Mᴜᴛᴀɴᴛ Aᴘᴏᴄᴀʟʏᴘsᴇ 3: Sᴄᴀʀʀᴇᴅ ❪✓❫

20 || 𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑

𝐎𝐬𝐚'𝐬 𝐏𝐎𝐕

My eyes took in the light from the sun when they came into reality. I was napping on the bed Raph made out of pine needles and a couple of blankets. But this was a dream I was having, one that confused me. I saw some things that I didn't understand and the fear of the unknown is what always got me. I rubbed my eyes under my glasses.

"Dream?" Raph says, sitting on the ground with his pack still next to him. The sun is reaching its highest and it was casting on his red mask.

"Yeah," I answered as I up, rubbing off the crusty discharge from my exhausted eyes. While I'm at it, I adjust my glasses. And my hair is growing quite well-- it's reaching my shoulders.

Raphael spoke back. "Faith saved you some squirrel meat if you want some."

Food sounded like a great thing right now. But I didn't want to fill up my belly because someone else needs it. "Give it to Kri," I told him.

"Osa, your eye sockets and cheekbones are beginning to cave in. Please eat. Kristen insisted you do." Raphael told me, wishing I would eat something.

"I said no." It was a stronger response this time, not making eye contact until the very last second. I do understand that I am losing a lot of weight and it isn't healthy for me. But I care for Kristen and her health and she needs the food for her body. She looks worse than I do.

Raphael shrugs. After a few seconds of picking his teeth with a sliver of bone, he felt his mouth curl into a small smile. He laughed a little when something flashed in his head.

"What?" I grinned, too.

He smirked, rethinking his memory. "Uh...remember when we first found you?" Raph asked, setting his green eyes on me.

I nod. "Yeah." Oh, those days. I do recall the cold twelve-hour days of being alone until four turtles and a rat brought me to the family. It feels like it was just yesterday when we first ran into a barricade on the highway. I couldn't help but smile as well at the memories.

"And you hardly said a word until Donnie encouraged you to," Raphael added, tossing the bone sliver to the side and filing his hands in his lap. "I miss that brother of mine."

Honestly, I have no idea how to respond to this. Listening is the best thing I can do for Raph if he mentioned Donnie. When his young, mutant turtle face appears in my head, it reminded me how he always kept me on a tight leash until he found I was able to wipe my own--

"Raph?" We both heard come from behind him. Kristen whimpers in her uncomfortable position. She sounded stressed and in pain. Raph flashed beside his significant other to reassure her, rubbing her back and hips. I guess her terrible feelings replicated a newborn fire.

I know I'm supposed to have hope with things like Kri and the unborn baby, but... There's a guarantee in my heart she won't make it and that upsets me. She can survive... Hopefully.

How many women survived childbirth back in the old days before modern medicine? I'm sure dozens made it through and others didn't have the strength.

****

𝐌𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐲'𝐬 𝐏𝐎𝐕

"Okay," I said near my mattress, looking at Regan, Vv, and Duke. These guys needed to choose. An answer is needed right away. "Either Duke and Vv stay or can leave." My hands go on my hips, waiting for a response from one of the humans except for Regan. Vv keeps her mouth shut, so does Duke. "Well?"

Vincent's boyfriend clapped his hands together, jumping to his idea instead of a solid answer. "Come back with us. We can reunite with the group. We're much stronger that way." Duke says, shuffling his feet toward me.