Began Typing: 11:11 AM 8/16/2008

Posted: 12:10 PM 8/16/2008

Murder Among Us: Chapter Three (The Game Continues)

"Marth!!"

The prince woke with a start, having fallen asleep in a chair by Pit's hospital bed the night before. Pit had been returned to the hospital to be watched during his physical therapy and Marth had fallen asleep reading him 'The Little Engine Who Could' sometime around eleven the previous night. Marth stood up, exiting the small room where Pit slept and entered the large hall, seeing the short plump doctor come jogging down the hall with his identical twin, the mushroom princess, and a taller skinnier brother around the stretcher he pushed rapidly down the hall, aimed his direction. Marth could barely make out the muzzle of the tiny green dinosaur beneath the white sheets. "Marth!!" The doctor called once again, snapping him back out of his thoughts. "Prep the ER for surgery, now!"

Marth nodded, darting off into the emergency operating room as quick as he could, grabbing a long white surgical coat from the rack and throwing it on with a speed to match. He snapped on a pair of standardized surgical gloves, latex brand, and stepped into the room of Trama Four where the doctor had been heading. The doctor burst through the door and into the room, a pack of assisting nurses and interns behind him. "What do we have here?" Marth asked, crowding the bedside.

Dr.Mario pulled the sheet back, revealing Yoshi. Blood poured excessively from its mouth, Marth finding himself assuming the injury was orally inclined. "No time," the doctor stated, "we have to work fast to stop the bleeding! Hook him up to the reserve of type Z blood, stat! Marth, scalpel!"

Marth tossed the doctor the instrument from the laparemotory trey. Dr.Mario looked to him again. "Clamp his tongue when the mouth's open, yes?"

Marth nodded, snatching up the clamp-like tool from the trey by his side, readying himself. "Yes."

Dr.Mario waved in another assistant, assigning him to the suction catheter. "Ready?" Silence as the group prepared for the operation. "…open!"

Two surgical interns used their gloved hands to pry apart the creature's jaw, revealing a most disturbing sight. The crimson liquid gargled everywhere, sputtering about as the epiglottis rejected its entry to the lungs. Marth shot the clamps in, catching a hold of a nubby piece of flesh, feeling his stomach churn. Yoshi's tongue…it was…

The assistant made immediate use of the catheter, the crimson liquid disappearing up the tube and clearing the surgical field for operation. It became apparent where the mass of blood flooded into the pool from. A river of life flowed from the stump between Marth's clamps. Now, Marth had a chance to view the brutality himself. The tongue was cut with a serrated edge, leaving jagged cuts and tears across the remaining fleshy mass. The cuts were precise…experienced…"BP's barely breaking fifty!" Someone yelled, breaking his thoughts.

"It's no good!" Marth interrupted. "We need to cauterize what's left before he bleeds dry!"

Dr.Mario nodded, receiving the small pen-like tools to begin. The smell of rotting flesh, burning flesh, filled the room as tiny sparks erupted from the tool's tips, pressing onto the Yoshi's tongue. Yoshi did not move through the entire procedure. Marth sighed in relief as the cardiac monitor began to slow, Dr.Mario withdrawing his tools. "That should stop the flow…Marth, send Snake out to find the missing limb and get it on ice as soon as possible. There may be a chance of restoring it to its proper position."

Marth nodded, running off. He hadn't even removed his iron-soaked surgical gown when he reached Snake's door, banging on the large oak door roughly with his fist. "Snake! Open up!"

The spy opened the door slightly, peeking out. He opened it fully when he saw Marth's pale face, bloodied robe, and heaving chest. "What is it?" Snake asked urgently. "Did something happen to Pit?"

Marth shook his head 'no' quickly. "No! There's been another attack, this time on Yoshi! I can't give you the details, but Dr.Mario instructed me to find you and tell you to find Yoshi's missing tongue, and hurry! We can hopefully reattach it if it's put on ice before the tissue deteriorates too much!"

Snake sighed. "I'm on it."

Marth nodded, running off again. By the time he was back in the hospital, everything had calmed down from the previous state of chaos. "How's Yoshi?" Marth questioned as he found Dr.Mario in the hall.

"Better." The doctor responded. "However, we still need to watch him. I know you're already helping Pit with his physical therapy, but would you mind helping Yoshi? It used to only use its tongue for eating, so now…"

Marth sighed. "Of course. That's what I'm here for, right?"

The prince returned to Pit's room, his tired eyes finally drifting to a clock on the nightstand. 12:45 AM…Marth wanted to pass out from exhaustion, lying his head down on Pit's bed, on his knees. The little hospital was going to suck all the life out of him at this rate…

After a bit of snooping, Snake found that Yoshi had been at dinner around 7 PM and sat with a group of several smashers during the communal TV hour, those of which including Ness, Fox, Wario, Zelda, Sonic, and Ike. He had been told that Yoshi left for his room around 9 PM, and was found after the assault around midnight. The spy sighed, sneaking down one of the many flights of steps in the smash manor. He had already asked around the higher levels, finding that Yoshi had never reached its room…"What're you doing?"

