"Ghadir?!" Rudy cried. He took a few steps back. "What...how...?!"
Ghadir took a few steps towards them. She chuckled as she watched the pair take a fighting stance. She ignored Rudy's question and began to turn her head around, looking at the interior of Snap's tree house. After she got an eyeful, she sighed softly and shook her head. The smile never faded from her face.
"This place is a real dump." Ghadir said. She looked at the ground and kicked a bit of debris to the side. "You should really clean it up. I'm surprised you can even live here, little blue creature."
Rudy growled. How dare she call Snap a 'creature', like he wasn't even a person. How dare she criticize his home for being dirty when she was the one who damaged it... And now she had the gall to act like she did nothing wrong. She wasn't going to get away with this.
"You..." Rudy hissed, raising a clench fist. "How dare you...I..."
Ghadir raised a hand to silence him. "Oh please, spare me your 'hero speech'. I might die of boredom!" Rudy narrowed his eyes further. Ghadir chuckled at this. She turned her gaze over to Snap. A slow, deliberate lick of the lips and she said, "I just came by for a...night time snack..."
At this, Snap's eyes widened and he took a step back. "W-Well, if you want that, couldn't you have just gotten something back at your place?"
The lunchlady's smile spread and she shook her head slowly. "No. You see, blue boy..." She moved in closer. Rudy attempted to stop her, but Ghadir shoved him against the wall, holding him by his neck. As he struggled to get free, Ghadir gripped Snap by his scarf and tugged on him. "I have a...particular craving..."
Snap attempted to wiggle his way from the large woman. He was unable to make her let go, even when he bit her hand. "What kind of craving?" He asked hesitantly. He snapped his head back in fear as she put her face close to his.
"You..." Ghadir said in a low voice. Snap's eyes widened in horror at this. "Yeah, that's right, if you need confirmation, I like to eat chalk. And you, my fine little 'friend', you are made up entirely of it." She licked her lips again. "I can't wait to sink my teeth into you. I think I will eat you while you're still awake. I know saliva doesn't do well for dissolving chalk that fast, but..I don't mind making the process as slow and painful as possible.."
"Gah!" Snap cried, pulling himself back as hard as he could. "No! Rudy!" He looked over at Rudy with wide, desperate eyes. "Help me!"
At his friend's cries, Rudy attempted to struggle harder. He pushed back against Ghadir. The woman was too strong for him. Her grip on him was like a vice. She responded by squeezing his neck harder, causing him to gag. He felt so stupid for putting the magic chalk away. It was too far for him to reach. It was under the debris. If he could just get free, he could fight back. He could drive Ghadir away. But right now, he was stuck, pushed up against this wall, defenseless, unable to help himself, let alone aid Snap.
He watched in horror as Ghadir pulled Snap closer to her. She pulled on his scarf as hard as she could, forcing him on the ground. Snap looked up at her in fear, his body shaking. He tried to defend himself. He managed to land a punch on her face. But Ghadir must have high pain tolerance or was just very good at ignoring such actions. She sneered down at Snap, eyeing up up and down like he was nothing more than a catch of the day. The way she looked at him hungrily, smacking her lips in anticipation of eating him, it filled Rudy with dread. He had to help him somehow.
Rudy reached out with his right hand, his left one still gripping her arm as tightly as possible, and, in desperation, grabbed onto Ghadir's hair. The woman let out a cry of pain as he yanked back as hard as he could. This caused her to release Snap. Rudy watched, sighing in relief, as Snap moved away from the large woman. Rudy continued to pull on her hair, now trying to make her let go of him. But instead of that, something else happened, the opposite of what he would have wanted.
Ghadir growled and tightened her grip on him. She whirled around and used her other hand to grab onto his shoulder. Baring her teeth at him, she shoved him roughly against the wall further. Rudy winced as he saw her eyes that up close to his, enough that he could see the tiny red veins in her eyes. She released her grip on his neck and reached down into her pocket. She pulled out something. Black, gloomy, and all to familiar. The black chalk...
