Hello once again everybody. Once again, I cannot apologise enough for the lateness of this submission. But exams are finally over (lashings of insert beverage herefor everyone), so I should be able to update on a more regular basis from now on. Without further ado, here is the latest instalment for A Phantom Apocalypse.
I do not own Danny Phantom.
No one moved and no one spoke. All eyes were fixed on Danny and Sam, whose eyes were only fixed on each other; the latter had quickly dropped David's hand and was standing only a few feet from the ghost teen. Whilst her purple eyes were filled with disbelief, Danny's blue ones were teetering on the edge between heartache and rage. It was only because of this fifty-fifty, that random objects in the room weren't floating around or there wasn't any ice building up in the room. The moment was broken though when Sam suddenly lashed out with her hand with the intention of slapping him. However, years of ghost fighting, and training with Clockwork had allowed Danny to hone in his reflexes; he turned intangible at the last minute, causing her hand to pass straight through his head. The balance was broken. His eyes narrowed and the room temperature dropped considerably, causing everyone to shiver.
"Nice to see you too Sam." Danny said coldly; Sam actually took a step back. His tone even caused Tucker to flinch slightly. He was now beginning to wonder whether this was the best way to reunite the two. He probably should have got Dani to come with him. Sam, regret set deep in her eyes, took another step forwards, but faltered when white rings appeared around Danny's waist and transformed him back into Phantom, his greens eyes blazing with power. Once the transformation was complete, the room temperature dropped even further and cups acquired a green aura and began to float, thoroughly freaking everyone out. Before anyone could utter a word, Danny vanished in a green puff of smoke; the cups clattered to the floor and temperature slowly returned to normal. After a while, Tucker thought it best to break the silence.
"Well that could've gone better." He said, causing most of the soldiers to burst out laughing; the ones who lived in the school just hung their heads. They respected Tucker and knew better than to laugh at his friend's expense, especially in front of him. Tucker took his time to glare at the soldiers, particularly David who was still laughing, and then turned to glare at Sam; a glare which could have given Dan a run for his money. She shrugged awkwardly, causing Tucker to scoff at her before leaving the cafeteria. If he was being honest with himself, he had been on thin ice with Sam for the last couple of months. It all started about a month ago when all of a sudden, Sam stopped believing that Danny was coming back. That had caused quite an argument and they were still on shaky terms. Tucker was especially pissed at David; he knew that Danny and Sam were together before Danny left, and said that on purpose. Tucker knew that Sam didn't actually like David; it had only been one kiss, which everyone somehow found out about moments after it happened, but it still angered him to no end. He needed to find Danny. Back with Sam, she was still trying to come to terms with the fact that Danny was back. The continuous laughing in the background wasn't helping her think either, especially when David sidled up to her and tried to put his arm around her waist, but she shrugged him off.
"Don't." She said as a warning. "Why did you introduce yourself like that?"
"Er, because it's true?" He said questioningly.
"No, it's not." She said. "We kissed once. That doesn't automatically equate to a relationship. And don't think I have forgotten about what you did to Krystal."
"Oh come on." He said, his cocky attitude returning. "That was only a bit of fun. What's got you all uptight?"
"Uptight?" She said, angry now. "You think I'm being uptight? My boyf…best fr…Danny, has just dropped back into my life after being gone for over a year, you tell him you're my boyfriend and then I try and slap him. So you tell me how I should be feeling?"
"I don't see what all the fuss is about." David said, shrugging his shoulders as he walked back to sit down with the other soldiers. "It's not like it has any feelings. Phantom's just a ghost." With this, Sam saw red and walked over to slap David. This time it connected and left a hand-sized welt on his face.
"He's also human." Sam said venomously, before storming out of the Cafeteria, leaving twenty people with shocked expressions on their faces.
People who were still up and wandering around the school after the funeral, saw her coming and made the intelligent decision to jump out of the way. They all knew Sam was one of the best people in the school; her R&R team always managed to get into places that others just couldn't, always came back virtually unscathed and always found the best supplies. But they knew that when she was mad, you got out of the way. Otherwise, you would have an intimate encounter with her steel-toe capped boots.
