A/N: Hey guys! This is my first TMNT work in a while but I decided to do a Halloween special! This is a horror/slasher fic so be prepared for that. This is a HUMAN AU. Also, if you read my other works, these chapters will be a lot shorter because this is only a miniseries of about six chapters. Just a little fun thing for the best time of the year! Stay spooky friends!
Autumn – the season of change.
It's the contrast between the bright pigments of the orange leaves which showered the ground compared to the grey shadow that lay in the overcast sky, the cracks of each leaf breaking with a crack when her boots touched the cement compared to the gentle sprinkles of precipitation which bounced off of the tip of her nose. It all couldn't help but bring a smile to her face.
Autumn was a season that April O'Neil had fallen in love with. The warmth of the sweaters with colors that matched the ginger in her hair and the festivities of the harvest. Most importantly, the celebration of Halloween.
The 31st of October had always been one of her favorite nights of the year. It had always glowed in her childhood all the way through her teen years, and at the ripe age of eighteen, it had a whole new opportunity.
This year, Halloween had landed on a date where her father would be out of town.
It was a rare occasion that she and her friends went on outings outside on Manhattan, but she figured that since high school was over now, that could change. Her friends were certainly delighted o hear the idea when she presented it to them on a Friday night, and Leonardo's skepticism was re-assured by the fact that it would only be one night.
One night; and a night that she wouldn't settle to be any less than the best.
Since the beginning of high school, her gang of six had been inseparable, no one coming in between them. She feared things might change when she and Donnie started dating, but their little family had only become even closer. They had spent absolutely every holiday, birthday, and occasion together.
That was why she worried that the boys might not be so keen on the idea of Irma coming along.
Outside of her group, April had always been close with the girl since they had biology together freshman year. Some of her friends weren't very fond of her, for she contained an awkwardness that she could not escape. However, that wasn't Irma's fault, so she decided that this time around she would persist against their opinions.
Excitement swam in her eyes as she arrived at the home, her sleepover bag hanging from her shoulder.
"I'm here!" she announced, welcoming herself in and scanning the area, hoping to see the others standing with their bags as well. Yet all that was in sight was Mikey slumped over the coach eating a bag of potato chips.
"Hey, April," he mumbled, not taking away his attention.
"Mikey, you're supposed to be packing!" she walked over and pulled the chips out of his grasp to his dismay. "We have to go!"
"Well Casey and Raph aren't even home!" he pouts, holding his hand out in an attempt to get her to return the chips. "They went to go search Casey's place for some stuff they wanna bring along."
"God, what did I expect?" she face palmed. "And as for your packing, kid?"
"It's right here!" he grabbed a duffel bag from beside the couch.
"He just packs light," Leo said, emerging from the kitchen with a backpack of his own.
"Well, at least someone's ready," she smiled back at him, handing the chips back to her younger friend. "Where's Donnie?"
"Taking a nap," Leo sighed.
"What?! Does anyone keep a watch around here?" she complained, "I'll go get him."
She attempts to mark her footsteps slowly as she travels down the hall, not wishing to wake him up abruptly. She creaks open the door to his room, delighted to see him bundled in the blanket she got him last winter.
"Hey, D," she hummed gently, tucking herself into the blanket beside him and resting her cheek on his shoulder.
Donnie began to stir, first unpleasantly, but his expression softened immediately when he recognized her voice. His almond eyes flutter open, cupping her face in his palm.
"Is it time to go?" he asked, his voice still tranquilized from his nap.
"Yeah, as soon as Casey gets back, considering he's the driver and all. You all packed?" she said, closing her eyes to melt into his touch.
"I packed last night before bed," he tells her, and then closes his eyes again. "Can't you just lay down with me for a while?"
"You know I wish we could, love," she smiled warmly, "We've got to go before dusk if we want to make the most of our Halloween night up there."
Before he can respond, they heard the doorbell ring.
"Trick or treaters?" Donnie questioned.
"About that…I think it might be someone else," she started.
"April! It's for you," Leo's voice called from down the hall.
"Remember Irma?" she asked Donnie as they stood up and started out of the room.
"Wait, did you invite her?" he asked, stopping in the mirror to run his fingers through his wavy brown hair.
"Maybe," she answered innocently.
"Casey's definitely not going to be happy with that," he sighed, and the two ventured out into the living room.
"Hey Irma!" April greeted, reaching to embrace her friend. "You know these guys, right?"
"I sure do," Irma responded, pushing her thick glasses back up against her nose.
"Guys, I thought Irma here could join us this time around," April announced. "Is that okay?"
"Sure," Leo smiled, holding his hand out to shake hers. "We're taking a big van; there's always room for one more."
"Hey, do you want potato chips?" Mikey offered, not bothering to stop chewing.
"Pass," she shrugged, seeming already annoyed him.
"Your loss, more for me," he shrugged back.
The door slammed open; a gesture they're much more familiar with.
"Who's ready to party?!" Raph cheered, pulling out a bag of weed that they had retrieved from Casey's room.
"Raphael!" Leo said, "Not in front of Mikey!"