Rudy attempted to struggle, his wide right eye staring at the black chalk. Ghadir hissed at him and, clearly getting tired of his struggles, gave him a hard kick in the stomach. Rudy keeled over in agony, coughing up blood. Ghadir reached down and yanked him back up to his feet by his arm. She delivered a punch to his jaws, causing him to cry out in pain, leaving behind a bruise.
Ghadir, a dark smile on her face, wordlessly went to work drawing up some chains that were attached to the wall, all the while keeping him pinned. Snap attempted to help him, but when he got too close, Ghadir pulled her foot back and kicked Snap between the legs and sending him flying across the room. He slammed against some debris and laid there, groaning in pain. Rudy looked at this in horror and called out his friend's name. He stopped when Ghadir put something cold and tight around his wrists, nearly cutting off blood supply. Rudy turned his gaze to see what she had done.
Rudy's arms were cuffed together, cold metal pressing against the skin. His arms and hands were secured above his head. Ghadir took a few steps back and smiled, clearly admiring what she did. Rudy, panic starting to enter his mind as he realized what was going to happen, started to struggle frantically. He tugged against the chains again and again, hoping that they would break. But nothing happened. He pulled harder and harder. His arm muscles started to ache badly and he soon realized he was not going to be able to break the bonds. After one final pull, his arm muscles gave out and he went limp.
He took in a few breaths, his eye wide with a mixture of emotions. He couldn't believe this was happening. He lifted up his head and turned his attention to Ghadir. She sneered at him, her arms still folded like she was all proud. He realize that he was trapped. He was bound against the wall, and he was helpless against anything Ghadir decide to throw at him. If she wanted to use him as target practice for some new form of weapon, she could do that. His only chance now was if Snap was able to get help in time.
That's when he realized something...
Snap was still here...
Rudy looked on in horror as Ghadir slammed her foot against Snap's back, causing him to cry out. Why hadn't Snap left? Rudy realized, dread filling him, that Snap must have stayed behind to help him. And Ghadir knew he would do that, so she had him chained up so she could go after Rudy, and she was going to do horrible things to him...right in front of him... Rudy struggled against the chains again, hoping that, somehow, he could get at least one arm free. But he was just a teenager and he was not thickly built. If he were built more like Reggie, then maybe...
Ghadir lowered herself onto one knee. She grabbed onto his scarf and removed her leg from him. Tightening her grip on his scarf, she roughly flipped him over so he was on his back. Snap grabbed her hand and tried to push her away. His struggles to get free just made Ghadir's smile broaden.
"Oh how I love it when my prey struggles.." Ghadir said, a tinge of happiness in her voice. "It makes me feel so...alive..."
"You're sick! Leave my friend alone!" Rudy shouted at her. This woman was vile...disgusting...
Ghadir gave an upwards glance to Rudy, her eyes flashing black for a few seconds. "Oh calm down. I'm going to let you have a taste."
Rudy felt his stomach lurch forward. Ghadir was going to do exactly what she threatened to do with Penny. She was going to force him to eat a piece of Snap. How revolting...cruel... Snap hadn't done anything to her. None of them had. And she had the gall to do something like this to them. How could anyone be so cruel? What gave her the right to treat them like this? He wasn't going to stand for it. He wasn't going to let her get with this. He struggled harder, trying his best to ignore the pain in his arms.
As he pulled against his binds, he watched in shere terror as Ghadir proceeded to play with his friend. She held him down by his neck, her fingers tightly wrapped around it. With her other hand, she started touching him. She stroked his cheek lightly, moving it up and down. Then she moved her hand up to his head and rubbed the top of it, smirking at Snap's wide, fear-filled eyes. She dragged her hand down across his shoulder and all along his arm. She squeezed it gently. Snap jerked back to try to get away from her, but was unable to get far with Ghadir holding him like this. She continuously touched his arm, going up to his shoulder and head.
