Inheritance [Michael Jackson FanFiction]

Chapter 12

"Grace .. we can't stay here," Michael's voice broke through the haze of my grief, as he knelt beside me. "We need to keep moving."

I looked up to face him, my eyes still clouded with tears. "We can't just leave her here" I choked out, shaking my head.

Michael's expression softened as he reached out to gently grasp my shoulder. "I know it's hard, Grace," he said softly. "But she would want us to keep going."

As Michael spoke, his words seemed to penetrate the fog of my grief, pulling me back to reality. But the pain of loss still clenched at my heart, refusing to let go.

I recoiled from his touch, my grief turning to anger as I pushed him away. "No!" I exclaimed, my voice laced with desperation. "I won't leave her alone."

But Michael's urgency grew, his gaze darting back to the road behind us. "We don't have a choice," he pleaded, his tone becoming more serious as he stood up and began to pull me to my feet.

I resisted, digging my heels into the ground as I struggled against his grasp. "No, Michael!" I cried out, my voice filled with defiance. "I won't go!"

But as the sound of approaching footsteps grew louder, mingling with the pounding of hooves and the rustle of leaves in the wind, Michael's facial expression hardened. With a determined look in his eyes, he lifted me up onto Red, ignoring my protests as he mounted behind me.

"I'm sorry," he said, his arms wrapping around me as he spurred the horse into a gallop. "I can't let them kill you too." He then whistled for Rachael to follow suit.

With each passing moment, the reality of Mary's death sank in, and my heart ached with grief and confusion. What had started as a simple journey had quickly turned into a nightmare, and I couldn't shake the feeling of helplessness.

Leaning back against Michael's chest, I closed my eyes for a moment, allowing myself to relax into his embrace. His arms felt like a protective shield around me, offering a sense of safety as we tried to put a distance between us and Strawberry.

As the late morning sun climbed higher in the sky, casting long shadows across our path, the forest seemed to come alive with the vibrant energy of the day. The air was filled with the sweet scent of pine and earth, mingling with the crisp freshness of the breeze that rustled through the leaves overhead.

Occasionally, we emerged from the cover of the trees, passing through open fields dotted with wildflowers swaying in the gentle breeze. The landscape unfolded before us in a patchwork of green and gold, a stark contrast to the chaos and danger we had left behind in the town.

Despite the beauty of our surroundings, I couldn't shake the weight of the morning's events from my mind. With each step Red took, the memories of Mary's final moments haunted me, replaying like a relentless loop in my mind.

I found myself thinking of Mary's pale face, her eyes wide with fear and pain. Despite my best efforts to push the memories aside, they lingered like shadows, destroying the beauty of the forest around us.

The weight of guilt pressed down on me, a heavy burden that I couldn't shake off, reminding me of my failure to help her. It was a painful echo of the past, a reminder of the helplessness I felt when I couldn't save my dad.

As we continued our journey, the pace slowed to a steady walk, allowing the horses to catch their breath.

"You seem distant," he remarked, his voice cutting through the silence.

I shifted uncomfortably in the saddle, the memory of Mary's pleading eyes flashing before me. "Can't shake off what happened back there," I muttered, my frustration evident.