Danny didn't know how long he'd been out in the forest. He dropped off the roof and stumbled into the trees, not knowing, not caring where he was going. Did it matter? Wherever he went he was still stuck in 1983!
He didn't know how long he sat at the base of a tree, hands hugging his legs to his chest, shoulders shaking, full on sobbing into his knees. He was freaking out, and why wouldn't he be? He had no phone, no money, he was stuck in rural Oregon looking like a freaking ghost, and it was 1983! How did this happen? How did any of this happen? How was he gonna get home?!
God, how was he gonna get home? Danny buried his face into his hands and just shook his head. He wanted to go home so bad, he wanted to see his Mom and Dad, Jazz and Sam and Tucker - what did they think had happened to him? Did they know? Had he just vanished before their eyes, and no matter how hard they looked they'd have no way to find him because he wasn't even in the same time anymore? God, they'd all be so, so worried right now, and they might never know what happened to him because he couldn't even begin to imagine how he'd get back.
And that… that was the most terrifying thought, the one that made him feel like he couldn't breathe. What if there was no way back? What if he was trapped in the past? What if, when he said goodbye to his Mom and Dad that morning, he'd said goodbye for the last time?
Oh, god. Oh god oh god oh god.
Danny rocked himself back and forth, trying to remember what he'd said. He'd said he'd loved them, right? He kind of thought it was stupid how his parents insisted on telling them they loved him every morning, but now he was shaking at the thought he hadn't said it back. They knew he loved them, right? And Jazz - he'd thought she was smothering, but now he'd do anything to have her with him. She'd know what to do. She'd figure something out.
But she wasn't here. It was just him. It was just him, and he'd never felt so utterly alone in his life.
…
He didn't know how long he sat there sobbing. He didn't know how long he spent in his darkest thoughts, drowning in utter panic. He felt like he'd cried for an eternity, cried until he just didn't have the tears or the feelings left to continue.
He didn't know how long he'd sat there with his eyes squeezed shut, but when he opened them again, and saw the sun's rays shining gently through the canopy, he felt… clearer. Not good or bad, but he was able to wipe his eyes, get to his feet, and pick himself back up.
"Okay," he said, softly to himself. "1983. How do I get back?"
Well, the obvious thing to do would be to go back to Stanford. He made the portal, he should be able to turn it on again and send him back, right?
Danny frowned. Stanford… something about that name was niggling at him. The first thing Danny remembered when he woke up was someone calling that name, but that man had been the only one in the portal room… could there be two people named Stanford?
Or was there only one?
Danny remembered how that man had gone grey at the thought of the portal killing him - someone went in on this side, didn't they? Stanford went in… and that man, he was pretending to be him? For some reason? Danny didn't know what kind of sketchy business was going on down there, and he wasn't sure he wanted to find out.
Besides, he was pretty sure that man didn't have a clue how to operate the portal. Danny had been too distracted at the time to realise, but his strange story, his vague timeline of when it'd be operational again… he knew how his parents talked about their portal, and 'Stanford' didn't sound anything like that.
But if not that portal, how else was he gonna get home?
"My parents…" Danny breathed. He ran a hand through his hair. "1983… how old would they be?"
Ugh, what were their birthdays again? Danny paced in the snow, wracking his brain for any anecdotes of theirs he could remember. He knew they were both forty-something, which meant…
"2004 minus 1983…" he massaged his forehead. "Oh, that's like… twenty-ish years back? So they're in their twenties?"
They might be in college, Danny thought. He remembered his Mom and Dad talking about how they'd first built a prototype portal in college - that's it! If he could just find them, maybe they could help him!
"Or maybe just talking to them will cause some kind of time paradox," Danny frowned to himself. "I can't tell them it's me… but still, if they built the portal that sent me back, maybe they can build something that sends me forwards!"
It was dangerous, but it was the only thing he could think of. And besides, a part of him really, really wanted to see them again. He didn't want to go back to that creepy shack in the woods; that guy wouldn't lift a finger to help him, but he knew, he knew his parents would.
"But where did they go to college?" Danny grimaced. "Ugh, somewhere in Wisconsin, maybe I could-"
Google it, Danny thought, and then immediately smacked his face. Right, 1983, so he could… go look up a list of Wisconsin universities at the library? And then he'd Okay. Okay, that sounded like something of a plan, right?
He gave a grim smile. It was a start, at least.
The first thing Danny knew upon getting back to town was he needed to get as far away from it as possible.
"Anyway, you hear about that ghost kid?"
He stopped dead in an alley at the sound of voices. There was a man leaning against the far end with a cigarette in his hand, and Danny ducked behind a dumpster.
"Yeah," said another voice. "I saw the Duskertons this morning - never seen 'em so shaken up! Poor Ma looked like she was gonna faint! What kind of creature would do that to such a sweet old lady?"
"Those blasted things coming outta that shack in the woods are gettin' worse every year." growled the other. Danny watched the man flick his cigarette onto the ground and step on it. "Sooner or later we gotta do something about it, y'know?"
"I hear you."
"Hm… well, I gotta get back to work. You stay safe, alright?"
"You too."
Danny ducked lower as the man passed by the alley, and then glanced down at his glowing hands. Great, so the whole town's already on the watch for a ghost boy. Even if he switched back to human, this hazmat suit getup was gonna get him in trouble for sure.
He looked across the street, where he could spot a couple shirts in the display window of a store. The store was named FLANNELS FLANNELS AND MORE FLANNELS - Danny smirked to himself.
