The Order of the Slice

Chapter 15

  Luigi pounded on the bar.

"Another."

The bartender furrowed his brows. "That would be you're fifth drink," He said. "Is there anyone here who can drive you home?" The bartender looked around the bar.

"I'll just walk." Luigi slurred. "Another." Luigi had just come in here to get Deep Dish something. But it had been so long since Luigi even walked into a bar. He couldn't say no, so he had one, and then another one, Luigi had already forgotten how drinks the bartender said he had. He didn't really care.

"I think you've had enough bud," The bartender said. Luigi scowled.

"Don't tell me what to do." He said bitterly. "Another."

The bartender frowned, but eventually he gave Luigi a nice bottle of beer.

"Finally," Luigi grumbled. He asked for a drink, not a lecture. He heard the bar door open. "Make sure you aren't going to drive," Luigi warned groggily. He poked the bartender in the chest. "This guy'll get on your case." Luigi waited for a response, but whoever entered the bar remained silent.

"Luigi?"

Luigi choked on his drink. He coughed and spluttered. They weren't supposed to be here. "You guys shouldn't be here," Luigi managed. Cheryl and Thomas just stared at him. Luigi hauled himself off of the barstool, he stumbled towards Cheryl. "You need to leave!"

Cheryl grabbed Luigi. Thomas shot her a look of concern and horror. "Is he okay?" He asked frantically. Luigi wrenched himself out of Cheryl's hold.

"He's fine." She said. "But it looks like he's drunk."

Luigi scowled. "I'm not drunk," He growled. "And you have to leave." He said. "I tried to warn you, The Order of the Slice is coming for you." Luigi pointed to the door. "You need to run," He said. Cheryl steadied Luigi again.

"Luigi, what happened?"

Before Luigi could answer, the bar door swung open. "Luigi!" People wearing gold pizza chains entered the bar. Luigi shoved Thomas towards the game room. He whipped his head towards Cheryl. She struggled as The Order of the Slice members dragged her out of the bar. Luigi screamed. The Order of the Slice member who gave Luigi permission to go to the bar tackled him. Luigi fell to the floor. He saw Thomas watch in horror. Thomas didn't have anything to do with this. Luigi couldn't live with himself if he got Thomas captured. He had to do something. Luigi pushed the Order of the Slice member off of him and bolted out the door. Maybe Thomas could leave while The Order of the Slice members were chasing Luigi. He ran down the road, Order of the Slice members on his heels. One of them caught up to Luigi and wrapped their arms around him. Luigi tried to worm out of their grip, but it was no use. It was over. At least Thomas was safe. That was all that mattered.

***

Luigi sat down against the cell wall. It felt like the room was spinning. Deep Dish hadn't been as merciful this time, and now Luigi was stuck in the cell that was next to one of the people he lied to. He heard Cheryl's voice from the cell next to him.

"Where have you been?"

Luigi swallowed. He went and laid down in what was barely a bed. "Do you-uh-remember when I wanted to rescue Officer Gertrude?" He asked. Cheryl laughed softly.

"Vaguely."

Luigi nodded. "Well-uh-when you and Thomas said I shouldn't-I-uh," Luigi stammered.

"You did it anyway?" Cheryl guessed. Luigi nodded, then he remembered that she couldn't see him, so he said yes. Luigi looked at the ground. It was covered in stains with colors that ranged from vomit brown to blood red. Luigi grimaced. The Order of the Slice must not have had a janitor. Luigi held his face in his hands. He felt helpless. There was no way to escape, nobody who could save him. Fresh tears stung his eyes. He was glad Cheryl couldn't see him from her cell. He looked at himself in the cracked mirror hanging on the wall. His hair, once vibrant and soft, was now straw-like and discolored. His clothes, well, Nancy's clothes, were stained and ripped. His skin was scratched and bruised. His eyes were bloodshot and he smelled like booze. Luigi tried not to sob, but he couldn't stop himself. He heard Cheryl knock on his cell wall. "Luigi, what are you doing?"

Luigi sniffed. "Nobody's coming for us!" He cried. For a moment, the only sounds were Luigi's ragged breaths. "We're probably going to rot in these cells." He said quietly.

"Thomas will probably try to save us," Cheryl tried. Luigi started crying harder. Snot started running down to his lip. The only thing worse than Luigi being imprisoned in The Oven, was Thomas being imprisoned in The Oven. He suddenly heard footsteps outside of his cell. Luigi tried to wipe his tears and snot on his sleeve. There wasn't a guard in front of him, just a regular Order of the Slice member. The same Order of the Slice member who gave Luigi permission to go to the bar. Her gaze was glued on Luigi, and though she was just standing there, her eyes were full of rage, like the one thing she wanted most in the world, was to see Luigi suffer. "Sausage," Cheryl growled. The Order of the Slice members brows knit together, for a second, she looked genuinely sorrowful, before her brows furrowed and her frame hardened.

"I thought you were better than this Basil," She tsked. The Order of the Slice member sighed. "And right before you were picked to be the new messenger."

Cheryl inhaled sharply. The Order of the Slice members gaze slid back to Luigi. She pulled some keys out her robes pocket, and unlocked Luigi's cell. "What are you-?"

She grabbed Luigi by the arm and dragged him out of his cell. He yelped and tried to squirm away, but the Order of the Slice member was unexpectedly strong. Luigi's eyes found Cheryl while he was being dragged away. She was just sitting there, staring blankly at the ground. "Ch-Cheryl!" Luigi screamed. Her eyes darted back up. She scrambled off of the ground and grabbed the bars.

"Sausage! Where are you taking him?!" She yelled. Sausage ignored her and continued dragging Luigi out of The Oven.

"You should let me go," Luigi warned. "I used to be a kickboxer!" That wasn't true. "I-I once sent a guy to the hospital!" Also not true. She forced him into the main halls of The Order of the Slices headquarters. "Wh-where are you taking me?" Luigi asked frantically. The Order of the Slice member sighed and waved over another member. One Luigi recognized. Ben. He marched over and grinned.

"Can you shut him up?" Sausage asked.

"With pleasure."

Luigi felt a sudden pain at the back of his head, everything slowly turned black.