Raphael and Casey scope out the Argosy Theatre, ignoring the movie currently playing and not bothering to wonder how in the world a movie is playing when pretty much all of the New York humanity has disappeared into who knows where.
The two friends leave the theatre, looking disgruntled.
"Eh, these ooze specs aren't working right," Raphael grumbles. He shakes Donatello's goggles repeatedly and gives them a smack or two. "Maybe I should call Donnie."
"It's not your specs, dude," Casey says. "We searched every inch of the place. Karai's definitely not here."
"Let's check one last time," Raphael offers. He looks back at the theatre entrance. "Maybe there's a basement—"
There's a roar as a giant form lands on the road behind them, making dust flare up beneath his giant feet. They turn around as Steranko straightens up, brushing off his shoulders.
"Vell, vell, vell. Comrade Zeck made good on info. Turtle here...and strange human friend." The rhinoceros grins and puts his fists together.
"Whoa..." Casey gawks, flipping his mask down. "Another mutant? Dude," he says to Raphael, "he's kind of rad."
Steranko smirks. "Rad and strong!"
He bellows and grabs a nearby car, spinning it around and whipping it the two teens. They dodge it, Raphael more gracefully than Casey. The turtle slides underneath the vehicle as it sails by before he launches himself into the street, racing towards the rhinoceros with a steely glare in his electric green eyes.
He lunges and Steranko punches him aside. He goes again only to get smacked backwards. Steranko advances as Raphael clutches his arm, wincing, but the rhino is halted by exploding hockey pucks nailing him in the face, courtesy of Casey.
The Russian rhino laughs as the bombs keep exploding against him. "The July of Fourth. Fireworks do you nothing."
He lunges at Casey, sharp horn ready to stab the hockey player, but Casey skates away. He readies his baseball bat as he spins around, his brown eyes narrowed behind his mask.
"Well, let's see what this does," he challenges. "Goongala!"
He zooms forward and smacks the bat into Steranko's horn, but the wood is no match for it. It splinters, leaving Casey with a shattered weapon and a hopeless, dreadful feeling in his gut.
"Okay, that didn't work," he mumbles.
He turns around just in time for Steranko's fist to make contact with his face, sending him flying into the theatre's ticket booth. The rhino snorts heavily, his footsteps rattling the ground, and Raphael's voice rings in the air.
"No, Casey!"
Steranko rounds on the turtle, his beady eyes brimming with malice, and Raphael lets out a scream and rushes him. Steranko ducks his head and collides his horn with Raphael's plastron, lifting him into the air, slamming him onto the road with a sickening crunch, then flinging him into the theatre wall. Casey crawls to his friend's unmoving form, shaking his shoulder. No response.
"Raph! Wake up, Raph! Wake up!" he pleads.
Heavy breathing sounds from behind him. Casey slowly turns around, his pupils dilating in fear as Steranko bears down on him.
YOU ARE READING
Forest Mutation (Book Two)
Fanfiction"In Saskatchewan, when I couldn't fall asleep, I'd watch the moon and think about how across the country and over the border, you were probably out on a rooftop beneath the same moon. You were the first person I enjoyed the moon with. Every other ti...
