No... This didn't just happen. It couldn't have...
But no matter how hard he blinked, the image stayed there. No matter how well he tried to support himself to see more, no matter how long he stared, nothing changed. The scene remained as horrific as when he first saw it.
Rudy remained on the ground as he watched Snap attempt to wake up the Beanie Boy, whom he had called 'Delta' during his calls to him. Delta was on the ground, motionless. A pool of blood formed around him. The weapon that injured him was on the ground nearby, coated in blood. It was the same weapon that Snap had used to hurt his left hand. This fact wasn't lost on him, but at the moment, it took a back seat to the horror that laid before him.
As much as he hated the Beanie Boys, he never wanted anything bad to happen to them. The same thing goes for any villain he encountered in ChalkZone. Hurting them wasn't something that ever crossed his mind seriously. Sure, he got mad enough to want to strike them, same thing with bullies in the Real World. But...he'd never... Not on purpose...
He remained silent as Snap continously tried to wake up Delta. He was shaking the Beanie Boy rather roughly. It looked painful, and yet Delta never once responded or even twitched. He was just still, like some kind of ragdoll. It almost made Rudy wonder if he was just an oversized doll that Snap found, but he knew better than that.
Delta didn't deserve this. As much of a jerk he was, even after all that he had done, he still didn't deserve this. Being stabbed in the stomach and bleeding out like that, to fall victim to what had been an accident... The only good thing about this was that at least he went swiftly. But the fact he had to suffer at all... And all because of him... Rudy couldn't deny that his actions did bring this about. If he hadn't struggled so hard to get away, then perhaps this wouldn't have happened. Perhaps he...
Or maybe he would just get into bigger trouble. As much as it pained him to think about, Rudy realized that the outcome would have been worse for him if he didn't take action. If something horrible happened to him, then would Skrawl and the memotrice be stopped? Regardless of his own doubts about himself, he was still determined to stop Skrawl and the memotrice. A part of him still drove him to try to do this.
And besides, it was possible that his mind was being toyed with, and perhaps he really didn't do anything wrong like he thought. The thought of himself being used like that made his blood boil.
"You..."
His thoughts were interrupted when Snap turned his head to face him. Rudy was surprised to see the anger that swelled up inside of them. He thought that Snap hated Delta and vice versa. Or maybe Snap was just upset because he hurt a Beanie Boy in general, or was there something else?
"So you have struck again.."
Rudy couldn't help but gulp at this. The sound of Snap's voice... It was a little darker than usual. Trembling, Rudy forced himself to climb up to his feet. He wobbled a little, struggling to keep his balance. Snap was moving towards him, and in a panic, Rudy attempted to scramble to get away. His feet tripped over himself and soon he found himself in the ground once more. Before he knew it, Snap was positioned over him. Rudy tried to get up, but the zoner slammed his foot against him, knocking the wind out of him.
As Rudy struggled to refill his lungs, his left eye focused on Snap, watching him carefully. The zoner was glaring down at him with contempt shining in his eyes. But there was also something else in them that he hadn't noticed before. Something close to...sorrow? Could Snap really have felt a level of sadness for Delta's death? Was there something more to their partnership than what he had seen before? It all just seemed so bizarre.
Rudy tried to grab onto Snap's leg to remove it. He had to stop when the pressure of the wound against the leg caused him to flinch. He looked at his right hand, wincing at the caked blood on there from a previous attack. He could still see it in his head and he couldn't help but shudder. He looked back up at Snap, his eye widened.
"I knew you were cold, Rudy. But I never thought that you'd..." Snap's voice trailed off. It was shaky, as if he were cold. The zoner shut his eyes tightly and seethed through his clenched teeth. He appeared to be struggling to control himself. Rudy watched as the zoner's body trembled. "I guess I was wrong. Then again, after the way you hurt me..." When those eyes reopened, Rudy nearly screamed at how much they were glowing. "Should I really be surprised?"
"S-Snap..." Rudy managed to whisper. "I-I didn't mean to...I..."
Snap slapped him across the face. Rudy let out a cry of pain as his head was tossed to the side. "Shut up! I don't want to hear it!"
Rudy let out a small whimper as he looked up at Snap, his eye unable to move away from Snap's face. That image of Snap's contorted face, it would always be etched in the back of his mind. This realization caused his blood to chill. He had seen so many faces of his friend, but he had never seen him look this way before. Even his earlier hate and anger expressions were nothing compared to this. It was almost as if an imposter had replaced his friend. And if the memotrice was involved, which he still believed, it might as well have done that.
