Godzilla183 requested for me to do some Michael/Chelsea stories from the Amityville Horror Story Remake, so this is the first story in a three part series.
The other two parts will be posted soon, so please check them out:
2nd part: Some Things Are More Important Than Fear
3rd part: Some Things Are Worth Fighting For
Disclaimer: I do not own the Amityville Horror Story remake or its characters in any way, shape, or form.
WARNINGS: INCEST
He was dead. One of the people Michael and Chelsea loved most in the world was gone.
Their father had died while rescuing someone from a burning building, and the building had collapsed on him, trapping him inside. Their mother spared them the details of the painful death their father had experienced, but Michael's imagination filled in the rest, whereas Chelsea just tried not to think about it at all.
The funeral had been earlier that day, and Michael had nearly vomited upon seeing the black and red burns covering his father's skin as he lay so still in the casket. The funeral people had been considerate enough to do everything they could to hide the burns with gloves and long sleeves and long pants, but they couldn't hide the ones on his face, and in Michael's opinion, those burns were the worst of all.
When Michael heard the news, he coped by crying until he thought he had no more tears left to shed… until he started crying again. Chelsea coped by not crying at all; most people thought it was because she was young and didn't understand death, but Chelsea did understand. She was a very smart girl; she knew her father wouldn't just walk back through the door one day and swoop her up in his arms, and they would laugh and everything would be okay. She knew that couldn't happen. She knew her father was gone for good, and her way of coping was by retreating into herself and detaching herself from any hurt and grief.
The afternoon after the funeral, Michael and Chelsea lay on Michael's bed, staring at the ceiling with Chelsea's head resting on his shoulder.
"Why do people have to die?" As hard as she tried, that was the one thing Chelsea could never understand. Why did God put fantastic people like their father on earth and then take them away?
Michael shrugged. "Maybe God just wants to take them home… to Heaven, where they'll be safe."
"If Heaven really is a better place, why doesn't God just take everyone there instead of taking us one at a time?" Chelsea questioned.
Michael sighed. "I asked our pastor once. He told me that God knew that this world was all about timing. When to bring someone home, when to cause such and such event to happen, and he told me that when the time was right, God would take the saved to Heaven to live there with God forever."
Chelsea nodded. "I know he's in a better place, but-"
"It still hurts," Michael finished. "I know."
"Do you think Dad is watching over us?" Chelsea said.
Michael smiled. "I know he is. Dad isn't one to leave things undone, so chances are, he's staring down at us, watching us and protecting us."
Chelsea nodded. "That makes me feel a little better. That he's not completely gone. What do you think he would say to us if we could hear him right now?"
Michael pursed his lips, thinking about it.
"When Grandma died, he told me that some things are stronger than grief. I asked him what was stronger than grief, and he told me… love. Hope. I think he'd want to remind us of that."
Chelsea nodded. "Do you really believe some things are stronger than grief?"
Michael nodded. "I do. When Grandma died, it felt like the end of the world for both of us, but we got through that, didn't we?"
"But we also knew Grandma was going to die. She was sick. Dad just left the house like usual and then never came home," Chelsea pointed out.
"Even if we knew the exact moment Dad was going to die, we couldn't have prepared ourselves for it," Michael whispered. "All we can do is be there for each other, and maybe someday… we'll be able to move on. At least somewhat."
"Michael, can you promise me one thing?"
"Sure. What is it?"
"Promise me you'll never leave me and especially not like Dad left."
Michael pursed his lips, sighing through the small space between his upper and lower lip.
"I can't promise anything because I'm not in control of when I die, but I can promise you that I will do everything I can to stay by your side. If God takes me, though, I want you to know that I love you. More than anything on this planet, and I never truly leave you. Can you make the same promise?"
Chelsea nodded. "I promise," she said before kissing her boyfriend and snuggling closer to him. "Will it ever stop hurting?"
Michael didn't know how to answer at first, but then, it came to him, as though his father were whispering the words into his ear.
"Yes. Like Dad used to say, some things are stronger than grief. Our love is stronger than our grief. We'll get through this. Together."
I apologize for any mistakes. I've been doing a lot of editing today and only got somewhere between 3 and 5 hours of sleep last night, so my brain is kind of fried at this point.
I love feedback (but keep it kind or constructive criticism because any flames will be ignored and reported if necessary), so please tell me what you thought in the form of a review or a PM!
Thank you for reading! Goodbye, everyone!