"It's all my fault...all my fault.."
Penny felt her heart tighten as she looked over at where Rudy was. Her friend was buried in his mom's arms, crying against her. He had been like this for the past minute or two, and she saw no end in sight. His loud cries filled the air, breaking hear heart.
She could see the look of despair on his parents' faces. They looked at their son worriedly. They spoke softly to him, trying to soothe him and calm him down. But nothing they say would get him to relax. He just kept crying, sniffling loudly. Rudy seemed unaware of what was going on around him. He was too distraught, too filled with thoughts of shame, to really notice anyone else.
Penny looked at him sympathetically. Rudy blamed himself for what happened. Even though she and Snap tried to explain to him that it wasn't his fault, he still couldn't let go of the guilt. She wished she could help him see. She wished she could get him to understand that what happened was a total accident. He had never meant for it to happen. Terry was the one who chose to chase them down. She chose to drive unsafely. If she had been more careful, this wouldn't have happened to her. It was her fault, not Rudy's.
Despite the fact that she blamed Terry, she could understand why Rudy was upset. Like him, she didn't really want Terry, or Vinnie, to be hurt. She was just as horrified when she saw the newsvan smash against the fountain like it had. She looked solemnly in the direction the two had been taken. She hoped they would be okay.
Knowing there was nothing she could do for them, she turned her gaze away and focused on her friends. She looked sadly at Rudy again. She hoped that he would recover mentally from this and calm down. It wasn't his fault and she hoped he would begin to see that, too. But it would probably take time for him to snap out of this. She would give him the space he needed to work things out in his mind.
She looked over at Snap. She felt tears form in her eyes as she saw just how bad his arm looked. The hole looked like it had some green stuff on it, and it was leaking pus. It was swollen and red, with bits of coagulated blood around it. She could tell it was infected. There was even a bit of an odor coming from it, and she knew that wasn't a good sign.
Neither did her mother. She watched as her mom looked Snap's arm over. She was being very gentle with him. She leveled his arm up with a light touch underneath. She used her fingers to lightly inspect the wound. Snap hissed in pain a few times, but remained still as the woman looked closely at the wound. She gently turned his arm to one side and the other as she examined the wound. She looked over at Penny, her expression plastered with horror and shock.
Penny couldn't help but give a small gulp at this. She did her best not to look fearful, though that emotion was high on her mind right now. Her heart started to speed up as she realized what her mother was certainly going to do. The thought filled her with horror. They had just gotten Snap back from Terry and Vinnie. They couldn't allow them to take Snap back to the hospital. No...she had to think of something quickly. But with her mind a swirling mess... Even if she was currently better able to control her emotions at the moment compared to Rudy, that didn't mean she was fully prepared to think of a plan to keep Snap out of the hospital.
"Penita...how...how did this happen...?" Her mother asked, her voice filled with shock and horror. Penny could only bite her lip in response and hesitate. This prompted a more worried statement from her mother. "Tell me what happened..."
Penny felt bad about not answering her mother. She wanted to say something, anything. But how was she going to explain that wound? Should she come up with some kind of lie and say it was an accident? No, that wouldn't work. Just what kind of accident would be required to get a wound like that? Should she tell her the truth, that Mr. Wilter did it to him? She would feel bad, but... Well her mom did tell her honesty was the best policy. While she didn't count ChalkZone in that, in this case... what choice did she have? She just wasn't in the right mind to think of an elaborate lie, and Mr. Wilter had already been arrested, so her telling her mom what happened wouldn't really complicate things more for her teacher. Correction, former teacher.
Penny looked back up at her mother, their eyes locking onto each other. She took in a deep breath and, in a few seconds, blurted out the answer. "Mr. Wilter..."
At this, her mom froze. Some of the color seemed to drain from her face. She looked at Penny with a wide-eyed expression, waiting to see if Penny was telling some kind of sick joke. When Penny didn't, her mom asked shakingly, "You're...kidding, right..?"
Penny shook her head. "No, mama... It's true." She looked at Snap sadly, the two exchanging solemn glances. She returned her gaze to her mother and continued, "Mr. Wilter...hurt him."
Her mother took in a sharp gasp, placing her hand against her mouth. Penny felt her heart twist. She never seen her mom look so horrified and shocked before. She couldn't blame her. Mr. Wilter had never seemed like the kind of person to do such a thing. Her mom had interacted with him before and she had always thought he was a pretty decent guy. At worse, a little strict, but not a bad person by any means. Now that view she had of him was shattered in a horrific way. Now she knew, they all knew, he wasn't as innocent as he had seemed.
Understandably, her mother narrowed her eyes, signs of anger rising up inside of her. Her mother turned her head in a random direction, gritting her teeth. "Mark my words, he'll..."
"Don't worry about it." Penny cut her off. "He was arrested earlier today. He won't hurt anyone again."
Her mother nodded her head. "Well that's good." She looked down at Snap. "He needs to go to the hospital and..."
"No!" Penny cried. When her mother looked at her in confusion and shock, Penny quickly corrected herself the best she could in her shaken state. "I mean, there's a special hospital he needs to go to and his parents know the way and..."
"...and where are his parents? I don't see them anywhere." Her mom looked from side to side. "Did they tell you where they're going to be? Maybe I can..."
Suddenly, her mom stopped. Her mouth hung open partially, her eyes glued on something Penny could not see. The young girl looked at her mom in confusion, wondering what was going on. Snap looked puzzled as well. He looked at the woman, turning his head as if to try to meet the same path she was using to look in. Judging from his expression, he either didn't find out, or he did and it was just causing further confusion.
