8/13/2024: Here it is…the epilogue. I'm so sorry for how the last chapter ended. I hope this might make up for it, at least a little. Had this written for a bit now.
TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions of suicide.
I can't believe we're here. 18 years in the making…finally finished. It's incredibly bittersweet.
Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.
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Epilogue
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The room was mostly dark, with only wisps of light penetrating the curtains on the window. The AC was on, air from the vent below the window rustling the deep purple drapes ever so slightly. The house was silent, save for the gentle hum of the air conditioning, and the occasional sigh from the melancholy dog in the corner.
One woman sat in the darkness, back against the bed, knees up. Her world had been torn asunder just three weeks prior, all light gone. The void left in her soul was crushing and empty.
She had never considered self harm before, but as the days continued to pass, and the staggering loneliness took over, she found herself contemplating what it would feel like to join him. Her hand reached up to her neck, feeling the scarring skin there. It was mostly healed now, but would forever be a reminder of that day.
His funeral was held a week after his death. The announcement had shocked the town who still believed Danny was missing. The woman smirked in the darkness. He would've been surprised to see the turnout for his funeral. With his death they revealed that he was Danny Phantom and the entire town was there to see him off.
And it was beautiful.
Vlad paid for the entire thing. Jazz had argued that Danny wouldn't want extravagance, and so Vlad had acquiesced, but still made sure it was an amazing and heartfelt affair. The billionaire spared no expense on a venue large enough to house most of the town, and made sure the flowers were a mix of black, green and purple.
Jazz had given the eulogy, her parent's far too distraught to speak. Jazz had offered the spot to Sam, but the goth couldn't bring herself to do so. She was numb the entire funeral, at that point void of tears, and could barely do more than simply stare at his coffin. She was empty now.
A broken heart is all that's left…
The woman closed her eyes. Walking away from his grave had been one of the hardest things she'd ever done. And Vlad… "He promised me, dammit," he'd said as they walked to their cars. She'd never seen the man so broken, and in the days since, he'd begun to look more and more frail.
She opened her eyes. Could you die from a broken heart? It sure felt like it. Her eyes shifted to the blade on the floor next to her. She wanted to follow him, and if circumstances were different, perhaps she would've. But as it stood, she couldn't.
Not now.
I'm still fixing all the cracks…
Pulling her hand up so she could see it, she broke down, her numb mind finally allowing her to feel something for the first time since he died.
Lost a couple of pieces when…
As she stared at those two pink lines, she knew she couldn't follow him now.
I carried it, carried it, carried it home…
–
There was no light, no sound, no smell, not even the wind. It was a black void where nothingness existed; a complete sensory deprivation that silenced even the soul.
I'm afraid of all I am…
The conscience was a fickle thing; did it even recognize itself in a void such as this?
My mind feels like a foreign land…
This one did. It floated, lost in a sea of black, touching nothing and knowing nothing except the fleeting thoughts that flitted through it. It couldn't pinpoint any direction in this barren land, and so it simply drifted, content.
At least it had been.
Now, something stirred within it. The silence was suddenly deafening, the lack of touch abrasive. But it could feel it still, even though it couldn't touch it.
Something was calling him.
Silence ringing inside my head…
He recognized this feeling as something he'd once cherished, a connection so deep that it called to him. It was a soul calling out to his own.
Though he couldn't truly move as he had no body, his mind turned towards this feeling. He could sense the warmth it held, the light that should be there. But he couldn't follow it, not on his own.
Please carry me, carry me, carry me home…
–
Sam stared at those lines through blurry eyes. Part of her was happy she had a piece of him, and part of her was devastated that he'd never know it.
She worried if she could love this child. Would she hold onto it and cherish it as the last piece of him? Or would it be a painful reminder that he wasn't here anymore?
I've spent all of the love I saved…
Danny had always said he wouldn't survive if the Headmaster found him. He instinctively knew she'd be left without him.
We were always a losing game…
But she relished being with him, especially after that night they made love…that night was far more than just being intimate. It was like their souls connected and ignited each other. She knew she'd never have that feeling again.
She'd ignored the truth because she felt if she wished hard enough that she and Danny could have a perfect life. She had wanted that beautiful house with a front porch and white picket fence with 2.5 kids running around the front yard.
When she was with him it felt possible. She had been completely drunk on how he'd made her feel, drunk on a future where they would grow old together.
