Page 28 (1/2)

‘Are you serious?’ I ask, not even bothering to hide ust

Nine looks at h he clearly knehat I was expecting ‘What? You were hoping for a Ca for so that looks less deteret in, Johnny,’ he says, tossing his bags into the trunk ‘You ain’t seen nothin’ yet’

22

I wake to the sensation of rocking back and forth Everything hurts My whole body feels fried by the sun: my throat, my skin, my feet and my head My lips are so dry and burned, I can’t even put theether My eyelids are the worst of all, and they refuse to open, noand swaying continues and it dawns onvehicle A wave of nausea rolls over me I try to lift my hands to my head, but that’s when I discover they’re tied down So are s Now I’m wide awake, and I force my eyes open and look ain The desert sun must have left me blind

I try to call out for help, but all I can do is wheeze and cough My ears pick up an echo, and I concentrate on the air around h sound to understand I’ht space, and that the space around me is made of metal It feels like I’m in a coffin, and I almost wretch

That’s when I start to panic What if I’m not blind? What if I’m really dead? I can’t be I am in way too much pain to be dead But I feel buried alive

My breath starts to come fast and furious when a man’s voice stops h a speaker ‘Are you awake?’

I try to answer hiers on the bench and realize it’s ht, and I can sense solass of water and a straw beside you Take a sip,’ the man says

I turn my head and find the straith my mouth The skin on my lips cracks as I try to close them around the straw When I take a sip of water, I can taste thein ate The box I’ with electricity

‘What were you doing at that gate?’ The man asks Every time he speaks, I am struck by how neutral his voice is It isn’t friendly, but neither is it threatening

‘Lost,’ I whisper ‘I was lost’

‘How did you get lost?’

I take another sip before saying, ‘I don’t know’

‘ You don’t know I see Your nuh and choke at the question,so I’m usually cooler than this, but my mind is completely cooked by the sun If he wasn’t sure of the answer before, he is now I resolve to get a grip, to stopstupid mistakes

The voice is back ‘Well, nue froh school in Paradise and the way you took down those helicopters in Tennessee was impressive And then there’s the incredible show you put on in DC last week, breaking John Smith and Sam Goode out of a federal facility You are quite the little warrior princess, aren’t you?’

I’ like he had front-row seats to my life? My body sways hard to the left, and I realize Iainst the strap overhts pain rolls through ain

‘What you need to do is relax Trying to fight isn’t going to get you anywhere You’re dehydrated andto feel pretty sick for a while’

‘Who are you?’ I ent David Purdy, FBI ,’ he says I feel slightly better knowing I’s I couldn’t go through that again, knoas co, especially now that the charm that protected me the first time has been broken With the FBI , gressive they are, they aren’t ht now is a little patience; the opportunity to escape will come Purdy doesn’t know that, probably assuht now, I’ll just follow his advice Relax Rehydrate Wait Ito tell me about what he knows about me, what he knows about all of this

‘Where aent Purdy answers ‘You’re in a transport It’s a short trip’

Again I try to usestraps, but I’ain I take another couple of sips of water to giveot a reunion planned for you with a friend, or maybe I should say a friend of John Smith’s Do you call him John? Or, do you call hi about,’ I say I pause before answering ‘I don’t know anyone named John Four’