Chapter One
Princess Daisy let out a whooping gasp and sat up. She was forced into a coughing fit that left her throat dry. What had woken her from her less than comfortable slumber on the rocky ground below was a cold drop of water. Another fell on her nose. She looked up at the shining metal spike lined with strands of water.
The next thing she noticed was how incredibly dark it was. It wasn't average every-day darkness, either. The world was so pitch black that Daisy couldn't see her hand in front of her face. She looked around for a sign that could tell her where she was. There were no stars above, and no grass below. She was not outside, so she was inside. Perhaps it was a cave, but she had no recollection of going into a cave, let alone sleeping in one.
"Hello?" she called out. The next step was to find out if anyone else was here with her. Daisy's booming voice bounced off the walls but no response bounced back.
She stood, dusting off her dress, ridding it of the pebbles that latched on to the threads. No one seemed to be around, at least not around her. It was time to start searching.
She placed a hand on the right wall, feeling the jagged and rocky surface. Undoubtedly this was a cave. And judging from the lack of light of any sort, the exit was most likely sealed off. The only way to go was as far back as the cave would let her. Either she reach the end of the cave or find someone else and escape – whichever came first.
Daisy sighed. Her heels clicked against the ground with every step she took. It was the only sound she heard for what felt like hours.
Around her Princess Peach heard heavy and rhythmic breathing. As she clutched her chest she realized it was her own. When her breathing slowed, she gulped, and sat up. Before her torso reached her knees, however, a sharp pain ran through from her ankle to her thigh, causing her to fall back to the ground. She forced herself back up again to study her right leg's condition.
As she pulled up her dress to poke around the limb she only felt more pain. Something was horribly wrong with it. The longer she concentrated on it the more she felt its sting. She told herself, worst case scenario was that it was broken and she would be stuck in that spot until death.
She let out a small chuckle at what a ridiculous outcome that would be. Just to do away with such a thought Princess Peach started to stand.
As her knee bent while taking on her light weight something popped and she fell to the ground again. She had skinned the palm of her hands in the process, but that pain couldn't compare to the screaming of her right leg.
"Is anyone here?" a voice shouted from the far north.
It was a familiar voice but Peach could not give it a name just yet. She intentionally opened her mouth to direct the voice to her but the only sound that came out was a shrill scream that matched the pain of her leg.
The fast clicking sound of heels against the rocky ground drew near.
First there was a click, but nothing happened.
"Damn it."
Then another click, but nothing happened either.
"This piece of –"
There was a spark and a flame this time. The wooden handle of what once was a pickaxe now had a flaming top. Mario grabbed it and held it like a torch. It was the only source of light in the cave for what seemed like miles. He groaned. If the others weren't nearby then his actions probably got them hurt.
"Mario?"
The plumber turned and faced Luigi. He gasped. "There you are!" He walked towards his brother, studying him. "Are you hurt?"
Luigi's face was blank and his eyes told no tale. "Why are we here?" he asked slowly.
Mario ran his tongue across his teeth. "You don't remember? We were saving the princess before we got trapped in this cave because of an avalanche Bowser started." He shook his head. "Bowser acts like he's so high and mighty but just one wrong step and look what happens."
All the color in Luigi's body faded. "We're trapped here?"
Mario looked around and shrugged. "Only for a little bit. It won't take long to find a way out."
Luigi breathed heavily through his mouth. "I don't think you know what this means."
"This is only an inconvenience. There is no deeper meaning behind it." Mario arched a brow. "Why are you getting all worked up about this?"
"Inconvenience?" Luigi glared at him. He snatched the torch from Mario's hands and started walking forward.
"Hey!" But Luigi ignored his brother and kept walking. Mario followed him, feeling more and more anxious with every step.
When Luigi stopped suddenly Mario looked around. Luigi's eyes were locked on the wall of rock that stood before them. There was no space large enough for either of them to crawl through. Luigi refrained from talking for a moment to let Mario take in the sight of the wall in all it's gruesome glory. Mario's mouth opened but only a straggled sigh came out.
Without moving towards him Luigi turned his head to the side and looked at him out of the corner of his eye. "You call this an inconvenience?"
Mario gulped. "Luigi . . ."
Luigi punched the wall with his free hand. Pebbles fell from the top of the wall and landed on his cap. His knuckles came back scraped but he shook away the pain. "We're going to die in here."
The red plumber approached his younger brother slowly. "We'll find a way out. We won't die."
Suddenly something clicked in Luigi's head. His shoulders relaxed and the torch fell to the ground. The sound of the wood against the rocks echoed through the cave. "No . . . not we." He turned around on his heel and faced his brother. "Just you."
Mario took a step back. Worry started to spread across his face.
Luigi's eyes glimmered. Something had changed in them. His iris was discolored. Mario knew what was coming next. He took another step back.
"It's survival of the fittest, Mario." The tone in Luigi's voice shifted from a familiar one to one that Mario was all too uncomfortable hearing again. Luigi started to advance. "I don't want to die."
"You wouldn't kill me!" Mario's voice almost shook the cave. They brought Luigi to a halt. For a second Mario could see some color coming back into his eyes. This was working. "You wouldn't kill your own brother . . . over, over a cave!"
Silence now. Mario only heard his own breathing while Luigi stood still and looked forward.
"No . . .?"
Mario looked at Luigi's eyes.
White.
Shit.
"I guess we'll find out!"
And suddenly Mario was tackled to the ground.
I'm sorry for not posting anything on this story for a long, long while but I really lost my muse for it after the last chapter. I've decided, however, to do a complete rewrite of it and hopefully flush it out a bit more. If my inspiration to write this story stays with me longer than it did prior then I'll be able to finish it.
Consider this Trapped's second chance.
Criticism or not, all reviews are welcome!
- Great Mistake