Chapter Twenty
…
Ryan fell flat on his bottom and Stewart fell on his back; Ryan shook his head in confusion and looked around to see what had caused the wind. Stewart sat up in a sitting position and looked nervously at Ryan.
This time they heard a crashing sound on their left; both of their heads snapped at where the sound came from and saw a metal body on the road. Both of them scrambled backwards in fright; the body made out of metal got up angrily and shot back up in the sky, completely ignoring the two doctors that were trembling in fear.
They heard another crash and the metal ghost hit the ground again; the two doctors yelped in surprise and moved even further. The ghost got to its feet and looked around to find its attacker.
"Hey, I guess I'm getting better at this, eh?" A new voice shouted in the air.
The ghost whirled around and came face to face with Danny Phantom; he growled and brought out a gun from his arm, "I am going to get you this time; where have you been after all of these months?" The ghost sneered as the weapon came to life.
The gun shot and Danny dodged it easily, his eye brows narrowed in irritation, "After all of these months? Actually I think it's someone's fault that I've been gone after these months!" Danny created an ecto ball in his palm and shot it at his attacker.
Skulker groaned as he was hit from the ghost ray, he shook his head to get his focus and saw Danny making another one. The metal ghost brought out another weapon from his shoulder and shot it at the ghost kid. The halfa yelped in surprise as it came towards him, he tried to move, but instead, the shot hit him square on the chest.
The halfa hissed in pain and looked down to see how bad he was hit; after telling himself that he was fine he made a bigger ecto ball and shot it furiously at Skulker. "So why haven't you come these past months looking for me, wimp."
Skulker missed the ecto ball that was coming towards him and growled at Danny's insult. "Wimp? You're calling me a wimp?" He roared and charged up another gun and it shot.
But the ball never reached Danny; the next thing he knew he was in total darkness. He should've known…
Danny shook the Fenton Thermos in his hands, "That should teach ya." The halfa soon noticed that he was supposed to pretend he was at the bathroom and started to head back to wherever he was at when he transformed. But then he saw the two doctors staring in shock at him; the teen started to fly back to where the two doctors were supposed to wait. He found a place to transform and walked out to where the meeting place was.
Trying to act causal, he started walking toward the doctors that were by the alley. "Hey, guys!" Danny called out, "I'm done, what are you doing out here?"
Ryan looked in the alley, were they truly that scared that they missed Danny walking by? But again why would he go to the bathroom out here? Finding the power to move, Ryan stood up. "But where were you? You ran into the alley, you said you had to go to the bathroom."
Danny wanted to slap himself for being so stupid, he would never go to the bathroom outside, unless it was really necessary. "Well, uh, you guys were looking around and I went back into the building to use the bathroom. So you probably just missed me going by."
"What?" Ryan asked in disbelief. "I didn't take my eyes off of the alley that you went in."
"True," Danny said, "But you guys fell down and I made my way back. So there."
Stuck with words, Ryan turned to his buddy who was still in shock. He bent down by Stewart's side and tapped him on the shoulder. Stewart jumped in surprise and looked up to see it was only Ryan, he blushed, "Uh, just daydreaming?"
"It's fine Stewart, I was like that too," Ryan admitted, "C'mon, we have to head back."
Ryan helped Stewart get back on his feet; Danny glanced worriedly at the two doctors, he really wished they weren't watching that battle. But at the same time he felt good that he could use his powers just fine.
On the way back, Ryan saw Danny looking disturbed. The doctors sighed, "I can tell something is troubling you, Danny. Do you want to talk about it?"
The teen shook his head slowly, "No, it's fine, it will pass."
"You've been acting strange these past days," Ryan said, "And I am growing worried."
Danny knew that the doctor wasn't asking him the same way, the same way when he would get annoyed. The doctor was really concerned this time and he knew that. But Danny still didn't want to talk about it; it was something that they had to fine out, if they wanted.
The halfa stuffed his hands in his pocket, "I-I am sorry Ryan, but I am worried too." Danny said softly.
Ryan exchanged sad looks to Stewart who was doing the same; Ryan looked down at Danny, "I'm sure you are, and I am sorry for being all pushy these past days. But I am really concerned about you, I think that you're special and I want to protect you. I would act like you were my own child, and I would do anything to protect you. But, I am not, so it's not my choice to be acting like your father." The doctor said.
