Chapter 21

A/N: This chapter has graphic description of violence and gore that is not for the faint of heart!...You have been warned! Huge thanks to my beta Ravenshell and a special thanks to BelatedBeliever or sharing her expertise on all things gory! I do not own any of the tmnt characters, only the two OCs in this chapter, Frank and Rick. Enjoy ;)

"Really, Rick?...Giant squirrels in the sewers? I could maybe see giant rats or mutant alligators, but squirrels? Gimme a break!" I guffaw over the static of my walkie-talkie as I wade through knee-deep sewer water. This graveyard shift is crappy (pun intended), but Rick always keeps things entertaining.

"You think I'm kidding?...Let's see if you're still laughin' when those giant squirrels crack your head open like a walnut!"

I shake my head at that idiot's tall tale. "Whatever, Rick. You ain't gonna freak me out like you did Gonzalez last week."

"You gotta admit that was funny as heck, that kid almost crapped his pants."

"Good thing he was in the sewer." We both belly laugh at our crude humor. It never gets old.

"Yo, Frank, I'ma grab a choco-log from the 7/11 'cross the street….you want one?"

"Nah…seen enough 'logs' for tonight, man."

"Ha! Good one! Be right back." His voice clicks off the walkie-talkie and I sigh at the silence that surrounds me. I should be home now with Linda and my little peanut, but we need the extra cash. With Linda expecting again I gotta pull as many of these graveyard shifts as I can. Extending my lantern in front of me, I squint to get a better view of the pipes along the tunnelway. It doesn't take long to find the leaky connection. Crap. The whole angle pipe needs to be replaced.

Digging into my utility bag, something catches my peripheral view. Frowning, I glance in the direction of the movement but see nothing. "Stupid rats," I mutter while turning my attention back to my bag. Looking around the tunnel again, I can't help but get the feeling someone's watching me. " 'Ey, Ricky! Is that you? Quit messin' around, man, I told ya I ain't scared of no giant squirrels!" No one answers, just the eerie echo of my own voice greets me as it fades into silence down the end of the tunnel.

My stomach churns with hunger as I watch my prey from the shadows. Spicy sausages….that's what he smells like. The scent is so enticing, drool trickles down my chin as I run my tongue over my teeth. His scent is strong enough to override the stench of the watery filth he's waddling in. Crawling into the outer glow of the light being held by my human meal, I watch with delight as my skin subtly adjusts to the dull light, blending perfectly with the bricked structure, mimicking the moldy green hues and corroded burgundy shades. My back claws scrape too loudly against the cobbled brick flooring as the human looks in my direction. I narrow my sight, hoping his light-on-a-stick will not reflect against my eyes and reveal my location.

A scraping noise to my right startles me. "Ah!" I shout, turning abruptly in the direction of the sound as the water around me sloshes with my jerky movement. Making a slow circle in the surrounding water, I extend my lantern stick trying to see every shadowed corner…just to prove to myself there ain't nothing down here. My heart races as I anxiously wipe the sweat from my brow. Some of it drips into my eyes; it stings, making me squeeze them shut.

I slip into the murky water while the human rubs his eyes. With my nose and eyes above water, I can smell the salty sweat as it pours from him like a swine. I circle behind him, rising from the water. Breathing out a slow heated breath, my jaws widen but I pause when he stiffens. He senses me…he may fight back. Ducking back into the water, I drift swiftly past his legs.

Something brushes past me. My eyes snap open and my heart pounds against my ribcage as large ripples of water flow toward me. Sputtering a crude curse, I back away from the rippling sewage. The water level starts to decrease as I reach the tunnel entrance again. Rick can call me a punk all next week if he wants, but I ain't going back in that tunnel. Something was in there. "Maybe I'll just tell the boss man that the water level was too high to work in…ain't like he's gonna come down here and—"

Stupid! Dinner is getting away because I hesitated….should have bit him when I had the chance. I don't know when my next meal will be…I can't let this one get away. Scrambling out of the water, I lunge forward on all four. My hind-legs hit the grimy concrete in an feral dash, hell-bent on catching my prey.

I stop rambling when I hear that same scraping noise accompanied by loud slaps against the sewer floor. Turning tail, I don't wait to see what it is, I just run. With the lantern stick still guiding the way in front of me, I run as fast as this stinkin' rubber jumper will allow me to. Linda was always telling me I needed to lose weight. If I knew I'd be running from giant monster squirrels in the sewers, I would've joined a gym.

Is this the way I came? Where's the freakin' manhole?! In my panic I've lost my direction and the three tunnels in front of me all look the same. I hear grunts and heavy breathing, but I realize it's me. My hands fumble over my body as I curse repetitively at the loss of my walkie-talkie. The hairs on the back of my neck stand with fear and static as I look behind me and see a shadowy figure with glowing red eyes. It ain't slowing down, so neither am I.

