Rating: Overall story rated T

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Warnings: Overall story contains disturbing imagery such as blood, gore and the like, and disturbing situations.

Summary: The world as they knew it has gone to ruins. The shadows, once their greatest allies, now harbour threats so great it's safer to risk walking in open daylight and Mikey and April will do anything to keep what remains of their family safe; even if it means abandoning home and everything they knew. This story is AU and a collaboration between sampsonknight and Zelgadis55.

Comments, thoughts and concrit are always welcome.


Minnie1015: I'm sorry, I'll try to ease up on the cliffhangers for you but Sampson probably won't let me (she's the true evil one!) By the way, you might regret telling Leo to run XD

Wingless Blackbird: Never a truer word spoken XD


Sekai no Owari

Ch 18

Mikey's head whipped around at the noise. To his horror, he saw Leo standing there and staring terrified at the stinking, moaning zombie hoard in their living room.

"Oh my god!" Donnie breathed over the headsets as Mikey somersaulted from the middle of his attackers and began running towards his helpless brother. "Leo's out there! Fuck! I thought he was with me! There're zombies heading for him! Mikey!"

Mikey's heart pounded in his chest at the words but he'd already seen them and fast as he was, he wasn't sure he could make it in time.

"Leo!" April screamed, turning her head and watching in horror as everything around her slowed to a crawl.

Leo, not sure what was going on, shuddered upon seeing every horror movie Mikey made him watch come to life. They were ugly and didn't smell right and their eyes pierced his soul to the point that no matter how much he wanted to run... he couldn't.

"Leo! Run!" Mikey yelled frantically as he pelted across the room.

He wasn't going to make it!

He wasn't going to make it!

Snatching a pair of nunchaku from his belt, Mikey gave them a whirl and then tossed them at a zombie's feet, in the best impression of bolas that he could. The zombie tripped, falling flat on its face but there were still three more going for his former leader, now five-year-old brother.

April, fighting her way to her brothers, kept being cut off by biter after biter, they were all over the place and were desperate to feed.

So close! Mikey was so close and the zombies all the closer, the nearest grabbing at the petrified child. Mikey could make out his brother's mouth moving yet no sound emerged and his heart leapt into his throat as he pushed harder to get to him faster.

He swung out with his borrowed katana, slicing through the neck of the one closest to himself and then, he dove forward, dropping the katana to snatch Leo from the rotting hands and jaws of the recently dead and rolling forward with him.

"Mikey!" April screamed suddenly in horror removing her sai from an eye socket, "Your left!"

Before Mikey could react or even fully get to his feet while cradling Leonardo, he felt his left arm snatched up and teeth sink in. Mikey screamed in pain and horror, almost dropping Leo as he drove his elbow into the monster biting into him. Twisting, he followed his elbow with a swift sidekick and shifted his grip on his brother to his left arm as he followed through with a right fist. Scooping up the sword with his foot, he flung it up, snatching it in midair and drove the point of it in through the zombie's eye.

Gasping in pain, Mikey could feel the bite on his left arm heating up, infection already setting in and a part of him felt terror, remembering long gone friends describing the same sensation only hours or days before they turned, but he ignored it, instead, turning that part of his attention to his brother as he continued fighting.

"Leo, are you okay, little bro?" he asked anxiously, without looking down at the terrified bundle of turtle clinging to his arm.

Nodding slowly, Leo's eyes were wide as saucers, "I want daddy..."

"So do I, Chibi-chan," Mikey replied, his voice taut as he tried not to whimper. His arm was really beginning to burn. He managed to work his way to the first room with a lockable door and pried Leo off him to push him inside. "Stay in there and lock the door. Don't open it for anyone other than April, Donnie or me."

"But... but..." Leo whimpered, not wanting to be alone.

"I need to fight to protect you and I can't do it easily while carrying you," Mikey explained, kicking away yet another zombie. It pulled itself to its feet again and lurched towards Mikey once more. "We'll come back for you, I promise."

"Pinky promise?" Leo sniffled.

"Even better! I swear on the name of pizza!" Mikey laughed, forcing himself to because he knew Leo needed to hear it.

"Okay," Leo agreed after a moment.

"Good. Lock it and put a chair in front," Mikey ordered, and it was only when he heard the click from inside that he pushed away from the door. It was then that Mikey actually allowed his anger at the invasion to their home and family to sweep over him, and gritting his teeth, he adjusted his grip on his now little brother's weapon and launched himself into the fray.

