Free Essence: The E.S.T. Org. by William Fernandez

several minutes.
    Luckily their enhanced eyes can see in complete darkness.
    «Yes, we’ve reached the end,» Willy replies.
    «Excellent. Now you will have to dig out. Break the chute and dig. You are about twelve feet below the surface. Perhaps Willy’s wolf merger would suit him for this task,» Z suggests.
    «Okay. I’ll dig us out.» Willy’s glowing claws appear and light up the dark chute. At speeds not visible to the human eye, Willy starts to dig. After a few seconds they ascend to the desert floor.
    All three now stand in the dark, desolate desert looking up at the star-lit sky.
    «Nothing but desert … where are we?» Isa asks.
    «You are in the New Mexico desert now. I must go and will be unable to communicate with you for some time. I do not know how much time all of you have before your escape is noticed. Good luck and stay strong.» Z breaks his link.
    “We’re out! We’re out!” They start jumping and laughing. Then they realize something.
    “You know we’re in the middle of nowhere. Now what?” Nicky asks.

Chapter 32 - X
    “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.”

Chapter 33 - Fast
    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