It was different to see Cujo at ease. It was unlike the dog to be this personable. Granted, he was passed out, but still. Danny wouldn't say he's an animal expert by any means, but he more so thought his enthusiasm more than made up the gap in knowledge. Cujo was expertly trained, through his tenacity made him difficult. Danny wondered if he dug his way out of the Ghost Zone again, which he thought he curbed out of the dog.
He was toiling away- forgetting that he came here to have fun. Or something resembling it. Superheroes don't get days off. They don't; he knew that. It was frustrating. Normally, when a ghost crashed an outing with his friends, they would shrug their shoulders and be equally annoyed. Dash, though, didn't seem to really care. He appeared to be happy to be included, which was… interesting.
The movie, despite its title, wasn't a cheap knock-off of Child's Play. It mostly consisted of psychics getting into haunted doll-related shenanigans and kicking nazi ass. There was one implied sex scene as per PG-13 movies, which were actually disguised R rated movies from the 1980s often had. The pair talked over the scene, pretending it wasn't happening at all.
"So, Mr Lancer, do you think he waxes his bald spot? You know to keep it shiny? Like when the sun hits straight on during third period- I have to wear sunglasses."
"For sure, for sure…" Dash raised a brow, "So… wait, what grade did you get on your plagiarized essay of Old man and The Sea?"
Fenton pursed his lips like he totally wasn't looking at the screen with his peripheral vision. He nodded in thought, "Uh… I think a C? Like seventy percent?"
Halting mid drink, Dash chuckled, "that's interesting."
"That it totally looks like he's penetrating her belly button?" Danny said, cocking his head to confirm if that was indeed what he was supposed to interpret.
"What? No!" Baxter caught off guard, glanced at the screen briefly, and then shook his head like he just ate something disgusting, "I got a B minus."
Once the scene was over, Dash apologized profusely and had blocked out from the first time he watched the film. Danny thought they both handled about as maturely as two high schoolers could. Meaning they didn't. Cujo slept like a rock in Dash's lap unbothered. He must've had quite an active day, Danny thought. Did dogs- even ghost dogs ever work?
The bright glow from the dog was only distracting when it dimmed unexpectedly. Danny stared at the specter as it was being absorbed into a shadow. A shadow crawled over Cujo onto Dash's torso, up his neck before engulfing his face in the blackness.
Two more wisps escaped from Danny's throat-
The projector suddenly cut, and the speakers bursted with feedback. Everyone shielded their ears. The emergency overhead lights flooded the field. Dash kept his head on a swivel in case the A-listers came back to check on him. Danny, out of instinct, shrunk down, not wanting to be seen. He then realized he wasn't in his ghost form. The back of his head found the seat, chiding himself.
"Sorry about that, everyone; it appears we're having some technical difficulties." The lackadaisical theatre attendant that gave Danny a hard time spoke tiredly over the PA system. There was an immediate hesitance. Akin to a dry brush waiting for the worst to happen. The type of static in the air was restless. The citizens of Amity Park never bought an innocuous accident. They had grown uneasy at any sight of disarray like it was an omen of what was to come. There were shouts of discontentment, and people began to leave. Engines starting, anticipating catastrophe.
Without warning- the floodlights began to flicker until they exploded into sparks. Another voice came onto the PA, "Look alive, Amity Park- Johnny is coming by to check ticket stubs- Dark Shadow! Bring me that mutt!"
The black mass formed a sharp edge cleaved itself into the car, splitting it half effortlessly- as though it were nothing. Without hesitation, Danny shoved Dash away, pushing himself to the other edge of the vehicle. The squeal of metal being twisted and burned through hurt as much as the feedback. With his weight on one side, the passenger and driver's sides tumbled over, completely severed from each other. A cloud of dust whipped around the debris. Onlookers screamed, and panic began to grip the crowd. Dark Shadow, much like Cujo, had zero attention span. It became enamored with the other cars in the crowd and dove under them, flipping them over with geysers of gravel and dirt. Danny barred his arms over his head momentarily when he hit the ground. He called out, "Dash, take the dog and get out of here!"
Stunned, Dash replied, attempting to sound brave, "N-no way!"
"I wasn't asking!" Danny barked, "We need to split up- I'll meet you by the entrance!"
