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 highly disturbing situations. Additional warning for dubious morality.
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 is a collaboration between sampsonknight and Zelgadis55.
A/N: Sorry for taking so long to post this. I haven't really been in the frame of mind to write, edit or post. Currently forcing myself to write a one-shot lighter in nature than my usual stories just for a break from all the garbage going on in the world.
#IstandwithUkraine
Also, please do not blame the people of countries for what is going on, blame their government. There is NEVER an excuse for racism.
Guest: Sorry about the wait.
T420000: Yes, April :-P
Minnie1015: Your wait is over. For now.
Sekai no Owari
Ch 29
The scream from April pierced the night. Neither Mikey nor Donnie had exploded into action like the big brothers and heroes they were meant to be and instead, they just stood there in shock, torn between looking at him and going after her. Suddenly, another scream rang out and this time, Leo thought he heard her call his baby brother's name. Trembling with helplessness, Leo stared up the ridge, terrified that Raphie was in trouble too.
Shaking his head and unable to believe what was happening, he broke out of the hold that had its icy grip on him, smothering him with his fears. He snapped his eyes to Mikey in disbelief. Why wasn't he doing anything? Their family, their big sister and little brother were in danger!
Leonardo narrowed his icy gaze upon Michelangelo and spoke up, not willing to stand for Mikey to do nothing, "Mikey move! Go and help them! Don't stand there, you're faster than me and Donnie! GO!"
Mikey's jaw fell open in shock at the echoes of the once older Leonardo shining through. "But I can't just leave you down here, Leo. It's too dangerous!"
"Me and Donnie will come up after, Mikey. Go already! Raphie can't protect himself and sis is alone!" Leo growled out the order.
Mikey glanced helplessly at Donatello who nodded back confidently. Then Mikey, assured Donnie would keep Leonardo safe, turned and ran for the kusarigama chain, grabbed it and all but ran up the cliff face.
Pulling himself up over the edge, Mikey peered frantically around until he spotted the building in the distance. He hadn't heard another sound from April since the initial terrified scream of Raph's name so all he could assume was that she was in or near the shelter. His heart pounding frantically as he bolted across the space, Mikey's imagination flew into overdrive, imagining all sorts of atrocities happening to her, to Raph, to them both. Of zombies coming across them and tearing into Raph as April's back was turned; of a group of desperadoes snatching up the mutant baby thinking him to be a good meal or holding him to ransom for their meagre supplies; of a wild animal dragging him away like the dingo in the outback of another country so long ago. As his imagination began to cross from the obvious thoughts and into the more fanciful theories, Mikey shook his head and ignoring stealth in favour of speed, pushed himself ever harder.
Moments later, he rounded the corner of the building and peered into the darkness from the stone wall. Inside was lit up by the soft glow from a Shell-cell and he saw April hanging onto her borrowed bo, panting as she tried not to collapse. His eyes trailed down the length of wood and widened.
The sai, impaling the wooden floor, was pierced through a small head protruding from a long, sinuous body only inches from Raphael who was awake and crawling towards it.
"Raphael! Stay back! Don't touch it!" April barked desperately.
"Is that a snake?" Mikey asked in disbelief. He quickly raced inside and scooped up Raph before he could touch the still twitching body or head filled with venomous fangs.
"Was..." April answered hoarsely, sounding beyond exhausted and still barely upright.
"What happened?" Mikey asked cautiously, staring in worry. "Were you or Raph bitten? Are you both okay?"
"We're fine. Short story... I put Raph down to gather the wood so we can start a fire for when you guys get back. Then suddenly I heard Raph squeal followed by the rattling warning. The rest... you can guess," April said with a sigh, feeling incompetent. Twice in one day, two of her brothers came into danger thanks to her lack of skill to protect them and pay attention to her surroundings.
Mikey felt cold as he realised how close things had come. "Want me to take care of the body?" he offered comfortingly, shifting the wriggling Raph to one arm and drawing his katana with the other.
"No... I'll do that i-its best you take care of Raph," April answered, leaning down and removing the sai from the boards but not from the head to prevent it from biting her since even dead, snakes had been known to bite and she wasn't risking it.
"You sure? Want me to at least cut its head off?"
"I can do it with my knife," April walked to the entrance to do it outside, before stepping out she looked around, "Where are Donnie and Leo?"
"Still down in the ravine. Leo wouldn't come up but then we heard you scream and he told me to go." Mikey's voice then turned haunted. "He sounded just like he did whenever we were on a mission and he was giving orders when one of us was in danger. No wonder Master Splinter started grooming him as leader so early."
"Wait, they're still down there?" April asked sharply, turning toward him in horror. "Mikey, you need to go see if they're okay!"
"Okay, well, I'm not taking Raphie anyway near that ravine, so you'll have to take him. I'll deal with that on the way," he said, nodding to the snake on the end of her sai.
Nodding, April carefully put it down; she didn't want to have Mikey pass Raph to her with it still in her hand and him trying to grab for it.
Mikey hung back, waiting for April and when she came close, handed his baby brother to her. Then he walked past and picked up the handle of the sharpened sai. Carrying the body stretched out ahead of him, he began walking towards the ravine where he left his other brothers.
A short time later as he approached the bridge, he saw a head and arms poking up over the edge and he ran over, stabbing the sai into a nearby tree so the snake hung down the tree trunk. Noticing it was Leo, he reached down and grasped his brother's wrist to help him up.
"Mikey? Are they okay?" Leo asked, staring plaintively up at him, all while having a hint of that slightly hard, 'I mean business' look about him that Mikey remembered so well and always hated directed at him. At least, he did in the past. Now he'd have given anything to see it again because then everything would be normal and fine again, unlike now.
Mikey's face relaxed into a true smile as the stress at least lowered and relief filled its place. "They're fine. April just had a fright, that's all. Promise!"
"What happened? Why did she scream?" Leonardo demanded as he quickly moved as far away from the edge as the rope would allow him so Mikey could help Donnie up. Seeing the sai in the tree with a snake speared on it, Leo blinked at it in confusion.
As Donnie's head poked up over the cliff edge and looked up, obviously dying to know what happened, Mikey replied, "There was a rattlesnake a bit too close to Raphie for April's comfort. Don't worry though, she took care of it before it could strike." His expression turned thoughtful and worried. "I think she might be feeling a bit like it's her fault Raph was in danger in the first place when it really wasn't. She saved him, pure and simple."
