Danny accompanied Valerie on her flight to her father's laboratory. Valerie is grateful that her father's current business trip is keeping him away from home, as otherwise, they would not have access to his lab. Her father dislikes Danny far more than she does, and that is saying a lot. He didn't believe in or support Danny's vigilante behavior; he saw Danny as a child attempting to fit into a grown-up world. Valerie didn't consider herself to be so intentionally ignorant; she understood that Danny's job was far more noble than most people knew or cared to know. She dislikes the ghost boy because he pushes his loved ones away.
Danny drives everyone away, including friends, family, and soon-to-be loved ones, to put it more precisely. It did not matter to the young woman whether Danny had done these things voluntarily or not. What really irritates the youngster is his lack of willingness to change. Rather than owning up to his shortcomings and making an effort to improve, Danny always has some cheap justification for his actions.
Even though Valerie knew she shouldn't, she finds it impossible to resist thinking about the past when it keeps coming up in her life. She used to genuinely think that she and Danny were meant to be together—that they were a match made in heaven. Knowing what she knew today, Valerie would laugh in the face of her younger self. Valerie used to be so naive about their love, if you could even call it that, that she didn't see any issues with them trying to date again after their first failed attempt at a relationship. How wrong she was, pfft.
She fell for the same trick again by the same person, and she felt like one of those cheesy pop singers who only sing breakup songs. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me, as they say in Texas. Danny's issue is that he suppresses all of his feelings and issues, becoming a mindless machine that follows a routine even when it is unhealthy. He was suppressing his love for Sam, but rather than acting on it, he decided to run away and into Valerie's arms. The idea that she truly believed he loved her is beyond her comprehension. After giving him everything of her energy and effort, what does he do? He shits on everything.
She needs to take a deep breath; there's no reason for her to lose her mind over someone like him. They approached her father's laboratory and landed on the roof. Valerie's hoverboard changes into a small, compact silver disk that she stores in the head of her utility belt. Having just done her hair, Valerie detests having to put on her ghost hunting costume. Given that her father would kill her if he discovered she was still fighting spirits, it is imperative. The adolescent felt guilty about breaking into her father's lab as well. Even though her dad annoyed her, they maintained a certain amount of trust in one another.
Valerie approaches the maintenance entrance while continuing to touch on the wrist-mounted digital screen of her suit. By no means is it an easy task for her to gain access to the building's security system, as her father changes it virtually every other week. Furthermore, she has a finite window of time to establish contact before her father receives a notice that someone is trying to break into his lab. A green light appears on her screen, and she smiles to herself. With a ping, the maintenance door opens for them, and Valerie enters with Danny right behind her.
"Why couldn't I just fly us in?" Danny asks.
Valerie scoffs, "Be for real; my dad has more anti-ghost security measures than human ones."
"Are you going to be angry with me the whole time?"
"Hmm, I don't know Danny, am I?" she snaps at the boy.
"Listen, I'm sorry for coming into your room unannounced."
"I don't give a shit about that," she laughs.
Valerie is guiding Danny and her through the white hallways to the main chamber, which houses her father's supercomputer. Wanting to prevent her father from receiving any notifications about activity in his lab, she turned off the motion detectors and cameras.
"Then what?" Danny asks curiously.
"Sometimes I wonder how you became a hero with how clueless you are."
"Can you be straight with me for one second-"
"We're here," Valerie interrupts.
The young huntress ushers them into a vast, silver room with a massive computer screen that fills the entire wall on the far side. There is a long, narrow counter-top beneath the screen, and on it are many keyboards, the majority of which are alphabetical, numeric, or mathematical. There are a dozen smaller screens on the wall next to it that are showing lines of green code. Danny had no idea what any of that meant, but he was confident that this machine could track Nancy.
Valerie admires one of her father's best accomplishments. In terms of speed, storage, RAM, and CPU, this is the best computer ever created; it outperforms any computer produced by a government or agency. It can resolve intricate mathematical formulas and issues that were previously thought to be unsolvable in femtoseconds. Her father had originally created it for the US government, but he backed out of the deal and used the computer to launch his own software company after they undercut him on price. Undoubtedly, this developed into a massive tech company that explores all aspects of computers. The US government handed him a $250 million contract to make computer chips in an attempt to mend their connection and, she believes, gain control over him.
