The Dreadful End

Chapter 1-2: Home's not Home

Upon leaving the conference room, Toadsworth led himself and ten others down the winding halls of Peach's Castle. The interior had held up, looking as pristine as ever despite the destruction of the outside world. Using his cane for support, the old toad brought everyone to the back door of the castle.

"There shouldn't be anything out there, right?" Diddy asked his father, eyes expectant and wide with lingering fear. DK shook his head.

"No, no," he told his son. "T-those things haven't seemed to make their way around the castle yet." Armed just in case, Waluigi and Plenn T. opened the doors and held them open for everyone to flow through. Ensuring the coast was clear, they closed the doors and barred them tight. There was no turning back now.

"Quickly!" Toadsworth bellowed. "To the vans!" Obeying his call to action, everyone hurried over to the two large vans stationed behind the castle. The backs of them were crammed with supplies from the castle and stores around the city. They had been able to salvage some helpful things before the kingdom completely collapsed. Jugs of gasoline, perishable food, flashlights, tents, sleeping bags, and other various survival items lay in a cluttered heap in the trunk of each passenger van. DK would drive one and Waluigi the other. Diddy, DK, Toadette, Toad, Plenn T. and Parakarry went in one van. Toadsworth, Lumalee, Toadiko, Toadbert and Waluigi crammed into the other. The engines roared to life, their sound undetectable to the hoard on the other side of the castle. Pulling away from the castle, the vans began their trek down the dusty backways of the Mushroom Kingdom.

"What's out this way?" Parakarry asked. "I've never been down the roads behind the castle."

"Nothing," DK said in reply. "It's undeveloped land. Forests and prairies…a lot of nothing. It'll be safe out here, away from all the life in the city." Reflecting on his sentence, DK wasn't so sure he could exactly call it "life". Hunkering down in his seat, Parakarry wondered where they'd eventually make camp. Nothing out here seemed…safe. It was all wide open with maybe a few trees around. Frowning, he clung on to hope.

The two vans rattled down the dirt paths leading out of the kingdom for some time. The castle had disappeared behind them long ago, and now only wilderness surrounded the group of eleven survivors. They hoped Peach, Wario and Luigi would remain safe. Above all, they hoped Mario would return. These thoughts churned in their minds until something appeared to distract them. The first van slowly ground to a halt, causing DK to push the brakes in confusion.

"What's going on?" Toad asked, voice laden with concern. "Is there something blocking the way?"

"O-oh God," Parakarry said with a stammer. "I hope none of those…those things are all the way out here."

Waluigi's voice came in over the radio. Both vans had communicators built into the FM stations, allowing for easy communication between them. "Hold up," they heard Waluigi say. "There's some people on the side of the road."

"Alive?" DK asked, almost barking the response back into his communicator.

"Appears so," Waluigi said, hanging up. Frowning, DK looked back at everyone in his van. They looked afraid, but their attention was soon captured by the sound of a car door closing. Toadsworth and Waluigi had hopped out of their van. Wanting to see what the commotion was, DK opened his door.

"Dad, wait," Diddy sound, fearful for his father.

"Stay here," DK told his son and the others. "Parakarry, please keep an eye on everyone. Plenn T., come with me." The shopkeeper obeyed, his thick mustache wiggling as he moved his mouth around in thought. Exiting the van, DK and Plenn T. soon joined Waluigi and Toadsworth on the side of the road. They were conversing with a middle-aged female toad and a rather large male toad.

"Who're these people?" Plenn T. asked, not recognizing them in the sunlight.

"By the grace of God, others made it out of the city," came the female's voice. "Plenn T., is that you?"

"T-Tayce?" Plenn T. asked, now getting a better look at the woman. She had a yellow speckled cap and wore an apron, clutching a frying pan in one hand. She shouldered a heavy backpack, so did her companion. He was rather rotund, allowing him to bear quite a bit of weight.

"Heff T. and I thought the whole city had gone under," Tayce T. said, wiping her free hand on her apron. "We took what we had and split out of the city when things looked at their best."

"It's a relief to see other survivors," Toadsworth said with a smile. "Neither of you are sick or hurt?"

"Neither of us," Heff T. said, stressing the point. It was the most important question asked these days. Those with bites would fall victim to the fever in a matter of hours. Relieved neither of the toads were bit, the others embraced them.

