Hello sorry I took so long to get this chapter up but I'll try and make it worth your while. Hope you enjoy R&R please.
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Disclaimer: Don't own the TMNT. (wish I did though.)
Jigsaws and riddles chapter two: The game begins.
Raph's POV
The night before...
I toss and turn in my hammock. Tangling myself up in the thing as I do so. For some reason I just can't get to sleep tonight. No matter how hard I try. I just get the feeling that something really bad is getting ready to happen.
I've spent the last few weeks listening to Leo toss and turn and even cry out in his sleep. I haven't told anyone that I heard him, and I most definitely haven't told anyone how much listening to that scares me. It scares me cause Leo's supposed to be the tough one. The one who doesn't let anything scare him. He seems like that in my eyes.
Fortunately a few days ago Leo stopped having this dream. I remember that night. Because once again I was listening to him scream and then he suddenly stopped, signaling that he had woken up. He hadn't told anyone about it and I was getting fed up with it. I was going to go out there and ask him what was going on. I got out there to see him sitting at the kitchen table with a mug of coffee in his hands. He was so distracted that when Splinter walked out and put a hand on his shoulder he nearly threw his cup across the room. I relaxed and I knew that he would be okay. Splinter would talk to him about it.
Apparently he did, cause I didn't hear him anymore. I was able to sleep soundly and Leo's inner fire and life quickly returned to him.
I lay there thinking about this and staring at my ceiling. Well actually staring at the White Zombies poster that was pinned to my ceiling. I just could not get to sleep tonight. I had tried everything, and counting sheep never, and I mean never, works. Then suddenly an idea popped into my head and I headed out the door and towards Don's lab.
What I want should be easy enough to get if, that is if, Don actually fell asleep in his bed like he's supposed to. But fate wouldn't have it and Don fell asleep on his keyboard...again. The last time he did that he had the letters "G", "H" ,"Y", and "K" embedded on his face. I don't know what it is with him and work. He's like Leo.
I slowly and very, very quietly snuck past him towards his tapes. He has tons of them. Most of them are either classical rock or a bunch of boring science or math lectures. I was after the math lectures. If there's anything that'll put me to sleep fast it's math. I found one, grabbed it, and almost as fast as I entered I left.
As soon as I was safely in my room I took the tape out, put it in my cassette player, and flopped down onto my hammock. Then the tape started. "Good evening ladies and gentlemen." It said. They all start like that and soon he started babbling a bunch of nonsense. "Take the number and divide it by the thing and multiply it times something and blah blah blah." Before I knew it I was asleep. The really scary thing about this is that I'm beginning to actually understand the tapes. I've learned a bit of advanced algebra and plenty of mechanics.
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I awoke later to shout that was quickly silenced. Not a good sign. I jumped up and flicked the lights on only to find that they didn't work. I ran around the lair for a bit checking all the lights and sure enough none of them were working either. Then I checked everybody's beds to make sure that this wasn't a prank. Everyone was there except Leo. I remembered the scream I had woken up to. It was Leo's. Then a voice suddenly jumped out of the darkness.
"Let the game begin." It said.
I stood frozen. It was no one I knew. Someone had found the lair. Someone had found us. Then I heard our front door shut and the sound echoes through the seemingly empty lair. I run towards the dojo to find Leo, but I can't hear him. I wander around with my arms out in front of me so I don't run into a wall and I trip over something. I searing pain suddenly shoots through my foot and I cry out.
"AAAAAAUUUUGH!" I try to muffle it.
"Oh man. What the he- double-hockey-sticks did I just trip over?! Mmmph."
I grab my hurting foot and realize it's wet. I bring the liquid up to my nostrils and smell it. It smells like copper. Blood? Am I bleeding? Then almost as if answering my questions the lights in the lair flickered back on and I hear Don, Mikey, and Splinter calling my name. I must have woken them up when I screamed like that.
I look back down at my foot and sure enough it's bleeding, and bleeding pretty badly at that. Whatever I tripped over cut me all the way down to the bone, cause I could see it, but I still don't see Leo or what it was that I tripped over. Then a slight shimmer catches my eye and I turn towards it. Blocking out the sounds of my family still calling my name, I lean forwards and touch it hoping it's not what I think it is.
As I touch it, my worst nightmares are confirmed. My fingers meet with cold, hard steel and follow the blade up to the hilt where I find a blue band tied around it. It's twin lay on the floor beside it. Katanas. Leo's katanas and resting in between these two blades is Leo's mask.
"Oh Man! NO!" I shout and start running for the enterance, pushing past my family, still holding the mask and blades and leaving a small puddle of blood behind with each painful step.
I ignore the pain in my foot and my families cries. I have to catch up to whoever took him. I can't delay. I remember that voice and what it said. Let the game begin. As I focused on these words I didn't realize it but I had slowed down. If I had kept going my family probably wouldn't have caught up with me since I'm the fastest runner, but they did and Don saw my foot, and they all saw the blades and mask.
