Chapter Ten:
Getting Out of Ohio
They hid in the bottom of the dumpster, waiting until it was safe to come out. Tari looked at Mario, a curious expression in her eyes.
"So, what made you want to go to Texas in the first place, Mario?" She asked.
"First, they're having a barbecue there." Mario replied, "Second, Pedro told me about it."
"Who's Pedro?" Tari wondered.
"Sleep-paralysis monster, a friendly one."
Tari gulped. Mario was already a weird guy, but the fact he wanted to go to Texas for a BBQ because a strange and friendly monster told him about it was even stranger. And she was tempted to blame Mario's... special friend for landing them in this mess, especially since they wound up in a freaky landscape like the ruins of Ohio.
Oh, they were going to Texas either way. But first, they had to get out of the dumpster. Tari and Mario climbed out, looking around for any of Ohio's weird residents. But for now, they were safe from those creepers.
They walked through the streets, watching for those zombies, and the duo made sure not to touch each other if they were spotted by the locals again. Escaping this land of horrors was their top priority, that was for sure. Maybe they could find a Warp Pipe somewhere or use some other form of transport out of their predicament.
Mario and Tari heard noises behind them and turned around, the town's inhabitants had spotted them and were chasing after them again. And this time, they had motorcycles!
"OH NO!" Tari wailed.
She and Mario made a mad run for it, even with the townspeople gaining on them. Mario and Tari spotted a parked monster truck on the side and decided to use it to escape. They scrambled into the vehicle, found the key, and started up the engines. The monster truck vroomed to life, and Mario desperately hit the gas.
Both he and his cyborg acquaintance took off down the streets, driving as fast as they could with the creepy zombies in hot pursuit. Mario handled the wheel and Tari strapped in, gasping with fear. She valued her own life; it would be fight or flight, and she chose flight.
Mario twisted the steering wheel, and they drove down another avenue, smashing through a creepy-looking car that shouted, "JOE MAMA!"
The insult didn't affect the fat Italian or the cyborg gamer. They raced through the town, looking for a way out, as they looked in the mirror to see their pursuers gaining on them very quickly. And that was when Tari noticed a small noodle container right next to her in the seat. She picked it up and saw that it was glowing.
'No way.' She thought.
Maybe this was their ticket out of here?!
She told Mario to open the window, and the plumber did; Tari held out the can and threw it as hard as she could. The can clattered to the street before the duo, and a bright light flashed, engulfing the used food container. And a second later, a glowing Warp Pipe appeared in front of Mario and Tari.
They had their salvation!
Without a moment to lose, they drove through the pipe. The Warp Pipe closed soon after, and the townspeople gave up their pursuit, all screaming in frustration that their prey had escaped them.
On the other side of the Warp Pipe, Mario and Tari exited their ride and took in their new surroundings; A bright blue sky with green grass and a town just ahead. A sign close by read, "Welcome to Texas."
"Mario! We made it!" Tari cried happily.
"Yahoo, no more Ohio nightmare!" Mario nodded.
The two friends walked past the sign and entered the town of Texas before them, meeting people in cowboy hats and all sorts of other friendly people without worry. And as they took in the sights, Mario couldn't wait to help himself to that BBQ starting soon. Hopefully, they would have spaghetti to go along.
Forget Ohio; Texas was a wonderful place! Regardless, that adventure had been very hectic, just like all the others and Mario hoped that was enough for the time being. Even Tari could use a break, especially as she'd rather play video games than face serious danger...
