"Open it, are ya' arms made of glass or somethin' push the damn thing off," huffed Second voice looking up at Johnny. He was still tightly hugging a now passive upside-down Donatello to his chest. And he had no intention of loosening his grip.
Johnny was at the top of the ladder the two had used to enter the sewer earlier that night. He was pushing up against the heavy sewer grate with all his strength. But Johnny was a skinny man, and his lack of bulk was making the process slow and painful.
Johnny didn't even acknowledge second voice's comment. His fear drove him. He pushed against the manhole, maneuvering his body so he could try and rest the thing against his shoulder and push up with his legs.
Meanwhile little Donatello was starting to get a terrible headache. His eyeballs felt too big for his head, and his face felt hot.
He was very uncomfortable.
The mean humans were going to take him outside. He wasn't supposed to go outside. There are even more humans up there. Don felt like crying, but the tears wouldn't come. His head just felt swollen and everything he was trying to think about felt fuzzy.
But after a screech of metal, and a shout of joy from Johnny, the scared little turtle knew he had to try something.
Second voice approached the ladder, whispering in a deep threatening tone to Donnie, "Now don't you move little man, or I'll drop ya', and then you'll be very dead."
Donnie bit his lip keeping himself very still as the man holding him unwrapped one muscled arm so he could climb the ladder.
Now, Don had to try something now!
With one last desperate hope little Donnie said softly, "I'm not supposed to go outside. Daddy said no, please, I want to go home please. Daddy has claws so please."
In response to the little turtle's pleading, second voice tightened his one armed grip around Donnie. But realizing that he was squeezing nothing but a hard shell he loosened his grip and instead reached his arm around and grabbed onto the small reptile's tiny leg. He began to squeeze the leg painfully. Turning his knuckles white as he added pressure.
Headache or no headache, Donnie began to yelp and cry big fat tears that just pooled in his eyes having no clear path to run down in his wrong side up position.
"Stop talking kid," second voice said threateningly.
And Donnie decided that he wouldn't speak again.
The two exited the sewers in a rush of desperate flight appearing onto a deserted back road. Johnny was already leaning his entire body weight onto the sewer grate, taking the position of a starting track runner, so he could quickly replace the metal to its proper position, blocking the exit.
Immediately Donatello noticed the breeze. There was often a breeze in the sewer, but this felt different. Both hotter and cooler somehow. Donnie also knew that it must be very late at night up here on the surface, so the area should be very dark . But it wasn't as dark as the sewers, many random blurry lights seemed to cut through this darkness both from above and to the sides.
Donnie looked around at the source of the lights coming from the different shops. Shops with little closed off areas to put green tables. Shops that displayed glowing white human women in all kinds of hats and outfits. And lots of shops with glowing signs and symbols. One shop was so tall he couldn't even see the top.
The sky above gave a small rumble, and a light drizzle had already formed around them.
This whole place was mucky, breezy, and new.
And really scary.
In his fear Donnie began to shake anew and bent his head forward as if to hide it against second voice's arm.
Mistaking the motion as an attempt to bit him, second voice gave Don's little leg another small squeeze. This stopped all movement from Donnie.
Second voice jogged slowly, catching up with Johnny as the two made their way to the only car on the street. It looked like a giant grey van.
"Looks like we didn't need the van eh Derik? Who was right huh? We didn't need this thing. You should listen to me more," said Johnny as he flipped out his keys, expertly opening the double back doors of the van.
Donnie took one last gulp of fresh air before Second voice, or Derik, flung himself carelessly into the van tucking his legs in so he'd land on his knees.
The back of the van was bleak looking and empty. All the seats had been tucked into the van to give optimal amount of space in the back. The only thing that could be seen was a pile of thick black blankets, strapped down and pushed to one corner. That and a strange rectangular metal box in the opposite corner from the blankets.
The carpet lining the floor and sides of the vehicle was a humorless grey, and the windows were darkened in tell they looked practically black. The lack of colors did nothing to help little Don's fears.
"Look at ya'. You're pathetic Johnny-boy. Yer always wrong, so ya' just gotta' brag every time you's even a little bit right," said a smirking Derik.
With a half humored grumble Derik leaned over to the point that Donnie's head touched the soft carpeted bottom of the van and grabbed the only thing in the back of the vehicle that wasn't heavy blankets.
It was the metal rectangle, a cage.
Donnie didn't know exactly what a cage was. But after Derik opened the metal boxes' door, it wasn't hard to figure out what a 'cage,' was for.
"Are you kidding me!? You thought we were hunting for gators and you brought a lobster fishing cage!? That's what that is right? For lobsters?" questioned Johnny.
Derik huffed once again in annoyance at his partner, "I know what I'm doin' Johnny-boy. I fixed this cage up myself. It may look a tad fragile but it'll hold just fine. Now get yer ass in the driver's seat before I-"
Derik was cut off by a loud clang.
Johnny leaned back out of the van and looked back at the manhole they just exited.