Donnie nodded as he planted his feet firmly on the ground. "I think she may have been feeling like that with you and Leo down there too," he said, motioning towards the ravine floor. "She certainly seemed as if more than just worry was bugging her earlier," he explained as he began untying the safety rope from around Leo and himself.
"Why would sis feel like what happen to me and Mikey is her fault? I was the one that fell." Leo turned towards Mikey in confusion.
"Because she wasn't watching you well enough to stop it from happening," Mikey explained softly. "Honestly, I would've felt the same way if I hadn't gone after you. Shell, I probably would've even after going after you if I hadn't been so worried about getting us out safely again."
"But... she is our sister why does she have to watch me?" Leo asked. "Why does she think she has to? It's not like she's our mother."
Mikey crouched down to meet Leo's gaze straight on as he answered, "Same reason I have to watch you, even though you're my brother. I'm older than you and an adult. You're still learning about the dangers of the world."
"Well... she still shouldn't feel bad. I don't want to her to," Leo whispered sadly. "It wasn't her fault."
"I know," Mikey agreed, giving Leo a quick hug. "So maybe you and Donnie should go show her you're safe and reassure her so she doesn't feel like that anymore?"
"Okay!" Leo perked up, smiling brightly. "Let's go, Donnie."
"Sure," Donnie smiled back, stepping forward to take Leonardo's hand. He noticed Mikey straighten but not move to follow. "Aren't you coming, Mikey?"
Mikey shook his head and glanced over to the snake. "I have something to take care of first. Hey, do you know if there's a stream or anything nearby?"
"Only one I know is back down there," Donnie replied, glancing to the dark ravine.
Mikey's face filled with disappointment, it was slow and sluggish and wasn't suitable for drinking in the slightest. Not to mention it was down there. "Okay. I'll catch you guys up soon."
And then he stood watching as Donnie and Leo headed for the small stone and wood building before turning back to the dead snake.
-:-
Donnie and Leo reached the building and stepped inside, "We're back," Donnie called softly.
"Are you two okay?" April whipped her head towards Donnie anxiously. Given she had Raph in her lap, she didn't jump to her feet and run over, fighting the instincts to make sure for herself rather than just relying on a verbal response.
"We're fine," Donnie reassured, seeing how she was twitching in the dim lighting. He let go of Leo's hand as his little brother tugged it free.
"Are you sure..." April started then stopped, almost crying as she suddenly felt Leonardo's arms around her.
"Sis, you're okay? You're not hurt?" Leonardo rambled frantically. "I heard you scream an'... an'..."
"Leo... I'm fine." Smiling, she rubbed his head gently as Donnie walked more sedately up to them, sitting down beside her.
"Is Raphie fine too?" Leonardo asked next, tickling Raphael in the neck. The baby turtle squealed in delight, grasping Leo's hand to play with.
"He's fine too," April replied almost wilting in relief as she tried to hide her feelings inside the tone of her voice that was soft and warm.
"I know I don't need to thank you because you're part of the family but still, thank you for saving Raph," Donnie said softly, staring down at the giggling baby. He swallowed, realising just how scary it must have been. "If you want to talk about it, I'm here and Mikey will be back soon too," he assured her.
"Thanks, Donnie but I'm fine," April smiled at him, "Where is Mikey anyway?" Seeing he wasn't around, she wondered why it was that every time she turned around there was always a turtle missing.
"He's dealing with the snake," Donnie answered with the shrug. "He might have gone back into the ravine for the stream. Guess he wants to wash off after or something."
April sighed at the answer. "Weren't we trying to get him out? Then he just goes back down?"
Looking out onto the dark landscape, she shook her head. She knew Mikey could take care of himself and that he wouldn't wander off if he felt the area held much threat. Tilting her head back towards Donnie, she gently picked Raph up out of her lap, "Donnie, can you watch him for a moment? I want to start a fire before Leo's teeth fall out." She chuckled, getting an alarmed squeak out of Leonardo.
"Sure," Donnie replied, reaching for his baby brother. "It's so hard to believe he's so sweet as a baby. As a toddler and even at twelve, he was a terror. You should have seen the awful things he used to do to Mikey and myself."
"Oh I can believe it from the things he did last month alone," April chuckled dryly. "He behaved a bit when I was around but that never lasted too long, especially after I moved in." Stacking the wood in place and starting a flame, April had a fire going in no time. Taking Leonardo's hand, she steered him closer and seated him by it, rubbing his arms and shoulders to help him to get his heat back then placed one of the thin blankets they had around him and signalled Donnie to snuggle beside Leo with Raph inside the blanket.
Just after Donnie settled down, he heard a rumbling sound come from Leo and he chuckled. "Guess I'm not the only one who's hungry. I have some Alliaria petiolate in my bag, freshly picked this afternoon."
"Alle...rea petolight?" Leo fumbled the words, not sure what Donnie was saying and fearing it was something gross at the same time.
"Alliaria petiolate," Donnie repeated with a laugh, "otherwise known as garlic mustard."
"Then you should have said that the first time," Mikey's voice spoke up tiredly as he stepped inside the shelter. "And what's that anyway? Another one of your gross weeds?"
"It's an edible plant found in abundance in the area. It's really good for you and all of it can be eaten. Raphie sure enjoyed it earlier," Donnie assured him. "Want me to get it?"
Mikey shook his head. "Not just yet. Get warm first and I'll start dinner. April, are you feeling okay to go set up the snare or would you rather just leave it for tonight?"
"I should get it done, it's best not to waste a chance to do it." April stood up stretching. She gathered what she needed from their bags. "I'll be back soon. Hopefully, I can find a promising spot close by."
"Cool, cool," Mikey said, watching her. Once April left, he pulled the frying pan from his bag and set it up over the fire. As Donnie and Leo watched him, he started chopping something up and tossing it into the pan. "So, this garlic mustard stuff, how do you prepare it?" he asked before anyone could ask him what he was cooking. He had a feeling April might not be too happy but they couldn't afford to waste food as she'd pointed out nights before with the first rabbit.
Donnie explained, telling him it could be eaten raw or cooked and Mikey went to get it from where Donnie had it tucked away.
When April finally returned, Mikey looked up, giving her a smile over the cooking meat. "Find a good spot, Ape?"
