12/29/24: Hello again! It's almost the new year! Now if only I could get some snow…we're in a bad drought this year and could use a good ten to thirty inches of snow! I'm also dying to pull out the big tractor and plow haha.

1/4/25: Update: We're getting between 8-12 inches of snow tomorrow! I finally got the plow on the tractor! XD

WARNING: Yes, another warning for the same thing. Danny is going to a dark place.

Starting off with a bang.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.

–

Chapter 39: Something Wicked

–

Danny couldn't really feel his hands or arms anymore. His shoulders were on fire, protesting holding his weight for so long, but the ghost couldn't bring himself to care. His legs weren't holding any of his weight and hadn't been all night, the ghost too weak to stand properly.

Now that he'd woken up, he knew it was a matter of time before Declan came back. Part of him was dreading the pain–though he was still in a lot of it–and part of him simply didn't feel anything.

But that part of him suddenly surged to life when the door opened and Sam walked in. "S-Sam…" he stuttered, barely able to open his eyes enough to see her properly.

"Danny!" she exclaimed, running over to him. "I've been looking everywhere for you." The goth looked him over, horror on her face at his wounds. "My God…"

"I can't…I can't walk," he rasped.

The goth walked around him, assessing the damage before stopping at his front. "You've definitely looked better."

The statement was very unlike what Sam would say in this moment and it caused Danny to really open his eyes and get a good look at her. The way she carried herself, the look on her face… "Shade?"

She grinned wickedly at him. "Did you really think you got rid of me? I'm still in here, and the best part is, Sam is in the background just screaming and screaming." She laughed, walking towards him.

"I've been working with Mira to capture you, all for the moment when I could see your face as the woman you love murders you." Shade reached out and placed a soft hand on his cheek. "Look at you, you pathetic wretch; the once mighty and powerful Phantom reduced to this." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes with a smile. "It's like my dream come true."

The ghost didn't have the strength to pull away from her touch, not physically or emotionally. His core was shattering as he realized Sam was still trapped–was still slave to the persona Mira had created. Knowing she was in there screaming…it never even occurred to him to be afraid for his own life.

Not until Shade's hand went through his chest, an echo of the past as her fingers grasped his core, an evil smirk on her beautiful face. But he couldn't feel the physical pain, the emotional despair and agony overriding everything else.

Shade's wicked grin widened as she gripped his core tightly and twisted, the ghost finally feeling it and screaming as she dislodged it from his system, yanking it out through his chest.

–

Danny startled awake, the panic and fear he felt jarring his wounds as it caused him to wobble around. He looked down and noted his chest was still intact and that Shade had not, in fact, killed him. He closed his eyes, fighting the urge to cry. It's not like he really could cry anyway, as he was too dehydrated to produce tears anymore.

It wasn't the first dream he'd had of Shade trying to kill him, but it was the first one that had felt so real. He could still feel her hand gripping his core. Though, maybe that's because she'd done it before and he knew what it felt like for her to reach into his chest.

Obviously, this time he could tell it hadn't happened as he was still alive, but he'd had several of these where it seemed like she really was Shade and really had joined Mira once again. He could have sworn she'd been burning him yesterday with her powers…and he did have the burns to prove it. Could Shade have really taken over?

This was the worst part of the torture–not the physical pain–but the mental anguish and torment. It was Sam doing these things to him now. He could handle Declan doing it, but her? It was true that everyone had a breaking point, and his fiance being the one to hurt him was it for him.

The door opened right on cue as Declan walked in. The shorter man nodded appraisingly at the ghost. "Looks like you had a rough night," he said with a hint of amusement. He closed the door and went over to his cart of weapons. "I didn't get much sleep, either. I was a little busy with your bitch."

That got Danny's attention and his gaze immediately went to the half ghost. "Sam?" he asked, his voice hoarse and raspy almost to the point he could barely talk.

Declan waved his head around in a non-commital gesture. "Yes and no. It's Shade really, and she's a vixen in the bed," he said, turning to the ghost with a sick grin.

Danny's eyes darted around as his mind tried to figure out what was happening. "This is a dream…it's another dream," he rasped.

Declan laughed before going over to the ghost, unsheathing his small knife and jamming it into his leg. Danny screamed as the metal blade buried itself deep into muscle. "Does that feel real enough for you?" the shorter man asked.

