The Smashing Dead

Season 2, Episode 2: A File Divided

Part 2

"Duster, you asshole."

Shulk lifted Duster to his feet. Duster looked at Shulk, broken and sad. Shulk hugged Duster, and Duster hugged back.

"Lighter's dead." Duster whimpered.

"I know, man. I know." Shulk replied, "We gotta get moving, okay? Bowser's gang showed up. Think you can make it?"

"Yeah. Yeah..."

"Good. Let's go."

The three reunited with the rest of the group and continued to walk through the forest.

"Hey, Ness. Thanks for not giving up on me." Said Duster.

"I'm sorry about Lighter."

"Yeah…thanks."

Duster slowed down, ending at the very back of the group.

"So, what happened back there?" Shulk asked.

"He got drunk. I was scared." Ness replied.

"Dammit, Duster…" Shulk muttered under his breath, "I'm worried about him. Keep an eye on him, would you? Also, you sure you still want to stay with us?"

"Yeah, I'm with you guys."

"And we're happy to have you."

"Not everyone."

"Well, they'll get there. I figure we got four or five days to reach those mountains. We may lose them up there."

"Five days?" Peach repeated.

"It's okay." Said Luigi.

The group continued walking through the trees, attempting to escape the fate that beheld them.

[Five days later…]

The group came across a rusted bridge. They had settled down for the day. Ness climbed up a rock and looked through his binoculars.

"See anything?"

"There's a building at the top of the mountain." Ness reported.

"What's it like?" Asked Shulk.

"It's big."

"Sounds like a good place to stay the night."

"There's also a ski lift." Ness added.

"A ski lift? It must be that ski lodge."

"And there's the bridge."

"Does it look passable?"

"Seems like it."

"Good."

"There's also a small house by the bridge."

"How big?"

"Pretty small."

"Alright, here's the plan." Said Shulk, "Ness and I will cross the bridge."

"Are you sure Ness can do that?" Asked Flint.

"I can do it." Ness said.

"See? No problem." Added Shulk, "We'll send you a signal."

"I can go too." Duster offered.

"You stay with the group."

"I'm fine, Shulk."

"I don't like this." Flint interjected.

"Since when's the last time you liked anything, Flint?" Shulk asked, "Come on, Ness."

"I'll cover you." Duster said.

Shulk and Ness walked towards the bridge, leaving the rest behind.

"Hey, sorry about that." Shulk said after a while, "I need your eyes and Duster is still on edge after that Bowser thing."

"It's been five days. Why would Bowser still follow us?" Ness asked.

"Well, what's the most important thing in this kind of time?"

"…Family?" Ness guessed.

"It's a tough world without people you can trust." Shulk agreed, "Anyway, you can ask Peach. I'm not gonna get into the middle of it."

"Seems like we're already in the middle of it."

"Tell me about it."

The two finally came upon the bridge. Two walkers stood in their way.

"We can take them." Said Ness.

"I like your style." Shulk grinned, "I'll take the big one. You get shorty."

"Got it."

Shulk pulled out his Monado and Ness came up with his hammer. Ness lodged the hammer in the walker's head, while Shulk dealt with the other one. Ness tugged his hammer, but it didn't budge.

"Alright, give it a good pull." Shulk advised.

"I know. I've done this before, remember?" Ness replied, "In a shed?"

Shulk looked away and rubbed this head. Ness tugged the hammer again, eventually pulling it out.

"Nice work, kid." Shulk said, slapping Ness in the back.

"Ow." Ness jokingly replied.

The two continued to walk on the bridge, staying to the sides to avoid stepping on the wooden planks that served as the walkway. They thought the bridge was clear, but more walkers surrounded them.

"Dammit." Shulk said under his breath.

Shulk pulled out his Monado and Ness pulled out his hammer. Shulk stepped onto the wooden plants and raised his blade to kill the walker. Suddenly, the planks under them gave out and both landed on the metal girders below.

"Ness! I'm okay! I'm just stuck…Behind you, Ness!"

Ness whipped around to see more walkers coming their way.

"Oh shit…" Ness sighed.

Ness smashed the hammer into the first walker's legs, making it trip. Ness drove the hammer into the thing's jaw. Effective, but not deadly. Ness ripped out his hammer and stepped back, nearly falling over the edge. The walker lunged at Ness, making Ness go to the outside of the bridge, dropping his hammer. He ducked at another walker trying to get him, making him fall. Ness grabbed the ledge at the last second and pulled himself up. Ness went back into the bridge and saw Shulk's Monado laying on the ground. Ness grabbed it and the symbol on it changed from purple to red. Ness sliced the walker's neck and jammed it through its skull via its mouth. Ness set the Monado down on the steel and picked up a long steel pole. He gave it to Shulk, who used it for a boost to stand up. Shulk scrambled up, bumping his head on the way.

They were safe.

"Thanks, Ness." Shulk panted.

Ness smiled and nodded in response.

"Let's keep going."

The two walked a long distance on the bridge until Shulk put his arm in front of Ness to block him.

"You see him?" Shulk asked.

An armadillo-like creature wearing a cowboy hat, clearly male, was walking towards them on two legs.

"Yeah." Ness replied.

"Just play it cool." Shulk planned, "And you do the talking."

"What? Why me?"

"Because I don't wanna get into a fight. Do you think he'd shoot a little girl?"

The creature stopped at a distance far away from Ness and Shulk.

"Well, who are you?" He shouted.

"What do you want?" Ness asked.

"Saw you coming and I thought I'd meet you halfway."

The creature came a bit closer.

"Huh. You don't look like assholes." He said, "Are you assholes? No offense."

"We're just people." Ness replied.

The creature walked up to the two of them, gripping his rifle.

"You guys headed north like everyone else?"

"Um…have you seen Samus?" Ness meekly asked.

"Maybe. I mean, a lot of people pass through here, so I don't know. I gotta say, you two look like shit. If you need food, I got some canned goods in that station back there."

"Well, that's uh…awful nice of you." Said Shulk, "What's the catch?"

"No catch. I got plenty."

"Well, all right then. Thank you."

"Hey, no problem. It's nice running into some friendly faces. Like I said, I got food and supplies back at the station…" The creature trailed off, "What the fuck man? What is he doing?"

Ness turned around and saw Duster limping at quick speed down the bridge with a rifle. Duster caught up with them and pointed his gun right at the creature. The creature pointed his gun at Duster.

"Wait, he's with us!" Shulk pleaded.

"STO-" Ness began.

Shulk grabbed Ness and pulled him down right as a gun fired. Ness looked up and saw the creature grabbing his jaw. It was leaking blood. He gurgled as if trying to say something, teetering on the edge. The creature raised his gun one last time before falling to the water below.