Spirit Strike:
TMNT Halloween 2004
By Kali Gargoyle
Fog rolled in over the already damp, cold grass. It was cold. Cold: a familiar, yet alien sensation to the visitor. They reached out to touch one of the granite slabs that surrounded it, but passed through harmlessly.
“Well, I suppose it’s an improvement,” the figure said, observing the transparent colors of their hand. “Now, to take revenge on those who are the cause of my… current state. But I can’t do much like this. So I’ll just have to work with what I’ve got…”
***
“Come on, please?”
“No.”
“Please?”
“I said no.”
“Please?”
“For the last time, Mike, I am not going trick-or-treating with you!”
Michaelangelo sat down heavily in his favorite arm chair. Raphael returned his focus completely to his television show.
Donatello looked over from the blender he was repairing. “I can’t believe you even want to go out this Halloween.”
“Oh, please! You aren’t still freaking out about what happened last year, are you?”
“The last three years,” Leonardo reminded Mike from where he was practicing on the heavy bag.
“And bad luck comes in threes, so we’re good!” Mike smiled.
The rest of the room did not echo his enthusiasm.
“You guys suck.”
Leo stopped his workout and walked over. “Creepy, life-threatening events aside, don’t you think you’re a little old?”
Mike looked shocked. “You are never too old to have fun! Or for free candy!” Mike turned. “Fine, if you babies want to cower under your blankets, away from the scary ghosts and goblins, stay here.”
Raph jumped to his feet. “I’m not scared! And you know what? I hope there is another attack, so I can laugh while that ghoul drags your sorry shell back to the underworld.”
Leo sighed in defeat. “You two are just asking for trouble. Meaning I’m gonna have to be there to save you. Coming Don? There’s safety in numbers.”
Don didn’t exactly look enthusiastic. “Um… I… Someone should stay here with Splinter.”
Raph snickered from the door. “Just makes sure that blender doesn’t rise from the dead on you!”
***
Leonardo stared into every shadow they passed. He wasn’t letting his guard down for a second. He didn’t believe that whatever was targeting them had just gotten bored and gone home. Looking back, he realized that the attacks against them had become bolder and more… life-threatening. What if…
“Can you believe that guy?”
Leo was snapped out of his concerns by Raphael’s comment. Raphael hiked his thumb over towards where Mike was standing with a group of kids. They seemed to be impressed by how ‘real’ his costume was.
Raphael rolled his eyes. “The nut would be happy in a fricken’ hurricane.”
Leo smiled. “Yeah. He’s lucky.” He looked back at Raph, who muttered, “Whatever,” under his breath.
“I was thinking,” Leo continued. “That maybe all our Halloween ‘adventures’ were the work of the same person, trying to get us.”
“Yeah, that demoness freak, Kali.”
“No, Raph. Where is she anyway? Haven’t seen her in awhile.”
“Computer problems.” Raph laughed. “Probably using the time to plot yet another traumatizing adventure.”
“You aren’t over that yet?”
“No.”
Leo rolled his eyes. “Our mystery adversary only attacks on Halloween. I think they’re gaining power. But I can’t think of anyone who fits. Why only one day a year? What’s so special about Halloween?”
“Free candy, duh!” Mike shoved his bag between them. “And none for you guys!”
“Are you done now?” Raph asked.
Mike pouted. “Aw, is little Raphie afraid of the dark?”
“Splinter’s gonna sneak all your Peanut Butter Cups.”
***
“You ready for this?”
A tall, thin teen leaned over a much smaller one. The kid nodded, trembling in his sneakers.
The tall boy snickered and looked back to his pals. “You know the plan.” He lifted a crowbar to his shoulder. “Time to party with the dead!”
The leader jumped onto the makeshift ladder they’d constructed out of garbage to get over the wall surrounding the old cemetery.
“Hey, what do ya know,” Raph said. “It was worth passing by this place on the way home after all.”
“We gotta stop them,” Mike whispered.
“Duh,” Raph replied, dashing after the would-be vandals. He didn’t need the trash ladder, and jumped onto the wall easily. He listened for his prey, hearing them not too far away. They didn’t even try to be quiet, the arrogant punks.
Raphael landed on the grass and took off. He heard the soft thuds of his brothers coming over the wall, and knew without looking that they’d circle around to the sides. It went without saying.
Leonardo figured that Raphael had probably caught up with the troublemakers by now, so he curved back towards the path Raphael had taken. Gave Raph plenty of time to scare the kids, but nothing more, and Leo would catch any runners.
Leonardo skidded to a stop. Whatever he’d been expecting, this wasn’t it.
The bodies of the teenagers were sprawled around the clearing, none of them moving. Raphael stood a few feet from him. Leo snapped, “Raphael! That wasn’t necessary!”
Raphael lifted his head and gasped, as if seeing the scene for the first time. He glared at Leo. “Huh? Hey, I didn’t do this! They were down when I got here!”
