talking about. Rapsheeba...they hoped she was okay. They weren't sure if Draow had hurt her while he carried her over here.

"Good, good..." Bardot said, smiling at the winged wolf. "So now Snap is all on his own. I wonder how well he will do now that he doesn't have anymore help." A dark chuckle escaped his throat. "It will be most amusing watching this."

Rudy growled at this. Penny narrowed her eyes in disgust. Bardot still saw Snap as a source of entertainment. He enjoyed watching the pain and suffering of others. It was like a game to him. Even after whoever managed to hurt him got him all banged up, Bardot's willingness to hurt others hadn't been damaged much, if at all. He was enjoying his time toying with lives, with them, and there was no sign of stopping any time soon.

Rudy silently wished that karma would strike back at the guy, and this time, leave a more impressive mark on him than a torn ear. Whatever karma would throw at him, Bardot would deserve it. He was a monster. He had gotten away with way too much. The fact that this guy considers everything he does acceptable and... 'fun'...it was truly disgusting and make him and Penny feel sick to their stomachs. Whenever this guy finally pays for what he did, it could never be done too soon.

"Are you going to contact Snap?" Draow asked, staring towards the radio on the ground.

Bardot scratched his chin thoughtfully. Then he waved a dismissing paw and shook his head. "No, not yet. I want to have a little..." He turned his gaze towards Rudy and Penny. "...fun first..." A smile spread across his face.

Draow turned his cold, teal eyes towards the two. A small smile came onto his face. "What did you have in mind?"

The way Bardot was looking at them...Rudy didn't like it. He did his best to put on a brave face. Penny did likewise.

Bardot said, "It seems their time here wasn't...sufficient enough to break their spirits. They are still quite defiant. For when Snap arrives, I want them to be on their last foot, so to speak. My other victims gave in much sooner. But these too...they seem so hard to break."

Rudy growled at this. Bardot was still determined to break their spirits. He wanted them to feel hopeless. The monster... He would not allow him that satisfaction. He and Penny could continue to defy him mentally. No matter how much pain they are in, as long as they had each other, they could endure practically anything this guy threw at them.

And it seemed Draow understood this as well. "Humans can be so...stubborn in groups. It is hard to coerce them into anything so long as they have the support of another."

As much as Rudy and Penny hated Draow, they had to give him some credit for realizing that. Perhaps, with Draow having said that, Bardot would realize that his techniques wouldn't work against them. Perhaps Bardot would stop trying to hard to crush their hopes.

But when Bardot's eyes glinted, a cold chill ran up Rudy's spine. A horrible fear swept through his body. There was another dangerous side effect of Bardot understanding this. He could use it to his advantage...

"So that has been my biggest blunder with these two." Bardot said, a broad smile spreading across his muzzle. "My past victims, they were always...alone..."

Rudy felt his heart start to race.

"And since these two draw so much strength from each other..." Bardot licked his lips. "...maybe we should do something about that."

"I couldn't agree more." Draow replied.

Rudy and Penny tightened their grip on each other. They watched as the two zoners began to approach them. Their minds filled with dread and they stared at each other, fear overtaking them. No, they would not allow themselves to be separated. They would put up a fight. Even in their weakened states, there was no way they would go down without a fight.

As the zoners got closer, taking their time just to torment them more, Rudy and Penny started shivering. Not from cold, though that was an issue here, but from fear. The fear of losing each other. They would constantly look back at each other, as if that was the last time they were going to see each other. Rudy didn't know how he was going to be able to function without Penny by his side. He didn't know how he was going to handle the torture without Penny there to reassure him.

And he knew Penny felt the same way. He knew that she drew strength from him as well. She loved him, and he loved her. They were very close friends. They needed each other. Bardot and Draow couldn't do this to them. No they couldn't... There had to be a way to stop them.

"Don't do this..." Rudy spoke to the zoners, hoping that maybe, just maybe, they'll bargain with him. "We...we won't talk back anymore...Please don't separate us."

But his pleas fell on deaf ears. Draow now reached them. He reached down with his jaws and snagged Penny by her arm. He bit down hard, drawing blood and causing her to cry out in pain. Then she was lifted up. In desperation, Penny hung onto Rudy, dragging him a little with her.

"Rudy!" Penny cried out, her eyes wide.

"Penny!" Rudy tried to grab onto her arm with his left hand. But he could barely get a grasp.

Clearly annoyed by the boy hanging onto the girl, Draow narrowed his eyes and lifted up his foot. He pressed down on Rudy's body and, using his weight as anchor, yanked Penny away, making her lose her grip on her friend. He then started to back away from the boy, holding Penny firmly in his jaws. Rudy reached out towards her, his eyes widened. Penny struggled to get free, her frightened eyes focused on her friend.

"No! Penny!" Rudy cried out. "Bring her back! Please! Penny!"

Rudy felt Bardot sling his front limb around his neck and press against his throat. Rudy was yanked back a little and he gagged. It wasn't necessary to hold him in a headlock; it wasn't like he could get up and rush towards Draow. He glared at Bardot before looking back at Penny.

"Rudy!" Penny called out to him. She banged her fists against Draow's head, trying to force him to let go. He just snarled in response. "Let me go! Put me down!"

Tears now formed in Rudy's eyes as well as Penny's. They struggled to get back to each other. Rudy fought against the pain in his shattered limbs to get to her. Bardot kept him still, keeping him from moving even an inch towards his friend. Penny's punches did little to hurt Draow and she was being taken further and further away from her friend.

When Draow had taken Penny halfway across the room, he turned around slowly. Penny jerked even harder, trying to pull her limb out of the monster's mouth. She struggled to look at Rudy as she was being taken towards the door.

Tears streaming down her face, she called out to him. "Rudy!"

Rudy reached out towards her, wanting to pull her back. "Penny!"

Then, seconds later, Draow disappeared out of the door, carrying Penny with him. The last look the two of them saw of each other was one of fear, dread, and sadness. The wolf bat continued to walk down the halls and soon his foot falls could be heard no more. Penny's cries and pleas for Rudy continued to echo on the tunnel walls, each one striking a chord in Rudy's heart.

Rudy couldn't believe it. His body trembled as his mind registered what happened. Penny...she was gone... She was truly gone. And he didn't know if he'd ever see her again. He was all alone now. The feeling of loneliness started to settle in. He took in shaky breaths, unable to stop the tears from flowing down his face.

Then things got worse. Suddenly, he heard screams. Penny's screams... They echoed off the walls of the tunnel. Again and again, he heard her scream. They were cries of agony. Draow...he was torturing her. She was being hurt and this time, Rudy couldn't do anything to comfort her.

The realization filled him with enormous sadness...and anger. He turned his head to face Bardot, who had let go of him and moved around to the front of him. He sneered at the boy, looking sickeningly happy. This beast, was there no place too low for him to sink?

"Bring her back!" Rudy shouted at him. His eyes widened in anger. Tears continued to stream down his face. With his weak hand, he gripped Bardot by the skin of his neck and pulled on it a little. "Bring her back here, or I'll...!"

Bardot simply stared at the boy, laughing. He barely paid attention to the hand gripping him. "You two need some time apart. A little privacy never hurt anyone." Rudy growled at this. "But in the mean time...why don't we pass the time? You see...I am still a little angry about my mishap earlier."

"You mean when someone beat you up?" Rudy said, a sly smile on his face. "That would have been great to see."

Bardot's ears flattened in anger. "I assure you, it was a fluke and it will not happen again." He put his face close to Rudy's, his pupils slowly shrinking. Anger was coming back to the zoner's mind. "And since I need a way to...vent my frustrations, and I can't take it out on that old tortoise..."

Rudy realized that he was referring to King Mumbo Jumbo. So the old king was the one who did this to Bardot. How satisfying it is that Barney's old friend would be the one who unleash a little karma on this monster. His thoughts were interrupted when he felt Bardot lightly trace his left cheek with his sharp claws.

"I think I will take it out on you." Bardot said, his voice a little darker than usual. He pulled his paw back and struck down.

Rudy let out a scream as the claws raked across his face, placing deep gashes in the skin. The gashes bled swiftly, and soon the blood started to pour into his eyes a little. He let out a frightened, pained scream as he shut his eyes tightly. He lifted up his left hand and tried to wipe the blood away. But there was just too much.

Unable to see, Rudy's heart started to race. Panic started to take him over. He didn't know where Bardot was, or what he was about to do. He attempted to open up his eyes, but all he could see before he had to shut them from the pain was a wall of redness.

Then, without warning, Rudy felt Bardot's jaws clamp on his shoulder, the same one Draow had already damaged. The fangs sank in deep. Rudy's eyes grew big as he felt the burning venom injected into him. He let out cries and whimpers of pain as, even after Bardot released him, the venom started to burn his already damaged flesh. He tried to move away from the pain, but he felt Bardot holding him down.

"Why?" Rudy demanded, furrowing his eyebrows. He turned his head, trying to figure out where Bardot was. "Why are you doing this?"

Bardot's answer sent chills down the boy's spine. It confirmed what he and Penny had suspected all along. It confirmed what Bardot himself had been hinting this whole time.

"Do I need a reason to hurt you, Rudy?" Bardot's voice came like ice. Foot steps...Bardot was circling him now. "How pitiful of you to believe that every action needs a cause. I don't have such a worry. I do not care if my actions aren't based on any logical reason. I do what I want for fun. That's it. I need no reasons to hurt you or your girlfriend or Snap."

Rudy felt Bardot's hot breath against his ear. He shuddered as Bardot spoke into it.

"And know this. Even if I wasn't going to eat you, even if I wasn't testing Snap, I would still have hurt you. Life is but a game. And we are all players. The only thing that matters is winning the game." Bardot hissed in a low whisper. "You are just a toy, Rudy. You are my play thing, and you are here to entertain me. Now...I want to hear you scream..."

With that, Bardot struck again. This time, his claws struck against Rudy's right arm. He sliced his claws into the injured hand before going up slowly. He cut up Rudy's arm, drawing blood. Rudy let out screams and squirmed frantically on the ground. This caused Bardot's eyes to widen in insanity, smiling psychotically.

"Yes, that's it! Scream for me!"

He continued cutting Rudy's arm, digging his claws in very deeply, tearing into his flesh. Rudy's screams continued to echo on the walls. They became intermixed with Bardot's evil laughter.

THIS IS CHALKZONE:





It had been hard finding a place for everyone to fit in her tv van. And she had to hide all the papers she gathered when she had spent some time stalking their kids. The last thing they needed was to waste time asking about that. She hid them in secret compartments of her van and put the computer away. She then pulled out a portion of the van, a new addition she put in a while back, producing two small seats in the back.

After that, everyone could sit down. Terry, obviously in the driver's. Mr. Tabootie took a seat next to her. In the back, Mrs. Tabootie and Mrs. Sanchez sat down. There wasn't a lot of room and it looked uncomfortable, but neither women complained. Their children were more important than the seats anyway. Terry turned the van on and started down the street.

Along the way, she had explained to them a bit of what she knew about ChalkZone. She told them that every drawing or writing on a chalkboard ends up in another dimension when erased, and how those living drawings would retain properties of chalk, meaning that they couldn't get wet or they'd get erased, like a real world chalk drawing would.

She told them about the magic chalk, which is a special type of chalk that can be used to create portals to gain entry into the world. She wasn't able to tell them where to find a piece of magic chalk or even how to tell one apart from a regular one. She never learned much about them. She had only used magic chalk once and that was years ago. She said she speculated that Rudy has a stash of it somewhere and that was how he was able to gain entry into the world all the time.

She also mentioned that she believes Rudy and Penny visited this place on a regular basis. She wasn't sure just how often they went there, but judging from how their parents told her, she guessed it was really often. Once a week or perhaps even everyday. She told the parents that, for whatever reason, Rudy and Penny do not want ChalkZone found out and how Rudy had managed to stop her that one time years ago. She isn't sure why they want it to be so secret. She knew they needed a good reason for it, but she never really found out.

She told them whatever else she was able to without hinting stalking. The parents were grateful that she told them what she knew, but she could tell that they were also frightened and confused. She couldn't blame them. To anyone else, she was just spewing lunatic garbage. But to the parents, who think that this world just might exist, who were looking for their kids, the idea of a world populated by living, breathing drawings, where possibilities were endless, was downright frightening. Especially if some of these drawings were created to be hostile and vicious.

