God, I'm not sure I'll be able to finish the sixth one in time. Keep your fingers crossed.

Iron Bells

There was something wrong with the night.

Danny could feel it. As he hovered in the middle of the cloudless sky, eyes closed in concentration, he felt the air shift. Opening his eyes to reveal glowing green, he couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. Still, Danny knew that this wrong wasn't something you could see.

He was distracted from his musing by a chill slipping past his lips. Groaning, Danny whipped around to face the threat with an ecto-blast ready-

And saw a lone ecto-pus drifting aimlessly through the streets. He lowered the blast in mild confusion, but Danny quickly shook his head and dove down to meet it.

It was a stubborn thing. It kept dipping and dodging and twisting its body in ways his normal enemies couldn't. Combined with his lack of sleep and the wrong feeling still present, Danny got angry very, very quickly.

With a scream of frustration, Danny grabbed one of its tentacles and slammed it repeatedly into the first building he saw. In his blind rage, Danny didn't notice that the ecto-pus had suddenly disappeared until he had swung his arms again with out hearing it screech in pain. He looked up to find his sister briskly capping a Fenton Thermos while meeting his gaze. He had somehow found his way home during the chase.

Annoyed that his target had been removed, Danny hissed, "What are you doing?"

Jazz's eyes widened at the anger in his tone, but then she glared, saying "I think I was helping you, Danny!"

Danny felt his eyes roll. "Well, don't," he barked, folding his arms. "I was doing fine on my own!"

"Oh, really?" said Jazz in a I-know-better-than-you tone. "Where's your Thermos, then?"

'My Thermos is right here,' is what Danny would've said if it were true. Instead, he felt behind himself and proved himself false. He twisted around, trying to see if he'd missed it somehow, but after a few seconds Danny had to admit to himself that it wasn't there. Blushing, he muttered, "I-It must still be in my room..."

"And how long were you fighting that ecto-pus already?" he heard Jazz ask, and Danny had to admit that he didn't know. An hour, maybe...? He was cut off by Jazz again. "Come on, little brother," she said, waving him inside. "You need to get some sleep, pronto."

"Can't," said Danny sharply. This was something he had to get her to understand. "There's something wrong with tonight, Jazz. I don't know what it is, but I know it's definitely something to do with the ghosts."

"What about them?" asked his sister, and Danny was satisfied at the shudder he heard in her voice.

"They're nowhere! There hasn't been any ghost to antagonize me since this afternoon except for the weak, stupid ones like the one you just caught. After two weeks of nearly non-stop ghost fighting, for them to just stop like this is just..." Danny allowed his fear to show, if only to get Jazz to understand. "Wrong."

Jazz stared for a long time, but Danny didn't drop his gaze. She had to understand. Finally she nodded, and Danny thought that was the end of it. Until... "Right. Well then, I guess that means I'm coming out with you."

What? "W-What?" He was gaping like a fish, but Jazz had already turned and disappeared.

She didn't mean what I think she meant, Danny thought, trying to make sense of what just happened. She can't have meant what I thought she meant... Danny phased into his sister's room, only to find that she had already changed clothes and was packing up her hunting gear.

He came up behind her and gripped her shoulders when she turned around to get her coat. "Jazz, no. You can't."

Jazz's eyes met his, and she could see nothing but resolution, to his horror. "Yes, Danny, I can. And I will." She attempted to walk past him, but he wasn't giving up without a fight. "Danny. Let go."

"No." Not until you see sense!

"Danny-"

"No, Jazz, you're not getting it!" He pulled her closer, until he knew she saw his fear. "When something is wrong with the Zone, something is wrong with the Real World, too. If something is scaring the ghosts into hiding, then that means that nothing is safe. Especially not humans!"

He thought he had her. Her eyes began to see fear just like his. But then they hardened. "I may be human, Danny, but so are you. Powers or no powers." He felt her put her hands over his, but didn't acknowledge it. He only shook his head.

"Ja-oomph!" A hug cut off his response, and he stared at the bundle of older sister around his neck before he smiled softly and began to hug her back.

"Danny," she said, voice slightly muffled. "Thank you. It makes me happy to know how much you care." She was suddenly gone, and Danny gazed dumbly at his empty arm. "You do so much for me," he heard her say over by the coat rack. "Now it's my turn to help you any way I can. Starting with this."

He could only stare at his sister while she put her coat and shoes on. You're supposed to be smarter than I am, Jazz, he thought, watching her numbly. You're supposed to let me protect you. You... He flinched when she turned back around. Her eyes were full of fire. It wasn't supposed to happen this way. I'm supposed to help you. I'm the... Danny stopped, slumping. The younger brother. And you're the big sister, and trying to help me...

He finally sighed and looked up. "There will be no convincing you, will there?"

"Nope!" She chirped. She is way to chipper for something like this... he thought, rolling his eyes. She laughed at him for it, and he had to fight back a smile himself.

