NEVER
by TJ HECTOR
-Warnings: This contains some very disturbing contents. It's going to be dark, violent, and despairing. If you don't like this kind of stuff, don't read it.
-A/N: This idea came to me when I was on a stroll in the 'jungle' in the campus. Never go into the woods alone, I thought. This is an experimental idea, so I'm not sure whether I'll continue it. If some of you manage to survive it, I might write more chapters.
-Summary: After a fit of rage, Raphael ran into the deepest heart of the woods. But he came out a different person—more monstrous, and dangerous. There was darkness in the woods that would seek to devour you, find your innermost fear, and destroy you from within. Set in the farmhouse, 2k12 season 3. An experimental idea. Violence and coarse language in the future.
-Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing.
I. The Old Man with a Rifle
The sky was red with twilight. The grass glowed strangely under the setting sun.
But the mutants and humans didn't notice any of those.
On the open field, April O'Neil dodged a swiping leg, but was too late to duck Donatello's flying fist. As it was about to hit her face, Donnie slowed. April grabbed his wrist without hesitation and pulled him with all her might. With the help of Donnie's original onward force, she managed to throw him onto the ground.
"Ow!"
"You slowed down, Donnie," April looked down at the purple-masked turtle, smiling triumphantly, "I told you not to go easy on me!"
"Yeah," Donnie groaned and sat up. "You have improved a lot."
April helped him up and the two of them stood for a moment and watch the others spar. Mikey and Casey were supposed to fight each other, but with Mikey constantly leaping around like a frog, avoiding all the attack of Casey's hockey stick without breaking a sweat, the match hardly looked like a spar.
Leonardo was resting not far from them, supporting his weight on one of his katanas. His leg was hurting again, and he felt frustrated. However, when April walked toward him, he hid the expression quickly.
"I saw you beat Donnie," he said.
"He was…again," April sighed, "And that's without weapons."
"But that's impressive nonetheless," Leo smiled, "We've been practicing these skills all our lives. You've only just started learning them for…two years?"
"Thanks Leo," she smiled back.
Mikey and Casey stopped sparring. Casey was panting like a dog while Mikey was shiny as ever.
"I think this is enough for today," Leo said, "What do you guys think?"
"I'm so hungry," Mikey said, "I'm gonna prepare for dinner!"
"I'll help you in the kitchen, Mikey," April said.
"I have to icepack my head," Donnie muttered.
"Let's go inside then," Leo said, "It's getting late and cold."
"What about Raph?" Casey said suddenly. "It's been hours!"
"He'll be fine," Leo said. "He does that all the time."
"But it's the woods! I saw him run into the woods!" Mikey said. "Nothin' good happens in the woods."
"Don't be silly, Mikey," Donnie sighed, "The woods are clear now. And didn't you meet your frog friend in the woods?"
"Yeah! But it's still a creepy place. Especially after dark," Mikey said. "He might be eaten by a…bear or a big bad wolf! He's the Red Riding Hood! Uh, no hood, just mask."
"C'mon, he'll take care of himself," Leo said, heading toward the house. "He should learn to control his temper better. It's not an solution to run away from anything."
"Leo's right," Donnie said, "He'll come back after he cools down, Mikey. We don't need a furious bull in the house right now anyway."
"But if he's eaten—"
"He could crawl into his shell and we'll cut the wolf's stomach to save him, okay?" Leo said.
"That sounds good to me," Mikey said.
They were almost at the front porch when April spoke, and they noticed that she was still standing far behind them.
"Guys, I just remember something."
There was anxiety in April's voice that made the turtles and Casey stopped and turned around.
"What is it, April?" Leonardo asked.
April pursed her lips. "When I was little, my mom told me that I should never go too deep into the woods. She said there's a part of the woods that's unkind."
"Unkind?" Mikey jumped, "What do you mean, April? Like the trees have evil spirits?"
"I don't know! I forgot about it. And all these months we have been to the woods but it's mostly fine y'know. So I kind of forgot about the warning."
"Mostly fine, huh," Casey laughed sarcastically. "Y'forgot about the grassy big guy and the insane hunter and the frogs, Red?"
