Chapter 12: A Merry-go-round Ride
The longer the ride became the more Danny's heart slipped free from its earlier sorrow, memories fading into nothing like black pavement. Instead, a cold dark ooze of resentment and confusion slipped over his heart. What was his new life going to be like? Would his godfather make his life a living hell? Would he make lots of friends or … enemies? What was with his ghost powers? Did it involve his health or a curse? Was it some kind of failsafe Clock Work had made to stop Dan from ever existing? Since his family hadn't died at the Nasty Burger, could Dan even come to be? And why, oh why, was this trip taking so long? But the true question in Danny's mind wasn't any of these. The present and most irritating question was … Was his new room going to be yellow or green? Did Vlad actually make a place for him in his life?
Danny rolled his eyes at the thought of Vlad's Packers obsession and turned his attention to the passing traffic, an idea striking his brain like a brick. A small trickle of a smile spread over Danny's face, but he quickly hid it. It was time to irritate the fruit loop … revenge for those panda pjs if you will.
"Vlad?" asked Danny in the most serious tone he could muster.
"Yes?" said his godfather as he looked up from his newspaper.
"Are we there yet?"
Vlad's concerned look quickly turned into a glare as he glanced over his paper. "No."
"Okay," whispered the teenager as he started twiddling his thumbs.
And yet, not even ten minutes later …
"Vlad?" asked Danny, the same serious tone from earlier.
"What?" murmured the millionaire; Danny had just interrupted his train of thought.
"Are we there yet?"
"No, like I told you ten minutes ago. Read a book or something. There are a few in the limo," Vlad growled as he hid his head behind his paper and resumed reading.
Danny, reaching for one of the books in the holder, sighed when he noticed they were all business books and promptly collapsed back into his seat, completely bored. This trip was going to be hell on earth.
And yet again, five minutes later …
"Vlad?" asked Danny in a most serious tone.
"What?" Vlad glared at Danny. If this was another are we there yet he was going to jump to the other side of the limo and strangle him.
"What time is it?"
Vlad raised an eyebrow and looked down at his Rolex. "It's four twenty seven."
"Oh? I just wanted to make sure it had been five minutes before I asked: Are we there yet?" laughed Danny as he jumped from his seat with a scream, a shoe flying at his head.
"That's it … I'm going to tie you to the hood!" growled Vlad as he ripped off his other expensive shoe and threw it at the cackling teenager, despite a grin pulling at his lips.
Danny laughed almost hysterically as a game of dodge and detain started in the limo, Vlad trying to capture him. "I'd like to see you try."
Vlad lifted his face out of the rug after slipping in his socks, a true smile on his face as he watched the child laugh. He was half glad that Danny was smiling and laughing like a normal teenager, but he was still being a little brat and deserved to be punished … just a little. Vlad grabbed Danny by the ankle and the younger half-a went down with a thud. Vlad then jumped to his feet and sat on Danny's back so he couldn't escape, throwing his head back as he laughed in victory.
"Serves you right!" growled Vlad as the teenager struggled beneath him. "Now where are my shoes?"
The teenager struggled with all of his might against his godfather who was presently using his back as a stool to put his shoes on. Danny finally stopped struggling, digging his nails into the carpet as he cried, "Get off fat ass! You're crushing me! I can't breathe!"
Vlad smiled as he flicked back his glossy, white hair. He then brought a hand down and ruffled Danny's hair, making the rat's nest ten times worse. The teenager cried out in annoyance as he tried to escape, the youth glaring upward as Vlad mocked, "If you couldn't breathe, then you couldn't talk … which you are presently doing a lot of. So quit your whining and squirming, and I might let you go if you promise to sit and behave … I do have to catch up on the business columns."
The teenager grumbled an embittered 'yes' as he stopped his struggling. The millionaire merely smiled with satisfaction and was quickly back in his seat with his newspaper, letting Danny up. Pouting somewhat, Danny got to his knees and started dusting himself off … the game far from over for him. Leaving that hospital had given him a feeling of freedom and he was not going to spend that good-feeling sitting quietly as Vlad read the newspaper. Titling his head slightly, Danny decided how he was going to spend the rest of the trip and he smiled wickedly like a mink.