Danny smiled, "Well, I do understand. I feel the same way with other people, I want to protect them. But I don't allow them to protect me, because I feel like I'm the only person that shouldn't be protected." He sighed and his smile became a sad frown, "But I know that everyone should be protected at some point of their life. Like when you guys were saving my life back there; if it wasn't for you, I probably be dead."
Stewart glanced at Danny, "Actually Danny, we were only there to help you around; we were never there to shock you back to life. Just the last time was the only time. There were other people that were saving your life, I really think that it wasn't us."
Danny chuckled, "Well who's the one that kept me company? Who's the one that I had fun playing pranks on? Who's the one that made me smile when I was having a hard time? Who did all of those?"
The two doctors smiled at Danny, "Well Danny, that's what doctors do." Ryan said, "Even if you want us to leave from all the pushiness."
Danny laughed and looked at the evening sky, Ryan smiled and added, "But seriously how did you get stuck through that wall?"
The teen became quiet and started to get nervous, but Ryan just laughed, "I'm just kidding, I'll find out later."
Danny smiled back, "Well, I am really excited to go back to my home."
"You will Danny," Ryan promised. The teen looked up at Ryan giving him a small smile, and they walked into the hospital doors. The doors closed slowly behind Danny and he sighed that he was leaving the open world.
…
Danny stared out at the window, seeing the half moon rise in the black sky. He heard a soft knock come from his door and saw that Ryan and Stewart standing at the door way. The teen smiled and told them they could come in; the two doctors grabbed the nearest chair and pulled it up towards Danny's bed.
The teen sat cross legged on his bed as the doctors took a seat in their chairs.
Ryan was the first to speak, "So Danny, uh, we don't do this normally, but I think that you will be fun to do it with." And Stewart nodded in agreement.
"Do what?" Danny asked.
"Well, we tell stories, and you get to tell us a couple," Ryan explained, "So you up for it?"
"Ah, story time, eh?" Danny smiled, "Sure, I'm up for it; you first."
"As always," Ryan said sarcastically. "I think you will enjoy this story. Let's begin shall we?(A/N: I don't own this story.) Behind a house in a rural Midwestern town lies a dark wood. It is rumored that the wood is haunted, although the only report of such haunting is that of three young girls who encountered a spirit on a single autumn night. The source of the haunting was never investigated, and it is doubtful it ever will be. The house is now vacant and the wood has been left to overgrowth.
"It all began when these girls decided to camp out deep inside that wood...
"Sally, Jennifer and Britney were all thirteen years old. They had known one another since the fourth grade and were best of friends. Sally lived off a country road outside of town in a house surrounded by dense forest. There were no neighbors around for at least five square miles, with the nearest being Sally's grandmother and the home of an elderly couple. Sally always looked forward to going to school so she could have friends her own age.
"One day, Sally had the idea of camping out in those woods and from her previous explorations, knew the perfect site far from the prying eyes of parents. It was in a pine grove where the ground was very soft, with a nearby clearing that would retain their campfire. Sally got the excited agreements of her two friends, who in turn got permission from their parents.
"The campout was a plan.
"It was a Saturday in late September. The weather was still warm but being early autumn, the nights were chilly and dark. They set up their tent in the afternoon. They also constructed their fire ring, gathered firewood and carefully selected branches that would hold their hot dogs and marshmallows. At dusk, they took their sleeping bags, flashlights, and a cooler full of snacks and headed down the path to their tent.
"They joked and shared stories while they started their campfire. Once the flames were to an acceptable level, they formed their lawn chairs into a circle and pulled out the package of hotdogs as well as their pre-made sticks. They were sitting in their chairs, roasting their frankfurters and talking. The night had arrived and a chill was setting in.
"If you've ever sat around a campfire, you know that the area outside the glow of the fire is pitch black. It was from this blackness that the sounds of snapping twigs and the rustling of leaves came.
"Jennifer was the first to hear the sounds and exclaimed in a loud whisper, "What's that? Shhh-listen!"
"Britney froze mid-sentence and Sally leaned forward in her chair, straining to hear.
