A/N: Hey there! Update again, just like I promised. Shout out to BubblyShell22 for the continued interest in this story :)

Chapter Two: Set This House On Fire

Casey slowly came out of his fuzzy stupor, thanks to the excruciating throbbing inside his head. He didn't even want to attempt to move. It felt like someone had grabbed a sledgehammer and gone to town on his skull. As his senses returned sluggishly, he could feel the aching stiffness in his bones.

What happened?

His brain wasn't quite functioning yet. He could remember saying goodbye to April … Purple Dragons … the guys … April was mad at him … the hairs on the back of his neck standing up—Oh! Now he had it. Someone had jumped him. Great, that was just what he needed tonight. Well, whoever mugged him was really gonna get it. He jerked his arm, trying to move it, but found he was pinned down somehow.

What?

He forced his eyes open, and discovered he had a big problem. He was slouched in a wooden chair, his wrists and ankles restrained by thick metal cuffs. This did not bode well. Casey sat up straight, cracked his neck, and looked around for … for what? Again, he was still a little groggy, unable to think clearly. There was a door, but what was he gonna do, hop the chair over there and somehow magically manage to get out onto the street? Yeah, that was likely. Okay, a plan, he needed a plan. But it was so damn hard to think.

"Nice to see you, vigilante."

Casey's stomach dropped at the sound of the familiar baritone voice. Oh yeah, this was a big problem. Emphasis on the big. He turned his head, and saw Hun emerging from the shadows. Well, that explained the pain exploding inside his skull. Frankly, he was glad Hun hadn't put him in a coma when he knocked him on the head.

"Can't say the same," Casey answered. His mouth tasted like something had died in it.

Hun stopped right in front of him, and grabbed his shoulder. "Oh? That's too bad." He grinned maliciously, giving Casey a rough shove. The chair fell backwards, and his head smashed against the concrete. There was a burst of pain and he saw stars. It took him a couple seconds to come up with a comeback.

"What's the matter, Hun?" he jeered. "You so afraid of me that you gotta tie me up?"

The giant brusquely hauled Casey upright again, sneering at him, completely composed. "This is all for me, Jones. This is payback. You're gonna wish you'd never been born by the time I'm done with you."

Before Casey could mock him again, Hun's massive fist slammed into his cheek. He barely had time to comprehend what had happened before he was hit again, this time in the stomach. The wind was knocked out of his lungs, and another blow came, to his ribs. Something cracked.

Now his nose. He definitely heard it break.

Hun laughed loudly, hitting him just below the eye. Now in the jaw. In the side, the stomach again, his ribs again, another crack, pain so much pain, did Hun just punch him again, he couldn't tell, getting hard to focus …

April stood in front of the warehouse, convincing herself for the hundredth time that this was the only way. She couldn't call the guys, couldn't count on their help this time. But Splinter had been training her. Sure, she was no expert, but she could handle herself. Probably.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm down. She patted the handbag she was carrying, and felt the gun inside. Her father had forced her to buy one when she moved out. "Even if you never use it," he'd said, "it's a hell of a good deterrent."

Could she do it? Could she bring herself to fire it if the time came? She told herself she could; she had to. Casey was depending on her.

She heard an agonized cry from the warehouse, and her pulse quickened. There was no more time to waste. Casey needed her now. She rushed forward, threw open the splintering wooden doors, and caught her breath.

Hun turned slowly around, a malicious grin on his face. He stepped aside, and April's heart skipped a beat. There was Casey, bolted to a chair, beaten into a bloody mess. His face was completely smeared with blood, one of his eyes swollen shut. Blood dripped from his nose to an alarmingly large pool already on the floor.

Casey glanced up, briefly, as if the weight of his head was too much for him. "…'Pril …" he managed to rasp, before he hung his head again.

She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. She wanted the guys to pop out of some shadow and kick the hell out of Hun. But they wouldn't. They didn't know. It seemed like such a stupid idea now. Why didn't she call them? They could have hidden until she drew Hun off, rescued Casey, rescued her … She would have to do the rescuing now.

The giant smirked, wiping blood—Casey's blood—off his fists onto his pants. "So glad you could join us."

April didn't take the bait. Her hand plunged into her purse, and she pulled the pistol out, pointing it right at Hun's chest. "Back off!" she menaced.

Hun didn't even flinch. "A gun?" He chuckled. "Very nice, but I don't think you've got the guts to shoot it."

"Believe me, I will if you don't get away from him."

Shaking his head and smiling, Hun went to stand behind Casey. He forced Casey's head up.

"What, you think I won't shoot because I might miss?" She could make the shot. He was a freaking mountain, there was no way she could miss. She couldn't miss.

"I'd drop that if I were you," Hun answered.

"Oh really? Why's that?"

Instead of answering, Hun wrapped one of his meaty arms around Casey's neck. He began to squeeze. She watched, frozen, as Casey's eyes bulged and he began to gasp feebly for air. Now what did she do?

"Drop the gun, or I snap his neck."

She had to keep up her façade of bravery. "Do it, and you're dead before you hit the floor." She couldn't let him see how terrified, confused, she really was.

Hun remained unyielding. "But Jones will be dead, and you can't live with that. Besides, I don't really think you have it in you to shoot me."

April knew he was right; she wouldn't be able to do it. As much as she hated him, she couldn't bring herself to pull the trigger. Why couldn't she do it? Why couldn't she just squeeze? Her arms began to shake, and Hun's smile widened. He'd won, and he knew it. Casey's face was turning red now. If Hun didn't break his neck, he'd end up suffocating him.

With a shaky sigh, she tossed the pistol over to Hun. She heard Casey groan as Hun released him, afraid; she had gotten rid of her only weapon, her only backup plan. There was nothing else thought out. She hadn't even left a note at her place, just in case the guys stopped by. That was it, that was all she had, and it had fallen through.

Hun moved away from Casey and lumbered towards her, his eyes narrowing to slits. For the first time that night, April began to feel the fear. Her whole body went cold. She couldn't move. She just stood there, staring at Hun with wide eyes, praying for some sort of intervention. It was the look in his eyes, something evil, which gripped her heart.

"W-What are you doing?" she managed to stutter.

"Killing two birds with one stone." Hun snarled. "If I take you out, it should take the fight right out of those green freaks."

"No!"

April glanced over Hun's shoulder, and saw Casey. He was sitting up, struggling wildly against the restraints. Her heart sunk. This was going to be hard for him to watch. She'd make it easier for him: she wouldn't scream. She wouldn't scream.

"You're wrong," she spat. "They'll come after you. They won't stop until you're dead."

"You think I can't hide from them?" Hun was right on top of her now. Her instincts screamed for her to run, but she knew it was useless. Better to stand her ground. "They'll never recover, and that's good enough for me."

He raised his fist high above his head, preparing to strike. April took a deep breath. I won't scream.