N E E D

By DarkHououmon

Chapter 8: Sneaks

Never let your enemy see your secret...

sss

Terry smirked as she stared down at the chalkboard that she held in her hands. She looked up to make sure Von wasn't looking. He was too busy staring at the building in front of him. Good. This was one detail she could keep away from him, at least for a time.

It wasn't that she wanted to keep a leg up on him. Okay that was part of the reason. But the other, she wasn't entirely sure if her theory was right. This was simply a wild guess that she had for some time. This was a good chance for her to test it out, but..there was the possibility that it won't even be confirmed. Still, it wasn't wasting much time to try it out.

She looked down at the chalkboard, the smudges on it showing some remnants of what she had drawn. A tornado. Large and powerful, an unstoppable force of nature. Perfect for luring the children exactly where she wanted them...provided that it followed the pattern she had laid out for it, or if it will just move mindlessly like a real twister would.

If it did work, then she would have driven the children out of that chalk world faster. And if it caused enough trouble, perhaps that little blue brat, Snap, will come out with them. If she could capture Snap again and bring him to Von's place, that would provide a chance for her to prove to the world that living chalk drawings are real, and very much alive. Snap was going to be her ticket into revealing to everyone the truth of this.

A nasty smile spread across her face. She couldn't wait to get a hold of Snap again. She still hadn't forgiven him with how he helped ruin her reputation. His clownish actics served to humiliate her, and she knew that he must have been the one to alert Rudy to what was going on. Oh how good it was going to feel to finally get her revenge on him... She would show all three of these brats just what happens when they mess with her.

But for now, she was going to have to wait. Even if her theory about the inhabitants of the chalk world being erased from this world weren't true, she knew that, sooner or later, they would have to come out. And when they do, they will be here waiting for them.

sss

There was utter chaos everywhere. The sounds of screams filled the air, echoing across the land. Zoners that were unfortunate enough to be in the path screamed and ran away, narrowly missing getting hit. The ground was being shred up and torn apart by the massive twister, and within its bowels, chunks of its past 'victims', such as from various buildings, swirleda round endlessly, ruthlessly.

Rudy tried to keep focus on the task at hand. Due to his flight capabilities with his rocket shoes, he was leading his friends away. Behind him, he could sense the massive drawing his cousin made striding along behind, doing what it could to keep up. Penny, Snap, and Rapsheeba were riding along with Sophie, clutching as tightly as they could so they wouldn't fall off. Rudy wanted to draw something more secure, but the twister was so close, he didn't have time to stop and draw. Not to mention drawing when moving like this was a terrible idea; he'd just end up with extra long lines that formed nothing. He needed to stop, and he couldn't do that yet.

He was relieved to see that there were no more zoners ahead. He was concerned for the ones that got knocked away, either by accident with Sophie's scribble figure, or from the twister coming along behind. He had wanted to stop and check on them, but no time for that now. He made a note to find them as soon as he was able to.

Rudy looked out ahead, trying to find some way of losing the twister. Something that could slow it down. But out in front of them, nothing but empty plains of grass. Not even a tree grew in this direction. He could keep running, but then he would eventually come to another zoner settlement. Even though he knew the twister was mindless and just following a random path, just like any other, he still would feel guilty about 'leading' the thing into another place where zoners lived.

He realized this may not be a problem. A lot of twisters in ChalkZone never lasted that long. Like their Real World counterparts, they would eventually run out of fuel and die. They would leave a lot of destruction in their wake, but at least it would be short-lived and over before they knew it.

This tornado was lasting a little longer than he thought it would. Then again, it was probably just the way he percieved it. Time had slowed down all around him, and the seconds soon transformed into minutes, and the minutes into hours. He had no idea how long this was going to last, and all he could do was lead his friends along the safest path he could find while hopefully dodging the twister.

Rudy wasn't even entirely sure where he was anymore. The area around him, despite the fact that he had been here a lot, suddenly looked foreign. His frantic mind hardly registered what was around him, showing enough information to just barely get by. Everything became a swirling mess of color, and a chorus of sounds, and he was caught up in the middle of it.

Suddenly, as he continued on his way, he heard a loud scream behind him.

"Rudy! Up ahead!"

Rudy lifted up his head to see what his friend were talking about. His eyes bulged open when he saw that they were headed straight towards a mountain. A large, massive mountain, and they were almost upon it. Frantically kicking his feet back, Rudy turned, veering off in a different direction. He stoppped and looked behind him. He was relieved to see the scribble figure make the turn, pushing itself off the mountain with a free limb and then moving towards him.

Rudy spent a couple seconds wondering jut when that mountain got there. He didn't recall it being there before. It must have just gotten erased. It was quite possible that it was erased just moments ago and appeared before they had a chance to realize the landscape changed.

He pushed the thoughts aside when he saw the twister. He thought that, since they had turned, the twister would go by them. It was in a direct collision course with the mountain. He and his friends would still need to dodge as chunks of rock would be tossed everywhere. But at least the twister might be stopped. Hitting the rock may divert enough of its energy away. Just a guess. He wasn't a whiz at science like Penny was.

He glanced down at his friends, seeing how terrified they were, and Sophie as well. Rudy felt his stomach twist in knots. He felt that this whole mess could have been avoided if he had just handled his situation better. Though nothing he did could have stopped this twister...

He glared at it as it came closer. In seconds, it was going to strike the mountain. Though it wasn't alive, Rudy still felt a level of contempt towards such a creation. He couldn't understand why anyone would draw something this destructive... Of course, he couldn't necessarily blame anyone for it either. After all, no one but him and Penny knew about ChalkZone's existence.

