The repetitive dripping was enough to drive her mad. She had been walking in an endless void of black. The only thing guiding her was the bone-shaking whisper. The hiss was not human, nor was the tongue it spoke in.
Sam shakily reached for the compass artifact at her hip. To her absolute horror, the arrow was spinning endlessly.
Zoey... Sam pleaded. Hoping her sister would send her some sort of message. But the only thing she could hear was that whispering.
"Agh!" Sam cried out as her hair was violently yanked in the direction of the whispers.
Sam bolted. The whispering was getting louder; she could barely hear her own breathing. She nearly tripped when a new voice reached her ears.
"Sam..." Spoke a male's voice. Danny's voice.
"D-Danny?" Sam gasped out. To hear him was a ray of hope in this bleak Hell. "Danny! Are you there?"
She looked around. The ghost boy was nowhere in sight.
"Sam..." His voice croaked out softly.
Sam ran in the same direction as his voice. "Danny! Wait for me, Danny!"
As she ran, the ground beneath her bare feet turned to cold stone. The black void was turning into a hallway. It looked like a basement hallway, leading to a boiler room. The pipe system running along the walls was rusted and the bricks on the walls were cracked.
Sam could see a door at the very end. As she got closer, she found herself gagging as the air turned from the musty smell of old pipes to blood and brimstone. She shuddered; the door was soaked with malice and demonic residue.
Danny's voice echoed from behind the door. "Sam..." He sounded exhausted and in pain.
Sam sprung into action and kicked the door down. The scene before her would haunt her for years to come.
A blast of inextinguishable heat smacked her in the face; it was suffocating. The room was poorly lit, but that didn't stop her from seeing the terrifying demonic symbols all over the walls. Written in blood, no doubt.
Danny was hunched over on his knees. He was covered in cuts, bruises, and burns. Blood flowed down his face. He was still in his human form as his faded blue eyes looked up at her.
Run...his voice said. Run away...
Sam was completely frozen as she saw a tall, dark, masculine figure standing over Danny. In his grasp, he held a large dagger. There were no definable features about him; none, except for a pair of very striking, but very familiar red eyes.
Her vision...
Run, Sam, Danny said again.
"The clock is ticking, Samantha," spoke a suave, arrogant voice. He raised the dagger over Danny.
Run!
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"No!" Sam sprang up from her pillow. She clutched her chest as she desperately gasped for air.
Her whole body throbbed as her thoughts spiraled out of control from such a startling nightmare. The urge to dry heave rocketed up and down her throat.
Nyx let out a gentle cry as she placed a paw on Sam's forearm. Sam gulped down as much air as she could. When she finally had enough to breathe, it led to an onslaught of sobs as she picked up Nyx and cuddled her.
That voice throbbed in her ears; it was so familiar that it was almost sickening. It almost sounded like that slimy mayor, Vlad Masters, but at the same time it didn't. It was like his voice had been insidiously warped.
The image of Danny from her nightmare made Sam's eyes sting with tears. She felt the overwhelming urge to call him, to hear his voice.
She looked at the clock and sighed. It was 4 in the morning; the ghost boy was probably fast asleep and waking him up just because she had a nightmare seemed silly.
As her thoughts became sorted and her being calmed, Sam noticed that she felt warm. It was October 1st; she should be feeling the crisp fall air. She could also feel her left arm was still pulsing. The bandages felt too tight against her tender, marred flesh.
The heat and throbbing was nauseating, and she could feel her head getting lighter.
Strange... She thought to herself. Setting Nyx down, she kicked off her bedspread and laid back, hoping it would stop the dizzying sensation in her head.
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The next morning hadn't been any better. In fact, she felt even worse. Sam caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her skin was a sickly pale and the dark circles under her eyes were impossible to miss. She didn't even bother trying to cover up with makeup, just a bit of lipgloss.
Every movement she made felt like she was walking through a thorn bush.The warm feeling had increased to the point that finding something comfortable to wear had been next to impossible. Even the lightest sundress felt like a spiny, weighted blanket on her shoulders.
She threw on a pair of jeans, her usual boots, a loose fitting purple tank top, and loose sweater cardigan to cover the bandage on her arm. The weather was cold and the sky was dark. A storm was on the march.
All she had the energy to eat was an apple. She was thankful that Gramm was still asleep; she'd rile herself up in a tizzy if she saw her granddaughter so unwell.
She wouldn't get the same luxury with Danny; she was sure.
The ghost boy was waiting for her outside. He looked quite suave in his soft leather jacket. When she looked up to his usual bright, hopeful blue eyes, Sam felt a lump in her throat as she flashed back to her horrendous nightmare.
Blood on his face...
