Before you read this chapter, let me say a few things first.
1. I don't own Mario, or Minecraft.
2. I will soon come out with a new story that is in the same universe as A Ghastly Epidemic. Its about the hospital after Mario leaves (you'll find out in a much later chapter. Just saying).
Anyway, this chapter is about Henry's group, the Hotel survivors, and the thoughts and feelings of Bowser's family. Mario, Luigi, Brooke, and Jordan also cameo near the end. Also, special thanks to RainbowYoshi4Life and un for supporting this story. Enjoy!
Chapter 7: On The Highroad
Day Three: 1:01 AM
Henry was driving the car, everyone else was asleep. Tom snored in the front seat, while Corey sat, snoozing in a chair in the middle. Lucas was sprawled on the seats in the back, sleeping is if it was a makeshift bed. Mushroom City was now only two hundred and nine miles away. By car, it would be another three hours until they reached the city. The Mazda MPV was a golden eagle, speeding towards its destination. Henry felt like he was Superman, that he was invincible. He felt like he could save Corey's sister, Anna without much trouble.
It was insanely dark out, meaning Henry had to switch to the brights, a lighter mode for headlights on cars. Henry used contact lens, which helped him to see without using glasses. Even with the help of his contact lens, and the brights, Henry could barely see well at nighttime. He couldn't risk everyone's safety, so he stopped the car, and put it into parking mode.
Henry was exhausted, he drove the car for five hours. He needed some rest. He decided that he would continue driving in the morning. Henry fell asleep.
_
Day Two: 11:08 AM
Wendy sat in Bowser's Honda, scrolled through Yager's medical journal. I mean, she wasn't interested in becoming a doctor, but it was her only pastime besides mourning over her dead brother, or playing "Attack" with her siblings. She didn't want too think about what happened yesterday. Her elder brother, Ludwig killed the Hammer Bro, Phil, who was also partially responsible for the death of Lemmy. And then her father, Bowser shot Lemmy in the head after he reanimated. She was more scared of Ludwig, who rage killed, than her father, who mercy killed. However, she didn't think that she'd ever be safe again... Not even if she tried.
Iggy was in the same boat, as well as his father's car. He thought he knew his family very well, until yesterday. Ludwig nearly lashed out at him after throwing Phil in the moat of lava around their now destroyed home. He believed that Bowser was more broken than Ludwig was. To kill the revenant of his third youngest son, combined with the loss of Bowser's Castle, greatly disturbed Bowser. Like his sister however, the genius of the group was more worried about Ludwig. Iggy was also irked that he was one of the people in the family that didn't have a weapon.
Morton sat in a car that Ludwig was driving. He was even more panicky about his eldest brother than anyone else in this group. For a second, he even though about jumping out of the car. The fat, grey turtle was the most cowardly, yet he was usually one of the strongest in the family, the others being his dad, and Roy. All he hoped was that Ludwig didn't try to kill him, or the zombies for that matter.
Larry, unfortunately, was sitting next to Morton in the back of Ludwig's Jeep. Larry wasn't scared of Ludwig at all, he was just surprised Ludwig would ever go so far as to murder his brother's murderer. And not in a good way either. Larry was concerned for everyone's safety, but he was sure that it wasn't Ludwig they needed to be safe from. It was zombies. How the hell did they ever come to exist in the first place? How exactly did this happen? Better question, where's Kamek? Kamek was Bowser's vizier and advisor, who was oftentimes one of the Mario Bros. toughest enemies. As a Magikoopa, Kamek learned from every section of magic. Could he have something to do with this? Is that why he left a week ago? To commit genocide using purgatories?
Roy never felt fear every in his life, not even during the two incidents yesterday. In fact, that wasn't even close to what he was thinking about. As a former military general and strategist, he was thinking of the best places for him and his family to move to. Since zombies now roamed the land, he believed that the best place to go would be an overly fortified zone, where zombies couldn't get in. However, he had no idea where such place could be, so he punched Iggy in the face and then looked out for zombies, pretending Iggy was just faking himself getting hurt.