"Perhaps I need to do something else. I thought I could take my time with you. But no." Snap took a moment to look over at Delta's prone form. His expression softened up for a second and he shook his head. "I see I was wrong." He turned to glare down at Rudy. "I should deal with you right now. Screw what Skrawl says. You need to die..." He lifted his head up slightly. "..before you have a chance to hurt anyone else."
Rudy's eyes bulged at this. He shook his head. "No... Please!" He hated feeling like this. He hated acting like this. But he was helpless. Without being able to draw anything, his hands cut up, and his legs unable to reach Snap, how was he going to get out of here? But...but he had to think of something...
Snap chuckled bitterly at this. "I don't see why you are so upset. You were going to die, anyway." Snap narrowed his eyes as he leaned in, turning his head to one side. "Did you really think that Skrawl was going to just let you walk away?"
Rudy's left eye turned from side to side as he tried to figure out a way out of here. He refused to believe there was no way. He just..had to keep searching. Somewhere around here, there was a way out. There always was. He just needed to keep looking as hard as he could and it would show itself soon enough. But the longer it didn't, the more fear began to rise up inside of him. He locked his eye onto Snap, hoping to get some amount of mercy from who was supposed to be his friend. "...please..."
But there was nothing. Just narrowed eyes and a low growl. He could see Snap curl up his lip into a snarl of disgust. He shuddered at the sight of this. He sucked on his lip and he turned his head to the side. He hated being like this. He wanted to be stronger and fight back but...somehow he couldn't. Was it because this was Snap, and not someone like, say, Jacko? Snap is his best friend after all.
Or at least..he was...until...
"If you're going to try to pull some 'but I'm innocent' bullcrap, do it somewhere else, and to someone who cares! But me, I've seen enough horrible things from you to know that you can't be trusted..." Snap's dark voice filled the air. He applied more pressure to his chest, displaying a bit more strength than he usually did. "I saw what you did! Don't you dare deny it!"
"B-But..." Rudy stammered. Despite knowing it was useless, he still felt compelled to try to reason with Snap. Surely he'd listen if he just kept trying. Snap was smart. He'd notice that he was speaking the truth if he just took the time to look. "I was just trying to get away... You...You were hurting me. I just wanted to get away... I-I never wanted to..." His voice trailed off as he lowered his head. "I-I'm sorry..."
But perhaps he gave his ex-friend a little too much credit.
"Heheh... Nice little game there, Bucko. I almost believed it." Snap reached down and patted him against a cheek. "Bravo, Rudy. Bravo." He lifted himself up. "But if you really want to impress me..." He folded his arms against his chest. "Why don't you tell me the truth?"
"The truth? But I did..." Rudy tried to say.
Snap interrupted him. "Time is ticking, Bucko."
Rudy wasn't entirely sure what Snap meant by that, but he knew it wasn't anything good. At least the zoner didn't attempt a threatening move towards him. Instead, the zoner sort of just leaned back, his arms still folded together, waiting for him to speak. Those eyes locked down on him, expecting an answer.
Rudy struggled to think of what to say. The only things he knew of to tell Snap would only cause the zoner to call him a liar and hurt him or whatever else he had in mind. And Snap did express a desire to hurt him. The fact that most of it was borne out of a fallacy stung him. But now Snap had something else to work off of. He had inadvertantly harmed a zoner. Sure he didn't do it deliberately and he wasn't the one who made the blow. But still, if he scrambled like that...
And why didn't he run away? He was starting to, but the sound of Delta falling stopped him. He ahd turned around and watched Snap try to wake him up, and that delay was enough for Snap to corner him swiftly and pin him down. If only he had just run when he got the chance to...
As he laid there in silence, he thought back to Penny. He wondered if this is what she had gone through. Not physically of course, but emotionally. She had accidentally injured his eye. She had pushed him away from Snap... And the blinding pain... He would never forget it. Even now, his eye still hurt him, and he still couldn't help but feel a level of anger towards Penny. If she had only been more careful... Just like he needed to be more careful... His eyes widened. Suddenly he realized the connection between him and Penny.
This must be what she was going through as well. She was most certainly feeling a level of horror that was gripping her mind, ripping through her conscience, threatening to tear her apart. She must want to make it up to him somehow, and he could barely think of anything except keeping her away from him. He felt a horrible sting of guilt at this.
