- Chapter 79 -
City of the Dead
"In the past few days, Manhattan has seen an alarming increase in missing persons," Robyn said on her nightly segment of the Channel 6 News. "Men, women, children... there is no pattern in the disappearances of these 'Lost Ones.' However, an eyewitness had this to say."
The screen cut to a homeless man. "I saw it! It was a bat! The huge shadow of a bat!"
The screen cut back to Robyn. "In the wake of the reveal from Sewer Hour host, Cowabunga Carl about the true nature of these creatures, none other than vampires, the NYPD has enacted a curfew. Citizens are encouraged to stay indoors and off the streets after sundown until this crisis is resolved."
Hisako shut off the TV with a sigh. "Well, this officially sucks."
Leo got off his T-Phone not long after that, letting out a sigh of his own. "Chief Vincent wanted to know what aliens we were fighting this week or if it was really vampires. She almost choked on her coffee when I said that Dracula was involved."
"Let me guess, she didn't believe you?" Karai asked.
"She's skeptical, but considering what else we've faced, she's not completely dismissing it."
Raph was punching away at his workout bag, a crudely drawn picture of Dracula taped to it. "Just how much longer do we have to sit here and wait? I'm tired of those Lost Ones infecting our city! While we sit on our butts waiting for Donnie to get finished, Dracula and his leeches bloat themselves bloody!"
"Yukio's got the entire Hamato Clan on lockdown until further notice," Kagome said, getting off her own phone. "None of them want a repeat of Sh'Okanabo."
"After what happened to Akemi, I don't blame them," Vee confessed.
"Guess that means we're on our own for this one," Karai remarked.
"He just said he won't let anyone out after dark unless we really need the backup," Kagome explained.
"We're on their own." Karai scoffed in annoyance. "Well, fuck them too."
"Hey, ease up, Karai," Mikey defended. "They're scared. And they already had a 'possessed child' experience."
"Hey, we're all scared too!" Karai shot back, throwing her hands in the air. "But we're not hiding in our houses after dark like cowards!"
"Technically, we kinda are," Hisako remarked. "We haven't left the lair since the party."
"Even Kasumi's elected to stay down here," Raph added, gesturing towards Splinter's room. Through the paper door, they could see the silhouette of both their father and Kasumi sitting and talking.
"I told her we'd be safe," Kagome cut in, "that vampires couldn't enter your house unless you invited them in. She didn't want to take that chance."
"How'd he get into the party, then?" Mikey questioned.
"They only need invites to private residences," Vee explained without missing a beat. "Kasumi's offices are a public place."
"And that's why Vee is the turtle for this particular adventure," Mikey remarked.
"I'm no slouch either," Donnie said, exiting his lab at last. "It took me longer than I thought, but I finished the tune-ups."
He deposited everyone's weapons onto the coffee table. Each of them was now a bright silver color, a shine suggesting they had been very carefully polished. There were also a few smoke bombs in the pile, ones that smelled like a spice cabinet.
"All of our weapons, along with our shuriken and kunai, have been reforged with silver and treated with garlic. And I spliced essence of garlic into my smoke bomb recipe."
Everyone took their weapons, sliding them into their usual sheathes. Mikey stuffed all of the smoke bombs into his shell.
"So what's the plan?" Kagome asked.
"Any idea where this all started?" Leo asked Donnie.
"Actually, yes." Donnie led them to his computer, bringing up a missing person report and zooming in on a picture of an older balding man. "The first Lost One reported was this guy, a night watchman at the New York Marble Cemetery."
Leo looked at the screen and gasped in recognition. "He was the vampire that attacked me that night!"
Everyone gathered around the screen as Donnie brought up the man's profile. "You sure, Leo?"
"Positive," Leo insisted, nodding.
"The graveyard seems like a good place to start," Karai mused.
"Um…" Mikey began, "am I the only one who thinks going to a graveyard during a vampire outbreak is a really bad idea?"
