Here is chapter 5. This one is definitely more exciting. We're getting deeper in; hopefully you will be a little tense while reading this. I try my best to make my readers feel the right emotions. :D enjoy!
Ada hurried after Luigi who was walking fast in the direction they had ran from, his movement stiff. He seemed tight and stressed, full of fear and indecision. Was it better to just hike the fifteen miles to town? Were they making a huge mistake heading back? She was unsure but felt that as long as they were together, everything would be okay.
She caught up to the green clad man, resting a hand on his shoulder, slowing him, "Luigi, wait."
He looked at her and Ada blinked uncertainly at his despairing eyes.
"Luigi, it'll be okay." She squeezed his shoulder gently with her hand and gave him a small smile, "I'm sure your brother is just fine, we will be alright."
"Ada. I'm sorry. You just don't understand." His voice was soft, almost tired sounding, "I just don't know if I can do it, there is so much responsibility weighing down on me, what if I let you two down? I can't be a hero like my brother."
"That isn't true! What about that time you saved your brother from that haunted mansion?" Ada frowned at him, "You are a hero, whether you choose to believe so or not."
Luigi's mustache moved up a bit in a small smile, "How did you know about the mansion."
Ada chuckled, "August of last year, the 8th. An article in the Mushroom Times, they beat the Chronicle to the story."
"Oh." He smiled thoughtfully, thinking of his brief fame.
"Yeah, I've always wanted to work with the Chronicle, I've read all of their newspapers they've written since day one over 50 years ago. Before then the Mushroom Times had no competitors. I want to try and help the Chronicle be number one for the news."
Luigi gave her an amused look, some life returning to his eyes. "Is it a lot of work? Have you written any good stories yet?"
Ada flushed slightly at the attention and shook her head, "I'm afraid not, and this is actually my first day."
"Wow." His mustache tilted up again with a grin, "So this day hasn't been what you had hoped it would be has it?"
Ada laughed, "Not in the least. I never imagined I would be sent out so early, and on such a dangerous trip."
"Please wait!" They both turned in surprise to look at Mia who had been walking fast to catch up, her eyes wide and sad looking. She panted and took a deep breath as she walked next to them.
"I'm sorry Mia, I didn't notice you were behind." Ada told her, feeling guilty for forgetting about the timid toad.
"It's alright," The toad's voice was so soft she was barely heard, but the forest was quiet enough that they caught her words easily. It was quiet, very quiet, and they began to notice a silence that had crept up on them without their knowing.
"It's so…still." Ada whispered. Luigi nodded in return and glanced around them, his eyes alert.
There was a small sound that caught their ears. Ada and Luigi turned and saw Mia. Her whole body was quivering in fear, as she leaned against a tree with her dress making small noises as the material caught on the bark.
"It's okay." Ada spoke to her in a soothing voice, one that a mother would use to calm a small child. Mia seemed to relax only a bit, her face remaining a pallid shade.
Tap...tap...
Mia jumped a foot in the air; the others just gave her a curious look. The little toad girl stared ahead, appearing to be listening for something.
"What's wrong-" Ada started.
"Shhh!" Mia looked her way with wide eyes.
Luigi opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by a noise. Ada was still, her head tilted a bit to the side, listening. What was it? What could that noise be?
Tap..tap…tap.
They shared a confused look, the smaller toad still frozen and staring at nothing. The silence now that they had found it was even more suffocating now that they themselves were a part of it; no one dared speak, everyone was alert and listening.
There was a long silence, everyone listened but after a few minutes glanced at one another. What the heck was going on here?
"Maybe it was a bird?" Ada suggested, "Pecking a tree or something?"
"R-really?" Mia squeaked, "That doesn't sound too bad."
Tap..tap.
"EEK!" Mia screamed and Ada reached out a hand just as the girl began running.
"Mia wait!" She took off after the frightened girl, Luigi close behind. This was not good, she knew that splitting up was the worst thing they could do in this situation, and they couldn't lose her! Thunder rumbled in the distance, and rain began to fall hard on them once more.
"Mia!" They raced after the toad, who was pretty nimble on her little legs, Ada gasping as she brushed her arm hard against bark. She held her hurt arm as she ran, her eyes blurred slightly with tears, "Mia! Please wait!" There was a flash of lighting and Ada watched as Mia disappeared into the glow and through dark trees. This was not good, not good at all.
00oo00oo00oo00
Benny was scared, and his mind raced with possible outcomes of today. After hearing the strange sounds in the forest and feeling this fear he felt ready to run back down the trail to his car and head home. The only thing stopping him from doing just that was his loyalty to his friend, who had just ran right into the thing that was freaking him out.
"Marcy!" He yelled, trying to call his friend back to him; but there was no response. He bit back a cry of fear as a bolt of lightning lit up the sky, a blast of wind almost knocking him onto his shell. He cowered down onto the ground, trying to keep himself as dry as possible, which was really hard with no umbrella.
