November 1, 2019

2:45 a.m.

The echo of police sirens greeted Nathan as he sat at the bus stop, and he watched as a tight formation of police cruisers sped down the street. He guessed that they were en route to the Sarasaland Royal Palace, as they'd no doubt received news of Princess Daisy's tragic demise. Whether or not they'd be of any real help at this point was debatable.

Nathan took out his phone and opened the Messenger app, where he updated Luigi on the situation.

They canceled my flight, he typed, so I'll just have to play the waiting game. I'm praying for your victory and for your safe return.

Afterward, he opened the Skype app, leaving it on an active call, just in case.

Blue and red lights flashed as another phalanx of police cars raced down the street. Nathan theorized that due to Daisy's passing, an emergency meeting regarding all of the encompassing kingdoms would no doubt be in order tomorrow morning. Would he still be alive when the sun came up, though? Hopefully, but there was a persistent nagging feeling that he wouldn't.

For many minutes, Nathan sat at that bus stop, staring at his phone screen, waiting for something. Anything. But with Luigi's fate still up in the air, the waiting and hoping began to drive him mad. Perhaps it had driven him mad already.

Time dragged itself forward. An unnerving chill crept into the bus stop. There was complete silence, save for some Boos cackling. The sadistic little p—cks materialized from all around, watching Nathan wait. Watching him slowly lose it. He could feel their breath against the back of his neck; he could feel their tongues brushing against his skin. A plethora of Boos were now gathered around him, savoring every moment of despair and desperation.

Finally, Nathan realized that a bus wasn't coming anytime soon, got to his feet and started walking, looking for a suitable building to shelter in place.

He stopped when he heard a notification chime from his phone. But the chime sounded a little—off.

Nathan retrieved his phone and saw that his conversation with Luigi was active. Curious, he opened the conversation—and almost everything in his body froze when he saw the cryptic message.

You are too late.

What are you talking about?

I think you know, Nathan. Did you actually believe that he'd be a match for me?

Nathan felt his intestines twist.

The Boos following him cackled.

Must be a real bummer, knowing that all of your main's valiant efforts were in the end for naught.

"No—please…"

A terrible disappointment he must be to you now. I won't be surprised if you mained someone else after this.

"You sick [bleep]. You're lying," growled Nathan. "Luigi's not dead. You're lying!"

Am I? 3:D

The "incoming video call" jingle sounded on Nathan's Skype. Feeling nauseous and shaking in every limb, he answered it.

King Boo leered at him, an expression of morbid satisfaction and accomplishment on his features.

"Hello, Nathan," he sneered. "Expecting someone else?"

"What have you done?" Nathan asked in a gasping voice.

"The one thing I'd wanted to do for the past eighteen years," King Boo replied.

Nathan was sweating now.

"It was neither quick nor painless," King Boo went on. "I wanted him to know his time was up. I wanted to see his eyes as he came to the realization that he failed. And I did. It was delicious." He laughed, and his brethren laughed with him.

"Oh—I guess you'll want to see him now and say your final goodbyes." He chuckled. "How inconsiderate of me." He swiveled the camera around.

And Nathan screamed.

There lay Luigi, sprawled on the ground, glassy eyes wide open, blood streaming out of his likewise-open mouth. More blood poured out of the numerous deep gashes in his body and pooled beneath him. What looked like a spear—or a sword—was impaled through his navel, pinning him to the rooftop of the Last Resort like King Boo's version of a prized butterfly.

"If it makes it any better—he fought me tooth-and-nail the whole way," King Boo said in a faux-comforting tone. "Getting him to stay down was a difficult task—yet here I am, victorious."

"Oh, my God," rasped Nathan. "Oh, my God. I…" He turned away and threw up onto the pavement.

He breathed raggedly. "I'm s-sorry, Luigi. I'm so sorry—I'm so sorry! I—I should've done—m—more!" He retched again, and then he exploded in regretful sobs.

King Boo sighed. "If you and your friends had played by the rules—then he'd still be here," he said. "But such is life. Now—the time has come for me to take my place as supreme ruler of all that crawls upon the earth and swims in the sea!" He cackled.

Nathan stared at him, tears flooding his face. "Why are you doing this?" he hoarsely asked. "Why?"

"Why not?" grinned King Boo.

The camera lingered a while over Luigi's impaled and bloodied form before the call ended.

