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.


A/N: The scene from the art by sampsonknight that inspired this story is featured in this chapter. It was originally drawn as a certificate for the 2016 Universal TMNT Fan Fiction Competition. Go check the link for the full sized wonderful art – Just remove the brackets when copy/pasting :-) https{:/}/www{.}deviantart{.}com{/}sampsonknight{/}art{/}Family-is-Survival-660856370


T420000 and guest: Thank you :-)

Minnie1015: That they are. Yeah, it was fun bringing in Casey for a cameo XD


Sekai no Owari

Ch 23

At some point during the night before being woken, it had begun to drizzle. Donnie stared out into the grey sky. The sun was beginning to rise but he couldn't see precisely where thanks to the thick banks of clouds. He glanced back through the bus, seeing his brothers peacefully sleeping and April, tossing about on occasion on the back seat he'd vacated when he took his turn at watch. With visibility so low and being unable to see very far, Donnie silently stood and stretched before making his way into the middle of the bus and to his abandoned duffle. Once there, he opened it and began to prepare Raph's breakfast and lunch for later in the day.

All of a sudden, a small pair of pudgy, green hands grabbed at the sippy cup in Donnie's hands, startling him and causing him to almost drop it. Looking up, Donnie found a pair of intense golden eyes gazing at him as the hands grabbed greedily at the cup again. Smiling, Donnie held it out to his baby brother and Raph snatched it away. With a squeal, the baby turtle attacked the contents with no mercy, guzzling his breakfast down with a string of happy churrs muffled by slurping.

"Enjoying that, are you, Raphie? Donnie asked softly, unable to reconcile his rough, bawdy brother with the tiny crawling mutant in front of him.

Raph's eyes looked up at Donnie, then he extended a hand out, making odd sounds of wanting.

Blinking blearily as his head popped up, Mikey groaned, "And you dudes complain about my eating habits?"

Donnie stared at Mikey a moment, "You're an adult now, you have no excuse." Then he turned back to Raph, watching his odd behaviour curiously as Raph continued to clench his hand towards him, more frantically than before.

"Ouch, burn!" Mikey laughed self-consciously as he sat up, careful not to disturb Leo who still curled up to him. As Donnie flashed a brief but wan smile in his direction, Mikey asked, "How was it last night?"

"Tiring but quiet," Donnie replied, reaching out a hand towards Raph. His baby brother grabbed his hand, squeezing it and pulling it towards him.

Mikey gazed around the bus, seeing April restlessly sleeping on the seat behind. "What time did she wake you to relieve her?"

Donnie scowled, "About three hours ago," he replied shortly, knowing April had been deliberately late in waking him up.

"Shell," Mikey winced in slight fear. "She's gonna be hell to travel with today then. We'll have to watch ourselves; April can be... intense on lack of sleep." He stretched over for his backpack on the nearby seat. "Well, we can have cold baked beans for breakfast," he said with a shudder, "or another ration bar. There's no room for a fire in here to prepare anything else."

The beginning of a whimper suddenly interrupted them both as Raph became angry, tugging Donnie's hand violently as tears started to form.

Confused, Donnie leaned forward, "What do you want, Raphie?" he asked anxiously.

Mikey turned and watched for a moment before smirking in amusement. "I think he wants you to hold him while he eats," he pointed out. "Better do it fast before he wakes anyone else up," he warned in a singsong voice.

Sighing, Donnie reached over with the other hand to scoop Raph up and pull him into his lap and with a pleased churr, Raph laid his head against Donnie's plastron closing his eyes as he continued to suckle on his cup, almost letting go and dropping it several times.

"So," Mikey began conversationally, smiling at the scene before him and wishing he had a camera, "you never gave your breakfast preference."

"Beans," April groaned irritably, turning over to place her back towards them both, "Give me five more minutes please..." she mumbled as she drifted back to sleep.

Mikey grinned, trying not to laugh and disturb her again. "Yeah, sounds good," he said quietly. "They're heavier anyway, so less weight to carry the better." He pulled out the large can and four spoons, figuring it easier if they just all ate from the same can. Then he stood and crept over to April. Seeing her jacket fallen on the floor, he picked it up and lay it over her torso, before coming back and gently waking up Leo, instructing him to be quiet as he woke.