It wasn't even supposed to rain today! He thought unhappily, "Why do these things keep happening to me?"
There was a scream and Benny felt his heart jump up into his throat. He couldn't take it anymore, and ran down into the forest. Marcy would have done the same thing for him.
He was in the woods soon and the trees were thick dark forms around him, a fog lifting up in the trees canopies, blocking out what little light there was from the storm clouds.
Come and play with me.
He stopped, chills rushing up and down his spine, "Marcy?"
I have lots of games we can play
Calm down, calm down, Benny told himself, but his body would not obey, he was trembling in fear, "Marcy?" His voice was little more than a squeak, afraid to speak too loudly in the heavy silence.
Let's play a finding game. Should you find me, or I come to you?
He placed hands over the sides of his head, trying to drive out the voice that seemed to come from everywhere around him. Benny felt tears drop down his nose, almost hysterical with fear, feeling a scream build up inside him. "Marcy!"
He then began to run forward, through the dark trees, his eyes scanning the shadows looking for the form of his friend, "Marcy!"
Suddenly he tripped, falling flat forward, painfully onto his nose. He sat up and looked to see what he had stumbled over. He screamed when he saw the still bloody form of his friend, the warm liquid dripping from the bracelet gripped in her claws. Benny traced the gouges with his wide eyes all the way across her neck and cutting half way across her face in a jagged bloody scar, her eyes stared unseeing up at the dark sky.
He felt himself heave and threw up in the bushes nearby and began running through the dark trees, his sides shaking as he cried. Benny knocked aside thin bone like low branches, one jagged end cutting his hand. He ignored the pain and continued running forward, a sound of wind whistling up behind him, like something was flying fast after him, no!
The koopa continued running, his legs tangling in the weeds, breaking free easy in his fear, a vine trailing behind his leg as he ran.
00oo00oo00oo00
The two tried their best to spot the small girl through the onslaught of rain, but Mia was nowhere in sight.
"Oh my gosh." Ada cried, "What if something horrible happens to her? I just can't bear the thought!"
"We will find her." Luigi said, "Let's keep walking forward."
"Okay." Ada followed after him, feeling miserable. The poor little toad, what if they were too late? Mia seemed like such a sweet girl, the thought of her lying dead on the ground brought tears to Ada's eyes.
They walked through the dark trees; both of them soaked to the bone, they had neither a hooded jacket on nor an umbrella. The storm had been totally unexpected, and seemed to be in pact with whatever was out there.
Soon they heard whimpering and Luigi was bent over some thick berry bushes, Ada ran up beside him. She knelt down on the damp ground and saw Mia cowering inside a hollow in the bush, "Mia!" Ada was relieved that they had found her and reached a hand inside to touch the girl on the shoulder.
"I-I'm so scared." Mia cried, "I wish we had never come here."
"Yes, no job is worth this." Ada said bitterly, "This is a nightmare."
"We should get going, we should be there soon." Luigi said as he reached his feet.
I'm here
They froze. It was a voice; it brushed around them, soft as a feather, but eerie. Mia hugged Ada, breathing hard, tears running down her small face. Ada held the girl and looked around, her eyes sharp. Where was it coming from?
Here I am
Luigi took in a shaky breath and gazed around at the shadows and tall trees around them.
Come to me
Ada looked around quickly, feeling panicked. She had no idea where this voice was coming from. From all sides, she felt vulnerable. The toad wanted to run but she wasn't sure where, the voice was everywhere around them.
"Let's keep going." Luigi said, "Mario could be in trouble."
They walked forward, everyone alert for any movement or sounds around them. Ada was especially alert, trying her best to scan every part of the area. Mia trailed beside her, her hand gripping tightly onto Ada's.
Soon they stepped through some thick trees and Luigi's eyes widened, "The hand print!" They looked up to where Luigi's eyes were and Mia gasped. The bloody print Luigi had seen before was here, that meant…
"Mario!" Luigi ran around the tree and towards the still form in the center of the clearing.
The two girls ran after and Ada sucked in a breath as she watched Luigi roll his brother onto his back.
The red clad brother's hair was disheveled, his cap lying a few feet away. His face was covered in small cuts, like small scratches from a thorn. His eyes were closed, face dirty and pale. Luigi reached slowly to check for a pulse and looked up at the girls his eyes full of tears of relief, "He's alive."
Ada smiled at him, feeling tears fall down her face. "Thank goodness." She whispered.
There was a snap of a twig and everyone looked and Mia screamed. Something tall stepped out of the trees into the clearing, and smiled, blood dripping out of the corners of its wide mouth in straight lines down its neck. The crimson liquid dripped trickled down in a steady flow.
Here I am
Woo hoo, a cliffy! Haha, we finally get a glance of the killer. o.o I hope you all enjoyed this read, reviews are loved :D