Liz: A TMNT Story

Chapter 4

So... I couldn't choose a picture, so you guys will just have to live with just the story for this chapter.

The tears wouldn't stop falling as I stared up at Xever. My arm had begun to throb even harder-- apparently my adrenaline was draining. The mutant grabbed a walkie-talkie from his belt, and spoke in his thick South American accent, "There is a... nuisance in the sewer beneath 4th street. Send a group to take care of it."

"Affirmative, one known as Xever," a mechanical voice on the other end replied, and I froze. The only things I'd heard talk like that were the Kraang.

"Please no," I begged, gritting my teeth. 

"I can't jump down there," Xever retorted, "Otherwise I would've finished you off myself. But I believe the Kraang have a more... interesting fate planned for a human like you."

I tried to speak again, but he cut me off, "Besides, it doesn't look like you're in a condition to bring yourself up here and beg for your life. So, I'll leave you to meet my alien friends."

He cackled evilly, grabbing the sewer cover and sliding it over the manhole, sealing off all the light before I could utter another word. The snow on my sweater began to melt, chilling me to the bone. My palms were sweaty from hanging onto the rungs of the ladder. I hung my head, disheveled hair falling around my shoulders, as I sobbed. 

"Why? WHY?!" I screamed, "Why me?! Why am I the one that has to be left alone in the middle of an invasion, trapped in the sewers?! WHY IS EVERYONE BEING FORCED TO SUFFER?! Why, when there are so many good people, do those people have to suffer? WHY?!"

I was yelling like a madwoman, "And now, NOW I'm going to be destroyed or enslaved by some aliens! Just great!"

My throat grew sore, I was shouting so loudly. My hand slipped, and I cried out as I fell the remaining 7 feet to the ground, landing on my twisted ankle. I was having a full-on tantrum, I realized that now. I forced myself to take deep breaths, ferociously wiping away those stupid tears. I gazed up at the underbelly of the street, desperately trying to grasp some part of a rational thought. I gulped, swallowing the last of my angst, and willed myself to stand. My head bounced from left to right, eyes straining to see father than a few feet in front of me.

I groped through the darkness, finally finding the wall and following it, limping with each step. I had no idea where I was going, but I didn't care. At one point, the wall took a hard right, and I followed... then left. I followed. I lost track of time. No words escaped my lips as I dragged myself through the maze of tunnels, and I welcomed the silence. As they said, silence is golden.

Then something broke that silence. Footsteps. I slowed myself to a stop as my brain registered that those footsteps were headed toward me. I crouched, frantically searching for something to defend myself with me. I grasped a long, hard rod, figuring it must be a broken scrap of pipe, and clutched it tightly as my unknown pursuers advanced. Their steps sped up, a slight jog, and a small light revealed itself as they rounded the corner. Pink light. The illumination seemed to ricochet off the metal suits of the Kraang.

Maybe they can't see that well, I hoped, Yeah, that seems reasonable. I backed away, heading quietly down a different path in the sewers. Amazing how quickly and swiftly I was able to move without making a sound. The Kraang didn't seem to notice, continuing to trudge forward. I was about to sigh in relief as they started to round the next bend out of sight, until I felt something slimy crawl across my hand. 

God, I hated slimy things. Creepycrawlers always had scared the daylights out of me, and I slapped my hand over my mouth, managing to cut off the scream that would have ensued. But the gasp that escaped me beforehand wasn't silence. All 5 Kraang bots whipped around to face me, mechanical suits beeping and creaking.

My insides turned to jelly, and I saw a tiny brown lizard creep away from me in the light of the laser guns. I looked back up at the Kraang, who were speaking to each other in a warped version of English, "Kraang, we must deal with what is known as the nuisance with that which is known as the supply."

"But Kraang, the supply that Kraang currently has access to has not yet been modified."

"Then Kraang will use the mutant resulting in that which is known as experimentation."

I could see where this was going. They were talking about mutating me. My mind was still cloudy enough that I couldn't quite comprehend everything they were saying, but I'd gotten the message. I jumped up, adrenaline once again rushing through me, and tried to dart around the group. One of the alien robots hefted their gun up, letting loose a few lasers, one of which hit me in the back as I tried to flee. I yelped, tumbling to the ground. Anger swelled up inside of me, and I kicked the legs out from under one of the bots. More shots. I quieted down, staring up at one of the alien robots as it aimed a gun filled with green ooze at me. 

"NO!" I screamed, grabbing hold of the fallen Kraang's gun and firing wildly. I shut my eyes, wielding the gun and spinning around, shooting down the Kraang around me. Silence again.

I opened my eyes to see the fallen bots around me. My arm, back, and ankle ached, and I trembled, collapsing to the ground, the Kraang gun still in hand. I stared at the remains of the robots, and my ears rang with how quiet the tunnel had become. I closed my eyes again, revealing in the sweet, sweet quietness.

Creak... I lifted my head to see the Kraang with a green canister stand up, not fully deactivated.

"Gahhh!!" I aimed the gun in my hand and fired, sending the bot flying into the wall, and the canister of ooze into the air. I couldn't move, though every fiber of me shouted to, and at the last second, realized what was happening as the container shattered and splattered its contents onto me.