Given that it performs significantly better than any current supercomputer, her father and his associates refer to the system as the "Ultra-computer." When she turns on the formidable device, the words "Enter Password" appear on the screen in a split second. She thought it was hilarious that her dad's occasionally archaic methods were limiting the use of such a cutting-edge device. He could have used a biometric scan or facial ID to gain access to his computer, but he preferred a straightforward password. Well if it ain't broke.
Valerie is grateful that she had the password to access the computer since she would have been here for millions of years before hacking into the system, and that is not an exaggeration. Her dad's computer is successfully accessed by her, and she skillfully searches through its enormous file system for a specific folder. Valerie clicks on the sought file, grinning to herself. Her father works as a federal contractor, but he also leads a second life that he believes his daughter is somehow unaware of.
Supernatural is Valerie's nickname for the program that was just opened. An application that keeps all the information about each and every paranormal event, including the ghosts and other participants. The software uses thousands of online sites to obtain its information. However, Valerie is not searching for that. She clicks on the tracker tab after navigating the application. Using a variety of radio towers located inside the program's field of influence, it is also capable of tracking any paranormal entity within 200 miles. All ghosts emit a unique energy that interferes with radio waves and microwaves. Radio stations get mixed up because of this phenomenon, which is caused by ghost activity in the vicinity.
Valerie pans across a map of the United States until the only thing visible is Amity Park and its environs. Numerous blue dots on the map indicate the presence of paranormal entities, and they appear in different places. She couldn't believe her eyes. Valerie owns a ghost tracker that usually alerts her to ghost activity around her, but it hasn't even buzzed once today. Valerie looks at Danny, and judging by the expression on his face, she knows that he was also shocked to see so many ghosts in Amity Park.
Danny didn't know who the other dots were, but he knew Nancy had to be someplace in the town. Were there other ghosts in Amity Park that he was unaware of? Did they possess Nancy's strength? Danny was frozen in place, too many ideas racing through his mind. Valerie gives the teenager a shoulder tap while wearing a worried expression.
"Danny?"
An explosion shakes the structure, jarring Danny out of his daydream. The sirens reverberate throughout the spacious facility while red lights flicker in the laboratory. Valerie glances around fearfully. She moves to switch off the computer when the monitor erupts, flinging Danny and Valerie backward.
"NO!" Valerie screams at the screen as it's engulfed in flames.
Danny stutters to his feet and pulls Valerie up beside him. Chills ran down his spine as he heard a frigid laugh from behind them. He looks back and sees the mobster's familiar scarred visage staring back at him. Danny's heart fell; this was the last person he wanted to meet at this particular moment. His world will die if he lets this ghost divert his attention from fighting Nancy.
"It's almost poetic that we meet again so soon," he taunts, his calm but stern voice heard over the sirens.
"Why are you here?" Danny calls out as he steps in front of Valerie.
"She said you'd be looking for ways to find her, but I didn't think it would be here."
"Who is she?" Danny shouts even though he knows the answer.
The Mobster chuckles darkly, "I think we both know who."
Danny narrows his gaze at the wicked apparition; the thing that killed multiple men appeared in front of him, grinning smugly. The mobster was aware of the suffering he was causing Danny, and he seemed to enjoy it like an inhumane beast. Well, you simply have to substitute one letter.
"C'mon lighten up a bit, pal," he assures. "Like they say, life is too short to be so mad."
"You kill a bunch of innocent people and you tell me to lighten up?" Danny hisses.
"Wha? Oh don't tell me you're still thinking about that," the mobster backtracked. "Listen, consider all of it water under the bridge, yeah?" he adds in a noticeable Italian accent.
Danny's anger is growing stronger by the moment. How could this ghost dismiss those murders as if the victims were nothing but scum under his shoe. Danny's eyes turn red as ideas of tearing this mobster apart go through his mind. He's just seconds away from pouncing on the ghost. Danny feels the onset of his recurring headache and blinks away the pain, wanting nothing more than to tear his ghost limb from limb.
"Danny, don't; he's just rage baiting you," Valerie states sternly. "Plus I highly doubt he can move right now."
"What?" Danny questions in confusion.
"This place's security systems are state of the art when it comes to keeping anomalies out, and if one is able to sneak their way in then they're basically frozen in place," Valerie answers. "So if you transform then the same thing will happen to you," she continues, "And this asshole destroyed my father's life's work, I'm going to kill him slow."
"Are you now?" the mobster smiles. "I like a gal with grit."
"Aren't you scared?" Danny questions. "Your plan failed and you can no longer move."
