The calm skyline of Amity Park was receding into night, and the pleasant people of the city were returning to their homes from a honest day's work in the dead of winter. Snow drifted down to the earth, gently caressing the frostbitten grass it kissed. All of the humans were bundled up tightly, running to their homes as they were chased by dusk and frost, but there was one who loved the cold. Frolicked in it, even.
Danny shivered in excitement as he watched the snow fall. He traced the little flakes on his window, even making his own on the inside of the pane, almost jumping with the pent up energy the cold gave him. After Frostbite showed him how to use his ice powers and oh my god he had ice powers, he received so much power from days like this it drived him crazy.
Taking the risk of going out early, he changed formes, taking delight in how wonderful it felt to be free. The rings faded with a flash, leaving a floating white haired specter rather than an average freshman in high school. He phased through the door, feeling the first flakes as he rematerialised outside. It felt so good to be alive. Dead. Whatever he was, he didn't care.
Danny was one with the sky, one with the cold, and he felt one with himself as he landed in the old park in the middle of the city, completely deserted because of the weather, choosing to sit in one of the ancient wooden swings that always felt like they were doing to fall apart under the weight of a human.
'Humans,' he thought, 'so fragile and yet so destructive-' Danny interrupted himself. It was the power talking, trying to take over his mind. He just needed to focus… He was HUMAN, not GHOST. Today was a happy day, not a time to tackle his demons. Not today. Danny centered himself, forcing himself to sit, not float, on the swing. To start to move his feet in tandem with one another, to rock back and forth in such a normal activity. He was a normal kid, regardless of the sense of euphoria that the chilly weather, and he was going to enjoy his snow, damnit.
And enjoy it he did, using his newfound love of ice to shape and mold miniature spacecraft in the snow. He even made a shuttle that was the size of the entire big toy. 'See?' He said to himself, 'I'm so happy, I could do this forever.' He took in the frigid air, perfectly relaxed and content to sit in his creation and watch the snowfall.
He was so content, he never noticed the pair in jumpsuits, prowling among the pines that lined the clearing he was in. The one in blue held a large capture device, the one in orange was backing her up with a tracker. Despite their quirks, Maddie and Jack Fenton were deadly serious about their jobs, not making a sound as they came closer to their prey.
Maddie aimed through the window of the snow creation, locking on the the ghost's forehead. She paused, a slight hesitation as she realised how peaceful Phantom was, how nice it must feel to be alone in the snow as a being that thrives in the cold. The hesitation faded as fast as it came, though, and she fired her weapon at her target.
Danny noticed the net too slowly, not expecting an attack. It nailed him, and covered in blood blossom nectar and thorns, brought him in a field of pain. He didn't register his screaming until his throat was sore and his parents, his parents, were standing over him. His father grabbed the net that he was tangled and thrashing in, hauling him through the snow to what was most likely the RV.
He struggled, trying to get his mouth to do anything but scream as the horrible plant burned it's way into his skin, leaving large gaping sores that oozed ectoplasm. He wanted to do something, anything to get out, but his body was being eaten alive and it burned with red smoke. When the RV came into his warped vision, he was filled with renewed terror, and tried to talk, but couldn't. He was going to die. No one was going to know. HE WAS GOING TO DIE-
There was a moment, a spark not unlike earlier on the swing, when Danny's mind lurched and became something else. Then he only saw glimpses, fragments.
- Foolish mortals-
The net ripping
-You have no right to imprison a being like me-
Screaming
-You don't know what you're dealing with-
Blood on the snow
-Time to pay the price-
Nothing.
The first thing Danny felt was cold. It wasn't the welcoming energy that he loved so dearly, it was the deep chill that rests in the bottom of your soul, threatening to rip it out of you.
The second thing he saw were the corpses.