Ludwig didn't know what his siblings thought about him, but he knew he went to far yesterday. He felt fear for his brother, Lemmy yesterday, motivating him to attack Phil. His fear turned to hatred, boosting the strength he used to toss the Hammer Bro into Bowser's lava moat, killing him. Ludwig felt horrified of himself, of what he had become. He was a killer. And with every hour, Ludwig became slightly more of a psycho.
Bowser was melancholy, very melancholy. But he couldn't show that to his kids. He had to show that he was strong, that he was tough enough to get through this. He couldn't show his emotions to his only pupils. He had to set an example. He was a former king after all. But then again, he didn't feel like a king. Killing his son's zombie made sure of that. He needed to know where they should go next. He tried to think of somewhere in the Koopa Kingdom, but was behind in terms of guns and cars. Subcon must've been a madhouse, and he didn't feel like sweat his butt off in Sarasaland. That left the Mushroom Kingdom. But where? Then he remembered. His only biological son, Bowser Jr., was hiding at Hotel Mario in Mushroom City. Junior was planning to pull a series of crimes and he'd only stop if his father was set free. Of course, that plan was never put into effect, for at that moment, zombies started to take over the world. Bowser knew where he needed to go. He dialed his son, Ludwig's number.
"Ludwig, follow me.", he spoke.
"Where?", Ludwig asked, not suspecting anything wrong. But then he shivered at what his father said.
"We need to go to Mushroom City to save Junior. Mind telling Mort and Larry that for me?"
"N-N-No, not at all. I'll tell them."
"Good.", Bowser said, grinning.
Wendy, Iggy, and Roy heard the whole thing.
This can't be good, Iggy thought.
The Honda and the Jeep drove through the street, towards the Mushroom-Koopa Kingdom Border...
_
Day Two: 4:42 PM
Brian was climbing a Metal staircase, trying to get to someone else's room. Anna and the others protested to letting Brian do this. He was in enough danger already because of his food dash earlier today. Did he have some kind of death wish? Anna hoped that she could finally talk some sense into him. While the others followed Brian, Constance was too lazy (and fat) to get up and help them. Anna and Jen were climbing after Brian, with Daniel cautiously following after them. All three were far behind their koopa friend.
"Brian, wait! What are you doing?", yelled Anna to her friend.
"I'm looking for a detour! So stay back.", Brian replied, "I don't want you guys to get hurt."
"Well we don't want the same thing to happen to you idiot!", Jennifer called out, irritated with Brian's Second Crusade.
"Just leave, ok?", Brian asked them. He was at an unlocked window. "Finally."
He opened it as quickly as he could, and then he struggled inside. The room he was in looked similar to Anna's, but it was messier. Almost all of the furniture was piled up against the door, which was also being pounded on by zombies. Food stains covered a fourth of the carpet he was standing on. Then, out from the kitchen door walked a koopa. But he wasn't just any koopa.
"Hey! Who are you, and what the crud are you doing in MY apartment?", raged Bowser Jr.
"I-I uh-"
But Brian didn't continue. He was scared of Bowser Jr., the greediest of the Koopa Kids, and Bowser's only non-adoptive son. Bowser Jr. didn't even stop to think who this complete stranger could be, or why he climbed up to his apartment. Brian was trying to fumble out the window, freaking out. Without a second thought, the Koopa Kid pushed Brian out the window. Brian stumbled and leaned over the metal staircase's railing. Just as Anna and Jen caught up with their friend, he plummeted five hundred feet, all the way to the ground, breaking his spine, thus killing him. The dead started to limp over to him, and start feasting on his flesh.
Bowser Jr. locked his window, and he started blocking it off with some of the furniture blocking his door. Anna was speechless. She clasped a hand over her mouth, silently whimpering. Before the apocalypse, Brian was her best friend for the two years that she lived in the hotel. And now, he was zombie food. Now, Daniel finally caught up with them.