"It's...it's turning!" Snap's panicked voice cut through the air, breaking Rudy out of his thoughts. "It's coming back towards us!"

"This is illogical! It shouldn't be able to turn that fast!" Raphseeba's voice was terror-filled.

"Well technically, tornadoes in the Real World are known to change their course..." Penny's voice trailed off as she stared at the twister, which had veered away from the mountain and was coming towards them. "Nevermind that now. Run!"

Rudy immediately activated the thrusters on his shoes and moved away from the tornado, going out further in front of his friends. He gestured with his hands frantically, trying to get them to move faster.

The scribble figure struggled to pick up the pace. After standing for so long, the creature had a hard time moving fast in such a short amount of time. He could hear his cousin and his friends shouting at it to move faster, shere terror laced in their voices. The scribble figure began to move faster, its feet pounding the ground, the loud scribbles making a squeaking sound, perhaps its way of screaming in fear.

To Rudy's horror, the twister had not only veered away, but it somehow began to move faster. A realization dawned on him, and it made his blood turn to ice at the shere thought. What if someone...intended for this to happen? What if someone...wanted this thing to chase them? No, that was nonsense. He shook the thought out of his head. That did little to alleviate the horror of what he saw happen next.

The scribble creature couldn't keep up the pace. It had been standing around so long, it barely had any time to speed up. The twister was moving faster now. It was no contest. In seconds, its swirling vortex touched down on the scribble figure, and the squeaks from before became louder, more high pitched.

"Guys!" Rudy shrieked as he witnessed the twister collide with the scribble figure, a loud clang sounding out. He reached his hand out towards them, his body wracking with horror. "No! Please!"

The twister began to rip apart the scribble figure with ease. The limbs were quickly torn off as if it was just paper. His friends' screams echoed in the air, intermixing with the roar of the twister. Time seemed to slow down as the scribble figure began to topple over. The scribbles began to wriggle around in multiple directions, giving the illusion of a swarm of bees trying to defend their home. The scribbles appeared to try to do just that, only to get sucked up by the twister itself.

Rudy stared in horror as the scribble figure was now down on its knees, a loud boom sounding out as what qualified as its knee banged up against the ground heavily. It clutched onto his friends tightly as if to protect them. He could see his friends screaming in fear, shouting at the figure to get away. Without hesitation, Rudy dove down towards it.

His heart skipped a beat when he saw the twister strike further against it, ripping off the legs completely and forcing the scribble figure into the ground. His friends were buried underneath the mess. Their screams faded away as the pile of scribbles covered them, and in seconds, he could no longer see them.

He stared in horror at what had just happened. The twister was still there, having suddenly slowed down, yet losing none of its power somehow. The realization that this thing was activately trying to get them was not lost on him, but at the moment, he didn't pay attention. He stared down at the rubble where his friends were now trapped. He took in a few quick breaths, shaking his head in denial.

No...please..no...

Rudy dove down towards the mess, ignoring the tornado entirely. When he reached the pile, he began to look around. He flew around in circles as he surveyed the damage. He looked at every corner he could find, peering through any gap he could see. All he was able to see was a twisted mangle of scribble mess. He couldn't see his friends anywhere. After a few moments, he stopped, hoving not far from the pile, staring on as realization struck him.

Tears began to form in his eyes. Oh gawd no... Please... It couldn't be true. Please, don't let it be true... His friends couldn't be... Sophie wasn't.. He shook his head slowly, feeling his heart being ripped into two. His friends might be...no...

The horror that grew in his stomach soon transformed into bitter hatred. Realizing that he may have just lost his friends and a family member, Rudy shot an intense glare at the twister. He knew now, without a doubt, this was a purposeful act. This twister was evil, and he had to do something about it. He will not allow it to get away with hurting anyone else. He raised up his magic chalk, glaring daggers at it. The twister appeared to almost look at him, despite having no eyes. With a sneer spread across his face, Rudy made a declaration.

"Hey! Why don't you try me on for size?" Rudy taunted, gesturing to himself. "Come on! Are you afraid?!"

The twister almost seemed to hear him. It began to pick up the pace and it went off after him. Rudy smirked at this, knowing that he now had the twister's attention. He raised up his magic chalk in preparation for a battle.

If it was a fight that this thing wanted, it was a fight it was going to get.

sss

Penny screamed as the debris of the creature fell down all around her. She raisd up her hands and covered herself up. She flinched as she felt the small scribbles hit against her, each time stinging as if they were bees. In the midst of this, she opened up one eye and looked over at the others.

She could see Sophie just fine. She was curled up on the ground, her frightened eyes darting left and right. They locked eyes with each other, and though neither spoke, there was a silent pleading in Sophie's eyes, begging Penny to come help her. Struggling against the mass all around her, Penny began to make her way towards the girl. She outstretched her hand for her, trying to grab onto her.

There was a loud cracking sound, and the 'roof' above them began to plummet down towards them. Penny's eyes bulged in horror at this. She tried to quicken her pace to get to Sophie, especially when she heard the little girl scream in terror, but the thickness of the scribbles prevented her from reaching the girl. Her foot got caught on a raised lump of scribbles and she tripped forward. She let out a yelp as her face smashed against the jagged parts of other scribbles. She raised her cut up face, ignoring the blood that dripped down from the scratches, and looked at where Sophie was.

"Sophie!" Penny screamed as she struggled to get over. Her heart froze when she realized that she was not going to make it on time. She stared into Sophie's eyes, and her own shined with an apology.

Suddenly, she heard a shout and then there was a flash of green. Penny snapped her head back in surprise when she saw Blocky and Sophie laying a few feet away from where the scribble debris crumbled down. Sophie was against the ground, quaking in fear. Blocky laid himself across her. There was a bit of scratches on him, indicating that he had gotten hit. He ignored whatever pain he was in and kept himself crouched over Sophie.

