Daniel's Darkness

by Dwayne Gill

  “I’m not leaving here without Taryn. Now, you seem like you can handle yourself. You also look like you’re recovering from a beating. There are five of us. Do you like your odds of walking out of here alive?” The four men now flanked him, the whole group feeling more confident.

  Daniel stood. All five watched as his full breadth unfolded before them. However large he looked sitting down, he was a towering monstrosity to them now.

  There had been several occasions in Daniel’s life that caused him to appear to those witnessing “out of control.” Calvin referred to it as “hulk mode.” That side of Daniel had been present since his childhood, a darkness, a rage, a wave of anger, that was always there, lurking in the background. And although it seldom triggered, Daniel seemed to lose control, not of his faculties but of his ability to keep the anger at bay. The one or ones who caused the switch to flip, they’d want to be someplace else, somewhere out of his reach. Daniel was straddling the line between the two worlds as he stood.

  “You want Taryn? Come through me. Five of you. You think all five of you can get through me?” Daniel was pacing, chest out. A primal version of himself had taken over. “Someone has to ascend these steps first. So which of you tough guys want to roll the dice? Who’ll be the first ‘man’ up those steps?” He pointed to Gary. “Will it be you? You’re tough with all your boys around you. You’re good at beating up little girls too.” Gary’s eyes flashed with anger, but his fear paralyzed him.

  Daniel pointed at each one of the other four men, one at a time. “How about you? Do you want to be the first one up? How about you? You? Or you?”

  A shamed silence fell over the men. They had been on the streets long enough to know when to fight and when to flee. Gary was angry, but not mad enough to die at the hands of this man. He wasn’t confident that all five of them could defeat this guy.

  Daniel wasn’t done. “Tough guys, right? I bet if I were standing in the front yard in the middle of you, you’d feel differently.” He walked toward the steps. The five men stepped back. By the time Daniel reached the ground, the men were already halfway to the green house. Too bad. It could’ve ended right here.

  Daniel let them leave, but he knew it wasn’t over. Not for Taryn, at least. Soon, kid. Help is on the way.

  Minutes later, Calvin’s SUV parked in front of the house. Calvin emerged and looked across the street; the party music was absent. “Did you mute it?” he joked, but he saw Daniel’s face and realized it wasn’t the time. “Where is she?” Daniel nodded at the house.

  Freedom

  Taryn woke up lying on the backseat of a vehicle, startled. She looked to the driver’s seat and saw a strange man sitting there. She almost screamed, but the man glanced back at her and gave the universally recognized hush sign, his index finger pressed against his lips.

  He leaned forward and whispered. “Hey, kid. I’m Daniel’s friend. Let’s get you out of here.”

  Taryn frowned; this wasn’t how she had envisioned this happening. “Where’s Daniel?”

  “Sit up and see.”

  Calvin eased the SUV forward while Taryn lifted herself up to look out the window. She looked in front of her, at Daniel’s house, but he wasn’t on the porch. She glanced over her other shoulder and saw him. He stood in front of the door to her house, which confused her. He looked over his shoulder and had a look in his eyes she hadn’t seen before. She sensed anger, but it seemed to be something far beyond that. Something primal, untamed, like he had discovered an untapped emotion. As she held his gaze, the van continued, and she searched his eyes for anything she remembered about him. He wasn’t there. Whoever this was, it wasn’t the Daniel that she had sat with on the porch. His darkness. She remembered. And then she knew.

  “What is he gonna do?”

  Calvin glanced back at the girl who disrupted his neighborhood and enchanted his friend. “He’s about to enter.”

  Taryn was putting it all together now. I want to know about every scratch. Every bruise. His darkness. He was fueling it.

  “Is he going to be okay?” Taryn asked, her only thought now what would happen to Daniel.

  Calvin glanced back and smiled. “Kiddo, only one person is exiting that house tonight alive. And I’ll give you a hint. Me and Daniel have dinner plans this Tuesday.”

  This revelation would’ve disturbed Taryn at one time in her life, before her father’s death, before living in constant fear, before Gary. Now all she could do was lie back in her seat and remember that tingling feeling she had before when she imagined her father coming to her aid, tearing Gary limb from limb. She smiled. He saved me.

  He saved me

  Later, when Calvin stopped for gas, Taryn got out and used the bathroom. As she climbed back in the van, she felt a bulge in her jeans pocket. She pulled out a folded piece of paper that looked torn from a notebook. She unfolded it and saw unfamiliar handwriting but knew who had written it.

  Taryn,

  I didn’t lay a finger on your mother, but she’s going to rehab. If you’d like to find her, ever, talk to Calvin and he can arrange it.

  Gary won’t be bothering you anymore. You’re free. Calvin is a great guy. I promise you he’ll take care of you. He’ll find you a nice place to live.

  We can’t give you your dad back, or the three years you’ve lost, but we can make sure you aren’t beaten and afraid every day. You’re a strong girl. I was impressed with you from the moment I first saw you. You’ve endured more than most girls your age would be able to.

  I enjoyed our time together, and believe it or not, you helped me too.

  I’ve mostly despised the monster inside of me, but tonight my darkness set you free.

  See you soon, kid.

  Afterword

  Thank you so much for reading. If you enjoyed this book, please rate and review it on Amazon. It helps me out tremendously, and I read every single review. Your feedback helps me become a better writer.

  Have you read my other book, Cane’s Detour?

  If you enjoyed this book, you’ll like that one too.

  Here’s the link to get it on Amazon:

  Cane’s Detour

  Both Cane and Daniel will be in my novel Written By Blood, the first of a series. If you like what you’ve read so far, you’re gonna love the novels!

  If you’d like to be a part of the launch team, and possibly a beta reader for my first novel Written By Blood then please contact me. I read every message sent to me and would love you to be a part of my journey.

  Don’t forget to visit my website and sign up to my newsletter, where you’ll receive updates on everything that’s happening:

  Dwayne Gill Books

  Thank you again, for reading, and for all the support.

  Dwayne Gill

  About the Author

  Dwayne Gill is a new author that was born and raised in Louisiana. There he lives with his beautiful wife and his yellow Labrador Retriever and will have his first child in August 2018. The first book of his series “Written By Blood” releases in the summer of 2018.

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