"Yeah, not too far in the back there was evidence some small animals have been using the bushes for food and even found some berries," April showed Donnie to get his approval. "Mikey, what are you cooking?"
"Rattlesnake," Mikey replied cheerfully.
Blinking, she sighed heavily, "Of course... why did I even consider it would be anything other... Oh wait, I thought you might have been catching something that isn't a reptile... considering you're a turtle and all."
"You ate the rabbit and that's a mammal too," Mikey pointed out cheekily. "Right Donnie?"
Donnie sat up straight, surprised by the question and being brought into the burgeoning argument. "Yes, it is," he replied cautiously. "As are cows and pigs and you humans eat those along with many other mammals."
"Donnie, stay out of this," April smiled playfully.
"But Mikey..." Donnie started only to have April continue, narrowing her eyes at Mikey.
"That's different. Besides, I thought turtles didn't eat snakes. It's normally the other way around."
"We're mutant turtles and eat pretty much anything humans do, with the obvious exception of turtle," Mikey smiled sweetly back, "and broccoli. And besides, I'd like to see any snake other than an anaconda or whatever try to eat us. Okay, not including Raphie or Leo. They're small enough that others might manage."
"Yes, they are. But you forget Mikey, we live in the US. People keep snakes as pets and there have been stories of some snakes eating their owners before. Now, with no owners around to care for them, they are roaming free," April pointed out as Leo shuddered at the thought of being eaten.
"True, true," Mikey replied with a smile, trying not to think of the movie 'Anaconda'. He skilfully flipped the cooking pieces of meat in the frying pan with barely a thought. "And if we see a big arse snake, I guess we better not let it know we ate one of its relatives. Just like you don't want us to ever tell Usagi we ate rabbit if we ever see him again."
Freezing up, she glared at him nastily, "You better not, I know better than piss off a samurai. Though seriously, I hope Usagi never comes to our world again, I don't think he would like it as it is now."
"Ninja are way worse people to piss off than samurai," Mikey teased. "Just look at the old Raphie for example. And yeah, I don't think Usagi would like this world anymore either. It's a shame the portal magic wouldn't work so we could escape and go to either his world or the nexus..." he fell suddenly silent and focused his attention on his cooking.
"I wouldn't be surprised it was closed because of what happened to our world. Who knows if it would have spread to others if it was able to be opened," April trailed off then sat down.
"Yeah, probably..."
"Oh, and I'm not afraid of ninja, only their so-called sharp tongues," April smiled at Mikey to brighten up the mood again.
Donnie stared from one to the other in confusion, knowing full well he should have known what they were talking about but feeling self-conscious enough to avoid asking.
"Well, not likely to be cut by those for a while," Mikey said softly before extending a hand to Donnie. "Flashlight?"
Bemused, Donnie reached under the blanket to his belt and pulled out the small light he kept there, handing it to Mikey.
"Thanks, bro!" Mikey switched it on to study the cooking food. "Yeah, I think it's pretty much ready. Oh! And don't worry Ape, as you know, Master Splinter sent us out to do survival training in the woods a couple of times and I learnt about cooking snake then. We're not going to get poisoned or anything."
"Never said I was worried. Just not thrilled in eating snake..." April pointed out grimly.
"Think of it as revenge for scaring you, that and this way its life won't go to waste," Mikey said brightly, pulling the frying pan off the flames. He put the pan down on a nearby rock and went to get their tin plates and forks. "Besides, we can't afford to waste the meat. What about Raphie, has he eaten recently?"
"No, not yet," April replied. She lumbered wearily to her feet again to put together Raph's food. "The thing I have to wonder about is if you ate snake during survival training, why didn't you ever eat rabbit?"
Mikey looked at her aghast. "And murder poor, innocent little Thumper?" he shook his head. "Seriously though, we didn't actually hunt hunt, we just caught fish and stuff and berries. Only ever killed that snake once because it got into Leo's sleeping bag and he killed it, even though Donnie said after it wasn't poisonous."
"Venomous," Donnie immediately corrected.
Mikey pulled a face. "Venomous," he repeated. Then he nodded to himself and began dishing up the plates with cooked meat, berries and raw garlic mustard, sniffing at the strange plant warily as he did. Handing the plates out, he warned, mostly for Leo's sake, "Careful, it's hot."
"Thanks," Leo stared warily at the food, poking at it with his fork.
"So it wasn't a rattlesnake you had before?" Donnie asked curiously as he speared a chunk, studying it intently.
"Nuh, some kind of milk snake, can't remember which one," Mikey answered before popping a small chunk of hot meat into his mouth and blowing frantically and chewing. "Leo would've had a cow if we went near the one rattlesnake we saw when camping."
Leo's face twisted at Mikey's words as he responded in a quiet voice, "Why do you always call me a farm animal?"
"Huh?" Mikey choked.
"Why do you say I will have a cow, lay an egg, is a mother hen?" Leo blinked in confusion, looking down at his body as if it was going to suddenly sprout feathers or fur.
The corners of Donnie's mouth lifted as he tried not to laugh, unlike Mikey who was practically rolling on the ground. "They're just expressions, Leo," he explained gently, which his hand covering his mirth. "Basically means you worry about others easily."
"Which you're turning into a farm animal because you worry too much," April accidentally said then slapped her hand on her mouth, realising that statement wasn't in her head.
Leo gawked at her, "Am I going to grow feathers and a udder!"
That did it! Mikey howled with laughter as the terrifying imagery of a turtle-cow-chicken filled his head.
Donnie reached over and slapped Mikey's head, "Not helping!" Then twitching with his own barely-hidden laughter, turned back to Leo. "Not a chance! It's impossible for you to grow feathers or mammary equipment."
"Shame," Mikey gasped breathlessly, unable to right himself, "that we couldn't bring... my pranking album! Because there's a couple... of... of photos in there... that show... otherwise."
"Wait, is that why you hounded me to order those?" April stared at Mikey in disbelief. She'd always wondered why he wanted those costume pieces but never dared to ask.
Mikey nodded frantically, unable to speak.
"Oh god..." Donnie muttered, really not wanting to know.
"Of course... I should have known it was for a prank of some sort." April sighed, then turned towards Leonardo. "Sorry Leo, what I said was an inside thought that should never have been heard out loud. You're not going to grow feathers or an udder. As we said, it's an expression."
