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.
T420000: Yep! It's Casey!
Minnie1015: They did! It's basically road trip time. On foot.
Sekai no Owari
Ch 22
The battle finally over, Mikey found himself collapsing where he stood, unable to even crawl away from the gore and rotting bodies.
"Hey buddy, need a hand?" the wannabe Jason offered, putting his hockey stick away.
Mikey blinked his blue eyes open, looking up at the human. "Sure," he wheezed wearily.
"Mikey, can I come down now please?" Leo whimpered shakily as the hockey player from hell helped Mikey back to his feet and then to the frightened child.
"Yeah, just a sec, Chibi-chan," Mikey replied, leaning heaving against the bloody human. Not that he was much better in terms of blood and gore. "Your big bro just needs a moment to get his strength back."
"So you're brothers?" the masked man asked, lowering Mikey down carefully beside the minibus.
"Yeah," Mikey nodded, tiredly. Then he chuckled ironically and added, "Leo's my oldest brother."
"Oh, so there are more? I saw the other two, the teen and the baby. Man, you have a big family," the man leaned against the bus and stretched. "I hope they're okay. I didn't mean to scare them like that," the man moved his mask up, wiping the sweat off his grimy face.
"Yeah, not so big. There's just the five of us now," Mikey admitted, closing his eyes again.
Leo huffed impatiently and then whined, "Mikey, I want down!"
"Just a sec, bro," Mikey replied and with a wince, tried to pick himself back up. "I'm coming."
The man placed his hand on Mikey's shoulder, "Let me get this." He turned to Leo, "I'll help you down, kid."
Leo looked at the masked phantom oddly, "So you can eat me?"
Chuckling, the man shook his head, "I'm not dead and I don't like the taste of turtles either, I prefer fish."
Studying him, Leo chanced a look over the edge then shuddered, "What if you drop me!"
"If I did, kiddo, I think your brother would kill me so don't worry. I'm not ready to kick the bucket yet. Now, come on," the man extended his arms as Leo hesitantly let him pull him off the bus and set him onto the ground.
Feeling the solid bitumen under his feet, Leo finally let his breath out and he ran to Mikey, throwing himself at him in a death hug, then pouted at him, "No more high places! And no more saying you're gone!"
Mikey hugged him back but not as tightly as last time, allowing his brother to breathe. "What do you mean, gone?"
"Donnie said you were gone and... si... April left 'cause she doesn't want us anymore," Leo whimpered, laying his head on Mikey's solid plastron.
"Is that why you guys left home?" Mikey asked softly; they'd suspected it was because Donnie thought he'd died but to actually hear it... His heart broke as he heard the pain and fear in his little brother's voice.
"Donnie said it isn't safe and we need to leave but I didn't want to..."
Mikey sighed sadly. "Leo, April and I'll never leave you, okay? I was really sick because I got bitten but I'm okay now because April nursed me back to health."
"Bitten?" the man barked in surprise, backing away a couple of steps. "You were bitten?"
Mikey nodded tiredly, "Yeah, a couple of days ago."
Blinking, the man eyed him carefully, "You should be dead... unless turtles can't be turned?"
"Yeah, well, I am a mutant," Mikey shrugged. "The infection nearly got me but hey, I got better."
"Well, lucky then," the wannabe Jason said. Before he could continue, Leo interrupted.
"Mikey, we need to find Donnie and Raphie!" Leo begged. He jumped off of Mikey and pulled his arm, trying to get him to his feet.
"Yeah, we do. As well as April who's hopefully found them by now," Mikey admitted, clambering to his feet. He pulled out April's Shell-cell and turned it on. Within moments, he had the tracking app open and a huge smile broke out across his face. "They're on their way to us, Chibi-chan. April wouldn't be coming here unless she found Donnie and Raph."
"So she didn't leave?" Leo\s eyes brightened excitedly.
"Of course not. She'd never leave us, she's family!" Mikey replied aghast. "Besides, remember I told you she nursed me back to health?"
"No," Leo said, proving his attention span as a five-year-old was limited.
The man glanced in the opposite direction and bit his lip, "So I take it your group will be fine? Or do you need me to stick around longer?"
"We'll be fine now," Mikey said, straightening. He smiled up at Jason. "Thanks for stopping Leo from playing in the traffic."
Chuckling the man let out a chuckle, "Yeah, well, kids should stay offa the highways, they can be dangerous."
"Yeah, you hear that Leo?" Mikey snickered. "Highways can be dangerous so stay off them unless you're with April, Donnie or me."
"I don't like heights," Leo shuddered miserably, looking back to the bus again. "I will stay away," he promised with a nod.
"Good boy," Mikey ruffled at Leo's head and his little brother pulled away, pouting.
Standing up straight, Jason stretched while trying not to laugh too hard at Leo, "Well, I guess I should find my group. They would've gone to the rendezvous point if they haven't found the two other kids. I should join them before they think I went postal on a group of biters and got killed over stupidity." Then without looking back, he walked away with a jaunty wave.
