Snap's mind felt like it turned into a block of ice. As he walked down the street, slowly back to where the old building was so he could return home, he found it hard to think of anything. Nothing...except what he had just seen in Rudy's bedroom.

That blood...so much blood... Was it even possible his friends were even alive after that? They must have had some serious injuries to lose that much blood. And their attacker...from the damage he had seen, he must have tossed them around a little. He wouldn't be surprised if his friends were suffering from some internal bleeding as well. The blood...he couldn't get it out of his mind.

He didn't want to give up hope on them. He wanted to believe that his friends were okay. That they were alive somehow and waiting for help. Yes, that might be the best thing to believe. Draow wouldn't want them dead so fast. If he was anything like Cosmo, and he knew that he was, he would want to torment them first. And as much as he hated the idea of his friends being tortured and put through so much misery, it did still give him a chance to find them and rescue them.

As he cleared his mind a little, he thought about what the next course of action should be. He had no doubt in his mind that they were taken to ChalkZone. Heading back there was priority. Plus he couldn't stay in the real world for very long. Even the act of standing in the real world was dangerous for him for too long during certain days. Not just rainy days, but humid days. The moisture in the air eats away at his body, and it itched, and if he stayed too long, it would start being pretty painful.

Normally, he wouldn't even dared go into the real world without Rudy or Penny with him. He was helpless to get back on his own should they lose access to the portal. And he felt safe with his friends; they would know what was dangerous to him and help him avoid it at all coss. Being taken by Cosmo for a few days had made him even more apprehensive about going into the real world alone.

He had overridden this fear when he knew his friends were in danger. He needed to know what had happened, see it for himself. It was the only way for him to decide what he should do next. And though he felt nervous being in the real world, he was glad he went. As much as it terrified him to see all that blood, he felt better having an idea of what happened to his friends.

He hadn't left the house right away. He had cried for several minutes, just letting it all out. The emotion built up inside of him, and he couldn't hold it back. The fear of what happened, the fear that his friends might be gone, it was more than he could handle, and he just broke down.

He managed to make himself get up when he heard the sound of the door opening. He could hear soft crying, and voices. Rudy's parents had went back into the house. Just them. Penny's mom must have left and Terry was likely gone too, maybe to go back to her newswagon or whatever it was called to edit the footage for broadcast.

Although Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie stayed downstairs, trying to comfort each other, Snap had to leave. He couldn't take the chance of them finding him. He didn't want to risk them mistaking him for their son's attacker. He would never hurt Rudy, but they wouldn't know that. They weren't aware of the strong friendship he had with their son, as well as Penny. For all they knew, he was an intruder, and once they saw he was made of chalk dust, he shuddered to think of how they might react.

Snap left the house the same way he came in. That meant going by the dreaded water again. This time, he did manage to control his fear a little. He kept telling himself that it wasn't going to hurt him, that it wasn't going to jump up and race towards him. He slipped around the small puddles of water and went out through the window, all the while being as quiet as he could.

And now, after some time of walking, trying to remember which way to turn, Snap could see the building up ahead. It was on the other side of the street, and, judging from the light, he would have to wait to cross. He watched the cars zip by. He coughed a little as he accidentally inhaled a bit of car smog. He had to stop and wonder how these humans managed to live like this.

Then, something caught his attention. The smell in the air, it had changed. He didn't notice until now. Before, he didn't really smell much of anything except some smog, and some food off in the distance. Food that he couldn't eat unless he wanted to kill himself or, at the very least, make him sick. He had no idea how long the smell was there, and nothing about it seemed familiar.

It was...an almost chemical dampy kind of smell. Nothing like the vinegar. He shuddered at the memory. This was less intense, and yet it still smelled thick and heavy. Snap looked around, trying to find the source of the smell. He forgot all about watching the traffic ahead, and he spent some time walking around, trying to figure out the smell.

Then, slowly, he turned his head up. He wondered...could the smell be coming up from the sky? Now that he thought about it, the sky was looking unusually dark...

His eyes widened. He let out a gasp of fear. No...no not now...

His mind began to race, and as he heard the sound of thunder in the distance, it took all his strength not to scream aloud, which would have drawn unwanted attention to himself. He heard the sound of drops hitting against the ground. Tiny drops, and they hadn't yet reached him. But that would all change in a matter of seconds...

Without thinking, Snap bolted across the street. Several cars screeched to a halt. He heard humans spewing insults at him, waving their fists in anger. The loud honking of cars filled his eardrums, almost overshadowing the thunderclap that sounded.

Snap ran as fast as he could. He watched the ground start to get a little wet. Droplets fell all around him. His heart began to race. If he didn't get inside that building soon... He pushed himself to go faster, his throat getting dryer by the second. He could see the building to his side. He just needed a few more seconds... Just a couple more seconds, please...

Snap slammed himself against the door. He didn't bother opening it. He used his two dimensional powers to squeeze under the door. As soon as he got inside, he heard another thunderclap and the rain falling down much heavier than before. He walked over to a window and he let out a scream when he took notice of what was going on out there.