"Do I really worry that much?" Leo asked anxiously.
"You cared a lot, so you worried all the time," April pointed out with a gentle smile. "Sure, we all made fun of it but in reality, we wouldn't want it any other way. That's who you were and still are. I'm sorry we confused and upset you."
Leo nodded, "It's okay but Mikey really needs to stop laughing or he will regret it in the morning." Leonardo smiled at Mikey devilishly as April snickered.
Mikey immediately tried to sober up but couldn't quite manage. "Good thing I have the last watch, tonight," he said, immediately making the decision to protect himself. "Now eat your snake, Leo."
-:-
The river they had travelled on over much of the past week had narrowed so much that Mikey and April reluctantly decided it was time to abandon the raft they'd made and start travelling on foot once they reached Wallkill River National Park. Mikey worked with Donnie to dismantle the raft to reclaim their rope as they were sure to need it again in the future.
By travelling via water, they had made much better speed, managing in days what would otherwise have taken weeks. Numerous times, they'd had to pull off the river and hide their craft due to other river users spotted in the distance and after a few close calls, they'd decided to only travel at night, where if they did run into anyone, it would be dark enough that they wouldn't be noticed for not being human. An added bonus to that was Leo and especially Raph mostly slept at night, making it safer and far easier to keep an eye on them so they wouldn't fall into the water and drown or get lost.
Also, passing by the banks of towns and cities at night was far safer. Though they did set foot into one small town as they passed. Long abandoned with only a few zombies in advanced decay stumbling around, Mikey and April had slipped ashore, insisting that Donnie keep their makeshift craft far from the water's edge and that Leo keep an eye on Raph and Donnie on them both. When they came back hours later, it was with several supplies pilfered from abandoned, ransacked shops and homes; a small tent, just big enough for them all to crowd into; a can of flour, some powdered milk and some salt from someone's home; another three blankets, including a light silvery thermal blanket they'd been lucky to find; a small garden trowel; a hand-fishing line and a larger, hiking backpack to fit everything into better. Upon repacking and fitting in their new supplies, Mikey gave his previous backpack to April who gave her smaller one to Leo to carry.
April looked to the sky as she stretched, keeping watch while the boys finished gathering the rest of the rope. It was midday by now rather than night, since they figured their raft ride was coming to an end and they would have to continue by foot, they'd decided to go back to travelling during the day. Neither Mikey nor April felt comfortable being dead in the water all night when they reached the end of the river nor did they want to be forced to travel during the night on foot either. Their best bet was to reach the end no later than midday and then search for a suitable shelter that could last a couple days if possible to correct their sleep patterns for the upcoming journey. There was still some talk about what they were going to do and exactly which way to go as neither had had a moment to sit down and discuss future plans and it was getting to the point they needed to.
"At least it's not too hot today," April said with another stretch, "There should be some shelters nearby or at least an area suitable to set a camp either way."
"I hope so," Mikey replied with an ever-so-slight whine as he stood and stretched. "I'm beat! I could use a good rest," he groaned.
"Agreed, pulling a night then day ride regardless that we switched shifts still took its toll." April took a heavy breath.
Mikey nodded tiredly, glancing down jealously at Leo who'd been able to sleep as he liked. Of course, the downside of that had been whenever Donnie, April and himself slept during the day Leo had been wide awake and raucous; though he had at least stayed close and kept Raphie occupied during the time. Of course, someone had still stayed awake with Leo the whole time, he was too young to know how to keep watch or be trusted to stay completely out of trouble.
Then looking around again, he shrugged helplessly, "So where now?"
April bit her lip as she mulled over the question, turning her Shell-cell upside down and back, "Well, if I'm right there should be a town just to the east. It's small and might be better than heading further east or south right now; too many construction sites and quarries down that way."
"The question is," Donnie ventured cautiously, glancing to the east, "are there are humans about because if so..."
"Good question," Mikey sighed. "We'll have to chance it though and go look. We need to stop and rest; we've been going all night, bro."
Donnie nodded as he coiled up the wet rope and inserted it into a separate compartment of his duffle bag.
"I'm hungry," Leo said quietly.
"Me too, but you'll have to wait a bit, little bro," Mikey replied softly, looking intently into the bushes in the east. "We need to find somewhere safe to settle before I can cook the fish I caught. Though Donnie might have a few leftover weeds for you to munch on now?" he suggested, looking at his purple-banded brother for confirmation. Donnie shook his head reluctantly and Mikey gave an apologetic smile to Leo.
"Then we should get going then," April announced. Leaning down, she picked up Raph who in turn wasn't too thrilled with the idea until she waved his sippy cup in his face. Instantly, he was snuggling into her, sucking his drink down and making cooing noises as he did.
"Lay on, McDuff," Mikey grinned, looking to April and motioning for her to lead the way.
April rolled her eyes as she took the bo firmly in her hand before continuing with a little warning more for Leo than anyone else, "It's best we keep quiet as possible, there are birds chirping but not many so who knows if there's any undead around."
Leo nodded taking Donnie's hand so he was at least near one of his brothers.
-:-
"It was a rough journey through ice and snow, cold... so cold... There were big, big, big mountains of..." Leo monologued their journey through anything, ice and snow, forest and bushes and even open areas that had a dirt road to follow. Stuck at mountain, he looked to his brainy brother for support, "What are mountains made of?"
"Rock candy and cotton candy," Mikey cut in with a quiet laugh before Donnie could reply. "With green marshmallow bushes and licorice trees with gumdrop leaves. And they have soda pop springs and lemonade rivers running down them."
Donnie stared up at Mikey, mouth hanging open in disbelief, aghast.
"Are we having a sugar withdrawal moment Mikey?" April raised an eyebrow. "If so, then this dirt we're walking on is actually cookie crumbs and you should take a taste."
"Can't forget the peppermint bark coating the licorice trees," Mikey added wistfully as an afterthought, ignoring April's cutting remark.
"Will you..." Donnie began in horror.
"Donnie, what are mountains made of? For real?" Leo insisted.
Donnie shook his head and deliberately turning his shell on Mikey, looked down at Leo as they walked. "That all depends on which mountains you're asking about."
"You're gonna regret asking, Leo," Mikey singsonged with a muffled laugh.
