N E E D
By DarkHououmon
Chapter 36: Reveals
Sometimes the best way to help someone is to betray them.
sss
No.. It couldn't be true. It wasn't possible. Tilly sifted through her thoughts rapidly, trying to think of something else that made sense. Anything else that would be more comforting.
But no such thing happened. All she was left with was this...this horrid conclusion. She couldn't shake the thoughts out of her mind, of what if, of what she could have done to prevent this. There was so much that she could have done, so many ways this could have gone that wouldn't have resulted in this... But still it happened, and there was nothing she could do to reverse time and fix it.
Rudy, Penny, and Inez were all...missing.
She felt a lump in her throat as the thought repeated itself in her head over and over. She wanted it to be some kind of mistake. She hoped that someone would bring her good news, and show her that they were all right. Yet no such thing happened.
She, her sister, and Joe had all journeyed to Inez's home. The decision was made after some more time passed with no word from them. Further attempts to contact the vet otherwise were useless, leading to no results. They had also tried to call some of the neighbors up, but they reported not seeing the woman leaving, indicating she was still home.
When they arrived, these claims seemed to be correct. Inez's home did not look abandoned at first. The familiar yellow vehicle was still there, parked in the driveway. But when they got closer, they began to see signs that something wasn't right. Or rather, hear it as well.
The animals were worked up. They were quite energetic and came up as far as their enclosures were allowed. They were staring at them expectantly. She and the others realized that the animals were very hungry and thirsty, and looking at where these supplies were kept, there was no indication that they had been fed at their regular time at this hour. This was strange; Inez was usually right on top of this and was quite strict with her schedule. It wasn't like her to miss out on it.
And it wasn't like she was late coming home. The vehicle was still here. She couldn't be at the store like they had thought. And she surely wouldn't walk to town either. Not with all those animals she had to take care of. They couldn't imagine her letting Rudy and Penny walking to town on their own either; she would keep them at her place.
Fear already rose up inside the three humans. Thoughts raced through their head as they looked at one another, realizing what this probably meant. But they didn't want to jump to conclusions yet. Maybe something else had went on. Maybe everything was still all right. They kept looking.
Tilly, Millie, and Joe searched the house from top to bottom. They looked around at each room, scowering through the building for any sign of them. They called out their names, cupping their hands to their mouths to raise their volume. Even Sophie tried as hard as she could. She sometimes would see her daughter running around, zipping by as she desperately called out for her cousin. Each cry grew more and more sad, making Tilly's heart twist as she realized what this had to mean.
After about an hour of searching, double checking and rechecking, they all realized that they had to face facts. There was nothing else that it could be. The horrible truth was that their loved ones were missing, and they had no idea where to begin to look.
Tilly sat in the couch next to her sister, her body leaned back, head tilted upwards she stared at the ceiling. Her mind raced as the full realization of what had taken place struck her. She was unable to keep her mind clear, and she was constantly bombarded by multiple questions. She kept asking herself how she could have let this happen, why didn't she do something sooner, why didn't she try harder, and many more.
She searched her mind for something Rudy said. She tried to remember anything that he told her that might be helpful. But unfortunately, the terror of what happened pushed much of what he said out of her mind. If he had told her anything important, then the fact that she didn't take it seriously enough at the time made it easy for her intense emotions in the moment to overwrite it. She feared she would not regain those bits of memory, and she could only work on what she knew.
The one thing that she was able to remember was that the reporter, Terry Bouffant, had been obsessed with ChalkZone. The very same world that her nephew had been going to. The same place that she had promised him she'd never tell his parents about.
The fact that Terry was interested in this world likely made her an enemy of Rudy, who had been protecting it. While Tilly did not fully understand why her nephew would do this, she decided it was best to respect his choice. But she knew that Terry would hold no such reservations; she had little reason to care about Rudy. And didn't she try to 'interview' him and Penny a few times in the past?
She shook the thoughts out of her head. No, Terry wouldn't do something like that. She was greedy yes, but not to the same degree was, say, Vinnie Raton, nor was she stupid. She wouldn't jeopardize everything just for the sake of hurting or kidnapping one child, let alone two, and a woman. And even Vinnie wouldn't go that far.
But what else could there be? Who else would have the motivation and the intelligence to pull off the kidnapping? She couldn't think of anyone else. Terry did have reason enough to go after Rudy and try to force the information out of him. And with how she had been acting lately, and some of the crazy things she said, would it be that much of a stretch for her to become desperate enough to try to pry information out in a less...legal way?
And yet... She couldn't help but doubt Terry's involvement on some level. Something about it just felt...wrong. She was smart, she can give her that. But still, something felt...not right. She found it hard to believe that Terry would be smart enough to pull a kidnapping of this calibur, of taking three people without anyone noticing.
So what would have happened? Who else could have been involved? Oh if only she could remember something Rudy had told her. But she still couldn't remember, and she wasn't even sure it was because Rudy did tell her and she forgot, or if he didn't tell her this and she was trying to conjure up a fake memory, which was possible. But the fact that she didn't know caused a headache to form and she found herself clutching her head, gritting her teeth.
