Phantoms of Amity Park
Chapter 4
The next night, Danny described his meeting with Anna to Sam and Tucker.
"She lives at the light house?" Sam asked as they headed to the same roof they had been at the night before. "And the ghost comes from the direction of the light house. That's another coincidence."
"There's also an apartment building in that direction right before the edge of town," Danny said. "The ghost could come from there too."
Sam gave Danny a dubious look, "You're awful quick to defend her."
"And you're quick to condemn her! We still don't know if she's involved or not," Danny argued. "Yes, it's weird. She moves to town and a lot of weird things start happening. All the usual ghosts disappear, this new ghost start showing up and roaming around every night."
"What's up with you, Danny?" Tucker asked.
"I'm just saying if Anna is involved, there's more to it than just… her showing up and making all the other ghosts just disappear. Her fiancé, her family, and the fire, the ghost; all of that has to be involved somehow, but none of it really fits together."
"Maybe it does," Tucker said. "We just don't have all the details."
"If she shows up tonight we will," Sam said with a determined tone.
It did not take long for them to set up their equipment and the wait began again. They didn't have to wait long, only the one that showed up wasn't the one they were waiting for.
Danny had been distracted, talking with Sam and Tucker, when he was hit. A bright ball of pink energy zoomed out from Danny's left, hitting him in the side and careened him towards a brick wall. Danny was barely able to phase through in time.
"Danny!" Sam and Tucker said in unison, racing towards the edge of the roof to see Danny phase back through, annoyed.
Danny looked up to where the shot came from to see Plasmius, Vlad's ghost form.
"I come out to do some investigating and look who I find," Plasmius said smugly. "So Daniel, I'm only going to ask this once, where is your new friend?"
"Friend?" Danny blinked then realized who he was referring to. "I don't know who she is or where she is. I'm not going to let you get to her."
"Are you now?" Plasmius raised an eyebrow. "I take it you have an idea then. Are you going to tell me willingly or will I have to force the information out of you?"
Danny's hands closed into fists, glowing a bright green, "Stupid question."
Danny flew at Plasmius, his speed impressive, but not as impressive as the speed the other ghost showed as he dodged Danny punch, disappearing only to reappear behind the boy.
"Are you trying to protect someone? Someone you suspect to be this new ghost?"
Danny spun around, charging energy in the palm of his hand and firing it at Plasmius' center mass. The larger ghost was too close to block the blast. Plasmius was thrown back, only to disappear again. A hard kick in the back told Danny where he had teleported to again. Plasmius appeared in front of him as he careened forward, arms crossed, smug look on his face. Danny growled and swung… the Plasmius in front of him dissolved.
"I… forgot he could do that…"
Just as Danny landed on the roof he was racing towards, a bubble of pink energy exploded up from under him and surrounded him.
"I'm such a…"
"Well," Plasmius said, smirking. "Look what I've caught in my trap. Care to talk now?"
"Bite me!"
The smirk turned into a scowl, "If that's how you want this to go then."
Plasmius held out his hand and another ball of pink ectoplasmic energy formed over it, "Perhaps this will change your mind."
Sam and Tucker had left the rooftop as soon as the fight had started and had been trying to get to Danny. However, they watched helplessly from the fire escape of the building Danny was on as Plasmius threw the ball of energy. It was traveling faster than they could run; they would never make it in time.
Then a streak of brass color passed over their heads.
Just before Plasmius' energy contacted, a barrier of brass colored energy lifted in front of where Danny was trapped, stopping the energy dead. Danny sat stunned, watching the energy ball disappear slowly and the ghost woman who was also standing in front of him, hand outstretched toward the barrier she had put up.
The woman turned toward Danny, keeping her arm outstretched and slicing her hand across the bubble holding him captive. The bubble burst with a "pop" and she put her arm down to her side.
"Are you hurt?" She asked as Danny lifted himself to his feet.
That voice! Danny looked up at her. That face…
She tilted her head to the side slightly, eyes worried.
"Uh! No, I'm fine."
She breathed a relieved sigh and smiled a very familiar smile, "Good, I'm glad."
"Danny!" The yells came from the fire escape and Sam and Tucker raced towards them.
"This is all very touching," Plasmius interrupted. "But I believe there is a matter we were discussing."
The woman turned and looked up at him, face hardening. "I believe that discussing is the wrong term. What I was witnessing was a bit more… violent."