Trying not to make his escape route too obvious, Danny then made a jump for the front seat with the driver, planning on bringing the window down and sneaking over before Vlad could stop him. Of course Vlad, already guessing Danny's escape route, quickly grabbed him by the ankle, ending the leap of faith with a teenager sized clunk.
Danny growled a faint curse as he was suddenly buckled into his seat (which faced the back window) like a terrible two year old that needed to be watched diligently. Only once Danny was secure did Vlad sit down on the opposite side, slightly surprised the teenager had yet to go intangible.
"Leave the driver alone. We don't need to get into an accident," said Vlad to himself as he picked up his newspaper, glaring at Danny as he murmured, "Now stay still and don't you dare ask: Are we there yet!"
Danny crossed his arms and pouted slightly, grumbling to himself, "I can't believe he sat on me!"
Not that he minded much … he did it mostly to irritate Vlad and congratulations, he succeeded. He was still bored though. Sighing, the teenager pulled at his seatbelt once and gave up when Vlad gave him a look. It was a mocking grin really, which Danny couldn't help but hate. With a heavy sigh Danny flopped back and turned his attention to the window. There was a Mustang, a Hybrid, and a Harley located near them on the four-lane highway, but what attracted his attention the most was a black and yellow semi, which was steadily gaining on them. He didn't know why he was drawn to it, the Mustang was far more visually pleasing, but he couldn't stop staring at it. And then Danny felt a shiver run up his spine and a sting in his arm as it got closer and closer … and closer. Soon, Danny could make out the shadowy outline of the driver. Why was he in such a hurry?
There's never a cop around when you need one apparently.
The teenager was just about to turn his attention to the bridge they were about to cross, but for some reason the semi driver started waving. Danny looked to the left and then to the right. The other vehicles had turned off, so … whom was he waving at? Out of habit Danny pointed to himself and the driver nodded his head. This would have been completely reasonable except for the fact that the windows were tinted to prevent this very thing! How did he even know Danny was in the limo? Danny looked over at his godfather with pleading eyes. Should he say something or was he just being paranoid?
HONK! HONK!
A raging horn sounded from the semi making both Vlad and Danny jump. Vlad swore slightly as he stared at his torn newspaper and turned to glare back at the huge vehicle behind them. He then stared at Danny who now held a petrified look on his face.
"Daniel, calm down. It is just a semi in a hurry. He will go around us," stated Vlad as he stared at the huge, yellow and black semi with a frown of distaste. He then picked his paper back up and didn't give the semi a second thought.
Danny wanted to believe his godfather, but his gut was crying something entirely different. His insides were twisting and his muscles were taunt and he felt like he was about to start a battle. The feeling did not dissipate as the teenager watched the semi draw nearer and nearer until the young half ghost could just see the wicked smile plastered on the driver's face. The smile looked so familiar. The face did as well, but whom did it belong to? Danny's eyes widened with fear as he realized who it was, his mouth going dry as he croaked, " … Joed?"
Vlad's head titled up somewhat in surprise. Wasn't that the name he mentioned the other day from his nightmare? Is Joed a real person?
And yet those thoughts did not compare to the horrified expression on Danny's face which caused the older half ghost to place his paper down and ask carefully, "Daniel what's wrong?"
"Are we –"
"Oh, don't start that again."
Joed's teeth glimmer softly in the sunlight and Danny finally found his voice, able to cry out to Vlad as he grabbed onto his seat, "Are we going to be hit!"
Vlad's head quickly turned to see the semi a second before it rammed into the car's rear end, "Oh Shit."
CHRASH! CRUNCH! SQUEAL!
The semi crashed into Vlad's limo with a harsh cry of metal being ripped into metal. Glass sprayed everywhere as the limo rammed into the bridge's railing, blowing out the back window and sending Vlad's unbuckled body through the window and out onto the highway as if he was nothing more than a rag doll. Danny cried out as his body was forced back against the seat by his tightening seatbelt. The limo driver, Smith, cried out once as well in surprise before his head slammed against the dashboard, effectively rendering him unconscious. The limo then came to a crashing halt as it rammed through the bridge's railing and there it dangled unsteadily on the bridge's edge as the semi's tires came to halt on the top of the limo's hood! Danny cried out in horror as the roof started buckling in, cursing the loss of his powers as he fought against the seatbelt's strangling grip. The teenager knew if he didn't get out soon he was going drown in the river below or be crushed by the eighteen-wheeler. If that wasn't bad enough, gas was soon pouring down all over him from the semi. Great, now he had one more way to die horribly.
