Downward Spiral by SupremeDramaOverlord

Chapter 6 - My Unpleasant Experience with Evil Plot Airlines

Danny's POV ~

I didn't realize it yet, but the following week was going to be absolutely, positively, undeniably nothing short of terrorizing. Considering that fighting the paranormal was a normality in my life, that's really saying something.

The day when things began to take a turn for the worse was just like any normal day for me. Instead of spending my Saturday playing video games or hanging out with friends, I was desperately trying to keep ghosts from destroying the town and prevent them from killing half of me in the process. Welcome to my life, folks!

A green glowing bullet barely grazed the skin on my right ear. I dove to the left a fired a powerful ecto-blast. Skulker (one of my most frequent and annoying enemies) received the hit directly to the face! With a cringe-worthy crash, the ghost created a small crater in the sidewalk as a string of colorful curses spewed from his mouth. Refusing to give my opponent a chance to recover, I charged sparking ecto-energy in my fists and let it quickly expand to a massive size. I released it and watched in satisfaction as Skulker was forced further into the concrete. When the glowing green energy and dust cleared away, I shot my rival a cocky smirk. I felt pretty proud of the number I did on him. His once impressive armor sported dents, scratches, and scuff marks. The unearthly flames sprouting from the top of his metal skull flickered in anger.

Energy fueled from hate, Skulker sprang from the destroyed sidewalk with an enraged scowl. "I am the Ghost Zone's greatest hunter and I will hang your pelt on my wall, Whelp!"

I casually folded my arms across my chest. "Yeah, sure, you will. First of all, you always say that yet fail every time. Second of all…" My face twisted with disgust, "Eww."

He pressed a button on the arm of his suit and a massive missile launcher sprouted from his back with. I eyed the frightfully sharp pointy darts that were aimed straight at me. "That's new," I gulped, confidence wavering.

Skulker grinned evilly and spoke in a sadistic voice, "I had a few upgrades. Time to test them out!"

I yelped as I dodged the many bullets that were shot towards me. There was a loud BOOM when they collided with the brick building behind me. Luckily I didn't have to worry about any innocent bystanders getting caught in the cross fire of the fight. The moment the deadly wraith showed up, people were trampling over one another to wisely evacuate the area.

As I got ready to fire more ecto-blasts, Jazz surprised Skulker by jumping out from behind a parked car and aimed the Fenton Bazooka right at him! Before Skulker knew what was happening, he was engulfed in a fiery explosion, sending metal flying everywhere! Bits and pieces of his metal suit were scattered all over the street.

As I flew down to my sister, my two friends Sam and Tucker came running down the street. After I had told Jazz my secret, I felt confident enough to tell them as well. They took it pretty well and ever since then, the three of them had been helping me with protecting the town from ghosts. The four of us gathered around a tiny green blob that laid sprawled out on the pavement.

I leaned over the defeated ghost with my hands on my knees. "Not so big and tough without your suit. So much for being the 'Ghost Zone's greatest hunter', huh, Skulker?" I asked with a taunting grin.

Hardly able to manage the feat, Skulker weakly raised a shaky fist at me, "This isn't over, Whelp! I shall be avenged!"

Rolling my eyes, I quipped, "Not likely. But I'll give you a gold star for trying."

A bright beam of blue light shone on Skulker and sucked him into the Fenton thermos by Sam. The goth shook the high-tech cylinder with a vindictive purple lip grin.

Since three o'clock in the morning, I've been flying all over Amity Park, decking it out with countless ghosts. It was seven in the morning and though I tried to hide it, I was hanging at the end of my rope. Somehow the ghost portal's doors had been opened and dozens of ghosts burst out of it. I woke up when a few of them tried to attack me in my sleep. I caught them using the thermos. With the aid of my ghost sense, I was able to track them down. Catching them, however, was a different story. I thought about turning to my sister and my friends for help, but I didn't want them to get hurt. They didn't have powers like I did, they'd be extremely vulnerable to attacks.

