#darkoctober2018

Art by the lovely @x-scuse-you for the DarkOctober event.

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By: WittyKins

Summary: It starts with a phone call and a request that sends her running down to the lair at a breakneck pace. Now, she is stuck in a room with one of her dearest friends, who is coping with some personal demons. Will she be able to help him navigate the darkest corners of his mind or, will his pain affect those around him?

Warnings: Some descriptions of violence.

She was not summoned to the lair under the most desirable of circumstances...

In fact, it was as Michelangelo hysterically squawked over the phone earlier this morning, "a major big fat giant super code purple!" Slamming the phone to the receiver, she wasted no time getting ready for a voyage underground. Tossing her red hair into a messy bun, she quickly tugged on a t-shirt, jeans, and a pair of sneakers. Grabbing her pre-packed backpack, she flew out of the front door of her apartment, making her way to the home of her subterranean friends. Her sneakers slapped against the wet bricks while her steady breathing ricocheted through the damp air. Her clothes and hair were weighed down by the weight of her sweat, and her backpack which clung to her shoulders jostled violently.

As she navigated the endless maze of the underground, she thought the worst.

Had one of them fallen ill?

Or, had been captured by an enemy?

Perhaps one was mortally wounded?

Pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind, she pressed onward. Fear seeped into her body. Her blood felt viscous as her heavy heart pumped the fluid towards her flailing limbs. Sliding around a corner, she fell unceremoniously to the floor in a desperate attempt to avoid a collision with a turtle-shaped figure shrouded by shadows. Sitting up slowly, she tenderly rubbed the back of her neck. Out of the darkness, a robust green hand appeared. April, smiling meekly, took it and allowed its owner to hoist her carefully to her feet. Dusting off the seat of her pants while mumbling, she spotted a pair of worn blue mask tails draped lazily across a broad shoulder.

In hindsight, Leo meeting her in the sewer tunnels was the wisest decision. As she babbled off questions with tears in her eyes, he spoke in a hushed tone, much like a mother to her frightened child. He assured her that they were all accounted for and that none had been injured beyond repair. Though he flashed her a gentle smile, she could sense that something was off. Not to mention, he was wearing what looked like the infamous Life Alert device around his neck. His demeanor, which was usually relaxed and confident, seemed tense and rigid.

As they walked the rest of the way back to their lair, Leo occasionally dropped hints as to why April's presence had been summoned. From what she could gather from his calculated statements, something was going on with Donatello, and it seemed like he wanted her to figure it out.

Seemed simple enough.

Their pace slowed to a stop as they reached the entrance to the lair. Leo opened the door with a small smile and motioned for April to enter. Thanking him softly, she adjusted her backpack and wordlessly strode through the entrance. Upon entering the lair, the first thing that April noticed was the deafening silence. It felt like she had left the real world and stepped into a live recreation of a silent film.

Walking further into the lair with wide eyes, April glanced towards the living room. To her right, she could see a large panel of televisions whose screens were as black as the ocean at night. Rubbing the back of her neck, she nervously murmured under her breath. The worn couch, devoid of any form of life, looked strange. She had grown accustomed to seeing at least one of the turtles perched upon its cushions with a remote or video game controller in hand. Pivoting around, she grimaced at the state of the rest of the lair.

There was no one lifting weights while listening to music.

No one was banging pots around in the kitchen while asking anyone within earshot where certain ingredients had been moved.

No sounds of sparing came crawling from under the cracks of the door to the dojo.

No one grumbling about doing chores or completing a set of exercises as a form of punishment.

There was nothing.

For the first time the lair was in complete silence, a ghost town of its former self.

April's eyes swept over her surroundings only to land on Raphael and Michelangelo, who stood near a closed door. To her surprise, she could immediately see that they were wearing the same device around their necks as Leo. Smirking to herself, she made a mental note to ask them about their newest fashion craze after she found out what was ailing Don.

Squinting her eyes, she saw hints of an animated conversation. She could see their lips moving as well as the occasional wild gesture. Still, she heard no sound. Straining her ears, she craned her neck towards the two turtles who were openly discussing some critical matter in hushed tones.

A green blinking light situated above the door caught April's attention. The room was occupied, and the occupant, whom she concluded to be Donatello, was nestled inside. The green light meant the door was unlocked, which came to a relief. April stood in the middle of the lair, taking in the sights. Aside from the lack of noise, everything seemed to be in its place. Getting lost in her thoughts, she tucked a stray hair behind her ear.

The sound of the front door slamming sailed through the lair like a raging freight train. As its roar shot through April, she gasped at the abruptness. The noise filled the deadened space, expelling the suffocating silence that clung to the air. At that moment the metallic screech that sliced through the stillness prompted everything to return to normalcy.

As if on cue, both Raphael and Michelangelo shifted their attention away from each other towards April. They stood against the wall, staring at her with the same calculated expression as Leo when she collided with him in the sewers.

"Hi, guys," she quipped while offering a nervous wave in their direction. After a few moments, Mikey broke the silence that existed between the two parties and awkwardly bounded in her direction. Grabbing her lightly by the wrist, he tugged her towards Don's Lab.

"We're glad you could make it, April," he began slowly, a forced smile creeping to his face. Motioning in the direction of Leo who had quietly joined her he tilted his head towards the closed door. "I'm sure that the good ol' Boy in Blue clued you into what's going on."

"Well, yeah. Sort of. Leo just told me that there is something wrong with Don and he wanted me to talk to him."

Mikey shot a quick glance over his shoulder. Turning his attention back to April, he shrugged. "Pretty much. Sorry that I called your apartment in a panic. I just didn't really know what to do. Normally, um, when one of us is...well...like Don, we'd ask Master Splinter." Shrugging his shoulders, a small whine escaped. "Anyways, he's out of town and us kind of figured you'd be the next best at solving this...little problem."

"Little...problem?"

Furrowing her brow, April exchanged a quizzical look between the three turtles. Everything about their demeanor seemed off. Panic crept into the back of her mind, and she wondered just what they had wanted her to talk to Donatello about. With a shrug, Raphael quickly turned the doorknob. The door crept open with a pained squeak revealing a room illuminated with a faint electronic glow. Turning around, she flashed the other three turtles a quizzical look before shutting the door, the room's darkness consuming her.

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