Where was she, anyway? Was she all right? And would he be able to get near her? Or would he shove her away? His logical side might know that she would never deliberately hurt him, but the emotional side still connected her face to the pain. He didn't know if...
"Time is running out."
Rudy realized he had been silent for a little too long. He turned his attention to Snap, whose glare had deepened and there was a strong look of impatience in those eyes.
"I'm waiting." Snap stated simply, his voice cool. "I'll give you one minute to try to explain yourself, and then maybe I'll think of believing you."
Rudy knew nothing he said was going to work. If Snap operated the same way he had when Penny hurt him, well this combined with the memories Snap was certain had happened, there was little reason for the zoner to believe that he was speaking the truth, no matter what he said. He needed to focus on getting out of here. The door was still open. If he could get Snap off of him long enough, then he could make a run for it towards the door. But how?
It was then he looked over at his recently wounded hand. The left one still had blood moving along it. The sight of it filled him with horror. This was his own life force that he was losing. The more red fluid came out, the weaker his body would get. It might not be noticeable now, but all it would take is time, and then he'd feel the effects. But with the way it was moving down his hand, and the effects it was having on the chalk ground, it made him have an idea.
No... He couldn't do that. Not to Snap. He had to think of another way. He just...
But there was no other way. He needed a way to get Snap off quickly. He could struggle hard and that may be enough to make him let go. But that would take so long, and it would give Snap plenty of time to attack him. He had seen him punch before. He didn't want to know what it would feel like having one of those locked against him...
He swallowed hard. He looked up at Snap briefly, giving him a look of regret and a hidden apology. Snap's expression shifted to one of confusion. He widened his eyes slightly, a narrowed look still in them. His mouth opened up and Rudy thought he heard Snap question him. But he didn't listen. Instead, he just focused on Snap's leg, his elft eye moving from it and to his bleeding hand. He paused for a moment, feeling a wave of remorse strike through him. And then he made his move.
Snap's eyes immediately went wide and he let out a scream when Rudy grabbed him by his ankle. The blood, acidic to Snap's chalky nature, burned throug his leotard and began to burn his flesh. New blood, chalk-based, began to trickle down his leg. Snap struggled to pull his leg back. Rudy held on for a while, allowing his blood to seep into the zoner's leg, burning into his ankle's flesh. Then, waiting for the right moment, he let go.
The release caused Snap to stumble backwards. The zoner fell onto his back. He let out a series of cries as he clutched his leg to himself. Rudy got up to his feet and he looked down sorrowfully at who was supposed to be his friend. The sight of Snap shivering in pain like that, how he was curled up, it was enough to nearly break his heart open. He never wanted to do something like this...
Realizing that this was his only chance for escape, Rudy forced himself to tear away from the sight of his writhing friend. He looked towards the door. He didn't waste any time. He began to rush as fast as he could towards the exit.
sss
Penny couldn't believe what was happening. She tried to fight back. She tried to regain control. But nothing she was doing worked. She found herself being constantly yanked forward against her will. She could feel her back heels scraping across the ground, forcing her to constantly move forward, forcing her to keep giving chase to Cornerstone.
But that wasn't even the worst of it. The fact that the red chalk could speak through her was quite bone-chilling. She was glad that she hadn't run into Rudy or Snap. She wasn't sure what kind of horrible stuff the red chalk would make her say to them. Would she even be able to warn them of what was going on or would the red chalk prevent her? Would the mere sight of the red chalk in her hand be enough to warn them?
What felt strange, well mostly horrifying, was the fact that those words she had spoken, it almost felt like she felt them too... It was a strange feeling that creeped into the back of her mind. It didn't feel just like the red chalk speaking through her. It felt like she was coming up with the words herself on some level. It was difficult to explain even to herself. And it terrified her right down to her very core.
She didn't have much time to dwell on her thoughts. Her vision was filled with images of her trying to attack Cornerstone, or rather, the red chalk. Her body had a thin red glow around it as the red chalk took her over physically. It had forced her to draw a long, wickedly sharp sword, and now she was trying to attack Cornerstone with it. Her eyes were wide in horror and she kept trying to pull herself back. She tried to firmly plant her feet down and prevent an attack. But any attempt was short-lived and she found herself being constantly yanked forward despite her best attempts.
She wondered if this is what Rudy and Reggie felt when they were under the red chalk's power. Did they feel just as helpless, just as terrified? Were they forced to say things against their will? What kind of things were they forced to draw? Did Rudy truly tell her everything, or did something so horrible happen that he just couldn't bring himself to tell her?
