Set Me Free

"I will never stop coming to visit you. I love you."

"Thomas Edison's last words were "It's very beautiful over there". I don't know where there is, but I believe it's somewhere, and I hope it's beautiful."

Daniel's POV

Daniel ran.

He didn't turn to look back, he didn't take a second to think about what he was leaving behind. He just ran.

No one saw him, no one seemed to know about the back exit that was concealed in the bushes outback. The only reason Daniel was aware of it was because it was apart of his escape plan. Now that plan was a reality.

He continued to run.

He knew that in the warehouse behind him his father was being arrested. He knew that there was no way of him escaping the life prison sentence that awaited him. The thought of this made Daniel smile. He always knew that one day his father would end up behind bars, the only difference is is that Daniel always believed he would be right there with him.

He always imagined that if the raid ever happened, if the police ever stormed the place, that Daniel would be arrested along with the rest of the men. At that moment, he never thought that he would have the opportunity to flee.

Elizabeth gave him that.

He never would have thought to do it, never would have had the guts to run, but she gave him the confidence needed to make the escape he had only dreamt about.

And now he was on the run.

It had been so long since he had been outside that he had forgotten what fresh air felt against his skin, forgot the way the concrete felt against his feet, even forgot what it was like to sprint at full speed. He had been deprived so much while he was kept there, and now it was all his. The world was his to enjoy.

The only thing making him look back was Elizabeth. He knew she was safe now, she had been saved. She would go back to her life and one day maybe forget about everything that she had been through. Maybe one day she'll forget about him. She'll move on with her life, get married, have children and be happy.

Daniel knew that for as long as he lived that he would think about Elizabeth. She would always be there, at the back of his mind. He knew that he would never be able to forget the woman who set him free.

But right now, he had to face reality. He was alone, lost and homeless. He had no time to grab anything, no time to make a concrete plan of what to do. His escape plan was always more of a fantasy and he had never really planned what he would do once he was out, once he was free.

He had no where to go. Before he was kept at the warehouse he had friends but now he honestly didn't think they would remember him and he didn't even know where they would be. He had no means to contact anyone, or anyone to contact for that matter.

He was truly alone.

"Shit," Daniel swore out loud once he finally came to a stop on a park bench. Looking around him, he found himself to be in a park with a fountain in the middle. The beauty of it took his breath away. He had forgot about the beauty of nature, the simple joy of being outside. For a moment, he forgot about his impending future and simply sat back to enjoy the feeling of his freedom. A feeling he never thought he would ever feel again.

He then knew where he wanted to go.

Daniel walked for miles. He didn't mind that he legs ached or that the wind was cold against his skin. He just continued to walk, finding pleasure in the fact that he could.

Finally, he reached the one place he could think of going.

The graveyard stretched on for miles. Rows and rows of headstones greeted him, all dedications to those who were no longer with us. The yard had changed so much in the time that he had been there that he feared he might never find what he was looking for.

He eventually did.

There, worn and faded with time was his mothers grave. He hadn't been here in six years and yet he still felt just as scared standing before it as he did the first time. That little headstone was a reminder of what he had lost, of the one person in this world that truly loved and cared for him.

If he closed his eyes, he could remember the day almost perfectly. Saddened eyes of distant relatives, the meaningless and empty words of the local vicar, the look in his father's eyes as his mother was buried. It was the last time Daniel ever saw any emotion in his father's eyes. It was a look that would haunt him.

He knew that his father blamed himself for her death, and Daniel did as well. He had got his mother caught up in this life, he had doomed her to this fate. Daniel had never really forgiven his father for that. It was then that his father became the ruthless man he knew him to be. He never smiled, never cared, never showed any signs that he loved his only son. Instead he kept Daniel away from the world, locked away like any other prisoner.

"Mum," Daniel breathes as he takes a seat before the headstone. There, on the ground in front of him lay a bunch of flowers, red roses, his mothers favourite. Attached was a note, tucked away amongst the stems.

Daniel begins to read.

'My dearest Louise,

Words cannot express how truly sorry I am, although I have tried many times over the years. I just hope that one day you may be able to forgive me, and that some day, I may be able to forgive myself.

All my love forever and always,
Paul.'

Daniel never would have believed these flowers were from his father unless he was seeing it with his own eyes. The flowers were fresh, maybe a day or two old. His father had been here recently. He knew then that his father had been coming here often, whenever he went on trips without his henchmen. Somehow, that made Daniel hate his father a little bit less.

"I've got so much to tell you," Daniel begins.

He sits there for hours, telling his mum all about his life over the last six years. He tells her about the warehouse, about his father and lastly, about Elizabeth. Even though he knew his mother wasn't there and that she couldn't hear him, it made him feel better to finally tell his mother all of the things he wanted to tell her. Over the years he had often thought of idea that he used to be able to tell his mother anything, with no fear of judgement or criticism. It was comforting to know that he could somehow still do that.

"I don't know what to do mum, I'm so lost. I have no where to go, no one to see. I wish you were here, you always knew exactly what to do, exactly what to say. I miss you so much mum," Daniel tells her, tears streaming down his face as he traces her name with his fingers.

He suddenly felt angry, frustrated with the world that she was taken from him too soon. She should have been here to protect him like she always did, she should have been here to comfort him. And yet, he had to settle to talking to the headstone before him because of the cruel fate him and his mother were dealt.

Daniel sits there a little longer, continuing to stare at the last reminder he had of his mother. He didn't know how long he was there for, only that he felt at peace sitting on the cold floor of the graveyard.

Finally, he decides to leave.

"I'm going to go, but I'll be back," he stands, brushing the dirt off his trousers,"I promise. I will never stop coming to visit you. I love you."

He takes one last look before turning around with the idea of heading back to that park he had seen previously.

"Hello Daniel," the man before him greets.

He is the last man Daniel expected to see here.