"Daddy, can I sleep longer?" Leo asked sleepily, dozing back off.

Taken aback and his heart aching at the plaintive question, Mikey glanced over at Donnie desperately but Donnie averted his gaze, knowing there was nothing he could say or do to help.

"Leo, it's me, Mikey," he said, shaking his now little brother again. "It's time to get up, chibi-chan."

"Mikey?" Leo's eyes fluttered open, staring at Mikey in confusion before yawning, "Do I have to get up, Mikey?" he whined.

"'fraid so, little bro," Mikey said gently with a warm smile on his face. "But talk softly and be quiet 'kay? April's still sleeping for now."

"Why does sis get to sleep in?" Leo grumbled, rubbing his eyes as he sat up straight.

"Because she's only been asleep about three hours," Donnie spoke up softly, taking the empty sippy cup away as Raph dropped it.

"What Donnie said," Mikey agreed easily. "We can't stay here too long so we need to have breakfast and get ready to go. You and Donnie take turns eating from the can but leave about half of it for April and me. I'll take Raphie while you eat, Don," he offered, reaching out for their littlest brother, who'd fallen asleep again, satisfied now his tummy was full.

"Okay. Is sis going to get sick for not sleeping?" Leo asked concerned, remembering how his father explained the importance of having enough sleep.

"If she keeps doing it, yes, but as a once-off, she'll be fine, just cranky," Mikey replied, settling back on the seat with Raph before realising, to his disgust, his makeshift nappy was wet.

"Leo?" Donnie ventured, passing the can to Leo so he could take a spoonful. "Why do you keep calling April, sis?"

"Because she is," Leo pointed out, "She's family isn't she, so sis is our big sister."

"We've been through so much together over the years, that she's become family," Mikey explained quietly as he stared over Raph in confusion, trying to work out how to change him, "This isn't the first time she's lived with us. A few months after we met her, she lost her home because of our fight with some mad, walking kitchen appliance, so she came to live with us until she could rebuild her shop and home. I think that's when we started to think of her as family. Since then, there've been other things that have only strengthened that feeling. Donnie? I need help here. What do I do?"

Grossed out by the cold baked beans hitting the bottom of his stomach, Donnie decided he'd had enough and pushed Mikey aside as he took over, deftly showing him what to do. When he was done, he placed the soiled garment in a plastic bag and shoved it into the side compartment of his duffle for washing whenever they'd get a chance.

"Thanks, bro!" Mikey grinned, resolving to continue to get Donnie to do that disgusting chore in the future.

"Sure," Donnie muttered, pulling out a small bottle of sanitiser he'd brought from home. He squirted a small amount on his hands and then on Mikey's.

When Leo handed over the slightly less than half full can of food, Mikey took a few mouthfuls before walking over to April and shaking her awake. "Time for breakfast, Ape!" he called in an obscenely cheerful and loud tone.

"Breakfast?" she mumbled, turning over and cringing at the smell of the beans.

"Of course!' Mikey replied, still in that loud, over the top, obnoxiously cheerful tone. "Breakfast in bed, just as you requested!"

She gawked at him, raising an eyebrow, "I always dreamt your 'breakfast in bed' would smell a bit more appealing... and look it too."

"Not my fault! You're the one who requested the cold baked beans option!" Mikey protested, trying unsuccessfully to hide his playful grin from teasing the corners of his mouth. "Anyway, eat up. I'm gonna check around outside to make sure it's safe to use the facilities, then we should probably get going. Uh... we did decide on a direction last night, didn't we? I know we were going to but I can barely remember much other than Donnie and Leo telling us what happened and then you droning on and..." he yelped, dodging and tripping over the next seat as April took a swipe at him.

"Droning on, huh? Wow, I thought you always said my stories weren't as stale as Donnie's explanations and Leo's lectures!" she huffed, snatching the beans from him irritably.