Taking the middle tunnel, I pick up my speed. My feet splash noisily against the damp ground, but my footfalls are being quickly washed out by the sound of something with larger footsteps steadily catching up to me. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I skid to a stop. A dead end. The lantern stick flickers leaving me in semi-darkness. Whatever is chasing me comes to a silent stop too. The lantern dies on me. Slowly turning around, my breath catches in my chest at the thing behind me. I can't see its face or nothing, but the backlight from the tunnel entrance lets me see its shadowy shape. It rises from its crouched position, standing upright. It definitely ain't no squirrel. It moves like a person, but somethin's off, like freakishly off. It's tall and bulky, and those eyes...those demon eyes glow like red hot coals as it steps closer to me.

"Look, whatever you are, please just let me be." As I speak, the thing stops. The unnatural silhouette tilts its head to the side and it makes me wonder if it can hear me…maybe even understand me. So I keep talkin', hopin' my big mouth will get me outta this horror movie nightmare. "I…I..got a wife and little girl and another little runt on the way. Please, I just wanna get home tonight…just wanna see my—"

I never finish my plea with the monster as it tackles me to the ground. Growling, I swing my lantern stick. The thing grunts when it makes contact with its body. I ain't going down without a fight. The stick of the lantern is ripped from my hand. The fast movement of light gives me a terrifying glimpse of my attacker. There's a blur of green, several rows of teeth, and then excruciating pain in my arm as the creature snaps it back like a twig. My scream is cut short when something grips me by the throat and pulls. The flesh of my throat feels raw, hot, and airy all at once as my head flops down with a dull crack against the hard concrete ground. My body convulses as my head lolls to the side. My heart pounds like a jackhammer in my head as warm blood pools under my cheek, cutting through the iciness of the sewer floor. My back arches as my rubber overalls are violently pulled, shaking me like a rag doll. Suddenly, my insides feels like they're going through a heated meat grinder. I try to take a breath, but can't. Tears stream down my face as gurgles of blood erupt from my open throat.

My sightless eyes are open as my last fading thoughts linger on a family I will never see again.

When the human's light stick hits the side of my head, it only serves to irritate me. Slapping the stick out of his hand, I slam his arm against the edge of the walkway until the snapping of his limb makes him move a little less. The scent of adrenaline makes my hunger unbearable. His head shakes side to side like a fat worm, the vein in his throat flexing and spasming beneath his sweaty skin. My reflexes are quick as I catch his throat in my jaws in mid-turn. Muscles and veins hang from my mouth like strings of spaghetti. His flesh is flavourful and warm from his sweat and exertion. His eyes are glossy and unfocused as he looks in my direction for a moment before his head hits the concrete, flopping to the side.

For a moment something stirs in my chest, but it is quickly forgotten as my stomach urges me to eat. The large mass at his center tells me this is where the most meat is. My bottom jaw drops lower to compensate for the large bite I'm going to take. The rubber texture surprises me as I tear into it. I try to chew it, but nearly choke when I try to swallow it. It's a covering of some sort, hiding the savory meat underneath. I take another large bite, ripping away more of the bitter rubber. My eyes widen with accomplished excitement as the pale flesh comes into view. The first true bite into the human's stomach is everything I thought it would be and more.

As I paw into the rounded cavity of his gut, the metallic blood tastes like a savory sauce over the chewy entrails. The body jiggles beneath me as I gnaw and pull on a curved bone attached to the ribcage. The bone breaks in my clenched jaws as I grind on it greedily. Extending my jaws to an unhinged state, I allow the large rib to slide down my relaxed throat. Moving on to the juicy clump of fat, I grip it between my waiting teeth and easily peel it like string cheese from the tough muscle it's attached to.

The rest of the meal is uneventful, yet satisfying as I continue to eat until human's center is an empty bowl of bone shards and folded skin. I tilt my head back and swallow, forcing down the last mouthful of organs and slushy innards as I lick the remaining fluids from my lips. A low content grumble hums in my throat as I sluggishly back away from the remains. I stare wistfully at the untouched arms and legs. My stomach whines in protest at the thought of forcing any more food into it.

I turn my head away thinking it best to save the limbs for tomorrow instead of trying to cram them into my overstuffed stomach. Yawning, I lay on my belly, curling my back legs against my body while resting my head on my arms. For the first time in months, I am no longer plagued by incurable hunger.

TBC...

A/N: Sooo, how's that for my first attempt at gore? ;P I have to give a shout to Silvermoontwentyseven for accurately guessing the victim in this story would a sewer worker. A lot of you thought I was going to kill off Casey or April, lol. Sorry to disappoint, but I need those characters for future chapters! I forgot to say this earlier, but thank you all for the positive feedback on my OC Simone! Really glad she didn't come across as a 'mary-sue'. There was one anon concerned about her becoming a 'love interest' to the turtles, but that's not going to happen in this story. I did write a drabble with Simone and one of the turtles (haven't worked up the guts to post it here yet), but in this story, she is simply April's spunky best girlfriend ;) Okay enough rambling, lol.

See you next chapter,

Poetique