Shadow Mutation (Book Seven) [UNDER MAJOR EDITING]

Chapter 31: Seeing Them Fall

"You know, I told you not to follow," she scolds lightly.

He doesn't drop the gap-filled smile. "Since when do I listen?"

She smirks. "True." Her face softens a little as she presses her hand against the glass. "Look, I'm sorry about what I said to you before. I was just...frustrated. You aren't always an idiot."

"Hey, it's all cool. We were both stupid about it," he retorts.

She smiles. "We need to work on communicating better."

"Alright, this should work!" Sarina calls, pressing one button on the keyboard with her index finger.

The cage lifts upwards a tiny bit, a tiny crack appearing all along the bottom. Zilla slips through the limited space easily, a bright smile showing on her face for a brief second.

"Okay, let's get out of here before-" she starts.

A sharp bark sounds from the door, instantly making the three other teens spin around. Destiny dashes away from the door, her wild green eyes widened with panic.

"Necromancer's heading our way with his cronies. No exit," she reports.

They look towards the door as the sound of footsteps grows more fast paced and loud. Sarina's eyes flash rapidly as she searches for a plausible escape route.

"No...no...nothing's working," she mutters, her heart pounding faster and faster.

Zilla's eyes narrow as she takes a deep breath. "I've got an escape, but you've got to trust me."

"Lead the way, Shadow," Casey says.

The shadow girl takes off towards a rickety set of winding stairs. The trio follows behind her without hesitation, hearing a few shocked yowls from below as Beast Mode and her fellow shadow beasts head into the room.

"After them!" Wallace shrieks.

"Zilla, I do hope you have a plan! The only way that staircase can possibly lead is up!" Sarina shouts.

The shadow girl doesn't respond, the group reaching a metal door at the top of the staircase. Zilla points to it and Casey shoves it open, allowing the four of them to spill onto the rooftop.

Sharp exhales leave three of the four teens as Casey slams the door shut and locks it, wide eyes fixated upon the view. The cold wind whips at them as the expanse of New York stretches out before them. Zilla spins to them as they near the edge of the dizzying drop.

"We have to jump!" she shouts.

"You're kidding, right?!" Casey retorts. "I'll become a pancake! Casey Jones doesn't go out pancaking!"

Zilla glances towards the door fleetingly, her anxiety growing. "Destiny, you've got wings. Sarina, you've got those rocket boots. ONE OF YOU GRAB CASEY AND JUMP!"

There's a loud bang from the door as Beast Mode roars, instantly causing Destiny to snarl. Without another word, she nods to Zilla, rushes forwards, snatches Casey into a tight hug, and leaps off the building. Casey's scream echoes out to the two girls as Sarina braces herself, her heart pounding.

"Come. On," Zilla snaps. "Do you want to die?"

"My rocket boots aren't prepared for this sort of altitude. The chance of survival for me only reaches the-" she rambles.

As she continues fretting about the possibilities, Zilla looks back towards the fastened door. It's rattling, Beast Mode's body creating indents in the door. The shadow girl turns back to her friend and readies her shadow powers on her palms.

"Sorry, Sarina," she mutters.

She sends a shadow blast towards Sarina's feet, making the cyborg shriek as she tips off the building. Zilla leaps after her, the two mutants swiftly catching up with Destiny and Casey.

"CASEY JONES IS VERY TERRIFIED RIGHT NOW!" Casey shrieks as her curls his arms and legs around Destiny's entire body.

Sarina breathes heavily as her rocket boots strain to keep her in the air, Zilla coming to rest overtop of the cyborg to help break her fall. Destiny flaps her wings, the wind whipping her hair back and making her eyes water.

"I'll have you know, I've never flown this high before!" she shouts over the freezing wind. "Or gone this fast, to be honest!"

"THANKS WOLFIE! THAT'S REALLY CALMING ME DOWN!" Casey screams at her as he buries his face against her shoulder in complete terror.

"I fear I'm going to malfunction!" Sarina shouts, her boots just managing to hold her up.

"Stay calm! You've got this!" Zilla orders.

The ground grows nearer and nearer, the force of the drop making the stomachs of the three more solid mutants plummet. Destiny strains to break the fall, going lower and lower with each second. Sarina tries to steady herself, her rocket boots flaring at the bottoms with strain.

"I think we've got a high probability of being flattened!" the pale-haired mutant shouts.

Casey refuses to uncover his face from Destiny's hair and leather jacket, focusing on the scent instead of them plummeting to their death.

"BOOYAKASHA!"

There's a sharp jolt as Casey feels both him and Destiny collide with something solid and warm. He still doesn't uncover his eyes, hearing Sarina squeak in surprise near them.

There's another jolt, low masculine grunts resonating on either side of them. Casey slowly pulls his face out of its hiding spot, finding Leonardo and Raphael on either side of them, Destiny held between them as they hang from their grappling hooks. Casey looks over Raph's shoulder to see Donatello and Michelangelo also hanging from their grappling hooks, Sarina held tightly against the purple-masked turtle's plastron. Zilla hovers above Mikey's shoulder, smirking lightly.

"Casey, you're smothering me," Destiny wheezes, snapping the vigilante back to reality.

He glances down at himself, his arms and legs still wrapped around the wolf-raven. He flashes a sheepish smile as he loosens the grip a little bit, still not completely releasing her.

"So...anyone want to explain why we suddenly saw you four falling from the sky?" Leo asks, his tone stern.

Sarina swallows, pressing her face against Donnie's shoulder. Destiny's ears flatten, looking towards Casey. Casey's face floods with guilt, his throat growing tight.

"I'll explain everything back at the lair," Zilla pipes up. Her gaze goes dark for a mere second as she sighs. "And I mean everything."