Fuck! Sam screamed inside her head as she charged down the corridors, going nowhere in particular. I need to find Danny. So I can hit him. No, hug him. No, scream at him. No, talk to him. Maybe I should ignore him. No, I need to explain to him. Whilst Sam was striding down the corridors having an argument with herself, Danny was walking down the street, away from the school, and taking down every Infected he came across with a small ecto-beam to the head. He wasn't even paying attention to how deformed they were, which he was usually morbidly curious about. His mind was on auto-pilot as beam after beam shot out of his fingertips and downed multiple Infected; with every one that fell, only word crossed his mind.
Sam, one went down. Sam, and another. Sam, and another. After another thirty minutes, his mood hadn't improved in the slightest, despite having made the street practically free from danger. His lucidity was at breaking point; so much so, he shouted out loud, causing a bit of his Ghostly Wail to come pouring out, razing an abandoned petrol station to the ground. Wincing that he might have gone a bit overboard, Danny floated over the wreckage and checked to see if there was anyone trapped underneath. Breathing slightly easier that no one had got hurt, Danny took to the skies, determined to put as much distance between him and the school as humanly, and ghostly, possible.
Stupid Sam. Stupid humans. Okay Danny, just calm down. All you need is a peaceful night fly, Danny thought to himself, right before a scream pierced through the air. For crying out loud! Why can't something go my way for a change? Despite his furious state of mind, Danny's obsession would always trump any conflicted feelings he had at the time. Flying over a building into the next street, Danny became angrier. There, in a huddle in front of a looted shop, was a group of five humans, one of which was heavily pregnant. Two men with dirty-blonde hair from the looks of it, were guarding her, whilst another man, black hair this time and a woman with brown hair were keeping several Infected at bay with a baseball bat and a golf club. Despite their best efforts, in which Danny was impressed with their abilities, he knew they wouldn't last that much longer; every time one head got caved in by the blunt weapons, like a Hydra, two more would take its place. In less than a few minutes, they would be overwhelmed. In a fleeting moment of anger, Danny considered leaving them to their fate, but he quickly shook his head, dispelling the negative thoughts instantly. There was a sharp cracking sound as the baseball bat, worn from excessive use, snapped in half as it connected with an Infected, causing its head to split open like a piñata; the man staggered back as pain shot up his arm, nearly dislocating his shoulder. The woman holding the golf club, completely disregarding her own sense of wellbeing, turned to her injured comrade. That was her biggest mistake. An Infected, a construction worker from the looks of it, staggered forwards. The remains of a high-visibility jacket was just about showing through the rotten flesh, as well as a hard-helmet which looked as if it had fused with the rotten flesh on its head; it saw its opportunity and went for the distracted human. Danny sprang into action.
Danny flew at breakneck speed and collided with the Infected worker, probably harder than he should have; it flew off down the conjoining street and didn't stop until it collided heavily with an abandoned truck, with a distinct splatting sound. Wincing slightly, he turned and shot off a dozen small ecto-blasts from his index fingers, downing the remaining Infected in seconds. Satisfied, Danny turned to face the five humans who were looking at him with dumbstruck expressions on their faces, which slowly turned to ones of fear. Danny would have got annoyed but he realised their looks of fear weren't aimed in his direction, but behind him. Whipping round, Danny lit his hands up with green ecto-energy, only for it to die out instantly at the sight in front of him. The once sleek, black hair had lost its shine and was now matted with blood and various other fluids. Her once flawless skin was marred by rotten flesh and pustules the size of cherries; a chunk was missing from her throat, presumably where she had been bitten, and her pink crop top was stained black and brown, as were her once blue jeans.
"Paulina." Danny whispered. He had read the names of all the Sanchez family on the memorial statue, but nothing could have prepared him for this. He knew he shouldn't feel any pity, and given the opportunity, she would tear at him with teeth and nails, but it was easier when he didn't know them. Seeing Paulina, someone he had actually known, someone he saw on a daily basis, Danny couldn't help but tentatively raise his hand towards her. The moment was broken when a loud bang sounded through the air and 'Paulina' lurched forwards and fell to the ground, a small hole in the back of her head, leaking a steady trickle of blood. Danny's face was a combination of sorrow and shock as he looked at her once beautiful body on the ground.
