No One Left - Phanniemay Day 7: Amity Park

No one knew how to really react when it happened, the death of the Red Huntress.

Only a few brave souls who dared to be out of their homes had actually seen it happen, but news of the ghost hunter's demise by the hands of the Ghost King, Pariah Dark, spread like wildfire over Amity Park.

It left the citizens shocked, at first. Then the weaker ones began to lose hope at an even more alarming rate than normal. Thirty days, an entire month, under the dome had played with peoples' nerves, after all.

Damon Gray nearly had a heart attack when the news broke that the hunter's true identity had been revealed to be that of his daughter, Valerie. People would have brought him condolence food where he was taking refuge at Fenton Works, but the whole town was trying to ration what little food was left.

Vlad Masters had been aloof since it happened. On one hand, Jack and Maddie Fenton couldn't find an explanation for his apparent anger over it, finding it to be a bit of an overreaction on his part. On the other, the teenagers in the house who knew better were still surprised when he seemed genuinely solemn, even when there was no one around he needed to impress.

Students from Casper High, including Valerie's former friends, were devastated and chilled to the bone. For all the ghost attacks that had plagued the town and school, they never had to deal with the death of a classmate, a friend, someone their age. They had to grow up and deal with the one thing they shouldn't have had to for a long time.

And the ones who had been closest to Valerie in her final days, while not necessarily friends, were still taking it just as hard as the rest. Tucker Foley had been very despondent and almost seemed heartbroken, as much as he tried to be the strong one for others. Sam Manson, meanwhile, was full of regret, for unknown reasons, and seemed like she was furious but didn't know who to aim that fury at.

Defeat seemed imminent now. King Pariah apparently had the ring he'd been after, and was now waiting for the townsfolk to give up and submit to him so he could rule both their realm and the Ghost Zone.

There was only one other hero Amity Park could possibly rely on now in its moment of despair: Danny Phantom. But no one had seen him since before Valerie's death, save for one kid who thought he saw Phantom on a rooftop, hugging his legs close and shaking like he was crying. Only a few people knew he was mourning, broken beyond repair and blaming himself for what had happened.

Everyone else simply assumed the worst - no one was left to save them.

Short one today (mostly so I can catch up), but I'm particularly proud of it. :) This is kinda like an alternate ending for "Reign Storm," I guess you could say.

Also, is anyone keeping track of the death count in my Phanniemay fics? (Or even injury count?) I have the over/under at 50% of the fics having a death. :P