Mᴜᴛᴀɴᴛ Aᴘᴏᴄᴀʟʏᴘsᴇ 5: Bʟᴀᴄᴋ Mᴀsᴋs ❪✓❫

30 || 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐑

𝐍𝗼𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐆𝐫𝗼𝐮𝐩

Just to take a minor break from leading a group of ten, Osa chose to have Donatello take the lead just for a little bit. He was using his devices, his holograms, and tablets to navigate through the environment. There is so much overgrowth growing on abandoned buildings; moss and vines own the structures. Osa and her crew were already an hour out of the community which used to be called Philadelphia. Osa glanced at Donnie in the back of the group on his horse, asking, "Where to?"

"We just need to keep going outward and run into a massive neighborhood," Donnie replied.

Just an hour earlier, Osa crept through the area of the hospital Sam lives in with his men. There was no point in going into malls, banks, or other available stores. Walking through the city was dangerous enough after leaving those main gates back home. Who knows what could be lurking around the corner for the four separate groups? "I'll scout ahead. You guys continue walking." Osa handed her pack to a mutant who had the ability to hide very, very well. His ability is cloaking.

The shapeshifter transformed her appearance into a crow that flapped its wings into the sky and caught the wind to ride the current. She glided above the rooftops and disappeared into the distance. Donnie sighed and looked at the eight mutants walking ahead of his horse, Stamina. "Keep your eyes open for infected."

"Yes, sir." A female mutant said. Her ability is phasing-- going through solid objects. She had bleached hair that is shoulder length, glasses, and hazel eyes. She wore a common jacket and torn jeans. "What is it we are looking for, exactly?" She asked Donnie.

"Anything that might be of use to us or Sam." He answered.

The 'Phaser' who answers to the name of Grace scoffed at the man's name. "Right. The killer."

"You know, April is quite the leader." Said the 'Cloaker'. His name is Bryce-- dark-haired, blue eyes. He wears a couple of pieces of homemade armor and boots.

Don is not sure what Bryce is saying. "What are you talking about?"

"April." He repeated to the nerd. "She isn't the brightest leader. Well, she is not a leader anymore. Leo's leader."

"What makes you say April wasn't the best leader? I heard she kept everyone safe." Don said.

Bryce laughed lightly. "Safe? I guess there were some false advertisements or something."

Grace came in on the conversation. "What Bryce means is that April was a good leader and she completely gave up."

Don wanted answers. "How so?"

Bryce and Grace look at the other six mutants. "Well..." Said another mutant-- one of the twin panthers. "Before Leo and the rest of you came to EdgePort, she kind of lost herself for some reason."

Grace agreed. "Yeah. The whole time, April was fine as she took care of us and then--"

"--She blew up on one of us. Remember that one, Charlie?" Bryce looked at the black panther with his twin cat brother.

Don kept thinking hard about this. "Can you tell me more about April's behavior?"

Bryce happily provided Donnie with some answers by sharing a story from the past.

****

𝐁𝐫𝐲𝐜𝐞'𝐬 𝐏𝐎𝐕

Grace, the twin panthers, and I were at a get-together a few weeks before your brother's groups arrived. The music was going on-- you know, having a great time. April came to see if everything was okay with the get-together and began to show odd behavior. She became really distant from the people there and pushed away some mutants.