Chapter 19: Everyone is Selfish

For the past hour, the snow continued until it was now covering the roads.

Inside the house, Danny watched from the window.

"It's like in Canada…" The ghost boy said before looking over his shoulder. "Where are Mom and Dad? We gotta go now."

"They're looking at what you two brought from that cave. They've been studying it since we came back." Jazz explained.

In the basement, Jack and Maddie were currently examining the strange rocks from the Wendigo's lair.

"Fascinating. The radiation these things are coated with is unlike anything I've seen before. It doesn't appear hazardous though..." Maddie said in an intellectual way as she examined it closer with her large microscope.

"Uh, Sweetie? I do think it's best to leave researching rocks from another world for another time. We are kinda needed elsewhere..." Jack reminded her.

"I know, but I was also thinking that if we calibrate these just right, we might be able to add their effects to our bazookas. If my theory is right, these radiated rocks send that carnivorous creature back to wherever in existence he came from.." Maddie said.

That got her husband's attention.

"Well, why didn't you say so? Let's take some with us and see what we can do!" Jack said, grinning at the idea of getting rid of the Wendigo.

With that, Maddie took about 4 of the rocks with her as she and her husband went upstairs to leave.

As they left their home to head for the shelter, they had no idea that someone had been hiding behind their home. Someone who watched and waited for them to go before looking at the house.

At the Shelter

The Fentons had arrived at the shelter. There, each of them had their tasks

As Danny and Jazz were among those passing out blankets, Jack and Maddie were in the middle of setting up the ghost shield, with Danielle aiding them.

"Wrench?" Jack asks, holding his hand out.

"Here, Dad." Danielle said, handing him a wrench.

"Thanks, little princess…" Jack said as he started to work on the machine.

Maddie, meanwhile, was looking at her laptop she had on the side.

"Hmm… scans of the rocks from the Wendigo's cave is at 75%. We're almost done with testing to see if we can use them in our weapons to send that beast back." She said.

"And then this snowstorm goes away?" Danielle asks.

"Well, given the kind of things Danny himself has dealt with… most likely." Maddie said.

"But, Mom? That thing's not a ghost." Danielle reminds them.

"True, but we're just hoping it works and that the creature's presence being removed will undo all this." Maddie said.

As that went on, a certain rich couple walked up to the device that they were setting up.

"I don't suppose you can move quicker?" Jeremy complained.

Jack and Maddie frowned at the Mansons.

"Don't rush us, Thurston, we're working as fast as we can..." Jack said.

"It's Jeremy!" He said, annoyed at that crack.

"Don't care." Jack said while eye rolling.

"It's bad enough you work with that ghost boy now, but you can't even do the one thing you do for a living as quickly as possible?!" Pamela complained.

Maddie forgot her study of the rocks in favor of how angered she was.

'Oh, I see. Then I guess YOU wanna be the one to install this equipment? If you do, be my guest." Maddie sarcastically said.

Before another one of their infamous fights could break out, Mr. Lancer, who was serving as the shelter's leader, approached them.

"Beats on the Heart, people! Just let them do their job unless you think you can do better!"

Both Mansons loudly scoffed as they crossed their arms.

"Best hurry this up as I don't want to end up eaten by one of those hairy giants." Jeremy said as he and Pamela walked away.

"Of course not...after all, no one deserves food poisoning." Maddie whispered mockingly.

Danielle, snickering at this, noticed that her parents were now busy and felt out of place.

Now what do I do? She thought.

That's when Danny approached them, Danielle looked away.

"I saw Sam's parents come here. They didn't cause trouble, did they?" He asks.

"Not more than usual." Maddie said.

"Just a little bit more and we're good to go. You're free now, Danielle." Jack said.

Hearing that, Danielle sighed.

"I guess I'll go now…" She said, walking past Danny after she set the toolbox down.

She was silent as Danny knew he had to speak up.

"Can we talk?" He asks.

"About what?" Danielle asks, stopping in her tracks but not looking at him.

"Danielle… I need to speak with you." Danny said.

"I'm… I'm busy…" She insisted, taking a step before Danny spoke again.

"We're going to be busy in 10 minutes, and an hour after. I'm just asking for a few minutes." He said.

Danielle took in some air before she nodded.

