Drowning

It's another challenge by Connie on Stealthy Stories :) I've been meaning to write something like it for a long time and suddenly I just had to sit down and do it.

Disclaimer: I do not own TMNT!

The farmhouse stood tall and proud. The porch swing went back and forth slightly in the chilling breeze. A scattering of snow caressed the earth, only to melt away into nothing as though it had never been there. It wasn't quite cold enough for the snow to make real contact with the earth and it's homely warmth. The white clouds filled the whole sky, blocking the moon and the stars from view. They acted as an eye mask for insomniacs – no light would be reaching their eyes tonight. The trees quivered slightly. It was odd that they shed their coats for the winter rather than the other way around. Wouldn't they get cold, standing around outside all the time?

Michelangelo gazed up longingly. It was the last night at the farmhouse. New year had been and gone and in the morning they would be heading home to their dark underground lair. Compared to the scene before him he imagines the lair to be a pit full of junk and meaningless things. He'd never tell his brothers but he could definitely hand over his comics... or most of them, just to see this every night. Leo would chastise him for being out without a coat but he planned to go back inside after only a few minutes anyway.

He sighed, childishly sticking his tongue out to catch the flakes of white. It wasn't quite heavy enough to serve as a refreshing drink, however. He stuck out one hand from under the porch. It wouldn't hurt to go for a short walk, would it? He'd dealt with colder environments. He looked up – the light in 'his' bedroom was still on. That would make it easy to find his way back again. That was all the precaution Mikey needed. He left the safety and warm glow of the porch and headed for the tightly packed, bare and unwelcoming trees. They were covered in streaks of white, reminding him of lightning.

He passed through the first group of trees and found the path they used to get to the lake in the summer. It was his favourite place to sketch, other than the New York skyline. He didn't get much chance to draw either though. They didn't have much time to do 'normal' things in New York, not out in the open anyway. They just had to patrol and go back inside a.s.a.p. No exceptions. They didn't visit the farmhouse nearly enough, especially not in the winter.

He whistled a tune as he headed deeper, not bothering to look back and check he could still see the house. The snow fell heavier now and his footsteps began to crunch. The soles of his feet were quite tough, not delicate like humans, so he found walking on the snow to be okay. He stopped as he realised the snow was now an inch thick. Maybe if it snowed enough Sensei would let them stay a few more days. He'd have to make something up about training in all weather conditions (training here meaning snowball fights) and he'd have to make sure to bat his baby blues. He was sure he could manage to get a few more days at least. If it snowed enough they might not even be able to get home anyway. He grinned.

A strange thought occurred to him. He remembered something Donnie had said about rain dances. It couldn't hurt to make a snow dance, right? He danced around goofily for a second. If his brothers saw this he would never hear the end of it. Never. He wasn't even sure why he was doing it himself. Not that it was uncharacteristic of him to spontaneously burst into dance. He just wasn't used to doing it for so long – usually someone managed to hit him upside the head before it was really a dance.

He came to a halt as he realised he'd reached the lake. It was well camouflaged now though. He wouldn't have noticed but he managed to recognise the shape of the dip in the ground in time to stop. Snow had piled up into a thick layer on the surface of the water. He frowned. Probably ice by now. He refused to give into his temptation to ice skate. He wasn't completely stupid. He'd try tomorrow when he had a brother to save him, of course.

Movement. He saw it through the corner of his eye. He reached for his belt instinctively and then drew in a sharp breath when he realised he'd taken it off to sleep. He hoped whatever it was showed itself. He hated it when enemies decided to scare him half to death by popping out of nowhere. He reached over to a nearby bush, which looked more like a death trap of thorns and needles without its leaves. He snapped a branch off, shaking of the snow. He brandished it like a sword. Not a Leo sword, a pirate sword.

"Avast! Ye scurvy dog! Show yerself!" He snorted when there was no reply. He threw the stick down. That's when he heard it. It was quiet. Almost too quiet for anyone to hear. He looked out across the lake. He didn't realise he'd gone into a defensive stance until he noticed her.

He blinked. She definitely was not there before. He knew he would have noticed too! She sat, humming a little tune. He couldn't help but notice her slight lack of clothing. It wasn't like it was skanky or anything. She was wearing a thin dress that went down to about her knees and it had spaghetti straps. Her long blonde hair flowed to her waist and her huge silver eyes gazed across the lake at him. She never ceased her song. It was beautiful. She was beautiful. He guessed she was about sixteen.

