Chapter Four
Hours later on the freshly cleaned bus, Donnie woke up again. They weren't driving at the moment, so Donnie had no idea where they were or what was going on. His plastron was wrapped up tightly as well as his head, though Donnie had no memory of injuring his skull during all of the attacks.
Peeking out the window, he noticed that they were no longer near the forest, but on a highway. Stopped. Why?
Donnie swallowed the tablespoon of water left in the bottle on the bed, then sat up. "Guys? Is anyone in here?" What if they all got eaten, or worse, what if Karai had showed up to finish what she started? Donnie could see it now; all his friends covered in blood outside the RV, dying with the glimmer of hope that he'd wake up and save them before it was too late. But maybe it wasn't too late, if Donnie could muster up the courage to find them. Or, perhaps this was Karai's RV and she was waiting for him right outside at that very moment and it was all a trap.
The bed was very comfortable surprisingly, with clean white sheets and a seemingly new comforter. If it wasn't the end of the world and all, Donnie definitely would've stayed in bed and tried to sleep more. His bed at home was nothing more than a flat has-been mattress. He felt like a king in this bed.
Donnie got out of bed, clutching his plastron in pain. His head swirled upon standing; he hadn't been ready for that just yet. Donnie held onto the wooden doorframe, peeking out into the main area of the RV. A breakfast table with two bench-seats, a couch and a reclining chair. Upon further investigation, he found the couch was pull-out and the booths folded down to create a bed when the table was pushed down. That meant there was probably enough sleeping space for all of them, and they could likely all ride together to get to Camp David. That is, if they were all still alive.
The keys were taken from the front seat, but it was raining outside so Donnie didn't want to go out and find his family. Why would they be out in the rain like that? They died. That's it. That's what happened. He sat down on the reclining chair, holding back tears for the tenth time today. How could he survive on his own? He was weak and injured and probably didn't even have any food. This wasn't fair. He wanted to save the world!
And he still could. All he had to do was hotwire the RV and find his way to Maryland. He could use the GPS, get there, capture a zombie, study it and find the cure in no time, alone or not. Even though he'd probably be sad the entire time…
The door opened suddenly, revealing Casey and April carrying large boxes filled with food and medicine. "Hey, Donnie! Glad to see you're awake!" They were soaking wet and likely had been walking for quite a distance.
Donnie sighed in relief. "Why didn't you all tell me you were leaving? I nearly had a heart attack. I thought you were dead…"
"Why didn't Leo tell you? Thought he was supposed to… he's on the roof after all." Casey began putting the food away in the cabinets above the stove.
"The roof? Why?" Donnie staggered out of the vehicle, shading his eyes to try and see Leo. "Leonardo! What are you doing up there?" He shouted.
"Someone had to keep watch," Leo leaned down a little. "Glad to see you're okay, but you should get back inside so you don't catch a cold."
"Well, what about you? You're more likely to than I am!" Donnie protested, folding his arms. "Get down from there and come inside."
"Not until Mikey and Usagi get back. If the storm kicks up, I will come in. I promise." Leo was clearly lying through that smile of his. "Don't worry about me."
"I do worry about you. You know that." Donnie drew in a shallow breath, feeling a bit faint. "This… this really hurts." He leaned against the side of the RV, puffing breaths. His face felt incredibly hot as he struggled for each breath. This pain felt like constantly living with a broken bone and having nothing to stall the agony. Donnie sucked in another breath, stumbling back towards the stairs. "Guess I need… some water…?"
Leo noticed the change of tone, it alarmed him. He knew what having a cracked shell felt like, and it was probably one of the worst pains one can fathom. He didn't want Donnie to experience it for longer than he had to. Leo climbed down from the roof and was soon by the inventor's side, helping him into the RV. "April, get him some ibuprofen, please. Casey, take the rest of my shift, would you?"
"Why? I'm not doing your chores just so you can watch him." Casey was shut up by the look April gave him. She wasn't having the protest.
April pushed the table down and pulled the cushions out of the booths to make the bed appear. "Here, you two rest here. The ibuprofen is in the top cabinet, Leo. I'm going to go help Casey out so he's not lonely. We'll let you know of any changes."