Her sister took notice of this and swiveled her head over. "What is it?" Her voice was cautious, laced in sadness. "Did you think of something?"
Tilly let out a sigh and shook her head. "No... I thought I did, but I..." She closed her eyes and turned her head way. "No. I'm sorry."
Millie's face contorted in more sadness. "It's...all right. We're all stumped." She lowered her head and closed her eyes. "I just..can't believe that this happened."
"It's okay, Millie. We'll find them." Joe said, trying to be as comforting as possible. "You'll see."
Millie smiled up at her husband, but she didn't look all that comforted. She let out a sigh and lowered her head once more. Her eyes faced towards the ground, but it appeared as though she were looking at nothing. Her eyes had something of a vacant look in them. Well not fully vacant. Tilly could still see the spark of haunting in them. A look that only those who had lost a child could truly understand.
Tilly gritted her teeth as she looked away. She shut her eyes tightly, unable to fully let go fo the guilt she had started to feel. She knew she was purposely withholding information from her sister. Information that could help her better understand what happened. It was a terrible truth that she wished she could change. But she had promised Rudy that she wouldn't say a word. She couldn't betray his trust. She...
But what of her sister? And Joe? Was it really right to hold this information back during this time? With what was happening? It would be different if nothing big was going on and they were all at home, going about their lives as normal. But now? When they were all missing? And her sister and her sister's husband had no idea who would have taken them? That didn't exactly bode very well.
She looked down at her own daughter. Sophie was laying against her. The usually cheerful girl looked depressed. Occassionally, she'd look up and stare out hopefully, likely waiting for Rudy to show up. But when he didn't, she'd just say and lower her head.
The sight of Sophie like this made her heart twist. Tilly could tell just how much her daughter was hurting from not seeing Rudy. She had all but forgotten about their little spat earlier, and now all she wanted was to have Rudy back, to be with him, to play with him. Now he wasn't here, and she couldn't understand why.
Seeing her daughter reminded her of how she would feel if she were missing. It reminded her of a parent's love and how much they'd worry if their child were gone. It was because of that, she had started to have doubts of withholding such important information.
Only Tilly understood the most likely reason. Only she could deliver the news that may help them take further action.
She narrowed her eyes. There was no choice. She knew what she had to do. She could only hope that Rudy would forgive her when they find him. Or if they find him...
Tilly turned her head towards her sister. She placed her hand on her shoulder and gently shook her. Her sister let out a soft sniffle as she turned her head. Tilly felt her heart twist further when she saw the tear stains on her sister's cheeks. Her sister had tried so hard to keep her emotions in check and now that was failing.
Joe didn't look much better. Though he hadn't cried much yet, she could still see a strong sadness in his eyes, and she could see just how hard it was for him to keep himself composed. As with his wife, he stared at her, waiting for her to speak.
Tilly hesitated for a moment. She wasn't sure how to go about this, or how to word anything. A part of her feared what Rudy might think of her should he ever find out. But...this had to be done. He was in trouble, and his parents had the right to know what might be going on. Taking in a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for whatever backlash she might get, whether from her sister or nephew or from Joe, and she began to speak.
"I..I have something I need to tell you guys..."
At this, Joe and Millie looked at each other. They stared at one another in confusion, and then looked back at Tilly.
"I just...hope that you two will understand."
Joe and Millie frowned in confusion. For the time being, their sadness had faded away as uncertainty took over. They stared at Tilly in silence for a few seconds. Tilly paused, feeling a stronger sense of guilt when she saw the looks in their eyes.
"What..what do you mean?" Joe asked.
Millie stared at her sister in the eyes. "What are you talking about?"
Tilly closed her eyes and looked away. "Well..you see..."
She began to recount Rudy's story.
sss
Penny stared at Rudy sympathetically. She watched as he squirmed on the ground, trying in vein to get away from the agony. Even with Snap and Rapsheeba holding him down, he was still managing to move a little, his head jerking from one side to the other. It was an uncomfortable, horrible sight to behold, and unfortunately, there was little they could do about it.
Her mom hadn't been able to find any useful chemicals in this room, and what she did find was not labeled. She was not about to take chances and risk hurting Rudy move. So she refused to use them. This meant that Rudy had no painkillers to help soften the blow, and he was forced to lay there in shere agony. At least the tight bandages helped to allievate some of the bleeding. But still...
"Ahhh! Make it stop! Please!"
Penny whipped her head around when she heard Rudy screaming. Her pupils shrank as she watched him writhe more violently on the ground. He had managed to toss Snap away and Rapsheeba was now laying across him, trying to use her weight to hold him down. This didn't last very long and Rudy kicked her away.
"Rudy! Stop!" Penny shouted as she started to rush over. "You'll...!"
Her mother beat her to the punch. The woman closed the gap much faster. Just like before, she grabbed onto the boy's shoulders and pressed him down. She kept holding him even as the boy screamed and cried, his arms flailing at her in desperation. One of the hands struck her arm, the nails making small, but painful cuts. Her mother flinched, but still held on.