"Well," an arrogant voice suddenly called out. "The lookouts were right. Looks like we arrived just in time." The teen looked up and his one green eye blazed with fury as he saw David and four other members of his squad marching up to him.
"Oh thank goodness." Said one of the men who were guarding the pregnant woman. Danny's face turned to a scowl. He had been the one who saved them, but David was getting the credit, like he wasn't even there. "Are you from the school? My wife's water broke nearly five hours ago and…"
"Yeah, yeah." David said, waving his hand, interrupting the man. "We're from the school, and you get the honour of having us escort you there. It's just down the road and onto the next street." The group of five sighed in relief, but the pregnant women gasped in pain when she made a step forwards; she would have collapsed had she not been currently supported.
"Can't…move." She wheezed out. "Too much…pressure."
"Please," the man said again. "Do you not have a stretcher we can use? She won't make it. The baby is on its way."
"Typical." One of the soldiers muttered softly, causing the soldier next to him to scoff; only Danny heard it, making him even angrier. The air around them got colder.
"I'm afraid not." David said, a smirk flashing across his face quickly as a plan began to form in his head, before dispelling it just as quickly. His eyes landed on Danny. "But we have something better than a stretcher."
"What are you talking about?" The brunette-woman asked, getting annoyed. "We need help here. Walt here has fucked his shoulder up as well. We'll be sitting ducks if more of those things arrive."
"Oh Phantom?" David said, causing all eyes to fix on the hybrid. "Be a dear and take her to the infirmary would you?" To put it lightly, Danny was fuming. If he followed David's orders, he would look like his lackey who could be pushed around. On the other hand, if he refused, the woman and her unborn child could be in further danger, and David knew this. Trapped between the proverbial rock and a hard place, Danny sighed heavily before walking over to the woman. The husband, and presumably another family member if the matching hair was anything to go by, stood their ground in front of her in what was supposed to be a threatening manner, but Danny simply turned intangible and walked straight through them and held the woman's arm; the woman was too shocked to pull away, before they both disappeared in a green flash.
"What the hell just happened?" Demanded the husband, looking angry and scared.
"Nothing to worry about." David said simply. "We have some resident ghosts at the school who yearn to feel human again, and are simply desperate to help in any way they can, which isn't always a lot I'm afraid. But the ghost you just saw has the ability to teleport, which he used to take your wife to our Doctor. It is a very handy power to have. Your wife will be fine." All the soldiers smirked as they noticed the smugness in their boss' voice as he lied to the group about the ghosts, but it went missed by the group.
"Thank God for that." Said the other blonde man. "How can we ever thank you?"
David shook his head. "No thanks is needed my good man. We are simply doing what any decent people would do. After all, us humans have to work together, don't we? Now, let us head back to the school and you can tell us why your charming wife was about to give birth on the streets." With that, he turned on his heel and gestured everyone to follow him. The three men followed him and the soldiers without hesitation, the one with the injured shoulder wincing whenever he jarred his arm, but the woman, still holding the golf club, looked dubiously at David's retreating form before following him. She couldn't explain how or what, but she had a feeling that there was something not quite right about him.
An hour later, there was a new addition in the school; a healthy, albeit slightly malnourished, baby girl. It should have been the time for rejoicing; it had been too long since the humans had seen a baby. However, it was time for the newcomers to explain why and how they got there. As it was nearly midnight, with hardly anyone around, they were all sat in the Cafeteria; the newcomers, minus the new mother and father who were still in the infirmary, David and the soldiers who escorted the newcomers, the Fentons, Tucker, and to Danny's dismay, Sam. The ghost himself was sat cross-legged in the air in the corner of the room, invisible, at Jazz's request. Danny would have regardless as he was trying to prolong talking to Sam as long as possible. He was also slightly annoyed at his family and Tucker for not telling him; all those odd looks and slipups all made sense now.
