Timbers & Rivers (Leorai)

Chapter Two - Redo

"Hope can be a powerful force. Maybe there's no actual magic in it, but when you know what you hope for most and hold it like a light within you, you can make things happen, almost like magic." -Laini Taylor

                  Two years later...

Leonardo Hamato stared blankly at the once-lively city that was now covered in ash, snow and radiation with Karai Oruko.

A disturbance in the Earth's core had triggered all nuclear and radioactive bombs, resulting in the end of the world. Many people, about half the population, were chosen to live in subway tunnels and fallout shelters for a little while, before they emerged and found they could no longer breathe the air.

The cities and towns were in ruins and smothered in ash and snow, a permanent nuclear winter. Buildings were scorched and blackened, windows were shattered. Metal and cars, debris and dust littered the streets. The silence was deadly. Many animals quickly mutated into creatures that now roamed the planet.

Everyone had to wear gas masks if they ever dared to leave the safety of the underground, warm villages. Few would return, either dying from lack of oxygen, being killed by radiation or beasts.

"Not much different than Salt Lake, or any other cities, huh Leo?" Karai sadly smile at Leo through her gas mask. They had ran away two years ago to Salt Lake City, and his from the nukes there, and spent a year travelling from place to place, finally returning to their rightful home.

"M-Maybe, if I h-had s-stayed... Th-this wouldn't h-have h-happened..." Leo murmured and tried to fight tears. Maybe the Kraang had caused this? Maybe his brothers failed without him? Were they even still alive? Was anyone alive?

"Shh! Don't talk like that! We'll find them. All of them. Alive. They're strong and they should have been sheltered from the nukes because of the sewers! Think positive about this." Karai scolded and she led him through the debris. Every now and then a body made of ash would appear, a poor soul that had slowly burned to death, unable to move.

The two no-longer-teenagers had changed their appearance over the years into adulthood.

Leonardo's once azure eyes were a noticeable grey and he wore his mask as a scarf and he had a green-beige army helmet with goggles on his head. He had a pistol strapped to his left thigh and a big black pouch strapped to his right. Instead of wood, he wore metal, long shoulder blades and knee protectors and he had a hunting knife attached to his ankle and a flask to his opposite. He wore a beige-green hunting backpack on his shell with four large green pouches underneath. He had a green-beige tactical jacket on with leather chest armour and grenades along with a tactical flashlight on it. Leo had a 22 gun holstered behind his backpack and a compass on his forearm.

Karai wore a brown bandana on her forehead and now had her once short hair tied into a ponytail. She had goggles hanging from her neck and a large purple and brown scarf covering her neck. She a large, brown leather jacket with a couple pouches on her arms. She had light green chest armour on her upper torso with five medium pouches the same colour at the bottom of the armour. She wore denim jeans with metal knee protectors and brown combat boots. She had a large, green-beige pouch on her left thigh and grenades hanging from the other. Se ha two hunting knives hanging from her black belt and an AK47 holstered on her back.

"Yeah, let's keep looking before some Lurkers, Demons, Dark Ones or even some Librarians decide to pay us a welcome visit."

"Wouldn't want that." Karai smirked and they both continued to math down the road, weapons at the ready. "Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky and avoid them for once."

"Don't jinx it!" Leo whispered harshly and they both broke into soft laughs, quickly shutting up before Demons heard them. "Lucky enough we don't have a storm."

"True"

The two didn't even dare to think about going across rooftops. Demons, Lurkers, Dark Ones and probably Librarians would defiantly find them, and they would have no shelter for blizzards, don't forget they can't find air filters quick enough for when they ran out.

There were rumours of Moscow, Russia, to be housing the source of the Dark Ones. If someone had the courage to fire a bomb or something at it, then one problem would be solved.

"Karai, what would it be like to be attacked by the Dark Ones?" Leo asked curiously, he didn't really want to find out but he was just making conversation.

"Dunno, all I know is that many full grown men have gone mad and delusi- Leo... Stare at the floor." Karai whispered in gritted teeth and was staring at the floor.

Leo didn't want to know why she said to do so, but he did when he heard heavy growling next to him. It was a Librarian. He slowly looked at the floor and squeezed his eyes shut in fear for his own life.

Librarians where tall, rat-like creatures that howled like a wolf, only much deeper. They were the type to sneak up on soldiers and jump them when they had their guard down. Thy were also stupid, as they thought that only the dead ones looked at the floor.

The growling continued and he felt a snout sniff at his shoulder, followed by a snarl and a snap. Poor Leonardo was absolutely terrified, no one, no one escaped from a Librarian.

His thoughts were diminished when Karai had somehow crept behind the mutant and stabbed it in the back of it's head with one of her knifes. She kicked the thing to the floor and immediately grabbed her little brother's hand, dragging him away from the scene before more showed up.

"What are we even looking for? They're dead. Like half the world." Leo stated hopelessly and Karai punched him in the shoulder.

"Don't you dare! They're alive and we will find them!" She yelled and started storming ahead. Leo hurried to catch up with her and shuffled a little away, afraid of her yelling at him again.

Before Karai could apologise, some gunshots could be heard, nearby, down the street. The pair looked at each other and ran towards the building, where Lurkers could be seen running in.

Lurkers were a wolf-rat hybrid and ran on all fours. They would howl for backup when needed and were rarely seen on the surface.

Leo and Karai ran in and were bewildered to find April O'Neil shooting the last lurker. She took a quick glance in their direction and looked away, only to widen her eyes and look again.

"Leo!?" She gasped, April certainly looked different than when they had left.

April wore a gas mask, duh, and her hair was tied in a military bun. She wore a large brown scarf and a yellow jumpsuit with white boots. She holstered a 9mm gun on her thigh and a shotgun on her back and she had dojo wrappings on her waist.

April walked up to Karai and Leo and poked them both, just to make sure she wasn't schizophrenic. Or crazy. She then brought both of them into a loving hug that surprised them.

"You're back... The guys will love this..." She whispered and started dragging the startled newcomers to the west, apparently to the entrance of The Barracks, a makeshift city in the sewers.

"We're going to see the guys..."