Chapter Nine:

In Post-Apocalyptic Ohio

Mario was smiling with glee as he loaded his luggage into the taxi. Today was perfect, it was just right, and Tari seemed to be delighted as well.

"I'm so excited we're going to Texas!" The cyborg gamer said optimistically.

"Yeah, we're going to have lots of fun!" Mario flashed a thumbs up.

Tari then frowned, noting that something was missing. "What about SMG4?" She remarked, "Is he going with us?"

The fat Italian thought about that, remembering that he'd talked to SMG4 about going to Texas at some point. Apparently, the meme man had forgotten. Usually, it was Mario who failed to remember certain things due to his low intelligence.

He told Tari to wait and headed to the castle to get SMG4.

"No, no, no!" SMG4 shouted as he slammed the desk in frustration after playing back the video showing Kermit going crazy on a guy in robes, "How am I going to make the best video ever with this mediocre clip?"

KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK!

The meme man went to get the door, finding Mario waiting outside for him.

"Y-Yes?" SMG4 asked.

"SMG4, we're going to Texas!" Mario replied.

SMG4 looked surprised. "Was that today?" He asked, "Oh, I'm sorry, I can't come out today. I'm busy making a special video."

"What, that's never stopped you!" Mario raised an eyebrow.

"Not this one!" SMG4 chuckled, "This one's going to be different. K, byyyeeeeeeee!"

He closed the door and returned to his computer, ready to resume working on his perfect video. It would take quite a while before he got it right; he had to get it right. However, he wasn't sure if it would be as perfect as he intended.

Mario and Tari climbed into the taxi, ready for their trip. Even without SMG4 in tow, they looked forward to visiting Texas. Tari instructed the driver to take them to Texas. However, the driver, Heavy, shot them a very eerie look. Thankfully, he started driving, and Peach's Castle was soon behind the duo as they moved through the country.

Both friends rode for a long time, enjoying the greenery around the road, and the taxi rode through a Warp Pipe, leading away from the Mushroom Kingdom and taking them to another country entirely. That would be their route to Texas.

However, some things weren't what they appeared to be.

Tari and Mario looked around, seeing the barren trees and the ground devoid of grass. And then they saw the ruins around them; something was very wrong. They drove past a group of people in odd clothes, looking very rugged, and they could hear odd noises outside the taxi.

Tari tapped the driver, asking them why they weren't in Texas. The ride soon stopped, and the driver looked at them again; then he stepped out of the taxi and ran off with a howl, leaving the two friends all alone.

That didn't feel right.

Mario and Tari exited the taxi, deciding to wander around and find help. They still intended to go to Texas, and this place was no paradise.

As they wandered the streets, they could see dogs talking to each other and a guy taking off from a building while flapping his limbs like wings with bodies attached to his arms. Something was wrong about this place, and it wasn't pretty. Mario looked just as uneasy as Tari did. Luckily, the zombie-looking people ignored them.

Tari looked around and her eyes widened as she examined the sign nearby: "You are in Ohio, have a nice day!"

She screamed in horror, "MARIO!"

Mario looked at Tari with concern.

"WE CAN'T BE HERE, OHIO... IS A BAD PLACE..." The cyborg gamer said, grabbing his arms.

'Mama mia.' Mario thought.

A chill shot up his spine, and Tari yelped. All around them, the inhabitants of "Ohio" were looking at them very ominously. They stared at Mario and Tari, who became very uneasy as they looked back at the citizens of the ruins.

"Forbidden touch." One resident said.

Mario was shocked, wondering what they were talking about, and then he realized that Tari was still holding his arm.

The denizens of the haunting town that was Ohio moved towards them, snarling like vicious animals. Mario and Tari made a run for it, trying to find a way out of their nightmare. Those creepy people were going to do all sorts of things to them, if they were zombies, then that meant Mario and Tari were in danger of being eaten alive.

One thing was for sure, they had to escape with their lives before Ohio ate them all up. At least this wasn't a horrifying radioactive wasteland; who knew how long they would last before the radiation got to the two travelers.

Tari and Mario turned a street corner, racing into an alleyway as they tried to hide from their pursuers.

They looked around, trying to find a way to escape, and spotted a dumpster.

Hearing the Ohioans getting closer, they jumped inside the large trash can and shut the lid before the townsfolk arrived. They kept quiet, lowering their volume, and listened as the savage citizens passed them by without looking inside the dumpster.

They were safe to breathe and plan their escape from the mysterious land...