Sam stepped back, staring at Danny's prone form.
Amid the fountain of blood escaping his mouth and the way his head seemed to almost spill its contents, she knew there was no way he was going to survive. Tucker gripped each side of his skull desperately, as if hoping to scoop everything back in and seal it together.
Like a stapler and a stubborn stack of paper.
Clip. Clip. Clip.
She fell to her knees, rippling the puddle below her, but already covered in enough red to not make a difference.
Tucker was calling her name, somewhere in the distance, begging her to dial 911. But she could only watch, transfixed as Danny, somehow still awake, moved his lips over a silent phrase only he could hear.
Sam's mind must've run off somewhere far, far away. She wouldn't be able to find it even if she tried looking, wouldn't want to. The numbness was the only thing keeping her anchored, she knew. And the only thing keeping Danny here were his eyes, glazed as he stared off into a hot afternoon sky, not a cloud in sight.
Ignoring Tucker's anguished cries, she quietly leaned forward and gently pulled Danny's lids down.
His lips stopped moving.
"What day is it?"
Sam pulled out her phone, checking. "August fifteenth. Why?"
Danny smirked, tossing a small ball back to Tucker. "Just documenting the day I die."
"Oh, don't be so dramatic. You said it yourself, it's just another one of your parent's crazy inventions. Won't turn on and that's it."
"I dunno, Sam," Tucker propped himself up from his spot on the floor, amused. "It's a pretty big machine, what if it blows up or something?"
The house was permeated with the boisterous call of Danny's dad, a booming voice calling for them to witness "the advancement of science as they knew it."
"Looks like we're about to find out," Sam stood, offering Tucker a hand and turning exasperated eyes to a sulking Danny. "Stop moping already, you know they won't let up until we go downstairs."
"I'm not moping," he groaned, voice muffled from where it was buried in his pillow. "Just...processing."
"Uh, huh," Sam grabbed onto his left arm, nodding over to Tucker. "C'mon, the sooner we get this over with, the quicker we can head out to the Nasty Burger."
Spurred on by the thought of his mega meaty melt, Tucker enthusiastically helped her lug Danny off the bed, practically dragging him into the hallway. "Cheer up, man. Think of it as the end to your parent's years-long obsession over a nonexistent dimension."
"Call me an ass for saying this, but that does actually make me feel better," Danny stood on his own, walking with heavy steps the rest of the way as Mr. Fenton led them down to their basement. Not the most exciting part of the house for a normal family, but the Fentons definitely did not belong in that category.
Spotting them entering, Mrs. Fenton clapped her hands enthusiastically ushering them over to get a front row seat. For a VIP view, Sam expected more than some plastic chairs and a thin barrier of bulletproof glass, but she'd take what she could get. Once assured that their audience was comfortably situated, the Fentons stood in front of the portal, practically jittering with nervous energy.
"As you kids know, we've been working on this since we were in college," Maddie began.
"That's twenty years!"
"Right," she patted her husband on the shoulder, and then gestured over to the extension cord in his hands. "Jack here was the one to figure out the final piece, so it only makes sense that he has the honors of actually turning it on. Think about it kids, we're about to be the first people to ever open a door to the Ghost Zone. The first to ever keep it open indefinitely in a stable environment. Isn't that exciting!"
Sam had to admit that had this actually been true, it would be pretty cool. She was open to the idea of ghosts, don't get her wrong, but the way the Fentons portrayed them, as if they were some emotionless fragments of post-human consciousness, made her question their credibility. If spirits were real, wouldn't they still hold some humanity? What about dying could turn someone into a monster?
Noticing his friends were still in their own skeptical stupors, Tucker raised two encouraging thumbs up, smiling. "Sounds great, Mr. and Mrs. Fenton! Real revolutionary!"
"Thank you, Tucker, glad to see another man of technology appreciating a breakthrough!" Jack didn't notice the grimace the teen wore at his words, turning to his wife and grinning. "Are you ready, baby?"
"Ready as I'll ever be! Kids, let's start the countdown!
With as much enthusiasm as they could muster, the group joined them in a unified, "Five, four, three, two…"
Jack connected each plug together, sparks flying momentarily from where they connected, as the machine behind them began to hum. Sam unconsciously began to lean forward, watching in awe as a green light started to emanate from the back of the portal, growing in intensity and inching towards them. She'd been ready to join her friends in an effort to comfort the Fentons when their machine undoubtedly failed, even prepared a "it's the effort that counts" speech.
But now, faced with the impossible, she gaped, seeing her excitement reflected on her other friend's expressions. Maybe the thing would actually work, maybe it would really lead to a-
As suddenly as it arrived, the green light fizzled out, noise dwindling with it. Mr. Fenton's grin froze, no longer reaching his eyes, watching the machine go back to its previous state of abandon.
The quiet seemed overwhelming in the aftermath of the failed experiment. Even Danny, who had viewed the portal as more of a nuisance than anything, had slumped into his chair, expression forlorn. She didn't have to think too hard about what it was that had upset him the most, both older Fentons obviously crushed at seeing their life's work go to waste.
With a miserable set to his shoulders, Mr. Fenton tried for some optimism. "Sorry kids, looks like it was missing some juice. Next time it'll for sure work."
It didn't need saying that this was already what had to be their hundredth attempt.