"It's okay, Sophie. You're fine..." Blocky whispered to her calmly. Sophie's whimpers could be heard, intermixing with the rectangular zoner's attempts at soothing her. "Shh...it's all right."

Penny watched as Blocky did what he could to settle down the frightened child. Eventually, Sophie looked up at him and hugged him tightly, causing Blocky to grunt. Penny smiled at this, feeling relief that the paper-like zoner was able to keep Sophie safe.

Realizing that she still couldn't see Rapsheeba or Snap, Penny's heart started to speed up. She turned her head left to right, trying to find where they could've gotten to. Her shifting eyes couldn't see them anywhere. There was just too much debris in the way, obscuring her view. She tried to move forward, tried to see if she could get another vantage point, but she kept tripping over the debris at her feet. She helped as some of the sharp edges pointed against her skin, scratching them, leaving behind shallow, red lines.

Although she wanted to continue trying to find Snap and Rapsheeba, she knew that she had to get out of here. She turned her attention to the only others that she could find. Blocky and Sophie weren't going to last long here. She didn't know how much longer this thing was going to be able to hold up.

She looked down at her piece of magic chalk. There was still some left. She still had a way out of here. But what could she draw that would be small enough to get them out of here? She had to think of something and fast.

Suddenly, there was a loud creak and Penny could see the 'ceiling' start to collapse. She heard Blocky and Sophie scream as the pieces began to fall towards them. They wouldn't be able to get out of the way in time. Penny, with only seconds to spare, reacted on instinct. She whipped out what remained of her magic chalk and quickly began to draw.

Although Penny had made a similar vow to Rudy and not draw anything actually alive, in the desperate situation that she found herself placed in, she realized she really had no choice. Before she knew it, she had drawn something alive, something swift, something that could get them out of this mess.

The cassowary she drew squawked at her, outstretching its smell wings, the blue standing out well even in the darkness of the black scribbles. She immediately climbed onto its back and pointed forward, to where Sophie and Blocky were laying. The bird needed no further prompt and rushed forward.

Penny gasped in horror when a large chunk of scribbles was getting close to hitting the two. Blocky and Sophie noticed this and screamed. Blocky kept the girl covered underneath him, providing a shield to try to protect her. Despite admiring him for his courage, Penny knew that Blocky's body shield was not going to last very long. She and the cassowary hurried, moving as fast as they could.

Before the debris could strike them, the cassowary pulled its head back and struck forward. The large, thick crest on its head made quick work of the scribble chunks, cracking them into smaller pieces with ease. The bits fell everywhere, landing at their feet. Blocky, daring to look, turned his head up.

"Penny! I'm so glad to see you!" Blocky said with a smile.

"Come on!" Penny lowered herself down. She reached her hand out towards the rectangular zoner. "Take my hand!"

Blocky reached up as far as his stubby little arm could, keeping the other wrapped around Sophie, keeping her pressed against him. Once Penny was able to grab onto him, she pulled him and Sophie up onto the cassowary. She placed them behind her and instructed Blocky to allow Sophie to get up front. She then told Sophie to hold onto her waist and Blocky likewise, keeping the little girl pressed between them.

Penny took a moment to look around. Even with a higher vantage point, she still couldn't see any sign of Snap or Rapsheeba. Her heart twisted at the thought of them being buried underneath somewhere, possibly injured, crushed underneath all this debris.

But she couldn't stay. Everything was falling apart all around them. The twister's wind was still pushing up against them. She couldn't tell if the winds themselves were weakening or not, but at this point, it didn't matter. At the moment, they had to get out of there before they all ended up completely buried for good. She did not want this to be her grave site. With a gentle pat on the side of the bird, they took off.

The cassowary darted forward. It moved its body around as it navigated through the debris and the stuff on the ground. Its feet crushed even the sharp tips of the scribbles, its legs and toes having incredibly thick skin. The bird was incredibly nimble, able to dodge through almost anything. Even in the most twisting and gnarled parts, the bird still managed to navigate it like it was nothing, running through, under, and over whatever stood in its way. With its speed, they managed to avoid any of the falling debris above them, and the bird's dodging skills were like nothing she had ever seen before.

Soon, out in front of her, she could see an opening. Small, but large enough for light to shine through, illuminating the area around her a little. She barked a desperate order to the cassowary, and the animal sped up.

Penny lowerd herself, instructing the others to do the same. She wrapped her arms around the neck of her cassowary, feeling pressure on her back as Sophie and Blocky held onto her. She pressed her legs against the bird's side to get more leverage. She clenched her teeth as they got closer to the opening.

"Penny, I...I don't know if we're going to make it!" Blocky shouted, his voice filled with panic. "Everything is falling down too fast!"

"Want go home... Want to go home!" Sophie cried, her shivering body pressing more firmly against Penny.

"Don't worry... We're going to be fine." Penny said, trying her best to sound as confident as she could.

Blocky wasn't entirely convinced. "How can you be so sure? What if..."

Penny looked over her shoulder, staring at Blocky. "Don't worry." She said, using the most firm voice that she could. "We'll make it. You'll see."

Though her confidence was enough to satisfy Blocky and Sophie, helping them calm down a little, Penny wished it had the same effect on her. In truth, she had no idea if they would make it or not. The debris kept falling faster. She winced as some of them hit her, and she could hear Blocky and Sophie react to getting hit as well. She didn't know if luck was going to be on their side or not. All she could do was cross her fingers and hope for the best.

