Red Sand ✓

2 Sides of One Coin

13 Days After Capture

2016, Location: [UNKNOWN]

10 days, 12 days, 15 days? Maybe 17. Eden was losing count and losing count fast. They no longer followed a pattern. Lights on when she thought it was nighttime, 2 meals in one day, then none the next. The rational part of her knew that it was all fake, just a facade to make Eden snap. But she couldn't help but be terrified that time was slipping through her fingers like sand.

Sporadically timed meetings with K'hau would take place in which he would ask her if she wanted to reveal anything, to which she always just shook her head no. She still refused to tell a single thing. The man would get pissed, cover it up quickly, then leave. An endless cycle that just never seemed to end.

With everyone that went by, she could see K'hau get more and more press. At this point, she wasn't even sure what was stopping him from just taking a gun and popping a cap on her. The sniper was getting tired, and keeping up this endless cycle was pure and utter draining.

3 days without any food or even water-related was killing her. She slowly stood up ignoring the rush of grainy vision and used the cold wall to keep her steady. When Eden's sight was finally clear, she shuffled over to the door and gave it another look.

20x in, and you would think that she would have given up, but there had to be some way to open the door that didn't require a key on the other end.

People made mistakes all the time in engineering. Most of the time it was small things that didn't make a difference anyway, but this time she was just praying to whatever God was up there at this point that there was something.

Just as Eden was running her hands against the right frame of the metal door, it slammed open and she fell back. Her head landed solidly on the ground below, and the whole room went white with a flash of pain.

A figure loomed above and all Eden could do was lookup. "Goddammit," she groaned out, letting her head fall back on the floor.

K'hau laughed from above. "Ready to talk?"

---

19 Days After Capture

2016, Location: [UNKNOWN]

K'hau had gotten tired of pushing for everything and getting nothing but empty air and Eden staring at him with blank eyes. For on the 19th day the door swung open and a pissed looking leader stormed in. "I've grown tired of these games alqinas. My boss is coming soon and I need answers, he said no harm to you but I believe we can make an exception here."

Eden's heart dropped down to her stomach but she said nothing. She was honestly surprised this didn't happen sooner. Allowing one of his men to yank her up, the sniper obediently followed as they led her down the same hallway as before.

Her socks filled with sand as they dragged across the concrete. Mind following body, Eden tried to space out but the bangs on the wall and the tight grip on her arms gave no tempo nor room to leave the present time.

She was led outside where the sun blinded her. Bright and high noon, light was a thing the brunette hadn't in a while. But it was a small moment as she was shoved down into the sand, rocks digging in her knees. Left to blink the bright sun away, K'hau stood in front of her with men on either side. Like God and his angels, the star in the sky seemed to become his halo.

"Your name is held to my people like the Devil is to yours. A hidden marker bringing nothing but destruction and war to my land. You killed my father, yet here you are again killing more. Where does it stop? When we all are dead?" K'hau reached forward and grabbed her by the collar, Eden forced to follow his grip.