FF: I couldn't help it, have another chapter you marvelous people you!
Lyska snarled and slammed against the door again, hearing the wood groaning. She rushed the exit again, smashing into it with her shoulder.
The door moaned lingeringly but refused to break.
She mentally howled in frustration, ignoring her aching shoulder as she retreated. Deciding to try again, she backed to the edge of the shed she was locked in, preparing herself for the oncoming impact.
Charging forwards and kicking off from the wall, she lunged at the door, splintering the weakened wood and crushing it with a final smash. Falling forward, she rolled with the impact and got into a fighting position, fists up by her head aggressively.
No one in sight.
Straightening, she winced at the wooden shards sticking into her skin. Pulling some out, she ignored the blood beginning to flow down her arms, legs, and cheek, choosing instead to run across the rooftop where the shed was kept.
Throwing herself off the side, she grabbed the fire escape and swung herself onto the metal contraption, wobbling a little as she tried to balance herself.
Lyska raced down the levels, not pausing to catch her breath for even a moment. She didn't have time- she had to protect her family!
Her speed doubled when she hit the ground, propelling her incredibly fast to the nearest manhole conveniently a few yards away.
She tore it off and leaped down inside, barely managing to close it in her haste. Recognizing the familiar sewer system tunnel, the bloodstreaked dirty blond raced down the route, struggling to go faster.
When she saw the tunnel that would surely lead to the lair, she skidded and collapsed on the ground, yelping in shock.
Lifting herself to her elbows, she gasped as she recognized the substances as ash and soot on the pathway. Getting to her feet, she ran down the route, desperately hoping nothing had happened as she struggled to keep her balance.
She was disappointed.
When Lyska managed to get to the tunnel that had the entrance, she couldn't help it. She froze at the sight of scorch marks and the black dust that was everywhere that crawled along the walls and coated them.
She began to breathe heavily, eyes widening. "Liza?!" She shouted, looking around. "Liza?! Raph?! LEO! MIKEY! SOMEONE!" Her cries grew more desperate as she continued unanswered, hysteria threading into her tone, her chest heaving to draw in breath.
"Lyska."
She whipped around, air whooshing out her airways in relief. "Oh my goodness, you're alright!" She breathed, her lips breaking out into a relieved smile. "I thought, I thought you had been killed!"
Before her stood her four turtle friends, each wearing identical expressions she knew all too well.
Suspicion. Fear. Worry. Anger. Pain.
Lyska's smile faltered. "What? What is it?" She asked, her reassured tone sharpening in concern. Her eyes suddenly widened, her mouth dropping open in horror.
"Liza was in the lair." She whispered, silvery eyes terrified all of a sudden. She grabbed Raph's shoulders frantically, staring him in the eye. "Was the lair hit? Please tell me it wasn't. It wasn't, was it?"
He looked away wordlessly.
She released him. "No..." She murmured, turning to stare down the seared tunnel. "No. No, no, no, NO! NO! LIZA!" She screamed, running to the lair's doors and wrenching it open, dashing inside to see the complete and utter destruction.
Everything was damaged, blackened, singed. Ash stained the walls like spatterings of blood, the ground crunched when she stepped on it, caked in soot. Furniture was cracked in half, splintered against the wall, still burning softly with embers glowing in the charred remains, wisps of smoke still swirling in the air.
Lyska fell to her knees, her breathing rapid and her eyes scanning everything. "no...no..." She moaned, her hands coming up to her face in horrorstruck agony.
"Liza..." She keened, bending over part way in her mourning, tears falling from her eyes as she recognized the fact that no one could've survived the blast.
Which meant her sister was dead.
She was the picture of suffering. Ash smeared her legs, torso, arms, and face. Blood from splinters of wood dripped down her skin from multiple wounds, her shoulder bruised horribly from underneath her shredded sleeve. Her face was becoming streaked from tearstains with a cut on her face bleeding, the scarlet liquid dripping down her chin.
"Why did you bring the bomb?" Leo asked, tone dead quiet.
"I didn't bring any bomb." Lyska answered, her voice thick with grief and loss.
"It was in your backpack. Donny found out it was the center of the explosion." Mikey responded softly, cerulean eyes confused and hurt.
"I never put any bomb in the bag. I just went to get food for my animals I feed." She said, her breath catching as she hiccups, tears sliding down her cheeks in streams. Her head shot up. "Oh my- I'm so STUPID! So, SO STUPID! Why didn't I look?!" She suddenly snarled, slamming her fist on the ground in rage, angry tears cutting through the blood and soot on her face.