"Well, we could also kick back and do nothing as Dracula turns everyone in New York into his vampire slaves," Donnie deadpanned. "Y'know, just a suggestion."
"Let's get to the Shellraiser," Leo ordered. "The sooner we stomp out this infestation, the better."
Under the cover of night, the Hamato octet rumbled up to the cemetery in the Shellraiser. Mikey glanced nervously at the sight of the moon in the sky.
"Y'know, I remember when I used to feel safe at night," he let out.
"Nobody's gonna be safe at night if we don't deal with Dracula," Leo replied.
They piled out of the Shellraiser and entered the cemetery, taking note of all the crosses on the tombstones.
"Hmm…" Donnie mused. "Maybe crosses don't actually work. Otherwise, Dracula and his pack wouldn't be able to get anywhere near this place."
"It's not like they're just gonna run up and touch them," Raph pointed out."
"Well, it depends," Vee piped up. "Sometimes, crosses just make them nervous and uneasy, but don't repel them outright. Also, there's the whole faith thing. Some people just choose the cross shape because it's traditional, while others genuinely believe in what it symbolizes. Depending on who placed the crosses, there's a chance that there's a couple of safe paths for the vampires to traverse"
"Either way, it's just two sticks tied together," Hisako replied, sighing a bit as she shook her head. "And that's not something I'm gonna put my faith in."
"Is there anything you do have faith in?" Karai asked.
"Bushido." Hisako pulled out her tessen, running her finger across the family crest engraved into the metal. "My family. Things and people who have been there for me. Thanks to them, I don't need to believe in any invisible men in the sky."
-X-
The ninjas all spread out to look around, and eventually, Kagome found something.
"Hey, guys! Check this out!" Everyone went over to her, seeing her kneeling before a small dark splotch on the ground. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Blood," Donnie confirmed, kneeling down to examine it himself. "Looks a few days old."
"Guess one of the vampires was playing with their food," Vee mused.
"Maybe," said Donnie. "But there's no way of telling who it belongs to without a DNA test. I don't have the equipment to do it here."
Hisako stiffened, sensing multiple dark presences approaching. "Uh-oh… Incoming!"
They heard snarls and growls as multiple vampires emerged from the shadows. One jumped at them, but Leo, acting on instinct, kicked it into a tombstone. It slammed face-first into the cross on top, where it was burned on contact, The vampire recoiled, clutching its face, which now bore a cross-shaped imprint.
"Okay, it does work," Leo let out. "On that note… RUN!"
They all bolted back for the Shellraiser. Karai was the last one in, slamming the door shut just as a vampire sprang at her.
"Floor it, Leo!" she screamed.
Leo slammed his foot on the gas and they sped off.
"Dudes, Dracula's gotten that many people already…" Mikey realized. "You know what that means?"
"That at this rate, he's gonna turn New York into a city of the dead by Friday!" Vee exclaimed.
"We have to put an end to this!" Donnie yelled. "But how?!"
Before Leo could answer, something slammed into the side of the Shellraiser, sending it spinning out of control. Everyone struggled to hold on as the vehicle finally skidded to a stop.
"What the hell was that?" Karai demanded.
They carefully exited the car, weapons at the ready. That's when a shadow fell over them. They all looked up, seeing the imposing figure of Dracula standing before them, his cape billowing in the wind.
"Good evening, Dr. Alucard," Leo greeted. "Or do you prefer Count Dracula?"
"The mutant turtles," Dracula mused. "I must say, you are without a doubt the strangest creatures I have ever laid eyes on."
"Don't flatter yourself, Bat Boy," Kagome shot back.
"I have heard much about you. And I feel a bit of... kinsmanship." Dracula began slowly approaching them. "Like me, many people fear you. Creatures they don't understand."
"We're nothing like you!" Leo snapped. "We don't harm people!"
