TW// MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH + SUBSTANCE ABUSE
Vinewood, Los Santos, August of 2014
When Amanda got the phone call, she didn't even shed a tear. She didn't shed a tear when she had to break it to her children that their father had been killed by the guy he was mentoring. She didn't even cry when her kids fled home.
It was a normal morning in August, and it started as any other. Amanda woke up at the crack of dawn for yoga (she's self taught now, she definitely learned her lesson after Fabien), Michael rolled out of bed a few minutes before noon, Jimmy didn't even leave his room and Tracey had snuck out of the window to go to a party the night before.
Which Amanda didn't understand. Her daughter was 23 now, if she wanted to go to a party all she had to do was ask.
Michael told Amanda he had to leave to speak to Franklin about a new job opportunity, even though he was 'retired'. Amanda just hummed and accepted a kiss on the cheek before he left, shouting goodbye to Jimmy as he did so. The father son relationship had definitely improved, but not so much that Jimmy would bother replying to him.
Amanda had been alone in the kitchen for an hour when her phone began to ring. She raised her eyebrow when she saw Michael's phone number pop up, as the last time he called her during a job was when he wanted her to participate, but she answered nonetheless.
"Hello? Michael?"
"Amanda? Amanda, shit! Franklins tryna clip me!"
"What?" Amanda said as she abruptly stood up, pulling on some shoes, "where are you?"
"I'll send you my location, but I don't want you anywhere near this. If anything happens to me, I love you. And the kids. Remember our promise?"
"Yeah," Amanda said, "but shit Michael I won't let you die on me yet. Stay on the phone to me while I drive to you."
Michael just mumbled a reply and it went quiet as Amanda got in the car, connecting her phone to the bluetooth. As soon as she pulled out of the driveway, she put in the GPS for Michael's location and drove as fast as she could, but even at the legal speed limit it would still take her over half an hour. So, deciding to take a risk, she glanced over her shoulder to check for cops, then slammed her foot on the gas as she listened to Franklin and Michael's conversation.
"Franklin! You were like a son to me." Michael shouted.
"We both used eachother, that's what happened." Franklin replied.
Amanda heard a gun shot, before both Michael and Franklin whispered 'oh, shit' at the same time, meaning someone had missed. Despite the fact she could get arrested for so many crimes right now, she turned her bluetooth up louder as she kept driving.
"Michael, man, I gotta look out for myself."
"There's the difference between us. I was looking out for you!"
There was a few more gunshots and heavy breathing before it all stopped. Amanda panicked, thinking of the worst, and when she finally pulled up to the location Michael had sent her, she couldn't get out of the car fast enough. She was about to tell Michael she was here, but the line went dead, and that's when she could finally see them. Michael was frantically climbing up some ladders, with Franklin not far behind, and they were shouting at each other. Amanda ducked behind a wall before anyone could see her, a pistol clutched tightly in her hands as she listened to their conversation.
"I thought about it man, this the only way." Franklin said.
"Who put you up to this, Trevor? You're an idiot! We should take him out together."
Amanda knew that tone of voice. Michael was scared.
"I brought you into my home, Franklin."
Amanda watched as Franklin finally finished ascending the ladders just as Michael ducked to the other side of the building, with Franklin running around like a lost duck. Finally they bumped into each other, and Amanda heard an 'oh shit' as her husband pointed his gun at Franklin.
"Come on, you prick. I taught you everything you know."
"Not everything. I was here long before you, and I'll be here a lot longer after yo ass."
"Oh, we'll see about that, you fuck."
Amanda slowly begun her ascent up the staircase that led to Michael and Franklin, keeping her gun pointed at the latter the entire time. Finally, she reached the ladder, and now she was having doubts because climbing these ladders meaning letting go of gun, and if Franklin saw her, it was over.
She shook her head and slipped the gun back into her pocket, quickly but quietly climbing up the ladders. Eventually, she reached the top where thankfully Franklin had his back turned to her. However, Michael didn't, and the second of relief that showed on his face was enough to get Franklin to turn around, when he pulled his gun on Amanda. The girl was smart though - being married to a criminal does that to you - and already had her gun back out the moment she had reached the top of the ladders.
"Amanda? Get outta here!" Franklin said, confused.
"Not until you get outta here," Amanda said, cocking her head towards the ladders, "you're outnumbered Franklin. Go home."
Franklin looked between Michael and Amanda, huffing as he lowered his gun. He barged past Amanda as she watched him disappear down the ladders, relief spreading through her body, even more so when her husband engulfed her in a hug.