Ghadir then moved her hand down lower. She moved it along Snap's chest and then down to his stomach. She gently massaged his underside, alternating between his chest and his stomach. Rudy was horrified by this and struggled harder, calling out Snap's name. Snap, on the other hand, was quiet, in stunned silence as Ghadir continued to feel his body, like she was examing how much flesh he had on him, which was most likely what she was doing. Her hand soon went down to his leg. She ran her hand along it, squeezing his calf and thigh gently. She then spent some time rubbing his side.
She turned her head over to Rudy. "He has a lot of meat on him. I'm surprised, for someone his size..." She stared down at Snap hungrily. "Definitely a good thing... I am very hungry right now..."
"No! Leave him alone!" Rudy called out, his eye wide.
Snap looked up at Ghadir in fear. A few tears moved down his face. "P-Please...don't..." He said with a whine. He yanked himself from side to side, but he was unable to get free.
Ghadir's smile grew vicious. Her tongue moved across her lips in anticipation. "Oh don't worry. I decided to be merciful. I'll just take a couple bites out of you, but instead of making you live through that all the way, tell you what." Her hand touched the side of his face and she gently caressed it. "I will break your spine so you won't feel anything else."
Snap let out a scream of terror. He kicked his legs against the ground and twisted his head away. "Rudy!"
Hearing the shere terror and distress in Snap's voice caused Rudy's heart to clench tightly. He tried to pull himself free. He pushed on the chains again and again. He thought they started to come free, but at this rate, he wasn't going to get out in time. He watched, his right eye widened, as his friend was being tormented by this insane chalk eater. No...Snap... Tears flowed down Rudy's facde as he realized he wasn't going to be able to help his friend in time. That didn't stop him from continuing to struggle, but his heart filled with dread as the fact that he won't get free in time sank in.
Ghadir reached for Snap's mask. She gripped the bottom of it and she pulled it up. After completely removing Snap's mask, she lowered her face down to his. She gripped Snap's head and twisted it to the side, holding it in place. Rudy watched, his heart beating fast, as Ghadir licked Snap's cheek, going very slowly. Snap let out whimpers of pain. The saliva may not be as dangerous as water, but it still had a burning effect on zoners. Snap struggled frantically, crying out in pain as Ghadir continued to move her tongue up his cheek, taking her time. When she reached near the top of his head, she pulled back.
"Hmm...you taste good..." Ghadir said with a demented smile. She smacked her lips. "Yes... Nice flavor..." She raised her shoulders a little, almost like she was ready to pounce. "Delicious..."
Rudy called out, "Back off! Let him go!" He knew she wasn't going to listen, but he wasn't going to just watch in silence. "Ghadir, release him now!"
Ghadir looked at him. She just smirked, chuckling darkly, before turning her attention back to Snap. She eyed him up and down, watching as his body trembled in fear. "I know one thing I am going to do. After I break your back, I am going to cut off a piece of you and make you watch as I shove it down Rudy's throat. Wouldn't that be..a spectacular thing to see?" Snap gasped in horror and stared at her with wide eyes. "I can't wait to see the look in both your eyes..."
Snap narrowed his eyes and started to growl softly. He didn't bother replying, anger starting to override his fear. This did little to deter Ghadir, however. It was clear she didn't see him as a threat and merely dismissed his growling. She put her face close to his, her eyes wide, a faint black glow to them.
"And after I am through with you, I'll kill Rudy, and then I'll hunt down your two zoner friends... Blocky and Rapsheeba I believe." She grinned nastily as Snap, for a second, had a horrified expression, before he returned to growling, this time baring his teeth in a snarl. "I'll eat them next. I'm sure they will taste just divine." She let out a cruel laughter.
Snap's body shook in rage. Rudy watched as Snap's temper flared up, and exploded. The blue zoner pulled his fist back and punched Ghadir as hard as he could. Unlike his other punches, this one clearly registered with the woman. There was a small crack sound and blood started to drip from her nose as she let out a scream. She released Snap and staggered back, holding her nose.
