CHAPTER 11: BLOODSTAINS ON THE WALL-
Snap stared numbly at the piece of paper he got from Wilter. Over and over again, he read the message. He kept hoping that he missed something, that he was just misinterpreting what it said. But now, there was no way to mistake this message. There was no doubt what it was saying.
Rudy and Penny were in grave danger.
He couldn’t believe it. He just couldn’t believe it. The last time he had seen them, they had been fine. There was no indication they were in immediate danger. Sure, they knew there was possible danger for them, but they thought that wouldn’t come until later. There had been no signs of Draow or this intruder. There were no signs of them making a move. They had just simply disappeared. And now, so have his friends...
And what was worse is that he had no idea where he was going to go to find them. He didn’t know where to start. Mr. Wilter says they may be in ChalkZone, but..how? Rudy was the one with the magic chalk usually and he wouldn’t leave a portal open all night long. Penny sometimes had a piece, but like Rudy, she wouldn’t do something so stupid as to keep a portal unattended for so many hours. And then there was Mr. Wilter. His use of magic chalk was even less than that of Penny’s, and he understood the importance of keeping ChalkZone a secret. Surely he wouldn’t forget to erase any portal he created.
This lead to Snap consider that, whatever happened, it was related to the real world only. Maybe some thug decided to break in and take his friends. Or maybe they left on their own accord for whatever reason and just never came back.
But if five others disappeared like them, the only real world possibility Snap could think of was a serial killer. His heart started to pound as he considered that thought. He knew that anyone, regardless of they are from the real world or ChalkZone, was capable of cruelty, and it wouldn’t be that much of a stretch to believe that a serial killer went into Plainsville and started to slaughter people. The idea frightened him because, if that were the case, he’d never see Rudy or Penny again...
The possibility of whatever happening being real world only hung heavily over Snap’s mind. It was the only explanation he could think of that made sense. He couldn’t fathom how Draow or this intruder could have gotten into the real world in the first place. He didn’t know how Mr. Wilter could think such a thing. There was no way there was an open portal somewhere...unless there was another creator he was unaware of. But that was hard to believe. He would have heard something by now if there was another creator loose in ChalkZone.
Snap felt so helpless. He didn’t know what he should do, or what he could even do. He might have a better idea of what happened if he could get into the real world, but he could only do that if Rudy or Penny were with him. They could use the magic chalk. Not him. He was stuck in ChalkZone unless Mr. Wilter drew a portal for him.
But why would Mr. Wilter do that? His message clearly indicated he wanted him searching around ChalkZone. He wouldn’t suddenly drew a portal for him if that were the case. If he had intended on doing that, he’d left a message regarding that. And there was no way Snap could communicate back to him and ask him to do that. The only thing he could do was look around ChalkZone, but he didn’t know exactly where to go first.
There had to be something he could do. Something he was overlooking or missing. He thought about what happened recently, with the escape of Draow. He thought about the scene of the crime, the claw marks, the blood, the fact that two zoners were murdered by this intruder.
Then he thought about the hole in the wall. He had overheard the investigator say that the hole looked like something Rudy could have drawn with his magic chalk. This did indicate the presence of a creator, but Snap already ruled that out. Again, he could have heard something about it. This lead to the same conclusion he was sure Rudy had.
And that was that this particular magic chalk could be used by zoners...
Admittingly, Snap was almost...enchanted by the idea. He had always wondered what it was like to wield the magic chalk. He thought about what it meant to be able to create anything in midair, and have it materialize right before him. Almost anything was possible with the magic chalk. No matter how convoluted the idea, how matter how ridiculous it may sound, the magic chalk made it possible.
The only way to know for certain is if he got a closer look at this hole. He was used to seeing portals in ChalkZone. Out of all the zoners, he uses them the most. He was familiar with how the edges feel. It was hard to describe the texture. It was kinda chalky, but kinda not. A sensation that could only be created by a piece of magic chalk. If he got a close look at this hole, he would be able to tell if it had been created by magic chalk or not.