I got addicted to a losing game…
She gripped the test in her hand tightly, so tight she thought it might break. Her head came forward, forehead on her knees, and wrapped her arms around her legs, pulling them tighter to her chest, which constricted more as the total feeling of loss overtook her.
Oh-oh-oh-oh…
Oh-oh-oh-oh…
Danny had it easy. He was the one who died; he wasn't in pain anymore, couldn't feel the sting of loss anymore. Death was harder for those left behind. They had to pick up the pieces and try to put them back together with tears and duct tape. But the pieces never really fit back together again; not like they once did. The cracks never truly mended.
All I know,
All I know…
Loving you is a losing game…
She didn't know how long she sat there and cried, but when she lifted her head, the muted light that had been coming in the window was gone, signaling the transition to night. She leaned back and looked down, placing a gentle hand on her still-flat stomach.
Do you love me, or love me not?
She imagined what the tiny life inside her might look like, and the ache that it brought forced another sob.
Peeling pieces from my heart…
She forced herself to breathe, feeling her stomach rise and fall with each intake and exhale.
She was far thinner than she should be as she had no appetite. It didn't matter much now as she threw up anything she put in her stomach, but she knew he had to try.
And my rose-colored lens is gone…
She had never pictured herself a single mother, but that's what her life was going to be now. And suddenly, the thought of losing this baby because she couldn't take care of herself…she was pretty sure she'd die then.
With a lick of her lips, she felt her resolve start to harden.
Still I carry, I carry, I carry on…
She balled her fist and closed her eyes. She could do this…she would do this. She had his legacy within her.
–
He was moving now with purpose. Not really drifting per se, but more like being pulled in one direction. He was getting closer and closer to that warmth he could sense-but-not-feel.
As he drew closer, his content mind was no longer so content. Now he felt an urgency, a deep-rooted need to be enveloped by that warmth. While his thoughts could not pinpoint what it was, his soul knew. His soul was crying out for it; desperate for it.
He couldn't see in the darkness, but he could sense he was getting closer…
Closer and closer until finally, the mute blackness gave way to a sea of white noise.
–
And then she felt it. Sam opened her eyes, surprised at the sudden feeling of something tugging on her soul. She furrowed her brow in confusion. It was the oddest sensation she'd ever felt, but as she concentrated on it, she realized it was tugging from outside.
Sam stood, quickly running out of her bedroom, DJ suddenly awoken and barked in his alarmed state. He followed his master, but she never stopped as she ran through the living room. She opened the front door, not even bothering with shoes, and slammed it behind her.
Once at the sidewalk, she paused only long enough to get her bearings on which direction she was being pulled. Ignoring the rocks and hard cement scraping up her bare feet, she pelted down the sidewalk.
After several blocks, she went down another street that was better angled towards that feeling. Her breaths came heavy, sweat beading on her skin despite the chill in the early spring air. She hadn't even grabbed a coat, but didn't need it as the exertion kept her warm.
The park came into view now, and she could tell she was being tugged towards it. She never even slowed down as she entered the darkened gate, feet relieved to be on grass.
Oh-oh-oh-oh…
Oh-oh-oh-oh…
It was a dark night, cloudy, with no moon to speak of. In the center of the park was an area with almost no light. It was surrounded by trees and bushes, blocking out the street lamps and obscuring the area from her view.
She slowed now, using her arms to shove branches out of the way, grunting with the effort, breaths still ringing in her ears. At last, she broke through.
All I know,
All I know…
And came face to face with toxic green eyes.
–
8/13/2024: Omg please don't kill me…
While I'm not entirely happy with all the details, I AM happy about how this epilogue turned out. Very sorry if you aren't!
I know I'm super late to the party, but I only just discovered "Loving You is a Losing GameArcade" by Duncan Laurence, but it's not the original, this one is the version featuring Fletcher. Honestly, it's the reason this epilogue exists. I was always going to write one, of course, and I had a vague idea of what I wanted in it, but the second I heard this song, this entire thing wrote itself.
I've been considering a sequel for a while. I'm concerned as it took so long to write and post Taken, but I am hoping that posting the sequel will force me to write.
The sequel's name is Reincarnation. It will take me a few days to post, and the updates will not be as quick as Taken (especially if I get stuck), but if you want to see how it continues, be on the lookout for it in the next week.
That's a wrap for Taken, folks! Thanks so much for going on this ride with me!