"With ice and snow," Leo said carefully, ignoring Mikey because he wanted to finish his exciting story.
"Again, it all depends on which mountains you are asking about. Some mountains are made of cooled basalt lava or cinders and ash, others are made of shale, granite or gneiss. Then there are those formed from sediments from the old primordial..."
"My answer was far more entertaining," Mikey interrupted petulantly.
"And entirely inaccurate and nonsensical!" Donnie snapped back.
"I'm a dreamer!"
"Or someone trying to hint he wants sugar," April added once again, then stopped suddenly in front of Mikey.
About to retort, Mikey pulled short before he could barrel into her. "What's wrong?" he asked anxiously, forgetting all about the previous conversation.
"Does that look like a house in the distance?" April asked, pointing to what looked like a large, two-story building past the bushes.
Mikey looked where she motioned in interest and his breath caught in his throat. "Yeah," he said reluctantly. "Looks real creepy too. Just the sort of place Count Dracula might hang out. Upside down. Like a bat."
"Mikey!" April rolled her eyes again and slapped him lightly on the arm. "So do you want to check it out or should we do this one together?"
Mikey hesitated a moment. "We need to stick together."
Donnie sighed and muttered under his breath. "I knew all those horror movies were bad for him."
"Mikey, you take the lead. That way, if Dracula is home he can snack on you while we flee for our lives," April smiled, acknowledging Donnie's reply with a wink yet unable to help herself from teasing Michelangelo. "I'll take the rear and Donnie and Leo you're in the middle."
"Pft! Don't you know it's always the young virgins at the back that get taken first?" Mikey asked in derision. "Oh wait, yeah, you take the rear then, Ape, you'll be safe!"
"Oh, and how would you know huh?" April lightly kicked his foot in a tease. "Unless you have been stalking me all these years, you know nothing."
"Well, you are the oldest of us," Mikey smiled innocently, immediately darting forward out of reach to lead the way.
"And how does age even factor into this?" April blinked, shaking her head as she went to the back.
"Young virgins," Mikey repeated with a devilish lilt to his voice as he danced ahead. "And Raphie's way too young to be taken. So is Leo."
"Now I have no idea what you're implying anymore Mikey. Are you saying you're not so you're safer up the front?" April chuckled harder.
Mikey nodded. "Yeah, I wouldn't be safe at the rear," he confirmed, ignoring April's insinuation in favour of his own. "Neither would Donnie."
"Leave me out of this!" Donnie muttered, not for the first time. Sure, he knew his brother had always had a tendency to use humour to mask his feelings and fears but why did April have to encourage him like this? It was a wonder they managed to ever do anything!
"Sure... I guess what happens in the sewers stays in the sewers?" April winked at Mikey then changed the topic before he dared repeat she was old. "The house is close now. We should be cautious."
He nodded, suddenly lapsing into silent movement as he crept forward through the shadows of the trees. With one hand on his 'chucks and the other ready to shoot for the katana, Mikey stopped at the edge of the tree line and peered towards the house.
It wasn't actually as creepy as he'd insinuated though it did have an air of long abandonment about it. Whitewashed and old, it was in good condition, though there was a couple of smashed ground-level windows, mercifully boarded over. It was the grounds that led to the aura, however. The grass was way too long and brownish, trees and bushes overgrown. Weeds and flowers grew wild and the outdoor furniture was turned over and damaged.
As there was no sign of movement, Mikey began edging his way around the edge of the yard to view the building from all sides. Finally, back where they started, Mikey nodded towards the house and murmured, "I'm going to take the chance."
"Be careful, Mikey," April warned, motioning the other two to be ready in case they needed to flee.
"Always, dudette." With that, Mikey crept around the edge of the garden again, heading for where he'd seen the most direct line to the house. There, he dashed across the yard and hugging the house, made for the verandah. Glancing around, Mikey quickly and effortlessly vaulted the rail and silently ran for the door. It was locked but he dug into one of the pouches on his belt and pulled out a set of lockpicks. After moments, Mikey had the door open and slipped inside.
The house was large and should have been bright and airy, at least if it wasn't for the boarded-up windows it would have been. Mikey soon realised it wasn't just the broken windows on the ground floor that were roughly boarded but the intact ones as well. Between that and the layers of thickening dust from months of abandonment, it did give the inside a rather creepy, almost haunted air.
He was surprised to discover that the place wasn't looted or destroyed and at first, he couldn't understand why. Then he surmised that maybe the place was far enough away from everything else that no one bothered because no one knew about it. If the town on the map nearby was abandoned or dead, well, it wasn't like this property would be well known to strangers.
Soon, Mikey had checked out the lower floors and discovered nothing other than a few scuttling cockroaches and vermin. He glanced up the stairs. There was no sign of disturbance down here so it would be safe up there. However, his inner Leonardo nagged at him to check regardless, so, peeping out the door to check his family was still there and safe, Mikey then tiptoed up the stairs.
Upstairs was very different to downstairs. It was still thick with dust but the fact the windows were whole and unboarded made all the difference. The rooms were bright and airy and full of the reminders of life. There were several bedrooms, a bathroom and another family room and Mikey's jaw hung open at the collectables in one of them. He drooled at the sight of a mint condition Silver Sentry action figure and reached out reverently to touch the box. Then, suddenly shaking his head, remembered what he was meant to be doing and left the room to run lightly downstairs.
Opening the door again, Mikey stepped outside and waved to April and his brothers with a huge smile.
"Come on," April said, allowing Leo and Donnie to go ahead as she followed, making sure no one was around as they did. Reaching Mikey, she took a good look at the exterior. "How's the inside?"
"Bit dusty and dirty but otherwise good. I saw some droppings on one of the beds upstairs where something made a nest so we'll definitely have to clean that up before using it," Mikey explained with a smile as he motioned April and his brothers inside. He quickly closed and locked the door behind them. "Downstairs is kinda creepy but it's got a good library. Upstairs is great though! Looks like the family that lived here were gamers!"
"So how long did you googly eye the games, Mikey?" April teased knowingly.
"Ha, I didn't," Mikey shot back in a 'gotcha' tone. "It was the Silver Sentry collectables that caught my eye."
Donnie sighed and looked around critically.
"Of course it was." April passed Raph to Mikey, "Well, I guess I'll start cleaning upstairs. See if there's any supplies, Mikey and then make lunch and no going sneaking off to stare at that doll."