"Harm?" Dracula chuckled. "You have no concept of the harm of which I am capable of, boy. I could kill my victims, yes... but why waste a life when it can be spent in servitude to me?"
"A life without a will of your own is no life at all," Hisako retorted, fists tightening around her weapons.
"What you're offering is far crueler than death!" Karai added.
"You have it all wrong, children," Dracula insisted, his voice demeaning like he was attempting to explain himself to pre-schoolers. "Vampirism is no curse. It is a blessing. To become a vampire is to heighten all of one's senses. To attain speed, strength, and immortality."
"Well, when you put it that way…" Mikey began.
"MIKEY!" his siblings and Kagome all shouted.
"Dude, I'd never say yes!" Mikey defended, throwing his hands up. "I'd have to give up pizza!"
They all drew their weapons, ready to fight. Dracula merely smirked. "Come at me, then. If you dare."
Leo charged first, swinging his swords. Dracula moved so fast that he was practically a blur, easily dodging all of Leo's attacks. Eventually, one of Leo's strikes passed under Dracula's nose, and he sniffed, wrinkling his nose in disgust.
"Dripping with garlic…" he muttered before shoving his palm into Leo's chest, sending him flying into a brick wall with enough force to leave an imprint. "I shall most certainly steer clear of those."
"Good luck with that!" Hisako shouted as she threw her tessen at him like homing missiles.
He zipped around, easily dodging her efforts, but Hisako kept it up, determined to catch him. Karai watched her back, snake whipping any that got too close. Eventually, Dracula sprang about thirty feet into the air, landing on a nearby rooftop and smirking at them.
"After him!" Leo shouted, standing up.
They pursued him with grappling hooks, giving chase to the vampire lord across the rooftops.
"You're not getting away that easily, Vladdy!" Vee shouted.
"Who said I was trying to escape?" Dracula retorted as he came to a stop on another rooftop.
They all went on the attack. Drac backhanded Mikey aside and Donnie twirled his staff as he swung it... only for Dracula to catch it in his hand.
"Too slow," the vampire taunted as he threw Donnie over his shoulder.
Hisako tried her luck next, but again, Dracula toyed with her before grabbing her by the head and faceplanting her into the ground with enough force to shatter the rooftop. Hisako let out a groan, trying to pull herself up.
"Weak," Dracula let out, sounding disappointed. "So very weak."
Kagome charged in, both blades poised for the kill, but Dracula again managed to dodge before Hisako stood up, her forehead glowing green as she had managed to reinforce her skull with telekinesis to cushion the impact. Scowling, she yanked a smoke bomb out of her pocket and threw it to the ground.
When the smoke cleared, the Hamato octet was gone. Dracula looked around, eventually descending to the ground.
"NOW!" Leo shouted.
All eight jumped Dracula at once, their weapons poised to kill… but Dracula moved like lightning, laying them all out flat. He loomed over the defeated teens.
"Join me, Turtles," he said, offering a hand. "Join my legion of the undead. Together, we will rule this world."
A shuriken nearly hit him in the head, but he leaned to the left to avoid it.
"Fuck you and your offer, you overgrown mosquito!" Raph shouted.
"We're not interested," Leo spat.
With a snarl, Dracula grabbed Leo by the plastron and threw him across the street, where he slammed into a car hood back first. He darted over, grabbing the turtle by the neck.
"So be it. If you will not be turned… you will be destroyed!"
Leo glared at him, refusing to show any sign of fear as Dracula assumed a more monstrous appearance with gray skin and sunken eyes. The vampire leaned in for the kill, only to be stopped by the sight of the rising sun in the windshield behind Leo's head. Dracula recoiled at the sight, dropping Leo before retreating into the darkness of the alley. As he slunk away, he had one last thing to say.
"You spurned my offer of eternal life." the vampire lord growled. "When next we meet... we will not part ways until maggots feed upon your flesh!"
And with that, he was gone. Leo rolled off of the hood of the car, landing heavily on the pavement.
