Error's Rival
Chapter 9: Reality
-The Ghost Zone / The Wandering-
"…Danny…my name…" The teen inhaled deeply, "I…" He stumbled over his words, unsure of how to react. A name, but it was just a shell, a hollow form in his mind. Danny meant nothing, this teen realized. What does my name have to do with who I am? He asked himself, if my name was Richard would that change my destiny? No, just knowing my name isn't enough is it?
The teen was standing, facing the large door, his fists swollen from violently striking it. "Please…" Tears welled up in his pale blue eyes, the teen felt his knees give from standing, he wasn't strong enough; he slid down with his body leaning against the large door until he completely collapsed in front of it. "Let me go back…I have to see her again."
Danny's right hand curled up, "I was so close!" He screamed, "She was right there! Why couldn't I reach her!?" His nails dug into his palm, nearly breaking through the skin. "Please, please, I'll do anything! Damn it! Just let me go back!"
A low rumbled shook the ground beneath the teen, he gasped and scrambled to his hands and knees, backing up several feet as the doors began to swing open. The same voice as before called out from deep within the doorway, "have you made your decision, young one?"
"Yes! I have!" Danny cried out, "Let me go back! Please!"
"Back where?" The voice inquired with an almost smug tone.
"To Sam! I want to see Sam!"
"You don't even know where it is that she is, do you?"
Danny paused, it was true, he didn't know what it was called, or where it was. "So what? It doesn't matter! I made a promise to her! I remember that, I promised her that I wouldn't give up! I made a promise to myself that I would protect her! And I intend to keep that promise!"
There was a long pause before the voice replied, "very well, young one. But, there is a price you must pay."
"W-what? What kind of price!? You never said anything about a price."
"That's why I'm telling you this now, young one. There are always consequences for actions, whether they are good or bad, so for your decision, there is something you must do in exchange."
Danny looked down, "If you'll take me back to Sam, I'll do whatever you want."
-Amity Park-
"Danny!!!" Sam held the small orb in her hands; tears flowed endlessly down her cheeks. "Come back! Come back!" She screamed. He was so real; it was like he was there! Sam thought to herself, I'm really losing it…It's no use. "Why, Danny? Damn it! Why!"
A comforting pair of arms wrapped around her, "Sam, it's okay. Take it easy."
"H-he's gone…he's gone…" Sam whimpered, falling back into Tucker's embrace, feeling the drumming of his heart. All those times, Sam thought to herself, when Danny held her, she would always remember the soft beat of his heart, the ice-cold and at the same time warm sensation against her skin, she would always remember…This wasn't the same, it didn't have the same exhilarating feeling in her chest, she couldn't feel her heart racing with excitement. No…he wasn't Danny. Sam looked up into Tucker's eyes, they weren't the sky blue colour that she missed so much, and his hair wasn't the same wild bed-head look, "Tucker?"
For several moments, Tucker was wondering if Sam was completely losing it, her eyes were half open and staring through him; she wasn't looking at him, Tucker realized, she was looking at Danny somewhere in her mind. Never before had he seen someone look so lost, so lonely until now, and it made him feel sick to the core. Her pain and sadness was contagious, but in a way that Tucker couldn't help, he could only watch. Was it really worse to see someone in pain than to be the one in pain? True, when someone is watching, they can do nothing, but…the one who is in pain can say for sure which is worse. Tucker knew which was worse; the look in Sam's eyes confirmed it.
Tucker nearly jumped in surprise when Sam's blistered and burned hand reached up to his face, lightly touching his jaw before slowly pulling away, "You're not…you're not Danny." Her eyes closed as she fell into unconsciousness.
"No," Tucker quietly replied, knowing however that she couldn't hear him, "I'm not. I'm sorry." He remained on the sidewalk, supporting her body against his own, waiting several minutes in silence. Sam still clung to the necklace with the black orb in one hand. Tucker sighed, "Danny, whoever the hell you are, I swear I will kick your ass if I ever meet you! For the suffering you put this girl through, you probably deserve more!" A smile crept to his lips, "but, you mean a lot to her, so you must have done something right; are you really dead though?" He shook his head in annoyance, he didn't know the entire story, but Sam seemed to think that he was still alive, but she also said that he was dead.
Sam still had three slices across her face from when that ghost dog had attacked. Tucker slowly picked Sam up; he needed to get her some help before that cut got infected. But…who can help her without asking questions? Tucker would have smacked himself if he were not holding Sam; obviously there was only one place!
--
With a groan, Sam rolled over in place to get more comfortable. She pulled the blanket closer to her chest, snuggling her face into it. Blanket? Sam felt her leg twitch in an attempt to wake herself up, but her eyes refused to open. Something smelled nice, a faint scent but Sam noticed it, "Danny." Why did it smell like Danny? "Stay." She brought the blanket up to her nose, the closer it was the stronger the scent became. One eye weakly opened, followed by the other.