Free, Snap took this chance to get away from her. Ghadir attempted to grab Snap again, but the superhero zoner reacted fast. He kicked at her leg enough to trip her up, causing her to fall into the ground. Snap glared at her hatefully. Though it was clear he was furious with her, he didn't stick around to fight her. Instead, he rushed over towards the debris, heading straight for what Rudy could see was a sparkle. His right eye widened as he realized what Snap was doing.
"Why you little...!" Ghadir had recovered from the trip. She was back on her feet and she was not happy. She moved her way towards Snap, who, by now, had the magic chalk in his hand. "I am not going to..." She stopped when she noticed the magic chalk. "No, you're not..."
Ghadir rushed towards Snap. The little zoner wasted no time. He jumped out of the way as Ghadir lunged at him. She hit the ground with a heavy thud as she missed. Snap rushed over towards where Rudy was chained to the wall. Rudy watched, his eye widened further, as Ghadir chased his friend down. His heart raced, wondering if Snap was going to be able to get to him in time. Again and again, his friend had to jump into the air or to the side to avoid being grabbed. Despite his difficulty, he was rapidly closing in the gap.
Snap eventually reached Rudy. He climbed onto Rudy's shoulders and pushed the magic chalk in his hand. As Rudy gripped onto it, Snap was suddenly yanked back by his scarf. Ghadir glared at him angrily, holding onto his scarf like it was his scruff. Watching this in horror, Rudy fumbled with the magic chalk, trying to draw a circle to break the chains.
"I will make you pay for that..." Ghadir said, pulling a fist back. Snap turned his head away.
Managing to get free, Rudy charged forward. He slammed his body against Ghadir, knocking her back. Snap let out a cry as he hit the ground in a thud. Ghadir staggered back, almost tripping over herself. She glared back at Rudy. Her eyes held a mixture of surprise and anger, her teeth bared at him. Rudy took a fighting stance, raising up his magic chalk.
"Think you can beat me in a fair fight?" Rudy challenged.
Ghadir chuckled, her voice laced in anger. "I'm sure I would..." She raised up her black chalk. "Bring it on, little boy..."
"With pleasure.." Rudy hissed as he charged towards the large woman.
Rudy whipped his wrist around, drawing something as quickly as he could as he and the large woman rushed towards each other. Before he reached her, he managed to draw a simple weapon. A long metal bar. Gripping it tightly with both hands, though a little loose on his left, he rammed against her, pushing the bar into her stomach. The woman let out a gasp of air as the wind was knocked out of her. There was a loud thud as he managed to push her against the wall.
Mustering as much strength as he could, Rudy held her against the wall. Ghadir pushed back against him. For a while, Rudy could hold his own, keeping her from moving forward. Soon, his feet started to slip. He constantly scrambled to get his feet forward and planted firmly on the ground. But the more Ghadir pushed against him, the more he started to slip back. Then he felt his legs start to weaking. His left knee buckled and he was down on the ground. Ghadir, sneering, lifted up her foot and pressed it against Rudy's chest. She pushed hard on him, caushing him to stumble across the ground.
Rudy laid on the ground for a few seconds. He looked up and saw Ghadir drawing something. He climbed up to his feet and held up his chalk to prepare to fight. Ghadir soon finished drawing and he could see that she had drawn a long, mechanical cobra, complete with a hood made out of needles and sheets of metal. Rudy stared, his right eye wide. How hard Ghadir managed to draw something that elaborate in such a short time? He had no time to question this when, a second later, the intricately designed mechacobra lashed out at him, its eyes glowing a bright red.
Rudy managed to dodge out of the way in time. The mechacobra let out a machine-sounding hiss, its mouth split wide open to show its fangs. Though mechanical, the snake did have venom. Rudy could see it dripping from its fangs. The snake slithered over towards him, hissing the whole way, never letting down its hood. It stood straight up. It was twice his height, but was still as thin as a real world cobra. Rudy raised up his magic chalk and took a few steps back, wondering how he was going to fight this thing.
