Hey everyone. Lord Pugsy here. I would like to apologise for the week late instalment of this story. Work had become manic and was stressing everyone out. That combined with massive writers block did not help the situation in the slightest. I do hope that this slightly longer chapter will be sufficient enough to make up for the lateness. Without further ado, here is the next chapter in A Phantom Marooned.
Sam watched in horror as the panther Danny had initially taken care of picked itself up, and began running back towards their shelter, noticing that Danny was preoccupied with the other panthers. The panther's eyes lit up with another flash of lightning as the large jungle cat pounced into the air, claws extended and teeth bared. The occupants of the shelter screamed, only for it to come crashing down at their feet; a dagger hilt protruding from the back of its head. The entire group stood emotionless for a few moments, just staring down at the dead animal at their feet, not entirely sure what to do with themselves. That's when they remembered Danny.
"DANNY!" Shouted Sam and Tucker, as they raced out into the rain to find Danny lying unconscious on the sand, watching out for the downed panthers just in case they too got back up.
"Get him inside!" Shouted Tucker, taking one of Danny's arms as Sam got the other one. Careful not to injure the teen even more than he already was, they gently lifted him up and set him between them as they made their way back to the shelter. When they made it, they found that Valerie had cleared a space for them to set Danny down. Easing Danny down softly, and pulling his shirt off so they could tend to his wounds, the entire shelter took their first proper look at Danny's injuries; what they saw made their stomach's drop as they gasped at the sight before him. Bruises had already formed across Danny's abdomen, chest and neck from when he was tackled by the panthers, but the class' eyes were instantly drawn to the three large gashes across his chest, still trickling blood. Luckily for all those who knew Danny's secret identity, it was too dark to notice the flecks of green in his blood.
"Please tell me someone brought in the first-aid kit from the boat?" Asked Sam, getting everyone's attention off of Danny and onto her.
"Here it is." Said Star, coming forward with the kit in her hands. Giving her a smile of thanks, Sam knelt down next to Danny and got out everything she would need to help Danny. Faltering when she felt a ball of thread at the bottom of the kit, she turned to face the occupants of the shelter.
"Did anyone think to bring in some dry wood we use to make the fire?" She asked; Mr Lancer gestured towards the back of the shelter.
"I brought in a small bundle, thinking we may need some source of heat during the night. Would that suffice?"
"Perfect." Said Sam. "Who managed to get the campfire going in the first place?" She asked.
"I think it was Bradley and Craig who managed it." Said Tucker, gesturing to the two boys.
"Do you think you can make another one near the entrance?" Asked Sam. Before the boys got the opportunity to agree or disagree, Dash charged forwards.
"What makes you think we need a fire Manson?" He asked viciously. "Who put you in charge?" Sam was about to launch herself at Dash when a groan of pain came from the unconscious teen. Softening her mood, she turned back to Dash, who had been equally stilled by the noise.
"Listen here Dash. Everyone here is tired and scared. And I'm not taking charge; I'm simply stating what we need to do because no one else will." Sam said in a low tone, slightly unnerving the jock. He would have preferred it if she yelled at him.
"As for why we need a fire," Sam started again. "We need it for two reasons. First, I don't think anyone here wants to freeze to death tonight. Secondly, we need it for this." She reached down and picked up a sharp needle and gestured towards Danny.
"See those cuts in his chest? They are far too deep to be left alone. They need to be stitched up." Everyone flinched at this thought; Dash was silenced instantly as he warily stepped back from the Goth with the needle. Once she was sure no one was going to interrupt her, she turned back to Craig and Bradley.
"Would you guys start a fire please?" She asked them. They nodded silently and went to collect the wood from the back of the shelter at set to work.
Within ten minutes, they got a small fire going in the entrance of the shelter so not to run the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. Sam first set to work on cleaning off the dried blood on Danny's chest, taking care to make sure there was no sand in the deep wounds. Realising that she couldn't put it off any longer, she picked up the needle and held it over the fire. Taking a deep breath, she turned to the rest the group who were watching with gross fascination.
"Anyone who has a weak stomach, look away now." Everyone but Dash, Kwan, Mr Lancer, Tucker and Valerie turned away; although when the needle first entered Danny's skin, both Dash and Kwan turned away.
"Tucker," started Sam. "I need you to get a bottle of water and wash away any blood every now and again. Val, I need you to be prepared to pin Danny down when he wakes up. He may not appreciate straight away what I'm doing." Nodding and preparing themselves, they looked on as Sam finished up the first gash and made a start on the second one.
