Ghostly Justice

Chapter 4

Danny turned towards an old two story house and walked along the overgrown, rocky path leading to what was left of the front porch. The walls of the house had vines and ivy grown along them. Some of the porch posts had vines wrapped around them like a constrictor.

He carefully stepped up the sagging steps, making them groan and creak, before he walked through the porch and reached the splintered and warped door. He pushed the squeaky door open and stepped into the poor house. The smell of rotten wood invaded his nostrils and dim light shined through the broken or missing windows and holes within the structure. Various corners of the house were covered with cobwebs and mice scurried about. Moths flitted through the air and flies buzzed.

Home sweet home.

But he couldn't care less about the state of it, as long as there was a roof over his head.

He slowly made his way down the hall and into the large living room, where a couch sat against the far wall with a coffee table in front of it. Out of the corner of his eye, there was a La-Z-Boy chair in the right corner and another small couch on its left side.

He trudged across the room before he collapsed heavily on the couch. A cloud of dust erupted around him, and he sneezed violently. Afterwards, he relaxed against the old but comfortable couch. He gave a heavy sigh as he rested his head against the back of it and stared at the water stained ceiling.

He almost couldn't believe it all happened- first the freak explosion, and then Thomas. It was almost like a fairytale, or a stupid dream. But it had happened, if the new weight in his pocket meant anything.

It was unbelievable. A stranger chose to help him, and it didn't come with a cost. He almost felt like he could look forward to the next day because of this newfound feeling rising in him. It was like there was something more out there waiting for him than a life on the treacherous streets.

He had to just survive long enough to find it.

He closed his eyes and imagined his family and friends in front of him, chatting amiably. They were standing or sitting in the living room of Fenton Works, laughing about something his Dad had said. His sister, who sat beside him on the couch, brought him into a one armed hug. She whispered in his ear but he only heard static. The vision suddenly grew fuzzy before it fizzled away, leaving him in darkness. He opened his eyes to the dark, grey room before him, and he sighed. Sometimes, he wished he could see them all again so he could feel their warmth, hear their voices. Tell them he loved them. That he was sorry. One last time.

A tear slipped down his face.

Suddenly, there was a sound of explosion going off distantly. A crumbling sound followed afterward that vibrated the house.

He wiped his face and stood up in surprise. Should he check it out? But Danny was in hiding. If he used his powers, he would face horrible consequences. But he couldn't hide forever. He's Danny Phantom, a hero. And heroes never back down.

But something inside him told him otherwise. There were tons of things that could happen once he arrived. The Guys in White might've set up a trap, or it was just construction collapsing an old building to make room for a new one. The Justice League or other authorities can handle it if something bad actually did happen.

"But just in case..." If innocent people died when he could have done something, he would never forgive himself.

In a flash, a glowing neon white/blue ring of light appeared around his torso. It divided into two and split to opposite directions.

The feeling was very familiar. The sudden burst of energy, his feeling of freedom. Like, he could stop anything. But there was also the feeling of... emptiness. Like there was nothing left for him anymore.