The Goth and the Ghost
a Danny Phantom fanfiction
by The Cinderninja

Chapter 7: Haunted House

Sam had everything ready by nine thirty. She had three sleeping bags sitting rolled up on her bedroom floor, and a backpack filled with flashlights, food for the morning, a few books, and a few other things she thought might come in useful.

She stuffed everything under her bed before she crawled in, and pretended to be asleep when her mother came in to check on her just before ten. She cracked an eye open and watched as Pamela left her bedroom, shutting the door behind her. As soon as she heard the 'click' of the latch sliding into place, she climbed out of bed and pulled her window open.

A few minutes later she saw Tucker walking down the street looking pretty uncomfortable. Apparently he didn't do this 'sneaking out' thing very often. He kept glancing nervously over his shoulder every few seconds. He came to a stop on the sidewalk in front of her house and she picked up the first sleeping bag and tossed t out the window, making Tucker jump in surprise as it landed a few feet away from him.

He looked up and saw her standing in the window giving him a thumbs up. He returned it with far less enthusiasm, but at least he didn't jump as the second sleeping bag came flying out the window. Once all three bags were on the ground, she threw her backpack over her shoulders and climbed out the window herself. There was a big tree just a few feet away from her window, she could make it easily if she jumped far enough.

Closing the gap easily, she slid down the tree and met Tucker on the ground. He just shook his head at her, looking like he doubted her sanity.

"I can't believe you just jumped out of a second floor window."

"What? There was a tree there." Totally nonchalant.

He just shook his head again, grinning, and the two of them started off towards Danny's house. They got there just a few minutes later, and Sam tossed a rock at his window to get his attention. He appeared in the window a few seconds later, looking startled.

He grinned when he saw them and waved, disappearing from sight again. They both assumed he was coming out to meet them. Inside the house, Danny crept silently down the stairs. He pushed his door open just wide enough to pass through, then walked down the stairs, wincing at each loud creak that emanated from them.

He stopped at the front door to the house. He glanced back over his shoulder at the basement door. He wasn't sure what would happen if he left. Would he walk all the way back home in the middle of the night? He doubted it. Would he sleep normally if he was away from the Portal? He hoped so, but for some reason didn't think that was quite right either. He thought back to that morning. He knew he couldn't have actually gone downstairs, the door was locked. But his dream still scared him.

Danny shook his head, trying to clear it. He convinced himself not to think of the Portal. He'd done an alright job not thinking about it all day. Surely he could go one night, as well? He'd considered taking his necklace off and leaving it at home tonight -it made him horribly uncomfortable. But for some reason, he chose not to. Steeling himself, and trying to convince himself that nothing bad would happen, he stood up straight and grabbed the door handle.

A few moments later he poked his head out the front door, grinning at his friends. He was jittering slightly, but aside from that looked extremely pleased with himself. He had his own backpack slung over his own shoulders – with some food of his own, and a change of clothes.

"I can't believe I'm actually doing this." He whispered to them, grinning from ear to ear. Tucker looked as nervous as Danny was excited. Sam looked at the both of them, amused. "You guys really haven't snuck out before, have you?" She asked.

Both shook their heads. "No way!"

"Uh, why would I?"

She just shook her head and smiled to herself as Danny lead the way and they started their trek to Maple Street. "I can tell I'm going to be a great influence on you guys." she declared proudly.

They had unrolled their sleeping bags in the middle of the living room. Danny and Tucker sat in the middle of the floor playing Uno while Sam looked around the house. "Hey, guys. Come check this out!" Her voice reached them from somewhere up the stairs. Exchanging a look, the boys placed their cards on the floor and stood up.

"It's my go when we come back." Tucker said firmly, and Danny nodded, rolling his eyes. They each picked up a flashlight from the floor – they had been left on and lying on their sides so that Danny and Tucker could see their card game – and made their way up the stairs to the second floor.

"What is it, Sam?" Danny asked her.

"Just come look." She called back. "Trust me, you'll like it." Apparently, both boys missed the sinister undertones in her voice.

"Yeah, yeah. Where are you?" Danny wondered loudly as they reached the top landing. Both boys shone their flashlights down the hallway, but they couldn't see any Sam. Just a bunch of doors. Some were open a crack, but most were closed.

"Down here. End of the hall."

Danny and Tucker walked toward the door that her voice had come from, at the end of the hallway, both moving their beams of light around. Danny felt paranoid in the dark house and kept swinging his flashlight around, as if he were trying to see everything at once.

He pushed the door open slowly. It hung on rusted old hinges and groaned loudly as it swung open. Poking his head inside the room, he called out Sam's name, but got no response. Venturing further in to the dark room, he aimed the beam from his flashlight into the corners. He noticed a large bookshelf against one wall, covered in dust.

