Time froze; everything stood still, life stopped for that one moment. Kalli's wide eyes stared at Taylors bloodied body in horror, some sick fascination holding her gaze, she was unable to turn away. Her head pounded violently and that strong odour turned her already weak stomach, but still she watched the blood. Seemingly, it poured from every inch, covering his motionless, frail figure. Reaching out, slowly, hesitantly she gently smoothed his once golden hair from his forehead and ran her hand through the sticky, damp locks.
The moment passed, Kalli managed to tear her eyes away from his sorry state and look at Danny. Pure hatred moved hastily throughout her body, she started to shake with anger, sorrow, helplessness. It's all in Danny's hands now Kalli, for once the voice assured her, helped her, there isn't anything you can do anymore.
Once again Danny was met with a decision; his conscience battled, right or wrong, good or evil. His head screamed against his heart, telling him to run, forget the boy and go. However, his new-found emotions told him to get Taylor home, to a hospital, anywhere as long as he could get help. He didn't know what to do, his mind was split and fear had clouded all judgement.
Murder, punishable by death. He didn't want to die, he didn't want to be a murderer, his only intentions had been the money, he hadn't cared about the boy he just needed the money. He was in over his head, this was too much for him to handle; he had placed himself in a situation with which he could not cope and he was scared.
His eyes returned to the boy, with each second he was losing his grasp on life, slowly he was drifting away; he had to make his decision, he had to make it now.
Terror intensified as she watched Danny lunge forward and begin to fiddle with Taylors handcuff, muttering obscenities to himself.
"What are you doing?" she whispered, the question carried, unheard and so she repeated it. "What are you doing?" he turned to look at her, desperation in his eyes.
"Shut the Fuck up!" a moment later she felt a sharp pain in her temple causing her head to swing back and crack against the hard stone wall. The world became black.
"Shit!" his quiet murmurs intensified as he saw the girl pass out against the wall.
Just get them and GO! his head screamed. He managed to eventually undo the lock and started on hers which came apart easily. Scooping Taylor up in his arms he ran through the front door and over to his van, opening the back and throwing him carelessly against the metal wall. After a second of deliberation he returned for the girl, locked the back and climbed into the drivers seat.
He started to drive, he figured that the best place to take them was back to the hotel. Any attempt to figure out somewhere more suitable, which would decrease the risk of capture only brought a dull pain in his temples; he could not think, he could not reason, he could only hear the word murderer repeating in his head. Over and over again the word rang, it's evil implications bringing images of hell, pain and suffering.
"Why did this happen?" he was speaking to himself, it didn't mater, he was probably the only person who would ever listen "How could I have brought my life to this?" Contemplating the worthlessness of his now irrelevant future only intensified the misery and sorrow which swept over him in waves.
For the first time, since childhood Daniel Martin shed a tear.