Mikey grinned and grabbed Leo's hand, leading them towards the oncoming signal. As they were about to disappear into the trees, Mikey looked back and seeing the man about to disappear from view, yelled back, "Thanks again for the help, Jason!"
-:-
With his eyes still eagerly glued to the screen in front of him, Donnie spoke up, "According to the tracker, we should be just about on top of Mikey."
"I think you're right. He's limping and if he," April smirked at the sea-green figure coming into view and raised her voice so Mikey, who also had his face glued to a screen, could hear her too, "falls on his big beak we might be on top of him."
Mikey looked up in surprise and grinned in delight as Leo pulled free of his grasp. "Donnie! Raphie! Thank shell you little dudes are okay!" he cried, picking up the pace and all but bounding over having found his fifth wind at last.
"You found Leo," April stated, sounding faint with relief.
Barrelling towards them, Mikey skidded to a stop and threw his arms around Donnie and Raph in joy at finally being reunited. "I found Leo." Mikey beamed up at April after a moment. "And some psycho guy dressed like Jason. He was pretty cool though, despite how crazy he was and all."
"Uh-huh..." April raised an eyebrow seeing there was no one was with them.
Ecstatic to be back with everyone, Leo grabbed April's hand, practically jumping up and down in his excitement, "Sis, sis! The human was so scary! He had this scary mask and he had a big stick and and..." Leo blabbered on as April knelt down, nodding attentively at his story.
"Let me go, Mikey," Donnie spluttered indignantly as Leo wildly told April about his and Mikey's exploits. "You're squashing us."
"Heh! Sorry, bro. Leo complained about the same thing earlier," Mikey chuckled, quickly releasing his brothers. "Are you really okay, though? Both of you?"
"Yeah," Donnie replied quietly as he looked away, ashamed. "I... I thought we lost you, Mikey."
"I'm not that easy to lose, bro, I'm way too loud and bright for that," Mikey teased, his head breaking at the pain in his now-little brother's voice, "or so you guys always told me."
Donnie laughed softly, "I can believe it. I'm really sorry we ran away like that. Thanks for coming to find us."
"We didn't have much choice," Mikey smiled fondly. "I can't imagine life without my best bros."
Donnie couldn't help but smile back. Then he took a deep breath, handed Raph to a surprised Mikey and turned to face April, bowing deeply. "I'm really sorry for distrusting you so much, April. Our father drilled it into our heads and training for years to never trust humans s-so it's been really hard to do so now; even with Mikey telling me more than once how much he trusts and cares for you."
"One step at a time then?" April asked, placing her hand on Leo's head to indicate she will continue listening to him in a moment.
Donnie nodded gratefully, a look of relief filling his features.
"I'm fine with that," April smiled. She stood up, brushing herself off. "Mikey, Donnie I think we shouldn't stay here too long. We need to find shelter and be as far away from the river as possible before it's dark."
Mikey glanced down at Raph who was squirming and grunting while reaching desperately for April. He stepped closer to her and held out his brother. Then he turned to Donnie. "Did you guys have a plan on where to go?"
Donnie shook his head, embarrassed. "No. I just knew... uh... felt like we had to get away as fast as we could. So I packed us up and we ran."
Mikey took a deep breath and glanced up at the sun which was getting low in the sky. "I don't think we should go back to the sub, even though it would be safe inside. Those creeps that were shooting at us might find us there. So anyone else got any ideas?"
Donnie looked up at Mikey and April sharply. "You were shot at?"
"Yeah," Mikey admitted reluctantly.
"So going back home isn't an option then?"
"Umm... Well, you see... it was all Mikey's idea," April coughed, her face turning bright red as she pointed at Mikey very quickly to dump the blame on him as she cradled the now happy Raphael in her arms.
"Liar!" Mikey retorted indignantly. "I might have been the one to blow up the lair, but it was your idea and you're the one who primed the explosives!"
"Blow up the lair?" Donnie asked in disbelief. "You blew up our home? But... why? Where are we going to go then?"
"In my defence, it was actually older Donnie's and Leo's plan to blow up the lab if the lair was compromised..." April bit her lip, worrying if she really should have said that out loud in front of the two, now younger turtles. "I just added the kitchen for extra effect."
Donnie turned to her with wide eyes but didn't say anything.
"You blew up my kitchen for nothing?" Mikey asked aghast. "Seriously?"
"You mean, you blew up the kitchen. You pressed the detonation button," April pointed out with a small smirk. "Anyway, admit it, Mikey, you even said you didn't want anyone touching your kitchen. I was doing you a favour by rigging up the kitchen as well."
Mikey sighed sadly, "Totally beside the point, Ape..."
"Besides, taking out those two rooms would have done significant structural damage to the rest of the lair, making it completely unusable for anyone else."
Donnie stared up at the two in disbelief. He was beginning to think that he, Leo and Raph were better off alone after all.
