Reckless. [TMNT 2012]

16. The Mystery of Help; Casey

Song: Watch You Crawl - Red

I remember sticking to the shadows. I was merely a breeze in the night as I arrived at my destination, ready to whip myself into gear. I held my weapon at my side with determination as I slowly peaked around a stack of wooden crates, my shoulders erect with tension. My facial muscles were so stressed that my eyebrows furrowed and my lips automatically pursed. But as the docks came into view, I discovered my preparation was all for nothing.

    I recall the pier bare and lonely, as if it hadn't received a visitor all day. Boat ropes and lifesavers hung limp on rails. Pieces of broken boxes scattered the walkway. The water waved lifelessly, its reflective surface casting gloomy glances in my direction.

    My mind flickers to the next scene like a movie. Finding no one at the pier was something I couldn't accept. Therefore, my search for my enemies was continued by walking down the street. I checked every dumpster, sewer grate, and alleyway. I always turned up empty-handed... Until I reached the richer part of the town.

    The very fiends I had been perspiring to find were lingering on a nearby rooftop. Their unsightly, ragged appearances made bile rise in the back of my throat. After a round of horrendous insults and provocative banter, the hideous mutants pounced on me. I stood a good chance against them. I managed to knock out Rahzar and Fishface rather quickly. I would have been able to do the same to Tiger Claw as well, if it wasn't for the mutant's unfair size. A few seconds later all I saw were black spots, and then nothing.

    I inhale burning cold air as my thoughts jolt me back into consciousness. I am staring up at an ink-colored sky with harsh, yellow lights glaring at me. My body aches and one of my eyes throb inside my skull. My lips feel numb with the beginning of frostbite as a large cat-shaped silhouette pops up in front of me. I brace myself for more pain.

    My airway is blocked as a large, tough paw curls around my throat. Tiger Claw lifts me off the ground and stares into my gaze with a malicious smirk. He holds me at arm's length, but I can still make out tiny demons swimming in his acid yellow pits.

    "Pathetic cub," Tiger Claw snarls with a slight purr to his deep voice. "Taking on a ninja master by yourself? I thought you were more intelligent than that. Clearly, all humans have dysfunctional brains."

    I grit my teeth as I feel my face changing to a crimson color. I attempt to pry his fingers off my neck, but his claws provide him with too good of a grip. "Still... Smarter... Than... Mutants," I choke out my comeback, but instantly regret it. Speaking drains my remaining oxygen too quickly.

    Tiger Claw lets out a cold laugh. "Say what you please, cub. You will be dead in a matter of moments."

    I start violently kicking my legs around, but all they meet is the cold air. The effort drives more breath from me and causes black spots to cross my vision once again. They're different speckles from when I went unconscious, though. This time, they carry a looming, mysterious nature about them. This is a blackout I cannot recover from.

    I attempt to throw a punch as Tiger Claw, but I miss. With a blueberry-shaded face and tingling limbs, I begin to feel life ebbing away from my body. My arms dangle uselessly and I can no longer hold my head up.

    At least I can say I died protecting New York from its most dangerous enemies.

    Suddenly, a chilling breeze swoops passed Tiger Claw and me. The tiger mutant's tiny eyes widen, as if he has just seen something horrible. His paw opens like a claw machine and I plummet to the ground, landed smack on my stomach.

    I cough and rub my throat as the pressure releases itself. My esophagus feels stiff and swollen, but I barely notice as I gulp down some glorious oxygen. The November air makes my mouth sting and my tongue goes dry, but I'm too grateful to give it a second thought. I'm just happy o be alive.

    After I recover from the shock, I look up to see Tiger Claw backing away. His ears are perked up and his nose is twitching nervously. His muscles are so rigged that he looks like a hideous tiger statue in the Bronx Zoo.

    I stand up and whip out a baseball bat. I don't know what made the mutant drop me, but I'm about to make him pay for nearly taking my life. However, his words stop me in my tracks.

    "It cannot be," Tiger Claw gasps in disbelief as he stares at something past my shoulder. "Yurei... You are real after all."

    I furrow my eyebrows and square my shoulders. "Knock it off, furball," I snap, my voice cracking from my sore throat muscles. "You ain't psyching me out so you can attack me from behind. No one fools Casey Jones like that."

    But Tiger Claw's attention is elsewhere. "They said you were not real! That you were merely a legend that lived on in folk stories!" Every passing second seems to make the mutant more desperate, as if he is negotiating for his life. "The prophecy... It is true?"

    I try to glance over my shoulder, but another gust of wind blasts through. It doesn't affect me, but it sends Tiger Claw skidding backwards on his furry butt. He yelps like a kitten as he tumbles down the sidewalk and crashes into a giant brick wall. The mutant forms a dent in the wall where his head hits and passes out, sinking onto the ground like a stuffed animal.

    Alarmed and expecting the same fate, I twirl around to see what caused this. However, I see nothing but an abandoned street and towering street lights. I am completely alone.

   So why does it feel like I'm being watched?

    A shudder crawls up my spine. What attacked Tiger Claw? And why did he seem so frightened of it? It's one thing to be afraid, but that was different. The mutant looked terrified for more lives than just his own.

    For the first time in a while, I am genuinely afraid. Am I next to be thrown against a wall and knocked into oblivion?

    Holding my baseball bat at the ready, I take another swift glance around. Still nothing.

    I take a step back. "Uh... Whatever you are, wherever you are... I'll leave you alone now," I say.

   Then, without further ado, I bolt home.