A/N: Sorry! Long time no update.
No excuses this time. I've just been partying with the family.
So sorry!
The valley sped by beneath Danny as he soared over the sky. He had just left FentonWorks, having picked up the communication device that connected him his oldest friend.
"Sam!" Danny shouted into the Fenton Phone.
The response was casual, if not slightly bored. "What's up, Danny?" The girl was probably just lounging around. No doubt, she was in her home cinema, watching old Terminatra movies.
"You know those Fenton Bugs we found in my parents lab?"
"The ones that I insisted you carry around with you, even though you stubbornly said you'd never need 'em?"
"Yes," Danny growled in annoyance. "Those. I need you to track them."
"Mmm. I suppose now isn't the time to say I told you so?"
"No." Danny responded, curtly.
There was a sigh and the sound of shuffling. "Hold on, lemme get my laptop."
Danny grit his teeth. He was flying in the general direction he thought he had seen Speed run off to. He really wasn't even sure if he was close to finding her.
Having to aimlessly wander around frustrated him. He was wasting time.
He didn't know what Speed was doing to her, but it petrified him.
Ideas bounced around in his head, and none of them were pleasant.
"Got it," Sam finally announced. "You'll never guess where it's at." She didn't wait for him to answer. "You remember that old haunted house at Emmerson Street?
"The one you dared me and Tucker to go into?"
"Yup."
"Oh, the irony." Danny sighed in relief. He wasn't too far away from that place, and he was certain he'd arrive in a matter of minutes.
There was a pause on the other end before Sam responded. "What's this about, Danny?"
He grit his teeth. "Some guy named Speed took Paulina. I was hoping I could track her."
Sam sounded incredulous. "You put a tracker on Paulina?"
Danny grit his teeth. "Of course not. I gave her my jacket, and I had the Bugs in my pocket."
Danny could almost see her face contorting in confusion. "Why would a ghost bother kidnapping Paulina?"
"I have no idea," Danny huffed exasperatedly. "He said he was hired to do it or something."
"All right," Sam responded. "You want me to see what I can find out about him?"
"Please," Danny begged. "I've already wasted over an hour looking for her. She could be anywhere."
"All right." Sam responded. "Let me know when you find her."
Danny sighed, worry flooding over him. "I just hope she's okay."
:~:~:~:~:~:~:
"Heeeeelp!"
Paulina's fists pounded on the thick walls encasing her just as another bloodcurdling screech escaped her throat. She sucked in a breath, attempting to control her labored breathing, though it was difficult to do so with her uncontrollable sobs.
Another screech escaped her aching throat.
The girl was growing increasingly panicked; her fear magnified with every passing second. She could feel the walls closing in on her, the tight space rapidly stealing the little amount of oxygen in her confinement.
Although her voice eventually failed her, she continued pounding and clawing at the wood, despite the fact that her fingernails were cracked and chipped and coated with her own blood.
Her breathing quickened and lightheadedness came. She was running extremely low on oxygen, she could tell.
But she persevered, stubbornly crying out broken sentences, never giving up, hoping in vain that someone would rescue her.
:~:~:~:~:~:~:
The gray house was old, creaky, and degenerated. Windows were shattered. Plants had crawled across the faded bricks. Mold was attached to the wood around the windows. Several roof tiles were missing, and the vegetation around the house was dead and neglected.
It was no surprise for Danny to find that ripping the door off its hinges was as easy as tearing up a piece of paper.
The interior of the house was a wreck, completely different than it had been years ago when Danny and his friends had last seen it.
Rather than finding white blankets covering the furniture, he found items tossed all over the place. The cupboard was lying right in front of the door. A chair lay on its side near the fireplace. It seemed as if someone had picked up the kitchen table and smashed it against the floor. Cups and plates were shattered and scattered across the wooden floor. Knives and forks and spoons were dispersed across the rooms.
Danny remained floating in order to avoid stepping on anything.
A male figured materialized in the center of the room. It was Speed—his eyes were wide with fear. "Dude, you're here! About time, too! I'm totally freaked out!"
Without hesitating, the hybrid hurled himself onto the older male, sending them both to the ground. He grabbed the man's collar, lifted it and slammed him back down, so the ghost's head struck the ground.
"Ow! Shit! What the fuck, dude?" The man winced, furrowing his brows in annoyance. "That girlfriend of yours completely trashed the place without even touching a single thing!"
"Where is she?" Danny growled.
"In the basement! Right below us."