"I hope... Anyway, sorry Donnie, we are both tired and get off track easily," April scratched her head in embarrassment. She really had been spending way too much time with Mikey recently and it showed with how she often played up to him lately. "We had no choice but to blow it up considering all the odd things that were going on with the cameras and the traps set up by that group who wanted the lair for whatever reason. They were willing to kill us to take it. We couldn't let them have it and everything inside and there was no way we could defend it without the emergency sub as an escape route. Besides, considering they found the lair and used do... sounds to draw in the biters, we were more in danger staying there than we are out here. They might have eventually returned with explosives of their own to break in if we didn't leave and blow it up first."
Donnie looked away guiltily.
Mikey nodded sadly. "And with things the way they were, we would have run out of food within days and starved to death if we stayed. Even if you guys hadn't run away, we would have had to leave soon anyway..."
"Oh..."
"Though, we could have been better prepared if you hadn't run off but what's done is done and we're just glad you guys are okay."
"He's right," April agreed quietly. "In a way, it isn't a bad thing either, to a point. As far as that group is concerned, only Mikey and I survived. Unless they saw you leaving it, they couldn't know the sub was ours and maybe they won't consider chasing after just the two of us, seeing as how, surely, we aren't worth the trouble."
"So that leaves the question," Mikey began, brushing away the memory of the two creeps in the sewers commenting about how their leader loved redheads, "where do we go from here?"
"Well, Leo's plans could give us a clue." April held out her hand to swap Mikey's Shell-cell with her own again.
Gazing up at April, Leo tilted his head in confusion, "My plans?" he asked plaintively.
Smiling, April nodded, "Yep, you were very strategic when you were older and had it all figured out where we should go, places you knew would be safe and so on. How you figured that all out beats me but I do recall you asking for the CB to be fixed up so I assume you were talking to someone."
"CB?" Mikey asked, perplexed. "You mean like what long haul truckers use?"
"Yes. I wonder if he had connections with it somewhere?" April pondered, patting Leo distractedly on the head as she thought. "Leo, promise me you won't keep any more secrets from us, even if you feel embarrassed by them."
"Okay, sis. Why was I embarrassed?" Leo asked, still not getting what was going on.
"Okay..." Mikey said slowly, "so Leo had a CB which, I might add, we don't currently have, so how does that help us now?"
"His maps have all his notes and details on them," April pointed out, opening up the map app in the Shell-cell which showed the area and possible locations to find shelter during the night. "He marked places as Dead Zones that had too much zombie population and so on. Obviously, we can't be sure if it's still accurate but it's better than nothing."
"Right, well, I hate to say this and I'm not just whining for the sake of it like I would have in the past," Mikey began hesitantly, "but I can't keep going much longer. I'm wiped and still feeling kinda sick so we need to find shelter asap. Plus, it'll be sunset in a bit over an hour."
April nodded, looking at the maps grimly, "Unfortunately, the closest shelter Leo indicated in either direction is at least a four-hour walk."
Mikey took a deep breath and blurted, "Well, back at the highway there was a minibus with all its windows in one piece. We could hole up inside that for the night at least and take the time to work out what we're going to do while there. We'd also have a good view of everything around to make sure no one and nothing is coming for us."
Donnie looked up at Mikey nervously. "We saw zombies around the vehicles on the highway before so I'm not sure how safe it would really be."
"Well, Jason and I killed everything around there when I found Leo," Mikey offered. "It's as safe a place as any unless you'd rather sleep in a tree."
"What about the windows? Will they be able to break them to get at us?"
"Doubt it," Mikey shook his head, "unless they're really fresh they shouldn't have the strength and they don't exactly have the brains or reach." He looked to April for her opinion.
"Is there a rooftop emergency escape hatch?" April asked seriously.
"I didn't notice," Mikey shrugged, "but Leo was on top of it, so he might know. Leo?"
"Yes, Mikey?" Leo yawned, rubbing his eyes tiredly.
"When you waited for me on top of that bus, was there an escape hatch?" Mikey asked hopefully.
"What's a 'scape hatch?" Leo asked, canting his head in confusion.
"It looks like a raised square door."
Leo blinked at the explanation, then finally nodded, "There was a square thing on the top," he shuddered.
"Then there's a way out if we need it," Mikey pointed out. "So then?"
"What other choice do we have?" April wearily admitted. "If we do this though, we need to assign shifts to be on watch and Mikey, you can't take the first shift."
Mikey nodded in relief at the knowledge he'd be getting to sit down and just stop soon. "Sounds good to me. Let's go."
-:-
Mikey searched around the driver's seat looking for the door lever and pressed it, watching in relief as the bus door sealed closed. Then he made his way towards the back where the rest of his family had settled down in seats or on the floor and flopped down on the floor between the seats, beyond exhausted.
Though she was rocking Raph, April turned her attention to Donnie, "When was the last time you guys ate? Mikey, we need to eat something as well."
