Shattered Doll

Chapter 11: Accusations

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Black tongues speak faster than the car can crash! You supply the rumors and I'll provide the wrath.

-Blue, The Birthday Massacre

sss

"What the hell is going on?"

Rudy couldn't believe how harsh and cold he sounded. He hadn't meant to come off like that. But at the moment, anger and shock was growing in the back of his head, and the tension the crowd was giving off didn't exactly help things either.

Mint and Penny stood beside him, staring off at the crowd. They wore glares on their faces, but he could see the confusion in them. Like him, they didn't know what was going on, why the crowd was here, or why they seemed to hate Snap so much. But they were going to find out. These zoners are going to tell them what is going on, and from there, they could begin to take the steps to fix it.

Rudy couldn't help but feel a bit intimidated. In front of him was a large group of zoners. Twenty, thirty at least. There was little space between them, as they stood really close to each other. All of them looked really hostile, ready to attack someone if they got too close. Several zoners were his height, but there were occassionally larger zoners that towered over them. Most of the zoners were humanoid, with some beast-like ones among the crowd. Their glares seemed to pierce right through his heart, making him want to cringe away.

But he stood his ground. He didn't have much of a choice. He couldn't allow this crowd to cause trouble for his friend. Snap already had to deal with so much. He didn't need this added onto it.

He couldn't help but wonder just what worked these zoners up into a frenzy. When he, Mint, and Penny had done their interviewing before, none of the zoners appeared to hold any hostility towards Snap. Now, suddenly, they were like this. He didn't know if this was the work of the machine, or repressed anger, or something else.

Soon, they were going to find out.

One of the zoners that spoke before, a young-looking male, took a step forward. He appeared to be the one willing to speak for the crowd. Rudy glanced at him, and wondered if he was the main ringleader behind this whole thing, or if he was just a higher up.

The zoner pointed a finger in Rudy's direction. "We know Snap is responsible for that explosion! We demand that you have him arrested!" Behind him, many zoners shouted in agreement, nodding their heads.

Rudy's eyes widened at this. "How can you say that? Snap had been injured! He has brain damage! How can you..."

"He's the one who has been causing problems all along! It's always been him!" The zoner cried, his teeth gritted against each other. "If you were the Guardian of ChalkZone, you would deal with him!"

"But you won't, will you? Because Snap is your precious creation, you wouldn't dare think he'd be capable of such heartlessness!" The zoner standing next to him shouted.

"He was injured! He's a victim too!" Penny cried, staring off into the crowd with widened, shock-filled eyes. "I can't believe all of you... How could you think that Snap would do this?" She held her hands out in gesture. "What in the world has he done to make you think that he could just turn on a dime like this?!"

It was Mint's turn to speak. "He has done nothing but help you guys, even before I came here. He stopped an invasion of minerbites from tearing your world apart! He's wrestled with Skrawl, took on a robotic version of Rudy, and that isn't getting into everything." He took a step forward. "How could you think that he was some kind of evil zoner, waiting to strike in the middle of the night?!"

The lead zoner sneered at him. "So says the Enemy Creator."

At this, Rudy's heart skipped a beat. He turned his head, staring at Mint. He could see his eyes had widened in shock, his body losing some of the tension it had before. Enemy Creator... Hardly anyone ever called Mint that anymore. Only those few zoners who still held reservations against him...

"Yeah, why should we listen to you?!" Snapped one zoner in the far back.

"Yeah!" Agreed a large female around the middle. "You are the one who tried to release the minerbites on us! How do we know you aren't planning something with Snap?"

Mint stammered. "I-I..." He took a step back. He looked over at Penny and Rudy, his eyes wide with shock and uncertainty. He appeared to be trying to call to them for help, his lips smacking in nervousness. He turned his head back towards the group. He bit his lip, then narrowed his eyes. "No..."

The lead zoner chuckled at this. "Of course you would deny it. You just want to let our guard down so you can attack us in the back!"

Mint cut off the zoners before they could say anything else. "Now you listen here! I know I wasn't the nicest person when I came here. I know that I hurt so many zoners with my selfishness. I made mistakes, and I acknowledge that. But I had changed, and took the steps necessary to help fix ChalkZone. If you are willing to deny that, then that's your problem."

Rudy and Penny offered a small smile at this. They were proud of their friend standing up for himself. It was a shame that there were some zoners who wouldn't move on, and continued to live in the past. Mint was right; it was the zoners' problem if they chose to keep that grudge.

