- Chapter 67 -

The Manhattan Ghoul, Part 2

At the lair, Erika had been called in to treat Leo's bite wound while Donnie ran tests on the Ghoul samples.

"I don't understand," he let out. "This thing ate everyone indiscriminately, but recoiled with Leo. Why?"

"Picky eater?" Mikey offered. "Allergies?" At their looks, he shrugged. "Hey, at least I'm offering something."

"Either way, Leo's lucky to be alive," Erika reported. "It bit him deep. Almost down to the bone. And from what you described of its powers..."

Raph nodded. "Yeah, it was like Mr. Fantastic meets Venom."

Karai perked. "Hold on a sec. Almost to the bone? Shouldn't Leo be, y'know, screaming and everything?"

"Don't get me wrong. It hurts like hell. But pain's only in the mind." Nonetheless, Leo cringed slightly as Erika got a needle and sutures, beginning to stitch up the wound.

Off to the side, Hisako was sitting on the couch, eyebrows furrowed as she thought back to the voice.

" Help me… Please, help me… I'm scared… "

"Something on your mind, Hisako?" Mikey asked, pulling her from her thoughts.

"Oh! Um… I dunno. When we were fighting that thing... I heard a voice. Someone crying for help."

"You think it was one of the Ghoul's victims?" Karai suggested.

"Maybe… I don't know…" Hisako rubbed her forehead. "Honestly... I don't know what to make of it… And it's making my head hurt…"

Meanwhile, Kagome was out on the town with April and Casey.

"You saw it?" Casey asked. "The Ghoul, you saw it?"

Kagome nodded.

"Is everybody okay?" April questioned.

"Yeah," Kagome assured. "Leo got a nasty bite on his arm, but it's nothing Erika can't handle."

April sighed in relief. "That's good."

"So this thing stopped even the guys," Casey noted. "That's a terrifying thought."

"Terrifying doesn't begin to describe it, Casey. We've faced some nasty things in the past, but the Ghoul…" Kagome shuddered. "It was like some freaky abomination straight from Hell."

"And stay out!"

They heard a shout, perking to see a boy with black hair and pale skin get thrown out of a restaurant.

"Ow…" the boy got up. "Sir, please… you can't just leave me out here!"

"Get lost, kid!" the owner snapped. "Come back when you can pay."

"But I-!" the boy was cut off when the door was slammed in his face. "No! Please!" He groaned, falling over. "So hungry…" He breathed heavily as he slowly got up. "Food…"

"Hey," The boy perked at Casey's voice, turning to see them approach. "You okay?"

The boy gasped. "Please!" He practically grabbed Casey's pant leg. "Do you have anything to eat?! I haven't had anything in days!"

"Take it easy," Kagome soothed. "We'll get you something."

"Please, I don't have any money! I…" the boy perked. "Wait, what?"

"I said we'll grab you a bite to eat." Kagome said.

"Yeah, so…" Casey looked down at him. "could you please quit pole dancing on my leg?"

"Oh…" the boy quickly let go of his leg. "Oh, thank God…" He fell over with a grunt.

Casey and the girls exchanged worried looks.

-X-

Some time later, at Antonio's Pizza-Rama, the boy was hungrily tearing into an extra large meat lover's pizza.

"Food…" he sighed in relief. "Wonderful, glorious food!"

Everyone stared at him as he tore into it.

"Whoa, slow down," April insisted. "You're gonna make yourself sick."

"I don't care!" the boy declared tearfully, finishing half of the pizza. He then proceeded to grab the large soda he'd ordered and began slurping it down just as quickly before wincing and crying out in pain. "Brain freeze!"

He set the cup down, massaging his temples.

"Right…" Kagome piped up. "Well, it just hit me that we haven't introduced ourselves yet. I'm Kagome Lee. These are my friends Casey Jones and April O'Neil."

"And you are?" April asked.

The boy took a deep breath. "Kieran. My name's Kieran. It's nice to meet you."

Kagome perked. "Wait… as in Kieran Taylor?"

"Ummm… yes?"

"Have you two met before?" April questioned.

"Once or twice. His mom has tried to go into business with mine before."

Kieran shrunk at that.

"Ooh, I don't like the looks of that," Casey said. "I take it you and your mom don't get along."

Kieran winced. "N-No… C-Can we please not talk about her?"

