A Blessing and a Curse

Chapter 25

   I was completely speechless seeing the pictures and realized that the cure was real. It was possible to heal the Infected.

   "Yes! You are correct!" Cornelius said, enthused.

   "But...how?" I asked. He looked at me and smiled.

   "Let me ask you this, Subject Pipsqueak," he began, "Are you that small Bridger boy in the photo?" My lips sealed into a straight line giving him enough of an answer.

   "Your parents kept many things to themselves so it wouldn't go public. Many secrets that greedy hands would die to get today to save a loved one or for power," he said, "Me? I use it for research."

   "So, you have the Cure?" Sabine asked.

   "Not...entirely," He said, then pointed to a scar on the arm of an Infected.

   "That is where it entered which means it's also the source of the virus. It's the only thing that's keeping them from healing entirely. No matter what I do, it just doesn't work."

   I was still shocked at the idea of an Infected turning back into a person. An actual person!

   "Well, I'm going back to my studies! Cheerios!" He quipped before skipping away into a different room.

   I turned around and slid down to the ground. My thoughts wandered all over the place.

   The Cure is real.

   My parents hid this information but how? How did they know that everything was going to change? How did they make a cure? Did my parents know that it was going to happen? Did they know that the Earth was going to change?

   Why didn't they warn people? Why didn't they tell Erica or I about this? Did they think we would see them as crazy?

   ...maybe...

"We need to get out of here," Sabine said suddenly.

"And how do you propose we do that?" I asked a little snappy. The one time Sabine is nice to me and it's when I'm frustrated. Go figure. It was weird having someone that didn't like me since day one and then hates me for trapping us in this horrible wooded area. To then suddenly act nice? What was that about?

   Why was she being nice to me now? What changed her mind to hate me less? That really bothered me.

My eyes averted over to Sabine, who was trying to melt the lock on the cage's door. Sparkles were flying off the metal and would be dangerous for someone normal without one of those melding masks. Although, no one these days were normal anymore. Those were the old days.

   The peaceful days where no one had to worry about the Empire or Infected or powers or anything that changed for that matter. People used to have normal lives, jobs, friends, and family. No war. No hiding. Nothing as horrible as these past years.

   I used to be normal. I used to have a family. A mom. A dad. A sister. We were all happy. I was happy. Not alone on the streets and fearing each day what may come around the corner. Why did life have to do that? Why did it take everything I care about and throw my happiness in the trash like it was nothing special?

   "There is not point dwelling in the past."

   I looked up to Sabine but knew that it wasn't her voice that spoke. She actually stopped melting the lock and with wide eyes, stared over at the other cage. I shifted my gaze over at the woman in the cage on the other side of the room. She looked right back at me, light brown eyes empty.

   Shocked wouldn't the right word for how much this surprised me.

   "You could talk this whole time?" Sabine spoke up first after a long silence. The woman didn't pay any mind to what Sabine said and kept staring at me. It kind of creeped me out but curiosity changed all of those thoughts from before.

   "You'll only hurt yourself more if you pity everything that you lost or once had. There is no point in doing that when it has already been done. So get over with it and move on," the woman said, sternly. For the most part, I was astonished. How did she know what I was thinking?

"Who are you?" I asked her.

She paused as if trying to remember.

"Maketh Tua," she said.

   Sabine went back to melting the lock until the door opened. I stood up and followed Sabine out of the cage. We went over to Tua's cage and Sabine began to melt the lock.

   I walked over to the table and picked up the picture of my family. I sadly hovered my hand over their faces.

   "Mom...dad," I whispered to no one in particular. My eyes averted to my sister.

"EZRA! RUN!"

"NO!"

I flinched at the memory and set the photo down before turning to see Tua walking out of her cage.

"I need to get those files," I said.

Sabine and Tua looked over at me.

"Are you crazy?" Sabine began, "We don't know what that guy can do. We need to get out of here while we still can."

"No, I need those files. You don't understand what it's like to live under the same roof with people you thought you could trust. Who has hidden secrets from everyone including me," I argued. She walked over until standing in front of me.

"You don't know anything about me. So how would you know what goes on with my life," she snapped and jabbed a finger against my chest.

She continued, "I know exactly how it feels!"

My anger melted into surprise. Sabine turned and walked over to Tua.

"Do you know where the exit is?" She asked, calmly. Tua shook her head 'no.' I ignored the rest of the conversation and skimmed the room until seeing a door that was cracked open. I glanced over at the girls to see them still talking away.

Quickly and quietly, I walked over to the door and peeked into the room. There were many different machines giving off a green glow lighting the room. Some puffed steam and others beeped. Not to far away, I could see my parent's files on the desk. No Cornelius. Good.

I pushed the door open more and which gave a horribly loud squeaking noise. The coast was still clear and I sighed a breathe of relief. I stepped into the room and kept scanning the room for any traps or the crazy scientist himself to pop out of no where. Yet, nothing happened and I grabbed the file, shoving it into my bag.

I put it back onto my back and made my way out the door. That was easier than I thought. I shut the door behind me and sighed. I turned around to then jump back when facing Sabine's cold eyes, glaring.

"What were you thinking, idiot?" She whispered loudly. She didn't give me time to answer until dragging me back over to Tua.

"You better stay with us or you're staying behind or just going to get yourself lost," Sabine said, sternly.

"Oh, so you care? That's a shock," I spat then yanked my arm out of her grip.

"I think this way is the exit," Tua said, pointing towards some thick metal doors.

"The fasted we get out, the better," I quipped. Sabine rolled her eyes.

Crack...

"Does anyone else hear that cracking sound?" I asked. We all stood silently until the ground gave out. The last thing I could remember was falling into the dark.

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