After she told them what she knew, the parents seemed to have an epiphany. They mentioned times where their kids disappeared, and how, now, they realized it must have been related to ChalkZone. Mr. Tabootie mentioned how Rudy and Penny suddenly appeared in his shop and then disappeared without a sound. He also mentioned the time when Rudy was in his room during Christmas and how Penny would not let him go inside and Rudy was gone for a very long time. And Mrs. Sanchez mentioned the time Penny started speaking gibberish with no apparent rhyme or reason, and she wondered if that was related to ChalkZone.

There were other incidents they remembered, but the biggest one that stuck to their minds was the incident with that one rock band Rudy loved so much. Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie both remembered how their son seemed to have appeared out of a blackboard on stage. They thought it was just post editing or something, but Mrs. Sanchez confirmed it happened for real and even the other band members were shocked by it. The parents felt something heavy weigh them down as they realized that it wasn't some trick of the camera they witnessed; they had seen Rudy come out of and back in an actual interdimensional portal.

And when Terry told them about Snap, whom she stated was drawn by Rudy and was a living drawing, something clicked in Mrs. Tabootie's head. She hadn't really seen anything unusual at first with the Madcap Snap comics Rudy drew over the years. But knowing that Snap was his friend, and that the comics may have had at least some true stories in it, it took on a whole other meaning for her. What looked like an obsession with one character turned out to be a deeply forged friendship. Nothing else could describe it.

Then the parents started to ask the really hard question. And that was why hadn't their kids trusted them enough with this alternate dimension? Why did they keep it from them for so long? Why had they lied to them about any injuries they've gotten or why they've been gone so long?

There was some hurt in their voices, and Terry couldn't blame them. It had to be hard finding out, after all these years, their kids had been exploring and adventuring in a completely new world cut off from everyone else. It had to be difficult to take in the fact that their children may have been in mortal danger or getting hurt because they were in this place, alone, with no adults to supervise them. It had to be painful for them to realize that their children didn't seem to trust them enough to tell them what happened to them in this world. That was one of the worst pains a parent could feel...when a child no longer trusts them enough with something huge and problematic like this.

While Terry could give them ideas on what they could do about this, it wasn't like she was out of ideas, but she realized it wasn't her place to say. She would have told them to let her handle it. If it were up to her, she would still want to expose ChalkZone so people were more aware of it. At this point, she wouldn't expose it just for her own benefit, but for the benefit and safety of others. If other people were more aware of this place, then precautions could be taken.

But as for what to do with Rudy and Penny... Terry decided not to even touch that subject. If one of the parents asks, she would tell them it was up to them what to do. Terry herself didn't have much of an idea on what could be done. They could be banned from the place, or limited in some way. She knew that would be hard for them. A part of her liked that idea as it meant she and Vinnie could explore unhindered. But another part couldn't help but feel a little bad for them. They seemed really close to these...what were they called...zoners. Yeah, they were close to the zoners.

As she continued to drive towards the old building, she couldn't help but overhear their conversation. She didn't want to look like she was eavesdropping. They didn't need something like that now. But she still couldn't help hearing what they had to say.

"This is...this is all too much." Mrs. Tabootie said, her voice cracking. "I can't believe it.. All this time, our children were..."

"I know, Mrs. Tabootie. It's hard for me to believe, too." Mrs. Sanchez said, putting her hand on Mrs. Tabootie's. "Our children have been keeping a lot from us."

Mr. Tabootie, who had turned around and slung his arm over the seat, looked at the women with slightly narrowed eyes. "Well after we find them, that is going to have to stop. Our children have been romping around this...this... child's fantasy come to life, and they may have landed themselves in trouble and...we didn't know about it. Well that is going to change."

The two women nodded. From her rearview mirror, Terry could see that the two women also narrowed her eyes. She realized what this meant. Anger had started to settle in. She knew it was going to happen sooner or later. Knowing that their children were hiding something from them shocked them at first, but as that shock wore out, anger replaced it. Anger from being lied to. Anger from their children getting hurt and them not knowing about it.

Mrs. Sanchez turned her head to Mrs. Tabootie. "When we find them and bring them back, what do you think we should do about them visiting this ChalkZone place?"

Terry's eyes widened a little. So perhaps she would find out after all what they planned on doing. Or did they even have an idea yet? It was too early to tell. They hadn't even seen the place yet to make a judgment call.

"I don't know. I mean..they've been there all this time and they've been still with us. And if they keep going, then it can't be as dangerous as we think but..." Mrs. Tabootie paused for a moment, biting her lip. "But if this is where they've been taken, then there has to be danger involved. If this is where the other victims were taken to, and judging from all that blood, then..." She hesitated. "...then I'm not sure if I want my son associating himself with that...that place..."

Those words sounded so final to Terry. She wasn't sure if she should be happy or not. It sounded like Mrs. Tabootie was in favor of banning the kids from ChalkZone. She wondered how Rudy and Penny would react to that. Not a pretty thing to hear after whatever they were going through right now.

Mrs. Sanchez nodded her head. "I have to agree. This place sounds really dangerous. I mean, I'm sure it's fun and all but..." She looked at the ground, her fingers interlocking. "..with endless possibilities...with some of these...zoners...being dangerous...maybe it would be for the best to stop them from going. I'm...sure they would understand."

There was silence in the van for a few minutes. Terry let it all sink in. Perhaps she wouldn't have to worry about Rudy and Penny again after all. The parents seemed to have decided not to let them back in. And she could understand why. Their children were kidnapped and injured, and ChalkZone may have been the place they were taken to. She could see why they would want to stop them from going so they wouldn't have another incident like this happen again.

She hated to admit it, but there was a lot about ChalkZone she didn't understand herself. The two missing teenagers knew more about it than she did. There might be other dangers of that place that she hadn't even considered. What dangerous secrets was that world hiding?

Mr. Tabootie broke the silence. The frown was gone, replaced with a sympathetic one.

"I understand where you girls are coming from. That world they go to...it might be too dangerous for them. It might be the wisest choice block all access to it, or supervise them at the very least. But..." Mr. Tabootie paused, looking at the two women, who stared at him intently to continue. Terry found herself looking at the man in the corner of her eyes, waiting for him to continue. Biting his lip a little, the man said, "Let's not get ahead of ourselves here. We might be overreacting. I'm sure there is...a reason why our children kept this place secret from us."

"If it's dangerous, that would be a good reason." Mrs. Tabootie said. "And that's why we should stop them from going."

Mr. Tabootie shook his head. "Millie, we haven't even seen the place yet. We don't know how dangerous it is. And if it was really that bad, why would our children keep going to it?" Neither women had an answer for that. "I'd have to say it's because the positives outweigh the negatives. That place might not be as bad as we're thinking it is. If our children like to go to it so often, then it has to be a welcoming place. The very least we can do is give it the benefit of the doubt first."

"I suppose you're right, Mr. Tabootie." Mrs. Sanchez said. She let out a soft sigh. "Even though our children did not trust us with this chalk world's existence, we should show them we still trust them. If we yank them from this world too soon, we might damage the relationship we have with them."

Mrs. Tabootie was quiet for a while. Her expression slowly softened up. "You're right, Joe. Let's talk to our children first, and then decide from there what course of action to take."

"I couldn't agree more with you, Millie." Mr. Tabootie said, giving her a smile. "Before we take action, let's get answers first."

The two nodded in agreement. Then all was quiet. No one else said a word during the rest of the trip towards the old building. Terry thought about saying something, but it was really none of her business. Any comment she thought about making, she kept it to herself. They were their children after all. What right did she have in telling them what to do?

When they arrived at the building, she parked the van out in front. She turned the car off and gestured for the adults to follow her. They got out their umbrellas. It was a really rainy day still. It rained heavily for the past few days, almost like it was reflecting the mood of the missing people. They headed towards the building and got in just as a bolt of lightning clashed, sending vibrations through the ground.

Provided no one had come in here since she left, the chalkboard with the portal on it should still be up the steps in that artist's room. She never did find out who used to live here. A shame. Knowing who lived here might have held an important clue or something. Oh well. She shrugged it off. Not all mysteries could be solved. Not much to be done about that, as unfortunate as it is.

She led the adults up the stairs with her, careful not to move too fast so they wouldn't lose her. She located the artist's room and took them inside...

...only to be greeted by a shocking sight. Not something she had been expecting.

There was a lot of water in this room. It flooded the back portion, near where the window was. There had to be six inches of water on the ground. Every step they took, there was a splash. Terry couldn't believe how much water accumulated in this place. At first, it seemed like a minor annoyance. But then she saw something else, and her eyes widened.

The chalkboard had fallen into the water. The portal itself was facing upwards. But little by little, water was flowing over it. None of it went through the portal, but it was getting dangerously close to it. Terry felt her heart clench as she realized how big of a mistake it was to leave the chalkboard here. She should have taken it with her. If she had come just a minute later, then...

Wasting no time, Terry shot over to the chalkboard. She grabbed it and lifted it up, using whatever strength she could muster, and got it sitting back up again. She took in a few breaths and then turned to Mr. Tabootie.

"Help me move this out of here!" Terry ordered him.

"But what about taking us to ChalkZone?" Mr. Tabootie asked. "We're here, aren't we?"

"Yes, but if you don't help me get this to a drier place, there won't be a ChalkZone to explore!" Terry told him, her voice filled with urgency.

Mrs. Tabootie and Mrs. Sanchez moved out of the way as Mr. Tabootie and Terry grabbed the chalkboard and began to move it. As they walked in the hallway, looking for a place that was much drier and more secure than that bedroom, Terry felt some sense of relief. Erasing ChalkZone was the last thing that she wanted to happen, especially if the victims happen to be there. They could have died...

Terry couldn't kick herself harder for not realizing that the rain could have filled up the room like that. Her mind swirled with terrible thoughts as she realized all that could have happened had that water gotten into ChalkZone. Snap reacted in pain when her old associate sat on him, and when she had folded him up and put him in the bag. What would water of felt like to them...?

Terry didn't know why she cared all that much about the drawings. They could just be redrawn, couldn't they? Then again, there was a lot she didn't know. And it did seem possible that these beings were very much sentient. Not just alive, but sentient. Snap was definite proof of that. Perhaps that was why she cared enough to stop the water from flowing in, not just because erasing ChalkZone would mean that she'd no longer have physical evidence of the place.

Once they got the chalkboard in a safe, dry place, away from any windows or any sources of water, Terry gestured for the parents to move back so she could turn the chalkboard. They hadn't yet seen the portal. Slowly, she moved the chalkboard, and she watched as each of the parents' eyes went wide. They were soon covered in the warm light of ChalkZone. Terry moved back, staring at the portal, and then back at the parents.

The portion of ChalkZone that was exposed looked to be some kind of jungle. Tall trees covered the land, as well as several vines. And just like she described, it looked artificial. Everything they looked at, even the sky, had a pastel kind of look to it. It really did look like someone just drew all this...and that is exactly what had happened. Once in a while, they would hear the call of something from the jungle, indicating it was alive and filled with life.

The parents gasped in shock when something flew by the portal that Terry recognized as a flying pencil. Literally, a pencil with bird wings. That definitely told the parents that this world was strange and different, nothing like what they were used to here.

At first, the parents weren't sure what to do. They looked at each other nervously, then back at the portal. Terry had a feeling they'd react like this. It was one thing to be told of this place, but another to see it for themselves. A part of her wondered how much the parents really believed her stories until they had seen ChalkZone for themselves. She didn't dwell on the matter.

Terry moved up to the portal and gestured her hand in front of it. "This is ChalkZone. You want to find your kids, they might be in here."

"ChalkZone..." Mr. Tabootie went up to the portal, staring at it in awe. "If I hadn't seen it for myself, I..." He paused, and looked at Terry. "Is it..is it safe to go in?"

Terry nodded her head. "Yeah, the interdimensional portals are completely safe." To demonstrate, she shot her hand through until her arm was all the way inside ChalkZone. She pulled it back and made sure the parents could see her whole arm so they could see she was fine. "See?"

With that, Mr. Tabootie tried it himself. He put his hand in it, then seconds later, yanked it out like he thought he was going to get burned. When he realized he was fine, he put his hand back through a few times to confirm. He looked back at the women.

"She's right. It's safe!" Mr. Tabootie called out.

"We can head inside and we might run into one of those zoners." Terry said. "They might be able to tell us if they've seen Rudy or Penny anywhere."

"But would they even help us?" Mrs. Sanchez wondered out loud.

"They might. I'm sure many of the zoners know your kids really well." Terry said, trying to reassure them. "Come on, let's go in. Don't worry, it'll be fine."