He immediately grabbed another slice, proceeding to roll it up like a tortilla and shove it in his mouth. The others recoiled slightly, but declined to comment.

"So... Kieran…" Kagome began, "what were you doing all by yourself?"

"Yeah," April nodded. "Krang's been gone for months, and the National Guard has been working overtime to reunite families."

"Well, right now…" Kieran swallowed his food, letting out a deep breath, "I've been trying to get something to eat. Unfortunately, I'm flat broke. So..."

"Then why not go to a shelter?" Casey questioned, only for Kieran to immediately stand up, slamming his hands on the table.

"No!" He stopped when he saw the three flinch hard, though he didn't notice them instinctinvely go for their weapons. Kieran calmed down a bit, then tried again. "Can't go to a shelter… Too many… too many homeless people… Can't be near homeless people..."

"What?" Casey raised an eyebrow. "You got something against homeless people? You're homeless, aren't you?"

Kieran rubbed his arm as he looked aside. "Well...uhhh..."

April groaned, rubbing her head, catching everyone's attention.

"April, you okay?" Casey asked.

"Headache... bad one…"

"Well, it is getting late," Kagome mused.

"Maybe she's hungry?" Kieran nudged the pizza forward, yet grabbed another slice. "Food always helps me when I get headaches."

Kieran started rapidly gobbling up the slice, but no one paid him any mind.

"It's not that," April rubbed her temples. "I just… I have too much on my mind…"

Both Casey and Kagome nodded.

"So Kieran, you got a place to go?" Casey questioned. "There's this Ghoul going around, and frankly, I don't wanna see a friend get eaten."

"Friend?" Kieran gobbled another piece of pizza. "Are you...talking about me?"

"Of course," Kagome replied.

"But...you literally just met me. That's...not a lot of time."

"So?" Casey asked. "What's your point?"

"Well, you can't just call someone you just met your friend," Kieran grabbed the last piece, taking a bite. "You need to get a feel for them. Figure out what makes them tick. Otherwise..." he took another bite, swallowing hard, "they may turn out to be some kinda jackass and stab you in the back. Well...that's what my mom says."

"With all due respect, your mother is..." Kagome hesitated. "Well, there are many words to describe her. Most of them… not very nice."

"I know..." Kieran shook his head. "Anyway… No, I don't have any place to go, but I can't go to any of the shelters. If my mom found out I was there, she'd have a spizz fit. And...I don't wanna deal with that. Honestly, I'd rather go back to hiding out in the warehouses at the docks than ever see her again."

"The docks?" Kagome repeated. "But that's where the Ghoul's been sighted."

"The Ghoul?" Kieran asked, taking a drink. "Casey mentioned that too. He some kind of superhero or something?"

"More like a horror movie monster," Casey corrected.

"It almost ate a good friend of mine…" Kagome recalled, picturing that bite mark on Leo's arm vividly. "I"It wasn't even human…"

"Oh..." Kieran shuddered. "That sounds...horrifying."

"Please, just be careful," Casey insisted, "and if you see the monster, just run."

"Better yet…" April grabbed a pen and wrote down her number. "Call us."

"Yeah...okay…" Kieran took the number. "Th-Thank you for the pizza."

Kagome smiled. "Anytime. Take care of yourself, Kieran."

As the group headed out, Kieran took a moment to stare at the number.

"Friends..." he clutched his head. "Uuugh… No... Still hungry..."

-X-

Outside, Casey and the girls discussed things.

"Holy crap..." Casey gasped. "Seriously, did you see that!? I have never seen anybody eat like that...EVER!"

"I saw," Kagome confirmed. "Not even Mikey scarfs down food like that."

"It was more than that," April cut in. "The entire time we were there, my head felt... buzzy. Like when you're trying to make out voices through bad static."

"Could you make anything out?" Casey gasped.

April shook her head. "No... it was too fuzzy."

"Come on, let's go home," Kagome said. "Hopefully, Donnie's found something on our Ghoul."

Meanwhile, back in the lab, Donnie was still pouring over the samples.

"Come on, there's gotta be something I'm overlooking."

"What's going on, Donnie?" Mikey asked. ""Find any new clues on what made ol' Wormfood lose it?"

Donnie looked up, raising an eyebrow. "Wormfood?"

