Although it didn't rain constantly, although there were some breaks, that didn't do much to stop the water from filling up the abandoned home. The rain dripped in from the window. The puddle that had started to form when Terry left had grown by now. Much of the bedroom was now covered in five inches of water. With so little breaks between the rain, the water didn't have much time to evaporate before more rain came crashing in, adding to the liquid mass on the ground.
Terry had made a mistake when she had put the cloth over the chalkboard. A mistake that she would soon learn to regret. She had been so intent on proving ChalkZone's existence...she had failed to take into consideration what her actions might cause.
The cloth would make it hard for anyone on the other side to erase the portal. It would leave it open. That would make things easier for her when she came back with a reporter to reveal her discovery. She may have thought that this was a good idea. She may have not realized any negative side effects of forcing the portal to remain open.
But there was something she didn't take into account. And that was the weather.
Almost constantly, there had been rain. Few breaks in between. The hole in the window allowed for the water to get into the bedroom. The water was spreading, getting higher. And water washes away chalk. Normally, this wasn't a problem as water erased the portal, like it had the time when there was a small portal in ChalkZone via the playground, from when Reggie smashed the magic chalk into the ground. But now...something was different.
The heavy cloth blocked the chalk outline. Which meant that the water could not touch it. And if it could not touch it, then the portal would not be erased when the water washed over it, or if the chalkboard fell to the ground. And if the portal could not be erased...
...then ChalkZone was about to get a very nasty surprise.
sss
Snap paced back and forth. He hadn't bothered reading the next clue just yet. His mind was plagued with all sorts of questions. He was filled with anxiety. Rapsheeba looked at him sadly. She had tried to cheer him up, tried to encourage him, but Snap was too distressed to listen to her. They were standing on the edge of the icy region, looking down on the green, rolling hills that came after it. He would have admired the beautiful view if it weren't for the sense of urgency rising inside of him.
What if his suspicions were right? What if Bardot was just leading him in circles? He had thought, when he started the 'games', that Bardot was slowly leading him to where his friends were. But instead, they've gone off in completely different directions. At least one of the games involved a total backtrack from where they were headed.
Snap was worried. What if his friends were located much further away in an opposite direction of where the final game was? What if Bardot set up the games this way to waste his time? What if he did things this way so that he would use up more energy, use up more time, and to make it harder for him to get to his friends before it was too late? Those were real possibilities. It was possible that Bardot did the games like this just to mess with his head and body.
Snap knew he couldn't spend that much time pacing, though. He was wasting enough time as it was. But with this revelation, he was really worried that he was being thrown for a loop. He wondered if Bardot was hiding some things from him. What hasn't he told him? Were his friends as 'okay' as Bardot indicated, or were they much worse than the screams let on?
He looked at the radio. He had never done this before since the games began. He wasn't sure if it was possible. For all he knew, Bardot made it a one-way radio so only he could contact him. But it was worth a try, wasn't it? He glanced over at Rapsheeba, who seemed to understand what he was about to do.
Rapsheeba looked at him sympathetically. "It's worth a try." She said softly. "Maybe he'll answer you."
Snap nodded his head. "Keyword there is maybe." He glanced down at the radio. "But it's about time he gave me some more answers. I have to know how long I have left to find our friends... And I have to know if he is just leading us in circles."
"I don't know if he'll answer those questions." Rapsheeba said, shaking her head sadly.
"But I've still got to try." Snap said, glaring at the radio.
"Yeah." Rapsheeba said, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I know."
Snap smiled at this, feeling a little better knowing he has Rapsheeba's support. He continued to stare at the radio. He looked around on its sides, looking for a button he could press that he felt would do something. He found one such button, the red one which he usually used to answer Bardot. He put his hand on it, and hesitated. He had no idea if this would work, but he was still going to try.
Slowly, he pressed his hand on it. He didn't talk right away. He hesitated, licking his lips in anticipation. What could he say? He tried to think of something he could say that wouldn't backfire on him. He had a feeling if he sounded too demanding, Bardot would really hurt his friends.