"Um... hey..." he ventured, unsure. The usual reaction was to run and scream, not stand and sing. Maybe she was crazy. Crazy in a beautiful way. Her eyes flashed suddenly when he spoke - as though she wanted him to be quiet. For once in his life, Mikey's mouth snapped shut. He couldn't keep his eyes off her. He wanted desperately to ask why she was there, who was she, why wasn't she scared, was she cold? But the girl just sang slightly louder. The words were strange – a different language. It sounded like a chant of some kind.

He stepped forwards, barely hearing or feeling the two inch thick snow under his feet. He saw the corner of her mouth twitch upwards slightly. He smiled fully, taking another step. He was right near the edge of the lake now. Would it take his weight? What if the ice cracked and she went under? He'd never forgive himself. The singing grew louder. He placed one foot on the ice. The cold was more intense on his foot now but he didn't seem to notice.

She began to shift. He noticed she had bare feet. She was definitely crazy. She began to sit down gracefully. When she sat she straightened out her skirts with a broad smile. The smile could be heard in her song, her eyes shining brightly. Mikey shuffled forwards again. It was only here that he realized her skin glowed, not like the sun or anything. It was like the shine on a pearl. He gazed. He was nearly with her now. Her smile could have gone from ear to ear, revealing perfect white teeth. He began to feel calmer and calmer. Like he could just fall asleep all of a sudden. Her song acted as a lullaby.

He sat down on the ice in front of her. Her lullaby soothed him. He crossed his legs, not noticing the numbing sensation in his feet which would soon spread through his upper legs. Her song became quieter gradually, her smile dying.

After a while she became as quiet as she had been when she arrived. Mikey didn't want this to stop. She smiled briefly before it fell right off her face. Mikey wanted nothing more than to pick it up and stick it back on. He stared. She stared. She was perfectly motionless but a sadness flickered through her eyes as though she was thinking of deeper things now. He desperately wanted to know what those thoughts were and how to make them right.

"Hey, are you okay?" Mikey asked, his voice slightly scratchy. Her eyes, which had been looking behind him turned back with a snap. The intensity of the gaze made him cringe but she softened. She raised a hand. He looked at it, studying it closely. He slowly held up his three fingered hand, it looked so imperfect next to her dainty one. He felt ashamed. They didn't touch. They just studied each other for a few moments. He felt ashamed. He must look like such a monster to her.

"I have to go home," he said in a quiet voice. He needed to get away from her. It made him feel bad to be here. Paranoid. She looked at him silently. He understood. She wanted him to stay. He stayed. He reached out his hand a little more. He slowly, gently, took her hand in his.

The change was instantaneous and terrifying. He watched as black veins spread across her pearly arm, spreading throughout her body. He wildly thought he'd infected her. She was too pure to be around him. The veins crawled across her face and her eyes became bloodshot. Her blonde hair began to shrivel and darken. He grew scared. It wasn't him. He snapped out of it. It was her. He tried to take away his hand but she held tight. She wasn't even trying.

Her pupils began to grow, soaking up the bloodshot veins and turning her eyes into a dark abyss. Her skin wrinkled and shrunk. Her cheeks were hollow. Her hands became thinner and her nails grew and yellowed. They dug into his skin drawing blood. He gasped. He was struggling but she wasn't even moving. Not until she suddenly looked down towards the ice, her face covered with the scraggly dark rat's tails. She used her other hand and brought it up to level with his face before slashing her hand across it and then hitting the ice. His blood mingled with the snow and he heard a sickening crack. She looked up. She smiled. It was the same smile. On this face, though, he shuddered, it looked truly evil.

He realised then. His legs were numb. She let go with her hand but he was still immobile. He struggled to pull himself across the ice with his arms but the crack in the ice stalked him. She stood with the same grace as before. She began to sing again but this time it sounded like nails on chalkboard. She was screaming and screaming. He didn't realise he was screaming too until he found himself plunged into the icy pool. She shrieked in delight and waved as he bobbed to the surface again. He used his arms to stay up but the chill was seeping through him. Turtles did not do well in the cold. The numb feeling spread into his fingers.

She watched with mild curiosity. It looked like she was waiting for a result. He gasped and spluttered as he began to sink underneath the surface. Before he went under completely he managed to take in a shuddering breath. He watched her and she nodded slightly. She screamed once more, this time it sounded like joy.

