I'm back people... sorry for the long wait. I give credit to the ever so talented Darkunderworld for all her help and being the best friend ever. Once again I own nothing. So please enjoy the new chapter and review; flames are not welcomed.
Darkest Night Chapter 2
Donatello swung his head to the left at the sound of an alarm. He was working in his lab soldering together a new computer mother board when the monitor of his computer began to blink, the speakers crying out in distress.
Donatello quickly slid over in front of his computer monitor, his fingers rapidly flying across the keyboard as he scanned the information that was rapidly typing across the screen.
"Leo!" Donatello shouted as he quickly stood sending his computer chair rolling back and nearly tipping over.
Leonardo walked into his lab a towel around his shoulders as he wiped the sweat from his forehead and neck. "What is it, Donny?" Leonardo asked, his face forming into lines of concern at the sound of the alarm coming from Donatello's computer.
"Raph's emergency button on his shell cell has been activated," Donatello said as he reached over and sheathed his bo across his back. He quickly grabbed his duffel bag and filled it with first aid supplies, medical instruments and a few other inventions he had come up with, but had not had the opportunity to use yet. "Where's Mikey?" He asked as Leonardo threw the towel to the ground, turning and quickly striding towards the garage, Donatello slung the duffel bag over his shoulder and followed in his big brother's wake.
"Mikey!" Leonardo yelled as they ran past the living room where their baby brother was busy playing video games.
"Raph's in trouble, we've gotta go, now!" Leonardo barked motioning with his hand as they ran towards the Battle Shell.
Michelangelo frowned and threw his controller to the ground, leaping up from the couch and following his older siblings.
"How do you know that Raph's in trouble?" Michelangelo asked.
"He activated his emergency beacon on his shell cell," Donatello replied as Leonardo jumped into the driver's seat, Donatello taking shotgun and Michelangelo hopping in the back.
Michelangelo gave a snort. "Raph never calls for help, even when his ass is getting handed to him on a platter. Either he hit that stupid button by accident, or he's doing this to prank me. I know he's been just waiting for me to get him this year and that he's been trying to figure out a way to get me before I get him."
Leonardo started the van and floored it, the hidden entrance to their garage flying open as the van pulled into the alley.
"Mikey," Leonardo warned as he looked at their baby brother over his shoulder.
"Hey, I'm just saying. Have you ever known Raph to use the 'emergency' button?" Michelangelo asked leaning forward and pressing his point.
Donatello sighed knowing the truth of Michelangelo's words.
"But maybe things are bad enough that Raph actually needed to push that button," Leonardo observed quietly as Donatello told their oldest brother to take a right. "There's a first time for everything."
Donatello watched as Michelangelo gave a negligent shrug of unconcern.
"Raph is good at getting himself into scrapes," Michelangelo began. "He may not be good at getting himself out, but he always seems to be able to do it."
Donatello gave a slight nod of acknowledgement when Leonardo slammed on the brakes sending Donatello to hurriedly grab at the dash to keep himself from flying forward, Michelangelo hit the back of his seat hard.
"What's the big idea, Leo?" Michelangelo growled as he pulled himself back, glaring at their oldest brother.
Leonardo's face had paled and his hands shook. "Raph's in trouble, I can feel it(," he) whispered shakily. "How far away are we, Donny?"
"Five minutes, maybe less," Donatello answered promptly, his own feeling of dread filling his stomach like cold lead.
Leonardo slammed his foot to the floor, the tires smoking and skidding slightly as they tried to gain traction on the slightly damp surface.
They drove in and uncomfortable silence for several minutes before finally skidding to a stop just outside a darkened alley. A party of Halloween revelers walked by their van as they leapt out.
"Nice costumes!" Someone shouted from the crowd as they passed by, but Donatello didn't pay any attention to the humans, focusing instead on the small, red, blinking GPS dot that he had been using to track their hot-headed brother's position.