"Did you seriously just give the Ghoul a nickname?" Raph questioned.

"Yeah, what do ya think? He's a crazy, demon zombie who's full of worms. So, Wormfood."

"Whatever." Leo had finished wrapping gauze around his stitched-up wound. "Just tell me you have something on this thing. Is it a mutant? Some new breed of alien?

Donnie sighed. "I have no idea. I've been looking over the flesh and blood samples for hours and I still have no clue what this thing is or why it reacted to you the way it did."

"Well, let's try and break this down rationally," Leo offered. "The Ghoul recoiled when he bit into me. Given that he's eaten various animals and people, I highly doubt it's because I'm a turtle

So it had to be some other factor."

Hisako perked. "Mutagen…" She turned to her brother in a panic. "Donnie, try applying mutagen to that sample."

"Mutagen..." Donnie grabbed a canister, taking a sample with an eye dropper. "Alright, here goes."

Donnie put a drop of mutagen onto the tissue sample. The effects were immediate, the sample smoking as a sizzling sound reached their ears.

"What the...!?" the brainy turtle exclaimed.

"I knew it…" Hisako clutched the sides of her head, tearing at her hair. "Shit, shit, FUCK!"

She kicked the couch, startling Midnight and her siblings. Vee came running out of her room, weapon in hand.

"What's going on!?"

"Not sure," Raph replied. "Hisako freaked about something."

"Voidworms..." Hisako explained. "The Ghoul is a nest of Voidworms…"

"Voidworms?" Leo asked.

"Whoa, slow down Hisako," Mikey cut in. "What the heck's a Voidworm?"

"They're... Ch'rell's pets." The Turtles froze. "Mutagen is like kryptonite to them, so Ch'rell was never able to do anything with them. But tossing living flesh into a mass of them will... Well… let's just say at the rate of their appetite, they make acid look slow."

"Shit..." Raph cursed.

"Seriously?" Vee questioned.

"Couldn't he just get a goldfish or something?" Mikey asked.

Hisako, how do you know about these things?" Leo asked.

"Because I watched him feed a victim to them. Any human or alien who proved to be too rebellious would be tossed to the worms, as well as those who were too weak to survive the mutation process." She shuddered at the memory, Midnight pressing into her side to try and comfort her.

"Bastard…" Raph cursed.

"Okay, so the Ghoul is one of Krang's messes," Leo realized. "Least we have an answer."

"Then he most likely got loose during the invasion," Donnie deduced.

"Hisako, you called the Ghoul a 'nest'," Vee recalled. "What did you mean by that?"

"I mean that the Ghoul is... Well…" Hisako rubbed the back of her neck. "I don't know how it happened, but the worms seem to have taken root inside of the Ghoul. Making him a living, breathing nest for them to live in."

"What did I tell you guys?!" Mikey exclaimed. "Worm-That-Walks! Wormfood!"

"Not now, Mikey!" Leo snapped.

It was at that moment Kagome, Casey, and April reentered the lab.

"Hey guys!" Casey greeted. "Sorry we're late. Had a bit of a...dinner date."

"How goes the Ghoul research?" April asked.

"We found out what it is," Leo replied.

"It's a nest of alien worms!" Mikey declared.

"Whoa!" Casey exclaimed. "Sick!"

Kagome blinked. "Alien...worms?"

"Take a seat and get a barf bag ready," Vee cautioned them. "Hisako..."

-X-

Several minutes later, Hisako explained.

"Voidworms?" Kagome repeated.

"Yeah." Leo nodded.

"They're vile worms that detest mutagen, and they are almost eternally hungry," Hisako went on. "Specifically for meat."

"Jesus…" April let out.

"And Ch'rell actually kept those things as pets!?" Casey demanded.

"Yes... they were his... 'babies'..."

Everyone cringed.

"Uuuugh…" Mikey let out. "Now I'm imagining him cooing and making baby noises over a tank of those things."

"Please erase that fact from our brains later," Donnie asked Hisako.

"Guys, guys, focus!" Leo took a breath. "Alright, we know the Ghoul is a living nest of Voidworms. And mutagen is poisonous to Voidworms. That's why it freaked out when it bit me. And likely, it'll have the same reaction to the rest of us."

"Not all of us," Casey said. "Kagome and I are still human."

