Chapter 13: Breathe

Skulker strapped his new plasma gun to his back with a smirk. He was going on a hunt. To be more specific, he was going hunting for a ghost child called Danny Phantom. At least that had been his first plan this morning until he recalled that Danny was now technically considered Vlad's charge now. Regardless, the halfa was injured so what fun would that be?

"It seems I'll have to find my entertainment elsewhere," said the spirit to himself as he pondered. "The Ghost Zone usually can offer some surprises."

Gearing up, Skulker had no idea how right he was about that challenge.

…

"Rodger!"

The lawyer blinked once as he lifted his heavy head out of the steering wheel, shaking glass from his hair as he moved. He then raised a shaking hand and whipped the red liquid from his brow, looking at it for a moment as if surprised by its existence. His shocked expression quickly morphed into a panicked one and he looked around in fright. What had happened? One minute he was driving and then …

"Gibgit, where are you?" cried out Smith as he removed his seatbelt and fumbled with the car door. The bloody thing wouldn't open, likey jammed shut. So he turned his attention to the cracked windshield. He had to get out of this metal death trap. Zeus' infidelity, how he hated cars. What was so wrong with a horse and chariot? Humans were never satisfied.

Luckily, Gibgit had heard his master's movements in the limo when he was trying to wake Vlad. He was glad Master was finally awake … mostly because the human wasn't breathing, his lips turning blue. Gibgit panicked for a moment, flying around in an alarmed circle before he left the dying man and rushed over to the front of the limo's crushed hood. He had to get help. Yet, in his terror, he almost got slammed with a rain of glass as the windshield of the limo was kicked out, glass scattering like a thousand crystal raindrops. The little creature merely squawked for a second as he watched a body rise from the vehicle. Thank the old gods!

"Master! Finally, you are awake!"

Smith crawled out of his death trap, making sure not to cut his hands because it would be a shame to ruin his good looks. Then, once free, he stood up straight, shook the spare glass off his suit, and ran his hand through his hair. After that was complete, he bothered to take stock of the situation. Everything looked like a mangled mess with a touch of Pepsi blue for color. In the past, he might have enjoyed such brutality, but times change and so do people.

Without another thought, the lawyer jumped from the limo's hood and to the rough asphalt below, glass crunching under his dress shoes. Gibgit flew hurried circles around his Master trying to get his attention like an unwanted gnat.

"Stop that," growled the lawyer as he turned his head in the direction of the river below and away from the chaos of the bridge; he knew something sinister was down there just below the surface. "You have my attention. Now, what happened here?"

"A semi hit us! I have no idea why, but then there was yelling and screaming and sweet liquid everywhere, and -," the small creature spoke a mile a minute as it tried to steer Smith toward the unconscious man.

Smith put up his hand telling the creature to stop and listen. "Was it him?"

"I … don't know. I just woke up a minute before you," whimpered the creature as he started to calm in the presence of his Master, but then he recalled the unconscious billionaire and his panic returned with a vengeance. "But that is unimportant at the moment my Master! The boy's handler has ceased breathing!"

"What?!" hissed Rodger as his attentive gaze was dragged from the river and to the flying beast. Why hadn't the idiot eyeball told him sooner?! With a growl, Smith quickly scanned the warzone and with rushed feet ran off in the direction the eyeball had come from, skipping over Pepsi cans like a pro.

Quickly getting to his destination, Smith slid to a stop above the millionaire's body and knelt down, raising a hand over the man as if able to feel what was wrong. Yep, Vlad wasn't breathing and he'd probably be dead if he wasn't a half-blood.

Looking at his hands, Smith spread his fingers over the still body as if to heal him. There was a slight spark around his hands, only to have it flicker out like a candle to the wind.

Smith swore, once again enraged that he had been cut off from the majority of his abilities. This whole mess would be over if he had all his powers!

Turning to look at Gibgit, he snarled, "What is that lip thing that humans do?"

The floating eye seemed confused for a moment before he awkwardly replied, "You mean kissing?"

Smith rolled his eyes, "No, the thing that they do at pools when idiot mortals try to drown."

"Oh!" said Gibgit, perking up that his master had even bothered to ask a question of him. "Its CPurr-R. I think it's named after cats. It's like a kiss, but you breathe into people I think. At least that's what happens on Baywatch."

The dark-haired being raised a brow at the Baywatch comment and then looked back at the handler, Vlad Masters. He had plans for the man but was it worth touching his lips?

Sighing, deciding that finding a replacement would be more work because half-bloods weren't exactly numerous nowadays, he tilted Vlad's head back so the windpipe was clear. He then ran his finger through the mouth to make sure the billionaire hadn't choked on his tongue. With a quick gasp of breath, Rodger pressed his mouth against the billionaire's lips and forced air into the subject's lungs. He pulled back hoping for a reaction. When none came, he readjusted Vlad's neck once more, careful not to disturb the slight burn marks on the man's neck. He tried once more, but with no effect.

