Mr. Wilter didn't have any idea that this would happen. How could he have? This was a hospital. It was supposed to be safe. Mr. Cosmo should not have known he was here. He shouldn't have been able to come in so sneakily like he had. He shouldn't have been able to take him and everyone else by surprise.
And yet..that's exactly what ended up happening...
Mr. Wilter had ran into Rapsheeba a few minutes ago. She was on her way to get something to drink. Mr. Wilter decided to go with her. Even though he couldn't drink the water in ChalkZone, that was no reason why he couldn't go with Rapsheeba.
But on their way down, there was a loud explosion. He heard the loud pained screech of Tsere. He rushed towards the front of the building where the explosion came from. He could see Tsere laying on the ground, unconscious. There were several burn marks of where the explosion had hit him.
Horrified, Wilter rushed over to check on Tsere. He checked for a pulse, and thankfully there still was one. Mr. Wilter looked around the damaged waiting room. Pieces of glass now lay on the ground, shattered and ready to slice up anyone dumb enough to go barefoot. The shockwave of the explosion had knocked the doctors in the receptionist area unconscious.
Mr. Wilter had wondered who would attack a hospital. Then he realized there was one person sick enough to do that, and that was Mr. Cosmo. He looked left and right, trying to keep an eye out for the madman. He heard footsteps behind him. He turned around just in time to have a fist slammed against his face. He tumbled down to the ground.
He heard Rapsheeba scream. He opened his eyes and saw as she rushed towards Mr. Cosmo. She didn't get too far as Mr. Cosmo managed to kick her hard. On the ground she lay, writhing in pain as she held her stomach. She managed to get to her feet, but by then Cosmo had made a dash down the hallway.
As Rapsheeba helped Wilter up, they both realized just what Cosmo came here for. They ran towards Snap's room, hoping they weren't too late. Snap couldn't be taken away from the place that was treating him. He...he might not make it...
By the time they had reached the room, they were too late. Mr. Wilter's eyes widened in horror as he saw Mr. Cosmo stand on the windowsill. In his arms, he held Snap against himself. Snap was trying to struggle, but his efforts were weak and futile. Mr. Cosmo gave Mr. Wilter an evil smile before he jumped out the window.
Wilter and Rapsheeba screamed in shock and rushed towards the window. They saw that Draow was with him. The winged wolf flapped in front of the window. They realized he no longer held Snap and at first, they feared he had dropped him on purpose. They were somewhat relieved that Draow was holding Snap in his talons, but that did not make the situation much better.
Draow let out a roar at them before he turned and flew off away from the hospital.
Mr. Wilter stared as Draow disappeared into the distance. His eyes widened. He couldn't believe it. He had failed. Mr. Cosmo was right. He could have saved the hospital from this attack if he had been more alert. And Tsere was hurt because of his neglect...
He shook his head. Now wasn't the time to feel sorry for himself. He rushed back to the front of the hospital. He went outside, being careful to step over the debris, and went up to Tsere's head. He placed hand on the pterosaur's head and nudged him a little. The pterosaur's eyes slowly opened and he let out a weak squawk.
Mr. Wilter was thankful that Tsere still seemed to have some strength left. Though badly injured, he could still move. He managed to get onto his feet. The dust and debris on his back slide off as he stood up straight. He lowered himself so Mr. Wilter could climb onto his back.
"Hold on!" Raspheeba called out, rushing out the door. "I want to go with!"
Mr. Wilter contemplated this. He knew that she was Snap's friend and she did have every right to go and try to save him. But on the other hand, she could get hurt again. He didn't want to be responsible for the accident, or even death, of another zoner. It might be safer for Rapsheeba to stay behind than go with him. But still, she is Snap's friend.
It took him a while to decide on a course of action. He finally decided to let her come with. It may have been the better call. He could use the extra help. Plus she was a zoner and likely knew where a lot of places in modern day ChalkZone were.
And Mr. Wilter had a rough idea on where Mr. Cosmo had taken Snap.