The zoners seemed a bit surprised that Mint stood up for himself this time. He usually ignored them, but this time, he spoke back. They looked at each other, soft murmuring permeating the area. At first, it seemed like it was going to be over, and the trio could move on with what they were going to do.

But that didn't last too long.

Slowly, the glares returned. Mint gulped but stood his ground, as did Rudy and Penny. The zoners took on slightly more hostile postures, as though they thought one of them was going to draw something to attack them with. Rudy didn't get why they were acting this way. He couldn't understand what would bring on such behavior so suddenly.

"Be that as it may, Enemy Creator..." The lead zoner spat. "But our position still stands." He looked at some of his comrades, and they exchanged unreadable glances. "We know that Snap is the only one who could have caused that explosion and get away unharmed. He was the one who set it up, and tricked those zoners into going in there. He murdered them!"

Rudy clenched his teeth, glaring at the lead zoner. He didn't need to look at Penny or Mint to know that they were doing the same thing. They adopted defensive postures just in case one of the zoners decided to attack.

Rudy had a hard time believing that the zoners really thought Snap did this. Why would they think that? What did Snap do to get this kind of response? The poor guy had been badly hurt, unable to walk, and he was suffering from memory issues. He couldn't even leave the hospital. What kind of master plan did these zoners think he was trying to achieve with a scheme that got himself injured? None of it made any sense.

He was certain that they were going to also blame Snap for the machinery. The thought heated his blood up more. Snap had destroyed that machine, and he was positive that some of these zoners had been saved by his friend that way. The idea of them repaying Snap through accusations was just...terrible.

Rudy hoped that these nasty rumors spreading about Snap were going to remain in small portions of ChalkZone City. Though that was wishful thinking. He had a hunch that a lot more zoners than these had heard the rumors that he knew at least one zoner had started to spread. By now, most of ChalkZone probably knows, and that meant many zoners than these may believe Snap is truly responsible. He could only hope that some of the zoners didn't fall into this bullcrap that easily, and realize that the rumors were incorrect.

As much as he wanted to leave, he needed to speak more with the zoners. He needed to quell their anger the best he can, for fear that the zoners may start to attack the hospital, injuring their friend and other innocent patients and doctors in the process. But to do that, he needed a better understanding of just how they were thinking. There had to be a reason why they were thinking Snap was somehow responsible.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard more harsh cries from the enraged zoners.

"Arrest Snap! Arrest the traitor!"

"Bag him and drag him away!"

"Hogtie and gag him before he can spew out more venom!"

"He needs to be punished for making us all believe he was a hero!"

Rudy growled at this, baring his teeth. Some of the zoners quieted down as they noticed his anger. The group as a whole began to look more nervous, and they hunched their backs as if they thought Rudy was going to attack. Realizing what he was doing, Rudy managed to settle himself down, adopting a somewhat more neutral stance.

"Look..." Rudy raised up his hands, lowering them in front of him rapidly a few times. "I know you are having a hard time believing this, but Snap wasn't responsible for that explosion. I know Snap better than that. I'm not sure what made you all believe he was the culprit, but I assure you, he isn't. Penny, Mint, and I are doing all we can to find the real culprit."

The crowd was silent for a while. The zoners had blank expressions, tilting their heads, speaking softly to each other. It seemed almost like, at first, Rudy had gotten through to them. But that soon turned out to be incorrect as the zoners began to look angry again. Rudy flinched as he noticed some looked angrier than before, as if his words did nothing but offend them.

"Of course you'd defend Snap! You are his creator! You just won't admit that he has become a monster!" The lead zoner snarled at him. "We can't count on you to convinct the real culprit, because the real culprit is in that blasted building!" He pointed a finger towards the hospital. "And you.." He shoved his finger towards Rudy. "You won't take responsibility and arrest him!"

"Even if Snap was the cause, he can't be arrested unless there is proper evidence!" Penny spoke up. "Where is your proof that Snap was resposnible?"

At this, the crowd said nothing. They merely glanced at one another, silently asking each other if they had what Penny had requested. When it became clear that they did not have any evidence, Penny folded her arms and gave a small, bitter smile to the zoners.

"You don't have any evidence, do you? You are all just going off on a hunch. You think that, just because you say you believe Snap is the culprit, it automatically means that he is warranted to getting arrested? Is that how you think this world works? Sorry, but there is a saying. Innocent until proven guilty."

