Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT, I just like messing with their lives.
Halloween.
Darkness clouded the cityscape, enshrouding it that which brings nightmares to life. Or not so, as children scampered through the streets, accompanied by their respective parents, or group of semi-responsible teenagers charged with keeping their baby brothers and sisters safe from debilitated prowlers that sometimes frequent cities during the fright-fest known as October 31st.
Amongst the costumed parade, four masked creatures stole along the rooftops, intent on keeping at least portions of the city free from danger, and rescuing those unfortunate to fall prey to the true freaks of the night.
"Dude, check out those costumes!" Michaelangelo, the prankster, exulted, pointing to several sixteen or seventeen year olds walking up the steps to an apartment below. They were dressed up to several levels of gruesomeness, either as villains or classic horror stars, say, Dracula, or Frankenstein. "Why can't we never go out and get some candy? Every year we miss out on this spectacu-mondo fiesta, going out on patrols." He whined to Leonardo, the pack leader. "We'd have the best costumes out there!"
"Mike, give it a freaking rest." Leonardo growled, pinching the bridge of his beak in frustration. His headache just wouldn't seem to go away. He'd had one ever since they'd left the lair several hours ago and split up on their nightly patrols. Upon reuniting, this one had kept insisting on going down to join the festivities. Every so often they could catch glimpses of kids getting candy, hearing party music going on, and the screams of half-frightened, half-excited teens at the scattered haunted houses in the city. "You know that this is probably the biggest night for ugly crimes." Raphael, who leaped down onto the rooftop for that part snorted in disgust.
"He ain't kiddin' eitha," The red-banded one spat on the rooftop before moving to the ledge near Mike. "Already I've had ta break up three-odd knife fights and a few brawla's looking fer trouble with the kiddies."
"Ditto," A new voice piped up. Leo and Mike turned to face the newcomer, Donatello, but Raphael merely glanced in his brother's direction before tuning back into the candy chaos on the streets below. "I got attacked by some rogue Foot that'd cornered a few kids on the corner of 8th and Main. Turns out they'd refused to pay up for some pot, but with a little re-direction, they're safely home now." Don chuckled lightly, "That is, if my 'costume' scared them enough."
Mike laughed. "Donnie, that is so not like you!"
"Ah, Halloween is the one night where we can run wild in town without true fear. Why not have some fun with it?" Don reasoned.
"Right on." Mike concurred, throwing a smirk in the Leader's direction. Leonardo rolled his eyes and moved to the ledge, leaning over it, similar to Raphael.
"So other than that, we haven't seen much action, eh?" He asked. Raphael nodded, eyes glued to a cute redhead in a sexy devil's costume, giggling with her boyfriend and their friends. The group turned down an alleyway, the girls shrieking in mock-fear of their guy friends advances. Leonardo rolled his eyes again, muttering. "Kids."
"Sure, like yer one ta speak, leadah-san." Raph muttered back in his thick Brooklyn accent, pushing off the ledge to land lightly on the fire escape below. The remaining three followed, Mike eager to see more of the legendary festival. It wasn't their first, but he always seemed to get excited over it, similar to each Christmas.
The quartet of shadow warriors moved off into the night, keeping an alert out for out of place activity and attacks from any direction.
Soon enough, ear shattering howls filled the night, faintly from their previous location. All four brothers raced back as fast as they could, dread growing.
"Dudes," Mike panted from the exertion, "That doesn't sound like happy screaming, no way."
"Exactly, Mike," Don heaved back, leaping over an A/C unit, "That's why we're going back."
"Yeah, well you never know, it could be a trap." Mike shot off at his brother. "The Foot aren't above that, you know."
The lead turtle stopped short quickly enough to cause the youngest sibling to bump into the eldest. 'Leo, what the shell is that all about," He started, cut off by the Leader's hand sharply raised. Upon seeing several screaming teens and adults running from a specific alleyway, Leo drew a katana, pointed down into the darkness of said location and vaulted- his brothers in hot pursuit.
Reaching the scene first, Don nodded towards a body spread out on the ground, limbs bent at unnatural angles. Whoever it was looked no older than thirteen, judging by size and shape. Mike gagged silently as light began to reveal pools and splatters of blood and gore along the concrete, running down at an angle to the manhole under the body. A 'psst'-ing caught his attention from the horrific scene.
Around a large green dumpster the youngest turtle caught sight of his brothers Raphael and Leonardo gently removing a body, what remained of one, off of the brick wall. Donatello, following Mike, sighted the mutilations and severed body parts strewn about; promptly vomiting all of dinner up. Michaelangelo looked just as bad off, paling to near white as he took in the grotesque setting.
Apparently, from what Leonardo was able to discern from the evidence, there had been an attack, most likely with blades or blunt objects from one or more persons. In five minutes, someone or something had managed to disable three strapping male teens, and four teenage girls, rip into them with all the care of a jackal, severing limbs, eviscerating entrails and gray matter, smashing the women's' skulls and mutilating the genitalia of all the group members; still with time to evacuate the scene before being noticed. However, that was disproven by a quavering Donatello, who pointed out the level of congealment of the blood and tearing from rats and other infestations- indicating that the murder had taken place up to an hour prior to the screaming discoverers. Leonardo shook his head, swallowed deeply, and aided his brothers in inspecting the crime scene for clues.