Donatello listened intently and narrowed his eyes, trying to make out anything in the dark gloom of the alley. Donatello could detect no movement or any sounds ahead of them.
Leonardo drew his swords motioning for them to quietly make their way down the alley.
"You sure this is the place, Donny?" Leonardo whispered as his eyes searched the surrounding darkness for their missing sibling or any danger.
Donatello nodded. "This is where his phone is..." Donatello's voice trailed off as his heart dropped. If Raphael had been separated from his phone then tracking him would be more difficult if not impossible.
Michelangelo darted forward, a look of worry on his face as he scanned the surrounding rooftops looking to see if their brother was fighting for his life on higher ground.
Michelangelo skidded, slipped and then went down, landing with a hard, sharp, crack on his carapace.
Donatello winced in sympathy as Leonardo growled low in his throat, irritated at their baby brother's clumsiness.
Michelangelo scrambled hastily to his feet his clothing covered in a dark, wet stain as he stumbled back slightly, sending something clattering into the darkness.
Donatello's eyes adjusted to the gloom, but it was as if his mind was unable to quite come to terms with what his eyes were telling him. There were scraps of what was left of a light grey hoodie, drenched in a dark fluid. Raphael's sais lay abandoned on the garbage strewn pavement of the deserted alley, splattered in blood.
Donatello took a step towards the dark liquid puddle that shimmered in the moonlight. Michelangelo, with his back to both Donatello and Leonardo, cursed at his stained clothing, not quite understanding what he was covered in as he tried to brush the stain away while reaching out and picking up the object he had kicked with his foot.
Leonardo had stilled beside him, becoming more like a statue than living flesh as a cloud passed by revealing the full moon, in all its glory, bathing the alley in harsh, silver light.
Michelangelo turned around, holding Raphael's Shell Cell in his blood stained hands. His baby brother stood there for a moment in absolute and utter shock as he lifted up his hand and looked around the blood splattered alley.
Besides the large crimson puddle Michelangelo had slipped in, bright crimson was streaked and flecked across a garbage can, dumpster and even the dark brick wall.
Donatello's mind finally processed what his eyes had been telling him and it took all of his willpower to remain standing.
"Donny?" Leonardo's voice shook; his face a frightening shade of grey-green.
Donatello was unable to answer. He trembled with disbelief before finally shaking his head, hot, salty tears welling up in his eyes as he tried to blink them back.
Michelangelo looked at his hands and bloodied clothing in horror, his brother's mind finally putting all the pieces together and coming to the same horrifying conclusion as he and Leonardo already had.
"Oh, God." Michelangelo whimpered shaking his head wildly back and forth. "Donny!" Michelangelo pleaded with his voice and eyes, 'it can't be Raph…right.'
Donatello forced his numb legs to walk towards his baby brother, kneeling down at the edge pool of crimson blood.
"Is it Raph's?" Leonardo asked, stepping towards him and scanning the alley, searching for any sign of Raphael.
"I can't tell for sure." Donatello told his brother truthfully as he picked Raphael's sai out from the pool of blood. " I...I'll run the blood but...but...we have to assume that it is." Donatello finished in a wretched whisper.
Leonardo gave a curt nod of understanding. "Okay. Mikey, you and I will search the area, try to find Raph. Donny, go back to the battle Shell, test the blood find out if it is Raph's or not."
Donatello placed a hand on Leonardo's arm. "Leo, if this blood is Raph's..."
"Donny, don't," Leonardo bit out sharply, his hands that were clutching his swords were shaking. "Don't..." Leonardo shook his head in denial; his voice breaking slightly as he pleaded with him not to finish the sentence he had begun.
Donatello swallowed down the lump of despair that rose in his throat. Donatello continued his sentence because he needed to finish it. "Then he...he couldn't have survived."
