Let me warn you now: this is a very dark story. The action here is not meant to be enjoyed. This is just barely staying 'T' and I figured I would warn you in advance.
It deals with a very serious topic, which will be pretty obvious as the story goes on. It's kind of slow, but gets VERY dark.
"Look, why exactly did you drag me here?" Travis Pinkard complained to his friend as he surveyed the nightclub. "This isn't exactly the kind of place I feel comfortable in."
"Come on, buddy." Josh Douglas told his friend, drinking down a shot of whiskey. "I'm sure we can find you a girl somewhere. Who knows? Maybe you can even get lucky."
"Damn it, Josh, I'd rather have a real relationship, not some stupid one-night stand." He protested.
"Yeah, and how that's working out for you? You've been complaining that girls don't like you. You're 24 years old; you need to find someone and this seems a good place to start. Besides, any girlfriends you find are going to want a guy with experience… like me."
"Or maybe it's because you're attractive and I'm not. Take a look at me; why would they be interested?"
"Loosen up a bit and have fun, ok? I know that's a strange concept, but give it a shot. You might even enjoy yourself."
"Yeah, except for the fact I'm going deaf!" Indeed, Travis was right. He could barely even hear his friend and he was standing right next to him. Josh quickly went off to chat up girls.
Travis shook his head; he knew his friend was trying to help, but he wished he had chosen a better way to do it. He sat down on one of the stools and ordered a Pepsi. Some of the bystanders laughed, but he was used to that. Someone's got to keep that idiot from getting himself killed. He sighed.
Time went by and while he was able to talk to women, Travis was still sitting alone. Josh, on the other hand, had the attention of the whole club. "Well, at least he's having a good time." Travis stated. Time was passing very slowly for him.
"Want company?" A woman asked. Travis nodded in surprise and she sat beside him. "Don't know why I even agreed to come here."
"Same here." Travis chuckled. "I've just been drinking Pepsi all night. My friend dragged me here in an effort to find a woman for me."
"Well, I just got out of a relationship and my friends dragged me here in an effort to cheer me up." She replied. "My name's Barbara, by the way."
"Travis," He extended his hand and she shook it, looking at him.
"There are plenty of guys here, but none I'm really interested in. I swear, 4 guys so far asked me if I wanted to sleep with them. One was actually trying to feel me up."
"Hey, men are pigs; I am one, so I'm know what I'm talking about. Josh dragged me here kicking and screaming. Have to admit, I'm 24 and I've never had a girlfriend in my life."
"I don't see why. You seem like a nice guy."
"And you seem like a decent girl; that guy made a big mistake when he dumped. My name's Travis, the grand master of dumb jokes. Keep in mind I did not say good jokes."
Barbara laughed and smiled. "You're probably the only guy here that isn't trying to get into my pants. This isn't exactly my scene."
"Mine either, but my friend was trying to help. You'll see him over there with girls swooning over him. You look nice, by the way." Travis cringed, waiting for her reaction.
"Thanks, Travis; so do you. Why are you nervous?"
"Usually when I compliment a girl, they freak out. I'm a bit different, so I scare them."
"I don't see it, but those girls are stupid. You're a great guy."
"Thanks; have to admit, this is still better than the last time Josh tried to set me up. I thought her brother was going to break me in half."
"Well, my friends don't do that unless I ask."
"Lucky Bitch," he joked and she laughed again. Suddenly, he was nearly blinded by a dark red light. Most people in the club stopped dancing and stared. "You have any idea what…" Before he finished, there was a giant explosion and everything went black.
X X X X X X X X X X
"Danny, get up." Jazz urged. "You're going to be late for school!" She went into the bathroom, grabbed a damp wash rag and rubbed it on his face. Danny groaned, rolling over but slowly getting up.
"Come on, Jazz, I just got to sleep." Danny complained. "I spent half the night chasing Skulker around and then the Box Ghost showed up."
"I know, Danny, but you're running late as it is. Lancer will kill you if you're tardy again. Come on, I'll give you a ride."