The ghost laughs wholeheartedly at Danny's statement. " You couldn't be more wrong."
"You can stop bluffing now; you may be able to talk but that's the extent of your movement ability," Valerie cuts in.
"And how long is that going to last?" he ended.
A fresh siren sounds, as if on cue, and is followed by a computerized voice.
"Building power at 65 percent," it thunders.
"See, I figured that this fancy schmancy place would have some sort of fancy schmancy alarm, and when I blew a hole in the building I made sure to aim for the power supply," he explains. "And the backup."
Valerie was unable to even verify whether the ghost was telling the truth because of the broken computer. She sensed that he's the kind of man that doesn't embellish the truth about his actions. That effectively meant that she and Danny were stuck; she could try to escape to the backup computer, but that would drain all of the power and release this evil spirit. They could leave without any meaningful information about the ghost Danny is chasing, putting them in the wrong place at the wrong time. Neither of these options addresses the massive dilemma in front of them.
This wannabe gangsta, whatever he is, poses a serious threat, and letting him go might be their final mistake ever. Splitting up is the clear choice that this spirit wants them to make. He is aware that Danny is unable to stay or transform, therefore he wants Danny to make the decision to leave, thus keeping the gangster with her. The ghost is aware that Danny would never dare abandon a friend at the same time. The mobster's true goal is for Danny to become paralyzed and squander time until he is released. She wanted to remain and kick this ghost's ass for breaking into her father's lab, but she knew she had to leave.
Is what you want me to say.
"Danny, I'm going to turn the security system off and we're going to fight him," Valerie commands.
The ghost child remained silent and merely strengthened his resolve. When it comes to combating ghosts, he puts even more faith in Valerie's intuition than in his own parents. Danny has witnessed her fight multiple times; her fighting ability is undeniable. Valerie is tapping away at the touchscreen located on her suit's forearm. As the power audibly cuts off, Danny changes into Danny Phantom and they find themselves in a dark chamber illuminated only by red lights and emergency exit signs.
The mobster disappeared along with the white light from the lab lights when the electricity was turned off. Standing back to back, Valerie and Danny looked around the dark room for any indication of their enemy. Danny assumes the ghost will play defense and bide his time, knowing he had to be somewhere else. They need to lure him out and put an end to this battle immediately. Danny had no idea how to accomplish that. He knew very little about the mobster, particularly his weaknesses. Frankly, Danny didn't believe the ghost would appear here in the middle of this whole messy situation.
Valerie's suit's artificial intelligence scans the space, presenting Valerie all ectoplasmic targets in a 3D blueprint of the room. Raising her arm, the huntress lets out two laser shots from her wrist-blasters. The gangster avoids the attacks and remains invisible, but his movement alerts Danny to his current location. Danny makes a lightning-fast leap toward the ghost. The mobster appears with his signature Tommy gun and attempts to fire it, but Danny grabs the gun's barrel and violently shoves it into the air. His hand is burned by the heat from the weapon's rapid fire. Danny cocks his free hand back, delivering an explosive hook to the mobster's jaw.
Between 1948 and 1955, the renowned hitman Palatino Savage, well known by his street name The Grim Reaper, worked as a hitman for the Rose Syndicate, a sizable mafia organization. As his moniker suggests, he was a very lethal individual who, in the brief time he spent as a mafia hitman, killed over 100 people. Anybody could be his target—a man, a woman, a child, wealthy or not, black or white—and they would all wind up in a barrel at the Hudson River's bottom. Some claim he was genuinely devoted to his Don, while others portray him as a murderous maniac who delighted in causing suffering to other people. Every one of them thought he had a personal agreement with Death itself to kill anyone unlucky enough to be in his path.
It wasn't until January 1955 that he was gunned down by the FBI in a final standoff at an upstate New York property, after killing at least 15 agents during the battle. His death could have been the result of all the condemned souls catching up with him in a karmic endeavor to balance the world. Even death couldn't satisfy his bloodlust, and he roamed the living world as an evil spirit haunting historical mafia hotspots. An ancient folktale stated that you might hear the click of a gun being cocked if you were strolling down Adams Avenue by yourself at precisely 11 PM, the hour of his supposed death. No matter how many times you look around, you will never see someone following you. According to the tale, the clicking sound follows you everywhere, and if you don't turn around when you hear it, you will be shot in the back without warning.
