Chat Room

TW: Very graphic violence at the beginning! Take heed!

October 10, 2016

8:22 p.m.

Abate had fired up his laptop and was now perusing through YouTube. Almost hesitantly, he typed "Luigi Mario murder suicide" into the search box and hit "Enter".

The search returned just what he was looking for, the video, shot by a witness using an iPhone. Abate clicked on it and was taken to a window warning him that the content was extremely graphic and asking him to verify that he was 18 or older.

"Of course I am," grumbled Abate before clicking "Yes". He was promptly taken to the video.

In its first frames, it showed the eight men, the truly guilty ones, playing basketball as if they didn't have a care in the world. Abate saw red just by looking at them. After making Luigi's life un-livable, all they wanted to do was shoot hoops! "By God," he hissed. "If I had been present, then I would've done it myself!"

He fell silent as Luigi appeared on the court. His manner seemed calm, cold, calculating. He apparently was silent in his approach, for the eight men didn't even know he was there. Luigi stood there awhile, watching the eight engage in their game. Abate thought he saw his face redden. He thought he spotted his fists clenching. He thought he glimpsed that—look—coming to his eyes. Abate released a shaky breath. Something about watching eight of his bullies casually play basketball had made him snap that day.

And then—he pounced.

The eight men yelled in surprise as Luigi tackled one of them to the floor and began punching him repeatedly. A second man ran over to peel him off, but Luigi angrily turned on him, sending an elbow into his face and then relentlessly stomping on his torso. The horrible sounds of breaking, crunching bones were quite clear over the cries of the petrified bystanders. The other six men were also frozen with fear, unable to intercede. The first man Luigi attacked was crawling on his belly, attempting to wriggle to safety, but the man in green spotted him, briefly abandoned the man he was stomping into the pavement and swiftly caught up to the would-be escapee, sending kicks into his face and then into his abdominal region. Blood began leaking onto the pavement, small rivulets at first. But then, Abate saw the flash of light as Luigi, now sufficiently pushed over the edge, brandished the brutal-looking carving knife.

Screams sounded into the formerly calm afternoon as Luigi straddled his first victim and appeared to scream something at him before swinging the knife down, stabbing and slashing all over the bully's body as blood spurted into the air. He then calmly got up, went over to his second victim and stomped him one last time before plunging the knife into his chest and then dragging it down to his pelvis, and then doing it a second time before making a nice puncture to the neck, leaving him choking on his own blood as it geysered from his jugular vein.

Luigi now straightened and faced the six other men, who were now beginning to back away, pleading for their lives. One of them threw the basketball at him and made a break for it, followed by the others, but they didn't get far before Luigi pelted them with fireballs, sending them stumbling. The plumber stormed over, grabbed the first one he saw by the leg and proceeded to drag him back as he clawed at the pavement, screaming. He kicked at Luigi and paid for it when he deftly and deeply sliced up both legs, and then grabbed him by the hair and slammed his face against the asphalt again and again and again until his nose was shattered and his teeth were scattered everywhere. Luigi flipped the bully onto his back and set on him some more with his fists, and then ripped off his shirt and carved an "L" onto his upper body before impaling his flank several times.

A fourth man tried to act tough and tried to kick Luigi, only to wind up flipped through the air and forcefully slammed onto the ground. He could barely even speak before an open hand stab met his windpipe, a volley of kicks met his body and scores of punches met all of him. This one was one of the most sadistic of bullies, for Luigi spared nothing when he pounced on the man with that knife. Blood splashed all over the floor and all over Luigi, but he didn't seem to mind. He got up from what was left of the fourth man and chased after the remaining four, who were once again attempting to flee.

Luigi crouched down and let fly with a Green Missile, propelling himself directly into the four men and colliding with them with such force that Abate could hear the impact quite clearly. One of the men screamed about no feeling in his legs. Luigi marched over, grabbed that guy by the neck and then burned him all over his face before sending his gloved fist straight into that mug, followed by another and another until the man's jaws were broken. Then, Luigi dropped him to the floor and kicked him three times in the neck before dealing some devastating elbow strikes to the ribcage, shattering it. Blood spurted out of the man's mouth while Luigi stabbed him through both of his kneecaps, cut his stomach and then sliced his face and chest till it was barely recognizable. Finally, he ripped the blade across both of the man's wrists.