Danny groaned, his mind racing at the possibilities. So, Shade really had joined Mira? Wait…no, there's no way Sam would do that. But Shade wasn't Sam…

He closed his eyes and shouted again, this time in frustration. He didn't know what was real and what wasn't! Maybe Shade really had been there yesterday, burning his flesh and laughing at his pain? It was a very Shade-like thing to do.

The half ghost pulled his knife out, earning another groan from Danny. He could tell the ghost was struggling with knowing what to believe. "That serum really messes with your mind, doesn't it? You aren't quite sure if you can believe what I say, can you?" he asked, going back over to the cart. "Well, trust me when I say it's real. She'll be by later as she's just itching to have another turn at you."

The ghost felt his core drop at the man's words. He didn't think he could take it…not if it was her hurting him. He hung his head in defeat; he simply didn't have the will anymore.

Declan grabbed a different small knife, this one serrated and barbed and dipped it in sulfuric acid, before going back over to Danny. "Aww, don't tell me you've given up already?"

Danny wouldn't look at him or even lift his head.

"It took years for Eden to break you. Are you telling me you're going to break now over a little pain?" he asked mockingly. "Or is it the fact that it's your precious little bitch that'll be breaking you later?"

Again, he received no response. If it weren't for the fact that the ghost was fake breathing to stem the pain he was feeling, especially from his torn and tattered back, Declan would've thought he up and died on him.

He tsked, clucking his tongue. "The great and powerful Phantom, reduced to this. If Amity could see you now."

Without more preamble, he stabbed the knife into Danny's stomach, eliciting a hoarse shout from the ghost. The acid on the blade burned everything it touched, increasing the pain tenfold. Danny couldn't help the heavy rasping breaths or the screams every time Declan pulled the knife, dipped it again, and then found another spot within his flesh to bury it.

Finally, Danny passed out again, frustrating Declan. His victim wasn't maintaining consciousness much anymore and it was limiting his fun. With a shake of his head, he put the knife back and grabbed the syringe with the hallucinogen and injected the ghost. "Damn asshole," he said. "Ruining all my fun."

–

Danny came around slowly, wanting to cry the moment he reached consciousness because of the pain. He didn't move, not even opening his eyes, instead focusing on breathing to occupy his mind.

There was a shifting of clothes to his right, his sensitive ears picking up the sound of leather. He could smell it, too, along with the distinct scent of strawberries. His core broke as he recognized Shade.

She moved closer and he felt the feather soft touch of her hand as it gently caressed his cheek, before moving down his neck and to his chest. "I completely understand why Sam is so infatuated by you. You're an exquisite specimen," she said.

"Then why," he ground out, opening his eyes, "are you f*ing Declan?"

She could hear the anger in his tone, even through the hoarseness. "Oooh, someone is a little upset. Strike a nerve did I?"

He growled, ignoring that it hurt. "Why, of all people, would you pick Declan?"

Shade shrugged with a roll of her eyes. "He's just a body; just someone there to scratch the itch." She stopped before giggling. "You should hear Sam's screams."

"Because she would never go so low. And she wouldn't jeopardize our baby," he said softly but firmly.

Shade scoffed before giving him a wicked grin. "Your 'baby' is a thing of the past. She tried to stop me, but she's just so weak compared to me."

Danny's eyes widened as he realized what she meant. "Y-you…" he couldn't bring himself to say it.

She nodded, crossing her arms and walking around him with a nonchalant air. "Yup. Poof, gone," she confirmed with a wave of her hand.

The ghost felt like he might throw up. Shade had gotten rid of their baby…

The goth stopped behind him. "Honestly, though, that should be the least of your worries. Declan did promise you that I would come to have my own fun," she said sweetly before reaching a hand out. She conjured fire before pressing her hand to his flayed back. She grinned at his screams of agony, losing his voice after the first few.

After a few minutes she finally relented, walking around the front of him and to the cart to grab a towel as she grimaced at the ecto-plasm staining her hand. She then heard his raspy whisper and turned to him. "If you want to say something, you need to speak up," she said.

He lifted his head just enough to look at her. "Just kill me."

Shade scoffed. "I know Mira said she would make you long for death before taking your core, but you do realize she won't let you off this easily, right?" she asked with a raised brow.

He groaned. "You call this easy?"

