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Danny hears a loud crack when his body hits the wall.
Not a snap.
Not a pop.
A crack.
It’s the kind of noise you hear when a stone is cracked with a hammer.
Unfortunately, he knows it’s not the sound of the wall breaking under him as the pain hits like a flash of fire.
He cries out in distress. He hesitates to even look around and assess the damage.
Danny forces himself to open his eyes to find the source.
Lucky for him that task isn’t so hard to complete.
His forearm has a glow to it. More than his normal ‘ghostly’ glow.
That…and it just looks broken. ,
He cradles the arm against his abdomen, staring at Skulker with a mix of anger and fear.
“I expected more out of you, ghost child. A better hunt. More of a fight. Why do you stop now?”
“I don’t know? You’re trying to kill me, why are you getting all philosophical with me and asking questions?!”
Skulker hums, a low rumbling sound. “Doesn’t matter now. You’re coming with me. Whether you like it or n-”
A cheerful little digital jingle interrupts Skulker, and he pauses to check the PDA wired into his arm.
“Go to the zoo to do push-ups with Delilah the Purple-Back Gorilla?” He frowns sulkily as the jets on his back activate and drag him away from his quarry.
“I’ll catch you yet, ghost child!”
Normally it’s a pleasant and welcome surprise to see him dragged off by his own coding.
Unfortunately for him though, the pain was already radiating through his body.
He’s sure there’s something else broken or splintered inside him.
It doesn’t matter.
It just hurts.
He pulls in a few shaky breaths with a bit of struggle while he looks around to gauge his situation.
With Skulker gone, he should feel safer! Instead? There is a deep feeling of worry in the pit of his stomach.
“If I can just make it home…Mom and Dad can at least get me somewhere. Or Jazz…She can set a broken bone. I know she’s done it before.”
Danny moves to take a step forward with his legs threatening to wobble and fall out from underneath him.
The house isn’t far from here. It’s not that bad
“I can just transform back, and everything will be fine. They’ll just think I got attacked, or I fell. It’ll all be fine.”
The transformation rings appear and make short progress, before fizzling out.
“I…What?” The words leave his lips and confusion spreads across his features.
He tries again, only to find the same result.
Again.
They appear once more, flicker, and dissipate.
He tries one more time. The rings don’t even appear this time.
“Shit…”
He knows this isn’t good. Of course he knows this isn’t good.
He can’t go home like this. Not as Phantom. Not with the constant threats of being ‘ripped apart, molecule by molecule’.
Danny’s mind starts racing, shuffling through a bunch of ‘what ifs’ and any other options he can think of.
Both Sam and Tucker are out of town. He knows they would help him, but what good is that at this moment?
Where is he supposed to go now?
He can’t go home. He can’t go to the hospital. He can’t even call for help.
He knows his choices are limited. Extremely limited.
What is a guy supposed to do when he’s at the end of his rope?
His thoughts swirl for a few more moments before the weight of reality hits him like an anvil.
There’s only one place he can go right now. The last and only option.
Danny fights every ache in his body as he lifts off the ground, taking off to the one place he hopes might actually help him.
The journey goes by uneventfully. Quiet. Calm. Peaceful
After a while, the aches feel like they are dulling. Not as sharp. Not as brutal. It’s a welcome relief after all this time.
He should have known better than to let himself fall for that false sense of security.
A building comes into sight not far ahead of him. A rather large building with a feeling of familiarity.
Familiarity isn’t the only thing he can feel though.
There is a weird tingling in his arm. No. That’s not right…
Without a moment to react, an intense shooting pain wracks through his body.
Danny cries out in pain, losing his focus and his altitude before he can even process what is happening.
The ground closes in on him within seconds, bringing with it a whole new wave of suffering.
By now there are several spots on his body glowing just like his arm, making him look more akin to a cracked glowstick than a person.
When he finally manages to stop his vision from spinning, his gaze lands upon his destination. It’s merely feet away from him. A few feet…plus some steps.
He uses his good arm to drag himself up from the ground until he’s on his feet again.
He knows if he can just make it to the door that maybe he can find relief on the other side.
Every step wracks his body with another jolt of pain. Another nail in the coffin of current misery.
A few whimpers escape him here and there, unable to hold them in any longer.
The steps feel mountainous and neverending. High and treacherous.
The thoughts themselves make him laugh, knowing full well he’s made it up these steps before with minimal effort.
Danny finally hits the landing at the top. The door is so close.
He takes a few steps forward before his legs start to give out.
No. No! I’m so close!
He launches himself towards the doorframe and his shoulder slams violently into the doorbell.
DING DONG. DING DING DONG. DING DONG. DING DING DONG.
The ringing helps mask the resounding ‘POP’ of his shoulder coming out of its socket and the inhuman scream that comes with it.
He lets himself fall against the wall next to the door, sliding down until he comes to a stop and sits.
His vision fades in and out while it blurs at the edges.
The door heaves and creaks.
A familiar voice rings out.
“My my. Most definitely not who I was expecting this late in the evening.”
The condescension drips off his words, and yet…is that concern?
Danny doesn’t get a single word out other than another cry of pain.
“Daniel, my boy, you certainly look a mess out here. Come now. Let’s take care of those wounds.”
Vlad gives no warning when he leans down and picks him up with a eerie gentleness before stepping inside, the door echoing shut behind them.