When Penny saw him try again, she immediately rushed over, resuming her charge. She grabbed onto the boy's left arm. She held on tightly, pushing it into the ground. She applied more pressure, but then suddenly she was stopped when Rudy let out a scream and his thrashing increased.
Penny realized that she had accidentally applied pressure to the bite wound. A wave of guilt rushed through her as she realized this, and her grip on the boy loosened up. This turned out to be a mistake when Rudy pulled his arm free and struck her across her face. She let out a scream as she was knocked back.
"Buckette!" Snap rushed to her side and knelt down beside her. "Are you okay?!"
Penny let out a soft groan. "Y-Yeah...I'm fine..." Penny pushed herself up with one hand, rubbing her face with the other. She felt a slight indention from partially torn skin. She looked down at the wound. Thankfully, it was quite shallow, and there were only tiny specks of blood.
Penny turned her attention back towards her mother. The woman was still holding down Rudy. The way her eyes were narrowed and her teeth were bared tightly suggested that she was having some trouble with the boy. This didn't at all surprise Penny. Rudy's thrashes were getting worse.
And how could she blame him either? The wound in his stomach might be treated, but the pain was still present. The boy was trying so hard to get away from it, and they could not help him with the pain. There was no medicine that they could give him. The poor boy was going to have to suffer through the shere agony of it all, with no hope of escape. The mere thought of that chilled Penny's blood. There's...there's got to be some way that they could help him.
Penny turned her attention towards the door. She narrowed her eyes as she looked at the locking mechanism. That was the one thing holding them back. That was the only reason they couldn't get out of here. If Von hadn't locked them in, they could take Rudy to another room with the right supplied and better treat his injury. Instead, they were stuck in here, and she had no idea when Von would come back. Or if he would come back...
It wasn't just Rudy who was in danger either. The zoners in ChalkZone were in danger as well. Blocky, too. He had been taken by that horrid man, dragged with to wherever the man decided to take him. She had no idea if the man was going to do more experimentations on Blocky, if he planned on killing him, if he planned on using him as bait... The only thing that she did know for certain was that he didn't take him just to let him go.
They all had to get out of here and fast. The longer they stayed in here, the closer they were letting Dr. Von Doktor get to victory. If they allow him to succeed, then it was only the beginning of the end for ChalkZone. The horrible things that would follow... She didn't want to imagine them.
But how would they get out with the door locked? Rapsheeba, Snap, and Howdy might be able to get out in 2D mode, but even then, they couldn't open the door once they were out. And leaving them out would only make them vulnerable to Von. Even the act of trying to find that chalkboard with the portal was too dangerous. What if Von were expecting them and was waiting for them? Or set up some kind of trap for when they attempted? It wouldn't be that hard to set up a water-based trap for them. Not much need for caution since water did not hurt him.
But Snap, Howdy, and Rapsheeba... They wouldn't be so lucky..
"Whoa! Hold on!" Howdy's cry brought Penny out of her thoughts. The puppet was hanging onto Rudy's head, which was jerking even more. "Please hold still! Calm down! Everything will be..."
Penny flinched when Rudy jerked his head to one side, using enough force to knock the zoner away from him. Howdy let out a scream as he sailed through the air and hit against Penny. She cradled him in her arms, staring down at him with concern.
"Are you okay?" Penny asked.
Howdy rubbed his head and shook it as if to regain his bearings. "For the most part." He looked over at where Rudy was. "What are we going to do? He won't calm down."
"Pain makes it hard for anyone to relax." Rapsheeba said. Her eyes held nothing but sympathy for Rudy. "Poor kid..."
"I wish there was something we could do help him. Oh if only we had some kind of medicine... Even a few over-the-counter painkillers would do wonders for him." Snap said sadly.
Penny nodded in agreement. "The only way I can see us reducing his pain is if we knock him out with a rock. But that would not be a good idea." She shook her head slowly. "That would only make his condition worse." She stared at her friends and then looked at Rudy. "As much as I hate the idea, all we can do now is wait it out and hope for the best."
A loud scream from Rudy chilled their blood. They stared in horror as Rudy's eyes bulged open wider, Penny's mom doing what she can to hold him still. Penny and the zoners looked at each other nervously, their hearts twisting up inside their chests.
"I don't know how much I like the idea of waiting..." Snap said, biting his lip.
"Me neither..." Howdy spoke softly. His body shook from the emotion all around him. "There has to be something that we can do..."
"It seems about all we can do is comfort him." Said Rapsheeba.
Penny nodded her head. Rapsheeba was right. Even if they couldn't stop the pain, they should at least try to comfort him. This meant getting close to his thrashing body, but they didn't have a choice. They needed to be close to him, to be able to touch him, comfort him. He needed them right now. He was always there for them. Now they needed to do the same for him.
The group of four walked cautiously over towards Rudy. Penny watched as her mom continued to hold the boy down. His legs were kicking out frantically, and his hands were pushed against her arms, his nails digging in. Penny saw a look of pain in her mother's eyes, but still she held on. She and her zoner friends took position by Rudy, each in a different location.
Penny was the first one to speak.
