My Best Friend

Author Dark Closure

Chapter 1

It started like how everything else started; with someone getting some sort of "bright" idea. This time it was Casey, he had suggested we all get out and have some fun and not the typical fun that he and his friends could usually indulge in, that included teaching street punks lessons in career choices. He wanted to do something that everyone could enjoy but never have done before, and he got the idea while April was teaching four teenagers how to carve pumpkins for Halloween. None of the turtles had done it before, and when Casey heard about it -being the good old chum he was- he freaked out. He nearly hyperventilated to be more accurate. He told April and she got this glint in her eyes that kind of creeped Raphael and Donatello out. So one day they the redhead and her goofy hokey mask-loving sidekick showed up with a large wooden box filled with jack o' lantern pumpkins all waiting to be cut up. It was a good thing that they got so many because even though they were ninja did not mean they had artistic talents; they destroyed more than two each getting used to the feel of this new activity. Splinter even got into it and would take what his boys made into bits of abstract art and take off the rein and boil the rest or put into bags to throw into the freezer. Still scavenging even though they were doing rather well; old habits dying hard.

"Guys, guys!" Casey nearly dropped his knife on the floor. "I just got the greatest thought ever!"

"You just havin' a thought is amazin' enough Casey," Raphael made small holes in the jack o' lantern in front of him.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny Raph."

"I thought so," Mikey snickered carving out a classic cat in front of a full moon for his.

"Could you guys let him talk?" Donnie was carefully scraping at the inner flesh but not penetrating the pumpkin he was working on, the different patters he was making made it look like a shaved globe with lots of lumps.

Casey was messing with some pumpkin goop from the insides, while empting out the one he was working on, "Thank you Don, now then, I was thinking that it would be a lot of fun if we went on one of those Haunted Tours that come through New York on Halloween."

"Um... I'm not sure that would be a good idea," Leo was already done with his, a classic scary grin and slit eyes that flickered with the candle light, the pumpkin set in the darkest corner set up on some stuff that made it look like it was crawling out of the dark.

"Why not?"

"For one, even though it's Halloween we're still not exactly the most welcomed up top, second when you do things like that you invite things that you will regret."

The emerald turtle with a red bandana raised an eyebrow, "Since when did you become superstitious?"

"Since this started to sound like a bad idea."

"Oh, come on Leo it sounds like a lot of fun!" Mikey finished his jack o' lantern putting a lit tea candle in and setting it on an end table, the soft glow lighting up our brother's face who was meditating on the couch.

"Mikey has a point. The probability of the existence of anything paranormal is less than one percent, the likely hood of encountering events occurred by said paranormal is even less." Donnie was now wrapping flexible wire around his project.

Leo unfolded his legs and moved to the side so Mikey could sit down next to him, "Donnie, I think you're forgetting the most important thing here concerning the paranormal."

"What's that?" Raph asked snagging some wire and starting to braid them together to make them stronger, but made it loose.

"We classify as paranormal."

His brother busy with braiding paused for a second that was an interesting way of looking at them, "Fascinatin'… You don't have to go if ya'r scared." He said it in a way as if it was a passing thought and not to tease.

"I'm not scared," The oldest of the four mumble when Michelangelo looked at him.

"Then it's settled!" Mikey gripped the back of the couch, eyes bigger than usual. "We go, we go!!"

"I thought you'd be at least a little hesitant about this Mikey," Donnie lit a candle and put it into his pumpkin. "You're the one that has trouble being in pure darkness."

"Yeah well..." He pouted while Raphael chuckled. Putting the wires into the bottom of his pumpkin and then standing it up onto the curved legs he made, the bent ends looking like toes. April was the one to put a candle into it, excited to see everyone's finished products.

Casey finished carving out a face that looked like his hokey mask before Splinter suddenly turned off the lights. Mikey gave a small shriek; April made a sound between surprise and awe. Everyone admitted that Donnie's was the coolest, the way he did it made the pumpkin look like the actual moon. Raphael's was the source of Mikey's out burst. He made it so it had a lot of little faces and one big one, the big one had small bits of stringy guts coming out of the jagged teeth. With the help of a toothpick there was a small face that was being swallowed up in the mouth. The wire legs sticking out of the bottom bent at funny angles making it look like bazaar spider legs.

"I think Raph needs a therapist," Donnie joked.

"Very funny," the red clad brother folded his arms over his chest.

"Hello!" Casey was waving his arms in the dark, "Are we go'in or not? There's one that's about to start in ten minutes, but we can catch it if we go now."

That was how it all started. All young, with energy to spare had headed off to get a good scare, Splinter approved informing his children this would serve to be a good training exercise on keeping our emotions under control, mostly for the teal colored boy with cheery smiles who needed to keep himself from being startled from sudden surprises, and the emerald temper who must learn not to attack anything that moved in the shadows.

