Donatello should've known better. He should've known not to trust Raph's "gut" feeling when he said that he knew the right road back to New York City. Then, he should've known not to trust Mikey when he said that the rear tire was fine, despite Donnie suspecting it might've been too low before they even started their road trip, and he's got a funny feeling that it's not gonna hold up before they get back. Now, he's sitting behind the driver seat of their truck, listening to another crappy pep talk from Leo. Someway, somehow, the four of them always end up shell deep in the most random trouble. Today was absolutely no different. They had decided to take the truck for a spin, and somehow wound up lost in the backcountry in the middle of God knows where. Everything was eerily silent, color was nowhere to be found in the dreary sky, and the fog clouding the trees was even thicker than Michelangelo's VHS collection.
"Ugh! Face it, guys! We're hosed!" Donatello shouted, hitting his fist against the steering wheel.
"Stop talking like that," Leonardo replied. "Sooner or later, we're gonna come across someone that knows the way back to New York. We gotta keep up hope!"
"Ditch the boy scout talk, Leo!" Raph spat back. "I ain't seen a box on wheels on this road for over an hour!"
Donatello nodded his head, siding with Raph. "Tell me about it. I haven't even been able to pinpoint any manholes either. Wherever we are, there's no sewer system in play, which tells me that we are much farther from home than you think, Leo."
"Ch'yeah! And don't even get me started on the fast food!" Mikey said. "We've been goin' at it for miles, and I've yet to spot a single burger joint this whole time! When you haven't passed by a McDonald's in, like, at least five minutes, ya know you're in a sketchy place that's probably a playground for the government! And aliens! And-"
*BLAM*
As if things couldn't get any worse, the bros were all holding on to whatever they could grab, as they were suddenly thrown to the right side of the road. The truck was violently shaking, and a horrible screeching noise was coming from the back of the vehicle.
"WHAT THE SHELL, DON?! Get this hunk a' junk back on the road!" Raphael shouted.
"I-I'm TRYING, but I can barely move the wheel," Donnie said as he continuously failed to keep the wheel straight. Eventually, the truck screeched to a stop on the side of the road, and the turtles all sat catching their breath.
Raphael got up and kicked open the side door. He fumed to the rear of the truck, and saw that the back tire had been blown to sad little shreds. "RATS! The tire's toast!"
"Oooh, don't say 'toast'. Unless you're talkin' the french kind, and oozing with maple syrup! Ooh! Just a shmidget crispy with a little butter on the side and some-"
"SHUT UP MIKEY," the bros all said in unison.
"Geez Louise, brahs! I was just tryna ease the mood a bit. Ya gotta look at all this like a nice slice of triple cheese pizza. It's not so bad!"
"There is no 'easing the mood', Mikey," Countered Donnie. "We're stranded out smack in the middle of nowhere, with no spare equipment to assist us with repairing our vehicle. No matter how you slice it, this pizza's cold and soggy."
"Michelangelo," Leo sternly started, "I thought you made it clear that the tire had air before we left the Lair."
"'Kay, first of all, sick bars brah! And dude, I like, totally did! I swear, it was full of more air than that one time Donnie caught April in the nuuude!"
*BONK*
"Not funny, Mikey!" Donatello sheepishly yelled, after he clocked his bro in the head.
In the bushes on the side of the road, the turtles stopped their chatter when they heard some rustling. It didn't sound like an animal. The density of the sound made it immediately obvious to them that it was much bigger than your average roadkill.
"Hey! Is someone out there?!" Raphael shouted.
"Raph?!" Leo took his bro aside and shushed him. "What the shell are you thinking?!"
"I dunno about you, Leo, but I'm dying to see some kind of life besides you three bozos. I need to be sure we ain't in some episode of Twilight Zone."
Leonardo sighed and crossed his arms. "Look, I know it's been a while since we've seen any signs of life. But we can't get desperate. Remember, Father always said that desperation leads to unnecessary mistakes, and we definitely don't wanna make them out here in the sticks."
"I concur," Donatello said. "I've seen enough of Mikey's horror flicks to know that the wackiest dudes are always in these types of locations. Quiet, creepy, and with a hint of psychological breakdown in the air."
As the rustling continued, getting deeper in the thickness of the woods, Raphael shook his head and disregarded their advice.
"Aw, shut it! This ain't no movie. This is real life, and if we don't get no help, no matter who it's from, we can kiss the good life back in the Big Apple goodbye!" Raph bolted into the woods in front of him, shouting for the person to reveal themselves.
"Raph! Wait!" Leo called his bro, running after him. Donatello and Michelangelo weren't far behind. And unfortunately, none of them were prepared for the absolute horror that awaited them the further they trekked deeper into the mysterious woods.