"Rudy, I know how much it hurts... But please, don't squirm around like this. You will only make it worse. Please Rudy, it pains us to see you like this. Please...please try to relax. You'll be okay. We promise."
Penny reached down and rubbed her hand along Rudy's arm gently. She was careful to avoid the bite wound that was on the arm. She then gently grasped his hand and pried it from her mother's arm, pulling back the digits as she did so. She allowed Rudy to grab her arm. She flinched, but held her ground. She merely used her other arm to continue to caress this one. She listened to his helpless whimpers, feeling her heart clench.
"Shh... It's going to be okay, Rudy." She whispered softly as she stared down at him. Rudy opened up one eye and looked at her. She nearly gasped when she saw just how pain-filled it was. "You'll be fine. I know it hurts. But you've got to relax. It'll only hurt worse the more you struggle. Shhh...it's okay..."
She and her friends did what they could to comfort Rudy. They spoke as gently as they could, even as the boy let out a few more screams of pain. They kept speaking softly to him, working together to try to calm him down.
sss
"You...you what...?" Millie whispered softly.
"How could you do that?" Joe was just as shocked.
Tilly lowered her head in shame. She would have loved to tell them otherwise. Alas, she could not. All she could do was stare at them sadly and nod her head slowly. "I'm not proud of it..."
"Well I should hope not!" Millie hissed, anger laced on her voice. "How could you hurt my son?! Your own nephew?!" Joe didn't say a word. He simply shared his wife's glare, staring at Tilly with a great intensity she rarely got from him.
Tilly had been recounting the story of what had happened. She had only wanted to tell small bits, but other things flowed out of her mouth, even when she didn't mean for them. And one of them was confessing to her sister that, after she discovered Rudy's secret, she had slapped him out of anger. Needless to say, the reaction her sister gave was expected and understandable.
She hadn't even fully explained her discovery yet. She did not give full details of ChalkZone. She had only mentioned she found something very strange on the chalkboard and that she had confronted Rudy about it, and that he had been hiding it for a long time. She had started to get into what it was to help them get a better idea of just why she reacted the way she did. But she didn't get very far when her sister and her husband blew up in her face.
"We trusted you, Tilly! We let you stay here because we thought you would be able to take care of our son! But you hurt him... You struck him and hurt him!" Millie snarled at her sister. Her expression was filled with hurt and betrayal. Tilly looked at her sadly, not bothering to speak up. "And what makes it worse, other than the fact that you're my sister, but you have Sophie there too!" She held her hand out to gesture to the little toddler. "You wouldn't do that to your own daughter, would you?"
"What?!" Tilly wailed. She shook her head rapidly. "No! Of course not!" How could her sister even suggest such a horrible thing?
"Then why did you do it to our boy?" Joe asked, narrowing his eyes. "You once told us that he was like a son to you." He folded his arms against his chest. "Well you've got a funny way of showing it..."
Tilly sighed softly, lowering her head in shame. She couldn't blame them for being angry. They had every right to be. She had hurt their son. It may have been an accident, but that didn't really change much. She was the one who lost her temper. She was the one who initiated the attack. She should have been more careful. She should have controlled herself more. Instead, she let her emotion get the better of her and she just...hit Rudy. She could still see his hurt look staring back at her...
She tried her best not to dwell on it too much. She had apologized to Rudy and he had accepted her apology. They had mended things between each other the best that they could. She would continue to remain guilt-ridden for a while, but at least she knew that Rudy had forgiven her.
Right now, she had to focus on continuing the story. There was more that she needed to tell them. More that they needed to know. She hadn't even gotten the more important parts of her story yet. She still had to tell them about ChalkZone, despite her promise to Rudy. They needed to know so that they were better able to find him and help him. Perhaps there was another way, but in the moment, she could not find one.
"There's still more I need to tell you." Tilly said. "So can you please let me continue?"
"Why should we? Do you think we want to listen to more of you beating up our son?" Joe snarled, baring his teeth.
Tilly felt her heart twist. "N-No... That's not what I..." Her voice trailed off as she stared at Millie and Joe. Their harsh glares made it difficult for her to say another word. She wished they would give her a chance to explain more. She wished they wouldn't let their anger get the better of them. There were more going on than they realized. They...
"I should report you for child abuse." Millie said, her voice icy cold.
Tilly's heart froze at this. She stared at her sister in shock. She tried to speak, tried to respond, but no words would come out. All she could do was mumble desperately, trying in vain to say something. But there was nothing more than silence.
After a few long, tense moments, Millie gave a sigh. She shut her eyes and placed a hand over her face. "But...you're still my sister. I don't know if I would be able to do that to you."
Tilly smiled. "I..."
"But I could."
Both women turned to Joe. The man's harsh glare never left Tilly's sights. Tilly shuddered. The man's glare felt like the closest thing to a laser beam being shot out at her. It felt as though something was weighing down on her, preventing her from moving.
Her sister, though still having a frown on her face, was looking at her husband with some instance of surprise in those eyes of hers. She didn't say a word just yet. She just looked at Joe as if he had lost his mind. The man gave no such indication. He looked ready to run towards the phone to dial the number for the police. In fact, if Millie weren't holding onto his arm, she was certain that's exactly what he would do.
