Chapter 12: Terror

The air was cold and foggy that night as the full moon hung overhead, shedding some light on the obscure streets below.

Winter was closer than ever now as snow clouds began to gather in the blackening skies, threatening to burst with a shower of frozen water. The streets appeared completely vacant, which was uncommon for a grand city like New York to be as such; so empty and forebodingly silent. However, not everything was as it seemed as four large, shadowy figures leapt from the rooftops, drifting down the fire escapes like ghosts as they moved through the shadows with effortlessness. In unison, the four figures leapt down into the dark foggy alleyway below, and they stood in single file with their hard shelled backs pressed against a graffiti covered wall.

At the front of the group, the blue clad turtle, Leonardo, quickly scanned the streets ahead, his eyes narrowing in the darkness. Nothing stirred, and nothing was heard except the gentle chilling breeze, the occasional sound of cars in the center of the city beyond, and the rapid beating of his own heart against his ribcage.

Breathing in through his nose and then out again through his mouth to quell his growing anxiety, he nodded to himself once before he turned to his brothers, all lined up behind him. "Okay, the coast is clear for now, but Shredder and his henchmen could be anywhere," he whispered, turning his attention back to the streets. "Stay frosty guys…" he cautioned with a finger to his lips.

"FYI," Donatello piped up quietly, making Leo's mouth form a thin line as he rolled his eyes, though Donnie couldn't see it as he continued, "frost can't accumulate unless it's below freezing except during a process called –"

As Donnie began to drone on with his unnecessary explanation of the concept of frostiness of all things, Michelangelo sighed heavily and rolled his eyes heavenward. In front of him, his second older brother, Raphael, was doing the same as he shook his head with a low groan of annoyance. Was he really going to do this now? They were on the hunt for the Shredder, not on a science fieldtrip about the weather.

Mikey leaned closer to the red clad turtle, tapping him on the shoulder. "Maybe he's got an off switch somewhere," he deadpanned in a whisper.

An idea forming in his head at the comment, Raphael grinned, turning around and smacking Donnie upside the head, further silencing his younger brothers' long-winded narrative. "OW!" Donnie cried in pain, snapping his head around to glare at his brother hotly.

"Found it!" Raph said with a chuckle. Mikey giggled. Leo turned to them and rolled his eyes.

"And I found four pathetic turtles…with only seconds to live…" came a booming voice from the shadows, freezing the turtles' blood in their veins as their heads snapped this way and that, frantically scanning the alleyway.

Shredder had spotted them first?

"Wouldn't wanna be them!" Mikey joked.

His older brothers' were not laughing however, and they quickly unsheathed their weapons. "We are them!" snapped Raph.

The four turtles grew tense, quickly scanning the area in search for the Shredder, who they were all sure was watching them from wherever he'd hidden himself in the darkness. But apart from their hearts beating rapidly within their chests, they heard nothing. Holding their breaths, not daring to breathe as the air grew thick with a penetrating stillness, they held their weapons out in front of them, preparing themselves from what was surely about to turn into a bloodbath.

"Stay close, guys…" Leo whispered as he backed up against Raph's shell. "Keep your eyes peeled…"

Mikey drew his nunchaku from his belt, spinning them quickly as his eyes, wide and frightened, darted in all directions in search for their enemy. He swallowed thickly, feeling sweat trickle down his brow despite the cold air that encased them.

Where was he? On the rooftops? Behind the corner?

Mikey then remembered that he was a ninja master. They would never find his hiding place. But if they did, they would never see him coming until it was too late.

Suddenly, his shell thunked against a solid metal bulk, and he froze.

His breath caught in his chest as a pair of strong hands gripped his shoulders mercilessly. His eyes snapped upwards, and he was only able to let out scream as he was dragged away into the shadows.

A single nunchaku rolled onto the floor by Donnie's left foot. Donnie saw the weapon, and after hearing another scream in the fog, his eyes widened in fear. "Mikey!" he called into the darkness, already running towards the source of his baby brothers' screams, followed closely by Leo and Raph.

"DONNIE! LEO, RAPH, HEL – GYAAAAAH –!" came a strangled plea, before the sound of meal piercing flesh echoed in their ears.

Their hearts beating faster in pure panic, the remaining three turtles ran to where they had last heard their brothers' terrified screams…

…only to stop dead in their tracks when they found the bloodied body of a young turtle lying lifeless on the ground in a pool of his own blood, his once lively, baby blue eyes now a hollow void as they stared up at them, wide and full of frozen fear before his premature demise.

"MIKEY, NO!" Raph shrieked, tears pouring from his eyes as he fell to his knees, grasping the cold, limp hand of the youngest turtle as he sobbed.

Donnie held his head in hands, his uncontrollable shrieks of horror echoing in the alleyway as he turned away, unable to look any longer.

