The Beast

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It was dark, a piercing blackness invading his vision. He couldn't find his away around, he couldn't move. It was too dark, a suffocating bubble he couldn't escape from. Raphael scratched and clawed at the non-existent walls he was around. He was drowning. Drowning in the dark. Screams, all around him.

He jolted from where he laid in Donnie's cot in the lab. His breathing was labored as he held his chest. What was that? That was not a normal dream, far from it. This was manic feeling, a warped reality he couldn't pin to.

Before he could think more on it, Donnie was at his side, trying to speak to him but Raphael was lost in this world he had just exited from. He looked over to his brother and stared as he talked.

"What?" Raph asked.

"I said are you alright?" Donnie asked. Raph groaned, placing his hand on his head.

"Yeah, I guess. What happened?"

"I was hoping you could tell me." Donnie said as he sat back in his chair giving Raph some space. Raphael was confused, not really sure what Donnie was asking for. He let his eyes wonder to see he was in Donnie's lab. But why? He was trying to remember the events he could before he ended up here.

It was late, he was waiting up for Mikey. He talked to Leo, Mikey came home and then-

"I don't remember" He said looking up at Don. "Sorry." Donnie smiled.

"Its okay bro. Maybe after a few minutes of being awake you'll start to remember."

It was all just one big blur it felt. But with that feeling blurriness there was a distinct sting of fear. He felt chills run down his arm. There was more to that. He didn't think too much after he heard a loud growl coming from his stomach. He looked up to see that Donnie heard it as well and smiled.

"Guess your ready for breakfast. Can you make it to the kitchen?" He asked. All Raphael could do was nod still not fully convinced that that was all that happened last night. He slowly got up and made his way out of his brother's lab and with a slow pace made his way into the kitchen.

He made an immediate stop looking over the table to see his little brother scarfing down a bowl of cereal with a side of eggs and ham. It wasn't the piggish way he was eating but more of the fact that, he was eating. Donnie took note of Raphs sudden stop and cleared his throat.

"Master Splinter and Leo went to Aprils to see if they couldn't get anything to help you so Mikey made you a huge breakfast just in case you woke up soon enough." The sound of Donnie's voice caught Mikey's attention and with milk running down his mouth, he perked his head up and almost choked.

"Raph!" He cheered in between chews before finally swallowing. "You're up! Bout time the eggs were gonna get cold!" he said as he got up, wiping his mouth with his arm before starting to prepare a plate for his brother. Raph didn't know how to respond because it wasn't just Mikey he was looking at. His skin crawled feeling that same sense of darkness filling his bones. The same feeling he experienced the night before.

"Don," His voice cracked. "He's eating." Donnie had a distinct surprised look on his face. "Yeah he's been devouring the kitchen all morning. Literally like a bottomless pit." He said with a laugh but when he looked up at Raphael, he didn't see amusement. His eyes fixated on Mikey as he prepared the plate of food.

"Donnie do you not see that?" He asked, not even blinking out of site. Don looked back towards Mikey who placed the plate on the table and took his seat back before taking down more of his breakfast.

"Mikey acting like a slob yes I do see that." He said half heartily but notice it didn't raise amusement from Raphael. He looked up at his skittish younger brother to see that Raph was tense. Donnie bit his lip, "Do you need to lie back down?" He asked, still gaining no response from the hot head. His amber eyes fixated on their youngest brother taking down yet another plate of food. Raphael made his way to the table and took a seat across from Mikey, not even blinking away from his direction.

Donnie was about to make a comment before he heard the phone ring in the other room.

"Ill be right back. I think that's Master Splinter." He spoke up, not receiving a response from either brother. He huffed in defeat and walked away.

Raphael made no movements but sat there and watched Mikey. The orange-banded turtle perked his head up from his food to see his brother staring at him and it made him squirm in his chair. He swallowed the food in his mouth and looked up and Raph and smiled.

"Look Raph I'm sorry about the other day. I was just cranky which is rare and I didn't mean to piss you off like that. So we good now?" The apology was half assed like they normally are in their family so Raphael took no offense to the underlining sarcasm in Mikey's voice.

"Ya're eating." Was all Raph said. This took Mikey a little by surprise.

"Yeah. Normally when someone is hungry they eat." He responded.

"Ya haven't eaten in days. What makes ya wanna eat now?" Mikey took another bite of his breakfast.

"Well when you haven't eaten in days it makes you wanna eat." This conversation was going around in circles. Mikey was dodging the actual issue. Raphael could feel his heart rate rising as the same dark force flooded his senses. He looked past Mikey and saw what he was seeing earlier and what he was sure he saw the night before.

It was a dark entity. A swirling form. It was brief and see through and almost non existent. But he could feel it, and was confused why Donnie couldn't see it. They were trained to feel auras light and dark. So why couldn't Donnie see it? Certainly Donatello was much more focused than Raphael when it comes to things like that. Was it making it so that only he can see it? Is Mikey even aware its there? Following him? Attached to him?

"Mikey, What's behind ya?" He asked. Mikey stopped bit bite, placing his fork on the plate. He looked up at his brother with a cold face, but a glimmer in his eyes said another story.

"What are you talking about Raph?" He asked.

"Whats. Behind. You." He said slowly for his brother to fully understand. Mikey stared at his brother for a moment longer and with care, turned in his chair and looked behind him. When he felt he spent enough time searching the space, he turned back in his seat and smiled.