"Joe..." Millie started to say. "Don't."
Joe turned to glare at his wife. "Are you kidding me?! She attacked our son! Aren't you.."
"Angry? Yes, I'm furious. She's my sister. Don't you think I feel hurt discovering that she attacked our only son?" Millie said. She glared over at Tilly, causing ice to go through her heart. She then gave a sigh and her frown lessened. "But she's still my sister, and I'm sure she's really sorry about what she did." She looked back at her sister. "Aren't you?"
Tilly didn't waste any time and nodded her head. "Yes, of course I am. I never meant to hit him. I let my anger gain control of me, and I am disgusted by that. I broke down after I realize what I did, and I apologized to him. He forgave me. We patched things up. Trust me, Millie and Joe. I would never ever do something like that on purpose. I will see to it that it won't happen again."
Sophie, who had a little understanding of what was being said, held onto her mother. "No go! No go!"
Millie's expression softened up when she saw Sophie cling to Tilly. Slowly, half of her mouth ticked into a very faint smile. "Oh sweetie... It'll be okay."
Sophie didn't look like she believed her. Tilly grunted as Sophie jumped further into her arms, pressing her head against her. She held Sophie close to her and whispered soft words to her. She did her best to reassure the little girl that everything was going to be okay. She looked over at Joe.
The man stared at her intently at first. The glare was still on his face. Then he looked down at Sophie. As he stared at the little girl, it seemed to get into his mind just how Sophie might feel if he jailed her mother. Slowly, his expression softened up, his facial muscles relaxing. He continued to stare at Sophie for a few more moments, his mouth partially open. Then the shut his mouth tightly and turned his head away.
"Okay, fine..." Joe growled softly. "I won't call." He turned his attention back to Tilly. "Go on... Continue your story."
"Thank you." Tilly said as she smiled at the two parents. They did not smile back. Her own faded away and she cleared her throat. "Now, as I was saying, Rudy wanted me to keep it a secret. But I.."
"Whoa whoa..." Joe waved his hand frantically in front of him. "Promised not to tell us what?"
"I don't think you got fully into that detail yet." Millie pointed out.
Tilly lowered her gaze. "Oh yeah..." She looked back at them. "I was just getting to that detail when..."
"Oh just tell us already!" Joe snapped at her. Tilly cringed back. Mille shot a glare at her husband. The man flinched at this. He made an effort to speak more softly. "I mean...can you please tell us...?"
Tilly couldn't believe what she was about to do. She couldn't believe that she was really going to betray Rudy like this. She told herself over and over again she had no choice. He was in trouble and she needed to tell her sister and her husband about it. If she didn't, they would never understand any of her suggestions, and may write them off as nothing.
The next words she would say would either shatter what they knew about the world or make them even angrier. She sucked in a deep breath, preparing to deliver the statement and await their reaction.
"Do you remember Terry Bouffant's rant about a fabled chalk world?" Tilly asked. At their nod, she continued. "Well...it's real."
"What...?" Millie asked softly as her and her husband's eyes widened in shock.
"And Rudy has been going to it for two years."
sss
Blocky couldn't stop shivering. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the man standing before him. The man looked so twisted, the accent of the light increasing this, casting dark shadows on the man's face and different parts of his body. The small zoner would have struggled if he could, but he was too frozen in fear to do anything.
He had a hard time wrapping his mind around this. How could this have happened? How did he get here? How did he not remember being carried away by this vile man? Blocky had little to go on, and at the moment, it didn't really matter to him exactly how all of this had happened. Right now, he was more interested in one thing: getting away.
But how was he going to get out of this? His body was too wracked in pain, his mind too frozne in fear, to do much of anything. He could also feel some cold shackles against his arms and legs. He had little room to manuever, and twisting around wouldn't help too much.
And now, there was yet another obstacle getting in his way. Something that took him a little while to realize.
They were now in ChalkZone.
A part of him was elated. He was glad to finally be back on familiar territory. Even the act of breathing ChalkZone's air was enough to help him feel a little better. But that faded away quickly when something else dawned on his mind. Since this was ChalkZone, it meant that he could not use his 2D powers to escape.
But it also meant something else. And it caused his blood to turn to ice. He hoped that this man would never know of this, but if he had taken him into ChalkZone, then chances were...he already knew...
The man could draw whatever he needed now. He could create any kind of torture device and use it on him if he so wished. On top of that, the man was now free to use any kind of fluid on him. This meant that he could test certain chemicals on him by drawing a bottle filled with the stuff and forcing him to drink it. He could also perform exploratory surgery on him after rendering him unconscious. The possibilities were endless.
And so were the horrors that swept through his mind and body. He could feel his shivering increase as he stared at the man in fear. He hoped and prayed that this man wouldn't go that far. He hoped that the man would be at least sensible and not do anything that would endanger his life, or the lives of any other zoner that he may decide to trap.
"P-Please...why are you doing this...?" Blocky knew it was pointless to ask. Through his pain-ridden mind, he recalled that the man cared little about the pain that he caused to a zoner. Still he felt like he needed to ask. "Why can't you just let me go...?"
