Downward Spiral by SupremeDramaOverlord

Chapter 16 - Home Sweet Home?

Danny's POV ~

My veins pulsing with the rush of adrenaline, I raced up the ex-secret tunnel, tripping and stumbling the whole way. I was running blind- I didn't have the energy or the time to summon any power to light my path. The blinding darkness felt crushing but I didn't dare stop. I huffed heavily as sweat dripped down my spine. My sweaty grip on the ecto-gun tightened. Vlad's enraged shouts echoed behind me, and I found it motivated me to run even faster.

Up ahead the tunnel opened and I didn't bother to close the passage door. Instead, I hurled myself at the study's door and crashed into the hallway with a loud bang! I tumbled to the floor and immediately bounced right back up. Halfway to the front door, I skidded to a halt and froze, then changed directions and raced towards the garage.

I couldn't just barrel into the woods on foot. It could be a while before my energy was strong enough to fight, let alone 'go ghost'. Whatever I had just done down in that lab took a lot out of me. My throat felt like it was on fire. I didn't want to be powerless if I ran into one of Vlad's 'wild west employees' or one of his ugly pets that were running around outside. I didn't know how long it would be until my powers were strong enough to use.

I needed a ride.

I hurried down the hallway and through the garage door. When I closed it behind me, I was careful not to slam it shut. While the specter deflector locked around Vlad's waist gave me a huge advantage, I didn't know if it would keep Vlad busy for long. And while the belt's electrical shocks clearly hurt him, Vlad was able to stay in ghost mode.

I felt around the wall and flipped on the light switch. I briefly glanced around the huge garage. Parked in organized rows were cars, dirt bikes, ATVs, and a couple of Kawasaki Mules. Every vehicle was in pristine condition. I vaguely wondered if Vlad ever used any of them or if he just bought them out of boredom. Knowing him, probably the latter.

Bam!

My heart nearly jumped out of my chest at the sound of a door being violently thrown open. It came from out in the hall. Another one followed-

Bam!

Again, it was a different door from outside in the hallway. Vlad must have known I was still in the house but he didn't know what room I was in. It wouldn't be long until he found out where I was.

I scanned the cars. A couple of months ago, Jazz had started to teach me how to drive. While she mainly just showed me how to operate a car, she'd let me drive her car a few times in empty parking lots.

I frantically hopped into the driver's seat of the nearest jeep. My heart sank when I discovered the key wasn't in the ignition. Frantically, I felt around for the key. Thankfully, it didn't take long for me to pull down the sun visor and the key toppled on top of my lap.

"Yes!" I inserted the key and the sweet song of the engine played. But then I glanced out the rear view mirror, "No!"

I felt really stupid when I realized that I had forgotten to open the automatic doors leading outside. Not wanting to waste time, I scrambled out of the car and ran towards the metal door. On the wall next to it, was a button that I didn't hesitate to press.

SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!

I didn't dare breathe as I stared at the door to the hallway in horrified anticipation. There was no way Vlad didn't hear that. The only sound I could hear was the soft hum of the jeep.

Forcing myself to move, I crouched behind an ATV. Carefully, I peeked from behind my hiding spot. I expected for the loud noise of a door being blown off its hinges, for Vlad to barge in like a wild animal. But that's not what happened…

Click!

The door slowly swung opened and Vlad sauntered in. He was cool and collected…

… And dangerous.

Though sparks fizzed and shot from the specter deflector, Vlad was unfazed. Floating above the ground in full ghost mode, Vlad's narrowed eyes roamed around the room. His calmness was terrifying.

I quickly ducked back behind the ATV before Vlad could spot me. A few seconds later, the hum of the jeep's engine died. I waited another minute but I couldn't hear anything. Everything was dead quiet. There was no way to tell where he was and I hated it. I felt vulnerable and exposed without knowing where he was.

Cautiously, I peeked out from behind a tire. Instantly, I sucked in my breath as I ducked back. Laying flat on the ground, I edged under the ATV.