He sank into the depths helplessly. Panic took over. He forgot about controlling his breathing, all he knew was that he couldn't feel his limbs, he could feel his heart in overload and his brain was scrambled. No rational thoughts were coming to him. Just things like 'I'm going to die!' and 'I can't breathe!' He let out a bubble of air. He knew that with each bubble, more of his life floated to the surface. Would he ever be found? Would his skeleton be discovered in fifty years time and go down in medical history? At least he'd be remembered somehow. Another bubble escaped.

He couldn't tell which way was up. Everything was pitch black and the cold burned into his skin. He occasionally bumped into rocks and felt things swimming around him. Was he going to end up as fish food? Another bubble. He realised that he only had about a mouthful of air left. His lungs began to burn, his throat constricting as though a python was squeezing him to death. He felt himself going downwards. Or at least he thought it was down. He felt his plastron hit earth and realised he was at the bottom. This was the end. He let go of the last bubble with a silent prayer he hoped would reach the surface.

He winced as the last of the life felt like it crawled out through his chest. The panic in his mind subdued and he felt himself drifting into sleep.

"MIKEY!" Raph roared through the trees. He'd woken up and gone to get a drink when he noticed that Mikey's light was still in. He was going to go in and get proof so he could tease him about using a nightlight still but he'd found his little brother's bed empty. Then he'd found the door open. Then he'd seen the faint footsteps. It was lucky they hadn't been completely covered by the snow but he knew they'd disappear soon. No time to shout for anyone to help. He took off at a sprint.

As the footsteps faded, Raph began to run into more and more trees. His balance off as he tried to search for a sign of Mikey anywhere. He wished he had Sensei's sense of smell. Even to smell Mikey out. He'd rather endure the stink than lose his brother forever. Damn it, Mikey!

"MIKEY! MIKE! MICHELANGELO!" he heard shifting in the trees further on. He'd left his weapons but his fists would do. "Is that you Mike?" No answer.

He suddenly realised where he was. It was the lake. Of course this is where Mikey would have gone. He could have smacked himself in the head. That didn't explain why Mikey was nowhere to be seen though. He heard bubbling.

"Mikey?" he ventured. He walked towards the snow covered lake and shivered. He didn't like this. He could see the dark hole in the middle of the lake. He'd gone under. Raph shuddered and not because of the cold. What would he find?

He had no time to decide because suddenly he found himself thrown to the floor. He wished he hadn't seen what had done it. He wished. It's veins were pulsing and black, it's eyes inky and blank, it's hair hanging down into his face, it's smile twisted, it's teeth rotting and sharp. He felt a sharp pain and realised it was biting him. His neck. Vampire? He shook the thought away. And the thing. It flew across the floor and hit a tree, snarling and screaming. He spotted an icicle. It was no sai... but what the hell. He threw it straight at its heart. It momentarily ceased its screaming but the icicle collided with wood. She was gone.

"MIKEY?" he yelled. "I'm comin' bro!"

He didn't think about how much damage it might do before throwing his whole weight down, shell first, on to the ice. He went straight through, making a decent sized hole to get out of. It was pitch black down here. He tried not to waste his breath by cursing. He headed straight for the bottom, prodding around with his feet. He felt something soft.

It took him two seconds to pick Mikey up and get him to the surface. He pushed his little brother out, trying to ignore that he hadn't started breathing again. He hauled himself out after. The ice groaned underneath their weight but he managed to get to safe ground. He needed Donnie. He growled and began attempting to do what he'd watched on TV shows and occasionally Donnie do to his brothers. He began to press repeatedly on Mikey's chest. It had to be harder for plastrons, he remembered Donnie mentioning that much. That was okay, Raph was good with tough love.

"C'mon, man," he said through gritted teeth. He could have sworn that Mikey had turned blue. Sounded ridiculous. His breathing hitched as he began to press harder and harder. "C'mon, Mikey, stop messing around. It isn't funny." He cried out in panic. His hands turned to fists and he brought them down simultaneously right over Mikey's heart.

Mikey felt himself convulsing. He jolted upwards and sucked in as much air as he could get. He needed more air before he went back under. Maybe he'd survive this if he kept managing to bob to the top. He hacked and coughed feeling water trickle down his cheeks and over his temples. He still couldn't feel anything.

"Idiot." Raph breathed. He hastily wiped some moisture from his eyes before looking around and picking Mikey up. "C'mon, Mikey, it's me, Raph. Yer safe now."

"Ra-" Mikey started coughing and shivering violently. Raph winced. He couldn't soothe him until they got back to the house.

"Shhh... we're nearly back. Hey, look – there's Leo," Raph let his voice fall heavy with sarcasm. Leo was watching from the doorway. He looked like he was just about to run. He had his swords in his hands and a worried Don stood sleepily behind him. "Hey."