Leo nodded as a thanks, then turned to the one who was injured. "You've got to fight the pain. Don't let it consume you." He reached into the cabinet, grabbing the pill bottle. He poured two pills into Donnie's hand, then gave him a water bottle. "These probably won't help your plastron, but it should help your head."
"I didn't hit my head…" Donnie felt the wrapping around his skull. "Did I?"
"Yeah, you did actually. On the way to the RV after the horde, Raph and Casey dropped you. We don't think you have a concussion but it left quite a mark." Leo showed slight guilt with this statement. "I should've listened to you when you told me to go through the windshield. Maybe it would've worked…"
"No, it was a stupid idea." Donnie mused, turning to face the window. "Forget it. Where are we anyway?"
"On a highway heading towards Camp David. Just like you wanted. Why'd you choose that one anyway? There are plenty of military bases."
Donnie smiled gently. "I'm glad you asked. You see, Camp David is in the mountains, which means a lower population. It's fenced. The woods are filled with game and space for crops in the spring. There's also plenty of rivers nearby and a lake that we could probably drink from if we purify the water. The best part is, being that it's a military base, perhaps we can get some sort of information about all that's going on. People were told to go to major cities, they have camps there. So as of right now, barely anyone should be in those woods."
"Clever. What do we do when we get there?" Leo hugged his knees, rocking back and forth.
"We make it livable, divide the house into living quarters, and well… try to save the world while we still have the chance. I'm going to save the world, Leo. I'm not giving up on this." Donnie said in a determined voice, despite being injured and stuck on a highway many miles from his destination.
"I know you will." Leo pat his shoulder, watching Donnie's expression change a little bit. "That's just like you to save the world at the last minute. You never cease to amaze me."
"Don't talk like that," Donnie scrunched up under the blanket, staring out the window, "you know how I feel..."
"But before... you said..." Leo stammered with his words, clearly uncomfortable.
"I know what I said. But that was before, not now. I have a mission to complete and I can't let anything get in the way of that. Nothing that happened in the past counts now. Sorry." Donnie swallowed the words he wanted to add onto that, leaving an awkward silence in the air.
April's boots splashed through the rainwater on the ground as she circled the RV, trying to keep her mind busy. "Casey, do you think they'll be okay out there? They've been gone for a really long time now." She looked at the highway. They'd left a note at the overturned van, saying for Mikey and Usagi to meet them at the RV as soon as possible.
"Don't worry about them. Well… yeah, just don't. Usagi wouldn't let anything happen to Mikey because he's all about honor and sacrifice. They probably just had engine trouble." Casey swung his bat around boredly. "But I hate to be coverin' Leo's shift just so he can fuss over Don. He can manage himself without a babysitter."
"You let them be. Have you forgotten how it is to be young or have you never lost your entire family to an outbreak of the undead? They're just kids, Casey. They're going to protect each other and fuss and whatever. You'd do the same for me, wouldn't you?"
"Of course I would. But that's different, April." Casey walked over to her. "Because I will never let anything happen to you."
April's cheeks flushed as she met his eyes. "Really? Then you're a better person than you try to let on, Jones." She straightened the collar for his jacket, smiling slightly. "Try showing that nice side to the turtles, they'd like to get to know him."
"Nah… he's just for you. Don't you be telling them I've gone soft, or Raph will never take me seriously again."
"Doesn't matter, really. You're the only friend he's got and he won't let you go just because you've got a soft side. I promise." April hugged his arm. "But you better stop trying to get into dangerous situations just to show off. I don't want to bury you. So just… be yourself, okay?"
"I left myself back in New York, Miss O'Neil, and until this whole storm blows over my life is on hold." Casey sighed, frustrated with the world. "I had plans for the future. I was going to marry you if you can believe that." He scoffed. "And now because the dead want to rise, I can't even get you a ring. Unbelievable."
April wrapped her arms around his neck, blushing terribly. "Well… a proposal would be nice." She leaned in, closing the gap between them.