"Danny, wait!"
The ghost boy took advantage of the crowd running in all directions. He went against the grain of the fleeing audience; he bobbed and weaved through cars before they shot straight up into the air. It only motivated him to move faster. He could feel as people passed him knocking chunks out of his corporeal form, which he respawned as he needed. Crashing into the restroom door, Danny caught his breath before opening the door.
Here comes the hard part. He counted off, his voice now echoing off the walls. Danny's throat caught slightly, "... Three… two- I'm going ghost!"
Two pale rings of light emerged from the center of his stomach, then passed over his body. They crackled like neon lights in need of replacement. In this form, his bones felt like they were melting, reminiscent of growing cramps before a growth spurt. Danny leapt through the ceiling of the restroom and back into the chaos. Now that he was above it, he had to form a plan- Dark Shadow couldn't stand brightness- Johnny happened to be clever enough to destroy the overhead lights.
What on Earth could Johnny want Cujo for? Regardless of the reasoning, having two huge figures turn the new drive-in into an arena for their grudge-match wasn't ideal. Danny felt energy at the very skin of his hands- he raised a finger to shoot a beam at Shadow-
It was at this point he remembered Vlad's ability to make copies of himself. Danny didn't have time even to entertain the idea of being competent with his powers. Thus far, every experiment with making copies of himself had resulted in more or fewer limbs than he usually had. If someone like Kwan could do it without much difficulty, Danny struggled to come up with an excuse.
Danny was hesitant to take the shot and draw attention to himself- Instead, the ghost boy elected to find the projection booth and use the environment against Johnny. Hearing the cries and screams of elitist Casper High snobs, Danny zipped to the still intact car Paulina Sanchez's butler was trying to start.
"Ghost boy! I knew you would come for me!" Paulina dramatically sighed in relief, draping her arms around the phantom's neck from her seat in the convertible. A sign of affection he would gladly accept if the town's fate weren't constantly in flux. He brushed her off, sitting her back down in the car.
Star cried in tandem, "I knew you'd save us!"
Floating to the driver, Danny ordered, "Sir, turn on your brights and use the flashlight on your phone to keep yourself safe." He then gestured to the rest of the passengers in the car, "Stay put, the last thing we want is to cause a stampede- all of you use your flashlights on the highest setting."
The A-listers complied with the directions, all removing their personal devices and turning on their lights. Kwan was the last, his hands shaking a bit too hard to get it right on the first try. He begged, "Phantom, you gotta find my buddy Dash. He was out there by himself, and I-"
"He's okay," Danny assured, "Before that ghost thrashes more cars, tell everyone to use their flashlights."
The linebacker didn't look anymore at ease.
He gave them a trademark cocky grin before leaving them, which was getting harder to put on. Danny departed, bulleting toward the projector booth.
Phasing through the glass, he found the incapacitated box office attendant. However, Danny couldn't tell if they were beaten up or fell asleep on their own. To be certain, he held his hand in front of their mouth, feeling their breath from their nose. You couldn't be too careful with a psychotic idiot like the ghost biker.
"Alright, Johnny, before today, I thought you were above inciting panic and yelling fire in a crowded theater," Danny uttered.
In a blur of motion, Johnny wrapped his arm around the phantom's throat. The older man popped his switchblade, "Hey- hey, if it isn't my favorite wonderbread paragon. Didn't expect to see you at this chick flick."
Danny rolled his eyes, without exerting much force- Fenton shirked the spirit off, grabbing his upper bicep and throwing him into the wall. Thank you, women's self-defense boot camp DVD that mom regifted.
"I'm giving you the chance to walk away here."
Wiping the spit from the corner of his mouth, Johnny replied, "I'm not leaving here without that dog."
Despite wanting to ask why- Fenton knew that asking wouldn't necessarily stop him. Danny instead crossed his arms sternly, "I'm sure this is your newest attempt to get Kitty to forgive you for cheating on her- but could you leave my town out of it for once?!"
Johnny spat and rolled his shoulder, "like a friend of Dorothy would know what it's like- Don't forget who your senior is before you start to lecture squirt."
Friend of…? Danny must've looked confused because Thirteen guffawed, "Oh shit- are you- you're not bent? You certainly look the part. My bad."
