Good afternoon, readers! Thank you so much for your encouragement so far, and I'm glad you are enjoying this! Mine and Dixie's work schedules were a little hectic this week, but we are back to working diligently and are making some great progress! So, please bear with us as we continue this spooky story through this Halloween season! Are you ready for more? Sit back, and don't bite your nails too much as you read this next update!


The following morning, April awoke, shuffling out of her bedroom as she ran a hand through her messy hair. When she entered her living room, she couldn't help but snicker when she came upon Donnie, still asleep. She shook her head playfully, going into the kitchen to fill a pot of water for tea. As it brewed, she looked around at all the work he had done through the night. It was quite impressive for only having done it in a short time. It was then that the terrifying events of the prior night came crashing back, her smile fading as she glanced over her shoulder into the living room. As she had been waiting for Donnie with her towel, she remembered hearing voices, wondering what was going on and what had been taking him so long. She had thrown on her bra and panties with annoyance, which clung along with her hair to her wet skin. When she came upon where Donnie was, however, she thought she had been dreaming when she saw him with... herself.

And not only that, but they were in... a compromised position, to say the least.

She sighed, knowing that despite the danger they had both been in the night before, that they now faced another hurdle; explaining just-... what the hell that was all about.

She shook her head when the whistle of her kettle distracted her from her thoughts, hurrying over to take it off the stove. She exhaled slowly, pouring herself a cup before setting the kettle on the counter.

Several minutes later, she reentered the living room, shuffling over to her reptilian friend still splayed on the couch. "Donnie." She said softly, shaking him lightly. "Donnie, wake up." She rolled her eyes when there was still no response. "Donnie." She said a bit more firmly. She drew back when he jostled a bit, rubbing his eyes and sitting up.

"Oh, April, er-" He swore under his breath as his glasses fell off his face, fumbling with them for a moment. "Good morning." He smiled nervously. "Sorry, I'm not the most graceful in the early hours."

"It's okay. I just made some tea, do you want a cup?" April asked.

"Uh... sure, thank you." He sat up a bit more as April went back into the kitchen. He took off his glasses, rubbing his eyes once again before glancing around for a moment. "Do you, um... need help with anything?"

"No, I'm fine." April replied, taking out a couple bowls, pouring some cereal. She brought over a bowl to him, to which he nodded in thanks as he ate. April watched him for a moment, silence between them. He noticed this out of the corners of his eyes, having a feeling that he could guess what she was thinking about. "Donnie... I wanted to ask you about what happened when-"

"April, it's not what you think." He cut her off suddenly, making her blink. "I'm-... I don't want you to think I'm some kind of-... oh my goodness, I cannot believe that I-..." He shifted on the couch uncomfortably. "April, I didn't want my feelings to be presented that way." He sighed as April frowned. "Now that the cat is pretty much out of the bag, I-... I've felt something... more... for you. I tried to be as subtle as possible, I... didn't want to ruin what we had already. Still, I- I've read multiple studies on the best way to attract a desired mate- um... y- you know, sense of humor, building trust, of course being respectful and dignified, not to mention displaying knowledge and skills-"

"Donnie." April cut him off this time, turning his head gently to prevent him from avoiding her gaze any longer. "I'm sorry." She looked down for a moment. "I'm sorry that... you had to go through that. You know that I care about you." She shook her head for a moment. "I don't want to hurt you."

"I know." Donnie nodded.

April thought for a moment. "... How long?" She was curious to know.

"To be honest... I've felt something since our first encounter, April. It was small, like a seed. But over time, it has grown. Blossomed. I just... I've never worked up the nerve to-... say anything."

April's heart sank. Why did he have to do this now? She wasn't angry or annoyed with him, but she felt horrible that he had been apparently feeling like this for quite some time- and that it was a ravenous monster of all things that had literally forced him into a corner, forced him to confess to her now. She could tell he had not been ready, it wasn't the right time in his mind either, to be telling her all this. She could practically feel the fear of rejection emanating from him, of being judged or ridiculed. "Donnie... I'm glad you told me this." She chose her words carefully. "I'm just... I don't really know how I feel right now. This is the last thing on my mind with everything that's happening, so I can't really... address it."

He appeared disappointed, but he nodded. "I... I understand. You're right, April, with all this madness, you can't be expected to make a sound decision on something like this without a sounder mind." He cleared his throat. "I was just afraid that-... I was concerned that you wouldn't even consider the thought because of our... differences."

April rose a brow. "Differences?"

"W- Well yes, I mean-... you're a human, and I'm..." His voice trailed, no need to say anything further.

April frowned deeply at this, extending her hand to rub his shoulder lightly. "Listen to me. I do not care that you're a mutant, Donnie. I don't see just some mutant when I look at you. I see my friend." At this, Donnie finally made eye contact, smiling lightly. "I really haven't had the time to think about dating anyone, actually." She added. "I've been trying to focus on my career, let alone dealing with all this... whatever that thing is terrorizing us."