A loud clang filled her ears, ripping her away from her thoughts. She saw that she had struck the word towards the snake-like zoner. Cornerstone had managed to dodge her and now the zoner was zipping around her, looking for a place to attack. The legged snake zoner had stopped trying to escape from her and now was starting to fight back. A part of Penny was glad as this meant a decreased chance of her hurting her. But now she was worried of what might happen to her. Would she get hurt or would the red chalk do something? Both possibilities filled her with horror.
Cornerstone lowered her head and she lunged at her. Her paws were spread outward, the twin claws on each foot poised to strike. Her mouth was open up wide, showing those long, sharp teeth more clearly. Penny's eyes widened as she envisioned them going into her body.
The red chalk would have none of this. It forced her to jump back away, further than she ever thought possible, and allowed Cornerstone to roll across the ground painfully. The snake zoner was now in a heep on the ground, on her back with her lower half twisted to the side. If it weren't for the fact that she was very flexible, this might have broken her back at worse, or caused a terrible, disabling ache at best. She rose her snake-like head up and shook it a few times. She looked over at her, red eyes narrowed in determination. A glint of fear still shined in them.
The snake zoner rushed at her again. This time, Penny could feel the red chalk forcing her to draw the weapon forward, pointing it directly towards Cornerstone. The sharp tip glinted in what little light there was. Penny realized what was going to happen and she struggled to put the weapon down. But nothing she did worked. The red chalk had an iron-clad grip on her. There was nothing she could do.
However, to her surprise, Cornerstone had been more reflexive this time. Just as the red chalk was making her strike, Cornerstone had moved herself around, angling her body to avoid the sword striking her. It hardly even grazed her. With her mouth open, she seized Penny by her arm. The girl let out a screech of pain at this, feeling Cornerstone lifting her up off the ground. The snake-like zoner held her up for a few seconds, and then it swung her head and let go, allowing her to sail through the air.
Penny felt her shoulder smash against the ground. She shut her eyes tightly and struggled not to scream. Her body flipped over and crashed against the ground in a loud thud. She laid there for a few seconds before the red chalk lifted her up by her arm. She flinched at the pain that this caused her, the way her arm was held at an angle, and she looked over at Cornerstone. The zoner's teeth were bared at her. If the zoner could speak, she would imagine that she would want to give her quite the mouthful to say.
Penny could feel the twitching around her lips and throat again. She felt her heart skip a beat. She realized what was about to happen. She braced herself.
"I see you are a feisty one. Still trying to fight back despite knowing I'm a creator and you're just a zoner." Penny could feel a cold chuckle escape her throat. "Perhaps you need a better excuse to surrender. Maybe if I ripped out your eyes.."
Penny felt a rush of horror through her body. No, she couldn't do that... She began to fight back harder. She pulled her arm back as the red chalk was trying to make her draw. She felt her arm continuously jerk outwards as the red chalk kept making the attempt. She laid her elbow against her arm, pushing it down. She closed her eyes and clenched her teeth as she struggled to fight against her own strength.
For several moments, it seemed to be working. She managed to keep her arm down to prevent herself from drawing anything. This didn't last long, however, as Cornerstone charged towards her, letting out a loud roar as she prepared to launch an attack. Penny's left arm weakened as shock overcame her as she noticed the zoner barrelling down towards her. This was enough to allow the red chalk to force her to draw something else. To Penny's horror, she felt her wrist being yanked around at a swift, near impossible rate.
Soon she was holding what appeared to be a gun of some sort. It was angular and vicious looking, and she could have sworn she saw a face on it, smiling. Her finger muscles twitching and pulling against her will, she aimed the gun towards Cornerstone. The snake-like zoner stared at her in shock for a few seconds, but then she appeared to get brave and she still tried coming towards her. Penny gasped at this and she tried to warn Cornerstone not to get any closer. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't utter a word of warning to her.
The trigger was pulled. Penny winced as a loud bang filled the air. She watched in horror as there was a loud thunk and then a splash of red. Cornerstone's eyes widened at this, and Penny thought she saw some blood start to seep out of her mouth. The snake slammed into the ground, rolling across it painfully. Smears of red became present on the ground, leading up to where the snake zoner had collapsed completely, her body twitching in pain.