"Fine," he conceded, letting his sister's fire fuel his own. "But I need you to stay with me at all times, got it?" Jazz nodded seriously, and Danny knew that she finally, finally understood. "Good."

He traced the feeling back to its source. He knew that whatever had caused the air to thicken like it did would only be stopped there. He kept an eye on Jazz, who was following him from underneath by scooter. She had the same look on her face that was probably on his before; he knew she could feel it almost as well as he did.

After only a few minutes, it seemed, they had reached the core of the sensation. Danny was startled to notice it was the mall. Danny subconsciously reached a hand up to his neck, tracing the iron bell that still hung there.

The air shimmered a few feet away, and Danny stopped in midair, watching it. The shimmer writhed and coalesced, eventually becoming a girl with a wide smile. However, Danny didn't let his guard down. He glared at her, but then his scrutiny became confusion. She looked... incomplete somehow. Like something was missing.

The girl's smile never wavered, and she raised a hand toward Jazz. Seeing this, Danny's eyes widened. With a screamed "No!" he flew down to hover in front of his sister, and then the girl waved her hand. He couldn't see it, but he could feel energy making its way toward them. It reached him before he could attempt to shield, and he heard the bell around his neck ring - almost as though in obedience.

Suddenly, the necklace constricted, and he couldn't breathe.

Everything after that went by so quickly. Falling, turning human, Jazz's scream, getting thrown through the mall... it all faded into the memory of a dream, and everything went black what seemed like moments later.

The next thing he knew, a familiar voice was calling to him. He latched onto it with a groan. What just happened? Who...?

"T-Tucker..." he coughed. That's right. This is Tucker... Maybe Sam is nearby... and Jazz... Jazz...?

"Jazz!" Danny's eyes snapped open. He gave little notice to Tucker, surprised by his sudden action, and shifted easily into his Phantom form. He paid little attention to his surroundings, only knowing that he needed to get to Jazz, see if she was alright...

He flew outside and quickly looked around. He saw where Jazz's scooter was parked. So where was Jazz?

He found her.

Danny pressed his hands to his mouth and couldn't repress a groan of disgusted fear and pain. His sister lay on the ground, half-hidden by one of the abandoned bazaar stands. Her head was sliced in two, from ear to ear. The blood pooled underneath her, staining her strawberry-blonde hair red. She had a horrible smile on her face as well, one that tried to tell a happy story but ended up looking out of place and insane.

Danny collapsed to the ground, a seven foot fall, but he didn't notice. He could only destroy himself. Why? he thought, closing his eyes in grief. Why did I let her come out here? Why didn't I make her stay home?

These and many other thoughts wound their way into his head. Until he heard a choked plea.

"D-Danny..."

"Tucker!" Danny's eyes widened. If whatever killed Jazz is still here...! He leapt up, flying back to the hole in the glass that he'd been thrown from.

Just in time to see Tucker rip his own throat out.

"TUCKER!"

Danny flew to catch Tucker when he keeled over, but it was far too late. His neck was bleeding profusely and there was nothing Danny could do to stop it. Danny's breathing hitched when he realized that his friend was still alive, but in unimaginable pain.

He started when he heard a giggle, and Danny looked up to find that same girl. He narrowed his eyes, peering at the golden bells nestled in her hair, knowing that she was behind it all. The girl was unaffected. She snapped her fingers, and Tucker's arm gave off a brief glow. Danny looked down to see Tucker's brass bell shimmering white. They disappeared in a white mist and reappeared in the same place on the girl's arm. In that time, Tucker lay still.

Danny gasped, letting his tears fall. "How... dare... you..." He placed Tucker on the ground gently, eyes glowing a fierce green. "How DARE you!"

He flew straight toward her, hands stained with Tucker's blood and glowing green with ectoplasm, when the girl only waved a hand at him. He heard his bell ring and he was stopped in midair by the neck. He let out a choked gasp as his necklace hung stationary around his neck, his body dangling and flailing as he attempted to find purchase.

His eyes found hers as she walked toward him ever so calmly. Her smile never left her face. "So this is the famous half-ghost," she muttered, looking him over with mild interest. "Hmm. You don't seem like much. If I could kill you this easily, how in the World and the Zone were you able to keep this town standing?"

Her words angered him, riled him. He clawed at his necklace, desperate to ring her throat like she rung his, but it held firm. "What are you?" he asked, the question taking his breath away.

She smiled still. "I'm a curse. I've been called many things. Gwendolen, Csenge, Inbal, Ling, Rei..." She leaned up to whisper to him. "But for all intents and purposes, for the next five seconds of your life, you may call me Belle."

Her hand reached up to flick the bell hanging round his neck. It rang. It squeezed.

He felt the ribbon cut into his skin. He felt his lungs scream. He felt his windpipe collapse from the pressure.

Then he felt his neck snap.