Chapter 7: False Hope
Speaking: Anocari
Leo made it no effort of his to even slightly glance in my direction, quietly holding the man-hole cover open for us to all crawl out. Although, it wasn't like I could look him in the face, anyway..It was still a little discontenting to me that Leo would say such a thing, especially about me. After Avolla, I had known them the longest, and we'd been through so much together.. Leo had even been the one to save my life a few times, or at least a great deal of help in the matter. He was even the one to help Donny cope with my distance while I was away for those four years, way back when we'd first met. He didn't even know me, let alone know what I looked like, and he convinced Donny to stay strong..he believed in me to return to his brother. It just put an ugly feeling in my stomach to even think about how awful Leo's mindset must be to say something like that.. All his life, he'd been so passionate about driving this team, this family towards success, but now it seemed as if he hardly cared if we were a team anymore.. After going blind, he just disconnected himself from us, from the world, and I worried about him daily.. Really, I worried about everyone..but Leo seemed to change the most out of all. I felt sometimes we were truly in loss of a leader, now..
The sirens continued to blare through the haunted streets of the city as we all gathered in a dark alley; not that they were any different than the actual streets now a days.. It seemed like everyone else had the same idea, gathering around their porches and under the fading yellow lights of the street lamps. It scared me a little to see all of the people as they were, now..Most were wearing paper nose and mouth masks, ones doctors and surgeons would wear in operations. Others dressed themselves head to toe, ensuring they wouldn't come skin to skin with anyone who could possibly be infected.
I looked over at Raph for a moment, staring uneasily at the scars on his neck. I could almost feel the burning sensation as my eyes trailed along the discolored patches of dead skin, mixed in with tender circles of pinkish red where it had gotten through the first layer of his skin. I knew some of those were fresh burns, just by the way they almost seemed glossy.. I wondered why he didn't bandage the area..it would keep other bacteria from getting in, making it even more painful. Some nights I would hear him groaning from his room, trying to hold back terrified screams as the infection only grew in size.. On that first night, it had simply covered about a two inch thick, seven inch long area from under his jaw, leading down to just a few inches above his shoulder. Now, it was almost four times that width wise, starting to wrap around towards the other side of his neck, and had made its way up past his jawline and along his cheek..What worried me even more was the fact he had started rubbing the side of his left eye from time to time, blinking it slowly as he grimaced in pain. It would look swollen some days, even, and it only pressed my concerns further..I was almost afraid we would eventually have two blind men in the house..
We made sure to stay back as more people continued to fill the streets, all of them wondering the same thing: what's going on? Moments later, the whining ceased, leaving an empty echo through the city. Whatever it was for, it must have worked, for it stopped the whole city in its tracks.
Suddenly, we heard a familiar voice come through an unknown source, seeming to speak to the whole of New York all at once, "Citizens of New York, realize, now, there is a chance to live, to survive." we all tightened up at the sound of Karai's voice, one we'd hoped we would hear the last of many years ago. She continued, playing off the role of a savior's speaker, "Many of you are scared, fearing for your lives as the super virus only spreads throughout the world." I looked at Donny as he grabbed my hand, staring out into the street from our dark spot in the alley. I could tell he was worried about what was going to happen..more or less what she was going to say next, "Today, you, we, will be saved from this accursed illness, this murderous epidemic!"
There was a long pause, as if she knew the people would speak to each other in this moment. She was right, though, and it seemed the city was speaking together as murmurs rose from the streets, most trying to decide whether to trust this strange voice. I looked at the others in that moment, seeing Leo with his arms folded, his blank eyes squinted behind his round, shaded glasses. It was hard to tell if he was thinking, or just simply angry that Shredder would have the audacity to do this kind of thing. We all knew Karai was just his speaker now-a-days, just for the fact that she had no other role to play. It wasn't like she could let her foot ninja out in the city anymore. It was too dangerous, even for them.
Finally, her voice came back over the speakers, still a mystery source, sounding heroic, almost as if she knew her father was to be the champion of the people, "Citizens, I serve a man by the name of Oroku Saki, a man that will take away the suffering of this great place we all call our home." I heard Raph let out a scoff at the mention of Shredder actually taking away pain instead of dishing it out. In fact, it was a bit ironic, the situation. Shredder had been the one to send out the virus, and now he was saying he could stop it?