A few years after his passing, the legend began to take shape, but it eventually faded away until the terrible deaths of a young adult couple in the late 1990s brought it back to life. With a single gunshot wound in the middle of their backs, they were discovered lying flat on their faces in a puddle of their own blood on Adams Avenue. Following other similar fatalities, James Warren was taken into custody by the local police department and the FBI on multiple murder charges. When Mr. Warren was discovered hanging in his cell, the words "The Grim Reaper made me do it" were scrawled in marker on the wall.
Police used it as an informal confession, and James Warren was implicated for the killings, becoming known as the Adams Ave Assailant. The street was renamed Thomas Georgino Robinson road in honor of the last victim, a well-known family doctor in the neighborhood. The superstitious citizens of Brooklyn claimed that James had been possessed by Palatino, or that the murderer was not James at all, but rather The Grim Reaper of the Rose Syndicate returning to steal more souls. The monster in question now stood in front of Danny and Valerie, eager to devour more victims.
Mr. Savage angrily threw Danny off when he attempted another punch. As the mobster raises his gun to take out the boy, a laser beam strikes him in the back of the head. As Palatino staggers forward, a series of little explosions envelop him. He faces his assailant, only to be struck in the chest by another laser. Danny uses a few of his own ghost rays to distract the mobster. Palatino falls on one knee and, seeing Danny approaching, he hurriedly shoots dozens of shots at him in an effort to fend off the advancing phantom.
If he continued to battle by himself, he would undoubtedly lose. He is more concerned about the bizarre girl than with the ghost boy. Each time a laser struck his body, it hurt a great deal, and she hasn't missed a shot yet. Palatino had to kill the girl first if he was to live. He had a feeling it wouldn't be an easy assignment with the ghost lad present. He needed to separate them and knew just how to do so. Palatino Savage snaps his fingers, causing the ground under them to quake violently before bursting open and revealing dozens of undead criminals wielding various weapons.
Without waiting a second, the group of mobsters aim their guns toward Valerie and open fire. She dives behind a few desks, disappearing from view. There's just a single canister where she was standing, and it bursts into a cloud of smoke that fills the room in an instant. Hoping to tag the cunning huntress, the undead mobsters fired at what seemed like everything. A futuristic-looking heavy gun pointed at the group is brandished by Valerie as she emerges from across the room. She doesn't hesitate to pull the trigger. A head popped like a balloon, no gore or blood, just instantaneous deletion; then one of the mobsters is reduced to nothing but a pair of legs. It mimicked a computer point-and-click adventure game.
Valerie's unusual weaponry took only ten seconds to wipe out Palatino's crew. Smiling a low note, he expresses his admiration at the young woman's aim and her weaponry, which seemed to erase whatever it was pointed at. Normally, he could raise his crew from the dead and continue fighting, but something was preventing him from doing so now. He questions whether the weapon she is using breaks down a ghost's ectoplasmic DNA to the molecular level, leading the ghost to become unstable and ultimately cease to form.
He chuckles to himself as he glances at his two opponents. To think that bitch Nancy had lured him into fighting these two. The ghost child is sensitive to murder, but he is far from soft; and this woman, who obliterated his crew's existence without hesitation, Palatino could tell she had no qualms about killing others, particularly those who threatened her or her loved ones. These two are not the helpless fools Nancy painted them as. The moment he stepped into this den of lions, he had lost this battle.
Hence, in the face of impending mortality, what can one do? One can choose to rush toward or away from the Grim Reaper's scythe. Palatino Savage chose the coward's path, despite having the justification that no amount of money could make this bounty worthwhile. He withdrew his Tommy gun and raised his hands in submission.
"I give," he said.
"Yeah right," Valerie objects, aiming at the ghost.
"Val, stop," Danny interjects.
"You can't be serious."
"Dead serious."
Danny approaches the man gingerly, watching out for any ploys by Palatino. The fight has gone from this ghost's eyes, yet he still didn't want to believe it. Though Danny was itching to punch a hole in Palatino's chest, the mobster possessed information Danny was actively looking for. But Danny would be lying if he claimed he didn't wonder why this monster gave up so quickly.
"Why?" he questions.
"Why what?" Palatino replies, meeting Danny's gaze.
"Why are you surrendering?"
"A man knows how to cut his losses."
"A man?" Danny hissed as he grabbed Palatino's suit jacket. "You're not a fucking man, no man slaughters a bunch of innocent people for no reason, you're a monster."