Soon they reached it. She felt the bird's muscles tense up, its body preparing for a leap. She shut her eyes, not daring to look. She waited, hoping that maybe, just maybe, they could make it.

Penny became aware of a loud crash, something heavy hitting against her, loud yelps of pain, a bright flash of light, and then the ground connecting with her face. Penny's body flopped around, doing wild somersaults across a rough, dirty surface. She could hear thuds all around her, and some more screams, a loud squawk. Soon she became still and laid down, for a few seconds, being so disoriented that she wasn't even aware of being face up or face down.

Slowly, Penny opened up her eyes, the buzzing in her ears finally settling down. Her blurred vision only lasted a few seconds before the imagery of what was around her came into focus. She realized she was laying on her side, the left part of her face pressing against the ground. Groaning, she pushed herself up from the ground, holding herself upright with one arm. She took a look around her.

She could see Sophie and Blocky laying on the ground not far from her. They had collapsed, laying prone as if knocked unconscious. Only a few movements, and Sophie raising her head confirmed that they were still awake. Not far, she could see the bird on the ground, its legs sprawled out at its sides. Its head wobbled from side to side before it shook it and let out a squawk.

Penny realized that they were out in the open. They had managed to get out. The debris pile they were trapped under lay shattered not far from them. She stared at it, taking in a few deep breaths as she realized the magnitude of this. They...they made it...

A smile tugged on her face. A wave of relief struck her so hard that she almost keeled over. She turned to smile at Sophie, Blocky, and the bird. Sophie was still too shaken up, but Blocky looked positively elated.

But their celebration didn't last very long. She realized they still had no idea where Rapsheeba or Snap were. She looked left and right, trying to find any sign of them, anyway of knowing that they were all right. She couldn't see any sign of them at first, and she could feel her heart pounding against her chest at this realization.

What happened to her friends? Where were they? Were they hurt? Were they crushed? Had they been...killed...?

That last thought made her blood turn to ice. That scared her the most was that...it was a very real possibility. The destructive force of that tornado, it coud have very easily...

She shook her head. No..she refused to believe it. Her friends were fine. They just had to be. They just..needed to look harder. Slowly, she climbed up to her feet and looked around. The tornado was moving away; the vibrations in the ground decreasing. She no longer had to worry about it. Right now, she directed her attention to finding her friends.

"Snap? Rapsheeba?" Penny called out. She cupped her hands to her mouth, and shouted as loud as she could. "Where are you?"

She was soon joined in by Blocky. The zoner remained stationary, holding onto Sophie, and kept shouting as loud as he could. "Come on out, you guys! If you are here and if you can hear our voices, shout!"

"We need to get out of here! Hurry!" Penny shouted, raising her voice as high as it would go.

"Rudy might need our help!" Blocky cried loudly. "And we need to get this little girl back into the Real World!"

Penny and Blocky's voices filled the air, pleading, shouting, trying to get some kind of response. Their choir of calls went unanswered, however. No matter how many times they shouted and cried, no matter how many times they called out to their friends, there was no response. They kept trying, though. Oh how they tried. They raised their voices. They called out as loudly as they could. They looked left and right, looking for any sign of movement.

Soon, their voices began to die down when they noticed that no one was shouting back. They heard no kind of reply. There was no movements that they could find. No pile on the ground indicative of them. Just silence and nothingness. They stopped shouting alogether and exchanged a look of horror with each other. Had their worst fears become a reality? Had Snap and Rapsheeba...?

Just then, before Penny had time to consider what might have happened, she noticed something in the distance. There were a row of trees and bushes here, connecting to the beginning of a small forest. It was smaller and less elaborate than the Mumbo Jumbo Jungle. It looked relatively new, like it was just erased a few days ago.

It took Penny a moment to realize that there was something wrong with the branches of the trees. They looked...bent, a little broken. As if something were weighing them down, like something crashed into it or...

...or someone collided with the tree...

Snapping her eyes wide open, Penny's body stiffened for a few seconds. The revelation of what may have happened struck her, making her shiver once. She cast a glance over to Blocky. She would have called him out to follow her, but Sophie still looked scared. So instead, she decided to head off on her own.

"Blocky, stay with Sophie." Penny said as she began to head towards the tree.

"What are you doing?" Blocky asked. Sophie cuddled closer to him, her body shaking so much it was making Blocky move along with her. "Do you think that..."

"Yes." Penny said in determination. "I think Rapsheeba and Snap are here."

Penny approached the tree slowly, keeping an eye on it. She scanned it up and down, looking for any sign of movement or something being off other than the branches being bent down awkwardly. She walked around it slowly, her eyes trailing up every detail of the tree, taking in the information.

It didn't take her long to see the source of the branch's bending. There was something indeed weighing it down. Or rather, someone. Upon seeing the familiar color of blue, Penny knew right away who this was.

"Snap?" Penny called out. Her friend didn't respond. Her heart raced. "Snap?" She tried again, this time in a louder voice.

When her friend didn't respond to her calls, she immediately started to climb up the tree. Thankfully there were some strong low branches, allowing her to get a footing. She pushed herself up, her eyes glued on the still form that she knew was her friend. As she gained altitude, she took notice of his eyes being shut. Her friend had been knocked unconscious.

Realizing this, Penny knew she had to get a hold of him so she could assess the damage. If he had been flung out by the twister, which she knew was a possibility, it was likely that the blow he suffered to his head, if that was indeed what had happened, cracked his skull. Even just a hairline fracture was enough to warrant a trip to the hospital.

Through some difficulty, Penny managed to get a hold of her friend. She pulled him out of the tree carefully. Holding him as tightly as she could with one arm slung around him, she used her other, as well as her feet, to navigate down the tree. Once she reached the floor, she set Snap on the ground. She pressed his back against the tree and knelt down in front of him. She began to examine him quickly.

