Good vs. Evil

A collection of one-shots based on arbitrary inspirations.#3 – Good vs. Evil: After an incident, Danny struggles to understand evil and how to fight it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or any of its characters or storyline.

Recently, I read a few chapters of Savage Spawn by Jonathan Kellerman and watched National Geographic's "Science of Evil." My class was reading Lord of the Flies by William Golding, so my language arts teacher presented these sources to augment our reading. I was a little disturbed, and I wanted to mull over some of this information in a more optimistic manner. The result is this story.

Warning – may be a little disturbing in some parts (nothing too bad)

Wham!

The force of the hit literally threw him into a nearby apartment. Danny stood, scanned his surroundings, and winced. He had burst completely through the wall. Bits of bricks and drywall lay strewn about him, decorating a glossy hardwood floor.

When did Skulker become so powerful? Even his future version, an amalgam of himself and Technus as Skulktech 9.9, had not seemed so strong.

Future version…

His mind suddenly whirled with emotions. He should not think of that future. It always resulted in disconcerting thoughts of his potential to become evil.

Taking deep breaths to palliate his agitated nerves, Danny observed the room around him. He hoped the owner had good insurance…

Fortunately, Skulker seemed to have stopped chasing him …

…

What was that smell?

The smell of lemon air freshener hid an insidious scent of… death. With his affinity with ghosts, Danny was sensitive to the dead. He was certain that his conclusion about the smell was correct.

Why would the apartment smell like death? The apartment appeared to be average. It was fairly clean and organized… Maybe he should check the other rooms. He did not care that he might be invading someone's privacy. If someone had died, there was a chance that there was still danger – someone could need help now!

Danny hurriedly flew into the adjacent room. The macabre smell seemed to grow stronger…

Lurid pictures of mutilated bodies decorated one side of the room. A jar of preserved human hands sat on a nightstand. And… was that a skull?

Too horrified to move, Danny could only float above the shocking scene. His stomach turned violently, and bile rose in his throat. He dismissed the sensation with a swallow of his throat. What was all this? It couldn't be real, could it?

His eyes roamed to the other side of the room. He couldn't stop himself from throwing up this time; the remainder of his previous meal surged onto the floor. Hmm… he didn't know that he could still throw up in his ghost form… but he didn't really care at the moment.

A corpse, cut open and dismembered, lay on a table.

He heard the footsteps when it was too late to escape. Danny spun around to see someone standing in the doorway. The large figure was definitely human, an adult male. He looked normal. His brown hair was tidy, and his clothes were clean.

"Do you want to volunteer next?" the man cackled. His mouth twisted into a terrifying grin.

Danny was petrified only for a second. In the next, he was flying toward a public phone booth. He found himself calling 911, stumbling through an explanation, and ending the call.

That was… It couldn't be… But… … … His ghost sense hadn't gone off. That person was human. He had pictures of corpses. He had remnants of corpses. He had mostly likely created those corpses.

That was… a psychopath? The psychopath seemed normal. How was he so evil? There had been at least 20 pictures of corpses as well as the recent body. How could someone do such a thing? All those people…

Without realizing it, Danny had flown into his room. He curled into a ball on his bed. His future, the psychopath… they both obfuscated his feelings on evil. He felt as if the world had inverted colors. If an average human could become so evil, how could he stop himself, a half-ghost, from becoming evil?

Danny picked at his dinner. His mother had finally cooked something edible, but he didn't care.

His sister was observing him intently. The table was silent.

"So, Mom and Dad, what did you do today?" Jazz offered. She was probably trying to ameliorate the tension and determine what was distressing Danny.

"Oh! The police called us to look at a crime scene!" Jack responded happily, oblivious to the uneasiness in the room. "There was a ghost involved!"

"It was something disturbing. We shouldn't tell you kids about it," replied Maddie.

"We're teenagers already. Plus, I am studying psychology. I want to learn more about people. Could you please tell us what happened?" Jazz proposed.

"Okay. I do want to give you two a warning. After a call this afternoon, the police found a corpse. There were other pictures of disturbing bodies in the room. The crime scene was in a neighborhood similar to our own, so I want you to be careful," Maddie advised.

"There was a ghost involved!" Jack exclaimed. He leapt to his feet, forgetting his dinner.

"Yes, Jack, there was evidence that the ghost kid Phantom was there. One of the walls had a large hole, likely indicating a fight between ghosts – something that recently has been increasing in occurrence. What is more confusing is what appears to be glowing vomit. Ghosts can't vomit," explained Maddie.

"It was a trick! The ghost kid was probably attempting to make it look like he found the bodies. But, we won't be tricked by that evil ghost scum!"