Still unable to get a clear view of her surroundings, Sam reached up to her throat to grab a hold of the small orb…for a moment, Sam felt her heart stop, her breathing cut off as well; time stood still as she felt nothing but bare skin. The blanket was thrown off of her body faster than a cheetah catching its prey, and a moment later she was airborne…but only for a moment, because then gravity took over and she crashed into the ground. "Danny!" She called out for the necklace, "Danny!!"
Completely oblivious to her surroundings, Sam began to throw everything around her out of the way in search for her precious orb. Sam looked up at the couch beside her, with a blanket now hanging over the edge of it; a few pillows also had been set up on the couch, with an indent due to Sam sleeping on it. This…she reached forward and touched the fabric of the furniture isn't my sofa…At her mansion, they had a velvet covered couch with silver coloured rings lining the edges, and Sam had always found it to be uncomfortable! This is…
In an almost unnaturally slow speed, Sam felt her body get up, and she began to quietly make her way to the staircase located at the other end of the room. It's so quiet…her ears rang with fear and anxiety, but it's calm…She reached the top of the stairs, the air pressure increasing tremendously in her body. Feet dragging, Sam continued her journey down the hallway, until she reached his room. The door already wide open, it seemed to invite her inside. Just like before…his door was always open, when it was closed he felt like he was once again being trapped in a cellar. Tears sprung to her eyes, why do I have to cry all the time!
Sam reached forward and touched the door leading to his room, feeling the texture slowly rub against her fingers. "Danny…" She coughed as her voice broke off, I haven't spoken in so long; just saying words still hurts! "…I know that you can't hear me," she took a step into his room, "but if you were here, do you know what I would say?" Sam coughed again, clearing her throat roughly, "I miss those times that we spent together." She smiled, "When you took me flying for the first time, when you held my hand for the first time, when you kissed me…I miss you." She reached up to her bare neck, "and now I'm afraid that I have lost you."
She walked over to his bed, tracing her fingers along the edges of his blankets as well, "You're gone, aren't you?" Sam fell onto his bed, "You're not coming back?" Rather than stating, she asked the question, as if expecting an answer.
"Samantha."
Lightning seemed to strike from nowhere, or at least it looked that way due to the way Sam jumped to her feet in an instant. Heart beating rapidly in fear, Sam began twisting in all directions in search of the voice. A woman? From the tone, Sam would have guessed that she was elderly.
"Fear not, human child, I am merely a messenger."
There was no one there! Sam tripped over herself, falling to the floor where she quickly pulled her knees up to her chest like a toddler. How is that supposed to make me not afraid! Where the hell is she?
"Humans cannot see us, that is why you cannot see me, child."
Sam snarled and muttered, "oh great, another spirit that can hear my thoughts."
Seeming to ignore that comment, the messenger continued, "Samantha. Do you desire to live? Your actions have caused you great pain, and lingering on the past can only deepen the wounds. The ghost child failed to heed my warning, and that is the cause of him losing his life."
"No!" Sam barked, "That's not the reason why! He's dead because I wasn't strong enough! He's dead because I wasn't capable of protecting myself! He's dead because of me!"
"Wrong, Samantha. You fail to realize that Phantom chose to sacrifice his life, he knew that his existence wasn't meant to happen, a human like that should not exist. Once we showed him the truth, he knew it was time to leave."
"How. Can. You. Say. That. So. Calmly!" Sam barked, "You treat him like a freak instead of a person! What the hell do you mean, 'his existence wasn't meant to happen'? What the hell do you know about existence!? I'm getting a lecture from a freaking messenger who won't even show herself to me! Say whatever the hell you want about Danny, but he is a person! Danny would never abandon me for some stupid reason like that! He…" Sam's voice decreased to a low mumble, "…he promised me… Danny promised me that he would keep fighting! Do you honestly believe that someone like you could take away his will to live? Are you saying that you spoke to him? When did you-" Her eyes widened.
"Yes, I can hear your thoughts, child. You are correct, I contacted him the same day that he told you the truth of his past."
It was so long ago, but Sam could remember it…she stood in the basement with Jazz, Maddie and Jack Fenton, each of them huddled around the screen that was placed downtown, there were several cameras, but they were only focused on one. A lump had formed in Sam's throat as she watched Danny scream at what appeared to be nothing.
"Leave me alone!" Danny snarled, "I don't care what you say! I will never surrender! I will protect my family! And I will not accept my fate! You are wrong!" He wailed with rage. "Show yourself!" "NO!" Danny's body became engulfed in green energy, "Leave me alone!" (Error's Love chapter 23)
"That was you!?" Sam screamed, "What did you say to him! Tell me!" She demanded.