Before Penny could say a word, her mother took a few steps towards her. She reached out with her hand. Penny cringed slightly, confused by what her mom was trying to do. She soon felt her mom's hand on her head, her fingers running through her hair. Her mom ran her hand along the back and sides of her head a few times, slowly, deliberately. She concentrated on a couple particularly sensitive areas. Penny let out a soft whimper as her mom's fingers worked those areas.
Pulling her hand back, her mom looked down at her with a look of horror. "Penita... did..did you get a head injury..?"
Penny froze at this, staring at her mother in shock. How had she deduced that she was hit in the head? Was it really that noticeable? Without thinking, Penny lifted up a hand ran it along the back and side of her head where she was struck. She winced noticeably as she touched these areas, feeling how raised they were. Her mother reacted to her expression and she felt her mom's hands on her shoulders.
Penny looked into her mother's worried eyes. She wanted to say something that would calm her down. Something that would assure that they would all go home after this. They needed to at least drop Snap off in ChalkZone and have a zoner escort him to the hospital. He couldn't be brought back to a real world one; that would end in disaster.
But before she could think of a reply, her mother spoke. "We need to get you to a hospital as well."
"But mama..." Penny protested.
Her mom shook her head. "No buts. We can't afford to let this go unchecked. You might have gotten more hurt than it looks."
"Mom..please..." Penny tried to get a word in edgewise, but her mom refused to listen. From her expression, Penny knew her mom was too horrified by her condition to pay attention to what she was saying. Her being a vet only amplified her worry; Penny painfully recalled how some of her animal clients had bad head injuries.
Her mom gripped her by the arm and tugged her forward. "Come along." She looked down at Snap. She seized him by his good arm. She looked at them both sternly, but her expression also held worry and care for them both. "You need to be checked out, Penny. And you..." She looked down at Snap. "..that arm of yours needs to be mended."
"B-B-But what about..." Snap choked out weakly. He shuddered in pain. "..m-my parents...?"
"I'll call them and inform them of where you are." The woman said. "Just give me their number and I'll call them."
Snap looked up at her, wide-eyed. "I..."
Penny watched as her mother gave a confused look at her friend. "You...don't know your own house number...?"
Before Penny's mom could inquire more about this, they heard a scream behind them. At this, they all looked over to see what it was. Some of the bystanders had noticed something. Penny could see the shocked looks on their faces. Some even had their hands to their mouths. Penny was confused by this. What had startled them so much? Nothing had happened after Terry and Vinnie were taken to the hospital. What could..?
That was when she saw it. She had to turn her head to see it, but when she did, she noticed it almost right away. The sight of it horrified her, made her body stiffen up. She couldn't believe what she saw. How could she not have noticed? How did anyone else not notice until now? The paramedics were here, and they didn't do anything. Then again, they were focused on getting Terry and Vinnie out. They probably weren't paying much attention to anything else around them.
Horror gripped Penny's heart as she stared, wide-eyed, at her friend Rudy. They had thought they got away from the chase, unscathed. But that turned out to be incorrect. Rudy had been struck by something. She wasn't sure what it was, except that it was sharp.
Along Rudy's back, horizontal around the middle, was a gash. Penny realized that the intensity of what transpired, and the shock of seeing a car crash into the fountain, must have been the reason this wound was not noticed until now. It looked quite deep and she winced as she watched the blood flow down his back and along his legs. It didn't seem to be bleeding as much as it could have been, but the pain was definitely noticeable. Rudy's expression gave that away.
"Rudy..." Mrs. Tabootie said. She lifted her hand away from her son and looked at it. Everyone was horrified by the blood stains on it. She looked at Rudy, her lower lip quivering. "How did...?"
"I'm fine, mom..." Rudy lied, clenching his teeth tightly, seething through it. "It's just a little cut..."
"You're not fine, young man." Mr. Tabootie grabbed onto Rudy's arm as the boy stumbled a little. This worried Penny. Had he lost more blood than she thought? "You need to go to the hospital, too." He lifted his head and turned his attention to Penny's mother. "Do you think all of us will fit in your car?"
Her mom said, "It will be a tight fit. But it should work. Come along!" She waved her hand, gesturing to them to follow. As they came, she looked down at Penny and Snap. "Let's get going you two."
"But..."
It was no use. Penny couldn't stop her mother from carefully pulling her and Snap with her, heading towards her vehicle. She tried to block out the comments from the people around them. She tried to ignore their expressions and worried and shocked whispers. At the moment, her mind was swirling with startled, confusing thoughts. They couldn't go to the hospital...not yet. Snap would... She bit her lip, fighting back the tears. But she wouldn't give up. Maybe, on the way there, she or Rudy or Snap would think of something to get him back into ChalkZone. Somehow.
sss
Mr. Wilter laid on his back on the somewhat stiff and slightly uncomfortable bed. His eyes were glued to the ceiling. He rested his hands against his chest, his arms bent with his elbows facing downwards to the side. He took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
How long had he been here? It felt forever. But he knew the truth. It had only been maybe a couple hours. He had been lost in his thoughts. His awareness of his surroundings became muddled and he hardly paid attention to them. Even the taunts from the other inmates had faded away as he grew more and more used to them. At first, they terrified him, but now it was nothing more than background music for him.
