Essence: The E.S.T. Org. (8 page)

“First, let’s mark the spot. I get the feeling we’ll need to use this chute again real soon. Let’s drop some large cactus here in the form of an X,
”
Willy says.

They search and find a cactus large enough to be noticed. They return and drop two large cacti over the chute exit.

“Well, we can’t stay here all night. Do you guys see that road? Looks like maybe, five miles? Let’s go. And guess who’ll get there first.” Isa winks at Willy and Nicky.

The race is on. After a few seconds, Isa arrives first. Nicky and Willy are almost tied behind her.

“Wow! You’re fast!” Nicky tells Isa.

“We’re all really fast. Unfortunately, she is just a little bit faster. Of course the wolf has the most stamina, so I can go the farthest without passing out,” Willy smiles.

“So, if the Chreé are in human form, how do we know who’s Chreé and who’s human?” Nicky asks.

“I can sense them,” Isa answers.

“Yeah she’s also more sensitive telepathically than we are. Ever heard of a horse’s sixth sense?” Willy asks.

“Amazing how it’s manifested differently in all of us,” Nicky mentions. “I wonder what my unique gifts are.”

Isa looks at Nicky, “Well, just like every animal is unique, so are many of our gifts. You’ll find yours … like the roar.”

Willy’s face suddenly turns visibly dejected. “All I can think about are my parents. We have to go back. We need a plan.”

With his stomach growling, Nicky looks at Isa and Willy, “I say first we eat. I wonder if there’s a place with fish sticks around here.”

“Do you ever stop thinking about eating?” Isa asks Nicky.

“Yeah, usually when I’m playing on the Xbox.”

The three escapees walk along the main strip of this small town for a few minutes before lights begin to approach.

“Let’s get a ride,” Willy says as he extends his thumb.

A gray haired, leathery faced man who has worked too many years out in the sun stops and agrees to give them a ride. They all jump into the back of his faded red 1970’s Chevy pickup truck. They figured three kids running faster than a jet down the center of this small town might look suspicious, this was a better option. About ten minutes later they arrive
“Thanks again,” Nicky tells the driver, as they all jump out of the truck bed.

They walk into a local twenty-four hour Denny’s restaurant. They pick a booth towards the back facing the entrance. They are the only ones in the restaurant at this time of night.

“What can I get you kids?” the waitress asks.

“Could we just get water for now?”

“Sure.”

“Hey we don’t have any money,” Isa whispers.

“Don’t worry about that,” Willy replies.

“You know once they know we’re gone, they’ll be expecting us to come back for our parents,” Nicky says.

“Yeah, Z is our only hope of keeping them safe,” Willy says.

“Are there others that think like Z?” Nicky asks Willy.

“I don’t know. He never told us, but I don’t think he could do it alone,” Willy replies.

“Wait. Stop talking. I sense a Chreé near us,” Isa says startled.

Suddenly, under the table Willy’s claws and Nicky’s tomahawk manifest. The table below them is now glowing blue.

“Get ready,” Willy says.

“No. Stop! He’s friendly. I don’t sense he’s like the others,” Isa says.

“Is it Z?” Willy asks.

“I don’t know, but here he comes.” The Chreé who is in human form walks through the entrance and immediately approaches their booth. He drops a note on their table and walks away. Isa picks it up.

“What does it say?” Nicky asks.

Isa reads the note, “Interesting, it says they still don’t know we’re gone.”

“Well, it’s still the middle of the night. What else does it say?” Willy asks.

“Look up to the cross. Wait until 6:00 a.m.”

“Let’s go. Sorry we have an emergency!” Willy yells out to the waitress as they step outside.

The bald eagle is unique. It is the only animal to be merged with all of them. Native Americans considered the bald eagle to be a god of the sky. Like all their other senses, their vision was far beyond even that of the eagle’s vision. Many miles away, they all see a large pink cross, and instantly they know that’s where they need to be.

“We’ll run through the desert so no one can spot us. Oh, and slow down, will ya?” Nicky tells Isa.

“Yeah, sure, I’ll slow down a little for you,” Isa winks and runs off.

“Man, she’s fast,” Nicky says.

“I know, I know,” Willy responds. “Now let’s go!”

After a few seconds, the three arrive at the church. It looks like it came out of an old western movie. They enter the old, unlocked church. The rickety wood floors creek under the weight of their feet. The peeling paint and musky odors are the only things to greet them.

“How about we get some rest,” Willy suggests as he sits down in an empty, unkempt pew.

“Good idea …” Nicky and Isa choose a pew and try to get some sleep.

6:00 a.m.

The church’s double doors open. Behind them a man dressed as a priest enters. He morphs back in to a Chreé.
They all sense the same thing; it was Z. They all hug him.

“So good to see you all, but I have some bad news. You must return immediately. We felt your parents would be safe even after my brethren discovered you three had escaped. We miscalculated. They are now at great risk. Retrieving your parents will not be an easy task
.
I fear for your lives, but I cannot jeopardize others who are sympathetic to our cause. I will help you enter their chambers, but you will be on your own once you have retrieved your parents. Do you understand?”

“We understand. So if we’re discovered, we’ll have to fight our way out?” Nicky asks.

“Yes. We have no choice
.
You must save them now. I fear our window is closing. Return to the chute location. We will link when you arrive.”

“Okay Z, thanks,” Willy replies.

“Let’s go!” Isa tells them.

They don’t care if they’re spotted now. They run faster than they ever have and arrive in seconds.

Just outside the chute, the kids reestablish their link.