She finished cleaning her hand off before setting the towel back on the cart and walking to him with crossed arms. "She wants you to suffer, and that includes withstanding this for days, maybe even weeks."

He looked stricken. "I can't…please. Just kill me. Just end it right now."

Shade's eyes glazed like she was paying attention to something else before snapping back to him. She grinned. "I'm enjoying the sheer panic in Sam when you say that. But that's not going to happen for some time, especially now that she doesn't have to worry about Sam getting you out of here."

The goth then spent the next few hours burning his skin in various places, using her katana to slice neat lines across his body, and sadistically spraying him with steaming hot water.

When she left the room, Danny had lost all hope. Finally, he could feel himself losing consciousness as the pain became too much.

–

When Danny awoke again he knew something was wrong. Not only was the pain so much worse, but he felt incredibly hot, as if his skin was on fire. His mind was foggy, mouth dry and throat scratchy. His chest felt heavy as pain throbbed in his core–wait.

He looked down to see no damage to his chest that should indicate his core was injured. So what the hell was wrong?

He hung there for quite some time, dozing when he could to try and mitigate the pain, but the more time passed, the more his core throbbed.

Finally, the door opened and this time it was Mira who entered. "Let's see–what the hell?" she started before cutting herself off and staring hard at the ghost. His sallow and hollow look was far worse than she'd expected, not to mention his skin had a sickly green color to it–not something he should have.

She went to Danny and placed her hand on his forehead, gasping and pulling it back like she'd been burned. Then she wore a deadly look. "Damnit, Declan!" she cursed before stomping off.

A few minutes later she came back and practically threw the shorter man into the room, Declan stumbling before hitting the ground. "Look at him, asshole!" Mira snarled.

Declan looked up at Danny and noticed his green pallor. "He wasn't like this earlier, I swear!"

"How could you be so stupid!" she yelled, causing Danny to wince against the assault on his ears.

"I don't understand what's even wrong with him," the half ghost answered.

She glared daggers. "He's septic, you moron!"

He looked at her with wide eyes. "But he's a ghost! They can't get infections!" he cried.

Mira stalked over and slapped him across the face. "His core is dormant, you ass! He couldn't even fight off a cold right now! I wouldn't care except it's obviously infected his core. We can't use his core if it's tainted!"

Declan realized the implications of this and immediately set about checking the ghost over. "We can get antibiotics right?" he asked desperately.

The woman growled. "Yes, but it's going to take time to get his core healthy again. Get Ki-oh and bring him here with the medication, you moron!"

The name caused Danny to lift his head. Ki-oh? He was here? Why? Had he betrayed them? His mind was so confused and foggy.

Declan scrambled for the door and left as Mira rolled her eyes. She went over to Danny and looked him over again, tsking at his grave condition. She pulled his pants off to better see any wounds and then unlocked the manacles with deft hands, allowing his naked and prone body to hit the floor. He didn't move from where he landed.

She knelt and placed a soft hand on his cheek. "You really are pathetic like this," she commented almost sadly.

After a few moments, Declan returned with Ki-oh in tow. The Korean man stared in shock at Danny's condition, feeling nauseated at the ghost's state. "What did you do to him?" he asked in a shaky voice.

Mira glared. "Nothing I won't do to you if you can't fix it," she threatened.

Ki-oh glanced at his sister but kept quiet. Instead he pulled the bag off his shoulder and rooted around for the antibiotic. Once he found it, he drew up the contents into a syringe and installed an extra long needle before kneeling in front of Danny.

The ghost, though clearly out of it, managed to force out a soft "Traitor."

Ki-oh paused in his work, swallowing hard. "I deserve that," he responded before carefully feeling Danny's side to find a good spot between two ribs. He startled when Danny jerked from pain.

"I'm sorry," he said gently. "But I need to find a good space to put this so I can get it directly to your core," he explained.

Danny groaned. "Don't bother. I'm going to die anyway, just let it happen," he said in a raspy voice.

Ki-oh shook his head, finding a good spot and pushing the needle in until he felt the resistance of Danny's core. He felt guilty when the ghost cried out. "You are going to keep going for as long as possible."

Once injected, he pulled the long needle out and Danny groaned. "Why?"

The Korean man leaned down and made it look like he was looking the ghost over more closely. "Because I didn't sacrifice my freedom for you to die," he said low enough that Mira and Declan couldn't hear him.