Vlad was standing right there.

But he hadn't seen me.

I watched as the tips of Vlad's boots floated by my hiding place without making a sound. He would have been completely silent but a short zapping noise cut through the air, followed by a pained grunt from the older halfa.

My lips twitched into a vindictive smirk.

As Vlad continued to float towards the back of the garage, I carefully crawled to the other side of the ATV and out of his sight. Then I heard the garage door screeching shut. Biting my lip, I stealthily crawled behind different vehicles to put some distance between me and my captor.

While I suspected that Vlad had taken the key to the jeep I planned to escape in, there was plenty of other cars. If Vlad kept a key in one car, the odds were good that the other cars had their keys in them too.

"You're acting like a fool, Daniel."

I froze. He didn't sound close but the sudden sound had startled me. Looking around the side of a dirt bike, I saw Vlad getting closer to the ATV, where I was previously hiding. With his back towards me, Vlad stooped to look under the vehicle before he hummed in disappointment. He continued to speak, his voice betraying no hint of emotion.

"Though really, what else should I have expected from the spawn of Jack and Maddie Fenton?"

I clenched my fists around the ecto-gun but decided to turn away. Knowing that Vlad was just trying to make me angry and reveal my location, I snuck farther away. There was a red Ford parked in front of the closed metal doors leading outside. Hopefully, the key was inside it.

"Jack has always been an idiot. The moron practically has cobwebs in the empty space between his ears." He carelessly taunted, "It was his asininity that turned us into halfas in the first place."

I could feel my face growing hot with anger. Vlad was making it very tempting to shoot the eco-gun at his face. As I tried to block him out, I inched under the Ford and crawled towards the driver's side.

"I pity you, I really do. It must be hard, having a father with the brains of a dead slug."

"Just ignore him," I thought furiously, "He's only baiting me."

Crouching under the driver's door of the truck, I peered in Vlad's direction. He was close but he was on the other side. Thinking I might be hiding inside of the cars, the older halfa began to look through the windows. I slowly stood, my head barely reaching the bottom of the window. I didn't want him to turn around and see me through the windows of the truck. I glanced over my shoulder and carefully judged the distance from the garage door opener.

"Of course, it can't be any easier to have Maddie as a mother. She's not brain dead like Jack, though she is a monster. It truly is sad that you think they'd love you if they knew your little secret." He snapped his fingers sharply through the air, "That is exactly how fast it would take Maddie to make you her own personal lab rat."

I grounded my teeth as energy burned behind my eyes. I didn't know if my powers were back to full strength but at this point I was ready to try them out on Vlad.

"After all…" Vlad's voice drawled with bitter hatred, "Maddie didn't hesitate to do the same to me…"

What?!

The ecto-gun fell from my hands.

A coil of dread curled in the pit of my stomach.

Time seemed to slow as my weapon fell to the concrete floor.

Clang!

All at once, a blast of energy collided into my side. It didn't feel particularly powerful, but the force was enough to send me slamming against a car. I felt the metal dent as the glass from the window above my head rained down on me.

I glared at Vlad. Though the belt was shocking and stinging him, it didn't stop the creep from using some of his powers. Grinning maniacally, he crushed the ecto-gun under his boot.

My throat croaked and burned in protest, "What are you talking about?" Ignoring the throbbing pain in my back, I got to my feet as energy pulsed in my eyes. "Stop lying!"

"Oh believe me, I wish it were a lie. But your 'perfect' mother is a callous traitor." Vlad's red eyes were aflame with fury, "After I was released from the hospital, I went to her for help. At the time, she knew far more than I did about ghosts. She was even the one who created the blueprints for the portal. I thought she could help me."

I stared uneasily as the anger drifted from Vlad's eyes as they unfocused, as if remembering a memory from long ago. For a moment, a saddened expression lined his face. But he shook it off and his piercing gaze replaced it.

