A Haunted Hike
The class was on a field trip. It was supposed to be a simple lecture at the Nature Reserve on taking care of your environment, chaperoned by Mr. Lancer, Ms. Teslaff, and Mr. Shawty (whom the kids mercilessly teased by calling Mr. Shorty, which was actually quite true).
They had gone to the Reserve, only to find out the person who was doing the lecture had caught a high fever, and thus the trip was cancelled. The students had left very early in the morning just to reach the Reserve, so the call that the lecturer was sick came sadly too late.
But Ms. Teslaff was very annoyed. She had come for the food that was served on the trip, and by The Lord of Sandwiches, she planned on getting it! She took one look at the bunch of lazy juvenile delinquents they called students, and announced they were going on a mountain hike. No questions asked.
Of course there were complaints, groans, grumblings, and every other thing a student could do to show they were ticked off. But after Mr. Lancer compromised by promising no homework for the rest of the week, the teenagers readily agreed.
An hour later, they were regretting their decision.
"Dude! I shouldn't have to do this, I'm too young!" Dash said, panting hard.
"Yeah! When we get old, maybe even 30, then I might be willing to, but until I go onto one of those game shows for money, I don't wanna push myself this hard!" Kwan panted back.
"Excuse me! You guys are football players! We're just the cheerleaders!" Star said, breathing heavily.
"Yeah! You're supposed to be the big tough guys, and you can't even climb a mountain?!" Paulina said, aghast.
"Keep moving Sanchez! You too Baxter!" Ms. Teslaff ordered, pounding them on the back.
She moved on, not noticing how they fell at her push.
"Nice work Manson." Ms. Teslaff nodded gruffly at the girl, who was marching without breaking a sweat.
"Try not to faint Foley." Ms. Teslaff said frankly to the crawling boy, who was groaning with every step.
"Fenton is sick eh? Too bad, I would've liked to give him a little bit of this exercise as well."
"Danny's luck isn't as bad as it usually is today." Tucker noted, muttering under his breath.
"Keep it up Lance, a little more and you'll be burning a few calories!" Ms. Teslaff said, also 'patting' him supportively on the back.
"Ooph! I don't think I will be chaperoning again any time soon." Mr. Lancer said, bending on his knees and panting from exhaustion.
The class had reached a bit of a flat, level area, with many trees. But as they were approaching a clearing, green flashes of light went off, alerting them.
"What was that?!" Mr. Lancer shouted, but his voice became muffled when Ms. Teslaff slapped a hand over his mouth, almost knocking him over.
"Shh! This might be a chance to observe an animal in its natural habitat! Or better yet, discover a new species! All of you be quiet!" Ms. Teslaff hissed urgently.
Slowly the class peeked around, using the trees as their hiding spots.
"Darn it! Why is it that even when I'm sick you are still able to find me?!" Danny shouted, shooting ectoblasts at the nearest ecto-pus.
"Plasmius's orders kiddo! Vat vit the cost of bird seeds these days, you haf to vight these days!" One of the vultures said, swooping down as an ecto-pus tried to wrap around him.
"It's Danny Phantom!" Came the excited whispers.
"This is a low, even for Plasmius! I mean, I'm sick! Did he know that when he sent you?" Danny said, grabbing the ectopus and slamming it into a nearby tree, then using an intensified ectoblast to singe the vulture's wings.
"Possibly not. Vut we aren't going to take that chance, cause as I said before, the bird seed does not come cheap, you know vat I mean?" The Vulture said, diving at Danny.
"Achooo!" Danny suddenly said, doubling over. The vulture scratched at him, getting a few cuts on his arm successfully.
"Oiy vey, would you look at that, now I have your nasty voogers all over me! That's just wondervul isn't it?" The vulture asked, shaking his feathers out.
"I'm sorry, I'm too annoyed to make a witty remark. Oh would you look at that? I made one anyway! Guess I have to hit you now, don't I?" Danny said, cracking his fist.
