sometime!" Michaelangelo chuckled, listening to Raphael's threats as he dashed through
the sewer with his prize; Raph's sai. "Not if I can help it, Bro," he yelled
back.
He ran a few more steps and, realizing that Raphael was no longer running
after him, stopped. Mike looked around briefly. Raph had been chasing him
for about twenty minutes and he really had no clue where he was.
Better go topside and find out where the hell I am, he thought climbing up a
nearby ladder. As he climbed on to the street, Mike realized that he was in
a rather upscale part of town. He hid in the shadows of a nearby apartment
building. The question was, now where should he go? Can't go home, at
least not yet. Hmmm... Leo was visiting April.
Mike smiled. He'd join Leo at April's and then go home with him. Leo
would back him up; he was always ready to take on Raphael. Mike turned to
head back down to the sewers, when shouting caught his attention.
"You are such a stupid bitch! How many times have I told you to write
down what you take from the account so this shit doesn't happen?!"
Mike peeked around the corner and saw a man and a woman heading
toward the front door of the building.
The woman seemed to be trying to calm the man down. "Douglas please
stop shouting. The neighbors will hear you."
"And just where was Steven while you were out?" the man demanded not
even attempting to lower his voice.
Whatever the woman said, Mike couldn't hear because they had entered the
apartment and without quite knowing why he was doing it, Michaelangelo
followed them quietly to the building. By the time he reached the door, the
couple had already made it to the elevator so he waited until the elevator
doors closed behind them, before entering. He watched the numbers slowly
rise and stop on the eighth floor. Mike headed for the stairs and sprinted up
all eight flights before pausing at the top hoping to hear where they headed.
Minutes passed and Michaelangelo was just about to leave when he heard
the door to the apartment across the hallway open.. A teenage girl came out
followed closely by the woman from downstairs.
"I hope Steven didn't give you any problems, Carla," the woman said
smiling.
The girl laughed. "Oh he never does, Mrs. Tyler. I'll see you later."
"Ok, thanks. Bye Carla."
The woman closed the door. Mike tensed as the girl walked past the
stairwell.
Hope this chick doesn't like stairs, he thought. He heard her whistling as
she headed for the elevator. Carla wasn't out of sight for very long when
Mike heard yelling once again from behind the door. He strained to hear, but
couldn't make out the argument.
What am I doing, he wondered suddenly. This is none of my business. Of
course, that never stopped me before, but....He shook his head and turned to
go back down the stairs.
CRASH! The sound of something breaking was immediately followed by a
woman's scream and then shouting began all over again; the voices louder
and angrier.
Indecision froze Michaelangelo for a split second. This really wasn't his
business. It was a simple marital fight. The shouting got louder. Mike
sighed and headed for the door to the apartment.
If it's unlocked, I'll take a look. If it's locked than I go home.
He turned the knob and the door opened. Damn, just my luck.
He eased open the door. The shouting seemed to be coming from a different
room. Silently he ventured in, past the living room and kitchen until he came
to the entranceway of a dining room. He ducked back quickly behind the
wall, because there stood the man and woman.
The woman was kneeling in front of what use to be a vase; now it was in a
million pieces which she was desperately trying to pick off the floor. Her
husband paced in front of her reminding Mike of a caged tiger.
"Do you know how much that vase was worth, Josi?" Douglas asked
angrily.
Josi looked up at him. "You're the one who threw it Douglas."
He reached down and grabbed her shirt and hauled her to her feet. "If I
didn't have a fuckin' idiot for a wife, I wouldn't have to throw things!"
Mike frowned and was about ready to jump in when a small voice came
from the other side of the room.
"Mommy, what's wrong?" Standing in the doorway rubbing his eyes was a
little boy wearing a pair of blue pajamas.
Douglas let go of his wife's shirt and turned away as Josi hurried over to her
son. She knelt down beside him and kissed his cheek. "Nothing, Sweetie.
Just go back to bed."
"Can I have a drink of water?" the little boy asked sleepily.
"I'll bring it to you Steven," Josi said. "Now, go back to your room."
How can they fight like that with a kid in the house, Mike wondered feeling
sorry for the little guy.
"But Mommy..."Steven began..
Douglas turned to him furiously and yelled. "Get the hell back to bed."
Bastard, Mike thought and reached for his nunchucks. But as he did, his
hand brushed against Raph's sai.
Josi stood and confronted her husband as Steven started to cry. "Don't you
ever talk to him like that!"
Fire lit up Douglas's eyes and he grabbed Josi and hurled her into the wall.
"Mommy!" Steven cried running over to her.
Douglas turned and backhanded the little boy who fell to the ground blood
running from his mouth.
Suddenly Douglas found himself flying through the air and landing hard
against the dining room table. A green face appeared in his line of vision. A
hand rose punching him across the face and then stomach. Douglas doubled
over and stared at the ground and the feet of his attacker. Two feet with two
green toes. That was all he saw because his assailant tossed him head-first
into the nearest wall. He slumped to the ground gasping for air and fumbling
for something in his pocket.
Michaelangelo turned away from Douglas and approached Josi who was
laying half-conscious on the floor. He brushed back the hair from her face
and took note of the bruise on her head already beginning to form.
"Steven," she whispered faintly.
Mike turned to the little boy. Couldn't be more than four or five years old,
Mike thought kneeling next to him. He was very still, but breathing, so Mike
figured he must be unconscious. Blood ran from Steven's mouth and nose.
Mike found some napkins on the table and tried to clean up the boy as best he
could.
Movement from behind him caught Mike's attention. He spun just in time
to block a switchblade that Douglas had stabbed at him with.
"Who the hell are you, you fuckin' psycho?!" Douglas growled taking
another swipe at Michaelangelo.
Mike's blood boiled with rage. How dare this bastard call him a psycho
when he was the one who had been beating up his wife and kid?
"Your worst nightmare," Mike said drawing Raph's sai and ramming it into
the guy's stomach.
Michaelangelo stepped back as Douglas fell against him. He yanked the sai
free and let the guy fall to the floor. Mike could feel his heart pounding in his
ears as he realized what he had done. He heard screaming and saw Josi
crawling over to where her husband lay.
"My God!" she gasped. "What are you?! What have you done?!" She
rolled her husband over and saw the fatal wound to his stomach. Josi
screamed and screamed.
Mike covered his ears and ran from the apartment before someone called the
cops. He swore he still heard Josi's screaming as he stumbled through the
sewers. Somehow he reached the lair and practically fell to the floor upon
entering. Gasping he looked up and saw Splinter and his brother's standing
over him.
"Michaelangelo," Splinter said. "What have you done?"
Michaelangelo sat up in bed a scream catching in his throat. He fell back
onto the pillow, trying to catch his breath. Man, what a dream, he thought.
His gaze fell on the sai that he had snagged from Raphael earlier on. He
made a mental note to give it back to Raph first thing in the morning.
