Title: Consequences
Rating: T
Summary: While mutated into a monster, Donatello escapes into the city and commits a terrible crime. The mutagen Bishop released into New York has claimed victim after victim, and a young reporter is slowly putting the pieces together. Raph/OC, Mikey/OC, Leo/OC
The PrologueShe slammed on the breaks, instinctively flinging her arm out to protect the small boy in the passenger seat. Her own knees jammed into the dashboard painfully.
"We hit something!" her son exclaimed, his small body twisting in the seat to peer out the back window of their car.
"Jesus! Devon, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. What did we hit? Was it a person?"
"I don't know, Devon. We need to call 911. Where the fuck is my purse? Damn it!"
"Mom, aren't you going to get out and see what we hit?"
"Devon! Just be quiet for a second and let me think!" Devon watched his mother unfasten her seatbelt and reach between her legs to release the seat lock. The driver's seat rolled backwards and she winced as she stretched her bruised knees. Hunching over, the brunette woman patted her hands on the floorboard until she located the phone. Devon helpfully flipped on the light to aid her. It was lightly raining outside, and he couldn't see what had caused them to wreck. Becky, his mother, punched in the number and handed it to him.
"When someone answers, tell them we've wrecked near the junkyard and hit someone. I'm going to get out and see if he's okay." Devon nodded at her and held the phone to his ear, ready to burst with the information.
Becky took a deep breath and pushed open her door. The metal creaked in protest, and the rain doused her. Devon watched her silhouette as she crossed in front of the headlights. A voice answered on the other end.
"Yeah, hi, my name is Devon Presley. My mom and I were driving and something jumped in front of our car, and we hit it, and now my mom is trying to see if he's hurt or not. We're near the city junkyard. That's where my mom works." Devon listened to the response and squinted to make out the shape of his mother in the dark. Suddenly, a bolt of lightening hit a nearby tree and set it ablaze. Devon jumped in his seat and inhaled sharply, startled by the sudden fire. In the resulting blast of light, Devon was able to see his mother hesitantly approach a massive figure lying on the wet ground.
"It's huge! We hit an animal or something! And there's a fire now, too!" Devon half-shouted into the phone, interrupting the operator. She was saying something to him, but Devon tuned her out as he watched the scene unfold. As if he was straight from a horror movie, the giant monster rose onto its thick back legs. Becky stumbled backwards, fumbling for the hood of the car, but she missed her target and fell to the ground.
The phone dropped from Devon's hand. His eyes grew impossibly large.
Becky's scream pierced through the storm and reached Devon's ears through the open door.
"Momma!" Devon unsnapped his seatbelt and tried to open his door. The car was damaged, and his door wouldn't budge. Horrified, Devon watched as the enormous reptile opened his wickedly sharp beak and let out a furious roar. Becky scrambled across the ground, illuminated by the headlights. Devon cringed into his seat, watching as the monster lunged forward and grabbed his mother's calf, flinging her into the air like a rag doll. He caught her in his mouth, ripping a chunk of her flesh out of her hip and swallowing ravenously. Devon screamed again, his fists clenching helplessly.
The fire spread to another tree and soon the blaze was enormous, despite the drizzling rain. Devon watched wide-eyed as the beast hunched over his mother's body. His bobbing head looked as if it was floating in the air, rising each time with more gore and slime covering his beak.
Devon almost did not see the glint of metal slice through the night. The beast stumbled back, howling in pain. Shadowy figures began to attack him from all angles, pushing him away from the wreck and out of the range of the headlights. Devon sobbed, shaking furiously as he crawled into the driver seat and exited through his mother's door.
His sneakers landed in a puddle and sloshed water against his bare legs. Devon stumbled to the body of his mother…what was left of it. He sunk to his knees, unaware of the gas leaking out of their car and rolling towards the fire. Dazedly, Devon turned his eyes up to the ensuing battle. He could see nothing, but heard the shouts of men and the answering howls of the monster. He wanted to reach out to his mother, to touch her face, but he was too frightened of her mangled body. Sobbing even harder, furious at himself for his cowardice, he pounded his fists against the pavement and screamed.
In the distance, the sound of sirens pierced the night. The fire crackled and blazed, efficiently spreading throughout a clump of trees.
Raphael panted heavily as he watched Donnie shrink. Slowly, the bloodthirsty monster became the recognizable form of his brother – the needle containing the cure still poking out of his leg. Slowly, the red-clad turtle's eyes turned to the fire, and then to the wrecked car. His breathing stopped when he saw her body.
Don had killed a woman. They hadn't brought the cure fast enough.
Raphael watched the boy fall to the ground, pounding his fists in his grief, screaming into the rain. Raphael felt sick. Only a truly terrifying sight stopped him from loosing his control.
Rapidly, a trail of fire was spreading across the ground towards the totaled car.
Raphael instinctively jumped forward, sweeping the young boy into his arms and turning on his heel.
"RUN!" He shouted in warning. Leo glanced up, his eyes widening in understanding. He hefted Don into his arms and took off sprinting, Mike fast on his tail. The group of turtles flung themselves into a nearby ditch, ducking under their shells as much as they could, Raphael shielding the young boy.
The car exploded when the fire reached the gas tank, burning everything nearby to a crisp. To make matters worse, the rain slacked off and the fire burned unchecked.
"We've got to move!" Leo ordered, lifting Don again and sprinting towards the nearby junkyard. The sirens wailed as they approached, threatening them with exposure. Not needing to be told twice, Mikey took off after him. Raphael glanced at the boy who was staring vapidly over his shoulder in the direction of the burning car. Unable to leave him behind, Raph shouldered his unresisting body and followed after his brothers.