Then the mechacobra seemed to lose interest in him. It turned its head and looked at where Snap was. Flickering a metallic tongue, it started to move towards the small blue zoner. Rudy's eye widened in horror and he grabbed the snake by its tail. The snake whipped its head around and hissed loudly at him, its jaws wide open. Rudy yanked back as hard as he could, causing the snake's upper body to fly upwards. It came down towards him thanks to gravity. Rudy watched as the snake opened its jaws further and prepared to bite him. Rudy realized, dread filling his heart, that he didn't have time to get out of the way. He shut his eye and prepared for the pain.
Instead of pain, he heard something clang against something hard, a loud pained hiss, and something slumping on the ground. Rudy opened his right eye to see Snap standing in front of him in a fighting stance. Snap's breaths were deep and quick, and he soon saw why that was so. In front of Snap, there was the mechacobra laying in a heap on the ground. There was a small dent on its head, just barely visible, and a bruise on his friend's right fist. Rudy realized what Snap had done and he smiled gratefully down at him.
This didn't last too long. Soon his smile faded as the mechacobra raised its head above the ground. Standing up tall and straight, the snake let out what sounded like a roar and struck forward. It wrapped its body around them like it were a python and held onto them tightly. Rudy and Snap grunted and struggled, their arms pinned at their sides. The snake split its jaws wide, its face not far from them. They looked up at the mechacobra in fear as it prepared to strike them.
But instead of biting them like they expected, the mechacobra opted instead to throw them against the wall. They cried out in pain and slid to the ground. Rudy sat up and rubbed his head. He looked up and saw the snake moving towards them again. He got up and held his magic chalk. As he did so, he looked over to where Ghadir was. She was holding some kind of device. His right eye widened as he realized it was the controls to this robotic snake. If he could just smash that device...
His thoughts were interrupted when there was a flash of silver heading in his direction. He turned just in time to see the mechacobra striking at him. A nanosecond later, there was a blue and white blur and now Snap was holding onto the snake, his arms wrapped around its throat. The snake let out a loud hiss as it desperately tried to bite Snap. When Snap wouldn't let go, the snake, out of anger, slammed his body against the ground. The little zoner let out a cry of pain and released the snake. Before he could get up, the snake rose its head above him and struck downward. Snap let out a scream.
The snake never got a chance to sink its fangs into him. Rudy had grabbed onto the snake and yanked it back. The force of the pull was so great that the snake slammed its head against the wall. A few sparks flew and its body jittered mechanically a few times. It shook its head and turned its red-eyed face back at Rudy.
Thinking fast, Rudy began to draw something that Sophie herself used to draw all the time. Steel wool. After he finished doodling the scribbles, he grabbed the two ends and stretched them. He lunged for the snake and managed to wrap the steel wool around its head, sealing its mouth shut. He tied the steel wool in a knot and moved back. He and Snap watched as the snake shook its head, desperate to get free. Loud hisses escaped its throat, its tail wriggling in frustration. It would have been almost comical to watch if they didn't know it could break free at any time. Rudy knew they had to seize this chance to get the controller out of the woman's hand.
But what of the black chalk? He couldn't just take it from her without risking corrupting himself. Maybe he could have Snap take it from her and break it into pieces so she can't use it. That was his best bet. He lowered himself and whispered a few quick things into Snap's ear. When he nodded his head, confirming he understood what they were going to do, the two friends, careful not to trip over the mechacobra, rushed over to where Ghadir was.
The woman was in the process of drawing something else. She didn't get a chance to finish when Rudy pushed against her, breaking her concentration. The black lines that filled the air just fell down, laying useless on the ground. She glared at Rudy, gritting her teeth. In the process of pushing her against the wall, something happened that Rudy did not expect.
The black chalk touched him.