That seemed to be the best move for him. And if he could prove that the hole had been created by magic chalk, then that did reopen the possibility of Rudy and Penny being kidnapped by Draow. If that bat wolf had found a way to get to his friends, there was no doubt in Snap’s mind that the fiend would use that opportunity.
He needed to report to Skrawl anyway of what had happened. He wasn’t sure how the jellybean was going to take it. Years ago, he would have just smiled and claimed victory. But now that they were pretty much friends, he would certainly not be very happy with their disappearance. He wondered if he would have a ëI told you so’ moment, where he would rant to Snap about how he knew it was a bad idea for Rudy and Penny to be involved with the case.
But even if he did that, Skrawl wouldn’t dwell on it too long. Oh sure, he’d be angry, furious even, but he would understand dwelling on it too long wouldn’t help them at all. He wouldn’t waste so much time yelling. Heck, he might not even bother yelling at Snap, and instead he would focus on spreading out the search party to locate the intruder and Draow.
And even if Skrawl did yell at him, even if Skrawl decided to ran to him on how he should have kept the trio off the case and let him do all the work, it wasn’t like it was going to stop Snap. Skrawl knew by now that he couldn’t keep them from doing what they felt was right. Snap sometimes wondered if Skrawl really did know this and was just ignoring it, or if he was truly blatantly unaware.
His mind went back to Rudy and Penny. He had no idea what their condition currently was. He didn’t know if they were hurt, if they were battered, if they were torn up, or even if they were still alive at all. The thought frightened him. It was terrifying not knowing exactly what happened to his friends. He only knew that something terrible happened and now they were both gone. Even if he knew for certain Draow took them, that was no indication on just what exactly happened with Rudy and Penny.
He knew Draow wanted revenge, but he didn’t know exactly what he had planned to do with them. Draow could have outright killed his friends. A terrible thought, but, as much as he hated to admit it, that was a possibility. If the bat wolf hated them that much, it would make sense he’d kill them off as quickly as possible.
But then, he had been Mr. Cosmo’s right hand ëman’ pretty much, and they had some similarities in personality, as he found out the hard way when he had been yanked from the hospital.
When they were up in the air, after Tsere had tried to get him back, Mr. Cosmo had decided that he got tired of the chase and had Draow drop him, a blatant attempt to murder him. In that moment, Snap realized that he had been wrong about Draow. He thought he was just a terrifying ëbeast of burden’ more or less, a pet that followed Mr. Cosmo’s orders loyally because he had been trained that way. Nothing before gave him a clear indication that he was more than what he appeared.
And then he had spoken. As soon as words came out of his muzzle, Snap knew that Draow had been more like Cosmo than he ever imagined. Because Draow, like Cosmo, had decieved them. He had played them all for fools, tricking them that he was dumber than he really was. He revealed, in the very first line he ever spoke, that he was capable of scheming and cruel planning just as much as Mr. Cosmo.
Because Draow enjoyed inflicting pain on others as much as Mr. Cosmo, Snap realized that it was more likely that Draow would torment Rudy and Penny rather than kill them outright. This wasn’t too much better. He shuddered at the thought of his friends being tortured. It hit home for him; he had been tortured himself. He wouldn’t want anyone to go through that. But at the same time, if Draow planned on keeping them alive for a while, that did give him some time to save them.
As much as he was still shaken up by what happened, even though he was still filled with sorrow knowing that his friends were in danger and he had no idea where they were, he knew he couldn’t just stand around. He had to take action.
That’s what Blocky had done. He was going through ChalkZone, informing as many citizens as he could, about Rudy and Penny’s disappearance. He had gone in the opposite direction of the jail, so he knew he did not get to Skrawl yet. But he knew, by now, he had told a lot of zoners already of what had happened. Snap hoped that some of them would be willing to help him find his friends. He may need all the help that he could get.