Lowering her hood, Mrs. Fenton's devastation was much more clear, her sadness so great that she couldn't even find it within herself to pretend. With an air of someone who had given up, she walked past her husband, heading back up the stairs. "I'm sorry, I think I need to go lay down."
Unwilling to let his wife stew alone, Mr. Fenton followed, warning not to touch anything while they were there.
"Well that was...something." Tucker kept staring into the portal. "For a while there I was really expecting it to work."
"I take back what I said earlier," Danny frowned. "This is so much worse than had it actually turned on. I've never seen my parents this down before."
Despite her outward aesthetic, the situation was growing much too dreary for Sam's taste, heart plummeting at the sight of everyone's bleakness. Putting aside her own disappointment for now, she stood, plastering a grin of her own.
"I'm sure your parents will figure it out, a setback has never stopped them." She punched Danny lightly on his shoulder. "Nothing a Nasty combo can't solve, my treat this time."
Forcing his gaze away from the machine, he nodded, standing up.
"Man, why's it so hot today?" Danny tugged on his shirt, hoping to catch some of the breeze.
"You think they would kick me out if I bought an extra slushie just to dump it on myself?" Tucker joked, stopping once they got to the curb.
Danny slumped against the pole, waiting for the light to flash on the walking person. "I'll cover for you if you leave some for me too."
"Deal," Tucker's eyes flickered to the light. "Looks like we can go now."
Eager to get out of the heat, Danny shot forward, rushing to cross. Feeling an eerie sense of deja vu, and recognizing the scene from somewhere she couldn't pinpoint, Sam grabbed the back of his shirt, yanking him backward only a few steps in.
"Sam, what're you-?"
Danny's voice was cut off over the loud revving of a car speeding past them. From the sound of it, the driver was going well over the speed limit, too fast to stop had an unsuspecting teenager walked in their path.
With shaking hands, Sam let Danny go, a scene of bloodshed playing in her mind's eye. She remembered just then, holding her dying friend in her arms while Tucker grew hysterical beside her. It was like it had only happened a few hours ago. But that couldn't be, right?
"I hope that asshole gets a fucking fine," Tucker snapped, seething in a rare bout of anger. "Didn't he see the light was on red?"
Danny didn't react, instead looking at Sam with an expression she couldn't read. "How'd you know they were coming?"
She fidgeted nervously with the bracelets on her wrist, unsure how to answer the question without sounding insane.
"It's weird, but I thought I saw it happen in a dream." A part of her told her there was more to the story, but she shrugged it off. "Whatever, probably a coincidence. Let's just get inside and eat."
Not altogether comforted by the turn of events, she grabbed her friends and held them closer than she usually would have while crossing the street. They didn't bother to escape her grip, partly because they wouldn't have been able to anyway, but also because they were both clearly still shaken up.
Once assured they were safely out of harm's way, they headed over to their regular table, Danny breaking off from the rest of them to place their order. "I'll be right back. Tucker, you still down for that extra slushie?"
Their friend grinned, annoyance from earlier disappearing. "You think I play with food?"
Returning the smile, Danny headed over to the counter, leaving Sam and Tucker to deal with their remnants of shock.
Now that Danny was out of earshot, Tucker dropped the cheer. "Was it really just part of a dream?"
Sam sighed. "I wasn't lying. Something just feels off, like I'm missing something."
Tucker made to interrogate her further, but a blast rang throughout the room, loud enough that Sam was sure she would've heard it from blocks away. If not that, then the shrieks of the customers surely travelled the same distance, terrified and desperate. Tucker looked over at the source of the sound, a pained cry escaping him. Just seeing him made Sam afraid to turn around, a part of her knowing what must've happened.
"Sam…" He made to stand, but fell back onto his seat.
Hardly able to breathe, she very slowly turned her head, spotting first the splash of blood coating the cashier's face, and then the body slumped in front of the counter. Beside him, a man chucked a bag next to the register, showing absolutely no remorse.
"Money in the bag or you're next."
"Sam, he's…"
His back was facing them where he'd fallen, but she already knew what he would look like had he dropped to the ground in their direction. Eyes glazed, jaw slack.
Would he be whispering empty words like last time?
"I think he's…"
"I know," a trickle of tears rolled down her face.
She caught sight of a calico cat licking its red-coated paws just to his left. Seeming aware that they were being watched, they stopped and meowed loud enough to be heard over the chaos.
Somehow, it came off as mocking as a person caught laughing.
"He's gone, Sam."
"I know."
She wasn't there this time to close his eyes.
"What day is it?"
Sam rubbed her temple, slumped over by Tucker on the floor. She hadn't slept well the night before, not quite sure why. She usually had no trouble knocking out when she wanted to.
Rolling to her side, Sam mumbled for Tucker to check.
With some complaint, he tapped his phone awake, stating the date. "It's August fifteenth."
"Hm," Danny grunted, burying his face in his pillow. "The day I die."
"Explosion, bro. I'm calling it." Tucker chuckled. "Or maybe the whole basement will just collapse on us."
"Shut up," Sam snapped.
Something about their banter rubbed her the wrong way, sounded insensitive to her ears. Whereas she would usually roll her eyes and leave them to it, this time she felt inclined to tell them to put a sock in it.
"Relax, we're just messing around," Tucker nodded over at Danny, now sitting up with a worried expression. "See, now you got him nervous."
Sam didn't plan on apologizing, too high strung to even consider it, but Mr. Fenton's loud call from below gave her an excuse. Walking angrily past the other two, she led the way down to the basement, heart not really in it today.