A fifth man came at Luigi with a rock, but the green-clad plumber parried the strike, savagely twisted the arm until it dislocated and then turned the rock on him, systematically bringing it down on his head until most of it was covered in blood. He slammed it hard against the man's chest and then methodically cut off the man's fingers, finishing with two solid stabs to the abdomen and scalping the man with one clean stroke.

The man's body fell limply onto the asphalt as Luigi advanced on a sixth man and immediately set upon him with the knife, stabbing and stabbing until the man below him was a pulpy mess. As the guy drew his final breaths, Luigi kicked the heck out of him before Goomba-stomping his head, resulting in a splatter of blood and brain matter.

A seventh man began spitting curses at him until a rock-solid punch stopped that filthy mouth of his. Blood and bits of teeth poured out of the foul-mouthed man's cake hole, but Luigi continued to pummel and kick him until he crumpled over, barely alive. The man in green angrily shoved the knife into his chest and twisted it before pulling it back out and then driving it back in, going into a frenzy the way he had with the fourth and sixth bullies until the man lay still. Luigi remained astride the body, appearing to calm down a little, before drawing himself back up and glaring menacingly at the remaining man.

This one, Abate knew, was the ringleader. Which could only mean one thing—a thousand deaths were in store for him.

The ringleader, not so tough anymore without his cronies to back him up, was peeing all over himself, backed against a wall and begging for his wicked, worthless life. Luigi answered his pleas with a truly evil smile, indicating that his mental state was at the point of no return, his blue eyes blazing malevolently, his chest heaving, sweat standing out on his brow. Quicker than a flash, he punctured the ringleader in the stomach and tore a deep, smiley-face gash across the body, punching and stabbing him as guts and organs vomited from the wound. He gouged out his eyes. He sliced off his nose and his tongue. He lopped off his hands and feet. He cut and sliced and slashed. Blood flecked and flew in ribbons. And for the coup de grace, Luigi jammed the knife—down there.

The still-frozen bystanders sobbed and prayed aloud as Luigi calmly surveyed the eight bodies and the lake of blood that was now the basketball court. Slowly—mechanically—he turned to face the bystanders, wearing a calm, detached, creepy smile.

And then he raised the knife…

And then he plunged it down…

Again.

Again.

Again.

And again…

Into his own body…

Blood splashed all over the audience, some droplets falling onto the camera lens of the iPhone.

Dramatically, Luigi's heavily bleeding form sank onto the pavement, joining the eight he'd just dispatched. The light went out of his eyes. His last breath escaped his lungs.

And on his lips remained that awful, awful smile.

The bystanders were in hysterics by this point.

Abate turned off the video and sighed. If only he'd been in the crowd that fateful day. Surely, he would've been able to talk Luigi down and steer him toward an alternative course of action. Perhaps give them a few bruises and fractures, yet still spare their lives. But he could never in a million years imagine the kind, gentle, virtuous Luigi Mario going off the deep end like that.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I'm sorry I let you down…"

Then, he noticed the video's description. "On October 10, 2015, Luigi Mario committed this ghastly act after an embarrassing video of him was uploaded online. The video which finally cost him his sanity is still online," it read. Below it was a link to the video in question. Abate moved his cursor over the link, but before he could click on it—

A box popped up, indicating an incoming call from Eddy. Smiling and rolling his eyes, Abate clicked the "Answer" button.

"Hey, man. You busy?" asked Eddy.

"No, no. It's okay. I'm free," replied Abate.

"How've you been holding up?"

"Very well. And you?"

"Very well, thank you."

Since Luigi's tragic demise, Eddy had waged a passionate war against bullying, quickly becoming an anti-bullying ambassador and becoming a counselor at a children's summer camp. He still played Smash, but not as frequently as he used to. Most of his energies were now directed toward stamping out bullying in all parts of the globe, teaching today's youth various non-violent ways to resolve conflict and to help, not hurt, one another. With the Luigi Mario Memorial Foundation, Eddy further helped to raise awareness to bullying, harassment, racism and homophobia and the slippery slope they could lead to.

Abate also stayed on the Smash scene and continued to partner up with Eddy, but he, too, was now a part-time Smash player. He currently worked alongside Dr. Mario as a sensitivity trainer and also taught children's self-defense classes. He had written several best-selling books involving Luigi and enjoyed organizing video game nights for children, teens and adults. With his golden heart, Abate created a safe, ego-free environment for children to express themselves. In addition, he taught conflict-resolution classes in several universities.