With that, one by one, the adults went through the portal. Terry went in first without hesitation. She took a few steps back and gestured for the adults to follow. She gave them a reassuring smile, letting them know it was safe. She could still they were still overwhelmed with the place. But soon, they came in after her. Mr. Tabootie first, then his wife, then Mrs. Sanchez.

Mrs. Tabootie looked around. Her eyes widened, taking in the details of the place. "I never imagined such a place..."

"I'm not even sure what to think of it..." Mrs. Sanchez looked at one of the trees up close. She put her hand on it and rubbed it up and down. "This has the appearance of a drawing, but it feels real..."

"It certainly has an exotic feel to it." Mr. Tabootie noted. He looked up and saw what looked like a stick figure bird flying overhead. "This place has some kind of childhood charm to it..." He looked back at the women. "No wonder Rudy and Penny liked to come here."

"We don't have time to waste." Terry said. She made a motion with her hand. "Come on, let's try to find someone to help us."

As the adults walked, they were unaware that they were being watched by multiple cameras. Tiny cameras that they couldn't even really see anyway. The cameras sent feed back, moving at the speed of light. And the signal went all the way back to a certain place in the Mumbo Jumbo Jungle, inside a certain rhino-shaped cave, where two certain zoners had been hiding.

A dark smile spread across Bardot's face as the cameras shot back images of the four adults walking around in ChalkZone.

"So it seems we have company..." The hybrid zoner turned to Draow. "Why don't you greet them?"

Draow chuckled evilly. "Gladly..."

With that, the bat wolf moved away swiftly. He spread his wings and took off into the air as soon as he left the cave. He headed off in the direction the adults were spotted.

sss

Snap coughed and wheezed, looking around frantically for an escape route. All around him, the ground had risen up, sealing him in a stony prison. Small openings in the ground were pumping in a deadly neurotoxin. Snap tried to hold his breath, but it was no use, and he could feel the gas start to affect him. Once in a while, he almost called out to one of his friends, only to be faced with the grim reminder that he was all alone now.

He hadn't expected this kind of death trap. It started off as a simple game of jacks. Not something he had expected. But the big surprise came later. Unlike the other deathtraps, this one...it came instantly. There was no 'few minute delay' like with the past death traps. This one was sprung as soon as he set foot on the playing field...

Snap managed to figure out the riddle pretty quickly. And he came to the spot. And what a place for Bardot to pick. It was the same spot where he and Rudy met for the first time years ago. Of course Bardot would want to choose a place like this for this kind of deathtrap. What a place for him to die, the same place where he and Rudy first became pals. How...predictable of Bardot to do such a thing.

And when he came, he found several jacks laying on the ground. The card didn't really tell him much. And at the moment, he had all but forgotten what it said. What he did remember was that he walked onto the 'playing field' to go back up the jacks to play with until the death trap triggered. But he was taken by complete surprise when the death trap activated immediately. As soon as he touched the first jack, there was a loud blare, forcing him to cover his ears.

Snap wasn't really sure why this deathtrap sprung right away. He wondered if Bardot, when designing these 'games' got bored with this one and decided to mess with him by having it start right off the bat. Whatever the reason, Snap knew he was in big trouble.

The ground beneath him shook. The jacks rolled all around him. They morphed and took on a new shape. They spread over him, completely sealing him inside, blocking out the light. Snap looked around, and wondered at first if this was all the deathtrap was going to do. If all that was going to happen is that he'd be trapped in here until he starved to death, he would have believed that Bardot was losing it. Thinking back to the other deathtraps, he knew Bardot could do better than this.

Oh how he wished that had been the case.

Gas started to get pumped into the sealed room. And right away, Snap reacted in horror. From the smell of it, he knew it was a deadly neurotoxin. It filled up the entirety of the artificial room he was trapped in. And no matter which way he looked, there appeared to be no way out. He had tried pounding at the sides of the walls, but they wouldn't give way.

Snap was on his knees now, coughing and wheezing. The neurotoxin was messing with his mind now. His vision was becoming distorted as his brain was being poisoned. He felt the nerves in his body start to tingle, and suddenly he was reminded of Mr. Cosmo. He remembered how his neurological system was damaged by the mind control device. He remembered how he got a seizure...how he almost lost control of his legs permanently.. He remembered the burning pain he felt whenever the device was in use.

This was a low blow, something he expected from Bardot anyway. It took him until now to fully realize it. This trap, it was designed specifically to remind him of his time at Mr. Cosmo's lair. Being trapped with nowhere to go...like how he had been caged up like a wild animal. Being alone...like he had been during most of his stay at Mr. Cosmo's... A neurotoxin messing with his nerves...just like how the mind control device did... This was done this way just to mess with him...

Snap fell to the ground, his breaths growing weaker as time passed. He looked around, his eyes halfway open. How was he going to get out of here? The walls were rock solid. He couldn't break them. And pounding on them was not only using up precious energy, it was making him breathe in the toxins faster, speeding up their effects on him.

As hopeless as it seemed, he couldn't just give up. He looked around again as his vision started to blur a little. There had to be something here to help him. Bardot always designed his 'games' with a way to win them. So there had to be a way out of this place. Somehow, someway, there had to be.

Then he saw something. In the middle of the floor, there looked to be a button of some kind. It couldn't be that easy, could it? Bardot had to be losing his edge if a simple button would get him out of here. There had to be some kind of catch. He was reluctant to press it. It might have been something to make the neurotoxins fill the room faster. Or maybe it would cause it to explode or something. But as he looked around, feeling himself get weaker and weaker, he really didn't have much of a choice. There was nothing else here to help him.

Snap walked, no, he crawled over to the button. He winced as his bad leg scraped across the ground. His replacement stick was outside these walls. He would have to grab it when he was able to get out of this particular deathtrap...if he did...

Hesitating for a moment, Snap pressed the button.

Seconds later, the ground underneath him shifted. He expected the walls to lower down, but instead, something else happened. Something completely unexpected. The floor...opened.. Right underneath him. Snap barely had time to register that before he fell in.

The tunnel was dark and windy. He cried out in pain as he tumbled and slide downwards. His injuries were aggravated, scraping along the bumpy tunnel walls. It got worse when a couple of sharp corners came into view, and his burn banged on one of them. Tears of pain forming in his eyes, Snap screamed in pain. And that was just the beginning of it. The tunnel continued on for another five minutes, all the while he kept getting cut and bruised up from the fall. And he had no idea where he was going.

Along the way, he found a card. He managed to grab it before he went down further. If there was one good thing about finding one of Bardot's cards, it was that it was a surefire way to know that he did 'beat' the game the way it was intended. Snap looked down at the card and read its contents.

"You are down to the final two games. But don't get cocky. There's so much to lose. Your friends are down to four hours, and you still need to win these two games. I will give you a hand. Instead of making you solve a riddle for this, I am going to take you straight to the next game. But beware, it's going to be...explosive.

-Bardot"

As soon as he finished reading it, Snap was suddenly flung out of the opening of the tunnel. He found himself in some strange volcanic place. There was no sign of lava, but he could see pointed mountains all over, some with smoke pillowing out. Yeah, these were volcanoes of course.

He walked forward. He stood in a raised, rounded platform surrounded by what appeared to be black tar. He tested the tar, throwing a rock into it. He winced as the rock was practically gobbled up by the tar. Snap continued to walk along the platform he was on, and soon came across what appeared to be a bridge made up of floating, circular platforms. Not seeing much of a choice, he went onto it, limping all the way as he headed towards what looked like a large rectangle platform lower to the tar.

As soon as he stood on it, there was a rumble. He looked around. Had the deathtrap activated already? Then he took notice of something else. The platform he was on now was located in front of a large volcano. He looked upon its rocky surface. He saw darkened streaks along its sides, indicating it was an active volcano, not a dormant one. He was about to look for the card when something happened that was completely unexpected.

The volcano...spoke...

"Welcome, Snap White. I have been expecting you." The voice was omnipresent and booming. "Let us begin the game."

A sentient volcano...a sentient talking volcano...one that was active and could erupt at any given moment. And Snap was standing so close to it, there was no way he could run away in time. Welll...he had been right about one thing. Getting out that easily from the last deathtrap...

..there really had been a catch.

AT LONG LAST:





Snap hung on tightly to the weak branch that grew out of the side of the cliff. He stared down, wincing in fear at the sight of the jagged rocks below. It was worse when he saw more boulders go down this way. They pounded on the edge right above him, and he knew the volcano was trying to knock him over still. The boulders would fall and the rocks down below...they were so sharp the boulders were sliced in half.

He wished he had been able to move faster. He wished he had found a way off of the ice wall before it poured out over the edge. Right next to him, he could see the shimmering white stream as it continued to flow downwards, covering the landscape below. Snap, at the last second, managed to grab a lonely branch growing out the side. The roots wouldn't hold for much longer, and he would need a way to get out of here, and fast.

But how was he going to get up from this? The boulders were still coming. He didn't know how long the volcano was going to keep this up. Then a dark realization settled in. The volcano must know that he was hanging onto the branch, like somehow it could still 'see' him, and it was either trying to finish him off...or it was wasting his time so he wouldn't be able to save his friends. Or, likely, both.

Snap looked around in desperation. He stared in fear as the branch was giving way even more. Snap pressed his feet against the wall, careful not to aggravate his injuries more. He attempted to pull himself up, but the branch started to break and he fell down. He whimpered as he looked down below where his grave might end up being. The realization started to settle in, that this might be where he'll breathe his last. He might of failed to save his friends after all, and that made him shed a few tears.

He had tried so hard to save Rudy, Penny, Rapsheeba, and Blocky. He had endured all this danger, managed to escape some terrifying deathtraps, and now here he was, dangling over the edge of a cliff on a weak branch with no way out. None that he could immediately see anyway. And he knew it was just a matter of time before the branch would break and he'd fall down to his death. He didn't know how he was going to get out of this one.

He couldn't believe that it would all be over right now, when he had only one more game left to play. Just one more... He was so close... Being struck down on the second to the last game was more heart wrenching to him than it would have been in an earlier game. It hurt more to die here than, say, game three or four, because he had endured so much, and he was getting so close to saving his friends, or at least very least, seeing them again. But the thought of dying here, and never seeing them again, it was very depressing. Especially since he hadn't seen Rudy and Penny since that one meeting they had with Skrawl...

Snap wondered how far Skrawl had gotten to figuring everything out. He wondered if he took notice of the games.. Oh yes he must have seen them, the deathtraps that were sprung. No doubt he was aware of the lava and fire on the golf course, the little bots shooting lasers, the sinkhole that appeared out of nowhere... He wasn't sure if Skrawl could do anything to help, but maybe, after all this is over, if he ended up failing, maybe Skrawl could take over and try to stop Draow and Bardot. The jellybean did have a lot more people working for them than Bardot and Draow did, or at least that's what Snap was hoping.

Snap could only hope that Bardot hadn't tried anything against Skrawl. He might very well know that he was investigating. Snap wasn't sure if Skrawl did anything that Bardot didn't like. He hadn't been able to get in contact with the jellybean for days. He may have made great strides in finding out what's going on. Maybe he was able to talk to someone who, somehow, witnessed Draow or Bardot somewhere. Maybe he even got their location.

It was a bit comforting for Snap to know that, if he failed, there would be others who would try to stop Draow and Bardot. Yet, he hoped that it wouldn't come to that. He didn't want others to put their lives on the line to stop these guys. He hoped that, somehow, he would be the one to bring them down. He didn't want others to suffer from this.

He glared at the branch he was holding onto. Yes, he would find a way out of here. Yeah, he was tired, thirsty, and hungry, and he was in pain from his injuries. But there was one thing Bardot couldn't shatter. And that was his hope. He would do whatever it takes to find them and save them. And he knew Bardot knew that very well. He was so close...and soon, Snap would face the monster himself. And when he did, he would make Bardot pay. Oh how he would make him pay...

Snap looked at the white stream again. He stared down as it filled the gorge below. It formed an icy landscape practically hugging the sharp rocks. There was a lot of ice too, and he noticed it was traveling through the gorge itself. One thing he took notice of...it wasn't being sliced up by the rocks. Maybe the ice was just too hard and slippery for the rocks. Strange, but that was what he was witnessing.

Snap thought for a moment. He did need a way to get out of here, and climbing back up wasn't working. He needed another way, and the ice wall was right next to him. If he gathered enough strength, he could throw himself back on the ice wall and slide down... It would be like skiing almost, but instead it would be for his life. One slip up, and he would be a goner...