Mint nodded. "Perhaps you lot should practice that sometime."

The lead zoner stared, wide-eyed, before narrowing them again, curling his lips back into a snarl. "We don't need evidence. We already have a compelling argument. One that, if you took the time and used your common sense to think about, you would realize we are right."

Rudy narrowed his eyes at this. "Oh really? Then tell us."

"What do you know about Snap and the explosion that is strong enough to tie him there?" Mint asked.

The lead zoner leaned slightly back, straightening his spine out to make himself appear taller. A mixture of confidence and dominance seemed to radiate all around him. The other zoners took small steps away, making room for him, a clear sign of respect to the zoner.

"Snap was the last one to show up at that party before the explosion. I should know. I saw him walking in there as I passed by. Nothing happened until shortly after he had arrived. No one else came after him. I don't know what he planned on doing with that machine of his, but it was clearly something awful. Now that he doesn't have the machine to do the killing for him, he turned to killing zoners themselves. He set up the party, and came late to trick everyone into thinking he couldn't set up those bombs or whatever they were in time. But I know better.."

The lead zoner's voice filled with anger, becoming a bit higher pitched as time went on. Rudy, Penny, and Mint glared at him, but dared not to interrupt.

"Snap had to set everything up first. He studied that building inside and out. Then he set up the explosives, keeping in mind where they were before he made his mode. He waited until everyone he invited was lured into that building. Then he pretended to sneak off to...oh whatever, use the bathroom or something. And that was one he did it."

"You can't be serious..." Mint breathed.

"Oh I am, Enemy Creator. Snap snuck off and waited until he was a good distance away before he set off the explosion. Unfortunately for him, he didn't get far enough away, and he ended up hit by the explosion. His own that he himself had set up."

"That's insane!" Rudy cried, his heart clenching. "You're just making wild claims based on nothing but your own emotional..!"

"Am I?!" The lead zoner snapped at him, cutting him off. "Then how do you explain why Snap was the only survivor? Why everyone else in the building died, and yet Snap escaped with just burned legs? Why the explosion only happened after he arrived at the party?"

Rudy wanted to reply, but at the moment, he was seething in anger. He locked eyes on the zoner, unable to look away. The eyes were intense, seemingly staring right through his soul. Rudy was so tempted to take a step back, yet he remained frozen there. His mind swam with thoughts, a torrent of emotions rising up inside of him.

This...this was why the zoners were blaming Snap? They were just going off on a hunch? They got a little suspicious of the fact that his friend escaped with burned legs while all other zoners died from the fire or wounds due to the flames?

A low growl escaped Rudy's throat. The lead zoner apparently heard this, and he arched his back in self defense. Rudy continued to glare at him. These zoners...they weren't being fair to Snap. And they were too angry to see that.

"I do agree that it does seem a little odd." Penny said, tapping her finger against her chin thoughtfully. Rudy and Mint looked over at her in shock, both wondering why she would say that. But soon, Penny glared back into the crowd, and even before she spoke again, it was clear what her stance was. "But that is no excuse to accuse our friend like that. You can't just take thoughts and hunches and use them as evidence. If you want us to believe that Snap was responsbile..."

Penny walked forward. She glared directly at the lead zoner in charge. She didn't stop until she was within a foot of him. They locked eyes onto each other, and for a couple seconds, there was a tense silence.

Penny lifted up a finger and pressed it against his shoulder. "Provide some evidence."

The lead zoner stared at her. His pupils moved from her face, to her finger, and repeated a few times. He snarled and raised his hand. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but he soon shut it. With a low, disgusted growl, he backhanded Penny against her face. The girl let out a surprised cry as she fell into the ground.

"Penny!" Rudy cried. He and Mint rushed to her side. Rudy looked down at her worriedly. "Are you okay?"

Penny stared up at Rudy, and nodded her head. "Y-Yeah.." She pushed herself onto her hands. Then she worked her legs underneath her body and pushed herself back up. She glared back at the zoner with a single eye. "I'm fine."

Mint shot a glare at the lead zoner. "What the hell did you do that for?!"

The lead zoner sneered at them. "The little girl was asking for it..."

"She did nothing to warrant you striking her like that!" Rudy snapped at him, taking a step in front of Penny. "All she did was point out the truth! Are you really that upset that you..."