"It's not a doll!" Mikey protested loudly and indignantly. "It's an..."
"Yeah, yeah, action figure, we know," Donnie interjected, heading for the stairs.
"What can I do, sis?" Leo volunteered, eyeing the place with a slight shiver.
"How about helping your brother and making sure he doesn't go off to play," April snickered teasingly.
"As if!" Mikey sniffed mock-indignantly, but he smiled down at Leo and held out a hand inviting him to take it.
"Mikey, no playing," Leo commanded, then he smiled, "until later."
"Yeah, once we've had lunch and settled, we can play a board game or something," Mikey grinned. "Too bad there won't be any electricity or we could actually play video games. I just hope the stove is gas."
"Well, I hope so too," April agreed, heading towards the stairs and wondering if Donnie was going up or not. Either way, she made her way up, leaving him to follow behind if he chose. As she climbed the stairs, she saw the wall was filled with old family photos. Out of curiosity as to who had lived here, she stopped halfway up to wipe off the dust from the glass to get a better view of it.
It was a family of four in the image, a father, mother and two kids. One of the children were the same age Leo was and it dawned on her to wonder if the child was still that age when all this went down or if a number of years had passed since the photo was taken.
Where did the family go and why? Being so isolated, the place so far seemed very secure, safe even and yet they had left anyway.
Even as those thoughts flowed through her mind, she couldn't predict all the events that happened here. They could have left to find others, they could have been driven away out of fear of being cut off from the world to find out what was going on. There were so many factors and she had to admit to not knowing anything that went down outside of New York due to lack of communication when everything started to fail.
She recalled how many people had fled New York on their own, not to mention escorted by the military too. It was chaos and so many people died during that time. She still had nightmares of the pleading, the begging as one group of soldiers, fearing they might have infected in the group, lined people up before killing them in cold blood.
April herself was almost one of those people until Raph grabbed her and helped her escape. Sadly, she hadn't been meant to be there, she was meant to be going to the lair but at the time she wanted to gather some of her things and that was when some soldiers barged into her apartment, forcing her by gunpoint to leave.
Letting out a sigh, she continued on to the top floor and checked each room as she passed. There, she noticed the change in the atmosphere. Despite the dust and dirt, it was far nicer up here and she could see she was able to open some windows to air out the place. Though at the moment that wouldn't be so safe given it would announce someone was here if anyone familiar with the place passed by. Still, at night she should be able to open at least one. As for the others she planned to make sure they were all locked, just in case.
Heading to the main bedroom, she looked around with a heavy heart; it was filthy. However, it was easily the largest of the rooms and she'd feel more comfortable if they all slept together in the same room.
Noticing Donatello had followed her up, after all, she turned her head to face the pre-teen ninja. "Can you give me a hand? I'd like to get this room cleaned and drag some of those other mattresses into this room. Afterwards, if we can get at least one of the bathrooms clean as well, we should see if it's possible to have water."
"Sure," Donnie nodded, following her inside. "Uh, I've only got our old lair to go on, I've never been in a house before so where would cleaning equipment be likely to be?" he asked, glancing around the bedroom.
"Good question," April paused, thinking on it. "I normally had my broom and dustpan in the closet in my bedroom, my bathroom had the bucket and gloves and the kitchen was where I put all the chemicals under the sink. My apartment was one floor with little storage place. People with a home this big probably would keep theirs near the bathroom or laundry in a cupboard?"
"Well, I guess we had better take a look around then."
"Agreed. I want to double-check the windows anyway, to see if they can be locked or if we need to hammer some nails into them, assuming there are any nails in this place." April started walking to the farthest room from them to see if there were any closets outside and then peek inside at the window.
"Okay," Donnie said. Then they began exploring the floor, looking for things they could use.
Several minutes later, Donnie and April met back up in the main bedroom, Donnie with a broom, duster and dustpan and brush in hand. He'd already tried flipping the light switch, only to discover as expected, no power. As a result, he hadn't bothered bringing the vacuum cleaner with him.
"The closet that had this stuff also had clean sheets and spare blankets in it too," he offered, glancing at April.
"That'll be useful. Let's get started, I'd like to have this done before it gets dark," April pointed out. "Oh, and I guess someone liked candlelit baths as I found some candles in the bathroom."
"That's good. And at least there's a thick set of curtains to block the light as well as the thin set," Donnie pointed out, looking over at the large windows.
"Yep. Okay, let's get this bed cleaned off and see what we can do with it, then the rest of the room. I would like to remove anything that would be dangerous to Raph." April suddenly chuckled, "I swear, I never thought I would actually have to babyproof a room in my life, no wonder this is stressful to parents."
Donnie glanced up at April curiously. "You never had children?"
"Nope, I was too busy with my studies and I was never in a relationship important enough for such a thing to come up in the first place," April shrugged, moving around the far side of the bed.
"I see," Donnie murmured, reaching down to help strip off the bed. It was the one Mikey had mentioned that was covered in droppings and seemed to have been used as a nest. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw something small and grey dash off behind the dresser. "Did you ever want any?" he asked, knowing whether she did or not she was now stuck with himself and his now younger brothers. He hoped it wouldn't lead to resentment on her part down the track.
"I... I don't know," April started, startled by a question she'd never given thought to before. "I mean at that moment of my life before all this happened, no. I had everything I wanted. You, Raph, Leo, Mikey and even Master Splinter before he died. Life was wonderful and weird and wondrous and complicated as it was, I had no room for such thoughts."
"I see," Donnie murmured again, balling up the filthy sheets and comforter and throwing them out the door.
"If you're wondering about now with our current situation, that's a different matter again," April said softly, grabbing the broom and using it to brush any dirt on the mattress to the ground.
Donnie glanced wordlessly up at her before picking up the duster and beginning to work the room, sending up clouds of choking dust.
"You guys are my family and I'd do anything for you, regardless of what age you are," April explained seeing that ever-questioning look in those chocolate orbs. "Even so... I... I am scared. I have no idea what I'm doing and sometimes I think I'm doing it all wrong. I never had friends that had kids or was around them much to learn anything. Everything I'm doing now is a guess and I don't know if that's good enough, especially when it comes to Raph..." she added softly, thinking fondly of the baby turtle who was downstairs with his other brothers, probably causing them trouble with his rare freedom to crawl around
"He likes you so you must be doing something right. Same with Leo," Donnie pointed out quietly, waving the dust away from his face as he tried not to choke on it. "I know you didn't want the window open in the daytime but maybe just while we're dusting? Just part of the way?"