"For a long moment, there was nothing but the crackling of the fire.
"Then Sally chided Jennifer for her outburst, "Jennifer, it's nothing. You're scaring us. Now cut it out!"
"As soon as she uttered those words, a tremendous wind whipped through the woods, blowing a cloud of pine needles and leaves into the air. The debris hit their faces and stung their eyes. The wind blew their hair and upended their gear. It was so fierce and so abrupt that it almost put out their fire. Sally fell out of her chair in order to avoid being hit by the gust of flames that leaped in her direction. Then the wind stopped as suddenly as it started.
"The girls were terrified. They sat motionless for a moment, not knowing what to do next or what to expect. The woods were completely silent.
"Then, from the direction of the deepest part of the forest came a wailing so loud and so tormented, it was horrifying. The girls covered their ears with their hands and tried to block out the lamenting shriek. It was a sound they had never heard before and they knew it was not of this world.
"Jennifer was the first to break the reverie. She sprang from her position in the direction of the house. Seconds later, Sally and Britney did likewise. Their reaction was so instantaneous they didn't think about grabbing a flashlight. They darted through the inky forest tripping over logs and lumbering through the underbrush. If they stumbled, they quickly righted themselves. Mindless of the tears in their clothing or the scratches they suffered; their only objective was the safety of Sally's house.
"They finally made it to the back porch and were met with the confused, sleepy gaze of Sally's mother who stood in the kitchen clenching her bathrobe. Out of breath and shaking, the girls gradually described in broken sentences what had happened. Sally's mom listened while her dad, hearing the clamor, arose from his bed and joined them in the kitchen.
"After listening to their story, he quickly dressed and ventured out to the campsite to investigate the matter and to extinguish their fire. He was gone for over an hour.
"When he returned, his face was pale. He was solemn and seemed distracted. He didn't say a word, and would not comment on what he had found no matter how many times Sally or her mom pleaded to know the outcome.
"The girls were sent home to their parents and it would be weeks before any of the girls would be able to sleep soundly. They all vowed they would never camp again.
"The next day, Sally's family received word that her grandmother had passed away. In the ensuing days, the incident in the woods was dropped from conversation.
"As time passed, the family moved on.
"The girls remain friends to this day, but the memories of their campout are etched in their minds. That night will never be forgotten."
After it ended, everyone was quiet, and then Danny spoke, "Wow, that's scary."
"Someone told it to me," Ryan said, "And the person said it was true."
"The story is true?" Danny asked, "That's nice…"
Ryan laughed, "So, I told you one, it's your turn to tell us one."
"Oh come on," Danny complained, "Stewart didn't tell us one."
"Stewart is with me," Ryan defended, "Go on, your turn."
The teen smiled, "Okay, I can tell you a story; do you want to hear any Danny Phantom stories?"
The doctors stared at Danny not giving him an answer; the teen took it as a yes and began the story. "So it started on a rainy night…"
Inside, the two doctors truly wanted to hear his story.
…
If you just happened to miss my A/N, I did not make up that story, I do not own it. In fact I do not know who owns it, I friend emailed it to me and I read it. I knew I had to get Danny to start telling about some DP stories, because that was in one of the future chapters. (Like the one that I did when the Fenton's and his friends came to visit him; he was telling them stories during the week, remember?)
Anyhow, I do not have time to do the review replies today. Sorry, and again sorry for the late update, it's been a week, eh? I normally don't update that late, but I was full of HW the whole week. Please forgive me, in fact I still have HW for the weekend… -_-
Everyone set you're alarm clocks to 6:00 in the morning, we need get ready and head over at 6:30! Everyone make sure to bring some sort of weapon, and everyone must bring at least two rolls of TP!
You can bring any Fenton weapons or any other sort of weapon! I will be heading to Danny's house to tie him up…
Danny: Wait, why?
Me: Oh it's nothing, I promise. (We're gonna frame him; we'll tie him up and put him in the middle of the lawn to make sure Vlad thinks that Danny did it)
Danny: I can hear, thank you very much.
Me: *Does jedi move* You did not hear or see anything.
Danny: What is that supposed to do to me?
Me: It was worth a shot. Please read and review!