Before Snap knew it, Bardot was upon him. The hybrid zoner slammed his head against his body with as much force as he could muster. Snap screamed as he was sent flying backwards into the ground. He tumbled across before finally coming to a stop near the entrance of the room. As he tried to get up, he felt Bardot snag him by his scarf and drag him back, uncaring if he was aggravating his injuries or not.
Once he dragged him a few feet away from the door, Bardot stood onto his hind legs, raising Snap off the ground. He started to slam him against the hard floor. He did this again and again, smashing Snap's head and shoulders against the ground. Snap kept letting out pained screams as he kept hititng the ground. A few small cuts appeared and his face started to bruise. Then Bardot pulled his head back and threw Snap head long into the wall.
Snap collided with the wall, his forehead smashing against it. He laid on the ground, on his stomach, moaning in pain. The blow to his head left him dazed and stunned for a few seconds, his vision partially blurred. He managed to get onto his knees and he rubbed his sore head, trying to feel the extent of the damage.
Bardot came rushing towards him and he grabbed Snap by the back of his head. He lifted him up a little off the ground and sneered at him before he slammed the blue zoner's head against the wall, smashing his face against the bumpy rocks. Then, holding him there as hard as he could, he pulled downward, scrapin Snap's face along the rocks. Once he was back on his knees again, Bardot released them and then delivered a kick into his injured side, making him roll across the ground.
As Snap laid there in pain, as Bardot scraped across the ground as he prepared for another charge, the blue zoner wondered what he was going to do to get out of this. The adrenaline was either gone or its 'suppress pain' effects was diluted. His whole body was wracked in pain, feeling like it was set on fire. He could barely move without wanting to collapse in agony. He could barely fight back while Bardot, despite being wounded, was nowhere near as bad off as him.
He watched as Bardot ran towards him. Time almost seemed to slow down. Snap struggled to his feet, stammering as he tried to keep his footing. He saw Bardot rush towards him, mouth split wide open in preparation of biting him. Snap's eyes widened in fear and jumped to the side.
He cried out in pain as he landed on the ground, his knees nearly buckling. He was able to get out of the way in time, though, and he looked back to see Bardot had fallen into the ground where he had stood. Snap managed to turn his stiff, pain-filled body around to face Bardot. He wasn't sure how long he could keep this up. Even his own breathing was hurting him, and he wished he could just lay on the ground and rest.
But that was impossible for him to do right now. Not with what was going on. Not with his friends' lives, and his own, on the line. He kept his feet firmly planted on the ground, panting heavily, and glared in Bardot's direction. He was still standing. He was still breathing. He was still alive. And as long as he still had a heartbeat, as long as his friends were breathing, he was going to fight.
He was scared out of his mind. Bardot had gotten more vicious in his attacks. But he still stood his ground to face him. He watched as Bardot started to pace around him, a demented grin on his face. He was trying to find a weak spot to attack, he was sure. And that wasn't going to be hard. He was covered in so many injuries. Snap knew that his life could be over quickly if he weren't careful. Just one slip up was all it was going to take. He was at a disadvantage in this fight, and he was unable to stop the shivers of fear from going up and down his spine.
Yet he refused to run away. Bardot wasn't invincible, no matter how vicious he became. If he could just land a few punches on him and use his own pain to slow him down, he could subdue him in time to save Rudy and Penny. He just had to wait for Bardot to get close enough and then take that chance to punch him. It wasn't going to be easy, but he was willing to try it.
Bardot ran a wide circle around Snap. As he continued to run in circles, he ran closer and closer to Snap. The blue zoner tried to keep up with him. He looked left and right. Before he could react, he felt Bardot slam himself against his back, throwing him several feet away. He crashed heavily into the ground, wincing in pain as pressure was applied to his twisted ankle.
Snap didn't know how much more of a beating he could take. It was a miracle that he hadn't broken any bones besides a few ribs yet. He wasn't sure how long that luck would be kept up. It would surely run out soon. And he didn't know how he was able to keep consciousness this whole time. His body was covered in wounds and he lost a lot of blood. Why hadn't he passed out yet? How much more could he take before he would fall down, never to get up again?
Snap stumbled to his feet. His body swayed from side to side. The pain was really getting to him know, messing with his sense of balance, making it hard to keep his eyes open all the way. Blood continued to pour from several of his wounds. Each breath felt like it was setting his lungs on fire. The loss of one lung made it really hard to breathe, even without pain involved. The feel of the cold air rushing into the wound in his chest was unsettling, one of the worst sensations he felt in his life.
Pain wracked through his whole body. Moving anything hurt. The full effects of the wounds were here now. Dizziness settled in. His vision got a little blurry. The effects of blood loss, such as fatigue, made itself known. With himself unable to even move without toppling over in pain, Snap was unable to get out of the way as Bardot rushed towards him again.