He could still hear the occasional taunt. Some of the inmates wanted to get at him. They never specified just what they were going to do, but he knew it wasn't pleasant. It made him glad at the officers had gotten him his own cell. But it wasn't from the bottom of their hearts. No, they were probably worried he would do to the other inmates as he did to Snap. They were treating him like a high level criminal. Perhaps that was what was attracting some of these criminals to him. Maybe they were attracted to danger. At least some of them. A few of them, he knew were just angry he had harmed a child. There were some targets frowned upon, and children were one of them.
However, their angry shouts at him were overwhelmed by the jeers from other inmates who wanted more...quality time with him. He shuddered at the thought, and managed to push it away. He made sure his thoughts shifted and remained focused on what really mattered. Whatever happened to him wasn't important. He was more interested to know if Snap had been rescued or not.
He wasn't even sure if he'd ever find out. One of the only ways he could find out was if it was on the news. This police station did play the news during the lunch hour. He felt his stomach fill with bile at the thought. If it were on the news, he was worried that the news wouldn't be good. What if they find out Snap was made of chalk? It would be all over the news, and it would ultimately be his fault. He was the one who kidnapped Snap. He was the one who resulted in all of this happening.
Of course, there was another way. Maybe Rudy or Penny could inform him and... Oh who was he kidding? Why would they come to him for anything? He wasn't their teacher anymore. He was certain that word spread to the school by now. Principal Stringent would have known by now what he had done. There was no way she would allow a criminal to work in the school. She probably filed his dismissal and mailed his pink slip by now. No doubt she was looking for another teacher to take his place. And Rudy and Penny.. would they even speak to him again? He was their teacher. They should have been able to trust him. And he went and...
Oh he had been such an idiot... Why did he kidnap Snap? Why did he lock him up in his house? Why did he put that metal ring through his arm? Why didn't he just let him go?
Mr. Wilter gritted his teeth, shutting his eyes. His body tensed up as he felt the horrible feeling of guilt wash through him. After a few seconds, he forcibly exhaled, and his body relaxed. He shouldn't get himself worked up over this. He made his mistake and there was nothing he could do about it. At least he was able to do something nice for Snap before he was taken.
Rudy and Penny were smart kids. They would figure out a way to help their friend. Yeah, Snap was going to be fine. He hoped that Snap comes to understand how sorry he was for hurting him. He hoped he would get a chance to properly apologize to him.
"Come on, sugar! Don't you want to have some fun?" A jeering high-pitched voice said.
Mr. Wilter turned his head and stared almost blankly towards one of the cells nearby. The metal bars made it hard to see the person who spoke, but he was able to make out enough details to recognize it as one of the woman criminals. She was medium height and looked pretty muscular for a woman. She looked like she would twist out his eyeballs if she weren't blocked by the cell bars. He merely raised his lip at her, showing no signs of fear towards her. But that didn't mean he wasn't afraid of her.
She wasn't the one who made that creepy comment before, but she wasn't much better. The comments she made had more to do with wanting to eat him. He also took notice how she, like him, was in her own cell. He overheard some comments from the inmates that she was an alleged cannibal. He guessed she wasn't convicted for that. Perhaps she hid her behavior well. But her comments she made to him were enough to convince him that she would eat him. Literally.
"You look...tasty." The vile woman slurped her tongue over her lips. "Maybe I should try some. Why don't you ask to bunk with me, big daddy? I won't bite you..." She tilted her head to the side, her bright green eyes gleaming at him. "..much."
Mr. Wilter simply narrowed his eyes and turned away. As uncomfortable as the comment was, he had quickly learned that it was best to keep quiet and take these sort of comments. Otherwise, they just get worse. The last thing he wanted to do was motivate these criminals into hurting him during the lunch hour. It wasn't like the officers here were going to stop a fight. They don't really care about the well being of the criminals, especially those who crossed the line, such as he did when he hurt Snap.
He returned his gaze to the ceiling. Not a pretty ceiling. Filled with grease marks, scratch marks, and he swore some blood marks. But it was more appealing to look at the rest of this filthy place. He almost looked forward to the trial. At least he'd get a break from this place for a time.
Slowly, he began to close his eyes. He wasn't particularly tired. But he wanted some vacation away from the taunts of the other criminals. Plus, perhaps a short nap would help him clear his thoughts more. He had heard that, sometimes, dreams can offer solutions to everyday life. He never really bought that sort of dream interpreation stuff before, but eh, what could it hurt?
Before he could rest for long, he heard the clang of a door opening. It was a good distance away, but it was loud enough to not only get his attention, but force the other criminals to shut up. Mr. Wilter turned his head towards his cell door. He listened carefully as the heavy footsteps came closer. There was more than one person. He could hear the pitter patter of multiple sets of feet. Mr. Wilter, his mind filling with dread as they continued getting closer, watched carefully, looking for any physical sign of them.
Then he saw the shadows. They were distorted on the wall, but a couple of them were uncomfortably large. He gulped as the shadows got closer. Soon the people came into full view. Mr. Wilter tried his best, but he was unable to stop himself from shaking in fear at the sight of them.
In front of his cell were three people. Two hulking shapes, with thick muscles, and with glares that told him they wanted to seriously hurt him. The third one wasn't nearly as powerful-looking, but they looked really intelligent, and his aura was practically bursting with confidence. It seemed as if this person just needed to snap his finger and the two guys would beat him up.
For a few moments, they just stood there, looking at him. Mr. Wilter continued to shiver, wondering why they hadn't made a move yet. Why weren't they trying to speak to him, or open his cell door? What did they want? He couldn't even tell if they worked here or not. They didn't wear the usual outfit. But with the way the criminals had silenced in their presence... Something told Wilter that he should submit to whatever they asked. If the other criminals were afraid of them...