Almost immediately, Rudy felt the cold sharpness, the same feeling he did years ago. It rapidly spread through his body, creating a tingling sensation that felt foreboding. His right eye widened as a black glow emitted from it. His body started to tremble as the same echoy voices returned.
"So glad to see you... Why don't you use us again..? You have so much potential, Rudy Tabootie... Why don't you take us, use us once again...?"
Rudy shook his head, trying to fight against it as he kept Ghadir pinned. He quickly noticed the woman was not struggling to much against him. He realized, in horror, that she must know what was going on, and now she had gripped him to keep him from moving back. She made sure that his skin still contacted the black chalk. And the voices just grew louder, overriding Snap's voice, who was calling out in desperation at him.
"Don't you remember the power...? What it felt like..." The voices all around him taunted. "Draw with us... We will give you that power again..."
Involuntarily, Rudy slowly smiled. Not a friendly one, but the same malicious smile he had given years ago. The same one he gave...right before he killed three zoners and nearly killed Penny.
"No!"
Suddenly, Rudy was released and he stumbled backwards. As the horrific thoughts left his head, returning his mind to its normal state, he looked on to see Snap holdong into Ghadir's arm. The large woman was struggling to get him off of her. In the struggle, Snap managed to grab the black chalk from her and he jumped back.
"Give that back!" Ghadir demanded. In a show of defiance, Snap threw the black chalk into the ground and, mustering as much strength as he could, crushed the chalk underneath his left food. He pounced the chalk into the ground until it was nothing but powder. Ghadir's eyes widened in fury. "You little.." She whipped out her controller. "I'm going to...!"
"No you're not!" Rudy rushed over and managed to snag the controller out of her hands.
"Hey!" Ghadir attempted to grab it back. She lurched forward, almost grabbing Rudy by his arm. "Give that back!"
Rudy narrowed his eye. "Never!"
With that, Rudy gripped the controller. As he did so, he heard a loud snap and he knew the mechacobra was free. It was slithering towards him now, preparing to strike. Wasting no time, he brought his knee up and his hands down as fast and hard as he could. Upon impact, along with pain, Rudy could feel, and hear, the device snapping in two. Sparkls flew from the exposed wire and he could hear the sound of engines dying down. Then a thud. He looked behind him.
The mechacobra lay prone on the ground. Its body sometimes convulsed as a few bits of electricity still pumped through it. But this soon died down completely and its red eyes became black with lifelessness. With the snake taken care of, Rudy threw the pieces of the controller into the ground and took a step towards Ghadir, raising his magic chalk. In response, her eyes wide a little as she realized she was defenseless, she took a step back, gritting her teeth in frustration.
"Do you really think it's over, child?" Ghadir asked, her voice slightly panicked since she couldn't fight back now. "Do you really think this will make me go away forever?"
Rudy narrowed his eye and shook his head. "No...but it will stop you for a time." He jabbed the magic chalk in her direction. "Now leave..."
Ghadir remained where she was, her feet firmly planted on the ground. Rudy growled. He should have known that she wouldn't just leave like that. Even at a disadvantage, she wasn't going to admit defeat. She wasn't going to run, not until she did what she wanted. She would have to be forced out. Rudy didn't like using force if it was not necessary, but in her case, he would make an exception.
He looked down at Snap. He knew he could rely on him for backup just in case. Snap was afraid of Ghadir, but he was willing to stand up to her. Right now, more anger than fear shone in his eyes, and he was prepared to fight Ghadir if it was necessary. The two of them took a step towards Ghadir, watching as she moved back again. This showed that she was, in a sense, afraid of them now, even though she may try to hide it. Afraid enough that she wasn't going to fight them in her current state. It was she, now, who was at the disadvantage.
"You can tell your two comrades that I am not going to give up." Rudy declared, never abandoning his fighting stance. "I will keep fighting and we will get you three to leave ChalkZone forever! I don't care how long it takes! We will win!"
Snap nodded in agreement. "Yeah! So why don't you make it easier on yourselves and leave now? It will save you a lot of hurt later on!"