His voice devoid of all hope...
She bit her plum glossed lips as she tried not to inhale too loudly.
Danny blinked as he watched Sam's shoulders quake. He took notice of her exhausted frame.
"Sam?" He spoke. His voice pulled her out of the terror that threatened to drown her.
"I'm fine," she quickly said. It wasn't hard to miss the crack in her voice.
Before Danny could get a chance to say anything, Sam began walking on without him.
Danny hummed in confusion as he walked to catch up with her. As he watched her, there was an unavoidable feeling in his gut; an alarming feeling that was telling him to keep a close eye on Sam.
His intuition would be on point.
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Sam's whole trek to school passed in a haze; she didn't even remember walking through the doors. She was sitting in Lancer's class without even realizing it. All the chatter of the classroom was drowned out by the pounding in her head. The discomfort from this morning was nothing compared to the blazing, acidic feeling in every nerve of her being, like being stabbed with small, hot needles.
It all circulated from the damned wound on her left arm.
She didn't even notice Danny immediately claim the seat next to hers, his eyes intensely focused on her, as if he was waiting for her to explode. His urge to protect her stayed true. It was completely obvious at this point that Sam was in pain.
Danny's fists clenched. He almost jumped when he felt a tap on his shoulder.
"Danny, are you okay?" Jazz asked. Her brother displaying any form of concentration in class when there was no ghost was unusual.
The half ghost shook himself out of his thoughts.
"Yeah, it's nothing," He gave his sister a grin.
Thunder rumbled and roiled outside as the wind rattled the windows. Sam's withering coherence brought her attention to the growing storm. Her gut twisted, which was odd. Storms didn't phase her, yet every rain drop was a horrific scream.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Thinking it was just the rain, Sam followed the odd sound to the glass right next to her. She nearly jumped when she saw the black feathers and steely eyes staring right back at her.
Morrigan?
For Sam, there was no mistaking the black bird. She'd seen the raven too often. Sam looked around; Danny was talking with Jazz. Tucker was geeking out about the new PDA update with the other techno students, and Valerie was in the middle of texting with a blissful smile on her face. No one noticed the feathered visitor.
It was chilling to see the bird so unbothered by the weather she sat in. Sam, even in her sickly disposition, could clearly look into Morrigan's beady black eyes and read the unmistakably message the bird had brought.
Danger.
A shiver crawled down her back.
"Alright, class, settle down and take your seats," Lancer's voice cut through everything. Sam looked to see everyone sit down, then turned back to the window.
Morrigan had vanished like a vision.
Lancer started the lesson; the unit they were on was the unit for mythology.
"What was given to Theseus to help him out of the labyrinth?" Lancer asked the class. Half asleep silence was the only response he expected to get.
He sighed and almost moved onto the next question.
"A ball of golden thread from Ariadne," Sam spoke in an ill, scratchy voice.
"Correct, Ms. Manson," Lancer replied, relieved to see someone paying attention. "Next question: who is known as "The Father of All Monsters"?"
"Dash Baxter?" Tucker jeered as he and Danny snickered, along with the rest of the class. Sam rolled her eyes.
Said blonde jock growled. "You think you're funny, Nerdling?"
"Quiet, class," Lancer groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Typhon," Sam answered again.
Her classmates looked at her; Danny, especially.
Lancer gave her a very proud smile. "Right again, Ms. Manson. Now, who is the boatman that ferried souls over the River Styx?"
Sam would have remained quiet, but rolled her eyes to see the whole room staring at her, expectedly.
"Charon," she said with a sigh, before putting her head down. The fluorescent lights were making her headache worse.
"You are on fire, girl," Valerie chuckled in her seat behind Tucker.
Lancer beamed. "Very good, Ms. Manson. You know your mythology well."
"Goth freak," Paulina scoffed as the rest of the A-listers snickered. Danny and the others glared at them.
Sam didn't even bother to roast them; she just didn't have the energy. Why can't anyone else answer? Talking hurts! Everything hurts!
She gritted her teeth as she bit back the sharp pain she felt in her...well, everything.
"Enough," Lancer scolded, not failing to shoot a warning look at Paulina and her crew. "Now, class, today we are going to start our project. Each of you is going to randomly pull the name of a character from Greek mythology. You are to research their origin myth, the history of them, their role, and any symbolism they hold. When you present your project, I want to see the use of pictures, style, and for you to even come dressed in a way you think the character would today. In essence, you are going to try to be that character."
The class groaned. That was a lot of work for such a dull subject. Sam, however, would've been excited for the project, if she didn't feel like absolute shit.
Lancer held a basket in his hand and went up and down the desks as students picked their characters.
