#hazelriver74

But perhaps it would be better to not antagonize him. Not when she wasn’t carrying a gun or Thermos.

She slowly bent down to pick up the bottle of eyedrops she had dropped and then took a step back. “Right. Sorry. I overreacted.” She took in a breath, another step back. “Let me get something to rub on your arm. I think we have some steroid cream in our medicine cabinet. I’ll be right back.”

Danny started walking toward her. “I can go with—”

“No!” shouted Maddie.

She held up a hand to stop him. Danny froze.

“No.” Maddie lowered her hand. “No, just… Stay here. Please.”

Danny furrowed his brow.

“Right here.” Maddie stepped backward out of his room. “I’ll be right back. Just stay. Here. Okay.” She inhaled and turned around, heading down the hallway and quickening her pace once she was out of Danny’s sight. She dashed down the stairs, panting when she reached the bottom.

Jack looked up from where he sat on the couch and muted the TV. “Mads? Is everything okay?”

Maddie shook her head. “It’s Danny. His eyes—and the blood blossoms—he—”

“Hey, calm down a moment.” Jack got up from the couch and approached her, placed his hands on her shoulders. “What about Danny?”

“He’s a ghost. Or he’s possessed by one, I’m not sure. We need to get him down to the lab to figure out what he is.”

“He’s a ghost? Are you sure?”

Maddie nodded. Jack’s face became very serious.

“Where is he?”

“He’s upstairs in his room. Do you have your anti-ghost gloves? And a Thermos?”

“In the lab. I’ll get them.”

“We need to hurry in case he tries to escape.”

Moments later, Maddie and Jack stood near Danny’s bedroom door. Maddie held an ecto-gun in both hands and looked back at Jack. Jack gave her a nod.

Maddie steadied herself before entering Danny’s room. Danny was sitting at his desk working on homework again. He looked up, his eyes still glowing.

“Oh, my God,” whispered Jack.

Maddie widened her stance and aimed her gun at Danny’s head. He stood and held up his hands, backing away.

“Mom, what are you doing?” he asked, his voice shaking.

“Don’t try to escape or I’ll shoot.”

“Escape? What are you—?”

“Just come with us and don’t fight.”

Danny continued backing away until he was against a wall. “Come with you where? Why?”

“You can drop the act. We know you’re a ghost.”

Danny’s eyes darted from Maddie to Jack and around the room. He gasped when he caught sight of his reflection in his dresser mirror.

“Oh no.” He shook his head. “No—it’s not—it’s not what you think, let me explain—”

“Have you taken control of our son’s body? Or are you keeping him captive somewhere?”

“I—no, that’s not what it is! I’m not—I mean—I am—”

Jack aimed a Fenton Thermos at him. The inside of the Thermos glowed bright before sputtering out with a loud beeping noise.

“The Thermos doesn’t want to suck him in,” said Jack. “That must be Danny’s real body.”

“So he’s being overshadowed,” said Maddie.

“No, I’m not,” said Danny. “Look, this might be hard to believe, but I’m—”

Maddie kept her gun on Danny and looked back at Jack, motioning with her head in Danny’s direction. Jack moved swiftly.

Danny flattened against the wall. “Wait, please, just let me—”

Jack grabbed his arms and yanked him forward.

“Dad, just listen—”

Jack pulled him in close and kept a tight grip on his arms. Danny struggled and squirmed in his grasp.

“I’m trying to tell you—please—”

Maddie continued holding the gun on him. “Let’s get him down to the lab quickly.”

“He’s not going anywhere, don’t worry,” said Jack. “I got him.”

Maddie led the way downstairs. Danny—no, the ghost continued his bleating and protesting, using Danny’s voice, trying to play on her motherly inclination to give in to his pleading.

But she did not surrender. She had never been tricked by a ghost before; she wasn’t about to let it happen now, no matter how much he sounded like her boy.

As they came closer to the door leading to the basement lab, Danny began wrestling harder to escape Jack’s grasp.

“You’re definitely right, this is a ghost,” said Jack. “I can feel him trying to phase through my grip. But these anti-ghost gloves are working like a charm.”

“Why won’t you listen to me?” shouted Danny. “I’m not a ghost—I mean, I am, but—no, that’s not what I mean. I’m human too, I’m still your son—”

Maddie held the lab door open for Jack. Danny began thrashing.

“Wait, no!” cried Danny. “Jazz! Jazz, help—”

Jack maneuvered his grip on Danny and lifted him off the floor, carrying him past Maddie down into the lab. Maddie glanced up at the staircase toward the bedrooms, hoping that Jazz hadn’t heard what might’ve sounded like her brother calling for help.

She started down the basement stairs and locked the door behind her.