Michelangelo fell to his knees, Raphael's phone clutched tightly in his white knuckled hands as Donatello continued to talk. "I...I can test it right now." He whispered as he pulled his duffel bag from around his shoulders, placing it on the ground, opening the zipper and rummaging around inside until he took out a device he was going to use to test DNA. There had been enough mutated monsters and other creatures that they had stumbled across that he had wanted to be able to start a database of DNA profiles, just to study the genetic differences of the various mutations.
His hands shook as he took a sample of the blood from the pool of crimson that rippled slightly at the grim intrusion.
Donatello placed the small sample in the machine and pressed the button that would map the DNA. They would have a result in moments; their DNA already having been imputed into the device.
The device popped up with an image of his hot-headed brother scowling out at him from the tiny screen.
Donatello closed his eyes in despair his shoulders drooping in defeat. "It's Raph's," he whispered miserably as tears ran unchecked down his icy cold cheeks.
"It's not his, Donny, it can't be!" Michelangelo rasped in a hoarse voice, tears glimmering in the silver light.
Donatello remained silent. He could try to convince his baby brother until he was blue in the face, but it wouldn't help.
Michelangelo dashed the tears from his cheeks and stood. "He could still be alive Donny, and hurt bad. We need to go and find him, now!" Michelangelo insisted. "Raph!" Michelangelo yelled. "Raphie!" he called again, his voice echoing off of the high walls to only disappear into the night unanswered.
"Mikey, you see the walls?" Donatello interrupted harshly. "That is arterial spray. Whoever did this severed Raph's carotid artery at the very least. He bled out in seconds. There is nothing we can do for Raph now. He's beyond our help."
"Yes there is, Donny." Leonardo whispered bleakly. "We can find Raph's body, bring him home and find him a place to rest at Casey's farm."
"No, no!" Michelangelo shouted. "Raph's not dead, he can't be!"
Donatello hung his head as Leonardo strode towards Michelangelo, pulling him into a fierce hug. "We'll find him, Mikey," Leonardo promised. "No matter what we have to do, even if we have to rip this city apart we will get Raph back."
"You...you don't really think Raph's dead...do you?" Michelangelo asked Leonardo plaintively.
Leonardo frowned and then hung his head and his eyes slid closed. Leonardo looked as if he was concentrating deeply, his mouth pulled into lines of strain, quickly turning to despair, then grief. "Raph's spirit...I can't...I can't feel it anymore, Mikey," he said heartbrokenly.
Leonardo had to support Michelangelo as his knees gave way in despair. Michelangelo buried his face in Leonardo throat, giving into heart wrenching, grief-stricken sobs of anguish and utter loss.
Dark clouds rolled over the moon drowning out the light, hiding the horror of the events that had occurred within the alley.
Leonardo led Michelangelo back to the Battle Shell while Donatello began the grim task of looking for any clues as to who killed their brother, and where his body had gone.
Donatello followed a line of blood droplets that led to the end of the alley, which was a dead end. Donatello found Raphael's other sai and picked it up, sliding it through his belt, adding it beside its twin.
Donatello touched the rough bricks of the alley wall and looked up.
"Did you find anything, Donny?" Leonardo's colourless voice asked from over his shoulder.
Donatello jumped in fear; cursing silently to himself he shook his head. "It looks like...like this is where the trail ends," Donatello whispered as he tried to shove down his emotions so that he could objectively determine the evidence in front of him; because if he didn't he too was going to fall to his knees in agony, his heart breaking bitterly at the sudden loss of their brother.
Leonardo put a comforting hand on his shoulder and gave it a rough squeeze. "We'll find whoever did this to him, Donny. I swear to you we will find them and make them pay," Leonardo vowed furiously with the silent promise of a slow agonizing death for the murderer.
Donatello nodded glumly, finding no comfort in his brother's heated words. Finding Raphael's killer wouldn't bring Raphael back. On the other hand, Raphael would have wanted to be avenged, and Donatello could at least appreciate that.
"Come on, Donny," Leonardo said pulling him around and towards the Battle Shell. A light rain began to gently fall bathing him in icy droplets. He watched as the evidence of his brother's murder was slowly washed away into the very sewers he once called home.