"We were part of a larger group." Walt explained, his arm in a sling. "Not to the scale of this place, but nearly a hundred people, ranging from children to old folks. We were holed up in a hotel. Not anything grand, but big enough to accommodate us comfortably."
"That's all well and good," David began. "But that doesn't explain why you ended up here."
"I'm sure if you shut up and gave them a chance to explain, you'll get your answer." Sam said curtly. Danny couldn't stop the small smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth at this; he also liked the fact that, despite not being sure of his feelings, Sam wasn't sat near David.
"Anyway," Walt started, trying to break the tense atmosphere. "Our sentries warned us that there were about a dozen of those Sickos coming up through the parking lot. Naturally, we sent our fighters down there to get rid of them. Pretty standard. It happened every other week." He took a deep breath, the memory still haunting him. The woman who had wielded the golf club put her hand on his arm.
"Thanks Beth." He said warmly, before turning to everyone else. "It was a trap. We don't know how they did it, or if it was a pure coincidence, but we messed up. Whilst our people were doing their thing, nearly ten times as many came in through the front. We had never had an attack on more than one front before. We should never have let our guard down. By the time we realised what was going on, our home was overrun. We only just made it out." By this point, tears were running down half the room's occupants, whilst the other half was silent or indifferent. When it was clear Walt couldn't say anymore, Beth spoke up, still holding his arm.
"That was five days ago." She said. "After the first night, one us, I can't remember who, said something about this school, and how it has a shield. We thought it was our best bet. We don't even know if any of them survived. We should have been here a couple of days ago, but we had to go slow because of Angela's condition." There was a moment of silence before one of the soldiers spoke up.
"So you just thought that you would waltz over here and make yourselves at home?" He asked harshly. "What makes you think we'll take you in?" There was a moment of silence when a lot of peoples' jaws dropped; the room temperature dropped just a little bit, but hardly anyone noticed.
"Well it's a good thing you're not the ones in charge then, isn't it?" Maddie asked icily, before looking at Beth and Walt with a smile on her face. "You are welcome here for as long as you like. Especially as there's a little one now." The two newcomers let out a breath they didn't realise they were holding, whilst the soldiers huffed in annoyance; David was giving Maddie a death glare but she was ignoring him. Danny stifled a laugh, the room temperature returning to normal, as he saw the gears turning in his head. From what Danny knew about David, he knew that he always wanted to look like the dependable one, the one who people respected; in this meeting, he and his men had made a mess of that. However, Danny's smile fell when he saw the same smirk flit across David's face that he had when he asked the hybrid to teleport Angela to the school.
"Well I think it's obvious what we do now then." David said, clapping his hands together, earning himself thirteen confused looks, one being invisible. "Let's go have a look."
The following day, preparations were being in made for the following expedition; who was going and what supplies they would need to take. The hotel in question was in Glendale, the next town over from Woodbury, which means it would take a days straight of walking to reach it. At first, people had questioned David's suggestion of going there, not knowing his real agenda for going, but he had put forward a compelling case: rescue any survivors, if there were any, but also scope out any possible scavenging spots as well. Everyone knew that supplies were dwindling in Amity, so sooner or later, they would have to branch out further. Danny, having already decided that he was going, was currently floating on his back high up in the air in direct line with the sun. That way, if anyone were to look up, they wouldn't be able to see him. He was going over everything he had learned in the past twenty four hours, trying to sort out his feelings, when his Ghost Sense went off. He turned his head and opened his eyes to see Dani floating there, looking nervous and sad as she fiddled around with her fingers. Sighing, he became vertical and raised his arms out to the side. She flew quickly over to him and hugged him tightly, as a slow trickle of tears made their way down her face, creating a small wet patch on Danny's suit.
"I'm so sorry Danny." She whimpered. Danny didn't have to ask what she was referring to.
"It's okay Dani." He said comfortingly, stroking his fingers through her hair. "It's not your fault."
"But I didn't tell you." She said, pulling away from him, eyes still glistening. "I really wanted to. I did. But Tuck said we shouldn't. He said we needed to wait until the right time." Dani was crying heavily now, so Danny brought her back into him.
