He drifted through the Ghost Zone with no destination in mind. He didn't have anywhere to go, anyone to turn to. He wanted so badly for someone to comfort him, but at the same time he needed time alone to process everything.

It was all new and different, his chest felt unnaturally still and quiet, like someone had frozen him in time, his lungs felt like they were constantly aching, even though filling them with oxygen did nothing, and he was so cold. He had never felt this cold before, even when he was—

Who was he? He felt more like Danny than Vlad, But he didn't really feel like either. He felt like he had been around for years, but he only just began existence. He had memories going back over four decades, memories of his childhood, of family, friends, but they weren't really his. So why did he miss them? He missed a life that he had never had, he mourned for people he never knew, this was all so confusing, but he couldn't stop it. His head was screaming at him that everything was his fault, that he killed his family, that he killed his friends, that he killed himself, that he was a monster, but it wasn't him. None of it was him.

He felt like an imposter. Like he had just stolen the lives, or afterlives of two different people who, though he knew everything about them, he didn't know them. He never got the chance to know Danny, and he was too scared to know Vlad. He wondered if he could have been friends with either of them. If he had gone back in time and met them before, would they like him? Would Sam and Tucker? Or Jazz or Jack and Maddie? Maybe he could have had a family, friends, siblings, he knew he couldn't now. Danny, Maddie, Sam, Jazz, Jack, Tucker, they were all dead. And if he saw Vlad again, he would probably rip him apart to get his powers back. Maybe that would be best. At least then, Danny would still be around. He wouldn't be stealing someone else's afterlife.

Eventually he found an island. It had dense forest, varied vegetation, and felt natural to the realms rather than created to be a lair. He floated down to the island and searched for shelter. There wasn't much, there were trees, but that was too out in the open for comfort. And any animal dens he could find were either occupied, or way too small.

After a couple hours of searching he found a cave. It was perfect. Difficult to locate, dry, and empty of any other ghosts. He would be safe here until he decided on what to do next.

He could search for his lair, but he wasn't sure that he even had one. His coming into existence was an unconventional one, would the realms even recognize him as one of their inhabitants? Or would he be regarded as an intruder? An abomination, a monster, a fake. He felt like one.

He could ask his allies for help, but they weren't really his allies, were they. He wasn't Danny, and he wasn't Vlad. Danny's allies would probably hate him for existing, and Vlad's allies would probably attack him for his weakness.

He could go back to Amity. Tell them what Vlad had done, help Valerie protect everyone from the ghosts, but he'd have to go through Vlad's portal. And he was a ghost, they'd never believe him about Vlad. Maybe he should just stay in this cave forever and rot away.

He propped himself up against the cave wall, curled up into a ball, and tried to stop thinking about everything, to forget about Amity, about Vlad, about Danny, or the Fentons or Sam and Tucker. About any of the ghosts or humans, about himself. Tried to forget everything that had happened within the past year and just rest. But of course, like always there was something stopping him.

"Cujo, leave me alone." The puppy had somehow found him, and was pawing at his leg, begging for something. He tried to shoo him away, but Cujo stubbornly stayed

"Cujo, I'm serious, I don't want to play." Cujo started nudging his foot, Barking for attention.

"Stop it Cujo!" The barking just got louder and louder, he tried to cover his ears but it was inescapable.

"Go away!" He kicked the dog away from him, but he just came back, barking angrily and biting his foot. He just wanted to rest for a while without anyone bothering him, he just wanted some time to himself, he just wanted to be left alone, but the barking was too much, he wanted it to stop, for everything to stop. He grabbed it and threw it against the wall as hard as he could. The noise stopped, everything was quiet again.

He calmed down, had he been hyperventilating? And looked around. He froze, horror seeped into his core, he slowly stood up and walked to the cave wall opposite of him.

"Cujo?"

No response. He picked up the dog, he was limp. Ectoplasm was dripping out of the side of his head and his fur was turning gooey.

"Cujo, please, please wake up," He begged, tears streaming down his face.

But the corpse didn't answer. A line of green ectoplasmic blood trailed from its mouth into a pool on the ground and its eyes stared straight forward, right into his.

He really was a monster.