Chapter 3:

Echoes in the Dark

I decided to risk it. Maybe I had a chance.

As I approached the double doors, I placed both hands onto them, opening them slowly and I was in the wide hallway again, dimly lit up by overhead florescence lights. Some occasionally flickered. No sign of anyone.

I began to walk, quickly but as silently as I could, my mind wandering. I pondered, how was I supposed to escape? What floor was I on?

Perhaps a good start is to figure out what floor I was on, and make my way down to the bottom floor. As easy as it sounded, I knew I couldn't possibly escape so easily. But I had to try.

I heard a few noises from the distance behind me, which jarred me alive and I began to run. I didn't wish to lag. At the corner of the hallway, I saw a sign stating the floors. I hurried towards it and looked at it.

OPERATION ROOM

FLOOR 3

Makes sense. Just a few more floors down and I'll be free!

As I turned to face the staircase, I had noticed something that made my heart sink. The staircase had a black caged door over it. I had no way of accessing the staircase, unless I had the keys. I walked towards it, weaving my fingers through the holes and shook the gate hard. Nothing. I sighed deeply.

As I straightened up, there was a strange clicking noise above me, and suddenly, the entire hallway disappeared into a thick cloak of darkness.

I stood, frozen, in total, silent blackness.

Fuck!

My first clear thought was that there had been a power failure.

Beginning to tremble, I listened, not breathing. I heard nothing. Not a sound.

Great, stuck inside of a death-filled hospital in complete darkness. My heart beats seemed too loud now. I anxiously turned in the musty, pitch-black hallway and began to slowly take a few steps towards the closest room.

Then, in the distance, I heard footsteps. I bit my lower lip, almost too scared to move as I heard the footsteps come closer and closer. To my relief, I heard the person turning the entering the Operation Room I had escaped from, muttering to himself…

…oh wait. He sounded like-

Suddenly, someone cried out in rage. It was Waluigi, and his yell of frustration echoed through the entire hallway.

"She's gone! Impossible!"

My mind, stunned and shaken, reeled in an effort to think clearly. All it could managed was a shock, terrified, must hide!

The double doors slammed opened as Waluigi dived out, breathing angrily, looking left and right. From the small fragments of light of the tall windows before the Operation room, I could see him, and he was pissed off!

I staggered, silently backing away into a room and made my way inside without being spotted. I lightly closed the door, twisting the lock onto it and pushed my body onto it, pressing my ear against the door, straining to listen to Waluigi.

I heard him running down the hallway towards me, my blood growing cold in horror as I heard him approaching my way and I closed my eyes, silently praying. He was cursing under his breath and I heard keys clanging against metal. I soon realised that he had opened the metal gate by the staircase and hurried down the stairs. And he didn't close the gate behind him.

I waited, sweating in anxiety, listening to Waluigi's footsteps disappearing.

When nothing was heard, I pressed my forehead against the door and sighed in relief. For a time, I stayed hidden in the small room I was trapped in, and when I was ready again, I unlocked the door and glanced out to see the empty darkness hall again, the metal gates to the stairs were open. I clutched onto the door, and stopped to hear something fall. I froze, waiting, and then, rolling from the darkness before me was a small black thing. I watched it tap my toes and stopped.

A torch.

Eagerly, I picked it up and switched the light on. It only gave me a fragment of light, but it was clearly better than nothing. I scanned the light across the hallway to see no one. Where did that torch come from?

I didn't know, but clearly, my anonymous helper was watching me. I hurried down the narrow staircase, eagerly rushing to the bottom floor. I grabbed the door handle but it didn't budge.

"You're fucking kidding me..." I hissed through gritted teeth shaking the door harder and harder. The bastard door was locked! "Fucker," I growled, only to be greeted by a long, sharp needle stabbing through the door suddenly, merely inches away from my throat. I let out a scream by accident, and scampered away from the door. Was someone there listening to me?

I didn't want to know. Instead, I hurried up and left the tight, ugly staircase, swinging the second floor's door open and hurried into the empty hallway. I had forgotten how vulnerable I was, and so I stopped myself from running in case it caught someone's attention. I turned to see a door labelled 'WALUIGI'S OFFICE'.

I was burningly curiously of what was inside Waluigi's office. The door clicked by itself, and slowly opened, the door-hinges creaking in effort as it opened, practically inviting me in. I had noticed with mild curiosity that the light inside had a strange halo. My head pounded again. But there was the office, so inviting in spite of the ugliness of the grim little room.

I stared at it. This must be a trap. But as I peered inside, I smiled to see no one in. Then, without hesitation, I hurried in and closed the door. I switched the office light off, in case it caught anyone's attention.

I scanned my torch's light around the room, investigating the office, looking for any signs of keys. It was most strange. Dark-purple thorns bulged and writhed around the walls, like ivy growing. A heavy scent of dampness invaded the room. There was a desk and a chair, and next to it was a wardrobe.

Something caught my attention. On the desk was a file, and on the front, scribbled in almost horrific writing was:

WARIO-GIRL

I took the file and flicked the table-lamp on. I needed more light, but just enough to keep my hidden place undercover. I sat on the edge of the desk and opened the file. A document, along with a photo of me wearing a red beanie and overalls, was inside. Several sheets of paper were the first things I pulled out. They were all Doctor's Memos. What has that psychopath wrote about me?