"Don't blame yourself Dani." Danny said seriously. "I understand why pre-planning may have been ideal, and I trust Tucker's judgement. It could have gone a lot better, but I understand why." The Halfa's stayed like that for a while in each other's embrace; Danny didn't want to let go of her until she had fully calmed down. After a few more minutes, Dani pulled away, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.
"Sorry." She said again, laughing slightly.
"Don't worry." Danny said, smiling now. "Was there something else you wanted, or did you just want to cry on me?"
"Hey!" She said, slapping his arm.
"There's my Dani." Danny said, smiling widely now.
"Shut up." She said, but she was smiling too. "And yes, actually." She pointed below them where Danny could see Maddie, Jazz and Tucker standing on the roof of the school, looking up at them. As they floated down to solid ground, Danny could see that both his sister's and mother's eyes were red. The moment he landed, he barely took his hood down before Jazz instantly lurched forward and hugged her brother's tall frame. Whilst he held her, Danny looked over her head and saw Tucker about to say something.
"Don't apologise Tuck." He said, causing Tucker to close his mouth. "Dani told me about how you wanted to wait, and I can understand that."
"Thanks man." He said sheepishly. "I wasn't thinking straight when I asked you to go there. She's just been really infuriating lately. If it makes you feel any better, it was only one kiss. David seems to think it's more, but I don't know about Sam."
"You know can stop any time you want Tuck?" Danny asked, his voice devoid of emotion. He wasn't sure how he was feeling at the moment, and Tucker talking wasn't helping. He extracted himself from Jazz and faced all of them. "Apart from the, Sam thing, was there something else?"
"Sweetie," Maddie began, looking almost nervous which was unusual for her. "I know we've already asked a lot of you in the past few days, but we were hoping you would…"
"Go on the trip to the hotel tomorrow?" Danny asked after Maddie trailed off; she nodded. "I was already planning on going anyway."
"Of course you were." Jazz said, smiling now that she had regained her composure.
"What can I say?" Danny asked, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't trust David in the slightest. I'd say I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him, but I'm fairly sure I could throw him quite far. His whole idea is stupid and pointless. But I'll never forgive myself if he gets others killed because of his stupidity." They all nodded when Danny said he didn't trust David; they all felt the same way.
"So what are you going to do?" Tucker asked.
The following day, ten people were standing outside the school, checking that they had everything for their trip. Danny was there, but he was floating invisibly above them. It had been decided that six soldiers and four school residents would make the trip. The ones from the school included Sam, which Danny wasn't sure how he should be feeling about that; Max, who he was quite surprised at; Jessie, which made him smile as he remembered when she slapped Gerry, and surprisingly Beth, armed with her trusty golf club. Apparently she was eager to earn her keep since the school had taken them in, but Danny knew the real reason. She wanted to see if anyone else survived. She kept giving David the occasional suspicious look, which made Danny feel instantly better about having her along for the trip.
"All right folks." David said, gaining everyone's attention. "Normally it would take about a days straight walking to get to the hotel on the far side Glendale, but we don't really want to do that; we don't know what we're going to encounter when we get there. Because of this, we're going to be stopping over at a safe house at the very edge of the town, and then carrying on in the morning. Any questions?" When no one spoke up, David nodded and gestured for everyone to follow him, Danny floating behind them. They made it to the highway in good time; there were surprisingly few Infected wandering around, which were quickly dealt with. When they got to the turn off to Woodbury the last time Danny came here, instead, they carried on straight over. Once again, this section of road was completely devoid of life. A few hours later, they came across another off ramp, this one with a sign saying: GLENDALE – 15 MILES.
"How long do you think it will take?" Max asked no one in particular.
"Anywhere between four and five hours if we don't run into anything." David said, checking his map. "Though it could take longer as we're carrying stuff. We'll be lucky if we make it under seven."
"Do we not want get there before nightfall?" Jessie asked, casting her eyes to the sky.
"Well unless you know how to fly, it's going to be about ten when we get there." David sneered. "Maybe even later." Whilst the soldiers snickered, the other four glared at them, Danny joining in too. With a sudden flash of inspiration, Beth reached into her rucksack and brought out a map of her own and began to scan it. Smirking triumphantly, she marched up to David, thrusting the map into his face.