"I have the raddest news ever," announced Eddy.

"And what is that?" asked Abate.

"I finally found my dream girl!"

"Eddy! That's wonderful!" gushed Abate. "What's she like?"

"She's fun, but she's also smart, tech-savvy and Smash-savvy—a big plus," said Eddy. "She stands up for herself and for others. The day we met, she was bawling somebody out for saying bad things about her parents."

"Wow," breathed Abate.

"She has the most beautiful smile and the finest pair of brown eyes I've ever seen," Eddy went on. "She can sing and play several instruments, too. She's taking classes to become a marine biologist. She really loves whales, you know. Whales and dolphins. Did I mention that she loves to swim?"

"Congratulations, my friend," Abate said warmly. "I must say that you deserve that one shot at happiness. What's her name?"

"Ally," replied Eddy. "Her name's Ally. We've been together for several weeks now. I know I should've told you earlier, but—I was so busy."

"I understand," nodded Abate. "Forgive me for asking, but did you two…"

"Sorry, bud," snickered Eddy. "I don't kiss and tell."

"When can I meet her?"

"We were actually just talking about it," said Eddy. "She suggested that you come by for lunch with us tomorrow afternoon."

"Tomorrow afternoon? Sounds swell to me," smiled Abate. "Tell her I'll be there."

"Great. I can't wait to introduce you two," grinned Eddy. "How about you? Have you found anyone yet?"

"Well—there's this lady in the clinic where I work as a sensitivity trainer," began Abate, "but we're just friends. We bonded the instant I got the job. She'd worked in sensitivity training for two and a half years, and she also specializes in psychiatry. She's taking night classes to become a psychiatrist. But—she didn't develop this fetish until—until…"

"I know," sighed Eddy.

"I know that we're friends, but—I think I've fallen in love with her," Abate said dreamily. "I think that maybe I should just quit Smash altogether, settle down, and raise a family."

"That's crossed my mind a few times, as well," confessed Eddy.

"I—can't believe it's been a year," Abate said finally.

"C'mon, Abate—don't beat yourself up over it," said Eddy. "What more could you have done? What more could we have done?"

"We could've been there—at the scene. We could've stopped him. We could've referred him to a psychiatrist. We could've…"

"Look, man. I feel the same way. But what's happened has happened. All that remains for us to do is to focus our energies on what we're doing for the next generation, to hopefully prevent them from so drastically taking matters into their own hands."

"Thanks, Eddy," smiled Abate. "I actually feel better."

Another incoming call notification popped up, which Abate quickly muted.

"So," said Eddy, "this girl—what's her name?"

"Her names Bailey. Bailey Lauren."

"That's a nice name, don't you think?" chuckled Eddy.

"Yeah. She reminds me of someone in the video game industry," said Abate. "A voice actress or something. I just can't figure out who."

They were interrupted when three video screens popped up onto their monitors.

"Oooh! A guessing game! Can we play?"

Eddy laughed. "You guys! Come on!"

Isai, Blayd, Mr. ConCon and some default user had joined the online chat room. They, too, had tapered off of Smash over the year and moved on to other pursuits. Isai made short films, Blayd was auditioning for a musical group and Mr. C also dabbled in film and media. Along with Eddy and Abate, they refused to let Luigi's memory fade away and used his tragic case to illustrate why simple schoolyard teasing should be addressed and halted at once.

"Hey, it's the Melee Duo!" sang out Blayd. "What are you guys up to on this fine night?"

"Just talking," said Abate.

"What were you guys talking about?" asked Isai. "Somebody met a girl, didn't they? One of you finally got lucky!"

"If we did, then we'd tell you in due time," Eddy said smartly.

"Yeah," said Abate. "Hey, Isai! You look like you're headed somewhere special. Care to elaborate?"

"I am actually on my way to a convention," Isai responded smartly. "They invited me to be their top speaker. But I figured that I'd better check in with my old friends first."

"Aww, that's so kind of you," cooed Abate.

"Hey, maybe later, when Isai gets back from his convention, we could all order a pizza and watch SportsCenter," said Mr. C.

"Why watch SportsCenter when I have movies on demand?" Blayd fired back. "We can all come over to my place and watch some sweet flicks."

"What kind of pizza?" challenged Isai.