"Oh shut up, will you?!" The lead zoner growled. Some zoners behind him murmured and nodded their heads in agreement. "We are getting sick of this. Either you bring that miserable piece of chalk you call a friend to justice..." His voice took on a dangerous edge. "Or we will..."

The crowd agreed wholeheartedly.

"Yeah!"

"He needs to be locked away!"

"He's a monster!"

"Pure evil!"

"You can't arrest something based on no evidence!" Penny cried.

"Oh poppycock!" The lead zoner growled viciously. "We don't need to search for clues when we know for certain Snap was the one responsible! We all know the story, don't we?" He turned his head, addressing the crowd. "We all heard what the doctors said! Snap has no brain injury! He has been lying to his human companions! To everyone! We all know he is faking his injury so that we will take pity on him!"

"Yeah that's right!" A female zoner greed.

A somewhat elderly zoner growled under her breath. "Such a miserable little..."

"For shame!" Cried a male zoner.

"We saw his leg injuries!" Mint said through clenched teeth. "They weren't fake!"

"Oh yeah? Why don't you provide an explanation for us then, Enemy Creator!" The lead zoner said, folding his arms against his chest. "Try to tell us exactly how Snap isn't faking anything when his brain scan always turns up positive?"

Mint tried to reply, but he couldn't say anything. Rudy couldn't blame him. He himself couldn't think of a reply to that either. He didn't think it was enough to accuse Snap, though, and he could feel himself begin to lose patience.

"Aha! See?! You can't explain it, can you?" The lead zoner growled in an accusatory tone. "You can't do it because you know it's impossible! You know that Snap can't act like he has amnesia unless there is something wrong with his brain! And guess what?! There isn't!"

"We all know the story!" A young zoner said, his eyes narrowed into slits. "We were all informed!"

Rudy narrowed his eyes. He and his friends wondered if what they heard wasn't what the doctors had actually said, but rumors. He was already certain before that rumors had spread. This provided more evidence for that.

Rumors spread like wildfire, and they can be quite nasty. People take rumors like they were fact, and don't analyze them that well. These zoners had heard rumors of Snap being responsible, and whatever else negative about him, and they were agreeing with all of it. They weren't going to bother doing the research themselves. It was clear they had already made up their minds about this, and it was going to be hard to convince them otherwise.

Rudy had to figure out something. He doubted he could come up with anything right now to make them stop hating Snap. No, they'll only do that once he proves that Snap was innocent. There was only one way to do that: find out the real culprit.

"Look, we're just as baffled by the lack of an injury in Snap's head as you are." Penny's voice was on edge, somewhat defensive. After the way the lead zoner attacked her like that, he couldn't blame her. "But that doesn't mean that he is responsible. It's still not compelling enough proof to convinct him. The police aren't going to arrest Snap just because you say you think he is responsible."

"Oh we don't think." One of the zoners jeered at her. "We know."

Penny growled at this. "With no evidence..."

The same zoner snarled back. "Now see here, you stupid little girl..." He pointed his thumb against his chest. "I had been in that hospital, and we spoke to the doctors ourselves. Some of them believe Snap is faking it, and each test always comes up negative! How do you explain that, missy?!"

Penny's eyes widened and she took a small step backwards. She stammered over her words before she soon found her tongue. "I know what it might seem like..." She soon narrowed her eyes, clutching her hands tightly into trembling fists at her sides. "But that doesn't mean anything! Something is wrong with our friend and we will find out what it is!"

Mint joined in. "We guarantee you that the reason for his behavior is not related to him pulling off some elaborate scheme to kill zoners for...whatever reason you think he might be doing it." He made a gesture towards the crowd of zoners as he said this.

"We don't know why he's doing it either." Another zoner, this one female, said. "We just know that he is doing it, and that he needs to be stopped!"

"Yeah!" A beast-like zoner said, standing next to her. His voice was pretty deep. "Before he goes and hurts someone else! Enough zoners had suffered due to his barbaric actions!"

"That monster will pay for what he has done!" The lead zoner cried. He formed a fist with his hand, raising it into the air. "If we have to, we will tear that wretched traitor apart ourselves!" He turned to the crowd. "Who's with me?!"

There was a roar of approval from the crowd. Shouts and cries erupted from them, calling for the defeat of Snap, calling for justice, calling for blood.

Rudy and his friends stared at this display in shock. They found it hard to believe that these zoners were willing to go this far, that they were actually willing to hurt their friend based off of nothing but a hunch and hurt feelings. They looked at each other, exchanging horrified glances. They didn't think it would get this far. They never thought that they would have to deal with zoners like this during a time of crisis.