She didn't even bother looking pumped as the Fentons hyped up their invention, knowing with certainty that the thing wouldn't turn on. Strange, when just the day before she had felt a tiny glimmer of curiosity at the thought of it.
After witnessing the expected failure of the portal, and being left to their own devices when the older Fentons left, Sam slumped into her seat, exhaustion catching up to her. "Well, that was something."
"I was just about to say that! What a downer man, I was really expecting something to happen." Tucker stood up, clapping his hand on a despondent Danny's shoulder. "How about we go to the Nasty Burger? That'll cheer us up!"
Danny nodded his head, but before he could stand, Sam stated a solid no.
"Why not?" He frowned. "Tucker's right, I don't wanna be in the house right now."
She didn't know the reason she was so against it either, but an instinctive part of her said it was a bad idea. Searching for an excuse, she settled on an, "I'm just not feeling very well. Maybe we could order something in?"
Exchanging a silent glance with Tucker, Danny shrugged. "I mean, if you're not up for it…"
"I'm not." Less terse, Sam added, "Sorry."
A few minutes later found them in the living room, Sam and Tucker curled up in a pile of blankets while Danny set up their movie. He was the one that had chosen it, Dead Teacher III, with the logic that the fourth would be coming out soon and he really didn't want to be lost while watching it in theaters.
"Huh, that's weird." Danny smacked the side of the television, screen gone blank. "It turned off."
"Maybe you forgot to plug something in?" Tucker suggested, mouth stuffed with buttery popcorn.
Danny hummed, reaching his hand behind it to pull on some cables. "I think I see it, it's the-"
He stilled, eyes growing wide as he started to convulse.
"Danny!"
Sam laid in bed, staring at the ceiling. She had just woken up, remembered that today she was supposed to meet up with Tuck at his house to walk together to Danny's. His parents were going to show them what they claimed would be their final, successful attempt at reaching the Ghost Zone.
She knew it wouldn't work.
It had failed three times, and one of her best friends had died following those failures.
It had taken her the whole morning, but she'd finally convinced herself that what she was experiencing weren't nightmares, they were real. The blood soaking into her leggings, the warmth of it, followed by the then smeared face of the cashier, and his limp body sprawled on the floor after electrocution. Those were all things that she had seen, was forced to repeat. But why? What did she ever do to deserve this?
From what she could tell, she was the only one out of the three who had figured it out. Even then, she didn't really, had absolutely no idea how to escape this. Was there even a way to stop it?
Sam sat up, shaking her head. She couldn't think like that, not if she didn't want to completely lose it. Every situation had its solution, and neither Tucker or Danny would give up so fast if they were in her shoes. If she was the only one who knew, then that had to mean she was the key to ending it. Perhaps it was a matter of finding a place where the time loop wouldn't affect them.
There must be somewhere safe, if only she could just figure out where.
She dialed Tucker's number, trying to keep her voice steady as he answered.
"Sam? You were supposed to be here a while ago, what's up?
"I don't think I can go. Can I meet you guys at the park after instead?"
Things had been going well so far, despite her friends' initial disappointment at her not having joined them. It was lessened by the fact that the portal hadn't actually turned on, so she really didn't miss anything. But she felt bad nevertheless, since there was really no way they would've known she had already foreseen it.
She checked her phone again and saw that they had lasted longer than the previous three times. Perhaps it really was as simple as switching locations, when looking around she didn't see anything that could be potentially dangerous.
Sam added more height to her swing, rocking back and forth and allowing herself a small smile.
Beside her, Danny perked up, encouraged by her shift in mood. "Hey Sam, you wanna see how far I can go?"
Using the ground to propel himself, he kicked off, surpassing her in distance. His giant goofy smile reminded her of the days they would visit the park more often, taking turns on the two swings to see who could go higher. Seeing where this was going, she smirked, putting more strength in her push.
"I think you forgot who the champion is," she taunted, going even further.
"Things change!" Danny looked over at Tucker, watching amused from the slide. "Who're you betting on?"
He feigned being deep in thought, smile still peeking through. "Hm, tough call but I think I'm gonna go with Sam."
"Really!" Danny swung his legs more aggressively, competitive glint in his eye. "Guess I gotta try harder then."
Sam kept pushing, watching Danny the entire time. He seemed so relaxed, frustration from the past few weeks dealing with his parents temporarily dispelled. If she could lock away any moment in her memory, it would be that one, locked in a childish game with her friends.
She turned around, wanting to read Tucker's expression, when something caught her attention. She noticed it when her feet had touched the ground, how solid it was, made of concrete. For years, adults had tried convincing the city to replace it with more kid-safe material, multiple accidents having already taken place.
With a bout of horror, she halted her movement abruptly, shoes firmly buried in the hard floor.
"Why'd you stop?" Danny shouted. "We just started!"
He swung his legs, going up, up, up.
"I don't want to anymore, let's go on a walk instead."
Danny huffed, went higher. "Sounds boring, don't wanna."
"Danny, I said stop."
Higher
"Danny!"
Higher
"I could fly if I let go," Across from them, Tucker laughed at Danny's comment.
He looked ready to do just that, but Sam's hand shot out, forcing him still.
Only, the momentum was too much, his grip already loose enough that her intervention had forced his body forward. As he fell, hands spread wide midair, she couldn't help but think that he was right.
