He has them converted

"You there," Mr. King says, looking at Stephen. His eyes held no malice or any emotion; they were cold and calculating. "My associate here will remove your gag so you can answer some questions for me. Be aware if you refuse to cooperate in any way, then the situation will only get worse for you and your people." Stephen said nothing to this and watched as Brandon knelt and removed the ball gag from Stephen's mouth.

"Do me a favor and try something," Brandon snarled at Stephen. "Give me a reason to kill you and then take you're pretty..."

"Brandon," Mr. King said in that same calm and authoritative tone. Brandon immediately stood up and moved away from Stephen. Mr. King stared at Brandon for a few moments longer before turning his gaze to Stephen. "Let's start with a simple question. Who are you?"

"...My name is Stephen Roberts..." Stephen answered, hesitantly. He wasn't sure what Mr. King meant by "get worse," but he didn't want to risk it, especially not in the state that he and his family were in.

"Good," Mr. King said with a nod. "I would say it's nice to meet you, Mr. Roberts, but given the circumstances... Anyway, am I correct to assume that the people with you are your family. Your wife and two children?"

"...Yes..."

"Based on your physique, I would also assume that you were more than a man that just worked out. You had an occupation that required you to be fit and active, something along the lines of a policeman, firefighter, soldier..."

"I was a Marine," Stephen said nervously, not sure how Mr. King would take to getting interrupted, even if it was to cooperate. Thankfully, Mr. King didn't seem to mind. His eyes took on the barest hint of surprise, the first emotion Stephen saw from Mr. King.

"A Marine..." Mr. King echoed thoughtfully. "That could be useful. One more question Mr. Roberts, why exactly did you decide to try and drive through our barricade instead of paying the toll?"

"We didn't have anything to give..." Stephen replied. He glared at Brandon hard before adding. "And I didn't want him touching my girls." Brandon didn't appreciate Stephen answered, as evident by the snarl on his face. Mr. King only nodded at Stephen's answer.

"Perfectly understandable," he replied. Brandon was about to interject but stopped when Mr. King glanced at him. He turned back to Stephen with his cold eyes digging into his body. "Mr. Roberts, unfortunately, you and I are at an impasse. While I hold no ill-will towards you, as I said before, your line of reasoning was perfectly understandable, it doesn't change the fact that you've wronged us. Normally, I would let such a small matter slide and offer to recruit you as a means to repaying your debt to us. But a lot of my people saw what you did, so this can't simply be swept under the rug and be forgotten. I've run this little band by holding a tight leash on the members. No single transgression, no matter how small, can go unpunished. Especially when it's public."

"What are you going to do to us?!" Stephen asked, trying not to panic. He was subtly testing the chains that bound his hands and found that they were tight an ungiving. He heard Bonnie, and the kids start struggling, they didn't like where this was going either.

"Nothing much," Brandon replied with a sneer. "Just put you down and the boy for a nap and show the girls a good-"

"No, Brandon," Mr. King interjected.

"But... sir..." Brandon said, looking like he had his Halloween candy taken. "You just said..."

"I know what I said, but that's going too far. I'm firm but fair. Besides Mr. Roberts here is too valuable an asset to lose over something small like breaking a barricade." Mr. King turned to walk out of the cell.

"So, what are you going to do to them?"

"I'll have them converted." Stephen had no idea what that meant, but considering the excited smirk that spread across Brandon's face, it wasn't a good thing. He turned to Stephen, and his grin turned into a full evil smile.

"I'll see you all soon," he said with a maniacal chuckle, and he left without trying to replace the gag on Stephen's mouth. With Brandon and Mr. King gone, Stephen turned his head over to his family. Lizzy and Louis were still struggling to get out of their bonds. Louis was panicking at this point, while Lizzy seemed to focus on being angry instead of scared. Bonnie looked at her husband; she was terrified and was looking to him for hope and guidance.

"Whatever happens," Stephen says to his family. "We'll get through it, together!" Stephen hoped his message got through because whatever Mr. King meant about having them converted, it was happening now.