Thankfully, most of the ghosts that had invaded the city weren't difficult to overcome. But there was the occasional specter that had me focusing all my energy to win the fight. Around six o'clock, Jazz called me on my cell phone and demanded to know where I was. After I made a jab at her for waking up early on a Saturday, I tiredly explained the situation. Outraged that I hadn't woke her or my friends for back-up, she grabbed as many of mom and dad's ecto- weapons as she could carry and rushed to my aid. Gathering up a much eager Sam and Tucker, things were surprisingly easy with the four of us working together. Yeah, there were a few close calls, but no one really got hurt aside from the occasional scratch or bruise.

After scanning the street to make sure we were alone, I transformed back into my human counterpart. Exhaustion rolled over me in waves. I felt dead on my feet (pun intended- sue me!).

"Finally!" I yawned as I stretched my arms towards the sky. "Skulker was the last one!"

Tucker took the thermos from Sam and twirled it around, "Perimeter Secure."

Sam raised an annoyed eyebrow, "'Perimeter Secure'? What are you, a Navy Seal?"

"Doesn't matter," I smiled tiredly with relief. "We are officially done catching ghosts for the rest of the day!"

"Good." Jazz gave a firm nod and stared at me sternly. "Now it's back home so you can get some much needed sleep."

"Sleep?" I playfully grinned as I stifled another yawn. "LOL, what's that?"

Jazz glared, still upset that I didn't go to her for help in the first place. "Something that you are lacking that I'm going to make sure you get!"

"She does have point, Danny." Sam eyed me over. "No offense, but you look like crap."

"Gee, thank you so much. I'm flattered, really." I sarcastically quipped as I extended a hand to Tucker for the thermos. Jazz folded her arms with authority as she sent me another glare."Alright, alright! I'll get some sleep right after I put these ghosts back in the Ghost Zone."

Tucker spun the thermos around one last time before he made to hand it to me. Unfortunately, he clumsily dropped it. The four of us watched in horrified disbelief as all the ghosts we worked so hard to capture came flooding out in a flash of light. The air was filled with wicked cackling as the spectators taunting laughter filled streets long after they all made hasty retreats.

We all just stood there in despairing silence.

Then Sam slapped Tucker upside the head.

It was past noon by the time Jazz and I were dragging our feet through the front door. Sam and Tucker had left for their own homes. Jazz trailed behind me, shuffling through the mail. Staggering around like a drunkard, I stumbled towards the stairs with the thermos held loosely in my hand. I'd release them into the Ghost Zone later - after a much needed nap. I would have just flown through the ceiling, but I didn't have the strength to access my powers.

"I'm so sick of ghosts," I groaned.

"Hey, hold on," Jazz placed a hand on my shoulder, delaying my mission for sleep. "There's a letter for you."

"Huh?"

Jazz handed me an envelope and sure enough, it was addressed to me. Curiously, I opened it. It took me a full minute to get my blurry vision to focus on the lettering. Jazz patiently waited as I read through the letter, then I had to reread it a few more times to make sure I wasn't dreaming.

"Jazz!" I couldn't stop the huge grin from spreading across my face even if I tried. "I won a free trip to space camp!"

"No way!" Incredulous, Jazz took the letter and read to read it for herself. "It's located in Alabama and they're even sending you in a private jet!"

Regaining some energy from excitement, I hurried over to the basement door before yelling in the doorway, "Mooooo-oooooooom, I won a free trip to space camp!"

The sounds of clicks and clangs of my parents' tinkering away on their inventions reached my ears. "That's nice, dear."

"Can I go? I'd have to leave next weekend and I'll be gone for about a week."

There was a brief pause of silence as she thought it over before calling up the stairs, "I suppose so. Your father and I will make you some weapons for you to take with you."

"Uh," I instinctively cringed, "That - That's alright, I doubt I'll need any."