He was flying.
All limbs, and without the grace of an actual bird. Dropping face first onto the ground, going completely still as his skull shattered to pieces.
Clip. Clip. Clip.
Tucker's scream broke through the chirping of the cicadas, summer breeze interrupted by his shouts of anguish.
Sam caught the glimpse of a calico cat, watching while perched atop a bench beside Danny. It was then that she too, fell to her knees and cried.
Perhaps she was the problem.
Bad things only ever seemed to happen when she was there. The previous run was her fault, for grabbing the stupid swing. Sam's parents had hinted at her presence bringing doom and gloom, and although the way they said it was not how she was interpreting it now, she was beginning to believe it was true.
So that's why this time, she planned on staying out of the picture. If it meant her friends living the rest of their lives happily, she would disappear altogether.
Sam just had to wait it out. This attempt would be different, they would make it to the next day.
"Nice try, but that's not quite the answer."
Her eyes shot open, landing on a cat at her feet that had not previously been there. It was the stupid calico that had been mocking her for days, curled up comfortably in her blankets.
Without thinking about it, she tried kicking it off, her love for animals be damned.
It was like trying to grab at fog, aggressive strikes never hitting home. For all her efforts, the cat seemed more amused than offended, rolling onto their back and stretching.
"I see you're starting to lose it," the deep, rumbling voice taunted her again, words clear despite his mouth not moving.
She screamed, throwing her pillows, her alarm clock, anything she could get her hands on. It was a miracle her parents didn't come running. She grabbed a bat from her brief stint in baseball, but stopped when the cat finally sat up, watching her with as serious of a look as he could muster.
"If you're quite done, I came with a solution," he cocked his head to the side in thought. "I suppose you might think I'm evil, with how I always seem to be there at the worst moment. A bad omen, if you will."
She tightened her grip on the handle, but didn't move.
The cat took it as a sign to continue. "Your friend said it himself, most likely senses it….Today is when he is meant to die."
"Don't," she choked out.
"Avoiding him will do you no good. The quicker you figure this out, the faster you move forward." He stood, taking some steps closer to her and flicking his tail along her arm. "There's only one way that this can end. I'm just here to reset time when you have not succeeded."
"If you're the one controlling this, why can't you let us go?" Sam dropped the bat, putting her head in her hands. She wasn't one to beg, hated being at someone else's disposal, but she was cracking. "Please, please...I just want everything to be normal again."
Her downwards spiral was interrupted by the shrill ringing of her phone.
Tucker had chosen the ringtone himself, putting the Ghostbusters theme song as a joke.
It was Danny.
She reached out, trepidation growing as she answered it, somehow knowing something was about to go wrong. Even the cat had stilled, sitting on her lap with his paws crossed.
She cleared her throat. "Hello?"
"Sam, I'm not feeling too good."
"What do you mean, is Tucker with you?"
"He just left." Danny's voice cracked over the phone, talking as if those few words were enough to drain him of all his energy. He released a shaken breath, too close to the speaker.
"Can I ask you a dumb question?"
"You can ask me anything," She tried for a comforting tone, not liking where the conversation was heading.
"Do you think my parents would notice if I was gone? All they ever talk about lately is their stupid portal, and before that, Jazz was the only one to ever care."
Sam stiffened, voice tight as she tried to stay calm. "Danny, what are you saying? Of course your parents care about you. They love you to bits. And me and Tucker do too."
"I don't know, I just feel…." There was a sniffle across the line, breaking Sam's heart to pieces despite barely hearing it. "I feel like nothing matters anymore. I don't even know why I called."
She rushed to stand, grabbing her shoes with one hand and keeping her phone steady with the other. "Listen, there's nothing we can't fix together, okay? Just-just wait, I'm coming over, and in the meantime, Jazz is home now, right? I'll tell her to keep you company and-"
"There's no point," Danny took a deep breath, coming to a decision. With a voice too soft, too gentle for the situation, he said his final words. "I think I just wanted to talk to you one last time. Thanks, Sam."
The line cut off, but even knowing he wouldn't hear her, Sam called his name.
Maybe if she ran fast enough, alerted his parents, everything would be okay. Out of every time before, this one had to have a better ending. He couldn't, not Danny.
"It's finished now." The familiar murmur behind her popped the bubble in her wishful thinking.
She dropped her phone, turning to face the cat. Even with everything else that had happened to her already, she couldn't hold back the tears. She probably looked pathetic, wallowing in self-pity when she wasn't the one constantly meeting a horrible fate. But right then, she couldn't put on a brave face.
"Please," she whispered again, trying even knowing she wouldn't be getting out of this.
Predictably, the cat ignored her, hopping off her bed and heading towards her door.
With a glance over his shoulder, he left her with some final parting words.
"This is my cue to leave, but remember, it all begins at the source."
Sam felt the telltale darkening of her vision, but for once, didn't put up a fight.
This was a finale she couldn't accept.
"Man, why's it so hot today?"
Sam zoned out from part of their conversation, focused on the traffic signal in front of her. Today she decided to retrace her steps, go ahead with the plans they'd had to watch the portal, and suggest the Nasty Burger after.
The story unfolded so far as it had previously, meaning that if she was right...
Tucker's eyes flickered to the light. "Looks like we can go now."
This time, she hurried to be just a step behind Danny, grabbing him from the back of his shirt, and shoving herself in the way instead. She stumbled forward with how forcefully she'd pushed him away, looking to her right to see exactly what she'd expected.