Snap looked in the direction where Skrawl’s jail was. He sucked in a deep breath. He knew what he had to do next.
“I promise you, Bucko...Buckette...” Snap whispered. His fists shook as sadness and anger started to overtake him. Sadness of what happened....anger at whoever was the culprit. “I will find you...”
With that, he made his way over to Skrawl’s jail.
sss
“What?!”
Skrawl’s voice rumbled through the prison. Most of the wardens nearby immediately fled away from him, all knowing how Skrawl can be if he recieves bad news such as this. The few wardens that dared to stay behind pressed their backs at the wall, staring at Skrawl, expecting him to strike out in rage.
Snap stood in place, staring up at the jellybean, who looked down at him furiously. This didn’t faze him. With what he went through when he found out Rudy and Penny were gone...this was nothing. Besides, it wasn’t like Skrawl was mad at him in particular. He was mad that the search party had failed to nab Draow and this intruder before something bad had happened.
“Are you sure?!” Skrawl demanded. He had lowered his head, putting it close to Snap’s.
To the wardens, this was a clearly threatening move. Skrawl was cleary very angry, and when he wants to be intimidating, he knows a few ways of how to do so. And this was one of them. But to Snap, it didn’t bother him that much. His mind was still clouded from the news, filled with so much sorrow and worry. He barely reacted to Skrawl’s move.
Snap stared at Skrawl and said in a soft voice, “Yes. Mr. Wilter told me of what happened... And he believes Draow played a role in their disappearance.”
Skrawl growled. “And you say that other humans have vanished too? Not just them?”
Snap nodded his head. “That is what Mr. Wilter said. He didn’t say how many...” Snap made a quick gesture with his hands to emphasize. “...but the fact is...Rudy and Penny aren’t the only victims. And I know that they wouldn’t leave a portal open... That leaves just one possibility...”
His face going blank, Skrawl let this sink in. He stared at Snap, understanding clearly showing through his blank expression. Snap knew that the jellybean understood exactly what he was implying. A thought that was unheard of, and, given the circumstances now, terrifying.
“He can use magic chalk...” Skrawl said, his voice barely audible. Shock had taken over his mind in that moment. “Somehow...he has found a way to use magic chalk...” He spoke slowly, as if trying to let it all sink in for him.
The idea of a zoner using magic chalk...
On the one hand, it was fascinating. The ability to create anything in midair... Snap had wondered what that felt like. He had wondered what it was like for Rudy to use the magic chalk and create things. Yet he knew that the magic chalk could easily be misused. The ability to create anything can easily go both ways... And in this case, it was going far in the opposite direction than Rudy would have used it for.
Rudy only used the magic chalk for good. He wanted to help people, and that is what he did. He never used the chalk to deliberately harm anyone. Sure, there was the black chalk, from what he was told, but Rudy was never in control of himself; the black chalk used him. So he didn’t count that. Even against Mr. Cosmo, he had apparently not used lethal force or been overly violent with the man, no matter how much he deserved it. And even in the end, Cosmo caused his own death, not Rudy.
But now here was another possible creator, but a zoner this time, and he was clearly using the magic chalk to do harm. He was using it to gain access to the real world, so he could kidnap unsuspecting humans for some diabolical reason. He must have set up a portal somewhere. He didn’t know where it could be. He would have seen it...unless it was an invisible portal like Mr. Cosmo had...
He was interrupted from his thoughts when he heard Skrawl scream loudly into the air, his hands clutched into fists. Snap took a step backwards, his eyes widening slightly. He hadn’t expected him to scream like that. Neither did the remaining wardens, who immediately fled the area to join the others that went away earlier.
Skrawl glared down at Snap. He looked at first like he was going to strike him out of anger, but instead, he turned around and walked away. He folded his arms behind his back and stood in the middle of the room. He looked like he was trying to think of something, perhaps the next course of action. Perhaps he was thinking about what they should do, now that the idea of a zoner being able to use magic chalk was a real possibility.