Leo narrowed his eyes, then looked back at the ground. None of them looked hurt; no bruises, no bleeding. No, not Raph’s style.
Michaelangelo burst onto the scene as Leo looked for more clues. His eyes widened. “Raph-”
“It wasn’t me!”
Leo looked around. “They’re alive. There’s nothing else we can do here. Let’s go.” Something was very wrong here, Leo was sure of it. And he wanted to put as much distance between him and it as possible.
***
“Have a good time?” Don asked cheerfully as his brothers returned. He had abandoned the blender and was now watching some Halloween program on television. Mike rushed over to watch, but after a minute realized that it was an educational program and made a dive for the remote.
Donatello was too distracted by the looks on Leonardo and Raphael’s faces to worry about Mike changing the channel. “What happened? Don’t tell me… again?”
“Yeah,” Raphael replied.
“No,” Mikey chimed in at the same time.
“Maybe,” Leo added to the chorus. All three looked at each other, each wondering how the other two could interpret the events any differently than they had.
“Okay…” Don said slowly.
Wonderful. Things were going even better than originally planned. Right into their home. Perfect. Now, to wait for the opportunity…
***
Several hours later, Donatello had to admit to himself that he was just too tired to work any longer. At least safely. He put his tools away and turned off his lamp.
As he walked by, he noticed that Mikey had fallen asleep watching his ‘Horror Movie Marathon’.
“If I’ve told him once, I’ve told him a thousand times…” Don walked over and removed the DVD and shut off the system. “He’s gonna wreak the TV again…”
He turned, and didn’t even have time to react before the blow came.
***
Leonardo sat straight up in bed and snatched up his katana on his hurried flight to the main chamber. He’d been having an unsettling dream and the feeling of dread had not left when he awoke.
“Leo!”
Leonardo leaped over the back of the sofa and landed next to Raphael, who was knelling over an unconscious Donatello. “I was just passing by for a snack,” Raphael explained. “He’s only knocked out.” He locked gazes with Leo. “They might be still here.”
Leo nodded, scanning their immediate vicinity. Nothing looked out of place, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was very, very wrong.
Raph stood up, pulling his sai. “That’s it, I’m tearing October out of the calender next year.”
They stood back to back, with Don laying between them. They held their breath, straining their senses to catch any sign of an intruder. Leonardo was certain it was still here. It hadn’t done what it came to do…
SNNNNNNNNNARRRRRRRRRRRKKKKKKKKKKKK!
Leo and Raph jumped, but Michaelangelo only tossed and fell back to sleep on the couch. Raphael kicked the piece of furniture, as if it had made the noise. “Idiot slept through the whole thing!”
Leo placed his hand over his heart, trying to somehow stop the furious pounding. Bad form for a ninja to be startled like that. Looks like it would be more practice for him after this.
“My sons, what is going on?”
From Splinter’s expression, Leo guessed that his sensei also knew that something was wrong, and was hoping his sons had more information. “Someone attacked Donatello. They may still be here.”
There was a brief look of something close to fear in the old rat’s eyes, then his calm resolve returned. “Leonardo, Raphael, search the Lair. I will stay with Donatello.”
The two turtles separated. Raphael went upstairs, Leo to check the exits.
No sign of forced entry at any door. He wished he had a better understanding of Don’s alarm system. It could tell him if anyone besides he and his brothers had used it tonight. Either the intruder had found another way in, which was entirely possible, or they knew the security system, which troubled Leonardo.
Having checked the exits, and making sure no one was hiding in the shadows, Leonardo went back. Maybe they could hold off whatever it was.
Leo froze in his tracks. That feeling of terror was back. It was here.
Determined to not let down his family, Leo bolted, going full sprint to where Splinter was with Don. Except Splinter wasn’t there.
“No…” Leo choked out. He took a few steps forward. Don and Mike were exactly where they’d been before. Mike…
Leo reached over the back of the couch and shook his brother’s shoulder. “Mike, come on, we need your help.” He couldn’t believe they hadn’t woken him before. Mike wasn’t this sound a sleeper.
The quietest noise, and Leo had his sword drawn, nerves on edge.
“Whoa, Leo it’s me!” Raph held his arms up, his sai prongs hooked between his fingers.
Leo exhaled in annoyance. This creep had them jumping at shadows, and worse, each other! “Raph, it got Splinter. We have to wake Mike and find them.”
“I heard something, that’s why I came down. I think it came from the garage.”
“Okay, the garage…” Leo paused. He hadn’t heard anything. How could Raph have heard something from upstairs that Leo hadn’t heard downstairs. He turned to Raph. “I didn’t hear anything.”
Something was wrong here. Leo narrowed his eyes and lifted his sword to once again point at Raphael. “Who are you?”
“I’m Raphael, your brother! Have you lost your mind?”
“No, but I think you have. First at the graveyard, you were there before any of us.”
“I told you I didn’t do that!” Raph brought his sai down on the back of the blade, pushing it down and out of his way. “Leo, the real intruder is still here, we have to find them!”