"Where were you planning on heading?" Waluigi asked them. "There's nothing around here for miles."

Tayce's pack jingled as she adjusted herself. "There's an old encampment up the road a ways. Good cover of trees and a peaceful stream nearby. We just wanted to get outside of the city, wait for a cure."

Toadsworth's forehead wrinkled. Having been an administrator within the castle, he knew the outlook of a cure was slim. Resigning himself to his better judgment, he decided not to inform the two newcomers of this news at the moment. Neither of them seemed to notice his look of consternation.

"Well walking is certainly slower than driving," Toadsworth told them. "You're welcome to come with us. We wouldn't want you to die from exhaustion out in this sun."

"It is mighty hot," Heff T. said, wiping his sweaty forehead with a white rag. "We can show you where this enclosure is. This is all the supplies we happen to have, though."

"Not to worry," Plenn T. said with a grin. "We managed to snag a good amount of supplies and food before leaving the city."

"How many of you are there?" Tayce asked.

"Eleven," Toadsworth said. "We left three back at the castle to wait for another."

"I hope they make it out alright," Tayce said, trying to give him a comforting smile. All Toadsworth could do was nod. He was incredibly worried about the fate of the princess, but he tried not to show his emotions like he had earlier in the castle. Waluigi led Heff T. and Tayce T. to the van, opening it up and introducing them to the others inside.

DK and Plenn T. returned to their van, soon ambushed by a bunch of questions from those they had left behind.

"Waluigi spotted two survivors on the side of the road," DK told them. "Tayce T., the old chef from Toad Town, and Heff T., her rather large companion."

"They're nice people," Plenn T. said, "provided Heff T. may eat a little too much for his own good, but they're nice nonetheless." Toad and Toadette shared a concerned look. They didn't want this Heff T. fellow gobbling up all of their food. It was a limited resource now, and if one consumed too much, the others wouldn't be left with enough.

Their thoughts were interrupted by the low hum of the other van's engine. It looked like they were taking off again.

"Where are we going?" Diddy asked, hoping they had devised some sort of plan while they were out there.

"Tayce T. and Heff T. said they were headed towards a wooded enclosure up the road," DK told his son. "We should be safe there. It's densely thicketed and outside of the city." He gave Diddy a reassuring pat on the head accompanied with a smile. Diddy's spirits were lifted for the moment, but this new world always had him brimming with fright.


Eventually, the two vans rounded upon this enclosure. Tayce T. and Heff T. had been telling the truth. There were a thick amount of trees and the enclosure was backed against a wide stream, providing good protection. The canopy above shielded them from the wrath of the sun, making the temperature within the area nice and cool. Parking the vans just outside the line of trees, the thirteen of them pooled out of the vans and surveyed the land around them.

It didn't look like home. A pang of homesickness swelled within Lumalee's chest. The aqua luma deeply missed her mother and father. Without either of them here, she felt abandoned. Either of them could be…dead, morphed into one of those sickening things shambling around in search of flesh. The mere thought brought tears to her eyes. Retreating within the van, Lumalee snuggled up against one of the cushy seats. Noticing this, Toadsworth frowned at Toadette and followed Lumalee back in.

Outside the van, Toadette sighed. "Looks like we're home," she said to her brother. Toad looked out over their sylvan surroundings, digesting the area.

"I guess you're right," he said with a tinge of somberness to his tone. The two of them began to help the others unload things from the van. Tayce T. and Heff T. were already helping with the construction of camp. They weren't very large, but the seeds of a community were beginning to be sown.


"Lumalee," Toadsworth said softly, sitting down next to the weeping luma. "Lumalee, please don't cry. I know your mother and father will be back soon. Mario's a strong man, he's fought a thousand battles tougher than this one."

She found his words only mildly comforting. Happy platitudes were all they were. Toadsworth was trying his best to comfort the somber star but without knowing the truth, how could he believe his own words? Mario might be back safe and sound…or the three they left behind might be forced to fight their way out of the castle. Pulling Lumalee into a hug, Toadsworth pretended like it was for her safety…but even the old aide was in need of comfort in these terrible times. The two of them huddled within the van, unsure of what the future might hold.

"Do you think they'll make it back?" Lumalee asked, rolling over in his lap. Her large eyes were shaking with the opaque beginnings of a fresh set of tears. Toadsworth could barely bring himself to meet her eyes.