Palatino smirks, "Potato, Potahto."
Palatino's head snaps back as Danny delivers a massive punch to his nose. The gangster is knocked to his hands and knees by the second punch. The first hit cracked Palatino's nose with a horrific crunch, while the second fractured his jaw in three places. Grabbing the gangster by his tie, Danny pulls him to his knees and strikes his face repeatedly, causing more and more damage. Palatino felt every blow resonate through his body and penetrate his innermost soul. One could argue that this is only a fraction of the punishment he deserves. It felt like Hell right then.
"Is that all you got, pretty boy?" Palatino spits.
A straight punch to the face—one, two, three, four, five. By now Danny's hand had crushed most of Palatino's features, and green blood had spattered what remained of the mobster's face like a surrealist painting. Danny's veins filled with rage, and he couldn't contain himself any more. That evil, unapologetic sneer on Palatino's lips was something he saw every time he glanced at him. No matter how hard he pounded the man's face into ground beef.
Danny threw a variety of blows at the gangster, including hooks, uppercuts, and jabs. The ghost child was furious that Palatino offered no resistance at all. His drive to slake his thirst arises from his relentless pursuit of the escalation of his wrath and satisfaction. However, the way Palatino was responding, he was unable to satisfy him. Danny's hand radiates a green aura. The only way to deal with a crazed mutt like this one is to put it down. Danny lifts his fist for the final time.
"Stop," Valerie calls from behind the teen.
"What?"
"You heard me, Phantom," Valerie snaps back.
"And what if I don't?" Danny asks, glancing back at the huntress.
Valerie steadily points the gun in Danny's direction while readjusting her grip.
"You're s-so wea-ak!" Palatino calls out to the ghost boy. "You tink cuz you don't kill 'yare betta than us?" With his shattered jaw reduced to jelly and thick blood accumulating in his mouth, the mobster was hardly able to talk.
"You know the answer to that question, Danny," Valerie shouts. "Don't let him bullshit you."
To ensure the ghost youngster can hear him, Palatino musters the last of his energy to speak.
"They're all going to die because of you-"
Palatino collapses to the ground, a chunk missing from his head and chest. Ectoplasm spills into the floor, causing his eye to quiver for the very last time. Danny witnesses the ghostly mobster disappear into oblivion before his eyes. He now had nowhere to vent his anger out. No solace came to him from the monster's death. Like a deserted beehive that was once teeming with life but was now empty, Danny felt hollow and barren. Danny Phantom turns to face Valerie with an angry expression, putting his nose to her helmet.
"What the fuck?" he growls. "We needed him."
"Needed?" she scoffs. "It looks like you were throwing a tantrum to me."
"He knew where Nancy was!"
"And we did too!" Valerie barks. "Until this shitbag blew up my dad's lab."
"What is your problem? You have been at my throat this whole time."
"Get out."
Danny raises an eyebrow, "What?"
"Get the fuck out of my dad's office," she repeats with a snarl. "This is all you bring to the people around you," Valerie continues, pointing out the destruction of her dad's pride and joy.
"Maybe you didn't hear me earlier; I said our entire universe-"
"I heard you loud and clear, but that's just another excuse to pull people into your problems."
"So you're not going to protect the town?" Danny questions in frustration.
"Oh I'll protect the town, but I'm going to do it my way."
Frustrated, Danny shakes his head; he wasn't going to sit and argue with her any longer. Since her father's computer malfunctioned, Valerie is no longer of service to him. He'll do it on his own, just like he has for the previous four years. Danny Phantom had no need for anyone. Before taking off, he gives Valerie one final irritated glance.
Dani turns to leave, but Ben clutches her wrist tightly. She gives him a quick glance back, but he lacks the confidence to meet her gaze. He had no idea how, but this girl was making him go against his own instincts. Perhaps because he understood, deep down, that she was correct. Ben Omega weighs his limited options, not that he had many. Taking on Voodoom would be an uphill task for them.
"If you really want to do this," he breathes. "Then you have to listen to every word I say."
Ben's azure eyes search Dani's green for any sign of affirmation. She gives a nod of consent.
"I promise."
Ben lets out a heavy breath, realizing that this battle will demand more of him than he had anticipated. The ghost girl has never seen him fight, and he has never seen her fight. Their combined synergy will be as ineffective as someone attempting to dance with two left feet. This is the reason he would prefer to fight by himself; you bear all the burden, and if you lose, then that's also your fault. There's no need to worry about anyone else.