'Doctor's Memo:

The patient in room 205 is scheduled to undergo a trans-orbital lobotomy tomorrow.

I've mandated that the following medication will not be used on the day of the procedure.'

I blinked. I thought lobotomies were outdated. I skimmed through the other Memos to see them only to be a mixture of procedures and records, until I felt a small, thin sheet of paper between two Memos. I pulled it out slowly and stared at them, looking at the jagged writing. It looked angry…

'she's not here she's not here

she's not here she's not here

she isn't real

i can't make her real

I WANT HER BACK'

What did he meant by this? Did Waluigi mean me? Was this even Waluigi's doing?

For a time, I stared at it, and finally my arms dropped. Nothing was making sense, but perhaps it was best to make my way out rather than trying to look into the mind of a psychopath…

I shook my head, throwing the file carelessly across the room, but I kept held of the note. I wanted it…for some reason…

I faced the wardrobe and opened it. Hanging inside was an outfit that seemed to have enlightened me when I saw them. They were black overalls, with a red shirt and black boots. I glanced at my bloody, ripped hospital attire and smirked to myself.

I quickly got changed, throwing the hospital outfit onto the floor by his desk. My flesh responded with joy, and I felt momentarily well enough to smile. I felt better in clean clothes. A perfect fit too. A beanie was also included, branded with Wario's and Waluigi's emblems. I placed it on. This should keep the chills off me. I placed the note into my pocket, and heard a soft jingle. I paused, fishing my hand into my pockets again and pulled out a set of keys. A large silvery key, with a key-ring that had an image of my emblem. They must be something that I own.

Enough with the clothes shopping. I had to figure a way out before I get into trouble. I attached the touch onto the collar of my overalls, switching the lamp off on the desk and turned my torch on. But as I left the office, that was when things began to happen.

I opened the door and hear a strange creaking noise. I felt my muscles tighten to see a hospital bed slowly rolling past the door with no one holding it or on it. I watched it vanish, and my nerves began to jangle again. Step-by-step, I made my way out of the office and turned to expect to see someone.

I saw no one.

How fucked up…how could that hospital bed simply move by itself?

I felt my heart stop when something suddenly touched me. The same arms wrapping around my chest, hugging me hard into their chest, practically lifting my body up in the air. I gave out a cry, my legs kicking and I struggled.

Then I heard them laugh.

"Hello!" Waluigi's voice.

How the hell did this made sense? How was he inside the office?

"No!" I cried out again, struggling, kicking my legs everywhere. "Get off me!"

"I almost lost you," He replied calmly, ignoring my anger. He held me close and petted my head. Now I felt like a kitten in the grasps of a two-year old kid. "There, there, you're scared. Allow me to look after you,"

I had had enough!

My brain finally kicked it, and clenching my fists, I managed to jab my elbow into the pit of Waluigi's stomach. He yelled out in pain, forced to release me and I hurried away. I couldn't face him. I didn't want to. He roared in frustration, and I heard him giving chase again. My torch spotlighted fragments of the tight hallway. I had made turns to places I didn't even know, but I had to find a way to lose him.

My hands flailed at a door handle. That door was locked. I skidded on my heels to another door. This door was labelled 'Store Room'. I rammed my shoulder into the door, surprised to see it opened easily. I rushed into the room and slammed the door closed, locking it instantly. I just managed to see Waluigi's foot before I locked myself into the room. Waluigi yelled, and began to kick the door hard, trying to cave it in. I pressed my body hard against it, trying hard not to allow Waluigi to win. Another kick, and another. All as hard and as angry as the last. The door shuddered violently.

"Go away…go away…" I hissed under my breath, praying quietly, tears of frustration squeezing their way out. I could almost feel the door breaking, as Waluigi kicked even more. "Go away…" I whispered.

Then, nothing.

I felt my eyes stinging, becoming dry. I was too scared to blink. From the other side of the door, I heard Waluigi, breathing heavily, making my spine shiver. He stayed there, breathing heavily. I waited for him to attempt another kick. But he didn't. Slowly, gradually, I heard him walk away. I listened to hear his footsteps vanish.

Then, I felt my knees go weak and I slumped down against the door, my forehead pressed against it, and shook violently.

And there I sat, trying to stop the hot frightened tears from coming; but nothing would hold them back. Alone, I sat on the cold, tiled flooring of the tight store room and cried bitterly. In a stroke, I was cut away from everything I knew, and thrown out into a world with no direction, no purpose, and no understanding of what awaited me.

I wished it all gone, as if wishing hard even could make it so. Most importantly, I wished someone, anyone, could explain to me what was my fucking purpose…but my only source of human beings in this horror were only interested in killing me.

It seemed like a long time I sat there, thinking the same things over and over again, letting my fear and rage seep reluctantly out of me, my tears washing the poison clean.

But one thing stuck in my mind, pricking at me like a pin. Waluigi. He claimed that I was not from this world. He could have been lying, but…am I really an alien to this planet? No, it was impossible. Where else would I have come from? This planet is the only planet I know…but how did I even know everyone's names? Did I heard about them? Are they legends or villains of history? And why were they after me, a human with no recollection of anything?

I hung my head. I didn't understand any of it.

I was so deep in my sorrow when I became aware of a willowy figure standing in front of me.

"Please, don't cry,"