By now I had stopped completely. I realized who it was that took Leo and it hit me full force. It was Jigsaw. A cereal killer. He took Leo. Only one person had ever survived his sick "games", as he calls them. Don grabbed my arm and I felt a quick little prick in my bicep and I look down to see a tranquilizer in my arm. They must have realized that I wouldn't have stopped for them.
Don's tranquilizers are quick and I felt my knees buckle and I heard the sound of Leo's blades hitting the floor as I dropped them. I felt hands curl around me and lift me up. I knew I was down, but I wasn't out and with my last few thoughts of consciousness I made a solem vow. A vow I would not break.
"I'll find ya Leo. I promise. We'll see each other again. I'll be there for you." I whispered and let myself slip into the nothingness that awaited me.
Little did I know that that vow would become my lifeline.
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That day would prove to be the first of mant hardships the whole family would have to endure.
The red-banded turtle awoke a few hours after his foot had been cared for and soon proceeded to tell his sensei and father everything he knew about his brother's disappearance. After a while he was allowed to join his family in their search.
They all took different modes of transportation and each was assigned a different territorry. Purple took to the sky, orange the rooftops and abandoned buildings, grey the sewers, and red the streets.
He ran towards his motorcycle. Pain shooting up his leg with each step. Ignoring the pain once again he reminded himself of just how much danger Leo was in and with that he rode off into the darkness of the street. Into the shadow's trap.
Every few second memories flooded him. Memories of the horror he had uncovered one night. One of Jigsaw's many "games". After seeing that grim spectacle he as always trying to catch jigsaw, but to no avail.
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He remembered hearing screams and of course he ran towards them and they led him to an abandoned building. He entered the first room and found a nightmare.
He saw blood all over the room. It was splattered on the walls, on the ceiling, and on the floor. Joing the blood were bits of flesh, bone, plastic explosives, and even small tufts of brown hair. At the sight of this his stomach lurched and he fought to keep everything down. He looked around the room and could now plainly see half a stomach on a chair, a lung hanging from a light, and various other body parts scattered about the room. He saw a woman dangling from a chain and thought for a moment that she might be alive, but as he approached it was plain to see that she wasn't.
One chain had a large hook on the end, this was embedded in her throat. blood still flowing freely. Bubbles formed in the blood around her throat making a gurgling noise. She was still trying to breath. Raph couldn't stand seeing anyone suffer like so he thrust his si into her head quickening her death. The blood from her wounds dribbling down her still form with a maddening drip, drip, dripping sound, but that wasn't the only sound he heard. The red-banded turtle strained his ears to try and listen.
As he did so the sound of buzzing and small cries came to his ears. It didn't sound too far away and the cries sounded like that of a child's. H ran towards the sound to find that a door stood in his way. He backed up and ran at the door, flesh meeting with rotting wood and cracked glass. He smashed through leaving the door in splinters and sending shards of glass falling to the ground. Past the door he found a small girl tied to a chair with blades rapidly spinning towards her neck, and standing next to her, jingling a bunch of keys, was Jigsaw himself.
Her was dressed in a red and black robe, enveloping his face in shadow. He wore black gloves and the robe covered his feet so every part of his body was covered. While running Raphael had prepared himself for the worst, but he never expected to see this. Not Jigsaw.
As soon as he burst through the door Jigsaw looked up at him, Then stood completely still. The only movement that was give by either of them was when Jigsaw cocked his head to right a bit as if studying the shocked turtle.
All time seemed to freeze. Raphael wasn't sure what to do. Then after what seemed like hours Jigsaw bolted and Raph reacted out of pure instinct. He lept over the girl and began pursuing Jigsaw.
He snagged a pistol off one of the many tables, slipped one foot around Jigsaw's feet and pulled it back, bringing the famed killer to his knees. Raphael then pressed the gun against the back of Jigsaw's head.
"Do you really think that you can get away with this you sick jerk!!" He screamed as he held his hand against Jigsaw's back, keeping him pinned.
"Yes I'm sick Raphael." He answered back.
"How'd he know my name?"Raphael thought. This new revelation scared him more than anything else. The only way Jigsaw knew your name was if he had been watching you and if he had been watching you than that meant that you were going to wind up as one of his victims.
"I'm sick from the disease that's eating away at me inside." The voice was deep and slurred.
"Okay! Shut up! Do you hear me!? SHUT UP!!" He shouted at him. Trying desperatly to mask his fear with anger.
"Sick of people who don't appreciate their own blessings."
He didn't know what to do. Jigsaw was right here in his hands and he didn't know what to do.
"You still have a chance Raphael."
"How do you know my name?" He finally asked the question that had been nagging him.
"Same way I know everyone's name. The same way I know her name." He meant the girl back in the chair. The one whom Raph had left in a chair with blades spinning towards her neck.
"She's six years old Raphael. Her name is Mariah."
He still couldn't beleive it. "Jigsaw's been watching me."He felt paralyzed at the thought of it.