"Are you seriously choosing to fight me? When the fate of your world hangs in the balance?"
"Release those people," Ben demands.
"I didn't take you for the sentimental type," Voodoom retorts. He waves his hand nonchalantly. "Kill them," he commands.
There's a roar throughout the room. Ben looks around them and draws Dani closer to him. The dark shapes on the stone walls begin to move, and zombies similar to those Dani and Ben encountered earlier emerge into the light. Dani only needed to glance into their dark, soulless eyes to know they were no longer human. Their flesh, like water dripping from a leaky faucet, seeping from their decaying bones. Thick white slobber coated their razor-sharp fangs. With an air of hunger for blood, the zombies were poised and ready for war.
"Can you take them?" Ben asks the silver haired ghost.
In the dimly lit room, it is difficult to count the number of zombies—perhaps as few as twelve.
"I can," Dani answers quickly.
"Then leave Voodoom to me," Ben declared. "And Dani?"
"Yeah?"
"Good luck," he added with a nod, before disappearing from view.
Dani smiles, "You too."
Eager for blood, the zombie servants rush forward in a frenzied manner. Dani shifts her focus to the adversaries before her. The undead pets of Voodoom are swift, but Dani is far faster. She surrounds her hand in green aura, aiming at the nearest zombie freak. Her fist passed through its head cleanly, as if it weren't there. Dani ducks to her right to avoid being slashed by another zombie. She then delivers an uppercut that sends the zombie hurtling to the ceiling and splattering all over the ancient concrete. Dani leaps into the air to escape as she senses two zombies coming at her from both flanks.
The zombies are stopped in their tracks by the ghost girl's feet as she performs a split in midair. One coming at her from the front gets karate-chopped in the shoulder by her, sending the creature flying to the floor. Using the two zombies as a springboard, Dani spins into a front flip and swoops her leg down into the head of another slave zombie. Dani's foot slashes through the top of the undead creature's head, bisecting it completely with an over-the-head ax kick.
Dani softly touches the ground as the two zombies move in to attack her. The spectral girl's hands extend in both directions, resembling spikes, piercing the faces of her charging adversaries. An introduction to her new abilities, which let her change her limbs into a variety of weapons. She pulls her arms from the corpses of the servants and is simultaneously charged by the six zombies that are still alive. Exhibit B: Dani twists around and transforms her arm into a dual-bladed ax, quickly slicing off the zombies' heads.
Dani inherited Danny's strength, but she also developed her own sense of acrobatics. This doesn't feel like a real fight—more like a warm-up. She secretly wished Voodoom had more zombies for her to battle. She turned to look at where he had been seated and found him and Ben engaged in combat. Just as Dani was going to intervene and assist her friend, she heard another growl from behind. When she looks over her shoulder, the zombie she had previously karate-chopped is back on his feet. The shoulder was severed to the chest region, leaving the arm and shoulder hanging loosely like an unzipped hoodie, preventing the zombie from using its arm.
Oh, I missed one.
A greater number of the zombie's face features are visible to Dani in the newly available light. Her heart sinks to the pit of her stomach as she stops dead in her tracks. Fear shot through her body, just like it had when they'd first entered the tunnel. This zombie appeared to be exactly like the other decaying corpses she had faced, to everyone else. The tattered clothes and a few strands of black, oily hair were familiar to Dani. She grabs her chest and chokes on the air that is leaving her lungs. It hurts just as much as it did that day. The teenage girl, gasping for air, collapses onto her back as the zombie leaps on top of her.
The beast shrieked at her, its vile breath stinging her nostrils. It held her arms down, its filthy, sharp fingernails piercing the girl's flesh. Dani has tears running down her cheeks. She made an attempt to turn away, but she was unable to take her gaze off the man's decaying, maggot-infested face above her. Dani tightly closed her eyes, praying that this was all just a horrible dream, but when she opened them again, the teenage girl was met with horrific recollections.
AUTHOR's NOTE: Next chapter is going to have a trigger warning with extreme SA and UASA, I formatted this current chapter as to not need the next chapter to understand the story going forward(although you will be missing a lot of the reasoning for Dani's present and future mental, mindset, and reasoning.) You do not need to read next chapter if you do not want to. Just wait for the following chapter.
On another note, I will explain why Valerie is being mean to Danny in future chapters because there is a legitimate reason, along with a slightly petty one.