All was silent at the dawn of July 15th. It was the start of a midsummer day just like any other, or so it would seem. The sewer tunnels below New York City were eerily quiet as they hadn't been running in days. Where were all the people going? So many had left New York over the past few weeks, all in quite a hurry, but the newscasters said nothing of it, other than mentions of "camps" that families could go to if they liked. This morning, the television in the turtles' living room was nothing but a frozen image, replacing the usual news. In bold letters, it read— MAYOR ORDERS IMMEDIATE EVACUATION OF THE CITY—

But none of the citizens would've seen it at this time. All of their electricity cut out days ago, and a majority of them were long gone.

Donnie poured himself another cup of tea, this time slipping a sleeping pill into his mouth. He'd been unable to rest for days…
After finishing off the mug, he turned the TV off and made his way back to Leo's room, where he'd been staying while all the mysterious events were going on up top.
Finally, he was able to sleep while enjoying the silence for once.
-

The eerie silence was broken by the sound of running feet and in the distance, an echoing growl. But whatever it was couldn't get into the lair, surely. Donnie put up traps all over the place, and these mysterious beings that he'd noticed only a few times weren't very intelligent. The turtles had nothing to worry about, well, according to Leo anyway. But he might've just said that to get Donnie to shut up.

The running figure kept at it until he saw the faint light of his friend's home in front of him, like an oasis in the dry desert. These creatures were FAST, and they were right on his tail now. "L–Leonardo!" He called out, desperate for help. He jumped over the four foot wall protecting the lair, but the creatures cleared the wall in seconds. He was running out of energy after having being chased for several miles by these monsters, but he was so close to grabbing a weapon and finishing them off. Why didn't anyone mention that the undead couldn't die without a shot to the head? That would've helped a lot earlier when he'd jabbed his katana into one of the zombies' shoulder, thereby losing his blade.

He darted into the opened dojo, grabbing a sword off the wall and climbed up the tree. Panting heavily, he watched the once-humans look around the room; their blank eyes scanning for him. He gave himself just a moment to relax and study the mysterious undead. One creature knelt to chew on a small dead mouse stuck in a trap, his eyes a lifeless gray and his skin the color of the stormy sea. Blood pooled out of its shoulder, but it showed no pain.

He clung onto his friend's katana, coming up with an escape route. He'd have to be even faster than before. Was it possible? His legs felt like they were made of lead. All he had to do was climb across the branch closest to the door, jump down, and lock it. Simple. He just needed to finish a few more calculations. He had only been here once before and didn't even know if his friends were home.

Usagi wasn't very prepared for a visit today.

His thoughts were distracted by a low growl; obviously he'd been spotted and now had no choice but to run.

"Damn it…" He swore, leaping down from the tree in a hurry and fled the dojo, closing the door behind him before they could get to it. They weren't smart enough to know how to open doors, right? Hopefully. There wasn't really enough time to figure that out, anyway.

"Leonardo-san, where ARE you?" He called as he searched each room of the turtles' lair. All empty and pristinely clean. Exhausted, he sheathed his swords and banged on the last of the bedroom doors before bursting in. Sure enough, his two friends were sound asleep, oblivious to all that had been going on over the past few minutes. Donnie looked like he was sleeping peacefully, but Leo must've been waking up already.

"Where have you been, Leonardo? I needed your help… didn't you hear me?" He crossed his arms, secretly relieved to find his friends alive and well.

Leonardo rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, quickly sitting up upon hearing his voice. "Usagi?– it's been a while. What…when did you get here?" Leo tied his mask on, getting out of bed sluggishly. Did you even knock?

"Oh, about five minutes ago, actually." Usagi put his hands on his knees to catch his breath. "I've only been chased by two of those monsters for the past four and a half miles. I'm fine." There was a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

"Where are they now?" Leo grew more alert, knowing that those things couldn't have gotten into the lair, so they fine for now. He didn't like killing them when he didn't have to. It seemed wrong.

"In your dojo. I closed the door. Your little barricade is nothing against these things; they climbed right over. So… you might want to rethink that one."

"You're kidding."

"I don't do that."

Donatello began waking up upon hearing their voices, but he hoped it was just a dream. Besides, when was the last time Miyamoto Usagi had visited the lair? It'd been about two years. And that was during a battle, he wasn't invited or anything.

He rolled over and snuggled into the thin blanket, trying to go back to sleep. But the voices grew louder.

"What do you mean, Mikey hasn't come back yet?" Leo snapped at his friend. "He wasn't supposed to leave the lair!"