"Stale?" Donnie asked in a small voice, hurt. He'd always known his brothers didn't understand him much of the time but Mikey had always listened to him and pretended interest at least.

Mikey shrugged with a good-natured but apologetic grin, "I meant more of Leo's lectures but there have been a few times where you've beaten the dead horse too, Donnie." He turned back to April, "Well, I was really tired and didn't feel well. I think your story put me to sleep. Should have added more action to it!" he teased.

"Sure next time I'll say there was a million of them," April scolded, taking a bite of the cold beans without a care and secretly enjoying the taste of them.

"That'd be a great start!" Mikey agreed, heading towards the front of the minibus slowly, gazing all around with a sharp gaze as he did. "Should have been a few more explosions and chase scenes too, maybe even a dragon or two." Satisfied there was nothing in their immediate vicinity, Mikey opened the door.

"And this is why Donnie didn't want the story told by you," April pointed out dryly. Then she asked if either of the brothers wanted the last portion of the beans.

Donnie shook his head as Mikey jumped out, landing lightly outside.

Leo, coming over, hungrily took a mouthful then gave April the last as he smiled, "Thanks, sis."

While the inhabitants of the bus finished breakfast and packed, Mikey scouted around the area in the rain, listening intently as he did. To his relief, the sound of birds melodious in the trees above reached his hearing, telling him that all was safe, at least from the unnatural, and soon, he headed back to see if his family was ready to go.

"If anyone needs to go before we go, there's a couple of bushes just over there that are safe from prying eyes," he offered, meaning more for April since his brothers could and would go pretty much anywhere.

Once everyone was done and ready, Mikey turned to April. "We need to keep clear of the roads as much as possible, but otherwise, which way?"

"From what I have read of Leo's notes, we're best to head west, for now, avoiding entering the cities if possible," April instructed, pulling out a compass to get her bearings.

"Sounds good to me," Mikey agreed, and among the drizzling rain and dark, greyed skies, the small family headed west.

-:-

It had been hours since they started to walk. By now the rain had stopped and April's clothes had dried out under the sun. In the far distance, the city they called home was covered by a heavy smog and burning. No doubt that group was causing havoc and Mikey and April felt a tinge of guilt about not dealing with them permanently but really, what could they actually do? There were too many of that disgusting group and not enough of themselves and they had the safety of their family to worry about. From where they stood it was unbelievable, to see from afar just how much it had fallen, and the dreadful reality sunk in about how many other cities had likewise burned.

Feeling much better than the day before, thanks to the sleep and further antibiotics April insisted he take before they left that morning, Mikey did his best to ignore the city behind, his once home, as he set a fast pace. He held Leo's katana in one hand, ready to use when needed and Leo's hand in the other. Beside him, Leo was sniffling quietly and Mikey's heart ached at the miserable sound. Unfortunately, with the dead on the move towards them from all sides, he couldn't stop to comfort his brother, nor could they slow down but luckily for them, the zombies nearby were all old and shambling, with no chance of catching them as long as they kept moving.

In the far distance, he heard the faint echoes of a panicked shout and he turned to look, only to see someone fall beneath a mob of the monsters. He felt sick but there was absolutely nothing they could do to help from this far away. They had to keep going so Mikey picked up the pace, urging Donnie to put away his tablet and pay attention and April rushed to keep up.

It wasn't long before they once again found themselves in a thicket, surrounded by trees and sounds of actual life as birds and small mammals fled from their approach. April perked up in interest as she heard something rustling in the bushes.

"How good are you at hunting, Mikey?" she asked him, glancing back the way they came, knowing they were safe for the moment.

Mikey shrugged as best he could while still holding onto his brother and the sword. "No idea. I mean, sure, Master Splinter taught us the basics growing up but there wasn't really that much to hunt in the sewers other than rats and bugs," he explained hesitantly. "I'm not really sure if I could..." he trailed off, his only real experience with hunting being the scene in 'Bambi'.

"Hmm. I have to admit I did learn to a point, as in using a gun and making traps but I was better with fishing more," April admitted, keeping her eye on the bushes and wondering if the little critter that ran in there was stuck, therefore giving them an opportunity.

