AN: Hey all! I'm back with a, err... "short" story. This is an entry to Phanniemay 2018 Day 25: Cold. I never dreamed I could write this in a week, but amazingly here we are! I hope you enjoy the ride.

And of course, a disclaimer; I do not own Danny Phantom.

PART ONE: COLD

CHAPTER 1: THINGS RIGHT AND WRONG.

With a click the automatic doors slid shut, blocking out the freezing air behind her. The supermarket was bizarre to Sam's eyes. After nothing but abandoned buildings and dull forests for days on end, the artificial shop was physically painful to look at. The fake plastic smell invaded her nose with its reek. Gripping the strap of her backpack tighter, Sam waited to see if anything stirred inside. But that was a stupid thought. Like everywhere else, everybody had run as fast as they could.

She took a step forward, wincing as her combat boots squeaked on vinyl. It was eerily quiet, the only sound being the soft hum of the fridges. Places like this should be full of life, people chatting, music blaring, and the sound of rolling carts filled with highly-processed junk. Instead, the shelves were bare, the odd packet of food crushed into the floor. Little signs that people had rushed through and grabbed whatever they could quickly. Signs that something was terribly wrong with the world.

The further Sam proceeded into the shop the darker it got, the frosted windows not letting in enough light. She shivered, fingers curling around the army knife in her pocket. Staying here for too long would be a bad idea, a risk she couldn't take. But this place had the best chance for her to find what she needed. Food was secondary, an excuse to get away from their safe house. Right now what Sam needed most were painkillers and as many as she could get her hands on.

Walking faster she entered the far-right aisle, this one neater than the others. By now her nerves were on a razor's edge. Each corner, each noise turning into potential danger. She feared that someone was there in the shadows who would tackle her to the ground. But nothing happened.

The shelf she wanted was before her, her luck finally pulling through. There were the brightly colored packets that she wanted, barely touched. Even better was the little box of bandages on the shelf below, all tucked away in neat little rolls. Sam dumped the pack, grabbed the entire lot, and stuffed it into the bag, display box and all. There was no telling when they'd find stuff like this again the further north they went. If only she could find a suture kit! The one thing that she desperately needed and yet couldn't find! No matter; the painkillers were better than nothing-

"You all right there honey?"

Sam's heart jumped into her throat as a voice sounded behind her. In a panic she bolted up, the shelf collapsing as she grabbed it. The remaining items crashed to the flood with a clang, Sam mentally kicking herself at her carelessness. Errors like that would end up getting them caught. However, Sam paused from flicking out the knife when she saw it was a lady dressed in heavy snow gear. The woman pulled down the scarf from her mouth, smiling at Sam warmly with her palms open.

"It's all right, I don't mean you any trouble."

Those words had to be lies. Utter lies. Too many times before people had said the same thing to her. Words that had been said before they tried to catch her. Like the others, this lady was trying to lull her into a false state of security. And she wasn't buying it for a second.

Taking a deep breath Sam readied herself, the army knife digging into her palm. Slowly; eyes never leaving the woman she bent down to zip up the backpack. Hefting the heavy thing back to its spot she tested the weight, mind reeling. She had to put on a show and appear glad to see her. After all, she was just a teenager to her, running from the same nightmare. So far it seemed it hadn't clicked to the lady who she really was. Or whom she was traveling with.

"Y-you just took me by surprise. I'm not doing anything wrong-" Sam reddened at how dumb that sounded. "Well, I guess I am a little. Taking this stuff without paying and all that..."

The lady chuckled, nodding as she took off her winter hat, brushing powdered snow into the air. Sam walked towards her, placing a thin smile on her face. As she got close she bowed her head, letting her dark hair fall across her face. She didn't want this woman to look too long at her. If she recognized her from the news, everything would get serious in a second. "I was just grabbing a few things, but there's nothing here. So, I'll be going now."

"All by yourself?" she frowned, looking around the aisle for signs of others. A twitch of annoyance filled Sam at that. Granted, it was pretty stupid to be traveling alone right now. But then Sam wasn't your typical high school student anymore. Those times helping Danny ghost hunting had changed her and Tucker; made them tougher, more resilient.

"What about yourself? You're here all alone."

To Sam's dismay, she shook her head with a smile, pointing back to the exit. Just then she heard a door slam outside, the form of a figure appearing on the frosted windows. "My hubby and I are just seeing if there's anything left before we hit the highway. Most shops are completely stripped closer to town. But this little place is further out. More chances it had been forgotten." She laughed again, brushing flakes off her shoulders. "though it looks like we drew the short stick!"

