Alright, this format is a lil' weird: Dash is telling the story, but the ghost girl will be adding in facts (Bolded) that only Danny can hear, followed by a flashback (basically, a combination of Dash's story and the finer details the ghost gives). Yeah, it's hard to explain, just read it! Now, this was written in the dead of the night to enhance the horror, so…enjoy!

WARNING: GORE. A LOT OF IT. I've edited out the extreme details, but if you're squeamish, refrain from reading this chapter.

Chapter Four: A Mother's Revenge

"It happened twenty years ago in the woods at the city limits. No one has been in allowed in the woods since then—Parents forbade us from going, saying there are evils we couldn't imagine. Of course we believed them. After all, every day there's some supernatural occurrence in Amity Park." Dash paused to lick his lips, staring at everyone in the circle. "But the evil in the woods is far greater than anything we've ever experienced. Not even Fenton's parents have dared to tackle that evil. Why? Just what happened in the woods all those years ago? Well, let me tell you…"

"It happened twenty years ago, today." Danny barely suppressed a gasp as the voice rang through his mind, his eyes darting frantically to the other occupants in the room to see if anyone else could hear what he was hearing. He was surprised that no one else seemed to notice the voice. I guess that makes sense…

"They say it started when a little girl wandered on the trail of the woods at sunset…"

"I wanted to pick the flowers in the meadow. The autumn air was going to kill them, and I wanted a few to take home to mother…"

/Flashback/

"I promise, mom, I'll be back before sunset." The young girl waved to her mother as she skipped out of their house, pausing as her mother called out to her.

"You'd better be back before then, or you'll be in a whole lot of trouble young lady!"

"I promise!" She giggled as she continued her journey to the woods. She stopped at the beginning of the trail. There was an ominous aura emitting from the woods; danger and evil seemed to radiate from the area. But still the youth persisted; after all, these flowers bloomed only once a year. So she ventured onto the worn trail, though she remained cautious and alert. A few minutes into the trail, she came to the meadow and all of its beauty. She sighed in relief as she danced through the flowers, stopping to pick a handful of the pure, white flowers.

"Please, don't!" The little girl's head snapped up towards the yell, pressing her body flat against the ground. She gripped the small bouquet as she peered through the stems of the flowers, horrified at the sight before her. A young woman had been running to the meadow when she tripped over a root, her ankle now a twisted mess as she dragged herself away from her attacker. A large man calmly strode towards her, axe casually slung over his shoulder.

"Sorry, babe. But you'd only report me to the cops…I can't be going to jail again!"

"I-I promise I won't! I'll move out of town, across the country! You'd never see me again!" The little girl couldn't help but watch in horror as the scene played out before her.

"Tempting…but, you can never trust a woman." He bought the axe down in alarming speed, effectively severing her leg from the knee down. Her shrill scream pierced the air as blood splashed over the flowers and on the man. The little girl sobbed quietly, biting on her own hand to prevent herself from screaming. Again the man swung the axe, this time splitting her face in two. Though no scream accompanied this blow, the body gave a final twitch—the little girl could barely stop herself from vomiting. Blood pooled around the woman as he continued to hack at her, until she was nothing more than a bloodied mess.

The man took a few steps back, covered in blood and grinning. "Better get out of here…" he mumbled to himself, slinging the bloodied weapon over his shoulder. A suppressed whimper caught his direction and his eyes locked onto the little girl in hiding. He smiled as he began to walk towards her in the same manner he did to his first victim. "Well, little girl…I'm sure you heard what I told that bad lady over there…" He briefly looked over to the fresh corpse. "…so, you gotta know that I can't let you go."

The girl could only look up in horror as the man towered over her, his axe held high above him "Happy Halloween."

Sunset had come and gone, and the little girl's mother began to worry. "Something's not right…" she fretted to herself as she threw off her apron and grabbed a flashlight. She quickly ran down the path to the meadow, pausing just as she was about to enter the clearing. She waited and listened for any disturbances. When she heard nothing but the normal sounds of the woods, she walked out in the clearing, shining her flashlight all around. She dropped her flashlight in surprise at the sight she saw. She could only guess that the mess of flesh and organs was an older woman—and she only could guess that it was female because of the severed leg that was still wearing a women's shoe. The next sight was much more terrifying: her little girl was dead in the field, her body marred by various blows. While her face was untouched, the rest of her body was decorated with gashes and other mutilations. Her eyes watered as she looked at the girls hands that loosely gripped the white flowers. The woman stood up slowly, collecting the flashlight as she surveyed the area once more.

