A/N: I've been so very busy this week. I just had a rugby scrimmage a few hours ago. My team won, which was great. And by the way, this chapter is sending some more creepiness your way. I'm finding it fun writing horror. It lets your imagination explore the unknown, dark regions of your head. I never thought that I could think so much freaky stuff. Enjoy the chapter!
Disclaimer: Wishing gets you nowhere. That's why I don't own Danny Phantom or CHERUB.
Chapter 7 Fatal Nightmare
Hands in pockets, looking relaxed for once, I strolled down the small incline toward the lake that sat lonely out on the outskirts of the camp grounds. With the arrival of Sam, my spinning and hectic world had been slowed down to a normal pace. I felt like I wasn't in a constant state of confusion and hesitation to make decisions. She had so easily formed a plan that I wondered how I ever survived that month without her or Tuck. They really did contribute to my ghost fighting.
The night seemed young and fresh as I walked. The air itself smelt like the refreshing pine air that I had enjoyed the moment I stepped off the bus. The nighttime bugs and animals were by now singing and chirping for supremacy over the darkness. They were like nature's symphony. I'm sounding like Sam on one of her hippie rants, aren't I? Well, the presence of trees can do that to you sometimes. No joke.
I watched as the lake gave off a cool white mist as I stopped at one of its sandy shores. The sight of the swirling and mysterious clouds made the scene kind of creepy. Uncomfortable somewhat, I turned to see if Seph was following close behind me. It was hard to spot anything in the dark, but the abundance of fireflies kind of gave the land a faint glow.
Sure enough, my cabin mate was steadily walking down the lone gravel path. His laptop was tucked under one of his toned arms. I walked back to the path, shooting the guy a small and nervous smile. He ignored it as he kept to himself and his own thoughts. I found myself once again wondering what the guy was thinking.
"What did you do with the kids?" I asked him just to make conversation.
"I left Eric in charge," Seph answered. "That kid is the only sensible one of the bunch. Thank God we got at least one responsible one."
"Amen to that," I muttered. I was thankful for Eric. He had proven to be a good and reasonable kid throughout the day. Sometimes it felt like he was a third counselor. Where would Seph and I be without him?
We arrived at the small lake house a few minutes later. It was a tiny building, built for only storage. It was made out of rocks, cement, and had a steeple wooden roof. It looked like a quaint mini cottage, complete with a miniature window. From that window was a soft orange light of a lantern. Sam was already inside waiting for us.
I ushered Seph into the lake house and closed the door behind me. Sam had taken a wooden table from a corner and put it into the center of the cabin and set her lantern on it. I watched in silence as Seph and Sam summed each other with quick and snappish looks. Seph placed his laptop on the table before him.
"Okay, Fenton, why did you bring me here to your secret hideout?" Seph asked finally. He looked suspicious and flighty with his arms crossed firmly across his chest and a serious frown planted on his lips. Sam and I would have to explain fast to keep his attention.
"We need your help," I said, getting right to the point. "Something weird and freaky is going on with this camp. Sam and I want to know what is going on. We can't do that by just ourselves, so we want you to help us."
"Does this have to do with that monster from last night?" Seph asked me.
"Yeah," I said with a nod. "Sam and I want to know what that thing is and stop it from hurting anything else like it did with Amanda."
Seph looked back and forth between Sam and me. I think it was just then sinking into his head that we were serious about this. "Why not ask Masters about it?" he asked.
"He won't believe us," I said. "You saw all the adults last night. They didn't believe a word we said after seeing Amanda walking around like a normal person. My sister didn't even believe me when I tried explaining it to her."
"Then why did your girlfriend, here, believe you?" Seph asked. He indicated the girlfriend by throwing his head over to Sam.
"I'm not his girlfriend," Sam said with a sigh. After a while, you get tired of saying that to everyone you meet. Why does everyone Sam and I know first assume that we're a couple? "And to answer your question, I've seen creepy stuff a million times before."
"So you guys have seen a few ghosts because Danny's parents hunt them," Seph said with a shrug. "What makes you two believe that we can hunt down and kill this monster thing?"
"Actually, we kind of ghost fight ourselves," I said with a cocky smile. "My parents are great at making gadgets that work at catching ghosts, but they aren't very skilled at using them. For fun, really, Sam and I ghost hunt with my parents' gadgets. Plus, our town has a constant number of ghosts flowing through it. We just think that it should be our job to keep the population down. Some ghosts are pretty dangerous."
Seph flashed us a cruel smile while asking, "You guys ghost fight? Sorry, Danny, but right now you look more like a nerd than a big, tough superhero." He laughed at the thought of me kicking ghost butt.
"Show him, Sam," I told my Goth friend with a nod.