But now here they were. These zoners couldn't be reasoned with as they were. They were not going to listen to them. They were just going to spew out venom like this until Snap was arrestede. And even then, they would probably still harrass their friend, continuing to blame him for something he did not do.

The behavior they were displaying was positively ugly, terrifying. It boiled their blood, and they could feel their bodies shaking as emotion swept through them. It took a lot of mental power to keep themselves from moving from where they stood. They knew they had to keep themselves from making things worse. But it was difficult holding back, and the more they listened to the crowd's horrible words, the worse they felt.

Unable to take it, Rudy stormed over towards the lead zoner. At this point, the lead zoner's arms were raised in the air as he enticed the crowd to speak louder. The zoner realized too late Rudy was there, and the boy seized him by his shoulders.

The lead zoner stiffened up, his eyes wide in shock as he felt Rudy's hands squeeze his shoulders firmly. He looked down at his shoulders, and then back at Rudy. He narrowed his eyes and began to struggle. Rudy tightened his grip, but made no move to actually hurt the zoner. He put his face close to his, and spoke in the darkest voice he had ever spoken in.

"Snap is as much of a victim in all of his as anyone else affected by the machine, and by the explosion. He has been through so much lately. He can't do anything to hurt anyone right now, nor would he ever think of doing such a thing. You should know that. You all should know that... And yet here you are, being unreasonable..."

"Unreasonable? Unreasonable?!" The lead zoner snapped at him. He pulled back his hand and punched Rudy in the jaw. "I'll tell you what's unreasonable!"

"Rudy! Are you okay?!" Penny cried as she and Mint rushed to Rudy.

Rudy nodded his head. As Mint and Penny helped stabilize him, keeping him from falling, he glared in the direction of the lead zoner. He panted heavily, anger flowing through each breath. He would of spoken up again, but the zoner was still speaking.

"My sister didn't deserve to die!" The lead zoner snapped. "She was so innocent, and she just got her brother back, too! And then that fucking Snap took her away from me! What did she do to deserve to die?!"

At this, Rudy's expression softened up a little. This zoner had lost a sibling to the flames? That would explain at least some of his sour attitude. But that did not excuse his atrocious behavior.

"I swear... I swear upon my name, Taima, that Snap will pay for what he did to Galena!" The lead zoner cried, tears flowing down his face. His body shook with emotion. "He...he won't get away with this..I will make sure he won't..." His body shook so hard that he fell down onto his knees. "Why, Galena? Why..?"

The trio watched this display with shock and sympathy. The zoners in the crowd moved in closer, looking at him sadly. Some put their hands on him, speaking to him gently, trying to cheer him up. They spoke words of comfort and reassurance to him, clearly hoping that he would settle down.

During this, Rudy and his friends remained quiet. The lead zoner, Taima, was clearly distraught over the loss of his sister. Given that knowledge, it did make sense that a lot of these zoners were family members or friends of the ones who had died in the explosion. Their anger was based off of personal feelings, and because of that, they weren't thinking very rationally. As much as they understood their anger now, they couldn't simply allow them to continue harrassing their friend like this.

Rudy thought of one way he could quell the crowd for the time being. He took a step forward, his eyes looking directly at Taima. The zoner looked up at him, his eyes red and puffy from crying. He wiped them away as he snarled at Rudy.

"What do you want?" He asked.

Rudy glared at him, but softened up his expression. "I am so sorry for what happened to your sister. Really, I am." He paused for a moment, biting his lip. "But this behavior of yours..it's not going to make things better. Do not soil the memory of your sister by acting this way. I don't think she would appreciate it if she saw you acting like this, now would she?"

Taima's eyes widened. Then he snarled viciously. "How dare you..."

Rudy raised up his hands. "Look I'm not trying to fight you. I and my friends only wish to help you all seek closure. But..." He held his hands out in gesture. "...but it can't be like this. We can't convict our own friend just because of what you say. If you really want us to arrest the culprit, you will have to let us do it our way."

Penny nodded her head affirmatively. "We promise, we will find out who did this, and as soon as we know, we will tell you."

"You will have your closure and your justice delivered." Mint said, taking position next to Rudy, as did Penny. "Whoever did this will not get away with it. You can rest assured that, sooner or later, the culprit will get found. And trust me..." He formed a fist, his eyes practically glowing with anger. "He will pay for what he has done."