She found an axe that was discarded near her daughter's body. "He must be coming back to burn the evidence." She wiped the tears from her eyes as sorrow was replaced with hatred. "I'll teach him a lesson…" She knew she didn't have much time—whoever had done this to her daughter would be back soon. She couldn't exactly place how she knew. She simply did. It was more than a hunch or a suspicion—she knew in her heart that he would come back. And when he came back he would be in for quite a surprise.

Working quickly, she dabbed blood from both her daughter and the other woman and formed a pentagram around the pair. "For you, demons of the night…I offer you my body. Consume my soul if you need, but allow my daughter's death to be avenged! Destroy the man who killed her…I open a door for you to enter…obey my command! Kill him!"

/End Flashback\\

"They say that she succeeded in whatever she was planning—a few days later hikers found the remains of two women and a man. While one body was a bloodied mess, the other woman only had a look of pure terror on her face, just as the man did. The body of the little girl was never recovered. However, the story doesn't end there." Dash paused once again as everyone stared in horror. "The hikers ended up murdering their close friends and family, claiming demonic possession. Even more frightening, any person to have entered the forest since then has been killed in unusual circumstances or to have gone crazy, and that's why no one has gone to the woods since." Dash finished.

"So, you really think that it's a good idea to send Danny and Kwan alone?" Sam asked quietly.

"Hey, it's only a story!" Dash defended. "I mean, yeah, there was a murder and all, but the demons and stuff? I don't buy it."

"Well, considering the dark and ghost infested history of Amity Park, I wouldn't doubt that—"

"Sam, enough." Danny silenced the pair. "We already decided to go…" He gave her a pointed stare. We don't have a choice anymore. We need to face these things head on. "Regardless, there's something definitely wrong with the city. I'm sure even you three have noticed it."

"You mean how there's no ghosts anymore, right?" Paulina asked quietly. "If we meet something ghostly or demonic…what are we to do? Will Danny Phantom save us?"

"I…I wouldn't count on Phantom saving anyone. He hasn't been here because of the lack of activity." Danny answered reluctantly. "However, Tucker has developed a few items we can use as defense." He gestured to Tucker so he could continue.

"Yeah. Well, we stole some blueprints and models from Danny's parents and tweaked them so that we could use 'em." Tucker grinned as he presented the team with his remodeled tools. "I give you the Fenton Shadow Vaporizer and the Fenton Shadow Reflection!"

"You're giving us watches and flashlights…?" Dash asked incredulously.

"No…I'm giving you weapons and defense! Now, I would demonstrate, but I have a feeling we should conserve the energy in these devices. Just know this: the vaporizer is the attack weapon—aim it at your target and a bright light will destroy it." Tucker decided to remain vague with what they would encounter, figuring Danny didn't want to freak them out. "The deflection works as a sort of barrier. Nothing will be able to enter it unless it's human. It's fully charged and can last for twelve hours. Both are solar powered, so you won't have to worry if you get stuck at your location; wait out the night and recharge it so you can make it safely out."

"Each team gets a pair?" Paulina asked quietly, strapping the watch-like device onto her wrist. "Why didn't we all get a pair individually?"

"Lack of resources, really." Tucker shrugged, strapping his own Fenton Shadow Deflection onto his wrist. "I assume you want to be on the offense?" He asked Sam offhandedly.

"Oh, you know me so well."She grinned gripped the Vaporizer, tossing it experimentally.

"Danny, which would you like?" Kwan asked, examining both items.

"…Whichever. Excuse me, I'll be right back!" He quickly ran up the stairs to his sister's room. Pulling out a sheet of paper, he quickly wrote:

Jazz,

I know that I'm doing something extremely stupid, so that's why I'm leaving this note. I'm going into the woods to confront the 'Shadows'. They're haunting the town, and I'm going to put a stop to it. If I'm not home by tomorrow morning, tell mom and dad about this note. Tell them about the Shadows. They'll know what you're talking about. I love you guys…

-Danny

He sighed, placing the note on her bed. Let's hope I get back before she reads this…He pulled his jacket closer to his frame, noting just how cold Jazz's room was. I need to go now…before this gets out of hand. He walked back down the stairs to the group, sighing. This is it. It all comes down to this.

"Ready?"

How was that? Are you ready for the horrors to begin?