Inspired by true events
Many people believed in the ancient legends of Waluigi, but Eric was not one of them. He had always been the type to only believe something once he had proof of its existence, so he couldn't help but feel skeptical. It was hard to believe tales of a mischievous man who hid in the shadows and came out at night to capture innocent civilians, especially when no one had ever seen him. Yet, half of Mushroom Kingdom still believed he was out there, and that it was better safe than sorry. Few people ever left the safety of the kingdom out of their fear, never daring to trek into the surrounding woods in case of an attack.
Eric and his best friend Luigi had always rolled their eyes at this. Both of them agreed that it was completely ridiculous to hide in the same kingdom for a lifetime just out of terror from something that honestly was probably not even real. Neither of them wanted to suffer that fate.
"Someday, I'd like to get out of this place and explore the world," Eric told Luigi one day. "I want to do something more with my life."
"Same," Luigi replied, nodding his head thoughtfully. "We could do it together."
Eric smiled at his friend. He was thankful to meet someone as understanding as Luigi. It was good to know he wasn't ever alone. It was hard for him to fit in with his aspirations to travel and search for a better future, but with Luigi there to support him, he knew he could do it.
However, they didn't get far into planning their journey when a shocking rumour began to spread quickly through the kingdom. While they were sitting quietly talking, Toad ran up to them, worry etched on his face.
"Guys have you heard," he stammered in a panic, "two girls just went missing after they went for a walk in the woods. People have been saying they were murdered."
Eric and Luigi exchanged a skeptical glance as Toad continued, "this is serious, couldn't you act a little more concerned."
"How do you know they were murdered," Luigi asked. "What if they just got lost, or, maybe they decided to just leave town for good."
Toad shook his head in frustration. "No one just walks into the woods and survives," he said. "There's only one explanation for their disappearance." He hesitated and narrowed his eyes before whispering, "Waluigi took them."
It took all of Eric's willpower not to just roll his eyes and make a sarcastic comment. He held his tongue, because although he and Toad didn't agree on most things, they were still friends. Luigi, however, was not overly impressed.
"Have you even seen Waluigi," he demanded, raising his eyebrows.
"Well, no…," Toad replied slowly, looking a little flustered. "But sometimes, at night before I go to sleep, I think I hear a distant waaaa in the woods, and how else could you explain that?"
"You're just hearing things,, get a hold of yourself," Luigi sighed, rolling his eyes. Toad shook his head and glanced at Eric for support but he quickly averted his eyes.
"Fine don't believe me," Toad huffed, "but I'm just warning you, be careful." He then marched off out of sight. Eric looked at Luigi and they started to laugh. At least they were both smart enough to know there was nothing to fear.
"Maybe we should investigate," Luigi said with a sly smirk. "We can prove that there's no such thing as Waluigi." Eric hesitated. It was his dream to leave Mushroom Kingdom one day to explore the woods and anything beyond, but he wasn't sure there was much point in wandering around the forest for a few hours searching for something that wasn't even there. Even if it was just to prove a point, chances were no one would believe them anyways.
"I don't know, it seems kind of like it'd be a waste of time," Eric pointed out.
Luigi stood up and grabbed Eric's arm, dragging him up with him. "Come on," he pleaded, "even if it's useless, it'll still be fun." Eric smiled and gave in. He supposed it couldn't hurt to go on just a little adventure.
That evening, as the sun began to descend beneath the trees, Eric and Luigi set out down the path leading into the dark forest before them. Fog had settled in and swirled around them as they silently walked among the tall spruce trees. As the last rays of sunlight were swept away by the shadows, Luigi pulled out a flashlight and illuminated the eerie woods with a dim warm glow.
"This is giving me Slender vibes," Eric whispered as he followed his friend through the tangle of branches and leaves at his feet. His voice echoed into the night. The only other sounds were the twigs snapping as they trekked through the dense undergrowth.
Luigi cast a judgmental look at him from over his shoulder. "Are you scared?" he sneered with a laugh.
"No!" Eric defended himself as Luigi continued to snicker. As they walked further and further into the forest, he glanced behind him to see fog and a dark void beyond the trees, the Mushroom Kingdom nowhere in sight. He was beginning to feel slightly nervous, although he would never admit it. It suddenly occurred to him that perhaps this really wasn't a great idea after all. Waluigi may not exist, but other dangers definitely did. He wasn't too fond of the idea of getting lost and dying of starvation, or getting torn apart by a pack of wolves.
