The victim had already made her accusation, and there was no escaping it. Daniel knew he was guilty in the eyes of the law, even if he couldn't deny his innocence. He had no proof, no evidence to support his claim.
He wished he had a camera in his house. A camera that could have captured the events, a camera that could have shown the truth. But there was no camera. Not a single one. He hadn't installed any for his safety.
It might sound ridiculous, but Daniel knew the world had become a dangerous place. The police, and the authorities, they were all corrupt. He had been attacked before, by men in uniform, by men who wanted to silence him. He had defended himself, but he knew if he had cameras, they would have been used against him. They would have twisted the footage, claiming he was a murderer, a threat to the town.
He had learned his lesson. He wouldn't be caught in their trap again. He wouldn't give them any ammunition. He had already been through this before. The authorities had tried to frame him for killing authorized officials, claiming he had murdered them in cold blood. But there was no evidence, no proof. No cameras to record the scene, of there was, it could have been very brutal for him and that was why he insisted that he is no longer going to keep a camera in his house, but that's where the problem comes in now, he is innocent, CCTV camera could have been the best way to escape this.
Now, with no cameras to his defense, he was trapped. The victim's accusation hung over him like a dark cloud, and the police had taken him away. He was locked up in the station, his fate uncertain.
Daniel was deeply disappointed by Kate's accusations. She had painted him as a monster, a villain, someone who deserved to be locked away. But he knew she was just a pretender, someone who never truly cared for him.
He couldn't help but feel a flicker of anger. He had saved her life last night, risked his own safety to protect her. It was a risk he was willing to take, a risk he took every day, fighting to keep the city safe. He knew that his actions sometimes put him in dangerous situations, but he wouldn't hesitate to do it again. He couldn't blame himself for this, not entirely. He had done what he believed was right.
He was taken to prison, a place filled with the worst of the worst. He was thrown in with hardened criminals, murderers, and kidnappers. It was a shock to him, to be labeled a killer, a monster, just because of Kate's accusations.
He found himself surrounded by men and women who had committed unspeakable acts, their eyes filled with darkness and despair. He kept his head down, avoiding their gaze, trying to ignore the whispers and the stares. He couldn't bring himself to trust them, to believe they could be anything but evil.
Suddenly, a cool, feminine voice broke through his thoughts. "Hmmm, I was wondering what a man who believes he's going to save this corrupt city from dying is doing inside a prison full of murderers?"
Daniel was startled. The girl knew who he was. curiosity piqued, wondering what this mysterious woman wanted.
Daniel hadn't looked up yet, but he knew she recognized him. Her voice held a confidence that only came from knowing her target. He imagined she was someone he had crossed paths with before, someone he had fought alongside in his battle against crime. He finally looked up, scanning her face, trying to place her.
It was a face he didn't recognize. He was about to turn away, dismiss her, when her voice stopped him.
"Of course, you don't know me. You haven't encountered me before," she said, a hint of amusement in her tone. He scoffed, looking away again.
"Don't get me wrong, boy. You saved my life once. I'm grateful for that. You're the only reason I'm still alive, standing here beside you," she added, her voice softer now. Daniel turned back to her, his eyes narrowed.
"Standing here beside me? Why should I be grateful for saving someone who's now a murderer, locked up in a cell with murderers? I saved you, and now you're a criminal. Do you think if I knew who you truly were back then, I wouldn't have killed you myself?" he asked, his voice laced with bitterness.
"Ah, there you are. I know you very well. You could have killed me, because you fight to protect the town, like you always have. But I have a question for you. You're the guy who's been fighting to protect the community, right? But what are you doing in here? Are you a murderer too?" she asked, her voice laced with a playful edge as she grabbed the metal bars separating their cages.
Daniel took a deep breath, trying to understand her words. Was she saying she wasn't supposed to be here? Was this a result of the corruption that had seeped into the city? Or was she just trying to prove something? Maybe she was a real murderer, maybe it was something else entirely.
"Come on, don't talk to me like that. I'm nothing like any of you here," Daniel said, his voice tight with frustration.
"Oh, come on. You're nothing like any of us here, yet you're here with us. So what happened?" she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. It was a deep question, one that he desperately needed to answer. He had to explain why he was here, why he was in this prison, surrounded by these people. But how could he explain? He didn't want to defend himself, not to her, not to anyone. He knew they wouldn't believe him, just like everyone else he had tired to explain things about himself to.
"You see, you can't even justify yourself. I know you. I know you wouldn't kill anyone for no reason. If you even killed anyone, and they brought you here, it's because they're trying to frame you. This corruption has gone too far. They frame innocent people, like you, to cover up their own crimes. That's why you're here, isn't it?" she said, her voice laced with a knowing tone.
"Even if that wasn't the reason you're here, there's probably another reason, something not so pure. Don't think you're the only one who's self-righteous. All of us here, we might have ended up here for one reason or another. We might be innocent, just like you. And yet you condemn us because you feel like you're the only righteous man on Earth? Come on. Sometimes, don't forget that you're a human too. Those people you're trying to fight, they hurt you. I don't know why you're sacrificing so much for them, and then trying to make yourself the only righteous person among everyone," she yelled, her voice filled with anger, her face contorted with annoyance. Daniel pretended not to hear her, trying to ignore her words, her accusations.
He kept his gaze fixed straight ahead, refusing to meet her eyes, but he was absorbing every word she said. He knew she wasn't just ranting, even though she seemed like a talkative person. Every word she spoke carried weight, every sentence held meaning.