Bonus Story: It's-a Me

October 17th, 2023. It was a nice Tuesday evening, and Oskar and Eli sat on top of one of the buildings, just hanging out with eachother. They left their friend Adam's house a few hours ago anyway, they deserve some time to themselves. However, they hadn't eaten anything for a few days now, and they were getting hungry. They avoid killing people too often to not draw attention to themselves, but occasionally they have no other choice. If they go without eating for too long they begin to decay and go a bit rabid. "We got to eat something Eli." Oskar said. Eli's stomach began to growl, as they hunched over in pain. "...Fine, your right. But we got to make it fast and make sure no one can see us, everyone has phones nowadays, and if someone catches us…" Eli began to say. Oskar nodded. "Yeah, I understand," Oskar asked. Eli and Oskar left the building and began to look around for a target, before noticing something odd. Walking by herself, was a little girl, maybe 7 or 8. But the thing was, she wasn't wearing something from modern times, Oskar and Eli wore something more modern to blend in, but she was wearing something straight from the 80s. She had blond hair and white sneakers. Her pink shirt didn't seem like something from today, and her blue skirt didn't help it either. "That fashion choice makes me upset," Eli said. "Calm down Honey, but she is alone.." Oskar said. Eli sighed. "Yeah, as much as I don't wanna kill another kid, do we have a choice?" Eli asked. Oskar shook his head. "Let's just make it quick…" Eli said. Oskar and Eli followed the girl as she walked around the neighborhood, however it just seemed like she was wandering. Where on earth was she going? Eli and Oskar jumped down into an Alleyway and followed the girl on foot for a bit before she turned around and looked at them. "...Oh Hi!" The girl said, waving. Oskar and Eli froze. Did she notice them? Sure, there weren't many people on the street, but there was at least someone shielding them. Oskar pointed to himself, and the girl nodded so fast it seemed like her head was gonna fall off. Oskar and Eli looked at eachother confused, and a bit nervous. Something felt off like they weren't stalking their prey, instead, it was the other way around. Nevertheless, they walked up to her, as she stood there smiling. The girl seemed unfazed by their presence, which only added to Oskar and Eli's confusion. "Um, hi there," Oskar greeted cautiously, trying to assess the situation. "What are you doing out here all alone?" Eli added, eyeing the girl suspiciously. The girl's smile widened, revealing a gap where a tooth was missing. "I'm just exploring," she replied cheerfully. "I like to walk around and see new things. What about you two?" The girl asked. Oskar and Eli exchanged another glance, unsure of how to respond. "We... uh, we're just out for a walk too," Oskar improvised, trying to maintain a friendly demeanor. "We like exploring the town, you know? We're new 'round here." The girl nodded enthusiastically. "That's great! I'm Amy, by the way," she introduced herself, extending her hand. Oskar and Eli hesitated for a moment before Oskar reluctantly shook her hand. "I'm Oskar, and this is Eli," he introduced them, feeling a strange sense of unease. As they chatted with Amy, Oskar, and Eli couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. How had she noticed them so easily? And why did she seem so cheerful and friendly, despite the late hour and the fact that she was alone? Amy suddenly glanced at her watch before they could dwell on these questions further. "Oh dear, I must be going now. It was nice meeting you both!" she exclaimed, flashing them another bright smile before skipping off down the street. Oskar and Eli watched her go, exchanging puzzled looks. "That was... odd," Eli remarked, voicing their thoughts. "Yeah, definitely strange," Oskar agreed, feeling a lingering sense of confusion and suspicion. "Let's get back onto the roofs, we'll follow her to someone secluded and take her down from there," Eli said. Oskar nodded and began to climb the wall, with Eli following. They leaped from building to building, hiding occasionally, because for some reason, Amy kept looking up into the sky. It's like she knew they were hunting her. Eventually, she walked into an alleyway. Now, it's Now or never. Oskar and Eli leaped down from the building and began to walk to the alleyway. "...Are you ready?" Eli asked. Oskar nodded. "Yeah, let's just get this over with," Oskar said. Eli nodded and the couple walked into the Alleyway, but instead of Amy, there was…a Plumber. It looked Like Mario. It's not like someone wearing a costume, like Actual Mario. But his overalls were red, and his shirt was blue. You could barely see his eyes as he stood there. Were they seeing things? Mario wasn't real, right? "What the hell..?" Oskar asked. The plumber still didn't say anything. "Are you real?" Eli asked. The Plumber nodded, before finally talking. But it didn't fully sound like Mario. "HEY THERE CHAMPS! THANKS FOR COMING!" Mario said. Oskar and Eli looked at each other. "...Who are you?" Eli asked. "IT'S A ME, MARIO!" Mario said. Oskar became skeptical. "I don't believe you," Oskar said. Mario didn't say anything, and just stared for a while, before talking. "YOUR PAL ADAM HAS SOMETHING FOR YOU, YOU WANT TO GO TAKE A LOOK? HE'S JUST OUTSIDE HIS ALLEYWAY!" Mario said. Eli looked around but didn't sense their friend's presence. Something feels off. "...He isn't here," Oskar said. "GO AHEAD, ITS A BIG SURPRISE!" Mario said. Oskar and Eli looked at each other and shrugged, turning around and walking away. However little did they know, this was all part of the plan.

