Restless

A Grand Interrogation

We drove down the highway towards our destination, deeply thinking about the hostage in the trunk of Ben's car. I sat alone in the passenger seat hoping Zach was okay in the truck behind us.

"What is Emilie doing working for the sandmen?" Ben asked, breaking my focus on the thought.

"I don't know but it's bad. What are we going to do? She said there was an Ambush in Los Angeles and that's where we have to go through to get to San Fran." I said to him. He sighed and shrugged. We heard a pound banging from the trunk and could hear muffled yells.

"Radio the others and tell them that when we get to the Grand Canyon national park, were going to have a little talk with Emilie." Ben ordered. I did and we all agreed to interrogate her and find answers.

Later..

"How did you know we were going to Cali?!" Aaron yelled in Emilies face. We had gotten off the road and had made it to the Grand Canyon. The sun was scorching hot and helped with the interrogation. Zach and Big Ben had tied Emilie to a old dead tree away from where we parked the trucks. We needed to know why she was with the sandmen.

"You can't make me talk. You'll have to kill me." She growled. I felt the anger rise in my belly.

"Listen kid, you've made a lot of these people mad. I would tell them what they want." Nick said firmly.

"You killed Tim, you bitch!!!" Parker yelled from behind his dad. "I'll kill you!!"

"He wasn't the first I've killed. And he wasn't the last." Emilie said laughing. Parker growled and walked away. I walked up and put my face in hers.

"Are you sure you won't talk?" I asked nicely.

"You can't make me." She said angrily.

"Okay." I said calmly. Confusion struck my entire team.

"What are you trying to pull?" Emilie asked confused.

"If you don't want to do the thing we're keeping you alive for, well just kill you." I said smiling and reaching for my revolver. She showed fear in her eyes. I pulled out my revolver and put it against the leg I shot earlier and pulled the trigger. Emilie screamed in pain.

"Please stop!!" She screamed in pain. I raised my revolver to her shoulder and shot again. Tears rolled down her face as I raised the gun to her forehead.

"Goodbye Emilie." I said, looking into her eyes.

"I'll talk!! Please don't kill me!!" She sobbed.

"You answer every question we ask or I put a bullet in your skull. Got it?" I asked her. She sniffled and nodded her head.

"first things first, why'd you kill my best friend?!" Parker yelled. Emilie looked at me then back at Parker.

"He learned my secret so I had to silence him." She said simply.

"That's another thing. Why are you involved in all this?" I asked her. She hesitated.i looked at her and she sighed.

"My dad is one of them.." She mumbled.

"I'm sure a lot of them have children. Why are you different?" Ben asked from beside me.

"I don't know.. He's kinda important." She added.

"How important?" Ty asked.

"Like.. Leader important?" I asked. She sighed again and took a breath in through her nose as if getting ready to explain a long story.

"My father isn't a leader in the sand men, he is THE Sandman. He is the head of the army. He is the leader of the world and everyone will bow down before him. Being the daughter of the King of the world has a lot of perks." Emile explained to us.

"Well, I hate to burst your bubble, princess. But you're dad isn't going to stop us." Big Ben chuckled.

"Don't underestimate my father. He'll destroy you." Emilie threatened. I ignored her threat and continued with my questions.

"You said something about an ambush in Los Angeles. When will they be there?" I asked.

"They're already there. My father will do everything in his power to stop you from connecting with the Piranhas."

"Piranhas? How many of them are there?" Ty asked.

"We've counted at least nine of them." She answered.

"How armed are they?" Luke asked. Emilie shrugged.

"Is there reinforcements up next to Salt Lake City?" Elizabeth said, pulling out her map.

"The usual patrol. Most of the army is waiting in LA." She said confused.

"Then that's the way we're going to get to California." She said, turning to me. I didn't quite understand what she meant.

"She's right. If we take highway 15 up to Salt Lake city, then take highway 80, will make it to Cali in no time." Cailey added.

"That's a long trip. It'll add a few days to our schedule." Ben pointed out. We were running out of time. We had a choice. Face an army, or take the long way..

"Dray!! Get over here!" I heard Aaron tell from the other side of the trucks. I wasted I time. I ran to his voice to find him and Hayden restraining a stranger.

"Please don't hurt me!!" The person yelled, fear in his voice. I aimed my revolver at his head and he stared into my eyes.

"Who do you work for?!" I yelled at him. He was maybe an inch taller than me and had shaggy black hair. He turned pale as I poked him in the forehead with the barrel of my gun.

"I don't work for anybody... My family was trapped here when the soldiers attacked.. I thought maybe I could take some of your food while you were busy.. But they caught me.." He explained. "Please don't hurt me, sir. I'll do anything.."
O
"Hey bubby!!" I heard my sister, Maddie yell from the truck. "If I don't tend to Emilies wounds, she'll bleed out by the time night falls."

"I know where you can get first aid." The stranger spoke up. "if you let me I can show you."

"We are running pretty low.." Maddie said.

"OK we'll trust you don't plan to tricks on us or you'll get a bullet in your chest." I said uneasily.

"What's your name, friend?" Hayden asked the stranger.

"I'm Kane." He said smiling and extending an open hand. I grasped his hand and smiled. He seemed to be a good guy. That's when Hannah stuck her head out of the truck. Kane was immediately distracted. "Well, hello there, missy."

"Hello." She said happily. Zach felt that he was ready to go back out with us to find first aid. Madison cleaned his wounds one last time and me, him, and the newcomer Kane, set off to find first aid.

Later....

Kane led us to one of the old gift shops by the Canyon. He believed there were medical kits inside somewhere.

"Right inside here. But be careful there's been some guys Setting up camp around here." Kane warned. I decided to go first. I pulled out my revolver and slowly entered the small shop. It had large glass windows and a metal door. Then something happened. I tripped on something like a wire and set off a trap. The vending machine that was in front of the store tipped sideways pinning the door shut. I ran back and tried pushing the door open. Nothing. It was the only entrance. I could see Zach and Kane trying to move the machine outside.

"We'll get you out bud. Don't worry." Zach said to me. Kane looked back in the direction of the trucks and smiled.

"You got a girl, red?" Kane asked Zach. He just nodded and kept working on the door. "I'm going to try to get some of that red head girl back at camp."

"Oh are you?!" Zach said furious.

"Yeah, I'm sure she'll like this." Kane said, pointing at himself making a face. Zach turned red as his hair.

"One things for sure, Kane." Zach said gritting his teeth. "I'm going to kick your ass."

"Oh shit." I said to myself. This was bad.