"Too tired to eat," Mikey moaned petulantly but he pushed himself back upright anyway and pulled his backpack close, searching through it for food.
"Um, just before we abandoned the sub," Donnie replied, looking down at his feet guiltily. "A little before midday?"
"Oh good, I was worried you three hadn't eaten all day." April tickled Raph's neck turning his sniffles to giggles.
"I wouldn't do that to Leo and Raph," Donnie said stiffly. "At least, not while we still have food."
Mikey pulled out a few silver-wrapped bars and handed them to Donnie who was closest to him. "Pass these around?" he asked hopefully, not bothering to keep one for himself. He then fell back, laying down again with one hand across his forehead.
"Okay," Donnie replied, taking them and handing one each to April and Leo. He then turned to his own bag and pulled out a container with food for Raph already prepared. He also took out the sippy cup and added some to that, before handing it up to April.
"Thanks, Donnie, can I get you to feed him for a sec though? There's another big baby who needs to eat too." April narrowed her eyes at Mikey.
"Sure," Donnie said uncertainly, taking his brother and moving aside for April.
Sniffing wildly at the change in warm bodies at first, it didn't take Raphael long to realise the sippy cup contained food and he attacked it in joyful hunger.
April laughed at the baby turtle lunging cutely for his dinner, then shook her head, "See? Even Raphie knows it's time to eat, Mikey. Now eat up," she commanded, pushing her ration bar against the hand draped across his forehead.
"'m too tired to eat," he repeated in a mumble, refusing to take the silver packet she tried forcing on him. "Jus' wanna sleep..." he slurred.
Unwrapping the food, she stood over his plastron, looking down at him, "Eat it or I will shove it down your damn throat."
"Do I really have to mum?" he moaned piteously.
"Well, the way I see it, you have two choices. One, you take it and eat it or... two, I chew your share up and feed it to you like a baby bird, you choose Mikey," she smirked, crossing her arms.
Mikey opened one eye and stared up balefully at her, "You're really that desperate to lock lips with someone?"
Donnie turned to stare at them, unable to believe what he was hearing.
"No, and you already snuck a kiss if I recall right and I know I do, so don't look at me and accuse me of desperation for a kiss. I just don't want you to drop dead because you're too damn lazy to chew," April pointed out with a growl.
"Pft! The kiss of life totally doesn't count and it's not laziness!" Mikey retorted, struggling to sit up. He lethargically waved away April's bar and fumbled in his bag for another.
"Sure it doesn't. Any other guy would insist otherwise," April snickered, going back to her seat now she'd won. "Donnie, if you want me to take him back, I'm done convincing the other child to eat."
Donnie wordlessly handed Raph back to April, watching as Mikey fumbled uselessly at the packaging before giving up and flopping back down again in sick exhaustion.
Sighing, April shook her head, cradling Raph in her arms as she gestured for Leo to come over to her. She whispered into his ear and gave him her bar. Leo quietly snuck up to Mikey ever so quietly, then waited as his mouth opened for a yawn before shoving the bar into his mouth.
"Urk!" Mikey choked as the ration bar deep throated him painfully. "'an' eathe! 'an' eathe!" he cried, flailing desperately as he sat up, accidentally headbutting Leonardo. Coughing uncontrollably, he hurriedly pulled the bar out of his mouth, suddenly wide awake and full of energy after almost dying again.
A scream of tears erupted near Mikey as Leo held his head in pain.
Mikey's eyes widened in shock. He whipped his head around to stare in horror at Leo. "Leo?" he asked, still coughing himself. He rocked to his knees and crawled towards his brother but Donnie reached him first, glaring daggers at Mikey.
"It's okay, Leo," Donnie soothed gently, holding him against him. "Mikey didn't mean to hurt you. Did you Mikey?" he emphasised meaningfully.
"Of course not!" Mikey gasped indignantly. "I'm sorry, Chibi-chan. I just overreacted to nearly choking to death, that's all. Are you alright?"
Leo sniffled miserably at Donnie, "I just put it in his mouth like sis told me."
Mikey tossed April a dirty look. "Oh, did she now."
April become small in her chair with a slight gulp, "I said place it in your mouth Mikey, so you would have to eat it to not waste food. I didn't think he would stab your mouth with it!"
Mikey sighed and fell back on his rump. "Didn't you ever wonder how Leo has a forceful enough personality to stand up to Raph at his worst?"
"Well, I didn't think he would do that. Anyway, you have to eat it now and then I need to give you your antibiotics so chop to it if you want to get some sleep tonight," she retorted irritably.
Mikey sighed again and picked up the fallen bar, looking at it in disgust as he wiped it off. "You should have just said," he said wearily, the adrenaline fast wearing off again. Reluctantly, he took a bite and chewed slowly, lacking the energy to do so properly.
Shaking her head, she tilted her head at Leo, "Are you okay now, Leo? I'm sorry you got hurt. I didn't mean for that to happen."
Leo wiped his eyes and nodded. "Did I do wrong?"