He was covered in small bruises and cuts. Most of them weren't that bad, and even the deepest ones could be patched up without needing to go to the hospital for treatment. She looked along his head to see if there was any sign of damage. She lightly touched it, careful not to apply pressure, knowing that she could screw things up if she wasn't careful. Her fingers soon touched something. A bump, a rather large one. She bit her lip at this. Her suspicions were confirmed. A blow to her friend had knocked him out.

She had no idea what the extent of the damage was, or if it was worse than it appeared, or what symptoms her friend was going to suffer. She had to get him to the hospital as soon as possible. But she was out of magic chalk and ChalkZone City was quite a distance away. She didn't think she could carry him very well for long, and she might accidentally drop him. If she could just find someone to help...

There was her bird. The cassowary. It might be able to take Snap to ChalkZone City, or at least to another zoner large and strong enough to carry him, like Lars the polar bear.

Suddenly a question hit her practically in the face. If Snap was here then...Where was Rapsheeba? What happened to her?

Penny's eyes darted around as she tried to find the zoner. She had to be around here somewhere. She looked up the tree, turning her head left and right. She wasn't there. This realization made her shiver. Oh no...what if she was flung further away..?

Penny looked out into the forest. In the distance, she could see remnants of bush pieces. Leaves and tiny branches on the ground. She sucked in a sharp breath when she realized Rapsheeba must have crashed through this tree and then hit against the hard ground a good distance away. She might be hurt worse than Snap. She glanced at Snap for a few seconds. She didn't want to leave him...but she had to get Rapsheeba over here.

Giving one last look at Snap, Penny turned her head towards where she knew Rapsheeba was. Narrowing her eyes, she immediately rushed forward. She hoped that Rapsheeba wasn't hurt as much as she thought she was.

sss

Rudy wasn't sure how much longer he could keep this up. He was grateful that he was up in the air for this, most of the power being generated from his rocket shoes. However, he was still running out of breath, feeling his heart pounding and lungs burning. The mere act of dodging took a lot of energy, altering his course so he couldn't hit up against anything.

The tornado behind him was gaining on him, getting much closer. He was going as fast as he could at this point. He knew that he wouldn't be able to put any more distance, and with the twister slowly approaching, it was just a matter of time before he'd get sucked into it.

He navigated the jungle he came upon. The Empty Jungle as some of the zoners taken to calling it. It was similar to Mumbo Jumbo Jungle, except there were no zoners living here. Everything in it was toxic, even the air. At least to zoners, not so to him or something inanimate. It made for the perfect location to try to stop the twister. Well almost perfect; the trees were slowing him down, making it hard for him to concentrate on anything except getting out of the way fast.

He looked left and right, feeling a cold shudder go up his spine. Even the very appearance of this place was hostile. Dark and light greys, along with some blacks intermixing, a bit of eerie, crimson fog, and glowing swamp-like plants, the white looking so foreboding that any black, dark area looked welcome. There were pools of crimson all over the place, and with the steam rising up, he knew that they burned. Whoever designed this place must really like the whole monochrome and red equaling danger. He wasn't sure what would possess anyone to draw such a place, but at the moment, that didn't matter.

He looked behind him for a split second. He could see the twister ripping up the place. None of the trees stood a chance in stopping it. Soon, he was going to run out of forest, and he'd be back in the open. He would have nothing left to slow down the twister.

He suddenly heard a loud hiss, like steam rising. He whipped his head over and saw that something was moving out of one of the cracked trees. A mist of black and red... His eyes bulged open in horror. He didn't know what it was, but he had a suspicion that if that into the rest of ChalkZone, many zoners would fall ill or even die.

With this in mind, he had to figure out a way to stop the twister while not allowing any of the mist to get out. But how was he going to do that? He couldn't very well just fly to each one and seal it up. It would take too long, and it would provide an opportunity for the twister to strike. He needed a way to stop it all before it got that far. Something to completely stop both the gas and the twister.

His eyes bulged open. He looked down at his piece of magic chalk. Still some left. Would it be enough? There was only one way to find out.

He looked behind him to make sure the twister was still there. When he saw that it was, he raised his chalk and began to make his move. He whipped around, which seemed to startle the twister as it stopped for a brief second. Rudy glared at it in determination as he pressed the chalk against the air and began to draw.

Lines rapidly formed in the air, curving and bending as Rudy kept it up. He flew around the tornado, avoiding its attacks. Around and around he went, the lines rapidly forming something thick and strong.

Then when he was finished, he flew back. He looked at his handiwork. For a split second he could see the outline of what he just draw. Lines that curved around and connected with one another. A cylinder shape. Then it solidified in a flash, a dull grey creeping up rapidly to fill in the void. In seconds, the twister was sealed in a thick structure, preventing it from escaping.

Rudy winced when he saw that a mild crack was already starting to form. He had to get going on drawing the second portion. He would make sure to construct it out of the thickest and strongest material that he knew of: diamond. He wasn't sure how long it would hold, but at least the tornado would be stopped long enough for him to discuss a permanent solution with Penny.

Rudy went to work constructing the large shield. Thankfully, The Empty Forest wasn't terribly huge compared to Mumbo Jumbo Jungle, and there were no zoners that came here anyway.

He zipped around the edge of the forest, distinctly marked by the black and white glow and misty stuff. He first drew a line around the bottom, completely encircling it. He then went to different locations to draw arching lines, rising straight up and then curving towards the center. He looked at his chalk, his eyes widening when he realized he was almost out. He quickly finished up and drew the top portion, letting all the lines connect. He moved away from it as it solidified, sealing the tornado, and the poisonous gas, inside.