"What are you talking about?" Donny asked, confused. Raph still refused to say anything, but he watched with growing interest.
"I was getting my animals food and I wasn't keeping an eye on the bag, and I... oh goodness, why didn't-?" She constantly broke off her sentence in dismay, her voice choked.
"Lyska. What happened?" Leo asked harshly, forcing the girl to look him in the eye.
"I, I noticed the bag leaning in a way it never had." She cried, closing her eyes in pain. "I should've noticed the difference. I never use the front pockets and one was full." She didn't bother to wipe away her tears. "I brought the bomb! I killed Liza!" She sobbed, her shoulders heaving with the force of her sorrow.
Donny looked away, trying to regulate his breathing.
"Where were you?" Mikey asked, tone soft. "In the fight, that is."
Lyska swallowed hard and slowed her gasping breath. "The Foot used chl-chloroform to knock me out...they p-put me in a shed and left me there." She hiccupped, rubbing her eyes miserably. "I should- should've been more careful...I-"
She was cut off as Raph made his way in front of her and enveloped her in a hug. She froze in shock before wrapping her arms around him, desperately clinging to him, craving the comfort he was giving her.
"S'ok." He murmured soothingly. "We believe you."
Lyska pulled back I confusion. "Why wouldn't-?"
"The Foot made it look like you planted the bomb and abandoned us." Leo explained, retreating so the couple on the ground would have more space. "We couldn't find you or anyone and everything was covered in ash."
"But I didn't mean to! I didn't know!" Lyska protested, grabbing Raph's arm fearfully as she looked earnestly at him, silvery blue eyes filled with tears.
"We know you didn't. Liza was in the lair and we know you'd never hurt her intentionally. Besides, your injuries match your story." The blue banded turtle reassured her gently. "But we aren't going to let this-"
"MY SONS!" Splinter's voice suddenly echoed down the tunnel, startling everyone.
"Splinter?" Donny whispered, astonished. "SENSEI!"
"My sons!" Splinter repeated, stumbling into view. His clothing was soaked and singed, his body posture was exhausted but he managed to carry the soggy little kitten in his arms carefully.
The turtles instantly rushed to their father, embracing him, Lyska also included in the hugging.
"Father? But...how?" Leo stammered, trying to comprehend that his sensei wasn't even that injured.
"You have Liza to thank, my sons." He answered, leaning on Raph's shoulder to support himself, his right leg/paw burned badly.
"Liza?" Lyska moved closer, silvery eyes growing hopeful. "She's alive? She made it out okay?"
Splinter nodded. "She and I found the bomb and had to abandon the lair. When we were almost to the southern tunnel's exit, she collapsed. Her ribs wouldn't allow her to move any further and she wanted me to leave without her." He explained, giving the little kitten to Mikey to hold.
Lyska bit her lip. "She would." She whispered, her eyes once more filling with tears, imagining her sister's suffering as if it was her own.
"I refused to leave and the explosion sent out a wave of fire that was nearly upon us. She grabbed the kitten and I and threw all of us into the water to avoid the flames. I'm still surprised she had the strength." He shook his head in wonder.
"She didn't drown did she?" Donny asked fearfully, his eyes widening.
The elderly rat shook his head. "I do not believe so. When I managed to pull myself and the kitten out of the water, I turned back to help Liza. Before I could do anything but see her coming up to the surface, something attacked me and made me lose consciousness. When I woke, I was alone with the kitten." He finished, looking up at his sons and at Lyska.
Lyska's legs gave out and she collapsed to the ground, arms listless and eyes wide. "She's alive...thank goodness she's alive!" Her voice broke as she wiped away the tears of relief that fell down her cheeks, Mikey crouching next to her for support.
Splinter held up a hand to stop any more comments. "I'm certain that whoever destroyed our home, also had a particular target in mind." He stated seriously.
"They were after Liza?" Mikey asked, astonished.
"It's the Foot." Leo interjected, heading off any other remarks or statements. "They're the ones that blew up the lair and they're the ones that most likely took Liza."
"When do we leave?" Lyska asked, her tone suddenly dark and menacing. "No one hurts my family..." She snarled, eyes narrowing dangerously.
Smiling faintly at the girl's use of words, Leo answered as seriously as she.
"We leave as soon as you're all patched up. We're taking back Liza."
Lyska smiled grimly and added, "And no one's going to get in our way."
FF: ONLY ONE CHAPTER LEEEEEEEFFFFT~!
(couldn't resist XD)