"Which is why you guys are going to have to sit this one out," Leo insisted. "The Ghoul can't eat us, meaning we have the advantage. But we won't risk your lives on this."

"What!?" Casey objected. "Are you kidding me!?"

"Case, this thing ain't like anything we've ever faced before." Raph pointed out.

"It's super strong, super fast, super tough, super stretchy, AND it heals fast!" Mikey added. "And it eats people! you wanna end up as some freak's snack?!"

"Well, we can't just sit here and do nothing!" Casey snapped.

"Even if the Ghoul can't eat you, he can still kill you," Kagome pointed out. "And it's gonna take a lot more than your mutagenic blood to protect...you..." She started thinking. "Wait a minute..."

"What?" Leo asked.

"I..."

Before she could continue, April's phone began to ring. She didn't recognize the number, but her gut instinct told her to answer.

"Hello?"

" H-Hello? I-Is this April? "

"Kieran?" April recognized the voice. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

" Is...Is Kagome or Casey there? I-I need help… It's...bad. "

"We'll be there soon," April promised. "Just tell us where you are."

" I'm...I'm back at the docks… I'm hiding out near warehouse number 5-B. Please, hurry... " He was breathing heavily. " I can't… " There was a loud crashing noise, like the sound of a trash can being knocked over. " Ohh God... "

"Kieran?! Kieran!" The phone went dead on Kieran's side. "Damn it… the call cut off."

"Shit!" Casey cursed. "We gotta get going!"

"All of us," Kagome insisted.

"No time to argue," Leo agreed. "Let's move!"

The group arrived at the docks, the Shellraiser screeching to a stop and everyone piling out.

"Hisako, can you sense anyone?" Leo asked.

Hisako closes her eyes. She felt out, trying to find any signs of life

"The warehouses. I'm picking up something from over there."

"Which one?" Donnie asked.

"I think it's-"

" Help me! " Hisako clutched her head. " Make it stop! Please...make it stop! "

"That voice again... " Hisako looked around. "Hello?!"

"Hisako, what are you...?" Vee began.

"It's the voice from before! The one I heard when the Ghoul showed up!

" Please...I can't...I can't take this anymore! "

"They're in pain…" Hisako realized. "It's like... like the worms are consuming them."

" No! Stay...Stay back! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"No!" Hisako took off.

"Hisako, wait!" Leo rubbed his eyes. "Oh boy. Come on!"

The group follows after her. Hisako ran along the rooftops, trying to find whoever was calling for help.

"Come on, where are you?"

She perked, hearing someone painting. "Bingo!"

Hisako leapt from the roof and landed on the ground. "Guys, I found someone!"

Kieran slowly stumbled from the shadows of the alley in bad shape.

"Ohhh...Ohhh my stomach...my head..."

"Hey…" Hisako greeted. "You're... Kieran right? My name's Hisako. I'm here to help."

"Huh?" Kieran perked, seeing her. "I...Uhhh..." Kieran fell over, Hisako quickly catching him.

"It's alright," Hisako soothed. "Where's the Ghoul?"

"Hisako!" Leo's voice came as the others caught up."

"Kieran..." Kagome went to check on him, as did the others. "Kieran, are you alright?"

"Ka...Kagome?" Kieran stammered. "Is...Is that you?"

"Kieran," Kagome shook her head. "Oh Kami… we told you to be careful."

"Do you...Do you have anything to eat? So hungry...so thirsty..."

"Just hold still," Donnie insisted. "Let me look at you." A quick examination told him the problem. "He's suffering from severe starvation and dehydration. It looks like he hasn't eaten in days."

"What!?" April shrieked. "That's impossible! He had lunch with us!"

Hisako's eyes went wide in realization. "Kagome, Casey, get back!"

"Food… I need food… Please… Hungry..." Kieran's breathing intensified. "Hungry...hungry… Hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry..." Kieran's eyes snapped wide open, having turned blood red. "I'm… so… HUNGRY!"

"What's wrong with him?!" Casey demanded.,

"He's the nest, Casey!" Hisako screamed as they stared at the animalistic creature before them. "Kieran is the Ghoul!"

Author's Note:

Oh, damn! This isn't good.

Kieran Taylor and the Voidworms are the creations of our pal WindstarOsprey, used with his permission. Next chapter, the conclusion of this mini-arc.

Please R&R. Until next time!