Leo could do nothing but stare in terror at the blood-stained body, tears dripping down his cheeks as his feet remained rooted to the ground.

Mikey was dead. Oh god…their baby brother was dead.

And they had done nothing to stop it.

The turtles jumped with fright as the sound of twin choruses of cold-hearted laughter came from the darkness.

"One down…"

Dogpound.

"…and three to go."

Fishface.

They were surrounded.

The last three turtles stood shell to shell, their eyes scanning the foggy darkness wildly for the mutants that hunted them.

A low, rumbling growl and a hiss was their only warning before they struck.

Fishface suddenly leapt out from the shadows, his fangs bared with killing intent as his shadow fell upon Donatello. Letting out a cry, Donnie was barely able to spin on his heel and bring his staff up in time to block the jaws that snapped at him, forcing the robotic fish away from him as he slammed the staff against the mutants' gills.

Dogpound came crashing towards Leo and Raph, roaring as he brought his large fist into the air, ready to slam it down upon them.

Leo and Raph quickly rolled out of the way as his enormous fist came crashing down onto the hard concrete, inches away from where they'd once been. "Raph! Take him down!" Leo shouted, his voice filled with anguished fury as he and Raph charged for the mutant dog.

Donnie spun and jabbed his Bo staff at the mutant fish, his teeth ground together as the tears continued to roll down his face. His baby brother was dead…he was gone forever, and these heartless monsters were responsible.

He would make them pay.

He let out an angered shout as he unleashed the blade at the end of his staff, ready to impale the mutant fish. But Fishface was faster than him, and managed to dodge every attack the purple clad turtle sent his way. He hissed at him as he spun his metallic legs and stomped Donnie into the ground, pinning him down with his foot pressing against the turtles' chest. Fishface picked up the staff and snapped it in half, throwing the remaining pieces to the side as he grinned devilishly at the Donatello, who could only stare up at him in helpless fright.

Fishface suddenly grabbed his legs and began to drag him away into the darkness.

Donnie cried out in terror as he clawed his hands into the ground, trying desperately to get away, but it was no use. "LEO, RAPH! HELP! HELP ME, PLEASE!" he screamed as more tears of pure fear streamed down his face.

At the sound of Donnie's screams, Raph spun around. His eyes widened as he saw his brother being pulled away from him.

"DONNIE!" he cried, running as fast as his legs could carry him as he reached out for him, his fingers barely grazing Donnie's.

He was too late, and his hand closed on air as his brothers' hand disappeared into the shadows.

"HELP ME! NOOO!" Donnie howled in the darkness.

Another scream and a sickening snap were heard, and then there was silence.

"DONNIE! NOOO!" Raph shrieked.

No...No, not Donnie, too.

Both his little brothers were gone…they were all gone…

Why was this happening?!

Why couldn't he save them?!

Raph spun around to face Dogpound, watching as the mutant canine fought against his last living brother, who looked as if he was already losing as Dogpound's fist sent him flying and crashing into a wall, and he slid back down to the ground limply. The dog grinned sadistically as he loomed over the blue turtle, readying his claws to tear him apart.

Tears of anguish and fury dripped down his face as Raphael charged the mutant dog with a defiant cry, his Sais grasped firmly in his tightened fists.

He would not let this mongrel take his older brother away from him too.

There was no trace of Raph left in his eyes as he launched himself into the air, bringing the handles of his Sai down hard upon Dogpound's head with a loud crack, followed by a powerful kick underneath the beasts' chin. Dogpound let out a dog-like yelp as he was sent flying, and he fell hard to the ground, groaning in pain.

But Raph was not yet through with him.

With a scream filled with vehemence, Raph threw both of his Sais directly at the dog, watching as they sailed through the air and pierced through the canine's skull.

Dogpound let out a choked gasp, standing completely frozen as blood trickled down his forehead, before his black eyes rolled into the back of his head, and his large body fell limp to the ground. Blood poured out from the wound and pooled onto the cold concrete around the still body of the mutant dog.

Raph gazed at the mutants' lifeless body in a mixture of anger and pure horror, breathing heavily as he watched the blood pool around his smashed skull. His Sais slipped from his numbed fingers.

He hadn't meant to kill him…

He never meant to kill anyone…

"RAPH! ARGH! R-RAPH, HELPME!" Leo screamed from behind him.

Eyes widening, Raph spun around to find that several Foot Bots had appeared from the darkness, and they had Leo held firmly in their grasp, pinning his arms to his sides and holding him back despite his intense, desperate struggles to break free.

"Leo!" Raph cried, forgetting about Dogpound as he ran to his brothers' aid, seething with rage. He reached his hand out. "Leo! Take my hand!"

Leo struggled to loosen one arm from the Foot Bot's grip, and he reached out to his younger brother.