"I paid dearly for being so naive." He stalked towards me in long strides, "It looks like you will too."

My powers ignited and I transformed into my ghost half. Energy swirled around my clenched fists. I leaped into the air and fired my ghostly assaults at Vlad.

"You have no right to talk about my parents like that!"

As Vlad dodged my blasts, I rushed down on him to deliver what would have been a mean roundhouse kick. Key word; would. Before my heel made contact with his head, his hand wrapped around my ankle and threw me across the room.

Instinctively, I went intangible and phased through several vehicles before I tumbled roughly to the ground. I groaned as I got to my knees. I was definitely going to have a lot of bruises in the morning.

"Your pathetic attempts are cute, Daniel," Vlad sneered as he came over and towered above me, "But even with diminished strength, I'm still more powerful than you!"

With a huanty grin, Vlad started to create a duplicate. We were both surprised when it backfired. The duplicate stretched out before half of it clung to the original. Vlad ended up with two heads on his shoulders as the belt sizzled and flared in warning.

Vlad gasped in surprise, "I can't duplicate my form!"

"Gee, I don't know which head to hit." I eyed the weird sight before smirking, "So I guess I'll just hit them both!"

With a burst of speed, I flew towards Vlad with my fists out and ready, "At 112 miles per hour, I bet this hurts!"

POW!

It sure sounded like it hurt.

The impact sent Vlad crashing onto a dirt bike. As he groaned and clutched his side, Vlad was forced back into his human half - without a second head. Judging by the way he was struggling to stand up, I'd say I had him beat.

After I pressed the button to open the garage door, I flew over to the ford and became relieved that the key was in it. As I started the truck and fastened my seat belt, Vlad had managed to get to his feet and back into his ghost form. He was directly in front of me. Geeze, what did it take to get this guy to give up? Though, I had an idea...

I smirked as I put the truck in drive. Seeing my smug grin, Vlad realized what I had in mind. He narrowed his eyes.

"You. Wouldn't. Dare."

"Ohh," I gripped the wheel in anticipation, "I do dare!"

Putting the pedal to the medal, the tires screeched loudly and the ford lurched forward. Vlad had only a second to jump. The glass cracked like a spiderweb as Vlad smashed onto the windshield. I was glad he landed facing me, otherwise I might've missed seeing how shocked and panicked his expression was. I doubted a fourteen-year-old had ever hit him with a car before.

Vlad sounded absolutely enraged, "Stop the car this instant!"

"Okay."

Slamming on the breaks, I watched joyfully as my arch nemesis sailed through the air, yelling with surprise the whole way. He landed - well, crashed, really - on particularly thorny bush. Once again in the span of no less than five minutes, Vlad was in no condition to hold on to his ghost form. I couldn't resist rolling down the window to gloat.

"I hate to hit and run but - actually, no I don't." I cheerfully waved at the murderous look Vlad was sending my way, "Bye-bye, Fruitloop! Good luck finding a lonely guy cat!"

With that said, I drove the truck down the rocky-dirt trail which wrapped around the mountain. Hopefully, it would lead me to a road.

Laughing from euphoria, I glanced out the rear view mirror. The house where my nightmares had come to life grew farther and farther away until it was out of sight. I was leaving it all behind! I was leaving Vlad behind. I wasn't under his control anymore. After so many horrible days and nights, I was finally leaving! I was going home! Nothing could stop me now!

ka-BAM!

I gasped as the truck jolted violently, nearly sending me swerving over the side of the mountain.

What the heck was that?

I looked in the rear view mirror and felt my eyes bulge. In the bed of the truck was bear-like monster I saw in the woods on my first night here! Rearing back its ugly head, the creature let out a ferocious roar and swiped at the back windshield. I cringed at the sound, it was worse than nails against a chalkboard. Deep claw marks decorated the glass. One more hit and there wouldn't be anything separating me from Vlad's "pet".

