Slash's Revenge Chapter 18 - Abandonment, a ninja turtles fanfic

*Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.

*Author's Notes: I'm back with chapter 18 of 'Slash's Revenge' and this one's a bit on the sad side. Luckily, I received a huge pile of candy for Valentine's Day and it helped me through my editing. Thank goodness for the miraculous healing powers of chocolate!

Speaking of thanks… Thank you to my wonderful readers, followers, and friends. I appreciate you all so very much.

I truly hope you enjoy the chapter. ( ᵘ ᵕ ᵘ⁎)

Chapter 18 – Abandonment

It felt so good to finally lie down on something other than the bottom of his cage.

Granted, using several oversized pieces of corrugated cardboard for a mattress wasn't exactly ideal, but it was definitely light years better than his prior sleeping accommodations.

Teeth chattering out of control, Donatello coiled up onto his side and covered himself with a tattered tarp he had found in the back of the warehouse that was presently shielding him from the storm raging on outside.

Nine blocks…

That's all the further Donatello had made it before his legs had collapsed beneath him. Every step he had taken had been sheer agony, even with the aid of his makeshift crutch, which was nothing more than a rickety push broom he had hastily snatched from the kitchen of Slash's apartment on the way out.

Weakened by malnutrition, countless injuries, and the infection now coursing through his body, Donatello had been rendered physically incapable of forcing himself back up to his feet. And so, he had crawled towards the nearest building to seek warmth and shelter from the pouring rain. Fortunately for him, that building happened to be an abandoned warehouse that had conveniently been left unlocked, sparing him the time and energy of having to break in.

The vacant building he had taken refuge in didn't look at all familiar to him on the outside. Actually, none of the buildings he had hobbled past during his rather slow-motion escape looked familiar, leaving him to wonder just where the heck he was. There was nothing inside the building to help him figure that out, either. Save for a few empty cardboard boxes and the torn-up tarp he had found, the warehouse was pretty much empty. Most likely cleaned out by the former owners and/or random looters looking to make a little extra cash on the side.

Closing his eyes, Donatello hoped the rhythm of the falling rain might help lull him to sleep, but each time he would start to drift off, the thunder rolling overhead would startle him back into consciousness. Not to mention every little noise was making him paranoid.

The storm may have helped to cover up his tracks, but that didn't mean he was safe.

Not by a long shot...

Not so long as Slash was still out there...

Pulling himself into a tighter ball, Donatello continued to shiver underneath his vinyl 'blanket.' He couldn't make the shaking stop, no matter how hard he tried.

He knew this was a bad sign.

A tiny voice in the back of his brain kept telling him that he couldn't stay here. That his condition was life-threatening and he needed to get up and at least try to find some place with a working phone, but there were far too many louder voices inside his head drowning out that tiny voice of reason.

Delirious with fever, Donatello was involuntarily allowing those louder voices to poison his every thought. All he could focus on were the cruel words of his captor and his hotheaded brother constantly volleying back and forth in his overwrought mind...

"Pathetic. You always have been. That's why your brothers haven't come for you yet. They know you're weak and useless, so they stopped searching. I mean, why bother, right?"

"You're always sorry! I've had it up to here with your excuses, Donnie!"

"You think if I would've taken the almighty, fearless leader, your dear old rat dad wouldn't have found him by now? He would've combed every inch of this city to find his precious Leonardo, but not you, Donnie boy. No, not you. He doesn't care a thing about you. No one does. That's the real reason why your family hasn't found you yet."

"What? It wasn't enough that you almost killed Spike? Now, you almost killed all of us with another one of your crazy experiments!"

"How's it feel to know your family thinks so little of you, they've left you for dead? I mean, I knew that Raphael would, but the rest of 'em. Heh! They must really think you're a worthless piece of shell."

"You're always screwing everything up, Donnie!"

"Raphael used to tell me everything about you guys. He always said that you three held him back and that he didn't want to be a part of the team anymore. He especially couldn't stand you."

"How many times have you nearly killed us now? How many times, huh?"

"The truth is, Raph always thought the least of you. He told me time and time again that you were the most useless one. An embarrassment to the clan."

"All you ever do is put everyone in danger, Donnie!"

"You're good for nothing."

"You're supposed to be the smart one, but you ruin everything you touch!"

"Poor, frail, little Donatello."

"You're the reason Spike's gone!"

"Your brothers aren't coming for you."

"I lost my best friend because of you! It was all your fault!"

"And why should they?"

"If you weren't such a walking disaster, he'd still be here!"

"You're not worth saving."

Heart racing about a million miles per minute, Donatello tightly held his breath so as not to let out a wail of pain. Though he knew that last line had originally been spoken by Slash, the genius turtle could've sworn he had just heard his hotheaded brother's voice speak those very same words. Only, not inside his head, but rather, it had sounded as though Raph had been standing right there beside him.

But that couldn't be possible...

Could it?

Prying his eyelids apart, Donatello stared up in slack-jawed disbelief at the familiar green figure now staring back down at him.