"It didn't work. I must be doing something wrong," he groused, wondering if he should try his powers again.

Gibgit hummed as if in thought before he added, "Sometimes then pound on their chest! Try that instead."

Shrugging, his hands sparking once more, Smith murmured, "It's worth a shot."

He then slammed his hand down, electricity sparking over the still form before Vlad suddenly withered on the asphalt, coughing violently as his eyes rolled around in partial consciousness.

"Good," said Smith with a tint of disgust as he wiped his mouth. "Now where's the childe?"

Gibgit didn't hear the question, watching as the handler's eyes glowed, his ghost powers likely kicking in. The man was now withering and choking, his powers likely rebelling against the demon's touch. It had to be the demon ... leaving a burn mark like that.

"Gibgit! Pay attention, find the boy. I'll take care of the burn," demanded Smith hastily as he removed his jacket and put it under Vlad's head, one hand slamming the man onto the pavement so he could get a look at that burn mark. Yep, even with all his jostling, he could tell that was the demon's signature mark.

"Well, he doesn't get to have you. You are my pawn in this chess game," Smith muttered, his own hand glowing a sickly yellow before he put it right over the hand-shaped burn, pressing down. Vlad immediately started to wail, clawing at the hand pressing into his burn wound.

Smith, his strength seemingly unyielding and unaffected by Vlad's thrashing, merely muttered, "This is for the best, trust me."

Vlad, unable to take the pain, barked once more in agony before his eyes rolled into the back of his head. Smith was merely glad for the silence as he finished his work. It had been a while since he had marked a Champion, but the half-blood was basically his chosen defender. Why not make it official if only to keep the competition from marking him again.

...

"I can't believe he doesn't have road rash after being thrown out of the car," came the first voice, a women's voice, his whole form jostling. "Do you think it's the suit? I mean, it's probably lined with money or gold thread or something. And don't get me started on those shoes."

Another voice snorted, gruffly replying, "Probably, but seriously, that's still a nasty-looking head wound and that burn is no joke. We should get moving."

Immediately, worry bloomed throughout Vlad's body, his eyes tiredly blinking open. He was greeted by the blue sky and the faint feel of forward movement, something sturdy around his neck. What was going on?

"Don, he's waking up," suddenly came the first voice, a woman leaning over him only to blind him with a tiny light a second later. "Hello, my name is Leanne. You were in an accident. Do you know your name?"

Vlad moaned and tried to push the mini flashlight away. He immediately tried to sit up, but two pairs of hands hushed him and forced him back down.

"Please remain still, you've sustained a head wound," said the male voice, a sturdy hand remaining on his uninjured shoulder.

Swallowing thickly, his tongue feeling heavy in his mouth, Vlad tried to speak, "W-what happened? We were in the ... the limo. I was speaking with Daniel and -"

The billionaire's eyes widened as if he suddenly remembered the entire incident. He was once again trying to sit up, his voice slightly panicked as he spoke, "Where is Daniel? Where is he? Is he okay?"

The hands wouldn't let him up though as panic started to form. He even heard one of them murmur something about strapping him in.

"Please, where is my godson?! He was in the car with me. Is he injured?!" asked Vlad, starting to struggle as straps were pulled from the side of the gurney and over his chest, the flash of the ambulance lights now flashing off of his form as they drew nearer to the back of the vehicle.

The two paramedics shared a look that immediately made the adoptive father panic, especially since he couldn't recall if the boy had been strapped in.

"Hey!" cried the male paramedic as Vlad forced the strap off with some subtle ghost abilities, nearly getting off the stretcher. "We think you have cracked ribs. Lay back down! Do you want to puncture a lung?!"

"Get off me, you buffoons!" barked Masters as he pushed the hands away, managing to sit up and throw his feet over the side only to suddenly get vertigo and grip his chest. Sweet swiss rolls, his chest. Maybe they were right, but where was his godson? He needed to find him. Daniel was the only thing he had left of Maddie.

"Calm down," suddenly interrupted an almost ethereal voice from behind the paramedics, the tone washing over all the panic and noise as if his head had been pushed underwater.

Vlad stalled in his tracks. He knew that voice. In fact, he had heard it a fair amount of times. Exhaustedly, he turned to see who it was, but his eyesight seemed to blur and all he could make out was that it was a male officer with black hair. "Do I know you?"

Smith smiled from under his newly acquired cap. "I don't believe so, Mister Masters. Danny is in the officer's vehicle over there. He's fine. Now you should let those paramedics do their job and get you to a doctor. We'll take him to the same hospital as you."

Vlad nodded slightly at the blurry figure still unable to place the voice as he allowed the paramedic to help him lay back down on the gurney. He felt like he had been put under a spell, his mind calm and obedient.