Bardot laughed cruelly as he stood in front of Snap, straightening his body on his hind legs to appear larger than him. He raised a paw and struck down, slashing into Snap's already injured arm. Snap fell into the ground, screaming in pain. Bardot seized his foot, pushing his claws into the flesh, and threw him into the ground. The impact was so hard, Snap was genuinely shocked that no bones were broken.
Bardot leapt in Snap's direction. Snap was just barely on his knees when Bardot pushed him back into the ground, prompting a scream from the humanoid zoner. Pushed up against the ground on his stomach, pressure placed on his wounds, Snap started to struggle. He kicked his legs and tried to pull himself free with his hands.
As he did this, the hybrid zoner grabbed his scarf again. Then he applied more pressure on his back, holding him still. With a hard yank, he pulled his head backwards and up.
Snap's eyes widened as the piece of cloth put pressure against his neck, his head being yanked back. He started to gag, the pressure blocking his windpipe. With him already having a hard time breathing with just one lung and with the pain, this in addition made him all the more terrified. He opened his mouth wider and tried so hard to take in a breath. His struggles increased. He gripped the cloth on his neck and tried to pull it back. It was no use.
As he struggled to take in a breath, he heard Bardot laughing coldly at him and then he increased he pressure, pulling back even more. Snap made gagging sounds as he tried in vain to take a breath. His eyes widened and his heart raced. He looked around, desperate to find some way to get himself free. He looked up at Bardot, seeing him out of the corner of his eye. The hybrid zoner just smiled at him as he kept pulling his scarf back, trying to choke him to death.
Slowly, Snap's struggles weakened and decreased. Energy was leaving him. His mind was going numb. He had a hard time keeping his eyes open, and they shut a few times. He fought to keep himself awake. His face was turning blue as his head lowered towards the ground. His body was becoming still, the world around him starting to go dark.
He could barely register the cold laughter from Bardot, who was apparently pleased that he had won this fight. He tightened his grip on Snap's scarf and pulled even tighter in an attempt to finish Snap off. Snap's eyes bulged at the pain of this, but found it almost impossible to move. The pressure on his neck increased and he thought the scarf was going to slice his head off.
Then something happened. Something that he did not expect.
When Bardot yanked on the scarf in a clear attempt to break his neck, there was a loud tearing sound. In a split second, there was a sharp pain in Snap's neck and then nothing. All the pressure was suddenly released from him. As Bardot let out a yelp of surprise and fell off of Snap, the blue zoner suddenly took in a breath, his eyes wide in fear and shock.
Snap was on his knees, holding onto his throat. He breathed in and out quickly, trying to ride out the pain in his lungs as he got oxygen into his body as fast as he could. Slowly, some of his strength returned and his world sharpened up a little. He rubbed his throat, wincing at the soreness of where his scarf had cut into him, blocking his air supply. He turned his head to look behind him. Bardot had gotten up onto his feet again and was holding something blue in his jaws.
His scarf... Bardot must have pulled so hard that he wound up ripping the piece of cloth from his neck. Bardot's plan had backfired on him due to his own actions. Snap let that sink in. The only reason he survived was because of a mistake Bardot had made. If this hadn't happened...
...he would have died.
Bardot snarled as he glared at the piece of cloth in his jaws. He threw it aside, letting it lay on the ground. He glared at it. Snap half-expected Bardot to start blaming the scarf for him losing his grip on Snap, but he remained quiet. He turned his head towards Snap, his expression unreadable. Snap's heart skipped a beat just looking at him.
"Well...that was inconvenient..." Bardot said in a cold voice. He glared at the cloth and then struck it aside, ripping it up as he did so. "Flimsy thing." He turned his attention back to Snap. "No matter. There are other ways of...killing the lights if you know what I mean..."
With that, he started to stalk towards Snap, his tail swishing from side to side, like a cat ready to pounce on its prey. Snap watched, his body shaking from pain, as Bardot got closer to him. He could see his muscles tightening, flexing, ready to pounce.
And then he did. Bardot leapt into the air, his front paws out in front of him, the claws ready to tear into his already battered form. Snap, desperate to find a way to protect himself, let out a scream and pulled his fist back. When Bardot got close to him, Snap slammed his fist against the side of Bardot's head. The force was enough to knock the hybrid zoner off course and he landed in the ground next to Snap. The blue zoner immediately backed away before the yellow and red zoner could attempt to bite him.
Bardot rubbed his head where Snap had hit him. A small bruise formed there. He got up off the ground and looked in Snap's direction. He chuckled, the sound boring through Snap's soul. He couldn't tell if Bardot was angry or not. He didn't like the way he was looking at him.