His brows shot up, "Have we met? You seem familiar."
"Perhaps," The woman answered. "Bu I work alone. Have done for a very long time."
"Very? Care to elaborate?"
The woman clapped her hands together; as she drew them apart a long pole appeared from between them with a thin, strong blade on one end. She grasped it in one hand and stood it on the ground beside her; it was about as tall as she was.
"I'll elaborate, if you can make me."
"Alright, one more thing."
"Just one."
"Are you responsible for my servants refusing to come back to this plane?"
"Their only doing as I instructed."
Everyone in the area of the roof looked surprised. If every ghost left the city because she instructed them to, how old and how powerful was she?
The woman grasped her weapon in both her hands, aiming it forwards at Plasmius. To Danny, Plasmius didn't really seem sure of himself anymore. She took a step forward and… she disappeared. Well, she didn't disappear exactly.
A stream of brass colored energy travelled faster than any of them could blink towards Plasmius. The ghost in question reared back just as she swung upwards, missing by millimeters. Just when he thought he was safe, the blunt end of the weapon collided with his stomach, making him bend forward, holding his stomach.
"Using a weapon is quiet dirty, don't you think?" He managed to gasp.
"Danny is still a child, isn't it nice to have someone more on your level to fight?"
"Oh? So you know who he really is?"
"I know who you are as well, Vlad Masters."
"Well, aren't you just," Vlad used his energy to form a sword and swiped at her, "the most interesting young lady."
He missed. She flipped backwards, dodging his attack. Plasmius scowled again, this woman was too good and too familiar for his liking. And she knew who he was, that just did not settle well.
He inspected her again as she readied herself for another attack, there was a sheen of sweat on her forehead and her breathing was ragged. How? He hadn't even managed to hit her yet. Perhaps…
She was coming at him again, each movement was precise, calculated, well trained. How long had she been fighting like this? It was almost like she was dancing, but Plasmius was her unfortunate bumbling partner. But, there was weakness there.
Each movement strained her more; he noticed her breath catching in her throat more and more, the sweat on her brow excreting to the point where he saw drops falling from her delicate nose. Then her movements started to slow until there was at last a stutter in her swing; that was when he took his chance.
The fight had drawn them to the side of the clock tower, where the windows lining the maintenance room were placed. The ghost woman went to swing, but her movements stopped for a brief moment, the color on her already pale cheeks turning a sour green. Plasmius fired a blast at her center, sending her flying through one of the tall windows and into the clock tower. He went in after her.
"Oh no!" The three teenagers still on the roof went after. Sam and Tucker each grabbed one of Danny's hands and Danny flew them all through the broken window.
The ghost woman was lying among a pile of broken boxes at the far wall, barely conscious, but not from her injuries. Her breathing was alarmingly sharp, the sweat now pouring off of her in buckets. Plasmius was standing over her, having dissolved his weapon.
"Now, explain quickly," he ordered. "You're obviously in no condition to fight anymore."
She was looking up at Plasmius with and odd expression on her face. Sadness? Submission? She let out a long breath and closed her eyes. The beautiful, brass colored dress started to fade, revealing a pair of jeans and long sleeved blouse. Her hair changed from the sea-like blue-green color to a dark orange. Her body slumped against the broken boxes and rubble. Anna Marie VanRatten was laying there.
"Anna!" Danny called out, changing back into his normal form and running to her side, Sam and Tucker followed.
"What?" Vlad changed back as well, a stunned and confused look on his face. "What's the meaning of this?! Did you know about this?!"
"Vlad, would you just shut up for once?!" Danny turned on the man as Sam put a hand to Anna's damp forehead.
"Danny!" Sam said, panicked, drawing her hand away. "She's burning up! Was she this bad when you saw her earlier?"
Danny turned his attention back to Anna, "No, she looked fine. A little pale, but she didn't look like this!"
Anna stirred and her eyes opened slightly.
"Anna? Are you alright?"
She didn't seem to hear him. Her eyes were fogged from the heat in her face and the sweat dripping into her eyes. She looked up at Vlad, a tired, happy smile spreading across her face, making him take a step back in alarm. She reached out her left hand to him, her entire arm shaking heavily with the effort.
"Victor, look," She said weakly. "I kept my promise. I waited for you… all this time… I waited…"
Anna passed out, her breathing even more ragged then it had been. Everyone exchanged looks back and forth.
Victor? Who was Victor and why did she confuse Vlad for him?