Penny looked at the ground in horror, her mouth hanging open. Her breathing quickened and she managed to shake her head in denial. Cornerstone wasn't dead, but she might as well be. The bullet had ripped through her shoulder and neck. It had torn enough inside to cause her to leak blood out of her mouth and hinder her breathing. The zoner's body was shivering. If from fear, it was hard to tell, but definitely from pain. Penny looked into the zoner's eyes and for a brief moment, she thought she saw Rudy. This caused her to take a step back.
No...what had she done..? She didn't mean to... This isn't what she wanted... She wanted to do something.. Flee, help Cornerstone, anything... But the red chalk had other plans.
Before she knew it, her concerned look was forcibly transformed into a dark sneer. Her teeth practically glinted, and it felt as though they became sharper. She felt herself being forced to walk towards Cornerstone slowly, her eyes looking over her with satisfaction. Penny's attempts to fight back were futile.
"A shame it turned out this way." She heard herself say. "If only you had run off... Then maybe you wouldn't be in this mess. Oh well..." Her shoulders shrugged. "I could always just...end your misery for you."
At this, Cornerstone let out a loud hiss. Penny could have sworn she heard a 'fuck you' interlaced in that hissy voice.
She felt herself chuckling at this response. Her head was twisted to the side, her grin growing more and more twisted, her pupils shrinking in what could be described as insanity. "Oh what a temper you have. You zoners can be so much fun. It's been a long time since I got to enjoy this. Maybe I won't kill you now. Maybe...I will just have a little bit of fun..."
Cornerstone struggled to get up. She managed to stand on her feet, much to Penny's surprise. But her legs, they kept wobbling... She was unstable, and the red chalk knew it. All it took was a swift kick to her front leg, pushing it back far enough to irritate the shoulder, and the zoner soon crumbled down again, her body shaking even harder.
"How pathetic... You really think you stand a chance against me now? Look at yourself!" The gun was pointed towards the snake-like zoner. "You are better off just sitting there and taking this like a zoner! Come on...where is your zoner pride?" The voice coming out of her was so sarcastic and brutal... Penny could hardly believe that it was her own. "I know how you zoners are. You think you are so special! Well why don't you show it to me?" Cornerstone looked at her, pain still etched on her scaly face. "Show me!"
Penny felt a mixture of impressiveness and horror when Cornerstone did manage to get up again. This time, she dug her claws into the stony ground, trying to keep some leverage. The snake zoner opened her mouth, hanging her head over and panted a few times. She remained this way only for a few seconds. Then she looked back at her. Fear was strongly evident on that face, making Penny want to turn around and run. But no matter how hard she tried, she could not break her body free of the red chalk's control.
Before she knew it, the red chalk forced her to walk a little closer to Cornerstone. The snake-like zoner attempted to bite her, but she felt her body twist away to the side, allowing the zoner to miss her completely. She then felt the red chalk take control of her right hand again and in seconds, rope was wrapped around the zoner's mouth, sealing it shut tightly. With a smirk, her arm yanked back, forcing the zoner to lurch forward, her legs sprawling out behind her. Then more rope was created, tying her against one of the thick rock formations. Cornerstone was tied so closely, there was almost no room for her to manuever.
The sword was lifted up again. It was leveled towards Cornerstone, the sharp tip being pointed close to one of her eyes. It was so near that if Cornerstone were to jerk just a little to that side, the sharp tip would penetrate the orb. As such, the snake zoner froze, holding herself as still as possible.
Penny continued to smile evilly at the zoner, against her will of course. Her arm muscles tightened up as the sword was moved close along the snake-like zoner's body slowly, tormenting her mentally. "Now...where should I strike first...?"
Suddenly, before she had a chance to strike, there was a flash of red in front of her gaze. Something was coming towards her at a swift pace. She heard the sound of toe claws clanging the ground. Then before she knew it, the brief image of a bird-like figure came into her field of vision. Then she felt something against her chest and she stumbled backwards.
By the time she was able to recover, she saw that now standing in front of Cornerstone was a new zoner. But not just any zoner. She recognized this one almost instantly.
It was Thoughtless.
(Enough of this!) Thoughtless's voice seemed to practically boom through her head. (You had enough fun!)
Penny felt a level of confusion. Why was Thoughtless standing so protectively in front of Cornerstone? She thought that it didn't really care about any other zoner besides itself. After all, how else could it take such wicked pleasure in messing with zoner memories and turning zoners against one another? How else could it strike fear in the hearts of many and do nothing to redeem itself?