"I'M GONNA GET YOU!" Someone yelled. Eli turned around to see something sprinting at them, it was…what used to be Mario, now called Carpenter. Carpenter was a bit taller than Mario and had no eyes, almost like they were torn out. The mouth was stretched and ripped into a wide smile. Their overalls were now a dark red and their shirt was now a turning orange, the hat became a bit brighter, however. "RUN!" Oskar yelled. Eli and Oskar began to book it as Carpenter began to chase them, his footsteps pounding on the pavement. Oskar and Eli ran into an Alleyway and took to the roof of a building, however, Carpenter wasn't far behind and climbed up. No matter how fast Eli and Oskar ran, Carpenter kept chasing, and they were gonna get tired. Then, Eli had an idea. He stopped and turned around, running Towards Carpenter. "ELI! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Oskar yelled. "I got an Idea!" Eli shouted back. Eli leaped into the air, and Stomped on Carpenter's head. It stunned him, but only for a little bit. Eli quickly booked it as Carpenter stood there stunned by the hit before he quickly gave chase again. Oskar and Eli leaped over a gap, however, Carptener fell. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" Carpenter yelled. Oskar and Eli stopped, catching their breaths. "...Phew. At least that's over." Eli said.

" !"

Out of the gap leaped Plumber, the final form. Plumber was TOWERING over the two child Vampires, and a lot taller than Mario himself. He was a whopping 10 feet tall. The plumber's skin was a bit darker but mixed. His hat was now a bright red, with a P emblem on it. His red overalls were now pure black, with white buttons, and his shirt was now an orangish brown. His shoes were a deep brown, and he had teeth this time, the eyes stared back as if it wasn't real. His gloves were dirty, like they were used recently. Plumber laughed and tried to grab the two, but Eli and Oskar dodged it and kept running. "WE GOTTA GET HOME!" Eli yelled. "We aren't that far look!" Oskar said, pointing to a small house nearby. Oskar and Eli picked up the speed as Plumber began to pick up speed as well. "GET BACK HERE!" Plumber yelled. "NO!" Eli yelled. Eli and Oskar jumped down from the building and sprinted down the road, before coming to the house. They quickly ran in, locking the door behind them. But when they looked out the Window, Plumber was gone. "Where did it go?" Oskar asked. Then, the television began to flicker to life, as Amy showed up on the screen, but she wasn't moving, the photo of her was black and white. "... It's fun, isn't it? I had fun! I had fun chasing you down. I'll admit, you're the first ones in a while to escape from me." Amy said on screen. Her face then changed to Plumber, staring at them from the screen, his eyes glowing and his face shrouded in darkness. "REMEMBER CHAMPS. OUR LITTLE GAME ISN'T OVER YET. IT WAS MERELY A BEGINNING. WE'LL MEET AGAIN. UNTIL THEN…" The text said. Then Plumber exited the darkness and spoke. "MARIO WILL GET YOU NEXT TIME." Plumber said, laughing as he disappeared from the screen. Oskar and Eli looked at each other. "...Oskar?" Eli asked. "...Yeah?" Oskar replied. "...I don't think I'm hungry anymore.." Eli said.