Rudy smiled at his friends, happy to have their assitance. He then turned back to the crowd, spreading his hands outward. "We will keep looking for clues. We will keep looking for new information. We will keep investigating the crime until we found out who did it. Even if it takes us to our dying breath, we promise we will find the culprit and capture them. You have nothing to worry about."

The crowd looked at each other, and then back at the children. They glared at them for a while, and the tension in the area seemed to almost rise. Rudy gritted his teeth, wondering if he and his friends would have to try harder to convince them.

Slowly, one by one, the zoners' expressions softened up a little. They got into more neutral stances, and looked relatively calm. They still glared at them, their expressions silently telling them that they were going to hold them at their word. But no one attempted to argue back. None of them tried to convince them otherwise. No one appeared to protest.

Then, after a while of what felt like the most awkward and tense staring contest ever, the zoners began to back away. They began to dissipate, turning around and leaving, going off in different directions. As they left, they still had some things to say.

"Well okay..." A male zoner said. "But I'm not lowering my guard."

A female zoner said, "We hope you know what you are doing."

"We know Snap is guilty, but if you think you can find the culprit, then okay." A young zoner commented. "We'll give you a chance."

"But as soon as we find out Snap really is responsible..."

"...no more roses and petals."

The trio winced at these comments. The zoners were clearly leaving begrudgingly, unwillingly. They still wanted to tear their friend apart, even if emotionally rather than physically. They weren't fully satisfied with their offer, but only accepted it because there wasn't much else they could do.

Soon all of the zoners had left. Well except for one. Laima. The lead zoner remained where he was. He looked left and right, as if realizing that he was all alone now. He knew he couldn't do much, yet he remained there, his stance still hostile, still threatening.

Laima's face contorted, part of his teeth exposed in the half smirk he gave. "Okay, I'll play your little game. I'll let you try to prove your friend's innocense." He took a step forward, his teeth bared like a wild animal. "I know that, by the end of it all, you will realize that you were wrong and I was right. Then you will be begging for my forgiveness, which I am not going to give..." He pointed at them and hissed, "...because you don't deserve it."

Rudy and his friends narrowed their eyes. They remained silent, knowing that they would gain nothing from trying to argue with this zoner.

Laima smiled almost evilly at them before he turned his back to them. He waved a dismissive hand at them. "Well see you around, humans. I wish you the...best of luck in proving Snap's innocence." He turned his head, looking over his shoulder. "You are going to need it." He jeered before he walked off down the street.

Rudy, Mint, and Penny simply glared at Laima as the zoner retreated down the street. They remained there, staring in that direction until the zoner disappeared. Then their expressions softened up and they looked at each other worriedly.

Things had just gotten more intense. They knew that, from this point on, things were going to be rougher. They would still continue their investigation. They would continue doing what they could to find the culprit and bring them to justice. But now they had something else to worry about. Now they had to make sure that no zoner came here to hurt Snap. The fact that some of the doctors apparently think he is guilty didn't help ease their minds, and they all felt something drop in their stomach as they realized the implications of this.

They hoped Snap was doing all right. Poor guy... He didn't deserve this. They had no doubts in their minds that the culprit was doing all this on purpose. They were the ones who were framing him, making the other zoners think he was responsible. The thought filled them with burning fire. Whoever did this, they would not get away with it.

But for now, they wanted to see Snap. They want to make sure he was okay, that no one had attempted to harm him. They had no idea if any of those zoners had gotten in and...

Exchanging looks of horror, their hearts racing as they realized what might have been going on, the three humans rushed into the hospital immediately.

sss

Rudy was not prepared for the heartbreaking scene he and his friends would come to witness as they entered Snap's room. They had hurried along, moving as fast as they could. They rushed passed the receptionist, hardly paying attention to her surprised words, as they made their way towards Snap's room.

When they got there, and opened the doors, they froze at what they had seen. They couldn't have predicted it was going to be like this.

Snap was curled up on his bed. Whatever physical pain he must be feeling was completely ignored. His body was shaking almost violently, loud whimpers escaping his throat. His wide, terrified eyes stared towards the window near his bed. Mosaic was laying down next to him, gently nudging him with her long snout. Snap hardly seemed to notice.

"S-Snap..?" Rudy managed to say, his voice soft and shaky.