"Fine… let's go…" She said in a defeated tone.

The two walked towards a place to talk as Maddie looked in their direction with a worried look.

"I hope this works…" She said before looking back to the rocks' scanning.

It read 78% finished.

Danny and Danielle were alone now. The two were close to the bathrooms as Danny turned around.

"We need to talk..." Danny said.

"I'd rather not..." Danielle mumbled.

Danny loomed at her and recalled their last fight.

Looks like we need this more than I thought… Sure, this is a dangerous situation but I don't want to have any regrets in case the worst happens… He thought.

"Danielle, look... I'm sorry if I was being pretty harsh earlier. I shouldn't have snapped like I did and I shouldn't have shouted." Danny said.

Danielle heard this and blinked.

"Really?" She asks.

"Yeah… look… I should have been open about Ember from the start." Danny went.

"I mean, I guess I can why you can't talk about it." Danielle said. "How could you even start a conversation like that?"

"Well...I still should have told you, and sorry for forcing you to making friends, and for the stuff with Nat while thinking you were okay with me hanging with a new person." Danny added. "I shouldn't have done that."

"Look, Danny, I just don't like talking to new people, for a variety of reasons. I just like having a small group of familiars over meeting new people." Dani said.

"I mean, she wasn't going to stay new, you were getting to know her, Nat I mean." Danny said.

"That doesn't mean I'd be okay with you dating Ember of all people. Besides, someone new isn't someone I'd be okay with being made friends with, or that you can tell her about your secret." Danielle went.

"I mean, being friends with her doesn't mean she'll know." Danny said.

"Oh? So you mean if Sam and Tucker weren't there that time you got powers, you wouldn't have told them about it?" Danielle questioned.

"That's different!" Danny went.

"How!?" Danielle asks.

Danielle stormed off in a huff as Danny sighed in disappointment.

Danny groaned.

"I miss not being the big brother..." He said as he went after her.

Lying, overbearing hypocrite... Danielle thought in anger, her eyes flashing red for only a moment.

Meanwhile

As the two Phantoms were away, Jazz looked around in concern.

She was helping with passing around food and warm blankets. So far, there were fewer and fewer people to help out until she saw someone free.

"Sam? Give me a hand?" Jazz asks.

"I guess so." Sam said, getting up and being given some warm blankets.

"Give some to those people over there." Jazz insisted, pointing at a group of teenagers.

Sam, seeing a few familiar faces from school, scowled in their direction.

"The A-List? Yeah, no thank-"

"Not the time." Jazz snapped.

"Fine… fine…" Sam muttered in defeat.

Jazz ignored her attitude to see just how much they have to pass around.

"There is no way this is gonna be enough food. Tucker stupidly used up the budget for that to fund new computers, and Montez used it to fund his re-election campaign..." Jazz said.

Hearing the word "food" made Sam recall something. Namely about the wendigo and his curse.

"Wait… was this his plan?" Sam asks.

"I doubt a blizzard with dark magic was something Montez expected…" Jazz grumbled.

"No, not the mayor. The Wendigo." Sam explained, getting Jazz's attention. "Anyone who is selfish, starving, greedy, or willing to do anything to survive, is the best possible person to be transformed by his curse." Sam explained further.

Jazz raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.

"You think… he might wanna add to more than just his menu, but more people to convert into his monsters?" She asks.

Sam turned her head, noticing her proof.

A fat guy was pushing away a kid that was biting his arm as he kept the sandwich off his reach, trying to eat it.

A pair of girls were arguing and trying to take a blanket, unaware that an old lady was taking their belongings that went unguarded.

Some guys tried to take some food and blankets from and old man, only to get hit on the head by his walking cane as he possessively stood by his stuff, not seeing a pair of kids taking his stuff.

Sam saw Kwan and was relieved to see he wasn't eaten. He was also with his friends too and didn't seem to be acting like a territorial animal fighting for territory.

However, she recalled the last time she saw him and what happened.

"Kwan?!" Sam exclaimed.

Kwan saw her and gave her a smile and wave as she walked towards them, much to the irritation of his friends.

"Oh, Sam. Nice to see you outside that thing's stomach..." He said.

"Yeah...Um... Here, some blankets..." Sam said awkwardly.

