Jason in the Ghost Zone

Guns n Candy

It had been raining earlier that day. Not very hard, but long enough to leave the town damp and humid. Thin trails of vapour, visible under the illumination on street lights, drifted up from little puddles on the asphalt.
A dark haired girl walked slowly through these empty streets, toying with the cellphone in her hand. She absentmindedly flipped the screen on the plastic device up and down. The poetry reading at the Skulk and Lurk had gone way overtime, but she'd already told her parents that she was fine walking. If she called them for a lift then they'd be expecting a call every time she was out late.
Sam shivered and hurried past a dark alley, a loud clanging from the dark space had her jumping so high enough that when her heavy combat boots came down in a puddle water soaked her legs up to her knees. There was a thumping nearby and it was hard not to imagine it as the footsteps of some ghost coming after her.
"Ridiculous." She muttered, to make herself feel better. If a ghost were out Danny would be out hunting it unless it were weak enough that it wasn't a problem.
Thinking about her friend made her thoughts shift uncomfortably. He hadn't spoken much to anyone at school that day. Both she and Tucker had tried to ask him what was bothering him but they already knew, and he knew they knew too. She thought briefly of calling Danny for a lift, maybe he'd talk if she got him alone, but that wouldn't help either, and he really did need his rest with the amount of work he'd been putting in to make up school work.
Danny hadn't been spending much time with her and Tucker at all he past few months. There was always someone to save, some homework to do, whenever they did find time to hang out a ghost showed up and cut it short. She felt bad about it, but some days she wished she hadn't undone the wish Desiree had granted. That day, watching Danny shuffle from class to class with no apparent interest had been one of those days.
A light drizzle of water began falling from the sky, Sam sped up, some splashing in the distance did too. An uneasy feeling crept up her back. Maybe calling her parents wouldn't be so bad. She lifted her cellphone, but before she even started dialing it was snatched from her hand. She grabbed the phone back without really thinking about it, before she caught sight of the gun.
Clutching the phone to her chest she backed into the wall, the streets were empty, no one she could call to for help.
"Hand it over girlie." The man said, another one coming up behind him.
She froze up. Not ghosts, people. Real flesh and blood people who couldn't be dealt with by throwing them into the Ghost Zone. The second man said something, Sam tried to calm down. These people couldn't go intangible, or turn into dragons. Compared to what happened every day they were really nothing. She was almost to the point where she'd have been able to call the police when the gun was pressed to her forehead. The man said something to his friend about messing up, her being able to identify them.
The girl drew in a breath and wondered if, like Red, she'd be wake up in the Ghost Zone. She squeezed her eyes shut and the gun went off. She opened them in shock and there was a bluish blur in front of her. It's arms moved, one, two, three hits, then one of the men went flying over it's shoulder, crashing into the wall right in next to Sam. The man pointed the gun again, but there was a sickening crack and he was curled up on the ground.
The figure stopped moving, positioning himself in front of Sam. "You okay?" He asked, looking at her out the corner of one red eye while keeping most of his focus on the downed men.
"Red." Her voice croaked out.
He was holding the gun, keeping the muzzle trained on her attackers. The ghost's gaze was like ice.
"Not scared of no kid." The uninjured man got to his feet and made a grab for the gun. Sam tried to yell out a warning, but before the man got close two deafening shots ran out and he was writhing on the ground.
"Not scared of no punk without kneecaps." Red mimicked, slipping out the clip and checking the ammo. "Three shots left, how much of a haul were you planning on bringing in?" He asked.
"We weren't gonna hurt her." The guy with the broken arm said, looking from his friend to the ghost desperately. "Just wanted the phone."
"Yeah, sure." Red snorted. "How bad could a shot to the head really hurt, right?" He said with an easy smile.
"Wasn't aiming..."
"Sure you weren't." Red stepped over the guy he'd shot at brought the gun up to the other mans face, just the way it had been pointed at her. "Neither am I."
"Please." The man begged, tears and snot dribbling down his face. " I'll go strait, won't touch a gun again."
"I know you won't." Red said, cocking the weapon.
"Red don't." Sam said, pulling on the boy's sleeve.
