Snap, Rapsheeba, and Blocky were shaken up by what had just happened. For a few minutes, they did not move, dared not to breathe. The fact that they were almost sucked down by a grinding machine terrified them. They all had been so close to losing their lives. None of them had suspected that something like that was going to happen.
Snap did have thoughts that something terrible would happen. But nothing like that. He never would have thought that Bardot, somehow, was able to build something underneath the park without anyone knowing. The fact he was able to do it without being seen...it frightened him. He knew that most zoners wouldn't be able to do such a thing with no one noticing. Bardot must have been using that blue chalk to create all this, and when no one was around, too.
Out of the three of them, Blocky was the most terrified. Snap understood why. He was the one who was the closest to..dying. He had almost fallen into the grinding machine himself. He almost got sliced up like shredded cheese. He was lucky to have made it out at all.
And the fact that this was only the first game, with many more deathtraps awaiting them, made Snap sick to his stomach. The other deathtraps would likely be harder to avoid. He didn't know what could top that grinding machine, though. And he wasn't sure if he really wanted to find out what more Bardot was capable of. Yet he had no choice. He had to keep going. If he, Rapsheeba, and Blocky remain on their toes, they would be able to survive and get to their human friends in time.
He knew he didn't have a lot of time to find them. Only a couple days at most. He knew that Bardot wouldn't feed his friends at all during their little 'stay' with him. His friends would either starve to death or die of dehydration if he didn't get there in time. Both were incredibly painful deaths. The fact that Bardot was so willing to let them die slowly and painfully like that infuriated Snap.
Just then, that same beeping could be heard again. The same one that they heard back at his place where Bardot first contacted them via radio. Blocky and Rapsheeba looked at him, worried expressions on their faces. They stared at the radio warily. Snap didn't want to answer it, but seeing as he had no choice, he pressed the button.
"I see you have survived the first death trap..." Bardot said gleefully. "Congratulations."
Snap growled at that. That compliment was laced in sarcasm, a clear attempt to taunt him. It sounded as though Bardot did expect him to survive that first game.
Bardot paused for a moment. "It was quick thinking..the way you used the monkey bars to climb up. Too bad that you almost lost a party member there..."
His cold chuckle caused Blocky to shiver from fright. Rapsheeba put her hand on him in an attempt to comfort him. Snap's eyes narrowed as Bardot taunted Blocky about the fact that he almost died. He couldn't wait until he made this bastard shut up.
"But at least he managed to survive. You will need all the help you can get, little Snappy." Bardot mocked, putting emphasis on his nickname for Snap. "Take this as a warning. Do not underestimate any of my games. If you do, one of you could very easily perish."
Blocky and Rapsheeba didn't say anything. They just stared at the radio in fright. Snap was frightened, too. He tried to look brave, but Bardot was shaking him up, reminding him that, yes, things were about to get so much worse for them. His body shuddered as he tried to imagine what more awaited them. Just what kind of death traps would they have to survive later down the line? How much harder would it be to complete them in time?
Snap wanted to shut off the radio. He couldn't stand hearing Bardot's voice. He couldn't stand hearing his chilling laughter, mocking them on their progress. Yet he could not. Somehow, Bardot would know what they were doing. The fact that he knew exactly what happened, with the monkey bars and Blocky almost falling down...that chilled him to the core. The cold realization swept through him like a tidal wave. There was only one way he could have known all that.
He had hidden cameras...somewhere. He looked around. He didn't see any. But they were there, somewhere. Snap had a horrible thought. Maybe the cameras were tiny...floating everywhere. He froze, looking left and right. With zoner usable magic chalk, Snap wouldn't doubt that Bardot would use it to his advantage at every turn. And if he was so obsessed about him 'following the rules'...
...then he must have small, microscopic cameras floating everywhere, following him and his friends at every turn. And if that is the case, then they really couldn't get away with anything. He would see it all. And the minute they did one thing, no matter how small, that broke the rules, then Rudy and Penny would pay the price.