"Oh! Thanks, a bunch." Kwan said as he accepted the blankets.

"Why does he talk to her?" Paulina whispered loudly so Sam could hear it.

"She's rich, something we didn't know until she and Fenton were dating." Dash said simply with a shrug.

"With bad taste, frankly." Paulina shot back. "I mean, all black? Two loser friends? Purple lipstick?"

"...She's rich," Dash repeated with a shrug.

"Seriously, why are you even friends with them?" Sam asked in annoyance.

"What do you mean?" Kwan asked.

"I mean, why are you, a nice guy, hanging out with jerks like them?" Sam asked. "You're nice, and kinda smart. You could do better than them."

"Well, I was friends with them before high school, so it's like you and Danny and Tucker, Sam." Kwan said.

"...what do you mean?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, after the prank you did, I'm surprised they're still friends with you, to be honest." Kwan answered honestly.

"Well, sorry for having an opinion!" Sam exclaimed before walking away.

"Thanks for the blankets!" Kwan called out with a smile.

As Sam walked away, she heard a couple of guys talking as they huddled in the corner.

"Are you sure they'll be okay?" One said.

"Who cares? They're just a bunch of smelly animals anyway. Who cares if the zoo loses a few animals. They can always buy some." Another went.

Sam's eyes widened when she heard that.

"We gotta go to the zoo and free those poor innocent creatures before that monster makes a snack out of them." Sam said as she went looking for Danny.

Danny, meanwhile, was looking for Danielle after she stormed away.

"Danielle?!" He called out before Sam spotted him.

"Danny?!" She went.

"Sam? What's go"

Sam went to Danny and grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Danny, you gotta take me to the zoo!" Sam insisted.

"Sam? This isn't the time for feeding animals you're not supposed to! Or your protests, given what happened earlier!" Danny went, unamused with her.

"That's not it! The zoo's been abandoned! I need you to get me there to save them!" Sam insisted.

Meanwhile

A series of trucks parked at a truck stop on the outskirts of Amity Park, snow had already reached them. The drivers stepped out, seeing the area.

"Ain't it a little early or late for snow?" One of them asks in a thick Southern accent.

"Kinda cold, ain't it?" One asks in a Midwestern accent.

"I just got the word that we're gonna have to return this explosive stuff after the snow finishes. It's gotten so heavy that it'll be harder to drive." One said.

"Dagnabit, the weather had to get weird on the same day I was gonna pay my girlfriend a visit." The trucker with the Southern accent went.

Another vehicle was driving towards them, it was a huge truck that was practically made for this kind of weather.

"That must be our ride." The trucker with the typical American accent said.

"Let's get to it." The one with the Midwestern voice went.

With that, all of the truck drivers slowly made their way to the vehicle. At the same time, someone was observing via monitor.

That someone, inside a limousine, was the Man in Black that Tucker spoke to some time ago.

"Okay… looks like the ride I arranged for them is good to go." He said.

Sitting across him, in the dark, was the thin man from earlier.

"We should be looking for the target, not making sure some men with poor hygiene aren't freezing." He said in annoyance.

"You forget, our mission is to keep people safe. Besides, that creature leaving his hunting grounds is partially our fault for dismissing his threat level…" The MIB said.

"For goodness sake. Fine...whatever." The thin man said before taking a breath. "Do what you wish… as soon as the temperature is good enough, we'll extract that combustible condiment and get rid of it. Then we'll deal with the target."

"What about the city?" The MIB asks apprehensively.

"We have bigger problems…" The figure said in an uncaring way.

Back to the shelter

Danielle had walked away from Danny, hidden in the crowds as she frowned.

"What to do." She said to herself.

As he walked over, she felt someone tap her shoulder.

"Danielle?" A familiar voice asks.

"Huh…" Danielle turned her head to see a familiar face. "Oh… Sophie…"

"Oh, Sophie? That's quite a greeting... Something up?" Sophie asks.

"Eh… I kind of… had an argument with my brother." Danielle admitted.

"Harsh…" Carly, who was behind Sophie, made herself known.

"Oh no… what did you do?" Sophie asks.

"Why do you think I did something?" Danielle asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Oh… uh…" Sophie went, eyes darting away.