"However, the police said that the ghost kid informed them about the bodies, and that he sounded confused and shocked."

"It was the ghost that did it! I know it! Ghos-"

"Were there any other suspects?" Jazz cut off her father before he could continue blabbering about ghosts.

"The owner of the apartment was arrested. His fingerprints were on a knife. He spoke so normally and intelligently, though, and he was very hygienic. The police also checked his background, and his history had no type of trauma that could disturb someone's psyche. It's hard to believe that he would be a killer," Maddie reasoned.

"The ghost overshadowed him!" Jack declared.

"But, psychopaths do exist in this world. How can you be so sure that he was not the killer?" Jazz defended, crossing her arms. She quickly glanced at Danny before returning her gaze to her parents.

"Ghosts are evil," Maddie concluded, "so a ghost must have done this. Humans aren't that evil."

"But- "

"Can I go to my room? I don't feel like eating." Danny spoke for the first time that evening. He definitely had to go somewhere else to think and make sense of the mess in his head.

Maddie could tell that something was disturbing him. "Sure, Danny. I'll clean up your dinner."

As Danny headed for his room, Jazz leapt up and placed her dishes in the sink.

"I'm finished, so I'll go check up on Danny." She rushed after him.

"Thanks, Jazz. You're really helpful," Maddie complimented. She furrowed her brow in her worry about Danny. Lately, he seemed different…

"Can I have some fudge now?" Jack asked.

Maddie made a mental sigh.

"Danny, can I come in?"

"Sure, Jazz," Danny mumbled. He was on his bed again, with his knees pulled up to his chest. His elbows lay crossed on his knees, and his head was nestled on his elbows.

Jazz shut the door quietly and sat on his bed. She extended her hand to rest on Danny's elbow.

"I assume that you were really bothered by what you saw. You must have a lot of questions."

Danny nodded, with his head still settled on his elbows. He was silent for a few seconds, but then he burst.

"I just don't understand anything anymore! How can a normal human become so evil? You heard Mom say that nothing happened to him to make him different from everyone else. Does that mean that anyone can become evil?" Danny blurted. "Can I really stop myself from becoming evil?"

"Normal people can become evil. There was an experiment at Stanford University. Average people were chosen to participate in a simulation of a jail. In the end, the 'guards' had really become 'guards' that punished the 'prisoners' in some ways that can be considered evil. Evil is just a part of us that we all have to fight," Jazz consoled. She gave Danny an encouraging smile when he raised his head to look up at her.

"But, I am part-ghost. Mom and Dad say that ghosts are evil, so shouldn't I be evil, or at least have a greater chance to become evil? " Danny asked. He uncurled himself and scooted closer to Jazz.

"Just because you are half-ghost doesn't make you any more or less susceptible. You're still a person. Your alternate future doesn't mean anything either. You choose your own destiny. Plus, some good ghosts exist," Jazz comforted. She also moved a little closer to her sibling.

"How do I stop myself from becoming evil? You said that anyone can become evil." Danny shuddered. "If I become evil, I won't just hurt some people. I will destroy the world. What do I do?"

Jazz put a reassuring arm around Danny. "Yes, everyone has a potential for great evil. But that also means that everyone has a potential for great good. You really can't do much to prevent yourself from becoming evil. Just work toward good. You can battle evil by trying to be good."

"… Thanks Jazz. You're a great help." Danny said sincerely. But, he shuddered again, still thinking. He leaned closer to Jazz, appreciating her warmth and support.

"Danny, I know you must be traumatized. Seeing so many bodies must be so horrible. I know you wanted to save those people even though they were already gone." Jazz guessed correctly at Danny's disquiet. She looked up, pondering, and then returned her gaze at Danny. "Just… Remember this tragedy as motivation to help others…"

For several minutes, they sat on the bed together. Danny did not reach any conclusion.

" … If you need any more help, just ask. I think you need some time to think alone." Jazz hugged Danny and left the room.

Danny sat there and contemplated Jazz's explanations… He agreed with Jazz. All he could do now was vow to help others. He will strive to keep that promise.

A/N: I should be working on homework, studying, and a hundred other things, but I found myself typing this because I was confused about "evil." Or, that might just be an excuse. I keep putting things off because I feel so awkward about some things… including reviewing other fanfictions and replying. Sorry!

This was also done more quickly than I would have wanted. Please tell me about the mistakes I made in word usage and grammar.

I really appreciate the reviews! (Do authors usually PM reviewers?)

^^; The story seems a little disconnected, with Danny mostly just horrified about the bodies at first, then only worrying about evil.

I'm going to have a lot of late nights (and other bad consequences) for using this time to write… B/. Why do I do this to myself?