The Funeral Singer

by WolfKael

Samantha Harwood, formerly Samantha Manson, poisons her abusive husband, convinced that no one will ever know. Then, at his wake, she hears a song describing her situation; who is this "Phantom" they've hired as the Funeral Singer, and how does he know her secret! Steampunk AU fic. Not part of J.O.S. continuum. Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom

9. The Ghost Zone 1

Chapter #9: Ghost Zone #1

His entire body aches, his hands digging into the earth with painful spasms. He struggles to pull another breath into his lungs, feeling as though an elephant stands on his chest. He can hear his heartbeat pounding in his ears-

-no he can't. Where…? It's deathly silent. Panic pours into his chest, molten fear. He prays, prays desperately to anyone who will listen.

Please, help me! I…I can't…I'm only fourteen!

Suddenly, the pressure on his chest vanishes with an icy chill, and he greedily inhales a breath, only to cough. He rolls over, tasting copper on his tongue. He slowly opens his eyes, seeing the stony earth beneath him stained with blood. There's something odd about it, but he can't place what it is. He'll deal with it later – he has bigger problems.

He has no idea where he is.

The sky writhes with different shades of green, somehow light without any definite source. He can see shadows hovering in the distance.

"Wasn't I just in the portal?" he whispers, his voice rough and unfamiliar, echoing in the vast expanse surrounding him.

The fear begins to rise again, but subsides when he hears his heart beating in his ears.

He's alive, at the very least. That's an improvement already.

The rocky island clearing he sits in is ringed by almost tropical trees, though he's not familiar with a species of coconut palm with skulls instead of coconuts. Dense foliage lies further in.

He slowly swallows his surroundings with wide, tearful eyes, unaware of what watches from the jungle…

A/N: So, yes, it's short, but I couldn't put it with anything else. I probably won't detail EVERY second of Danny's "Three Weeks" (That would be an entire FANFICTION on top of this one!), but important landmarks will be uploaded under "Ghost Zone *Insert Number Here* chapters.

Now to answer some reviewer questions!

JC: He starts out reading her body language, but she starts speaking later. So…both?

Korradelion: Make sure to review them too and let me know what you think!

Muney73: …I think this is faster than usual…maybe?...kind of, not really. Sorry. ;P