-:-

The chaos blurred, melting from one second to another and April couldn't keep track of everything that unfolded. It wasn't until the last of the biters were bleeding over the already bloody mess that she finally took a breath and looked towards Mikey. She knew he had taken their little brother to safety but other than that she wasn't sure what had happened, only having briefly witnessed the monsters hovering over him as she too was swarmed, only able to see flashes of arms, eyes and teeth.

"Mikey, are you hurt?" April asked gingerly, seeing something was off about him.

The now oldest turtle swayed slightly where he stood, his eyes glazed over as he tried to focus on her. He moaned in pain and exhaustion, dropping the katana without realising, before collapsing clumsily to his knees.

"What's wrong?" April asked sharply, advancing towards him.

"Leo," he whispered painfully, glancing back towards the room he'd left his brother in.

April glanced over before focusing on him again, "He's fine, nothing got past us. I'm worried about you now. What happened, Mikey..." April placed her hand on his shoulder, feeling a rush of worry course through her; he was burning up. Shifting her hand to his forehead, her eyes grew wide as she asked, "Were you bitten?"

"Get Leo, I promised him one of us would come for him once it was safe," Mikey insisted breathlessly, trying to pull himself to his feet again and failing.

"Damn it, Mikey, answer me!" April snarled, looking to see if he was.

Mikey shook his head, finally managing to get to his feet. He began shuffling, exhausted, towards where Leo was, consumed by his need to know his brother was safe.

Knowing he was trying to pull one over on her, she finally saw the teeth marks that ripped through the flesh on his arm which already oozed with infection. Shifting in front she stopped him, forcing him instead towards the lab and ignoring any protests he gave as she gave orders over the earpiece, "Donnie, open the lab door, take Raph and go and make sure Leo is safe!"

Eyes wide and gripping the desk in fear as he watched the monitors, Donnie couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong with Mikey?" He couldn't hide the uncertainty in his voice.

Mikey tried to fight against April, but to his self-disgust, he stumbled, falling back to his knees once more. He turned terrified eyes upon her, silently pleading for her to help.

April mustered her strength and somehow managed to drag Mikey's weight towards the lab. Her heart was pounding and she didn't have time to explain or have Donnie do what he thought was necessary and getting in the way, "Donnie, that is an order! Now do what I ask. I will explain later but until then don't question me!"

Donnie grit his teeth, angry that she wasn't telling him what he needed to know. He could understand she needed him to take Raph and check on Leo, but still, Mikey was their brother, not hers and he needed to know what was wrong with him. "Fine," he said coldly, "But you better talk to me once I get Leo."

With that, he pushed his rolling chair away from the security station to where Raph lay, grizzling miserably and scooped him up. Moments later, Donnie opened the lab doors and strode towards the room Leo was locked inside, staring in fear at the barely conscious Michelangelo until they disappeared in the lab, the door closing behind.

Donnie gently bounced Raph in his arms on the way and was soon knocking at the door Leo was holed up behind. "Leo?" he called softly as he tried turning the handle. "It's over now, you can come out."

No answer came from beyond the door

"Leonardo, it's me, Donatello! Please, open the door," Donnie tried again, still hearing nothing from within.

Donnie sighed tiredly. "Leo! Please? Mikey said to answer the door if it was him or me, remember? Well, it's me and I have Raph with me. Please, open the door and let me in. It's pretty bad out here and Raph shouldn't be here, it could make him sick," he pleaded, knocking at the door.

"Are they gone?" Leo suddenly whimpered as his voice came closer to the door.

Donnie looked around at the bloody mess of severed limbs and broken bodies behind him. "Sort of?" he admitted, knowing his brother would freak if he opened the door and saw them scattered about. "Their bodies are still here but they're really dead this time."

"Okay..." Leo unlocked the door, moving the chair but didn't open it.

Donnie hesitated for just a moment, then turned the handle and slipped inside. His gaze roved over his little brother, taking in the fearful way Leonardo stood there, arms wrapped around himself as he trembled. He nudged the door closed behind himself with his foot and stepped forward, taking Leo into his arms for a three-way hug with Raphael.

"It's okay, now, Leo. The monsters are dead."

"But... Mikey..." Leo started to cry.