Another shelf had a few dolls on it. Danny really didn't like dolls. He had his reasons – beyond the fact that dolls are undeniably creepy. There was an old piano in the far corner of the room. Danny thought that was cool – a little odd that no one had thought to take it. Stand up piano's were worth a lot! But he supposed it was mostly only kids who came in here and they never really thought about that.

But still no sign of Sam. "Are you sure she's in here?" Tucker asked Danny, startling him and making him jump. Danny tried to hide it and just nodded instead, before remembering that his friend probably couldn't see him in the dark. "Uh, yeah... pretty sure." He answered back in a whisper. He didn't know why – they were all alone here after all – but something about the place just made him feel the need to whisper.

Just as he was about to suggest they leave and explore the rest of the floor, there was a creaking groan from behind them. Both boys spun around, jumping, just in time to hear the door slam shut.

"...Sam?" Tucker. Then he had a thought. Just as he was about to voice his idea out loud to Danny, someone jumped up directly behind them and shouted "Boo!"

Both boys shrieked and jumped halfway out of their skins, dropping their flashlights, before they recognized Sam's maniacal laughter in the dark. Danny's eyes flashed momentarily, but returned to normal a few seconds later when he realized who was there. Now, he was busy trying to get his breathing under control and thinking of a way to rescue his dignity.

Sam was still cackling madly by the time they found their way back downstairs. Tucker and Danny's expressions were stuck somewhere between anger and embarrassment, but they too started laughing after enough time had gone by for their heart rates to return to normal.

"I hate you so much right now." Tucker admitted.

"You guys were hysterical!" Sam snickered. "I mean, yeah, I was trying to scare you, but that reaction? Priceless! I wish I'd had my camera with me." It was a good fifteen minutes before she finally got her mad laughter under control. By then, Danny and Tucker had shed the last remnants of their self-consciousness and admitted that yes, Sam had gotten them pretty good, and that yes, they had both reacted like huge babies.

The three of them explored for a little longer, but nothing exceptionally strange happened during the remainder of the night. After that, they sat and played cards for a bit longer. Before finally going to bed around one in the morning, Sam convinced the three to spend some time telling ghost stories – come on, that was a given, if you were going to stay in a haunted house over night.

Even Danny accepted this as a Universal Fact, and had promised to do his best to do it properly. And to be honest, he was pretty good at telling ghost stories when he put the effort into it. When he didn't make it so obvious that he thought what he was saying was plain old stupid, he actually made it pretty enthralling. At least, that's what Sam though. She quickly deemed him her Favourite Story Teller, at which he blushed and refused to tell any more stories. After all, he had to keep his opinion of ghosts strictly neutral.

If he were too anti-ghost he'd end up sounding like his parents – shudder – but if he sounded too pro-ghost then they'd probably think he were being overshadowed or something ridiculous. To be perfectly honest, he just didn't care. He thought the whole ghost thing was overdone to death – pun not intended.

But here, alone with Tucker and Sam, he was a lot more at ease and didn't care if he got into it a bit. Besides, Sam seemed to think it was cool. Finally though, they did go to sleep. Sam fell asleep almost as soon as the flashlight's were off and she was curled up in her sleeping back.

Tucker and Danny talked for a little while after, but eventually Tucker fell asleep too, leaving Danny to stare off into the darkness on his own. He couldn't sleep. He didn't want to, and he didn't feel like he could be able to. He groaned slightly. He was stressing about this way too much!

But still... somewhere in the back of his head, Danny was scared of what would happen. After a few more silent minutes in the darkness, Danny climbed out of his sleeping bag and dragged it across the floor, so that it was closer to Sam and Tuckers. They had all been in a sort of triangle formation, but now they were in one row with Danny's sleeping bag between the other two. He crawled back in and sat there a while longer.

He was in a strange house – an old house, which could come crashing down at any minute, in the middle of the night, and nobody knew where he was. Except the other two kids there with him. A house that may or may not be haunted – though to be honest, Danny doubted it was. And he hadn't had a normal night's sleep in forever. What if... whatever was going on... happened again? Danny shivered, but eventually he managed to fall asleep. He was just too tired – he hadn't been getting any decent sleep lately.

Danny woke again a few hours later, sitting up abruptly and shivering. It passed quickly, and he tried going back to sleep despite the uncomfortable cold feeling in the pit of his stomach, and the paranoia prickling at the back of his mind – the latter of which feelings he was more than used to.

After a few minutes of trying to fall back asleep however, the feeling returned, making him shiver again. Reluctantly, he climbed out of his sleeping bag. He searched the floor blindly for his flashlight before remembering that he left it with his backpack further away when he moved his sleeping back.