Mr. Wilter reached down and grabbed Rapsheeba's hand. He pulled her up onto the back of the pterosaur. She hung onto him for support. Tsere spread out his wings. He ran along the road. Though he faltered due to his injuries, he hadn't slowed down much. In a matter of seconds, he jumped into the air and started to fly up towards the sky.
Mr. Wilter could not see Mr. Cosmo or Draow yet. They must have gotten much further than he thought. Draow could fly pretty fast if he put his mind to it. That did not mean they couldn't catch up, though. Tsere was even faster at flying.
The pterosaur's wings flapped harder, pushing himself through the air faster. Already they were picking up speed. So long as Tsere kept this up, it shouldn't take them long to catch up to Mr. Cosmo and Draow. He just hoped that they would catch up in time before Cosmo decided to 'drop some weight', if he felt he had no other choice.
"Rapsheeba. Where is the Chalk Mine?" Mr. Wilter asked.
The question clearly surprised Rapsheeba. She looked at him with a confused expression.
"Why do you need to know that?" Rapsheeba asked.
"I haven't been in this area in a while and I can't tell from where which way to..." Mr. Wilter started to say.
"No, I mean..." Rapsheeba tried to find the words to say. "What makes you think Mr. Cosmo took Snap there?"
"Nothing specifically...but I know him well enough that..." Mr. Wilter narrowed his eyes. He felt the anger start to rise up inside of him as he thought of just what Cosmo was going to do. "He is certain he is close to victory. Whatever is going on in the Chalk Mine, Mr. Cosmo clearly believes that he will win in the end. And he wants everyone to witness it..."
"So he kidnapped Snap to..." Rapsheeba started to say.
"Just to ensure that Snap will be present when it all goes down." Mr. Wilter said. "Just so that he will be able to witness the beginning of the end... And perhaps also to make sure Snap will be in the immediate area so he can kill him off..."
Rapsheeba gasped in horror. "That's...that's terrible!"
"But don't worry...he is not going to get too far..." Mr. Wilter said with determination.
Tsere began to pick up speed. He moved faster and faster. Rapsheeba had to hold on tighter for fear of falling off. Wilter didn't bother gripping tighter. He had flown on Tsere many times before and was used to his methods of flying, both slow and fast. He kept an eye out for any sign of Draow. It shouldn't be long now.
And sure enough, he spotted him. A small dot at first, but it grew rapidly in size. He could now make out the wings of the beast, flapping up and down. Tsere opened his beak and shut it, as if he realized squawking would reveal that he was coming in from behind.
Snap was still being held in his talons. He looked frightened, his arms pinned against his sides by the strong toes. The sharp tips pushed against his body, which caused pain as evident by a few flinches from the blue zoner. Snap tried, a few times, to struggle, but each wriggle only scraped the claws along his body, making his situation even worse.
Tsere started to go lower. He dove down a little. Then he flapped harder, moving faster. Mr. Wilter looked up. So far, there was no indication that either Cosmo or Draow had spotted or sensed them. Tsere was doing an excellent job at keepin quiet. Mr. Wilter smirked a little. Cosmo is not the only one who knows how to be a little sneaky around here.
Tsere darted upwards. Wilter and Rapsheeba hung on tightly, fighting against gravity as Tsere rose at an increasily rapid pace into the air. Tsere flew up in front of Draow, causing the winged wolf to recoil in surprise. Mr. Cosmo was just as shocked by this.
"What the...?!" Mr. Cosmo shouted.
"Hand over Snap!" Mr. Wilter ordered, his finger jabbed in Cosmo's direction.
Mr. Cosmo blinked a few times. Then he snickered. "Do you really think that you can just get him back...just like that...?" Mr. Wilter growled. "Well...if you want him back...come and get him..."
With that, Draow let out a roar and raced forward. Tsere barely dodged out of the way as Draow flew pasted him. His wing claw cut against Tsere's wing membrane. The pterosaur let out a loud screech, freezing in midair for a few seconds. He almost lost started to fall down, but he regained his balance and squawked at Draow.
Mr. Wilter watched as Cosmo got Draow to fly even faster. The wings of the beast beat rapidly, pushing himself to go faster. It was still not enough to outfly Tsere, but then Draow would pull manuevers to make Tsere lose his place.
