Good evening, readers! I hope you're having an awesome Friday/start to your weekend! It's a nice calm night here, just perfect for reading a spooky story! With that said, may I present to you the next update! There's a bit of action in this chapter, so prepare yourself! I hope you enjoy!
"What do you mean he's gone?!" Casey exclaimed when he met up with the turtles after his shift. "Damn it, Raph broke the bastard in half, how in the hell is he gone?"
"We're at a loss as well..." Leo said, his arms crossed. "This thing can apparently shape shift itself into not having a broken back anymore."
"Which means nothing else we physically do to it is going to kill it." Casey assumed, cursing under his breath.
"Not exactly. Everything has a weakness, including this... creature. We just haven't found it yet." Donnie said as he sat at his computer.
"It's almost like trying to kill a boss in a game that can only be killed if you shoot at it like a target or something. I hate those." Raph curled his lip. "I like just going crazy, pummel them to dust."
"That was never up for dispute, Raph." Donnie said sarcastically, looking between his computer screens.
"Well, we don't have time to be doing all this guesswork." Leo said. "Who knows what that thing's been doing since it escaped..."
"Leonardo, what has happened? Were you able to find what you were looking for?" Splinter asked as he approached.
"No. Raph led us to Casey's family house and the body is gone." Leo shook his head, pacing around.
"You will conquer this enemy, my son. In time, you will find the answers you seek." Splinter reassured.
"Sensei, how can we be ninjas, how can we be heroes, if we can't figure out how to kill this thing?" Leo threw his hands up.
"Not all enemies can be defeated the same way, my son. It is up to you and your brothers to determine the right path. If there is something missing, you must find it." Splinter said.
"Uh, guys?" Donnie said then, getting their attention. "Speaking of 'missing...' where is Mikey?"
When Donnie posed this question, the remaining turtles and Casey looked around, their expressions blank as they all looked at one another.
Meanwhile, April was heading back, furrowing a brow when she saw police cars and sirens swarming the Smith's residence. She quickened her pace, approaching the house as he eyes widened. "What happened here?" She asked, one of the officers approaching her.
"Sorry, Ms. O'Neil... they were both found dead this morning." He cleared his throat. "So far, they're ruling it as a murder suicide."
April blinked, shaking her head slowly. "Impossible..." She furrowed her brows deeply, moving past the officer.
"Wait- Ms. O'Neil, this is a crime scene!" He exclaimed. April went inside, quickly looking around. Her eyes scanned the room, looking at blood splattered on the walls. She could hear the officer coming from behind, not far now as suddenly, everything stopped. Her eyes widened, her hand digging into her pocket for a tissue. She quickly snatched something which had been lying on the ground, having just pocketed it before the officer reached her. "Ms. O'Neil, I'm sorry... but you can't be in here with the investigation ongoing. My boss will kill me."
She nodded. "I'm sorry." She replied. "Please give me any updates you're able to get."
"I will." He said before escorting her out of the house.
April felt as if everything was moving in slow motion as she made her way towards the usual pathway underground. Raph had killed the creature- had the murderous clown killed them before he himself was killed? Or was the dreadful thought that passed her mind the actual truth? She quickened her pace, entering the tunnels.
Leo wore a serious expression, two of his brothers in tow as they navigated the back streets. "How did I lose him? How did I lose him?!" Raph emphasized. "I didn't realize I was supposed to be his babysitter-"
"There is something out there that is killing people right now." Leo said, grabbing Raph's shoulder. "It's gone after Mikey twice. And now, he's out there somewhere, all by himself, with no one to help him if he needs it."
"So call him on the communicator then, genius." Raph spat.
"Way ahead of you." Donnie said. "I've been trying to do that while you both have been bickering like an old married couple this whole time... he's not answering." He bit his lip worriedly. "I'm trying to pull him up on the GPS unit."
"Where the hell could he have gone?" Leo muttered just above a whisper, exhaling sharply as they continued their search.
As night fell, Mikey stood in Central Park, where silence had fallen. The bustling cars and lights were a good distance away now, the youngest ninja turtle furrowing a brow as he looked around.