This is starting to become a habit Danny, Sam thought to herself as she looked over Danny's body. Normally, she would take this opportunity to look at Danny's well-developed body from ghost hunting, but her eyes were only drawn to the multitude of scars covering Danny's torso; she recognised a few that she had stitched up before. Sam felt a wave of guilt when she noticed one on his arm which was as a result of her attacking him when she was being possessed by Undergrowth.
"You seem to be quite the expert Samantha." Said Mr Lancer, interrupting Sam's thoughts; when she said nothing, Mr Lancer continued. "Would I be right in assuming that this is in fact not the first time you have done this to Danny?" Only Tucker looked on in worry, as Valerie was just confused.
"I don't know what you mean Mr Lancer." Sam said weakly, causing Mr Lancer to chuckle.
"You two are genuinely perfect for each other. You are both as bad as each when it comes to lying." He said, causing Sam to blush heavily and Tucker and Valerie to laugh. "But I am going to tell you something which I told Danny when we arrived on this island. I am fully aware that there is something strange surrounding the four of you, but it is not my place to pry, even though the amount of scar tissue on Danny is frightening. All I am going to say to you is, while I understand that you will want to keep certain truths hidden from myself and your peers, I do ask that you do not lie to me." With that, he stood up and walked back to watch over the rest of the group, leaving three confused teens in his wake.
"Damn he's cool." Muttered Tucker, as he watched his English teacher walk off.
"Yeah." Agreed Sam, finishing off the second cut and making start on the third and final cut. "Just a shame it took a disaster for us to realise." Tucker laughed and turned to look at Valerie, only to see that she was sat in silence with a horrified look on her face.
"Is it true Sam?" She asked seriously.
"Is what true?" Sam asked confused.
"Have you really had to do this multiple times?"
"Yeah, I have." Said a solemn Sam. "I think this will be the eighth time I've stitched him up after a fight."
"Have you ever had to stitch him up after a fight with me?" She asked, already knowing the answer. When Sam didn't reply, Valerie knew she had.
"Which one did I do?" Still no answer from the teen. "Sam, show me which one was me." Realising that Sam wasn't going to do it, Tucker slowly brought out Danny's left arm to show a long scar running down his side, causing Valerie to gasp in horror, tears springing from her eyes.
"I never knew." She murmured as the tears began to fall, causing Tucker to grab her hand.
"Don't go there Val. Danny never once held you responsible. He has gotten far more scars off of Skulker and Vlad than anyone else. Even Sam and I have given him one each." Tucker said, kissing her softly on the cheek. This caused Valerie to look up.
"Seriously?" She asked; Tucker nodded.
"The thick one on his arm is where Sam attacked him when she was Undergrowth's Caretaker. And there is one on his back where I accidentally shot him in the back with a Fenton Bazooka." Valerie couldn't help but laugh through her tears; Sam joining in a few moments later when she rounded off the last stitch.
"It's nice to hear you're all laughing." Said Danny, cutting through their laughing, chuckling as he did.
"How long have you been awake?" Asked Sam incredulously, as she took the bottle of water off of Tucker and cleaned off the blood.
"Since Mr Lancer left." Danny said calmly, despite having just been sewn back together.
"But you didn't even flinch when Sam was sticking a needle into you." Said Valerie, her jaw dropping for a second time.
"I've been punched by Pariah Dark, electrocuted by Walker and almost killed by Blood Blossoms. A few stitches are nothing." Danny chuckled slightly, careful not to pull any of his new stitches.
"Blood Blossoms?" Queried Valerie.
"Not something I like to remember." Muttered Danny, remembering how awful they had made him feel.
"Hey. I was the one who had to eat them." Stated Tucker, causing Sam and Danny to laugh.
"And if I remember correctly, I bought you three Mega Nasty Burgers afterwards." Countered Danny, as Sam began to wrap bandages around his torso.
"They were delicious." Said Tucker, as he reminisced about the three large burgers he ate that day.
"Anyway," continued Danny. "Blood Blossoms are a red flower that are fatal to ghosts. Fortunately, because I am only half-ghost, I can last a little bit longer around their presence." Tucker coughed conspicuously.
"This gave Tucker and Sam enough time to get rid of them for me." Finished Danny, chuckling again.
"Flowers like that really exist?" Asked a shocked Valerie.
"Unfortunately yes." Muttered Sam, she too remembering what the flowers had done to Danny, cutting off the last bandage.
