There was so much blood. All he could see was blood and ectoplasm, mixing together and leaving a trail of the horrific cocktail against the shifting floor. Everywhere he turned it followed him like a disease, leading the very ghost responsible for his suffering right to him.
He'd tried to fight and had failed; taking a critical blow that had exhausted his powers, leaving the boy defenseless and alone in the clutches of his enemy. Danny had managed to stumble a few more steps before his legs had given out and his body had admitted defeat, forcing the child to collapse.
Warmth pooled beneath him, the strange mixture of his human and ghostly blood staining his clothes in large patches. Each breath was more agonizing than the last, his chest shuddering as his lungs screamed for air he couldn't grasp. A deep laugh echoed around him as dazed blue eyes stared up at the hulking machine in mute terror.
He couldn't die here in the Ghost Zone, not without telling his parents he loved them, or teasing his big sister one last time. He couldn't die while his two best friends wondered when he'd be home. He couldn't just give up, but his body refused to move. He felt as if he were burning from the inside out, fire consuming his organs and bursting through his veins.
"Finally I've caught you, Whelp."
The hunter's voice boomed, his large frame towering over the dying halfa. Danny watched in fading light as the ghost hovered above him, a large hunting knife being brandished from behind his back.
He tried to bring his ghost form back, to become intangible for just a few seconds longer, just long enough to get away from Skulker, just to give himself one last fighting chance, but as light began fading from his world and he could see the neon flames of the hunters hair flickering as he drew closer, he knew it was no use. There were no more chances. It was game over for him.
"I shall finally have your pelt hanging on my wall."
The hunter gloated, the edge of his knife pressing into the boy's arm as it split the skin, creating another escape for his blood. He tried to scream, tried to pull away, but his body was immobile, refusing to listen to the commands he so desperately tried to send. His mind was overwhelmed by pain, the fire inside devouring his lungs, leaving him unable to even gasp for air.
The hunters knife was slick with his blood, crimson mixing with a sickening shade of ghostly green as his body screamed in agony, begging for it to be over. Just let him die. Please. He couldn't take any more.
The blade moved up his bicep, slicing through his flesh and detaching the skin from his body.
Tears streamed down the boy's face as his vision faded away, the last image he held being the triumphant grin on the ghosts horrifying maw.
"Get away!"
Jolting upright in his bed, Danny's hand lifted, an ectoplasmic shot firing across his room and hitting his wall with a crash. With his chest a crushing weight against him, the boy shuddered, looking down at his floor where his pillows had been thrown during the night.
A wave of nausea hit the boy as he scrambled out of his bed, tripping over the sheets that were tangled around his legs and stumbling into his bathroom. Crashing to his knees in front of the toilet, he barely had time to lift the lid before he was heaving, the pathetic remains of his dinner the night before floating in the water.
His body quaked, trembling hands reaching to the counter for a towel as he wiped the bile off his lips and fell back against the wall in exhaustion, tears burning in his eyes. It had felt so real this time. Skulker's knife against his skin, peeling away his flesh inch by inch.
Closing his eyes tightly, Danny's knees drew close to his chest, his arms wrapping tightly around them as he pressed his forehead down, trying to calm his erratic breathing. In and out, inhale and exhale. He had nightmares all the time, this was no exception.
Despite telling himself those things, his fingers inched over his right arm, feeling for any sign of the first cut the hunter had made in his dreams. When no injury was found, Danny lifted his head, staring up at the bulb flickering occasionally above his mirror. The dream meant nothing, they rarely did. He was just stressed from the school year and his battle with Technus the night before. That's all it was.
Shifting on the floor, he grabbed ahold of the sink and pulled himself up, a final tremor shooting through his body as he reached over to flush away what his dream had caused. Staring in the mirror, he grimaced, his face covered in sweat with the circles under his eyes a dark, contrasting color against sallow cheeks
A faint bruise peeked out from the collar of his pajama shirt, looking far better than it had the previous night. At least he had that going for him. He healed at three times the normal rate of a human, therefor allowing him to take a beating the night before, and have hardly any damage to show for it in the morning. Aside from his weariness, however. How he wished to find a cure for that side effect.
Tugging off his pajamas, he ignored the damp feeling of sweat coating them and stepped in the shower, turning it to a cool setting. Ever since becoming a ghost, or rather, half of one, he couldn't stand the heat. Warm showers stung his skin, heavy blankets made it hard to breathe, and the summer so far had been nearly unbearable.
He refused to tell anyone this, however, especially Jazz. The last thing he needed was the three of them to start theorizing as to why that were the case, and frankly, he was scared of the answer. He'd come to terms with his ghostly abilities, reveled in them even.
But sometimes when his skin felt cold and clammy, and he could see his eyes glazing over in his own reflection, he found himself wondering just how much of him was truly dead, and what pieces were still alive.