Sam heaved a backpack up onto the wobbly table. She poured the contents out for all of us to see in the lamp light. Being the smart ghost fighter she was, Sam had brought as much equipment from my parents' basement before leaving to camp. I felt proud to have this girl on my side.
"Jeez!" Seph whistled in shock at the sight of the high-tech equipment. "This stuff is wicked." He fingered one of the wrist lasers and accidentally triggered it. A green ray shot out of the device, ripped clean through a life vest, and left a two inch diameter hole in the thing hanging on the wall. Seph was left staring at it in stunned silence.
"Too bad you didn't get your hands on my mom's bazooka," I said to Sam with a grin.
"It didn't fit in the backpack," Sam said, mirroring my grin.
"Okay, I'm convinced," Seph said with a nervous laugh. Now that clear evidence was before him, he believed what we had said. I think he found it cool because his eyes were wide in wonder and excitement, like a kid in a toy store. "What does all this have to do with me, though?" he asked. "I didn't even believe in the supernatural till just the other night. I'm not a ghost fighter. I don't know the first thing about them."
"Excellent question," Sam said. "The reason why we want your help is because you've seen the monster and believe in it. From what Danny has told me, you have some brains. You know how to pick locks and use a laptop."
"Besides," I added, "You don't even want to be here. Do you really want to spend the rest of the month babysitting a bunch of ten-year-olds? I know you well enough by now to know that sneaking around this camp trying to figure out a mystery is something you would rather spend your time on."
Seph had a look of deep thought on his face. It looked like he really did want to join us, but something was holding him back. It was the fist time that I saw the guy unsure of himself.
The English boy gave a long sigh as he ran a hand through his hair. He finally grinned at us as he said, "So what do you need me to do first?"
Sam and I shared triumphant smiles.
"We think Vlad Masters knows about this monster," I said. "He's always been creepy, but lately he's been extra creepy. I think he's hiding the monster from the rest of the camp. I don't know, maybe he's scared of making it go public. He's the mayor of Sam's and mine town, so having a rampaging monster in his camp is bad for his polls. He doesn't want us figuring it out or telling anyone about it."
"He's already threatened you about it," Sam pointed out.
"That would explain why he was in our room this morning," Seph said.
"Yeah," I said. I liked the fact that he had added it all together so quickly. "So our biggest problem right now is Vlad. We need him occupied with something other than us."
"That is where you and your laptop come in," I let Sam pick up. "We want Danny to email his parents about seeing a ghost here and how he wants them to come check it out. Knowing his parents, they will surely drive on over. Vlad will then have to keep them off the monster's trail, leaving us three to move around the camp with some breathing room. Will you let us use your laptop then?"
"I'd love to, but Master's has some blocking device for messages from any user it doesn't recognize," Seph explained. "Trust me; I've tried to send tons of emails to my girlfriend in the UK. All of them come back to me. If you want to send out that email, you're going to have to get to Master's personal computer."
My shoulders slumped in disappointment. It was a good idea, but Vlad had thought of everything. How were we going to get into his office without being spotted by all his cameras? I mean, I could easily turn invisible and get into there without being detected, but then we would have to explain that to Seph.
"There's a way to get past the video cameras," Seph told us in a rush. "I've been thinking of this idea for some time because I was going to pull another prank on the guy. All cameras need an energy source. If the lights go out, so do the cameras. I know where the generator room is that shuts off everything. It's in the Mess Hall. All we have to do is turn the lights on and off a few times to make it look like it's just a generator problem. But while the lights are out from the many times we do this, Danny and I sneak into Master's office. I'll get into the computer and he writes the email. By the time the lights are back on, the email will be sent and we'll be out of there. Simple."
"Whoa," Sam said, practically speechless. I was as shocked as she was.
"I wouldn't have used the word simple," I said. "You're not a genius in disguise, are you?"
Seph suddenly realized how complicated his plan had sounded. He looked rattled by his slip of tongue. I could see him sweat under the pressure. I didn't understand why he felt so uncomfortable by spouting that kind of brilliant information. Maybe he just didn't like being viewed as a geek.
"Look, I'm not the smart person you think I am," he tried to explain. "My dad just taught me this kind of stuff. He was kind of a thief…and I…I sometimes went on raids with him, okay? But please don't tell anyone. If my mum found out…." He faded off as the thought seemed to upset him too much.
"Hey, Seph, you're secret is safe with us," Sam told him with genuine concern. "We don't care what you did. We were just blown away how you thought that all up on the spot. Danny and I just don't think that way, I guess."
"Yeah, dude, you're our friend," I said as reassurance. "It's not like we're going to rat you out. That would be stupid and mean."