The black car came speeding straight at her and she closed her eyes.
"It was a valiant effort, but not the right answer."
It was too quiet, the revving of the car engine gone, cicadas no longer chirping.
Sam opened her eyes, and turned around. Danny was leaning up from where he'd fallen, watching her in horror, eyes wide. Behind him, Tuck was still at the curb, but his reaction was much the same. When she checked, she saw that the car had frozen mere inches away from hitting her, the entire scene held on pause.
Sitting on the hood was the cat, speaking sternly. "Let's try this again."
This time, Sam suggested they go on a walk, promising she knew a place where they could get a decent meal. It was a fast food joint with vegan options, on the second floor of a rented space. Tucker complained passionately about it being a bad sign for the taste, but she knew he would end up enjoying it.
She just hoped to have some time to eat lunch with her friends before the inevitable happened.
Luck wasn't on her side.
Sam led the group up, steepness of the steps having gone unnoticed. She was entertaining some mild banter, when she heard it, the sound of someone's foot sliding on the metal.
Acting on instinct, she spun fast enough to grab Danny's hand, watching the relief flood his eyes at her firm hold. He shot her a tentative smile, still tilted back.
"Thanks."
Sam held him just a bit tighter, admiring the splash of freckles highlighted by the afternoon sun. Watching his chest rise and fall just a bit faster from the shock, a sign that he was well and alive. Behind her, Tucker laughed, praising her for her quick reaction.
She gave his hand a squeeze, reassuring.
And then let go.
Sam skipped the demonstration again, told them to come over after it was finished.
For once, her parents' overbearing nature had come in handy, and she had 'accidentally' let it slip what she really planned to do at Danny's. With the knowledge that their daughter was being invited to view a dangerous science experiment, they had put their foot down and refused to let her go.
Perfect excuse.
She'd never invited them over, not wanting her wealth to affect their friendship, but this was a desperate time for her. If she knew any place like the back of her hand, it was her home. Surely she could keep things under control here, at least for a while?
Hearing the ringing of her doorbell, she got up and welcomed her friends in. They looked pretty uncomfortable, Danny more than Tucker, who had reverted to banter as a way to lighten the mood.
"Geez Sam, I thought you'd sent us to the wrong place," he nudged her lightly, taking in the enormity of her living room alone.
"Yeah um, I forgot to mention it's a pretty big neighborhood." She scuffed her foot on the floor, pushing aside her awkwardness in favor of the typical Manson hospitality. "Do you guys want something to drink? Or anything to eat maybe?"
Danny shyly raised a bag she hadn't noticed he was carrying. "We brought snacks actually! We found those kettle chips you like."
Letting the tension leave her shoulders, she thanked the pair, leading the way to the arcade room she'd promised to show them. Before their arrival, she'd checked every corner for any exposed wire, or game not attached firmly to the wall. Even had their butler make sure it was fine, ignoring any strange looks.
Today, she wanted to see how long they could last, attaching herself firmly to Danny's side. She tried to keep it subtle, acting cool while they competed in various games, but she could tell that he was getting antsy.
Already, she had followed him to get a glass of water, and went along with any activity the other two decided on. Blame it on her inexperience with acting, or the simple fact that they knew her too well, but he was beginning to catch on.
On the way to get his second glass of water, he had noticed a ladder in her dining room, placed right next to the chandelier. "What's that for?"
Shit, Sam had forgotten.
"My parents want to switch up the lighting here, make it more modern." She tried sounding as nonchalant as possible. "Not a big deal."
On her other side, Tucker moved his hand over her to jab at Danny's shoulder. "Dare you to go under it."
Danny looked ready to obey, but she snapped at both of them. "Don't, it's bad luck. Besides, my parents would get mad if you dropped something."
"I don't believe in bad luck," Danny rolled his eyes. "But fine, I'll control myself."
"Only for Sam," Tucker snickered.
Too relieved at having dodged a bullet, she didn't rise up to the bait, getting them each more refreshments, and then returning to the arcade room. Looking back, she let that small moment of triumph blind her judgement for the rest of the day, attributing Danny's worsening mood with fatigue.
At one point he had zoned off too long to win the game, his character shot down by the computer. He didn't seem to care, renounced to his fate, but it was swept under the rug in the face of Tucker's resulting glee at having beat his score.
Hours later, she checked her phone and saw that it was seven thirty. Both of them had curfews at eight, but she'd already planned ahead. To her knowledge, the sudden deaths didn't extend to her or Tucker. If she could have her chauffeur drive them home together, drop Danny off first, then maybe he could make it through the day.
She waited with them on the couch, chatting about their upcoming freshmen year, when Danny stood. Alert, she followed suit, a flash of irritation sparking in his eye when he saw.
"Relax Sam, I just need to go to the bathroom. I think I saw it over by the stairs?"
She nodded and sat back down. Would it be going too far if she followed when he wasn't looking?
Sam watched his back as he walked away, finally noticing the dejected slope to his shoulders.
"Y'know," Tucker started, shifting his weight behind her. "I catch you looking at him a lot, but today was different. It's like you thought something was going to happen."
"I worry about him sometimes," Sam muttered, eyeing the time on her phone. Three minutes had passed. "That's all."
Tucker made a noise of agreement. "I do too, he got upset out of nowhere."
