The minutes, or hours slithered together to join the abyss that was coiling somewhere soul-deep inside Leo's gut. He lay there, staring and unseeing at the white flicker of the dying television set. He heard the hiss of the electric bulbs over his head and smelled his own sweat dribbling down his beak, and felt the tears sliding down his cheeks. He felt his breath being sucked in and out, in and out between his clenched teeth and felt his chest heaving and his fingers curling into helpless fists that he buried against his sides.
And after that, he screamed, and screamed and screamed until his wails became a tortured whimper. He stared at the ceiling, eyes huge, tears dribbling, ignored, allowing the last shred of his will to snap like the frayed rope of a noose. Instinctively, he tried to curl up like a dying insect, tried to raise his hands to bury his face, and succeeded in lifting them the half inch that the straps would allow. Leo drew another shaking breath, and his hands fell back, dangling off the sides of the gurney. He was broken. He had felt his own collapse when he saw the explosion, and watched the flames bleach his world white and leave behind ashes and emptiness and death. His family was dead, and he was strapped down and helpless and waiting for them to kill him off. Leo closed his eyes, feeling the despair, and the finality settle over him like a blanket. It didn't matter now. His own ending was coming, now, and he waited with quiet acceptance, wondering indifferently if they'd stab him, or drown him, or just leave him to starve and die in the white room with the blare of the television as his requiem, and the memories of his family to see him off.
His thoughts were jumbling up, and smearing together, and he didn't give a damn about it. Was he going insane? What did it matter? He didn't care. There was nothing left to tether him to the world, and at the moment, madness seemed far kinder than the agony of a life without his family. He didn't open his eyes when he heard the key in the lock sliding, the familiar metalic clang as the massive door was flung open. He ignored the nearly silent shuffle of feet, and the u "Open your eyes, turtle." One of his captors growled inches from his face, and he felt the slide of metal against his throat, the blade knicking his skin with the gentleness of a caress. "I said, open your eyes!" Leo arched his neck towards the blade, hoping that the man would be so infuriated that he'd shove the knife through his neck and end it. He heard the snicker, as the blade was withdrawn. Leo felt the odd shift and the lurch as they yanked his gurney and slammed it into the wall, and the flare of pain as somebody belted him across the mouth again. But, he kept his mouth shut, and bit back the groan, and measured his breathing so that he'd be calm when they killed him. It was a bitter, pathetic victory.
"You've taken everything from me. There's nothing left for you to threaten me with." He whispered. It was strange, and perverse, how calm he felt. "Oh, but there is, freak. There is." The voice purred in his ears, and viciously lingered, "Or, would you prefer that we just dump your brother's body here to rot with you?"
Leo recoiled as his eyes snapped open. "What?!" He breathed out the disbelieving word, feeling the terror rising and swelling as his eyes spilled over again.
He saw a ring of masked faces, a room full of the Foot, and the line of men parting as they hauled the limp corpse in, and dumped it on the floor.
"Enjoy the company." The man snickered and bowed before he barked out an order. The Foot filed out as efficiently as they had entered, and Leo heard the slam of the door again. Terror slid over him, crawled into his bones, leeched his soul, as Leo lurched helplessly against the straps. He saw the curve of a shell, the limbs sprawled out erratically, the slice of red of Raphael's mask, and the unmoving slump of Raph's head against the floor. His face was turned away from Leo, half buried in one arm, and Leo couldn't make out any breathing. The other arm-the one that Leo had stabbed-was still wrapped up in the yards of cloth, now a dull scarlet from blood.
"Raph..." It was a choked whisper, as Leo's sob tore from his throat. "Raph!" Leo shrieked, rocking the gurney, and tethering him down as the unyielding straps held firm.
"Raph! Wake up! Wake up! Please!"
Leo's bellowing dribbled away into whimpering as he writhed and twisted against his restraints like a trapped animal. They held firm as the gurney creaked in warning beneath him. Frantically, Leo hurled himself sideways, trying to yank himself free, when his shell slammed back down and the flimsy metal bed wobbled from his lurching.
"Raph! Raph!" Leo screamed again, gave a mad heave as the gurney toppled. Leo felt the world spinning as he fell over, the straps dragging the bed down with him. He grunted when he felt the shock of cold concrete as the gurney flipped over and slammed him into the floor. The ache in his side flowered into agony, as Leo helplessly tugged at the straps and arched his limbs to have even a precious inch. "Raph? Raph! Please, Raph! Please be okay! Please..."
Leo sobbed as he tried to crawl towards his brother, but he couldn't move.