"Vummmm, maybe you aren't in the best of moods vight now, we'll try again later." The bird said.
"Too late bird-brain!" Danny said, grabbing both the ecto-pus and the vulture by the claws and tentacles. Using a fenton thermos, he pulled both of them into it, both screeching all the way down.
Danny capped it successfully, then stopped short.
"Wait…there was more!" His realization came too late as two vultures grabbed him by the shoulders, diving and slamming him into the ground.
"Get off of me! Achoo!" Danny said, struggling.
"Vould you look at that? The boy can't even fight right, vat with the fever and all!" The vulture noted at the hopeless boy.
"I can use ecto-blasts!" Danny said, but when nothing happened, he was met by silence, then sneezed again.
"Or not." He noted, but was then slammed into the ground again, making an "oooph!" noise.
"Now you vind out why birds have these claws!" The vulture said menacingly.
Without effort, the bird cut 5 long scratches across Danny's front torso, making him yelp in pain. His Hazmat suit now had 5 red and bloody lines going across it.
"Vound two child!" The bird called, and again the claws went, but this time his legs. Danny yelped again, but bit his lip, refusing to scream as five long lines appeared on his lower leg, all bloody and tearing through his suit.
"And Vound three!" The bird was stopped short by the thermos, sucking both vultures in.
"You forgot I had this!" Danny said triumphantly, standing up and brushing himself off. The teacher and students looked in shock at the gaping wounds he had received.
Danny suddenly put a hand to his forehead and staggered, falling to the ground on his hands and knees.
"Dan-ooph!" Sam said as Ms. Teslaff slapped a hand over her mouth.
"Shhh! Natural habitat!" Ms. Teslaff hissed again.
"Crud. That fever really is affecting me." Danny said, putting a hand to his forehead. He gave a feeble laugh.
"Hahaha. That temperature can't be good. Oh well, at least I caught the gho-ohs" Danny trailed off, losing consciousness and falling down. He lay there, face down on the ground. The teacher's caught sight of his reddened face. His thermos laid beside him forgotten for the moment.
"Danny!" Sam said, breaking free of Ms. Teslaff grasp and running towards the boy.
"Danny!" She shouted again, shaking the boy. Danny's head lolled back, his eyes never opening, his mouth slightly open to reveal his heavy breathing. His forehead was red and glistening.
All hell broke loose then and there, as all of the students and chaperones got closer, running up and approaching the boy.
"Stay back!" Sam and Tucker shouted, and for a moment, they complied, startled. Before they could approach again, Ms. Teslaff made her way through, then threw the comatose boy over her shoulder, making way through the crowd where no one could reach him.
"Lancer, ready the buses! We're taking this kid home and getting him some medical attention!" Ms. Teslaff barked.
"Sure, but one problem." Mr. Lancer said, catching up with the teacher. He looked at the town hero, whose face was so blank, except for the slightest bit of furrowed brow, and the face glistening with sweat.
"What is it?!" Ms. Teslaff barked again, now getting annoyed.
"Where exactly are the buses?" Mr. Lancer asked. A solemn silence reigned for a while. In all the excitement, the trail had been left behind. Where were they now? Which direction was up, which was down?
"It's alright! Danny Phantom will save us for sure!" Paulina shouted excitedly. But as it dawned on the students, they all looked at the unconscious, feverish child on Ms. Teslaff's shoulder, now shaking viciously.
"Are you sure he will save us Paulina?" Star asked, met with silence.
"Yes." Said Plasmius, grinning from his perch in the trees.
"Are you really sure?"
I don't know what to do. What started out as Danny Phantom with a fever escalated into this! Now here's a question: Should I allow this to become a story (which wouldn't debut in a long time I'm afraid) or just continue it in Here's to the Hero, as a story, but sporadically? I'm sure it would be better as a story, but that means a long wait.
…
Danggit.
You guys get to choose! R&R
Artgirl4