This seemed to calm the kid a bit. He still looked uncertain about it all, but he kept that emotion to himself. Seph gave us a small, thin smile before saying quietly, "Cheers you guys."
"No problem, man," I said with a confident grin. I glanced over to Sam to see her frowning slightly. Either she didn't like having a thief on her side, or was just thinking hard. Maybe it was a mix of the two.
"So do you guys like the plan?" Seph asked us. "I personally think it's foolproof." The guy was back to his prideful self in no time.
"How 'bout you plan it out tonight and we all meet up here tomorrow night at the same time to go over it?" I said. "We need to give Vlad some space and time. He can't assume anything, okay?"
"Sounds like a plan, mate," Seph said. "We better get back to the campfire, though. The adults will be wondering why Eric is taking care of all of Cabin 2."
"You go ahead," I told him as he grabbed the laptop off the table and headed for the door. He glanced back behind his shoulder to look at me. "Sam and I need to talk some more." He shot a quick, curious look at Sam before returning his eyes to mine. I could see the question on his face before he nodded then left the small cabin.
"What do we need to talk about?" Sam asked me as if defending herself.
"You don't like him," I put it rather blatantly.
Her frown deepened, my clear indicator that I had gotten it right. It's so easy to read a friend's emotions by just watching their expressions. Sometimes it's nice…until they use the same trick on you. Then it's just annoying.
"It's complicated," she finally professed.
"So you like having a genius with us, but you don't like having a thief," I stated. I was being pretty blunt that day, wasn't I?
"No, yes, kind of," she said, jumbling up emotions with her words. She grabbed the thin metal handle of the lantern and rung it with her slim fingers out of frustration. "He's perfect with helping us take Vlad down and finding out what that monster is," she said with a sigh, "But there's something about him I don't trust. And it's not just the thief thing."
"Then what is it?" I asked. "Is it what Vlad said?"
"A little," she admitted. "Maybe I was wrong to suggest he should join us. I mean, what if he finds out you're a ghost? What is going to stop him from telling the world that Danny Fenton is Danny Phantom?"
"I got it under control," I tried to comfort her. "I've been here for three days and I've only gone ghost once. No one saw me. No one knows that Danny Phantom is even here. And you heard him, he barely believes in ghosts. He's not going to suspect that I'm half one."
"Yeah, but what if he does?" Sam said with worry deep in her voice. "I knew this was a bad idea."
"No, Sam, you're the smartest person I know," I told her seriously. I bent down a little to get her to look into my eyes because she had been staring at the floor. I caught her eyes with mine and said with a smile, "Seph might be an arrogant jock, but what he proposed to us was genius at best. It's better that we do everything the hard way instead of using my powers. Vlad expects me to use them. He won't know what hit him if we do it the human way. Right now we need Seph despite the risks of him finding out my secret. You were right to let him join us, okay. And if he does find out, we can always say we'll tell the police about his thieving."
"Blackmail?" Sam asked. One of her black eyebrows rose with the question along with a corner of her lips. I knew she was keeping in a laugh.
I chuckled at the question. Since when did I get so evil? "Maybe some of Seph's dark side has rubbed off on me these past few days," I muttered.
She grinned at me now, the anxiety in her eyes erased for the moment. "At least that dark side has a good plan," she said. "Seph looked pretty upset when he told us he was a thief. That blackmail idea might actually work."
"Hopefully we won't ever have to use it," I said. She agreed.
-Later That Night-
I was running.
The main point was what I was running from. My head wouldn't turn to look back. It was like my body was out of my control. All I could do was feel its heightened, scared emotions and the feeling of each ragged breath and heavy footfall as my body sprinted deeper into the forest.
Tree branches slapped and scraped against my bare arms and legs. I could barely see a thing in the pitch-black blanket of darkness that seemed to have enveloped the entire woods in its binding holds. The air was chilly, but I was sweating from the mad run. My hair stuck to my tear stained and perspired face. The rough, tree rooted terrain was making me constantly fall painfully to the ground only to quickly pick myself up with small screams of terror and continue running.
It didn't take long for me to realize this wasn't my body. The little girl I was in at the moment was the one making the movements and the emotions I was now feeling. Actually, the whole feeling was like overshadowing someone, but minus the control over the body. It was a hard feeling to get used to.
The little girl climbed a steep hillside like her life depended on it…which was true in a way. I had felt the cold, dark feeling of the beast that now chased her. Its presence hung thickly on the crisp night air. It was enjoying its intoxicating thrill of the hunt. Its sick delight was making the air the little girl gasp for strong to swallow and nauseating to every one of the girl's and my own senses.
I could feel the girl's rising and terrorizing fear. It was as powerful as the creature's sick feeling. At times I was right with the girl's panic as if synchronized to her every emotion. At other times I fought the fright and tried to think straight, but this girl was only feeling one thing at this moment, and it was pure fear. There was nothing I could do to help her. I was just along for the ride.