The disguised man sighed in relief, glad that a simple suggestion had worked. Yet, before he could turn and leave, one of the paramedics stalled, a confused look on his face, the spell not entirely entrancing the older EMT, "Hey … aren't you the limo driver? Didn't you ... need treatment as ... well?"

Some souls just didn't give into suggestions. It was always a gamble after all.

"No. I think I'd remember if I was," said Smith smoothly as he turned and walked away, disappearing behind a moving cop car as if he had never been.

The poor paramedic could only swallow at the sight, wondering if the long hours were getting to him. That man had seemed more ghost than human ... and there had been a fair amount of deaths on this bridge throughout the years.

Swallowing, deciding it was paranoia, Don helped his partner get their patient into the back of the ambulance because sometimes you didn't need a suggestion to ignore something.

…

Stalker glared at the Ghost Zone before him. It was dead … well deader than usual. Not one ghost or ghoul about. Whatever was going on here was eerily abnormal.

Shaking off his worry, the spirit continued to fly around almost aimlessly as he looked for answers or at least something minor to hunt. Yet, there wasn't a spirit to be seen or heard. Not a sound. It was like the calm before a storm. The sky even held a dark gloom as if informing him of impending doom. The hunter swallowed slightly as he stalled in his travels, his inner core feeling tight. Something was wrong here. It was like he wasn't supposed to be here, which in itself didn't make sense. The Ghost Zone was supposed to be home for all lost souls.

Looking about his home realm, Skulker decided to give in to the feeling and retreat to the mortal realm. He had no idea what had happened to everyone, but he had a feeling it had to do with the way he was feeling right now. He wasn't supposed to be here. Something was wrong here like the earth had been salted.

Skulker's jet pack roared in complaint as he hastily turned towards the nearest exit ... only to stall when an island floated in front of him blocking his way momentarily. Moving islands weren't uncommon in the Ghost Zone, but this island was ... unnatural, especially since there was a figure trapped on top of it.

Everything in Skulker told him to keep his distance, that whatever this thing was, it was abnormal. And yet, being under Plasmius's employ and territory caused him to stall and stare, almost compelled to gather information. Immediately, he knew that this being didn't belong here. It appeared to be more smoke and mist than ectoplasm, its form seeming to want to shift between the planes. It was also acting mad, whispering to itself in a panicked manner as its limbs twitched brokenly. Everything about its nature was wrong.

Skulker's nerves became even more frayed from looking at it, his ghost core feeling hot and suffocated. Everything in him wanted to leave ... or to make this thing leave instead.

Metallic lip twitching, Skulker pulled out one of his guns and pointed it at the spirit, his tone dark, "What are you and what are you doing here? In fact, where is everyone else?"

The being stalled, even the erratic twitching of its limbs going still. The broken thing blinked a few times as if it didn't understand Skulker's words before its head cracked slowly towards the hunter, revealing his semi-milky eyes ... and ripped open chest, a heart conveniently missing from it. This thing had obviously once been human.

Skulker twitched at the sight and knowledge. Most spirits, once they became lost, developed a permanent form, losing the grotesqueness of their death. This ... thing ... still looked freshly deceased, like it had just passed on and didn't know where it was yet. And if its bleeding form wasn't bad enough, blood forever dripping out of his chest and into nothing, the look of desperation in his eyes was even worst ... especially when he brokenly threw himself forward, words begging, "Please! Help me."

The hunter instinctively reeled back as if knowing that the thing shouldn't touch him. It did not belong and should not be touched. That was because it wasn't quite a spirit. It technically wasn't completely dead in an energy sense with a formed ghost core. This was a traveling spirit, a rare moment between life and death, the moment when a soul decided to stay or move on. But, this was wrong, such things were meant to only keep their form for a minute or two before moving on or staying here. It was like it was ... lost. Skulker had heard that it was a rare happening to even see a traveling spirit and decided not to squander the experience.

"Traveling spirit," said Skulker simply as he looked at the spirit's brown eyes which quickly filled with tears as if the hunter's words had just confirmed he was dead. "Why are you still here? Have you not decided where you belong?"

"I cannot choose!" wailed out the trapped entity as he tried to stumble closer to Skulker turning all the floating earth he was upon pustule and black. Skulker, immediately, floated a little farther back. He should not let it touch him.

"What do you mean by you cannot choose? Either you have unfinished business or you are content with the life that you've led. There is little choice in the matter really. Were you happy or were you not?" asked the hunter blatantly, staring at the corrupted earth.

"I wish I could, but something is holding me between these worlds. It has stolen my flesh and I cannot pass on until its curse is lifted!" wailed the traveling spirit angrily.

"What?" asked Skulker, shocked. "No ghost should be able to stall you from passing. And they certainly can't steal a body. They can only borrow a live one."

