When Guilt Haunts Worse Than Ghosts - An Alvin And The Chipmunks Fan Fiction

Chapter 2: Guilt Hurts & Never Helps

Hours after the tragedy happened, Dave returned home later than usual due to overtime at work. His anger from that morning had cooled down and was replaced with a feeling of guilt. He hadn't forgotten the hurtful words he had said to his middle child; he was very ashamed, though he planned to apologize the moment he sat foot home. Sure, Alvin might have been misbehaving too much at the time, but instead of trying to talk and have some kind of advice from a father to a son, he went on saying the most painful words he was shocked they came out of him. He knew his behavior was uncalled for, and decided to find Alvin and make sure both sides forgive and forget. There was one thing; what was that uneasy feeling he had? Even before he entered the house, he was feeling something was wrong. And when he went inside, the feeling became worse, making him uncomfortable.

When Dave called for the Chipmunks, Simon came from the basement and Theodore came from upstairs. At that moment, Dave noticed two things: one, the two chipmunks were not looking at each other, and Two: Alvin was nowhere to be seen.

- Dave: *Concerned* Guys? Where's Alvin? And why are you two looking away from each other?

He didn't get any answer from the two chipmunks, who now are looking down. However, the blue-clad one had a look of sadness, while his younger brother looked upset, his face indicated that he was crying a lot.

- Dave: Fellas? What's wrong?
- Theodor: *Looked at Simon* A-Aren't you going to tell him?
- Dave: *Now more nervous* Tell me what? Simon, what happened?

Simon could not hide his guilt and tried his hardest to explain without bursting into tears.

- Simon: I-I Hurt him...
- Dave: You did what?
- Simon: I-I-I yelled at him on the w-way back home and... *Holding his tears* I-I s-s-said r-really hurtful words... So-So much he ran away a-and he hasn't come back since...
- Dave: Simon, what did you say to him?

The oldest chipmunk could not take it anymore, he fell to his knees and cried louder than any time he cried before. Dave held his sad child close to comfort him until he calmed down and managed to say the words...

"I told him to go and die..."

Their human father wasn't so much surprised as much as he looked sad, he sighed and faced Simon.

- Dave: Simon, we both made that mistake.
- Simon: *Wiping his tears* W-What do you mean?
- Dave: I also said those same words to him, even though it was in a moment of anger, that behavior was very uncalled for. *Tears beginning to form*
- Theodor: W-well? W-w-we can't stay here, we must find Alvin and apologize. I also hurt him a lot when I told him that he was the problem that needed to be fixed, I shouldn't have said that when all he wanted to do was help me.

Just before the three members even thought of moving towards the door to search for the red-clad chipmunk, they heard someone knocking on the door, and for some reason, the three Sevilles were feeling uneasy all of a sudden. Dave got to the door thinking it was Alvin, but instead of seeing him, he saw an officer standing in front of him. From the look on her, she wasn't holding good news.

- The officer: Are you Mr. Seville?
- Dave: *The uneasy feeling getting worse* Y-Yes, I am. Has something happened?
- The Officer: *Took a deep breath* I suppose you haven't heard the news yet, have you?
- Dave: H-Heard what? Did Alvin get into trouble again?
- The officer: I wish it was the case, I am very sorry but... Mr. Seville, Alvin Seville met his end earlier this afternoon...

"Met his end" Dave tried to process what he just heard, and tried to understand if what the officer said was something else and that he was just hearing things. Unfortunately, what he heard was true seeing how both Simon and Theodor screamed in pain, snapping their father from their trance-like state.

- Dave: *Still unable to understand* W-What... What are you talking about...?
- The Officer: A truck driver in the speedway called us and reported hitting something while moving quickly, when we came, we found Alvin Seville lying further from where the truck stopped with a broken board near him. We couldn't save him since the hit he took was strong enough to crush his lungs, and the driver stated that he didn't realize what he did until he stopped and saw the blood covering the truck's front side.

The more the officer talked, the louder the cries of the two chipmunks became, Dave was still in a state of shock, but he could feel the tears already falling like rain.

- The Officer: I know it's hard to state this, but you need to come with me to the hospital for-...
- Dave: Say no more, I'll come. Let me just speak to the kids first.

Talk to them about what, exactly? And how to even talk to them? Their father could tell how much pain they were feeling the moment they heard Alvin was gone and was never coming back, and what made it all worse was that they lost their brother after putting him through so much with their insults. "I am also guilty of this..." Dave thought before kneeling to Simon and Theodor. The oldest stopped crying but he was in too much he couldn't uncover his face, while the youngest couldn't cry any more tears at that point.

- Dave: *Low tone* B-Boys, you two need to stay here til I come back, alright?
- Theodor: B-Back from where?
- Dave: I must go and... S-Speak to the driver and... See your brother one last time...
- Theodor: B-B-But Alvin will come back, what d-do you mean with "last time"?

It was all clear that the young chipmunk did not understand that Alvin died, or was he unable to accept that fact? Neither Dave nor Simon wanted to think about it, they just hugged him silently.

- Simon: C-Can't I go with you? I can handle it...
- Dave: No, Simon, you shouldn't come. You may be the smartest, but you're not strong enough to handle what you may see, not after what we put him through...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

David did not know what was harder to endure; the fact that he hurt his child so much? The fact that he died right after that? The fact that he had to see his dead body covered in all of that blood? Or the fact that in a moment he was screaming at Alvin, and in another, he was looking at him inside his coffin?

No... It was the guilt and regret, those two were too much to be ignored. They burned him from the inside and haunted his thoughts with each second passed. From the moment he saw his dead son, to the end of the funeral, he couldn't stop the suffering he was in. He however didn't complain, he deserved what he was going through, for he realized he failed to be a good father for Alvin, and instead became worse than a bully.

Simon and Theodor were not any better, just seeing Alvin in that coffin shattered their hearts. Each one was beating himself mentally, and it would have gone worse had The Chipettes not been there to comfort them. But were they comforting them or seeking comfort themselves? Because the three girls were just unable to believe that the funeral was for Alvin, the same wild chipmunk that brought life into their lives even if most of what he did was causing trouble, had passed away.

That is without mentioning the crowd that attended the funeral; Mrs. Smith, The Janitor, The Principal, Alvin's classmates (even Derek was there), the neighbors, Officer Dangus, and every person who knew Alvin in person were there. Each one grieved the loss of a friend and a student, and each one gave their condolences to the Sevilles. But most importantly, each one felt that same feeling the Seville family felt, from the start of the funeral til the time of burial. That feeling had a strong hold over every person who dared hurt Alvin during his life, even if he was troublesome at best.

The feeling that burned them down to the core of their souls...
The feeling that made them realize their awful behaviors...
The feeling that haunted them...

Guilt...

To feel guilty and to regret, one may surpass them and move on with their life, but few can carry it for eternity. One may choose to ignore it, one may decide that feeling bad is pointless...
And a single person chooses to carry that feeling and let it eat him from the inside to punish himself for the mistakes he had made...

- MetalSoul VII