Words alluded the intellectual turtle for what felt like hours, but what was, in all actuality, only about fifteen seconds or so. Finally, he managed to find his voice again, although it came out in a broken whisper.

"R – Raph? Is it – is it really y – you?" Propping himself up on his less injured arm, Donatello's bottom lip began to quiver against his will while he waited for his brother's response, still not sure if he should trust his eyesight or not. Perhaps this was just another illusion brought on by his fever. His vision was rather suspect at the moment.

"You know a lot of other giant, talking turtles that wear a red mask?"

Never in all his life had Donnie been so ecstatic to hear his big brother's deadpan humor.

Raph was here!

After all this time, his brother had finally found him!

Unable to keep his emotions in check, the wounded turtle started to weep openly, allowing tears of joy to stream down his dirty cheeks as he struggled to sit up.

"Should've known that'd be your response."

Sobs softening into small, hiccupping sounds, Donnie peered up at his older brother through blurry eyes, shocked by the coldness in Raphael's voice.

"Wh – What?"

The expression on Raph's face was not that of someone who was relieved to see his missing brother after ten days with no word. It was full of loathing and disgust.

It was the same way Slash always looked at Donnie.

Like he hated him just for existing...

The elation Donatello had felt only seconds ago transformed itself into pure horror.

His brother was actually looking at him as though he hated him.

"You heard me. What's the matter, Donatello? Can't get up because you're too weak? Phfffft! Figures."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop by about twenty degrees and Donnie could feel himself now violently shaking inside his shell. His brother made no motion to help him get up; only glared down at him as though appalled by the mere sight of him.

"R – Raph... Please... I – I'm injured."

"Of course you are. Poor, defenseless, little Donnie couldn't protect himself. Real shocker there."

All Donatello could do in response to Raph's harsh comments was squeeze his eyelids shut and whimper into his shoulder. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Donnie didn't understand how his own brother could be so cruel after everything that had happened.

How could Raph say all those awful things?

Unless Slash had been right all along...

"Raphael used to tell me everything about you guys. He always said that you three held him back and that he didn't want to be a part of the team anymore. He especially couldn't stand you. He never missed a chance to point out what a hopeless weakling you are and how he wished you weren't related to him. He used to constantly say he couldn't believe he had such a pathetic loser for a brother."

"The truth is, Raph always thought the least of you. He told me time and time again that you were the most useless one. An embarrassment to the clan."

The next ugly comment that fired out of Raphael's mouth seemed to corroborate every word of Slash's claims. "Pathetic! You're worthless, Donnie! Always have been. We're constantly having to save your sorry shell. Look at you. You're nothing but a disgrace."

"N – No."

Cupping his trembling hands over his ear slits, Donnie attempted to block out the sound of his brother's voice, but it was the only thing he could hear anymore...

"All you ever do is put everyone in danger, Donnie!"

"I don't even know why we bothered trying to find you."

"You're always screwing everything up, Donnie!"

"We'd all be better off without you!"

"You're supposed to be the smart one, but you ruin everything you touch!"

"I should just leave you here to die."

"You're not worth saving."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Gasping for the air that had just rapidly expelled out of his lungs, Donatello's eyes shot open to gaze upon an empty room.

There was no one there but him.

The revelation that it had been yet another nightmare did little to calm the genius turtle down. Barely able to catch his breath, he half panted, half blubbered against his cardboard bed while instinctively cowering away from the spot where his pseudo brother had been. The wounded turtle's head was spinning so much, he was having a difficult time getting his bearings straight.

Eventually, the world started to come back into focus again, and when it did, the first thing Donatello noticed was that his hand was throbbing like crazy. Looking down, he saw that the towel wrapped around the wounds where Slash had tried to sever his finger was soaked in blood. The injury needed to be stitched up, but that wasn't exactly an option right now. Not just due to a lack of proper medical supplies, but also, because his hands were about as steady as a bowlful of hot Jello.

Too exhausted to get up from the spot he was in, Donatello cradled his hand to his chest and curled himself up into a loose a fetal position. While his body continued to shiver, he listened to the soothing sound of the rain lapping against the building. It always sounded so much different up on the surface than it did from down in the sewers. It was almost like a lullaby, soft and comforting. There had been several nights that he had just laid there in his cage, listening to the calming pitter-patter outside.

The memory of that horrible cage made a sob eek its way out of Donnie's throat, but he was quick to muffle the sound with his unwrapped hand.

He couldn't risk being heard.

If Slash was anywhere near the vicinity...

An ill-timed crack of thunder made the skittish turtle's heart practically jump right out of his plastron.

It was just the storm…

Nothing to be afraid of…

Just the storm...

Donatello dragged his uninjured hand downwards, fully intending to place his palm over his chest, but he stopped his momentum short when his fingertips grazed the metal collar still fastened securely around his neck. The obvious reminder of the hell he had just endured sent a shudder up and down his spine.