"You and her have a blessing. A blessing that so many people take for granted. A blessing called "life". Wait too long Raphael and she wont have that blessing."
"He had me. He had me and he knew it." The turtle thought angrily. "I've always had a soft spot for kids, always. Like Tyler."
He could still hear her screaming, crying, and begging for help in the other room.
"I can't just let her die. Think Raph THINK!" It was then that he made his mistake. He looked back. He took his eyes off of his enemy. Giving him a chance to attack.
At that moment the turtle felt an intense pain in his leg. So intense that he let go of Jigsaw. He dropped to the floor. It took all of his strength not to pass out. He screamed and a ring of keys fell to the floor. Jigsaw was gone.
He looked down and saw a long dagger in his thigh. All the way through it. He knew he didn't have much time. Blood sprayed with each beat of his heart.
He looked at the keys and he looked at the girl. He could see the lock that was holding her to the chair. It was just one lock. One key would set her free.
Unable to move the leg and unable to stand he slowly dragged himself across the floor towards her. Leaving a trail of blood behind. With the keys in his mouth he reached the chair and slowly hauled himself up. He found the lock. The blades were getting closer. Too close.
There had to be at least fifty keys on the ring and Raph didn't have enough time to try them all. He looked at the lock and he looked at the keys. Studying each one closely. One key looked like it would fit. He didn't have time to argue so he tried it, and sure enough it worked. He turned the lock, threw it off, and got her up just before before the blades snapped together.
She fell into him and hugged him. She was still crying but between the sobs were whispers of thanks. He had to get her out quickly and there was only one way to go. Through that nightmarish room again.
"Hey Mariah, there's something really scary up ahead so I'm gonna cover your eyes okay?"
She nodded and closed her eyes. He took off his bandanna and rapped it twice around her eyes. He then picked her up and began the painful journey back. Each step was agony, but he knew he had to keep going. He ignored the pain and kept going. He walked over the splintered door and broken glass that marked entrance. Wincing at every shard that entered his foot. He hadn't even bothered to remove the knife from his leg. The room was just around the corner.
"Mariah you can't see anything can you?"
"No." It was one of the first times she had spoken.
"Good. I'll let you know when were out.
He walked through the room keeping his eyes on the front door and as he walked the lights suddenly went out.
Going against his instincts he bolted heading straight for the door. Just before he reached it a gunshot pierced the darkness and a searing pain shot up his arm. He threw himself out the door still holding Mariah. Containing his screams for her sake.
"She's probably heard enough screaming tonight."
She asked if he okay and he didn't answer. He knew that if he opened his mouth he'd scream.
"Please mister. Please don't be dead."
"I can't move my left arm." He thought in a panic.
"It's okay. Were out Mariah. Your gonna be okay." He said you because he didn't know if he was gonna be alright.
She stood up and removed the bandanna from around her eyes.
"Mister your hurt." She gasped.
"Yeah I know."
"I'm losing too much blood. There's glass in my feet, the knife is still in my leg, it won't stop bleeding, and my arm...Oh man my arm." He looked at it as the blood flowed from it. He could see bits of bone. The bullet had shattered it.
"You need help."
"It's okay my brothers'll come get me." His speech was slurred due to the large amount of blood he had lost.
There was an emergency button on his shell cell. He had yet to use it but tonight was a real emergency. He knew that he would never get home like this. He had pressed it when he jumped over the girl and started chasing Jigsaw. It would set off an alarm in everyone's shell cell, a loud one, and would automatically give them his location. They'd be here pretty soon.
"What's your name?"
"Raphael." He heard sirens. "They're probably answering to another call but I'm pretty sure they'll stop if they see a little girl covered in blood. At least one of them will."
"The police are coming. They'll take care of you."
She handed him his bandanna.
"Keep it."
"Why?"
"So you won't forget me."
She nodded and ran towards the cops. Ran towards her life.
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That's what type of horror awaited his brother. He knew he had to find him. He was so engrossed in these thoughts that he didn't see the wire that hung across the street in front of him. He didn't realize it was there until it was too late.
He hit it at full speed. Which knocked him off his bike and left him half conscious. A figure loomed over him. A figure dressed in red and black. He felt his hands being tied, then his feet. As the figure lifted him up it said something.
"I knew I'd see you again Raphael." It was a deep voice. That same deep voice he'd heard so many nights ago. When he met Mariah. Jigsaw's voice.
"No." the turtle rasped.
"Yes Raphael, yes." He heard as he was thrown into the trunk of a car.
"Let's play a little game." Jigsaw said as he covered Raphael's face with a cloth and the turtle fell limp. He then closed the trunk and entered the car.
"And you know how much I love games." And with those final words the shadow drove off with it's prey.
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Mwa ha ha ha ha ha! I'm evil. Are you starting to see some relations to what's going on here and Leo's dream. If not read the first chapter again. Hope your enjoying R&R bye. I will not continue this story until I have at least ten more reviews. I'm desperate. I live for reviews.