The teenager struggled almost helplessly against his seatbelt as he felt death knock at his door once more. If he had his ghost powers he might be able to survive, but then again this might be Clock Work's grand scheme of things. Perhaps this accident was why the time keeper had not worried more about Danny becoming Dan this time, because he was always destine to die here, on this bridge. Closing his eyes, a lone tear rolling down his cheek at the thought of the struggle's end, the teenager almost gave in and accepted his fate. And yet, his mind couldn't rest. It still tried to think of something, tried to escape this horrible fate as gas fumes started to choke him.
It seemed that he would not be able to save himself this time … someone else would have to save him or not at all.
"Vlad!" screamed the teenager in desperation, the semi's engine probably canceling his voice out. "Help me! Please, help me!"
But his cries went unheard. It seemed that no one was coming to save him. Not that he was terribly surprised. Vlad hadn't been wearing his seatbelt and yet there had always been something so indestructible about the millionaire. A car crash seemed like such a meaningless way to go. And so Danny continued to cry out until something odd happened: the semi's engine turned off. Danny's eyes even widened in horror as he listened to the truck's door squeak open which blatantly stated that something was still alive in the hauler, the sound of heavy boots crossing the limo's hood until they came to a halt above the frightened teenager's head. This confirmed his suspicions and yet he was nowhere near prepared for what happened next.
SCREECH!
Suddenly, a pair of boney digits pierced though the limo's metal roof as if it was nothing and with a groan the metal was slowly peeled back as if the roof was little more than a sardine can, light and smoke suddenly streaming down on him. Unfortunately, the combination of smoke and sunlight blinded Danny so he couldn't see his rescuer. If it could be called a rescuer, because he knew what was above him: it was Joed.
No, correction … It was the demon!
With animal like reflexes Joed's flesh jumped through the ripped-open roof, and he landed heavily next to Danny. Danny watched with terror as the smoke slowly cleared revealing Joed's pale, yellowish face. His face spoke of death, but the worst and most horrifying thing was those eyes. Those dark, emotionless eyes.
Despite himself and his pride, tears slowly started to run down the teenager's face as the demon drew near him, his breath rank. Danny knew he was going to die. But he wasn't ready! He didn't want to! Not this way!
Regardless, Joed's face was smiling with satisfaction as it looked down at the frightened boy. It could smell his fear.
"Oh my," the demon's voice was cool and clear, not harsh or frightening at all. To bad the rest of him wasn't that way. Blood had drenched his KFC uniform and small cuts littered every piece of skin that was showing, especially the face.
"I haven't smelled fear like this in a millennia… This certainly is a treat," Joed continued as he ran a bony finger across Danny's creek, cutting into the soft flesh with his sharpened nail. "What young, fresh blood."
The monster knelt over and licked the blood from the whimpering teenager's face despite the teenager's attempt to reel back, the seat belt keeping him in place. Joed then cupped Danny's chin in his hand and looked at his face, purring almost, "And what a lovely face… such a lovely face."
Then, in almost a mocking motion, he kissed Danny gently on the forehead and allowed the teenager to drop his head as he was overcome by sorrow and inner disgust. Danny's body couldn't help but shake violently as he allowed his head to hang forward. The same thought screamed over and over again in his head as he struggled to think. All he knew was that he wasn't ready to die. He wasn't ready. I want to live! I want to live! Please, don't let me die … I'm not ready.
"Please …" whimpered Danny as felt the demon run a hand over his injured arm.
"Please?" asked the demon mockingly. "What? Come out with it!"
"I DON'T WANT TO DIE! I DON'T WANT TO DIE! NOT YET!" Danny's voice came out as a scream! It half surprised him how badly he wanted to live when a few weeks ago he would have willingly died and yet here he was … begging for his life to a murderer.