"Maybe we should turn back," he said after some consideration.
"Why?" Luigi didn't look back as he spoke, and continued forward through the bushes. "You're not starting to believe everyone's lies are you?"
"No I'm not," Eric replied. He lost sight of Luigi as he disappeared through a thick knot of leaves. Trying to keep up the pace, he called out, "but I'm not sure I'd like getting lost in the middle of the night. We could come back in the day when we can see." There was no response. Panic welled up in his chest as he pushed forward faster, swiping away branches as they scratched at his arms and legs, and pulled at his hair. He still couldn't see Luigi. His heart raced as he frantically scanned the area around him. There was total darkness surrounding him, not even the flashlight was visible anymore.
"Luigi!" Eric called, his voice echoing back to him through the vast emptiness between the trees. "Luigi!" Panic began to claw at his throat as he turned in circles, searching desperately for any sign of his friend. Suddenly, the branches behind him rustled and snapped as something moved towards him at an alarming pace. Before Eric could react, his pursuer lept out from the bushes and grabbed him. He screamed and struggled to break free, but the attacker was strong enough to hold him back. Eric's life flashed before his eyes. This was it, he was going to die in these woods, and he would never even know what killed him. But then, the attacker loosened their grip and began to laugh. It was a familiar sound, and Eric whipped around to see Luigi standing in the shadows. He turned on the flashlight again and shone it directly into Eric's face.
"That was, the funniest thing," he stammered between laughs. "You sure you're not scared?"
"Well I wouldn't be if you hadn't run off like that," Eric snapped. He sighed and pushed the flashlight out of his face as Luigi kept laughing. "Let's just go back now, we've been out here for a while. We proved there's no Waluigi, in fact there's nothing remotely interesting in these woods at all."
"Oh alright," Luigi finally replied. He cleared his throat and composed himself again before casting the flashlight around them. "Oh, we went a bit off the trail. Do you remember which way we came from?"
Eric looked around at the obscure abyss of spruce trees and fog. Glancing up at the sky he noticed that even the stars weren't visible from underneath the thick canopy of branches. "Uh, I have no idea where to go." This was exactly what he feared would happen. He wish he had thought of this before they entered the woods, then they would be safe at home.
"Well I lets just go this way, and we'll eventually find the trail again," Luigi said. He turned away and started marching through the undergrowth again. Eric followed him warily, hoping they were heading in the direction of the Mushroom Kingdom, and not further into the depths of the forest.
It felt as though hours had passed as Eric and Luigi continued to make their way through the woods. They still hadn't found the trail or seen any familiar landmarks. The two of them were on the verge of giving up, both knowing that they could be lost for days without hope of finding a way out. The dim yellow light of Luigi's flashlight began to flicker for a moment, before shutting off completely, leaving them in total darkness. Eric held back a gasp of fear as it tore at his throat, his heart racing as he blindly looked around the darkness surrounding him, in pure terror. Luigi muttered under his breath, and continued walking cautiously ahead, and Eric followed the sounds of his footsteps, listening for any other sounds or movements.
Suddenly, off in the distance, he heard a strange noise that he had never heard before. He stopped in his tracks and strained his ears, waiting for the sound to come again. Waaaa. The sound was faint and eerie as it echoed through the obscure abyss of the trees.
"Did you hear that," he hissed at Luigi.
"Hear what?" Luigi asked. Eric sighed and shook his head without responding. He was probably just hearing things.
They trekked further and further into the depths of the trees, no sign of light or any kind of civilization in sight. It was hard to tell if it was day or night anymore, with the thick tangle of branches above blocking out the sky. Eric couldn't tell how long they'd been in the woods, but it felt like days.
After another long silence Luigi stopped abruptly in his tracks and glanced over his shoulder at Eric. "Maybe we should split up," he suggested.
"How in the world would that help anything?" Eric asked. "Even if one of us found our way out, that'd leave one of us lost and alone."
"But if we both search in different directions we'll have more of a chance of finding the mushroom kingdom, and then if one of us finds it we can get a big search party to come looking for the other," Luigi explained. Eric hesitated; he knew the chances of anyone in the kingdom agreeing to being part of a search party in the woods was highly unlikely, but he didn't object. He shrugged and watched Luigi turn away from him and slowly make his way out of sight, leaving him alone in the darkness. That was when Eric realized he was left without a flashlight, but it was already too late to call out to Luigi. He sighed, his breath choppy as he trembled with anxiety. The odds were definitely not in his favour. He started walking cautiously through the trees, straining his eyes to make out as much as he could in the dim light. The wind picked up and sent shivers down Eric's spine. Twigs and branches snapped beneath his cautious steps, echoing through the darkness making him feel uneasy and sick to his stomach. In the distance he could hear the shrieks and growls of wild animals and other strange noises. He sweated uncomfortably and looked around, hoping desperately that no animals were nearby, quickening his pace.