His body shuddered again and Danny shut off the water immediately, watching as droplets fell from his hair and mixed in with the rest circling the drain. This was not how he was going to start his day, not when it was the final day of school, and he had a cross country trip planned with his two best friends.
Walking back into his bedroom with water still dripping from his hair, he tugged on clean shorts and jeans, carrying his shirt back towards the bathroom before stopping suddenly. Right next to the doorframe was a small hole caused by his frightened ectoblast.
Huffing an annoyed sigh at himself, he looked back around his room, mentally counting which posters he could move to hide yet another hole. This wasn't the first time such a thing had happened, and unfortunately, he doubted it would be the last. When one does not present itself, he made a mental note to hang a magazine clipping there before he returned to his sink.
Holding his shirt out, bright blue hues survey the damage to his slim frame that was normally hidden by his clothes. Several patches of discolored skin wrapped around his stomach and back, one of which looking suspiciously akin to a large boot striking his side A jagged cut along his left bicep had already scabbed over and begun to scar, and the dull ache in his chest told him that the cracked rib he'd suffered had mended itself as well.
Tugging his shirt on and hiding the damage, he ran his fingers through his wet hair and glanced at his clock. He was late. Very, very late.
"No!"
He chided himself, frantically brushing his teeth and looking around for his backpack.
"Crap!"
His hand flew upwards, hitting himself in the face as he remembered he'd left his bag with Tucker the night before. He just had to hope his friend would remember to bring him his books, because the last thing he needed was Lancer keeping him after on the last day of the school year.
"I am so late! Stupid ghosts!"
He groaned, pulling open his bedroom door before pausing, a small smile drifting over his face. Stepping back and shutting his door once more, he walked over to his window and grinned wider.
"I guess I'll just have to take the aerial route today."
In seconds, two rings of light appeared around the halfa's middle as the two rings simultaneously moved up and down, changing him into his ghost form. Turning intangible, Danny moved through his bedroom wall and hovered in the air.
This had to be his favorite part, really. Having the chance to fly, to move with the wind currents. Sam and Tucker didn't seem to enjoy it like he did. They couldn't understand what it felt like, and really, he couldn't do it justice by simply describing it. It felt surreal, more than anything.
Because sure, ghost hunting took a lot out of him, the nightmares were a real drag, and Amity Park had become ghost central as of late, with stronger and more fearsome ghosts showing up all the time.
But his abilities did do their part in making up for it. He could walk through walls, disappear and fly. What other kid could say they experienced even one of those things?
"Hey you! Ghost kid!"
The sudden shout drew Danny's attention, glowing green eyes finding their way to his father. He cringed; thankful for the steam that covered at least some of the larger man's body as he stood outside his shower. Jack moved to stand next to the window, hateful eyes glaring daggers at the boy as he tried to lean closer, attempting to make his voice louder for his threat.
"I get my hands on you, I'll rip you apart molecule by molecule!"
He yelled, pulling out a Fenton Foamer, from a place Danny had no interest in asking about, and aiming it at the ghost boy. Danny merely turned away, not in the mood for any witty banter with the older ghost hunter, flying towards his school as his father's shouts faded behind him.
"And this is a perfect example of why I won't be going ghost on my Fenton Family Vacation."
He grumbled, speeding faster towards his school while trying to force the image of Jack showering from his mind, finally coming to land behind a few trees in the courtyard. The two rings appeared around him once more, changing the halfa back into his human form as he walked towards the front doors, looking around for his friends.
"Danny!"
Turning, he spotted Tucker walking towards him, the halfa's backpack in hand.
"You're a life saver, Tuck!"
He sighed with relief, jogging towards his friend.
"You should probably keep a better eye on this thing, who knows what could happen."
Tucker responded, offering the bag out to the boy who only shook his head wearily.
"What, so Technus can ruin my book report? I don't think Lancer would accept the excuse that a ghost ate my homework."
"I dunno, Danny, he might accept anything today. Have you seen him yet? He's practically singing with joy about the end of the year."
Looking over his shoulder, Sam stood behind him, her usual Goth attire making her stand out against the bright clothes the other students wore.
"I'm looking forward to it too. Not a single ghost fight, no crazy battles with arch enemies. Just me and my friends traveling cross country together. It's gonna be great."
He stated, his arm falling over Tucker's shoulder as the tech obsessed boy nudged at him.
"Don't forget the awesome comic con we'll be going too!"
"How could we forget? You've been talking about it for weeks now."
Sam scoffed, receiving a dirty look from the boy.
"Like we haven't heard all about your Gothapalooze thing. How many times can someone use 'Goth' and 'black' in a sentence together before it becomes redundant?"
He shot back, Sam's lavender eyes narrowing.
"You've probably heard it less than we've heard about your crazy comic book theories!"