It was like a mansoon had struck. The rain came down thick, filling almost every part of the air with water. The wind picked up, washing the water across the ground. Already, there was a thin sheet of water on the ground, being rippled and rolled around by the wind. Another crack of thunder rattled through Snap's body, making his heart beat faster and faster as realization sunk in.

If he had just been a few seconds late, he would have...he would have been...

Tears formed in his eyes once more, this time from fear and shock. He couldn't believe how close he had gotten to dying... And his friends would not have known what happened to him. They might die never knowing what had happened to him, not knowing that he had gone into the real world to find them.

Snap shuddered at the realization of how close he was to death. A few seconds, and he would have died. He placed a hand on his chest, feeling his heart thump against his ribcage. He took in deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. He took one last look through the window, swallowed hard, and forced himself to walk up the rickety steps towards the portal that would take him home. He would feel much better when he went back home, in a dimension that couldn't kill him as easily as a knife cutting through melted butter.

When he went back through the blue portal, and his feet touched the familiar ground that was ChalkZone, he felt a wave of relief hit him. All the fears that he had regarding his own safety had vanished. He felt secure here. He knew, here, the rain wouldn't be able to get to him. He was away from the real world water. He wasn't in danger anymore.

...but he knew his friends still were. He needed a way to track down Draow. But how? There was no blood trail leading outside. There would have to be some other way to find him. Strands of hair maybe. He decided he should go home, to his place, to locate his detective outfit Rudy drew for him when Penny first came. The magnifying glass might help him here.

He didn't get two steps away before he found himself being smothered by Rapsheeba. She had pulled him into a hug and she had a look of great relief on her face. He had almost forgotten she was there, his mind clouded by the memories of what he had witnessed in the real world, the sight he beheld when he went into Rudy's bedroom.

"My man Snap! You're okay!" Rapsheeba cried out.

Snap gagged. "Please let me go..." She was squeezing him too hard.

When Rapsheeba realized what she was doing, she let go of him. "Oh I'm so sorry... Are you okay?"

Snap rubbed his head and brushed himself off. "Yeah, I'm fine."

After a few moments of silence, Rapsheeba sucked her lip nervously. "So uh..." She hesitated, looking at Snap worriedly. She forced out the question she was afraid to ask. "Did you find out anything?"

At this, Snap furrowed his eyebrows and he stared at her. He gave a rigid nod. "Y-Yeah, I did..." He tried his best not to cry.

Rapsheeba noticed how red his cheeks were. She knew that he had been crying. She put a hand over her mouth and took a step back. She stared at Snap with a combination of horror and sympathy. Snap didn't need to say anything for Rapsheeba to understand the gravity of the situation.

Feeling a tear roll down his cheek, Snap looked at Rapsheeba and said, "It...it was horrible. There was..blood everywhere...So much blood..."

Rapsheeba gasped in horror. She took a step back, staring at Snap. She looked like she wanted to say something, but no words would come out.

Snap's body shuddered once. He fought back the tears that continued to form. Yet he couldn't stop a few more tears from trinkling down his face.

"D-Draow attacked them... I know it was him..." Snap said in a shaky voice. Rapsheeba's eyes widened at this. "He must have taken them into ChalkZone.. I don't know where they are but I swear...I swear..." His fists shook in determination. "I will find them..."

Rapsheeba placed a hand on his shoulder. She looked at him sympathetically. In an attempt to encourage him, she said, "I'm sure you will..."

"Thanks, queenie..." Snap said softly, offering a weak smile.

She smiled back, but her attention turned back to the portal. "What are we going to do about this?"

Snap stared at the portal. He hadn't thought about that. He could try to get rid of the portal and...no that wouldn't work. Zoners could not erase portals. It was too risky for them. Even the act of touching an eraser was dangerous. He couldn't take the chance of hurting or killing himself.

The next best thing to do was to hide the portal somehow. But...just how was he going to do that? He could try slinging something over it, but that would make it even more noticeable to anyone walking by. While most zoners would not want to go through the portal anyway, he knew that some scrupulous zoners might want to go through and cause a bit of trouble themselves. And even if no zoners like that came across here, the act of going into the real world not only posed a threat to the individual, but risked exposing ChalkZone.

He couldn't very well draw a cover for the portal. He wasn't a creator like Rudy or Penny. So he would have to make do with what he had. Maybe he could find something tall that could drap over the portal and cover it up or something. He looked around, trying to find something to help him with this.

Snap turned to Rapsheeba. "Do you see anything we can use to cover up the portal?"

Rapsheeba looked confused. She glanced around quickly before saying, "I don't think so. Why?"

Snap walked around the immediate area, searching around desperately for something he could use. There had to be something here. There just had to be. "We need to cover up the portal with something. Preferably something dark but inconspicuous. We don't want any zoners or humans finding this portal. I would erase it, but we zoners can't do such a risky thing without hurting ourselves in the process."

"Sorry, Snap." Rapsheeba said. "I just don't know if we can do that. I don't see any concievable way we could..."