"Well I saw him a few hours ago…" Usagi spoke slowly, adjusting his gear as a way to distract himself from Leo's angry glare. "Though he wouldn't speak to me. I assumed you knew. Perhaps he is looking for Raphael..?"

"Nah. Only an idiot would do that. Raph's fine. Him and Casey took April upstate to the farmhouse. He'll be back any day now." Leo spoke with confidence, though it'd been almost two weeks since Raph left to escort their friends.

"Have you… have you not been up there? The streets are covered with these things. Abandoned cars line the streets. The military is gone. Everyone alive is simply GONE, and you should consider leaving too. Your home will soon be overrun."

"Thanks for the input." Leo quipped, staring at the ground. "We are not leaving without the rest of my family."

"Waiting around could only cause more risk." Usagi motioned towards the door. "Take Donatello and just go... I'll wait here for your brothers. I promise."

"No. I wait here, you take Donnie." Leo countered.

Donnie heard his name and knew he couldn't stay silent any longer. "How about you two quit arguing and we all get the hell out of here? Leo, if Raph's out there, odds are he's having a blast and destroying these biters. Mikey couldn't have gotten far. We'll track him down and then we go. That's final. So shape up and get ahold of yourselves, both of you. This isn't the end of the world."

Hmm… wrong words. It appeared to actually be the end of the world, though Donnie refused to believe this. He knew there was a cure, maybe the CDC was working on it right then and soon everything would be normal. Who knows?

Donnie folded the blankets up neatly, keeping his mind busy. "Usagi, since we aren't leaving yet, go take care of those creatures. Thanks. And Leo– get the van ready. We don't need to waste time."

"And what about your sensei?" Usagi asked innocently. Leo practically winced but maintained his composure, staying strong. There was no time for emotions. "He won't be coming with us." Because while mutants couldn't turn into these monsters, getting their faces chewed off by one could definitely kill. Splinter died days ago while walking the sewers. He was ambushed and all that was left of him were his bones and clothes... That's when Donnie put up the wall.

"I'm…I'm sorry Leonardo—" the visitor tried to find words, but what do you say to a grieving man at a time like this? Nothing.

"Just... just get those things out of Splinter's room. Please." Leo faced the wall to fight back tears.

Donnie chewed on his lip, trying not to think too much about the death of his father. They needed to keep going. There wasn't time to stop and grieve, not right now. If Leo couldn't be strong, then Donnie would. He'd find the cure and save them all, surely and avenge his father's death. It's what Splinter would want; for them to stay strong, together, and move on.

"If you two won't go and do what I told you, I WILL!" Donnie snapped suddenly– sick of the silence, really– and threw open the door. He took the sword from Usagi, then waved it around. "Where are you, freaks?! Come take a bite of me, I dare you!" Tears filled his eyes as he edged towards the dojo. So many memories of training with his brothers and Sensei over the years... and all the innocence that was in their hearts at the time filled him with melancholy. How many days ago had Splinter watched his sons train? Was it just two weeks ago when he'd told Donnie how proud he was of him?...

"Just come get me." He whispered, kicking open the door. The half rotted zombies turned their heads, running towards the door to get a bite of the fresh meat. Donnie knew they were once humans. He knew that they might've still been in there somewhere, but it didn't matter now. Until he found a cure, there was no way he could save them. "I'm sorry, okay?" He swung the blade in a swift motion, decapitating both corpses. "I'm sorry."

Mikey roamed the abandon streets of New York City, raiding several pizza shops along the way. With large headphones in, he seemed to be in his own little world, away from all its problems and just living as if he was a human. And he loved it.
Mikey slipped into a music store and stuffed a few CDs into his bag that were lying on the counter. "This is so cool... oh my god!" He squealed, running over to a wall of DVDs. "THE FIRST CHRIS BRADFORD MOVIE!" He shouted. He should've been a bit quieter. He wasn't exactly alone in the city. But Mikey just enjoyed being loud.
"Guess this place is as good as any for a crash spot." He laid his sleeping bag out behind the register, having had no sleep in about three days. After settling down a bit in the nearly empty and abandoned store, Mikey grabbed his phone and called his older brother who never answered. Sure enough, it went straight to voicemail. "Hey Raph. It's me again." Mikey glanced out at the dark streets, shivering. "I wish you'd hurry up and get back. Donnie thinks you're dead but I know better. You're too stubborn to die. So...get back to New York as soon as possible. Or… better yet— stay where you are and I'll come find you the second I steal a car. Just don't get hurt or anything. I'm coming." A sudden bang startled Mikey, but it was just a stray cat, scratching against the door. "Leo and Don won't even notice I left. They haven't left the lair since this stuff started. I doubt they will. Sensei taught us to be brave, but they're not being brave at all. They're weak, that's what." He stood, edging towards the door to let the cat inside. "I saw that hamster guy earlier. Or is he a Guinea pig? I don't know. But he kept trying to follow me. I know he's probably gonna tell Leo I'm out here, but they won't find me, they wouldn't care if I died…" Mikey sighed softly, watching the silent city at night. "It's so quiet now. I feel like I rule the city... I kind of like it like this. I don't really care what happens next; the world can stay dead for all I care. I get to be free now." He leaned down to pet the cat, noticing a zombie running his way. "Shoot... I gotta go. Be safe Raphie..." Mikey shut the door and locked it before hiding behind the register. He avoided these things at all times. It didn't seem right to try and kill them, after all they were still humans! They probably still had feelings too, they were just hungry. This monster was once a young man but now had its intestines hanging out of its belly. It had blond hair and might've been handsome if it wasn't dead. It banged on the glass, growling at Mikey and the cat— the fresh meat driving it insane.