"I'm leaning towards a giant pepperoni," said Mr. C.

"You had me at 'giant'," said Eddy.

"Woo! Pizza and a movie!" cheered Abate. "Pizza and a movie! We're having pizza and a movie tonight!"

"Hey, Abate," Isai said suddenly.

"Yeah?"

"Who's your pal?"

"Huh?"

"Your pal. Who is it?"

Abate's eyes swung over to the "default caller" icon. "I don't remember inviting this person to our chat," he said.

"Yeah—who is that?" Eddy wanted to know. "Do you—do you have a secret admirer? Hoo, boy! This Bailey girl had better watch out!"

"Abate has a secret admirer? Since when?" Blayd broke in. "And who's Bailey?"

"She's a friend of mine," admitted Abate, "and no, I don't have secret admirers. If I did, then I would've received flowers, gifts and all of that stuff by now."

"Hey, guys! Abate brought over a secret admirer!" Blayd sang out.

"Blayd, I'm telling you, it's not…"

"I never had a secret admirer," pouted Isai.

"I had a couple," Eddy said.

"I thought I had one, but it turned out to be a cruel joke," sighed Mr. C.

"C'mon, Abate—don't be ashamed," said Blayd. "You're very popular, you know."

"Look, Blayd—I just have this gut feeling that this is no secret admirer we're dealing with," cautioned Abate.

"Yeah—it didn't come with him," added Eddy. "It came with you guys."

"Huh. We didn't really spot it until now," frowned Isai. "Let's try hanging up on this stranger."

Mr. C clicked on the "hang up" button, but nothing happened.

"It's not working," he said.

"It's not working with me, either," said Blayd. "Isai, you try it."

"Same result," said Isai, trying all sorts of button combinations.

"All right, let's not panic," said Eddy. "How about we just call each other back?"

"Good idea," said Abate. "Bye, everyone!"

"Yeah. Bye!"

"Bye!"

"Bye!"

"Bye!"

Simultaneously, the five men hung up. Abate pulled up his media player and clicked on a song at random. "Don't Speak" by No Doubt. Luigi's favorite band—one of his favorites, that is. Abate blinked the thought away and opened up a private chat window. He wasted no time connecting with Eddy?

Why'd you answer the call? He typed.

I didn't. Eddy typed back.

Well, neither did I.

Issues with the host? Eddy questioned.

Mmhm. Probably. Maybe some gossip-hungry creep who eavesdrops on people and then spreads their business everywhere.

Abate waited. But Eddy didn't answer.

Hey, Eddy? U still there?

Instinctively, Abate attempted to dial him up. But the call was ignored.

Eddy? You're not trying to spook me, are you? He typed.

Seconds after sending the message, Abate got an incoming call.

He, Eddy, Blayd, Isai and Mr. C reconnected.

"Hello, again," Isai said cheerily.

"Hii!" said Mr. C in an imitation of a certain pink puffball.

"Hii!" replied Abate and Eddy.

There was silence. Then—

"Hey, the dude's still there!" gasped Blayd.

"Well, it appears that one of us has a secret admirer," snorted Mr. C.

"C'mon, knock it off," said Isai.

"Wow. What is his problem?" Abate wanted to know.

"I don't know, but he'd better not mess with us," growled Eddy.

"Gentlemen," Isai broke in. "I believe we have a hacker on our hands. A persistent one, by the looks of it. He or she is probably phishing or looking for someone to scam."

"So—what do we do?" asked Abate. "How can we get rid of this person?"

"I have an idea," said Eddy. "I'll call Steve back, and we can all go from there."

"Consider it done," said Isai before they all hung up once more.

Abate promptly initiated another private chat with Eddy.

WTF is this fellow? He typed.

No response.

How come you're not answering me?

I got this weird message, Eddy finally typed back.

Oh, yeah? From whom?

When Eddy sent his reply, Steve Abate almost forgot to breathe.

Ha-ha-ha. Very funny, Eddy, he typed.

I'm not kidding, Steve. It was from his account.

Abate was about to reply when he heard a Facebook notification sound. He minimized the chat window and checked his Facebook feed. And what he saw there chilled the marrow in his bones.

Hey, Steve, the post read. You watching anything interesting right now?

But it wasn't the post itself spooking Abate.

It was the one who sent the post.

Luigi Mario.

Say whaaaaaaaaaat?!

The real fun begins next chapter!