The Pain
Trying to get back into things, had to get this out.
The pain is excruciating, each movement nearly sending him to his knees, but he continues. Giving up wasn’t an option, not anymore. A mutant like him didn’t plan for a long life, not in his line of work anyways, as death greeted him every day with each outing into the night.
His brothers and he were the only thing between chaos and peace in this city. To keep the foot and their plans at bay, that was why they kept breathing, why they lived the life they did. Unsung heroes, without the gratitude of the residents of this great city, that was until you. Nothing until you.
He stumbled through the shadows, just a little longer, almost to you. The large mutant turtle grasped at weeping wounds, hoping to reach his destination in time. He should be heading to the lair, to his brothers and father but he didn’t know if he would make it this time and like hell you wouldn’t be the last thing he saw if this was in fact this was his last night on earth.
Bloody hands gripped at rusted metal pulling down the fire escape, one foot after the other hoisting up his massive weight. His knees almost buckle from the stress of it but his hand grabs at the railing just in time to catch himself. The terrapin stops for a moment to catch his breath and look up to see the light of your apartment shining like a beacon of hope. You were home, thank the gods, just a little more, he could make it.
Thankfully the terrace door was open so his hands pushed through tumbling into your living room with an ungraceful grunt. On his shell he barely hears you scream out as you run to him. Your hands instinctively move to his wounds assessing before running to the bathroom for your first aid kit. The kit they had given you for emergencies, emergencies just like this.
It’s getting cold and his fingers start to lose feeling, at least he got to see you one last time. You burst from the bathroom phone to your ear screaming into the device before dropping it haphazardly dropping to your knees beside him. Even like this you were breathtaking, he had been so lucky.
As you race to stabilize him his large green hand cups your face, his thumb wiping away the streaming tears. He can hear you still screaming not to give up, to hold on. He doesn’t want to give up; he doesn’t want to leave you like this but the pain was fading which wasn’t a good sign. A sign his massive body was failing, the body that loved you, saved this city more time he could count, the body that would give anything to feel you one last time.
Eye lids grow heavy, taking everything in him to keep them up. Shadows cast around your face seeping into his vision blurring all that he could see. Limps grow heavy slipping from your face and he hears you scream one last time as the darkness wins. He sinks into it nothing with your name on his lips.
The dark is peaceful, making him weightless for the first time. Silence and a feeling of warmth with his weightlessness, is this what death felt like? Calm, warm and some pain…..and the slowly growing sounds of his brothers. Wait?
As the weightlessness decreased the pain increased, then he felt his hands and feet move. Next the light filtered through and his eye lids opened to the lab. He was alive and at home. Looking around his whole body was nearly covered in bandages and by the grace of the gods you were there next to him facing his brothers. His hand reached out gripping your wrist with what little strength he had.
Your head wiped around so fast he could have sworn he heard your neck crack. A solemn face burst forth into pure happiness as you cupped his face plastering what open green skin was to see with your lips.
He was alive, alive to fight another day and make sure you knew just how important you were to him.