His eyes focused on her, then looked between the gun and the sobbing man at his feet. The boy lowered the gun and took a step back. He tugged his blue hood lower and firmly gripped Sam's wrist, pulling her away from the scene.
"Are you hurt." He came to a stop once they'd gone a few blocks, but didn't turn around.
"No." She said.
"What are you doing out alone so late at night?" He asked.
"I was at a, a poetry reading." She said. "I was about to call my parents to take me home."
"You couldn't have done that from inside?" He shifted a little and oh no he still had the gun.
"I wanted to walk, but it started raining and."
"You wanted to walk?" He chucked mockingly. "Yeah, coz you're such a mature little fifteen year old, walking around flashing next years model cell phone without Mommy and Daddy." He said coldly.
Anger was easier than fear, so much easier and she let it build. Let the head flare up on her cheeks as she yelled back.
"What about you? You've been out alone for days, didn't let anyone know where you were. I'm sorry not as smart as you, but at least I'm not a hypocrite!"
"I'm a freaking ghost, Samantha!" He spun around pinning her in place with his unnatural crimson eyes. "If you want to be like me then go right ahead, but seeing as how being a stupid little brat is probably what got me like this I wouldn't freaking recommend it. Little Miss Freaking Goth. You're so dark and independent aren't cha? Think dying'll be some mystical adventure. Well it's not Sam, it freaking hurts."
"I never said that!" She yelled. "And I'd never, ever want to be like you! I'd never have tried to shoot another living person, but you're not living, huh, so you don't..." She slapped both hands over her mouth, eyes widening in horror at what she'd said. "Red I'm so sorry, so so..."
"I wasn't gonna kill him." Red said. "I wouldn't have ever." His arms wrapped around him for a moment , but then held them up I'm a peace gesture. She heard him mutter something that sounded like trauma, but she couldn't be sure. "I wouldn't have okay. Just scaring him into a different career choice was all."
"You shot the other one." She didn't want to argue, wanted to forget it happened but how could she when it had happened right in front of her? "
"He'll be fine, won't be walking anytime soon, but he'll live." That Sam wouldn't of was left unsaid. "You should probably call the cops." Red said, maybe an ambulance to patch them up.
"I lost the phone." Sam said, feeling around her pocket.
"You want me to walk you home?" Red said softly, make sure you're fine?"
"Okay." Sam said, voice just as soft.
It felt like hours before they reached her house. She tried to apologize before opening the door, but...
"I'm sorry." Red said. "Didn't mean to scare you like that."
It's okay." She said. "My best friend's a ghost hunter" She tried for a small smile.
He returned with a little smile of his own. "Stay safe."
"Where have you been?" She asked quickly before he could leave. He quirked an eyebrow I'm response and she added on. "Danny's been pretty worried."
"Really thinks I'm the kid." Red said. "I'll let him know I'm still here."
"Thanks." Sam said, stepping inside. She was already in bed when she remembered that he still had the gun, she was too tired to think about it.
.
.
.
"Where is my child!?" The pink ghost in her frilly dress practically screamed in Danny's face.
"Probably hiding from you." Danny said, dodging a volley of glowing pink jawbreakers. "Veggies lady, they're a parent thing." He'd almost managed to reach her when a cloud of powdered sugar flew into his face, choking him up when he breathed it in.
His vision cleared to the sight of her lifting up another civilian with a rope of sticky taffy. "I want him!" She half yelled.
" You can't have him." Danny blasted the taffy, freeing the man to flee in terror.
"You!" The ghost woman growled. "You go home!" She sent harp priced of something that looked like glass, but was probably some other kind of candy at him."
"You first!" He was so focused on dodging that he didn't notice the taffy roped creeping up on him until it was too late. They wrapped him tightly and smashed him into a few walls before throwing him away into the distance.
"Ouch!" He groaned, pulling himself out of the shattered remains of an electronics store's display window.
He hears the ghost woman's frustrated scream before she popped out of existence. "Wish you'd done that sooner." Danny said. He sighed and leaned against the wall. The ghost was gone, but all the screaming people just got louder. It had been such a nice sunny day out too.