Finally, he spoke.
"Are you there?" Snap asked.
At first, there was just silence. He could only hear static feedback in return. He groaned and shook his head. Of course it wouldn't work. Why would Bardot make this radio two-way? He may have done it like this so that he couldn't accidentally overhear any of his planning.
"Hello?" Snap tried again, just in case.
But like before, there was nothing. The only sound he could hear that wasn't static was breathing. He thought it was Bardot at first, but he recognized the sounds as coming from him and Rapsheeba. It was pretty quiet where they were. Not many zoners were nearby, and the ones that were, well they were silent. And they paid him and her no mind.
Snap sighed in disappointment. Well there goes that idea. Rapsheeba looked at him sympathetically.
"It's okay. It didn't hurt to try. "Rapsheeba said.
"Yeah, I know. But I wish that..." Snap started to say.
There was a quick crackle from the radio. It sounded like something was scraping against the speakers. They looked at the radio. At first, it went silent again. But then they heard a few more scrapes. It almost sounded like someone took the radio and was dragging it along the ground attached to a string.
"I really hope you weren't using this radio to call for help." Bardot's cold voice came through the radio. "Because that would be against the rules."
Snap narrowed his eyes. "No. I wanted to contact you."
"Of course you did." Bardot said in an almost dismissive tone. "And let me guess. You have some questions for me?" A low chuckle. "About your friends I take it?"
Snap snarled at this. "How many more games do I have left?"
Bardot didn't reply. There was a laugh, but that was it.
Snap said, "Why won't you answer my question?"
And again, Bardot didn't answer. There was a 'hmm' sound, but that was it. Nothing else. Just silence. Snap growled at this. He wasn't sure if Bardot really had no answer or if he was doing this just to mess with his head. He almost gripped the radio tightly and shake it, but he refrained from doing so.
Rapsheeba didn't look much happier, either. She glared at the radio. From the way her hands were clenched, Snap guessed that she wanted nothing more than to grab the radio and toss it away. They were both sick of hearing Bardot's taunting, his laughter, his cold nature in general. Bardot's refusal to answer when he'll get to his friends irritated them both. They could practically see that bastard with his smug smile staring at them now.
"Are you taking us in circles?!" Snap cried. He froze, realizing that sounded a little too demanding. After what happened to Rudy and Penny the last time Bardot talked to them via radio, Snap knew he had to be extra cautious when speaking to Bardot on this contraption. What if he decided to hurt them just to 'teach him a lesson'?
But instead of the screaming of his friends, he was greeted with the cold laughter of Bardot. That didn't mean that he hadn't been approaching his friends, though. Snap and Rapsheeba tensed up, awaiting to see what would happen.
Bardot replied after a minute. "The order of the games are...random."
Snap and Rapsheeba looked at each other. Rapsheeba looked at the radio and asked, "Random?"
"Why yes. They are not in an any particular order. I just randomnly chose the order via...well..rolling the dice more or less. I did it this way so the difficulty of the games doesn't steadily get tougher, but instead, you are left to guess how much skill you'll need to survive. It was to..keep you on your toes." Bardot sneered at them. "It would have been too boring if I just let the games get steadily and progressively worse, now wouldn't it?"
Snap's eyes widened at this. The games were randomized so that he could easily jump from a relatively easy game to one that was insanely hard, then to one that was a tad easier, all just to mess with him? To make him and his friends worry constantly about how they were going to make it through the next game?
That was twisted. Snap and Rapsheeba were already on edge every time they came to a new game, unsure of what the death trap would be. Bardot's words just made them feel even worse. That meant that, any time, they would have to deal with Bardot's toughest death trap to date. And they weren't even sure when that would be, or if they already finished the hardest death trap.