Snap turned his head, and Rudy felt his heart clench when he saw his friend's expression. There was so much fear and terror...more than he had ever seen in his friend's face before. Snap looked absolutely heartbroken, and his body wouldn't stop shaking. His face was reddened with tears, and they could all see more tears streaming down his face. It looked as if he had been crying for a while.

The zoner sniffled, wiping away mucous that drained from his nose. He opened his mouth to speak, but it was clear he was in no condition to do so yet. More whimpers came out of his mouth as he started to cry a little harder. He closed his eyes and turned his head away, his body shivering with intense emotion.

Horrified by their friend's state, the trio rushed forward towards the bed. They each took position by their friend and looked at him sympathetically. They began to whisper soft, comforting words to him, trying to get him to settle down.

"Shh...Snap, it's okay..." Penny said.

"Yeah, everything will be all right." Mint nodded, holding Snap's hand.

Rudy bit his lip, stroking the top of Snap's head gently. "Please calm down, Snap. Please...we don't want to see you like this."

"It's going to be okay." Mint squeezed Snap's hand gently. "Please...it'll be okay..."

Snap didn't reply. He just kept shaking and whimpering on the bed. He hardly moved, even knowing his friends were there. He remained on a fetal position, curled up. Mosaic seemed to sense something was wrong, and she gently nudged him again. But Snap didn't pay attention to her. He just cried, his whines filling the air with melancholy.

The scene was absolutely heart wrenching for the trio watch. Something had their friend so distraught, so broken. Snap was an emotional wreck right now. Even their precense didn't seem to be calming him down. Just what could have happened to him to make him this way? Their minds swam with disturbing thoughts as they imagined possibilities of what might have went on.

Had one of the doctors abused him emotionally? Did one of the doctors say something nasty to him?

Did one of the crowd zoners come in here and harrass him while they were busy outside?

Did the culprit come in here and taunt their friend about his condition?

Did something else happen?

Whatever happened, they would make sure it didn't occur again. They would do whatever it took to keep him safe from not just injuries, but mental attacks as well. He didn't deserve it. If someone messed with their friend, they will find them and make sure it didn't happen again.

Rudy, unable to stand seeing his friend like this for much longer, scooped up Snap into his arms. The others moved away a little, giving him room. He was very careful not to hit against Snap's injuried legs as he cradled his friend against him. Snap looked up at him, tears flowing heavily down his face.

"Snap...what happened...?" Rudy asked gently.

Snap's lower lip quivered. His teeth clenched tightly, his eyes becoming watery. Fresh tears moved down his cheeks, staining them even more. He let out a choked cry as he attempted to speak, and he pressed his head against Rudy's chest, sobbing loudly.

"Snap, please...we want to help you." Mint said, carefully placing his hand on Snap's quivering back. "We can't help you if you don't tell us what's wrong."

"Did someone hurt you, Snap?" Penny asked. At this, Snap shook his head. Relief shined in Penny's eyes, but they were still filled with concern. "Tell us what happened, Snap."

Rudy caressed the back of Snap's head gently. He could feel his shirt getting wet from Snap's tears. "You can tell us, Snap. We're your friends. We want to help you. Please..." Rudy pulled Snap closer, pressing his forehead against Snap. "Please tell us what's wrong. Please.."

Snap took in a few shaky breaths. Then Rudy and the others could hear his muffled voice give a reply. "I-I heard what they were saying out there...about m-me..."

Rudy's eyes widened at this and he pulled back away from Snap, staring down at him in shock. Penny and Mint also looked horrified.

Snap..had heard all of that? He heard the zoners shouting like that? He heard what those zoners thought of him? Oh poor Snap... No wonder he was like this. Those zoners had shook him up, and now the little guy was so frightened and scared... Rudy continued holding onto Snap, his eyes remaining wide as he thought of all the horrible things Snap must have heard.

Those zoners...even though they never got into this room, even though they never confronted Snap directly, they still managed to scare Snap, to put him into this terrible state of mind. Rudy could feel Snap shivering against him, and the more he felt it, the more angry he felt at the zoners for frightening him like this.

"Snap, don't listen to what they say." Mint moved in closer again, reaching out towards Snap, touching his shoulder. "They don't know what they're talking about."

"Don't let what they said get to you." Penny looked at them sadly. "They're just...frightened, that's all. Their judgment has been clouded and they are letting fear rule their thoughts."

"Don't worry. We'll find out who did this." Rudy promised his friend. "Whoever did this, I promise they will not get away with it."

What Snap said next horrified them all.

