Seven

Chapter 20- The Undead

Mario and Carmen were led aboard the old, rusted steamboat that sat in the harbor, alone. It looked very worn and very heavy. It would likely only stay afloat for just a few minutes, and when it went down, it would go down fast.

That didn't give Mario much time to plan. It was either find the diving gear or make peace with death. There were no longer any other options.

He looked around at the crystal clear blue sky and blew out a nervous breath. At least it was a beautiful day to die, he thought to himself.

"Players, follow your personal staff member to your respective positions. Once there, you will receive more detailed instructions," Winston explained.

Mario looked at Carmen, but again, she wouldn't look at him. Her face was still hard and stoic and she hadn't said one word since they left the mansion. He sighed and followed behind Richard.

He was led all the way to the stern end of the ship before Richard stopped. "Player Six, it has been an honor serving you. I wish you the best of luck in the final game. If you are ready, I will explain to you what you must do in order to win."

Mario only nodded. He was suddenly so nervous, his brain was becoming fuzzy, his thoughts spinning out of control. In the previous games, he had managed to keep himself somewhat calm and collected. He knew he would survive those games. He had a good feeling. This time though, there wasn't anything good about the way he was feeling. Even if he won, he would still feel like he lost.

"When the ship's horn sounds, you will have to start looking for the diving equipment immediately. There will be no time to waste," Richard explained to him, although Mario was only half listening. "Once you find it, gear up and dive into the water. The boat will sink quickly and you'll want to get away from the current, lest you'll be pulled under and won't be able to escape."

Mario nodded.

"I'd say you'd have fifteen to twenty minutes that you can safely move about the ship. After that, things will start to deteriorate quickly," Richard went on.

"And...what if neither of us find the diving gear within that time? What then?" Mario asked.

"It's hidden in plain sight, but I'm afraid that's all the hints I'm allowed to give you. Finding it won't be the problem. Finding it first will."

Mario knew he had to make a decision right now. He couldn't wait around to see what Carmen would do, there wouldn't be time. So he nodded, letting Richard know he understood the game's instructions.

"See you on the other side, player 6," Richard said, touching Mario's arm.

After he walked away, Mario blew out a breath and hopped from one foot to the other to get his body warmed up. He looked around, surveying the boat, its doors and hatches, trying to figure out his first move.

He jumped back when the boat's horn sounded, signaling the start of the game.

Mario didn't hesitate. He ran up the stairs to the top level and moved down the narrow walkway until he found a metal door, covered in rust, dings and scratches. There was a small window on the door, so he peered inside and gasped when he saw the diving gear, hidden in plain sight, just like Richard said. It was propped up against the wall just waiting for him.

He put his hand on the handle to open the door, but he was startled by a figure that suddenly appeared in the window. He stepped back, staring in disbelief at Jackson's disfigured face. He pounded on the door, letting out an unearthly howl.

Mario backed away slowly, his limbs frozen over with fear. What in the hell was going on?

When the door sprung open and a zombified Jackson came limping out, Mario scrambled to his feet and took off running, only to nearly crash right into another familiar face...

It was Brandi, but a much less attractive version of herself. She growled and hissed like an angry animal protecting her territory. Mario looked around for a safe escape, but he found himself surrounded in the narrow walkway, Jackson behind him and Brandi in front of him.

He swallowed hard. This was it, he thought to himself, this was the end.

"Hey!" a voice called out behind Brandi, turning her attention away from Mario.

Carmen appeared out of seemingly nowhere holding a fire extinguisher. When Brandi had moved a safe distance away from Mario, Carmen hit her over the head, sending her crashing to the floor in a bloody heap.

"Come on!" Carmen called out to Mario as Jackson approached them.

"What the hell is going on?!" Mario asked as they ran to the other side of the ship.

"I don't know, but it appears that our theory about the cannibalism may have been a bit off. They weren't cooking them, they were making some sort of undead army to use for the grand finale," Carmen panted.

"No one mentioned anything about fighting zombies!" Mario shouted.

"I guess that was a surprise," Carmen shrugged.

When they reached the edge of the ship, they stopped and turned around to see the four remaining fallen players limping towards them, howling and growling, like scene right out of a horror movie. They backed up against the railing, neither of them sure what to do.

"We've got to get past them and to that diving gear," Carmen said. "I saw it in a room, but I couldn't get to it. It's almost like these things are...guarding it or something."

Guarding it...

Mario suddenly realized his fate was already sealed before the final game even began. Neither he nor Carmen were meant to escape. Because of their attempted escape before, Dr. Vincent was going to see that both of them were punished, and what better way than to use his own creations against them.

When Mario realized he was no longer playing against Carmen, he started to think a little more clearly. Not only would he have to find a way to save himself, but he had to save her too. There was something fishy about all this and so far, Mario had been too distracted to dig into the specifics. But with his life very clearly on the line, he had to think, and fast.

The floor beneath his feet began to tremble and Mario looked around, realizing the ship was already beginning to sink.

"I'll distract them. You run past them while they're focused on me and get to the gear," Mario shouted to Carmen.

"What?! No! I'm not leaving you out here with these monsters!" she cried, looking at him as if he was crazy to suggest such a thing.

"Do you want them to eat us both?! When I tell you to run, you better run or I'll throw your skinny ass overboard!"

She nodded, looking around at the four zombified beings in front of her.

"Come on, over here!" Mario called out to them. They looked over in his direction and slowly crept towards him. "That's right, follow me!"

When they all seemed to be doing as he said, he gave Carmen a look and she darted through them, running for the room she had seen the diving gear in earlier.

After she was gone, Mario realized what a sticky situation he had gotten himself into. His back was to the end of the ship and there were four monsters in front of him, drooling at the thought of tasting his flesh. It was either jump or be eaten.

Mario hesitated, but only for a second. He turned and dove into the icy, black water. Once he felt he had swam a safe distance from the ship, he kicked his feet until he reached the surface. He took a deep breath and looked around to see where he was. The ship was still right in front of him, but too high for him to see what was happening on board.

He had to find some way to get back on the ship in case Carmen needed him. He started swimming, the cold water making his muscles contract and become almost useless. He knew he wouldn't be able to keep himself afloat much longer, so he looked around for something he could use to keep him afloat.

"Six!"

Mario looked up to see Carmen standing on the boat. She tossed something down into the water and it landed about ten feet away from Mario. When he started swimming towards it, he realized it was a flotation ring from the ship. It was old and worn, but it would at least keep his head above water until he figured something out.

Once he was floating safely, he looked up and saw Carmen, now fully dressed in the diving gear. The boat was rapidly sinking and if she didn't jump soon, she would be sucked under by the sinking ship's powerful current.

So would Mario.

He used all the strength he had to kick his legs and propel himself as far away from the ship as possible. He kicked and kicked for what felt like forever, but when he looked back over his shoulder, he hadn't made all that much progress.

Mario's calm, collected demeanor suddenly changed to one of sheer panic. This was it for him, he thought. He had reached the end of his short life.

Not knowing what else to do, Mario relaxed his body, facing up to the sky, and floated. He tuned out everything else around him and started coming to terms with his impending demise.

There was so much he hadn't done yet; so much he hadn't seen. He would never get married, or have children. He would never see his beloved Atlanta Falcons win a Super Bowl. He would never see his niece, Kira, again.

But at least he would see his mother. He hoped that when he left this world, her face would be the first thing he'd see. And that thought put Mario at peace. He closed his eyes and allowed the peace to consume him.