"She wants to marry your brother someday." Carly pointed out, much to Sophie's embarrassment.

"Uh… no." Danielle went flatly.

''I never said that! Though..." Sophie went.

Before she could finish that, that is when Danny appeared.

"Danielle?" Danny asks, getting her attention.

Danielle turned away.

"Busy." She said flatly.

"We're needed. Sam needs our help. A SUPER kind of help..." He said in a hunting way.

"Huh?" Danielle asks, turning her head to look at him.

"You know...she needs help...the UNSEEN kind." Danny went with a slow wink. "Wink wink." He went.

Danielle stood there, completely at a loss.

"Does she need us to run a marathon or something?" She asks.

"Oh for Pete's sake…" Danny took her by the wrist. "Come on!" He went urgently before looking at the girls. "Sorry…"

"Oh, it's fine." Sophie went with a blush as Danny pulled Danielle away.

Once they were gone, Carly noted Sophie's enamored look on her face.

"Sophie Fenton…" Carly went in a sing-song voice.

Meanwhile, Danny pulled Danielle far away from people to speak with her.

"What's going on?" Danielle angrily asks.

"What's the problem? Are you for real? I thought they weren't really your friends?" He asks with slight annoyance.

"Well, I never said I didn't like talking to them." Danielle muttered.

Danny groaned loudly before making sure no one could hear them.

"Sam needs us to go ghost to take her and Tucker somewhere." Danny went.

Realizing what his hints were, Danielle's eyes widened.

"Ooooohhhhh!" She went.

"Seriously? How are you that clueless?" He questioned.

"I came from your DNA, remember? It took the end of the world to realize Sam had feelings for you, right?" Danielle asks.

Danny looked away sheepishly.

"Fair enough…"

Danielle turned around and started walking.

"Fine… but let me make this clear. I'm still mad at you…" She said.

Danny sighed and nodded before going along. He did not see the flash of red in Danielle's eyes.

Meanwhile

Perched atop the tallest building in Amity Park was the monster responsible for this snowstorm. From below, he could see his revenants prowling the streets, forcing people to stay inside their home. He knew the power they're using to heat their homes wouldn't last long. Once it was done, and he'd taken his revenge on Danny, he'd let his army feed. He could also sense growing fear and selfishness from the people in the shelter.

He then felt one person leave, getting his attention.

"My little sleeper agent is on the move… interesting." The Wendigo said as he directed the owl in his presence to fly. "See what they're up to."

As the owl flew off, a figure appeared before him.

"The Fright Knight has returned! This world is to be my domain, foul Wendigo!" The Fright Knight shouted.

"About time someone knew who I was…" The Wendigo said with a grunt.

"I was present when you appeared in the human world! Where you came from is unknown to me, but not as important as where you're going!" The Fright Knight shouted as he jumped high, readying his sword for slicing. "Behold, the Soul Shredder!"

The evil knight swung as the Wendigo did not bother moving.

The Fright Knight had his head down, eyes closed, waiting to hear the sound of his fallen foe disappearing. Instead, he heard metal falling to the floor.

Opening his eyes, he saw, to his horror, his blade broken in pieces, causing a horrified gasp to come from him.

"Best not play with sharp objects…" The Wendigo said with a nasty grin.

Realizing this creature was far too powerful, the Fright Knight backed away.

"My sword will be repaired… but you will pay for this!" The Fright Knight said before disappearing in a whirlpool of purple fire.

The Wendigo only scoffed as he started to see through the eyes of his owl.

"So much for him. He's thankful that I don't like canned food. Now then… something a little more on the go? Where are you going, Phantom?" He questions, seeing the Phantoms and their friends in the air through the owl's eyes. "Wait a second… that looks like the direction of their zoo. Hmm… I could go for a bite…"

Meanwhile

The portal that the Wendigo used to arrive was still open. His revenant army was going through it, soon spreading throughout the city, patrolling the streets as waiting for the order to eat.

However, after the last batch went through, another figure exited it.

"I pray I am not too late…" Achack said, intending to be of aid.

At the zoo

Team Phantom landed in the very center of the location. There, silence was broken as Sam made her way to where the animals were stored.

"Come on! We gotta save them!" Sam insisted.

"Uh, Sam? What about the people at the shelter?" Danny asks.