"No... but maybe a bit less forceful next time," April chuckled ruefully.
Mikey just tossed her another sideways look as he methodically continued to chew.
"But that said, I don't think we'll have to worry about doing that ever again. I think Mikey knows that when he is told to eat, not to argue anymore. Right, Leo?" April winked.
"Yes sis, 'cause you're pretty and slim and not old!" he blurted out quickly as April's face twisted.
Mikey chuckled sheepishly, trying not to choke on his half-chewed meal as he swallowed and Donnie looked back and forth in confusion.
"Well, thank you Leo... but using that in place of 'I'm scary' is far more disturbing," April sighed, shooting Mikey a nasty look which he returned with a bright but self-conscious grin.
-:-
After their meagre meal of emergency rations, water and the antibiotics April foisted on him, Mikey fought his increasing sleepiness to talk with April and Donnie about their plans for the next day before laying on his plastron and using his arms as a pillow.
"So Donnie, what happened with you guys after you left the lair?" Mikey ventured. "And what happened out there? How did you get split up? Why were you running all over the place?"
Donnie bit his lip; he'd been dreading this ever since they were reunited.
"There was a million of them!" Leo burst out suddenly, waving his arms in a circle, "They had sharp teeth and razor fangs. They came and wanted to eat us! It was so scary, Mikey and Donnie only screamed mummy!"
"Oh is that so? Then the zombies are now vampires?" April teased, seeing Leo nod in excitement.
"We don't have a mummy, Leo," Donnie sighed, ignoring April's question.
"Sure we do," Mikey piped up, "or, at least we did!"
Donnie shot him a withering look, "And who, pray tell, would that have been?"
"Leo," Mikey grinned, knowing only April would get the joke now but glad at least there was still someone around who could get him. Usually, anyway. "Before he became all chibi, that is. We even gave him a Mother's Day card one year!"
Donnie just looked at him blankly.
"Yeah he laid a lot of eggs," April added, trying not to burst out in laughter seeing Leo look down at his plastron then at April and then pat his tail and shiver.
Mikey laughed and gestured to Leo to come to him.
Nervously, Leo did as he was told.
"Come lay down with me, while Donnie tells us what happened," Mikey smiled, pulling Leo down beside him onto the floor.
"Okay... Mikey, am I really gonna lay eggs?" Leo asked anxiously as he snuggled beside his big brother.
"Not unless you've been keeping big secrets from us," Mikey joked, not willing to explain that one if his innocent brother asked.
"I hope not!" April gasped, not believing Mikey would go there as she used the back of the seat in front of her to press her knees against it, half-sitting on her seat with a full and happy Raph sleeping on her chest.
"So, Donnie?" Mikey prompted again.
Donnie sighed, then realising he had no choice, especially after Leo's outrageous outburst, spoke up.
"Everything was going well until we came to the end of the underground river and I discovered the submarine was almost out of fuel. I realised we only really had enough to make the opposite shore, so that's what I did. I steered us over there and beached us. Then since it was still dark outside and I remembered you both saying how much more dangerous things were at night, we decided to get a few hours sleep. However, a few hours turned into over half a day and we didn't wake up until after midday when we were woken by a dreadful, ear-piercing scream."
-:-
Donnie woke with a start, head splitting with the terrible sound that echoed painfully within the small submarine. He whipped his head about wildly, trying to place the increasing noise so he could shut it off as Leo, holding his head, cringed with an alarmed look on his face and a pleading in his eyes.
All of a sudden, he realised it was his baby brother, having awoken in a strange place, hungry and wet and that his cries were increasing because he didn't realise that the more he cried, the more they echoed in the small, spartan metallic space.
Donnie quickly glanced at the monitors and assured there was nothing in immediate view, raced to open the hatch in the hopes that would help diminish the echoes and give them a little more light. Then, as he grabbed Raph to comfort and change him, he turned to his other brother.
"Leo, keep an eye on the monitors there. If you see anyone approaching, tell me immediately!" he instructed.
"If I do? Then what... what do we do?" Leo whimpered, moving towards the monitors and eyeing them in confusion.
"Then you tell me and I go close and lock the hatch," Donnie replied as patiently as he could.
"But what if they are at the door?" Leo pressed anxiously. He didn't want any humans or monsters coming in at them.
"If you watch and tell me straight away, I will close it before they get there."
"What if they start running?"
Donnie paused, wondering how much Leo really knew about the zombies. "Then you better tell me fast," he pointed out, beginning to fasten the new nappy around his brother.
"What if they teleport?" Leo asked seriously, "like on 'Jumper'?
Donnie couldn't quite manage to suppress his sigh. "They won't. We aren't living in a B grade sci-fi movie, no matter how much it seems like it lately."
Leo went silent for a moment, "But there is zombies? Right?"
"Yes, there are," Donnie replied shortly as he finished up. "So watch the monitor and tell me if something, anything approaches us." He turned to his bag and began rifling through it, looking for the food he knew he had stashed for his grizzling brother.