He soon recognized some familiar landmarks on his trail, his hopes rising. Maybe I'm getting closer to the Mushroom Kingdom now! Eric thought to himself with relief. But as he continued forward, to his dismay he realized that these landmarks were the same ones he had seen a few hours ago. He had been walking in circles. "Shit," he muttered to himself angrily, "I'm getting nowhere."
That's when he heard it. Waaa. Followed by a scream.
"Luigi!" Eric shrieked when he recognized his friend. He started running in the direction of the sound in a blind panic, tripping over logs and rock, nearly falling into a hidden fox den. In his rush to save Luigi he wasn't too concerned for his own safety. His best friend meant so much to him. He couldn't lose him. He couldn't bear the thought of it. Please be ok, he pleaded. Luigi please.
Eric stumbled through a thick bush of brambles and was met with a horrifying sight. His eyes widened in terror as he gazed upon Luigi's bloody torn up body impaled deep on a tree branch. His intestines littered the forest floor and thick fresh blood poured from his eyes and mouth. His eyes were distant and cloudy. There was no way he would've had a chance. Eric broke down to the ground, wailing. His vision blurred as tears filled his eyes. This couldn't be had to be a dream.
Before he could compose himself, he heard it again, this time much to close for comfort. Waaa. Eric whipped around, trembling as he looked around for the source of the voice. Suddenly, a tall dark figure emerged from the shadows, looming over him. It looked down at him slowly, its eyes seeming to pierce through him and look into his very soul. The figure was clothed in purple, and as Eric got a closer look at its face he noticed it had a long dark moustache and an intimidating look in its eyes.
"Waluigi," Eric whispered in shock.
"Waaa," Waluigi hissed as he stepped closer to Eric.
Eric didn't wait any longer. He ran as fast as he could away from Waluigi, not daring to look back. As he ran his mind was racing. He was doomed. He would end up just like Luigi, there was no way he would escape this alive. Suddenly he saw a light in the distance at the end of the path. Freedom, I can make it. He cast a look over his shoulder and saw Waluigi trailing behind him, but he was catching up quickly. Dammit I might not be fast enough, he panicked, but I'm so close, I can't lose now. He quickened his pace as he focused on the light, hoping that he could outrun waluigi in time. As he approached the opening he felt a hand grab his shoulder and tugged him back. He struggled to escape his grip, and in a last minute attempt to free himself he craned his neck to get a bite at his attacker. Waluigi flinched back in surprise, hissing angrily. This was his chance. He made a final run for it and burst through the opening running into the warmth of the sunlight, relieved to see mushroom kingdom not far in the distance.
Eric turned around and saw Waluigi standing bitterly, at the very edge of the shadows, just out of reach of the sunlight.
"Waaa," he said. Then slowly he backed away further into the shadows will glaring into Eric's eyes, until he was out of sight.
Eric sat unmoving for a long while, in shock. "I can't believe it," he finally spoke out loud to himself. "The legends are true… and I'm the only one who's ever made it out alive." He thought of Luigi solemnly, but he held back the tears. Oh how he wished it could've just been a dream.
Suddenly a voice called out from behind him. "Eric, I can't believe you're alive!" Eric turned around to see Toad running towards him relief in his eyes. As he neared he lept into Eric and wrapped his arms around him tightly. "I thought you and Luigi were goners," he exclaimed, "no one has ever made it out of that forest alive." Then suddenly his expression turned grim. "Wait… where is Luigi."
Eric looked at the ground, a single tear running down his cheek. "He, he didn't make it," he managed to reply, his voice quavering.
"Oh no," Toad whispered, "I'm so sorry."
The two of them wept together, and Toad accompanied Eric to his house.
"Are you sure you'll be alright on your own, I can keep you company if you want," Toad offered, concern in his eyes.
"Thanks Toad but I need to be alone for awhile," Eric replied.
As Toad left, Eric made his way to his bed, enjoying the comfort of his own home once again. He stared out the window at the sky as it burned orange from the sun. In the distance he heard the faintest waaa. "Damn you, Waluigi," he hissed. "Someday you will pay."
The end