"They have enough people looking out for them, now come on!" Sam insisted even further.

The rest of them groaned at this. They followed to the interior of the zoo, a hallway that leads to various animal pens.

"There, they're inside and warm enough." Dani stated, gesturing to the area.

"The temperature is just gonna keep dropping! We should stay here and keep them safe." Sam stated.

All of them groaned louder.

"Sam, enough. The animals are safe, those guys exaggerated what was going on. Now come on, we have to go back." Danny insisted.

"Plus, there's no guy selling ice cream at any corner, so I have less of a reason to be here." Tucker said.

"Same." Dani went, arms crossed as she shivered.

"I told you to wear a jacket, you're too young to have your midriff exposed." Danny stated.

"I know! Doubt I have one that can survive getting clawed by those monsters though…" Dani grumbled.

That's when they heard inhuman screeches from deeper into the primate area of the zoo.

"What was that?" Sam questioned.

"Uh… some gorilla mating call?" Tucker suggested.

'No, that doesn't sound anything like their mating calls, or them mating." Sam stated.

That got everyone's attention, their disgusted attention.

"And you know what that sounds like because…?" Dani asks, gesturing for her to continue.

"Uh… no." Danny said, raising his hand. "I think we'll regret learning."

"You're probably right." Dani said, not wanting to learn anymore.

Sam ignored them and followed the sounds of the screeching.

Once they found the source, Sam felt ill.

"Oh no…" Sam said in a horrified gasp as everyone joined her.

They saw hundreds of half eaten or fully eaten animal carcasses in the pens.

"Aww… we missed the barbecue?" Tucker asks before seeing both Phantoms roll their eyes at him disapprovingly. "Oh uh… I mean… oh no, those poor whatever they used to be." Tucker said, trying to sound horrified.

Sam was pale and unmoving, but her rage was building up.

"When I find out what did this… I'm going to make them wish they were never born!" She screamed.

The screeches happened again, getting their attention.

In the dark, they saw three emaciated figures, eating what is no doubt the meat of the recently slain animals.

"I think we found what did this…" Danny said, pointing to the creatures crawling towards them.

Sam pulled back in terror, seeing them eying her as if she were a source of water in a desert.

"Uh… about that "make you wish you were never born" thing… I might have overreacted…" Sam went with a nervous smile.

The one in the center hissed before Danny stood between them and blasted the creature in the face.

"Dani! Take them out of here!" He said over his shoulder.

"Huh?" She asks.

"It's me they want most!" Danny said as he readied for the worst.

"What?!" Sam went, being grabbed by the wrist by Dani. " But… the animals!"

"Just come on!" Dani went, pulling her as Sam tried to break free.

"Oh… but the party's just started!" A growling, husky voice went, getting their attention.

Behind the revenants, a pair of bright red eyes.

Those eyes were met by a dirty toothed grin as the creature they belonged to stepped out.

It was the Wendigo himself, having arrived and holding a dead tiger in one hand.

"And you're the guest of honor! … and the main course!" The Wendigo went before taking a bite out of the dead tiger.

Sam gagged.

"That poor animal was innocent! He did not deserve to be eaten like that!"

The Wendigo then chortled mockingly.

"Stupid girl, you're dumber than this thing even when it was alive."

"Don't talk down to animals!" Sam demanded.

"These little things have no concept of sapience that you clearly waste on wanting to show empathy to something too stupid to get it. I've had to live in the wilds, I know how they act. All they do understand is eat or be eaten, just like in the wild where they came from..." He said cruelly before taking another bite.

He then snapped his fingers, causing several sounds of screeches and snarls to come from behind him.

Those not his revenants and with sapience realized what this means.

"Uh… please tell me those are animals." Tucker went as he hid behind Sam.

"Not the kind I know…" She said under her breath.

The sounds of scuttled and snarling got louder as the Wendigo finished the tiger before laughing.

"Soon as I have you, Phantom, I'll have your sidekicks here for dessert!" He declared.

"Okay… this is one dinner party I don't mind missing!" Tucker went, clinging onto Dani. "Fly us out!"

"I better go too." Danny said, taking Sam by the wrist.

"But the animals!" Sam went.

