THERE WILL BE BLOOD || DANIEL MATTHEWS ||

V: THE NERVE GAS HOUSE

I fell deeper and deeper into darkness, fingers grasping for anything to hold onto. It felt like I was drowning. The air suffocated me as I called out for help. The only noise in the darkness was me crying for help. Otherwise, silence. I hit something hard. I crumpled up into a ball.

"Hello? Anyone!" I cried, sobbing into the air. I stood up in the darkness, with my hands out in front of me, I walked hesitantly forward. Searching for anything near me, I continued to walk, until- "Delilah?" I heard a voice yell. My heart hitched, Daniel? "Daniel?" I called out, hesitantly. "Daniel?" I screamed. I ran, madly, blindly, forward, towards the voice.

I woke up, gasping for air. I looked around and scooted back in fear. I was in an unknown room surrounded by strange faces, all staring at me. Some stared concerned, confused, and maliciously. In the midst of all this unfamiliarity, I saw a body laying on the floor, Daniel.

I raced over to check his pulse. Good, still beating.

"Do you know this guy?" a black man asked.

I nodded hesitantly. I tried to shake Daniel awake, but to no avail. I lifted his body and slowly, carefully dragged him to the corner. Lifting his head and putting it in my lap. I stared at the others, silently threatening them to try to touch him. I gingerly placed my hands around his face.

"What's your name?" the black guy asked me again.

"Delilah," I muttered. As soon as I said it, I regretted it. I should've used a fake name.

The guy nodded, "I'm Jonas.

I smiled politely, but I didn't care. I wanted to know why I was here and who put me in here. I was scared, nervous, I just wanted Daniel to wake up.

I looked around to gauge my surroundings. There was a safe in the middle of the room. A fireplace on the back wall to the left of my corner. There were seven other people in the room, besides me and Danny, one of which was asleep on the floor.

"Daniel?" I whispered, leaning down to his ear, "Daniel, please wake up." I pleaded. To my delight, his body started moving and his baby blue eyes opened, staring into my chocolate brown.

"Delilah?" he asked, confused. He lifted himself off of my lap and stared at me, dazed. He looked around and his eyes grew more alert from fear, "Where are we?" He scooted back to the wall, resting his arms on his knees.

I coughed into my elbow, that's strange, I don't remember being sick. I sniffled, "I don't know, some kind of room."

We sat there, huddled, together for about twenty minutes. In those twenty minutes, we learned the people who were trapped in the room with us, a blonde named Laura, brunette Allison, a mysterious man in a hood, a fat, Italian named Gus, a rough guy named Xaiver, and Jonas. The woman on the floor with short hair was still passed out.

I watched as Jonas kneeled down beside her, "Hey. Hey, wake up. Hey. Can you hear me?" No response. "She's still breathing," he said to the group, everyone doing something different. Allison was feeling the door, and Gus was panicking, undoing his tie.

"What is this, house arrest?" Addison asked looking around, "We in jali?"

"No," Jonas responded, "This ain't jail man."

"Yeah, you done a lot of time?" she replied.

"Yeah," he scratched his neck, "Too much." Daniel's arm around me tightened.

"Somebody open the fucking door!" Addison yelled, slamming her hands against it.

"I don't think anybody's listening," Xaiver answered. "Damn, what the fuck is this!" he yelled.