"Well, we don't have any guns," Mikey pointed out, "and we don't have any fishing gear either."

"I have some rope though," Donnie pointed out helpfully. "While I did take a lot out of my duffle to fit in food, I also kept a lot that was originally in there, like the first aid kit, a torch, rope and so on. Would that be any help?" he asked, also remembering the basic hunting lessons their father had given them.

"The rope would work I think, not sure how effective this might be but, there is something in this bush here and if we set the rope on the other side as a noose and someone on this end pokes the bush with the bo staff to force it to go forward, it's just the matter of pulling the rope in time to snare it," April said, sharing her idea. She wasn't sure if it would work but extra food, especially fresh meat, would do them good.

"So who would do what?" Mikey asked hesitantly; April was right for wanting to try but that didn't mean he had to like it.

"I shouldn't be the one to pull the rope that is for sure, so either you, Mikey or Donnie should do that part since you both have the reflexes to do so, I could poke the bush with the staff, since I think I know where it is," April explained.

Mikey swallowed, looking uncertainly down at the bush as Donnie unzipped his bag to pull out the rope and deftly tie a loose slip knot.

"Where do you think it is, April?" Donnie asked, looking down at the bush intently.

April directed Donnie to the area she believed he should stand as she handed off Raph to Mikey before readying the bo in her hand and nodding to Donnie, "On the count of three," she said softly.

Wordlessly, Donnie arranged the loop so the bottom sat flatly on the ground and stood poised, ready to pull at a moment's notice.

He nodded.

"One," April started, aiming for the rustling in the bush, "two," she took a breath, steadying her beating heart. She hoped they didn't mess up or that this animal was sickly. They needed the protein; it'd been some time since she had fresh meat and she knew a chance like this would not come about very often. "THREE!" she thrust the bo into the bush, hearing something squeal a high pitch sound as she did.

Donnie watched the bush intently. The moment he saw the nose poke out, he pulled on the rope, catching the rabbit around the neck as it bolted and pulling tight. To his shock, the rabbit continued to run, almost yanking the rope from his hands. Deftly, he quickly looped the rope around his wrist for extra grip and held on tight. After a moment, when sure his grip was secure, he began to haul in the poor, innocent, wildly struggling creature.

Mikey turned away, pulling Leo with him and shielding his and Raph's eyes.

April came up to Donnie quickly, ignoring the animal's frantic cries and Mikey's reaction, getting down to business. She grabbed the rabbit by the back of its neck, then placed her other hand under its chin, pulling the head quickly back to the point there was a slight snap and the rabbit stopped screaming and moving.

"You know that could easily be one of Usagi's cousins, right?" Mikey asked, feeling nauseous and knowing it had nothing to do with his sickness from the last couple of days. Whoever knew April had it within her to be so coldly practical.

He should be grateful...

"Mikey!" April stood up quickly, scolding him while holding the dead rabbit in her hand, "Seriously? How about not mentioning him, especially after this!"

Mikey tossed April a sheepish, apologetic grin.

"Usagi?" Leo suddenly asked, blinking up at Mikey in confusion.

"Your best friend from another dimension," Mikey explained, twitching as he remembered Leo and Usagi's bromance.

"Usagi is Japanese for rabbit," Donnie put in helpfully, wondering about Mikey's strange reaction.

"If we ever see Usagi again, April? You're explaining this, not me," Mikey added, refusing to look at the dead body dangling in her grasp.

"If we ever do see him again, which I doubt, I will explain nothing. This is about survival and there is nothing wrong with what I did. Besides this is just an animal and he isn't! You know we don't have many options and you are not a vegetarian, Mikey, so stop making me feel like I should feel horrible. Can't tell me you haven't met a cow or chicken mutant or humanoid creature at some point in your life, so don't start," April huffed angrily, strapping the dead rabbit to her bag; she would clean it later.

"Yeah, I wish Cuddley could come whisk us away from all this," Mikey muttered under his breath. He ignored the sharp look from April, flashing her only a brief but bright smile and started off walking again.