Snap would have asked about that, but he doubted Bardot would answer. He glared at the radio. It was just like Bardot to mess with them like that. He couldn't wait until he reached this guy and made him eat his own words. If Bardot didn't understand the meaning of regret, he was going to learn it as soon as he got his hands on the bastard.
"And as for your friends..."
Snap and Rapsheeba stared at the radio expectantly. They heard Bardot laugh coldly. Then he cleared his throat and began to speak.
"Perhaps...I will be a little generous. I cannot tell you how long it will take to get to them... It all depends on how fast you move through the remainder of the games." Bardot said. He paused and then said, "You are at the halfway mark. But do not take that into comfort. As I said, how fast you move determines when you will get here, not the number of games left to play."
Okay that answered one of their questions. Five games left to play. It was a sense of comfort that the nightmare was halfway done. But as much as they hated to admit it, Bardot was right. They couldn't celebrate, not yet. They still had to complete these five remaining games to take care of. And if they wasted too much time, then they would be too late to save their friends.
"Of course, I hope you don't finish the games too fast... I'm not done testing you, Snap." Bardot said.
"Testing me?" Snap growled. "What am I to you? A test subject?!"
A cold, menacing chortle, and then came Bardot's answer. "Yes. You are...nothing more than an experiment, Snap. And I am your tester."
Snap hissed at this. "I am not your experiment!"
Bardot laughed, but he ignored that outburst. Instead, he said something else that took Snap by surprise. "The reason I chose you, Snap, is because you are...well...The Unkillable."
Snap's angered face was replaced with one of confusion. "What?"
Rapsheeba asked, "The Unkillable?"
"Yes. After all, you did survive the odds against the Dark Creator...what was his name...ah yes. Teddison Cosmo. Or just known as Mr. Cosmo or even just Cosmo. I was amazed to hear all that had happened to you and yet you survived. So...I have to wonder... Just how 'unkillable' are you?"
Snap's body started to shake. Was this the reason for the 'games'? Was this why he kidnapped his friends? Just for some sick experimentation where he wanted to test his limitations? Bardot really did think lowly of other zoners. The way he brutally killed Jacko for no reason other than to display a message... And now knowing that he saw him as just a mere test subject... Not that he would have put it past him, but it was chilling hearing it from him.
He stared at Rapsheeba. She looked at him with worry, her eyes widened. She looked visibly insulted that Bardot saw him as nothing more than an experiment to be tested and messed with. She slowly glanced at the radio, her face contorting in disgust. She looked like she wanted to say something, but she chose to be quiet. Snap had a feeling that was the smartest thing to do at this moment.
"Soon or later...you will go down." Bardot said. "The question is...just how long will it be, before you do fall? How far can I make you drag yourself before death overcomes you? I would love to see that."
"You asshole!" Rapsheeba snarled, mustering as much hostility as she could.
Snap stared at her in shock. Rapsheeba wasn't the type to curse like that. Bardot must be really getting under her skin to make her snap like that.
But Bardot pretended like her curse had never taken place. "I know what you may be thinking. I kidnapped your friends just to force you to run a giant, torturous maze. Well...not entirely. You see, I have my own plans for your friends. Unlike Draow, who is motivated by revenge...I am motivated by something else entirely." He went quiet for a moment. Snap and Rapsheeba stared the radio, their hearts clenching in anxiety. They were dreading what he would say, and when he did speak, they realized quickly they were right to be worred. "I am motivated by hunger."
Hunger? Snap's eyes slowly widened in horror. Rapsheeba looked just as shocked. Was Bardot going to...did he just say he was going to...?
"Yeah, that's right. After the games are complete, fail to stop me...I am going to eat your friends." They could hear Bardot lick his lips in anticipation. "I love the taste of humans. The other humans I had were good.. I can't wait to see what your two friends will taste like after they're all nice and dehydrated."
"S-Sicko..." Rapsheeba said through clenched teeth, her body shaking in anger.