"No, the mutants were there because of the mutagen," April said, "But the Heart of the Woods has always been there."
"Heart of the Woods?" Mikey gasped in horror and grasped Donnie's arm, the latter glanced at him irritably and shoved him away. "It has a name?"
"Yeah, that's how my mom called it," April smiled with a frown. "It's not as scary as it sounds. I don't think half of the legends were true, actually."
"April, I don't think that's what Mikey meant," Donnie said wryly, "I think Mikey's just sad because someone named it ahead of him."
"April," Leo took a step toward her, "If you don't think it's true, why did you tell us?"
"Because it's been a while," April said, "And…it's getting dark. I'm getting a feeling that something's not right."
"Y'have a feeling?" Casey asked. "Like, a feeling?"
April nodded slightly and looked down at her hands.
"You think it has anything to do with the 'Heart of Woods'?" Leo asked.
"No, I don't really think so," April said thoughtfully. "But we better find Raph."
"All right," Leo sighed. "Guys, we spread out and search." He started to walk toward the woods.
"Alone?" Mikey squeaked, following behind him.
"Leo," April said, "I think we better stick together."
Leonardo paused. There was seriousness in her tone that made him alert.
"Alright," he said, "We stay together."
-:-:-:-:-:-
The woods were quiet, but not completely silent.
"Uh, April, you said 'legends'. So…there are legends about this 'Heart of Woods'?" Donnie asked, trying to keep up with April while Casey pushed him aside every time he caught up with her.
"Yes, there are plenty of them. But I hardly remember all the stories. My mother told me when I was little. We went into the woods all the time, but there was a certain part of the woods she never let me went inside. When I asked her why, she'd told me one of those legends."
"So, you don't remember any of 'em?" Casey asked. This time he got elbowed by Donnie, who then smiled viciously at his clumsy staggering.
"Actually, there was a story about an old man that I still remember quite well," she said after thinking for a moment.
"Wait a minute, nobody lives around here," Leo said, "Then who's passed these legends to the next generation?"
"I don't know," April shrugged.
"Maybe your mom just made those up to scare you," Mikey said. "My brothers makes up stories to scare me all the time."
"Maybe," April said.
"So what about this old dude?" Casey asked.
"Um, there was this old man living by the woods," April said, "He was alone. His wife had left him a long, long time ago. The old man was always lonely and angry. He couldn't forgive his wife, whom he thought had betrayed him."
"This doesn't sound like fairy tales for children," Leo frowned, "How could you remember all the details?"
"She told this story many times," April explained. "The old man went to a walk in the woods everyday. One day, he went too deep into the woods. He noticed that the trees had become silent, and the woods around him seemed like they were breathing."
"Aw!" Mikey cried suddenly. "Sorry," he quickly smiled in embarrassment, "I stepped on a branch and freaked myself out. I really don't want you to continue the story, April. But you may continue."
"…And he began to have an eerie feeling of trees trying to talk to him, but he denied the feeling, for trees weren't suppose to talk. He tried to find a way out, but soon found out that he was lost."
"Hope this won't happen to us," Donnie glanced around.
"The old man started to panic. He walked faster. However, he was going in circles."
"And then? And then? Did they attack him?" Mikey asked.
"He wore himself out," April continued. "Finally, he sat down under a tree and leant against its trunk. Soon, he fell asleep, and he had a dream.
"When he woke up, it was already dark. Luckily and strangely, he found the way home without much trouble."
"Thank god," Mikey panted, rubbing his plastron in relief.
"After three days, he grabbed a rifle and attacked the nearest village."
Everyone was silent for a moment.
"Your mom's a great story teller," Casey commented dryly. "How could she tell a little kid scary stories like this?"
"I don't know," April shook her head, "Now that I think about it, she was acting strange when she told me the story."
"It's only a story," Leonardo said, "How could anyone know what happened before the man attacked the village? It's a legend. People simply made them up to make the already puzzling event more mysterious."
"Maybe you're right Leo," April heaved a sigh. "But right now we must find Raph."
—End of part one.