To try and distract herself for a bit, Sam switched the topic back over to their shared classes for the year. Tucker had surprisingly taken a sewing elective, stating that the computer science classes at school weren't going to teach him anything, so he might as well learn a new skill.
She chuckled, making him promise to give her his first project, and checked her phone again.
Fifteen minutes had passed.
"But yeah, we'll see how it goes." Tucker leaned back, watching her closely. "Go ahead, I know you wanna see how he is."
Sam punched him, getting up anyway. "I'm worried as a friend, shut up."
She walked away, hearing him laughing behind her. "Uh-huh, just friends."
Nearing the bathroom door, she tried remembering whether she had left anything threatening in there. Any medicine was kept in the upstairs bathroom, as well as all her dad's shaving equipment. But the way that things had been going recently, his deaths had gotten creative, horribly so.
How could she predict something so fickle?
Knocking on the door with slight hysteria, Sam held out hope that he would be fine. "Danny? You've taken a while, is everything okay?"
No answer.
She tried turning the handle to no avail. "If you don't open the door, I'm knocking it down myself."
Nothing.
"Danny, c'mon!" She slammed at the wood, repeatedly calling his name. She didn't realize how loud she was being until her dad appeared, emerging from his study seeming alarmed.
"Samantha, what's going on?" He stopped next to her, arms crossed.
Not bothering to hide her concern, she gestured in front of her, hands shaking. "It's Danny, he's been in the bathroom for a while and he's not answering." She shook her head, vision blurring. "Something's wrong, I just, he won't-he won't say anything and…"
"Calm down, sweetie. I'm sure he'll be fine." He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, using the other to knock again. "Young man? I'm going to come in, okay?"
They waited together with still no answer. Looking concerned himself, he pulled out the set of keys he carried on him, what with how many locked rooms were around their home. As he searched for the right one, Sam listened in for any sound from the other side.
Abruptly, she heard a heavy thump, a body slumping against the door.
Gaze dropping down, she grabbed onto her dad, holding him as an anchor. "Dad."
"Hm?" Following the direction at which she pointed, he paled, nearly dropping the keys. "Oh dear, Sammy step aside. Pam! Call an ambulance!"
Looking away, Sam tried to block out the sight of blood seeping out from beneath her door. She ran through the possibilities, steadying her breathing. She'd cleaned everything away, she was sure of it. Unless...there was the mirror.
She heard her dad's frantic murmuring and the door finally being pulled open. A sick squelch sounded at her feet, something heavy landing right beside her. A warm liquid seeped into her socks, making her breath catch.
She'd failed again.
"Shit," a rare curse from her dad, and then a firm tone. "Sammy, don't look. We'll help your friend just, don't look."
Sam nodded, numb, and then closed her eyes.
Opened them in her room.
She was sitting on her bed, strewn with many pieces of paper and colored pencils. She'd already texted Tucker that today was a no-go, not bothering to check how he'd replied. She didn't need more people disappointed in her when she already felt low all on her own.
If Danny or Tucker had been in this situation, would they have figured it out by now? And even if they could have, would she be okay with them being in her place?
She knew that of the three, she was the most emotionally equipped for this, and that was saying something when the first thing she'd done upon waking was tear apart her room. Her fingers still ached from where pieces of glass had gotten lodged in them, her feet bruised by everything she'd kicked apart.
But next to Tucker and Danny? She was handling it somewhat well.
Although Danny tended to be mild-mannered by default, there were a few things that could really set him off, harm to his friends or family members definitely being one of them. She remembered one time back in seventh grade when she'd gotten in a minor car accident with her mom, how he'd reacted once he found out.
Tucker had calmed down when he saw she was fine, but Danny got so fixated on the idea of her in danger, that he seemed near-ready to find the other driver himself. It concerned her sometimes, how he seemed to place more importance on others than himself, but she'd accepted it as a part of who he was.
And then there was Tucker, who behind that confident facade, was much more emotionally invested in his friends than he let on. His reactions to each of Danny's deaths was proof of that, when her own immediate default was to freeze. Each and every time he would fall apart, show just how deep his compassion went.
No, it was for the best that it was her.
She would figure this out, she just needed to think.
"Are you avoiding him again? You know what'll happen if you do."
Sam's grip tightened on her pencil. "I'm trying to come up with a plan."
"Hm." A weight pressed at her side. "And have you deduced anything yet?"
She circled several points in her notes. "I need to be there when whatever it is happens and...it has to happen after his parents test the portal. Sound right?"
The cat purred, neither negating or approving of her theory. "I'm in a tough spot where I cannot tell you directly. But it's a good start."
"And if I keep messing up? You're saying he has to die, but why?" She crossed out another possibility on her notes. "Why can't he survive?"
"Death isn't always the end all." The statement was vague, and didn't make any sense to her. "But if you must know, the consequences would be much worse if he doesn't. Believe me when I say things are better this way."
Her phone rang, signaling her time was up, yet she wasn't much closer to a solution.
This time it blared, "it's Britney, bitch."
Tucker.
Pushing aside her stuff, she answered the phone. "How'd everything go?"
In a strained voice. "Sam, it's Danny."
Rubbing behind the cat's ears, more for comfort than anything, she gained the courage to ask, "What happened?"
"He-he fell off the Ops Center roof. The rail just couldn't hold his weight." A heavy pause. "He was leaning against it and...Sam."