Snap's body was shaking as well, strong emotion overwhelming him. He glared at the radio, his eyes narrowed into slits. He clenched the radio tighter. He was tempted to smash it against the ground, crush it under his feet. But if he did that, there may be consequences afterwards. As hard as it was, he had to refrain from smashing the device.
Rage and anger filled his body. He felt his head get hot. It was warm to the touch. His teeth were clenched so tightly he thought they would break off. He hadn't spoken a word, and he could hear Bardot's cold laughter on the other line. He was clearly enjoying this.
This monster...he was going to eat his friends... He had kidnapped them...just to put them on the menu. And those other humans that disappeared, the ones Mr. Wilter mentioned...they had also been killed. Bardot had been going into the real world and kidnapping humans and eating them. He was truly despicable... Now he knew just how important it was to stop him. If he didn't stop him, then not only would he lose his friends, but other humans would be brutally and painfully murdered and devoured by this creature.
Stopping Bardot had become an even bigger priority. He was not going to allow him to get away with this. He was not going to let him kill his friends. He was not going to let him make any other innocent humans suffer at his claws. He would stop him. Somehow, someway, he would stop him.
"I will stop you..." Snap finally said. His voice was strained, laced in hatred. "Not only will I stop you..." His body shook in anger. "...I will make sure you regret everything you've done. You will pay for everything you did."
"I look forward to it." Bardot sneered before hanging up.
sss
Skrawl walked into the hospital. He was alone. He told his Beanie Boys to wait for him. He thought it would be better if he went in alone as he felt he would look less suspicious to this mystery zoner if he went in on his own. At least this way, it looked like he was just paying respects to an injured zoner. If his Beanie Boys came with him as he went to the hospital, the mystery zoner, if he truly had cameras all around, would get suspicious.
At least he would be able to talk in peace in the hospital. Cameras didn't work in this particular hospital. It seemed counterintuitive. But this hospital cared a lot about privacy, so there no cameras. It still remained pretty secure. In place of cameras were sensors that would alert the hospital people if someone had past a certain point and use a digital map to reveal their location. This did allow for a lot more privacy in comparison to cameras as they wouldn't be able to see exactly what the people are doing in this locations.
He had chosen this particular hospital for Barney to be sent to. He needed to speak to him. If Barney had been attacked by the mystery zoner, he may be able to provide valuable information. He did know that he would have to be careful getting the information from him. When he was found in the jungle, he was in horrible shape. Asking for information while he was in that state wouldn't be a good idea, not unless he took great care in doing so.
Barney's mental state was a concern. When the Beanie Boys returned, carrying Barney with them and placing him on the stretcher provided for him, Skrawl could see he had suffered many injuries. Some were pretty old and had healed up. A few were treated. Then the remaining ones, which looked to be very recent, were left untreated and looked like they started to get infected. The most startling injury Skrawl could see were his eyes. They were..destroyed more or less, and his eyelids had long swollen shut. He wasn't sure how long ago this injury had occurred, but losing one's eyesight did a lot of psychological damage. What state would Barney be in when he woke up?
It was clear that Barney really had been attacked more than once. It was hard to tell how many times, but whoever did this, and he guessed it was the hybrid zoner, they had come back multiple times and beat him up. If he were still a bad guy, he would find amusement in that. But since turning over a new leaf, all it did was disgust him.
Skrawl went up to the receptionist's desk. "What floor is Barney the Encyclocentipedia on?"
The receptionist looked at him with a perplexed look. Skrawl forgot that some people in ChalkZone were still wary of him. Understandable. He had done a lot of bad things in the past.
"He's on the second floor. Room D24." The receptionist said, narrowing their eyes at Skrawl like they expect him to strike them.
Skrawl immediately left to go locate the room. It didn't take him long to reach it. There was a sign on the door that explained how critical Barney's condition was. It seemed that he was going to need surgery to try to fix some of the wounds that were really bad. There were a few deep gashes in his back and underside. And a few of his legs looked like they almost ripped off entirely, from what he recalled. Slowly, he opened the door and shut it behind him.