To my great dismay, the girl tripped over a protruding root again. I felt the loss of balance, the fall, and the hard impact. I felt her horror as she forced her head up to finally look death in the face. Through tears, I saw the monster's blood red eyes as the black figure rushed forward.
A scream lodged in her, no, our throat. I was part of this now. She and her terrible experience and death were a part of me even to this day.
The beast slammed into our body, forced us onto our back with a clawed paw. We innocently pleaded for mercy from this creature. Sobs racked our body as the monster reared its head up. In one, painful moment, it plunged its long snout into our stomach. Its teeth dug into our skin, tearing everything. Blood was everywhere. Our body was covered in the thick, warm liquid. We couldn't breathe through the agonizing pain.
There was a tug right before we died. I was dropped into the girl's soul room. It was of a colorful kid park with swings, a jungle gym, and slides. A warm breeze swept past me. The swing set was filled with giggling kids. It was a nice, fun soul room. The perfect place for a ten-year-old girl.
The girl appeared in front of me. She ran toward me, a hand stretched out as if to reach for me with it. "Help me!" she screamed desperately. Tears filled her big, deep brown eyes. She screamed one last time, "Please! Help me!"
"I will!" I heard myself scream back at her. "I promise, I will!"
She and the soul room then taken over by a swirl of cold and foreboding darkness. I was returned to the body that was being eaten alive by the beast. With the girl's soul gone, I was in control. I cried out, the pain overbearing as it ripped through my entire system. I had never felt anything so excruciating. The beast put a clawed paw over my mouth as it dug down deeper into my abdomen. I could feel his teeth slice through my flesh and guts till it met its mark.
With the final crush of my spine, I died. And I also awoke.
With a loud gasp for breath and life, I flung my body up and foreword. I was met with a dimly lit Cabin 2 and its snoring occupants that slept peacefully on sleeping bags and pillows on creaking metal bunk beds. Eyes wide with fear and panic, I stared down at my legs as I took in long, desperate breaths. It took me some time to get my head clear enough to see that I was still alive and that it was only a dream…a real vivid and painful dream. I could still feel a ping in my stomach.
"Hey, you okay?" Seph asked me in a whisper from where he was on his bed across the room from mine.
I was still breathing hard when I snapped my head his way. The teen had his laptop out. Its glowing screen lit up Seph's face with eerie white light that put everything it touched into deep shadows. Seph looked truly concerned about me. He waited with suspense for my answer to his question.
I didn't answer at first. There was a long pause as I screamed at myself in my head to calm down. Finally, I said in a weary and shaky whisper, "Nightmare."
"It must have been pretty bad," Seph whispered back so as to not wake the kids. "You scared the hell out of me when you woke up like that. You sure you're okay?" I guess he could see the tears welling up in my eyes as I thought back to the death of that little girl. Maybe he could even see me shaking uncontrollably in the darkness.
I shook my head no, not trusting my voice. Sniffing, I pushed the tears away with the palms and backs of my hands. I had to grit my teeth together and force myself to get a grip. It had only been a bad dream…right? Somehow I knew it hadn't been a dream and that another person had met their demise under the dark and evil powers of Vlad's monster. I winced at the thought.
It had killed again. I had been powerless to stop it. This fact made me feel useless and pathetic. Besides me being upset because of my helpless position, I was distraught about the murder itself. I had been connected with this little girl's soul for a short time, but I had felt and experienced everything with her. No one should have suffered like she had. Just merely the thought of it brought hot tears to my eyes.
"That bad?" Seph asked me quietly.
I didn't look at him as I said, "Yeah." I think he understood the depths of a bad dream, but I don't think he would have believed me if I had told him that it was true and that somewhere in the woods a little girl had just been killed by the beast.
"Sorry, dude," Seph said awkwardly. "If it makes you feel better, I think I got the plan finished."
Wiping away the last of my tears, I looked over to him. I forced a smile before saying, "That's good."
Seph powered down his laptop. The room was plunged into complete darkness with the exception of a digital clock that glowed 5:12 in faded green neon light. "We have around two or three hours till breakfast," Seph told me with a tired yawn. "We should both get some sleep."
I didn't respond as I lay back in my bed. I gripped the end of my sleeping bag in apprehension and stared up at the dark ceiling. I stayed that way for a long time. At some point I drifted off to sleep again and was met with only a numb, black void.
That morning I awoke to having a set of blank, vacant eyes staring into my own.
I screamed.
A/N: I couldn't help it with the cliffhanger. I know, I'm mean. I don't have much else to say but thanks for your reviews. They've been great! See you guys in two weeks!