Skrawl looked over at the hole in the wall, the one that was still there. It was only kept there because it was evidence. He had set up some sensor bars around the spot as a way to ëcover’ it up, so that no more intruders could get in or prisoners could get out using that hole. He sucked on his lip, his expression thoughtful. He looked down at Snap.
“You’re able to recognize creator handiwork, aren’t you?” Skrawl asked.
Snap nodded his head. “We’re all technically ëcreator handiwork’, but I take it you mean I can tell if damage was done by a zoner or by a creator.”
Skrawl narrowed his eyes and growled, “Yes...yes that’s exactly what I mean.” He pointed his finger towards the hole. “Take a look at it, and tell me. You’ve hung around chalk boy the most, so I’m sure you, out of all zoners, could tell if this was done by magic chalk or not.”
As Snap approached the hole, Skrawl turned the beams off. Snap continued to walk closer to the hole, and then, finally, he was able to place his hand on it gently. He felt the edges, getting an idea on the shape, any grooves, any imperfections. He stared at the hole, studying how it was shaped, if there was anything left on it, anything that would help with identifying what made this hole.
After a few seconds, Snap stared back at Skrawl. His eyes widened big. Shock and fear showed clearly on his face. He gave a rigid nod.
“Yeah...it’s magic chalk alright...” He whispered, prompting a gasp of surprise from the jellybean.
sss
Snap was running as fast he could. His feet pounded on the ground. His breath quickened. His throat started to get a little dry. His mind was racing as fast as his feet, trying to digest what he had just been told. He couldn’t believe it. He had to see this for himself.
After he had told Skrawl about the hole definitely being of magic chalk origin, Rapsheeba had come rushing in. She looked like she was in distress, her eyes wide in panic. Something was troubling her. When Snap and Skrawl tried to ask her what was wrong, Rapsheeba just said to come with her and grabbed Snap. She had dragged him out of the jail and had him run with her.
Snap hadn’t expected Rapsheeba to show up like that. He had thought she was busy with her next concert. He wondered what had caught her eye that scared her so much that she would practically drag him out with her.
But as they got close to where she wanted to take him, something seemed out of place... Something that he felt was the reason for her being so scared.
He couldn’t tell what it was at first. He saw something, but at the angle he was at, he couldn’t really understand just what he was looking at. It wasn’t until he got closer that it started to look more familiar to him. That familiar feeling began to get eerie as he started to understand just what this was. And was they got within inches of it, his heart started to race.
It was a portal... And clearly not one drawn by Rudy or Penny. The edges had a different coloration to them. The portals Rudy and Penny draw had either no outline, or it was black, at least from ChalkZone’s side. If it had an outline in the real world, it would be white. The only time he remembered the outline being a different color was when Reggie had the red chalk, so the outline was, obviously, red.
This portal had a blue outline.
Blue chalk? He hadn’t heard of it before. He’d seen it used once in Biclops’s flashback he showed him shortly after Rudy first discovered ChalkZone, but it didn’t seem like it had any special powers of its own. Then again, they had seen the black chalk being used and they thought it wasn’t a big concern...
Snap stared at the blue edged portal. It was his ticket into the real world. If he used this portal to get to the other side, he could find out more of what happened to his friends. He was a little scared. He had no idea where the portal led to. He didn’t have Penny with him to guide him. He didn’t have Rudy to help him. He was completely on his own. He hoped that his few visits into the real world were enough to help him find Rudy’s home.
As he started to go through the portal, Rapsheeba grabbed his arm and pulled him back. “What are you doing? You don’t know where this portal leads to!”
“I know, queenie.” Snap looked at her. He understood why she was so worried. The last time a mysterious portal appeared, Mr. Cosmo had been kidnapping zoners.... He looked back at the portal. “But Rudy and Penny are in trouble... I have to see what happened to them.”
Rapsheeba’s eyes widened. “They’re in trouble?”