The most common thing Draow would do is move off to the side. Whether Tsere tried to come in from above or below, from the front or from behind, at the last second, he'd move to either the left or the right. The result would be that Tsere would end up overshooting his attack, giving Draow time to fly around him and get in front again.
Draow was better at manuevering like this than Tsere. Although Tsere was a good flyer himself, he was unable to compete with how fast Draow was able to change directions, and because of this, they were no longer able to get close enough to try to take Snap back.
And all the while, they could hear Snap's cries for help. He knew they were there trying to save them. He struggled in Draow's talons, even though it was no use. He kept shouting at them to save him. He was eventually silenced when Draow squeezed him hard. This caused Snap to gasp from pain and almost pass out. He went limp in the beast's claws.
As they continued to fly, trying to rescue Snap, Rapsheeba confirmed what Mr. Wilter had suspected the whole time.
"The Chalk Mine!" She cried. "We're practically over it now!"
Mr. Wilter narrowed his eyes. "Just as I thought..."
But what happened next, Mr. Wilter did not predict. He thought that Mr. Cosmo would have Draow land, grab Snap, and rush into the cave. He thought that he'd want Snap to witness Cosmo's victory before he is struck down.
Yet...that isn't what happened. Mr. Wilter's heart froze as he realized that he might have made the situation so much worse for Snap by attempting to take him back rather than waiting until they were on the ground before making a move.
"I tire of our little chase..." Mr. Cosmo said nonchalantly. He turned his head and addressed the next line to Snap. "I was going to save this for later..but why not..I'll give it to you now...you deserve it..."
Draow froze in the air, hovering above the Chalk Mine. They were about thirty to forty feet up in the air. Mr. Wilter hollered for Tsere to move faster, his voice filled with dread as he realized just what Mr. Cosmo was going to do.
Draow looked down at Snap, manuevering his foot to examine his prey with contempt. Snap trembled, staring into the beast's eyes. Then he opened his jaws, and did something that Snap clearly had no idea that he was capable of doing.
In a dark voice, Draow spoke, "May a rock...crush your skull!"
Before Snap had time to react, the bat wolf released him. Snap screamed as he started to fall down towards the ground below.
"Snap!" Wilter and Rapsheeba cried in unison.
As Cosmo and Draow went towards the Chalk Mine, Tsere veered off and dove down to where Snap was falling. He pressed his wings against his body, becoming a bullet in the air. He fell further, faster and faster, trying to get to Snap before it was too late. Snap was falling towards some jagged-looking rocks. Tsere squawked as he tried to pick up speed.
Slowly, the pterosaur started to catch up to the falling blue boy. But it wasn't going to be enough. He needed to move faster. He pushed himself harder. Rapsheeba started to cry, thinking that they may not reach him in time. Wilter had faith in Tsere, cheering him on.
Tsere narrowed his eyes. He straightened his neck out, attempting to slice through the air at a faster rate. Now he was really picking up speed. And soon, he was getting close enough to Snap to grab. But instead of grabbing him, Tsere moved down underneath. Then he brought out his wings and started to flap steadily. He remained in place as Snap fell onto his back.
Snap landed in Rapsheeba's arms. She hugged him gently, minding his injuries. Snap trembled, shaken up by what had happened. As he tried to calm down, Mr. Wilter ordered Tsere to go to the Chalk Mine and land.
Once on the ground, Mr. Wilter climbed off of Tsere. He turned around and helped Rapsheeba down, then Snap.
"Are you okay, Snap?" Mr. Wilter asked as Rapsheeba set Snap on the ground, allowing him to lean against one of Tsere's legs.
Snap was still shaking violently. It was clearly from fear. Snap was making some low whimpers, tears flowing down his fast. Mr. Wilter couldn't blame him. He was very close to death. If it hadn't been for Tsere, he wouldn't have made it...
"Y-Yeah...I'm okay..." Snap said. He gave a small smile to Mr. Wilter. "Thank you..."