"I plead with you, my people, listen to me. If you wish to survive the menacing fate this world has fallen to, come to any of these ten locations throughout the city." A large map was suddenly projected into the cloudy sky, showing grid lines of the city with bright red pinpoints placed in ten separate locations.
The crowd let out a hushed roar, trying to comprehend what exactly was going on. I turned my head to see Raph stepping forward, his arms slowly unfolding as he stared into the sky, just as the people in the streets, "The fuck is she...?"
Karai spoke once more, this time, in a seriousness we all knew was faked, "I beg of you all, this is your only way of survival, to prosper once again as the great city of America... New York, we shall be waiting for you."
Her voice cut out, leaving us with the large map, still projected into the murky skies of the city, and the confused murmurs of the people. Avolla touched Leo's arm, her brows pressed inward, "Leo..what do you think it is..?"
He made no sound, no sarcastic scoff, but simply stated, "It's a trap. What else?"
I looked down at my feet, thinking hard for a moment. It couldn't be 'just a trap'..it was Shredder..and this time he was involving the whole city in his scheme..it felt more to me like there was something we were missing.. like there was a bigger plan behind this than we thought.
I let out a short huffing noise through my nostrils, "My question is, why would he make it on such a grand scale? Why involve all of these people in something that's just a trap?"
Donny put his hand to his chin, just as he always used to when he thought hard, "In a way, it seems like this is directed towards us.." Everyone turned their attention towards him, questioning his remark, "What I mean is, Shredder knows how we are.. he knows that if there is a chance to investigate, especially on an epidemic like this, then we will certainly do it."
"So, you're saying he's just luring us in?" Mikey stepped forward, concern in his expression.
Leo sighed, annoyed, "Like I said, it's a trap."
Donny went on to further explain his theory, irritated with Leo and his suffocating arrogance, but I couldn't help but avoid the topic as I concentrated my glance upon Raph.. He was just staring at the map, his arms to his sides. He seemed so far away in that moment, like he could care less he was just standing in a topside alley. I watched carefully as he lifted his arm, placing his hand gently on the infected part of his neck. He slid his two fingers delicately over the wounded surface, keeping his eyes locked on the skies, studying the grid lines as if they held the meaning of all life. In that moment, I knew he was afraid..I could see the fear in his eyes as he contemplated his illness, worrying he may not have as much time left as everyone said he did. I wondered, then, if he was really thinking of going to one of the checkpoints..risking it all in the hands of the Shredder to find a cure..
I sighed to myself as Donny and Leo's bickering found my ears. I hated listening to them fight..they'd been on bad terms for a while now, but not as bad as Leo and Raph. I mean, at least they spoke to each other. Raph refused to say anything to Leo unless it was a smart ass remark..which didn't help the problem at all.
Donny spoke with his hands, clearly upset, "Leo, you don't understand. We can't just brush this off as your every day-"
Leo cut him off, "I think I understand pretty well what's going on, so don't act like you know more than I do."
Donny took a deep breath, "Please, all I'm trying to say is that we need to coordinate with each other on this one. We need to make a plan!"
Leo folded his arms, "A plan? You think a plan will help with this? Don, when was the last time we even thought about doing something like this. Nothing will help anymore."
"What in the hell is your problem?" Donny's fists tightened as his temper rose, something I still wasn't used to seeing..Donny was always the calm one of them all, the leveled head of the bunch, and now he was acting out..talking back..I knew he had a right to say some of the things he did, but after what happened earlier, I was afraid of just how bad their relationships had gotten..
"What's my problem?" Leo placed his foot out in front of him, leaning back sarcastically with a slight bob, "You're the one who doesn't sleep for weeks on end. Look at you. You're so weak, now. You couldn't even fight if we actually planned an attack."
"I wasn't suggesting an attack, Leo! And you have no right to judge me for the way I appear.. I stay up all those nights because I'm trying to save this family! I can't stand to see Raph in so much pain! I can't stand to see the world withering away because of someone we should have taken care of years ago!"