"Look, Johnny, I have no idea what you're talking about," The Phantom admitted before balling his fists together, "But I can guarantee you, you're the one who's going to be bent into a new shape if you don't call off your shadow."
Shrugging, thirteen said, "My hands are tied, kid."
Danny tugged at his eyebags, "Of course they are."
Bubbles of green energy absorbed his hands; he rattled off two blasts. Nailing Johnny Thirteen's shoulders and further embedding him into the wall. Spending a crack into the drywall and up to the ceiling.
Johnny snapped his fingers, causing parts of the ceiling to come crumbling down. Danny dodged, jumping back.
The older ghost growled, "Step on a crack, I'll snap you in half-!"
"That doesn't even make any sense!" Danny shot at the ceiling pieces seeking to hit him.
Tackling the phantom, Thirteen slammed his junior to the control board for the projector. Pinning Danny's hands above his head. He panted, "so how's the sister?"
Pressing his shoes into Johnny's chest, the phantom found himself floating on his back for a moment before launching himself into Johnny, swinging for his face. The elder ducked, then grasped Danny's fist. Phantom punched with his left, and Johnny trapped that arm too. They pushed on their opponents with equal pressure grappling with each other.
Remembering he can shoot beams from his eyes, Danny shot through Johnny's chest since it was at his eye level. Thirteen grabbed his pecs, hissing, "DUDE NOT COOL, MY NIPPLES ARE OFF LIMITS!"
Pulling the greaser down by the ear, Danny yelled, "Guess what? When you ruin my night, I have no limits!" After throwing Johnny back onto the control panel, the projector whirred back to life- a bright blinding white light burst from behind Danny, projecting a forty-foot rainbow test screen. Observing the remaining cars with their brights on full blast, creating an unnavigable terrain for Shadow, the beast cried with pain and anguish as it was caught by the corner of the projection screen.
"Johnny, I don't recommend this to everyone, but maybe you should watch Maury Povitch- maybe you'd learn something." Phantom threw the older ghost through the window. The biker phased through the glass before pulling back and flying off into the night without another word. Next time, when Danny was prepared, it would be on sight. The phantom leapt through the same window and sped past cheering choir-
He called out, "Dash! Cujo!" cupping his hands around his mouth. He repeated the same names- Though quickly Danny found himself overwhelmed by bodies of people trying to gain his attention and sing his praises for his latest deed. Raising his head above the swath- in the distance, he could see a red jacket on top of the wreckage of what used to be a hell of a car. He was mouthing something Danny couldn't glean from the space between them. Strangely enough, Dash always looked at the Phantom. From the corner of his eye, Danny could usually pick the jock out of the line up of faces that cheered his name.
Quickly turning intangible, Danny phased through the earth and reappeared behind Dash. Baxter was scrambling around, looking quite frightened despite the threat being gone. He was surveying high and low, snapping his head in all manner of directions. For something- someone that's when Danny realized Dash was calling his name. Baxter smacked his forehead crying out, "Fenton! Fenton! Where are you?!"
Wow, who knew Dash was a method actor. He was certainly dedicated to the ruse. He almost sounded distressed. The phantom poked the quarterback, causing him to flinch before turning around. Initially, Dash's eyes were large, then quickly fell in disappointment. Baxter fitfully grabbed Danny's shoulders, "Phantom, thank god you're here-! I'm trying to find my date."
Danny blinked… He felt his nose scrunch in befuddlement. The ghost boy was pretty sure the only person Dash came to the drive-in was Danny. In fact, Danny was sure he was the only other person in the car.
Automatically Phantom began to help, "What does she look like?"
"I don't know if you ever met him- Danny Fenton…?" He ranted, shaking the ghost slightly, "uh… he's just- he's super scrawny and…" Dash deflated, "It was my idea to take him here- I don't know what I was thinking. This is shaping up to be the worst night ever. I just hope he didn't get trampled." He hopped down from the car, landing on his knee before muttering, "I don't want him to think I bailed."
Finding the grass, Danny felt his chest empty of air. His stomach hit the ground. Fingers tangled in his hair, in one moment, he was seen. Now he staggered, weightless but sinking. He was lightheaded like he was drunk. Bubbling with some strange feeling at the top of his ribs.
Date...?