Here's my contribution to the classic "Danny runs away to Jump to avoid his problems after his family and friends die in TUE" story mindset.


Tonight was the coldest night he'd had in a while. Shuddering, he pulled his sweatshirt strings tighter around his neck.

Just his luck was this March.

With each exhale came a blue mist pouring from his lips; Danny was starting to feel paranoid. There were no ghosts around this part of the city- that he knew- but the air felt off. Shaking his head, he continued down the alleyway, his long worn sneakers scrunching against the pavement.

There was a faint sound- the creaking of a door. He abruptly stopped walking, tuning out the crickets of grasshoppers and focusing on the single sound. What he heard from ahead in the dark alley was a conversation he was never meant to hear.

"The boy is still missing?" A scoff. "I expected better of you, professor." The deep voice startled him.

There was a figure standing in the light of the street lamp vigorously shaking their head at a doorway. "I'm certain my monitors will find him soon. After all, we know he resides in this very city."

Another, angrier scoff from the first voice. "All the progress you have made so far has been pitiful. I suppose I shall have to locate young Daniel myself. He has been missing for a whole month, now. You are excused for tonight, Virgil." The man's voice was directed at the person visible in the light near the end of his response.

The second, more nervous voice was slightly shaking. "Yes, Master." They walked quickly into the lone street.

In the shadows, our protagonist waited with baited breath for the door to shut behind the unseen man. He eventually deemed it safe to continue onto the sidewalk, but not after an extra fifteen minutes of silent torture.

Strolling from deserted street to deserted street, he contemplated what to do next.

Well, for one thing: I'm homeless! He attempted a grin, failed, and didn't stop walking. The next morning, Danny would be waking up to a park bench and a growling stomach.

Danny didn't like to steal. It wasn't exactly on his list of good deeds. But it was necessary if he wanted to continue his life as a nomad, going from city to city, desperate for something in his sorry life to change.

A false hope of bringing them back, he supposed.

He willed the tears not to fall.

Back to reality, he stared at the single apple in his hands. His fingers absentmindedly tapped on its ripe surface, not wanting to eat it simply on the principle of having stolen the fruit. The act of taking it had been almost too easy; the seller hadn't been watching, opting to play a game on her phone, and there weren't any customers directly watching the stand either. But the prospect of eating the fruit was... wrong. Solemnly, he took a bite.

Or he was about to, when he exhaled a familiar blue mist and immediately stiffened. A ghost? Here? He quietly scuffled through the bustling crowd, choking down a few bites of apple before throwing the core into a dumpster, and entered an alleyway to wait for a luminescent specter.

He found that he was doing that a lot more often.

After a few minutes without screams, he concluded that it had been a false alarm. If he was being honest, it was almost disappointing. He walked further down the sidewalk, escaping the marketplace and slipping through the rusted gates of Jump City Park.

Unsurprisingly, there were people there. That wasn't ideal, but he would have to make due. It wasn't like he could force them off city property. Danny instead chose to climb the nearest tree. He thought back to previous night.

Those guys were either looking for me, or some other missing kid named Daniel. Considering the circumstances, he guessed they meant him. He swung his legs over a high but sturdy branch and let his head relax against the rough bark of the tree.

Maybe they were with the Guys in White. Vlad finally decided to rat me out to the government, then.

A long, heavy sigh. He brushed some of his bangs back up into the mess that was his hair.

I'm not surprised. He still wants me as his son, that bastard.

He looked onto a group of small children chasing each other, not straying far from what was the most worn-down pavilion in the park. A boy, no younger than five, was laughing at the stray mud on his clothes. The girl who had pushed him into the mud puddle watched him, looking thoughtful and tugging at her pigtails. Grinning, she innocently stuck out her hand and pulled him up off the ground.

What Danny would give to be in their carefree shoes.

There is a saying that goes something like: nothing good can last forever. He didn't quite remember the exact words, but he did know the peaceful park scene wouldn't last much longer.

What he did not anticipate was the gun.

Who was stupid enough to try and shoot up a city park, anyway? Police officers practically flock there as soon as they go on break, drinking their coffee and eating their donuts. Stereotypical, but accurate to the afternoon.

"Hold up your arms! Hand over your valuables!"

Oh yeah. There was a robber.

Despite this, Danny couldn't help a snark reply. "How are we supposed to hand over our valuables when we have our arms up?"

The masked vigilante- who held the stance of a resentful teenager- whipped their head up to the tree Danny was sitting in, but couldn't seem to find him. They growled up at nothing. Fortunately for the civilians fearfully watching the exchange, the criminal was distracted long enough for multiple police officers to surround them with pointed guns and tasers.

Camouflaged by various leaves and actual invisibility, Danny smirked.

The unsuccessful criminal was led into the back of a flashing police car. Weakly, they punched the reinforced glass windows of the vehicle. Once they were secured, young smiling children ran up to hug the legs of middle-aged officers as a thank you. Even some of the adults were crying at how frightened they had been.

The halfa allowed a tiny smile to creep into his expression. He had played a role in saving innocent lives (not that he thought the nervous teenager under the mask would have actually fired their gun). The euphoric feeling of being a hero washed over him, and he winced.

He forgot just how much he missed it.

While Danny peered down at the scene below him, he failed to notice the shadow of a person behind him. Likewise, he also failed to see who it was who stuck a needle of anesthesia in his arm before his world went dark.

Just a normal Thursday.