Chapter 1
Nocturnal Creatures
by Brinatello
Created March 26, 2000. Completed June 22, 2001.

Saturday, November 20, 1999
Chapter 1

It was close to Thanksgiving in the Big Apple. People were busily running themselves around town to prepare for the big feast on Thursday, or what some called Turkey Day. April O'Neil Jones sat in her apartment bedroom, staring at her reflection in the mirror. The years on her face. The small wrinkles forming under her eyes. A full make-over would really drop the looks of being her age. She was only 34! 3-4. Far from middle aged. Far from old hag. Casey, her beloved husband as she deemed him at times, stepped into the room. He was tall, muscular, and a rather odd man for someone to match up with her. Some people thought they went well together like peas and carrots. Others felt they clashed like oil and water. April didn't mind him too much. She was happy with what she got, despite what people said.

"Sweetie? I was thinking. How 'bout we spend Thanksgiving with the guys at the farmhouse?" She smiled to him in the reflection.

"What guys? Oh, you mean the one's down at the bar?!" Casey was playing dumb. April rolled her eyes and went along with him. "Ya know, I heard on Thanksgiving, they catch a live turkey and you get to watch it get all butchered for the big feast! Pretty cool, huh?"

"Hardly. No- uh, what did you mean by bar? What bar?"

"Did I say bar? I meant restaurant-style family bar. Heh."

"Mm, hm. I meant the guys as in the Turtles and Splinter! We haven't seen them in weeks."

"Gotta admit it has been quiet." Casey mumbled. April ignored him and went on.

"I thought it'd be nice to spend some real quality time together. We should see each other for Thanksgiving. Like a family. It'll be a fun time. What do you think?"

Casey wrung his hands, trying to back out.

"What do I think? If you call yelling, throwing furniture, and back and forth arguing of 'Can you top this one?' a fun time, I'd like to step out on this visit. Preferably out of a moving truck on the highway."

April stood up and rounded on him.

"It's your family, too."

"They're more your family than mine."

"And when did you become so bitter? You like them just as much. This way, Shadow will get to see her uncles. You know how she loves being around them."

"Shadow is only six years old. She has no idea what the outrages are about half the time."

"Come on, Casey! Let's just do it! You said your mom already had plans and my family's all the way out in California. It's still early. We can call them up and see what their plans are for next week. I really want to do this." April sat down in his lap. "Please?" He couldn't say no to her botched eyes. Her sweet, enticing smile. He groaned with a shrug.

"What was their number again?"

April's extended family was four mutant turtles: Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michaelangelo. Along with their sensei, Splinter, a rat, the team was trained in martial arts and went through very difficult times, somehow able to pull through even the toughest of challenges. It's true it was April's family more than Casey's. Shadow was told at an early age that they were her uncles by choice, being almost brothers to Casey and April was considered as a big sister to them. He only said to her once about why they looked the way they do and this kept her silent ever since. "They're turtles and some goop magically turned them into human size." Much as it confused her, she believed him and dropped the subject entirely.

The pay phone rang about six times before Donatello snatched it up in a quick grab.

"Speak!"

"Yo, Donny! It's me, Casey! Howzit goin'?"

"It's going."

"Right." Casey looked away. He was so hard to talk to at times. "Listen, uh, April made a rather interesting suggestion. Would you fellas be interested in joining us for Thanksgiving dinner?"

"Sure, Casey! That sounds great. Our plans were the usual TV dinner around the old tube but seeing is you're asking, we'd be glad to come. Um, how soon are you planning all this? That is, are you having it at your apartment?"

"Nah. April suggested the farmhouse. Gives us a chance to get away from the city and crowds and shit."

Casey had a way with words. Donatello fell silent for a few seconds.

"The farmhouse sounds like a great idea."

"I hear a 'but' coming up."

"But-"

"See?"

"I don't know. It's Splinter. I don't think it's a good idea for him to be traveling in his condition."

"What do you mean, Donny? What's the prob?"

"It's his arthritis that's bothering him. Must be the cold weather causing it."

"Rats can get arthritis?"

Donatello sighed. "Casey, he has joints and bones. Any animal can get arthritis." That sounded like a 'duh!' statement.

"I knew that."

"Mm."

"So, does this mean you don't want to go?"

"Oh, no! We do! I speak for all of us. We hate being confined down here. Going to the farmhouse is like our freedom to the wilderness. If it would help, maybe you and April can lend us one of Shadow's coats for Splinter so he can be kept warmer. He doesn't have much material-wise and the cold would go right through him."

"Yeah, I could probably snatch up something for him. Anything else? What about the pain? Is he on any medication?"

"Well, um...it took some convincing but I have been giving him non-narcotic pain relievers like acetaminophen."

"Huh?"

"Tylenol."

"Oh. I knew that, too."

"Of course, you did."

"I'm gonna split now. You guys be ready by the time I get there. We'll leave tomorrow morning like at 6. The highway's gonna be a bitch to handle with the holidays and all so I don't want any dilly dallying around. Is that clear?"

"Crystal clear."

"Right."

"One more thing, Casey."

"Yeah?"

"Can you pick up some more....ah, Tylenol on the way here? We seemed to have run out."

"His arthritis is really bad, huh?"

"Not so much that. There's only so many pills for four turtles and a rat. Splinter's got joint stiffness while we suffer with headaches, stress and muscle spasms."

"No prob. See ya maƱana."

Casey hung up as April came around and kissed him full on the lips.

"Thanks, hun."

"Mmm. Splinter needs some warmer clothing. I'll go check in Shadow's closet to find an extra coat."

"Shadow's closet? Perhaps I should offer you a shovel?"