The demon's smirk was slowly replaced by an enraged snarl like he was insulted by Danny's desperation. With a snap of his wrists he grabbed the teenager's hair and gave a mighty tug. Clumps of hair came out as the roots were ripped from the scalp and all Danny could do was cry out in pain as the demon gave one more tug, forcing Danny's face up towards his own.
"You want to live! Why? You wanted death earlier? I took everything so you would beg for death! You are supposed to be thankful for this quick merciful death!" cried the beast, and yet his face fell with a sudden realization. "… Who or what had changed your mind?"
Danny whimpered as his eyes strayed away from the demon and towards the direction where Vlad's motionless body probably laid outside, his body having flown out in that direction. The demon quickly caught on and followed the teenager's gaze. A small smile spread over his face as it stared at the millionaire, his vantage point much higher than Danny's.
"Oh, I see," whispered the demon as he let go of Danny's hair. He then ran his hand over Danny's cheek almost lovingly and brought the teenager's gaze up to his own. "I will make you beg for death. I will break you again."
He dropped Danny's head without a second thought and kissed the teenager's forehead once again. He then stepped away from Danny and grabbed for the car door. When it would not open he kicked it, ripping the hinges off and forcing the door to fly into the highway. His strength was monstrous.
Joed's body jumped out of the limo with a small laugh as he loped slowly over to the unconscious millionaire. Danny watched with horror through the missing door as the monster drew nearer and nearer to his godfather. He couldn't let it kill Vlad. He didn't want to loose him too!
"VLAD! Get up!" cried out the teenager with every fiber of his being.
The demon actually halted for the cry in the middle if the highway and took one more look at Danny with a smile. Not that the grin lasted long.
ERRRK!
A Pepsi truck barreled though the smoke of the accident as the truck struggled to break and dodge the wreck. The driver barely had time to see the demon standing in the middle of the road, but did not have time to react as the truck slammed into the demon, thrusting its body into the grill like a tree trunk. The impact was monstrous as the soda truck's hood seemed to bend inward, engine parts being forced out as the truck reared out of control, only to swerved once and crashed to its side with a thunderous blow. The impact alone blew out the side of the truck's cargo thrusting cans everywhere and littering the highway with mini spraying and spurting missiles.
Danny stopped his struggling and stared in disbelief … Was the demon dead? Was he just saved by Pepsi? If so … Pepsi was now his favorite drink!
The teenager's surprise must have kicked his brain into over drive, because he decided to free himself with a piece of glass that glimmered softly in the sunlight. The teenager didn't think twice as the picked up the sharpened object, which cut into his flesh the moment he clasped it in his palm. Pain was nothing new to Danny as long as it cut through the belt. That was all that mattered. He had to get out of this car and get Vlad off the road before he got hit like that miserable demon.
"Vlad! Vlad!" cried the teenager a bloody palm later as he jumped out of the limo and tried to cross the two lanes without slipping on a can of blue goodness. Danny quickly collapsed on his knees next to his godfather. Vlad looked dead, except for the fact that he was taking shaky breaths and his head. Danny sighed softly as he looked at his godfather. Cuts littered his body from his crash through the window, but the most horrible thing was the blood dripping from a head wound he had sustained. The wound wasn't deep, but there was bruising which was probably the cause of Vlad's unconsciousness.
Danny wanted to shake him violently until he woke up, but he knew better. So he started digging through Vlad's pockets; he had to find a cell phone. Danny searched until he was nearly in hysterics. Where was Vlad's cell phone! The teenager screamed out in frustration and looked up the road. Why weren't there any more cars either? Huffing in disgust, Danny hastily tripped back over to the limo and started searching.
CHRASH! CRUNCH!
Danny all but rolled out of the limo expecting the huge semi to crash in through the hood, but no … the sound of ripping metal had come from the Pepsi truck. The teenager swallowed as he watched the truck shake once and then twice. Slowly a bloody hand rose from the rubble of the truck and landed heavily on the hood. Danny, shell shocked, prayed that it was just the driver.
Please don't be the demon!
Slowly, despite his prayers, Joed's brown-scruffy hair lifted into view and he was smiling. Smiling! Danny swallowed as he watched the demon slip out of the truck's embrace and stutter onto the playing field again like a bloody puppet on marionette strings. He was even looking over the wreckage with a grin of delight.