Stumbling back over to where he remembered his stuff being, he crouched down and felt for a flashlight. Flicking it on, he stood back up, shining it over his friends sleeping bodies before turning it back to the rest of the room. He turned a few small circles, trying to illuminate the whole room.

The hair on the back of his neck was standing up, and the paranoid feeling in the back of his mind rose again. He was sorely tempted to wake his sleeping friends but shook his head, convincing himself otherwise. He frowned, wondering why he didn't just go back to sleep, before shivering again. Oh yeah. That was why.

Besides which, the paranoid feeling grew the longer he stood still here. His eyes flashed, and he pulled open his backpack. He took out a thermos – when had he put that in there? – and started walking forwards without consciously making the decision, stepping out of the room with one last glance over his shoulder at his sleeping friends.

As he turned the corner, a flash of light filled the doorway.

I blink as my eyes instantly adjust to the darkness. I'm not used to being able to see with no light, but at the same time it feels perfectly natural. There's an odd, bright glow. It irritates me. Realizing it's the light from the flashlight still in my hand, I quickly turn it off. My eyes readjust again.

"Hello?" I wonder quietly. There's a ghost here. I don't know how I know, but I do. I can sense it. I try sensing where it is, but apparently it doesn't work that way. In any case, the problem resolves itself for me as I hear the sounds of creaking floorboards echo through the upstairs hallway. I turn, eyes narrowing, and hover over to the staircase. I drop to the floor and begin to climb, holding the banister in one hand, Thermos in the other.

Don't ask me why I chose to walk up the stairs, I don't know the reason. I suppose I just like the feel of climbing stairs, it's fun. I listen for more noise, but none comes. "Hello?" I wonder again, louder this time. Still though, I'm careful not to wake my friends.

I step onto the top landing and look around suspiciously. I don't like this sneaking, and the quiet. It unnerves me. I like a problem you can see, and deal with. It's simple. A door swings open at the end of the hallway and an icy wind sweeps out from inside, tossing my hair back.

I turn and float down the hall. I don't hesitate before entering. I look around, but there's nothing here. This is starting to get on my nerves. It's a ghost, so it's invisible. How am I even supposed to find anything this way? I growl in frustration. And then there's another growl.

Before I can react a weight hits me from behind, knocking me off my feet. I roll onto my back, and just out of the way as the Shadow crashes into the floor where I just was. Hold on – the Shadow? What's it doing here, isn't Sam still asleep? While I'm distracted, the Shadow crashes into my side again, knocking me back to the floor.

Fight now, worry later.

I sink through the floor just as the Shadow crashes into it again. Soon after however, it begins to seep through as well. I look below me, and realize I'm back where I started – in the same room with Sam and Tucker. I don't want to fight the Shadow here.

To be honest, I don't want to fight the Shadow at all. I'm still exhausted from earlier, and I never got a chance to try and recharge. I'm having a hard enough time as it is, but I don't even know how to fight! But I suppose that's not really a choice that I have right now. I'm going to have to lead it away, so I float backwards through the walls. I mean to lead it outside, but I'm only in the front foyer when it catches up again.

The dark shape crashes down like a wave over top of me, but thick and heavy. It's hard to move through and pushes back when I struggle to get free. I have an odd thought – that it feels like really thick pancake mix. I try to think of a way to fight back, but nothing comes to mind. My chest starts to burn and I think it might be suffocating me – that's strange.

For lack of any better ideas, I kick and flail as hard as I can inside of it. Once, I think I feel my hand break free. I use my free hand to pull myself after it. I can tell I won't be getting out this way, but as my head breaks free, I at least manage to catch my breath.

Breathing deeply, I struggle to hold myself outside for as long as I can, before I grin and let go. Instantly being pulled back inside, I stop fighting and pull my knees up to my chest. Closing my eyes, I concentrate. On what I'm not sure, but at the same time, there is some level at which my instincts take over and I know what I'm doing. I trust those instincts because right now, they're the only part of me that knows what I'm doing.

Focusing on that feeling, I let it grow and spread. My hands are tingling. Finally my lungs protest the lack of air again – my chest feels like it's in a vice – and I open my eyes. My entire body is glowing brightly. When I feel like I can't contain it any longer, I finally let go of all that power.

The results are instant. Still curled into a tight ball, I can feel the sudden pressure gone from my body and take in a deep breath of air. After a few moments the glow dies abruptly and I fall to the floor. I yelp, startled, and struggle to push myself up into a sitting position and look around. I can't see the Shadow – I must have done some decent damage with... whatever I just. But I know better then to think that I've defeated it.

I suddenly remember the Thermos, and realize that I must have dropped it when the Shadow landed on top of me. My eyes quickly scan the room, and I see it – there, it's rolled into the corner. I manage to struggle onto my feet, and drag myself over and pick it up as the Shadow begins to reform. Wisps of dark mist floating towards each other, sticking together. Slowly they grow. As soon as it's large enough, and those green eyes reappear, I uncap the Thermos.