"Uh, Mikey?"

"Yes, Donnie?"

"You're walking the wrong way."

"I knew that. I was just testing you," Mikey grinned, immediately switching direction to that which Donnie surreptitiously motioned towards.

-:-

'Maintenance Center' the old wooden sign proclaimed. It laid on the ground beside the broken down car that had taken the sign headfirst some time back. There were no undead around the car which was vacant, windows smashed and stripped of anything useful it might once have held, just another rust bucket as they found now and then travelling north a bit more before daring to head inland.

So far, the hours of walking had been uneventful with some occasions of them checking the roads that became desolate but for a few cars here and there that had been long abandoned when they ran out of fuel or something worse happened, forcing them to be left in place. Unfortunately, though they often checked, each one they came across was useless to scavenge through, showing evidence that somebody already had.

At some point late in the day, they'd come across the main highway again and they followed it from a distance, that is, they didn't dare walk along it but kept it in sight. When they found a branching road it was a question of which way they continued. The daylight was escaping them and night encroached. They needed shelter and to stop and take a moment to eat something decent instead of rations since it was best to leave them for emergencies. Not to mention that April wanted to make sure the rabbit wasn't wasted.

Contemplating their options, April peered down the beaten road to this so-called 'Maintenance Center' and then turned towards Mikey, "Do you think we should take the chance? I don't think there'll be many opportunities to find proper shelter for the night if we keep going. Besides you need some rest Mikey, you're starting to look a bit pale again."

"I'm not the only one needing rest," Mikey pointed out softly, glancing down at an exhausted-looking Leonardo who'd unconsciously been dragging his feet in the last hour or so. To his credit though, he hadn't complained of being tired at any point during the day like he himself once would have. "Yeah, let's check it out at least."

Nodding, April took a breath, "Hopefully there aren't any biters. I have to admit, though, I like the fact that animals react when they're around as a form of early warning."

"Yeah," Mikey agreed wearily, "it helps. I doubt there's much food around here for biters so hopefully..." Trailing off, he led the way down the road, Leo in tow and Donnie and April beside him.

About twenty minutes later, they came across a set of buildings, one rounded like a short silo and two rectangular buildings, one far larger than the other. There were a couple of abandoned vehicles there too and numerous suspicious stains upon the earth. Mikey had to cover Leo's eyes at seeing one particularly large, splattered stain over the driver's side of one of the cars, so old, even the flies had long given up on it.

Mikey exchanged a wordless glance with April, flicking his gaze questioningly towards each building. When she motioned towards the smaller, Mikey beelined for it, keeping a sharp eye out for anything moving that shouldn't be.

Cringing inwardly at the sight of a couple of broken windows, Mikey glanced at the nearby car. It was intact, so he led his family over to it and drew his lockpicks out of the pouch on his belt and picked the driver's side lock, thanking the universe that it was an older car that didn't have keyless entry.

"Donnie, Leo, get inside, take Raph and lock the doors. April and I'll check around inside to see if it's safe first."

"Okay," Donnie replied.

He didn't look too happy at the thought of separating. At least he wasn't arguing, Mikey thought in relief as Donnie slipped inside before holding out his arms to take the proffered Raph.

"Mikey, we should keep two of the Shell-cells on. Put ours on mute but have it so Donnie can hear us. He can text if he needs to tell us something," April suggested. This way, though they'd be temporarily separated, they wouldn't be out of reach.

"Sounds good," Mikey agreed as Donnie pulled his out and switched it on before abruptly turning in his seat and unzipping his bag. He reached inside and rummaged about. Moments later, he pulled out the solar rechargeable battery and connected it to his Shell-cell. Suddenly, he caught April eyeing him sharply.

"What?" Donnie asked, taken aback. "The battery's almost dead."

"So you had it all this time?" April asked in relief. "I thought it must've still been somewhere in the lair after I searched for it when Mikey and I left. I thought we'd be screwed later on so that's why we've been having to shut ours off after use. What else did you bring with you?"