Dash whooped. "Aw, yeah! Zeus! King! What'd you get, Qwan?"
The black haired jock read his card. "Dionysus: God of wine, rituals, and fertility? Aw, sweet! I'm the party dude!" He high-fived Dash.
"Hera: Queen of the Gods," Paulina giggled as she flipped her hair. "Naturally."
Oh, if only she knew, Sam thought. Oh, wait, she will.
Star had pulled Aphrodite and squealed (making Sam's ears bleed). Tucker got Hephaestus and Valerie got Artemis. Jazz didn't have to participate, since she was just there as a guest, but Lancer let her pick a card, anyway, and she got Athena.
"Mr. Fenton," Lancer held out the basket. Danny reached in and grabbed the first one he touched.
"Who'd ya get, dude?" Tucker asked. Sam looked over at Danny to see.
Danny cleared his throat apprehensively as he read. "U-um, Hades: God of the Underworld."
"Hah! You got the creepy one, Fentina!" Dash and the jocks guffawed.
Danny ignored them and slouched on his desk. "Figures."
"Don't listen to them, Danny," Sam managed to say. She sat up weakly, and tried to smile at him. The dark circles under her eyes gave her away. "Hades is nothing to sneeze at. He's the oldest brother of both Poseidon and Zeus."
"Really?" Danny asked, intrigued.
Sam nodded, before Lancer made it to her desk. "Your turn, Ms. Manson."
She meekly plucked a card from the basket and read it. For a brief second, she forgot how awful she felt as her cheeks turned a rosy red. She turned away from Danny in a timid manner.
"Well, Sam, who do you have?" Jazz asked.
Sam winced before replying. "P-Persephone: Goddess of the Underworld, Hades'...wife..."
As quietly as she tried to say it, a few other students overheard. A string of catcalls and juvenile giggles filled the classroom.
Danny went red in the face as well as he cleared his throat. He rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled, skittishly. "H-heh, heh, um...th-that's...erm..."
"Lovebirds," Tucker snickered.
Danny chucked a ball of paper at his best friend before gazing back at Sam.
"W-well, Sam, in that case, did you wanna, ya know...work on this project together?" He asked.
Sam looked at him with wide eyes.
Her lovely violet eyes made Danny's face feel warm as his nerves spiked. "N-not like together together! I just mean our characters a-are really...c-close, so I guess..."
Sam giggled, but before she could answer, the classroom was highlighted by a huge flash of lightning; thunder sent the walls rattling. Students gasped and murmured as the lights flickered.
"Quiet down, class," Lancer spoke calmly. "No need to worry; it's just the sto-," his voice halted as the entire classroom, and likely the whole school, was cast into blackness. A few students shrieked and muttered in panic.
It was pitch black, but Sam could still feel Danny's presence next to her; he was just as frazzled.
Sam couldn't bring herself to speak, especially not when the entire class went silent, not when she heard a guttural growl echo through the walls.
The red emergency lights came on; the air was as thick as blood. Danny and the others all looked at each other in distress and confusion.
"O-okay, students, don't panic. The power should be back on soon, so we-Agh!" Lancer didn't finish; he was too busy clutching his ears.
SKRIIIIICH! SKRIIIIIICH!
Everyone screamed in agony as the skin-crawling, bone-piercing sound of claws carving onto chalkboard assaulted the silent air. Sam, who's head felt it was ready to crack open like a rotten egg, looked up to see a horrific message being scratched onto the chalkboard. It was too dim to read it, though she was certain it was not in English.
As the students screamed, Sam looked at Danny. His face did not hide his fear. She wanted to comfort him and tell him everything was okay, but he was no fool. He knew whatever was happening was out of his expertise.
Sam jumped when a violent scratching ripped out another message right on her desk, probably in the same text as on the board.
The same grueling growl slithered in her ear. "Ivy..."
Before Sam could scream, the fluorescent lights flashed on. Whatever foul presence was there had vanished and the air felt somewhat breathable.
"Dante's Inferno..." Lancer croaked, his voice hollow and heavy.
Sam looked to see the message on the board. Definitely not English, but surprisingly still a language she knew.
Theban, the Witch's Alphabet.*
"Upon the Hunter's Moon, land shall crack and churn,
All flesh that is mortal shall burn."
Sam's breath was in her throat; her head felt light and the world began to tilt. She looked down at her desk.
"Rotten curse take thee, nymph. Rot with thy sisters."
Sam saw two drops of blood on her desk.
"Sam!" She heard Danny gasp. "Sam, y-your nose!"
She put a finger to her lip. She saw the blood on her finger for a fraction of a second before the whole room went black. Danny's voice was the last thing she heard.
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* I've put a chart of what Theban looks like up at the top banner.