Having no other choice, that is exactly what he did.

Snap began to swing on the branch. He pushed himself forward and back. He didn't have a lot of strength left, he realized, and he knew this might use up what little remained. But he had no choice. He continued to swing himself back and forth. And when he believed he had enough strength stored up, he knew he had to take a chance. If he missed his jump, he would fall to his death... Gathering up as much courage as he could, Snap let go.

He sailed through the air and hit the side of the ice wall. He started to slip down towards the jagged rocks below. He let out a scream, realizing he might have miscalculated his jump. In desperation, he hung onto the ice wall as he started sliding down along its side. He found it hard to get a grip and he found himself sliding at astonishing speed down to the jagged rocks where the ice had flowed through. He could see an exceptionally sharp rock in his path, and if he didn't move, he would be sliced in half.

Kicking his legs and struggling to pull himself up, Snap managed to get back on top of the ice wall just as he came up to the jagged rock. He howled in pain as he felt it graze his back. He was thrust into the ice face first. He groaned as he rubbed his injured face, feeling a little blood dripping down the corner of his mouth. He looked over and his eyes widened at what he saw.

Up ahead, multiple sharp rocks seemed to grow out of the ice. The ice had formed around these, creating what looked like an obstacle course, only much more dangerous than a real one. And at the moment, he was sliding right for another jagged rock. He did manage to move out of the way, but just barely, and that was just one of many he would have to dodge.

There was little traction on the ice. He would constantly slip and fall. He aggravated his injuries a few times doing this. Yet he had no choice. He couldn't just lay there and get hit. He soon found it easier going on all fours, like how he did...or rather his body did, when he and that bull switched minds. Putting equal pressure on all four limbs helped distribute the weight more equally and made his injuries a little easier to bear as a whole.

As the rocks came, he moved from left to right, whichever way he needed to dodge. It would have been quite fun and exciting if his life wasn't on the line. The slippery ice still made it hard to stand up, even on all fours, most of the time. And there were a few times where he slipped and fell, hitting his chin hard on the ice. He got grazed by a few more sharp rocks, and he cried out as his side injury was reopened and he got a new gash on his left arm. Deep cuts, causing blood to pour out profusely, and he wouldn't doubt they'd get infected.

The ice wall made some twists and turns up ahead, and he was reminded of the tunnel he fell through. And when the ice wall did a loop in the air, his eyes widened in horror. Unable to stop himself, he slid over the lip. There wasn't enough force to go all the way and, in the middle of it, he fell down and landed on his back, hard. He let out a groan of pain as he continued to slide down further. The force of the impact nearly knocked him unconscious and, for a few precious seconds, he wasn't completely aware of his surroundings.

He looked around, his eyes halfway closed. His vision was blurred for a moment. Then, soon, everything came into focus. Groaning, he lifted up his head and saw he was headed towards a sharp, jagged rock. The mugginess in his head slowly cleared and he gasped in horror. He shifted his body to the side and managed to dodge, but only just barely. He shivered as he realized just how close he was to being sliced in half.

This ice 'ride' continued on for a few minutes before he finally saw something different. The ice wall had eventually turned abruptly, moving along the edge of the canyons before going off in a new direction. And, having no choice, Snap went along for the rest of this hell of a ride.

Then, finally, at the end, the ice wall curved upwards slightly. It was almost like a slide, only this slide didn't have any soft sand or shredded tires to land safely on. Snap's eyes widened for a moment and then he shut them, preparing for the inevitable. Seconds later, he felt his body being flung in the air. He flew up pretty high and, only for a second, did he dare to open his eyes.

Even in just that moment, he recognized where he was. He had been taken to the Mumbo Jumbo Jungle. He was sailing over the trees and the exotic foliage. And soon, due to gravity, he was coming crashing down. He let out a scream and braced himself for impact.

And when he came, he howled in pain. He crashed against the top of a tree. The branches cut into his body, creating small bleeding marks. He fell down, slamming against branch after branch. Then finally he fell out of the tree and landed on the ground. He slammed into the ground onto his shoulders, upside down. He let out a groan and laid there, trying to bear the pain that swelled through his body right now.

There was no way he would ever want to go through something like that again. The fall aggravated his injuries, and right now, he was frozen in pain. Even just a little move would cause him to groan in agony. Looking next to him, he could see a card, one that he knew that Bardot had left for him.

After a few minutes of trying to ride out the pain, Snap started to move a little. Each move made him hiss in pain, but slowly, surely, he managed to get his whole body on the ground, and then right himself up. He turned to the card, the one that he knew would lead him to the final game. He let that sink in for a moment. There was just...one more game left to play.

His whole body ached. He couldn't help but wonder if he would even survive the last game. He was thirsty... Well he was in the jungle and there was a river nearby. He could get a drink here...provided this is the location of the final game. He glared at the card and started to read it.

It said:

"Pride can kill the best of us
Slamming with the force of a bus
Someone new who came
Your friend's ego was hard to tame
What you saw as beauty, he saw as competition
Your support of the new made his anger come into fruition
But in the land of the wild
Even he had to admit his temper was a bit much for a child"

Snap was thankful that he didn't take long to figure out this riddle. He was surprised he knew it quickly. But the talk of competition, of egos, there was one incident he could recall where Rudy did act this way. It wasn't one of his best moments, and he had moved from the incident. Snap didn't blame him, though. After all, he was only ten years old when this happened.

By the end of the riddle, Snap recalled the incident where Rudy's little cousin Sophie had gotten into ChalkZone. Rudy had been trying to get her out of ChalkZone before his aunt and mother noticed she was gone. Rudy was very worried about her and thought she was going to get hurt.

But despite his fears, he also seemed to have a bit of an attitude problem. Whenever he referred to the toddler's drawings as 'art', Rudy got really upset. It was clear to Snap that Rudy was somehow jealous of his little cousin. It might have been because he was so used to others praising his work, that when attention was given to someone else, he felt wronged. It was such a silly thing to believe and Rudy had come to terms with that not long after the incident.

Snap thought about the line 'land of the wild', and realized it had to have been talking about the Mumbo Jumbo Jungle...which he was currently in. He was surprised. Usually the notes were left in places further away from the next game. Unless the note was referring to a specific part of this jungle. It was huge and there were multiple places he could go. Maybe the note was referring to where Rudy and Sophie had first entered the jungle.

He looked around. If that were the case, then he had a bit of a ways to go to the next game. He had to get moving now. He didn't have a lot of time left to save his friends. He got up to his feet. He took a few steps, wobbling from the pain he was in. He did manage to find yet another walking stick for him to use. The stick made it easier for him to walk a little faster. He headed in the direction where he remembered Rudy and Sophie being in at the very start of their little rendevous with the jungle.

He did manage to find a small stream. It wasn't much, but it would have to do. He knelt down and put his hands on the water. Cupping some of it in his hands, he drank some of it. The thought of it being tainted did cross his mind, but if Bardot really wanted to face him in the end, he had doubts he would poison him when he was so close to facing him. He knew Bardot really wanted to fight him, and would rather keep him alive.

He was hungry, but there was nothing he could do about that. He settled with the water. After he drank a little, feeling a little more hydrated, he started to press on. He didn't get much energy from the water, but at least now there was a little less chance of him fainting when he went to face Draow and Bardot. And after he beat them, he and his friends could start to recover.

Trying to steer clear of the wild inhabitants wasn't easy. He almost had a few run ins with some of the more vicious locals. But luckily, they seemed preoccupied with something else. He felt a little safer as he trudged through..until he heard the sound of teeth gnashing on bone. His eyes flew open. The reason the beasts weren't going after him..was because they had found other victims.

Snap's heart started to race. He knew it couldn't be Rudy or Penny, but what if these were the remains of Blocky and Rapsheeba? He soon pushed those thoughts out of his head. He couldn't jump to conclusions like that. Still, these beasts...they could be eating the remains of discarded victims Bardot had killed. How many zoners had he murdered? He might have killed a lot more, and he didn't know about it. Bardot may have been keeping it a secret this whole time.

Snap soon came to the right spot. He could see the note sticking out of the ground, among a group of thorny flowers. He reached down, wincing as the thorns cut into his hand. Just like Bardot to make the last note the hardest one to get. He managed to yank it out, but not before getting a few thorns stuck in his hand. After carefully removing the thorns from his hand, he started to read the note.

"Well you finally made it. This is the final game. And by the end, you will be shown the way to your friends. The object of the game here is jump rope, but with a twist. The rope is a snake, and it has an appetite for little zoners like yourself. Be careful; it is relentless in its attacks."

Snap's eyes widened at this. More running... He was still exhausted from having to outrun the volcano. His legs were hurting. The pain in his leg was getting worse. He didn't know how fast he could carry himself with the walking stick. And, despite having drank not too long ago, his throat was a little dry. His lungs were still burning a little from all the running he was doing. And now the last game, of course Bardot wouldn't make things easy for him. Now he was going to be pursued by something that wanted to eat him. And, chances are, the snake was going to be a lot faster than him.

Snap stiffened at the sound of hissing. He looked over above him. Staring down at him with glowing yellow eyes was a snake. It had a very long body. Thickly muscled and yet still thin. The scales shined, flatted smoothly against its body. It opened up his mouth a little and he could see the hideous, sharp teeth. Its dark puple tongue flickered in and out as it started him hungrily. He could see part of its body was hanging low and he guessed this was the part he had to jump over to save himself.

The snake opened its jaws and let out a loud hiss. It pulled its head back and struck down. Snap screamed and dodged to the left. The snake's jaws clamped against the ground, tearing off grass and dirt and lifted it up. It shook its head from side to side and spat out the dirt, a disgusted look on its face. It turned its attention back to Snap and tried to bite him again. Snap turned and ran away, the snake in hot pursuit.

As Snap ran, trying whatever he could to keep the snake from biting him, including running zigzag to disorient it, he noticed that the snake moved along the trees, like it was a part of it. And it moved along smoothly. It was pretty impressive, the way this snake managed to go from tree to tree without much of a problem. Snap would admire that if he wasn't about to be eaten by the snake. Once in a while, the hanging part of the snake would strike down at him, forcing him to jump.

Jumping was pretty painful. Each time he did, and he hit the ground, he almost tumbled onto his knees in agony. The jumps were aggravating his injuries more, especially the burn on his foot. No matter how hard he tried, the burned portion of his foot would still bang against the ground, causing him to howl in pain. He managed to press on, but it was hard to block out the throbbing pain he was feeling. He looked behind him, and realized the snake was catching up. Another snap of the jaws, and Snap could feel part of his scarf being torn off. He was yanked back and he fell onto the ground.

The snake moved around, blocking his way out. In a mini coil, Snap looked up in fear as the snake hissed loudly again. It opened its jaws so wide, Snap could see down its throat. It struck forward. Snap jumped out of the way, barely missing being hit. The snake bit down on its self and it let out a shriek of pain. This did gave Snap a little time to get a little further ahead. But that wouldn't last as the snake came upon him again. It swung its body at him again, and he jumped, grunting in pain as he landed back down.

Snap looked up ahead. He was reaching a part of the jungle where the foliage was really thick. His eyes widened. Would he be able to make it? It wasn't going to be easy running through that place with the walking stick he was using. He could easily get tangled up in the vines and the branches that interlocked with each other. And there was no other way he could go, not without risking getting caught by the snake.

Then he realized that maybe..maybe this could work to his advantage. As he jumped a few more times as the snake struck out against him, he formulated a plan in his head. Since the snake was so eager to bite into him, it would continue to follow him no matter where he went. Maybe he could...

He didn't have time to think as he entered the thick foliage. Just like he thought, he wasn't able to move as fast. But then, neither could the snake. Its body no longer able to hang over and strike out, just the snake's head came through. It moved with some difficulty through the branches and vines, trying in vain to get at him. Snap had a hard time going through himself. A few times, his stick would get caught and he'd have to dislodge it. And more than once, he had a close call where the snake almost slammed his jaws around him.

The thick foliage went on for a while. Snap dodged left and right as he made his way through, trying to keep to the thickest parts of this patch of plants. He moved upwards in different places and, just like he hoped, the snake kept trying to get at him. If he could just make it through a few more times, he might be able to succeed in what he was trying to accomplish.

Up ahead, he could see the end of the foliage. And when he looked back at the snake, he could see what the effect he wanted was taking place. With the snake constantly following him, matching Snap's zigzagging moves without hesitation, it was beginning to tie itself in knots in the foliage, in a manner of speaking. It was becoming tangled in the brush and, eventually, it would no longer be able to follow him.