"It was in my bag and since I wanted to bring my tablet, I figured I would need..."

"Can we talk about this later?" Mikey asked slightly curtly as he interrupted. "I want to make sure this place is safe for us before it gets dark," he pointed out, motioning to where the sun was getting close to kissing the horizon.

"Sorry, yes, we should. When we're settled, we should go through all our inventory so we all know what we have," April suggested, biting her lip.

"Lock the doors, Donnie and don't open them for anyone but us," Mikey instructed. Then he turned on his heels and stalked to the building, katana at the ready and April close behind.

As they got close, April peered back towards the main building. She likewise saw no movement or unnatural shadows and the yard was quiet other than the sounds of nature itself so readying the sai in her hand, she went to the one side of the door to open it as Mikey stood before it.

Mikey nodded and as April turned the handle and slowly pushed the door open he readied himself. Thankfully, nothing was in sight but a few leaves and dirt that had blown inside through the smashed open windows. Mikey peered down at the dirt, relieved to see no sign of unnatural disturbance in it. Still, he eased his way inside, looking and listening intently in case anything was about.

"No wonder humans wear shoes," Mikey muttered softly as he carefully stepped around the broken glass, remembering several days ago in the lab; that cut was bothering him a little now, after being on his feet walking all day for two days now but thankfully it had mostly healed by the time they'd been forced to leave.

"Yes, though at times they suck, depending on the situation," April pointed out, recalling how wearing soaking wet shoes sucked, as she could attest to from the last couple of days. She'd been surprised and delighted to discover that Mikey had grabbed her boots, giving her something fresh and dry to wear when they left the bus that morning. Not that it mattered much, given how it was raining at the time.

"Heh! Yeah," Mikey snickered, remembering April's whining yesterday. "I can do without the blisters, thanks and gripping walls is far easier without having shoes in the way of my toes," he continued, lifting one foot and wriggling his toes teasingly.

As they searched the small building, opening each door carefully, they discovered it mostly full of offices. There was also a small infirmary with two cots and a lockable door and a small staff room with tables, chairs, a hotplate, microwave and a fridge. Mikey flicked the light switch experimentally, disappointed but unsurprised to discover it didn't work. "I wonder if this place has a generator," he mused.

"Who knows if it does and if so, what kind it is," April replied, sceptical that one would be here as she eyed some of the desks.

"I dunno, gas or diesel most likely," Mikey shrugged. "But if there is and it has fuel, we could at least have power to cook with," he said, looking about the room.

"I hope so, I don't want to have this rabbit go to waste after catching it," April admitted, looking around to find the best place to skin and clean it without drawing much attention to the smell.

"We should move the cots from the infirmary in here since we can barricade the doors," Mikey suggested after inspecting the door and the room itself. "After we do that, I'll go get Donnie, Leo and Raph and bring them here. Then Donnie and I can go see if there's a generator."

"Sounds like a plan," April nodded, heading for the infirmary. She checked the drawers and even behind cabinets and in corners to see if she could scavenge anything of use. To her surprise and delight, she found a few items in the corner behind a shelf; some bandages and even some still sealed gauze she could use to redress Mikey's wound.

Once she was done, she reached the cots. She took one thin mattress while Mikey took the other before heading back to the other room.

There, they cleared a space in the middle of the room and placed the mattresses side by side to make one large bed they could squeeze onto. Once set up, Mikey headed for the door to go for his brothers. "Stick your sai into the door handles to keep them closed once I've gone, just in case," he warned.

"Just be careful please, Mikey," April begged softly, "and hurry. I'll feel better when we aren't separated like this."

"Always," Mikey winked confidently as he jaunted out the door.

"That's what I'm afraid of," April moaned, shutting the door and sealing it behind him.

-:-

About ten minutes later, Mikey returned, Donatello carrying Raphael and himself carrying a very sleepy Leonardo. Carefully balancing his brother, Mikey knocked at the door with the 'secret knock' he'd been using for years whenever he used to go to April's old home to visit so she wouldn't jump in fright whenever he just entered. He'd also continued the tradition when April moved in with them and he'd gone to talk to her in her room.

