Race. [TMNT 2012]

060. Him; Lucy

Song: Say It Now - We The Kings

Air. That's all I feel surrounding me. Nothing to grab, nothing to save me. Just the cruel hold of transparency on my fragile body as I fall like a boulder. No amount of twisting or flexing is going to prevent my body from breaking in half.

My scream seems distant as I get closer to the hungry zombants below. Time seems to slow down as my life flashes before my eyes. Images of my father, mother, and Lilac pass by my vision, making my heart drop into my stomach. It startles me so much that it snaps me out of my dreamy trance.

The groaning from the creatures below scares me out of my wits. With my brain spinning in circles, my knees lock up and freeze in place. My arms flail around as I desperately try to snag something, anything.

By some miracle, I manage to get my hands hooked around a flagpole. Fresh tears rolled down my face as the pole sways under my weight, making my heart skip a beat. Fortunately, the flagpole becomes steady, halting me in my plummet for death.

I breathe out a sigh of relief, but it disappears like frost in the sunlight. The flagpole makes a nasty creaking sound, indicating that it's about to snap. Below me, zombants scratch at the side of the building as they eagerly await my drop. My grip tightens on the pole as I panic.

"Help!" I cry out, fighting back sobs. "Please help!"

"Lucy!"

I wipe away the red liquid that hinders my vision as I look upwards. Raphael leans over the edge, covered in his own blood, but not the least bit concerned about it. His brilliant green eyes shine through the darkness as he stretches his hand down to me.

"Take my hand," he orders me through gritted teeth. The exhaustion in his voice betrays his confidence. He is obviously about to topple over from blood loss.

Breathing heavily, I stretch my arm towards his. My fingertips barely brush his before the flagpole lets out another nasty cracking sound. I scream again as the pole bends down further, exciting the creatures below.

"Raph!" I sob as the pole stops in its failure once more. The evil claws of the zombants are nearly in my foot; I struggle to keep my knees bent to keep myself safe.

Fast as a whip, Raphael extends his weapon towards me. The pointy tips of it make me cringe and I flinch away, brushing the wetness from my cheeks. Raphael is persistent, however.

   "Grab on," the red-clad turtle insists urgently, his frown full of worry.

   I start to reach upwards once more, but the flagpole can't handle it. It quivers and the crack deepens, throwing my heart into my throat. "I'm going to die!" I cry loudly as the zombants' screeching increases.

   "I won't let you die," Raphael promises, stretching his arm down as far is it will go. "Just grab my sai!"

   Gathering up my courage, I feebly try to grasp the sai. The pole sways slightly and I immediately grab back onto it, my chest hurting from my tears. "I can't do it!" I shout, my voice nearly hoarse from all the screaming.

   Raphael's eyes blaze like emerald-colored fire. "Yes, you can!" he snarls with so much passion that it startles me. "You've got to trust me, Char!"

   At the sound of his slip-up, the tears quit flowing from my puffy eyes. My heart calms and even the groaning from the zombants seems to quiet down. The whole world pauses as the shock rivets between Raphael and I.

   So that's what this is all about. Raphael is picturing me as Charlotte, the death he thought he's responsible for. In his head he is back with her, doing his best to save her.

   Is that why he has been avoiding me?  Because when he looks at me, he gets reminded of Charlotte?  I miss her too, but it seems to be a bit extreme for him to act like that.  My head pounds as I try to make sense of this situation in my head. 

   I'm not a psychologist, but my mind seems to form the perfect plan all of a sudden. If Raphael is relating my situation to Charlotte, maybe saving me will help him get over his depression. Maybe it's exactly what he needs to slap him out of his grief. It's a long shot, but... Maybe there's still hope.

   I inhale and carefully wipe my face clean from all signs of weakness. Then, with renewed determination coursing through my veins, I reach my hand up as far as I can. I grasp onto Raphael's sai just as the flagpole breaks. I stifle a scream as I hold onto the weapon for dear life.

   "Gotcha," Raphael grunts as his biceps tighten up. Slowly but surely, he lifts me away from the zombants and back to safety.

   The moment I reach the rooftop, I collapse onto my knees. I rub my chest and cough to loosen it up. As I finally catch my breath, I gaze up at Raphael with wonder in my eyes.

   He saved me.

   Raphael bends down in front of me, joy dancing like glitter in his eyes. "I saved you, Lucy," he murmurs, as if he doesn't quit believe it.

   In that moment, all I feel is gratitude. He's thinking of me.  Only me.

   Impulsively, I throw my arms around his neck and hug him tightly, ignoring his blood as it smears onto my cheek. "Thank you," I choke out, emotion clogging up my throat.

   Raphael doesn't hug me back, so I self-consciously release him. As I gaze into his eyes, I notice that he is staring at me in pure astonishment. His mouth is dropped open partially, and his arms are like helpless noodles.

   A yelp makes me turn my head. Raphael's team and the evil mutants are back at their fighting. I wince as I see Donatello get body-slammed by the giant rhinoceros mutant. A few feet away, the tiger mutant battles it out with Leonardo and Michelangelo at the same time. The turtles appear as if they are going to fall over. Moreover, Casey and April are taking more heat than they are giving.

   "They're losing," I tell Raphael as I turn back to him. "They need your help, Raph."

   Raphael shakes his head to snap out of his daze. "Right. Are you ok?" he adds as he rises to his feet.

   I nod. Now that I have a moment to relax, all of my pains are taking me over. The abuse Tiger Claw inflicted on me has taken its toll. My skin stings in various places and my head spins like a record. I'm not sure I'll be able to stand up if I try.

   "I'll sit the rest of this out, if you don't mind," I reply, not that I'd ever try to hurt anyone.

   Raphael agrees, but hands me one of his sais. "Only use it if you need it," he says. "Alright?"

   Touched, I smile a little. I nod obediently and hold the sai close to me. "I won't let anything happen to it," I promise.

   Raphael gives me a grim smile. He gazes at me for a long moment, as if debating whether or not he should leave me unattended.

   Then he spins around and dives right back into the battle.