Author's Note:

Hey guys! Sorry it took so long with this one. School is a major bummer…I hope it's worth the wait!

Thanks a million to all of my reviewers…

Rene: I know what you mean about anal retentive. It makes for very slow writing!

Fallen Hikari: Hopefully this one won't freak you out quite as bad…

Pacphys: I've never stopped giggling about Casey's claustrophobia scene in the first movie!

Lexi8: Thanks! Intensity is what I'm striving for…never thought I'd enjoy writing this so much!

Linchi: I do plan on telling, as sort of an interlude/flashback halfway through. For now, this chapter will give you a little more info.

KC GoblinCat: Wow, I didn't realize this was you at first, since you just signed it KC. You're the horror queen, and I'm glad that you're enjoying this!

Ninjalara: Hey, another one of my favorite authors! You win the intuition prize…you're the only one that guessed where I was going with this. Glad you stopped by. Actually, I've never seen the original Dawn of the Dead, but I did read reviews of it while researching this story. They seemed to take much more of a psychological approach with that movie, which intrigues me. When I have time, I'd definitely like to see it.

Blix: Oh, I've a helluva lot of obstacles in store…

Reluctant Dragon: No, I haven't read that book, but it sounds interesting. I may have to go searching! Thanks for the idea.

Kristy99: Very intuitive. Now, as long as you don't pee your pants…

Silver Snow Leopard: Sorry it took so long! I'll try to be better next time!

Black Mirror: I appreciate you giving it a chance. Hope that I continue to entertain you. If not, I'm always open to constructive criticism…that goes for the rest of you reviewers too!

Lunar-Ninja: Say thanks to Rijinn for stopping by! He's welcome any time.

Mickis: (Blush) That was quite a compliment coming from you…I prefer the green guys alive too…I wouldn't be that mean, would I?

Brigitta: Remember to breathe this time – I wouldn't want to lose you!

Quesun: Better late than never, I always say! I've been behind lately too. Glad that I'm freaking you out.

T: Yes, the cartoon episode this week was pretty coincidental. This one's a little longer for ya!

SMN: Thanks for stopping by!

Sporkey: Hey babe! Thanks for the compliment…now, you better update No Regrets before I come and kick your butt... 

Amy: Hey, joggers high! That's awesome…I'm a runner, so I can really appreciate that comment.

Auri1: A fellow twisted mind! Thanks for your review, I hope that the suspense meets your expectations!

Okay Leo fans, since there seem to be so many of you, I decided to do his POV instead of April like I originally planned. Doing my best to please the masses…enjoy!

Also, as a side note, I didn't have a beta reader for this chapter, so I apologize for any mistakes that I didn't catch on my own.

Disclaimer: You know what it is.

Plague – An epidemic of disease attended by great mortality.

"Pestilence, disease, and war
haunt this sorry place.
And nothing lasts forever;
that's a truth we have to face."
-The Book of Counted Sorrows

CHAPTER 4: VOICES IN THE NIGHT

LEONARDO

The darkness was becoming deeper.

Storm clouds were rolling in from the west, their ominous forms blacker than the night itself. They quickly blotted out the stars, the light of the moon fading in and out as they passed. It was almost as if nature could feel the energy of the ensuing chaos and panic.

I watched April, her face buried against Mike's shoulder. He had his hand over her ear, fingers lightly stroking her hair as he attempted to shield her from the screaming on the street below. The more people that gathered, the louder it got. Soon, the individual voices blended as one, becoming a harsh pitched wail in the background.

It was strange, seeing my brother so stoic. Normally he would be emotionally lost in a situation like this. We'd gotten used to Mike covering up his fear by making jokes and running his mouth. I was grateful that he'd grown up enough to recognize the needs of someone else, and to be able to act appropriately on that need.

Or maybe he was garnering as much comfort from April as she was from him.

I knew I was pacing, but I couldn't stop thinking about Raph, Don, and Casey. Donatello had said that two men broke into Casey's apartment, and that something was horribly wrong with them. Casey lived around four miles from here…which meant that this was spreading. I could only hope that they'd listened to me and gone somewhere safe. Sure, we could most likely fight our way back to the lair. But from what I'd witnessed so far, a single thought was nagging in my head. What if these people had some sort of disease? Could that be the reason that everyone's acting so crazy? And if so, getting too close meant possibly catching it. I didn't want to take that chance. I was pretty sure that I'd convinced Don, but I wasn't sure about Raph. No doubt he would put up a fight – he wasn't one to back down from any situation, no matter how strange. Especially when it was my idea.

Stubborn jackass.

I wished he'd call.

The sound of gunshots cut through the night like a knife. The aftershock resonated against the building walls, and seemed to come from right below us. Michaelangelo and April were immediately to their feet, eyes scanning the rooftop toward the ladder we'd climbed up.

Seconds passed.

Nothing.

I glanced back at Mike. He still stood frozen, listening and watching for a possible threat. I noticed that he had one knee bent, his weight shifted off of his left foot. Squinting, I saw why. Blood was collecting in a dark puddle on the ground beneath him.

