I watched in horror as the Nasty Burger erupted in an orange fireball. I felt the hellish winds whip past my face as I was blown back by the shock wave, the heat almost unbearable. The air was so hot and dry, it made my eyes water. However, that was not the last time they'd feel tears that day.
As I made my way back to the burning wreckage, I called out their names. I made my way over to where we had been sitting when I found five charred skeletons stripped of their flesh, blackened by the heat lying six feet away. It was then that I realized what had happened: when Ember attacked me, the vat fell onto the stove. Damn! I thought. Why? Why didn't I pick the vat up then? Why did they have to pay for my stupidity?
Later that week was their funeral. As expected, I gave the eulogy, saving Sam's for last. As I read hers, my throat swollen with emotion, I scanned the crowd through my tear-fogged vision, my eyes falling on someone I'd never expected to see there.
"Hello, Vlad." I said as he approached
"Daniel, if there's anything you need, a place to stay, someone to talk with, don't hesitate to ask." As I looked into his eyes, the usual coldness had gone, replaced by authentic emotion, even though I wasn't ready to admit it at the time. I, as the sole surviving Fenton, was declared executor of their estate. I hadn't imagined being out on my own to be so painful. I had always looked forward to having my own home, but not at the expense of anyone's life. It had only been a few days, and already I missed Jazz's nosiness, my mom's vice-like hugs, and my dad's incessant ramblings about ghosts. I even started missing every invention threatening to tear me apart molecule by molecule.
Soon, my depression turned to self-loathing. My mind was always berating myself. "If you hadn't decided to cheat…You shouldn't have left the vat where it was…" Soon, fighting ghosts wasn't enough, so I started actually hunting them. No, I didn't, Phantom did. I wanted out of the pain and misery, to lead a ghost-free lifestyle, so I decided to turn to the only other halfa I knew.
Remembering what he'd told me at their funeral, I swallowed my pride and contacted him. I agreed to move in with him as long as he honored the casualties I'd caused. He went above and beyond my conditions, erecting a statue of my family and friends that said "Gone, but not forgotten." and another, separate statue of Mr. Lancer that said "Gone."
He also helped me draw up the deed to the house. Not wanting to dishonor my parents, I signed the house over to the only other person I deemed worthy of it, Damon Grey, father of ghost huntress Valerie Grey; under the stipulation that he keep the sign up over the door. I figured that Valerie needed the ghost fighting equipment more than I did. Finally, Vlad and I went ghost and flew off through the Ghost Zone towards Wisconsin.
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A/N: I know I said this chapter would be longer. The next chapter will be the start of a better life for Danny Fenton. Danny Phantom, however…