No Hostages Beyond This Point

In Daniel's life, there are doors. Some of these doors are physical, and others are mental. These doors are all open and welcoming. He passes through the corridors of life because he wants inside of that new existence, that new life where the grass must be greener on the other side, that shiny door. His success story might be there. His freedom is there. His escape from his tormenting past was through that door. He can see others there, and they look happy. So he walked through the open door, never turning around to notice the sign on the back of the door, the sign that read, "No hostages beyond this point."
Daniel struggles after he is released from prison. He isn't sure he can change his life after everything he has been through. He joined the MS-13 gang to survive in prison. Will they allow Daniel out of the gang after they find out the truth?
Daniel meets the girl of his dreams. Emri was the light in Daniel's darkness, a darkness that resonated through his eyes from within his soul. Daniel fought constantly to free himself from Satan's bondage. His memories held him hostage behind prison doors that he could not seem to open and leave behind. Daniel was released from prison, but not from his sentence and not from his new names: prisoner, murderer, and felon.
Daniel possessed a need to be found innocent of his crime. He wanted to be accepted by the very people he had hurt the most. He had made them kings and queens, rulers of his life and happiness. He did not do it on purpose. He had not realized what he had done until the queen he placed on the highest throne decided to sentence him to death.