"Honestly, April... I probably would have just kept this a secret forever if last night hadn't happened..." He said. "It's just humiliating... you having to see me like that. I don't want you to think I'm some... some scoundrel, or something." He shuddered, and April couldn't help but giggle.

"Donnie, I could never think that about you. You're really a sweet guy." April replied.

At this, Donnie blinked, chuckling nervously as he rubbed his arm. "Sweeter than Casey, even?" He glanced away when April gave him a flat look at his comment. "Sorry, that was a bad joke..."

April snickered then. "He does have his sweet moments... as far and few between as they are." She said, lightly nudging him. "But all of you guys have your knucklehead moments too." She winked.

Right on cue, before any more could be said between them, there was a knock at the door. Donnie hopped up, but April reassured him before heading to the door, opening it a crack. "Hey, it's just me." Casey said, April opening the door up more. "I guess you're okay..." He said as she motioned for him to come inside.

"What do you mean?" April asked, and in response, Casey rose a brow as he took something out of his pocket. "Oh... I forgot you also have a communicator."

"I look at it every once in a while... but the thing was buzzing like crazy this morning. I looked at it and saw something about you. Just wanted to see if you were okay." Casey said.

"Thanks..." She smiled. "Yeah, everything's fine now. I'll explain later, but I have to get ready for an interview."

"So, I was thinking... you should probably stay with someone if you're being targeted or something." Casey said.

"Already covered." Donnie said as he came into the room, Casey raising a brow in surprise.

"Uh... hey." He said flatly, glancing between him and April, as if silently expecting an explanation. She said nothing, quietly excusing herself as she wandered to her bedroom.

"Hello, Casey." Donnie replied. "April is going to be just fine. I installed state of the art surveillance and alarm systems last night."

Casey scoffed. "I can see that really helped, she was attacked last night." He said flatly. "An alarm can't fight her enemies for her."

"Actually, Casey, that was BEFORE I completed the installation. And to further correct you, I was the one attacked last night."

"This guy came to April's apartment, Donnie." Casey pointed out. "He was coming for April."

"I suppose it was a good thing I was here then, wasn't it?" Donnie crossed his arms.

"Can't disagree on that one." Casey shrugged, but Donnie could read irritation in his expression. April reentered the room then, dressed and ready to head out.

"I have to go- can you guys lock the door on the way out?" April asked.

"Got it." Donnie and Casey said in unison, the pair glancing at each other with irritation.

"Alright, I'll let you know how the interview was, okay? Love you!" She said on the way out of her door. She then stopped when she realized the last words to come out of her mouth, clearing her throat as she shook her head and continued on. No sense trying to unring a bell now.

However, Casey and Donnie both blinked, speechless for a moment. "U- Uh, love you too, April!" Donnie exclaimed, his voice cracking.

"I think she said that to me." Casey interjected.

"... Are you sure? I think she looked at me when she said that."

"You should get those glasses checked. She was definitely looking at me."

"Maybe you should GET glasses, Casey, because actually, her back was to us both." Donnie smirked.

"Get a life, man." Casey headed out the door, shaking his head. Donnie couldn't help but smile to himself, ignoring Casey's words as he locked April's door as requested. He realized then that he needed to get back underground; he had a job to do. Making sure there was no one watching, he quickly headed for the nearest manhole, popping the seal off and making his way inside before covering it back up. He navigated through the tunnels, eventually returning to his familiar home, immediately announcing his arrival. Raphael was the first to approach him.

"How's Mikey doing?" Donnie asked as he went over to his computer area, organizing his things.

"He's up. His wounds are looking better." Raph said. "He's been having nightmares, but sensei thinks those will go away with some time. He's sitting on the couch with Leo right now." He then took a step closer, lowering his voice. "What happened last night, Donnie?"

"I'll explain everything. Don't worry, we're fine." Donnie said.

"It's not fine." Raph said firmly as he took hold of his shoulder. "Two of my brothers were attacked by this guy, and April. I want to see to it personally that he's broken in half." He said, tensing his jaw.

"You may get your wish soon, Raph." Donnie said, pulling something out of his belt pocket. "This is the tooth that broke when April fought it. I'm going to run some tests now and see what I can pull up."

Leo entered the area then, hearing the last bit. "Donnie." He went past Raphael.

Donnie sighed. "Leo, look... I'm sorry. I know I need to be here, especially with what happened to Mikey, but-"

"I'm glad... that you were with April last night. If you hadn't, things would have turned out much differently." Leo said, Donnie's expression softening a bit. "I know you're doing everything you can, and I'm sorry if I haven't been the most appreciative of it."

Donnie nodded. "Thanks, Leo. I'll let you know if I'm able to get anything from the DNA scans."

"You got it." Leo nodded, Raph watching him as he headed past the lounge, where Splinter was sitting with Mikey.

"Michelangelo." Splinter placed a gentle hand on his son's shoulder. "You must realize that not all enemies are physical, or can be fought with weapons and blades. Enemies can fight from within, too. Fear, doubt, despair... those are all some of the enemies which can plague your mind and your heart. Defeating these foes take much strength, but neglecting to do so will cripple you.