Unless...could Thoughtless see something of himself in Cornerstone? Her mind flashed back and she remembered that Thoughtless had been captured for a short time. And Cornerstone was tied up and left out in the open. Perhaps Thoughtless had found out about this when it searched her memory and it found a kindred spirit in her. Whatever the case, the result was still the same. She wouldn't be able to make another move towards Cornerstone without going through Thoughtless first. How would she be able to do that without causing it to use its memory powers on her?
Although she started to have some doubts of whether or not it could, Penny couldn't help but wonder if Thoughtless really could do such a thing to her. Was she really willing to risk finding out? No...but the red chalk was. She could feel herself adopting a hostile stance against her will, her teeth clenching in annoyance.
"Stand aside, birdie." Her twisted voice hissed. "Or would you rather trade places?"
Thoughtless was silent for a few moments. It looked as if it were considering her, no..the red chalk's words. It wasn't silent for very long. (So you are the red chalk. Fascinating.) It looked at her up and down, examining her. (I had a feeling this would be a success. This deserves further study.)
A hideous growl. "You will do no such thing! I am not a guinea pig for you to exploit!" Penny laughed internally at this. It was comical that the red chalk was speaking this way while it was using her like a toy.
(Oh? You really think so? Perhaps you would like to prove it?) Thoughtless tilted its head to one side. (Without that girl, you're nothing.)
"That's not true!"
(Oh really? Why don't you try to fight me without using her as a puppet?)
Silence.
Thoughtless smirked at this. (I thought not.)
Penny felt a strange mixture of emotions as this scene played out. A part of her hoped that Thoughtless knew of a way to get the red chalk off of her and allowing her to be free. But another part of her worried of what it was going to do. No way Thoughtless would just let her leave. Would a fate by him be worse than a fate the red chalk would give her? She was cut off from her thoughts when Thoughtless spoke again.
(Perhaps this isn't a good place to talk. Maybe we should go elsewhere.) Thoughtless began to move towards her, no trace of fear in its brown eyes. (Do please not struggle. Make this easier. All I'm going to do is take you somewhere so we can speak. I'm sure that you...Penny...) Thoughtless's eyes gleamed as it stared directly into her eyes, clarifying this address. (...will want to know what's going on with you. I think you will find it quite the..fascinating tale...)
Penny clenched her teeth tightly. The next words out of her mouth were ones that she could agree with the red chalk on. "You're just trying to trick me."
Yes, this was the case, she was sure. After all, Thoughtless was toying with Skrawl, messing with him and his Beanie Boys. There was little reason to doubt its involvement of trickery with her. She almost hoped that the red chalk would make a move towards this beast.
Thoughtless shrugged. (Think what you'd like to. But for now..)
"Why don't you just drop on the ground?!" With that, Penny could feel the gun being leveled towards the memotrice. Before she knew it, the trigger was pulled and the loud bang echoed through the air.
This time, things didn't occur the same way. Instead of hitting Thoughtless, the memotrice merely jumped out of the way, allowing the bullet to hit against a distant ground. The sound of ricocheting could be heard, a distant flash indicating where the bullet was bouncing off distant walls. Penny could only see this for a few seconds before her vision filled with crimson feathers, and she was sent flying back again.
She could feel herself scrambling up to her feet at the will of the red chalk. Her legs and arms were moving at more exertion than she thought she could musture. It took her only seconds to get up, moving faster tha she ever thought possible. She could feel her hands raise up her weapons, the gun and the sword, and glaring back at where Thoughtless stood. Or rather, where it used to stand. Confused, she looked left and right, trying to find it. Then she felt something cold press against her.
Immediately she felt a blinding flash of pain. It ripped through her body, causing it to tremble. Her eyes widened like saucers and she became aware of distant screaming. No..it was her screaming. She struggled to get away, but it seemed as if no matter where she went, the pain would follow. She already could feel her vision starting to blur.
(Like I said, you are coming with me. And don't think you will get away. I have more of these lying around.)
Penny wasn't sure what Thoughtless was talking about. She couldn't even turn her head enough to see what the object was. All she was aware of was the horrible pain, the agony that spread through her, coursing through her very soul. Her head filled with her own screams...as well as the red chalk's. She could feel it try to wretch itself away from her, but her fist was so tightly clutched, it couldn't.
Soon Penny found herself collapsing to the ground. She winced as the cold ground collided with her. The bouts of pain still rushed through her, and it felt like she was being ripped apart from the inside out. She continued to convulse, kicking her legs out, desperately trying to get away from the pain. She kept her eyes shut, but a pulse zipped through her, causing her eyes to open on reflex. When she did, through her blurred vision, she could see Thoughtless standing there.