"Hey? Hey?" Leo cried angrily. "Just take him to the sofa. We'll talk later."

Raph noticed the worry behind Leo's word and decided not to push it by arguing. It definitely wasn't the time. Don flitted around behind him and then batted him away once Mikey was lying comfortably on the sofa. He took one look at Mikey's shivering form, almost looked like a fit, and ran a hand over his face, listing things off with his other hand.

"I'm gonna need blankets, lots of them, the first aid kit for that cut on his face, someone run a bath but do NOT make it hot. Lukewarm will be fine. And water." Raph and Leo disappeared. Don sighed and touched Mikey's forehead trying to calm him down. "Ah, Mikey..."

"S'not my fault..." Mikey choked out. Don warned him not to speak anymore. Mikey obeyed and returned to his fit like state. His eyes closed tightly. Leo brought the water and the first aid kit. Don got straight to work disinfecting the scratch on Mikey's cheek and checking it for any dirt. When it was clean he sighed and grabbed the bottle of water.

"Okay, Mikey, you're going to have to sit up for this... think you can do that?" Mikey frowned. Leo moved to push his youngest brother upright. Mikey spluttered at first when he drank the water but then he managed to swallow a mouthful. Donnie wouldn't let him have anymore. Raph arrived with the blankets. Don carefully made a kind of cocoon that he hoped would hold. As soon as Mikey was dry he was going to have to be lifted and put in the bath. The tight sheets helped to stop Mikey's convulsing. Raph was glad Splinter wasn't up yet. He guessed that he was but he was choosing not to get involved. He could sense when the danger was not fatal. He had no doubt that that's why Leo and Don had been woken up.

"G-girl..." Mikey gasped, his eyes suddenly wide and fearful. Leo frowned and gently placed a hand on his forehead which felt like ice.

"Shhh..." Leo looked at Don, "Is he supposed to be delusional?"

"No... he's-"

"There was a girl... well I wouldn't 'sactly call it a girl, more like horror film character if ya ask me."

"What happened?"

"I threw an icicle at her and she vanished."

Don and Leo exchanged a glance which Raph knew was the 'we-have-two-delusional-brothers-what-do-we-do?' face. He sighed and waved a hand.

"I'm just jokin' there weren't no girl there."

"It's not funny, Raphael," Leo's eyes narrowed.

"See my laughter?" Raph deadpanned.

The next morning and Mikey was feeling a lot better. He had soup, he had blankets, he had a fire and most importantly there was no girl out to get him. Oh, and he had his panda. And his brothers occasionally gave him a suspicious glance as though he might pass out any second. When Raph came in he grinned.

"My hero!" he would have swooned if he hadn't been unable to move due to the large pile of blankets over him. Raph groaned.

"Don't even think about it, Mikey." He growled. There was a few minutes uncomfortable silence before Mikey got the courage to say it.

"I saw a girl. She was beautiful and she was singing and I went across to sit with her and she totally turned crazy on me, dude. She was like a... a demon, or something! I'm totally telling the truth. Please say I'm not crazy. Did you see her... it?"

"Yeah I saw it. But I think it'd be better if we didn't mention it to anyone else, Mike."

"Huh? Why not?"

"It's crazy."

"Yeah..."

"And we don't want to worry them anymore. 'Sides, we're goin' back to the lair tomorrow," Raph explained. Mikey sighed and nodded. He'd just have to say he was an idiot and decided to go for a dip. They'd believe that anyways.

He shuffled under the covers. Raph eyed him. It was probably best if they just never spoke of it again. He wasn't good at conversation. He could tell his brother was still scared stiff though. It was a couple of minutes before Mikey spoke up again.

"I don't want my own room tonight, Raphie." He admitted quietly. Raph sighed. He didn't want Mikey out of his sight more than ten minutes but he wasn't gonna let Mikey know that. "And I'm not sleeping here."

"Whatever. How's about we have a sleepover like a buncha girls?" Raph suggested grumpily. As though a sleepover with his brother would be the most annoying night of his life. Mikey grinned widely.

"We can totally like paint each other's shells and braid our bandanas!" Mikey joked. His voice was still hoarse and it worried Raph but he played it cool.

He groaned and flicked his brother's head.

Well, what did you think? At the moment I have no idea if I'm going to carry this on or just leave it as a oneshot.

(An update of Six Feet Under will happen sometime this next week, fingers crossed!)

Please, please, please review :)