Rudy looked at the structure noting all its curves and the light shining off of it. It did look like, almost, an upside down diamond. He couldn't even hear the tornado inside of it. He let out a sigh of relief, realizing that the threat had passed. Even the ground had a layer of diamond so it could not escape there either.

But his relief was short-lived. He might have taken care of the twister, but he still didn't know if his friends were okay. He turned himself around and put a hand over his head. He looked around, trying to see if he could find where they were. He had gone so far, he kind of gotten lost.

He soon saw, in the very distance, very hard to tell from where he was, what looked to be a portal opening. Activating the thrusters on his rocket shoes, he sped off towards that location.

Along the way, Rudy surveyed the damage that was left by the tornado. He could see an indention in the ground where dirt and grass were kicked up. It looked almost like a long, winding scar, curving from side to side. He winced at it, seeing just how deep it really was. He couldn't imagine just how much damage this thing could have caused if it struck a small settlement or a house.

He pushed the unnerving thoughts aside as he scanned the land for any sign of his friends. They had to be around here somewhere. He looked left and right, gritting his teeth. He could see more areas of destruction. Some trees that were leveled. Some rocks that were split in two. More scarring of the land. But so far, his friends were nowhere in sight. His heart clenched tightly.

Where were they?

He stopped in front of the portal as soon as he reached it. He hovered in front of it. He turned his head from one side to the other. His pupils scanned the land, desperately searching for anything that could help him. But so far, there was nothing. Nada, zilch.

The longer he didn't see anything, the quicker his heart raced. Where were they? Where were his friends? They were trapped underneath a pile, but..where was it? He thought that if he came here, he would see the pile, or at least signs of his friends if they had gotten out. But he saw nothing. It was almost as if the pile didn't exist anymore. Or maybe he was just in the right location to see it. Maybe the scribbles got spread out so it'd be harder to detect.

Rudy rose up higher into the air. He got out the telescope he drew before and put the tip towards his eye. He scanned the horizon slowly, looking for any sign of the scribble figure his cousin drew. It was around here somewhere. If he could just look hard enough, he would...

Aha..there it was. Off in the distance, he could see remnants of the scribble figure. Judging from how many there were, and how far they were spread, he realized that was where it had fallen down. His friends must be in that direction. Shifting himself in that direction, he zipped as quickly as he could over in that direction.

When he reached the pile, he lowered himself down and began to inspect it. He winced at how jagged and rough the area looked. Even areas with just a small layer looked dangerous to stand on. The figure looked rather flat compared to how it used to be when it was walking around. There was still plenty of room for his friends to stand if they were trapped. But upon closer inspection, he noticed something that made his heart sink.

Parts of the figure had collapsed in. Large portions at that. He could still hear cracks and creaks, and he could see areas of the 'ceiling' still falling down. If his friends were trapped inside...they were swiss cheese by now...

Rudy stared at the structure in horror, feeling his heart twist. He shook his head in denial. No...they couldn't be.. Maybe they got out... Rudy tried to shake off the chilling feelings as he tried to look for any sign of his friends, any sign that they might be alive.

Just when he was about to give up and look elsewhere, he noticed something. He wasn't sure how he missed it before. A large opening, like it had been torn apart by great force. He flew closer to it and examined it. The way the scribble pieces being outward... Something from the inside must have...

Rudy whipped his head around to the debris that laid before him. The way they were scattered, it had been from whatever had jumped out. And he knew of only a few that had been in there when it fell. That meant that his friends must have... His heart filling with elation, with renewed vigor, Rudy began to do another search of the area.

That was when he noticed something laying on the ground. A mass of feathers. Prone, still. Rudy flew down towards it. It looked to be a bird of some kind. The animal was unconscious, but didn't appear to be too badly hurt. It must have been knocked unconscious when it launched itself out. The scribbles were quite strong, and despite how they look, it would have taken a lot of force to break through. With a pang of sympathy, he gently touched the top of its head.

Upon closer inspection, he realized there was something familiar about this drawing. The style of it...it reminded him so much of Courtney.

His eyes widened as he realized that Penny must have drawn another bird to help them escape. Here was the bird. But where were they? Did they manage to hang on? Were they tossed about? Were they injured? Rudy turned his head left and right, trying to see if he could find anyone else here besides this bird.

He then saw something that he almost missed entirely. He could see why; the green form blended in so well with the grass, and the dirt on the skin helped make it blend in even more. Rudy moved his eyes to trace along the edge, and he took in a gasp of air when he recognized who this figure was.

"Blocky!"

Rudy landed on the ground, his rocket shoes instantly turning off, and he rushed over to his friend, his feet pounding the ground. As soon as he reached the form he knew was his friend, he knelt down and reached over towards him. He gently shook his friend to see if he was okay.

Blocky let out a soft groan and he lifted up his head. "I'm fine, I..." Upon seeing Rudy, his eyes brightened. "Rudy! You're okay!"

"Yeah, Blocky. I am..." Rudy surveyed his friend's body real quick and was thankful that he didn't seem to have any major injuries on him. "Where are the others?"

At this, Blocky raised himself up further. Rudy quickly realized that Blocky had been holding onto something, or rather someone. When the green zoner moved himself away enough, Rudy could see just who that was.

Rudy couldn't stifle the sigh of relief from escaping his mouth when he saw Sophie laying there. She clutched the zoner tightly, her small form shivering in fear. She didn't appear to notice Rudy standing there. Her face was buried against Blocky's chest as she sought out his comfort. Seeing this broke Rudy's heart. Poor thing must have been terrified to death. It made him wonder exactly how all this had happened, and what it must have been like for his friends...