Choked up sobbing from the other end.
She heard the cicadas, wondered if he was outside, leaning over Danny's mangled body as he spoke to her.
"He's gone." A struggle to catch his breath. "He's definitely gone."
She moved to stroke the cat, starting at his head and ending at his tail. Tried to ignore the tremors in her body, her rapidly blurring vision.
"Okay, thank you for letting me know."
She hung up.
"I think today is the day I die."
Sam didn't bother correcting him.
They were down in the basement again, moods dour as they watched the Fentons leave looking just as miserable as before. Sam had given up, once and for all. Couldn't stand the thought of orchestrating her friend's death more than she had already done. Even if they didn't know, looked at her with the same fondness as they usually did, she couldn't forgive herself for failing.
How great would it have been if she could have succeeded during their second run-in with the car. A sacrifice for someone she cared about, that struck her as much more heroic than what she had done after.
She held back a flinch when Danny's hand fell on her shoulder. He must've assumed her anguish was due to the portal not working.
The stupid portal that always seemed to be the start of it all.
"It's alright Sam, we kind of already knew this would happen," he sighed, looking over at the hollow contraption. "Would've been pretty cool if it stayed on."
Wait.
"We could drown our disappointment in some Nasty Shakes?" Tucker suggested, expression brightening.
"Now that's an idea. What do you say, Sam?"
The cat, he had told her that there was a way they could all survive this. If only she just opened her eyes and paid attention to what stood out most. And what could be more obvious than what had made that day different in the first place?
"Sam?"
She shot up, feeling something she had not felt in a long time: hope.
Danny was at the center of it all, and somehow he was connected to the portal. Despite his many attempts at downgrading his intelligence, Sam knew that he was smarter than he let on. She'd seen it in the rare moments he'd allowed himself to be openly eager about his parent's work. Or when he explained what should have been a concept too difficult for a boy his age to grasp.
Perhaps she was never the key.
Maybe the one who could get them out of there was Danny, if he could only get close enough to the portal to see what was wrong with it. The entire time, she had been overthinking everything, been so overwhelmed with other events that she hadn't thought of what was clearly the center of attention. There could be a double-meaning to the cat's warning. If the portal was a door to the other side like the Fentons claimed, then maybe that was the death he'd been referring to, not Danny's. Right?
Deciding she had nothing left to lose, Sam made an attempt. "Why don't we check it out ourselves?"
"The portal?" Danny frowned, confused about the sudden direction she was headed. "I don't know, it wouldn't make a difference. Like what would we catch that my parents didn't?"
"C'mon, we all know how your folks are, no offense. They're smart, but they sometimes miss things that are really obvious," her voice rose in volume, gaining traction. "And besides, we saw it begin to work. It was turning on, but something stopped it. Wouldn't it be cool if we figured it out?"
She recognized a familiar glint of curiosity seeping into Danny's eyes. He still seemed mostly unsure, but with just a push, she knew she could convince him.
"What do you think, Tuck? This could be the most advanced piece of tech we've ever seen."
The twitching of his hand, a tell that he was interested. "Hate to say it, but I agree with Sam. Wouldn't hurt to snoop a little, maybe it was something as basic as a loose screw. If you want to that is, don't wanna force anything."
"Yeah, c'mon, Danny! A Ghost Zone? Aren't you curious? We gotta check it out."
They both focused their gaze on Danny, waiting with anticipation.
If he said no, she would accept it, but if he agreed, they could finally have a chance of leaving this stupid timeline.
"I don't know, my parents don't like me getting too close to their stuff. But if it works, they would be so happy…." Danny bit his lip, contemplating, and then sighed. He looked from Sam to Tucker, finding something in their stance that made him finally decide.
He set his shoulders, eyes determined.
Bingo.
"You know what? Let's do it. Who knows what kind of awesome, super cool things exist on the other side of that portal?"
"Hell yeah!" Tucker tugged Danny straight towards the computer, telling him to pull up the blueprints.
Knowing she wouldn't be much help on that end, Sam checked other parts of the lab, making sure the Fentons had properly plugged everything in, and then pressing the button for the portal door to open. Danny's parents had closed it after it hadn't worked, but she figured that they had to be thorough if they wanted to be successful.
Making to step inside, she jumped when she heard Danny yell behind her.
"What?"
He stalked over to her, eyeing the gaping hole wearily. "You can't just walk in there, it could be dangerous. You're not even wearing protection!"
Rolling her eyes, Sam gestured over to his supply closet. "Then grab me something and I'll go in."
"That's not-" Danny pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "If you want, I can check. I have my own jumpsuit."
A snicker from behind them. "Your parents made you a customized suit?"
"What, you got a problem with spandex?"
Tucker raised his hands, grinning. "Whatever floats your boat, man."
Danny huffed, but suppressed a smile of his own. "Yeah, my parents made it thinking I would get into the ghost hunting business." He walked over to the closet and rifled through the items. "Never gonna happen, but hey, they can dream." He pulled out a white and black jumpsuit, amusement in his eyes. "What do you think?"
Tucker cackled, eyes landing on the center of it. "Does your dad put his face on everything? I mean same, but oh this is great!"
Sam momentarily forgot the reason she'd wanted to check the portal in the first place, caught up in their goofing around. Shooting a knowing look at Tucker, she reached into her backpack and pulled out her polaroid camera.
"Aw c'mon, showing you guys the thing is embarrassing enough," Danny whined.