... Yeah it was best not to get on their bad side.
"What...what do you want...?" Wilter winced as he noticed how shaky his voice sounded. He stared at the three men, noting their scowls. He gulped nervously. Had he spoken when he should not have?
The man in the front folded his arms against his chest. "Are you Horace Wilter?" Wilter remained silent, taking in shaky breaths. The man apparently didn't like this delay of an answer. He spoke again, his voice louder and more gruff. "I repeat. Are you Horce Wilter?!" The man raised his voice a little as he asked..no..demanded the question.
Mr. Wilter nodded his head shakingly. "Y-Yes...I am... What di..."
"Close your mouth. I am not here to talk with you." The man looked up at his two hulking comrades. He gave a curt nod of the head. The men walked towards the cell as the men met Wilter's gaze again. "We have some business with you."
"What..?" Mr. Wilter whispered softly. Seeing the man's glare, he dared not say anything more.
The two large men unlocked the cell door and opened it. Mr. Wilter took that as either them working here, or they did something to the guards. He didn't know which was scarier. As they approached, he could feel his heart beating faster. What did they want with him? Who were these people? He had never felt so terrified in his life. Even the jeering taunts from before paled in comparison to having two muscular guys approach him with less than pleasant expressions, both of which could probably break his limbs like toothpicks.
The two men grabbed Mr. Wilter by his arms. He yelped in pain as the men roughly lifted him up off the ground. He was dragged out of the cell. It was slammed shut by the smaller man, who then made a hand motion down the hallway. In seconds, the two men took him down. As they walked by, Mr. Wilter again looked at the criminals, and was stunned to see that they all had either fearful or almost sympathetic expressions. This...was definitely not a good sign.
"Wh-Where are you taking me...?" Mr. Wilter managed to choke out, his body shaking harder.
The smaller man leading them in front stopped, as did the larger men holding him. He remained there, his body still and quiet. The longer he didn't say anything, the more cold fear grew inside Mr. Wilter's body.
Soon, the man turned his head over his shoulder, giving him a backwards glance, a single eye piercing through his soul. "Our boss wants a word with you."
"What..?"
"Alone."
Mr. Wilter's eyes widened at that. He tried to say something else, but he was cut off as the man waved his arm dismissively.
"You'll find out more when we get there." The man snapped his finger. "Now come along."
Mr. Wilter grunted as the two large men squeezed his arms more tightly and resumed dragging him through the hallway. Mr. Wilter tripped over his feet as he tried to keep up with the pace they were going at. He looked on in fear as they approached the door at the end of the hallway. It was opened, and soon they exited through it. Mr. Wilter winced as he heard the clang of the door shutting behind him.
sss
"Oh my g...there's so much blood!"
"Hurry! Get them into the emergency room! Stat!"
"Someone grab a cloth! We need to stop the bleeding!"
"How the fuck did this happen?!"
"No time! Just hurry!"
Mary Bouffant winced as she listened to the cries of the doctors echoing in the hospital. She tried to ignore them, but how could she? Those doctors... They were talking about someone she knew all too well. This wasn't just some random stranger they were talking about. Not someone whom she never met.
This was her daughter they were speaking of...
The woman's mind was filled with frantic thoughts, her body shaking tremendously. She couldn't believe it. She wanted to think this was some kind of bad dream, that she would wake up anytime soon. This couldn't have happened. No..not to her daughter, no... This had to be some kind of sick twisted joke...
But no...it was real. She was there... She had seen the whole thing. It was the most horrific thing she had ever seen in her life. She had never witnessed a car accident before, and to see one first hand... it was terrifying. Time had felt like it slowed down as she watched her daughter's van run into the fountain. It had all happened so quickly. Before she knew it, her daughter's van was crushed, smoke was pillowing out, and the ambulance's sirens could already be heard wailing in the background.
She felt a sting in her heart as she recalled what she had been doing a few moments beforehand. She had been with a friend of hers, talking about their lives. She had been feeling somewhat ashamed of her daughter's obsessiveness with this chalk world. She didn't know how or when Terry became so focused on this fictional world. What she did know was that Terry was determined on exposing it, promising her that she would make a lot of money with Vinnie if she did so.
Needless to say, Mary couldn't help but feel disappointed. She wanted her daughter to strive to go big, and she had been doing so well. Then she ruined her reputation with that stupid chalk world story, and it had been harder for her getting a better news job than before. No one took her seriously. Her daughter was mocked across news stations, and by civilians who knew her obsession.
Mary regretted that she was one of these people. She didn't mean to. She was just so frustrated. She told her friend about how she wished her daughter would stop hunting for this imaginary world and get a reality check. She had even made a few small jokes at her daughter's expense.
Her friend suddenly stopped laughing. She pointed out behind her. Mary turned around, and she froze, standing in horror. It appeared that she was about to get her wish.
Mary replayed the scene over and over in her head. Terry looked like she was chasing down some kids... She hardly registered that at time, however, as all she was fully aware of was Terry's newsvan careening into the water fountain. The sickening cracks and screams echoed in her head. She could still hear them. Such a horrible sound... She felt a few tears form in her eyes, the memory of her daughter's accident still fresh on her mind.
And seeing her daughter crash into the fountain like that... She gritted her teeth, tears flowing down her face. She...she had never meant for something like that to happen... She didn't want her daughter to get hurt. She just wanted her daughter to understand how foolish she had been. She...she didn't want...