At this realization, he shot his head up and looked around frantically. "Blocky, where's Penny, Snap, and Rapsheeba...?"

Blocky took a moment to turn his head in one direction. Rudy realized that he must have been pointing; his arms were too busy hugging his little cousin. "Rapsheeba and Snap were flung that way. Penny went to find them."

Rudy felt his heart tighten. He was glad that Penny was okay, at least enough to be able to do some searching around. But Snap and Rapsheeba being tossed around like that? He hoped they were okay. He may not be an expert on medical things like Penny, but he was well aware that being thrown like that against trees or the ground could lead to some pretty nasty injuries.

Rudy glanced over at Blocky and Sophie for a few seconds. He hated to just leave them there, but he had to find his remaining friends. The tornado was gone, so they no longer had to worry about that. He knew that Blocky and his cousin were going to be fine.

Before Rudy could get far, he could hear his green, rectangular friend calling out to him.

"Wait! What about the tornado?" Blocky's fear-filled voice asked. Upon this, Sophie let out a whimper.

Rudy paused. "Don't worry. I took care of it.

He would have stayed to elaborate. Blocky's confused cries desperately tried to get his attention. Rudy would explain later. Right now, his heart pounding, he had to find his friends and make sure that they were okay. Without a word, he reactivated his rocket shoes and flew off into the forest.

sss

"Yeowch!" Rapsheeba hissed.

Penny immediately froze. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah..." Rapsheeba nodded her head. "I'm fine. Just..keep it up. Might as well get this over with now."

Penny paused for a moment, reluctant to continue. She glanced over at Snap, who stood beside her with a few bandages of his own. He nodded her head, silently encouraging her to continue. Penny, realizing she had to do this, proceeded, gently pressing the cloth of liquid disinfectant against Rapsheeba's cut.

She noticed how Snap wasn't standing up straight very well. Such a thing did not surprise her, nor how he wobbled from side to side a little. Occassionally, he would grab onto his head, only to hiss and pull it away. Her friend was showing clear signs of effects from being knocked in the head like that. He might be awake now, but that didn't mean he was out of the woods yet. His disorientation and unwillingness to speak spoke volumes about this.

Penny was glad that she was able to find them both. Rapsheeba was harder to locate. Snap, when he woke up, had limped towards her and used his hand to point. He must have seen which direction she had flung, and he was able to find her faster than she ever could.

Rapsheeba was on the ground next to a tree. A small trail of blood revealed that she was hurt. Penny had rushed to her side to see just how bad off she was. Thankfully, it wasn't nearly as bad as she thought, with the worst injury being a deep gash on her arm. Rapsheeba hadn't even been knocked unconscious like Snap was. Penny treated Snap first to take care of his more minor injuries and then proceeded to take care of Rapsheeba.

After a short time, she was able to finish wrapping the zoner's arm in the cloth, covering it up to protect it. Rapsheeba pulled her arm back to herself. She turned it this way and that, examining it. She then looked over at Penny, giving her a grateful smile.

"Thank you, Penny." Rapsheeba said.

Penny smiled. "No problem." Penny noted to herself how lucky she was that she had medical supplies with her. Not a lot, which made it easier for her to forget she had them. There was enough for small wounds, and she used the last of it on Rapsheeba. "Now, we needed to get to the hospital. You both need some work."

"B-But I'm...I'm fine...really..." Snap's slurred voice spoke. Penny looked behind her and her eyes widened as Snap leaned against a tree trunk for support. "Just...need..rest..."

"Snap, my man!" Rapsheeba cried in horror. She reached out with her good arm as if she wanted to grab onto the blue boy and support him. "You're not okay! You need help!"

"N-No..." Snap waved his hand in dismissal. "I'm...okay..I.." Snap started to slump down further, his legs giving out underneath him.

Penny reached over and grabbed onto his arm. She let him lean against her for support. She frowned at him with concern. "No, you're not fine. We need to get you to the hospital. You were hit pretty badly."

Although Snap continued to protest that he was okay, he did not try to get away from her and let her hold onto his arm. Penny narrowed her eyes at this. Snap must really be disoriented if he thinks he was okay. He might not be fully aware of the pain he was in, or what had just happened. He was aware enough to show her where Rapsheeba landed, but...he was still not quite there... He needed help and fast.

But how was she going to get him to the hospital fast enough? She could walk, but..that would take forever. She needed a better way of getting him there. If she had some magic chalk, she could draw something. But she used the last of it up already and now she had no means of creating something for her to transport her friend.

Oh what was she going to do...?

"Penny!" A voice called out. Penny looked left and right. "Penny, I'm coming!"

Penny turned her head to look over her shoulder. The voice was coming from that way. It sounded faint at first, but it rapidly raised in volume. Her eyes widened when she saw Rudy speeding towards her, flames from his rocket shoes spilling out behind him.

Many emotions swelled in Penny's chest, most noticebly happiness. Rudy...he had survived the twister... She had been so worried about him. She didn't know if he'd made it. She didn't see him out there earlier, and knowing that the twister must have given chase... It left her with a sickening feeling in her stomach.

But here he was. Alive and well. He didn't appear to be injured, and even when he landed in front of her, she still couldn't see anything aside from a few small scrapes. He had made it. She wasn't sure how, but he had made it.

Penny stared at him for just a few seconds before cracking a wide smile, her face practically glowing in positive emotion. "Rudy...you made it..." She breathed. "How did you stop the tornado?"

Rudy said, "I'll explain later. How are all of you? You guys okay?"