"Guys, come on!"
Danny laughed, pulling away from Tucker and walking backwards towards the school.
"They'll be plenty of time to argue about this later. Let's just get this over and done with and hope Lancer doesn't bore us to death on our last day."
He proposed, Tucker and Sam's eyes widening.
"Uh, Danny-"
Sam started, grimacing as Danny's back bumped into someone large and tall.
"Mr. Fenton, how nice to see you actually bothered to show up today."
"Mr. Lancer! I-I didn't see you there."
Danny laughed weakly, jumping away and rubbing at the back of his neck sheepishly.
"Obviously."
The teacher frowned, shooting a look at the other two whose gazes shifted away immediately.
"Ms. Manson, Mr. Foley. The bell is about to ring, and you wouldn't want to be late for my boring class."
"We were just headed there! Right now actually! Right, Sam?"
Tucker spoke quickly, hands grabbing ahold of Sam's shoulders.
"Yeah! C'mon, Danny."
Sam forced a smile, grabbing ahold of Danny's sleeve and dragging him towards the front steps of the school with them.
"Why didn't you tell me he was right there?"
Danny hissed, pulling away from Sam's iron grasp.
"I tried to warn you, but what was I supposed to do, he popped out of nowhere!"
The dark haired girl complained, readjusting the spider bag on her shoulder.
"So much for that 'singing with joy' stuff.."
He grumbled, receiving a frown from her at his comment.
"At least the concerts tonight!"
Tucker grinned, holding out his PDA with pride, its screen flashing a reminder of the event they might've forgotten.
"Uh, yeah, Sherlock, didn't you notice the band setting up on that ginormous stage? Kinda hard to miss."
Sam pointed out, walking into the classroom as Tucker pulled the device close to his face.
"She's just jealous of you, don't listen to her."
"Should I leave you two alone?"
Danny joked, walking into the classroom himself as Tucker shoved the device in his pocket.
"They'll be plenty of time for that later."
He responded seriously as Lancer walked in behind them, casting a disapproving gaze over the class while Danny slid into his seat. Glancing up at the clock on the wall, his shoulders slumped wearily. Today was going to be a long day, he just knew it.
The laughter and cheers can be heard throughout the halls, spreading out into the courtyard and parking lot as the trio is pushed along with the crowds.
"It's finally over! Summer vacation, here we come!"
Tucker cheered, his fist pumping in the air as Danny stifled a yawn.
"You okay? You look sort of.."
Sam trailed off, a small smile rising to Danny's lips.
"Dead?"
He finished for her, catching the worried look his two friends shared.
"I was going to say drained."
"I'm fine, just tired from the fight. Didn't get much sleep when I got home, either, bad dreams."
He said it with an indifferent shrug, but even thinking about his nightmare sent a chill racing down his spine.
"Well, you won't have to worry about ghosts at the comic book, sci-fi, and fantasy convention!"
Tucker encouraged, lightening up the mood as he pulled the flyer he'd been carrying around for the last month out of his pocket.
"Not unless they're in costume."
Sam remarked, pulling out the poster she'd been saving.
"I'm looking forwards to the space center in Florida."
Danny said, pulling out his own flyer to hold up with the others.
"Oh please, the Gothapalooza is going to be the best time any of us have! I can't wait for that bleak, Nevada desert!"
"San Diego is way cooler than some desert, Goth Girl."
Tucker stated confidently.
"Just because you enjoy all that techno geek stuff doesn't mean we all do. Some of us enjoy meaningful conversations about what's going on in the real world, not some make believe one!"
"Are you guys gonna bicker the whole time?"
Danny sighed, turning around to stare at his two friends.
"This trip is the first time all of us have-hey!"
His words are cut off as something hit his shoulder and made him stumble, watching as a pile of books and papers fell to the ground. Annoyed blue eyes glared up at the boy as he stared in his own annoyance at his older sister.
"Geez, Danny, watch it!" "Geez, Jazz, watch it!"
The siblings yelled at the same time, the two frowning at one another as Danny reached down and grabbed one of her books, his eyes scanning over the title.
"Ghost Envy For Dimwits?"
He scoffed, arching a brow at the older as she pulled the book from his hands and straightened her form, brushing the hair away from her face.
"It's research material, I'm writing my college thesis on ghost envy."
She said proudly, straightening her stack of books and staring at him and his friends.
"College might be a year and a half away still, but you can never be too prepared for-"
"Don't know, don't care."
Danny cut her off, his hands lifting while shaking his head, his dark hair falling into his eyes with the movement.
"I'm not listening to you talk about some college thing right now. From now on it's no more books, no more pencils, and no more going ghost so my parents can't 'tear me apart molecule by molecule'."
He stated, making a motion with his hands of ripping something in two as Jasmine frowned, rolling her eyes at his childish antics.
