GONE FOREVER

The huge males holding Daniel left him as they sighted the stones in the hands of the people and ran into the crowd. The people created space for them and also gave them stones.

Daniel detecting that he has been released, tried to run away, knowing that staying back would be the death of him but the people seeing through him fast enough, blocked him and formed a circle around him leaving him in the middle.

"Our hero wants to run." A female amid the crowd uttered teasingly and they all cackled and, began throwing both huge and little stones at Daniel, causing bruises all over his body.

They stopped after a while and the huge males as if knowing why the people stopped, strolled to Daniel and stared deeply into his eyes.

"What did Theodora tell you when she stooped before you?" One of them asked, glaring at him.

"Nothing. She only picked up my head and dropped it back after staring at it. She didn't say anything," Daniel replied and spat out blood.

He has never been a male to lie but at that moment with the kind of anger on the people's faces, he knew that even the truth wouldn't be able save him. So what was the need to say the truth? He also felt that Theodora must have a reason for saying that only to his hearing so in his heart, he already swore that he would never tell anyone what she told him. If she, a boastful witch could keep her word a secret then he would respect that and let it be that way.

The huge males clenched their fists, breathing heavily and one of them jerked him closer.

"Tell us the truth, Daniel! What did the witch tell you?!" They growled at him and began punching him. However, Daniel remained silent.

"Speak!" They roughly dropped him to the ground and started kicking him on his belly.

"I've told you! She said nothing!" Daniel cried out and placed his hands on his belly to prevent them from kicking his belly anymore.

"You're such a good liar!" A voice shrieked from the crowd.

"Yes, you are!" Another concurred.

"Let's just waste his life!"

"Yes, he can't give us what we want!"

"He's just a useless fool!"

"An ingrate!"

"He isn't supposed to be spared. He needs to die a painful death!"

"Get out of there, guys! We are stoning that idiot to death!" The huge males left Daniel and ran out at the last voice and the people began stoning Daniel so massively. They stoned him with both rock, sticks, fruits, and anything else their hands could grab, not caring whether he lived or died.

Daniel's cries of anguish were so loud in the air as he begged them to stop but the people ignored him and instead laughed at him and began making jest of him.

"Our fake hero." They laughed and increased their stones on him.

The people stopped again after a while at the command of one of the huge males and both of them strolled back to Daniel. They kicked him on the head and laughed.

"Are you ready to talk now?!" They barked at him. "We expect you to tell us nothing but the truth! Tell us everything she told you!"

"I already told you the truth. There's nothing else left to say." The huge males shook their heads and ran out and immediately the stoning continued more fiercely.

Daniel's head was all bloated and blood was dripping so profusely from his ears, nose, lips and so many other parts of his body, leaving him breathing so heavily. He tried to stand but dropped to the ground in tears as a great heart-wrenching pain coursed through him.

The sight broke Daisy's heart into so many pieces as tears couldn't stop falling from her eyes. She tried to stop the people but they started using her to play. Anyone she got to wouldn't cast a stone at Daniel while so many others would. She kept trying but when she couldn't take it anymore, she rushed to bleeding Daniel and lay on top of him. She shut her eyes expecting so many stones to fall on her but the people stopped.

"Go on! Stone us!" She wailed at them in tears and cupped Daniel's cheeks, staring into his bloodshot eyes. She wiped off the blood on his lips and not minding that the people were watching, crashed her lips on his, suckling on his lower lip so softly while rubbing his face.

The people scrunched their faces in disgust and began cursing incoherently while stamping their foot on the ground. "Get up from his body, Daisy!" One of the huge males shrieked at her but she ignored him and didn't even remove her lips from Daniel's. The male ruffled his hair and picked up a stone. "You left us with no option." He deadpanned and threw the stone at her.

Daisy groaned out in pain, rubbed her head, and looked into Daniel's eyes.

"To live and die I'll always be with you. I love you, baby. I'll always do. Now and forever."

She breathed in and out after her statement and shut her eyes, embracing her fate.

The people seeing that she wanted to die with Daniel, shrugged off and all picked up stones.

"Your blood will be on your head, Daisy. Let that of Daniel be on ours." they said, glanced at each other, and with a bob of their heads, began throwing stones at them, causing blood to litter everywhere.

Daniel and Daisy kept groaning in pain and Daniel not wanting to let Daisy die like that, rolled her over and after several minutes, seized breathing and his head dropped to her body.

"Daniel!" She screamed, patting his cheek but he made no reaction.

She turned him over and placed her head on his chest only to realize that his heart wasn't beating.

"No! No! You can't die! Not this way, please," she sobbed, hitting every part of him that her hand could get to. "Theodora said she would kill you last, why then are you dying now? Please wake up, Daniel. Please!" She kept sobbing but it was all futile. He was gone. Gone forever!