Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom.

I'm really sorry for the wait Cordria! I couldn't even send this to you since I kept them waiting so long. If you are no longer interested in betaing this please PM me.

The young half ghost gratefully took the gallon of water from Vlad with trembling hands. It had been getting steadily hotter throughout their.... stay, and Danny wasn't looking very well. His thin face was beet red, and covered in sweat as dark circles ran underneath his exhausted blue eyes. His broken rib was completely healed, thank God, because of his ghost powers, although bruises lined his chest.

As he looked at the shackles on his wrists, the young halfa saw the layers of skin had almost completely worn away. They were red and raw.

Danny pressed himself against the wall, and looked over his shoulder at Vlad. The forty-something year old had sat back with his own gallon of water, but he kept his eyes trained on the teen. Danny immediately went back to his water to avoid the man's uncomfortable gaze; however, Vlad continued to stare.

"W-w-would you stop staring a-a-at me l-l-like I'm g-going to c-c-collapse?!" He croaked out, suddenly angry that his voice made him sound so helpless.

Vlad jumped at Danny's voice, but quickly regained his composure. He said nothing in return at first until older half ghost said calmly, "Then stop looking like you are going to faint Daniel."

Danny opened his mouth, looking like he had a smart comeback, but shut his mouth a moment later when he heard the worried undertone in Vlad's calm voice. Vlad concerned about me. He thought bitterly, He wasn't so freakin' worried when he was the one hurting me.

Danny was about to glare at the halfa when he felt a prick in his side, and pain flew through his body. His muscles spasmed out of control, leaving him sprawled out in the small room, convulsing. The pain was all he was aware of now. It seemed to cut along his frail, shaking body like a million knives stabbing at him.

That's when he started to scream. Blood-curdling shrieks filled the tiny prison that must have filled the other inhabitant's very core with terror.

The teenager felt his blood erupt in flames, burning and coursing through out his bloodstream. Danny's screams grew louder and louder as the fire spread, going closer and closer to his heart. Pain building, shrieks growing louder, his heart beat faster.

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

It spread faster, like wildfire, getting closer and closer. His heart was louder than his screams now.

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

Until the flames reached his heart and then....

THUMP.... THUMP..... THUMP.... Thump.... thump... thu-mp....th-

Silence.

Vlad felt the child's thin chest for the slight rise and fall of the boy's breathing.

Nothing.

Panic filled the half ghost as he felt for a pulse with shaking hands.

Nothing.

"No..." Vlad started doing chest compressions and CPR on the teenager's frail body. "One... Two... Three..." Terror started to set in and Vlad's compressions intensified. "Four... Five... Six... Seven... Eight... Nine... Ten... Eleven... Twelve... Thirteen... Fourteen... Fifteen!" He gave Danny two deep breaths of air, and checked for a pulse again.

Nothing.

"Come on Daniel, breathe!" The boy's face was turning blue as Vlad had a stroke of brilliance. He charged his hands with red ecto-energy, and starting doing compressions with electricity like substance. Daniel's back arched with each push, but there was no change, even after another half of an hour of doing CPR.

A bead of sweat rolled down Vlad's forehead as he sat back from Danny's frost white form. Vlad tried for a pulse once more, but it was no use.

"DANIEL!" Then he screeched the nickname he swore to himself he'd never use, in a desperate hope for any reaction from the child. "Danny! DANNY!"

And then he knew.

He was sitting next to a corpse.

Sorry about the wait!!! I've been going through some tough times… But I'm really trying to get these stories finished.

kirby