Opening the door, she moved to the side, "I've made the bed for him," April smiled fondly at Leo.

"Thanks," Mikey murmured, moving straight towards the bed with Donnie on his heels. Once the two younger brothers were in the makeshift bed, Mikey and Donnie headed for the doors again. "Lock it behind us again, Ape, we're going to see if we can get the power going again, or if not, bring back enough firewood before it gets dark so we can cook."

"Okay I'll have my Shell-cell on. Mute me but let me hear you," April turned hers back on, connecting to Mikey's.

"Sure," Mikey replied, feeling better about there being some connection between them at least.

-:-

The generator, when they found it, was on the outside of the larger building. It actually made Mikey nervous to be there, considering they hadn't checked that one out to make sure it was safe, but he kept his thoughts to himself as Donnie examined the old clanker.

"Well?"

"Well, what?" Donnie returned, slightly irritably.

"Can you get it started?"

"I should be able to," Donnie replied eventually. "It has some fuel in it, though not a lot. Will probably only run for a couple of hours at best, if we're lucky. It's pretty old and not well maintained."

Mikey frowned, staring up at the large building. There was something about it he didn't like, almost as if something was watching and waiting. He shivered. "Okay, so then we should gather some firewood just in case. After we have that, we can come back and turn this on. Wouldn't want the sound to attract anything while we're outside."

Donnie shot Mikey a nervous look. "Maybe we shouldn't bother with the generator at all then?" he suggested, likewise not relishing the thought of attracting anything their way.

Mikey shook his head and began heading for the nearby woods. "I'd rather not have to light a fire inside if we can help it," he replied. "Too many things can go wrong and there's not really anywhere for the smoke to go."

"There was a window in there," Donnie pointed out as he dogged Mikey's steps.

"Doesn't open," Mikey shrugged with a wry smile. "I checked before I came for you, Leo and Raphie." Eyeing the treeline carefully, Mikey was relieved to note the sound of sweet evening birdsong filling the air.

"Don't go deep and stay close," Mikey warned as he bent to start collecting small branches and twigs.

"Yeah, really," Donnie muttered as he followed suit. "You know, I'd really feel better if I had my bo. Unfortunately, it's far too large for me to use effectively."

"Heh! Yeah," Mikey chuckled humourlessly. "Well, maybe down the track we can find or make you a new one that's right for you."

Donnie straightened up and stared at Mikey suspiciously. "Do you know how to make one? I mean properly? Because I sure don't."

"Yeah, I think I remember, bro. Might take a couple of tries though," Mikey admitted, picking up another fallen branch.

"When did you... we... learn?"

"Hmm... a bit after we turned thirteen was when Master Splinter taught us how to make and repair our weapons."

Try as he might, Donnie couldn't remember what Mikey clearly did and he soon hung his head in misery. Suddenly, there was a wooden clattering and two sea-green arms wrapped themselves around him. Donnie looked up to see Mikey crouched down and flush up against him as he hugged him tightly.

"I'm sorry, Donnie," Mikey murmured. "I wish I had the ability to fix this for you. Shell, I wish it never happened in the first place."

For a moment, Donnie didn't react to the words, but then it hit him all at once and he began shaking. Mikey somehow managed to pull him even closer.

"I do-don't know how you can be so calm, M-Mikey," Donnie hiccuped as tears began escaping his eyes. "We... we've lost everything. Master Splinter, our home... ourselves..." He took a deep shuddering breath, trying to collect himself and failing. "We've got nothing anymore!" he suddenly cried as he wrenched himself violently out of his older brother's arms.

"That's not true, Donnie!" Mikey protested in shock as he watched his panting brother helplessly. "We've still got each other and you're still you, just... reset to a few years ago..." he trailed off, seeing Donnie wasn't impressed.

"And how long until something else happens and we no longer even have that much?" Donnie snapped. He then turned around and ran, leaving Mikey standing in shock over the dropped firewood and staring after him.

-:-


Comments, thoughts and concrit are always welcome.