Barney was laying on his side, his body lined across multiple beds to accomodate his long body. His wings were ripped to shreds, no doubt by the hybrid zoner. There were many more scratches on him than just the ones he saw initially. His face looked a little bruised and his face was contorted in pain. Skrawl could only imagine what he had gone through before he finally passed out.
With Barney's eyelids permanently swollen shut like that, it was hard to tell if he was asleep or not. The steady beeping of the hard monitor suggested that he was sleeping, but he could just be relaxed, feeling safe to be out of that jungle and somewhere far away. There were multiple IVs attached to him, keeping him hydrated. His wounds were not yet treated, but Skrawl knew that they were going to be here soon to treat them. They had to go get the supplies first.
They wouldn't be back for a while, so he wanted to take this time and talk to Barney. He had to know as soon as possible about what this hybrid zoner did to him, why, as well as the zoner's name. Barney might know more of what was going on. If this hybrid zoner kept coming after him, there had to be a reason. He just hoped that Barney would be able to tell him without getting too scared.
Skrawl moved over to Barney's side, staring at his face. When he reached over to touch his face to see if he was awake or not, the centipede zoner instantly stirred. Barney lifted his face up a little, like he was desperately trying to see. His legs wriggled nervously and he started to move back, or at least he tried to. He was clearly in too much pain to move, and soon he laid back on the beds, his body shivering violently.
"N-No..please..not again..." Barney whimpered, putting his hands in front of his face in a desperate attempt to protect himself. "..leave me alone..I told you everything you wanted to know...why won't you leave me alone? Why?" Tears managed to stream down the little space left open from his eyelids, staining his face.
"Whoa there, calm down!" Skrawl said. "I'm not the one who hurt you!"
Barney froze, his fearful expression replaced with one of shock. "You're..you're not Bardot...?"
Skrawl shook his head. "No, I'm not." He paused for a moment, taking into consideration what Barney had just said. "Bardot...was that the name of the zoner who hurt you?"
Barney's lower lip quivered. He nodded his head up and down slowly. "Yeah...A hybrid zoner..." Skrawl's eyes snapped wide open at this. So he had been right. "He..he kept coming after me for information... I thought it would just be one visit...no, he came again and again. And every time...he hurt me..."
Skrawl asked, "Why did he hurt you?"
Barney said in a shaky voice, "At...at first it was just because I wouldn't tell him what he wanted... I-I wasn't going to betray Rudy, so I resisted, but...he was persistant and he..tortured me..."
Skrawl's eyes widened in horror at this. "He tortured you?"
"Y-Yes..." Barney said, whimpering at the memory. "But even after I...gave in...everytime he came back, he would torture me again..just for the 'fun' of it, as he said."
Skrawl was shocked by this. What kind of sick zoner would keep torturing another even long after they had submitted? Even when he was villain, he wouldn't have thought of such a thing.
"How long has he been doing this?" Skrawl asked, afraid to know the answer.
Barney's body shook with emotion. His eyebrows narrowed and he clenched his teeth. More tears came strolling down his face. He spoke in a feeble, terrified voice. "It's been going on for over a year..."
Skrawl gasped at this. This has been going on this long? Suddenly, Barney's absense was starting to make sense. Master Tabootie and his friends thought that Barney was just busy. Whenever they had tried to visit him, he would keep saying he was working on something. None of them knew how he could be busy for that long on the same project. Something else was going on, and now Skrawl knew what it was.
The true reason why Barney had been busy, why he hadn't been seeing Rudy or Penny or Snap or anyone...it wasn't because he was actually busy. It wasn't because he started a new project and was just caught up in it. It wasn't because he decided to take a trip somewhere, or because he was busy exploring new places. No, the actual reason he had been 'busy', why he hadn't been able to contact Rudy or Penny in all this time...
...was because, for the past year, he had been constantly abused by Bardot...