Danny's gaze met Ki-oh's. Perhaps he wasn't a traitor after all?

Mira was getting suspicious and impatient. "Are you done?" she barked.

"His wounds should be cleaned," her brother replied, but she shook her head.

"Will what you did get rid of the infection?"

"It should, but if his core remains dormant with these wounds, it's only a matter of time before he contracts another infection," he explained, standing and turning to her.

His sister scoffed. "I don't need him alive that long. As soon as this infection is gone and his core is clear, I'm taking it," she said darkly. "Now," she started, moving out of the way of the door, "leave."

"But–"

She cut him off, stepping to him in an instant with a threatening air. "You are only here and only alive because you are my brother. Do not make me regret letting you back in," she warned.

Ki-oh bowed. "My apologies," he stated quickly before gathering his things and leaving.

Declan looked to Mira. "Now what?"

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in annoyance. "Rinse him off and leave him. The antibiotics need time, so for now, no more physical torture."

"What about the hallucinogens?"

"Those are fine. He can suffer to the very end as far as I'm concerned," she sneered as she left.

The half ghost shook his head at Danny on the floor. The poor bastard hadn't moved and now had his eyes closed, having possibly passed out again. He was so still that Declan found it a bit disturbing.

He went over to the hose on the wall and turned it on. He was going to flip it to cold, but got a wicked grin. "Hot water is good for killing off bacteria right? This shouldn't count as physical torture if it's helping the infection…" He doused Danny in the steaming water, eliciting a screech from the ghost, which Declan only relished.

He cackled as the ghost writhed on the floor, taking far too much enjoyment from his pain.

–

"Why would he go, though?" Tucker asked.

"Because he's a damn traitor, that's why," Shade snarled.

"Keep your voice down," Jazz warned, indicating towards the hallway, down which Do-hee was in her room crying.

They plus Vlad were in the gameroom discussing recent events, the others busy either with the children or comforting Do-hee.

The half ghost glared at the redhead. "I said what I said."

Jazz wrinkled her nose in anger. "Yeah? Well I hate Shade. You're a bitch."

The goth stared in shock before glaring again. "Excuse me?"

"I said what I said," Jazz countered with a smirk.

Tucker stood between the women as Shade went for his wife. "Seriously? We have bigger problems here! And you're both pregnant, so no fist fighting!"

Shade scoffed. "You think I'm just gonna stand there when we find Danny? Hell no, I'm–"

"Not murdering anyone," Tucker cut her off with a firm look. "The mayor can't protect you if you do."

"Hell if I care!"

"Damnit, young lady, you should care!" All eyes turned to an irate Vlad, surprise evident at his uncharacteristic outburst and cursing. "You have children to think about, regardless of what happens to Danny! And get over yourself, Shade is aggravating!"

The goth was stunned into silence, choosing not to retort. Honestly, she wasn't even sure what she could say to that. She looked away, thoroughly chastised.

The billionaire placed his index fingers on his temples, slowly rubbing as he felt a headache coming on. "For heaven's sake, he told you why he left: to protect his wife and child. You cannot tell me you would not do the same for Daniel and the twins."

"It's still betrayal," she said defiantly, though softly.

Vlad saw her words for what they were: grief. He was worried. She was suffering a lot of emotional turmoil with one thing after another in quick succession. He knew she wasn't eating and sleeping properly either and he doubted the pregnancy hormones were helping her emotional state.

He went to her and pulled her in for a hug. She went stiff in his arms for a moment, refusing to give in. "It's alright," he said. "I know it's a lot, but none of us are alone."

Shade tried to be strong, she really did, but Sam broke through and all the despair, betrayal and heartbreak came rushing to the forefront. She crumbled, collapsing into his arms as the floodgates opened and she started wailing, hands coming up and gripping him tightly.

He allowed her to fall apart in his arms, knowing she needed it, and he simply held her, saying soft reassurances to her.

Jazz looked over and saw her husband crying as well, which prompted her own tears.

In truth, none of them were coping well and the anxiety and fear was building within everyone who knew and loved Danny. All they could do was search for him and hope desperately that they found him in time.

–

12/31/24: Again, another short chapter. I'm really just trying to crank them out at this point.

Can you guess which parts are real, and which are not? For some it's probably obvious.