"Jeez Mike," I approached him, concerned. We weren't in a position to be able to properly treat any injuries. I just hoped it wasn't serious.

"Let me see."

"Huh?" Mike snapped out of his trance, following my gaze and realizing that I that I was talking about his foot. He sighed, deciding to sit back down and lift his leg so that I could get a better angle. I took his ankle and got close, doing my best to see the wound in the filtered moonlight.

It was bad. Bad enough that I knew he wouldn't be able to walk in couple of hours. The swelling was already starting to spread to his ankle, and the skin was hot with inflammation. Palpating lightly with my fingers, I could feel a large shard of glass still buried in his heel.

"Why didn't you say something?"

He gave me a wan smile. "You guys are always giving me crap about being tougher…"

I chuckled lightly, smiling back at him. That was the Mike I knew.

"Shut your eyes, bro. I'm going have to pull this out."

"You sure? I was just starting to get use to it," Mike joked, leaning back on his forearms to get more comfortable. I started to take off my bandana, when April stopped me.

"Hang on Leo." She grabbed the bottom of her T-shirt, pulling it over her head. Handing it to me, she straightened the ribbed tank top that she was wearing underneath. "That's a lot thicker than your bandana. Probably cleaner too." she added.

"Thanks," I said, ignoring her sarcasm. I draped the shirt over my shoulder. Gripping the tip of the glass, I gently pulled up and forward, stopping when I felt his leg jerk. It was unintentional, just a natural reaction to the pain. I tried to think of a distraction.

"Hey Mike, you know what this reminds me of? Remember when April gave us those glass ornaments for Christmas?" I asked. While I talked, I pulled at the glass again.

Mike scrunched his face, wincing and thinking at the same time. "Oh yeah," he finally answered. "What were we, like sixteen or something?"

"Seventeen," April interjected. She knelt beside him, resting a hand on his arm. "I was so mad that you broke that. It was an antique."

He smirked, giving her his famous puppy dog eyes. "Come on April, it's not like I knew it was breakable. You know I have to shake all my presents."

I gave one last tug and the shard came free. Blood poured over my hands, its flow now unimpeded by the foreign object.

"Shit Leo!" Mike's head ducked to the side, and I saw his breathing quicken. "You make a horrible doctor," he groaned.

"Sorry. At least it's out." I pressed April's shirt against the gash, hoping the bleeding would stop soon. It was a lot worse than I expected it to be.

Michaelangelo sat forward again, taking the shirt and his foot back from me. As he did so, my phone started ringing.

"Thank god," April breathed. She seemed just as worried about the other three as I was. I flipped the phone open, leaving bloody fingerprints over the cover.

"Donnie?"

"Yeah. You guys still okay?"

"We're hanging in there. Mike hurt his foot."

"How?" Donatello suddenly sounded worried.

"He stepped on a piece of glass."

Donatello blew a sigh of relief into the phone. "Good."

Good?

He continued, "Leo, when you were fighting those people, none of you got, huh…bitten, did you?"

"Bitten? No…" I was confused. "You wanna let me in on what you guys know?"

"We're barricaded into Casey's storeroom. I found a radio – most of the stations just have that stupid emergency broadcast beeping, but one has some guy that at least knows a little." He paused. "They think it's a neurologic virus."

"In English, Don."

"It means that these people are infected with something. Something that attacks their brain and causes rage and confusion."

"Kind of like rabies?"

"They don't know. Possibly. It seems like it's transmitted the same way, through saliva."

"What about blood?"

"Not sure, but probably not. If it is like rabies, the virus travels up the body's nerves to the brain, and then is passed out through the saliva. It's never found in the blood. So you're probably okay, as long as you don't get bitten."

April and Mike were both staring at me, as anxious as I was to figure out what was happening. When I'd said the word "rabies", April's eyes had widened.

Donatello continued, "It seems like when a person is infected, they go into a frenzy and try to attack things. If they get a hold of someone, they either kill them outright or just maim them. So we end up with a dead body or someone else with the virus."

I suddenly had flashbacks of watching the movie Old Yeller. April's idea of course, she said it was a "classic." It was the only time I'd ever seen a rabid animal, and it had seemed so unreal that the cute fluffy dog could transform into something so vicious.

"Don, why now? Where did this come from?"

"They're still trying to figure that out. Genetic engineering, bioterrorism…who knows. They were talking on the radio about how last year two guys were able to create a synthetic polio virus from stuff that they ordered off the internet. Anything's possible. It could even be something as simple as evolution. The rabies virus could have mutated a gene. It happens in nature all the time, like with AIDS or Ebola. Rabies has always affected people, but it normally doesn't make them act like this or spread this quickly."

"So what do we do?" I was completely at a loss. I knew that everyone was looking to me for leadership, but this was definitely not my area. I still had a hundred questions, but my brain couldn't form them into a coherent sentence. No matter how loud the screaming was, it still, somehow, didn't seem real. I was being gripped and shaken with the notion that things would never be the same again.