Snap reached the small opening. He dove out. He cried out in pain as he found himself tumbling down a small hill. He rolled across the ground, crying out in pain as his injuries slammed against the harsh, rocky patches of ground. He landed on his injured side and froze there in pain for a few seconds. He forced himself to open his tear-filled eyes and looked back towards the snake.

The head popped out and lashed out towards him. Snap screamed and scrambled to get back. The snake snapped his burned foot and started to pull him up into the air. It shook him a few times before tossing him into the ground. Snap laid there in agony as the snake coiled back and prepared to strike. Unable to move, Snap closed his eyes and looked away, waiting for the blow.

But it never came. Confused, Snap opened his eyes and looked. And that's when he realized his plan really had worked.

The snake was struggling to get at him. It slammed its jaws shut several times, missing him only by inches. But it could never get much closer. It turned its head towards the bushes and hissed angrily at it. It started to bite the branches and vines and tore them away in an attempt to free itself. Knowing that the snake could be done with this in a short time frame, Snap got up to his feet and started to make his way in the opposite direction, keeping himself a little steady with his walking stick.

Snap ran as fast as he could, wincing and crying out in pain. His injuries were getting worse, and already he was thirsty again. He wanted to try to find something else to drink, but he had no time for that. He didn't know how long the snake would be distracted.

Suddenly he stopped, frozen in his tracks. He had reached a part of the jungle he did not recognize in any way. It was still the Mumbo Jumbo Jungle. He could tell from the style of the drawings. But this area was unfamiliar to him. He looked around, walking slowly, taking in the sights. He didn't know if he had reached the right area or not. He didn't see a card, at least not yet. But if that was the last game, would there even be a card to find?

Then he came across something unexpected. A large rock face, in a style kinda similar to the gola monster he and Penny were swallowed up by once. But this time, the head was shaped more like a rhino's. It looked sinister...foreboding. He shivered as the eyes looked like they were staring right down at him. This place gave him scary vibes, and that was when he realized something.

Could this be the place?

It didn't take long for him to find his answer. A small note on the ground with not many words written on it. He picked it up and read it. It only had three words.

"You are here."

Snap let that sink in for a moment. He looked up at the rhino-like structure. He shivered in its presence. It definitely looked and felt like a place that Bardot would have taken his friends. The realization that he, after all this time, had finally made it, swept through him. If he weren't in so much pain and so filled with worry right now, he'd be smiling. He had managed to beat the odds and now, at last, he was here.

Snap headed towards the rhino shaped entrance. He pushed against the thick vines, managing to squeeze by them. And as he entered, he was immediately greeted with tunnels and darkness, barely lit by the torches. Although he had made it, he realized he needed to find out where his friends were being held. But how would he find them in this place? He had no idea where he needed to go.

Snap wandered down the tunnels, randomnly picking which direction to go. He couldn't see any markings on the walls, at least nothing all that meaningful to him. He kept his eyes and ears open, trying to find any signs of his friends. He tried to hear anything, a moan, some indication that they were alive and waiting for him. But so far, there was nothing but silence. He couldn't even hear the growls or chuckles from his enemies, whom he knew were expecting him here.

This place was dark and twisted, and it wasn't like it had a creepy design similar to Mr. Cosmo's. This place managed to be creepy all on its own simply with the way it was laid out and the way it looked. He had no idea how big this place really was, and he had no idea how far he'd have to walk before he found anyone. He had a feeling he was going to get lost unless he found a map of some kind. But knowing Bardot, he wasn't going to be so lucky.

After a few minutes of walking, he came down to a lower area with three different tunnels to take. He took the one on the far left and headed down that way. As he walked down, he could hear the splashing of water, which made him shudder. It didn't help that the splashing was accompanied by some sparks of electricity. And soon, after he walked for a few minutes, he came into a long tunnel with cells on both sides. Snap's eyes widened in horror as he saw just how many of them there were. There had to be at least twenty in this room.

He moved quickly through the tunnel, his mind filled with apprehension as he looked around nervously at the cells. Just looking at them reminded him so much of Mr. Cosmo. He could picture himself in each of these cells, on the ground in agony. He didn't want to be here... He moved out of the tunnel as fast as he could, and soon came to a two way path. This time, he took the path to the right.

And as he entered, he heard could hear moans and crying. He thought at first they were his friends, but they didn't sound like them. They sounded..different. Curious, he continued down, wondering who else had been captured by Bardot. He soon came upon a door. It seemed almost out of place; he hadn't spotted any other doors in this network of caves so far. He put his hand on the door and, slowly, opened it.

His eyes widened at what he saw.

There, hanging on the walls, were four adult humans. Four that he recognized immediately. Rudy's parents...Penny's mom...and Terry Bouffant. They were chained against the wall by their arms, secured over their heads. All of them had injuries on them, covered in cuts and bruises and their clothes were slightly torn. The parents looked like they had been crying for some time.

His arrival in the room prompted the adults to see him. The parents, at first, reacted in fear. They looked at him with wide eyes and struggled a little against their chains.

"No! Stay back!" Mrs. Tabootie shouted. "I'm warning you!"

"Not another one!" Mrs. Sanchez joined in.

Snap put his hands out in front of him and took a few steps back. "Whoa there! I'm not going to hurt you!"

"Yeah right..." Mr. Tabootie said bitterly. "Every one of you zoners we came across had tried to attack us!"

Before Snap could say anything, Terry spoke up.

"Cool it, you guys." Terry said. She looked down at Snap. She had a small smile on her face. Rather than a scheming one like Snap was used to, it was a smile that clearly showed happiness. Relief that he was there. And seeing the condition she was in, Snap wasn't that surprised. "That's Snap White. He's friends with Rudy and Penny. He's not one of the bad guys. You can trust him."

Snap was a little surprised that Terry was defending him like that. But then, given the situation she was in, he knew that she knew it was best to tell the truth. She was in danger as well, and, at the moment, he was their only chance at getting free. He looked up at their chains and winced. Could he even remove them?

The parents calmed down a little. They still looked at him suspiciously. They never took their eyes off him, making Snap feel a little uncomfortable. He tried his best not to show his nervousness, afraid that it might send off the wrong signals. He would have asked how they came here, but he had a pretty good idea. Terry must have took them here to find Rudy and Penny, and they got captured by Draow. That was pretty evident, given what he was seeing here.

He would have asked them where Rudy and Penny were, but it was unlikely that they would know. And even if they did, he wasn't sure if they would have told him. From the sound of it, they had not yet met a friendly zoner and, after seeing them in this condition, he could see why they would be wary of him.

"Hey, Snap. Do you think you can get us down?" Terry asked. She pulled on her chains. "Maybe find the key or something."

"Finding the key would be the better option. There's no way I can pull those chains out." Snap took note of the metal chains holding the adults to the wall. "I will free you guys later. First, I need to find Rudy and Penny. There's..." His eyes watered as the realization started to come to him. "..there's only two hours left to save them..."

Although she still looked distrustful of him, Mrs. Sanchez said, "They're..not in the greatest condition..." Her voice was filled with sadness.

"Did Bardot tell you?" Snap asked, turning his head towards her.

Mrs. Sanchez shook her head. "No. He didn't tell us. He showed us." With that, she made a gesture with her head, motioning for Snap to turn around.

When he did, he was appalled at what he saw. Bardot had pushed in a television set that showed both Rudy and Penny. Seeing their injuries, watching them struggle in pain, it made Snap's heart clench. This was...this was worse than he had imagined. And how sick could Bardot have to be to show the parents this? What a low, disgusting blow...to taunt them like this... Anger burned inside of Snap as his hands shook in anger.

Snap headed towards the door. He stopped and looked behind. Everyone but Terry still looked at him with suspicion. He didn't complain. Right now, it didn't matter if the parents trusted him or not. He had to find Rudy and Penny. The adults would be fine for now. At the moment, all the focus was on him and his friends. They would be spared for now, and they hadn't suffered nearly as many dangerous injuries. He can come back for them later.

He had finally arrived at this place. He didn't know where his friends were, but he would find them. Eventually, if he walked around this place enough, if he moved fast enough, he would find them, and then he would make Draow and Bardot pay for what they have done. He had defeated the games, and now it was time for the 'boss battles', so to speak. They weren't going to be able to keep him down.

"I am going to find Rudy and Penny." Snap said before he left the room. As he spoke, there was a clear indication of determination in it. "I will save them. I promise you..I will save them. And I will get you out of here." He paused for a moment. He looked back and gave them what could be described as a heroic smile. "And I will make sure Bardot and Draow never hurts them, or you, ever again."

As Snap walked out of the door, the adults looked on after him. The parents looked at each other. They still weren't sure, but there was a sense of hope returning to their faces. Snap's words had started to sink a little. They knew that Snap, as much as they weren't sure what to think about him, regardless of him being Rudy's drawing, was their only hope now.

Giving a small smile, Terry said in a soft voice, "If I know you Snap, and I do... I know you will succeed."

GUARDIAN ANGEL:





Snap realized, too late, that he really should have thought this through more. He should have realized that, with his injuries, running headon towards Draow was not the best course of action. His reaction times were a little hindered at best, and the pain slowed him down a tad. He was unable to stop himself or get out of the way in time when Draow lifted up his foot and kicked him, slamming his foot on his chest and stomach.

Snap let out a scream as he was thrown backwards. He slammed his back against the wall and slid down. His walking stick was flung to the side. He could hear his friends calling out to him. Their voices were so weak... He shook his head and stared as Draow was barreling towards him, snapping his jaws wildly. Eyes wide, Snap rolled out of the way just as Draow came upon him. Unable to stop himself, Draow slammed against the wall with a loud thud, stunning him just for a moment.

Taking his chance, Snap, ignoring the pain he was in, jumped onto Draow's neck. He wrapped his arms around his throat and pushed hard. Draow let out a screech and lifted up his head sharply. He shook it from side to side, trying as hard as he could to get the little blue zoner off of him. He snapped his jaws at his sides, trying to get at his danging feet. Snap refused to let go and he pulled on Draow's neck tighter. There was no way he was going to let this creep get away with what he has done. No way...

Draow attempted to buck Snap off. He threw his body from side to side, using the force to try to make Snap let go. Snap almost did, but he retained his grip on the beast. Maybe he kept going like this, he could make Draow use up more of his energy and he would be too weak to fight back. Yes, this plan would work.

Then Draow started to slam his body against the room's walls. Snap howled in pain when his foot got caught between the rock and Draow's thick body. It didn't break, but it was still a bad blow, right on the ankle, too. It twisted a little. Still, he would not let go. Draow, growling in frusration, kept slamming him again and again. It didn't work so well this time because Snap pulled his legs up before the slamming could occur, making it harder for Draow to succeed with this plan again.

Draow's pupils dilated a little. "I am not going to lose to you, little runt!" He snarled. He stood still for a moment, his haunches low to the ground. His head was turned to the side, his eyes turning as far as they could to stare at Snap. "You will see! I am going to prove to Bardot I can defeat you! You will be mine!"

Snap watched as chalky drool dripped from the beast's jaws. This bat wolf really was obsessed with revenge... But not just that. He got it in his head that he had to prove himself to Bardot. He didn't know why. Nor did he really care right now.

Still hanging on tightly, Snap said to Draow, "Yeah well those are just all words. Anyone can say they will succeed. Why don't you try proving it to me?"

The bat wolf smirked darkly in response. "I would love to. Listening to you scream...watching you squirm...that is what I've been wanting these past few days." He pawed the ground, scraping his claws against the hard surface. "I am going to get my wish."

Draow rushed towards the far end well. He spread his wings out a little to get a little more speed. Snap wasn't sure what he was going to do at first. He didn't see the benefit of running head first into the wall. And then his eyes widened when that was answered quickly. He felt Draow lower his head so that the back of his neck was facing the wall. In a matter of seconds, the wolf was going to slam against the wall, crushing Snap against it. Snap had to think of something and fast.

Reaching down with one hand, Snap grabbed an ear and yanked on it hard, forcing Draow's head to the side. The sudden change in the orientation of his head caused Draow to lose his balance temporarily. He ended up slamming his wing against the wall instead. Draow howled in pain as Snap heard a few small cracks. He realized that the force broke one of the long digits that made up the bat wolf's wing. It wouldn't be enough to slow him down by much, though.