(I see I caused you a bit too much pain...) Thoughtless said cooly. It seemed to notice the tears of pain moving down her cheeks. (Let me rectify that...)
Penny's body stiffened up when she felt a sharp jab against the side of her head. Another wave of pain spread throughout her skull, threatening to crack it open. In that instance, she lost senses, everything growing dark and silent. Then, with an involuntary intake of breath, she collapsed.
But at least she wasn't in pain anymore.
sss
It had taken a while before Mrs. Tabootie could get her friend to speak what was on her mind. And even then, it was hard for her to believe the words that came out of her mouth. Everyone else around her was just as shocked.
It was so... surreal. No, that wasn't the right word. What was it she was trying to think of? What word applied here? Unrealistic? Perhaps. Bizarre? Oh definitely. Then again, this wasn't the first time that Rudy or Penny drew the attention of an adult. They both had their talents. They were pretty prolific for little children.
But to garner this kind of attention... It was unsettling. Mrs. Tabootie found it hard to believe that anyone would be this desperate to... She wanted to believe that Mrs. Sanchez was incorrect, that she was mistaken somehow. Or even lying. She'd take that over what the woman ended up telling her. But in the end, she knew it was true. Mrs. Sanchez wouldn't lie to her like this.
"Terry Bouffant...did that?"
Mrs. Sanchez looked away from the other adults. She stared off into the distance silently. She looked reluctant to believe this herself. There was a look of disbelief in her eyes. She appeared to be trying to find another way around this. Yet she found nothing. She looked back at them, clennching her teeth tightly. She nodded her head slowly. As she did, a stiff, cold silence swept through the room and no one spoke a word.
It was so hard to believe that Terry would be interested in their children. It didn't seem like something she'd do. And yet, Mrs. Sanchez recounted how the woman had hounded her daughter at school one day. Such behavior was normal for a reporter trying to get some juicy information. But for that behavior to be directed towards a little child... Something was really wrong. Why would Terry show that much interest in Penny?
And it wasn't just Penny. Mrs. Sanchez noted one time seeing Terry going after Rudy. The fact that she didn't try to hurt the kids was of some comfort. But they were still unnerved by the whole thing. There was something really wrong with that woman, and the fact that they didn't know what it was made her seem all the scarier. Just...what was she up to...?
Many red flags were raised in their heads. They were aware that women are just as dangerous as men; Terry being a woman didn't make the situation any less terrifying. Who knows how long she had been stalking their kids? And what if she was still doing it? Just how much information did this woman find out about their children? And what was she going to do with that information? Was she going to try to smear their names? Would she really do that to a couple of innocent children?
Mrs. Tabootie gritted her teeth at the thought of it. Before, she hadn't thought much of Terry. She wasn't a friend, but she certainly didn't mind her so much. She was just a newsreporter after all. Just how bad could she be? But now she saw just how potentially dangerous she was. She had been relentlessly hunting down their children for...something, and from what her friend said, she wasn't exactly gentle about it. Especially when she had overheard Terry refer to Penny as 'a little brat'.
But the one thing that bothered Mrs. Tabootie above all of this was the fact that Mrs. Sanchez hadn't told them any of this until now. That was why she had looked so guilty earlier. She had known that this was going on and she didn't tell them. They all, especially Mrs. Tabootie who regarded her as her closest friend, felt the sting of betrayal and hurt cling to their chests. Even though the vet had apologized to them, that didn't lessen the pain by much. She still should have told them sooner.
They tried not to focus on that too much. Right now, they had more important things to worry about. They had a potential suspect now. Even if she wasn't the one who did this, they still needed to do something about her. All this stalking that she was doing...it had to be put to a stop. What if she went after their children again? What if she tried to hurt them? How far would she go?
"I can't believe she would do something like that..." Tilly murmured under her breath. "I know I haven't seen her much, but she never looked like a...a criminal."
"I thought she was nicer than that. I guess it was all a facade." Mr. Tabootie's voice had a slight tinge of bitterness to it. "That's what happens in life. You think you know someone and they yank the rug out from underneath you."
Mrs. Tabootie nodded her head. "The way she spoke about Penny was despicable..."
Mrs. Sanchez winced slightly. "I could hardly believe it myself."
Who knew that Terry would turn out to be such an asshole? Her previous personality she showed didn't reveal much of a sadistic person. But now they knew the truth. She was a bully in an adult's body. She was a bitch who was stalking little children. This was far different from the Terry they thought they knew. But in the end, as Mr. Tabootie said, that was life.