He rubbed his eyes and walked down to the kitchen, getting a bowl of cereal. After he finished, he changed clothes and they were just about to leave when they saw Jack and Maddie watching the television intently.
"Danny, come over here!" Jack exclaimed. "You need to see this."
Danny and Jazz followed, wondering what was going on. Anything that could distract them from ghost hunting had to be big.
"So far, the authorities have not found any survivors." the reporter stated. "Although they are not sure of the cause, the evidence they have found suggested foul play. Witness reports from people outside the nightclub say…"
"What is all this about?" asked Jazz.
"It looks like this is another terrorist attack." Jack told them in a worried tone.
"For those of you that are just tuning in, we repeat, a local nightclub in downtown Amity was literally wiped out of existence last night by a sudden burst of flame. Authorities have not yet figured out what the cause is, but the fire chief we had spoken to earlier today had stated that they suspect it may have been deliberately caused."
"We never thought it could happen in this city." Maddie sighed as the reporter continued her summary. "I didn't like to think this could happen again in this country, but I was wrong. We've got a major ghost problem, but terrorists?"
"How do we know they were terrorists?" Jazz intervened. "We'd better not start wild speculation until we know more about this."
"Think about it, Jazz." Jack informed. "A sudden burst of flame, no survivors found, no 911 call; it was like an explosions. Ghost love to terrify and menace, but they usually don't kill."
"Dad, we better get to school." Danny intervened before Jazz could argue. She drove to school in silence and Danny thought it best not to so anything until they got there.
Once they arrived, everyone was in groups, talking about the same thing. Tucker and Sam ran up to the siblings. "Hey, guys, did you hear what happened?" Tucker asked.
"I know; my parents are watching it on the news." Danny sighed. "It looks like I'm going to have to spend more time patrolling, trying to find whoever or whatever did this."
"It's terrible, but maybe we shouldn't jump to conclusions too quickly." Sam cautioned. "This could be an accident or some crazy arsonist."
"You might be right, but even so, I don't feel like taking chances." Danny responded. He rubbed his eyes, trying to keep them open. "We'd better get to class. I'll see you later, Jazz."
But inside class, none of the teachers were able to get their student's attention. All of them were talking about the incident and each of them had their own different theories. Even the ones that attempted to instruct the teenagers did so halfheartedly.
Only Mr. Lancer acted like nothing had happened. Everyone he caught talking about the incident were sent to detention, which meant almost the whole class were punished by the end of the day. That is, ironically, except for our favorite trio.
As they and Jazz walked into the Fenton house, they were startled to see a strange man there. Danny pushed them behind him and got into a fighting position. He turned around and Danny got a good look at him.
He had black hair, blue eyes, and was over 6 feet tall with a muscular frame. The man was wearing casual clothes, a white shirt and black pants. However, perhaps the most obvious feature was that the left side of his face was horribly scarred. It was little more than a mixture of bruises and burns.
"I take it you're Danny Fenton." He finally spoke in a raspy voice. "This must be Jasmine, Tucker Foley, and Samantha Manson."
"How do you know who we are?" Danny demanded, stepping forward and getting ready to transform. "What did you do to my parents?"
"Hey, Danny!" Jack greeted. "I see you're finally home. Let me introduce you to Davis Seriza, an old friend. He's going to be staying with us for a while! Davis, these kids are…"
"I know; your son, daughter, and their friends." Davis replied. "They fit the description you gave me, Jack."
"Who is this guy?"
"He was my student after me and Maddie got married." Jack smiled. "He was eager to learn about ghosts and I taught him everything I know! Come on, let me show you around the house. I can't wait to show you the lab!"
"That guy seems pretty creepy to me." Tucker remarked when they were out of earshot. "I'm not sure we can trust this guy."
"I'll keep an eye on him, but let's not write him as a villain yet." Danny replied. "We don't know anything about him."
"I saw a real haunted look in his eyes." Jazz thought to herself. "He's definitely been through some terrible things."
"A nightclub was wiped out of existence and the next day, he shows up." Sam declared. "This can't be a coincidence. There could be a connection."
"It saddens me whenever I think about him." Jazz shook her head. "It looks almost like Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder. Maybe I can help him; I'm not a psychologist yet, but even so."