"Oh, yeah…" he let out. "Something's definitely bleeding."
Donnie went over, checking him out.
"Easy, bro." He helped the blue turtle up, holding up three fingers. "How many fingers am I holding up?"
"Six?" Leo replied, his eyes unfocused.
"Damn it…" Donnie cursed. "Okay, we better get ahold of Erika."
"On it," Vee said, holding out her T-Phone. "It's sunrise, so hopefully Yukio will let her out."
At the lair, Splinter and Kasumi were just sitting down to their morning tea.
"Dad…" came Leo's strained voice. "Kasumi…"
They looked up, gaping to see their battered and bruised children stagger into the lair.
"Kami…" Kasumi let out, leading Leo over to the couch. "What happened?!"
"Count fuckin' Dracula," Raph spat, "that's what happened."
"We got our asses handed to us," Vee explained. "Badly."
"There were so many vampires," Hisako added, shuddering at the memory.
"Then Dracula showed up," Kagome included. "He barged the Shellraiser off the road... and he was moving all over the place. It was like we were fighting Barry Allen."
"He would've killed us if the sun hadn't shown up," Karai finished.
"We got lucky," Mikey said. "Seriously lucky."
"Vee called Erika," Donnie informed Splinter and Kasumi. "Since it's sunrise, she should be here soon."
"She's already here," Erika piped up as she entered, followed by Tai.
"Yukio won't let us out alone," Tai explained.
"Don't blame him," Kagome replied. "We all got infected by Sh'Okanabo, and now this. It's not safe for anyone right now."
Tai looked them all over, scowling. "It's still not right. You guys almost died last night, and Yukio's got us hunkered down in the apartment with our heads down. So much for the Hamato Clan's code of honor."
"Yukio and the others are scared," Splinter explained. "And fear makes everyone react poorly."
As Erika tended to the Hamato octet, Tai took pictures of their condition on his cell phone. "He said he'll only call off the lockdown if the Turtles really needed the backup. If this doesn't convince him, I'm gonna bust him upside the head. You guys can't do this alone."
"I agree," said Karai. "It'll take some time for us to heal. Time the city doesn't have."
"Hey, look on the bright side," Mikey pointed out. "At least things can't get any crazier."
"Famous last words," Erika deadpanned. "And in case we can't convince Yukio, I'm gonna help this along." She performed the Healing Hands on all eight, one at a time, fixing their more serious injuries. "Now get some rest."
They almost immediately conked out on the couch. Kasumi and Splinter draped blankets over all of them.
"Alright," Tai decided. "Erika, you and I have a job to do. One way or another, we have to convince Seiko and Yukio to help them."
"Agreed," Erika nodded.
With that, both took their leave. After a bit, Leo began squirming in his sleep, in the throes of a nightmare…
-X-
In his nightmare, Leo found himself surrounded by his vampirized family, all of them looming over him menacingly.
"Guys, no!" he pleaded. "Don't do this! Fight it!"
"Why would we do that, Leo?" Hisako asked, her fangs elongating as she grinned. "It feels so good…"
"Hisako…" Leo let out. "No! Please!"
"Come on, brother," Hisako insisted. "I can end it all. The fear, the pain, the doubt. All it takes is one... little... bite."
With that, the entire Hamato Family pounced on Leo, his blood spraying into the air as they sank their teeth into him…
-X-
...and that was when Leo snapped awake, panting and breaking out into a cold sweat as he looked around and felt his neck.
"Holy crap…" he let out.
Hisako sat up, yawning. "You okay, bro?"
He looked over at her, relieved to see she had no fangs.
"Yeah. Just a bad dream," Leo replied before scoffing. "Wish I could say the same about last night."
"Yeah," Hisako agreed. "Last night sucked.
Leo sighed. "Hisako... Dracula's stronger than us in every way. Physically, mentally. I... I honestly don't know how we're gonna beat him."