Raph watched the pair from the edge of the woods, frowning to himself. "Of all people… why did I have to get stuck with you two…"
"Oh, shut up Raph!" Casey grumbled. "Just because you're a jerk doesn't mean you have to constantly remind us."
"Don't tell me what to do, Jones. You're not anything superior, so do not give me the pleasure of knocking you off that high horse of yours." Raphael opened the RV door with annoyance, entirely serious about what he'd said.
But cocky, airheaded Casey just didn't know when to call it quits. "I'd like to see you try, turtle! You may be a mutant, but you're nothing special and you most certainly have nothing compared to-"
It all happened so fast. Raph just lost his temper, that's all, but the damage was done too quickly to be blamed on temper. Leo and Donnie heard the RV door slam shut and a loud shout from their hotheaded teammate. Something was slammed against the side of the RV, so hard that it shook slightly, and then it was all silent.
"Leo... what was that?" Donnie squeezed his eyes shut with firm belief it was another zombie. Images of the van being tipped over and countless creatures smashing through the window filled his mind, completely paralyzing him in fear. "What was that, Leo?!" He repeated, a bit louder.
Leo stood up, peeking out the window above the kitchen sink. He swore under his breath before turning around. "Donnie... I'm so sorry to make you do this, but you're going to have to get a hold of yourself. We need a doctor and you're all we've got. It seems that the wonderful turtle called Raphael has nearly bashed Casey's brain in."
"What?" Donnie stood up too fast, nearly crashing into the counter before luckily being caught. "What happened?"
"Raph's dead. Well... he will be when I'm done with him." Leo stormed out of the RV, not too surprised at the sight of an unconscious Casey Jones, and a certain guilty turtle leaning against the RV. "Raphael..." Leo's voice was stern and cold.
"Yeah, you can lecture me later, Fearless! He asked for it!" Raph turned away, grabbing his sais. He stomped off into the woods, cutting back branches and bushes as he passed them, so fast Leo didn't have time to respond before he was already gone. Leo shook his head, kneeling by Casey. He definitely broke a few things...
_
Meanwhile...
"I've been through a lot in my life but this by far is the most idiotic circumstance I've ever endured." Usagi tugged at the shackles around his wrists. "Why'd you have to go find that stupid comic book and get us caught? We had everything we came for, Michelangelo!"
Mikey spit out blood, rolling his eyes in annoyance. "So, I'm not allowed to have any fun on the road? I just wanted one comic!"
"And then the entire stack fell over, alerting the Foot! You do realize they're going to kill us now, do you not?"
"Look man, I'll get us out of this. Chill out!"
"That's not something I do when I'm facing death because of someone's pure ignorance." Usagi bit at the chains. "There's likely no way out of this, but I want you to escape and learn your lesson for next time you try to ruin everything."
"You sound just like Leo, you know that?" Mikey looked around the dirt floored room they'd been stuck in for a few hours, somewhere down the road a ways. They hadn't even seen Karai yet. She was obviously busy with much more important affairs than a rabbit and a turtle breaking into her new lair.
"Your brother is a very honorable young man. You should follow in his footsteps." Usagi said softly, thinking back to when he first met Leo. Leo was a good kid who shared his toys and comforted those who were sick or injured. He would never have allowed a situation like the current one to unfold; he would've found a way back by now.
"As if I give a flying saucer about honor. Honor, honor, honor, is that all you people care about? Cause sometimes, you have to do things that aren't considered honorable and you can't wet yourself or cry over it, you just have to do it and not ask questions!" Mikey stood up and strode over to the small window, peeking out at the dusty road in front of him. Empty, except for the car they'd arrived in.
"What are you getting at, Michelangelo?"
"Call me Mikey. And… I'm saying, when Karai gets in here, we kill her. Clean and simple. Then we can take the keys and get the heck out of here. Don't you want to live, fluffy?" Mikey scowled.
"There is no honor in killing. We get her to surrender and free us. We don't kill the living…" Usagi stated in clear disagreement to Mikey's plot for freedom.