"They're coming back; not now." Danny cut her off. Jack, Maddie, and Davis walked into the kitchen. Jack started cooking, while Maddie tried to start conversation.
"Why don't you introduce yourself to them?" Maddie asked. Davis extended his hand, but all of them were too nervous to take it. Davis looked at them intently, but said nothing. "Kids, that's rude."
When Jack finished cooking steaks, they all started to eat. Sam, of course, refused to eat it, but Jack predicted this and gave her a plate of oranges and grapes. She nodded in respect and started gulping down the food like the others. Tucker of course, eat everything he could, as did Jack.
"So Davis, what are you doing back here?" Jack asked in between bites. "It's been years since we've seen. How have you been doing?" Davis stared at him silently, making it an awkward situation. "And why haven't you dominated the conversation? You're the only one that was ever able to out-talk me! Good times, good times…."
"What did you think of our work?" Maddie smiled. "We even managed to make a working ghost portal. Of course, at first it didn't work, but our son Danny fixed it for us! He's a great kid." Davis turned to Danny, who smiled nervously. "You made any new discoveries? When we last heard you, you were so excited about achieving some sort of breakthrough."
After that, Davis left the table without warning and sat down on the couch, staring into space. "What is with him?" Tucker asked with his mouth full, while Sam gagged in disgust.
"I don't know; he never used to be like this." Maddie thought. "He's really a great guy, just… kind of different." They ate the rest of their meal in silence. Once they were done, Jack and Maddie went back to their lab to tinker with various devices. Sam and Tucker left as well, since it was nearing nightfall.
Danny waited until nobody was around then transformed into Phantom, intending to investigate what was going on in Amity Park.
Little did he realize he was being watched.
X X X X X X X X X X
It was a typical patrol. Several ghosts were flying around and he sucked them into the Fenton Thermos, which he thankfully remembered this time around. After a couple of hours, he decided to go to sleep.
That is, until he saw an explosion in the distance. He flew down to see what was going on and saw another ruined building, flames covering everything. The fire department had arrived with hoses, but it was still too dangerous for anyone to go in even with protective clothing.
Danny decided to act. He fired ice blasts all around the building, which melted immediately but helped the firemen put out the blaze. Once it was under control, he flew inside to see what he could do to help. When he got there, he stared open-mouthed at the destruction.
It was obviously a restaurant before the explosion. Danny cringed at the scent of burnt flesh, but forced himself to continue. He saw a family sitting at a table, horribly burned, with the father's mouth open. They were reduced almost to skeletons.
He looked everywhere and saw the same thing; not a single person survived. Danny was tempted to leave, but he heard a faint grown. He sprinted over, hoping there was at least one person he could save. He saw a woman, most of her body burned and her flesh little more than glowing red. "I'll get you help; don't worry." He picked her up as gently as he could manage.
"Light… flash of red light." She gasped out and collapsed. He tried to revive her, but she was too far gone. Danny screamed in agony, trying to hold back tears. He flew away, trying everything he knew to get the images out of his head.
He flew home and collapsed onto a chair, mentally exhausted and transformed back into a human. After several moments, he saw the door open. It was Davis, silent and somber as ever.
"What were you doing out there?" Danny demanded accusingly.
"That's nothing you need to worry about." Davis replied and said no more, going to the guest room.
Could he be behind all of this? Danny wondered to himself. He didn't know when he fell asleep, but next thing he knew, it was morning.
Thankfully, school had been cancelled, so he could sleep in. When he awoke for good, it was nearly noon and his parents were still watching the news, describing the latest attack. Davis was there as well, bowing his head.
"What happened now?" Danny asked, although he was already well aware. Now that his mind was regaining consciousness, images of the woman burned into his mind once again.
"There's no information, nothing." Maddie stated in fear. "All they found were small traces of a mysterious substance. This could be caused by a ghost."
"Very possible," Davis agreed quietly. "I hope we can stop whatever this is before he does this again." He got up and left, leaving the Fentons shocked.