I've never used this before, so I hope I do this right. I aim it at the Shadow, but nothing happens. I shake it and stare inside, but it still won't react. The Shadow is still pulling itself together, staring at me from across the room. I hit it on the side, then get an idea. Frowning, I run my hand over the side. There, a power button. Hoping this works, I aim again and press down.

I actually flinch away and close my eyes as a blue-white beam of light shoots out of the Thermos, and the recoil makes me stumble backwards. Cracking my eyes open, I watch in wonder as the light seems to draw the shadows out from the corners of the floor and ceiling and the back of the room, trapping them inside. The Shadow screams as it's pulled inside – I have a feeling isn't too pleased with me.

Eventually – it feels like an eternity to me, but it probably only lass a few seconds – the light vanishes and the room is instantly cast back into darkness. It only takes my eyes a second to adjust, and I replace the cap, twisting it until it clicks shut. A dim green light flashes slowly on the side. I don't know what it's for, but I assume it's telling me that the Thermos is occupied.

And I stand there for a moment, not sure what comes next. Then I'm grinning. I don't know why I'm grinning – I probably shouldn't be grinning – but that was fun. Yes, ghosts are still scary. And yeah, I've never done anything like that before. But still, I just let instinct kick in. And it worked out, didn't it? Yeah, really well. I raise a glowing hand, the one holding the Thermos, and look at it.

Then I'm reminded of how exhausted I am as I feel myself sway. I open my eyes – I didn't even notice when I closed them – and realize that I'm leaning on the wall for support. I want to go back now – to wherever it is that I am when I'm not here. I don't know what it is but it's dark and quiet, and I'm able to rest there. But I know I can't just yet. I need to get back to Sam and Tucker first.

I look back down at the Thermos in my hand, green light blinking on the side. I can't say that I really understand exactly what's going on, or what exactly I'm supposed to be. But I think I know what I'm going to do until I can figure that out.

Sam rolled over in her sleeping bag and opened her eyes a crack. She opened them all the way a second later. She could see a pair of green eyes watching her in the dark. She let out a stifled yelp of surprise.

"Sam?" And then the eyes were gone, replaced by her friend's concerned voice in the dark.

"Danny? Is that you?"

"Yeah. Are you okay? What are you doing awake?" He asked.

She squinted at where he was sitting up in his sleeping bag, but she couldn't make anything out in the dark. She realized that she had probably still been dreaming. "Oh. I'm not sure. Something must have woken me. I'm fine."

"Oh... alright."

"Why are you up?"

"Not sure." He admitted, shrugging, even though she couldn't see the gesture in the dark. "I think I woke up because it was cold or something." He offered, sounding uncertain.

"Danny...? It's not cold." She deadpanned. Actually, if anything it was a little humid. If she weren't sharing the room with two boys, she'd have probably slept without her shirt on tonight – and with a fan on in her bedroom, at home.

"I know." He answered back. After a moment's pause, he whispered again. "I'm going back to sleep."

"Alright. G'night Danny."

"'Night Sam."

"See you in the morning."

Sam turned over and closed her eyes again, drifting off to sleep again. She never heard the sound of Danny's sleeping bag shifting around though, so she suspected that he was still sitting up when she fell back asleep.

As far as it mattered, Sam was right in her assumption. Danny stayed sitting up for a while later, genuinely confused. He did remember waking up because of the cold, but he didn't remember getting out of his blankets. For some reason though, the next thing he knew he was sitting up in his sleeping bag, wide awake, staring at Sam through the dark with only the foggiest memories of how he'd gotten there.

Even though he found it unsettling, he supposed he had been having odd nights for the better part of the week. Besides, it could easily be explained away by the fact that he was still half asleep, and disoriented from waking up in the middle of a strange house. At least this time he knew it wasn't anything ghostly.

Mossmask: Oh Danny. You're so silly.

Well guys, I went over this a few times, I changed a few scenes and rewrote some parts completely. I hope it turned out alright... input is always good, yes.

As for the question. Who's your favourite character? From DP, or anything else. And how come?

For me, it always tends to be the main characters - yeah, I'm so original. I can't help it. Danny, Sonic, Kamina (not really the main character, but still). I think it's 'cos I relate to them the most... I always like the characters who I watch and when they do or say things can actually see myself doing the exact same thing. With MLP, it's Rainbow Dash. We're pratically identical, gosh. (But I was Dash before she was).

Anyway, yeah. So here's the new chapter, I really hope you like it. I guess I'll probably be updating once or twice a week, but if I do go two a week, then I'll try to keep them decently spaced out.

~Dash