Dad got involved in the conversation. "No son of mine is going anywhere without a way to protect himself from ectoplasmic scum!" His loud voice firmly boomed from down the stairs.

Realizing they wouldn't let up, I walked back over to Jazz, still grinning widely. I was brimming with excitement. "This is so cool!"

For some reason, my sister was eyeing the letter critically, scanning the words up and down. "I don't remember you entering anything that would get into an all-paid trip to a space camp."

I shrugged, "So?"

With a skeptical brow raised, Jazz hummed thoughtfully as she read it through again. "It's from a company called, DALV. Are they legitimate?"

I moaned as I glared at my sister, "Come on, Jazz! For once in my life since the accident, something good has finally happened to me. Why are you trying to ruin this?"

"It's a bit out of the ordinary, don't you think?"

"Jazz," I deadpanned, "I have ghost powers. I fight ghosts. My standards for 'out of the ordinary' are extremely high at this point in my life."

"Touche, but doesn't this seem just a little bit strange to you?" Jazz unsurely questioned before hesitating at my pathetically exhausted face. "On second thought, maybe you should take some time away from ghosts."

"Oh, no," I moaned, crestfallen. "I can't go! Who'll stop the ghosts from terrorizing the town?"

With assertion, Jazz placed her hands sternly on her hips. "Danny, Sam, Tucker, and I are perfectly capable of handling any ghost problem while you're gone. Besides, I think you really need some time away. You look like you just got run over by a bus! You're wearing band-aids like a bad fashion statement, you're obviously sleep- deprived, and, wait… When was the last time you ate anything?"

"Uh," My eyes screwed up as I tried to remember, "I don't know. I think maybe yesterday afternoon?"

Her eyes widened before she marched me into the kitchen by my arm. "That's it, mister! First, you're going to eat something, then, you're going to bed, and then you're going to pack your bags for space camp."

Jazz left no room for argument as she rifled through the fridge. A frown settled across her lips. "Mom forgot to buy groceries… again."

Not a surprise. For the past two years, mom would forget to go grocery shopping all the time. It was even worse when mom and dad almost got the divorce. Once Jazz and I realized this would be a regular occurrence, we went out to buy food ourselves with money our parents gave us. But because we've both been busy with keeping the town safe from ghosts, neither one of us remembered.

Jazz opened the lid on the milk carton and smelled it. Her nose wrinkled in disgust. I didn't have the strength to keep my heavy eyelids open and before I knew it, I had fallen asleep where I stood.

"Danny? Hey!" I lightly glared at Jazz as she gently shook me awake. "I'm going out to get us lunch. I want you to go upstairs and get some sleep till I get back." She gave me a soft smile, "I'll pick up some fettuccine alfredo, your favorite."

I gave her an exhausted but grateful grin, "Thanks, Jazz. You're the best."

As I turned around to head for my room, she asked, "Do you need me to help you up the stairs?"

"Tch," I dismissively waved a hand, "I don't need someone to-oomf!"

I nearly fell over when I walked face-first into the wall. Noticing that I was going to drop and sleep on the floor, Jazz helped me up the stairs, much to my embarrassment. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

I know what you're probably thinking. Pathetic, but not terrifying, right? Well just sit tight, cause I'm getting there. I guess after everything that's happened to me, I should have exercised a bit more caution. But after all my misfortune, I finally had something to look forward to. Besides, the next week was normal enough. I mean, sure, ghost attacks were a bit more frequent, but I had other things to worry about besides persistent specters. Like my struggle to keep up my grades for instance and avoiding the school bullies. Ever since Harriet published her article on my parents, the kids at school have been giving me a lot of grief for it. The bullies at school have always harassed me for my parents' strange career choice, but now everyone thinks they're even bigger crackpots than they originally thought. Not to mention the damage it had on mom and dad's already struggling business. I was really looking forward to getting a break from my hectic life.