"Guys, what happened? Where's Brian?"
"Brian's...", Jen started to say, but was too hypnotized at Brian's cadaver to continue. Daniel understood what that meant.
"Sorry I asked.", he murmured before turning around to leave.
_
Day Three: 7:35 AM
Corey was now driving the car, with Tom in the front passenger seat. Henry and Lucas were asleep in middle and back seats respectively. It was ten minutes since Corey woke up to take her turn at the wheel. They were one hundred and ninety-eight miles away, still two and a half hours until they'd make it to Mushroom City. Corey was confident that they could make it to Hotel Mario, to Anna's apartment. Tom was doing his best to think happy thoughts, hoping no harm would come to them. Instead of Tom's wish, this is what happened.
Remember the horde of walkers (Walking Dead reference) that Mario and Peach encountered last chapter? It was here. Corey was dumbstruck.
"God damn it!", she was going to say when she decided to steer off the road, turning onto Carver Street.
They were in a small town called Goomba village. Henry woke up, alarmed. Lucas was still asleep. Then they turned onto Abigail Road. Corey searched desperately for a town exit. Her heart was pounding heavily, as was Henry's and Tom's. After a minute of searching they ended up at the right exit they wanted to go.
"Yes!", Corey cheered, "We made it!"
That woke Lucas up. He rubbed his eyes and yawned, while Henry looked out the back car door. The zombies were too far away now. Henry felt grateful that they made it out of that mess. Unfortunately, their success was short-lived. An unnamed Goomba survivor ran in front of the car, trying to get away from another crowd of zombies. Corey shrieked. She steered onto a road to her right, leaving the survivor to be devoured by the undead. But in her panic, she lost control of the steering wheel. They spun out of control. The four survivors screamed, fearing for their lives, and for each other's. They crashed into a nearby spruce tree.
_
Day Three: 7:41 AM
A plumber, clad in red, drove in his crimson Cadillac. That's right, it's Mario. Luigi was next to him, driving a huge, yellow truck, which contained three crap loads of food, water, guns, melee weapons and ammo. Mario's car had Brooke and Jordan, both sitting in the back. They were returning to the Toadsworth Survivor Camp when they saw a crowd of zombies.
Two toads, one goomba, and one koopa barely held their own against their undead assailants. Tom's leg was a bad kind of broken. The knee bone stuck out of the knee, and the toad was losing blood very badly. Henry had a concussion, but nothing serious. He and Corey were protecting Lucas, who was figuring out what to do with Tom.
"What in the world?", Mario said as he got out of his car, "They're in trouble!"
Mario ran over, and he started shooting the zombies, as well as lure a few towards him. Jordan and Brooke joined him.
"Don't kill zombies without us.", stated Brooke, annoyed.
Now the three off them were killing off the crowd. Corey and Henry were no longer being cornered. In a matter of minutes, all of the zombies were in a dead cluster on the road. Without Luigi, the three survivors rushed over to Henry's group.
"Whoa!", Mario squealed at Tom's leg. Corey took the initiative.
"Can you help us?"
"Wait, hold on there a second.", Jordan said, cautiously.
"Jordan, put the two toads in the truck. We can't fit everyone."
"But Mario, we don't know these people. What if they try to hurt us?", he asked.
"This isn't open for debate! Please help me lift this guy into the truck.", Mario responded.
Before Jordan could say anything, Mario and Corey lifted Tom over to the back of the truck and put them inside.
"Thank you so much Mario!", said Corey, merrily.
She recognized Mario (Who didn't?), but he didn't recognize her. Anyway, they didn't have the time for this. The Hospital was a only two miles from here. They closed the back of the truck. Lucas joined Luigi in the truck, and Henry joined Mario's car. The two automobiles raced off into the distance.
_
End of Chapter 7.
Up next: Henry's group arrives at the Toadsworth Survivor Camp. More flashbacks about Jordan go underway.
Team ArcanetheGreat