"But Sensei, can fear break your arm, or something? Can it really make you crippled?" Mikey blinked.

"No. Remember, it is not physical. It can make you withdrawn, lose focus. But more importantly, it can cause one to lose their hope, their faith, their will to keep fighting." Splinter said, Mikey nodding.

"I think I understand." As Splinter left his side to tend to some things, he thought back to what had happened to him, how he had experienced terrible nightmares. He decided that he wanted things to be normal again, taking the television remote to turn it on.

Meanwhile, April arrived at the Smith's residence, knocking on the door. A few moments later, the door opened, a middle aged couple ushering her in. She noticed that once she was inside, they shut the door and locked it, asking her to sit down. The house was neat, pictures of Amelia throughout the rooms. April set up the recorder, placing it to the side as the couple sat on the couch across from her.

"I... wanted to personally give you my condolences..." April started, the couple nodding in thanks as they held their hands in support. "... and I wanted to thank you for letting me speak with you today."

"April... you seem like a very level-headed person. Open-minded. We only wanted to speak to you about anything concerning Amelia." Mrs. Smith said.

"Oh..." April blinked. "I appreciate that, Mrs. Smith. So... can you tell me a little bit about Amelia?"

"She was the light of our lives. She was an angel. She... loved to help people, she loved being kind to others." Mr. Smith said.

"She was an excellent student... she had a lot of friends in the neighborhood. See... my husband and I moved here just before Amelia was born. We wanted a new start." Mrs. Smith said. "My cousin had moved to the city years ago, and he loved it here."

"Does he still live here, Mrs. Smith?" April asked.

"No." She cleared her throat. "He was killed by-" She hesitated. "... in an accident."

"I see... I'm so sorry to hear that." April frowned. How much tragedy had this family endured? "So... you've had no problems, no altercations since you've moved to New York?" April asked.

"Nothing major." Mr. Smith said. Mrs. Smith kept glancing at her husband, shifting a bit uncomfortably in her seat.

"So you have no reason to believe that anyone was specifically targeting Amelia?" April asked.

"No. Amelia was loved by many in this neighborhood." Mr. Smith said.

"Can you describe the day she went missing?" April asked.

Mr. Smith went to speak, but Mrs. Smith cut him off. "She had been complaining about nightmares... one of the other children had showed her some scary stories online, these scary characters... she said she began to see them in her window. She was having trouble sleeping for about two weeks before she was abducted."

"Honey... Ms. O'Neil asked about-"

"She has to hear this." Mrs. Smith looked at him, furrowing her brows deeply as he sighed. "The night she was taken... I had been working late. She had gone to my husband in a fright, telling him that someone was looking at her from the street. She couldn't make them out, it was standing away from the streetlight."

"Honey, a man took her. 'He' was standing there, not-"

"Turn off the recorder." Mrs. Smith said suddenly, appearing very tense before she repeated the command more firmly. April did so, leaning forward a bit. "Mrs. Smith, if this is too much, we can take a break, or reschedule-"

"Listen to me." She said, her husband running a hand down his face. She took something out of her pocket, handing it to April. "Don't read it here. Go to a safe place. Everything you need to know is in the letter. Do not show this to anyone else- the press, the police, detectives. No one." She exhaled slowly. "That fool of a man running for governor thinks those mutants did it. I know for a fact they didn't harm one hair on my baby's head. But Ms. O'Neil, there is... something... out there. It steals the lights away. That's why it went after my child." Before April could say anything, Mrs. Smith took her hand. "Be careful, April. Be careful how deeply you involve yourself with this." She then looked around. "I'm sorry... I can't tell you anything else. It could be listening. I already know we are both in grave danger."

April frowned. "Mrs. Smith, if someone is threatening you... I have contacts in police headquarters, I can-"

"The police can't fight this." Mrs. Smith's eyes were big as she shook her head. "They can't do anything about this." She then got up, nervously turning to head into her bedroom and shutting the door, leaving April dumbfounded.

At the door, Mr. Smith sighed lightly. "You must forgive my wife. She-... her cousin had put all sorts of crazy ideas in her head when she was growing up. She suffers from a few things, and... this has made things so much worse."

"Mr. Smith, please... if you need anything, don't hesitate to reach out to me. I... can't imagine what you're going through." April said.

"Thank you, Ms. O'Neil. I just want justice for my daughter. I don't want anyone else to suffer like we have."

April nodded, bidding him goodbye before taking her leave. She placed the letter from Mrs. Smith in her purse with her recorder, her mind reeling. There was something... strange about how Mrs. Smith had behaved. Something... unsettling. She had to get to the turtles as soon as she was finished with work, anxious to read the letter.


Have the chills in your spines settled yet? Alright then! With this said, what do you think of the interview? Is there something truly sinister going on with the Smiths, or is Mrs. Smith really off her rocker? Or perhaps, is it a bit of both? Please leave your thoughts in a review! Thank you again for reading, and see you next time!