"Now if it's alright with you, I'm going to get some rest." Said Danny. "I want to be wide awake for when the bombardment of questions hit me, which I know there will be." Nodding in agreement, the other three set themselves beside Danny and slowly fell to asleep, completely oblivious to the furtive glances of their classmates as they tried to figure out the mystery that is Danny Fenton.
The survivors had been lucky; the storm had passed during the night, leaving a cloudless blue sky above them. Mr Lancer was the first to leave their battered shelter, casting a wary look over the dead panthers on the beach, still in disbelief that one teenager was capable of such skill, and such violence.
I am definitely going to need to have another conversation with Danny Fenton, Mr Lancer thought to himself.
"It is alright class." Announced Mr Lancer, facing the growing crowd in the entrance of the shelter. "No need to be afraid anymore. There is nothing else out here."
"Pfft." Scoffed Dash, striding forwards into the morning light. "Who says we're afraid?" Mr Lancer sighed in annoyance, but said nothing and waited for the rest of the class to follow Dash's lead, spreading slightly apart from one another.
"Wow, that's bright out here." Declared a voice from behind the class. They all turned to see Danny being supported between Sam and Tucker, ample bandages wound tight around his chest, as Valerie walked with them, the beacon in her hands. Truth be told, Danny could have walked out easily by himself, but Sam pointed out that they had to keep up appearances. The class was already going to question Danny on his fighting prowess; they didn't want to add super-regenerative healing powers to the list. His cuts, with thanks to Sam's stitching, had practically healed overnight. All that was left were some bruises and slight redness underneath the bandages.
"So, how's the boat?" Danny asked nervously, growing increasingly uncomfortable under his class' stares. Fortunately, Mr Lancer was on hand to save him from the looks, but with bad news.
"I would give you an answer Danny, but unfortunately the boat is gone." Before anyone could speak, Star spoke up from where she was stood next to some uprooted trees.
"Wait, I think I see it in the jungle." She said, straining her eyes.
"The storm must have blown it in there." Said Mikey.
"Yeah, maybe." Said an unconvinced Star, still looking for the trees.
"What's wrong Star? Is it smashed up?" Asked Valerie.
"No, nothing like that."
"Well spit it out girl." Stated an annoyed Paulina, trying to get knots and tangles out of her hair, failing miserably.
"It's probably nothing. I just thought our boat was red, not green."
As soon as Star said this, the entire class ran forwards through the trees, with Sam and Danny walking behind at a much slower pace so not to arouse suspicion. Upon their late arrival, they saw the rest of their class crowded around a tree; a lifeboat hanging precariously from its lower branches. True to Star's word, the boat in front of them was half green, compared to their half red boat.
"Is that one of ours?" Asked Nathan, standing shocked next to his sister.
"I do believe it is Nathan." Stated Mr Lancer, edging closer to get a better look at the boat. "Yes, it definitely is. It has the same logo from our cruise ship."
"Umm, Mr Lancer?" Asked Tucker nervously. "You may want to take a few steps back. We don't know how strong those branches are." Realising that he was right, Mr Lancer stepped away from the tree and stood by his students.
"Wait, does this mean that there could be other survivors from the ship?" Asked Kwan.
"Looks like it." Said Chelsea.
"But where could they be? We haven't seen anyone since we arrived. We've been here for over a week." Said Alice.
"You are correct Alice, but bear in mind. We cannot be certain the exact size of this island." Said Mr Lancer. "There has been little exploring on our part, with the beach and a stream being our only landmarks." Whilst Mr Lancer continued to talk, Tucker turned to Danny, whose eyes were transfixed on the hull of the boat.
"What are you thinking?" He asked.
"I was just thinking," started Danny. "How much power do you reckon you can get out of the beacon?"
"Not sure. Maybe a few hours at most. Why?"
"What are the chances that the hull of that boat protected its beacon as well as ours did?" Tucker looked at the hull and put two and two together, smiling as he did.
"Only one way to find out." He moved over to Valerie and Sam and told them his idea; nodding, they walked over and faced the class.
"You guys may want to move back a bit." Said Tucker, as he, Valerie and Sam began climbing the tree the boat was situated in until they were right above it; the entire class looking on with shock, not entirely sure if they should be doing or saying something. They began to get scared when they saw the trio hanging from the branches and started to rock the boat back and forth. Before too long, the lifeboat came crashing out of the tree, rolling up to where the class was standing, the trio landing softly behind it.