"I'm fine." Penny said quickly. "Not too worse for wear." She looked over at Rapsheeba. "She's okay, too. Mostly minor. I did find one deep gash but it's taken care of."

Rudy gave a relieved smile at this. Upon looking at Snap, however, his expression changed. He appeared to notice how uneasy Snap was on his feet. Rudy bit his lip, his face etching with a deep look of concern. "And...what about Snap...?" He turned his attention to Penny. "How...how is he...?"

Penny paused for a moment. She hated having to give him bad news. She had no choice, however. Lying would not help Snap get better any quicker. "Well..." She sucked in a shaky breath. She stared into Rudy's worried eyes. "This is what happened...

sss

Dr. Von Doktor continued to be amazed and almost horrified by what laid before him. The seconds and minutes passed by slowly, and he became almost fully unaware of what was going on around him. His mind was focused intently on the red dot in front of him, moving about, yet there being no signs of the girl anywhere.

It was incomprehensible. It was inconcievable... All this time, there was a doorway to another world. An alternate dimension. This girl, she had gone in there. She was moving around. It was clear as day. He could see the movement, and yet Penny was nowhere in sight. Even if Penny had found out and removed the device, that did not explain why the tracker said there was movement where there was none.

He was still trying to recover from the full impact of the discovery. He could feel his legs trembling violently. He was glad that he was not standing up for this. He didn't think he would be able to for long without falling down. Not like this. Not right now.

He didn't dare look back at Terry. At the moment, he didn't want to see her smug face. He didn't want her to taunt him about how right she had been. She already did enough of that. He was not interested in having his pride more hurt. He had been so certain he was right and she was wrong, and he prided himself in being always right.

And now he was faced with a situation where he had been incorrect. He had dismissed the wild claims of a chalk world. Even though he admitted it would explain some things, he never fully surrendered to the idea of it being real. It just defied explanation, and he could not understand how such a thing could exist. He had tried to go over any possible evidence in his head, and they all led to dead ends. It had been clear to him before that Terry was just smoking a lot of crack.

At least...until now...

He couldn't deny it. As much as it hurt him to say it, Terry was right, and he was the one who was wrong. For the first time in his life, he had been so very wrong about something. The proof against what he felt was fact was present before his eyes. The tracking device was all the proof he needed to know that this world indeed existed.

Many thoughts raced through his head. Just what should he do with this knowledge? What path should he take with this? He wasn't sure if he could think of anything at this point. He was too shaken up at the moment to think of a plan.

But he knew Terry had one... He forced himself to look at her for a second. He forced himself to give her a sideways glance. Despite feeling a tinge of uncomfortableness as he saw her expression, he did not look away. That expression in her eyes...it was clear that she was already in deep thought, perhaps planning what their next move was going to be. A part of him was curious, while another was unnerved.

Yet at the same time...It felt almost exilarating. They both shared something in common. They might have seemed different at first, but he knew now, more than ever, just how alike they truly were. Both had been humiliated by the same children, both were accomplished through the use of this...this chalk world... And they both had a reputation that they longed to get back. Perhaps the team up wasn't such a bad idea after all.

Suddenly, he noticed Terry's eyes flicker as she spotted something. He stared at her for a moment and then he turned and looked out in front of him. He scanned the area, trying to see what the woman spotted. It wasn't until he looked up at the window that he saw something.

There was a little girl there. Small, cute, adorable. But also frightened. It was as if she saw something terrible. He felt a pang of sympathy for her, but it was fleeting, disappearing quickly as he refocused his attention on her. There had to be a reason why Terry was staring at her. What was she...?

That was when he saw there was something with the little girl. She was clamping onto something. Green, flat... It was almost like a large piece of paper. He almost dismissed it when he saw something that nearly made him jump.

Since when did paper have a face...?

"Isn't this our lucky day?" Terry said coolly. Von stared over at her. "I was hoping Snap would be the one to show up." She folded her arms against her chest. She pointed a finger towards the window. "But...he'll do..."

Von looked back up towards the house, where the girl and the chalk thing were sitting right up against the window. The girl was staring outward, and he could see the chalk thing looking like he was trying to comfort the girl. None of them appeared to notice the van out here. None of them were aware that they were being watched. They were too busy looking as if they were comforting each other.

But Von held no sympathy for them. A different emotion was rising up inside of him. Something burning, something that made him want to jump up and rush over, something that he had to tame.

Excitement.

Von's mind was erupting with thoughts. They swirled around his head, giving him a headache. He felt like a child overwhelmed at Christmas time, unsure of which gift to open first. He grinned broadly as he stared at the zoner. A color of green...how ironic. That was the same color as money...

He had to get this creature. He had to get a hold of him. This creature... This living piece of paper... Oh screw perpetual motion. This was something far bigger. This was something far more impressive than mere perpetual motion.

This was going to change everything.

"Get me a tranquilizer dart..." Von hissed at Terry, not looking back at her. "We need to bring that thing in. I want it alive."

"Then you can't use a tranquilizer dart. He's made of chalk. You'd kill him." Terry's voice was cold as she said this, showing that she really had no concern over the creature dying.

Von stared at her, raising an eyebrow. "Then...what do you propose we do...?" He could still study a dead specimen, but...yeah a living one would be more useful. "Any ideas?"

Terry nodded her head, giving a twisted smirk. "Oh don't worry... We'll have that green creature in our clutches soon enough. Just...do what I say..."

Von wasn't sure how much he could trust Terry. But he did realize that she knew more about this chalk world than he did. She would have a better idea on how to capture these things. He turned his attention back towards the house, watching as the green creature continued getting hugged tightly by the girl. He narrowed his eyes in determination. He would have this creature...and it was going to make him rich.