I was so focused on watching the monster raise its paw high above its head to break the windshield, that I nearly missed the sharp turn on the unpaved road. I barely had time ease on the breaks. My stomach dropped as the truck began to tilt dangerously on its side.

And then the vehicle flipped.

All around me the world was rolling and glass was flying. I shut my eyes tight as I waited for it to be over. My head slammed hard against the steering wheel and shattered glass was cutting into me. If my throat wasn't still sore, I'd be screaming my head off.

Never in my life had I been so relieved to be wearing a seat belt.

When the car finally came to a stop, I was hanging upside down. My head was throbbing, my body stung from fresh cuts, and something warm was sliding down the side of my forehead.

I fumbled for the seat belt and tried to unfasten it but it was stuck. It took me a minute to focus but I eventually managed to phase through the seat belt and through the wreckage of the truck.

As I collapsed to the ground, I upchucked the contents of my stomach. My head spun and pounded. I wiped the vomit off my lip and struggled to my feet. A sticky wet substance oozed down from my forehead and into my eyes.

In the light of the moon, I glanced over at the truck. While my vision was still spinning, I could still make out the condition the vehicle was in. It didn't look good. Besides being upside down, the passenger door and two wheels were missing, a narrow trail of smoke was coming from under the crushed hood, and every window was gone, the shattered glass scattered everywhere. Then I realized that I was still holding the steering wheel in my right hand.

I briefly wondered if Vlad had insurance.

Guess I was flying home.

As the world slowly began to cease spinning, I shakily got to my feet. While I was still feeling disoriented and my body ached, I had managed to stay in my ghost form.

Then I heard the low, menacing growling.

Slowly, I turned around. The monster that was less than ten feet away. Crouched on its haunches, its eyes were trained directly on me as it approached. Its lips were curled back to display its sharp teeth.

"Oh," my voice croaked as I took a few steps back, "Almost forgot about you… I didn't realize you had friends."

The bear-like monster did indeed have "friends". A lot of friends. All around me were glowing, animal-like ghosts, each one staring at me as if I was a giant target with legs. They emerged from behind bushes and trees. Vlad's evil petting zoo had me completely surrounded. I felt sick when I realized that these were the poor creatures that used to be Vlad's wall art.

What did Vlad do to them?!

I held up my open hands, the ecto energy threatening to shoot at them. They were cautious and kept a few feet from me. There were so many of them. I was fairly sure I could beat them, but all of them at the same time?

One of them was more daring the rest. It might have been a wolf when it was alive. But now it was twice the size of an average wolf and meaner-looking too. I did not appreciate the way it was staring at me… with three eyes.

Charging up the power in my hand, I fired an ecto-blast at the beast.

Swifter than I gave it credit for, the wolf monster dodged my attack and leaped for me! It pounced on top of my chest, sending me toppling to the ground. Before I could even blink, a sharp pang gripped my ankle and I was dragged backwards.

"Hey!" I kicked at the ghost wolf's face, "Let go of me, fur-ball!"

It ignored me and its sharp teeth dug deeper in my ankle. I kicked and squirmed before remembering that I could just phase out of the ghost's jaws. If I wasn't a "C" student, I probably would have remembered that sooner.

Scrambling away, fired ecto-blasts at anything that moved. To stay off my throbbing ankle, I fought in the air.

The creatures kept coming and I managed to hold my own against them. And as I continued to fight them off, I realized something really unnerved me. Vlad had trained those things. They weren't just attacking me, they were trying to drag me back to the mansion!

As. Freaking. If.

Without giving any of them a warning, I took off like a rocket. None of them could stand a chance of keeping up! I stayed above the treeline and a quick glance behind me confirmed that I was by far faster than any of them.

After I was a good distance away, I carefully scanned the ground below for any signs of a road. It wasn't until I had been flying for almost an hour when I finally saw the headlights of a car and I followed it to a town…

It had to be around six in the morning when the busy city lights of Amity Park came into view. The sky was just beginning to fade into morning light and in the streets were people driving to work for the day.