Donnie felt the cold surge through him again as he remembered April half-carrying, half-dragging his brother into the lab. He didn't look injured as far as he could see, but who could be sure with all that gore covering him. Still, he suspected that maybe he'd been bitten and was angry that April hadn't told him if it was the case, or reassured him it wasn't.

"Mikey's hurt, but not too badly," he explained, refusing to say if he'd be okay or not. Last thing he wanted was to lie to Leonardo, the young turtle who was quite perceptive for his age. He refused to betray his trust in him, just in case he was wrong.

"Is he going to die!" Leo cried, desperate to know the truth, "He was bitten!"

Hearing his worst fears confirmed, it was all Donnie could do to shake his head emphatically. "He said he took the inoculation, remember? The same one we took yesterday morning?"

"But you get bitten you're dead like the movies!" Leo whimpered, not believing they were real.

"Movies aren't real, Leonardo, you should know that by now. Besides, as I just said, Mikey took the inoculation so he's safe, he won't die," Donnie soothed, quietly, trying to convince himself just as much as he was trying to convince his little brother.

After all, the serum had never been fully tested.

-:-

April dragged him through the lab doors, closing them behind her. Part of her wanted to lock them in for their safety, well, Leo's, Donnie's and Raph's really, but she knew that wasn't a wise idea either. Sliding Mikey up and feeling his dead weight hindering her, she noticed his body had become significantly warmer in the last few minutes and she feared the worst as she all but dragged him to the medical room.

"Mikey, you need to hang in there and help me get you on the bed," she said to him softly.

Unfortunately, he did not answer her as she sighed and made an attempt to get him on the bed. With some luck and he actually did help a bit, she made him lay there as she set to work.

She timed from when he must have been bitten, working out which procedures were called for. This was one reason she couldn't have Donnie there for he had no clue what needed to be done and would only get in her way. When they'd been given the drug, Donatello had put together several scenarios and steps that would be needed in case one of them was bitten. For a week or so he drilled this in her and Mikey, figuring at least three should know what to do in such situations as this. There were stages and each stage was determined by the time of bite and treatment. The stage Mikey was on, his body was reacting badly to the infection caused by the bite, and even with immunity, there was the fear that the bacteria from the walking corpse would be just as harmful if not treated right away and properly.

First, she needed to deal with the infection, clean the wound and stitch it while the IV pumped his system with the necessary drugs to help his body fight the infection, fever and whatever else he was experiencing. After that, she would then give him a blood transfusion, grateful that Donatello was very strict in keeping the supplies of each of their blood up to date and plentiful.

Mikey turned his head and stared up at her with glazed eyes, trying to paw at her with his right hand, "Le...?" he tried to ask, his voice little more than a whisper on the wind.

"Donnie is taking care of Leo, don't worry. Just worry about getting better," April assured him, placing a cold cloth on his head and finishing bandaging him up. She'd cleaned it the best she could and now it was his body's turn to do what it must to survive.

Relaxing at the news, Mikey half-nodded and closed his eyes, his arm flopping immediately back to the mattress.

April let out a worried sigh before getting up to fetch a blood bag to start the next part of the treatment. Coming back, she quickly set him up and stayed by his side, hoping his fever would break, hoping he would not get worse... hoping with everything she that the drug that Donatello created actually worked and she wouldn't be left alone, the only remaining adult to deal with three suddenly far younger brothers.

-:-

With Leonardo and Raphael finally asleep in the storage room Leo had taken sanctuary in, Donnie decided to make his way back to the lab to check on Mikey. Cringing at the all gore through the living area, he tiptoed his way around the mess, wondering how he could clean that up on his own so as not to disturb Leo with the sight later.

Donnie pushed open the lab door, poking his head in and trying to swallow back his fear. Seeing April sitting by Mikey over in the infirmary area of the lab, he quietly made his way over, disturbed by the way the sai lay near, in a perfect position for the human to snatch up at a moment's notice.

"How's Mikey?" he asked softly, standing out of her reach and gazing worriedly at his brother.

"Not yet out of the woods," April responded distantly, not taking her eyes off of Mikey's still body.

"What happened?" Donnie asked, swallowing audibly as he stepped closer. He reached out to touch Mikey's shoulder.

"Donatello, refrain from touching or going near him at the moment," she warned, shooting a stern glare at him.