"Get over yourself, you big baby." Sam gestured to beside the portal. "Just one picture and then you can go."
With an air of 'I absolutely do not like doing this and I want you to know it,' Danny stood at the mentioned spot, holding the suit out awkwardly in front of him. Sam snapped the picture, pulling out the film and waving it around with a satisfied air.
"You both suck," Danny muttered, finally pulling the suit over his clothes.
"Love you too," Tucker teased.
Danny moved forward, but Sam abruptly pulled him back, stopping him. "Wait, you can't go in with that." She removed Mr. Fenton's face from his chest, nodding. "Okay."
Taking a deep breath, Danny faced the entrance, taking in its width. The air in the room noticeably shifted, all three of them feeling as if they were on the precipice of something great. For the first time since her nightmare began, Sam felt that a piece of the puzzle had clicked into place, that she was one step closer to going home.
Danny placed his foot into the portal, slowly inching away from his friends. Watching his back, becoming more and more embraced in shadows, Sam imagined an invisible barrier placed between them. How she had ever thought she was the key to ending the cycle, she didn't know, not with the way Danny reflected the emergency tunnel lights, looking to almost glow.
"You see anything out of place?" Tucker called.
Danny had practically disappeared at that point, tunnel deeper, darker than they had thought. "I can't even see my own hand in front of me, maybe I should grab a-"
There was a loud echoed thump, followed by an audible click.
In an instant, the portal came to life again, whirring with the green energy it'd possessed in the many attempts to turn it on. There was a scrambling sound from inside, like someone trying to get their bearings. Before either of them could act, a bright flash emanated throughout the room, pushing them back many steps.
Sam raised her hands on instinct, flinching when the air became filled with a horrible scream. She had never heard anything like that in her life, so desperate and full of pain. It seemed to last forever, shocking her and Tucker into a quiet stupor.
As quickly as it began, the sound cut off, leaving the room absent of any sign that something had gone wrong. It would've looked normal, except in place of an empty void in the wall, there was now a smoke-like whirlpool of greens, tendrils wrapping around one another in an eerie dance.
There was no sign of Danny.
Tucker was the first to speak, voice hushed. "Sam, he's still inside."
Sam bit her tongue, not wanting to tell him that there was no way someone could have survived that. With a blast that intense, they were lucky if they even found a body.
"We have to look for him," he looked around the room, for anything that could help them. "We should've never let him go in. It's our fault, we killed him!"
Sam felt her hope pop like a balloon, legs too weak, making her fall to the ground. She'd messed up again, let herself stupidly think that this could all be over. She pressed her palms into her eyes, waiting for the day to end.
I'm going to be stuck here forever, she thought. I'll have to watch Danny die over and over again, and I won't be able to do anything about it.
Lost in the midst of her despair, she failed to notice that Tucker had stopped his rambling, choked gasp taking its place. In front of her, the air dropped further another few degrees, and a body dragged its way across the floor.
It was only when a chilly hand grabbed at her leg, that her eyes shot open, coming face to face with an otherworldly creature, dazed and twitching violently. She instinctively reached to catch his shoulders when his arms gave out, but he went right through her, passing out on the ground.
With a much tamer flash in comparison to what they had seen, the creature was replaced with Danny, body smoking in the aftermath of the accident, but seeming otherwise unscathed in comparison to what he had gone through.
Caught up in checking Danny's vitals, neither Sam or Tucker noticed the black cat watching them at his perch upon the lab table, green eyes expressing a deep contentment at the events that had taken place.
With Jazz out of the house, and the Fentons still locked away in their room, it was relatively easy for the pair to lug Danny into his room, having to occasionally stop when he phased through their hold. They had managed to tuck him into bed, Tucker sneaking into the family's medicine cabinet to grab him a bottle of aspirin and burn cream for the slight marks left all over his body.
From the palm of his left hand, throughout his chest, and peeking slightly up his shirt collar, there were thin red marks, looking angry in contrast to his sickly pale skin. Now that they had taken a closer look at him, it was obvious that he was more injured than his outward appearance let on, eyes scrunched tightly in pain even while he slept.
Sam and Tucker came to an agreement that they would stay the night, calling their parents to let them know the plan. From the look of things, neither of them would actually be getting much sleep, instead watching over Danny for any changes.
Hours into the night, he still looked worse for wear, body occasionally arching backward in a painful spasm of muscles. It made Sam wonder why they had not called an ambulance, only knowing that something inside her screamed wrong every time she considered it.
Tucker hadn't brought up the idea either, piling on more blankets over Danny's worryingly cold body. Stuck in nursing mode, the pair didn't catch some rest until well into three in the morning.
Tucker was awake by the time Sam got up, checking their friend's pulse using his timer.
Looking over Danny's face, Sam saw that while he was definitely not great, he seemed less close to death than he had the previous night. They would need to find a way to hide his current state, but for now, she comforted herself with the thought that he was breathing. Though he was still freezing, there were beads of sweat all along his forehead, prompting Sam to stand and wipe him down with a T-shirt.
She waited until Tucker was done to ask the question that had been nagging her since waking.
"What day is it?"
Tiredly raising a brow, Tucker pulled out his phone to check. "It's August sixteenth. What a way to be ending the summer, huh?"
Sam let out a bemused chuckle, running a hand through Danny's dark strands.
She wasn't sure why, but somehow the date felt significant.