Snap nodded his head slowly. “Yeah. Mr. Wilter said they..disappeared. And other humans vanished as well.” He closed his eyes, trying to fight back the tears that started form. “I...I need to go Bucko’s house and see for myself...maybe find some clue as to what happened...”
Snap started to go through the portal. He noticed Rapsheeba coming towards him. He stopped himself and held up a hand to Rapsheeba.
“No, Queen Rapsheeba. Stay here. I know the real world more than you. If something happened to you...I wouldn’t forgive myself...” Snap said, his eyes narrowed in determination. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Rapsheeba looked reluctant to let Snap go on his own. But she understood where he was coming from and she gave a nod. “Okay. Best of luck, Snap. I’ll wait for you here.”
Snap nodded his head. “See you around, queenie.”
With that, Snap went through the portal.
sss
Snap walked down the street. He didn’t have much of a hard time. It hadn’t rained recently, which was good, so the ground was dry. He didn’t see any sources of real world water anywhere, so he knew he was safe just walking down the street. He did stay off the grass, though. He could see some dew on them. Unless he wanted some tiny painful holes in his feet, he avoided the grass like no tomorrow.
The portal had opened up into an abandoned building deep in town. It made sense, Snap realized. The hybrid zoner would have wanted to open up a portal in some place where no one would ever go. A building that was falling apart and thus was a safety hazard for anyone that dared live in it seemed like a great idea. There were no plans to tear this building down, or at least, no indication it was going to be torn down. With little to no humans coming in this area, it was no wonder no one would have noticed a strange opening on a dusty old chalkboard.
When Snap had exited the building, he was overwhelmed by all the sights and sounds. He felt confused and lost. It wasn’t because he wasn’t used to a city. He had been in plenty of those in ChalkZone. But real world cities were different, and completely unfamiliar to him. The cars rushing by him, people honking and yelling at each other, the lights flashing, everything seemed so different to him because it was real world, not ChalkZone.
He had to ask directions to find Rudy’s place. He only remembered the street name, which he had a glimpse of after Boorat through him out of the window. Luckily, the first person he asked, a woman pushing her baby in a stroller, was able to give him directions to said street. Snap thanked her and took off as fast as he could.
He had ran most of the way there, determined to get to Rudy’s house as soon as he could. But as he came onto the street, he was getting really tired. His heart pounded against his chest and he was very thirsty. He wiped the sweat from his forehead. He realized he had to slow down, so he began to walk the rest of the way. Despite his urges to keep running, he knew he would end up collapsing on the ground unconscious if he continued to run.
And today was not a good idea to do that. He had a feeling that he would see Terry somewhere near Rudy’s place. She had been promoted to bigger news since she stopped trying to reveal ChalkZone. He had his doubts that she gave up completely; she was just biding her time. He knew that if he collapsed nearby and she saw him, she would take him again and try again to reveal ChalkZone. He couldn’t allow that to happen.
Soon, Rudy’s house was in view. He walked a little faster. When he got much closer, he froze and hid in the bushes. Just as he thought, Terry was there. She was with her cameraman and was talking with Rudy’s parents, asking them questions on what had happened during Rudy and Penny’s disappearance. Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie were joined by Penny’s mother. All three looked very distraught and upset.
Snap stared at them sympathetically. He knew how hard it must be for them, to know that their children were missing but not being able to figure out where they were. Snap wanted to rush out and tell them where he thinks they might be. He wanted to inform them of what was going on in ChalkZone. He wanted to do something to help them.
...yet he knew that would have been a horrible idea. He didn’t know how Rudy’s parents or Penny’s mom would react to ChalkZone. He didn’t know if they would think ChalkZone was a horrible place and try to do something about it. He had no idea if they would go as far as bring in the government to investigate. And from there, it would all just go downhill...
And Terry would just make things worse. If he rushed out and said something about ChalkZone, she would do whatever she could to get him to reveal more information. She would turn the camera on him and box him in a corner, trying to make him speak. She would be even more determined to learn more if she knew that the disappearances lately could have been ChalkZone related.