Draow was getting more and more desperate to get him off. He ran around the room, shaking him, slamming against the wall, doing whatever he could. He was getting really angry. Snap was amazed by how much control he still had despite being frustrated. He managed to completely avoid Rudy and Penny this whole time, barely even touching them with his tail as he tried in vain to get at him. Once in a while, Draow would still try to bite at his sides to snag Snap.

Two more times, Draow attempted to ram the wall again. And both times, Snap grabbed his ears and practically steered him in a new direction. It was almost like a rodeo. Only instead of a bull, this rodeo involved riding on the back of a ferocious, bone-crushing zoner who wanted him dead. And just like in a rodeo, where the bulls used were worn out, tired from all the running, that is how he'd have to beat Draow. Wear him out, and that's exactly what would happen if Draow kept this up.

Snap could feel Draow getting a little weaker from all the bucking and trying to throw him off. He hadn't really been conserving his energy well and used up much of it just trying to get him off. Once Draow was tired enough, Snap planned on knocking him out, and then trying to get Rudy and Penny to safety while Bardot wasn't around.

He felt it was a good plan. He couldn't use up too much of his energy fighting this guy. Not with his injuries and what little strength he had left to fight. Will power and determination could only get him so far. If he gets too badly hurt in this fight, just how was he going to stand up to Bardot? He knew that crazy zoner was going to come after him not long after he defeats Draow. And he knows that, unlike at his home, Bardot was not going to hold back this time.

Then, something happened that Snap should have foreseen. As Draow shook his head from side to side, it appeared the bat wolf had a change of plans. Really wanting to get his teeth into someone, Draow turned to someone who was within his sights and whom couldn't fight back.

Rudy and Penny...

Snap's eyes widened in horror. "No!"

Draow's response was a dark laughter. He positioned himself with the two humans in his line of sight. They were looking at him with fear-filled eyes. With their legs broken, there was no way they were getting out of the way in time. Licking his chops, Draow charged straight for them, his mouth split open wide. He was closing the gap between them and it wouldn't be long before he was upon them.

Snap tried to make Draow change direction. He yanked on his neck fur. He pushed his head, trying to make him miss his mark. But the bat wolf was determined to get his quarry and he was not about to let Snap ruin it for him. His eyes focused on Rudy and Penny, he just kept running.

In desperation, Snap grabbed both of Draow's ears and yanked on them hard. Draow's eyes widened in pain and he let out a grunt. His head was pulled upwards. Unable to see, he was forced to stop. Snap noticed that he stopped just in time. His talons were barely touching his friends' faces. Draow moved his head from side to side, trying to get free. He backed off, letting out a few barks of frustration.

When Draow moved a few steps back, he suddenly swung his head to the side. Snap, unprepared, slipped down from the monster's neck. Now he hung onto the beast's throat, feeling the drool fall on him. The jaws were dangerously close to him. Draow noticed him there and lifted his head up high, getting into a posture like he was going to drink. Then he slammed down, mustering up as much strength as he could. He struck the ground, smashing Snap underneath him. Then he lifted up his head and took a step back.

Snap laid on the ground in pain. His eyes were shut for a moment, then he looked up at Draow. He didn't have time to react as the bat wolf lifted up his wing and struck down. The blade sliced against Snap's chest, creating a bloody gash. Blood splattered the ground as Snap cried out in pain, tumbling across the ground. He sat up, staring at the fresh wound, blood gushing out down his chest and stomach. He looked up just in time to see Draow coming at him.

Again he was struck. Draow slammed his snout against Snap, forcing him onto his muzzle. The force dazed him a little, but the bat wolf wasn't finished with him yet. He ran across the room, his head lowered. Then he made impact with the wall, slamming Snap against it with great force. Snap howled in pain as he felt his body being crushed against the hard rock. He could see Draow staring at him, his eyes filled with wild, demented glee at his obvious suffering.

Draow took a step back and allowed Snap to fall to the ground. Snap groaned and rubbed the back of his head, feeling a sore spot there. He was lucky he didn't get a concussion. He looked up at Draow and, before he could react, the bat wolf swung his head at him. The side of his head collided with Snap, sending him flying off to the side.

Snap screamed as he tumbled painfully on the ground. He landed hard on his side and bad leg and he cried out in pain. He was frozen in pain for several seconds. He could barely hear his friends' warning cries. He could barely hear the heavy footsteps coming towards him. For the moment, the only thing he was aware of was the horrible throbbing pain in his head. And the world around him, for a moment, was blurred, the pain taking much of his brain's attention.

Snap rubbed his head, his mind starting to come back into focus. The world still felt like it was spinning, but that was slowing down now. And now his friends' cries were reaching him. Now he could comprehend what they were trying to tell him.

"Snap..look out..!"

That cry had come from Rudy. Snap's body stiffened as he felt something very close behind him. He turned his head to see Draow staring at him. There was little room between them. Snap had nowhere to go. He was still in too much pain to just jump away. He was helpless to save himself as Draow kicked Snap, knocking the zoner into the ground.

Snap landed on his back and moved a little across the ground, his back scraping against it. He groaned and opened his eyes as Draow charged straight for him. Snap looked to his side and realized he had landed right next to his walking stick. He wasn't sure if it was going to work. Draow was moving really fast and he did have strong jaws... But it was his best chance at survival. He grabbed the stick and turned to face Draow. Just as the bat wolf opened his jaws to bite him, Snap shoved the stick into his mouth.

Draow was moving too fast to react to what was going on. He saw the stick being put in his mouth, but his jaws were already slamming shut, and he didn't have time to stop himself. The stick was long, about how wide his jaws could open. His eyes wide, Draow struggled to get the stick out of his mouth. He swung his head from side to side.

Snap smiled a little, thinking that this bought him sometime. But, to his horror, it had not. He could hear the cracking of the stick. Draow's jaws lowered more and more, closing the space. He could see the stick starting to break and soon, it shattered in the beast's jaws.

Snap backed away as Draow turned his eyes towards him. Snap realized, in that moment, just how afraid he was. He had so much to lose. And he was badly hurt, weak, and in a lot of pain. Draow, however, hardly had a mark on him. He clearly had the upperhand here. Snap felt his body tremble as Draow moved slowly towards him, licking his lips.

Snap was reminded of the fear he felt when he was with Mr. Cosmo. How the man could just look at him and he'd be frozen in terror. The man had caused him so much pain, tortured him so much... And now he was seeing just how much Draow took after his master. That twisted smile on the zoner's face...much like Mr. Cosmo's face when he proceeded to torture him within an inch of his life.

But despite his fear, he knew he had to keep fighting. Rudy and Penny..they were counting on him. He was their last line of defense. He was afraid, yes. He was terrified. But he wasn't about to let that control him in this fight. He had to keep going. No matter how afraid he was, he had to keep fighting. He had to make Draow and Bardot pay for what they've done. He had to show them both that they weren't going to control him with fear. There was no way he was going to let himself lose.

He narrowed his eyes and he took a fighting stance. He was not going to let Draow beat him that easily. He could see his friends laying on the ground, staring at him as he faced off against his monster. He was not about to let them down. He was going to win this fight. He wasn't going down that easily.

Draow's eyes narrowed, like he was upset that Snap managed to control his fear. Ears flattening, lips curling up into a snarl, he said, "Why won't you die?"

Snap narrowed his eyes, a small smirk appearing on his face. His reply was, "Why don't you make me?" There was a clear, challenging tone to that.

Draow growled in response. He pawed the ground and he rushed towards Snap.

sss

Terry was a little surprised, but also happy, when two other zoners showed up. Just like when Snap had arrived, the parents weren't sure if they could be trusted. Once they had mentioned they were with Snap, Terry assured them that they could be trusted.

She could see why the parents were so wary with these two zoners. They didn't know them that well. It didn't help that Blocky looked really bizarre, with his square shape and oddly placed limbs. And seeing him so badly injured...the parents wondered out loud just what had happened to him. The more humanoid zoner, Rapsheeba, said that they would explain later and that, right now, they had to get them out of this place.

Rapsheeba and Blocky worked together to get the adults down. When Terry mentioned something about a key, Blocky went to look for it. It took several minutes, but he came back with it. Terry didn't ask him how he managed to get it so fast. She would have thought it was better hidden. But then again, maybe that Bardot character didn't think things through. Maybe he thought he was in such complete control that a secure location of the key wasn't necessary.

She didn't complain, though. That oversight meant that she and the parents were going to be freed soon. The zoners weren't tall enough to use the key on their own. So instead, Rapsheeba let Blocky stand on her shoulders. One by one, they managed to release the adults from their chains.

They hadn't left right away. Instead, they remained in the room, looking at each other. They glanced at each other's wounds, and checked them, making sure they weren't that bad. Some of the wounds looked a little worse than they initially thought. But they were manageable. Not one of the adults was too hindered to walk, so they could still make a clean getaway. That is what the two zoners had planned; they explained that Snap told them to get them out of the hideout.

The adult humans were all eager to get out of that place. The sooner they were out, the better. Yet, despite the desire to get out, the parents were...rather reluctant to an extent. They didn't want to leave their children behind. They didn't want to leave the building, knowing their children were trapped and injured. They really wanted to get them out and get them to a hospital. Terry could understand how they felt, and she had considered convincing the zoners to let them find their kids.

But this idea was quickly shot down. Rapsheeba and Blocky explained to the adults just how dangerous Bardot and Draow were. They deduced Bardot is watching the same rooms Rudy and Penny were in, and would see someone trying to rescue them. They told them how Bardot saw everything as a game, and how he would dish out punishments of any of his precious 'rules' were broken. If they went to try to save their kids, even though it was a noble and brave act, they might make things worse and Bardot may order them both to be killed.

As hard as it was, the two zoners had to tell the adults that the best chance those kids had to live was if Snap himself defeated Bardot and Draow. He was the only one 'allowed' to try to save them, and he would do anything it took to get them to safety. They did what they could to assure Mr. Tabootie, Mrs. Tabootie, and Mrs. Sanchez that Snap was a capable zoner who could beat the odds and would be able to save their children and bring their kidnappers and tormentors to justice.

Terry understood quickly where they were coming from. If what they said was true, and if this really was all just some twisted 'game' to this Bardot zoner, then she agreed that it was best to let Snap handle it. In spite of how injured he was, in spite of how hopeless it might be that he could win, they would automatically lose if Bardot really could see what they were doing and saw one of them trying to save the kids. The best they could do now was get out of this hell hole and wait for their kids outside.

It took a little while for the parents to at least convince Rapsheeba and Blocky to let them wait outside the lair. Not too far away. They wanted to be there when Snap came out with their kids. They wanted to be reunited with them. They wanted to hold them and let them know it'll be okay. They wanted to get them to safety, back to where the blue portal was located.

Although Rapsheeba and Blocky weren't sure if it was such a good idea to let them stay so close to a place so dangerous, they did give in and let them at least have that. They promised that they would protect them while waiting outside, just in case any aggressive zoners happened upon the place whiel they waited. The adults were grateful for their help.

They were starting to leave their cell when Mrs. Sanchez took notice of something. She stopped in the middle of the room, her body frozen. Her eyes slowly widened as she stared at the screen. Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie came over to see what she saw. Terry came over, and she let out a soft gasp when she realized something about the television had changed.

Penny...she was gone.. And there was a blood trail... What had happened to her? Terrible thoughts ran through their minds. Maybe Bardot had decided to finish Penny off, just to be sadistic...

But fears were dampened when Terry noticed something changing in the screen showing Rudy. She called to the parents and pointed. Relieved sighs spread through the three adults when they saw that Penny had not been taken by Bardot; she had just been dragged away by Snap, who placed her carefully next to Rudy. Such a kind gesture... Terry watched as the adults smiled as Snap comforted their children and they realized, in that moment, just how much Snap meant to their children, and how much Snap really cared for Rudy and Penny.

And then they watched as that horrible monster, Draow, came in and engaged in a fight with Snap. They saw how Snap was so determined, he kept fighting back. They watched the little zoner, so badly injured, fight to keep his friends safe. They gasped in horror when Draow tried to get at their children, but were relieved when Snap managed to make Draow stop his attack, and continued to wrestle with him.

It was an impressive sight. Terry knew there was a lot of fight in that zoner, but she had no idea it was like this. Perhaps this would convince the parents that ChalkZone wasn't as bad as they thought. Sure, she herself still wanted to report on ChalkZone, and sure she would rather Rudy and Penny not interfere with her. But she wasn't heartless; she knew how damaging it would be for the two teenagers if they were banned from the place they cared about so much after all they had been through.

