The prompt for this one was "panic", so of course I decided to be cruel and pick on the baby of the family.

They were everywhere. Though they stumbled over each other and moved slower than a glitching video game character, their numbers were astronomical. Mikey had faced worse odds before, but there was only so much he could do to fight off hundreds of biting zombies with a normally short-range weapon.

"Why can't these be the zombies that need to hear you to find you? Brain Busters III had the right idea," Mikey quipped as he dashed through the tunnels with his family.

When the infection had spread, the military enacted a plan. To try to save as many New Yorkers as possible, soldiers set up various traps into older buildings with underground floors. The bombs they used blew holes right through the concrete and into the mazes of the sewers. When Splinter's keen ears caught the sound of groaning and multitudes of feet scraping the ground, they knew they had to flee.

Casey suggested taking the Party Wagon, which Mr. O'Neil was kind enough to leave parked by his apartment before he left for a business trip. The recent outbreak prevented his return to the increasingly overrun city. Ideally, the Shellraiser's bulk would be better for plowing through the rotting masses. Unfortunately, Donnie quickly realized the route to get subway car onto the street was where the zombies were pouring in from.

With Splinter listening to every possible path, they managed to avoid most of them. Leo kept them at bay with his swords. Mikey utilized his kusarigama to sweep his blades across the knees and leave them mostly incapacitated. Nothing seemed to deter them. A clean stroke of the sword across the neck left a head rolling. Its jaws gnashed at Mikey's ankles, nearly catching his wrappings in its teeth. The turtle squealed and hopped over to his brother's side.

"Why is one more block so far away?" he whined.

"We're almost there," Leo said firmly. "We just have to-"

"There's a huge horde turning the corner behind us! Maybe we could move a little faster!" Donnie whispered loudly, unsheathing his naginata.

The rumbling echoed across the wall. Mikey rubbed at his exposed arms. He wished Donnie had had more time to put together some kind of anti-zombie shield for his skin. Retreating slightly into his shell, Mikey already felt the suffocating mountain of limbs clawing at him. He would be nothing more than a tasty afternoon snack and every bite would send the infection raging through his blood.

A tapping against the back of his shell reminded him to keep moving. Mikey let out a breath and straightened the cooler strapped to him.

"Stay in there, Ice Cream Kitty. I won't let them have your creamy goodness," the turtle said, trying to keep his voice from shaking. Mikey lifted his head to his sensei. The rat's ears twitched and his eyes grew tense.

"We are too enclosed down here. The streets are our only option for the remaining distance," Splinter decided. "This way."

From behind, Mikey could hear April attempting to soothe Casey's whimpering sister, who clung tightly to her older brother's back. Raph chanted that she keep her eyes closed, no matter what. She was too young to be witnessing this nightmare.

Rounding another corner, Mikey spotted a ladder leading up the wall to a manhole cover.

"A manhole! We're saved!" he blurted.

His voice carried down the end of the tunnel. The rumble of moans echoed back.

The zombies were closing in from every direction now.

"I-I'm sorry! Go the other way, zombies!" Mikey sputtered, unable to retract his words. He clamped his hands over his mouth, biting down on his loose tongue.

"There's no time, Mikey! Just climb!" Leo hissed, pointing a sword after Splinter. Mikey ducked past his brother and rushed up the rusted ladder. Blinking at the afternoon sun, Mikey made out Splinter clearing away stumbling zombies. With more room to maneuver, the grandmaster did away with them easily. Turning back to the hole, the turtle dropped down his chain.

"Grab on, Casey! I'll give you and Angel a lift!"

Casey snatched the chain in his hands and Mikey pulled with all of his might. The lanky boy propelled himself by scuffling his feet against the ladder rungs. The instant he was out, he let go to allow Mikey to drop the chain to April next. She rose much faster without a child on her back.

"Come on, the van's this way!" she declared, tessen pointing the way.

"Michelangelo, go with them! I will follow with your brothers," Splinter ordered. He neatly dodged a lunging set of teeth and sent the monster flying in the opposite direction.

"You got it" Mikey responded, his throat tightening. He turned away from the manhole the moment he saw the blue of Leo's mask.

The small group sprinted down the street, the yellow of the Party Wagon standing out among the grey skins of the walking corpses. Few zombies stood in their way, but each one that got just too close to Angel made Mikey's heart skip a beat. Casey's chewed up hockey stick made short work of them.

Finally making it to their escape vehicle, a roar rolled through the street, then cut out suddenly. Mikey felt his heart sink.

It was Raph. He only made that sound when something went wrong.

April gritted her teeth and jammed the keys into the keyhole, cursing under her breath. Throwing the door open, she crawled into the passenger's seat and unlocked the other doors. Casey heaved the now sobbing Angel onto April's lap and started the engine. Mikey jumped in the back and slammed the door between him and a zombie's face. He set down the cooler. The vehicle rumbled and Casey slammed on the gas pedals.

"Pleasepleasepleaseplease," Mikey begged to any higher power he could imagine.

Over the dashboard, he squinted his eyes past the few remaining zombies. His lips broke out into a smile.

"There's Raph! And…"

Raph was unconscious in Splinter's arms. His father and Leo's expressions were twisted in pain.

"Where's Donnie?" Mikey and April cried out at the same instant.

The Party Wagon halted to allow the remaining Hamatos into the back.

"Go," Leo said stonily, his expression dark.

"What about-"

"Go!"

Casey didn't argue.

Mikey did. He asked over and over where Donnie was and why Raph was out cold. He stood in the shaky vehicle, glaring down at his father. Splinter managed a weak answer.

"Raphael… attempted to attack me when Donatello was overwhelmed in the sewer." His head hung low, ears pressed against his head. Splinter looked small.

"No! Stop lying, Splinter! Tell me where Donnie's hiding! He's too smart to get bitten, he can outsmart anything. Just tell me," he shook his head.

When Splinter said nothing, Mikey turned to his remaining brother. Leo's forlorn eyes met his. Mikey's breath halted in his throat. The space of the van pressed hard on him and shattered, the shards cutting deep. The youngest turtle collapsed into his brother's arms shaking and hiccuping.

"He can't be… Donnie just can't…"

Two children sobbed openly, even more wept quietly. They fell silent after a time, listless even when Raph came to.

Mikey's heart no longer hammered. For how could a shattered heart continue to beat?