Then, after taking in the scene, he turned and looked at Danny. He winked once and in a blink he was running towards Vlad's unconscious form. Danny yelled out in horror and ran over towards Vlad as well, but he was to slow! The demon had gotten there first and had quickly grabbed Vlad around the neck as if he was nothing more than a dead chicken. He even gave a howling laugh as he lifted the millionaire up higher by the neck so his shoes barely scrapped the ground.
The millionaire coughed once and remained unconscious, unable to defend himself from certain death.
Danny slid to a stop in front of the demon and his choking godfather. Danny knew he couldn't fight him, but maybe he would be able to save Vlad at least. The demon wanted him, not Vlad.
The teenager swallowed back his fear and spoke in a demanding yet calm voice, "Put him down. It's me you want, not him."
The demon ran its spare hand through Vlad's glossy hair and over his head wound. "My, my. You sure have become brave. That's what I love about humans. They have such fear and dumb pride."
The demon stared at him with his glossy, unwavering eyes as if trying to get the teenager to back down.
"I said," Danny swallowed down his fear and the intimidation, "Let him go. Take me. I'm the one you want!"
"Yes, you are the one I want, but this man isn't bad either." The demon took his spare hand and ran it lovingly over Danny's cheek.
Danny resisted the urge to flinch as the demon touched his face. "Please, take me. Leave Vlad alone."
"Leave Vlad alone," a spark twinkled in the demon's eye as he tightened his grip around the millionaire's throat. "I can't do that. This man must die. Your soul must be broken … and the only way to break it is to kill this man."
Then, without even an ounce of sympathy, he threw Vlad with a grunt. The millionaire's body flew several feet and landed with crush against the pavement and Pepsi cans. An enraged cry quickly escaped Danny as he threw himself at the demon who gave a grunt as they fell to the ground. Danny was half surprised that his outburst had worked, a part of him wondering if the demon had grown weaker since the last time they had fought.
The demon's shock was short lived though, its mood overcome with fury as questions ran around in his head without answers. Why had the ghost child become stronger? Was it happening ahead of schedule?
The demon growled in distaste and threw Danny against the Pepsi truck, pinning him. The teenager gave a howling cry as he flailed against the other, defenseless as he struggled to find his ghost powers though a part of himself told him that that ability was gone. Regardless, a rage rose in Danny's gut like a dragon. He even felt the dragon's flames rise in his heart. That monster wouldn't kill him or Vlad! That thing had to die! It had to DIE!
Danny kicked the beast away with a battle cry, landing on his feet amongst the sweet mess. He had no idea what he was doing, but he felt an energy run up the length of his body and into his hands. The demon's eyes even widened in response as blue flames burst forth from Danny hands and suddenly in his attacker's direction.
The demon was barely allowed a howling cry as he was thrown against the semi from the initial blast. He quickly recovered though and glared at Danny as his jacket smoked and smoldered with flames, the attack seeming short.
The demon even laughed as he patted himself down, jovial almost, "Was that suppose to kill me?"
Danny couldn't reply, he merely fell to the ground in exhaustion, before he gained a defiant look, his words brave, "Who said that was supposed to kill you?"
The teenager had remembered the dripping gas from the semi and an accident in lab. Flame and gas of any type doesn't mix well. The demon, following his opponent's gaze, gave a thunderous cry as he watched the flames following gasoline to his perch. And the gas tank exploded with a thunderous backlash with such force that part of the bridge actually collapsed below it, dragging the burning demon and the semi into the river below like a bad memory.
Danny watched the explosion with failing vision. Whatever he had just done exhausted him to the point of faintness. He was going under.
The weak teenager took one more look at his godfather before he fainted against the Pepsi truck, a single thought knocking around in his head: Vlad, please don't leave me alone.
XXX
Paw07: Oh great … now I'm paranoid about my spelling. Well, I'm sorry about my spelling, but I try to focus on the story line. Well thanks for the reviews and I'm glad everyone likes it! Hope you had a Merry Christmas. ( ;
Edit: It was originally a Coca-Cola truck in the story … but I like Pepsi better. I also added about 1,200 words of additional description and flowing phrases. Not much changed. Enjoy
(Revisions September 2013)
