One more chapter after this one!

The next thing Danny knew was him being shaken away. He opened his eyes groggily, trying to see who woke him. Sam gave a small smile before saying, "We're here." It was the last dump they had to look in and then they'll be over with. Danny wasn't sure if he should hope they'll find it or not. If they do, they can get it over with. If they don't, he can sleep. But then again, they'll be clueless as to where to look next so maybe he should hope to find it . . .

Danny got out of the small car, looking around. The stench hit him in the face like a punch, leaving him heaving this time. Tucker glanced back at him apologetically. "We saved the worse for last, sorry."

"But at least there's a higher chance to find-"

He shook his head, staring up ahead. "Guys, look," he choked out, pointing. Not only were there regular garbage, but there were also dead critters: rabbits, rats, mouse, even birds. And they all look rather fresh. The trio covered their mouths and noses ,before trekking through the place. Danny tried his best not to look at the dead things. Even Sam and Tucker looked pale at the sight. He held the thermos close to him, feeling an odd sort of comfort from it. Curious, he tried going ghost again, but the result was the same. He frowned; what if that ghost did something permanent to it? It couldn't have, it wasn't logical. At least, it wasn't without killing Danny himself. The rock of worry in his stomach didn't went away, especially after that thought.

"Guys, I don't even see anything. What if it's just not here and we got the wrong ghost?" Sam grumbled, kicking a rock as hard as she can. Danny didn't blamed her; he was getting frustrated too. And by the looks of it, so was Tucker. He was repeatedly checking his PDA as if to see if they are indeed in the right spot. Danny shivered, feeling horribly feverish. The idea of a bed seemed better and better. At least better than what they were doing right now.

Something crashed behind Danny, catching all of their attention. He turned around quickly, however regretting it when he got hit with a wave of dizziness. The Litherian was out, revealing itself to all of them. The bear's head growled at the three of them. A warning, Danny realized. "Move!" he yelled at the same time of jumping out of the way. Sam and Tucker had just moved when the Litherian dived into where they were recently standing.

Almost by instinct, the three split up; they were used to Danny turning ghost and taking care of it. However, they didn't realized the problem until it was too late. They were to far from each other and running back would be suicidal. The Litherian turned to Danny, still baring it's teeth while growling. Danny prepared himself for anything, waiting for it's move. Surely it'd dive at him, just like it's done many times. Instead, it flicked it's tale to Danny, sending his flying. The body of the ghost was no longer tangible but rather very solid; Danny's aching ribs can attest to that.

Sam watched in horror as Danny went soaring through the air, and didn't moved when he landed. She was afraid that he was badly hurt. She ran over to where he landed but couldn't get close to him. Somehow, he landed in an island of the garbage, and Sam couldn't climb over to get him from this angle. He also had the thermos with him. "Danny, wake up!" she cried, hoping her voice would be enough. "Danny?"

She turned around when she heard Tucker cried out in pain. He was huddled on the grown in a corner. He didn't look conscious, but she couldn't tell from this angle. The ghost seemed to sniff him before turning to Sam, about to pounce on her. She realized with a shock that it was hunting weakest first. It was playing a game with them. Each inch the ghost crept closer, Sam involuntarily took one back. Her back hit a dead end and she cursed under her breath. Now what?

Danny rolled over, groaning. What had happened? He opened his eyes, trying to figure out where he was. He was confused when he saw a dead mouse in front of him. When he looked past it to a crushed soda can, he realized he was at the dump. They were hunting the Litherian, he remembered. However, his eyes closed again. He felt so weak and sick. He never felt this bad before. He heard a voice calling his name. He opened his eyes again, trying to place that voice. Jazz? No, Jazz wouldn't be here. It was Sam. Why was she calling his name?

When she called her name again, this time more desperately, he managed to find the strength to sit up. The site her saw would give him nightmares, he just knew it. Tucker was crumbled on the ground and Sam was pinned, the bear's breathing in her face. He staggered upwards, barely able to keep himself standing. Grabbing the thermos, he looked up to see if the Litherian had moved. It hadn't but he needed to hurry before he loses Sam, too.

"Hey, ugly!" he shouted, inwardly cringing at the weak tone of his voice. The ghost turned and growled at him just as he uncapped the thermos. He watched as it struggled before it went into the thermos. However, when it did, it felt as if someone had thrown a fifty pound ball in it. He staggered under the weight as he capped the thermos.

"Danny! You're okay!" Sam shouted, happily. She started getting concern at his blank face, though. He was just standing there, looking at the ground. When he started laughing, Sam was thoroughly confused. He easily crawled over the mountain of garbage before hopping to the ground next to her, giving her a huge bear huge when he was close enough.

"Okay," she said slowly. "Either you're really happy, or you just got some bolts knocked loose."

He pulled away, still smiling widely. "Sam, I'm all better! Look!" he said, gesturing to his face. True to his word, all previous signs of being sick was gone; no dark circles, no paleness or flushing. Even his hair looked better. He turned away to Tucker when he heard him groaned. Danny jogged over to the other male, crouching down to his level.

"You okay, dude?" Danny asked. A groan was his response. Chuckling, Danny pulled him up, not letting go until Tucker was steady on his feet. He tenderly rubbed a cut on his eyebrow, wincing at contact. He then frowned, looking irritated.

"My glasses broke."

The trio got into the car, ready to go home. Danny spent the whole time sleeping in the back of the car. Although he was healthy, his body was still weak and he needed a lot of rest. However, his friends didn't complain; they'd rather have him sleeping than barfing up all his guts. They pulled into Danny's house first. Once they managed to wake Danny enough to walk through the front door without actually falling asleep on it, the other two left. They were cringing at the idea of what punishment Danny's family had in store for him.

Danny silent step in the house, ready to run upstairs if he had, too. The light turned on before he had the chance to sneak away, though, and his mother was sitting on the smaller couch, watching him. Just the look alone made him cringe. Somehow, she was scarier without goggles. "Danny, where have you been?"

I cringed again. I knew no answer would be right, so I kept quiet. She hummed, knowing what I was doing. She got up and walked to me, her no longer being taller than me. Next thing I know, she was giving me the tightest hug she has given to me in a long time. I awkwardly hugged back, not sure what else to do. She quickly pulled back and glared at me. "What were you thinking! I was worried sick with you going off to do your ghost thing with you being sicker than a dog!"

I sat my hands on her shoulders. "It's okay, mom! Look, I'm all better now. See?" I asked, smiling at her. She studied me with her careful eye before sighing and hugging me again. I hugged her back more easily, enjoying the moment. Nothing better than go in your mother's arms after a day's worth of work, right?

"You're still grounded, mister."

"Oh, man!"