"What the hell do you think you're playing out?!" Shouted Dash, getting control of his breath due to being scared that the boat was going to crush him. Without saying a word, Tucker climbed on board and headed for the hull of the boat, disappearing from view for a minute. When he stood back up, the class saw that he had something in his hands. Climbing down one-handed, he walked across to Dash and shoved the object right up to the jock's face; it was a second signal beacon.
"This," he said, showing no fear in the slightest at the boy who had bullied him and his friends for many years. "Is a signal beacon. Very much like our one back at the beach. We can use any salvageable parts from this one to help fix our one. This way, the signal will be stronger and last for much longer, potentially saving our lives. Anything else you would like to ask?" When Dash had nothing to say, Tucker walked back over to where Danny was stifling his laughter, looks of praise on nearly every member of his classmates' faces, including Mr Lancer's.
I get attacked by Manson, terrified by Fenton, and now stood up to by Foley. I may need to bust some heads so people don't think I've gone soft, Dash thought to himself.
"Alright class," started Mr Lancer, noticing the angered look on Dash's face. "We will head back to the beach so Tucker can make a start on the beacon, and then we can organise search parties to find our boat." Walking back to the beach, Tucker decided to walk back behind everyone with Sam and Danny, who was still 'helping' Danny to walk.
"Now I know why you guys yelled at Dash. That was amazing." Whispered Tucker excitedly. Sam huffed but couldn't stop the smile creeping onto her voice.
"We don't yell at him because it's amazing, although that is a fortunate side effect. We yell at him because he still thinks we're at school and that the social hierarchy still exists." She said.
"Very true." Said Valerie, looking down. "I've lost count how many times he's been scared witless whilst we've been here, and then tried to pawn it off."
"Haven't we all been scared witless since we've been here?" Asked Danny, becoming quiet at remembering that he only had half his powers.
"Well yeah, but all for very different reasons." Said Tucker, remembering also the reasons why Danny was scared.
"C'mon," said Sam, taking Danny's hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "If we don't hurry up, they'll leave us behind." Arriving back at the beach, the group of four saw the rest of their class scouring the area for their missing lifeboat.
"Anyone think to look behind the shelter?" Danny asked jokingly, causing the other three to smile. By chance, Michelle and Chelsea heard the question and thought they might as well check, and lo and behold; behind their makeshift shelter was their lifeboat. Well, it was most of their boat. It had been cracked completely down the middle, with one half mostly buried in the sand and the other in large pieces.
"You were right Danny!" Shouted Michelle. "It was behind the shelter. But we have a serious problem!"
"What is wrong with the boat girls?" Asked Mr Lancer, making his way towards where they were stood.
"The boat is here, but it's smashed to pieces!" Chelsea shouted back. Upon hearing this, everyone stopped still, letting this news sink in. If the beacon was useless, they had no hope left.
Without really thinking about it, the entire class and migrated towards where they build a campfire in the evenings; all silent as they wallowed in deep feelings of helplessness and defeat. Everyone but Danny was scared about how they were going to get home if the beacon failed them; Danny knew deep down that if they needed to escape, they could. At the sacrifice of his secret identity, Danny knew he could create a boat made of ecto-ice large enough for everyone to fit in and could use his Ghostly Wail as a form of propulsion; no secret was worth the lives of seventeen people. But now that there was the possibility of other survivors being on the island, Danny knew he couldn't leave them here whilst they escaped with their lives; his obsession of saving people was far too strong. The idea of leaving the likes of Robert Wilkinson and his grandson Billy on this island with the amount of dangerous predators inhabiting it didn't sit well with Danny.
"We need to search for the survivors." Stated Danny all of a sudden, gaining everyone's attention.
"What are you talking about Danny?" Asked a frightened Mikey.
"It's far too dangerous in there to go risking our lives for people we don't know." Argued Star.
"Star's right. If we go in there, we'll be ripped to shreds and eaten." Said Kwan, still scared about what happened with the Komodo dragon the other day.
"Yes, we could be killed and eaten." Reasoned Danny. "But so could they. Can any of you honestly tell me right here and now that you would be able to sleep at night, knowing that you left innocent people here to die? And die in what's likely to be a very grisly death." When silence ensued, Danny knew he had won; then he caught his teacher's eye.
"While I do admire your courage greatly Danny, I really do, but I cannot in good faith send anybody here into that jungle." Said Mr Lancer, looking sadly at the teen before him. "As Kwan so elegantly put it, anyone going in there could quite possibly be 'ripped to shreds and eaten'." That's when he noticed a peculiar grin beginning to spread across Danny's face.
