Behind the wall

Episode 9

A few days had passed since Daniel tried to warn Victoria about Marcus. She couldn’t stop thinking about how she handled that night. Maybe she should have listened to Daniel before sending him away. Daniel wouldn’t lie about something like that. What if he was telling the truth? What if Marcus wasn’t who he said he was?

Victoria’s mind filled with questions. But what made her even angrier was the thought that Daniel had lied, saying he was leaving the country, yet there he was, in her house that night. What was he really doing there?

Then she remembered Marcus’s words: “He’s in love with you. That’s why he’s trying to ruin what we have.”

Her heart skipped. Was Daniel really in love with me?

She thought about all her moments with him, his eyes, his silence when Marcus was around, the way he cared. Suddenly, everything made sense. He had resigned from work because he couldn’t stand seeing her with another man.

“What have I done?” she whispered to herself. “I don’t even love Marcus… yet I pushed away the one I truly love. I crave Daniel’s touch every time I’m near him.”

Without another thought, Victoria grabbed her car keys and drove off to find Daniel. It was late at night, but she didn’t care. Her heart guided her more than her mind.

Halfway there, her car broke down in the middle of a dark street. She sighed and reached for her phone, but it wasn’t there. She had left it at home in her hurry.

The street was quiet and empty. She wasn’t used to this kind of neighbourhood. Fear slowly crept in.

Then, a young man appeared beside her car. He tried to open the door, but it was locked.

“Open the door,” he said coldly, pulling a small knife from his pocket.

Victoria’s heart raced. She stayed still, knowing the locked doors were her only safety.

Suddenly, the boy grabbed a large stone and smashed the window. The glass shattered with a loud crash.

“You think you’re untouchable, huh? Look around you. This isn’t the suburbs, I own these streets,” he growled.

He reached inside, grabbed her by the neck, and started choking her. Victoria gasped for air, kicking and fighting, but he was too strong. Her vision blurred, and she felt her strength fading away.

At last, she stopped struggling, her body went weak as she waited for death to take her.

All she could think of, was Daniel, if she gave him a chance she would be happy, and now she wouldn’t know what it felt like to be with him, to be in his arms.

Life is really short, you should live to make yourself happy, if she chose happiness over her insecurities she wouldn’t be here right now. The boy had her own life in his hands, he is the one to decide whether she lives or dies, now she will die without confessing her love to Daniel.

The young man let go of Victoria's neck, and Victoria was able to breathe again. Victoria looked beside her car as the boy and Daniel were fighting each other.

The boy took out his knife, ready to stab Daniel. He took his shot, but Daniel was faster than him. Daniel dodged the knife and beat him with his fist, making the boy stagger back. Daniel didn’t give him a chance as he hit him again, the boy fell down, and Daniel was on top of him, punching him over and over. Blood was all over the place, the boy’s face was starting to lose shape.

The boy had almost killed Victoria, but she couldn’t sit back and watch Daniel kill him. She stepped out of the car and shouted, “Daniel, stop!” but Daniel didn’t listen. He kept throwing punches at the boy’s face.

Victoria kneeled down and hugged Daniel from behind, “Daniel, please stop!” she cried out.

Daniel was taken aback by Victoria’s body pressed against his. Her voice was shaking, her tears wetting his shoulder. For a moment, he froze. His fists stopped mid-air, his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. The sound of Victoria’s sobs pulled him back to reality. He looked down at the boy’s face, bloody and broken, then at his own trembling hands.

Slowly, he got off the boy, still breathing hard. Victoria’s arms slid down from his shoulders as he stood up. Daniel’s face was cold, his knuckles red. The boy groaned on the ground.

Victoria looked up at Daniel, her heart still racing. “Daniel…” she whispered, but he didn’t answer. He just turned away, trying to calm himself, trying to forget the sight of this boy choking her.