Ghadir just laughed, her shoulders shaking as her body shook in emotion. Rudy and Snap growled at this, baring their teeth. Ghadir was acting like this was all a joke, even though she is that is losing the fight. "So you really want to make us leave? I guess I can't blame you..." She looked at her fingers, flexing them. "After all, you need to do something to offset the mistake you made..."
Rudy looked at her in confusion. "What mistake?"
"Oh? You don't know?" Ghadir looked at the boy's arm, pointing her finger at it. "Did you not question why you have that mark...?"
Rudy looked down at his arm. In the crook of it, he could see the small reddened mark that mysteriously appeared one day, just a short while ago. He hadn't really thought much of it. Had it been something important? He looked back at Ghadir and, noticing her vicious smile, his eye widened a little.
"What...?" Rudy started to say.
Ghadir cut him off before he could say anything else. "How do you think Jenny, Tyreek, and I awakened? Jenny woke up after a bit of your blood touched her. She snuck into your house a few nights ago and took blood from you while you were sleeping." Rudy's right eye widened in horror at this. "Yes, boy, that is how you got your mark." She leaned back a little. "And that is how I and Tyreek were awakened. It was thanks to your blood that the black chalk inside of us reawakened..."
Rudy shook his head in denial. He couldn't believe it. A cold chill swept through his body. Jenny had done what? She took his blood while he slept? She was able to do that without getting caught? She used his blood to rewaken the others? It...it was his blood that caused all of this? He took a step back, his body trembling a little from this revelation. No, it couldn't be true...it wasn't possible...
Ghadir smiled at his reaction. She folded her arms against her chest. "It was all your fault, boy. You were the one who helped us awaken. We have you to thank." A cold laughter escaped her throat as she looked at the horrified Rudy and Snap. "It was thanks to you that this was all possible, so I suppose we do owe you for that."
"N-No..." Rudy said, his eye wide. "It's not true... You're lying!"
Ghadir tilted her head, looking amused by Rudy's denial. She ignored his outburst and raised her hand in gesture. "And in case you are wondering why Jenny took some of Penny's blood... Well it was just for a mere test. She wanted to see what was different about your blood and Penny's blood. Something changed about the composition of your blood that let it absorb into skin. And once she figures that out, well..." Ghadir gave a dark laughter. "Well...that would be telling..."
Rudy's eye was wide, but soon he narrowed it and gritted his teeth. He took a step forward and pointed at the large woman. "I...I am not going to let you get away with this!"
"Oh? But Rudy, my little boy..." Ghadir said innocently. "You already have... It was thanks to your blood that this all happened." Rudy's eyes widened and he took two steps back. "It was thanks to you that me and my comrades were able to return, ready to take back what is rightfully ours..."
"No..." Rudy shook his head, trembling.
"Yes, boy..." Ghadir said as she took a few steps forward. "It was because of you... Your friends getting hurt...you getting diseased...it was all thanks to you. This..." She raised her hands in the air. "This was all your doing."
"You're wrong.." Rudy tried to say.
Snap narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists tightly. "Hey, leave him alone! This wasn't his fault! He wasn't the one who asked for this to happen! It was all you! Don't you dare try to pin this rap on him!"
Ghadir looked over at Snap. She laughed at him before turning her attention back to Rudy. "Face it, child. If you hadn't gone to the nurse's office that day, this wouldn't have happened. If you had just waited for the checkup, you might have avoided everything that's happened so far. Your friend here wouldn't have been forced to stab his little friend and himself..."
Rudy took a step back. "No..."
"Stop it!" Snap warned, growling.
Ghadir didn't stop. She continued to advance on Rudy, making him take a few steps back. "Your girlfriend wouldn't have been beaten to a pulp and almost get her leg broken..."
Rudy's eye was wide. He wanted to stay something to defend himself, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything. Snap's body was shaking in rage, but Ghadir ignored him. She grabbed Rudy by his shirt collar and pulled him forward.