"Impressive that you managed to hit me in your...conditon." Bardot's green eyes scanned Snap's body again. He then focused on Snap's face, staring at him in the eye. "Just what I would expect from the unkillable..." He took a step towards Snap. He lowered his head, his ears lowering just a tad. "But you won't have that title for long, Snappy boy. Your time...is almost up."
Snap, despite his fears, glared at him. "I..I'm still s-standing...a-aren't I..?"
"Yes but for how long?" Bardot laughed. "You are so badly hurt, I wonder if even the most extensive care unit can save you." He turned his head towards the unconscious forms of Rudy and Penny. "I wonder, if they somehow survive this, what they'd think when they find out you're dead? What a shame, don't you think? To survive all that, only to find out that you died trying to save them. What a shame..."
Snap took a step towards the deranged zoner. The step hurt. It made him feel like he was walking on glass. His body trembled from the pain. Yet he still stood there, glaring as defiantly as he could at Bardot. "I-I-I am not down y-y-yet..." He took in a pained breath. "I w-won't give up..." He straightened himself up, ignoring the pain the best he could. "I-I will not f-f-fail..my...friends..."
"Oh, but you already have..." With that, Bardot rushed towards Snap, his feet pounding against the ground.
Snap tried to punch Bardot. This time, he wasn't so lucky. The beast grabbed his head in his paw and dragged him along. He ran up to the wall and crushed Snap against it, bending his arm at an odd angle. There was no snap, but the twist did pull a muscle, causing Snap to emit a howl of pain. When Bardot released him, he held his injured arm to his body. The arm was immobilized by pain. Tears forming in his eyes, Snap looked over as Bardot came at him again.
Bardot slammed his body against Snap's, forcing the zoner into the ground. Snap found himself on his back. His body was rigid in pain, unable to move. His difficulty breathing made it harder and harder to concentrate. He looked up at Bardot, who kept him pinned down with his front paws.
Snap struggled weakly on the ground. He tried to move something, anything. His body was still filled with pain, and he had gotten even weaker from the loss of blood. He felt Bardot dig his claws into his body as he tightened his grip on him. Snap looked up, shuddering at the sight of those gleeful eyes staring back down at him. Bardot's jaws slowly opened, exposing the entirety of his venomous fangs. Snap's eyes widened, knowing what the hybrid zoner was going to do now.
"It had been fun, Snappy boy." Bardot said, licking his lips as he stared hungrily at the blue zoner. "But all good things must come to an end.."
Snap tried again to free himself. The fear gave him a bit of strength. It wasn't enough. He could barely lift his head off the ground, hard to keep his eyes open, let alone try to punch this guy.
"Goodbye, Snap. It was nice knowing you." Bardot said softly.
Tears flowing down his face, Snap was unable to turn his eyes away as Bardot lowered his jaws to bite him.
sss
Mrs. Tabootie couldn't take it. She tried to hold it back. She tried to keep herself calm. It just wasn't working. Her body shook with emotion as she stared at the entrance of the rhino-like cave. She had her hands clasped together. She took a step towards the cave. A small one, her mind unsure if she wanted to head back in there or not.
She felt something tug on her. She looked down and saw it was that one zoner...what was her name.. Ah yes, Rapsheeba. One of Snap's friends. She looked up at her with a sympathetic expression. She shook her head slowly.
Mrs. Tabootie stared at her, and then looked back at the cave. She couldn't just stand here. She didn't know if she could make herself remain still and wait for someone to come out. Every muscle in her body was tense. She wanted to make a run for it. She wanted to rush back in there. She could see the two zoners and the other humans were sympathetic towards her, but they all felt it was best to remain outside.
But how can she remain out here? Sure, she felt better being out of that dreadful place. But...Rudy and Penny were still inside... They were hurt. They were dying. Their time was almost up. If they didn't get out here soon, they would be too late to take them to a hospital. They...they needed to get them out of there...now.
And then there was Snap.
The little blue zoner was very badly hurt when she had seen him. And he was only going to get worse as he continued to fight against these two evil zoners, Draow and Bardot. As much as she wasn't sure how real he was, she could still tell he was in a lot of pain. She couldn't just let him suffer like that. She had to do something.
But..what could she do against Bardot and Draow? And what if these two zoners, Blocky and Rapsheeba, were right? What if rushing in would only make things worse? With how bad things were already, they couldn't afford anything worse.
As they were wandering through the tunnels, Snap's screams echoed off the walls. They were intermixed with the howls and snarls of Draow, whose voice she came to know a little too well for her liking. The screams sent chills down her and the other adults' spines. It was distressing to hear another being in so much pain, even if they were made of chalk. Regardless of how real she thought they were, the one thing she knew they had in common is that they could feel pain. And that was enough for her to sympathize with the blue zoner as she listened to him being beaten up.