All was well at first, weapons were left at home because of the paranoia of people who didn't trust others; the general public. All of the houses were mediocre or at least that was what Donatello scrutinized about, but then there was this one, the one where Raphael felt something strange sparking at the back of his neck like some kind was firing off firecrackers right behind him. He was just standing in the walk way several feet from the door, something deep inside was screaming at him not to go in, not to wonder around inside with the rest of the people all excited and dressed up for the week of Halloween. His eyes watched as the people shuffled in, all too willing to jump into the lion's mouth.

Familiar arms wrapped around his, in that exact same way when he was little. Mikey was trying to hide behind him while holding onto his arm, trying to take comfort in his brother's presence. The orange clad turtle felt it too, and by the way that Donnie had a hold of the back of Leo's belt Raph surmised they felt it too. Leonardo was not moving, he was staring the place down like the house could actually see him. With his jaw firmly set he kept his lips sealed together as to not allow his brothers to see his gritting teeth.

"I don't want to go in there," Mikey whispered, his fingers playing with Raphael's. An action he had not done since they were children and Splinter told all four a Halloween story about little boys getting lost in the sewers and never coming home because they did not pay attention to their surrounding's. Mikey played with his brother's hand while hugging his arm to his chest only when the youngest was too scared to sleep for the next few days, literally. That was fine; none of them were in a big hurry to go inside.

"Guys, it's the last stop," they all heard Leo gulp before he spoke up. "All we have to do is stick close to everyone and follow their lead and we'll be out in no time."

"You say that, but…" Donnie was shrinking back behind Leo, eyes closed trying to collect his thoughts, trying to push back that feeling of dread and regain his mind.

"Master Splinter said it was good for training, and… we should do as he says, so…" he shifted trying to turn around but Donnie's firm grip on his belt was making it kind of hard to do. "Everyone take a deep breath and march on."

He started to head in, dragging Big-Brain Don with him since the little guy refused to let go of his older brother's belt. Raph looked over his shoulder at Mikey, the boy was trembling and not in that goofball way he usually did to mimic fear. These were small tremors that rested for a second before starting back up. He was looking at up at his brother, eyes big pleading to not make him go in. Raphael was torn, he couldn't just leave Leo and Donnie alone in there, even though they weren't exactly alone, and he didn't' want to damage his little brother's mind any more than it already was by dragging his butt inside. But Mikey was tougher than people gave him credit for, he was sure his little brother could take it, even if that meant he wouldn't have an arm by the end of all of this.

"Come on," he pulled the youth with the arm he was cutting the blood off to with his grip.

"Raph please," he tugged back and Raph froze. When Mikey refused to go some place that was potentially scary before he'd let go and just let his brothers go on and he'd wait. Then he'd cry when reunited and they'd get into a wrestling match or exchange blows to relieve stress, but he's never tried to keep any of his brothers from going, from leaving him behind alone.

"Mikey, you we ca- …. do you hear that?"

"H-hear what?" Not good, he was petrified to the point of stuttering.

"I thought I heard someone," Raphael twisted around looking behind his brother, scanning around the street. "You heard it right?"

"That's not funny Raph, I'm already freaked out enough."

He frowned, he knew he heard someone. "No I heard… There! There it is again!" He whirled around fast, his shoulder protesting from being pulled by Mikey's weight.

"Raph, seriously, you're starting to freak me out."

Patting Mikey on the hand -that was going to leave bruises from the grip he had- Raphael tried to reassure his brother by pointing out the little girl that was in front of the door, "It's okay Mikey, it's only a kid that got separated from the rest of the group."

"What are you talking about?" He hissed not liking his chain being jerked around.

"Hey," dark green fingers pried off teal allowing freedom of movement once more. Raph walked forward, kneeling down, he put a hand on my knee, "You know you shouldn't be out here by yourself."

"Raph."

"Where's your mom and dad?" He waited for an answer, when he didn't get one he heaved a sigh. Little kid had a pretty autumn dress so obviously her parents cared, or at least one of them did. "Oookay… Hey Mikey, I'm gonna take her in to find her parents, you can stay here if you want." He pushed himself up straight and took the girl's hand.

He began to go in when he heard Mikey running up behind him, "Raph!"

Red bandana waved in a small breeze when he stepped through the main doorway turning around, "For cryin' out loud, Mikey. You can be alone for a few minutes."

"No Raph! No one's there!"

"What?" He squeezed his hand where soft warmth was clinging onto his thick fingers. Looking down, there was no one there. Then the front doors slammed shut, plunging everything into the shadows.

To Be Continued…