Though he would've gladly crushed the collar into about a million pieces, he currently had no means of removing the device. He had yet to find anything that he could pick the lock with. Sure, there may have been something he could've used back in Slash's apartment, but for time's sake, he had opted to just leave the collar on. He instead concentrated his efforts on his harrowing escape plan. Well, it wasn't so much of an escape plan as it was a series of incredibly favorable events.

In all honesty, Slash really should've seen it coming. After all, he had left the supposedly smartest turtle alone in an apartment with a lengthy chain, a pair of heavy-duty, wire cutters, several strips of medical tape, and a cage designed to hold a dog, not a highly-trained ninja.

Clearly, Slash was not cut out for rocket science. He may have just as well handed the genius turtle the keys to the car while he was at it.

Once Donatello had been able to reach the chain and hook it around the wire cutters, it had taken him all of a minute to pop the surprisingly flimsy lock off his cage. He then proceeded to grab a broom for support, loop his chain around the couch leg as an anchor, and exit through the living room window.

In hindsight, the brainy turtle really wished he would've taken a few moments to search the apartment for something he could've used to remove his collar, or perhaps more importantly, treat his wounds, but he didn't want to linger any longer than necessary. He had been terrified that Slash would come back and find him.

He still was...

That fear had pushed Donatello onward, but only for so long. His ordeal had left him on the verge of passing out and his adrenaline wore off about eight blocks away from Slash's apartment. By the ninth block, the wounded turtle's legs flat out refused to carry him any longer, which had led him to his present location.

The good news was, it had been at least a couple hours since his escape, maybe longer depending on how much time he had blacked out for. The not so good news was, Slash would no doubt come looking for him and Donatello was in no shape to defend himself. That also meant the genius turtle was in no shape to go home. He could hardly move, let alone stand up. Not to mention he was most likely miles and miles away from the lair. Judging by the unrecognizable scenery, Donatello surmised that Slash had made a point of taking him somewhere his brothers would have a hard time finding him.

If they had even tried...

"Pathetic. You always have been. That's why your brothers haven't come for you yet. They know you're weak and useless, so they stopped searching. I mean, why bother, right?"

"Hmmm… I'd actually be doing them a huge favor by putting you out of your misery. You and I both know they'd all be better off if you were dead."

"Bet they wouldn't even shed a tear. Probably just toss you down a sewage drain with the rest of the filth."

Donatello moved his hand away from his collar so he could push it against his pounding right temple, hoping it might help him think straight.

Everything in his brain was a jumbled-up mess.

Nothing was making sense anymore.

Deep down inside, the genius turtle knew the trauma and fever were playing tricks on him, but it was getting more and more difficult to differentiate the hallucinations from reality. Things had been going steadily downhill since Slash had last attacked him.

The infection was taking its toll.

He was starting to hear things that weren't there...

"Pathetic! You're worthless, Donnie! Always have been. We're constantly having to save your sorry shell. Look at you. You're nothing but a disgrace."

Starting to believe the lies were true...

"Your family – they don't want you back. I can't blame 'em. You're pretty much useless."

Pressing his palm harder against his temple, Donatello gently shook his head from side to side.

"No! This isn't real. It's j – just the fever talking."

The wounded turtle wasn't even sure if he had said these words out loud or not. It was like he was stuck in a haze he couldn't find his way out of. His condition was getting worse. The infection, the fever, the starvation, the sleep and blood loss…

He needed help.

Help he wasn't going to get if he stayed here.

Despite the pain and overwhelming sense of dizziness, Donnie feebly tried to push himself up into a sitting position, but his arms gave out beneath him and he fell right back down to the floor with a shrill cry.

"Poor, frail, little Donatello."

Ignoring the condescending voice taunting him from the far recesses of his brain, the genius turtle attempted to lift his head back up to no avail. He suddenly felt as though he weighed several tons.

"What's the matter, Donatello? Can't get up because you're too weak?"

Flurries of light started to dot his vision and his sight began to fade, as did the words swirling all around him.

"Your brothers aren't coming for you."

"Have to stay awake... B – Brothers aren't coming for m – me."

"And why should they?"

Though the injured turtle was doing everything in his power to stay conscious, the infection was too far along and his body demanded rest.

As he passed out, three words parted from his lips with barely a sound...

"Not worth saving."

To be continued…

*More Author's Notes: This chapter hurts my heart. Yes, there are a few glimpses of Sassatello in here, but it does nothing to stop the pain. Poor, poor Donnie. He's fading fast.

Did any of you happen to notice there were some extra lines of ridicule floating around inside of Donnie's brain in this chapter? Spoiler alert: these extra lines will come into play several chapters from now and they'll give everyone yet another reason to hate Slash.

As always, please take a few moments to favorite, follow, like, reblog, review, and/or comment to let me know if you're enjoying this story and want to see more. I'm so eternally grateful for all the amazingly positive feedback I've received on 'Slash's Revenge' so far. I assure you the support is very much appreciated.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again! TMNT fans are the best! ◦°˚\(*❛‿❛)/˚°◦

Thank you all lots and lots and lots! *hugs*