Donnie felt another surge of anger course through him at her behaviour; it wasn't the behaviour of a trusted friend. He managed to school his expression and said as evenly as possible, "He's my brother and I want to know how he is. I need to know what's wrong with him!"

"That is fine but don't touch him. If he turns he will go for the closest warm body. I prefer that to be me," April said coldly, empty of emotions as Leonardo taught her to be if the worst ever came to pass. All of them, herself included, had to learn that if one of them turned not to hesitate to do what needed to be done; to learn not to feel emotions until the deed was done. Now, she knew how hard that was for Leo to teach them that as now she was doing the same to Donnie. "Yes, he was bitten and I proceeded with the proper protocol on how to deal with a bite. All we can do now is wait and see."

"And what is the 'proper protocol'?" Donnie asked, almost as coldly.

"Doesn't matter, it's been done to this point. I take it that Raph and Leo are safe?" April asked, not making eye contact this time around as she kept a careful eye on Michelangelo.

''Doesn't matter?' Donnie thought furiously. How could she dismiss him and Mikey like that! "Of course they are," Donnie replied, returning his gaze to his brother who was beginning to toss a little as he slept, a sheen of sweat across his too-pale skin. "I wouldn't have come otherwise."

"Good. Now I need you to go to the camera station and check the live feeds. If they seem off at all, ignore them and go and focus on the recorded video only. From the old recordings, I need you to rewind them back to the point where Mikey and I first left and figure out how many Zombies there were down those corridors before they stampeded for the entrance. Once you have figured out their numbers or have an idea how many there might have been, I want you next to go further back and do a quick check from last night to this morning's recorded feed. If you see any white noise on any of the cameras, especially by the entrance, you tell me right away," April ordered, removing the cloth with caution as she watched Mikey's chest rise and fall raggedly. She refreshed the cloth in the nearby bowl of water before gently replacing it on his forehead.

Mikey shifted again in his sleep, a soft moan of discomfort coming from him.

As April tensed, her hand moving slightly closer to the sai, Donnie shifted his stance, ready to defend Mikey. Moments later, she relaxed again but Donnie found he couldn't, realising that if Mikey moved wrong, she intended to hurt him.

Or worse.

"Donatello, I told you what you need to do. Now go do it." April didn't take her eyes off of Mikey.

Chafing at her tone, Donnie muttered "Fine," and stalked across to the security station to do as she asked. Once he reached it and sat down, however, he brought up a small screen with the camera in the lab, directing it to focus on Mikey and April so he could keep an eye on them as he worked.

Letting out a sigh when he left, she muttered under her breath, "I hate the whole concept of this death row shift... I wasn't assigned to you, Mikey... Leo was... He was right, you and Donnie are the hardest ones for me to take this responsibility for..."

-:-

Donnie clenched his fists under the desk angrily. He'd seen a flash of a pale, human hand on the edge of the camera by the main door, not too dissimilar from April's complexion, followed by several seconds of static as she'd mentioned.

He twisted in his seat to turn and study April, remembering how she sat in this same chair the previous night, fiddling with the camera settings and closing it off as soon as she noticed him approaching her.

And how she seemed to know when the zombie hoard was coming.

Both times...

Right as he sat there contemplating her actions was the moment Mikey suddenly cried out, loud and keening, right before he started to seize and all Donnie could do was watch in horror, helpless as April exploded into action.

"Shit!" April cursed, scrambling from her seat. She hadn't expected him to react like this. He wasn't allergic to any of the medication she was giving him, that much she knew at least and checking his vitals was difficult with his body squirming around. She turned him onto his side, which wasn't easy, watching him closely and timing his episode. He started to foam from the mouth and she wasn't sure what she to do or if this was a bad side effect of the drug or a sign he was dying.

"Don't you dare die on me, Mikey!" she growled, not wanting him to leave her alone. She couldn't do this without him.

Having eventually found the courage to creep forward as April treated his brother, Donnie's heart leapt into his throat, hearing her every word. He froze on the spot, gaze transfixed on Mikey as he abruptly stiffened and flopped, perfectly still.

April shrieked out Mikey's name in sudden fear. "Nonononono!"

Donnie stiffened in shock and his gaze turned briefly from his too still brother to the woman with red hair. "You can't leave us with her," he whispered desperately. Then, when there was still no sign of movement from Mikey, Donnie turned and fled the lab, knowing beyond all doubt that he needed to get to Leo and Raph right that second.

-:-