Reckless. [TMNT 2012]

7. The Looming Doom; Casey

"That was eventful," April says as she stops on her doorstep. She has a thoughtful smile on, proving that she is still thinking about what happened at the cemetery.  Still, at least it took her mind off my ditching her at the Halloween party.

  Honestly, I'm not even sure why I left her behind in the first place. Nyleve was just another girl; she means nothing to me. April is the one that I truly care about. I feel shame gripping my chest when I realize how foolish I had been.

  "Yeah, it-" I start to respond with a tiny grin, but a loud noise cuts me off. It sounds like a piece of metal clattering to the ground. I look towards the sound, but it's impossible to see with all of the buildings in the way.

  April wrinkles her eyebrows in confusion. She peeks around the side of her house, but also comes up with nothing. "What was that?" she wonders aloud.

  "I don't know," I admit. Strange things have been happening all night, and this is only the icing on the cake. Looks like the mysteries aren't over yet, after all.

  April's expression is suddenly stern. She puts a hand on her hip. "You better not investigate that," she scolds me. "You've done enough for one night, and we were lucky to make it out alive when we did.  This time, it could be extremely dangerous. Just go home and forget about it, ok? The police can handle it."

I bite my lip. "But what if the police don't know?" I question defiantly. "They're probably just sitting back in their chairs and eating pumpkin-shaped donuts!"

  "Then call them," April replies calmly, though her blue eyes expose her faint irritation. "Tell them that you think something might be going on. But do not go down there yourself, Casey," she insists stubbornly.

  I know she isn't going to stop nagging until I agree, so I sigh in defeat. "Fine," I say. "I won't go look around."

  "Good," April gives me a relieved smile. She pushes my baseball bat back into my hands, briefly letting her hand linger on mine. Then she pulls it back and turns to go inside. "I'll see you in school on Monday."

  I feel a small blush creeping into my cheeks, and one word is all I can manage. "Right," I respond with a nod as I put my wooden weapon away. She smiles again, before shutting her front door and locking it.

  The moment I don't see her anymore, my mischievous nature takes control. I do the one thing that I promised April I wouldn't do: I bolt towards the clanking metal sound.

  It isn't hard to find the site. There are stacks of metal boxes and crates at the pier, each bearing imports from other foreign places. A huge crane is in operation, noisily moving the goods around. I cringe as another box hits the ground with a loud crash.

  The man driving the machine is actually not a man at all. He appears to have many hollow spaces throughout his body. His dark pelt helps him easily blend in with the darkness, but his glowing eyes offer the opposite effect. With a twisted feeling in my stomach, I realize it's Rahzar.

  Looking below the crane, I recognize more sickeningly familiar faces. A purple, overgrown fish named Fishface stands off to the side. A set of feline ears and a tail tells me that Tiger Claw is present. Bebop and Rocksteady are there as well, the former of who won't shut up, and the latter as quiet as a mouse.

  So they are up to something, after all!  The rogue Footbots that attacked April and I were probably supposed to be a distraction.  Little did those idiotic mutants know, their minions were weak without a leader present.

  I knew that they would try and come back to power after the Shredder died, but I didn't think they would do it so quickly. But it is clear that they are as vicious as ever, especially with whatever they're looking for in the shipments.

  Despite my desire to attack the monstrosities, I know I can't stop them on my own.  I'd only make things worse by being seen here.  Besides, I should use this as a chance to figure out what they're up to.  If I can do that, I can report back to the turtles and get their help.  Then we'd work together to ruin their devious plot!  It was the perfect plan.

  Something in the corner of my eye catches my attention.  I turn my head just in time to see a luminescent shadow creep behind a wall.  Goosebumps crawl up my back as I feel like I'm being watched.  I attempt to squint my eyes and get a better view, but whatever it was has vanished.

  With a jolt, I realize I felt the same way at the graveyard.  I thought it was just a side effect from the creepy fog, but now I'm beginning to get a different kind of suspicion.  Something odd is going on this Halloween.

  By the time I tur to look back at the ugly, bulky mutants, they are gone. I wildly scan the area, but it's impossible to spot them again. They have faded into the night.

  It's worth noting that a crate is missing as well. Whatever they had been looking for, they found it. But I can't help wondering how something so valuable can fit in one, single box. Normally Tiger Claw goes all out when it comes to evil plans. Unless all of his devilish nature can be exposed in something as pitiful as a butter knife...

  I shudder. As much as I want to figure out what is going on, it's too late to confront them. I am going to have to find another means of discovering what they're up to.

  I just hope I'll be able to put a halt to it in time.