Dr. Von Doktor approached him. He circled the platform that the zoner was strapped down into. Blocky tried to lift up his head to look, but he wound up irritating his wound, causing him to yelp and he stopped trying. He moved his pupils around, doing what he could to keep an eye on him. A few times, the man went out of his sight range, and his body tensed up at that.
It wasn't much of a relief when he could see him either. He kept looking at him, waiting for him to make a move against him. Waiting to be struck, waiting to be hurt, waited to be experimented on.
Then at last, the man stopped circling him, and positioned himself behind him. The green zoner struggled to look at him. He squirmed on the platform, ignoring the pain as he twisted himself from side to side just to get a good look at the man. All he was able to do was make out some color and blurred shapes in his peripherial vision. That did little to help him feel better. Then he felt pressure around his shoulder and he jolted. He quickly realized that the man had grabbed onto his shoulder.
"Please...what do you plan on doing with me...?" The rectangular zoner asked. A few tears formed in his eyes. "What are you going to do to m-me..?"
This time, Von responded. "Oh not much, really. For now. I haven't yet dezided what I want to do." The man's grip on his shoulder tightened slightly. Blocky winced at this. "Now zat we are in ChalkZone, zere'z zo much more I can do wiz you. You know, my draztic fleeing really did pay off. I should have come here much zooner. I no longer feel zo...limited."
Blocky felt his heart skip a beat this. He let out a few small whimpers as he watched the man walk out to his side. He towered over him, sneering down at his small form. His eyes, it felt like he was staring straight into his soul. Those eyes, they were filled with so many hidden promises, and none of them were good.
His mind raced when he saw the man lift up a the magic chalk, the ends sparkling. Normally, he didn't mind this, but the fact that the chalk was being wielded by someone who wanted to hurt him, that made the sparkling look much more ominous, foreboding. A warning to what was about to come.
"Here..juzt imagine what I could do. I wanted to ztudy your body in full, and here I can."
Blocky's face paled at this. He wanted to speak, but he could only manage more whimpering. Please no... He didn't want this... What did he do to deserve this...?
The man's smile grew more twisted. "I could inject you wiz zomezing zo I can prozeed wizout problem. I could tezt all kindz of ztuff on you. I have abzolutely no limits here." The man tilted his head, tapping his chin thoughtfully with the chalk. "I wonder what I should do firzt. Should I vivizect you, zee your internal organz? Should I do more extensive tezting of your skin? Should I figure out your digeztive zyztem?"
Blocky tried to shake his head. "N-No...please..."
"Zorry, but you don't get to decide. I do." Von said with a sneer.
Blocky whimpered at this. He shut his eyes and awaited the pain. At least if he had his eyes closed, he could try to partially block out what was happening. He braced himself for whatever pain the main was going to inflict upon him.
But when nothing happened, he felt a pang of confusion. He opened up his eyes and looked up, seeing that the man hadn't moved from his spot. At the moment, he was rubbing his chin, his eyes pointed upwards in a thoughtful manner. Blocky clenched his teeth. What was the man up to?
After a few moments, the scientist said, "But...I zink I will keep you alive longer. I don't really need to use you anymore for my experimentz." He stared at the magic chalk, his eyes flashing with something that Blocky could not explain nor enjoyed. "Wiz ziz, I can create my own zpecimenz.."
Realizing the full impact of what this meant, Blocky couldn't help but gasp in horror. The man was going off the deep end now. Rudy, Penny, Snap, the others... They had to hurry.
sss
"What? Are you crazy? We can't do that!"
"Why not?"
"It's too dangerous!"
"Well do you have any ideas?"
Rudy let out a soft groan as the voices plagued his head. He turned his head to head side, gritting his teeth. He couldn't see anything, but that's to be expected with his eyes shut. But he couldn't open them. He was just too tired for some reason. He was so exhausted and he didn't know why.
He tried to block out the voices. He tried to concentrate on sleeping. But that became a difficult task, if not impossible. He continued to hear them spout out words over and over. Sometimes they would make sense. Other times, they were just so darn confusing. It was as if they were speaking a foreign tongue. Complicating matters was how echoey the voices seemed at times. The thought would have chilled his spine if he were more aware of what was going on and where he was.
All that he was aware of was being in a room with lights that seemed, for some odd reason, too bright for him. He wasn't sure why. The lights were preventing him from getting a good look around. That was just another reason to add onto his overall tiredness, giving him more of a reason to just go to sleep.
But something was preventing him from doing so. He wasn't even sure if he could explain it. There was something in his mind telling him not to sleep, that he would be in a lot of trouble if he did. There was some kind of weird sensation in his stomach. He wasn't sure what was causing the burning. The feeling was familiar, as if he had felt this way before. And it was rather unpleasant.
Yet, despite that, he was not able to identify the emotion. It was as if his mind was too tired to be bothered with it. As a result, he was feeling something rather unusual, perplexing, almost scary, yet he was unable to appropriately react to it.
And he didn't find anything strange about this at all. He just wanted to sleep.