"Well we have to try!" Snap said, his voice firm. "ChalkZone would be in danger if we don't..."

"Our friends are in danger, Snap." Rapsheeba reminded him. "We can't be wasting time on this. From what you said, we need to go find them, and fast."

Snap paused and thought about this. He knew Queen Rapsheeba was right. The more time they spent on this, the less time he had to help his friends. They were somewhere, badly hurt, maybe barely alive, and they needed help fast. And if he kept wasting time on this portal...

...he might never see them again...

Snap knew he had a tough decision to make. He could try to cover up the portal, or he could start to look for his friends. And both had their own form of consequence. Leaving the portal out in the open increases the chances of a zoner or human stumbling across it and crossing through. And there was a probability that the zoner or human who finds it would have less than ideal intentions. But if he kept working on hiding the portal, that was less time he had to find his friends. If he kept at this, he would lose his two best friends, and he wouldn't be able to forgive himself for that.

He growled in frustration, clutching his head. It was so hard to choose. He didn't want to lose his friends. But he also didn't want to put ChalkZone, his home, in grave danger. He weighed the two options in his mind. He felt a sick feeling rising in his stomach annd chest, making him feel like he wanted to throw up. Oh, why did he have to be forced between a rock and a hard place...?

Rapsheeba tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to face her. She gave him the best smile that she could, trying her best to reassure him.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I'll take care of the portal. I'll...think of something." She said. "You go figure out where Rudy and Penny are."

Snap's eyes widened a little. He hadn't thought about asking Rapsheeba to help with the portal. He was grateful that she offered to take care of it. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. "Thank you, queenie..." He said in a soft voice, smiling gratefully.

Rapsheeba returned the hug, rubbing his back. "No problem."

Letting go of her, Snap smiled at Rapsheeba for a few seconds, then he turned his head towards where his sleeping quarters were. He narrowed his eyes in determination. He was going to find Rudy and Penny, and he will do whatever it takes to save them. They tried so hard to save him when he was held captive by Cosmo, and when he felt like he was on his last leg.

Now it was time that he returned the favor.

sss

Five disappearances...no, make that seven disappearances. All within a short amount of time. All with no evidence left behind except blood, and some minor destruction, most likely from all the struggling. And they all happened in Plainsville...

To most people, these events were alarming, confusing, and horrifying. No one knew what was going on. Nobody had a clue where the bodies where, if the victims were even still alive. There was nothing left at the crime scenes that offered any clues as to what was going on. The families in mourning are desperate to find out what happened to their loved ones. They would hope and pray that someone, somewhere, has any kind of clue as to the whereabouts of the victims.

That is, except one person. There was one person in town currently who wasn't as confused as the others. Terry Bouffant was her name. She sat in her television van, parked in an empty parking lot, looking over the evidence she had gathered.

She had an idea of what was going on. She had learned how to recognize the signs after all her encounters with Rudy and his friends. She looked at the pictures of the crime scenes and narrowed her eyes at them. There was one thing that would explain the disappearances. However, her theory could never be broadcasted, not unless she wanted to lose her job. It had taken her a long time to get a higher position. Not as high as she used to be, but it was a step up for her.

She knew that ChalkZone had to be connected. It would explain why there were no bodies found. She had been to ChalkZone before, and from what she'd seen, it was a large place. Maybe not as big as earth, though she couldn't tell. But it was still quite big. There were many places for people to disappear to in that place.

The only thing she wasn't sure of was the circumstances of the disappearances. They all seemed random at first. And she wasn't even sure if the attacker was a zoner or someone who had access to ChalkZone. The seemingly random attacks became more focused when Andrew Sanchez, whom she believed was Penny's father, disappeared. It might have been a coincidence, but her gut feeling told her that he had been targeted on purpose.

And then Rudy and Penny both vanish. And the room they were taken from had a lot more blood... She shuddered a little at the memory. The sight of all that blood made her feel uneasy. She might not like the kids that much, but even she wouldn't wish that kind of fate on them. She did feel a little sorry for the parents. But she kept most of her focus on trying to figure out just what happened.

She had seen Snap White running into a building. She had been trying to drive home when someone rushed into traffic. She almost hit a car in front of her as she slammed hard on her brakes. She was pissed off and looked out the window to see who the jerk was. Her eyes widened when she saw it was Snap, apparently trying to escape the rain, as seconds later the rain fell.

She wondered why he was in the real world and not back in ChalkZone. And why would he run into that building of all places? Why not Rudy's house? After doing some quick thinking, she deduced that there must be an open portal in that particular building. He could have ran into another building right next to it, or even passed it, but instead, he chose that one building. Old, worn, nobody having used it in a long time.

Terry narrowed her eyes. Yes, there had to be an open portal there. If she could go in there and locate the portal, she could finally get irrefutable evidence of the chalk world's existence. And, as much as she never really wanted true harm to come to Rudy and Penny, nothing like what had happened to them, one good thing that came out of it was that, unlike her first attempt to expose ChalkZone...

...this time, there would be no one to stop her.