"I wish I knew. They're having reports of this all over New York City, even into the suburbs. I can only guess at how far it will reach within the next few days," Don answered solemnly.

There was silence between us. His voice hadn't held much hope. Through some clairvoyant force, I felt my brother's fear, felt it mix with my own uncertainty. The combination turned my stomach.

"Listen Leo, stay where you're at. My best idea is to ride this out for the next day or so. If we get a chance, we'll come to you. That'll be easier, since Mike's hurt."

"Fine with me. We won't move."

"Good. Hey, Casey wants to talk to April."

"Sure."

I handed the phone toward April, who eagerly grabbed it out of my hand. She had just started to say hello when we heard shouting. Close. It was coming from right over the side of the building.

"I can't climb anymore, the ladder ends!"

It was a little girl's voice, high-pitched and on the verge of tears. April's hand flew to her mouth.

After a slight moment of reservation, I knew that we had to do something. Being seen by someone should be the last of our worries right now. Hell, by morning it might not matter at all.

I sprinted to edge, falling down on my knees so that I could lean on the cement railing. The darkness was making it hard to see, but I could make out three shapes on the top of the ladder that I'd cut off earlier. The little girl was closest, frantically feeling the bricks in front of her, trying to find a hand hold. There was at least eight feet of gap to the top of the building.

Michaelangelo was at my side, taking stock of the situation. Looking at him, I could only think of one idea.

"You trust me Mike?"

"Somehow I don't like the sound of that." He peered down at the little girl, realizing what we needed to do. She heard our voices and tilted her face upwards. We froze, waiting for the scream.

It never came.

"Please help us!" she cried, reaching out her hand.

I was perplexed by her reaction. Why wasn't she afraid of us?

Then it hit me. Because she couldn't see us. It was too dark, and the moon was reflecting from behind. To her, we probably just looked like big shadows.

Mike tilted himself forward, stomach resting on the cement. I grabbed his ankles. Trying my best to dig in my heels, I started to lower him over the side of the building. His weight instantly pulled against my hands, and I worked my fingers deeper into his skin.

What the hell were we doing? This was nuts.

"Okay kid, I need you stand up as high as you can and reach your arms up!" Mike told the girl. I held him steady for a few more seconds, until he yelled again. "Leo, give me another six inches!"

I didn't know if I could. He was already too heavy, and with the added weight of the girl…

April, sensing my distress, came and wrapped both arms around one of Mike's legs. I knew that she couldn't do much, but a little was better than nothing. We sent Mike precariously lower, until I felt even more weight in my hands.

He had her.

"April, pull!"

Sweat broke across my forehead as we dragged the two of them upwards. As soon as his torso was up on the rail, Mike used his arms to lift the girl up beside him. From what I could tell, she looked to be somewhere around ten years old. She immediately jumped to the ground, panting.

On impulse, April put her arms around her. Without a hint of reservation, the girl came against her, allowing herself to be held. April made sure to keep her turned away from us.

Smart. The last thing that we needed was for her to start screaming.

The next person was a girl as well, but older, maybe late teens or twenties. Although she was heavier, she was also taller, which meant that Mike didn't need to lean as far over the edge. My muscles were in agony, but we managed to pull her up.

She took one look at me and almost fell over backwards. I heard her gasp before running towards April, grabbing at the two of them. Her hand caught April's shirt, and she started to pull April away from us. It didn't take her long to find her voice. She screamed, but not loudly – it was more of a whimper. Her brain was probably on overload. After everything that had happened tonight, how much more surprised could she get?

April turned to her, trying to calm her down. She was basically putting her hand over the girl's mouth to keep her quiet.

Hey, whatever worked. We still had someone else to rescue.

The final form on the ladder, a man, didn't seem like he heard her. He was small, not too much bigger than the previous woman. It took a little longer, but we hauled him onto the rooftop.

That's when all hell broke loose.

"Holy shit!"

Oblivious to the fact that we'd probably just saved his life, the man struggled away from my brother's grip. His jaw fell open, and his eyes got so wide I thought they were going to pop out of his head. For a moment he just stood there, still as a statue, staring back and forth between me and Mike.

I took a step forward with hands raised. "Hey, its okay, we're only-"

I didn't get a chance to finish. The man's hand whipped to his back pocket, emerging with something small and black.

A gun.

He was the one whose shots we'd heard earlier.

I tried to move, but I wasn't fast enough. A hard, ear-shattering explosion rocked the night, and I watch a spray of blood erupt from my shoulder. It felt like I was on fire. I stumbled, nearly falling to the ground.

The gun discharged again, but for me, the pain muffled the sound. My leg shuddered, and I realized that the second bullet hit my thigh. Refusing to succumb to the numbing effect of the shock, gasping for breath, I tried to stay standing. I couldn't.

The chill of the ground was almost welcome. Lying there, I desperately tried to fend off the welling darkness that pooled behind my eyes…

Then there was nothing.

Please leave a review on your way out! Good or bad, I want to know what you think.

The line about the two guys making a synthetic polio virus from things that they ordered off of the internet is true – it actually happened around two years ago. It's a scary world that we live in…