Getting back home had been a lot harder than I thought it'd be but I did it. I destroyed a jeep and hitchhiked in the back of twenty-one different eighteen-wheelers but I did it. I did it!

Besides a throbbing headache and my whole body feeling like a bus hit it, I was feeling better for the most part. Even my throat was feeling normal.

I couldn't stop a smile from beaming across my face when I spotted my home. I never thought I'd be so happy to see that giant obnoxious sign flashing Fenton Works. But then I noticed something was wrong.

Frowning, I circled around the house before cautiously landing on the front yard. The lights were off and the house was quiet. It was never quiet at my house. Especially since there were supposed to be a bunch of ghosts attacking.

My ghost sense wasn't going off. Where were all the ghosts?

Changing back into my human half, my heart raced as I slowly ascended the stairs to the front door. What would be waiting for me from behind it? Terrible images flashed in my imagination as I raised a hand to the doorknob. The door pushed open.

It wasn't closed.

"Mom? Dad? Jazz?" My throat tightened as walked into the living room, "Is anyone-"

I froze on the spot.

Ectoplasm was splattered and smeared all over the walls, ceiling, and floor. It reflected off a green light that bathed the whole room in an eerie glow. The couch had been tipped over, the coffee table was broken in half, and many of the framed photos that once hung on the wall laid broken on the floor.

"Danny?"

A blue blur rushed towards me and before I could react, my arms were locked to my sides in tight embrace. At first I had to tell myself that I wasn't under attack. That it was just my sister. Forcing my tense muscles to relax, I gripped back. I got a face full of familiar carrot-red hair and for once, I didn't mind it. I sank into my sister's loving hug. It seemed to melt away all my problems.

Jazz pulled back and her smile instantly vanished. She gasped as she looked me up and down, "Oh my gosh! Danny are you okay?! What happened?!"

"Uh, well… I-"

With her hands over her mouth, Jazz stared at me in disbelieving alarm. I must have looked like a real mess. Besides wearing torn and bloody clothes, I'm sure I was covered in some sizable bruises and scratches. Soundlessly, Jazz slowly reached out a hand and gently touched my forehead. When she pulled it away, there was traces of red and green blood. She choked back a sob.

"Hey, Jazz, I'm okay." Her eyes began to fill with tears and it seemed there was nothing I could say to reassure her that I was fine. "I'm okay, now. Really I am. It's just a little blood."

I could tell she didn't believe me. In fact, she looked on the verge of a breakdown. Instead, Jazz inhaled a deep breath, took me by the gently but firmly by the wrist, and lead me into the kitchen. It was in about the same shape as the living room.

After picking up a chair and making me sit in it, Jazz got a first aid kit from underneath the kitchen sink. Jazz was at my side in an instant and began to patch me up.

Her teal eyes were like a hurricane over a raging sea. Rigid and hard, but somehow heavy with worry. Her hands were gentle and precise as she cleaned the blood from my forehead and began to patch me up in bandages.

"Hey," I smirked and tried to lighten the mood, "Are you wearing one of mom's jumpsuits? Ha! Where's the camera?"

If she was wearing mom's hood and goggles, I would have mistaken Jazz for mom. And as I looked closer, I realized that I wasn't the only one who had a rough week. Her hair was disheveled and ratty, like she hadn't brushed it in days. The pretty blue headband that was almost always on her head was missing, and there was shadows under eyes indicating that it had been while since she got a decent night's sleep.

Obviously in no mood to tease or joke around, Jazz placed her hands sternly on her hips. I could tell she was trying to keep it together but she couldn't stop a furious tear from rolling down her cheek. She rubbed it off.

"Don't change the subject, Danny. I've been calling your cell phone for days but you wouldn't pick up! Do you have any idea how worried I was?" As she spoke, her voice rose higher and her tone became frantic, "You promised to call us when you got to camp! Ghosts were attacking the house for nearly the whole week but I still got my hands on a phone! What's your excuse?! What happened to you?!"

