Chapter Five:

Catch-Up on The Roof

Mario and Luigi banged on the door repeatedly, trying to get it open as hard as they could. They looked back to check and see how close the zombies were. The T-posers were just down the stairs and they were ascending, getting closer to the Italian plumbers in red and green.

"BOB, OPEN THE DOOR!" Mario cried.

Outside, the Garo had summoned a lawn-chair and was sitting in it, reading an edition of the Daily Globe newspaper as he heard the banging.

"Can you guys be a little quieter? I'm trying to read here." The Garo said, attempting quite poorly to ignore the brotherly duo, "Also, you do not want to come outside, too many T-posing zombies up here."

Luigi panicked. "WE'RE DOOMED!" He screamed.

He looked down the stairs, seeing a T-posing Donkey Kong gliding his way. The green-clad Italian pulled out a hammer and threw it at the gorilla, only for it to accomplish nothing. The T-pose zombies came closer, closer, and closer.

"HEY! LUIGI!" Mario yelled, "HELP ME WITH THE DOOR!"

"Oooooh, mama mia!" Luigi whimpered.

Nearly out of options, Mario pulled out a hammer from his inventory and swung it as hard as he could, smashing the door down, and breaking through the planks that Bob had set up, while knocking over his lawn-chair and the robed hobo Garo in the process.

"WHOA!" Bob exclaimed.

Mario ran outside, seeing there were no T-posing zombies around. He whooped excitedly and began to dance. Luigi stepped out too, smiling eagerly. However, the delight was short-lived when the horde of T-posing zombies that had been following the fat Italians emerged and grabbed Luigi, pulling him back inside while he screamed in horror.

And despite being mentally-challenged, despite giving him and their friends so much trouble over the years, Mario was terrified to see what was happening to his little brother, despite trying to keep each other safe during the whole crisis.

"LUIGI, NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Mario screamed.

"MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARIIIIIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Luigi wailed.

T-Pose Zombies surrounded him, bearing down on Mario's little brother. The green-clad Italian fought, trying to break free, but it was no use. The zombies overwhelmed him, he punched and kicked, but he could feel the strength leave him. Bones cracked and limbs snapped, Luigi lost the will to speak and scream. He reached up one more time, then his hand fell.

Luigi slipped away, becoming one of them, and his last thoughts were of Mario. And then, he lost all consciousness and something else took over.

Outside, Mario processed everything with horror and sadness. Then a new emotion took hold, anger. He wasn't the only one left in a world being overrun by T-posers, especially since there was Bob. It was all Bob's fault; Bob had left them to their fate. If he hadn't been so selfish, then Luigi would still be alive.

"Now the T-posing assholes are up here!" He heard the Garo exclaim, "HOW WILL THE WORLD SURVIVE IF I DIE?!"

Mario turned to Bob, fists shaking, and his eyes narrowing. The blood in his veins became hot and he could not think of anything else. If there was ANYTHING he could think of, it was Bob and only Bob. He had to pay; Mario was going to make him suffer.

"BOB!" Mario screamed, "THIS! IS! ALL! YOUR! FAULT! THEY TOOK MY BROTHER FROM ME, BECAUSE OF YOU! YOU KILLED-A MY BROTHER, YOU SONS OF A B****!"

He charged at the Garo, who dodged to the side. Mario stopped near the edge and turned to face Bob, laser-focused on vengeance against him. He leaped towards the robed hobo and swung his fist at him, only for Bob to dodge. Bob brought out his sword hand and held it up defensively, Mario yelled and leaped over his head, coming down with a hard punch.

"YOU SELFISH BASTARD!" Mario shouted, "I'LL END YOU, YOU MAMAF***ER!"

The plumber hollered as if he had his butt set on fire and charged at Bob again, the Garo ducked and tried to avoid Mario's strikes. However, despite his weight, Mario was a capable fighter. He flew at him, bringing up his fist, and his latest attack didn't miss.

Mario's hook made contact with Bob's face and the Garo stumbled back. Bob shot to his full height and swung his blade in self-defense, but Mario ducked and head-butted Bob when he came back up. He grabbed the Garo and threw him into the wall, Bob stood, his eyes spinning. He walked around, trying to regain his senses, but Mario came in for another attack.

He leaped over Bob's head and kicked him hard, sending him sprawling to the ground. And then, Mario kicked Bob in the groin, then he struck the Garo again and sent him tumbling towards the edge of the castle roof.

"Ow, my oval eggs!" The Garo exclaimed.

Bob's heart beat intensely as he slipped over the edge, panic gripped him and he could see the horde below. At the last second, he grasped the ledge with his bladed hands, holding on for dear life. He attempted to climb back up, but the roof was steep and all he could do was keep himself from plummeting into the grasp of the T-posers as long as possible.

'I can't hold on much longer, but I'll never let go.' Bob thought, 'Can't fall, can't fall. No, no. This is not the end of the hottest man alive. The world hasn't heard my rap hits yet.'

He looked up, seeing Mario approach him, glaring at Bob with fury in his eyes. The fat Italian brought up his foot and stomped on his face. The Garo begged for mercy; he could already tell what that spaghetti-loving idiot was about to do.

In a second, his life was flashing before his eyes and fleeting memories were bubbling in and out of the forefront; His youth in Canada, being bullied, and learning the way of the hood, the days he spent alone in the sewer and encountering the Mario Brothers many years later. And then, he remembered every adventure he experienced up to this point.

'Do friends matter?' Bob finally thought, 'Are Mario and the others most important to me?'

"Mario, take it easy!" He pleaded, "It was just a prank, bro! I'm sorry for your brother! Don't do it, don't do it!"

His pleas were on deaf ears. Mario kicked Bob as hard as he could and the Garo lost his grip. He fell from the roof, watching the fat Italian get smaller, and he didn't need to look behind himself as he knew what was coming up.

In just seconds, he would be one with the T-Posers. But he had one thought left, he thought of beauty and gorgeous chicks. And Bob's last words…

"Burry me in women!" He cried.

With that last utterance, Bob hit the ground and was quickly swarmed by the T-Posing zombies. Whomps, Goombas, Doctor Eggman, everyone else were bearing down on the Garo. He struggled to break free of the horde, but they were too strong. Bob felt his ability to speak fade fast and he could feel himself slipping away too.

Cracking, smacking and snapping were heard as the zombies subdued and began to convert Bob into one of them. Bob thought of everyone and everything he knew, loved and desired one last time. And then, the world went dark and Bob became a poser like everyone else.

Now, there was only man left in the midst of the apocalypse.

And that man was Mario...