(page break)
The rest of the night was nothing but a tear stained blur of too many raw emotions, too many recriminations and too much self-blame. Each and every one of Donatello's siblings blamed themselves for Raphael's death. Leonardo blamed himself for allowing Raphael to go out by himself; Michelangelo blamed himself for not moving faster and joking while his brother was being brutally murdered; and Donatello blamed himself for inventing such a useless device as the emergency distress call on their Shell Cells. After all, the phone actually had to still be in their possession to be effective. And besides, what was the point of having a distress signal if they were unable to get to the brother who was in distress in time?
Donatello must have fallen asleep and woken up as evening approached. Even though he had slept for most of the previous evening and for most of the day, he still felt exhausted, both mentally and physically. He stumbled from his lab and looked around the lair. He was hoping that the previous night's events were nothing more than some horrible nightmare. He ran up the stairs to the second level and opened the door to Raphael's room, not even bothering to knock; too excited to see his brother asleep safely in his bed.
Donatello nearly sunk to his knees in relief as he saw a sleeping lump curled up in Raphael's bed. That his hot-headed brother made it home sometime during the night and did not inform them made Donatello angry. They had been positive that he had been killed, and he had activated his distress signal. To not let them know that he was alive and well made Donatello furious.
He strode over to the bed intent of rousing his older brother and giving him a scathing lecture that would put Leonardo to shame.
Donatello reached out his hand just as the lump rolled over revealing not his older brother, but the pale, drawn face of his baby brother. Michelangelo looked at Donatello, his eyes hollow, cheeks still wet with tears.
Donatello felt the momentary relief he had experienced turn to ash as Michelangelo gave a choked sob of despair and buried his beak into Raphael's pillow.
Donatello felt a wave of black anguish and unimaginable sorrow wash over him as he fell to his knees. He watched as Michelangelo wept with heartbreaking abandon.
Donatello felt numb.
He felt as if he were looking down from above at both himself and his baby brother, calmly watching as they both broke down after finally coming to the realization that last night had really happened. It had been real, not some sick, twisted horrible nightmare cooked up by their overactive imaginations.
Raphael was...dead.
Donatello was slammed back into his body with such force that he fell over, his arm catching the side of Raphael's bed. He buried his face in Raphael's bedding and gave into his despair; each choking, sobbing, heaving breath he took filling his nostrils with the scent of his older brother, a brother who he would only see again to bury his body; if they ever found his body).
Bleak, harsh, brutal, single-minded determination filled him as he swore to himself, to Raphael and to his remaining sibling, that he would find Raphael's body and get revenge, because if he didn't he would never be able to face Raphael again in the after-life.
(page break)
He couldn't breathe. He was choking, his mouth and nostrils filling with a bitter, dry substance that reminded him of dirt. He struggled and clawed trying to free himself of the heavy suffocating weight that was crushing his chest and holding his limbs firmly in place.
He thrashed his hand breaking free of the substance. He clawed frantically around him and was finally able to get his head free.
He took a deep gasping breath of air and then another. He brushed the dirt from his face and pulled himself out from the ground that he had been buried in for reasons he didn't understand.
His eyes narrowed as he scanned the area around him. He was located in some sort of wooded area. A slight breeze stirred the scent of rotting leaves, running water and warm blooded prey.
He stood up upon shaky legs and tested the night air again. He brushed more grave dirt from his body as he tried to remember anything about who or what he was, and failed.
His stomach clenched in pain and it took every ounce of willpower that he possessed not to fall to his knees in agony. He clutched at his stomach.
Hunger.
That is all he could feel or sense; he was consumed by it. A burning desire for something that made his mouth water with anticipation; he needed to fulfill his desire and unquenchable thirst, or else it would consume him and drag him back into the very depths of grave from which he had just escaped.
He took one step towards the smell of warm, living, breathing, blood rich flesh, followed by another. It wasn't quite what he needed, but it would do... for now.