the lazarus job - tmnt (2)

twenty-four [epilogue]

CHAPTER 24 [EPILOGUE]

I DIDN'T WANT THIS

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THE SMELL that hung in the air was a stench that Raph knew he would never forget.

It was a mixture of iron and smoke along with the smell of smoldering rubber. It was the explosion that ironically brought them all together. Osiphs, Raiders, Lukras, and Terranovan people alike worked with one another to pull each other out of the rubble.

Raph helped to lift heavy boulders off of trapped people, yet his mind was elsewhere.

His mind was on Nadia.

It was already twenty minutes and he couldn't find her or Titawa. He went right to the blast area and where they once stood was nothing but a crater in the floor. He knew Altair only destroyed the mountain so that he would never be trapped again, but he could hardly care about the God of Death.

He just wanted Nadia back.

Raph was panicking. Grime covered his forest green skin and his vibrant lime eyes were filled to the brim with desperation and panic. He searched for Nadia under every piece of mountain rock and through every pile of smoke and burning wood.

But he only found her after an hour and it was a sight that he did not want to see.

Nadia was under a boulder, her leg caught between it and another rock. Her scalp was split, oozing a heavy amount of blood as her pale and unconscious form rest limply on the ground.

Raph cried out, his eyes widening with horror as he jumped forward. With panic, he pushed the boulder off of her leg until it tumbled to the floor. He collapsed by her and cradled her head on his lap as he whispered soothing things in her ear.

"C'mon Klutz," he whispered as he bit back the lump in his throat. "Wake up. Wake up."

Mikey and Leo both walked over the hill, pausing in place when they saw the sight of Raph holding onto Nadia with desperation heavy in his eyes. Leo could see him swallowing to bite down the tears and sobs. Mikey turned away, clenching his eyes shut as he tried to think of anything positive.

"Raph," Leo called quietly as he walked to him. "We need to go. Don made a cure and is having people send them out. We have to bring one back to April."

"What about Titawa," he hoarsely questioned as he looked up.

"They found her under some rubble. She's okay," answered Mikey with a soft tone before suddenly realizing the worst. "Avi. . ."

"Nadia's breathing," mumbled Raph, his voice cracking. He looked down and ran a thumb along her hairline. "She's just not waking up."

"Then we take her and Avi and we bring them both home with us. Donnie's already there with Avi- he left when he first got a cure and found out it worked." Leo turned, taking the portal spheres from his waist and throwing them on the floor.

As the blue water texture began to coat the ground, Raph gently stood and gingerly picked up Nadia with a firm look on his face. His lips were pursed and his green eyes were dull as he held her against his chest as if she was a sleeping bride.

"It's time to go home," mumbled Raph with a soft voice. He was angry, confused, and internally panicking, but at that moment, he felt as if he was fulfilling his promise; just not in the way he wanted to.

"We're going home."

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HOME was no longer what they thought.