"Nah, I'll be okay."

Casey ventured into Shadow's room where she was found sprawled on the floor with her eyes glued to the TV screen. The game blared out explosions and creatures moaning in agony as her hands flew over the controller.

"Hi, doll."

"Hi."

Casey paused to watch the screen. Blood, gore, violence. He should have known Resident Evil 2 was not such a wise game to get from her Uncle Mikey. Michaelangelo never paid much attention to the little warning labels on the front of the box cartridges. He was mostly buying it for himself since he didn't have a Playstation of his own.

"I thought you were watching cartoons."

"Commercial."

"That's a long commercial." Casey turned to the closet and opened it up. Looking toward the top, he shuffled the big winter coats around to find the biggest size for Splinter. Although Shadow was a bit smaller than him, her parents bought sizes larger than her. She was growing far too fast for her regular size. "I need to borrow one of your coats for your grandfather, Splinter. We're spending Thanksgiving up at the farmhouse with them."

A bleep sound came from the screen. Shadow paused the game, rose and crossed the room to stand in front of her closet beside her dad.

"Are we all going?"

"Well, ya, knucklehead!" He rubbed her head. "You can wear your new snow boots and scarf ya Mom bought you."

"Grandpa can wear this one." Shadow pulled out a huge coat that dragged the floor.

"Oh yeah, that's from your Aunt Robyn. I don't think she'll mind if a rat borrows it. Do you mind?"

"No."

"Good."

"Can I take my Playstation with me?"

Casey thought for a moment. He'll have to lug the thing to the van and all it's games, lug it into the farmhouse, connect it to the television, screams will emerge from winning or losing day and night. Then when they leave, he'll have to unplug it, lug it to the van and all it's games, lug it back in to her room, reconnect it uh-gain, and then pass out.

"We'll see, honey."

"But Uncle Don brings his computer."

"Uncle Don has a lap top. It's less of a hassle."

"But it's only faaaaair!"

Ah, the joys of childhood. And adolescent young adults.

"Look, hun. Loading up your system and plugging it in is a real pain in the aa...uh, butt. Can't you survive without it for just one week?"

She tried another alternative. "Maybe Uncle Don can help me with my Playstation instead."

Sure, put the burden on someone else, Casey thought.

"You'd have to take it up with him, then." Meanwhile, Casey will be getting on the next bus out of town.

The day dragged on slowly into the evening, when April was finished packing for the trip. The time was about right that the guys would be out on the town, something she couldn't figure out why they would do that. She hoped they'd be careful when doing it at the farmhouse, where Lord knows what is out there in the woods, would be ready to strike.

Casey met up with Raphael and the two decided to have a beer or four in the bar at the corner. Casey knew it would help him relieve the stress that was yet to come with his wonderful family. He glanced to his bud, Raph. Hmm. His family. Four turtles and a rat. No one ever asked him what type of family he had. That would be a silly question. One would always think if a family were unusual, it meant the behavior of them. Never the looks. He respected the relationship his daughter had with them. If his jokes didn't make her laugh, she'd always crack a smile around her uncles. Something would strike her as being funny and she'd giggle till tears were streaming down her face.

"Think I'm a poor excuse for a father?"

Raphael looked up. "Is that you or the booze talking?"

"Seriously. Where would I be now if I....um.....wasn't here now?"

"I dunno. I wonder where I am half the time. Underground. Central Park. The local bar."

"No, no, no. You're not getting my question." Casey tapped Raph's arm, almost falling off the bar stool. "I mean, if I never left New York, found Gabe, married her, took her child, came back here, reunite with April and ram into you five again. Where would I be now, if....like I said....ya know? Wasn't here?"

"Casey...." Raphael raised a finger as if quoting something. "In the words of my master, 'none of us can choose our paths since we chosen it for ourselves.' Wait, that's not right. 'None of us can choose where we will love.' No, that's that damn Susan Kay novel. Um, it's like this....'if at first you don't succeed, then sky diving isn't for you.' No, that doesn't sound right either. Wait-"

"Raph?" Casey cut him off. "Don't strain your brain. You'll get a headache."

"I think I'm already getting one. What was it you first ask me?"

Casey looked skyward. "Ummmmmmmm.........oh, I asked if I was a poor excuse for a father."

"Aaaaand, are you?" Raphael squinted his eyes under his mask.

"Uh, I'll have to drink on that one."

Raph looked to his empty glass. "Wait, the brim is on the bottom. I'll ask the bartender for another."

The evening would have went as planned had Casey not caught movement outside in the alley. Something knocked over a trash can near the back exit. Standing up and walking in a loopy pattern, he went to check it out.

"Hold that thought." Raphael clutched thin air to hold the thought as Casey reached the back door. "Who's there?" His voice sounded slurred. He heard a cat screech. "Damn cat." Turning to head back, he heard the cat screeching louder as if it were being attacked. "Da hell?" It could have been his imagination but he thought he saw two bright yellow eyes peering out at him in the darkness. They were fairly reaching his eye level and they seemed to be watching his every move.

In the next minute, he found himself wrestling with a thing trying to rip his throat out. It was human-like with animal qualities. The rumble stirred up the other drunk and semi-sober mates including Raph to come closer and see what was happening.

"Casey?!" Raphael jumped, or more like fell off, the stool. "What da hell are ya doing?" His answer had to be postponed. Instead, growling and snarling emerged from the dark alley. Casey finally came in; his face scratched and pulled at. A bloody bite mark dripped from his left arm down to his shaking fingers. Raphael was becoming sober, gasping to his injured friend. "Oh, shit....not good, not good at all."

"It got away." Casey said slowly. Then fell forward in a dead faint.

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