"Ezra...Ezra, please be ok...please..."

   Who was that? Sounds...familiar.

   "He's not breathing!"

   "What are we going to do?"

   Why is my head spinning? Why do I feel like blacking out? What's going on?

   "We need to get out of here before he  finds us."

   "What if he already has?"

   Silence.

   I could feel all the air in my lungs leave and the sensation of something choking me. Need...air. Need...air...now!

   "Ezra, wake up! You need to wake up!"

   "WAKE UP!"

   I shot up and breathed in the sweet air. Heaving, my eyes darted around the area around me. Sabine sat next to me shock written all over her face. Dr. Crazy stood on the other side of the bars of the cell.

   "Thank you for waking up, Pipsqueak," Cornelius said, grateful. Sabine rolled her eyes and shuffled back to her corner.

   "Rough dream, child?" He asked.

   "Oh trust me, I've been living a nightmare. Literally," I replied. I didn't even know why I was talking to this dude. He seems...off.

Cornelius hummed in acknowledgement then smiled.

"What are you doing with us?" I asked.

"Why, I'm studying you," he said, "To learn genetics and what makes things tick, you need some sort of specimen to test it on."

"So you're going to cut us open just to see how we work?" Sabine questioned. My eyes widened at the bare thought of being cut open just to be studied. Sounds like something that would happen in this forest.

"Hey, I may live in the...what do you whipper snappers call it? The Whispering Woods? And I'm an old deranged scientist but that's not how I learn biology. I watch and learn from a distance," he explained. I calmed down a little.

He continued, "Like my fine assistant over there. Subject Blondie has the power of astral projection."

Astral projection? I scrunched my nose in confusion, not knowing what that power was. I glanced over to see Sabine moved back to her spot but seemed to be listening.

"What is the purpose of your wrinkled facial expression? Are you in confusion?" He asked, joyfully.

"What's astral projection?" I asked. Maybe it can distract him until I can think of a way to escape. Yet, I still had some curiosity of what the power could do.

   Dr. Cornelius seemed thrilled to answer.

   "Astral projection or astral travel, is a term used in esotericism to describe a willful out-of-body experience or OBE for short. It assumes the existence of a soul or consciousness called an "astral body" that is separate from the physical body and capable of travelling outside it throughout the universe."

   I was still a little confused but didn't ask anymore questions...for now. Right now, we need to escape and find the rest of the crew. I don't deserve to come along with them but there was still hope that they would let me stay.

   Yet, after the way Sabine acted, who knows what the others would think. Or if they're even still alive.

   No! Don't think like that! They are fine. I've seen them take care of themselves.

   But...they were together and taking on Infected that weren't the size of a full grown tree.

   I looked up and realized that Doctor Crazy left. My eyes glanced over at Sabine to see she wasn't in her spot anymore. I looked all over the cage then noticed her on my left peeking through the bars at something.

   "What are you looking at?" I asked, standing up and tried to see what she was looking.

   She didn't answer or make any sort of move. Just kept staring through the bars at something. I moved over and tried to see again but still couldn't.

"Ezra."

Were my ears working or did Sabine actually say my name? It kind of scared me to be honest. This was the first time I've ever heard her say my name instead of rat or a monster. Yet, she sounded...worried?

I realized that I hadn't said anything since I was in frozen state of shock.

"Y-Yeah?" I asked.

"What's your last name?"

What? My last name? What was so worrisome that she needs to know my last name?

I still answered, unsure, "Bridger."

Sabine looked over her shoulder at me before turning back.

   "What's going on?" I asked, trying not to lose my patience. I did it once and now we're here in the worst place in the world.

   "Do you know this guy?" She questioned.

   "Obviously not," I answered, then asked,"Why?"

Again, she didn't answer so I moved next to her to see.

   I scanned the area seeing nothing out of the ordinary until looking at a table not to far away. On the file, it said in big, bold red letters 'The Bridger Files: Classified.' Next to the folder was a picture of my family, each face with the biggest of smiles. I look at the younger version of myself.

   I can't remember the last time I was like that. Happy and innocent. Not a care in the world.

   Why does this Dr. Wacko have these things?

   "What's in that folder? What else have you not been telling us?" Sabine started interrogating.

   "I..." I started, still a little speechless, "I don't know. I'm just as curious as to why he has those things."

What were my parents hiding? Could it be why my sister and I couldn't go down in the basement? What were they hiding?

   Soon, Dr. Cornelius came back into the room with the same joyful smile. A file was grasped in his gloved hand as he laid it next to my parent's folder.

   "What's in that folder?" I asked. Cornelius looked over at me and his smile widened.

   "In this folder," he began, "is one of life's greatest blessings."

   Cornelius walked over with both the file and folder. He opened the file and showed us two pictures of giant tanks with green liquid. Floating inside the tanks were two Infecteds but with some human parts like a leg and an arm or part of a face.

"They're...healing?" Sabine said in amazement and disbelief.

////////////////////////////////////////////

Stay tuned and adios!!!😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