"I have informed your friends on your progress." Bardot said, sounding a little too cheerful to Snap. "I told them that you almost got sucked down into that twisting, grinding, crunching machine I created for you. They weren't too happy as I described to them how it happened." He gave a dark laughter. "Of course, I can't really be surprised."
"You're a monster." Snap growled under his breath.
"Y-Yeah. Tormenting two kids like that..." Blocky said, trying to sound brave. "Don't you have any shame?"
A cold laughter. "Shame? Well..no, not really. I feel no regrets in what I'm doing. In fact, the only emotion I'm getting from all this is excitement."
"That's sick!" Rapsheeba grimaced.
"Oh if only you could see the looks on your friends' faces right now. They're scared...frightened. They're hoping you will make it, Snap. They were..utterly horrified when they thought you were going to fall into that machine. And believe me, they are going to continue being frightened for you as I tell them all the things that happen to you during your little rendevous with my games." Bardot said coldly. Although he coudn't see them, Snap could picture the guy smiling evilly as he spoke. "And that's not the only thing they will have to fear. During their stay, Draow and I will be...toying with them. That will be fun."
"What?!" The trio cried out in shere and utter horror.
Bardot laughed at them. "Oh yes. You didn't think they were just going to sit around all day, waiting for me or Draow to say something, now did you? Oh no...we will give them something to pass the time with. We will not kill them. But that's not to say what we will do is any better."
"If you hurt them..." Rapsheeba started to say, but Bardot cut her off with his icy laugh.
"It's too late to stop us from hurting them. As of now, poor Rudy is a little 'handy' capped, if you know what I'm saying." Bardot put emphasis on the word 'handy', like he was trying to hint at something.
Snap took only seconds to have an idea on what happened. He gasped, his eyes widening in shock. "You...you didn't..."
"We did. Well Draow did anyway. You see, he's been wanting to get back at Rudy for defeating the Dark Creator, his master." Bardot sneered. "And now he had that chance. Oh how it must hurt so much...to have his right hand crushed... Both mentally and physically. The pain combined with the feelings of helplessness, the fact that he won't be able to use magic chalk anymore..."
Snap felt his heart race as Bardot spoke. Rapsheeba and Blocky were just as horrified. Blocky was trembling. Rapsheeba was shaking her head in disbelief.
"What a shame, isn't it? And you know what is worse for the boy?" Bardot's voice got a little growlier. "That is only the beginning. And each time you complete a game, I will tell you what their condition is. I'll even describe it all in detail for you, if you so like."
"You..." Snap's body started to shake from anger. He clenched his free fist tightly, squeezing the radio as hard as he could without breaking it. "I'll get you for this..." He said through clenched teeth, his voice lower than usual.
"We will see about that, Snappy boy. First, you must complete the games." A pause. "Rapsheeba, I know you have the clue for the next time. Read it, solve it, and go there. Don't waste time."
Shakingly, Rapsheeba pulled out the card. She looked at it, and slowly unfolded it.
"Good. You listened."
That sent chills down their spines. They knew, without a doubt, that Bardot really was watching them. They felt vulnerable, looking around to try to find the hidden cameras that Bardot surely laid out for them.
Bardot could see everything they were doing. That was how he was going to be able to keep them from disobeying the rules. Snap knew there had to be hidden cameras, and he guessed they were, as he thought before, microscopic so he couldn't see them. They must be floating around in the air, or even invisible, taking images of them constantly. They really weren't able to do anything without him noticing.
Snap soon realized that he would have had no choice but to play the games if he wanted to find his friends. If Bardot could see everything he was doing, then he would know whenever he was trying to find his friends, and then kill them before he could get to them. He wouldn't put it past Bardot to be cruel enough to wait until he got to the place where his friends were being held, and then kill them brutally right in front of him, just to mock him for his efforts.
"Figure out the puzzle." Bardot said, sounding almost like an officer giving a command. "I will sit back and enjoy the show. I'll leave you alone so you may...think. And act. See ya!"