"I-I think they will," he said, trying to muster enough courage for the both of them. "Your mother is wise, Luigi is smart, and Mario and Wario are very strong men. You couldn't think of a better team." After saying that, he truly did believe his own words. The four of them were strong. If they could find Mario, he was sure they could make it back. They just had to find him…


"It started about the night on the day you left," Wario said over the whipping wind of the wildlands around them. The open cover of the Jeep made them susceptible to the elements, but the rewards of better visibility and fresh air made it all worth it. "Reports said there was a bright flash over the kingdoms. No one knows what it came from. After that, people started getting sick. Some of us just weren't susceptible to the virus or were lucky enough to be indoors at the time."

"After the people got sick," Luigi said, continuing the tale, "they accrued a nasty fever. It claimed their lives in just hours. But when they died, they didn't stay dead. They reanimated into all of those terrible zombies you saw back in town. I…I can't fathom Daisy ending up like that."

"You haven't heard from Daisy?" Mario asked, looking very worried.

"She was managing the virus in Sarasaland. It hit all of the kingdoms," Luigi explained. "We had contact with her for about a day and a half before her kingdom went dark."

"I managed to make it out," Peach said. "I'm sure Daisy did too."

Luigi just looked at the floor of the Jeep, pinching his nose in an effort to stop his emotions outwardly showing themselves. Now that Mario was back with them, he spent every moment thinking about Daisy. Was she alright? Was she one of those carnivorous zombies? Luigi could barely stomach the thought of her stumbling around the deserts of Sarasaland wearing a tattered orange dress, her jaw open and leaking…

"I just can't believe you made it back in one piece," Wario said with a laugh, breaking apart Luigi's inner torment. "Man…I, well we, thought you were gone. What happened to you, anyway?"

Recalling the horrific events at the Koopa Bros. Fortress, Mario began to recount his tale. He told them about waking up in the jail cell and finding the door to be unlocked. He noted the dull pain in the back of his head, the blood on the walls and the flickering lights. Then he described the body of Yellow and the condition of Red. He even told them how he bashed Red's head in with a loose rock. Eventually it all led back to finding them…or well, the three of them finding him.

"You almost were roamer bait," Wario said with a laugh.

"Roamer bait?" Mario asked, unsure what that expression meant.

"I've taken to calling the undead 'roamers'," Wario told him. "The way they roam about aimlessly in search of food…it seems fitting."

"It's classless," Peach said with a snort. "They were all people, they still are."

"If you think that way," Wario told her, "you're not going to make it very far in this new world. I see those things for what they are. Roamers. You think you can have a nice conversation with one while it tries to rip your arm from its socket? I don't think so, princess. I don't think you do, either."

Peach just swallowed her words, not wanting to agree with him. It was hard not to. He had very valid points. Mario had to agree as well. He had tried talking to Red, but the koopa hadn't heard a single word. Probably because he couldn't. The undead were only motivated by the scent of flesh. You can't reason with hunger.


Toadsworth was still sitting in the van with Lumalee when a crinkle of static came from the two-way radio Plenn T. had given him. Bolting up in his lap, Lumalee's eyes darted towards the radio with fevered anticipation. Fishing it out of his coat, Toadsworth extended the antenna and turned it to Channel Two.

"H-Hello!?" he cried, hoping the source of the static had been the princess.

"Toadsworth!" came the voice of Peach. "Can you hear me?"

"Mama!" Lumalee shouted happily. "Mama we can hear you!"

"Oh Lumalee," Peach said, her voice awash with relief. "I'm so glad you're safe. Is Toadsworth treating you nicely? Are you being respectful?"

"Y-yes!" Lumalee chirped. "We're all fine!" Toadsworth took over from there.

"We found a wooded clearing a ways down the dirt roads leading from Toad Town," Toadsworth told Peach. "Have you had any luck searching for Master Mario?" Despite the end of his official job, Toadsworth simply couldn't drop the formalities of respect he was so used to using.

"Yes," Peach said, causing Lumalee to almost faint from glee. "He shortly arrived at the castle after you all left. We managed to rescue him from the crowd moving around the streets. All four of us are here. We're headed towards you now."

Toadsworth and Lumalee were so glad they could barely form words. "T-that's astounding news, princess!"

"Daddy!?" Lumalee cried into the radio.