"Was there suppose to be a trick? Trying to get back at me? Raph I'm the prank master so leave that to me." He said. Raphael was growing impatient.

"Don't fuck with me Mikey. I know you see it! Its literally on you!" He snarled. That raised an eyebrow from Mike, making him instinctively reach behind his neck.

"What are you talking about?" Mikey asked with confusion. Raphael was taken back, maybe Mikey wasn't aware. Maybe it really didn't exist.

A sharp noise pierced his ears, making him cringe from the sudden pain in his head.

"Raph…?Raph…?" Mikey's voice was fading out so suddenly all that Raphael could hear was the ringing and his own heart beat. It was intense. It was like he was drowning in a shallow pool with a dark cloud surrounding him.

"RAPH!" His eyes shot open and he jumped out of his chair knocking it over and in a defensive stance.

Mikey was choking with a noose around his neck. His eyes blood shot and his skin pale green as he reached out to his older brother.

"Raph!" His voice strained as the rope around his neck grew tighter. Raphael looked up to see the same darkness pulling the rope. It stood behind Mikey and this time it was clearer, more solid to see. Its form was indescribable but the feeling of evil weighed Raphael down as it stared with its deep, white specks of eyes. Its growl was nothing like Raphael has heard before. It was like an animal. Raph was frozen where he stood, engorged in the stare of this creature. Whispers filled his head as he somehow felt like he was suffocating himself.

"Raph.." The small voice allowed to him to switch his gaze. His physically shook seeing the change in his brother's form. Where the noose was, was replaced with slit across his throat, face bruised and bloodied. Raphael couldn't speak, he couldn't move. The dark entity moved around Michelangelo till it stood in front of Raphael. Raphael was holding his breath as it formed to something similar of a beast, horns as large as trunks. Its mouth opened slowly, growing larger than Raphael's head. Teeth as sharp as knives and just as long.

Raph had to think quickly. He mustard all the strength he had to reach to the table. His hand scrambling across in hopes to find something was fortunate enough to grab a knife. With all his might, he yelled out loud and brought the knife down on the creature. Instead of feeling flesh or even air under his swing, he felt the knife clang against metal. The prang of the two solid clinging together shot a painful volt of sound through his head, blurring his vision and making him shut his eyes.

"Raph! Raph are you listening?!" A panic voice filled his mind. When he opened his eyes, he wasn't looking at the best anymore; instead he was standing over Michelangelo. Mikey was halfway sitting up on the ground with his arm up in defense. Raph looked up to see the knife aiming at his youngest brother but it being intersected with his eldest brothers katana. Raph was breathing hard and looked to his side to see Leo twisted to stop the attack.

"Raphael, what do you think you're doing? Have you lost your mind!" Raphael was in shock. This wasn't happening. He immediately dropped the knife and back away from his now heated brother. He quickly saw Donnie run over to help Mikey up and Master Splinter standing in the doorway to the kitchen. But he didn't look surprise or shocked. He was observing. He heard Leo putting his katana back.

"Raph what the hell happened?" Leo demanded. Raph couldn't come up with anything. Even if the beast was no longer visible, its aura was still lingering.

"I uh.."

"It was my bad." Mikey's voice picked up. Donnie helped him on his feet. " I was making fun of him for passing out and just being a real pain. It wasn't his fault. So don't be mad at him alright?" Everyone was silent. Raphael stared at Mikey with confusion.

"I don't think I'm fully recovered Donny. I might need to be checked out." He said without braking eye contact with Michelangelo. He didn't know his brothers game, but he was determined to find out.


Later that night Mikey escaped from the overbearing attention of Leo and Donnie and made his way to the bathroom. He turned on the light and looked in the mirror to see his own reflection. Raph's behavior today was concerning. What was more concerning was this apparent figure attached to him. Mikey moved his neck side to side to look at all angles to make sure nothing was connected. He took a breath of relief. Maybe Raph was just losing his mind. He thought back to the night he met the butcher. With their deal, they agreed no harm would come to his brothers. He had hoped they keep their side.

His throat suddenly went dry and he started to cough. He ran the water and cupped some in his hands and slurped it from his palms. He took a breath but still continued to cough.

"Ah,, fuck" He groaned trying hard to clear what ever was causing him to be in distress. Finally, he felt a bulge in his throat and with all his might; he coughed It out and ended up in the sink.

It looked like a clot of blood, a trail of crimson leading out of his mouth and into the sink. Looking at the sick discoloration made him want to vomit. His mind began to blur and immediately started to regret his decision.

"I don't wanna do this anymore." He looked back up at the mirror. "You said my brothers wouldn't be hurt but Raph is going psycho. I wanted to help but not with them at risk. Find someone else." He told himself in the mirror before pushing himself off the sink and started to turn to head out of the bathroom. Before he could, the light went out.

Mikey stood there, hand on the knob but couldn't find the energy to turn it.

"Kah,,Ah,," The sound came from behind him. He suddenly became rattled. He turned slowly back to the mirror, walking back to the sink. He wasn't able to see anything except for the two beady white eyes appearing in the mirror. Mikey stood still, watching, as the eyes grew closer. Mikey held onto the side of the sinks, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall. He wasn't going to be released. He kept his eyes shut and allowed his mind, body, and soul to be devoured by the darkness.


A/N: Sorry this took so long guys! Promise Ill try and update more often ! Tell me what you think and leave reviews! Till next time!

-F