I felt a pang in my gut. I had never seen my sister so upset and I couldn't help but feel responsible. I never should have left my family alone. If I hadn't left then Vlad wouldn't have sent those ghost and-

"Wait! Where's mom and dad?"

"They're fine," Jazz folded her arms tersely. "Both of them are downstairs in that stupid basement tinkering with who-knows-what! Now will you please tell me what's going on?"

"Well, I thought I was going to space camp but instead this freaking lunatic kidnapped me." I couldn't help but snapped. The worst week of my entire life was finally over and all the bottled up anger was finally coming out.

"Remember what I told you about Vlad? The half-ghost, crack-pot set it all up! He locked me up in his creepy house all the way in the Rocky Mountains and he put a machine on me that made me powerless! He took my powers! And on top of that, he sent his petting zoo rejects here TO KILL YOU AND OUR PARENTS!"

By the end of my venting, I realized I had been screaming at my sister. Jazz stared at me open-mouthed and I instantly felt worse.

"Jazz, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. This is all my fault, I never should have left."

"Danny, stop. None of this was your fault."

She finished wrapping a bandage around my forehead before looking me over. "Are you hurt anywhere else? Do you need a hospital?"

I was hurting everywhere but I shook my head, "No. I'm fine. Besides, I can't go to the hospital. Some of my blood is green, remember?"

"I know but-" She gasped, "What happened to your neck?"

"What? What's wrong with it?"

But I already knew what was wrong with it. I didn't need a mirror to know that it was bruised up thanks to Vlad manhandling it.

Jazz refused to stop asking me what happened these past few days. I told her what happened but left out a lot of details - she didn't need the whole story, it would only freak her out more. I told her about how the camp was a trick to kidnap me, about Vlad's stupid shield and bracelet, and discovering the lab with the video surveillance in our house. I kept quiet about a lot a stuff. There was no way I was going to tell my sister about all the times I got beat up, nearly getting ripped to shreds by Vlad's 'pets', the car crash, and Vlad electrocuting me within an inch of my life. She had enough to worry about as it is.

"But something doesn't make sense to me." I glanced around the room, "Where did all the ghosts go?"

"I…. I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?!"

"I mean I don't know!" she shrugged helplessly, "They were attacking us for days without end, and then they just stopped! Hours ago."

Huh. Vlad must have called them off when I escaped. But why?

And speaking of Vlad, "Look, we gotta get rid of those cameras. I can barely sleep at night as it is, I don't need the pressure of someone watching my every move."

It took us a while but between the two of us, Jazz and I managed to find and destroy twenty-eight cameras that were hidden around the house the house. While we were both disturbed on a number of levels, we were both relieved that the bathrooms and bedrooms were camera free… Well, we didn't find any, so hopefully that's a good sign.

When we searched the house, I was surprised to see how much destruction took place inside it. There wasn't a single room without blood or ectoplasm on the walls or something horribly broken. Mom's favorite vase being one those somethings.

I asked Jazz why no one came to help and the answer wasn't really surprising. Stuff like this was pretty much the norm for our family. The neighbors have long since learned to ignore the explosions from my parents' experiments, and as of late, ghosts hanging around our house wasn't anything new. Why would this time be any different?

We crushed the cameras and then tossed the pieces into the trash can. I shot Jazz a half smile, "What a way to spend the week. If we never have any fun like this again, it'll be too soon."

With the wonderful thought of sleeping in my very own bed for a change, I turned to head for my bedroom. But with the gentle touch on my shoulder, Jazz halted me in my tracks.

She chewed her bottom lip before speaking. "I know we're both exhausted but… Do you want to talk?"

"No."

My curt answer didn't seem to surprise her at all. But Jazz was not one to let an issue drop - especially when it involved me.