"Oh…" The words deflated out of Sam. That was the very same reason she was here; this supermarket was far away from any of the main roads. Hidden off to one lonely side, Tucker had thought because of that it would be safe to check out. Not so it seemed.

The familiar feeling of dread crept back into Sam's stomach when the husband walked in. Taking a small step back she glanced about. There had to be a back door, a staff exit, anything! But the lady had her pinned down by a hard stare. Together these two could capture her, especially if they had weapons hidden. The tiny knife would be useless against a gun.

Like her the man took off his scarf, muttering about the horrible weather. The moment he saw they weren't alone he stopped, his eyes widening at the sight of Sam's small frame. Suddenly the shop felt way too crowded.

A big, goofy grin crossed his face, making Sam's nerves jump madly. "Well I'll be, another friendly face! Been a while since we've come across anyone on the road."

Sam nodded, shifting her feet. Why couldn't they see that she didn't want to talk to them? "S-same. Well, it's been nice bumping into you two, but I've got to go."

Moving to walk around them her hopes sunk when the woman didn't move, peering at her like she was seeing Sam for the first time. Could she see how ruffled she was? Or see the little drops of dried red and green blood that caked her skirt? Or maybe she just simply saw how tired she was. Whatever she did see Sam feared that she had finally recognized her. That she'd just ruined everything.

Watching Sam, the man frowned, looking back out the window. It was pointless to see out of the glass, the act sending shivers of anxiety down her back. Could they be a distraction? Maybe out there the Guy's in White was waiting for her, ready to pounce the moment she stepped out that door.

"Funny," he said, the humor disappearing in his voice. "Didn't see any cars in the parking lot. How'd you get here? Surely you didn't bike through all that snow!" he ended his talk with a bark of amusement. Sam fiddled with her pack's strap again, choosing her next words carefully.

"Um, I… walked here actually…"

The two gasped, and Sam flinched. Bad choice. "You can't be serious!? Out in that weather?"

"Yeah." Please, just let me go, Sam thought, it will be the best for them all if you did.

The man stepped forward, his face etched with worry. All acting, most likely. So far this couple had been the best liars yet. "You can't just head out there on foot! What with this bad weather and the disaster going on. It's dangerous out there, especially for a young girl like yourself! If you like we can drive you back to your place. Safer than walking through those dark woods alone."

Sam cringed at the offer. Time to pull out the old my-parents-are-waiting lie. Perfect for shaking grownups off your case. She pulled herself up, trying to appear as mature as she could, finally looking into their eyes. "Thank you for your concern. But I can take care of myself. Besides my parents are waiting for me and they'll get worried if they find out I took a ride from strangers." She finally was able to walk around the lady. "Though you've wasted your time here, all the food's gone."

"Wait," Sam felt her hand on her arm. It was soft, gentle, and had no menace in the grasp. Even so, she still recoiled, several escape plans running through her head. Could she really use her knife on these people? Somehow Sam suspected that she never could. She was about to ask what she wanted when the woman opened a shoulder bag, digging around for something. Tense again, fearing it was going to be some sort of weapon Sam started to thumb the catch of the knife. To her surprise, the lady only took out a can of soup. She held it out and nodded for Sam to take it from her.

"It's all we can give, but it's something. At least give it to the person that needs all those painkillers." She winked, telling Sam she'd seen her cram about twenty packets of the stuff.

Sam felt herself blush at the blunder, staring at the can like it was some sort of trick. It was just too good to be true, this couple was too innocent, too helpful. But they needed that tin, so she took it from her hand expecting the woman to grab her wrist. Instead, they both ended up smiling cheerfully at her, which only made Sam feel worse about this. If they knew who she was, they wouldn't be giving her anything, they'd be calling the police.

"Thank you." Sam held it in her free hand, not wanting to show that she was still clutching a weapon in the other. With one final smile, she walked to the entrance and stepped onto the welcome mat. With a click, the automatic doors opened and she shivered from the blast of chilly wind, pulling the neck of her jacket closer. As Sam took her first crunching steps into the snow the husband called out.

"You be careful out there!"

For some reason, she looked back. She knew she should have just kept walking away. But something about the tone made her pause. Both stood watching side by side in that bizarre supermarket. Slowly the smile they both wore faded into concern.

"Stay safe honey" the lady uttered.

The husband nodded in reply, a sudden dark look crossing his brow." That's right. And keep a lookout for those spooks. Who knows where those creatures are hiding now."

Sam shivered again, but this time it had nothing to do with the cold. She didn't reply, didn't say a word as she walked out into the car park, hearing those doors close behind her. It was only when Sam was sure that the couple couldn't see her form through the frosted windows did she run, run like their life depended on it. She had a horrible feeling that it did.