"I have the initial reports in."
"How are they?"
Mary lifted her head up at those voices. She looked over in the direction they came from. She could see two doctors standing not far away.
"Not good. Both sustained a lot of internal injuries. Vinnie Raton has a compound fracture, and he has some kind of rupture inside of him, due to the blood he coughed up earlier. We're also doing a cranial scan to see if he has a fracture there." The first doctor said.
"And Terry Bouffant?" The other doctor inquired.
Mary held her breath, listening intently.
"I'm afraid she's no better. Not only did she smash her head, but there's a deep gash cut along it. Most of her hair got soaked in blood and had to be cut off." The first doctor said solemnly. "She also has a deep gash in her side that has bits of metal in it. It's going to take a while to clean them out and we doubt it'll be easy."
"Never is." The second doctor said.
"Exactly. And we don't even know all their injuries yet." The first doctor sighed softly. "I have a feeling we'll find even more injuries as we start to treat those two more affectively. We can only hope that they weren't hurt more than it seemed."
Hearing the description of her daughter's injuries filled Mary's heart with sorrow and guilt. She never wanted this to happen.. No mother should have to be put through this... It just wasn't fair. What did Terry do to deserve this? Sure she was crazy but...that didn't mean she had to get hurt like this. It was like fate decided to play a cruel joke and... She shook her head, trying to fight back the tears forming in her eyes. She hoped and prayed her daughter would be okay.. Please let her be okay...
This was her fault.. She should have been more vigilant. She should have hung out with her daughter more. She should have helped her... Or at least not make fun of her. She tempted fate, and fate dealt a blow back to her. If she hadn't made that dumb wish, she would...
"How are those kids?"
Mary's thoughts were interrupted as the voices spoke up again. She leaned forward, careful not to look at the doctors directly, listening.
"They are fine. Shaken, but fine. Or so I was told. I hadn't gotten a new update in a while, so that development may change." The first doctor said. "It is strange that Terry Bouffant was intent on getting at those kids. I wonder what got into her."
"Beats me. I knew she was a lunatic, but I never thought she'd go that far..." The second doctor's voice trailed off. "It was a good thing they dodged when they did, otherwise, they would have gotten killed."
"Yes, indeed. They were very lucky." The first doctor agreed.
At this, Mary froze. She remained quiet, her mind numb at first. Soon it echoed with the memories of what happened. The children, the van, the crash, the doctors, those words... They all swirled together in her head. An ache spread through her skull as she tried to make sense of everything. Slowly, an uncomfortable sensation swelled in her stomach. A sense of realization hit her like a truck speeding off the highway.
It...it wasn't her fault. No.. She had nothing to do with the accident. She was just telling some jokes. No big deal. It wasn't like she had control of the wheel. It wasn't like she forced Terry to drive into the fountain. Her words couldn't have done that. Her only 'crime' was just trying to enjoy a nice time in the park.
It was those kids...
They were the ones who did this...
It was all making sense to her now. Those children...led by that boy... They were the ones her daughter was chasing. Her daughter was going in whatever direction they were going in. Her daughter was following them. The boy was the one who led them towards the fountain. They could have turned away faster. They could have gone a different direction. But instead, they headed towards the fountain, almost like...
...like they had done it on purpose.. Her daughter would have been fine if it weren't for those kids... If it weren't for that boy...
That boy...
A burning feeling boiled in her stomach. It spread through her body, running along her arms. It felt as though she was set on fire. More tears flowed down her face as her body was overwhelmed with intense emotion. Her body shook heavily in anger...and rage. She couldn't stop it. Her teeth clenched tightly, clattering a few times. Her hands curled into fists, and she closed her eyes.
It was that boy's fault her daughter was like this. He was the one who caused her to crash into the fountain. He was the one who led her there. He could have led her elsewhere. He would have had her drive in a different direction. But instead, he caused her to crash. It was all his fault.
Mary lifted up her head. If anyone saw her, they would be terrified and run away. She could feel intensity practically glowing from her rage and hate-filled eyes. She seethed through her clench teeth, her angered shivering continuing. As she stared out into nothingness, she made a single promise to herself.
She would make that boy pay for what he had done.
sss
Seething in pain, Rudy leaned forward on his chair. He couldn't sit back like the others were, not without aggravating his injury. He couldn't believe he didn't notice it. He didn't even remember getting hit there. Was it when they were running along that one patch of trees? Or when Terry hit some of the harder debris? He did recall some kind of thunk, but he thought he was just imagining it.
It had at least stopped bleeding now. He could feel a hardened, somewhat wet spot where the gash was. He gently touched it a few times, getting an idea of how large it is. He soon winced and removed his hand went touching it too much aggravated the wound. He wondered if anything got into the wound. With all the running he and his friends were forced to undergo, he wouldn't be the least bit surprised.
But the wound wasn't the only thing on his mind right now. The most pressing matter is that they still hadn't gotten Snap back into ChalkZone. Not only that, but here in the hospital, he was with them. His parents and Penny's mom insisted on taking Snap with. They tried to get them to drop him off somewhere else and escort him, but they wouldn't listen. Something about how they needed to get him help as soon as possible. So now his friend was stick with them in a real world hospital, where anything could hurt or even kill him.
The thought filled him with dread. While he understood that their parents were just worried about them, he wished that they had listened to them and trusted them. They wouldn't even listen to their testimony of Snap being allergic. All that added to the frustration and rose the fear inside of him of what could happen to Snap. The thought of his friend being hurt by a well-meaning person was much more terrifying for him than of someone with true malice deliberately hurting him.