"This was all your fault, Rudy Tabootie..." Ghadir put her face close to his. "How does it feel, kid? How do you feel knowing that you caused all this? You could have resisted grabbing the black chalk in the past. You could have called in sick that day when Jenny had to prick your finger. You could have done something, but you let it slip through your grasp..."
"Let him go!" Snap cried, raising his fists in warning.
Again, Ghadir dismissed him, her eyes focusing solely on Rudy. Her eyes glowed black as she whispered into his ear. "You are the one at fault here... You are the only one to blame for all this... This was all your fault..."
Rudy yanked his head away. "No!"
Finally, unable to take it anymore, Snap took action. He lunged forward, pulling his fist back. He slammed his fist against the woman's stomach, causing her to release Rudy and stagger back. She held her stomach, grunting in pain. Snap slammed his body against her. Despite being smaller, he was able to knock her back a little. He then went for her legs. Like before, he was able to knock her off her feet, making her fall into the ground.
Ghadir laid on her side, her face contorted in pain. She glared up at Snap. The zoner looked at her, his eyes wide with anger and teeth bared. He stood in front of Rudy protectively, his hands raised to show he was prepared to attack again if need be. The two just stared at each other for several seconds. Though Snap trembled in fear, there was a lot more anger in his display of emotions, and he made it clear, from the expression on his face, that he wasn't going to allow Ghadir to get closer.
"Don't you ever speak to my friend that way again...you bitch..." Snap growled, taking in a few quick breaths. "This is not his fault..and don't you fucking dare try to convince him or anyone else otherwise..."
Ghadir just glared at him. She slowly rose up to her feet. She stared at the zoner for a few seconds. Then, rather than launching another attack like Rudy and Snap thought she was, she instead started to back away. Wordlessly, she turned around and willingly left the treehouse. As she jumped down, the two friends moved forward. They watched as Ghadir, without looking back at them, ran off into the distance.
Snap watched this in disgust. "She's such a coward..." He turned his attention to Rudy. He looked at him sympathetically. "You okay, Bucko?"
Rudy didn't respond. His mind swirled with many thoughts as he recalled what Ghadir told him. Had it really been his fault that this happened? Even indirectly? Was it his blood that caused all of this to happen? The thought sickened him and it was hard to fight back the nausea that started to rise up inside of his stomach. Yeah, he didn't mean for this to happen, but the idea of him being, in some way, responsible...
He snapped out of his trance when he felt a tug at his arm. He looked down and he saw Snap, who had his arms wrapped around his. Rudy stared at him wordlessly before looking away, his eyes aiming at the ground. The feelings of guilt...they were hard to fight back.
"Rudy..." Snap said quietly. "You know this isn't your fault, right?" He held on tighter. "Don't listen to what she said. She was just trying to mess with you. Don't let her do that."
Rudy said softly, "I...I know Snap. I just...can't get it out of my head... What if she was telling the truth?" He stared at Snap intently. "What if it was my blood that brought back their memories?"
Snap said, "That doesn't make you responsible. They were the ones who chose to do this. You did not make them." He cuddled closer to Rudy as the teenager wrapped his arms around him, pulling him into a hug. "This isn't your fault. Please...don't blame yourself..."
Slowly, though he still had some doubts in his mind, Rudy smiled back. Hugging Snap tightly, he said, "Yeah...you're right... Thanks..."
Snap smiled back. "You're welcome, Bucko."
Rudy pulled back from Snap, still gently holding onto him. The two friends smiled at each other for a few seconds. Upon seeing Snap's cheek, Rudy's face furrowed with concern. He could see a little bit of bleeding and redness where Ghadir had licked him. The vile woman had licked over one of his burns, causing more damage to it.
"Come on, Snap. Let's go see Mrs. Sanchez and get that burn cleaned up." Rudy said. He stood up, gently lowering Snap so his feet touched the ground. "I'll fix your treehouse when we get back."
With that, the two friends started to make their way towards the hospital.