A/N: I'm back after a long hiatus. *Whew* Sorry about that folks but the inspiration to write was not there. I'm sorry to those that have been patiently waiting for an update. Another disappearance happens in this chapter. This is my longest chapter so far, brace yourselves.
Characters: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Bowser, Wario, DK, Diddy, Dixie, Yoshi, Birdo, Toadette, and Toad.
Missing/Dead: Bowser Jr and Waluigi.
The Blame Game
The sound of Toadette's cries and the Mario gang bickering echoed all throughout the forest. Mario could not decide which was more annoying at the moment. He heaved a deep sigh and tried to focus beyond all the chaos. It didn't help that people kept dragging him into the drama.
"This is all Wario's fault, right Mario?" Daisy insisted.
"Screw you, flower bitch. I think this is your fault!" Wario snorted.
"No, this is all Toadette's fault, right Mario?" Birdo asked.
"Leave Toadette alone! You know Birdo, You have not helped much this whole trip. I think you deserve some blame!" Toad yelled.
"I think its Luigi's fault! It was his idea to follow the tape," Dixie pointed out.
"What happened to it being Toadelly KedShrooms fault?" DK asked confused.
"What!? No it's not! I was just trying to help. At least I tried to offer a solution unlike you, Dixie!" Luigi accused.
"Technically, it's Peach's fault. I mean it was her idea to come out here in the first place, right Mario?" Diddy asked.
"Excuse me!? You were not officially invited. Besides, nobody forced you to tag along! DK, this is your fault for inviting him!" Peach shouted.
"I happen to think this whole thing is Mario's fault, right Mario?" Bowser smirked.
Finally Mario had had enough.
"SHUT UP!" He screamed out.
Everyone had indeed shut up and froze in place.
"I need everyone to just calm down and stop blaming each other! This is not anyone's fault. Listen, I understand that this is pretty traumatic, but we need to work together if we want to get out of here. No more petty arguments going forward, got it?"
A few snorts and sarcastic remarks were muttered within the group.
"I'm serious! Let's just focus on getting out of here. Now, does anyone have any good ideas?"
"Did anyone happen to bring a cellphone?" Yoshi asked. "I have mine but I can't get a signal."
"Peach told us to leave them all at home. She said it would disrupt the real camping experience," Toad said sadly.
"And all of you except Yoshi actually did that!?" Mario asked in disbelief.
Everyone looked down in embarrassment.
"Where's your phone?" Dixie asked.
"I left it at home too" Mario sighed.
"Once again the Koopa King reigns supreme. You idiots need to be way more prepared," Bowser chuckled.
"And I suppose you have your cellphone with you?" Mario asked.
"Duh! Never leave home without it." Bowser rudely replied.
"You mean like your map?" Birdo deadpanned. Everyone snickered at the Koopa's earlier misfortune.
"Go ahead and laugh all you want. You dorks will thank me later," Bowser said as he pulled his phone out of his backpack and handed it to Mario.
"I tried to call Junior earlier but it kept going straight to his voicemail. Unlike dino boy's inept cellphone - mine is expensive, has great reception and an epically long battery life!"
"It's dead," Mario said flatly.
"What!? It was at 98% battery life when I found you imbeciles about an hour ago. It can't be dead! Let me see it!" Bowser grumbled as he snatched it from Mario.
Sure enough the cellphone would not turn on.
"Now what do we do?" Toadette asked sadly.
"DK, take Yoshi's cell up in the trees to try to get better signal," Mario ordered.
"Maybe you can see the van from up there!" Yoshi said as he handed DK his cell.
"Good idea Yoshi!" Toadette cheered.
DK nodded as he took the cell and climbed up the highest branch of the nearest tree.
"Any luck up there?" Daisy asked.
"No, I'm still not getting a signal!" DK complained.
"Well, then go a little higher, banana breath," Wario suggested.
DK climbed to the very top of the tree. He held the phone up as high as he could but still no signal. DK was about to curse the stupid phone until he noticed his surroundings.
"DK, is everything OK up there?" Dixie asked a little worried.
"Do you see the van?" Toad asked.
"I don't see anything but an endless sea of trees in every direction!" DK panicked.
"What? No, that can't be. We didn't walk that far. You're not looking hard enough," Diddy said as he quickly scampered up the tree.