Their fingers barely brushed against each other before Raph was suddenly dragged backwards with a sharp jerk. He snapped his head around to find several Foot Bots seizing him and pulling him away from his older brother. "HEY! LEMME GO! LEO!" Raph screeched as he fought against their hold and reached back for his terrified brother.

He had to break free! He had to save him! he had to get to his big brother!

"RAPH!" Leo pleaded helplessly, his arm being pinned once again as the robotic ninjas dragged him towards the other wall of the alleyway.

A merciless, bloodthirsty cackle echoed around them. The air suddenly became humid and almost unbreathable as the sky turned from black to blood red before their very eyes.

Raph gazed around him with wide eyes filled with fright. What was going on?! Why was this happening to them?!

His gaze met the far corner of the alleyway, now lit up by the red hue. He saw the dead corpse of Michelangelo, now lying next to the blood drenched body of Donatello, both propped up against the wall. His neck was bent at an unnatural angle, and his left arm was twisted, the bone in his elbow piercing through his thick, blood coated skin, and his eyes were wide open, staring lifelessly into oblivion. His mouth hung open slightly as thick blood trickled down his chin.

And all over his broken neck and shoulders, were several large bite-marks, the toothed holes dripping with thick, unnatural black liquid.

The sight made Raphael want to retch.

Those were his brothers' bodies...

Those were his brothers' bodies...

The sound of heavy, metallic footsteps and the scraping of metal against brick filled his ears, and he let out a strangled gasp as he turned.

The Shredder appeared from the shadows as he sauntered with intent towards the two captive turtles. He laughed again at the sight of their terrified faces. "How the mighty have fallen," he sneered. "To think that you all thought you were strong enough to defeat me, when you cannot even protect your own kin…" He slowly turned his head as he approached Leonardo.

His eyes going wide, Leo intensified his struggles against the Foot Bots, but he couldn't break free.

Shredder firmly gripped Leonardo's chin with one hand, ceasing his struggles as he tilted his head upwards to stare into his frightened blue eyes. "Look at how pathetic you are now, Leonardo," he spat with a low chuckle. "The once brave leader, now a helpless child, is trembling in fear in my grasp."

Leo couldn't move. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't think, he couldn't do anything except to quiver in fear as Shredder bore his gaze into him, biting his lip until he tasted blood as tears cascaded down his cheeks.

Shredder jerked the hand gripping the turtles' chin, turning Leonardo's head so that he was facing Raphael. "Look, Raphael," he jeered at the younger turtle, who watched in terror as his older brother trembled in his grasp. "Look into your dear brothers' eyes. Remember what you see. Remember the fear and the horror in his eyes...for it is the last time you will ever see them..."

Without warning, Shredder released his blades from his gauntlets and plunged them into Leo's chest, crunching through his plastron and coming through his carapace.

Leo let out a strangled gasp, his mouth and eyes agape as blood dripped down his chin.

"LEONARDO!" Raphael shrieked.

No, no no no no, this couldn't be happening! This can't be real!

"…R…R-Raph…" Leo choked out, before his blue eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell lifelessly to the ground, blood pouring out of the wound in his chest and pooling across the cold concrete.

"NO! NO, LEO, NO!" he cried as tears poured down his face.

They were gone.

His brothers were all gone.

He couldn't save them…it was all his fault…he wasn't strong enough to save them…

"Do you see now, Raphael?" Shredder sneered as he approached Raph, his long blades drenched with the thick, crimson blood of the dead turtle that lay in a pool of blood behind him. He reached behind him, and suddenly pulled a glowing green object in his hand.

Raph's eyes widened in horror.

It was a canister of mutagen.

"There is no place you can run," Shredder spoke as he slowly unscrewed the canister, "No place you can hide, where I will not find you. You think you are ready to face me? Well, you are wrong!"

He now loomed over Raph as he held the canister just above his head. "Even the very creatures who created it, the alien race known as the Kraang, do not even know what transpires when a mutant is mutated a second time," he leered, echoing the same words Raph had heard that night – when his brothers were hovered over a barrel of mutagen…

That was his fault.

This was all his fault.

"Shall we test that then?" Shredder probed mockingly. He slowly tilted the canister. The ooze began to trickle out.

Raph's eyes were wide with terror as he watched, helplessly trapped, as the ooze slowly dripped down.

There was no way out this time.

This was it. He was going to die.

He quickly shot a fear filled glance at his fallen brothers for the last time.

Leonardo...

Donatello...

Michelangelo...

He had failed to protect them. He had foolishly led them into Shredders' trap...and now they'd died for it...

They paid the price, because he wasn't strong enough…

Shredder's merciless laugh pierced his ears as the ooze touched his scaly body. He felt a fiery burning sensation course through his very being, setting his body alight with unyielding agony. Writhing defenselessly, Raphael let out a shriek of pain as he felt the mutagen slowly, painfully melt his body away...

And then it was over.

Everything…

Was…

Over…