"For someone in the army, your orienteering skills are terrible." She said. "Look here. It's only fifteen miles because it winds through a series of fields. But look here; three miles down there's a turn off onto a smaller road. It cuts straight through the highway, taking about seven miles off, and then meets up again near the end. We can get there in just under four hours." David just stood there, stupefied at being proven wrong; this time, it was the turn of the soldiers to glare, and the others to snicker.
"Well done Beth." David said, his haughtiness returning. "Of course we knew that. We just wanted to make sure we weren't the ones doing everything." With that, he continued to walk, with everyone else following.
"Is it just me, or does anyone else want to smack him?" Beth asked in a hushed tone, so only Sam, Jessie and Max could hear her.
"You're not the only one." Jessie seethed, glaring daggers at David's back, earning a nod from Sam and Max.
"It's okay." Sam said. "After this, they're due to go back to Washington. Then we won't have to see them for another few months. But if you can't wait that long, get him whilst we're here."
An hour later, they arrived at the smaller road and took off down it which cut straight through a field. The field itself towered above them through months of neglect. No one said it, but they were all scared of the imposing field; anything could be hiding in it. They quickened their pace. Only Danny was confident as he flew above them; he could tell there was nothing lurking in the grass near them, though he found it funny when he flew ahead and made the grass shake. The soldier's faces was more than worth the scolding Danny was bound to receive when they returned. Before too long, they arrived back on the highway and were making good time. However, due to it still being the winter months, the sun had already begun its descent, casting an orange glow across the sky; they were still an hour away from Glendale, but were making good time. Nevertheless, having been proved in Danny's life constantly, good luck always ran out at the most dangerous of times. Theirs came in the shape of a car pileup; it looked as if someone had dumped an entire scrapyard in the middle of the road. A mash-up of bikes, cars, vans and lorries towered above them, fifteen feet high. All eleven of them just stared at it, hardly believing their luck, when a faint groan punctured the air. Spinning sharply, they saw a trio of Infected ambling towards them. One of the soldiers raised his gun and took aim, before David swiftly knocked it to one side.
"Don't be stupid," he hissed, his eyes never leaving the trio as they steadily got closer. "First, we don't want to waste any ammo; we don't know what we're going to run into when we get to Glendale. Second, we don't know how many are out there. You fire off one shot, you could bring a whole goddamn horde down on our asses."
"What the hell do we do then?" He asked, putting his gun away.
Danny thought it best he made an appearance now. "You could always say please?" He said, winking into view; everyone gaped at him.
"Phantom?" David asked, trying not to shout at the floating teen. "You better have a damn good reason as to why you're here."
"I came for the scenery." Danny said sardonically. "I came because I thought you might need some ghostly assistance." That, and I wouldn't trust you not to screw anything up even if you paid me, he added as an afterthought. "And it turns out you do."
"And what makes you think that?" Spat out one of the soldiers.
"I don't think it, I know it." Danny said, his voice becoming colder; he floated down and walked straight up to the soldier, his green eye locked onto the soldier's. "Behind you isn't only three of those things. I flew up higher; there are hundreds of them coming up, spilling onto the road from the fields, all heading in this direction. It's a miracle you weren't ambushed coming down that dirt road. The other side of this wreckage, which I can help you get passed, is completely clear, all the way up to the edge of Glendale." Everyone was looking at him with a look of horror with this revelation; Sam's face also had hints of sadness at seeing Danny, and him not even acknowledging her presence.
"Are you serious?" David asked, finally regaining his voice.
Danny tilted his head to look at him. "Deadly. Now, I know you don't like me. Personally, I don't like you much either, but there's something I want you to do for me." David cocked his head in confusion and annoyance.
"What?" He asked indignantly. Danny walked up to him and they locked gazes; Danny's one green eye sending shivers down David's spine.
"Grasp your ears firmly and pull. You might just be able to remove your head from your ass long enough to ask for my help. Because without it, you may not make it to Glendale."
I hope you enjoyed it, and continue to read on. Once again, I apologise for being late. Until next time.
Lord Pugsy.