U is for Uork who was trampled by hoofs.

-----------------------

April felt her stomach churn as she sat in the back of her van with Casey and Splinter. Their findings disturbing to say the least. Not only did the person who had first built a house on the property belong to that cult that Casey found out about there were several cases of... misconduct. Reaching far back the original owner had died of tuberculosis, the place remained empty for a long time, people too paranoid to take it due to the witch craft rumored to have taken place in a cave hidden in the forest around the property. Because of this, when a famine hit, many bodies were buried there in mass graves. It had been described as someone digging a hole deep and narrow like an oubliette to slide bodies down into, records pointed to how a few workers had fallen down inside. Most were fished out, a few were not as lucky due to the weakness in starving bodies.

It only got worse, the next person who had come into possession of the land had torn down the original house, building a new one and covered the area with a hedge maze. A doctor back in the 1930's who had two assistances. He conducted experiments for two years, claiming to be working on a cure for TB during the mass epidemic that was spotted around the United States at the time. The experiments were cruel and painful, the hedge maze placed for those who wished to leave.

The tall bushes held walls that were long and winding preventing escape. There had been a small building made for the doctor to do his foul deeds, his assistances would take a secret path to bring his victims to him. When he was found out and sentenced to death, the police had found over a hundred bodies buried under the hedge maze.

The state got a hold of the house after that, a bank tried to sell it but no one would buy. It was soon rented out to several families that quickly moved out with in a month's time. Eventually it fell into the hands of a man who was crazed by what he called, "the Cheshire cat" ghost. He listened to it calling for, "drink", and would bring unsuspecting people into the house. Let them run in the maze before catching them and cutting them up to boil in a pot and dump in the surrounding forest. He would leave the blood out in an iron pot in the maintenance shed by the road. He was caught after a female victim -who was raped repeatedly- set fire to the maze. The coroner's report estimated that she committed suicide by letting herself be burned with the hedges.

The house once again remained empty for a very long time until another family moved in, with in a month the mother had taken a shot gun from a gun case and killed her husband, and two daughters. She then threw herself down the stairs, snapping her neck in the tumble. The police report said that if it had not been raining that night then the children would have been on a trip with their father and the woman would have most likely have killed only herself in her mental break.

Then there was twelve years ago where a boy was found dead in the shed, evidence presented in the case file suggested that local bullies pulled a prank too far.

"This makes me want to throw up," April carefully smoothed out the papers they had gathered together.

"It makes me wish Ma and me looked at this place's history," Casey felt like he needed spill the content of his stomach.

Splinter looked from one friend to the other, "I believe it makes me worried for my sons."

"Let's call them," the redhead pulled out her shell cell. A few buttons pressed and she had it up to her ear, waiting for it to ring. Her fine brows knitted together. She hung up and tried again. This time her expression turned hard.

"What is it Miss O'Neil?"

"Either the guys have all turned off their shell cells, or I'm not picking up a signal."

"Not pick up a signal?" Casey felt a cold sensation spread in his belly, "But that never happens."

"I know."

"Then we go to them," Splinter moved to the front taking his seat in the passenger side, strapping down his seat belt. "Mr. Jones, I believe your driving skills will be required for the speed we must hasten in."

Casey took the keys offered to him by April. Going up, he snapped the seat belt in place, waited for April to be safely buckled in her own seat before sticking the key into the ignition and peeling rubber out of the parking lot.

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"Okay, so we've surmised that Mikey's the one that's 'full of drink'. But what is this, drink?" Donatello tied the bandage on Raph's arm much more satisfied with the healing process now that everything was properly cleaned and taken care of.

"Energy?" Leo offered standing next to the back door waiting for Jack to come back in. The cat needed to go out to 'use the litter box' so to speak. "We all know that Mikey's got a substantial amount of chi stored away. What if this thing wants that energy for itself?"

"Then how would it 'drink'?"

"Not sure, but the first folklores of vampires described mist like creatures that would sit on the chest and suck out people's breath taking away years off their life. Maybe it's something like that."

"What if it has to drink his blood, or maybe even something soft like an organ?"

Michelangelo didn't look too healthy while his brother's talked about the potential things this creature would do to him if it got its claws wrapped around him. He pressed harder on the massage he was giving Raph's foot, one hand keeping the cold compress over the bruise to help reduce swelling. He knew they were just theorizing, just wondering what could happen. Soon they would move onto how they could prevent it, but hearing them talking about it like it was perfectly normal was more than a little disturbing to him.

The foot in his hand flexed, pulling his attention to the one who was using his lap as a footstool. Raphael offered a smile, soft and perfect like from his dream with the sunset. He felt his heart skip a beat, this was a smile that was meant only for him. His own special something to treasure for all his years.

"Don't worry about it."

Blue eyes widened, "Huh?"

"I said, don't worry about it." The smile dropped for a confused look, "Somethin' the matter?"

That was it, that was what Raph was telling him in his dream. Those words he couldn't hear were just spoken unto him and it started to push that coldness in his stomach to the side for a heat that spread to his cheeks. He smiled shaking his head. There was something reassuring there; connecting dream with reality. And at that moment he really did feel like everything would end up just fine.

"Geez, what is taking that cat so long?" Leo stepped through the door he was posted sentry at.

The door slammed shut on its own.

To Be Continued...