"You're gonna regret not putting more time and energy into your future, Danny."
"Right now, my future holds the Space Camp in Florida."
He stated, watching as his sister shook her head.
"You can't make a living out of fighting ghosts, Danny. Just remember that."
As Jazz walked away, Danny found himself scowling at her comment.
"What's she know, anyway?"
He muttered when the silence lasted too long for his comfort.
"Some books are worth looking into, you know."
Sam said slowly, holding out a red, leather bound book that Danny barely glanced at. Had she been carrying it around the whole time?
"It has information about different ghost relics?"
She sighed, pulling the book back to her chest as Danny stared blankly at her.
"Oh, never mind! You're hopeless."
She griped, storming off down the sidewalk ahead of them.
"What did I do?"
He questioned, Tuckers eyes looking the boy up and down.
"You really are clueless, aren't you?"
He pointed out, turning and following after Sam.
"Guys, wait!"
Jogging after them, he fell in step with Sam and reached his hand out for the book she kept a firm grasp on.
"Are you really mad at me?"
"No."
She muttered, looking up at him with irritated lavender hues.
"I just wish you'd listen to me once in a while."
He's not sure if she intended for him to feel guilty by what she was saying, but he did. The way she stared at him, with a mixture of hurt and anger, it made his chest ache in a way he didn't like.
"Tell you what, bring that book with you, and we can take a look at it on the trip, okay?"
He offered, giving her his best 'forgive me' smile. She held the book tighter before giving in and rolling her eyes at him.
"Yeah, whatever. Hey, you never actually told me how you got my parents to agree to me spending the summer with your parents."
Danny can't help but smirk, running a hand through his hair and shrugging a bit as the memory played through his head.
They were so different from Sam. The Manson family was loaded, and they had a way of making sure everyone knew they were loaded without actually coming out and saying how well off they were. But they were also some of the biggest snobs in the neighborhood, which he could say because Sam called them that all the time, sometimes even to their faces.
Her mother alone had tried time and again to pull Sam out of her 'Goth phase' and blamed Danny himself for a majority of her problems. It was something Sam fought with her parents about a lot, their friendship. He got the sense that if he were to up and disappear one day that that would be perfectly alright with Jeremy and Pamela Manson.
Which is exactly why he knew they would never agree for Sam to spend the summer with his family. So he took it upon himself to make them.. a little more willing. He'd made his way into their house, finding the two adults sitting in their living room discussing their next protest when he'd possessed Pamela.
Tucker thought it was one of his coolest abilities, while Sam found it a bit more on the disturbing side. Danny himself was just fascinated by the whole thing. It had been a convenient power, of course, but at times it became overwhelming, having the sudden rush of a person's thoughts flood into his head.
Most he couldn't remember, and the rest he could normally shove aside. But sometimes, one little thing stuck in his head, and that was when things got annoying for him. As he entered Mrs. Manson, he felt himself connecting with her, his soul over powering her own and shoving it back as he snapped her head up, locking bright neon eyes with Mr. Manson.
"I think Sam should spend the summer with the Fenton family on a road trip."
Jeremy Manson seemed taken aback by what left his wife's mouth so suddenly, opening his own mouth to respond as Danny deserted her body and dove into his. The same rush of thoughts come pouring into the halfa's mind as he turned the man's head, seeing the disoriented look Pamela had that most people got after being possessed. But he didn't have time for feeling guilty; he was here for a reason.
"I think you're right," He spoke, his head twitching strangely. "She should go and have fun, and we should never discuss this ever again."
Grinning, Danny released Mr. Manson, hovering nearby while watching the two of them recover from their possessions before they resumed their previous conversation.
"I just sort of.. used my powers of persuasion. You know I can be quite the-"
"Danny!"
The sound of his name being screamed pulled the boy from his thoughts, eyes darting around in search for his raven haired friend. The sky had darkened considerably in just a few seconds, taking on the appearance of night instead of afternoon. A crowd of people raced in his direction, the panicked screams making it clear something had just happened that he'd obviously missed.
"Danny!"
The cry echoed again, the halfa's blue hues turning upwards, watching in dismay as his two friends were carried through the air by ghostly apparitions.
"Hold on!" He yelled, looking around for witnesses before ducking behind a dumpster. "I'm going ghost!"
A/N
I'm really surprised at the awesome feedback I've already gotten, but I really appreciate all of it! I wanted to play around with the side effects Danny might experience with ghost fighting, such as chronic nightmares and insomnia, as well as what it might be like to actually possess another human being.
By request, I will be writing a 'bonus chapter' mid story of how Paulina, Dash, Mr. Lancer and Valerie each found out and reacted to Danny Fenton actually being Danny Phantom. Hope you guys enjoy this next chapter, please let me know if you have any other requests or ideas, and all critique is greatly appreciated!