The ghost woman had gone, but she'd left behind a huge pink gooey monster.
Danny fires off a few ecto blasts to get the things attention. "Hey ugly!" He called. "Mama just left."
The thinks half growled and half groaned , swatting at Danny with a sticky pink arm.
"Whoa!" Danny dodged. It was faster that something that size should have been. He flew around blasting the thing, while it hurled things laying around on the street at him, more property damage to be blamed on him. "Cut that out!" Danny charged up a little energy that time before sending it out I'm a beam that lasted a few seconds. A price of the monster melted off.
The thing groaned and grabbed hold of the melted piece of itself with one hand.
"Take that!" Danny grinned and melted of another piece. He swooped down and sucked some of the melted bits into the thermos. He flew around taking advantage of the creature's preoccupation with the melted gum like substance I'm it's hand to melt off more. It was half gone before it looked up, even without a face it's anger was visible.
It roared and flung the melted pieces in it's hands at Danny in a sticky wave that he couldn't dodge.
"Urgh" The breath he didn't need was knocked out of him when he slammed into a building and stuck there, unable to move. It approached slowly while Danny heated his hands to begin freeing itself.
"Hey Gummyface!" Shattered glass along with an explosion smacked into its side. Red stood a little bit away with another petrol bomb I. hand. He threw the bomb at the monsters face. "Meltyface now." Red pulled a rude gesture and shot Danny a look before running off, the creature following behind, apparently having lost all interest in the hero.
Danny wasted no time in freeing himself. He sped past the pink blob and lifted Red off the ground. "You said you'd find your way back." Danny said.
"What? Afraid I'd passed on or something?" Red asked.
"Not funny." Danny dodged a swipe.
"Sorry, took me a while to sort to get my head on. Ran into Sam last night, told me to check in." Red shoved his hands into the oversized blue hoodie he was wearing when Danny set him down far away enough from the monster that it would take a while to catch up. "So, what was the plan boss?"
"I was trying to melt it, but I didn't get the pieces fast enough." Danny lifted the thermos and didn't miss the weary look Red shot at the piece of equipment.
"Let me have it." Red held out his hand expectantly.
"So you can get caught up again?" Danny said. "No way, you need to get out it's way. I can beat him myself." After just now seeing Red was okay Danny didn't want to risk a repeat of the last time the ghost had helped. Danny was just about to fly off when he had to duck out of the path of Red's fist. He didn't yelp, heroes didn't yelp.
"And I could beat you if you didn't fly out of my reach." Red said. "Don't tell me you forgot that."
"As if."Danny snorted. " That thing's get you in no time."
Red sprang forward and before Danny could stop him the ghost was smirking a few feet ahead, thermos in hand and a big smirk on his face.
"Red, there's no time." Danny said.
"There's not." Red said, "Now stop acting like a kid an let's get going."
"Fine." Danny picked up the ghost and began flying back towards the monster. " But this doesn't mean you could beat me."
"Sure it doesn't." Red said. "You just do your thing, and I'll do mine." With a sloppy salute the ghost had ducked into an empty building and disappeared before Danny had a chance to respond.
The hero pushed down his worry and tackled the monster at full speed. The car it had been holding crashed to the ground.
"Eat candy." the things thick, deep voice ground out as it swung an arm at him.
"You first." Danny fired a beam at the raised arm, causing some off the melted goop to fall on the things face.
It growled and made to lift the newly melted pieces. Red launched himself out of a window, landing on the creatures remaining arm and sucking the melted bits into the thermos.
"No means no." Red was flung off the arm, but flipped and landed gracefully on a nearby streetlight. "Stop throwing yourself at him already."
Danny grinned and fired off another beam before the monster could go after the ghost. Red took to the air again, getting the pieces almost as soon as Danny melted them off. It wasn't smart enough to focus on both of them, so cleaning up the rest of it didn't take nearly as long as it could have, soon Red was gleefully poking at a tiny version of the monster, still growling at his feet.
Red picked it up in the palm of one hand and shook it, laughing when it wobbled like a piece of jello. "Haha." Red laughed, lifting it near Danny's face. "Not so tough now huh."It tried to chomp on Danny's nose, but the hero pulled back. " Aw, he likes you. "
"Ha ha." Danny said sarcastically, snatching the thermos from Red and sucking up the little blob. He clipped the thermos to his belt and turned his attention to the still smirking Red.
