Gravitational Phantoms: After the Storm

Chapter Eight: Red Stone (Part Two)

Someone was trying to get his attention. But his master needed him right now. His master had a plan, and so they would win.

His master would win. But would he?

"Fight it!"

Who was talking?

"Fight it!"

Something flickered in the red. For a moment, the world swung into clarity.

What was he doing?

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Wendy sprinted through the woods, trying to outrun the swarm of ghosts on her tail. They were all grey-green and scaly, with glowing red eyes and long lizard tails. The malevolent creatures bared razor sharp fangs and snapped at her heels. Wendy swore under her breath and kept running.

"Dad!" She shouted. "Dad! I really need some help!"

The redhead ducked a low hanging branch and hacked another to pieces. Danny had infused her ax with ectoplasm as a personal favor, but there were still too many ghosts for her to hit even if they couldn't just phase through them.

A large green shield suddenly expanded in front of her, and Wendy recognized Danny's ectoplasm. She smiled in relief and was about to thank him when the ghost boy shimmered into visibility in front of her.

Danny looked exactly the same, except for one particular detail.

His eyes were glowing blood red.

Wendy gasped. "D-Danny?"

He raised a glowing fist-and stopped. His eyes started to flicker from green to red, and he clutched at his white hair.

The Halfa looked up, irises shining. "W-Wendy? W-what? How?"

"Slave!" A familiar voice barked.

Wendy immediately whipped out her ax and managed to haul herself up the Douglas Fir next to her. She mentally thanked her father forcing her to compete in the annual lumberjack games that were held for all of Oregon.

The teenager hid herself in the boughs of the tree, watching as a familiar boy marched forward. Gideon was clutching a strange red orb in his hand, and Wendy frowned.

"What the heck is that?" She muttered.

The small fake psychic growled. "Slave! What do you think you're doing? I gave you an order to track down the Corduroy girl and take her to the Mystery Shack. What do you think that you are doing?"

Wendy had to restrain herself from attacking. Nobody was allowed to speak to her little brother that way. Especially not freaks who wore too much hair product.

Beneath her, Danny twitched and shivered. Gideon sneered.

"Trying to break free, eh? Well, I can take care of that." He raised the crimson sphere and forced Danny to look at it. Wendy growled when she saw that bruises had already formed on his jaw, probably from the first time that Gideon had tried controlled the teenager.

As she watched, the group of ghosts and humans kept going through the trees. Towards the Mystery Shack. (They still called it that, even though it was permanently closed.)

The lumberjack pulled out her phone and dialed a number. Even though it had taken forever to teach him how to use a cellphone, she regretted none of it now.

Wendy spoke softly, just in case Gideon knew about a ghost's enhanced senses.

"Ford, we've got a big problem."