Help (a Danny Phantom story)

Chapter 10

(I mention and go into detail about some dark things in this one, please proceed with caution, especially if you get triggered by depression related things.)

The revelation of the last Disorder shocked everyone. Each of the Disorders were shocking in their own right, but no one would ever come up with the idea this happy go lucky kid with a cheery demeanor and a big smile was depressed. But as each person recalled some memory or another of the last few months, it started to make sense. The constant exhaustion, the lack of motivation, the blank looks and empty eyes, the self deprecation and concerning comments, it all clicked. Sam felt awful, she was typically good at reading people, how had she not seen the signs? He was her best friend, and admittedly her crush, how could she be so oblivious. Tucker shared in similar thoughts, with a hundred emotions going through his head. His best friend, someone he spent nearly every day with, someone he laughed with and cried with and everything in between with. It broke their hearts and they felt so stupid for not realizing.

Happiness approached the door tentatively, "guys, whatever is behind here is going to be really upsetting. Depending on what you know about this, it can either be saddening or really, really... Unnerving, disturbing, scary, or a mix of them all. So please take caution in trying to deal with it."

The door opened and they saw... Danny's room. Just as it was earlier that day. Clothes were strewn about, his desk and trash bin beside it was over flowing with papers, his bed sheets were barely hanging onto the mattress, and drawers and the closet were ajar. It was messy, but nothing seemed like how Happiness had described it.

"Oh dear god." Happiness looked panicked.

"Whats wrong?" Tucker asked, "it looks just like Danny's normal room."

"That's why its so awful," Happiness said, "it means it's either planting ideas or Danny's already put those ideas in motion."

Sam went over to the desk and uncrumpled a paper ball, it looked like a letter, but as she read on, she started to cry. She opened more and more of the papers and her quiet tears turned to audible sobs.

"Tuck..." Sam tried to steady her breath. "Tucker they're all suicide notes."

Tucker's eyes widened and he grabbed the one Sam was holding out of her hands. His eyes scanned the crinckled paper and he felt tears threaten to spill, but he managed to hold them back. Out of the corner of his eye, Tucker saw something white sticking out of the cracked drawer. He pulled it open fully to find at least ten pill bottles and a small knife, lightly streaked with blood.

"Oh my god!" A startled yelp came from Paulina as she hovered around the bed. Kwan had picked up the object Paulina was startled by, and it drew gasps from everyone. In his hand was a 9 millimeter pistol.

"How did he even get this?" Kwan asked, seemingly unable to take his eyes off the gun.

"There's no way to be sure if it's real or just the manifestation of an idea. If it is real, then who knows." Happiness said somberly. Kwan carefully placed the gun down and they looked around the room a bit more, finding nothing else of interest or any sign of the Disorder, until all that was left was the closet.

"Does anyone else have a really bad feeling about opening that door?" Valerie asked, rubbing her upper arm in apprehension. Everyone nodded, but after a tense few moments, Tucker decided to open it. The scene inside caused everyone great distress, but Sam was the most effected of them all. She wailed and fell to the floor at the sight.

The light from the room illuminated the small space. No one knew what to take in first, the lifeless eyes, the slack posture, the braided rope that wrapped around his neck, but the whole picture was clear. There, was Danny, hanging from a noose tied to the clothing rod. A stool was knocked out from underneath him, and the motion of opening the door made his body sway slighly. Otherwise, Danny was completely still, no breathing, no blinking, nothing. All of the group was crying now, their wide eyes leaking tears, as they couldn't tear them away from the body. Sam, however, was curled up on the floor, sobbing harder than Sorrow had, and Tucker was holding her, turning away and shielding then both from the sight of their dead friend.

"Has he really thought of this?" Tucker looked up at Happiness, his grief stricken expression begging the emotion to tell him that it was just a manifestation, that it was just the Disorder messing with them. Sadly, no such response came, only a dejected look from Happiness as he took a sudden interest in the floor. Tucker began to openly weep along with Sam, the utter grief overwhelming the pair. The rest of the group managed to look away and try to comfort the two. Dash took it upon himself to shut the closet door, it hurt everyone to see the body. Just the sight of the boy he'd bullied hanging there made Dash do a complete 180. He never thought of what his actions had done to his victims, and taking into account the numerous warnings he'd recieved that he wasn't very well liked around here, it was apparent to Dash that he was a part of why Danny's mind was so dark. He never wanted to see that boy hanging from a noose ever again, especially if he contributed to it.

Dash muttered almost inaudibly to himself, "Fenton, I swear I'll never giving you another swirly again, just please let this be fake and don't ever do this in real life."

Dash had turned his back on the door when a light tap sounded behind him. He turned in confusion, and heard another, slightly louder tap. Then another, and another, soon there was a rhythmic beat to it, and each one was louder than the last. Everyone stilled, fearfully gazing upon the closed door. Soon the tapping became pounding, and it began to shake the door. Happiness stood protectively in front of the group as they withdrew from the closet. Just as the insistent pounding was becoming unbearable, the door flew off.