"Come on, Danny." She placed both hands on my shoulders and stared at me pleadingly. "It's not healthy to keep things like this bottled up. It's me, your big sister. Whatever happened to you, whatever Vlad did, you can tell me."

"I said no," I pulled away with my arms folded. I glared hard at the floor, "Just let it go, Jazz."

Her lips pursed tightly together in worry. But deciding not to press the subject, at least for tonight, she nodded reluctantly. "Alright, Danny. I can't force you to talk to me, but I'm not dropping this."

There was a short pause before Jazz broke it in a softer tone, "Hey," I looked up at her. She smiled before taking my hand and squeezing it reassuringly, "Everything is going to okay."

I tried to grin, "Yeah, sure."

She turned and walked up the stairs, "Get some sleep, okay?"

"Okay."

Following behind her, I only walked two steps up the staircase before I stopped and looked over at the basement door. My parents were in there right now, probably tinkering away with a new invention.

Though my legs were sore enough to feel numb, I found myself eagerly stumbling toward the basement. It felt like years instead of just a few days since I've seen them. Despite this, I paused at the closed door.

Maybe I should tell my parents about my secret. About everything. Vlad had single handedly abducted me and nearly murdered my whole family, and he almost got away with it. Twice.

Vlad was right about one thing, I was tired of 'playing hero'. Things were way out hand and out of my control. I was tired of fighting every ghost that came through the portal, I was tired of failing school, I was tired of my parents trying to shoot me out of the sky, I was tired of lying to them, but most of all, I was tired of Vlad.

No matter how much I wished it could all be over, Vlad would be back. From the moment he found out my secret, I've been in the very center of his attention and that was a very dangerous place to be. I knew I hadn't seen the last of him. He wasn't finished with me - not in a long shot. He'd be back. Right now, Vlad was cooking up another scheme. And somehow, I knew it would be far more dangerous than the previous one.

If I told mom and dad about everything, they'd understand. They'd be able to get me out of the mess I was in. They'd know what to do about Vlad. I could have a normal life again. Well, as normal as it can get for someone with ghost powers.

Feeling more hopeful than I had in a long time, I opened the door and descended the stairs with confidence. "Mom, dad, I'm home!"

As expected, my parents were hunched over one of the lab tables. Whatever was on it cast a neon-green glow, silhouetting my parents. They both turned around with goggles covering their eyes and beaming smiles. Like Jazz, they both looked a little roughed up.

"Sweetie!" Mom placed some sort of tool down on the table before giving me a welcoming hug, "You're home early."

"You just it missed it, son!" My dad voice boomed in excitement as he held me in a bone crushing hug, "We were under attacked by a swarm of ghosts! You missed all the action!"

"Jazz told me about it," I grunted when dad let go. I grinned happily at them even though I was nervous about telling them my secret. "Um, listen… I really need to tell you about-"

"I'm sorry, Danny, but whatever it is it will have to wait," Mom interrupted apologetically, "Tonight we've made such a huge advancement in our research!"

She went back over to the table and picked up her tool, only… It wasn't one of her wrenches or screwdrivers.

It was a scapple.

And it was covered in ectoplasm.

Dad clapped a hand on my shoulder, "We did it, Danny-boy! We've finally caught one!"

He lead me over to the table as a heavy stone dropped into my stomach. I didn't want to know what was on that table, though I already knew what it was. I wanted to turned around and run out of the basement as fast as I could, but I felt hypnotized as my feet cared me over to the table.

Bile rose up my throat.

Strapped and bound in unphasable restraints, was a small ghost. Unlike the monstrous animal specters that attacked me, its body had a humanoid shaped and I had a feeling that at one point it might've been a human when it was alive. It's eyes were closed and it wasn't moving.

Its sickly green skin was peeled open and held in place with long silver pins. The inside of the creature was exposed in a morbid display. Some of its bright, luminous insides were cut out and placed on trays and inside jars. Ectoplasm was splattered everywhere.