"M- My dad-... my sensei... says that you're different." Mikey seemed to speak to no one, glancing to and fro to see if he could detect any movement. "You're not like all the other enemies I've fought. He said to defeat you, I have to conquer my fear, so... I'm going to stand here, and stuff... and if you come, I'm not going to be afraid. I'm not going to be afraid of clowns anymore." He smiled nervously. "Y- Yeah! I'm going to kick your sorry butt!" He said as he began to move around a bit, making his way along the paths. When he passed by one of the light poles, something seemed to emerge from behind it out of thin air. Mikey's pacing slowed to a stop, his confidence swelling. He could sense something was behind him, smiling to himself. "I'm gonna get him good." He said to himself. A few moments later, he whirled around, trying to put on a scary face. When he took a step back, he noticed the figure in the shadows did not move for several moments, his confidence waning a bit.
"Hm... that wasn't bad, Mikey."
Mikey sighed with relief. "Oh... I'm glad you're here, Raf. I hope you aren't mad, but... I want to help you guys. We're a team, and... I need to be brave like you, and Leo... even Donnie's braver than me sometimes."
"Hey. You've got some guts, Mikey." He stepped out of the shadows.
"You really think so? That means a lot coming from you." Mikey smiled. "Maybe one of these days I'll kick yours in Smash Brawl, huh?"
"Yeah, maybe..." He chuckled. "I could let you do that before I eat yours."
"Hey, come on..." Mikey nudged him. "Let me have just one, huh?"
"I'm serious. Won't be doing much with all your guts spilled out on the floor, will you?"
Mikey's smile faded a bit. "Okay, a little less funny."
"Oh... you want me to be more funny, huh?" Raph's smile began to widen to where Mikey thought it was going to extend past his face, frowning as he witnessed sharp teeth extending out of his brother's mouth. "That could be arranged."
"Raph?!" Mikey shouted as his brother emitted an inhuman screech, charging at him. Mikey was forced to run, shooting a glance or two over his shoulder as he was pursued.
"Damn it, why did he have to go all the way over here?" Leo hissed, he and his remaining brothers heading into Central Park.
"I swear, I'm going to beat him to a pulp when I-..." Raph's voice faded. When Leo went to say something, he hushed him, listening. "Do you hear that?" They then heard their youngest brother cry out from a distance, the three of them sprinting into action as they ran in the direction of the sound. "Mikey?!"
"Mikey!" Donnie shouted, tinkering with his tracker as he ran. "Vitals are elevated and increasing! He's running fast!"
Raph wasted no time, speeding ahead of them. If this thing killed Mikey, he would never forgive himself. Leo cursed under his breath before chasing after Raph.
"Hey, wait, guys what about- oh screw it..." Donnie muttered angrily, taking his portable devices with him as he brought up the rear.
Raph panicked when things became quiet suddenly. "Mikey? Mikey! Damn it... Mikey, answer me!"
He heard a scream to his right, the red-garbed turtle running towards the sound. He was gonna murder this clown, even if that meant snapping his spine a thousand times and running the pieces through a wood chipper.
"Raph, wait up!" Leo shouted.
"I don't have time to wait, Mikey is out there!" He shouted back, running through some of the trees before he was grabbed suddenly, about to start swinging when someone turned him around, pressing a finger to their lips. "Mikey! What the hell, I thought-"
"Shh..." Mikey replied. "You have to stay quiet, that thing's still around here somewhere."
"Great. I can see to it personally that I kick his ass." Raph said, about to head back out when he was held steady, a hand on his shoulder.
"It's not safe out there." Mikey frowned.
"Look. You may be scared, but I'm not. See? The others are here now. Let's go." He noticed that Mikey was tightening his grip on his shoulder. "Mikey, I'm not joking around, let's-"
"Neither am I, Raphy boy!" When Raph turned around, Mikey was no longer himself, wearing a killer grin as he opened his mouth wide to reveal rows of razor sharp teeth.
"Shit!" Raph tore himself away, about to break into a run when he was seized. He was shocked at how strong this creature was, not accustomed to anyone or anything matching his physical strength.
"Leo, Raph's being attacked!" Donnie shouted, spotting him as the pair ran towards their brother, skidding to a stop when the clown chuckled darkly. Raph was about to counter attack when the clown's hand formed sharp claws, digging into his shoulder and forcing him to his knees.
"The bigger they are, the harder they fall..." He giggled maniacally. "You can ask that bloated sack who choked on a few galaxies when you see him in HELL!" He spat. "I'm going to make a feast out of this one, and I'm going to make the smaller one a nice dessert! If the two of you play nice, I'll let you live... I'll go back to sleep in due time, and you can spend the rest of your lives rotting away in that sewer you call a home!"
"Guys... go find Mikey." Raph growled, Leo furrowing his brows as Donnie shook his head. "I said go find Mikey!"