"It's okay, I ate one of those brownies once," Mikey added nonchalantly.
"You know what? I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear that," Leo said, "Everyone's here right? To the van I go."
It was that moment that Casey noticed Irma's presence, causing him to raise an eyebrow.
"April, can I talk to ya for a minute?" he asked, pulling the girl into the kitchen before she could reply.
"What is she doing here?" he asked immediately.
"I invited her to come. She told me she had nothing to do this Halloween and I figured that there's no reason why she shouldn't be able to come with us," April stated.
"Oh wait, there is a reason," Casey said, "Because she's fucking weird!"
April covered his mouth with her palm, worried that Irma had heard him. "Can you not be a dick for once in your life? You're pretty weird too last time I checked."
"But she's like creepy weird, you get me? She's giving off those bad vibes," he shuddered.
"Just be nice, okay? She's my friend and I feel guilty just leaving her alone while I'm out having a good time. It's just one night," she told him.
Casey sighed. "Alright Red, fine. But you owe me."
"Don't expect more than a piece of gum," she teased, and he threw an arm over her shoulder as they followed everyone out to the car.
After several arguments of who sits where and Raph telling Mikey to shut up enough times to become painfully annoying, the drive upstate finally began.
It took approximately three hours; though it felt like ten with Mikey complaining about the drive the whole way.
"Here we are!" April smiled, swinging the car door open and jumping onto the ground. "Isn't it just beautiful this time of year?"
"It'll be even more beautiful tomorrow, when you could actually see the leaves," Leo said, infatuated with the natural environment.
"That is…if we make it to tomorrow," Raph joked, "Halloween in the woods? Definitely a murder spree waiting to happen."
"Stop!" Mikey exclaimed, "You're scaring me man!"
"I'm just teasing you, kid," he walked over to him, "Or am I?"
"Leave him alone, Raph," Leo says, "We've got some exploring to do."
April leads the way as the group enters the home; and it looks a lot different than it did when they were there before.
"Who boarded up the windows?" Donnie asked, seeing that the glass of the windows replaced with boards of wood.
"Guess my dad had it done, weather conditions or something," she guessed.
They venture further through the home, searching and seeing nothing but an array of spider webs.
"Well, this is disgusting," Leo noted.
"This place wasn't full of insects last time I checked," Casey investigated, "It's awesome though."
"Actually they're arachnids, Jones," Donnie could not resist correcting. "Anyway, it's a pretty good place to spend Halloween."
"What are we gonna do now? Pig out on candy or watch some horror flicks?" Raph asked.
"I think we're gonna need some munchies first," Casey smirked at him, swiping out a lighter.
"Well you guys do that in the basement away from everyone else. We'll get started up on a movie," April said.
"Does it have to be a scary movie?" Mikey asked, looking years younger than he was.
"Yes Mikey, it's Halloween. If you can't handle it you won't come next year," Donnie told him.
"No! I'll be seventeen next year, I've got to come," he tried to make himself bigger, only causing Casey and Raph to laugh at him.
"Off you go, assholes," April turned to them, and they happily start to go down towards the basement stairs.
"Wait, can I come?"
They turn around in surprise to see Irma requesting to tag along.
"Wait? Irma wants to get stoned?!" Casey held in an intense laughter.
"Just let her Case," Raph turned to him, "It'll probably be hilarious."
"I'll just follow behind, then," she said, and the guys quickly stepped down the stairs.
"Plot twist!" Mikey laughed.
Irma began to take a few steps down the stairs when she missed a step, losing her balance.
"Ah," she shouted, tumbling down the wooden stairs and crashing to the floor.
"Irma!" April and the others began to run down the stairs, "You alright?!"
"I'm fine," she said in embarrassment, the other six all staring at her, taking April's hand to stand her up. Both of her knees quickly became absorbed with blood.
"We've got some first aid in the bathroom, let's go," April told her, throwing her arm over her shoulder and helping her up the stairs.
"It's okay, I have my own band-aids. I just left them in the van. I'll be going to go get them, then," Irma said once she got up the stairs, Casey and Raph shrugging and closing the basement door behind them.
"You sure you want to go out there alone?" Leo asked her.
"Yeah, it's super creepy out here at night. One time, we came over here and I saw a lizard outside and I wanted to go catch it but then-
"Positive," Irma interrupted him. "I'll be right back."
"Okay," April reluctantly agreed, and Irma exited through the front door.
The movie began to play, and five minutes passed.
"Shouldn't she be back by now?" Leo questioned.
"Maybe she's taking care of it outside?" April pondered.
"I'm gonna go check on her," Mikey stood up, "It's what a gentleman would do."
"Oh please, it's because you're scared of this damn movie," Donnie teased.
In that same instance, a shallowly cold scream crept through the walls.
The pitch was high enough for Raph and Casey to come out of the basement as well in alarm.
"Irma!" April exclaimed, running towards the door with the group following behind her. They quickly scattered through the proximity searching for the girl, but the only trace of her was an open box of bandages on the floor beside the van.
April leaned down to pick up the box, examining it carefully and then turning to face the darkening woods.
"She's gone."