"Look I'm telling you it's the only way! Otherwise we'll be trapped here and who knows what Von is going to do once he gets there!"
"You mean if he gets there!"
But the voices certainly weren't going to help. They kept echoing in his mind, bantering back and voice. Odd thing was, the voices sounded the same. They were so distorted and warped, it resulted in this. For Rudy, it sounded as if the same person were speaking and arguing amongst thesmelves. All fine and good, but did they really have to be so loud?
Rudy attempted again to block them out. He curled up on the ground and pulled his arms over his head, attempting to block out the sound. His hands pressed against his ears firmly, hoping to try to filter out at least some of the sound so he could sleep.
"Well I... Oh no, Rudy don't do that!"
Rudy opened up one eye. He looked over at where the voice came from. A blurry shape amongst the bright light was heading towards him. He couldn't tell who it was, if it was anyone that he knew. He recognized some hint of concern on the voice, but it was so distorted and distant that he couldn't tell.
"You're going to hurt yourself if you do that!"
"Please!" Another figure came into view. This one seemed shorter, though not by a whole lot. "Get yourself onto your back! You can't lay on your side like that!"
Rudy wasn't sure what the voices were talking about. He was feeling just fine. He just needed to curl up and...
Suddenly, without warning, there was an unusual sensation creeping along his side. It was gradual, moving as though it were some kind of snake or serpent. He thought it was strange, but didn't think anything of it at first. He ignored the frantic voices and began to shut his eyes.
That only lasted a few seconds. The sensation rapidly grew more distressing, uncomfortable. His eyes could not remain closed and he ended up lifting his head. The sensation was rapidly growing more and more unbearable, then it became sharper, and he seethed through his clenched teeth.
And then came the screams.
"Ahhhh!"
"Hold him still!"
"Oh man, I thought we had calmed him down already!"
"Do it again!"
Oh gawd, the pain... Where was it all coming from? Why was his stomach feeling as though it was on fire? Why did it feel as though someone took a sword and stuck it through there? The boy found himself squirming on the ground, unable to stop. He turned his head from one side to the other, constantly letting out screams and cries of pain. He was still unaware of his surroundings. He still didn't know who was here with him. All that he knew was that he was in pain and that he had to get out of here now.
Then to add to his fear, he felt something grabbing onto him. Something warm yet firm. His limbs were being pinned down at his sides. He let out a scream of terror. It was then he realized what he was feeling before. It was fear and apprehension. Was this the reason why?
He felt something brush up beside him. With his arms restrained, instincts told him to use the remaining thing available. Rudy struck out with his head blindly, snapping his jaws at whatever was closest to him. He hit something. Weird texture but fleshy. He bit down hard.
"Ow! Rudy! Stop! It's me, Snap!" The voice cried. "Stop biting me, please!"
Snap? He didn't recal Snap sounding this distorted. But then, the voice did appear to have an accent that time. One that did sound a little like his friend...
Rudy didn't have time to react. He felt someone grab onto his head. Something gripped his lower jaw and applied pressure. Rudy squeezed his eyes shut from the pain, the fingers causing irritation to his jaw as it was being forced down. He fought against it, turning his head to one side. It didn't help him for long and soon his mouth was pried open. Whatever was in his mouth slipped out with ease.
"Now, Rudy, I need you to..."
Unable to control himself, his mind overwhelmed with pain, terrified of not being able to move his arms, Rudy slammed his jaws onto the fingers that had been opening his mouth against his will. He heard a screech and he knew he hit his target. He bit down hard, unwilling to let go.
"Rudy! Let go! You're only making this worse! Rudy, I.. ow!"
"What are we going to do?!" One voice called out, sounding terrified. "He's gone mad with pain!"
"We tried comforting him, but I don't think that's going to work. I think Von hit a very sensitive nerve there!"
"How are we going to stop him now?"
Rudy felt a loud thud in his head. It was the agony. It was coursing through his body, swimming like some kind of massive lizard that got inside, constantly trying to claw its way out. The imaginary sharp talons were raking on his side, trying to rip it open, desperately trying to claw its way out. The more it struck, the more pain invaded his mind, the harder he bit down.
The voices around him grew more frantic. At this point, he stopped listening to what they were saying. He still didn't know who they were, but he was having doubts that they were his friends. Even in his confused, pain-ridden mind, he could remember that his friends would never restrain him like this. They must be imposters. They want to use him for something. They must have been the ones who actually hurt him.
Yes...that's where the pain was coming from. They were hurting him right now. They were trying to hold him still so they could hurt him more. Well not today. He was not going to let them get away with this.
He began to struggle harder. He used as much energy as he could. He tried to pull back his arms. His legs, he noticed they were still free. He began to kcik with them, trying to hit against those that dare to hurt him. He would make them pay for this.
He hit one of his targets.
"Ouch! Rudy! What'd you do that?!"
Rudy merely let out a scream, muffled partially by the finger that was in his mouth. One that was not just tinged in pain, but also anger. He did not speak. His wide, bulging eyes could not register the pain of the light. All that he knew was escape and survival.
"Rudy, let go!"