"Hey dude. My name is Mikey. Can you stop doing that? Thanks!" Mikey called, clinging onto the phone.

It roared, slamming its fists on the glass in rage in response.

"Sorry, no one's home!" Mikey shouted at the zombie. And then the worst thing possible happened.

The store's alarm went off. Ear piercing noise filled the air as the glass shattered and the zombie ran inside, running straight for the cat. Mikey covered his ears and made a run for it, right out the front door. He had to get out of there before every walker in New York City decided to snack on his flesh. "Where the heck's that Guinea pig when you need him! Or was it a chipmunk? Help! Help! Someone!" He shrieked, "HE'S GONNA KILL THE CAT! HELP!" While sprinting away, he tripped on some debris and skidded across the pavement . Footsteps headed towards him in a hurry, and a figure hovered over the young turtle. Headlights shone in Mikey's face when he tried to look up.

"I'm a rabbit. Not a Guinea pig. Get it straight." Usagi scooped up the terribly scratched up Michelangelo and carried him back to the van.

"I tried not to hit him but the idiot tripped on his own two feet..." Leo muttered as he slammed on the gas pedal, sending the four of them speeding off into the night towards an unknown destination.

And down on the street now being overrun by walkers, Mikey's phone rung once, twice… three times. A voicemail was left...

Opening his eyes, Mikey immediately recognized his surroundings and felt himself sigh in relief. He was in the back of the van; his legs wrapped tightly to protect himself in case of any infections. He rubbed his head and stretched his legs out, accidentally kicking Leo's shins. He was also asleep, presumably for the first time in days, but he was restless, frequently tossing and turning. "Where are we going?" He crawled up towards the front seat where Donnie and Usagi were in the middle of a quiet conversation. "You can at least tell me that after you hit me with a car, Fluffy."

Usagi shook his head. "I was not driving… And we saw you trip on your own feet."

"Yeah, thanks for the helpful information, Fuzzball. But seriously, where are we going? We need to find Raph first."

"No time." Donnie opened the map he'd been carrying. "We need to get to Maryland. There's a secret military base in the mountains, and if I'm correct, the president has a pretty secure house there. I doubt he would be staying so close to the populated areas, so if it's abandoned, it just might be a good place for us all to stay until I can whip up a cure for this."

Usagi glanced at Donnie. "You really think you can do this?"

"Yeah. I have to. We can't let this country, this world even– deteriorate. We're going to save it. Even... even if it costs our lives…" Donnie turned and looked at Leo, sighing quietly. "Raph is safe, wherever he is. He's with April and Casey. They'll be fine. But we need to put them aside and fix this before it kills any more of us. So keep moving, Usagi, and don't stop for nothing." He climbed into the backseat, lying beside Leo. "I need to sleep. I have a migraine."

"Yeah, that's what you have." Mikey rolled his eyes at his older brother. "I'll keep watch like the hero I am while you two sit here and snooze. Some heroes."

"Shut up. You've been knocked out for three hours. I don't want to hear it!"

The van's speed rapidly decreased and for a moment Mikey assumed they were stopping for gas or something like that. But a loud noise sounding like a firecracker dismissed that thought. They weren't quite alone on this road... no, not at all. It was blocked off by a group of men behind a barricade made of logs. "Should I turn around?" Usagi asked quietly. He hesitated, studying them. All of the men held rifles pointed towards the van, all looked hostile and ready to kill in a split second. But Usagi knew they were just paranoid humans protecting their properties and families too.