Embarrassingly the only thing he could come up with to say was. "We're gonna had to call you blue now, huh?"
"What? No way, I'm not an emo little ponyboy." Red crossed his arms looking just offended enough that Danny knew he wasn't really upset.
"Yeah, coz Red is so mellow." Danny rolled his eyes.
"Better than going around calling myself the Box Ghost, or Phantom." Red said.
"Hey, that's a cool superhero name." Danny whined.
"Sure it is." Red stretched. "So," he made a show of looking around the area, "what happens now?"
"Now we get outta here." Danny said, flinching at the horribly loud sound of what could only be the GAV. He made a quick scan for the vehicle and when he turned back the other boy had disappeared. Danny groaned and flew off. He'd give Red an earful when he... No, Danny shuddered at the sound of his dad's voice calling for the ghost. He'd have a quiet, mature conversation with his friend, a quiet one.
.
.
.
"Now you're going to tell me where you were and why you were there and, and, what were you thinking!?" Danny didn't shout at the ghost boy poking at the ghost shield generator on his parent's roof.
"What is this thing?" Red asked.
"It keeps ghosts away." Danny said. "But don't change the subject."
"Why isn't it doing anything to me?" The ghost tapped it.
"Because it's not turned on." Danny said then carried on in his best Jazz voice, " You don't have to talk about what happened if you don't want to, but someone told me that to tell you that it's important to let you know that it's important not to keep it all in."
"How do you turn it on?" Red pressed.
Danny groaned in frustration and flipped the on the generator, putting a ghost shield up around the roof. "Can you just listen here. I'm trying to be a good friend."
Danny didn't pick up on Red's little flinch at the last word.
"I get it Kid, but there's really nothing you can do about it. With all the equipment up here you should really keep this thing on all the time, shouldn't you?" Red asked.
"Sam, Tucker, and I were gonna stargaze tonight, but Sam's not feeling well."Danny said.
"Oh." Red turned to look at Danny for the first time since the conversation started. "She say anything bout why?"
"She doesn't like having people around when she's sick." Danny said. "But Tucker'll be here soon."
"I just came to show you I'm still here, so I'll just..." Red reached for the switch on the shield generator, but Danny stopped him.
"Isn't there anyone you think you can talk to?" Danny asked, keeping a right hold on the ghost's wrist.
"No." Red said. "It's not your fault, Danny, not you're problem."
"There has to be someone you care about." Danny said.
" There was someone." Red said calmly, he shuddered and pulled his arm away from Danny. "But he didn't come."
"What do you mean?" Danny wished he'd brought a sweater up to the roof with him.
"I don't know." Red said. "You're being real pushy about this." He added with a smile
"What do you mean by that?" Danny frowned.
"Asking so many questions, not letting it go, being..." Red started.
"No, the other thing." Danny pauses. "And sorry about, the pushiness, and stuff."
"I mean I don't know." Red said. "I don't really remember what was before." He waved his hand around. "This."
"Oh." Danny deflated. "Sorry."
"If you apologize one more time, geez Kid." Red rolled his eyes. " But it's probably just a ghost thing, huh?"
"No I've met others that remembered." Danny said. "I won't ask you anymore, but if you do remember..."
"Yeah, I'll have my own little mini shrink here."Red's laugh sounded only a little forced.
" Don't call me that." Danny said, immediately thinking of Jazz.
"So, can I go now?" Red asked.
"Go where?" Danny stood defensively in front of the generator.
"Er, I, your expecting your friend soon right, I should get back to wherever before he gets here." The boy raised an eyebrow.
"I was expecting two, so there's room for you too." Danny flicked a little switch that set up a shield around the generator itself.
"You're not letting me leave right now, are you?" Red pouted.
Danny grinned. "It's educational." If Red really wanted to leave he'd have found a way to keep Danny from trapping him in the first place.
Red sulkily opened the bag of chips Danny handed him, but the hero could see the smile tugging at the other boy's lips.