Needless to say, I was brimming with excitement as I sat in a private jet fantasizing about space camp. I smiled as I waved through the window at Jazz, Sam, and Tucker. Mom and dad were busy working on a new invention, so my sister drove me to the airport after breakfast. My friends tagged along to see me off and assure me that they could handle any and all ghost attacks on the city. Right before I boarded the jet, my ghost sense went off and I was hesitant to leave them to hunt ghosts by themselves. I couldn't pinpoint the exact location, but I could tell the ghost was really close by. Jazz however, wasn't having any of it. With a strict gleam in her eyes, Jazz had pushed me towards the jet, insisting that the three of them could handle it.

I took out my iPod from my duffle bag, which regrettably stored a few ecto-weapons my parents made me bring. No matter how much Jazz and I tried to convince them that the camp probably wouldn't let me bring the weapons in, they insisted relentlessly that I take them anyway. Dad even gave me one of his newest inventions, the specter deflector. It was a metallic belt with a lock on the buckle. It's designed to electrocute any ghostly entity that comes in contact with the wearer. Mom and dad locked it around my waist, and I managed to swipe the key before leaving. The moment I was out of their sight, I took it off. Besides infecting me with a mild tickling sensation, the belt didn't really hurt me in my human form. But I really didn't want to know what it'd do to my ghost half.

My eyes grew heavy as I watched the scenery leisurely go by. I leaned back into the chair as I slowly dozed off. I don't know how long I was asleep before I jerked awake. Taking off my headphones, I put them back in my bag before checking my watch for the time. I frowned. I was asleep for nearly three hours. Wasn't this only supposed to be a two-hour flight? I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and straightened in my seat.

Still groggy from sleep, it was hard to focus when the intercom came on. "Attention passenger, this is your captain speaking." The pilot casually announced, "We're about to descend in a few moments, so please buckle up."

There must have been a surveillance camera somewhere, because the moment I fastened my seat belt, the pilot exclaimed, "Excellent! Now if you look out the window on your left you'll see the cold, bleak Colorado Rockies."

Any drowsiness left in my senses was instantly snuffed out. "The Rockies?" I snapped my head towards the window, and sure enough, I was gawking down at jagged, snow-tipped mountains. "This is nowhere near Alabama! What gives?"

"And now if I can direct your attention to the air vents," The pilot's voice sounded way too cheerful to be friendly, "You'll see sleeping gas designed to knock you out cold."

"What?!" My stomach twisted as I watched in rapidly growing dread as a pale blue fog speedily flowed out from the vents positioned directly over my head. The fog was quickly filling the compartment. Instantly I tried to unfasten the seatbelt, but it was locked shut! Then I began to really panic when I couldn't phase through the belt or my seat. It was all freaking ghost proof!

I thought of calling my sister, but my cell phone was in my duffle bag and I couldn't reach it with the seat belt on! Violently, I jerked around for freedom as the pilot cackled with sick humor. "You're not getting out of that seat, kid! Enjoy your last minute of consciousness!" In a falsely kind voice, he mocked, "Thank you for choosing to fly air Evil Plot."

Now I've been in some pretty sticky situations and I've had my fair share of close calls, but this was surprisingly the most terrifying situation I've ever been in… So far.

I felt completely and utterly helpless. I didn't like it. In every fight, in every battle, I've always had the option to kick and punch my way out. But not this time. For once in my entire life, there was absolutely nothing I could do. My heart was leaping in my throat and I felt myself beginning to hyperventilate as the fog closed in around me. Even though I knew it was useless, I pulled the collar of my shirt over my nose as a last ditch effort. Dizziness clouded my head, my vision blurred, and the sweet smelling gas filled my nostrils as I felt myself slipping away into the consuming darkness.

"So much for space camp," I thought bitterly.

Special thanks to Mollie Nail for helping me edit! And thanks guys, for all the lovely reviews, favs, and follows!