Snap snuck around them. Terry was so focused on talking to the distressed parents to really notice him. He moved around to the side. He turned his head up, looking around for Rudy’s window. It took him a second to realize Rudy’s window was in the front of the house. He’d have to find another way in.
He saw that one of the windows in the back was open. Snap started to climb up. It wasn’t easy to get up there, but his two dimensional powers did come in handy. He flattened himself against the house’s surface and started to snake his way up towards the window. He still had to be very careful; it took all his strength to keep himself clung against the surface, and his whole body was aching as he yanked himself up. Moving along the blanks didn’t feel good, and he felt himself get scraped a little.
Snap went through the window. He realized it was the bathroom window. He looked around, trying to keep an eye out for real world water. He saw a small puddle on the ground. Trembling, he moved around it slowly, never taking his eyes off of it. When he noticed he almost touched the wet counter, he froze in fear.
He still never fully got over what Mr. Cosmo did to him with real world water. He tried to pretend he was okay. If Rudy or Penny said something, he would hide it. He didn’t want them to worry, and there was really almost never a case where he’d have to get close to real world water.
He had never feared real world water before until that incident. The sight of the water on the ground and on the counter he almost touched sent shockwaves through his body. It brought back the horrible memories of the water cutting into his head, where the mind control device was violently pushed into. It made him remember how Mr. Cosmo almost had him murdered with water, and how he had burned and tormented him with vinegar, which was much worse than water.
Snap managed to calm himself enough to get out of the bathroom. He gave a quick shudder, and he walked down the hall. He made sure to be very quiet. The last thing he wanted to do was alert Rudy’s parents, and then have them believe he was the kidnapper. He wasn’t sure how well he could defend himself. Ironically, Terry might defend him as she knows that he is Rudy’s best friend. Or she might just use that as an excuse to gave him come with her.
Snap got close to Rudy’s door. It was partially open. His heart started to clench as he got closer. Dread filled his chest, his body shaking. Each step, he felt worse and worse. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to see what was behind the door. Yet he had to. He had to know what happened to his friends.
When he got to the door, he put his gloved hand on it. He hesitated for a moment. He sucked in a deep breath, trying to mentally prepare himself for what he might see. He pushed the door open gently, not wanting it to bang and alert the people outside. And as the door fully opened, Snap looked around, his eyes widening in absolute horror.
There were claw marks on the ground, deep into the wood. Rudy’s bed had suffered some damage. There were a few thick nicks in it, like something banged up against it. Some items had been dropped on the ground. He could see what looked to be sleeping bags, but they were ripped to shreds, pieces all over the ground.
But that wasn’t what made him freeze in terror. No, it was the blood... Oh man the blood... It was everywhere. The walls, the floor, even a bit on the ceiling. It looked like a scene straight out of a horror movie or game. Most of the blood was on the sleeping bags, where he knew his friends were. The blood was darkest here, almost blood. The blood on the walls and ceiling were brighter red by comparison.
It...it looked like an absolute massacre... It was like someone came in and butchered his friends... He looked at the blood with wide eyes, his body trembling, his mind racing. His breathing became ragged. He didn’t want to believe they could be dead...
What terrified him even more was the fact that...he didn’t even know if they were alive... There were no remains of them to be found. Not even a single strand of hair or a torn piece of clothing. The only thing was blood. Rudy and Penny’s blood... He couldn’t fathom what could have happened to cause this much blood splatter.
His lower lip quivered and he tried to fight back tears. Things just got a lot more serious than before. It was one thing to know that his friends vanished. But now...they were out there somewhere...trapped...
...and badly injured...
“Rudy...Penny...” Snap whispered, trying to hold back a sob. “W-Where are you...?”
He dropped onto his knees, staring at the blood splatters before him. Unable to hold back any longer, he started to cry.