April ran after Leo, stumbling through the tough weeds. How had he gotten so far away so quickly? She had only been on the phone to Donnie for a moment. Ninjas. Mist curled over the ground, swirling into white spirals as she ran through it.
The ground near the river sloped down to the water. As she followed the slope down, the noise of the city faded. On her left, huge concrete pipes jutted out into the river. The ground turned to mud beneath her feet, slippery and treacherous.
She heard a splash as Leo stepped into the river. She gritted her teeth and ran across the mud, slipping and sliding until she reached him. The water was like ice, and the shock made her gasp aloud.
She grabbed his arm. "Leo, stop!" He staggered into her, and they nearly both went down. She slipped her shoulder under his arm, aware that if he did go down, there was nothing she could do to stop him. "Come on, Leo. Help me out, here."
She tried to turn him but he resisted, pushing her towards the dark opening of the pipes. Mist curled from the water here, too, obstructing her view of the far shore. She shivered. "Not there. We need to get out of this water."
"S'm'one's singing," he said, his voice slurred.
She blinked, and listened. A damp, cold silence surrounded them. "I can't hear anything."
"Singing," he insisted, taking another step toward the pipes.
"No," she said. "No-one is singing, Leo. Please, we need to go this way." She put all her effort into turning him around. He resisted, but she took advantage of his dazed state and yanked him around.
She couldn't see the bank. The mist was higher than her head, obscuring everything. What's going on? They had only been a few steps from the bank. Now there seemed to be nothing but a blank stretch of water.
Panic gripped her. Was she even facing the bank anymore? She peered around her, but mist and water surrounded her on all sides. She was lost. She didn't know which way to go.
And then she could hear singing, just on the edge of hearing. That's it. Creep factor overload. Come on, April. Use your training! She took a deep breath. Trust your instincts, Master Splinter always said.
She closed her eyes. The singing was louder now, no voices, just a wavering melody, like pan pipes or a flute. She pushed the sound away. Her senses told her to walk forward, but her legs wouldn't obey.
Walk, April. Just walk. She took a step, dragging a dazed Leo with her, and another, and another, the cold water splashing up her legs. Leo was getting heavier and heavier as he sagged against her. Please stay upright, she begged silently. It was too far. They hadn't come this far. She was going the wrong way.
No! Keep walking! Trust your instincts. She forged on, gritting her teeth.
Then the water was gone and they staggered up on to the mud. April opened her eyes. They were on the shore. She had made it!
"April!"
Donnie's voice, right now her favourite sound in the world. The turtles ran to meet her. Raphael took Leo from her and she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Where were you?" Raphael snapped.
"In the river. We got lost in the mist."
"What mist?"
April turned and looked behind her. The water was clear, reflecting the lights from the far shore. There was no sign of mist anywhere.