"You're my brother, Raph!" Leo shouted. "I'm not leaving you behind." He said as the clown grinned. "Your name is Pennywise, isn't it?"
"Ohhh... you did get my little message after all, hm? I had no idea turtles could read!" He cackled. "That's right! I'm Pennywise, the dancing clown! Now that we're not strangers anymore... maybe I could invite you ALL over for dinner, then!"
"Let go of my brother!" A voice shouted from behind suddenly, Mikey hopping up to pounce on the clown. He took his nunchukus, throwing his hands around Pennywise's large head and yanking back, the bind of his weapons strangling him. "Raph, run!" Mikey screamed, trying desperately to keep a grip on his weapon.
Donnie dove in, helping Raph to his feet. "He's too strong... how is he this strong...?" Raph said, his voice a bit hoarse.
"Mikey!" Leo shouted as Pennywise flipped Mikey off his back, the turtle landing in front of him on his shell. Pennywise hovered over him, screeching as Mikey cried out, rolling to the side and hopped back to his feet. He was a bit beat up, but thankfully had managed to evade most of the clown's attacks up until now. Leo charged forward, impaling him with his samurai swords and lifting him up. At this, Pennywise turned his head completely around to look down, Leo grimacing.
"Do I look like an umbrella to you, little boy blue?" Pennywise laughed before screeching loudly, blood spewing from his mouth. Leo shut his eyes as he was doused, lowering his swords to kick Pennywise off of them.
"How in the hell do we kill this thing?!" Raph shouted.
"You can't kill me! You can't kill fear!" Pennywise exclaimed.
"Guess what, shithead? I'm not afraid of some cheesy get up like you." Raph growled.
"But you do fear something else, don't you, big boy?" Pennywise said, backing up as the turtles held their weapons in hand. "There are all sorts of fresh pickings in this city... enough to make me stronger than ever. You think your bravery is enough, don't you? You'll see... that just like fear..." He grinned darkly. "... I am everywhere."
Raphael whipped out one of his daggers, tossing it as it soared through the air. Pennywise ducked, evading the weapon as it embedded into a tree behind him. When he strode over to retrieve the weapon, he discovered that Pennywise had disappeared. "Damn it!" He shouted, slamming his fist against the tree, only to wince.
"Raph, calm down..." Donnie strode over, inspecting his arm. "We have to get this treated. There's some minor muscle damage."
"I'm gonna murder that thing." Raph snarled under his breath, his other brothers joining him as they all headed home.
Once back underground, Leo took Mikey, pinning him against the wall. "What the hell were you thinking, Mikey?! You weren't thinking at all!"
"I'm sorry, I just... sensei said I had to conquer my fear, and..." His voice faded.
"We are a team, we never face anything alone!" Leo jabbed his finger at him. "You could have been killed out there, Raph nearly had his arm torn off!" He let up, sighing when Mikey frowned at him.
"I just want to be as good as you guys." Mikey said quietly, Leo shifting his feet a bit.
"You ARE as good as us, Mikey. Being afraid doesn't make you any less of a ninja. But you can't be going out on a suicide mission all by yourself without even running anything by us. I'd rather you be scared, than stupid." Leo said, Mikey nodding.
"Okay... I'm sorry, Leo." Mikey replied.
"You're forgiven. Go clean up." Leo said, sighing once again as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He heard footsteps approach, stopping a short distance away. "I had no idea that he snuck out of here, sensei." He said, turning around to look at his father.
"You have nothing to feel badly for. You retrieved him and returned him here safely." Splinter replied.
"Sensei, he could have lost his life tonight. Raph was hurt-"
"But they didn't." Splinter took a step closer. "Part of being a good leader, Leonardo, is knowing that you cannot carry the entire world on your shoulders. You must know how to delegate. Spreading yourself too thin makes you weak. You must allow your brothers to carry as much weight as you, like the legs of a table."
Leo nodded. "I understand."
Just then, Leo and Splinter looked up as a third pair of footsteps approached, relaxing when they realized it was April. However, concern grew when they saw her uneasy expression. "Leo... we have a huge problem." She said.
"So do we. Come on." Leo nodded towards their home entrance, the three heading inside.
Alright then! What did you think? Does Mikey realize how lucky he is to be alive? Do the turtles now have some idea of what they're really up against? What will April do now that the Smiths have been murdered? Find out more in the next chapter, and please leave a review with your thoughts in the meantime! Thank you for reading!