Rudy turned his head towards his friend. Snap was sitting between him and Penny. Rudy's parents were on his other side, and he could see Mrs. Sanchez next to Penny. They hadn't been called up yet. His dad commented that it was stupid to make them wait to have their wounds treated, but Rudy was grateful for it. It gave them time to think of something for Snap. If they could just get him into ChalkZone...
Rudy noticed how frightened Snap looked. He had a slight shiver to him. The fear helped make him a little more alert, but the poor zoner still looked like he could fall down any second. He was warm to the touch and his movements were delayed and his walking seemed a bit off. He was horrified when Penny's mom mentioned he had a fever. The infection from his wound must have caused it. He needed proper help and he was not going to get it here. He couldn't blame Snap for being frightened as he looked left and right. There was so much danger here. So many hazards...
Penny looked just as worried. She looped an arm around her friend, holding him closely. She whispered soft words of comfort. Snap began to calm down a little, and he rested himself against her. His eyes drooped a little, but they'd never close all the way, being in too much pain to sleep. Rudy was glad that Penny was able to help him relax a little. He didn't think he was capable of doing it himself. He was so worried about what might happen, worried of trying to get out of there, that he feared anything he say would somehow make the situation worse. They needed to calm down Snap, otherwise, his panicked state would aggravate his condition.
Speaking of Penny, he was shocked when he learned she had a head injury. She mentioned none of this to him before... Well not like she had time. They had to get going. There wasn't any time. But it still came as a shock to him. He had her explain the story to him as they were on their way to the hospital. She told him about how Terry and Vinnie had stuffed Snap into a bag and Vinnie punched her in the back of her head and smashed it against the wall to knock her out. Snap filled in a bit more and told Rudy how Terry terrorized him in his room and used the wires to tie him up, including his jaws.
Rudy could feel his blood start to heat up inside of him. He couldn't believe that Terry and Vinnie had done such things to his best friends. That was despicable... Such low moves even for them. And for what? Getting into ChalkZone? The idea of his friends being used and treated like that made his body shake in rage.
But that didn't mean he had wanted them to get hurt like that. The anger turned into guilt and sorrow as he remembered how they crashed, just how torn up they were when the ambulance took them. He would never wish that upon anyone, no matter how cruel they might be. He never wanted to stoop that low. Despite all they have done to them, he hoped they would be okay. Perhaps after they healed, he could go speak to them. Maybe that was the best way to set things right and make them understand.
"Tabootie, Sanchez."
Rudy lifted up his head as he heard that voice. He looked over at the desk that was situated in front of them. It was a long wooden desk that curved forward. The person who called them appeared to be a short woman with white and grey hair. Rudy soon felt movement beside him and he looked up as his parents rose out of their seat.
His dad looked down and said, "Stay here. We'll be right back."
"Same goes for you." Mrs. Sanchez said, looking at her daughter in the eyes. "Understand?"
Penny nodded. "Yes, mom."
Rudy and Penny watched as their parents left them. They went over to the woman and stood next to each other. As they began to communicate with the old woman, Rudy guessed that they want them to fill out paper work. There were a lot of people here. It would have been hard getting paper when they first came in. His suspicion turned out to be right when he saw his dad begin to write with a pen.
With their parents out of earshot, he turned over to Penny. He gave a cautious look around them before he whispered, "Have you thought of a way to get our friend into ChalkZone?"
Penny looked at Rudy sadly and shook her head. "I'm sorry. But I can't think of anything." She looked down, meeting Snap's sad eyes. "Our parents won't let us out of their sight for long, and nothing we say will convince them that Snap shouldn't be here."
"Yeah, I know..." Rudy closed his eyes, lowering his head. "It's so frustrating... I wish they would listen..."
"But they have no reason to listen. They're too worried about us to think of anything else. We can't even provide proof that Snap can get help somewhere else. They just think that this hospital will be able to access all his records. And you know what's going to happen when they try to look up his name right...?" Penny's voice trailed off. Her eyes narrowed slightly, concern washing over it.
Rudy nodded his head a couple of times. She needn't continue for him to understand what she was going on about. Whenever Snap ended up in the real world, he pretended to be a foreign exchange student from Greenland. That disguise went well...usually. There were limitations, such as Snap had to wear his mask to keep humans from noticing his lack of ears and nose. And his gloves too. A fingerless hand would freak just about anyone out. But for short visits, it worked well.
But if some authorities tried to look up his name in Greenland... They would realize there was no person named Snap White there. They would find that no person with the last name White has a family member named Snap. Rudy gulped, ice going through his veins, as he realized what that would mean. A full on investigation, them being accused of identity fraud, and a whole slew of a mess...
Rudy knew what had to be done. "We have to get him out of this hospital. His eyes narrowed in determination.
"H-How...?" Snap said weakly. He coughed pitifully a few times, making Rudy and Penny's hearts tighten. "N-No way to..."
"Shhh..." Penny whispered, stroking the top of Snap's head. "Try not to speak. You used up too much strength already." As she caressed his head, she said, "We'll...figure out something. We promise..."
"Yeah, Snap. It'll be fine.." Rudy moved closer to his friend, hoping his closer presence would comfort him. Snap looked at them both with a 'you sure?' expression. All he and Penny could do was nod their heads, but neither could come up with a way of how they were going to do that.