"I want to see this for myself," Dixie proclaimed as she climbed up right behind her boyfriend.
Unfortunately, DK was telling the truth. Oak trees stretched on for miles and miles. Nothing else could be seen but a sea of green. The three Kongs looked in vain all around them to try to find some sort of a landmark.
"How is this even possible!? We should be able to at least see the Choco Mountains!" Diddy freaked.
"You mean we really are lost!?" Toadette screamed out as she started to cry once more.
"Shut the hell up Toadette! You're making the situation much worse!" Wario raged.
"What did I just say about petty arguments!?" Mario yelled back.
"Fuck you Mario! Nobody gives a damn what you think anymore!" Bowser yelled back.
More heated arguments broke out within the group. DK, Diddy and Dixie climbed down from the tree to join in on the commotion. The yelling and crying continued for another few minutes or so until a very unsettling realization was made.
"You guys! Stop it! It's almost sunset and we still don't know where we are!" Yoshi screamed out.
"Holy shit! Yoshi's right! We have no idea where we are or where to go and it's already evening. We spent too much time arguing," Birdo realized.
"Does that mean?" Luigi was terrified of the answer.
"I'm afraid we have no choice but to set up camp right here," Mario said.
"No! Please not another night out here!" Toadette wailed.
"Toadette, I swear on my grandmama's grave that if you don't the shut up…"Wario clenched his teeth.
"What other choice do we have? It's getting late. It takes a while to setup camp. It's a lot safer to just stay right here for another night," Mario reasoned.
"Hello? Earth to Mario! Have you forgotten that there is a crazy killer out there!? I sure as hell refuse to be a sitting duck!" Dixie spat.
"I agree with the ponytail prime ape! We should keep moving! I wondered all around the forest by myself last night and I sure as hell had no problems," Bowser said.
"No! We need to stay here, together. It too dangerous! There are way too many risks out there at night!" Mario protested.
"What makes you think there is less risk sleeping out here?" Peach asked.
"I'll stand guard tonight. If someone tries to ambush us, I'll be ready for it and able to properly protect the group," Mario responded confidently. "C'mon, when has Super Mario ever let anyone down?"
Mario's confidence seemed to relax the group quite a bit. The Mushroom Kingdom hero did have quite the ultimate fighter reputation. There was no boss battle or challenge that had ever stopped him yet.
"OK, then it's settled. Let's setup for one more campout tonight then we will resume our search tomorrow morning."
No time was wasted in getting the camp setup. The closer to nightfall it became, the more eager everyone was to get inside their tent. There was still plenty of hotdogs and s'mores left over from last night. The gang munched away until nightfall.
"Where do I sleep tonight?" Bowser asked.
"You'll share with Wario," Mario replied as he finished his hotdog.
"Hell no!" Wario growled.
"Well, I'm not too thrilled about it either, blubber butt!" Bowser retorted.
"It will only be for one night," Mario softly replied.
"It had better be!" Wario said as he stormed off into his tent.
"You better not snore!" Bowser said as he followed the plump man.
"There's no way that I'll be able to sleep tonight," whined Toadette.
"C'mon Toadette, Mario is here to protect us! We're safe!" Toad assured as he helped her into their tent.
"Mario, are you sure you'll be OK?" Peach asked nervously.
"I'll be fine, Peach! Trust me I have faced much worse. You and Daisy should get some rest," Mario smiled back.
"You going to bed, Weegie?" Daisy asked as she headed into Peach's tent.
"Yes, I'll be right there," Luigi called back.
"Hey Mario, do you need any help? DK and I think we should all trade shifts," Yoshi offered.
"No thanks, guys! I'll be fine. Go get some sleep."
"You sure, I don't mind," DK offered.
"I promise. I got this."
The rest of the gang filed inside their respective tents, except Luigi. Mario on guard duty was able to put everyone at ease. It did not take long until everyone was fast asleep.
"Hey bro. Mind if I join you?" Luigi asked.
"Do I have a choice?" Mario smirked.
"Not really. Did you forget? We are the Super Mario Brothers," Luigi said as he sat beside his brother.
Mario smiled as he poked at the dying campfire with a tree branch. He focused on the burning ember without facing Luigi. Things were looking bad for the group but he had to remain strong. Everyone depended on him. He could not show his fear to anyone, especially his little brother.