Nodding Leo did so, then squeaked in horror a few seconds later.
"What? Did you see something?" Donnie asked, whirling around to face the monitor.
Leo pointed up to the window at a flying bird, "Can it be a zombie?"
Donnie paused in thought. "You know, I have no idea. Mikey never said anything about anything but humans being zombies," he said, with a slight edge of doubt in his voice that he hoped like shell his perceptive little brother wouldn't pick up on. It wasn't so much that he doubted Mikey but more from his experience that Mikey wasn't always the most detailed with researching the full information on a subject given that he just wanted to get it over and done with so he could go play instead and from what he'd seen of the grown-up Mikey, he still had those tendencies. Although that being said, that was important information, so... "I don't think so though. Many diseases and viruses can only affect certain types of DNA so I would think this one is likely the same. From what we were told, it came about due to a drug created for humans to get high on, so hopefully, humans are the only creatures it affects. Since we have some human DNA within us along with our turtle DNA..."
"Donnie... you talk weird... TMI... what's that?" Leo blinked several times in bewilderment over what his brother was babbling about. Donnie did that before too but now he was far, far worse.
Donnie sighed, wishing, like always, he had someone who could appreciate and understand him. "I can't be sure, Leo, but I don't think that birds can be zombies," he said far more simply.
"Okay... Donnie?" Leo tapped his finger on the monitor seeing nothing on it.
"Yes, Leo?" Donnie asked, already turning back to the problem of food; Raph's hungry whimpering was beginning to pick up again and he was worried the noise might attract something to them.
"I'm hungry... and... is..." Leo paused, brushing his finger on the monitor in a circular motion, "is Mikey coming to get us?"
Donnie fell still as a fresh wave of pain washed over him at the memory of their fallen brother. Raph's cries of distress suddenly picked up again, spurring Donnie back into motion. "Just let me finish making Raphie's breakfast and then I'll get ours." He quickly finished mixing the food for his baby brother and handed him the sippy cup, holding it to his mouth until Raph's pudgy waving hands took it greedily.
Leo nodded slowly, not saying a word as he stared at the monitor that still showed nothing. His eyes drifted slightly to take in the birds that settled on the water's surface. He envied them, how they didn't have to worry or be scared like he was, how they didn't have a crying brother that was deafening him and another brother that was hiding things from him.
-:-
They'd been walking through the wooded area for more than an hour now, avoiding the road Donnie knew to be close by. All had been quiet so far, with no sign of anything unnatural but he knew that could easily change at any moment and so kept his eyes peeled. It was uncomfortable walking with Leo so close but oddly, he found himself strangely comforted by his now younger brother's presence and was glad to note that Leo still somehow exuded that comforting feeling, even while being so much younger than him and practically helpless in comparison.
Suddenly, the woods thinned out as they came upon the road and Donnie froze, hesitant at the sight of the automobile graveyard ahead. They needed to get to the other side but there were too many hiding places in all that slowly rusting junk.
"Do we walk through?" Leo asked.
"Yes," Donnie replied after a moment, "but keep a sharp eye out for anything out there," he said, stepping out on the loose gravel at the side of the road.
"Donnie, it scares me..." Leo whimpered, pulling away.
'Me too,' Donnie thought, looking all around. Seeing nothing, he took another step forward, "Come on, Leo," he said softly. Suddenly a flash of movement a few cars away caught his eye and he froze.
"Donnie?" Leo whispered, huddling closer to his big brother, feeling like something was very wrong.
"We need to go back into the trees. Slowly and quietly," Donnie murmured, taking a slow step back and watching the zombie for any sign it had noticed them. Then, making sure Leo was still with him, he took another step back and another and another. Once the road was out of sight, the two brothers turned as one and began running away as fast as Leo's little legs could carry him.
Following his brother, Leo felt a chill as he noticed something he never did before. There were no noises now. Everything was silent and only their footsteps, though very soft, only be heard.
Tiring from the running and carrying of Raph and their gear, not to mention figuring that Leo was even more exhausted, Donnie slowed down and glanced behind him. Then seeing nothing, he called out to Leo, "It seems safe now," he huffed, leaning back tiredly against a large, wide tree. "Let's stop for a few minutes."
"Donnie, maybe we shouldn't stop," Leo protested nervously, looking around fretfully. He felt tired himself but something just wasn't right and it scared him. Badly. He wanted Mikey and he wanted his daddy. He even wanted April. Even though Donnie said April didn't want them anymore. His lip quivered at the thought.
Fussing over Raph, Donnie settled onto the ground and pulled out a bottle of water from his duffle. "If we don't rest a minute, we may have trouble going on when we need to." He handed the drink to Leo.
Leo bit his lip as his eyes flickered about doubtfully. After a minute, he finally took a mouthful of water before suddenly spitting it out in Donnie's face when there was a rustle from the bushes to their right.