"So...what should we do?" Mrs. Tabootie asked. She looked at Mrs. Sanchez for a couple seconds before turning to look at the other two adults. "What course of action should we take?"
"I'd say we call the police." Mr. Tabootie's voice was firm.
Tilly looked a little skeptical. "Would they take us seriously?"
Mr. Tabootie scoffed at this. "You think they would believe any lies she says?" He rolled his eyes at this. "Come on! The woman talks about some exotic fake world where drawings come to life! Don't tell me you think anyone would be dumb enough to fall for that."
"Yes, but her being weird doesn't make her more suspicious. The police aren't going to arrest her just for believing in a fabled chalk world." Tilly pointed out. She raised up her finger as she continued to explain. "What we need to do is find proof."
"That is true..." Mrs. Tabootie had to admit, her sister did make a good case. They might have their suspicions, but they needed some way to connect Terry to the disappearances. This means looking for any possible alibies and looking for evidence that could link her here. They didn't even know where she was. For all they knew, she went out of town for a while. "Where should we start?"
A bit of silence at first. They all looked at Mrs. Sanchez intently. They didn't like putting her on the spot, but she was the one who first suggested the idea of Terry Bouffant being responsible for the disappearances of the children. If she could think such a thing, then perhaps she already thought of what they could do about it. She was smart. She could think of something, right?
But to their disappointment, Mrs. Sanchez didn't have an idea. She looked at them all sadly before closing her eyes and bowing her head. The sight of this made them all slump forward slightly in disappointment. Well, so much about that.
But wait...perhaps there was something. Mrs. Tabootie searched her mind as thoughts rushed through. She studied them carefully, her eyes darting left and right. There might be something that they could do. She wasn't entirely sure yet, but...what else could they try? And besides, they couldn't get in trouble for this, now could they? Unlike the suspicion of her possibly taking the children, the school had video cameras. They would have caught Terry confronting their children, showing her strange and horrible behavior. If they showed that to the police...
Mrs. Tabootie soon became aware of everyone now looking at her, including Mrs. Sanchez. All of them wore expressions of curiosity, their eyes glinting with curiosity. They refused to look away from her, or even speak. They were just...waiting patiently for her to talk. She realized they must have caught her own expression.
At first, she remained quiet. The feeling of having so many eyes on her felt so strange. Not that it never happened before, but this time, it felt so intense. Perhaps because now she was involved in something really important. Her next words could change everything, and that left her feeling excited..but also worried. What if she gave them the wrong advice? What if she turned out to be wrong and she ended up making things worse?
Well regardless, she couldn't just stay silent about this. Not while their children were in trouble.
With eyes narrowed in determination, she broke the silence. "Do you think the school is still open now?"
The three adults gave her confused expressions. They looked at one another. They murmured a little, whispering questions and answers to each other. They all shook their head at least once, and Mrs. Tabootie already knew what the answer was going to be.
"No." Mr. Tabootie said at last. "It's pretty late now." He looked outside. He flinched visibly, and Mrs. Tabootie could see why. The sun was setting now. "If anyone is there, it might be the principal or the janitors. But even that's just a guess. I don't think they'd be there now."
"What was your plan?" Asked Tilly.
Mrs. Tabootie glanced over at her sister. "I was thinking that we could talk to someone at the school and see if they could let us see that video footage."
"Video footage?" Mrs. Sanchez asked, tilting her head to one side. "I don't remember seeing any cameras."
"They don't have too many of them. The school can't afford it." Mrs. Tabootie tried her best to hide her anger towards the school not being willing enough to spend money on a better security system. If they had set aside the need to hire traveling teachers and focused on protecting their students more, then Rudy and Penny would have been safe. "But I know I saw one outside somewhere. It records part of the front of the exit gate, where you picked up Penny that one day."
Mrs. Sanchez's eyes slightly glinted in realization at this. "So you're saying that if we can get that footage.."
"Then we might have a leverage over Ms. Bouffant." Mrs. Tabootie finished.
As the other adults looked at each other and, one by one, began to nod in agreement and approval of this, Mrs. Tabootie found herself looking outside. She wasn't sure if they would get too far with this. She wasn't even sure if the law worked this way. Law wasn't something that she studied so much, and for all she knew, she was potentially making things worse.
But for now, she joined the other adults in preparing their trip to the school tomorrow.