"Hey there sweetheart," came Mario's voice, adopting a fatherly tone. "We're on our way to you. Hold tight, we'll be there soon." Hearing her father's voice made Lumalee's hopes soar. With her parents safe and sound, the little Luma didn't have to worry anymore. They would reach the clearing soon, and despite the horrid conditions of the world, they'd be together.


"Toadsworth said this clearing was up the road a ways," Wario repeated what he had heard. "I wonder how he found out about it?"

"That is odd," Peach commented. "We've never been back here. There's nothing to see. He wouldn't know about anything like that."

"Maybe one of the others did?" Luigi supplied. His brother questioned how many of them there were, so Luigi listed all those who survived.

"What about Yoshi? Bowser? Rosalina?" Mario asked, naming some people who had been large parts of their lives.

"We don't know," Peach answered sadly. "Yoshi's Island, the Koopa Kingdom, the Comet Observatory, and even Sarasaland were too far away for us to hear from. Rosalina might not even know anything's happened all the way up there in space."

The thought of someone being completely oblivious to the perils of this new world made Mario shiver. He had been that way for three whole days. The thought of someone else being his situation made him feel bad, even if he didn't know for sure. Sighing, he continued to look out around the land that surrounded them. In the distance, the shapes of trees began to form.

"Looks like we're getting close," Wario said, pressing the gas pedal closer to the floor of the Jeep. "I hope this place is safe."

"There's no zombies around," Luigi said, trying to positive.

"For now," Wario grumbled. Those two ominous words silenced them as they reached the line of trees. The air became fresher as the tall oaks and pines by their sides welcomed them with branching arms. Following the path brought them to the sight of the two vans parked by a river. Shapes of people were soon made out.

"Hey!" the heard Toad cry. "They're back! Yahoo!"

Soon, the survivors that had left them earlier began to crowd the Jeep. Lumalee and Toadsworth nearly burst out of the van. Sheer delight lit up the faces of Mario and Peach upon seeing her safe. Wario cut the engine and put the pink vehicle in park. Opening the doors, the four of them hopped down.

"Well I'll be," DK said, giving Mario a firm handshake. "If it isn't Mario."

"As I live and breathe!" Toadsworth hollered, bustling over to everyone. "It worked! Oh this is smashing! You're all safe and sound!"

Mario made his rounds saying hello to everyone, Lumalee clinging to his side. Peach was surprised to see Tayce T. and Heff T.

"My, my, the princess made it out safe," Tayce T. said, hugging the woman. "I thought I'd never see you or that kingdom of yours again."

"I'm very happy," Peach told her. "This means others might have made it out of the city too."

"I'm happy to help," Tayce T. said. "Maybe I can make some of that terrible canned food we have taste a little better." Beside her, Heff T. smiled warmly. The reunion was sweet but short. Night would be upon them before they knew it. Gathering their supplies, everyone began to help set up camp. No one would sleep alone, not that they had enough tents to make that possible, but everyone needed an extra set of eyes in these troubling times. Tents were situated around the trees, with a string of empty cans erected in a wide border around camp. That way if any of the undead advanced upon the camp, the cans would jingle and wake the survivors up.

"The stream provides fresh water," Toadsworth said, leaning on his cane. "We can boil it and drink from it, and wash our clothes in it. Life might be hard to adjust to, but we can make it work."

"We need a fire pit for cooking," Tayce T. said. "I can use some of the rocks on the bank to make one. Why don't you give me a hand, eh?" she asked DK, whose sturdy arms could move the rocks with no problem.

"Do you think we'll be safe here?" Toadiko asked her father, Toadbert by her side. The two of them had remained quiet since they'd left the castle. It was the fear that stilled their tongues.

"For a good while, I assume," Toadsworth said, trying to remain realistic. "Why don't you and your brother help set up camp? I'm sure our tent could use some furnishing to make it feel like home."

Toadiko sighed. "This isn't home," she said.

"It is now," Toadsworth told her. She and her brother shared a sad look, obeying their father's advice and beginning to help make camp. Toadiko was right in what she had said. This camp provided protection, it was safe and very far from the city. It was their home now, but it felt nothing like what they had left behind. Sighing, Toadsworth covered his eyes with a hand and looked into the setting sun.

"Home's not home," he said, shaking his head. "Home's not home."