Sorry I haven't updated in so long, guys! I've gotten pretty into making a comic adaption of this story lately, but here I am with chapter 5. :D BTW, if you'd like to see "The Darkness Inside" as a manga, you can search for it on smackjeeves, comicfury, and deviantart. Although, I'd recommend looking up ImmortalDreams1994 on deviantart to find it there. Anyway, enough rambling. Enjoy!

Chapter 5: Midnight Menace

As much as Danny needed it, he just couldn't sleep that night. He felt restless as his mind dwelled on recent events. He was literally like a ghost now with some seriously freaky super powers to go with it. Since when was something like that even possible? A more puzzling question bothered him. Why had he felt so okay with using them outside of a life and death situation?

He'd only pushed away his fear and revulsion towards his powers and used them violently that first time when those ghosts were going to kill his dad. Now, without even flinching, he had almost destroyed Dash's reputation and sanity. He hadn't even hesitated to use his ghostly abilities on another person if it meant payback. He had been so consumed with anger and the need to get back at Dash for his endless, and insufferable bullying, that he pushed all his inhibitions and fears of the unknown aside. His parents had taught him better than to be vengeful or mean, and although Danny had never listened, they had taught him to be wary of the paranormal too.

All that had mattered to him in that moment, though, was how he was feeling. Dark. Bitter. Resentful. Wanting revenge. Wanting to make Dash feel as hurt and low on the food chain as he always made Danny feel.

The scariest thing was—that was something Danny had never wanted before. Not to that extent. He usually just meekly put up with it all to get it over with. Something had changed in him. He wasn't just affected physically by this ghost change. He was affected mentally and emotionally.

Danny quivered and clenched his fists, not liking this at all. He then ripped his covers off of him and snuck out of his room. He quickly but quietly made his way into the basement and glared at the portal. It was the closest he could come to glaring at this new force inside of him. It was where this had all started after all.

He suddenly felt kind of silly. What could he possibly expect to happen? Coming here wouldn't change anything. It wouldn't make him normal again. Besides, it wasn't like these ghost powers had an awareness of their own to yell at. They were a part of him. So even if that malevolent force was separate from him once, they were one and the same now.

The finality of that admission chilled him. His life was never going to be the same. Sure, these powers were really amazing and fun to use, but the price was too high. His parents would hunt him down for being the way he was, and who knew what else might come out of that darned portal.

His expression melted into worry. Those ghosts had gone right ahead and attacked his dad. What if more came after him? Worse. What if more of them came after him, and his dad saw Danny in his ghostly form?

"Well, nothing else is going to come out," he said as strongly as he could, as if to reassure himself. "It just can't. I won't let—"

As a deep beastly roar sounded from behind the portal, Danny tensed up. If he didn't know any better, he'd say he just jinxed himself. As the monstrous bellows grew louder, Danny panicked. He desperately tried to find an off switch for the portal, but the only one had been in the tunnel.

Finally, he got the sense to duck out of the way just in the nick of time. Not a moment after he'd backed into a corner of the room, a gigantic scaly beast erupted from the portal. Danny could only blink. Was that a dragon? Since when were there ghost dragons?

The monster turned its head and fixed its large yellow eyes on Danny. It looked menacing but almost curious as well. Danny was so terrified, her could barely find his voice.

"Um...hi. I'm Danny." He felt like a moron for talking to the dragon like it understood, but he was in too much shock to think of what else to do.

"I uh...I'd like to be an astronaut someday and hopefully go do the school dance with Paulina, but she'd say no because I'm a out of her league, and Dash probably asked her already. That is if you don't eat me first..."

He was a babbling idiot, and he knew it. It made him turn beat red. The dragon's eyes narrowed, and a growl rippled from it's throat. It was only getting more agitated. So much for his future.

The dragon grew near to his stiff form, and it seemed like the end for him, then a fierce female voice rang through the room.

"Get away from my son you worthless piece of ecto slime!"

His mom, clad in her blue ghost hunting suit, fired a blast from a large gun at the ghost dragon. It cried in pain and anger, but it was far from gone. His mom's face just grew even more determined at this realization, and she shot twice more.

This was the dragon's breaking point. It roared in agony and cast a last hateful glare before flying upward. Danny watched in horror as he waited for it to bring the roof crashing down, but instead it just went through it. Oh right. It had ghost powers.

"Daniel Fenton! What in the world are you doing down here at this hour?!"

Danny cringed as all his mom's aggression got directed at him. He decided to just tell her the truth, or at least part of it. "I was feeling upset about what happened with the portal. I guess I just wanted to see it."

His mom's face softened into worry and some amount of guilt. "I'm sorry, honey. I shouldn't have yelled."

She then narrowed her eyes dangerously in an off direction, "But your father and I really need to deal with that ghost!"

Danny panicked. "Um, mom, are you sure that's the best idea? It's a freakn' dragon, for crying out loud!"

She smiled confidently. "Don't be silly, Danny. Your father and I are ghost hunting experts. It's that dragon that should be worried for itself."

Danny stifled a groan. His parents really had no idea what they were getting into, did they? That's when he reminded himself, he didn't really know what he was getting into either. Despite all that, he was probably better equipped than his parents to handle a ghost. Sure, he hadn't handled the situation well just now, but he was in shock, and the dragon had the upper hand.

For the sake of his parents, he was going to get on top of things and beat that dragon. More importantly, he was going to do it first, or his parents might not make it. He shuddered at the idea, thinking of his dad, beaten and unconscious on the floor earlier. That couldn't happen again, ever, so as much ad Danny dreaded the idea of fighting that thing or getting seen and caught by his parents in his ghost form, he was all in.