"Ah, but of course," Mr Lancer started again, smiling too. "Do I assume correctly that you have already thought of a solution?" Without saying a word, Danny walked off to where their wrecked lifeboat was behind the shelter. A few minutes later, Danny returned, his arms filled with a range of objects. Walking up to the rest of his class, he dropped them all in front of them; the class looked on in shock and curiosity; in front of them was an assortment of makeshift spears, daggers, crude pickaxes and hammers.
"So this was what you were up to when you were in the jungle for all those hours before the storm." Said Sam, picking up one of the daggers and admiring Danny's handy-work.
"They're amazing." Said Valerie, picking up one of the spears and testing it out with a few small, short thrusts.
"Thanks." Said Danny, rubbing his neck in embarrassment as more of his classmates ventured forwards to choose their weapon of choice, equally astounded by Danny's craftsmanship. Even Dash couldn't help himself as he knelt down to pick up one of the pickaxes, twirling it around in his hands, liking the feel of it.
"I just thought, after the Komodo incident and a seriously crazed up baboon, that we need to be prepared for any situation," continued Danny. "Turns out I was right as we got attacked by a group of panthers last night. So Mr Lancer. Would I be right in assuming that we are sufficiently equipped to go looking for survivors?" He tried as hard as he could not to laugh at his teacher's shocked and bemused look on his face.
"Just when I think I am close to figuring you out Daniel Fenton, you go ahead and pull a stunt like this." He said, gesturing towards the makeshift weapons. "Despite abhorring the use of violence, I must acquiesce to your logic of thinking. How do you propose we prepare ourselves for this venture of yours?" Mr Lancer asked, with just a hint of sarcasm in his voice, with only Danny picking up on it.
"Well, as you saw last night, I know how to handle a weapon," Danny started, rubbing his neck uncomfortably. "And I'm pretty sure I can train everybody here, with the help of Sam, Tucker and Valerie." Having heard enough, Dash strode forwards, pickaxe still in hand and shoved it right in front of Danny's face.
Great, thought Danny. Here we go. Dash's poor attempt at trying to be top dog again.
"Fair play to you Fenton. We know you can handle a weapon after we saw you deal with those panthers last night; even though a weakling like you shouldn't be able to do it." He said harshly, slightly perturbed at the fact that Danny remained calm at being threatened with a pickaxe. "And I get how Valerie could handle a weapon as she's a fitness freak. But do you really expect us to believe that a girl like Manson and a wimp like Foley have any skill when it comes to using these things?" Before anyone could speak up in protest, Danny having seen Mr Lancer, Sam and Valerie begin to charge forwards, Danny raised his hand, giving Dash a hard, steely look.
"Valerie, throw me a spear." He said calmly. Looking slightly confused, Valerie complied and tossed Danny a spear, catching it expertly. Turning from Dash, Danny threw it semi-hard so not to break it at the closest tree, impaling its trunk dead-centre.
"Sam, throw a dagger and pierce the tree six inches above my spear. Tucker, throw a spear and pierce the tree six inches above that." Realising what Danny was trying to do, Sam and Tucker picked up their weapons and threw them at the same tree. Following Danny's request, they hit their targets perfectly, much to everyone's surprise; especially Dash's. Walking back up to Dash, still too flustered to formulate a sentence, Danny spoke, but to everyone.
"Now I know I scared a lot of you when we first got here, and I deeply regret it. Especially to you Paulina." Danny said, turning to the Hispanic teen, having just enough courage not to look away. "I'm sorry I yelled at you Paulina. Really I am. You were picking arguments because you were scared, and I don't blame you. I was just trying to make a point." He then turned back to Dash.
"You don't have to like me or my friends Dash. And I'm pretty sure that when we get out of here, things will go right back to how they use to be. But we are your best chance at surviving until that becomes a reality. So right here, right now, we're going to have a temporary truce. For everyone's sake." With this, Danny stuck out his hand, waiting for the jock to shake it. Thinking about it, Dash extended his own hand and shook Danny's hand, surprised by the strength behind it. This caused everyone to smile, thinking that on the tenth day of being stranded, life on the desolate island that had become their short-term home, may actually start to become bearable. Then came a gunshot.
Once again, I am sorry for the delay; I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless. I will of course endeavour to get another chapter in before Christmas. Possibly even two. Until next time.
Lord Pugsy.