Snake jumped, glaring at the female irritably. "Don't DO that!"

She rolled her eyes. "What're you hiding from?"

"Nothing. No one."

"Then what're you doing up so late?"

Snake sighed. Samus could really be annoying when she wanted to be…"If you MUST know, Marth reported another attack about ten minutes ago. I'm searching for a missing…body member."

Samus shook her head. "Who was it?"

"Yoshi. Now, if you are going to help, shut the mouth and follow my lead."

Samus made a face but silenced herself, following Snake around the corner. She could just stun him and kick him down the stairs, but he was a good spy, just also an arrogant asshole. She figured since Master Hand and Marth trusted him to try to solve Pit's attack, he was, at the very least, trustworthy.

The duo searched floors three down to one, only halting when they reached the foyer. "Nothing!" Samus cried. "Absolutely nothing! We've searched every floor except the basement and we haven't found anything! How can anyone be so clean!?"

Snake wished Samus would quit yelling, massaging his temples. It hurt his head. "Let's try the basement." He suggested.

Samus blinked. "Why would we do that? The only stuff down there is the laundry! Yoshi wouldn't have any laundry to do, would it?"

"No," Snake agreed, the idea of Yoshi washing itself in a giant washing machine dancing in his head, "but out perp might've."

Samus nodded. "Well, I suppose it's worth a try…"

Snake led the way to the basement, frowning as his foot hit the bottom step. He halted Samus, blocking her with his arm, not unlike a toll-booth. "Ow!" She exclaimed, winding herself. "What!?"

"The lights are out." Snake stated matter-of-factually.

"No shit Sherlock. What's your point?"

"The light's aren't supposed to EVER be out down here. Remember the sign? It was only on every washing machine…or do you not wash that skimpy spandex?"

Samus glared at him. "I do so!"

Snake fumbled in the dark for the light switch, leading himself along the wall with one flailing arm before him. When he finally hit it, they were faced with a gruesome sight. Samus gasped somewhere behind him. "What is this?!" He heard her cry.

She was right to have been so disturbed. Blood splattered every corner in the room like a two-year-old's sick finger painting. Even spots on the ceiling were coated in the liquid, tinting the lights a light red. Snake spotted an item across the room that appeared to be a rolled up, soggy scarf. He made a face as the smell of iron filled his nose and lungs. "Is that…?" Samus whispered.

Snake approached, kneeling down and picking the object up between two fingers, careful not to damage it. "Well…" He grumbled. "…found it."

"Is that his…Oh god…"

Snake grinned as Samus swayed on the spot. "Quit being so faint of heart, bounty hunter. I need ice, quickly."

Samus shook off her daze. "S-sorry!" After that, she returned moments later with a cooler.

Snake tucked the organ deep inside, shutting the top and picking it up with both arms. "Samus, I need you and Captain Falcon to set up the police lines. Someone make sure eveyone's in bed and start pulling up the analysis. I need to deliver this to Marth as soon as possible."

Samus nodded as Snake left her alone in the utter gore scene. She would need forensic on the DNA in the irregular blood smears, along with the splatter chart…Falcon could prepare suspects like usual, but she would need Snake's eyes to assist in the final sweep. He tended to catch things other didn't. She checked her watch, groaning. This is not what she thought she would be doing at one in the morning…

Snake shook the sleeping prince softly, then more and more roughly as he continually got no response, the cooler now tucked under his arm. He began to think Marth could sleep through a thunder storm, stopping himself. Marth's breathing was irregularly light for someone experiencing such deep sleep…was Marth dead!? Snake set the cooler down and opened one of Marth's eyelids, shining a pin-point light into his pupils, receiving a slap across the face in return. Yup…still alive. Marth, at least, seemed to realize his mistake. "Snake!" He exclaimed in whispers. "I'm so sorry! You scared me!"

Snake rubbed his jaw. "That's fine. How was Yoshi's surgery?"

"Fine. We were able to effectively stop the bleeding. How was your…treasure hunt?"

Snake kicked the cooler with the side of his foot. "Fine, just fine; especially if you don't mind walking in on a crime scene."

Marth frowned. "Could it be that same assailant?"

"We haven't taken any tests on the area of assault, so that information is currently inconclusive. In the meantime, watch your back. We can't guarantee some of the people you see every day aren't the killer."

Marth nodded, picking up the cooler. "I'll get this to the doctor. Thank you for helping out."

Snake nodded. "I do owe the doc. Give him my regards."

Completed: 12:05 PM 8/16/2008

You won't believe how burnt I am! Sorry about the late posting. I had BAND CAMP for the last two days and never ended up in front of the computer. I'd like to say it won't happen again, but postings will probably be delayed for days at a time, as school is starting and I still don't have my summer reading done.

Disclaimer: I don't own latex, SSBB, or the journal I wrote this story in. .