"I'm sorry that I forced you into this trip."
"You didn't force me, Mario. I reluctantly chose to come here. I don't blame you for all that's happened. I know that if anyone can get us out of here, it's you," Luigi said as he put his hand on Mario's shoulder.
"We should re-trace our steps tomorrow. I think the best option is to backtrack our way to the dead tree and the original camping spot. From those familiar locations, we should be able to find our way out."
"Great idea! I knew that if any-"
"Shh! You hear that?"
A loud shuffling noise was heard off in the not so far distance. The shuffling was coming right across from the camp. It sounded like someone was dragging their feet across pebbles. Mario and Luigi instantly jumped to their feet in a fighting stance.
"Hello?" Mario called out.
The shuffling noise continued. Mario focused his full attention in the direction of the noise. He couldn't tell if the noise was near or far. It was far too dark to see anything. Luigi was frantically looking around.
"Is anyone out there?"
"Mario? W-what is that noise?"
"It's OK. It's probably just an animal."
The shuffling got louder and this time it surrounded the camp.
"What kind of animal makes that noise?" Luigi whimpered.
"Enough! I demand that you show yourself!" Mario yelled out.
Mario's yell was loud enough to wake the camp. Everyone began to poke their heads outside of their tents.
"Mario? What's going on?" Peach asked.
"What the hell is that noise?" Birdo asked.
"You mean, where the hell is that noise coming from?" Yoshi asked looking around the camp.
The shuffling just got louder and louder. This time it sounded like a huge army was dragging their feet across a rocky terrain. The Mario gang huddled close together. Everyone was frantically looking in all directions.
"I want everyone to make a run for it on the count of three," Mario whispered as he pointed in the direction behind him.
"1"
"2"
A high pitched Banshee scream filled the air.
Everyone screamed and charged into the southern part of the forest. Luigi stopped to see that Mario was still standing his ground.
"Mario!" Luigi screamed back.
"Luigi, I need you to follow the group. I'll hold it off."
"But..Mario!"
"GO!" Mario yelled as he pushed his brother in the opposite direction.
Luigi hesitated. He wanted to stay with his brother but he knew he had to find the others. He understood that Mario needed him to help led them to safety. Luigi dashed off as fast as he could after his frantic friends. He managed to catch up to them rather quickly. Everyone was resting in a nearby clearing.
"What the hell was that? Are we safe?" Toadette panicked.
"I hope so," Wario said as he gasped out of breath.
"Luigi, where's Mario?" Peach asked.
Everyone turned their focus to the green clad plumber.
"He stayed behind to fight whatever that thing was."
"And you left him all alone!"
"He wanted me to stay with you guys," Luigi said meekly as he started to regret his decision.
"We have to go back and help Mario!" Yoshi said.
"Why the hell would we want to do that!?" Bowser shrieked.
"Yoshi's right. Mario may need our help," Daisy said.
"Oh no! I want to live. You kids have fun without me," Bowser said as he plopped down on the ground.
"Suit yourself,' DK said as he followed the others back into the forest.
Bowser sat quietly trying to regain his breath. He was starting to calm down until he heard the infamous shuffling noise again.
"Oh hell no! Guys, wait for me!" Bowser shouted as he bolted after the Mario gang.
Luigi led the frantic rescue charge. He cursed himself for being so selfish. He should have just ignored his brother and stayed behind. If anything happened to Mario, he would never forgive himself.
"Mario!" Luigi called out.
The forest was silent. No shuffling. No screaming. No Melee noises. The silence was starting to set uneasily within the group.
"Don't worry, Weegee! I'm sure Mario beat them," Daisy called out from behind.
The group approached their camp or rather what was left of it. The campgrounds had been destroyed. It looked like a pack of ravenous bears tore through everything. The gang's personal belongings were scattered all around the camp site.
"What in the hell happened here!?" Birdo freaked.
"It looks like a tornado came through here," Dixie said.
"Mario!" Luigi called out again more frantic than before.
"Where is he?" Peach asked nervously.
"Oh no…"Yoshi muttered as he pointed ahead.
In front of the camp was a large pool of blood. Mario's cap sat in the middle of it.
EOC.
A/N: The story just gets darker from here on. There will be less light heartedness and more horror.