"We have to try. We're the only ones who can. You know what Dad would say. It's only impossible if we give up." She placed a hand on her brother's shoulder. "'Fall seven times, get up eight.' Isn't that what you told me?"
Leo was silent for a few moments, then nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right." He clenched his fist. "It doesn't matter how strong Dracula is, or how fast. We'll find a way to win. We always do."
"And you're not doing it alone," Tai's voice cut in.
Leo and Hisako looked to see Tai and the rest of the Hamato Clan standing there.
"Taiichi showed me the photos of your condition," Yukio explained. "It was enough to convince me to rescind the lockdown."
He bowed his head apologetically. "Forgive me. I let my fear cloud my better judgment, and you nearly paid with your lives."
"Yukio, we understand," Leo assured. "After what happened to Akemi, you were all scared."
"The time for fear is over," Seiko said firmly. "At the rate the Lost Ones are stacking up, New York will become a vampire town by the end of the week."
"No way we're letting those bloodsuckers take our home," Jade vowed. "Not while there's still some fight in us."
"Good to have you on board," Leo said, smiling.
"Maybe with all of us, we'll have a fighting chance," Hisako added.
Meanwhile, Dragon Face waited just outside Dracula's crypt as the sun went down.
"So…" came a familiar voice, "this is where I find you."
Dragon Face stiffened as Hun emerged from the shadows, his massive arms crossed. He sneered at his subordinate, disgusted by his appearance.
"I see you found the entity Master Shredder was looking for but failed to report it. How disappointing."
"Boss! I…" somehow, the transformed Dragon Face managed to turn even paler than he already was. "I was- I-"
"Wasting Master Shredder's precious time and resources." Hun grabbed Dragon Face by the collar of his shirt, hoisting him into the air. "How pathetic. I should have handled this myself from the beginning."
He threw Dragon Face aside and descended into the crypt. Immediately, the transformed dragon scrambled to his feet, pursuing him.
"No!" he yelled. "Turn back, Boss! You don't want to go down there!"
"Shut up!" Hun grabbed Dragon Face, his massive hand engulfing the lost one's entire skull. "Do not think for a second I won't hesitate to kill you where you stand."
"Boss…" Dragon Face winced. "You don't… understand… I'm trying to-"
"What's this?" Dracula's voice interjected, the vampire lord stepping out of the shadows. "A golem made of living flesh?"
Hun dropped his vampire subordinate, turning to face Dracula. The second he locked eyes with the undead lord, he was frozen in place. Dracula licked his lips, circling Hun with a gleam of sadistic glee.
"And here I was growing bored of the weak soldiers I have amassed as of late."
Dragon Face sighed, slumping. "I tried to warn you, Boss…"
Hun didn't even have a chance to react before Dracula grabbed him by the shirt and tore into the behemoth's throat. Hun let out a strangled gasp, his skin turning gray as he shriveled up. By some miracle, he maintained a fair amount of his size and physique, but it was clear to any who saw him that he was a husk of himself. Once he was fully drained, Dracula shoved Hun away, wiping his mouth with a content sigh.
"Was that your former master?" he questioned. "So much hatred and strength… he'll make a wonderful tool."
"Well… one of them," Dragon Face corrected.
"One of them?" Dracula raised an eyebrow at that. "This other Master, are they as impressive as this flesh golem?"
"Oh, big time. He's got an entire army at his beck and call, and even the Boss serves him. I'd say he's the most powerful man in the city."
Dracula stroked his chin, his eyes gleaming with a feral excitement to them. If this Master was truly as strong as his thrall suggested, then having them as one of his undead minions would be a chance he would not be passing up. The vampire lord turned to Hun, snapping his fingers.
"Rise," he commanded, Hun gasping as he struggled to his feet. "Tell me all about this Master of yours. Don't leave out a single detail."
Author's Note:
Who knows what will happen next? Stay tuned as the Hamato Clan prepares for the epic showdown with Dracula.
Please R&R. Until next time!