With that, the radio went quiet. Snap glared at it before he put it away. He tried not to let Bardot's words get to him. He was obviously trying to shake him and his friends up, make them frightened so they would more easily slip up. He wasn't going to let Bardot mess with his mind like that.
Snap turned to his friends. "Come on, we need to get going."
Although they were as scared as he was, Rapsheeba and Blocky nodded their heads in agreement. Snap was glad that they were still willing to help, despite the danger they were just in.
Snap looked at Rapsheeba. "What does the riddle say?"
Rapsheeba looked down at the card and began to read what it said.
"Even though you survived the machine I built
Now it is time to face your guilt
You should have known it wouldn't last
Your attempt to bury it in the past
A horrific vice
In the land of stripes"
When Rapsheeba finished, she looked at the card, confused. It was clear it didn't make any sense to her. She looked at her two friends. "Do any of you know what this means?"
Blocky shook his head. "Not yet. I'll keep trying to think of something, though." He looked over at Snap. "Do you have any ideas?"
"Something about it seems familiar..." Snap admitted. He narrowed his eyes, trying to think. "But I can't quite think of what it is..."
Snap tried to think of what the riddle was talking about. He couldn't help but think it was referring to him specifically. After all, he was the main target in these games. Bardot's first game had him go to a playground he used to visit a lot. So this riddle...it had to have something to do with him. And its location...it had to be somewhere he been to before, perhaps often.
But the thing about guilt and vice...he didn't know what it meant. He couldn't think of anything he did that he felt ashamed of, at least to that extent. He wasn't the type of zoner to go around committing heinous acts against anyone. He was pretty well liked among ChalkZone, and there was a good reason for that. He didn't try to deliberately hurt anyone.
Yet there was something he was missing. Something he wasn't considering. Maybe what the riddle was referring to had to do with something years ago, something he could hardly remember. He backtracked his mind, searching his memories for a clue of what the riddle was referring to. He felt an uncomfortable feeling spread through his body, knowing that he had only a limited time to figure out what the riddle meant.
And this whole thing about the land of stripes...what was it talking about? There was no place in ChalkZone that was called that. Unless it was somewhere new...but that made no sense. If this riddle was talking about something he did, or almost did, then it would be a place he knew of, not some new one that appeared just recently. His head was starting to hurt from trying to figure all of this out. He rubbed the sides of his head.
There had to be something he was missing, something he wasn't considering. The riddle was clearly meant to be a little vague. It was telling him where to go, and yet wasn't. It was being very vague. It was forcing him to really think hard. He couldn't help but wonder if this was a deliberate tactic by Bardot to slow him down a little.
"Wait!"
Blocky's sudden shout caused Snap to jump in the air, startled. Even Rapsheeba looked surprised by his sudden outburst.
Snap would have scolded Blocky if the situation wasn't so dire. "What is it? Did you figure something out?"
Blocky nodded his head. "Yeah! I think I know what it's talking about!" He took a few steps towards Snap. "Do you remember that time, many years ago, when we were getting ourselves breakfast and you took those chocolate bunny eggs and we were going to eat them? Then they hatched into chocolate bunny babies and you were still going to eat them, at least until they called you 'daddy'?"
Snap's eyes widened. He slowly nodded his head.
"I think that is what the riddle is talking about! It's talking about how you almost killed three little babies for breakfast! The riddle wants us to go to where it happened, in the Candycane Forest!" Blocky exclaimed.
Snap felt his heart clench. Blocky had to have been right. That must be what the riddle was talking about. Snap couldn't help but shiver from fright at the realization... Just how did Bardot know this? How did he know about the incident where he almost ate three baby chocolate bunnies? He hadn't told anyone about the incident. Not even Rudy or Penny knew what he almost did. Only Blocky knew, and he had promised not to speak of it again.
Snap remembered how horrible he felt when he realized what he almost did. It made him feel sick to his stomach knowing that he almost ended the lives of three baby bunnies just for the sake of being hungry. He could have let them go and found something else to eat. But no, he still chased down those bunnies and tried to kill them. It wasn't like the other food he got from the Candycane Forest. The chocolate bunnies were sentient, could speak.