"I guess there's no point trying to run them over." Donnie groaned. "Just turn around. We'll find another way."

"Every highway from here to Mexico is likely blocked off. These backroads are limited, and if they're all covered in Minutemen like this..."

"Then," Donnie's voice rose along with his annoyance at their driver, "next time you run them over. Got it? We're wasting time."

The van turned around in a smooth motion, speeding off in the opposite direction. Mikey peeked out the back window at the mysterious men, nodding to himself. "We need to do something like that!"

Raph put his phone down after calling his brothers for the umpteenth time and gazed out at the faint light in the distance where the Jones' neighbors were hiding out, as they had been for days.

"Any luck?" April O'Neil peeked out of the kitchen. "I can't imagine why they wouldn't think to come here by now."

"Well, maybe they can't get out of the city." Casey suggested, reloading a gun in case they got any surprise visitors. "Or maybe Leo's keeping them home."

"Knowing him that's exactly what's going on. He's too stubborn." Raph mumbled, pacing the front porch. Why would he put them all at risk like that? Why didn't they just leave the city like everyone else did? Gosh, he was stupid. Dashing their chances of survival, that's what he was doing…

"Or maybe he knows the roadways will be clogged with humans, so he's waiting them out…" Casey looked at his friend. "We can't stay here long. These woods are filled with campers. We leave by Monday, okay?"

April looked down, holding his arm suddenly. "Casey, can I talk to you in the kitchen for a moment?"

Casey nodded, following his girlfriend into the kitchen. He knew she was tense. Hell, they all were. With knowledge that most of their family was dead, yeah, it sucked. And now their friends were lost too... could it get much worse? Well, besides the world ending part, of course.

"Casey, I don't think we should leave. We should make this place secure." April folded her arms, dark brown hair drooping over her shoulders. "Because what if they come here looking for us? It's safer in big groups. You know that."

"And these thugs in the woods count as safety?" He tugged a piece of her dyed hair. He missed the red. "Nah, we'll find someplace better."

"Casey…" She blinked back tears, studying the picture of a lighthouse on the wall. "I don't want to leave right now."

"And why's that, Miss O'Neil..? Because we don't have much of choice. The world is ending!"

April sucked in a breath, calmly walking to the stove to finish breakfast. "We are not going anywhere without them."

"And what if that's not an option?" Casey slapped his palms against the countertop, frustrated. "What if I don't want the only family I have left to be eaten alive?"

April flinched at the sudden raised tone but kept her temper under control with a small smile as she glanced up at him. "They're our family too. And you'll have to drag me out of here before I ever decide to leave without them." The thought of her poor young friends getting torn apart was sickening... terrifying... she tried not to see it but it was too late. They were just eighteen. They didn't deserve this. Hell, they'd been through enough already by just being mutants.

"Set the table, please."

The three companions sat on the front porch after the sun rose and ate the food April prepared. "So, when are we leaving?" Raph clenched onto the little pink glass he was drinking from. "Now, maybe?"

"It's as good of a time as any." Casey swallowed a final bite, shooting a look at April.

"Casey, no." Her voice was stern. "We need to stay here."

"I'm sorry, April. I really am." Casey's smile was incredibly forced. "But Raph and I made our decision, and it's final. The guys will be okay, they're ninjas, remember?"

"They're children!" She shot back angrily. "We could be their only hope and you just want to leave? How could you?"
"Look around, April! The dead have risen over the past month, the population is depleting… if we don't find some place safe and soon we're going to die!" Casey slammed his fist down on the table, eyes filled with rage. "Wake up already!"
"I wish I could…" she mumbled, scooting the chair back before trudging into the woods.
"And where do you think you're going, Miss?" Casey growled, quickly jogging off after her.

April ignored his calls and continued roaming the now populated forest she'd once fearlessly explored as a child. Now, there was always fear. Fear of being killed, fear of being eaten alive, fear of Casey being eaten alive, and the constant fear that she wouldn't wake up the next morning. April wanted to live a very long life, maybe have children down the road, but thanks to the current situation, it seemed like that would never happen. She felt like she was waiting on death.

Casey waited behind a tree, gun in hand should anyone or anything try to harm her. These woods were growing more and more crowded by the day, and with people, came the undead. They weren't safe. They never would be. But to the almighty Casey Jones, he didn't personally need to be safe.
He liked a little adventure and was eager to start a new one, as long as April wasn't harmed along the way.

To be continued…

Thank you for reading this terrible trash thus far. I will try to update twice a week, but that could change. First chapters are worst chapters for a reason, after all. :)

-Red