Then Terry started having second thoughts. Something in the back of her mind was emerging. After all this, did she really want to still expose ChalkZone? She started to wonder, for the first time, if that was such a good idea. Had there been consequences she hadn't considered? Perhaps...perhaps it was time she thought all of this through a little more.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Mr. Tabootie spoke.

"That Snap fellow..." Mr. Tabootie said, his voice filled with awe. "He just keeps going and going, doesn't he?"

Mrs. Tabootie nodded her head in response. "He really does care, doesn't he?"

"Of course he does!" Rapsheeba said, giving a smile at the large woman. "Why else would he be putting his life on the line to save your kids?"

Blocky nodded in agreement. "They look out for each other. Rest assured Snap will not give up. He will keep fighting until his dying breath. He is not a selfish guy. It is in his nature to put himself in harm's way to save those he cares about."

The parents let out a few tears. Not strictly of sadness, but of happiness. Hope seemed to rise in them more. Hope is that they needed right now.

"So after all these years, our children had a guardian angel.." Mrs. Sanchez said in a low whisper, wiping away a tear. "And we didn't know about it."

"They are guardians of each other." Terry said, giving the adults a reassuring smile.

Taking one more look at the screen, watching as Snap continued to battle against Draow, Mr. Tabootie looked at the others and said, "If we get out of this, let's be sure to thank him."

Mrs. Tabootie and Mrs. Sanchez nodded in agreement. Then they all started to move out into the hallways and tried to find their way out of the wretched hideout.

sss

"This is for Cosmo!" Draow declared as he kicked Snap as hard as he could.

Snap screamed in pain when he was thrust into the ground again. He hit against his side and his body froze in pain. Convulsing in agony, he just laid there, unable to move. Draow stared at him, smiling darkly. His tail swished from side to side as he slowly approached the downed zoner.

Snap struggled to move. He could hear Penny calling out to him, trying to get him to move. Rudy had gone silent, and Snap had a feeling he knew what that meant; he lost consciousness. He was running out of time. So little was remaining. That motivated him to try harder to move and get up. But the pain wracked through his body, sending painful shivers throughout, and leaving him stuck on the ground.

Draow moved in slowly towards him, smirking in satisfaction at Snap on the ground, bleeding from reopened and new injuries. He watched as the zoner looked up at him, his eyes wide with a mixture of fear of pain. His smile broaded at this sight. He opened his jaws and let out a dark chuckle. He lifted up his head, pulled it back, and then charged forward, his feet pounding the ground heavily. Unable to move, Snap couldn't stop Draow from slamming his jaws around his body.

Snap screamed as teeth dug into his body, making more blood pour out. He was yanked off the ground and held high into the air. Draow pressed his jaws tighter and Snap winced in agony, tears pooling from his eyes. Draow gave him a few hard shakes, aggravating his injuries and making him scream a few times. Then he stopped and just stood there. Snap was confused at first, but his eyes widened as he realized what Draow was going to do.

He felt the jaws close in tighter on him. He felt the teeth dig further into his already torn body. The pressure was increasing little by little. He realized that Draow was going to crush him to death...

Snap struggled in the beast's jaws. He tried to pull himself out. But not only could he not muster enough strength to do this, but if he pulled himself out with the teeth still in his body...he was going to rip himself apart. He needed to find another way out. He looked around, desperate for an escape. He winced as he saw the look in Penny's eyes, a look that was pleading and silently begging.

Draow was amused by his attempts of escape and he shook his head a few times. Then he went up to the wall and slammed Snap against it once, giving a muffled laugh as Snap screamed in pain. Then Snap lay limp in his jaws, a lot of his strength seemingly gone. Draow took this as victory and started to tighten his jaws even more. Penny looked at Snap horrified, shaking her head in denial. The blue boy's eyes, upon seeing Penny's expression, snapped wide open, realizing that he couldn't give up yet, and he felt a surge of adrenaline rise up inside of him.

Twisting his body a little, ignoring the pain, Snap stared Draow right in the eyes. He growled softly and pulled his fist back, his muscles tightening up, and then he struck forward. The fist managed to slam against Draow's left eye. The bat wolf let out a howl of pain as one of his sensitive eyes was punched. His body shook in pain and he released Snap in the process.

Snap landed on the ground beside Draow. He looked up as Draow stood there, screeching in pain. Then the bat wolf glared down at him hatefully, looking a tad more feral than he usually did. Snap reacted quickly and delivered another punch. This one right on one of Draow's feet. He managed to use enough force to make Draow lose some of his footing and he stumbled. Snap took advantage of him being a little off balance and punched his foot again.

Down Draow went. He let out a screech as his feet slipped from underneath him, spreading out at the sides like he was doing a split. His head slammed against the ground, the impact on his chin causing him to bite his own tongue. He screamed as blood poured from his mouth from his freshly injured tongue. He then turned and glared at Snap.

"How...dare...you..." Draow said, wincing as he spoke, the pain in his tongue hindering him.

Snap glared back at him and he took a stance in front of Draow, blocking his view of Rudy and Penny. "You will never hurt them or anyone else again..." Snap raised his fists in the air. "Not while I'm here..."

Draow let out a cold laughter. "You...you really think you c-can win? In your s-s-sorry state..?"

Snap said, "You should never underestimate your opponents, Draow. I thought you would have known that..." He took a step towards him, showing Draow that, despite his fear, he was not going to let him intimidate him. "Rudy drew me to be a hero.." A determined smile spread across his face, his eyes narrowing. "And that is exactly what I'm going to be."

Draow folded his ears and snarled at this. "We will see..a-a-about that..."

"Yeah, we will, won't we?" Snap said. He pointed a hand in his direction. "So get up and fight me. Let's end this fight, here and now!"

Draow smiled evilly. "Th-This...will be...too easy..."

TO KILL SOME TIME:





Snap stared up at Bardot, his eyes wide in fear, his body shaking. This was it. This was what he had been waiting for the past few days. This is what he fought so hard to get a chance to do. It was time to fight Bardot, the one who caused all this mess to start with. If he had slept at all the past few days, he would have dreamt about this moment every single night. And after Bardot was finally defeated, his friends would have a chance to be saved.

Although Snap tried to be brave, he tried to put on a more heroic-looking face, he just wasn't able to. He wasn't able to push out the fear welling up inside of him. He continued to stare at Bardot, unable to even speak a word. Anytime he opened his mouth, the only thing he could let out was a squeak or a whimper.

He had been wanting to face this monster. Anytime he spoke with him over the radio, all the things he had said to him, it had made Snap want to face him even more. He wanted to make Bardot eat the words he spoke. He wanted to make him regret ever hurting his friends. He wanted to throw his own words back at him. He was tired of his cocky attitude. He was tired of him acting like life was just a game or something. He was tired of him mocking him whenever his friends got hurt again. It was time to end all of that.

But now that he has the chance, now that he is up close and personal again with Bardot, a lot of his initial courage started to fade away. Seeing him up close like this again...it sent shivers down his spine. And now he was pinned on the ground with him standing over him. He could just bite him and get it over with. And now that the games are over...that just might be what he was going to do...

Snap did take notice of Bardot's injuries. He was confused. They didn't look like something Rudy or Penny could have done. So who the heck had attacked him? A pang of worry filled his heart. What if the zoner who had attacked Bardot was even more dangerous than Bardot himself? What if, after this, he had someone else he needed to fight? The idea of someone being ferocious enough to attack Bardot like that...it scared him.

But on the one hand, it was nice to see Bardot being the one injured. He took mental note of the wounds. The cuts on his shoulder, his torn ear, his bruised back and stomach, his broken tail tip, his wounded paw...he made sure to remember each and every one of them. He was going to need any advantage he could find against Bardot. These injuries could help him get the upperhand.

Snap wasn't one to take advantage of injuries. It wasn't something he liked doing. But Bardot didn't deserve mercy. He had done a lot of horrific things these past few days. He had harmed so many zoners, some were even killed. His thoughts went back to Jacko. He could still see Jacko's mangled body in his head. That was just a preview of just how cruel this monster was. And Snap himself had so many wounds... Bardot having some weaker points due to having injuries of his own could help level the playing field a little.

Snap watched as Bardot smiled down at him. For the past several minutes, the zoner hadn't really done anything. He simply held him down. He wondered if Bardot chose this same hold he used on him back at his own house just to freak him out. If that were the case, it was working. Snap was immobilized, unable to move. And now, with his wounds, the pressure Bardot placed on him was agonizing.

He tried to move. He attempted to pull his arms away. Bardot was only holding his wrists with one paw; his owner was placed at the side of his head, digging a little into the rock. He mustered up as much strength as he could and started to yank on his arms, hoping that the combined strength would free him. But the only thing that happened was that Bardot tightened his grip on him. Snap winced a little. He tried a few more times to free his arms, but had no such luck.

He then tried to shift his body. He tried to move his legs. He tried to kick them out. He tried to do whatever he could to get free. But all the twisting and turning, it did little to dislodge Bardot. It was doing a really good job at hurting himself, though. Snap cried out in pain a few times when his twisting pulled on one of his injuries. He felt more blood leaking out. He felt his strength starting to fade a little. He realized, in fright, that the blood loss was taking a hold on him now.

No..no now...any time but now.. He couldn't afford to get weak now. Not while Bardot was here. He had to get more strength. He had to save what strength he had left. He needed to be able to fight Bardot. He had been through so much already. He couldn't just die here. He couldn't let himself get defeated. Rudy and Penny needed him. They were counting on him. He...he couldn't let them down...

But, for the moment, he couldn't get free. He couldn't do it at his own home when he was at full strength. What chance did he have here? Especially when he was so badly hurt and weak. All he could do was lay there helplessly as he stared up at Bardot. He glared at him, but he couldn't hide his fear from him.

Bardot chuckled and reached down with his claw. He pressed the tip against Snap's cheek. He applied a little pressure, but not enough to break the skin. "Hmm does this remind you of anything...?" Bardot asked in a calm, almost sweet sounding voice. "I'm sure if you think about it, it will bring back memories. You've been in this position before, all helpless."

Snap's eyes widened as memories of Mr. Cosmo came back. Just like at his house, Bardot pinning him down like this was bringing back memories of him being strapped to the table, when the mind control device was put into him with water. The horrific, scarring event... Bardot was deliberately reminding him of it, to make him feel more afraid.

And it was working. The memory flashes clouded his mind. Bolt afer bolt in his head, he could see himself on the table. Dark shadows all around. Mr. Cosmo in silhouette, raising the dropper to put the water on his head. He could feel the horrible pain as it burned through his head. It was like he stuck his hand in a fire and was forced to keep it there. Instinctively, Snap tried to move away, his eyes going wild, searching frantically for a way out. Gritting his teeth, he looked back up at Bardot.

Snap couldn't stifle the gasp of horror as, for a moment, Bardot looked just like Mr. Cosmo. The same smile, the same eyes, everything. And he was staring down at Snap, and he could hear his taunting voice. Feelings of helplessness started to overcome Snap. He became frozen in fear. His breathing quickened. Tears of fear flowed down his face. His body went limp. The only thing he could do was stare at Bardot, a part of him expecting him to hit him with water.

Something did hit him. Something wet. But it wasn't water. Snap could feel a little more venom hitting him on the face. His eyes grew big. If any of that got on his wounds...he'd be in trouble. So far, it was just a couple of drops. They hurt. His skin burned, but it was preferable over having it injected into his body.

"I must admit...you performed better than I could have imagined. I am impressed." Bardot said, smirking down at his victim. He raised his free paw off the ground and placed it under his own chin, rubbing it like he was in deep thought. "You were quite clever and all. I was right to be interested in you. You really are the unkillable. At least...until now..."

Snap watched as Bardot lowered his claw to him again. He pressed it against his shoulder at the very base of his neck. He moved it down a little, very gentle, the claw not cutting into him.

"For you see, you are badly injured now. Had you been more careful and went faster, you could have faced me at full strength. You wasted so much of your time and energy... And now you are going to pay the price for that." Bardot sneered at him, staring into Snap's frightened eyes. Bardot's eyes then moved to where his claw was. On the blue boy's chest, just like before. Bardot noticed the wound. "As I said to you before, you are mortal. You can have all the attitude with me that you want, if you so desire. But in the end, you are still mortal. And now I can be the one to claim to have taken you down."

Snap tried to struggle again. His head moved from side to side as he tried to pull first his left side, then his right, free of the monster's grasp. Yet there was nothing he could do. He was just far too weak to pull himself free. He was completely immobilized. Only his head could move freely, but that wasn't going to do him much good.