Even Raphael looked squeamish as he carefully took hold of the quartered body hammered into the brick structure. The torso had had all attached limbs brutally shorn off. All that was left was a ragged, bleeding shell of human flesh and bone.
Sooner than expected, sirens wailed softly, then louder as squad cars approached. The four brothers, in the midst of regarding the bloody spectacle did what they could to respect the dead, and then fled, their own safety now the top priority.
"And with what is now referred to as the Halloween Horror, the bodies of the teens are identified as follows: Jennifer Connor, Amelia Ferdinand, Mark Kiershen, Jason Boroughs, Samantha Evans, Emi Sakato, and Richard Smiths were all victims of a brutal multiple murder on All Hallows Eve, last night. City hall has not yet released a list of possible suspects, but the Chief of Police, Chief Sterns has issued a citywide announcement that the possibility of a curfew may come into effect. Later, Mike Williams of traffic will relay that a fifteen car pileup on the FDR…"
April switched off the droning television set, mutely giving the Turtle family her condolences. She'd been shocked to her core when she'd arrived upon the scene; the bodies had been removed, but the blood and gore had not yet been touched, still littering the alleyway in a hellish spectacle of intentional violence.
"When you guys got there, is that all you saw?" She asked hoarsely, affected.
"Sorry April, but that's all we saw." Leonardo said, speaking on behalf of his family, the youngest brothers slightly shell shocked into silence, and Raphael simmering with a barely contained rage. "They'd been arranged, as far as we could tell, into some semi circle around the body on the wall. I think the murderer had an idea we were coming, though."
Casey, who had April wrapped up in a protective embrace, spoke up. "What makes ya say that, Leo?"
"Well," Donatello managed quietly, "One of the bodies had been left in disarray at the mouth of the alleyway, which I assume means that the killer decided to cut his losses and run while he still had a chance. That, and all the heads were missing."
"God damn it!" Raphael snarled softly, unfolding his arms to clench his fists. April looked at him expectantly. Raphael glared at anyone and everyone in the room. "We let him get away."
"No, we didn't let him get away," Leonardo interjected hotly. "And neither did YOU. None of us were prepared for that- NONE of us." He glowered at his hotheaded sibling, letting him know it wasn't anyone's fault they didn't pursue the criminal. Raphael had poured more of himself into their routines since Master Splinter died, those years ago, easing up on the rest of the family when the weight from the elderly rat's death had settled.
"So what do we do?" Michaelangelo asked, his tone betraying his fears. "There's a maniac on the loose, and we don't have a clue about him!"
"Or her, mind you," April added, nestling deeper into Casey's arms, her eyes haunted. "Guys, I don't mean to add more to the list of grievances, but I'm scared."
"It's ok," Casey soother, nuzzling her hair. "You got us to protect you!" He said, flashing a cocky half-grin at the group occupying their living room.
"D'you guys want to stay here tonight?" April asked, trying to ease the tension that seemed so thick, even Leo's katana couldn't possibly cut it.
"Thanks April." The brothers replied in their own ways. Mikey gave April a hug.
"I claim couch!" he yelled, jumping over the back to flop sideways on the cushions. Donatello threw a pillow at him, saying something about how seniority had benefits, or something.
Needless to say, fears ran rampant that night.
A few weeks later….
Mikey had gotten over the brutalities and become more chipper than he'd been that night, and the nights that followed, even after the heads had been discovered, the eyes carved out of their sockets. The nightmares had stopped, Raphael had still conducted his midnight rampages through the bad-guy ranks, when, close to Thanksgiving, he'd come upon a scene much like the one weeks ago.
"Guys," Raphael sounded strained over the shell cell Donatello had pressed to his ear. "We've got another… mess to clean up."
Don nodded to himself. "I'm on my way Raph. I'll let Mike and Leo know to come too."
The brothers stood over the cadavers lined up against the wall, all missing their heads, similar to the last encounter of savagery.
"Well, at least we know the murderers aren't with the Foot." Leo mentioned, breaking the heavy silence. All the bodies were dressed in flat black and purple sashes wrapped tightly around their waists. None had been dismembered, save for their heads, and all were lined neatly up against the brick wall behind yet another green dumpster.
Leo sighed greatly. He felt another headache, like that migraine he'd had earlier today, coming on at the sight of the mess they'd been left to discover.
"Leo, look!" Mikey whispered urgently, pointing to the rear of the dumpster.
HAVING FUN? I AM.
The cryptic message, neatly 'written' in drizzling blood, stared back mindlessly at the four brothers.
"What is this?" Donatello ruminated fearfully.
"Someone's playing with us." Raphael growled, yanking his Sais out in agitation. "I don't like this..."
A/N: Okay, more demented writing from me. I hope I didn't scare anyone; it's meant to intrigue.