"B-But..what if they're right...?" Snap sniffled loudly. He pulled his head back, looking up at Rudy with his tear-stained eyes. "What if I really am responsible...?"

"Snap...!" Rudy gasped in shock. "H-How could you think that?"

"W-Well..I know I wouldn't have d-d-done it on purpose, but..." Snap closed his eyes. He clenched his teeth tightly, fighting back sobs that got caught in his throat. "...but maybe I still did so-something.. Maybe there was something there and I goofed around a-a-and I caused something to blow up and..." He couldn't speak anymore as his voice faded back into cries.

Rudy exchanged worried glances with Penny and Mint. Poor Snap...after what he had heard, he started to have doubts about himself. He was starting to wonder if he really was responsible. Rudy knew this was ludicrous. Snap couldn't have been the cause, he was certain. But that didn't stop Snap from being so petrified at the idea of maybe being the one who inadvertantly killed all those zoners. Considering Snap's personality, it was clear to all of them how this was messing with his mind.

"Snap...it wasn't your fault, okay? Please don't cry." Rudy whispered softly. His voice cracked as emotion swept through him. "I know you better than that. I know it looks bad, but I promise...we will find out who did this, and we will prove your innocense."

"We believe in you, Snap." Said Penny. "We know you aren't responsible."

"H-How can you be so sure?" Snap whimpered. He turned his head so he could stare over at where Penny was. "It all...it all makes sense.. It would e-explain why the explosion didn't happen until much later on... It would explain why I-I only have burned legs while everyone else..." He clenched his teeth tightly, closed his eyes, and lowered his head.

Penny looked at him sadly. She reached forward, gently cupping his cheek. "Snap, look at me." Snap sniffled, but he did what Penny asked of him. "If you were responsible, we would have found something. But we know you too well to know it wasn't your fault."

Snap didn't seem convinced. "I nearly destroyed ChalkZone with a vacuum cleaner!"

"I know, Snap. You made your fair share of mistakes. We all have." Penny gestured to herself, Mint, and Rudy. "You learn from your mistakes, just like we do. You know better now what to do and what not to do, Snap. We know you wouldn't have been foolish enough to do something that would have endangered the other zoners."

"B-But if it was b-by mistake..." Snap whined.

"Snap, please...stop this. You aren't doing yourself any favors by blaming yourself." Mint said, interjecting. "You are the nicest zoner that I know, and one of the most cautious. I know you feel like you were responsible, but please, settle down. You shouldn't allow what those zoners said about you get to you." He reached forward and placed his hand against Snap's shoulder. The zoner looked up at him, quivering. "The chances of you being the one responsible is so remote that... well I understand why you might feel that you are, please don't waste your time blaming yourself. Nothing will get done feeling sorry for yourself. Believe me, I should know this."

Rudy nodded his head to Mint. He recalled how the kid had taken a while before he could work up the courage to apologize. It was true; Mint would know fully well just how useless feeling sorry for oneself truly was.

Rudy turned his attention to Snap. "We promise we will find a way to clear your name. You have nothing to worry about." He hugged Snap tighter. "You'll see. Sooner or later, we will prove your innocense, capture the real criminal, and everything will go back to the way it used to be."

Snap still cried softly, but he appeared to be calming down. His shivering slowly stopped, and his crying became much quieter. He leaned against Rudy, cuddling close to him. Penny and Mint joined in, wrapping their arms around the two, enclosing them in a group hug.

Rudy stared sadly down at Snap. Although his friend in a more tranquil state of mind now, he didn't know how long this was going to last. Snap had been so shaken up that if those zoners were to try coming again... Rudy wasn't sure if he could help his friend as easily next time. Snap might be deeper in that terrified state, becoming unaware of what was going on around him.

Rudy felt so bad for Snap. It must be horrible being blamed for something he didn't do. Snap wasn't the one who killed those zoners. And yet, nasty rumors were spreading about him all across ChalkZone. He wondered if any of the rumors would partain to him and his two human friends. Would zoners begin to turn against them as well?

Rudy decided it was best not to worry too much about that. They would deal with it when the time comes. Right now, their friend needed their help and comfort. He and his friends huddled close to Snap, Mosaic joining in as well. They remained close, comforting Snap by being close to him.

"Th-Thank you..." Snap whispered softly as he let out a sigh of contentment. All sign of crying had stopped.

Rudy smiled at his friend. "You're welcome, Snap."