"God, you're even worse than Leo! You know what, I'm getting out of here myself and I'm not taking you with me. People like you die in this new world. You have to learn to adapt and play by the new rules, and that's kill or be killed." Mikey crawled towards the main door, fiddling at the lock with his chained hands.
"What hope for the future is there if we all kill one another? There's always a peaceful solution, we just cannot see it yet." Usagi closed his eyes, struggling to free his hands.
"Whatever. Suit yourself."
"Do you think your father would approve of this, Mikey? What would he say if he was here right now?" Usagi shot at him. "He'd agree with me, right?"
"No," Mikey walked over to the sitting cellmate. "He'd tell you to shut up." He kicked Usagi in the gut. "So stay quiet or I'll kill you too! I swear!"
"Get a hold of yourself, Michelangelo!"
"OR else what, you'll throw your honor at me? I'm so scared, fluffball!"
Karai stood at the door in amusement upon watching her prisoners bicker. She was taking a liking to Michelangelo's actions. If he continued to behave, well… she'd release him. But not Usagi. She'd always wanted to see what a rabbit looked like getting torn to bits. "Hello, boys," She stepped in, waving a revolver around as if to silence them with it, "I'd like to talk with you two for a moment."
Mikey clammed up, wide eyed. He didn't plan on Karai having a weapon. How could he kill her now without getting shot in the process?
"As you both know, stealing from my clan is very dishonorable. I'm ashamed of you both."
"You are the one who stole from us," Usagi muttered as he glanced up at her.
"I suppose I may have borrowed a few things, but I didn't steal. Anyway…" Karai turned to Mikey. "Your actions today have both amused and pleased me. I'm setting you and you only free because I don't have the time to deal with you."
Mikey gasped. "Me? Are you being serious?" She was proven correct when she unlocked Mikey's chains, motioning him towards the door. "Please go, take your car and good luck."
"But what about him? He didn't do anything." Mikey looked at his sort of friend. "Can't he come too?"
"Sadly, no. I'm practical, not kind. Gotta let my men have a little fun with his corpse, you know... Now go." She pushed Mikey out the door, following behind for a moment before slipping into one of the rooms.
"Something just isn't right." Mikey looked around in suspicion. Every door was closed and locked except for the front entrance. So why wasn't he making a run for it? "Usagi, I don't care what that witch said, you're coming with me." He called down the hallway.
"No, she won't let me. Just go while you still have the chance, go get help, okay? I'll be fine until then."
Mikey chewed on his lip, heading towards the door when he noticed he wasn't alone anymore. A pair of eyes stared back at him. Grayish, lifeless skin, torn up intestines and rotted teeth accompanied by an inhuman snarl edged towards him. So it had been a trap after all.
"Aw man! Zombie!" Mikey screamed, bolting down the dark hallway towards his friend. "Dude, shut the door shut the door shut the door it's coming!" The creature was on Mikey's tail, attempting to scratch his arms. "Usagi, help me!" And then, a terrible thought came into Mikey's head. He didn't want to go through with it, but it appeared to be the only way he could live. He ran directly into the prison cell, letting the walker follow him. And then… once it was in, Mikey ran back out, closing the door.
All Mikey knew was that experiencing the walker take a bite out of someone firsthand was going to give him nightmares for many months. Bright red blood gushed out of Usagi's arm as he tried not to cry out in pain. "Michelangelo… open the door!" Usagi kicked the creature away, trying to get the door open. He could see Mikey through the small window. "Mikey!"
But Mikey just froze. He'd never be able to escape with a severely injured and bitten person following behind. He stared into Usagi's eyes for a brief moment, then started walking backwards, away from the door. "Sorry... I'm sorry…"
The last Mikey saw of him was when blood shot onto the glass and he knew Usagi was probably dead, and if not, he soon would be. He was in shock. He got in the car and drove as fast as he could back to the van, and soon after; the highway. The rain made it hard to see the road, but he didn't care. Usagi's blood was on his hands. He could've saved him, but he did nothing because Mikey cared more about his own life. He was afraid of dying.
Fear will be your enemy