Ry
The sound of feet against wet pavement pushes me to run even faster. The humidity is oppressive–everything feels sticky–but I can’t stop.
My dark hair comes loose and trails behind me in a frizzy mess as I do my best to avoid people, but the streets are crowded this time of day. I accidentally shoulder check several people whose shouts become like beacons in the crowd. Most are just annoyed. I get a few “heys!” and “watch outs!”
My favorite is a giant man who pelts me with a string of obscenities for the entire world to hear.
They might as well be yelling, “Hey guys, she’s over here!” It’s going to be hard to lose them like this.
I spare a few seconds to look back and can see my pursuers closing in–Tony in his usual suit, looking completely unflustered, James dressed in a t-shirt and jeans designed to make him blend in, but definitely cost more than I make in a week.
How the fuck are they still on my ass?
My chest feels like it’s on fire. I keep moving, keep forcing myself to put one foot in front of the other. As I approach 10th Street, a weird motion on the opposite side of the street catches my eye. I could almost swear there is something rising from the ground. It happens so fast, my stressed brain dismisses it immediately. No one else seems to catch it either. People continue to cross with the light without even a glance down at their feet.
Luckily, the light stays green for the few seconds it takes me to reach the curb. I cross the street and make it to the opposite corner before the traffic fills in behind me, my right foot on the curb, my left foot extended to step between a small tree and what looks like a big electrical box. Tony and James are stuck on the other side as cars whiz by. Finally, a small bit of luck.
I take one more step forward toward the tree, only to find that my foot keeps falling
and falling
and falling
By the time my brain registers what’s happening, it’s too late. My right foot is already catching up and I’m dropping into the darkness of an open manhole. My stomach feels like it’s under my chin. I have seconds to brace myself mentally for impact–surely I’m about to break a ton of bones and get some gnarly infection from the sewage. All of that will honestly be nothing compared to what Tony and James will do once they figure out I’m easy prey down here.
But instead of bones crunching against brick, there is only the softest “oof” as I’m caught by a pair of arms. Thick muscular arms. The arms pull me close to an equally muscular chest as the person catching me adjusts with the impact.
“What the fuck?” are the first words out of my mouth.
The person holding me chuckles. “You’re welcome.”
It’s a man. Ugh.
A utility worker, maybe? Though he’s not wearing anything that suggests he’s working, in fact, if I had to guess, I’d say he’s shirtless. He sets me down on my feet and takes a small step back.
It’s not pitch black, but it’s nearly impossible to see for a moment, as my eyes adjust to the changing light.
“Sorry, thank you for catch–” my voice just stops as my eyes take him in. He’s just a little taller than me, with a bulky build, like a defensive player on a football team. I can’t make out details for the longest moment, and then, suddenly, my eyes grow used to the dark and I can see him clearly.
He’s green, completely green. I suck in a sharp breath without meaning to as everything clicks into place. It’s not just that his skin is green. He’s a whole fucking turtle.
“You’re-you’re a turtle?” It comes out a question, in the smallest voices, but I don’t mean it to be. I mean to sound fierce and strong. I back up, only to realize how little space we have down here. My arms hit cold, damp bricks instantly.
I can’t think of words for a long moment as he stares at me unblinkingly.
Do turtles even have eyelids?
His face is wide, his eyes large and solid black in the dim light. His shell is huge. It peaks out behind his shoulders and out from the sides of his waist. The only clothing he has on is loose dark pants–he’s not even wearing shoes… but I guess I’m lucky he has that much on. Would a turtle really need clothes?
But a turtle man might…
“Those men after you have been chasing you for a while,” is all he says in response.
“Y-yeah, so? What do you care?”
He grunts and walks away.
“You’re just going to leave me down here, alone?”
He says nothing in response, just keeps walking, his movements surprisingly quiet for his size.
I survey my surroundings. The walls around me are smooth. We’re at a junction of four tunnels, but there’s no sign of an exit, no built-in ladder leading to the top. I have no way to escape on my own without even a boost up.
The turtle man whistles to himself as he cuts on a flashlight.
A rat crawls across the toe of my shoe, and it takes everything within me not to scream.
I can do this.
This is (probably) better than my situation two minutes ago. Honestly, I’ve seen what Tony and James do to people they feel have betrayed them and decide a giant talking turtle man is probably the lesser of the two evils. What’s the worst that can happen?
I follow the little spot of light in the darkness. “Hey, wait up! How did you know I was being followed?”
He doesn’t answer me at first. He takes a right at the next junction as the light grows noticeably brighter.
“Seriously?” I insist as I catch up. “How did you know? Do you work for Tony and James?”
He snorts and shoots a look back at me. “Do you think I’d be saving you if I worked for them?”
“I don’t know. You could have caught me, so you could take me to them. You know, to get on their good side.” It sounds idiotic even as I say it aloud, but it’s out there and now I’m stuck with this turtle man and his growing annoyance at me.
He doesn’t even huff a laugh. “And yet you followed me?”
“There was a rat.” I say, softly.
“Seriously?” He stops so abruptly, and I nearly crash into him. “You followed a strange man further into the sewer because you saw a rat?”
“Well, yeah. I mean, you did save me.”
“But I thought you thought I did that just so I could turn you over to what the fuck’s their names?”
“Tony and James.” I say meekly.
“Tony and James,” he repeats.
“I… sorry. It was an asshole thing to say. I shouldn’t have said it.”
He makes a noise that sounds like “hmph” and turns his back to me, picking up his pace. “How have you managed to live this long?” he mutters to himself.
He continues to walk toward the ever growing light until we’re in a section of tunnel that shouldn’t exist. Instead of the tunnel wall continuing, the brick has been dug out and a door is fixed in the space. A single light bulb sticks out of the wall just above the frame, illuminating the entryway. He enters a code into the door and steps through, but doesn’t slam it behind him. I take it as a sign that I’m allowed to follow and hurry to keep up. He may not be much taller than me, but he moves strangely fast. I shut the heavy door behind us and hurry to follow him through what looks like just another tunnel.
We continue on this way, turning left, right, left, left, right, until I’m confused and lost. I want to ask him what the purpose of the door even was, but the annoyance that radiates off of him is nearly tangible.
He pauses in front of a wall like all other walls and does something I can’t quite see with the bricks. There is a scraping sound and then a blast of bright light as a jagged line of bricks moves inward. He motions me forward.
“After you,” he says grumpily.
I hurry through the opening.
“Ry? Is that you?” a man’s voice calls.
“Yeah, it’s me,” the turtle man says from behind me.
His name is Ry? The turtle man’s name is Ry? Like the bread? Like Ryan? Ryder? Ryat? Like–
“RYKER!” a deep, stern voice calls out.
Another turtle man appears in front of me, then dodges back from the door he appeared from.
“Fuck Ry, you could warn a man you’re bringing a girl down here–I don’t have my shell on.”
“You can take them off?” I ask aloud without meaning to.
Ryker hmphs behind me.
“RYKER!” demands the voice again.
“Coming!” he responds loudly, then turns to me. “Come on. If I have to get a lecture, then so do you.”