With another harsh clang the sewer grate suddenly shot upwards. In this darkness it almost looked as if the thing was punched into the air by some small fist. Not that it mattered to Johnny what matters is that a sewer grate just flew.
Bad sign bad sign. Heavy sewer grates do not fly.
"Shit!" cursed Johnny as he sprinted for the driver's side door.
"What was it!?" Derik asked shoving a newly struggling Donnie into the cage, scraping the tiny turtle's scaly skin against the sides of the cage doors in his rush to push the creature inside.
"It's fuckin' daddy," said Johnny turning the car on and slamming on the gas before he even closed his door.
The van lurched forward causing Donnie's cage to slide backwards. For a moment Donnie is frightened that he is going to slide right out the back of the still open van. But instead he rams right into the van's back door.
Derik had managed to close them just in time for Donnie to not fall out. But now, with all the van doors closed, the vehicle fell into darkness.
But the darkness wasn't what scared Donnie. He was used to the dark. In fact right now Donnie wanted the darkness. It was this cage that was scaring him, the cage was too small even for little Don. He tried to stand, but his shell immediately hit the top of the cage. He couldn't even get onto his hands and knees. He could only lay there, looking around frantically for any sign of Splinter.
That's what they said right? 'The daddy,' that means his daddy.
Daddy.
Donatello knew he shouldn't, but with his head clearing ever so slightly now that he was no longer upside down, he began to cry again. The vehicle turned and screeched about him, tumbling Derik and the cage all over the place. After one particularly loud sob Derik managed to get his footing enough to kick Donnie cage, pinning it against the van's carpeted wall with his foot. "Stop crying now," he threatened glaring at the turtle.
Before Donnie could even nod his understanding, something large banged against the side of the van. Johnny gave a high pitched scream up front and turned the van sideways almost hitting two other parked cars as he frantically danced around the road.
Derik cringed as he heard what sounded like nails on a chalkboard outside. Or to be more accurate, claws on a van.
Derik removed his foot from Donnie's cage and crawled most ungracefully towards the strapped down stack of rolled black blankets. He reached behind the blankets and removed something long and gleaming.
Donnie's eyes widened in horror, it was a giant knife. Like the ones only daddy is allowed to use in the kitchen, because they can hurt you.
It was a ginormous knife!
"Imma' kill it Johnny. Where is it I'll kill it!" shouted Derik trying to keep his balance against Johnny's crazed driving. Donnie could do nothing to keep himself still and continued to slide from one side of the van to the other. He was starting to feel sick.
"He's right ou- AAAAAHHH!"
There was the sound of glass shattering up front as Johnny screamed. The van gave an impressive swerve to the left, this time purposely heading towards a lightpost. But then Johnny's screaming stopped, and the van turned back onto the road and out of danger.
Derik listened as Johnny's door opened ominously, causing the lights in the van to turn on for one blinding moment before the door was closed again and the darkness returned. And then to Derik's horror, the one arm of Johnny's that he could see from his position in the back disappeared.
Even over the squeal of the tires Derik could hear the thump of the body hitting the street outside of the van. And he had had enough.
A dark form took Johnny's place in the driver's seat and slammed on the breaks, sending Donnie's cage careening forward, slamming the poor young turtle against the driver's seat. But Derik anticipated this and kept a tight grip on the blankets leaning his upper body backwards to keep himself from being off balanced. Then before the van could fully come to a stop Derik leaped forward knife swinging towards the dark figure.
Donnie heard a feral growl and the dark figure up front abandoned the wheel and leaped towards Derik. Catching the man's armed wrist before the knife could connect.
"Aaaargh!" yelled Derik as the dark monster's momentum caused the two of them to roll helplessly around the van.
The monster hissed dragging his claws down the human's chest digging into the man's skin. Derik cursed and kicked upwards with his only limb not trapped by the dark freak. He caught the thing in the ribs, his muscled leg managing to kick the thing off of him.
Derik rolled out and away from the monster ending up on one knee right next to Donnie's cage. The human wasn't even surprised when he heard the turtle child cry out "Daddy!"
'Daddy,' was nothing but a god fuckin' monster.
Donnie looked this way and that, trying to get a better look at his father through the small crisscross opening in his cage. Splinter was still shadowed in darkness. The dark red of his robe looking like so much blood. His eyes glowed a strange yellow that Don had never seen from his father before. Splinter stood back straight and tall, looming over Derik, his teeth gleaming sharp and purely white, clawed fingers twisting and bending in barely contained rage. A few stray drops of blood dripped from those claws and onto the grey carpet.
It was the one of the greatest most beautiful things Don had ever seen.
In turn Splinter examined Donatello. The small turtle cowered in a small cage, arms held up around his head, his little feet, still in their little pink booty socks, pushing back against the end of his prison. Splinter could see his little Don's brown eyes glistening with new tears.
And then he noticed the fresh bruise on his boy's cheek.
Splinter stepped towards Derik resisting the urge to continue hissing at the man like a wild animal. "You will regret this," Splinter promised.
