CHAPTER
NINE: THE TABLES HAVE TURNED
"Jr.
is still alive, so I've still got my eye on Bowser," Mario
whispered to Peach the next day. "If it's really him, you're
probably going to be the last survivor along with his son…"
"Why?"
Peach inquired, her voice shaky.
"Because,"
Mario replied. "He's never tried to kill you before. He's going
to do what he always does: use you to lure me into his trap and try
to kill me. Only this time, he may actually kill me, because he's
obviously acquired some new power or knowledge. Daisy's death was
no accident."
"But…
but what if it isn't him?"
"If
Bowser isn't the culprit…" Mario said ominously, "…God help
us all!"
"Why
are you two whispering?" Shy Guy interrupted, startling Mario and
Peach as he walked into the bedroom.
"We
– we were discussing something," Mario said nervously.
"Hm,
I don't know for sure Mario, but I may have been able to deduce
that myself," Shy Guy replied sarcastically. "What were you
discussing?"
"We
– "
"Oh
yeah, Bowser. Still suspect him?"
Mario
tried to stutter an answer, but couldn't bring himself to say
anything out loud with the risk of eavesdroppers.
"Look,
we weren't talking about Bowser, we were just… just –"
"Just
talking about something that is obviously supposed to be only between
the two of you. Look, if you two were making some sort of deal…"
"Shy
Guy, please –"
"No,
no, don't worry," Shy Guy closed in and spoke quietly. "…If
you guys want drugs, I can totally hook you up, my brother Snifit
will –"
"You
thought we were dealing DRUGS?!" Mario exclaimed, almost laughing.
"Are you crazy?"
"Well,
I just thought, since you were whispering about something that
doesn't involve Bowser and the murders, and now that you're
brother's dead… I mean, I'D want it to all go away…"
Mario
and Peach, laughing and shaking their heads, left the room without
answering. "Drugs, you gotta be kidding me…"
"Who's
there? Who are you?!" Bowser Junior shouted into the darkness. He
felt someone grab him by the arms, lift him up, and carry him down a
steep, creaking staircase. They were in the basement.
"Let
me go! Let – me – GO!" He bit the mysterious person's arm,
causing them to drop him to the cold stone floor. It was pitch black.
Junior struggled to feel around the room and find the door; he soon
heard it squeak open as the stranger left the room. "NO! Let me
out!" The door was quickly shut, so Junior still could not see
anywhere. A strange noise began to come from the door; a hefty object
was being pushed along the floor in front of it. Junior was
barricaded inside the basement. He would be forced to somehow bust
the door open, which would surely be impossible with his lack of
strength and muscle, or search the room for living necessities. He
held his arms in front of him as he blindly scoured the room for any
objects that could provide a source of water. He only felt wall. He
could not tunnel out, for the floor was made of stone. There were no
windows. He would be forced to live off of rats and bugs. Perhaps it
would be better to just sit there and die of thirst and
starvation.
"If
only I could at least figure out who the killer is, or I'll die
wondering…" He recalled the texture in his mouth from biting
their arm, the distance he fell when he was dropped. He knew about
how tall the person was… what their arm was like…
"Could…
could it be?"
"SOMEONE!
HEY! LISTEN!" He had located the door and hammered on it with his
fists as he shouted, hoping someone nearby would hear him. "I KNOW
WHO THE KILLER IS! IT'S –"
"Do
you hear something?" Said Wario, scratching his head. Diddy
shrugged.
"Where's
Bowser Junior?" Asked Diddy. "I dunno. Anyway, as long as Diddy
is alive, Bowser is my top suspect, personally. But nobody would kill
their own son. If anything happens to the kid, it's… well, I
won't say." Wario left the room, leaving a confused Diddy.