Donnie pulled a face in disgust, even as he turned to see what startled his brother. For a moment, nothing moved and then, another rustle and a small, thin red fox burst out of the bushes, darting away in panic as it noticed them. Donnie held his breath in surprise and as he let it out again, he felt a sudden chill.
What had startled the fox in the first place to send it into such a panic?
Taking back the water bottle, he shoved it in his bag and quickly zipped it closed before pushing his way back to his feet and looking all around, focusing on the direction the fox had come from. Holding Raph one-handed, who was beginning to whimper at the movement once more, he stretched out with the other to grab hold of Leo's shoulder and pull him in close.
"Let's check this way," a male voice sounded as three humans emerged from the bushes. There was a male and female and the one who had spoken appeared to be male wearing some freakish mask that covered his face. He was armed with a hockey stick with what looked like a miniature pike sticking out of the end.
Donnie drew in a sharp breath as he stared like a deer in headlights at the three humans before them. They didn't notice the brothers at first but suddenly, they did, turning one after another to stare at them in shock, raising weapons their way as they did so.
"What the hell?" the masked weirdo gasped.
"Run, Leo!" Donnie hissed, desperately trying to grab hold of his little brother's hand while simultaneously holding onto Raph and beginning to run.
"Hey wait!" the man suddenly pointed his weapon down, showing he wasn't going to attack.
Raph, jostled in Donnie's arms as the older turtle zigzagged around bushes and trees, began to slip and cry, forcing Donnie to release his hold on Leo and clutch Raph more securely. As he heard the sounds of pursuit, Donnie picked up the pace, calling to Leo to keep up as he dodged around a looming tree. To his horror, as he stepped around it, it was into a zombie's path, the same zombie they'd seen on the road before, wearing a tattered pink sundress with pearls hanging around the rotting neck and one diamond earring from the single, remaining ear. Donnie couldn't help his shriek of shock as he threw himself aside, rolling to his feet again with difficulty as he tried to protect Raph and avoid dropping his bag; if they lost that and the limited supplies within, they were done for and wouldn't last more than a day or two. The zombie turned after him, lumbering unsteadily on its single shoed foot and Donnie panicked, leaping backwards.
Right into two of the humans who had their weapons raised threateningly.
Before the nearest could capture him, Donnie was off and running again, no longer caring as low-lying branches slapped viciously across his face. Suddenly, he realised he couldn't hear the sounds of pursuit any longer... and neither could he hear any other footsteps dogging him.
His heart freezing in terror, he slowed and turned. "L... Leo?" he called in disbelieving horror. He'd lost his brother. "Where are you?
LEO!"
-:-
"There was a million of them!" Leo started, getting an eyeful from the group.
Mikey turned his head where he lay to look in disbelief at his little brother beside him.
"Leo sweetie, please, no tall tales. What happened when you got split up from Donnie?" April asked calmly, catching Leo's eye as the little turtle shivered.
"But sis..." Leo hesitated.
"It's okay Leo, just tell us but no fibbing or stretching the truth, okay?" April encouraged him.
"Yes, sis..." Leo nodded, then took a breath and started his side of the story.
-:-
In the chaos of being frightened by the humans and Donnie helping him to run, Leo tried with all his might to keep up and not fall behind. However, at one point when Donnie made a sharp turn, despite his cries for Donnie to wait, their hands unlatched and he found himself stumbling forward and falling to the ground in a heap of dust.
When he managed to get back to his feet, his brothers were out of sight and the pending dread consumed him as the woods started to close in around him. Leo panicked, whirling around to figure out where his brother had gone to. Tears threatened and he wished so much that Mikey was there or April. Any adult would do at the moment. He wanted his father... Cringing, he sniffed his fears back at the oncoming sounds behind him and he turned to face the scary masked man again.
"Geez, you kids can run," he huffed, bending over and placing his hands on his knees to catch his breath.
Leo froze in his horror, shivering at the sight of this monster. Not saying a word, Leo took a step back, looking around frantically as the man's insect eyes settled on him, summing up the meat on his bones.
Then, he bolted, hearing an exhausted groan from the man behind him in complaint, "You've got to be kidding me! Come on kid, this is no place for playing tag!"
The chase was on once again and Leo's lungs were burning, his legs starting to strain, yet he kept on running. He had to! He had to find Donnie and get away from this turtle eating human.
He ran and ran finding no matter how many times he dodged around trees, bushes and everything else the human was still behind him. Then, when he was about to stop and try to fight, though he had no clue if he could, he saw his chance, the road. Without looking back, he pelted towards it in terror, only to yelp as something grabbed him tightly around the waist, forcefully pulling him back and raising him high into the air. With a scream, Leo thrashed his arms and legs, desperate for the monster to let him go.
"Hey kid, calm down!" the man begged, only getting a hiss from Leo and another scream.
"Let me go! Let me go!" he bellowed! "LET ME GO!"
-:-
Donnie looked at Leo in horror, "The human caught you?" he asked. "Oh god... I-I'm so sorry I lost you. I didn't mean to let you go but I couldn't drop Raph and... and I know that's no excuse... I'm sorry..."