Leo pushed Raphael away. “You were the one who found Don, and just now, you heard a noise. There was no noise, Raph, I was down here!”
“Leo, I seriously think you’re losing it. How do I know it’s not you?”
“Don’t be stupid!" Leo shouted. But he knew Raphael, and he would never… “Maybe… maybe you don’t know it’s you.”
Raph raised his eyebrows. “Same could be said for you, then, couldn’t it?”
Leo was so shocked that he dropped his sword. What if that was true? He didn’t remember attacking anyone, but maybe that was a side-effect? What if… Leonardo was to blame?
“So close…” Leo was ripped from his thoughts by the sound of an impact, and jumped as Raphael fell at his feet. Leonardo looked up and locked eyes with his brother, Michaelangelo, who just smiled. “And yet, so far…”
Leo snatched his sword up, his grip now steady. "Release my brother!”
‘Michaelangelo’ seemed to think over the request, then chirped a, “No.”
Leo gritted his teeth. “Release him, or I swear-”
‘Mike’ laughed. “You can’t do anything. You’d never harm your dear brother.”
Leo’s mind raced. Okay, keep it talking until he came up with something… “Who are you?”
“Someone you destroyed. You sent me to oblivion. And there I stayed… until now.”
Leo drew his other sword. “An old enemy, huh? Do you have any idea how much that doesn’t narrow it down?”
“Too bad, that’s all you get. You’ll find out soon enough, when you join me here!” ‘Michaelangelo’ lunged. Leo took a blow to the chest and stumbled back. Mike was faster than him, and his opponent was right that Leo wouldn’t be able to hurt his brother. Unless there was no other way, and he was certain that they hadn’t gone through all the options yet.
Leo managed to hold his own. One thing became clear very quickly: this thing wasn’t getting its moves from Mike’s brain. The moves were similar, but lacked Mike’s signature flair. It also seemed that the entity was not entirely used to its host's body. Leo tossed his swords away and decided to try overpowering with strength. ‘Mike’ got a good punch to Leo’s jaw, sending him stumbling back.
‘Mike’ laughed. “You’re pathetic. Struck powerless by your love for your family.”
Leo blinked to clear his head. “Wrong. My desire to protect my family gives me strength!”
‘Mike’s’ face got dark, then suddenly attacked. Something must have happened, because Leo noticed a drop in focus, giving him an opportunity to pin Mike’s arms behind his shell.
“Hold him, Leonardo!”
Leo tried to look around without losing his grip. “Sensei? What happened to you?”
“Leonardo, listen. Michaelangelo is possessed by a vengeful spirit.”
“I gathered that.” Leo struggled. Instead of an intelligent being, Mike now acted like he was possessed by a wild animal.
“We cannot help him while fighting for our lives. You must knock your brother out. Then we can deal with ridding him of this force.”
“But sensei!” Leo was shocked, and slightly appalled that he’d have to purposefully harm his brother.
“Leonardo, you must!”
“I’m sorry.” Leo let go of his hold and let Mike turn on him. When he attacked, Leo grabbed his arm, then lifted his own elbow. He closed his eyes, not wanting to see the blow. Mike’s weight tugged on his arm on the way down, and Leo gently laid him on the ground.
Splinter rushed to their side. “Leonardo, check Donatello and Raphael for injuries.”
Leonardo reluctantly left his brother's side. Neither Don nor Raph had any serious injuries, although they'd both probably have headaches when they woke up. After a couple minutes, they were both conscious.
Raph rubbed the back of his head. “What hit me?”
“Michaelangelo. Only it wasn't really him.” Leo looked over at Splinter, who was in a trance, his fingers pressed against Michaelangelo's temples. “We were both wrong, it had Mike.”
Raph took on a panicked look as he looked at Michaelangelo. Don just looked very confused. Leo filled him in on everything that had happened that night. By the end, Don looked just as scared as Raphael.
Raph took a deep breath. “So who is it?”
Leo shrugged. “Not sure. They didn't say, only that they were someone who had a grudge against us.”
“Well that narrows it down!”
“That's what I said.” Leo clenched his fist. “If I ever find out who it is...”
Splinter came out of his trance, and the three of them fell silent, waiting for the news. Please let him be alright, Leo pleaded.
“They have left Michaelangelo,” Splinter answered the unspoken question. “but I could not identify them.”
“The most important thing is that everyone's alright, right?” Don looked to his brothers, as if to verify that they were indeed all unharmed.
Splinter stood up, leaning heavily on his walking stick. “Take your brother to rest in his room.”
Don and Raph picked Mike up, and were followed by Splinter into Mike's bedroom. “Happy Halloween,” Raphael muttered under his breath.
Leonardo stayed behind in the living room, that strange feeling still in his gut. Something about this still bugged him. Something was staring him right in the face and he couldn't see it.
“Who are you?” he whispered to the empty room.
***