«Well, we got out easy enough. Why not go back in?» Nicky smiles.

«Come on. Let’s go. This should be fun,» Willy says.

They remove the cacti covering the hole.

«Let’s see what all that training was for,» Isa says. They jump down.

«Okay Z, we’re in the chute,» Willy reports.

«Quickly, back to the room where you first entered the chute.» The three make their way back through the chute. «Now follow the same path back to your rooms,» Z instructs.

The three adapt their bodies to remain unseen.

«Okay, we’re in the hallway.»

«Now continue straight to the T and make a left this time.» They move quietly, but at a brisk pace. «Continue down the hall to the end; do you see the green glowing light above the door?» Z asks.

«Yes, we see it,» Willy replies.

«Now enter quietly. There will be perhaps … six or seven Chreé in the room. You must not be detected or all is lost.»

Suddenly, the doors automatically open. They quickly enter and immediately place themselves against the wall. Three Chreé turn around and approach them. Isa begins to block any telepathic attempts by the Chreé to sense them. They walk up to the open door.

“Strange,” one Chreé says to the other in their native language.**(**- Chreé Language)

“Indeed,” another replies and simply walks back to the machines they were tending to.**

In typical Chreé fashion, this room is nothing but white, except this room had machines made out of a thin Plexiglas like material along the walls. In front of this material are colorful floating images and words in the Chreé language. The three innately understand the Chreé language floating approximately one eighth of an inch in front of the material. They carefully sneak past the Chreé working on the machines.

“Phew,”
Nicky thinks. They all could breathe again.

«Now, there should be steps straight ahead. Do you see them?» Z asks.

«Yes,» Willy replies.

«Go!» Z responds.

They descend into another long, white hallway.

«Careful. All areas are watched,» Z says. «All of your parents will be in the room through the fourteenth door to your right.»

When they arrive, the doors automatically open. There lay the parents, all sleeping. Their parents’ wrists and ankles are strapped down with a leather like rich, brown material. Just like the kids, they are strapped to steel beds.

Their restraints suddenly disappear in to the bed. «Touch the blue Chryuk above their heads until they turn green,» Z says.

All three can’t help but smile when they see their parent’s faces. They all touch the blue glowing Chryuk above their heads. When they turn green their parents slowly begin to wake up. Nicky hears his name being uttered groggily, “Nicky?”

For the first time in a long time Nicky hears his father’s voice, “Nicky … is … is that you?”

All of the parents are awake and tears of joy flow. The parents and the kids are overjoyed. Hugs exchange all around.

The moment they had all waited for has finally arrived. But, before they can celebrate too much, Z begins speaking to the kids, «I’m sorry to interrupt, but we must evacuate with haste.»

“Okay, we have to go,” Nicky tells everybody.

“Where are we?” Isa’s dad asks.

“Long … long story Dad, but we have to go now. Follow us,” Isa says.

«I must stop communicating with you now. Remember your parents will be seen by the Watchers as soon as you step out of the doors,» Z warns them.

As they approach, the doors open. Willy takes one step outside, which triggers a noise like they have never heard before.

“Cover your ears!” Isa yells.

The Watchers’ screams were so intense, they pierce their covered ears. The screams stop and four Chreé guards appear.

«What do we do now?» Nicky asks. «This is for real.»

«I don’t know. We’ve only done simulations; we have never really fought anyone,» Isa interrupts.

Willy answers, «We have to do this. To immobilize the body, we must decapitate them. If not, they will regenerate. And if we’re captured, they’ll kill us all.»

Suddenly, the four Chreé hold hands and a pulse of blue light rushes towards the kids and their parents. The parents are knocked out. The kids fall to the ground, but immediately get back up.

«What was that?» Nicky asks. It felt like pure energy.

«I don’t know, but we have to stop them, now!» Willy yells.

Nicky manifests a tomahawk and with one throw, two aliens are decapitated. Their bodies collapse and they begin to glow a light blue hue.

Isa’s legs transform into legs like that of the Palomino horse glowing with Essence. She runs up the wall, jumps off, and with a single kick decapitates the final two.

«Nice … hey, you look like a horse,» Nicky tells Isa.

«Really!?» Isa says sarcastically, «Oh great, my new shoes are destroyed.»

«No time for fashion. Let’s go,» Willy says.

Willy, Isa, and Nicky each pick up their parents and throw them over their shoulders. They begin to run down another white hallway, then up the stairs to the large room with the green light above the door. When they enter, nine more Chreé are waiting, glowing with anger.

«We have to put our parents down,» Isa says.

«If they touch them, their souls could be lost,» Willy points out.

«Just by one touch?» Nicky asks.

«Yes. We must protect them at all costs,» Willy replies.

Another large, blue pulse hits Isa. She isn’t expecting it. It knocks her to the ground. Nicky’s powerful growl knocks out three of the Chreé. Willy manifests a war club. The aliens begin to pulse blue energy
.
All three jump out of the way. Willy jumps towards two Chreé using his club. With a single hit, they fall. Isa jumps high, avoiding a pulse with amazing agility, lands and knocks three more out with swift kicks. One more tomahawk slash by Nicky and the last one is down.

«Those that are knocked out will probably heal soon. Let’s hurry,» Willy says with urgency.

The kids pick up their parents again.

«We’ll have to drag them through the chute; it’s going to be a long trip,» Isa states.

«I know and we can’t risk hurting them. We’ll have to go slowly,» Willy replies.

After a long trip in pitch black, the three finally arrive at the end of the chute.

When they begin their ascent to the surface, Willy yells, «Oh no, trouble!»