Mr. Wilter nodded at him, then turned his attention to the cave. No doubt Mr. Cosmo went in already. Draow was certainly accompanying him. Wilter knew they had to act fast and get in there before Mr. Cosmo could accomplish his goal. He knew that Mr. Cosmo would want to make sure Rudy uses the black chalk, to corrupt him, and would kill anyone he did not deem necessary. And if they didn't hurry, he just might succeed...
"We can't stand around here." Mr. Wilter said. He gestured to the two zoners. "Rapsheeba, take Snap back to the hospital. I'll go in and try to slow down Mr. Cosmo."
Rapsheeba nodded her head and picked up Snap. She gently carried him as Wilter headed towards the Chalk Mine. However, neither of them got far as something large flew out from the cave. Wilter realized it was Draow. The bat wolf flew so fast that Tsere could not react.
A screech of pain split the air as Draow bit down on Tsere's wing. There was a sickening crunch and Draow twisted his head back. Blood spilled the ground. The pterosaur fell to the ground, twitching in pain. Draow placed a foot on his back and roared at him.
Mr. Wilter gasped in horror. "Tsere...no!" He took a step back as Draow turned his attention on them. Wilter turned to Rapsheeba and Snap. "Run! Get into the cave!"
Draow licked his lips as he watched them rush towards the cave entrance. He pawed the ground, spreading out his wings in anticipation.
"Going somewhere?" Draow asked mockingly.
With that, Draow bolted into a run. Using his wings to help him move faster, he quickly gained on the retreating trio. He jumped at them, mouth agape. Wilter, Rapsheeba, and Snap screamed in horror and tried to pick up their pace. Draow landed on the ground just inches behind them, the resulting quake almost causing them to lose their footing.
Draow quickly broke into a run. While the trio managed to get into the cave, it wasn't going to be enough to save them. And by the look of Draow's twisted smile, the beast knew this to be the case as well. He picked up the speed and let out a roar. Tensing the muscles in his legs, he jumped through the air, bringing his talons forward to rip the two zoners and human into shreds.
"Puny little things! Prepare to die!"
Before he could reach them, something large swatted him away. He howled in pain as he crashed into the ground. It took Wilter a second to realize who had just saved them.
"Biclops!" Wilter shouted, elated at seeing the giant.
Biclops glared down at the wolf bat creature. Draow shook his head as he recovered from the blow. He stared up at the giant. His ears flattened against his skull and he gave a snarl. He jumped up at Biclops. The giant, being larger, grabbed Draow by his neck and squeezed hard.
Draow let out a screech and began to struggle in Biclops's grasp. But it was no use. The giant had him with a vice grip. He threw Draow into the ground once, hard enough to daze the beast. Draow let out a whine and struggled even more in the giant's hand.
As Biclops held Draow, he looked down and saw Mr. Wilter. His eyes widened in shock. "..W-Wilter?! What are you..."
"No time to explain!" Wilter shouted. "Rudy's in danger! Cosmo is in the Chalk Mine!"
Biclops's face paled. "Cosmo...he is back...?"
"Yes! And he's going to force Rudy to use the black chalk!"
"The black chalk?!" Biclops cried in horror. "Then we must hurry!"
sss
When Rudy threw the second grenade, Penny barely had time to get out of the way. She scrambled to her feet. She didn't get far when it exploded. She winced as she felt the chilling burn against her back, tearing her clothes. She turned around to try to fight back.
Rudy advanced towards her slowly, menacingly. The black glow trails had gotten even smaller now, and his corruption level was much higher already. She was running out of time to free him. But with Skrawl now unconscious and her almost out of chalk, it was beginning to look hopeless for her.
Rudy threw another grenade at her. This time, she did manage get far enough away from it before it damaged her. She looked at what little chalk she had left. She looked back at Rudy. She needed to find some way to at least constrain him. Then maybe she could use the last bit of chalk to create rope, which she could use to pull the black chalk away from his hands without having to touch it herself.
"Warning. User corruption at 85%."
She bit her lip. There was so little time left. She had to act fast.
She drew a long piece of rope. She then tied one end of it to create a loop. She started to whip it around in the air like a lasso. Rudy just smirked at her, clearly not believing that she'd be able to do anything. He quickened his pace, getting out his black chalk to continue the duel.