"Okay just while we're dusting," she agreed with a nod. Then, "Liking me and growing up correctly are two different things." Sweeping up the dirt on the floor into a pile, she bit her lip, "I'm not worried so much about Leo, his age is fine and now I know you're both getting your memories back one day at a time, I'm sure he'll grow up back to who he was, though with different experiences of course, but Raph... He's at a far more impressionable age with no former memories until later and who knows how he'll react to them when they start to come. If they even do like with you and Leo. What if I do something wrong with him? Make him clash to who he was or..." April trailed off, thinking of the snake and how close a call that was. Was she really fit to act as a parental figure at all? Did she have the right to be that now, given that Splinter had been their only parental figure before? At the moment she didn't know how she felt about it beyond confusion, only that she felt protective over him but what was she to Raph and Raph to her? They were friends before but now... It was all different and would only become more different as the months and years went on.
"Maybe liking you and growing up right aren't the same things but both are important," Donnie pointed out. "If you are liked, it's easier for us to trust you and listen to you. That doesn't mean you should be afraid to do what needs to be done though. Far from it. Raph... Raphael, his situation can't be helped. All we can do is help him to understand when he's old enough and keep him safe in the meantime. Try not to worry too much about it or you'll drive yourself insane."
Donnie stopped working for a minute and stared off out the window into the distance. "I mean, I do hope he grows up the way I remember him, pain in the shell he could be, just as bad as Mikey in some ways and worse in others, but even if he doesn't, that won't change the fact I love him. He's my brother and nothing will ever change that."
"Hopefully he won't be too much a pain in the shell until he's old enough to defend himself, though," April suddenly moaned, thinking of some of the horror stories she'd heard before. "I guess you're right, though but that doesn't mean I won't worry a lot, I also want him to grow up to be the turtle I knew and loved. It's just so hard to see him like this and I can't help but wonder how much of an impact this life will have on him and I fear... that he could end up with a worse temper and attitude than he had before, what with this kind of awful environment constantly around him."
"It could happen or perhaps his temper won't be as bad since he won't be vying for attention with three brothers the same age," Donnie pointed out, a pang coursing through him at the thought. They'd grown up so close simply because they were the same age along with that they were all each other had. He just hoped this wouldn't cause them to drift apart as they grew up again.
"I don't think age would be too much of a factor in this, Leo is not that far off, then there is you and even with Mikey being the oldest I still see him still vying for attention regardless," April snickered. "When Raph's memories start to come back, that'll be another thing altogether, it could confuse him so much and with him being younger, it could be difficult to explain. I just hope this world doesn't make him cold... He had his moments before but there was still that fire in his eyes which proved just how much he cared about everyone, even strangers. And even though he often said he couldn't give a crap about anyone outside our circle, he hated the idea of people getting hurt and it killed him inside being helpless to help someone in need."
"I'm not saying he won't be vying for attention, just that the attention won't need to be split evenly between the four of us, meaning he'll get more. Mikey has always been an attention seeker so it doesn't surprise me that he still is as an adult," Donnie frowned. "But since he is an adult, he doesn't need it so much in the same way. I'm also old enough to look after myself so that means that Raph can get more of it, which for the next few years he certainly will need. Same with Leo," Donnie tried to explain. "And there are now more of us to give it to him. As far as that whole thing of being in constant danger, though, well the circumstances may have changed but it's certainly not anything different."
"Meaning?" April looked at him in confusion. "How is now and then nothing different, other than the circumstances?"
"Things are the same in that we were always in danger, we always had to run and hide and learn to protect ourselves. However, now we don't have a home. We don't have somewhere safe to live and hide from the humans and now we also have to contend with fighting off..." Donnie paused, his distaste for the word obvious, "zombies."
"We'll figure out the home part eventually," April quickly assured him. "Leo was a great planner and I can't believe he would go through all the trouble of making those maps and constantly arguing with Raph over them if he didn't have some kind of end game in mind to make our lives easier and not always in constant peril of danger and death. Even so, when, that's something I wish could be now."
"You and me, both," Donnie nodded, turning back to survey the room. He picked up dusting where he left off, sending the clouds flying again and sneezing.
April too went back to work, her mind wandering off and consuming her being and at that peak of swarming thoughts, she paused, growing suddenly nervous. Her mouth felt dry and she wasn't sure how to bring this up or if she was truly ready but this had been the first time she could talk to Donatello alone. He seemed more stable in regards to their situation and understood that this was what it was now. She only hoped his trust in her was at a level that she wasn't going to be making a huge mistake. Even so, that didn't make it easier for her but it was better to be done sooner rather than later. Facing the window, she didn't dare to look at him as she spoke, "Donnie?"
Donnie glanced her way, feeling somewhat taken aback by the fact she wouldn't look at him. "What?"
"Later... a-after Leo and Raph are asleep, can we talk in private?" April asked, feeling her heart jump into her throat.
"They're downstairs with Mikey now," Donnie pointed out in confusion.
"Yes but this is something that I can't have anyone disturbing us..." April explained, biting her lip nervously. "It's something we need to talk about, something to do with before the accident that you need to know about."
Donnie froze, staring at her. "O-okay," he eventually replied. He'd been wanting her to explain whatever she'd been hiding and now that she seemed finally ready to do so, all of a sudden he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know. Donnie nodded, convincing himself; he was a scientist and therefore, by nature, needed to learn. He wouldn't hide from whatever this was. He couldn't. "Just tell me when you're ready."
"Thanks... Later tonight when everyone is settled," April confirmed, then went back to work not saying much after.
-:-
If the atmosphere was any more dense one could cut it with a knife. April leaned against the open window with the cool breeze caressing her skin as she avoided looking back at the door. Supper was long over, Leo and Raph had a bedtime story and she had chosen a room well away from the others to have her talk with Donnie. Even Mikey agreed that this was necessary, pointing out that Donnie's memories would come back in time and that it would be unfair to hold such a secret for so many years. Heck, for all they knew, it could even lead to resentment if they left it too long. She had the room softly lit with candles and the only thing she was waiting for was him. She told him to come when he was ready because she knew during supper that he was on edge, probably fearing what she was going to tell him. Suddenly the door opened and she felt she couldn't breathe. Was this really the right idea? The right time? Were either of them actually ready? His posture screamed of nervousness and that only made her feel worse. Unconsciously, she squeezed the letter in her hand, the one she hadn't dared to open or look at.