I froze. I wanted to look away but my eyes refused to obey me.

I barely registered my dad's booming voice as he told me about how they caught the ghost. His voice seemed far away.

But the small whimper sounded like an explosion in my own ears. I stared down at large, building, green eyes.

"It - it's alive." I whispered in horror.

"Don't be silly, Danny," My mom scolded, "This thing is a ghost. It's already dead." She raised her scapple and it gleamed wickedly in the dim lighting. When she lowered it, the specter whimpered and writhed miserably .

I grabbed my mom's arm, "Mom! Stop! You're hurting it!"

My dad laughed as if I told a funny joke and from behind her red goggles, my mom stared at me in surprise. But she smiled and cupped my face gently, "Oh, sweetie, you don't need to feel bad for it. It's only a ghost. They can't feel emotions or physical pain like we do."

Her loving and gentle touch suddenly felt like acid and I pulled away from her. Turning her back to me, mom bent over the table and the whimpering stopped. The bright green light emitting from the ghost was barely glowing now.

I felt the blood drain from my face as I swayed on the spot. My dad joined mom at the table. They were talking, but it was white noise in my ears. As if I was caught in a trance, I slowly walked up the basement stairs and closed the door behind me. I leaned on it heavily. My legs felt weak and I was sure they'd give out at any moment.

I shut my eyes tight but the image was burned in my mind's eye.

What did they think they were doing?! How could they do something like that?! What were they thinking?!

… What was I thinking?

I thought back to what Vlad told me about my mom. It was seeming less and less like a lie and I wondered if there really was something to it.

I didn't know how long I stood there in shock before I finally forced my legs to move. I didn't really think things could get any worse.

But then I opened my bedroom door and I stood rooted to the spot. Something I saw stopped me, something that wasn't there when I combed the room for cameras, something that I had left behind in the Rockies.

My suitcase.

It sat far too innocently on the bed. Slowly, I walked over to the luggage I thought was lost forever. Inside I found all my belongs. Cell phone, clothes, the weapons mom and dad made me bring, and the Specter Deflector!

Deeply unnerved, I held up the damaged belt, it hung in pitiful pieces from my hand. It looked as if it had just come out of a wood chipper.

At the bottom of the suitcase, I found one item that never should have been there. A model rocket, still inside the unopened dented box. Goosebumps trailed over my arms.

The safe comforting feeling of home was long gone. It was replaced by something entirely different.

Jazz had said everything was going to be okay…

I had almost believed her.

Well, here it is! I'm sorry for such a long wait, I know a lot of you have been waiting for this chapter. School and work has been consuming a lot of my time. I hope this was worth the wait! I'll try to get the next chapter ready for posting soon. Now, on to your lovely reviews!

P. S. Yes, this story did just get a little bit darker.

Olliepops16: Good question. It's kinda a bit of both. While Danny really distrusts Vlad, he didn't completely hate him at that moment. How would you feel if your kidnapper paid more attention to you than your own parents? Though, after what happened in Vlad's lab, Danny hates Vlad more than ever. Anyways, thanks for the review!

Guest: I'm glad you like the plot! I hope this chapter lived up to your expectations. And yes, Danny got a lot bruises which Jazz notices in the chapter. Good job for catching that!
Gracias amigo por tu apoyo! :)

Fery: Aww, you flatter me! :D

Rush721: Everyone's gotta love that ghostly wail!

Tailor.G: Glad you liked the chapter :)

Ericaphoenix16: Well, Danny did escape, but I don't think a restraining order would matter to Vlad.

Countess Marionette Fear: Okay, I absolutely loved reading the review you left me! Your review was touching and you might never know how much it meant to me. This chapter was probably the toughest one I wrote so far. I've read and re-read the same words and sentences to the point where I was sure it was not good enough. If not for readers like you, I'd probably have given up by now. You've encouraged and motivated me so much! So from the bottom of my heart, thank you! This was the most heart warming review I've ever had.