"Oh Mandy," he whispered, "how'd I get so lucky?"
Amanda smiled and shook her head before pulling back, "I thought I was never gonna see you again."
The male grinned and kissed her, and with the both of them too wrapped up in each other to pay attention to the world around them, they didn't notice as Franklin creeped back up the ladders. They didn't even hear him making his way around to be stood behind Michael, or reload his gun before firing it in the air.
Michael turned around slowly, "Frank? We said go."
"Yeah man, but I can't just let you go so easily. Sorry bro."
Without warning, Franklin grabbed Michael in the headlock and begun to wrestle him, and all that poor Amanda could do was watch. She knew she was no match for Franklins strength, and even if she tried shooting him she knew she'd panic and her aim would be completely erratic.
Before Amanda could even give herself time to think about what to do, Michael was thrown over the ledge, but he still gripped onto Franklins arm tightly. Amanda shrieked in terror, her hand flying to her mouth, as her heist pulling husband shook his head and looked at her, a single tear slipping down his cheek.
"If it makes you feel any better man, Trevor wouldn't help with this."
Before Michael could even say something back to him, Franklin had freed himself of the mans grip, and the last thing Amanda heard before he hit the ground was a series of pained wails that would play in her head every single day up until her own death.
3 months later, Amanda was lounging on her couch, wine in hand. The kids had left, with Tracey gone for college and Jimmy running away in fear of getting killed, which meant that Amanda was all alone. She spent her days doing an over excessive amount of drinking and smoking weed, with anything else she could find in between to numb the pain.
Today would've been her and Michael's 25th wedding anniversary, which triggered Amanda to remember hers and Michael's promise to eachother. She'd previously suppressed all her memories of the night Michael died, but now that she was having a moment of sobriety, everything was flowing back to her.
She would fulfil her promise to her husband. She wouldn't let him die in vain.
20 minutes later, and through the power of the internet, she had managed to find Franklin's house and was in the process of pulling up when she spotted a can of gasoline beside his front door. Was this boy really that stupid?
Deciding she didn't want to waste any time, she hopped out of the car and picked up the can of gasoline, beginning a small trail that would lead from one end of Franklins house to the other, and would eventually end at the gas pipes that were on the hills beside his house.
Doing her best not to get caught, Amanda crouched down as she drew the trail past the big glass window of Franklins that looked over LS, and if you looked hard enough you could just spot Franklin slumped near his front door with a bottle of alcohol in his hand.
Amanda shook her head and finished the trail before jogging back to the starting point of Franklin's front door. She lit a match and was just about to throw it before the front door opened, revealing a wide-eyed, drunk Franklin.
Before he had time to process what was happening, Amanda pulled a gun out and pointed it to his head. He threw his hands up, but didn't really look hesitant or scared.
"Listen Amanda, I know you still hurtin' about Michael, but it don't have to be like this."
"Don't 'listen Amanda' me you murdering bastard. Get inside." She practically growled, poking her gun into Franklins head as she guided him back into the house. Once inside, she wasted no time before running back outside, making sure to jam the door shut first. She knew that if she gave herself a moment to think about what she was doing, she wouldn't do it, because she wasn't the torturous-murdering type. But, every time she replayed Michael's wailing in her head, she saw red, and as she stared down at Franklins front door, she knew she'd made the right choice.
The match was thrown, and Amanda got back in her car and drove away before the police or fire service showed up. However, just before she left the hills, she got to see the wonderful sight of the house peacefully surrounded by fire before there was an explosion and it burst into flames.
After that, the days returned to how they were before. Amanda would drink until she was blackout drunk on the sofa, taking a handful of pills that she didn't know the name of to help numb the pain she was feeling. Eventually, she stopped leaving the house altogether, despite what it was for, even for such basic things like food or just for a soak in the sun.
She was slowly decaying, and it was like this for weeks, until eventually the woman died of numerous organ failures, and yet the worst part was that no-one would've ever known if Tracey didn't return to the house months later because her mom wasn't answering the phone.
Oh well, Tracey thought as she called an ambulance, at least her mom would be happy now.
END
A/N
Sooo what do you think? We all lowkey knew that Michael's death wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, but I tried to make it as good as I possibly could.
The third and final ending will be out on Friday, and I've decided that after the book is finished I will add a few bonus chapters and maybe do a spinoff book for Trevor and a love interest, if that's something anyone would like to see.
Thanks for reading.
-Phoenix