Nathan stood there, like a fool, in the middle of the street. The worst had come to pass—the entire world was now at King Boo's mercy.

Another chat window showing up brought him out of his funk.

The feed showed his living room, where the bundle the Boos had placed on the couch had begun to move. As the coverings were knocked aside, Nathan saw that the bundle contained a dark-haired young woman in a forest-green, floral print wrap dress, soaked with blood. With great effort, the woman began hoisting her body into a seated position.

That was when Nathan noticed that the woman's hands were missing.

One arm had been cut off at the shoulder, and the other had been cut off at the elbow, leaving a pair of bloody stumps. Her long, slightly disheveled hair concealed one eye, and the other was clouded over with pain and terror.

Nathan realized with a slight start that she was Gadd's associate, and that the Boos had framed him for kidnapping and mutilating her.

On a third feed, a poll was displayed which asked: Should Nathan live? As the voting commenced, a timer counted down from three and a half minutes.

And then Nathan began to laugh.

He laughed and he laughed, finding some twisted humor over the fact that these adorable, black-hearted ghosts were now deciding whether he should live or die. He laughed at the fact that all of his efforts ultimately amounted to nothing. He laughed because—he was at the end of his rope.

The woman in his living room pushed herself off the couch and stumbled toward Nathan's other laptop, collapsing onto the chair in front of it. Nathan's laughter quieted as she looked wildly into the camera. He could hear her breathing in sobs and whimpers.

"Help me!" cried the woman. "My name's Rebecca Everson, and I work for Professor Elvin Gadd!" A sobbing breath was drawn, and then another. "Can you hear me?!"

Nathan tried to say something to the woman, to comfort her, but no words would leave his mouth.

The hair obscuring Rebecca's other eye moved slightly aside, revealing an empty, gory socket where the eye should've been. Blood tricked from the socket and down her cheek like tears.

Rebecca screamed, and then the feed was booted from the chat, leaving Nathan alone with the poll and the climbing votes.

Nathan stood there in silence, unmoving, unfeeling—uncaring.

The final seconds of the poll ticked away.

The results were tallied.

Only 3% of the Boos thought that Nathan should be spared.

Typical, thought Nathan, laughing once more.

That thought ultimately became his final thought.

A truck smashed into Nathan, seemingly out of nowhere, reducing the Crown Prince of the Easton Kingdom into a mess of red paste on the pavement.

Nathan—game over. 3:D

…

The truck rolled to a stop and cut its engine. Its doors opened, and a small group of Boos floated out.

One of the Boos floated over to what used to be Nathan, picked up his phone and wiped the blood away from the screen before giving the camera a wave.

Seated in front of his desktop, King Boo waved back.

He grinned as more video feeds popped up from all over the Last Resort, as well as from the living rooms of Nathan and his foolish friends. More of the King's brethren materialized, floating before the cameras and waving hello, giggling as they did.

Inside the Hotel Shops, Kruller stared into the camera as the Boos lavished him with compliments, filled with quiet regret.

In the kitchen on the mezzanine floor, Soulffle held out his trusty frying pan, as if inviting King Boo to see the dish he was currently preparing. He took in a deep breath through his nostrils, enjoying the pleasant aroma.

Inside the auditorium on the fourth floor, Amadeus Wolfgeist sat at his piano, smoothing his hair and adjusting his tie, giving the camera a nod before taking a sip from a glass of champagne.

In the ballroom where Sophie, Melanie, Janelle and Emily had been held, Boolossus cackled to themselves over a job well done.

Inside the Spectral Catch, Cap'n Fishhook and his crew sat with a score of Booccaneers, sharing a hearty meal and repeatedly toasting with glasses of rum.

King Boo watched them all, the smile never leaving his face.

A night of fun had sadly come to an end. But it worked in favor of the Master of Illusions. All of his foes had been eliminated in one fell swoop, and the morale of anyone else who dared oppose him was irrevocably broken. From here, conquest of the world—and maybe the universe—would be a cinch.

The very thought of it made him throw back his head and laugh.

King Boo then turned away from his computer, gazing happily at the thousands upon thousands of Luigi fans and Luigi mains, hopelessly immobilized in their artistic prisons.

"Good game, everybody," smirked the King. He then swung around toward the one who was reading these very words, his violet eyes glinting delightedly. "Would you like to play sometime?"

And then he licked out his tongue and let out a truly evil cackle.

Good Night!

Please R&R. I hope to post the final chapter tomorrow.