Before, the topic of discussion was just like gossip Danny had repeatedly heard in school, but now there was a voice of fear. They were afraid that they would be next, that their homes would be the ones reported on the news.
There was yet another strike that night, with the exact same signs. Except this time, there was a survivor. A 5-year-old girl was found by police and rushed to the hospital. Apparently the father had protected her from death with his own body, covering her. Danny bowed his head in respect to the bravery to the unknown man.
He spent more time than ever as Danny Phantom, trying to find whoever was responsible. The death toll was now close to 100 and there was every reason to believe that it could keep rising, especially if there were more attacks.
Even after a sleepless night, he found nothing, but this time, there was nothing but silence. No explosions, no more fatalities…for the moment. Around midnight, he bumped into something during his flight. He quickly recovered and saw Vlad Plasmius.
"What are you doing here, Vlad?" Danny snarled.
"Probably the same thing you are, Daniel: attempting to find what is behind the attacks." Vlad replied. "I have various sources of my own, and based on their descriptions, the small particles they have found at each of these sites is ectoplasm. A ghost is responsible for this terrorism."
"And how do I know the ghost isn't you?" Danny demanded, firing ecto-blasts, hitting Vlad in the chest. Before he could follow with a punch, Vlad caught his arm and threw him aside.
"Be reasonable, Daniel! I have nothing to gain from this kind of terror. This is my city and I am responsible for its safety. I am not a hero the way you are, but I would not take part in cold-blooded murder."
"Whatever you say, fruit loop."
"Like it or not, Daniel, you are going to need my help. This ghost, whoever it is, is very powerful, far beyond what you can do. True, you might be able to destroy buildings, but not so quickly or without leaving any survivors. In all honesty, his power is greater than mine as well, so we will need to work together."
"Fine, Plasmius, but I still don't trust you or that person that showed up at our house the other day, Davis Seriza."
"Seriza? I didn't know he was here."
"You know him?"
"This is something I will have to look into. Until next time, little badger." Vlad flew up, leaving Danny in shock.
With mounting causalities, the public demanded action be taken. The national guard had been called in, as were the FBI and GIW. Danny knew it was now more risky to patrol at night, but he decided to do so anyway. However, he was still unable to find even a truce of their mysterious enemy, but he was more suspicious of Seriza than ever.
He was often found pacing around in the middle of the night, obviously nervous about something. When Danny confronted him, he simply stayed silent, giving him the I-know-everything look he was used to from Vlad.
X X X X X X X X X X
Okay, men, we're here to find and destroy the responsible party!" The commander of the GIW told his soldiers. "Of course, he is most likely a ghost. Are all your weapons loaded?" When they answered affirmatively… "Let's go, men!"
They flew out on their jet sleds and other assorted machinery. Their ghost sensors soon picked up something nearby, and it was off the charts. They headed to the city limits of Amity, where the signal was pointing.
"We're going to make this thing pay for what he did!" one of the agents exclaimed furiously.
"They had the same thing happen on the east coast; we're not going to allow it here!" Another stated.
"Hey, I was actually there, and be grateful you don't know what you're talking about." a third said, this one a female.
The GIW saw someone walking along the road, heading into Amity. All their instruments pointed at it, so they heated their weapons and prepare to fire.
"Surrender, ghost! Or human…" The commander demanded. "We have you completely surrounded! Give up or be destroyed!"
He had dark hair, but with a green tint. Their instruments were going haywire, nearly malfunctioning. All of them aimed their weapons and set it to full power.
Then they turned around and all of them stared in shock.
Yeah, I had to end it right there. I hate cliffhangers when I read them, but when I'm the one writing, it's a whole different story. I've got the whole thing planned, 2 other chapters written.
I was originally going to wait to send this chapter out until I finished everything, but I thought it would be fitting, considering the topic of this story. Again, this is a dark, angst-ridden, tragic novel, so consider yourself warned! It deals with a very real thing we have to deal with, and I got the idea watching one of my favorite movies. Let's see if you can figure out what it is.
Of course, please review. And let us never forget everyone who lost their lives on this tragic day and the heroes who risked and gave their lives trying to save them.