Donatello looked around the room and spotting April, slowly walked over, stopping a couple of metres before her. He looked up at her expectantly.
"Donnie..." April took a breath, closed her eyes, then tried to relax. She pushed every bad scenario of this outcome to the side. "Do you recall when I mentioned that I was immune to the zombie bite but stated the drug you created doesn't work on humans?"
Donnie nodded. "How could I forget?" he asked dryly.
"Have you ever wondered how is it that it works on me even though I'm human?" April asked tensing up.
"I believe I asked something along those lines before, yes," Donnie immediately answered.
"Yes and I kind of avoided it because I didn't know myself at the time," April admitted. "Donnie, let me start at the beginning. As you're aware, we were in danger and you, let's just say at the time you were under a lot of stress with the risk of losing your family. With the probability of how one just simple bite or scratch could kill us, you created the formula for the inoculation but it wouldn't work on me or any other human. So you... resorted to other means..."
"Like what?" Donnie asked warily.
"Like alien tech that you told your brothers that you had destroyed due to how dangerous it was," April mumbled to him, looking down at the ground.
"Do you mean I lied?" Donnie asked, horror creeping into his voice at the idea.
"Yes, because you wanted to learn about it before destroying it. You've always had an appetite for learning and couldn't help it but you had no intentions to bring anyone any harm. I don't know the full details but from what I read, you only wanted to understand it and was more than willing to dispose of it not long after you had but when you went to do so, that's when the world came to an end as we knew it and that task was put aside for later."
"Oh..."
April shuffled her feet nervously, "So realising that I was still in danger, you came to me, asking me to trust you and never told me at the time what you were up to. So I, in a way in my own desperation to survive and knowing you would never hurt me, I agreed without question." April started to explain, bringing up how Donnie fooled his brothers into thinking she was given the drug only to actually knock her out so he could use the alien tech on her and not have his brothers interfere. Falling silent again on what the tech did, she held her arm.
Donnie frowned. "So what was so bad about the alien technology that I needed to hide what I was doing? Surely they'd be happy I was helping you," he asked in confusion. Then he paused but before April could gather her words, he asked again. "What was so bad about that technology? What did it do? What did I do to you?"
Swallowing hard at his questions, she shivered, not because of what he did but because she had to tell him. "It... The tech takes properties from the one that wields it and... fuses those properties into the person they are using the tech on. The planet you found it on, that world was advancing on other worlds, changing people in their image because thanks to their technology, they'd lost the ability to reproduce. You..."
Donnie held his tongue and just watched her, waiting for her to be ready to continue.
"Donnie, what you did, you thought it was the only way to save me... At the time you had no clue what repercussions might occur and it was after you realised," April held the letter tighter. "Donnie, you fused a portion of your DNA into mine, making sure I stayed human in appearance but changing enough of me so that the formula would work and I would gain immunity too."
Donnie's jaw dropped and he just stared, unable to process what she was saying. "I... how... I wouldn't!..."
"No, you never would in normal circumstances. I'm pretty sure it's the reason why you became depressed and moody afterwards. You weren't acting like yourself after that. The whole time I thought it was because of other things going on that brought you to a level that terrified your brothers and myself but... it was actually over me and this letter," April stared down at the letter scrunched in her hands, swallowing. She tried to smooth it out once more. Looking back up at him, she felt awful and disgusted with herself for even doing this. "Donnie, what I'm telling you is the truth, I would never tell you such things unless it was."
Donnie worked his jaw for several moments before finally speaking up in a plaintive voice. "So why are you telling me this now?"
"I, no, we didn't want to and were more than willing to bury it. However, when it became apparent that you were slowly regaining your memories, I knew you would hate Mikey and myself if we allowed you to remember what you did rather than telling you. Also... it's probably selfish of me but I wanted to talk to you about it because it's killing me inside not being able to." April started to tear up. "I never asked what you did to me because I wanted you to tell me in your own time but in turn, you were too ashamed to do so."
Donnie clenched his fists and released them, clenched his fists and released them. "But if I did it to save you... God, what did I do to you if saving your life was something to be ashamed about...? April?"
"I don't know," April flashed a look up at him in dismay. "All I read was that the tech shattered to pieces and you freaked out knowing it wasn't supposed to do that. You conducted some experiments afterwards to see what you actually did to me and placed your findings in this letter and hid it in your lab. You wrote on it sorry to me and the only reason I have it now is that I found it when I was looking for the extra batch of the vaccine for you, Leo and Raph."
Donnie stood there staring silently at April, taking in how upset she was and feeling like a complete heel for his part in things, even if he couldn't remember and even if he couldn't see how he could ever... His gaze dropped to the envelope in her hands. It didn't look like it had been opened but then again if she hadn't read it, why was she so obviously upset? When April followed his stare, he flinched and found himself asking, "So have you read what's in there?"
"No, when I found it wasn't sealed so I did take a peek. I saw the ashes of the alien tech along with some papers. However, that is as far as I got because I couldn't do it alone. When we left the city, I sealed it so I wouldn't lose anything and so I would know if anyone else looked at it before I did," April explained softly.
"Oh..." he swallowed nervously. "Then...?"
"I was waiting to open it when you were with me," April admitted, taking a seat on the floor. "That is... if you're willing?"
Donnie swallowed again. "Okay." Debating for a moment what he should do, he then went and sat down near April, only just within arm's reach.
Taking a breath, April looked at him, "Should we open it? Are you ready to know what it says?" she asked him, knowing how hard this was for him because it was just as hard for her.
Donnie shook his head slowly. "I'm not sure I'll ever be truly ready but... you need to know...
"I-I need to know..." Agreeing April opened the envelope with shaky hands. First, she took out the ashes of the tech; they were sealed in a bag and she held it up to the candlelight to examine it, "I think this is what was left of the artefact after you used it."
Donnie nodded, swallowing uncomfortably again.
April then carefully placed the baggy down and removed the folded papers as she took another breath.
Then, she unfolded them.
-:-