Danny yanked the man upward then pulled him down, phasing them through the wood thick wood.
They entered a room that was completely empty except for a wooden case in the middle of the room. The case, Danny noted, was large enough to fit an entire person. It was sealed with a metal lock that had strange runes engraved around the keyhole.
A scratching sound emanated from inside. Danny shoved the man forward. "Open it," he ordered, never releasing his grip on the collar.
"All right, all right." The man muttered. He pulled out a key from his shirt's pocket and reluctantly opened it.
Danny flung the man aside and peered into the case.
He froze in place when he saw what lay within.
Paulina's body was lying at the bottom of the box; she was curled up on her side. Her hair—along with her clothes—was buried in a thick layer of dust. Her skin was paler than a ghost's, and her stunning face was smudged with dirt and dried tears. Her eyes, half lidded, didn't react to Danny's presence. Her long, slender fingers, he noticed, were smeared with crusted blood. Her breathing was unusually slow.
A shudder escaped him as he gazed at her distraughtly broken form.
Danny glanced at her kidnapper. "What did you do?"
"Nothing!" He cried out. "I swear, I just threw her in there. That's all."
At the sound of his voice, Paulina's eyes slowly wandered up to Danny.
He bent over and extended his hand. "Paulina, are you okay?" He worriedly inquired. "Can you move?"
Paulina peered at his hand in disbelief. It was almost as if she couldn't quite believe it was real.
There was a moment of hesitation and, finally, she reached out and grasped his arm, allowing him to gently pull her out.
The moment he freed her, she leapt onto him, causing him to lose his balance and fall into a sitting position.
She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into his neck, tears leaking out of her eyes and spilling onto his suit. She cried inaudibly.
"Shh, it's okay," he murmured, gently stroking her silky hair.
His heart squeezed as he held her feeble form. She seemed so delicate, so fragile. So unlike her usual strong, confident self.
He tenderly scooped her up and rose to his feet, not minding when she maintained a firm grip on his neck. He instantly elevated and flew off with her in his arms, leaving behind the imbecile that had taken her to begin with.
He tried to fly at a steady, slow pace but it was difficult to do, what with his being agitated and scared for her safety. The Latina remained immobile throughout the whole ride to her house.
He quickly phased through the roof of her house and plopped down into her room.
"Hey," he muttered into her hair, "we're at your house."
He sighed when she didn't move, and sat down on her bed.
They didn't move for the longest time. Paulina continued sobbing quietly. Danny was afraid of what would happen if he moved her. He had already seen what she was capable of when she was angry, and the scene at the haunted house was enough to let him know she could be tremendously dangerous when she was frightened.
After a while, she stopped crying.
It took quite a bit of effort to pry the female off of himself. She had a strong grip and seemed adamantly opposed to releasing him.
After a short while, though, she loosened her grip on him, enabling him to gently pick her up and lay her on the bed.
She shifted into a cross-legged position, leaning against the fluffed up pillows.
Danny laid his hand over her limp hand. She pulled her gaze away from her hands and into his eyes.
"Paulina, did that guy hurt you?"
Her eyes dropped to her pillow. She shook her head. Her cheeks still glistened with tears.
"What happened?"
There was a moment of hesitation before she spoke. Her voice was shaky. Almost a whisper. "The box..." she paused. "I couldn't breathe." Her clear eyes watered again. "I was so scared."
She wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand.
Danny leaned forward and brushed a strand of hair away from her face. "You're safe now."
She simply nodded in response.
Danny sighed and shifted uncomfortably. He wasn't quite sure of what to do, but he desperately wanted to help his girlfriend.
The way she was...clearly she had gone through quite an ordeal, and she needed him to comfort her.
The teenager rose to his feet.
The action seemed to alarm the Latina, as she straightened up immediately. He blinked. "I could get you some water if you want."
"No!" She shouted, grasping his sleeve. She paused, shoulders slumping. "Just...sit with me."
Danny nodded and sank into the bed beside her. The duo slipped under the covers together. Paulina leaned against his chest. His arms wrapped around her.
He pressed his nose against her dark locks, inhaling her faint perfume-like fragrance.
He closed his eyes, as he felt the tension easing out of her. Her body relaxing against his.
A smile worked its way into his face.
She was finally safe.
:~:~:~:~:~:~:
A/N: I read this chapter a few times wondering if it was too short or too brief.
Ultimately, I left it as it was.
Hope it's okay.
Review?