Snap flinched and turned his head to the side as Bardot lowered his head towards his face. His fangs so close... The venom coating the very tip. It wouldn't take much for Bardot to sink those teeth into his skin. Then it would all be over. Unable to hide his fear, Snap started to tremble.

"It seems my little plan worked on you..." Bardot said, his face still close to Snap's. He grinned down at the fear-filled eye looking up at him. "Weakening you was clearly the best idea."

"W-Weakening me?" Snap stammered, his voice small. "I-I thought you were testing me..."

"Oh I did test you. Yes, that was part of the plan. But I also wanted to make sure you were hurt before you got to me. I want to see how much you can take before you die." Bardot said. He chuckled evilly and then raised his head up. "I needed some way to ensure my victory. You see, I cannot allow you to win. I have other things in mind after this. I went after you and your friends not just because they're tasty, not just because I wanted to test you...but because you three were the biggest obstacles in my plans."

"S-So you do have a reason for all this..." Snap said.

Bardot shook his head. "Well...yes and no. All this..it was just entertainment for me. And what I am going to do after? More entertainment. Lives are just games to toy with. You and everyone else are my play things, here to entertain me. I do what I want because I want to. And after you three are gone, I'll take care of some other...unwanted weight.." At that, Snap gave a brief struggle, reminded of what Mr. Cosmo said about him before he tried to murder him with water. "Then I'll be free to choose to...play with..whoever I want."

Snap couldn't believe it. This zoner..he was crazier than he thought. His actions still had no rhyme or reason. He was still doing things just because. But the fact that he wanted to get rid of him, his friends, Terry, Wilter, the parents, some others, just so that he'd be free to do what he wanted... That was just disgusting. Snap had to find a way to fight back against this guy.

Bardot moved his paw towards Snap's chest gash, where Draow had hit him. He gently placed his claws straight across it. He applied a little pressure, causing Snap to yelp. After pushing on the wound, he lifted it up. He smiled as he saw the blood stains on the bottom of his foot. He flexed his claws, staring at the tips, as he glanced down at Snap.

"You did perform admirably. You really are someone not to underestimate." Bardot said. He lowered his paw again, this time the claws facing down. "But I have had my little fun with you. And soon, it will be time to end it. Oh...I wonder what your chalk friends will think...when they find your corpse and realize you had failed..."

"Rapsheeba...Blocky...?" Snap gasped. With anger now arriving in his body, he narrowed his eyes. Despite his fear, he spoke in a low voice. "Don't you fucking dare touch them...or I'll..."

"Or you'll what? Not like you can do anything right now, Snappy boy." Bardot teased him, a sneer spreading across his face. "I hold all the cards right now. Everything had gone, more or less, my way. You...you're in no position to do much of anything against me. But me...I can do oh so much to you.."

As if to demonstrate, Bardot shoved all three claws against Snap's chest, right into the wound Draow had given him. Snap's eyes went wide, tears dripping out of the corners, and let out a loud scream. He struggled on the ground, turning his head from side to side, trying to get the pain to stop. Bardot pushed the claws in deeper, drawing out more blood and making the wound larger.

The pain...oh man the pain... It was horrific.. It was like someone was pouring hot lava over him. He started to cry from the pain, letting out a few shouts of agony. Bardot kept his claws in there, smiling down as Snap continued to cry in distress. Then, slowly, Bardot pulled out two of his claws, keeping one inside the chest wound. He started to push upward a little and to the side, cutting more of the skin. Snap struggled harder, yanking at his limbs, trying to pull away.

Then, with a twisted smile, Bardot shoved harder. Snap let out a loud scream as he felt the claw break through his ribcage, and sliced right into one of his lungs. The feeling of it collapsing was horrific. He felt his breathing quickening, his body trying harder to get more oxygen into his body. His body stiffened as Bardot suddenly yanked his claw out, blood dripping onto his body and sticking to Bardot's claws.

Snap whimpered from the pain. Agony started to overwhelm his mind. The world around him started to blur and lose focus. He felt the ground beneath him spinning. The reduced oxygen and increased blood loss...they were mingling together, weakening him physically and mentally. And the pain, oh man the pain, it was getting worse by the second...

Everything hurt now... Everywhere. There was not one area of his body that wasn't radiating in intense pain. Even the act of breathing hurt now. He felt as though he was slicing his lung every time he took in a breath or exhaled, no matter how slow or soft he did it. He kept his mouth open instinctively as his body, starving for oxygen, tried to suck in as much air as possible.

Snap stared up at Bardot with an expression of fear and hatred. "I...I will stop you.." Snap said, his voice weaker from having only one functioning lung. "I told Draow...and I will tell you... I will not give up... I..I will not let my friends down...I promised to save them...and I will..."

Bardot laughed at this. "Oh my you really are full of spirit! Even after all this time! How impressive!"

Snap glared at him, one eye part way closed from the pain.

"But you will need more than just spirit to win against me. Even now, your body is weakening. I can tell, just from looking at your expression, that your level of pain is increasing. Your adrenaline, it made it easier for you to deal with the pain. But soon...you will feel the full effects, and when you do..." Bardot gave a cruel laugh. He turned his head to the side, staring at Snap with one bright green eye. "You will be unable to save yourself, let alone anyone. You will be easy for me to kill.."

Snap attempted to struggle again. But with each struggle, he felt more and more strength leaving him. He was getting weaker. The blood loss was taking effect, and the pain was increasing. His weakened breathing was complicating things. How was he going to get out of here? There had to be a way. It all looked so hopeless..but no..he couldn't give up. He wouldn't give up..not now...

Snap glared up at Bardot, clenching his teeth tightly from a mixture of fear and anger. He noticed Bardot hadn't used his venom on him yet. He made no attempts to bite him, not even mock ones. He wondered if it was because he wanted to save the venom for later. Or maybe he was just waiting for the right moment. Maybe he was going to wait until he least expected it...

"You know, despite being so clever..." Bardot said as-a-matter-of-factly. He tightened his grip on Snap's wrists. "..I am amazed you haven't figured out what I was doing this whole time..."

Snap looked up at him, confused. He didn't know what he was talking about. All he was doing was just..standing there and talking to him. He kept him still, he injured him more, but mostly he was just talking or staring at him. There wasn't a lot going on. They hadn't even begun to fight yet. Snap didn't know why this guy hadn't tried fighting him yet. He didn't know why he was just holding him down.

But then, a cold chill went up his spine. Horrific realization spread through his veins, turning them to ice. That was it... He wasn't doing anything... Not only that, he wasn't allowing him to do anything either. He wa just holding him there. And it wasn't because Bardot didn't want to fight. There was a purpose behind him just standing around talking. There was a reason why they hadn't gone into battle yet. There was a reason why Bardot seemed a little more interested in just staring at him or talking to him than he was beginning the battle.

He was wasting time...

Snap's eyes shot towards the direction where his friends lay on the ground. Bardot was deliberately using up his time so he would have little time to go save them... How much precious time had he lost just talking to this insane zoner? How much time did he have left now?

Snap couldn't believe what a fool he had been. He should have known that Bardot would pull something like this. He should have known that this zoner would be just the type to pull a trick like this. Knowing that Bardot was deliberately wasting his time, Snap struggled even harder to get free. He still couldn't make Bardot let go. Again and again he pulled, but no luck.

"I see it finally clicked with you. Yes, I've been...killing time..." Bardot turned his head to look at Rudy and Penny. "So little time left... I would say they have just one hour left." He laughed evilly. He looked back down at Snap. "I wonder if you could even manage that."

At first, it did seem hopeless. With only one hour left and time continuing to tick away, Snap had no idea how he was going to get out of this mess. He couldn't even free himself. He knew that Bardot was going to hold him down until it was too late to save his friends. He was going to force him to watch them die, helpless to do anything about it. Then, he was certain, he was going to bite him with venom and kill him.

This had been part his plan this whole time. He had planned, from the start, for Snap to be so hurt that he could barely fight back. He had planned to mock and tease him about saving his friends, telling him he would be given a chance to save them. And while he has that chance, Bardot was doing whatever he could to make sure he missed that chance.

Minutes passed by and there was no change. Snap hadn't been able to free himself. He glared hatefully at Bardot. Once in a while, he look back at his friends. His lower lip quivered as he thought that this might be the very last time he'll see them. The thought...it was heart wrenching. He...he didn't want this to be the end...

Snap again thought of the incident with Mr. Cosmo. He recalled how hopeless it seemed then. Everything seemed to Mr. Cosmo's way. He had been so close to victory. He had caused so much pain. Then Snap realized that, despite how hopeless it was, they still won. They still managed to find a way to turn the tides. And he realized he could still do it here.

Seeing Bardot's injuries reminded him that this guy wasn't invincible. He was wounded like himself. Not as badly, but he was still wounded. The blood caked on the zoner's back, shoulder, and ear was further proof of this. Mr. Cosmo, despite how dangerous he was, could still be injured, and was ultimately killed. And though Bardot was worse, he still had blood and bones..he could still be hurt...

"A shame your friends are going to die soon..."

Snap glared daggers at the hybrid zoner, baring his teeth at him.

"They were so much fun to toy with. Especially Rudy. You should have heard him crying out for mercy when I started to break his arm." Bardot said, laughing. "I would love to hear him scream again...as well as Penny... I wish you could have seen it, Snappy boy." Bardot reached down with his claw and scratched along Snap's cheek, cutting a small gash in it. Snap winced at this. "They were defiant. They did resist. But in the end, even they had to succumb to the pain. No one can resist..not even the strongest among us. And them...well..." Bardot lowered his head a little. "They were so much fun to break."

Snap widened his eyes in horror at this. His mind flashed back to Mr. Cosmo again. He remembered being in the tunnel with Mr. Wilter and Rapsheeba. He remembered when Mr. Cosmo came and yanked him away. The man held onto him and told him that he was fun to break...

And now, hearing those words again, this time about his friends, it caused emotion to well up inside of him. Fear... Horror... He remembered how Mr. Cosmo broke him and how he continued to break him. Now his mind was filling up with images of his friends, on the ground, begging for mercy. He could see Bardot and Draow beating them up, slicing them with their claws. And they would be calling for him. Rudy and Penny...they'd call for him, beg him for help. And he couldn't do anything about it.

But being reminded of Mr. Cosmo didn't only have negative effects on him. There was a positive one as well. A renewed determination started to swell inside his mind. He never wanted anyone to go through what he did with Mr. Cosmo. Knowing that is what is happening to his friends, and knowing just how they felt, knowing the meaning of fear... Snap was more determined than ever to save them.

With anger spreading through his body, mixed in with hatred and determination, he narrowed his eyes at the hybrid zoner. He took notice that Bardot had placed his paw on the ground again. The injured paw...

Snap struggled again. By shere luck, he managed to dislodge one of his arms. The one closest to the injured paw. Bardot looked surprised that he managed to free his hand from his grasp. Snap twisted his body a little, ignoring the pain, and positioned his fist. Then, moving as quickly as he could, he slammed his fist against the injured paw as hard as he could. A wave of pain was sent through Snap's hand; it was been the some one he used to punch Draow. He pulled his hand back and gave a cry.

He wasn't the only one in pain. Bardot let out a scream and he lifted up his paw to himself. Through his pain, Snap realized that Bardot's grip on his legs had loosened up. He yanked out one of his legs and managed to land a kick on him, sending the zoner into the ground.

Slowly, Snap staggered to his feet. He was in great agony. Every movement was like being electrocuted all over again. Still, he fought against the pain, tears flowing down his face, as he stood up. He glared in Bardot's direction. He could feel blood pouring from his chest wound. The blood dripped on the ground, creating pools of redness. He took a step towards Bardot, only to be struck with agony and hunched over, holding onto his chest wound.

Bardot's eyes were wide. He looked genuinely shocked. "I can't believe you managed to get up after all that. You should be in too much pain to move..."

"Heh..you'd..you'd be surprised...what people are willing to go through...to save the ones they love.." Snap said, a weak smile on his face. His breathing quickened a little more as he tried to get more oxygen. "I...I am not staying down...that easily..."

Bardot stared at him with a surprised expression for a moment. Then he smiled darkly. "Well...I guess I should be glad you are standing. You will be much more fun to kill this way..." With that, he charged towards the injured zoner, letting out a loud snarl.

Snap stood his ground, glaring at Bardot. He took a fighting stance and waited for the monster to collide with him.