Derik, ignoring the bloody scratches covering his chest, rose swiftly to meet Splinter's approaching form.
Then the still rolling van finally managed to hit something. Splinter's attempt to stop the van earlier had slowed the vehicle considerably. But it didn't stop it completely. The van crashed right into a wall. The force toppled Derik to the right and Splinter charged.
The rat pressed his fingers together, keeping his hand flat and struck the man on the side of his neck, allowing the claws in his front fingers to dig into the human's flesh.
The wound looked like nothing more than a small puncture mark. The strike looked like it hit about as hard as a playful slap.
But either way Derik crumpled, eye's rolling into the back of his head mouth opening in a silent scream. The man landed on top of Donnie's cage causing a loud clang, and completely covering the small turtle's view with his bulk.
Donnie whimpered, hiding his head in his arms, refusing to look at the darkness anymore.
Splinter heaved the man off of his son's prison bending down low to undo the simple locks keeping his son inside.
Splinter expected his fingers to be shaking while he did this, or for his anger to burst and cause him to growl as he worked. But he surprised himself by staying calm and simply opening the cage.
"Donatello," Splinter said gently reaching his hand into the cage to stroke his son's head. "I'm here my son, you are safe, come on out."
Splinter waited patiently, practicing his calming meditation exercises as he waited for his bruised boy to slowly crawl out of the cage all on his own. Splinter would have simply pulled the little turtle out. But the small scratches already covering Donnie's arms from being forced into the cage told him that that would be a bad idea.
Once he was out Donnie flung himself into his Daddy's lap, sobbing hysterically. Splinter wrapped his arms around his boy, hugging him close, speaking soft Japanese words of comfort.
Sirens could be heard outside, growing louder. Splinter's ears shot up.
There was no time to comfort his son further.
Splinter rose to his feet lifting Donatello higher and closer to his chest.
"We need to go home now my son," he whispered to Donnie kissing his son's forehead. Donnie gave a whimpered, 'uh-huh,' and dug his face back into his father's robe.
With that Splinter raced to the back of the van, flung the doors open, and raced off into the night.
Donnie didn't see much as his father carried him home. He spent most of his time with his head pressed against Splinter, listening to the rat's racing heartbeat.
But Don did lift his head once more before the pair descended back into the sewers. And when he did Donnie only remembers seeing a single tree.
It wasn't an impressive tree. It was thin and short with light brown bark that was peeling off in random places. Round green leaves decorated the upper branches, lightly dancing about as a drizzle of light rain continuously struck the plant. The tree itself was placed in a little circle of soil surrounded by the cities cement.
But Donnie didn't remember the first tree he ever saw that way. Although at the time Donnie thought nothing of it, still clinging to his father and his newfound terror of humans. But after a couple years Donnie would remember the tree. And he would think that it was so much prettier than the painting on the sewer wall, and he would describe the tree to his artsy brother. And Mikey would draw a beautiful picture of a single tree surrounded by cement. All while never knowing that Donnie was describing something he actually got to see.
"And that was my first trip to the surface," I finished my story smiling at my brothers and friends. Who were gaping at me in horror.
Is it wrong that I actually find that humorous?
"Dude!" yells Mikey, "Why am I just hearing this story now!?"
I shrug indifferently.
I did mean my indifference. I really didn't have a problem keeping this story to myself. I'm not sure why Splinter had never told them. I actually don't think that he knows that they didn't know.
"It happened so long ago. I got over it pretty quickly. I just never thought of telling you guys."
"Wait a minute," Raph says "So it was your fault that Splinter was so stricked with us when we were five and six!"
I frown angrily at my brother, "I hardly think that what happened was 'my fault.'"
"Do you know how bored we were sometimes because of you," continues Raph as if I hadn't even spoken. But everyone else was either smirking or chuckling.
We all know Raph doesn't mean it.
"Wow humans suck," says Casey bringing a soda to his lips.
April didn't want him having beer.
Raph and Mikey start laughing, Raph ending with a "Ya' got that right."
"Was it necessary to add the tree into your story?" asks Leo taking a sip from his own carbonated water.
"Ofcourse it was Leo," I say catching a beverage one handed that Mikey decided to throw at me. "For you see, I didn't get to see much on my first trip to the surface. I didn't get to see any hot girls or cool food. But I did get to see a tree first, so ha."
There was a pause for a moment before Leo replies, "You're bragging because you got to see a tree first?"
"Yes," I nod.
Another pause.
"Why?" questions Raph.
I huff, much like Derik did all those years ago. "Don't give me that Raph trees are cool."
"Are they?" Raph asks smirking.
"Yes," I insist, "Now you better watch out guys or I'll start on a lecture about the glories of photosynthesis and all of tree kind."
Mikey's eyes go wide; he nudges Raph's side in warning, "Raaaaph, shut up."
Raph did shut up. They all did.
But it's their loss photosynthesis is actually really cool.
And so are trees.
And turtles.
And friends.
And family.
But not humans.
Casey's right.
Humans suck.