"No worries… animal meat is tasty, but I'm crazy for human flesh more…" The Wendigo went with a ravenous grin.

"Oh… what a relief…" Sam said with a sigh over the safety of the animals.

"He wants to eat us, remember?" Danny reminded her.

Sam's smile dropped, realizing the danger she's in.

"Okay… feeling less relieved now." She admitted.

With that, both Phantoms took the two with them, going through the ceiling. The Wendigo cackled at this.

"Let's work off that tiger I just chomped down on. Get them!" The Wendigo said, pointing towards where they went.

The revenants crawled in the direction of the exit, intending to hunt them down.

Thinking fast, Danny looked around for a place to hide before spotting a business building not far.

"There!" He said, flying fast as Dani followed him as they phased through the walls to hide in the 10th floor.

Inside, they let Sam and Tucker go as they took a moment to take a breath.

"Why aren't we still flying?" Sam asks.

"It's cold enough even for us, Sam." Danny pointed out.

"And I have this." Dani said, pointing to her midriff. "Fun in the sun, not so much in the snow."

The sounds of loud screeches were heard from below, alerting them to being followed.

"They're here… we better put this room on lockdown so they can't get in. Maybe start a fire to use against them." Danny said.

"Or… we can make things harder for them by darkening the place!" Tucker said as he took out his PDA and started typing.

Realizing what he's up to, Danny's eyes widened.

"What? Tucker, no!" He went.

"Hacked in and… go!" Tucker went as the lights went off.

The room darkened.

"Oh no…" Everyone but Tucker went.

That's when a sinister laugh was heard

"This should make things easier…" A familiar monster's voice was heard from outside the room.

Danny, Dani and Sam glared at Tucker, whose smile slowly left his face.

"Yeah... okay... I realize that I just gave this predatory monster the advantage by making the building dark and cold... I'm also realizing this is the one scenario where being a techno geek with no physical skills whatsoever and eating massive amounts of food puts me at a bit of a disadvantage..." Tucker admits.

Sam facepalms in irritation.

"Tucker... you're an idiot..." She muttered angrily.

The Wendigo, with his terrifying speeds, entered the room and grabbed Danny by the head.

"I want you to get a good look at where you're headed…" He snarked before reaching for Danny's head with an open jaw.

In response, Dani blasted the Wendigo in the head, making him let go. In response, the Wendigo pushed Danny aside to backhand her away.

"Danielle!" Danny called out before the Wendigo grabbed a desk and threw it at Danny, knocking him back.

The Wendigo then spotted Sam and Tucker, casually walking to them as he knew they were no harm to him.

"So… Sam and Tucker, if I'm not mistaken… which of you was selfish enough to make Danny bring you here?" He questioned with an amused smile.

"I am not selfish!" Sam snapped, fists balled up. The Wendigo suddenly became closer, his grinning face inches from her as every alarm in her head was going off. "Although… I am pretty terrified right now…" She said, her stubbornness being a thing of the past at the moment.

"Silly girl…" The Wendigo said with a snicker. "Everyone is selfish… no exception. You humans are all the most selfish creatures around. It's why you're more fun to play with than those beasts… it's why you're the best part of being stuck here." The Wendigo said as he looked her in the eye, his red eyes glowing. "I like you… him, however…"

The Wendigo reached out for Tucker, holding him by the arm and keeping his feet off the ground.

"N-No! Please no!" Tucker begged.

"I won't eat another human until I've had my revenge, call it pettiness if you will. However, no one said I can't have a little lick…" He said sinisterly, licking his teeth before his tongue tried to reach for the squirming Tucker.

A white boot slammed into his head, knocking him into the floor and letting Tucker go.

"You don't know where that's been!" Danny went before landing.

In response, the Wendigo reached for Danny's foot before slamming him through the floor.

"Looks like I'll have to work for it… fine with me!" The Wendigo said with a cackle before following where Danny went, intending to finish the fight. "Dinner time!"

New chapter

One down, six to go.

Invader Johnny: Extremely.

RonaldM40196867: No. Dunno. Magic. Because...

cg037: Thanks.

Luiz4200: Maybe.

danifan3000: I think her costume might change to match what she needs as she grows up. She's the sidekick.

SoundVenom: Thanks.

Leonardo: Maybe.