"That's when I finally caught up with him," Mikey said softly, glancing towards Donnie with an understanding smile. At some point during Leo's story, he'd snaked his arm around his little brother, offering him support as Leo used to do for him, back when they were younger but all still the same age.
Donnie closed his eyes in relief. "Thank shell for that!" he breathed. He looked back towards Leo, "I'm really sorry, Leo. I hope you can forgive me one day."
"Why would I forgive you?" Leo asked, canting his head in confusion.
Donnie shrank back, hurt by the question. "You're right, I don't deserve to be forgiven. It was my fault we were out there and my fault I let you go. You could have been killed by that human..."
"Actually," Mikey interrupted, sounding far more awake than before the stories began, "Jason was only trying to protect Leo, in his own, psycho way."
"Yeah, yeah!" Leo piped up, his head bobbing upright in realisation. "I'm not mad so why would I need to forgive you, Donnie? You didn't leave me because you wanted to right?"
"Of course not!" Donnie cried, aghast. "You're my brother! I would never do that!"
"Then why would I need to forgive you?" Leo asked, snuggling into Mikey and liking how warm he was.
Donnie paused, mouth open in shock and slight confusion. Then he smiled, remembering how simple things had seemed back when they were so little. "Thanks, Leo," he said warmly.
"So Donnie what happened when you came across that zombie?" April suddenly asked, eyeing him carefully up and down for any bite marks and instinctively pressing Raph closer to her body, who in turn churred happily.
"It didn't touch either of us if that's what you mean," Donnie offered, returning her look. "As for what happened after, I'm not certain. I guess those humans must have taken care of her since I easily lost them afterwards. When I went back searching for Leo though, I couldn't find any sign of them, just the remains of the zombie with a huge hole in her head. It was a short while later when I was taking a moment to drink before continuing to look for Leo that you turned up."
Donnie took a deep breath as if steeling himself. He looked from April to Mikey and back again uncertainly. "So what happened to you two after we left and until you found us?" he asked doubtfully.
"Heh! Long story, little bro," Mikey smiled tiredly, laying his head down on his arm. "I'll let Ape tell it."
"What me?" April hissed."Oh... you want me to take all the blame for blowing the lab up and us getting shot at, don't you?"
"Bit tired too, huh?" Mikey looked up at her with a slight laugh. "Guess I can't blame you, you haven't had much beauty sleep lately either."
Looking away she grumbled, "I'm not."
"Sure, sure," Mikey smirked knowingly, then laid his head down again. "Well, you can either tell it tonight or I'll tell it tomorrow and I'll make such a grand tale of it that there'll be movie producers lining up for miles for the story rights. I'll be a millionaire!"
April fell silent, then turned her head to Donnie, "Let me guess, you'd rather skip the Mikey production?"
"Please," Donnie immediately begged.
"Philistines!" Mikey sniffed indignantly, hiding his smile over getting his way.
Nodding with a slight moan she took a breath, telling Donnie and Leo first how Mikey survived and then how they discovered they had left the lair. After that she went on, explaining how she and Mikey found out who was actually attacking them, going into detail of their escape. However, she only mentioned in brief how she recognised them given Leo's little ears. She then ended the tale with their near escape when being shot at on the river, tracking them down with the Shell-cells and to when she found them.
Donnie nodded, unable to meet her eyes afterwards, knowing that if he hadn't jumped to conclusions and torn himself, Leo and Raph away from their previously safe haven that they never would have had to go through that much danger. He took a deep breath and looked over to Mikey, "So, what about you, Mikey? When you split off from April and went after Leo?"
There was no reply, save for deep, even breathing.
"Mikey?" Donnie prompted again, unable to believe Mikey, of all turtles, was asleep. He'd always been one to stay awake no matter what was going on.
"Well then, I guess you'll have to wait until morning for that epic tale after all," April smiled, standing up to stretch and cradle Raph in her arms as she figured out a way to get over Mikey and Leo to the front of the bus.
"I guess," Donnie replied doubtfully.
"Well, he will definitely glorify the story and anyway, I see Leo has fallen asleep too," April let out a yawn, plunking down at the driver's seat to look out.
Donnie nodded uncertainly, looking down at his sleeping brothers. "So I guess you're taking the first watch then?"
"Yes and you should get some sleep Donnie, tomorrow will be a long one," April trailed off, then looked up as she suddenly shivered.
"Okay," Donnie replied softly as he settled into the backseat of the minibus, laying down with his head and toes just touching either end. "Just make sure you wake me when it's my turn or you feel like you can't stay awake any longer. Whichever comes first."
"Sure," April said, suppressing her desire to whimper. If only they weren't so close to the city. She swore she still heard it, that dog whistle, though she knew it was too far away. Focusing her eyes to the front, she didn't dare to look behind her, fearing she would hear that haunting sound ever louder.
-:-
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