Rudy's mind was invaded with multiple thoughts. Many outcomes of them failing spread through his mind, haunting him. Snap being dissolved by real world liquid in various degrees chilled him to the bone. They could very well lose their friend here. This realization caused tears to form in his eyes. No, this couldn't be it... No...
He looked all around the waiting room again. It was quite massive, with many rows of seats. But there wasn't much here he could work with. It might be big, but their parents would see them sneaking off. If not them, then one of the many other people here as well. There was no getting away from it. And even if they could get away, just where would they go? They were too far away from any art store. No feasible way of getting a chalkboard that way. There wasn't even anything here they could use. There was hardly anything here except for a tv, some magazines, a kids' play area...
He froze at that thought. The play area... Could it be...? Rudy stared off in the corner at his right side. He could see some smaller kids, about half his age, playing with some toys over there. It was then he heard a clang, a familiar type of scraping, and then something rolled on the ground. Rudy had to lean forward a little. He ignored Penny's confused calls to him as he looked at the small object. He felt a jolt through his heart when he realized what it was: a piece of chalk.
At this, Rudy sucked in a deep breath, feeling a flutter of emotion sweeping through his chest. His heart began to beat faster in excitement. Could this be it? Could he have found something? Staring intently at the kids' corner, he got up from his seat slowly and walked over. His heart pounded each second he got closer, knowing that what he would see would determine the fate of his friend. Please, let this be it... Please...
Soon he saw the play area in its entirety. It was a little larger than other play areas he's seen, with a multitude of toys and books and even some cheap old handhelds for them to play with. But he paid attention to none of that. He caught on his breath when he found what he had been hoping he would see.
There, laying on the ground, was a chalkboard. A portable one that was about the same size as the one he had used himself. Rudy tried to contain himself as raw positive emotion began to travel through his body. As he stared at it, several flashes went through his mind, and in seconds, a plan was formulated. He knew how they were going to get Snap back into ChalkZone.
But first, he needed the chalkboard. He looked down at where it was, and he could see there was a little girl using it. She looked about Sophie's age. She was doodling some kind of pretty flower. A part of Rudy wanted to sigh in relief that it wasn't some kind of vicious monster he'd have to deal with later. He bit his lip and took a few steps towards her, hunching down a little low.
"Hey there..." Rudy said softly. The other kids took notice of him, but resumed playing. The girl, however, kept her attention on him. "That is a pretty flower you drew there."
"Thanks!" The little girl beamed.
"I'm an artist, too. Maybe I draw something?" Rudy reached his hand out towards her.
The girl frowned and moved away. She shook her head. "Uh uh! Mine!"
Rudy pleaded with her. "Please...? I only want to borrow it for a short time. I'll give it back. I promise." The girl still refused. "Come on, it'll just be for a little while. I would really appreciate it if I could use this chalkboard."
"No!" The little girl snapped at him.
"Now now, Lisly..." A man said, whom he assumed was the father. "What did I tell you about sharing..?" The little girl gave a pouty face and looked away. "You need to learn to share. If you don't let this young boy use the chalkboard, I'm going to cut away your desserts for a week."
"But daddy...!" The girl cried.
"Listen to your father, honey." The woman, the mother, said, wagging her finger from side to side. "Give the nice boy the chalkboard. He said he'll give it right back." As the little girl unwillingly handed over the chalkboard, the woman looked over at him and give him an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that. She's in that stage where she thinks everything is hers."
"Thanks, and it's no problem really." Rudy couldn't stop the grin spreading across his face as he held the chalkboard. The people who looked at him must think he was crazy, but he didn't care. All that mattered right now was that he had the chalkboard. He turned and walked away.
"Wait, where are you going?" The girl's father asked.
"Oh! Uh..." Rudy looked over his shoulder, his mouth hanging open as he tried to think of an excuse. "I have some nice chalk over where I sit and I...uh... am nervous when people look at me while I draw."
The parents looked at him with narrowed, confused eyes. "Okay..." They didn't press the matter futher and they fell silent.
Rudy rushed over to where Penny and Snap were. Penny looked like she was about to say something, but she, instead, took in a sharp gasp of air as she noticed what Rudy was holding in his hands.
"Rudy...! Where did you get that?!"
"It was over there." Rudy made a gesture with his head. "Now come on, I know what we can do!"
"Y-You mean you found a way home for m-m-me...?" Snap asked, his voice tinging with hope.
Rudy nodded his head, giving his friends a big grin. "Yes, Snap. I know how we can get you home." At this, his friends smiled back. "Here is what we have to do..."
sss
Rapsheeba held onto Snap's uninjured arm gently. She allowed him to lean against her for support. She looked at him worriedly, seeing the look of shere agony in his eyes. She tried to hold back her tears, but it was impossible. They flowed down her face as her mind processed what happened.
She had been walking through ChalkZone City, going on one of her musical jogs. She hadn't really suspected anything out of the ordinary. She didn't even know Snap was gone. They might be best friends, but that didn't mean that she saw him every single day. She thought he was just busy having some fun somewhere, maybe buying her a card or going to play a game with Blocky or something.
In about the middle of her walk, she had happened upon a group of zoners. She recognized a couple of them being policemen. They were questioning a couple civilian zoners. She crept closer quietly, listening in on what was being said. She overheard them talk about something regarding Rudy. She was shocked when she learned that Rudy had set Boorat free. The criminal was caught, but that still didn't change what Rudy had done. Rapsheeba couldn't blame the zoners for being angry with him. She never suspected Rudy would do such a thing...