I reached my hand out, lightly touching Donny's shoulder, "Donny..."
Leo ignored the fact I was trying to split them up, his brows pressing together as he stepped forward, "Fine..you want to think you're the good one? Why don't you just go to the check points alone, then. Be the 'savior' you've always dreamed of being, just don't drag me into it." he turned, his black coat flapping as he spun.
"Oh my god." Donny stared at him, dumbfounded, "You..really don't care, do you?"
I grabbed his arm, tugging it lightly, "Donny..please..let it go.."
He pulled his arm away, shaking his head as he chuckled, "No, no he really doesn't care! Look at him!" he gestured to Leo with both arms as he stood with his back to us, trying to be dramatic, "You know, you never did tell us how you got those scars, Leo." Leo's head turned slightly, only enough to see the edge of his jaw. Donny folded his arms, "I'll tell you a secret, I already know."
I saw Raph turn out of the corner of my eye, staring over at us. Raph had always been hungry for information about the things that happened while he was recovering, and Donny's sudden comment sparked his interest.
Leo turned, slowly, shoving a hand in his pocket. He stared at Donny for a long moment, his eyes flitting to Raph, then back to him, "..Don't."
"Donny..stop.." I grabbed his arm again, this time a little tighter. I glanced over to see Mikey leaned against the wall, the corners of his mouth turned down into a sad frown. His eyes stared weakly at the ground, lost in a world where everything was okay..where his brothers still loved each other like they were still a happy family..It made my heart ache to see him like this..to see the happiest member of our family as nothing more than a pawn in everyone else's little game.
Donny didn't care this time that I had a hold of his arm, proceeding to fire back at Leo for everything he'd caused over the years, "It was just too easy. Thinking about it, the shape of those marks, how it was only on the day we buried Master Splinter that you came home with them..I just connected the dots, Leo. If you weren't going to tell us, well, I just thought I'd figure it out on my own."
Leo walked with a furious pace over to him, standing just inches away, "Shut your gaddamn mouth, Don! Think about what you're about to-"
"What I'm about to say?" Donny cut him off, staring him in the face, "You know, you really should take your own advice."
"Shut the hell up! Both of you! Shut the fuck up!" Suddenly, both of their eyes were on me as I stood, rage flowing over me. I bit my lip as I began to tremble, feeling a storm of tears on the way, "Shame!" I reached my hand up, smacking them both in the face, "Shame on you both!" They stared at me with shock as tears started to run down my cheeks one after the other, "Your brother's for christ's sake! Act like it! I'm tired of all of this! Of this fighting! Jesus! Look at your brother! Look at Mikey!" they turned their heads to glance at Mikey, "Can't you see what you're doing?!" I looked over to Raph as he looked away, folding his arms to show no interest in my lecture, "Oh, oh no, no you don't, Raph." he shot me a look, "Don't you look at me like that..don't even try it. I know what you're getting at, you think you're the innocent one. You think just because you were asleep when Splinter died that you could have been the one to save him. Guess what, Raph, you're just being a prick!"
He unfolded his arms, making a fist at me as he gritted his teeth together, "You think you can just say-"
I frowned hard at him, "Don't fucking interrupt me.." he backed off, making a low grumbling noise. I turned back to Leo and Donny. I pointed at Leo, "You. Where to begin? Oh, I know, back the fuck off of everyone's case. What you said to me earlier was extremely inappropriate, and I'm surprised Avolla didn't hit you for it! I'm surprised at myself that this is the first time I've physically hurt you!" I took a deep breath, trying to compose myself as I turned to Donny, "Donny..Donny I love you so much, but the way you have been acting lately is unacceptable..I understand that you just want what's best for this family, but there is a limit..You're not always right..!" I grabbed his face with both of my hands, as his eyes dropped, realizing just how much he had been upsetting me with his behavior, "Donny..please..you need to stop this obsession! You need to stop being so angry! This isn't you!"
"Uhm...guys.." we simultaneously looked towards Mikey as his voice came out of nowhere, "Not that this isn't an important conversation...but..." he pointed up at the roof of the building to our right, "Raph just left..."