Penny threw the rope at Rudy. She managed to get it to go around his body. She pulled tightly. Rudy grunted in surprise as the rope tightened around him, pinning his arms to his sides. Unfortunately, this didn't last very long. Rudy merely took the black chalk and drew a small knife, which he used to cut the rope. It took hime a little longer due to his arms being pinned, but he still managed to do it.
Then he grabbed the rope. Penny's eyes widened as Rudy yanked the rope forward. She tumbled towards him. He grabbed her by the neck and, displaying unusual strength for a 15 year old, lifted her off the ground with ease.
"Rudy..please...this isn't you! Fight it!" Penny begged, her eyes wide with fear.
Rudy threw her against the ground. The force knocked the last bit of white chalk from Penny's hands. She tried to get at it, but Rudy put his foot down on her chest, pinning her firmly. Penny tried to pry his foot off, but it was no use.
She watched, helpless, as Rudy drew another weapon. This one looked like a spear, only the end was heavily serrated and looked like it could cut through anything. Electricity danced around it, sparking every so often.
"Please..don't do this..." Penny whispered, tears filling her eyes.
Rudy narrowed his eyes at her. He slowly raised the lightning spear.
"Warning. User corruption at 95%."
Penny trembled at the sight of Rudy raising the weapon above her, fully intent on killing her with it. His eyes were wild with a mix of fury and disgusting satisfaction. Then Penny heard something that made her blood freeze.
"Emergency! Full user corruption imminent!"
That sent shockwaves through Penny. Tears flowed from her eyes faster. No it wasn't possible...Rudy couldn't be gone..no...
She stared as Rudy grinned evilly at her. She could see the muscles in his arms tighten, poised for the strike. She trembled, horrified by what all this had led to. She had...she had lost her best friend. Then, Rudy struck down.
Penny let out a scream and turned her head away. "Rudy don't! Please! Don't!"
She waited for the blow...and it never came. Penny kept her eyes closed, trembling. When she realized Rudy wasn't striking, she opened up her eyes and looked up above her.
Rudy was staring down at her. The black glow was still there, but his eyes were wide in shock. His body was trembling, like he was having a hard time pulling the weapon down. Penny realized, in horror, that the spear was just inches from her head. Slowly, it was pulled further back away from her.
Rudy jerked his body backwards, grunting in determination. She watched as he moved himself away from her. It was clear he was fighting the corruption. He gritted his teeth as he was starting to lose the battle again. But his resistance had bought just a tad bit of time.
And that was all that was needed. Skrawl had gotten up just at that point and was rushing over. When he got up to Rudy, he slapped his hand hard.
"Drop that thing!" Skrawl shouted.
He had hit the hand with enough force that the black chalk was thrown from Rudy's hand. It hit the ground with a glassy clang and rolled to a stop next to Shimmer's unmoving form.
Skrawl and Penny watched as the black glow quickly left Rudy. His eyes returned to their normal green color. He stammered a little, shaking his head like he didn't know what was going on. His breathing became ragged and he swayed back and forth. He almost fell over. Penny was about to catch up, but Rudy managed to plant his feet on the ground.
Rudy stared at Penny for several seconds. His expression showed that was he was confused, at least at first. He looked around, and slowly, it seemed the recent events began to sink into his mind. He saw the damage that he himself had caused. He saw the bodies of the zoners he had killed. He looked at Penny and Skrawl, seeing their injuries.
His eyes widened in horror as he seemed to realize what had just transpired. He put his hands to his mouth, his pupils dilating. His body started to tremble.
"N-No...no...I..." Rudy's eyes began to stream tears. "What have I done...?"
Penny rushed over to him and wrapped her arms around him. Rudy did not react to the hug. His eyes remained wide and he started to cry. Penny held onto him, rubbing his back and whispering comforting words.
"What have I done...?" Rudy whispered in a shaky voice. "I...I couldn't stop..."
"It's okay, Rudy..." Penny whispered, hugging him tightly. "It's okay...it's over now...Shhh..."
Rudy just continued to cry in her arms.