He had felt so horrible that he promised himself that he would never talk about it again. He would not let anyone know about what he almost did. He really did try to bury it in the past. And somehow...somehow Bardot was able to dig it up. He must have known...somehow...what he did. And it frightened Snap. This guy knew his last name. He knew Rapsheeba's name before meeting her. Now he knew about that horrific incident from years ago. Just how much more did this guy know about him and his friends?
Snap forced himself out of his thoughts. He looked at Rapsheeba and Blocky and nodded his head. "Let's go to the Candycane Forest!"
The trio started to head out. The Candycane Forest wasn't too far from here, luckily. It would take them about twenty minutes to get there walking. There were a few zoners they met along the way, but thankfully no one talked to them that much. And no one asked about what they were doing. Some did look as though they knew something was wrong, or had seen what happened to the playground, but they were too frightened to ask anything.
Snap did want to tell them what was going on, how it was all some twisted game they were being forced to play. But saying one word would make them lose the game, and he would also lose his human friends. So he was relieved that no one had attempted to pressure him into talking just yet.
Snap did start to feel a tad bit hungry, but he was able to ignore it. It wasn't that bad, really. And they were headed straight for the Candycane Forest. He could get something there to eat. Bardot's rules did permit such things. He was worried that he'd be forced to eat something tainted, but he guessed that would came later in the games, when things would get more physically and mentally challenging. Bardot's early games might be a little more lenient.
He wished he remembered to bring a bag with him. He could stockpile a bit on food while in the Candycande Forest. It wasn't always the most filling food, but it would tide them over a bit as they went through more and more of the games. It would be something at least.
Soon, they came upon the Candycane Forest. Nothing looked out of the ordinary at first, but Snap and his friends weren't about to let their guard down. Cautiously, they entered the forest. They looked left and right, trying to see any sign of a booby trap or obvious danger. At first, they saw nothing. It wasn't until a few minutes walking in that they saw a note.
Snap went over to it. The note was taped to a tall candycane tree. He reached up and grabbed it. He pulled it off and looked at the message. He turned to Rapsheeba and Snap and read it loud enough so they could hear.
"Welcome to the second game. The goal of this game is merely survival. To win this game, the task is simple. You must reach the end of the forest, and that's it. But beware, chocolate bunnies lurk here and they are not in the best of moods. Try not to wake them. They will not be happy to see you. Especially you...Snap..."
Snap trembled as he finished the note. He knew how vicious the mother rabbit was when she saw him with her kids. Though she did mellow out later, that wasn't to say the same about other chocolate bunnies that might have seen what he did. This game really was out to get him...
Rapsheeba placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, noticing his distress. "Don't worry, my man, Snap. We'll make it through together!"
Blocky joined in. "Yeah, we can do it!"
Snap smiled at his friends. He was grateful for their help. "Thank you."
The trio started to walk deeper into the forest. Knowing that there was danger lurking everywhere, they remained on alert, looking around for any signs of the chocolate bunnies. Snap and Blocky had a nasty encounter with one before, and the thought of running into a lot more scared them. What if there were chocolate bunnies even larger and more ferocious than the mommy one they encountered?
A few minutes of walking, and the three of them had to stop. Hearts started to race. Snap started to shake. Blocky didn't look better of. Rapsheeba took a step back. What they were looking at, they could hardly believe.
There were adult chocolate bunnies everywhere. And just like Snap feared, many were larger and clearly scarier-looking than the mother chocolate bunny he and Blocky had to deal with. Some had long sharp fangs sticking out of their mouths. He could see their wickedly sharp claws. And they were laid about all over the forest, looking like they easily stretched to the very edges of the forest, on both sides. Which meant that they couldn't simply walk around them.
Snap knew that they had no choice but to walk directly towards them. And with all these bunnies all around them, if they wake up just one, they would wake up all of them. And to add to his terror, there had to be at least a hundred bunnies here. Would they...would they be able to make it...?