Rudy felt something hit against his head. He merely growled, tightening his grip, hearing his attacker cry out in pain. Again and again he was hit in the head, yet he refused to release his grip. There was no way that he was going to let them go. Not until they let him go.
"Wait! I think I found something!"
"What is...where did you find that?"
"It was over there! Do you think it'll work?"
A pause. "It might, but we will need the right dosage."
Right dosage for what? Rudy's mind began to fill with some curiosity.
"I'll go get the needle." Said one of the voices. "I'll make sure it's the right about. You guys just focus on holding him down."
Rudy's eyes widened at this. Realizing that he might be in terrible danger, he let go of the finger and he began to scream loudly. Not just out of fear, but also an attempt to scare away his attackers. It was sort of like how a cat would hiss or a dog would snarl.
Then, finding his voice, he began to scream words.
"Don't you fucking dare touch me you monsters! Don't come near me! I'm warning you! I'll rip you apart!"
"...oh, Rudy... How can you say that...?" One of the voices said. They sounded distressed, but Rudy did not care.
"I swear, if any of you dares to touch me, I'll bite off your finger!" He tossed his head from side to side. "Don't think I'm joking either! I'll do it! I fucking swear I will do it! I..."
His voice went silent when he felt something cold and sharp in the side of his neck. His eyes bulged and he took in a sharp intake of breath. The needle pushed further into his skin and he thought he could detect something cold his body.
His eyes bulged. What were they going to do with him? His struggles increased. He tried desperately to get free. He had to keep trying harder. There's got to be someway to get out of here. There has to be. This couldn't be happening. No... Rudy let out a series of screams as he tried to get away, tried to get up and run. His attackers held him down, preventing escape. He cursed them out, trying his damnest to bite or hit them.
They tried to trick him. They tried to tell him it was going to be all right. Such filthy liars... He would get out of here. He would escape. He would make sure they paid for what they did. He...
Suddenly, he started to feel really tired. His eyes started to flutter shut. His anger and his fear began to melt away as exhaustion started to take him over once more. He smacked his lips together slowly. Oh man, he was so tired... Had he ever gone to sleep recently? He wasn't sure, and he found it harder to keep his eyes open.
Then came the darkness and calmness. Rudy never felt more at peace before. He looked around, and the dark figures that had been restraining him no longer seemed so frightening. They seemed more...inviting. Rudy rested his head on the ground and let out a sigh of contentment.
sss
"Wait! I'm not so sure about this!" Tilly called out.
Millie shot her sister a glare. "You don't have to come if you don't want to. But if you cared at all about Rudy..."
Tilly snapped her head back at that. "I'm not saying I don't. I just think we should think this through more. What if we accidentally make things worse?"
Joe sighed at this. "I...suppose I understand. But Tilly, we can't just let this go." He held his hand out in gesture. "I'm not even sure if what you're saying about this chalk world is the truth. I know your daughter seems to believe it..." He glanced down, watching the little girl clutch against her mother. "But that doesn't mean we have to. But that doesn't even matter right now. If that guy has our son..."
"I hope you understand why we have to go, Tilly. I'm sure you do. You have a daughter." Millie said. "If she were in danger, you would do whatever it took to help her, right?"
"Well, yes, but..." Tilly began to say.
"Then you know why we are going." Millie finished before she could get another word in edgewise.
Millie stared at her sister, her gaze unwafering, showing her that she meant what she said. She had no idea if her sister spoke the truth about this ChalkZone. The idea was rather shocking, and the idea of Rudy keeping it from them was unsettling. She didn't want to believe her own son would lie to her about this. A part of her just wanted to label her sister a lunatic and have her sent somewhere to get help.
But she couldn't do that to Sophie. Who would take care of her? Well she supposed she could, but would Sophie even understand what was going on? Would she realize she was the reason her mom was gone? Would she grow to resent her for it?
Besides, there was a more important matter at hand. Right now, Millie didn't care if her sister was crazy or not. She did just give them enough information to give them a lead.
If this Dr. Von Doktor guy thought he could get away with this, if he thought for one minute that she was going to allow him to hold her son and friend hostage, he was going to have another think coming. She didn't care if her sister would help her or not. She and her husband would do what they could to get Rudy back, with or without her help.
"I'm sorry, Tilly." Millie said. "But this is the way it has to be."
Tilly looked at her sister sadly. "Please... It might be too dangerous. I..."
"You don't have to come with us. We would never ask that of you. You have someone to look after." Joe looked at Sophie a second time. He looked back at Tilly. "Millie and I will go to Dr. Von Doktor's place on our own. If our son is there, we'll get him back."
Tilly stared at them, her eyes wide in desperation and uncertainty. Millie felt a pang of guilt. She had never seen her sister look at them this way before. She wanted to tell her something to help her feel better, but she knew that wasn't going to happen. They had made up their minds. Even if it turned out to be a false lead...
It was all they had.
After a few moments, Tilly seemed to accept that she wasn't going to be able to stop them. She sucked in a deep breath and sighed. She whispered two simple words.
"Be careful."
"Don't worry." Joe replied. "We will."