"Gee, I wonder what they sell." He muttered, and drummed his fingers on the dumpster. "Well, stuck in the past with no money. I think Mom and Dad would understand if I just…"
He looked down at his hand and focused, focused - it flickered, and then he popped out of existence. The invisibility spread over him like a shiver going down his spine and he grinned.
"Alright! Hah, this is gonna be scary easy - I shouldn't get used to this!" He stood up, and watched as someone passed by the alley without noticing him at all. "Okay! Let's do this."
And off he went. It felt more than odd to walk out in front of people he was supposed to be hiding from, but it seemed to work; they didn't notice him at all. He flickered a little as he crossed the street, but he took a deep breath, and luckily the flickering died back down.
When he got up to the shop, he placed a hand against the glass… and it felt completely solid. Danny grimaced at the people passing him by - better not risk it. He opened the front door, causing a bored cashier to choke on her coffee.
"What the-?" She watched a shirt, a pair of jeans, and a hat hop off the rack and dash out the door. "Holy camoly, They're flying off the shelves!"
Well, Danny thought as he raced back into the forest, at least that went sort of smoothly! He ducked behind a tree, changed back to human, and shoved his foot through a pantleg.
"Eugh," He pulled them up, and then put his arms through. "Not crazy about wearing jeans over a jumpsuit… but that'll do."
He shivered as he buttoned up the flannel shirt. "Ugh, should've gotten a coat… there! Okay…" He took off the black gloves and then straightened out his shirt. "Okay, well, I do look like a lumberjack now, but it's a step up from ghost kid."
Still, he was so cold already - he put the hat on, changed back, and then blinked as he realised he was back to the jumpsuit.
"Huh?" He pinched his chest, and then reached up to feel his hair: the hat was gone, too. "Aaand I'm right back to ghost kid. Great."
Maybe it'd still be on when he changed back? Danny sure hoped so, but either way he had to go back to town. He noticed the shadows lengthening on his way back; ah shoot, it was getting dark. If he couldn't get out of here soon, he'd have to figure something out- what was that?
He turned his head at a twig snapping, and saw a little man in a red hat wander out of a bush. He froze, and watched the gnome look towards him, and give a wave.
"Shmebulock," he said, and Danny gave a tentative wave back.
"Uh… hello to you too?" He stared at the gnome for a moment longer, then turned and hurried on his way. "Man, this place gets weirder by the second. I gotta get out of here."
Once the buildings came into view again, Danny ducked behind a fence and changed back. To his relief, the clothes returned; he fixed his hat, took a deep breath, and let it out in a big puff of fog.
"Okay," He said, hugging his arms to his chest. "Find the bus stop. And do it before I freeze."
No time to waste, he thought, and hopped the fence to get onto the main street. He was almost starting to recognise this town - it only took getting chased out of it a couple times. He spotted the Dusk 2 Dawn store off to the left, and quickly turned and started heading right.
A lady was approaching on the street - hey, and the kid with the trike, he saw them earlier! Well, he scared them earlier; he ducked his head a little as they passed him, and they didn't seem to notice. Good to know this was working… but he probably should ask someone about the bus.
The next person to pass was a big guy with a sweater tied around his shoulders. He saw Danny looking up at him, and slowed down.
"Good morning! What's the matter, little dude?"
"Oh, uh…" Danny cleared his throat. "Just wondering if you knew where the bus stop is?"
"Sure!" He pointed. "Down the street, then you take the dirt road to the left. Should see a sign and a bench. If you hit the lake, you've gone too far!"
"Okay… okay! Thanks, man!"
"No problem! Stay safe - and hey, watch out for ghosts!"
Danny's smile froze on his face. "Yeah… I'll, uh, keep my eye out!"
Then he started on the long walk out of town. His hands were really starting to go numb; he rubbed them together, and shoved them in his pockets. That was just about enough to keep him from freezing, but he was really shivering - ugh, this sucked. This whole thing just sucked. How long was it gonna be until he got to the bus stop?
He stared forwards at the dirt road, but it curved too much to see too far ahead. The light was dimming, too; the sun hung just above the trees, and he knew it wouldn't be long before it got dark.
Danny glanced at the shadowy forest pressing in on either side, and felt an odd anxiety gnawing at him. A part of him told him there was something deeply strange about this place, something he didn't want to meet after the sun went down. He really hoped the bus stop was coming up soon.
After a little more walking, Danny could hear something in the distance… a sort of engine sound? He sped up a bit, and it got louder; oh, yes, it sounded like a bus! The thought struck him that it could leave at any time - he started running, his feet crunching in the snow, the trees falling away and revealing…
"The bus!" Danny saw the glow of the headlights, and the sign overhead: EUGENE EXPRESS. He dashed on board, saying, "Oh man, thank you so much for waiting, I-"
Then he paused at the sound of snoring. The bus driver was sat back in his seat, his hands clasped on his chest and the heater blasting in his face. He didn't seem to notice Danny at all; Danny glanced down at the fare machine in front of him, and quietly slid away to take a seat near the back.
He collapsed into a seat, and only then did he realise how bone-tired he was. The seat was stiff, the back of the next one was covered in grime and old gum, and the sill of the window was barely wide enough to fit his elbow on it… but in that moment, Danny hardly even noticed. He was struggling just to keep his eyes open.
With a sigh, he settled down, leaned his head against the glass, and stared out into the forest until he drifted off to sleep.