She and the others waited outside of the rhino head. They hadn't moved far from their spot. She hadn't noticed any other zoners coming at them. Blocky commented that it was shere luck as usually predators do roam this area. He assured her that they wouldn't try to eat them as zoners can't eat real world food. Bardot is the only one who does. But she didn't feel that assured, especially when Rapsheeba noted that the predators might still attack anyway.
Draow was proof of that aggression. He couldn't eat them, but that didn't stop him from biting them and clawing them. Being the first talking zoner they ran into, that was a terrible first impression that she and the others got. Add to that, the other talking zoner they met was Bardot, and he was even worse. Cruel, a cold-blooded monster... And any other zoner they had met before their capture had been predatory or aggressive, or both.
Before Snap showed up in their room to free them, she had thought that maybe it was indeed best to ban the kids from ChalkZone. Regardless of what good there might be to this place, knowing that dangers like Bardot and Draow lurked around, she became afraid that, if they lived through this, there might be another time where her son and friend would disappear, and this time, they'd never come back. Knowing that their children were in danger in a place like this, with monsters and predators around, keeping them out of ChalkZone might be the best course of action.
That notion was challenged when Snap came in. Like the other parents, Mrs. Tabootie was unsure of what to think of Snap, and was distrustful towards him. It did confuse her when she saw all the injuries, but in this world, a place she didn't understand, she couldn't use the wounds as an excuse to give Snap a chance. For all she knew, it was just to get her guard down. Snap could turn out to be just like the other zoners.
The only thing she knew about Snap was that he was Rudy's creation. She had seen plenty of drawings of him. But what Rudy had drawn was just fictional stories, comics that he had published. She didn't know what the real Snap was like. He could have turned out to be a total jerk, nothing like the hero that Rudy made him out to be in the stories.
Her opinion of Snap, her distrust of him, did start to change not simply because of what Terry told them, but it was because of what she had seen on the video. The way he kept throwing himself at Draow, fighting with him, keeping him away from Rudy and Penny... She knew the only reason he would do this was if he reall did care. His life was on the line. He could have been torn apart. Yet, there he stood, fighting against the larger, more powerful zoner.
That was when she knew Snap was more than just a friend to her son and his girlfriend. He was also a guardian of sorts. Terry said they were guardians of each other. And Mrs. Tabootie could see why. Seeing the video, she could tell how close of friends they were, and how much they were willing to sacrifice for each other.
She, her husband, and Mrs. Sanchez all agreed, as they stood outside the rhino head, that it was a nice change of pace to see something good about ChalkZone. It was nice to see, thanks to Snap, Rapsheeba, and Blocky, that not all zoners were vicious. It was definitely reassuring when Blocky mentioned that most zoners aren't evil and wouldn't try to hurt their children. She and the other parents were still wary of the dangers ChalkZone still had, but knowing there was indeed good in this place did help them feel better.
Her thoughts went back to their children, who were still stuck inside. She hoped they didn't get more injured. Her lips quivered at the thought of those two monsters hurting them more than they already had. And with no cameras, they had no idea if Snap managed to win against Draow and Bardot. They didn't know when he would come out with their children. All they could do was stand around and wait.
Not knowing was the worst part. As terrible as being forced to watch Rudy and Penny in agony, at least they could see them. They could see what their condition was. It was so much worse not knowing what was going on. She felt a pang in he heart as images flashed in her head, her imagination getting the best of her as she thought about different scenarios of what could be happening.
She felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked over and saw her husband. He gave her a sympathetic look. She leaned against him for comfort.
"Oh Joe...where are they?" She asked, tears forming in her eyes. "What if they don't come out? What if.."
"Now now, Millie.." Mr. Tabootie said, smiling gently at her. He gripped her hand and gently squeezed it. "I'm sure they'll make it out okay."
Mrs. Tabootie wanted to believe her husband. She wanted to cling onto that hope. But time was running out. And with how badly hurt Snap was, she didn't know if he could handle fighting against both Draow and Bardot.
"How can you be so sure?" Mrs. Tabootie asked, sniffling.
"Because Snap is Rudy's creation. You and I both know how determined and stubborn Rudy can be. We know how he won't give up so easily." He put his hands on Mrs. Tabootie's shoulders, gently squeezing them. "If Snap really was created by Rudy, then I am sure he has that same determination in him. I am sure that, just like Rudy, he won't give up."
Mrs. Tabootie felt tears stream down her face. "...yeah..I think you're right..."
She and her husband gave each other a hug. In his embrace, she turned her head so she could look at the rhino-shaped entrance. As she recalled what had happened, as she thought about how Blocky and Rapsheeba helped her and the others escape, as she thought about Snap fighting to save their children, something came to her mind. A realization.
Maybe, just maybe...this place, this ChalkZone, despite what they had seen in Draow and Bardot...maybe it wasn't so bad after all.