The wandering spirit was starting to get fidgety as it looked about nervously. He could feel it. It was coming and the traveling spirit knew he had to talk quickly, "Listen, it doesn't matter right now. You need to get out of here before one of the hungry ones finds you. Tell someone what has happened and most importantly don't let the beast have the child! If he gets the marked child, the planes will collapse altogether. No soul will be left to pass on. Now go. Quickly."

"Hungry ones? The beast? What marked child?" asked Skulker, his gaze searching for a threat as his gun was lifted up. It was then that he realized the ghostly green of the Ghost Zone was slowly becoming pungent and a murky red. Something indeed was coming.

"Hurry! You don't have any more time. Find the marked child," bit out the dead man, his hands making pushing motions because he could not touch the hunter and they both knew it. "Please."

Skulker, unsettled by the reddening sky, slowly nodded and was about to jet off when he suddenly found he needed to know, "I will look for this marked child if it will help you pass on but tell me your name wanderer?"

The spirit pointed to his nametag, blood having hidden most of the print, "My name was Joed."

…

Vlad entered his home hours later, a hospital band still on his wrist. He hated hospitals! He barely could stand it when the patient was Daniel, but being the patient himself ... well, he was lucky he hadn't had a flashback to his ecto-acme days. He barely was allowed to leave without overnight observation. Bunch of sadists.

Sighing at the thought, Vlad ran his hand over the neck making sure the bandages hadn't come off. He quickly moved to the side to allow the ghost driver that had picked them up from the hospital to float in behind him, dropping his human disguise.

The ghost diver stared at him for a moment as if waiting for a command. Unlike some of the ghosts in his territory, mostly Skulker, this one actually listened to him. He wasn't strong enough to fight for his own territory, and like a lot of the servent type spirits in the castle, stayed out of Vlad's way and did as he commanded.

He did not miss how the ghost was eyeing his wounds, probably wondering how much longer Vlad could hold his territory: the whole state of Wisconsin specifically. Did Vlad need a whole state? Probably not, but ghost politics were messy and territorial. Basically, the more you had the less likely other spirits were to mess with you.

Turning to glare at the driver, Diseil he believed the ghost's name was, he growled, "Where is Daniel?"

The ghost flinched, stumbling over his words, "Oh yes, the other halfa. Do you want him in one of the lab cells?"

Sighing, wondering if Skulker communicated anything effectively to the other underlings when he had been shooing them from the castle, Vlad grumbled, "The boy is now my ward. If Skulker isn't communicating that effectively, please tell the other house servants that the child is not to be harmed."

The ghost, his body decorated with engine parts and exhausts, blinked as if flabbergasted, "So, the young halfa has conceded to you?"

Again, ghost politics.

Nodding, because explaining the adoption seemed an exhausting endeavor right now with the way his ribs ached, the platinum-haired man stated, "Yes, he lost his territory and conceded to my will. His title is ward. Now, go get him. Try not to wake him up. He doesn't know you and will likely start a fight."

Nodding, his wheeled shoes already spinning as he got ready to move, Deseil asked, "And where should I put your young ward?"

Wanting nothing more than to collapse in the nearest chair and give into the pain, Vlad sighed, "A room has been prepared for him on the second floor. The room with the engraved oak doors. The remodeled room."

The car-themed ghost nodded and then sprinted away. He picked up the child with ease from the car seat and floated up to the designated room without question. It had been a while since most of the ghosts were shooed out of the castle, but now things were starting to make sense. From what he understood, the young halfa went looking for fights and didn't designate the borders of his territory at all so he could always pick a new fight. Plus, the halfa's territory contained a stable Ghost Portal so lots of spirits accepted the open challenge with gusto.

It seemed the halfa had finally lost though, the whole portal destroyed in the battle. Or at least that was the rumor.

No ghost was sure what exactly happened, but Plasmius, ever resourceful, had swooped in for the spoils: the young halfa under his domain. Danny Phantom was powerful and seemed to be growing stronger with every battle, so it made sense that Plasmius wanted him to help keep his territory, but looking at the boy now ... that seemed the opposite.

The child seemed so small in his human form, crippled even.

Frowning to himself, he floated into the designated room and carefully laid the youth down in the large bed. He then tried to cover the youth in a blanket nearly to jump out of his skin when the halfa murmured, "Thank's Vlad."

Floating away, completely confused with this newest development, the lower-tiered ghost made himself scarce. It seems that things around the castle were about to change. And, like most spirits, he was sure not all of the undead would handle that the best.

XXX

Edit: Added about 1,000 words and made the chapter a bit more logical. Skulker's scenes got lengthened mostly and the last scene was rewritten to understand ghost territories a little better. Also, the chapter used to be titled 'Alone in the Dark' but that title just didn't seem fitting anymore.

(Revisions May 2021)