But there had to be a reason right? Surely Rudy wouldn't have done that if there wasn't a reason behind it. Rudy wasn't the type to just randomnly let out criminals, and she knew him long enough to know that if he does something drastic like that, then something major must have happened.
It was then that she felt a twist in her stomach. Her first thought was Snap. Was something wrong with him? The fact that Rudy's strange behavior occurred on one of the days she didn't see Snap.. Well it might just be coincidence. She had gone longer without seeing him. But she couldn't help it. Something just felt off about the whole thing.
She turned out to be correct.
After she jogged for a few more minutes, or maybe it was longer, she couldn't remember, she stopped by a building and leaned against it. She panted a few times and began to drink a bottle of water. Before she could finish it, she felt the glow of a portal opening on her skin. She frozen and turned her head. The portal opened up and almost immediately, she could see Rudy stick his head through the portal.
Rapsheeba nearly dropped her bottle. She wasn't expecting to see him here. This wasn't one of his usual spots to come into ChalkZone, and the look on his face...
She attempted to ask him what was going on, about Boorat and Snap. Rudy and Penny told her they didn't have time to explain. They had to get going as soon as they could. They promised they would fill her in as soon as possible. They told her that they needed her to take Snap to the hospital. Upon hearing his name, she attempted to ask them what had happened to Snap, but she didn't get a word out as she suddenly saw Snap being helped through the portal.
The sight of him caused her to hold her breath, her teeth clenched. Snap looked absolutely awful. His face was pale. He was so weak and wobbly, nearly tripping over his own feet. He was panting heavily, as if taking a single step was too much for him. He looked so sick...
And that arm... Oh gawd that arm... She could barely turn her eyes away from it. It looked so swollen, so pussy... And it drained with a bad smelling fluid. Snap was cradling it against his chest, wary of it being touched. From his expressions, she could tell that the lightest touch would send shockwaves of pain through his body. She put her hands to her mouth and she immediately rushed over to Snap, wrapping her arms around his fevered head gently.
After Rudy and Penny left, Rapsheeba began to guide her friend to the hospital. She was grateful that Rudy and Penny were able to get a portal in this area. The hospital wasn't too far from here. As she headed down the street, she could see the hospital not far from where they were. It was in the distance, plain as day. She never thought she would be so happy to see a tall white building in her life.
"I-I-It hurts...s-so..so much..." Snap whimpered. Rapsheeba looked at him sadly as he gave a few shivers of pain. "So much..."
"It's okay, Snap my man.." Rapsheeba held onto him tighter as Snap wobbled again, almost falling down. "It's going to be all right. You'll be fine.." She did her best to provide more support for her friend. Progress was painfully slow, but at least they were near the hospital now. "We're almost there. Just try to keep this up for a little longer..."
"I..d-don't think I..." Snap coughed a few times, his body shaking harder from the pain. Suddenly, without warning, Snap let out a scream, ripping his hand away from hers and grabbing his head.
"Snap!" Rapsheeba called out in horror.
Snap wobbled from side to side. She attempted to grab him, but he would pull away from her. His eyes were wide in pain and fear. He looked left and right, having something of a wild look in his eyes. The sight of it was unbearable. Just what was wrong with him? Why was he acting like this?
She widened her eyes as she watched her friend drop down onto his knees in seconds. Snap held onto his stomach, letting out loud groans of pain. He clenched his teeth tightly, and she could see beads of sweat roll down his face. His body gave a few shark shudders, before he opened his mouth. Soon saliva began to drip from his mouth, onto the concrete floor. Knowing immediately what was going to happen, Rapsheeba dropped down onto her knees behind Snap and began to gently rub his back to comfort him through the ordeal.
The contents of Snap's stomach spewed out all over the ground. Snap hacked and gagged as the fluid fell from his mouth. As Snap vomited, Rapsheeba was horrified to see that this was mostly stomach acid, suggesting that either Snap hadn't eaten anything for who knows how long, or he had thrown up before. Or worse, both...
As soon as Snap was done throwing up, he started to cry in pain. He shut his eyes, sobs wracking through his body. Rapsheeba held onto him, ignoring the foul stench of his vomit as she tried to settle him down. She whispered words of comfort to him, hoping that he would settle down. But instead, something horrific happened that took her by surprise.
Snap suddenly collapsed on the ground, landing in the pool of vomit on the ground. Rapsheeba let out a scream of horror as she gripped her friend, shaking him gently.
"Snap? Snap wake up!" Rapsheeba called out. But Snap didn't respond. She shook him a little harder. "Snap, come on! You have to get up! We're almost there!"
But it was clear Snap wasn't getting up. She rolled him over so he would have an easier time to breathe. She looked at his face. It was etched in pain, his eyes shut and mouth partially open. His breathing was weak, shallow, and shaky. Tears flowed down her face as she looked at her friend in such a horrible state. She put her hand to her mouth, trying to control the sobs that gripped her throat. Just who had done this to her friend...?
"Snap?!"
Rapsheeba looked over and noticed a car had pulled up not far from where she was. She could see Lars jumping out from the vehicle. He rushed over towards them, an expression of shock on his furry face.
"What happened?!" Lars cried out.
"No time to explain!" Rapsheeba grabbed onto Snap. She slung his right arm over her shoulder and stood up. "Can you take us to the hospital?"
Lars nodded his head. "Sure! Come on!" He helped Rapsheeba carry Snap into the car. Once they were in, the polar bear began to drive towards the hospital.