"I merely told him the truth. Messengers can see the world before us, the world as it was before, as it is now, and what it will become. You fail to have that ability, so you also fail to see what damage that ghost boy put on the world. It was necessary that he be eliminated, if action had not been taken then, we would have had to step in."
"You would kill Danny if he hadn't died!?"
"Some things are necessary, child." A moment later, the messenger woman spoke up again, "your thoughts are troubled, Samantha. I can hear your arguments with your own mind. You can't figure out if the ghost child is dead or alive."
Hands clenching into fists of rage, Sam stood up, "I don't want to hear any more of this bull shit that you say is reality! You can't try to tell me what is right or wrong, I don't care if Danny's existence is an error! I still love him!"
The messenger sighed, "You are a fool, Samantha. Going against messengers is a useless act. Going against reality is just as useless. You don't really love him, Samantha. You loved the fact that he treated you so special, you love that he made you feel better than everyone else. Samantha, you loved what he did, not who he was. That is reality."
At this, something in Sam snapped so horribly, it could be felt by the messenger. Her heart nearly split to hear those words, those terrible words! A moment later, Sam could feel the bone in her hand shatter as she punched the wall, "don't you dare say that to me!" Tears streamed down her cut up face, blood trickled down from her lip from her tooth biting it, "you can tell me that Danny was a mistake, you can tell me that I am pathetic, you can tell me that I was stupid for loving him… but NEVER say that I don't love him!!!"
Footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs at a running pace.
Sam realized that her whole body was trembling, and blood emerged from her palm because of her nails.
"We'll be in touch, Samantha." The messenger said in farewell and then vanished; Sam could feel the room's temperature raise as the spirit left.
"Don't count on it." Sam snarled.
--
The journey was longer than a lifetime. Minute after minute, hour after hour, day after day…it continued for what seemed like forever! All the teenage boy could do was scream; He hated this, why were things turning out like this? He wanted to take back what he said; he wanted to go back to the endless darkness! It was much better than this! The pain of life, the pain of reality crashed down on him like a tidal wave. "Stop it!" He clawed at his body, tearing of skin and flesh with his nails. Danny screamed as a horrible pounding filled his chest, it was so slow at first, but then it began to speed up.
"You are the first person I have ever opened up to, and you are one of the first people who has ever liked me for me. And…I don't want to lose you as a friend. You are my friend, Danny."
He tore helplessly at the irritating sensation coming across his skin, the nerves in his body slowly began to awaken. "Get off me!" He roared at himself as though there were a million ants crawling along his skin.
"Not all of them are dangerous. Sure, some of them are evil! But I mean…what about Phantom? He's a good ghost! He saved my life!"
"How can you know he's a good ghost? You barely know him, right?"
"I can tell." Sam said, "he tries his hardest to help others, and I don't have to know someone to know that they are good… you know that time I told the police that a burglar came into my house, and they were talking about it on the news? Well… the truth is, it was a ghost! And a pretty creepy one at that!"
Danny's eyes were fixed on Sam as she spoke.
"And it was Phantom that saved me! It was so crazy! And I can't believe that someone would risk their life for me! I mean, he fought for me! I didn't know that there were people who would be that brave; I have only read about heroes', I never thought I would actually meet one!"
"You think Phantom is a hero?"
"Of course! Don't you?"
"I can't be sure…" There was a long pause and then Danny opened his mouth, but closed it again, then opened it, and closed it. It almost looked like his vocal chords had shut down.
He just wanted to see her face again! He just wanted to hold her again! The only way to do that…was to fight back…against death itself. Danny didn't know if he could do it, he couldn't take much more of this, but he had to! "I made a promise!" Danny wailed, "Sam! Help me, please, don't give up on me!"
"I sometimes feel pathetic because I get into these situations and can never get out of them by myself."
"It's not pathetic. You shouldn't have to be in those situations in the first place! And you can't expect yourself to be able to handle everything alone all the time, that's why you need friends. Friends to support you; to be there for you."
Sam bit her lip, "Danny…thanks. You have no idea how much that means to me. And I really hope that you'll always be there for me."
"I'll try."
There was a table, and on that table, there was a body. The body was strapped down to the examination table, and a cloth was draped over its lifeless form.
The room was pitch black; then, a small glow showed up in the room.
The teenager on the table inhaled deeply, and his green eyes snapped open.
A/N: How was this chapter? Alright? I really hope so! I am terribly sorry that it's out late! You know how it is with school and sports and stuff, right? Anyway. Who could be coming up the stairs??? What is the price that Danny has to pay? Any guesses? ^^
Please review!
(Oh, and another thing, I'm sorry about all the typos on the previous chapter, I have been rushing these recently. Again, I'm terribly sorry!)
-Desi-
