oOo
If I got rid of my demons, I'd lose my angels ~ Tennessee Williams
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Chapter Three

Zak and the guys returned to their hotel room after taking down all their cameras and putting their equipment away.

"Aaron and I are going to grab some breakfast before hitting the sack for a few hours, you coming along?" Nick asked from the passenger seat of Zak's pickup truck.

Zak shook his head.

"No thanks."

Nick nodded and turned his gaze back out at the urban scenery while Zak sped down the deserted street, going back to their hotel. As appealing as food was, all Zak wanted right now was a hot shower and a few hours of sleep before he headed back to Vegas to try and salvage what he could of their investigation.

He had hours of footage from their night in the factory to go over, but he had a feeling that would be a giant waste of time, just like the entire investigation, well except for the last ten minutes, but had that really been paranormal activity? He really couldn't be sure, but the breathy voice that had called him name was quite a finding. Unfortunately he doubted that was enough to make a whole episode out of. He only hoped that Billy had missed something and they had caught something else on one of their cameras.

"I am going to call our guy out in Vegas to look at that footage we got of that room shaking." Zak informed Nick.

Nick grunted in approval. "Good, maybe he can tell what the hell that was because it scared the living shit out of me."

Zak nodded, agreeing. It had been quite a harrowing experience, having the room shake and the building creak as if the building was going to fall on them, but what he was more curious about was the voice they had heard after, the woman who had called his name, the eerie voice that had come through as clear as day still resonated inside his head.

He couldn't wait to get back to his studio so he could analyze it further, but the real question was who was she? "That factory, there were no reports of any women dying there, was there?"

"Not that I know of." Nick paused and glanced at Zak. "I thought that EVP was a little strange, don't you think?"

Zak pulled his truck into the hotel's parking lot and parked it in the first spot he saw. He turned the ignition off the truck but neither man made a move to get out. He knew that EVP had been strange ... There had been something about the voice, the woman's tone ... it was almost as if she had known Zak personally with the way she had said his name. Zak shivered at the memory. Her disembodied voice had been melodic and soft, the way she had said his name ... it had caused a pang of hurt across his heart.

Whoever the woman had was, she had wanted something from him, but he would never know what. "Do you think that weird shit with the lights had anything to do with that EVP?" Zak asked suddenly.

Nick seemed thoughtful for a moment.

"I don't know ... It could have been a coincidence. But both you and I know that those kinds of coincidences are pretty damn unlikely." Zak nodded, his thoughts running a mile a minute. Nick opened his door and hopped out of the truck, Zak followed suit just as Aaron pulled up behind them in a rented mini-van. Nick made his way to the back passenger before pausing and turning back to Zak. "Proving that it wasn't a coincidence is a whole other story though."

"Yeah ..." Zak watched Aaron and Nick pull away until they were out of sight and made his way to the hotel lobby.

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Zak wandered into the lobby with his mind full of unanswered questions. Never in all his years of investigating had he ever encountered anything like he had last night. He couldn't even think of any actual documented occurrence like he had experience. He had to find out more about what had happened in that building and if it was paranormal related.

Stopping in the middle of the big hotel lobby, Zak grabbed his phone and scrolled through his contacts until he found the name. Cade Willis was a specialist in video analysis. More specifically in strange paranormal anomalies. If anyone could tell him what he had witnessed it was Cade. Zak pressed send and held the phone to his ear, hoping to hear his friend's voice but unfortunately the voicemail picked up. Leaving a quick message, Zak hung up and abruptly turned around to head to his room.

With his head down, Zak kept his eyes on his phone wondering who else he could try and contact about some of the questions he had, at the same time, he wanted to get to his room, so he took the first steps towards the elevator, but as he started to walk he suddenly came crashing hard into another person. Caught off-guard, his phone went crashing to the ground along with the stranger he had just made contact with. A soft feminine gasped was followed by an unceremonious thump. Shaking himself back to reality Zak caught himself before he too toppled over.

"Oh, fuck, I am so sorry." Zak exclaimed, taken aback by his distracted state. Finally focusing, Zak extended his hand down to help the woman up, but as he turned his gaze to her it was his turn to let out a gasp. "You."

The woman gave him a small sheepish smile. "It seems like you are bound and determined to run me over, aren't you." She joked.

"How ..." Zak stared at the familiar woman he had only just seen the day before. Her captivating sky blue eyes could not be mistaken for any other, no matter how freaked out he had been, he would never forget those haunting eyes. "What are you doing here?" He blurred out.

"The same thing most people do at hotels, sleeping away from home." She replied sassily.

How was the very same woman he had almost hit with his truck on his way to Salt Lake City even at the same hotel? The girl gave him an awkward smile as he realized he had been staring at her. He quickly shook himself and bent down slightly with his hand extended. Grateful, the woman grasped his hand. At her touch a small shock caused his entire arm to be covered in goosebumps but he ignored the odd feeling and clasped his fingers around her hand.

With ease as if she weighed nothing, he lifted her to her feet, but thanks to her feather weight Zak pulled a bit too hard. The girl came crashing hard into his chest. Her free hand automatically came up to brace herself against the impact, which did little good; it simply crushed her hand and arm between both their chests. Zak wrapped his free arm around her, to stabilize her.

"Whoa." He gulped totally thrown off.

Zak glanced down and found himself hypnotized by the fragile woman he held in his arms. The petite woman was not only light; she had the most delicate features he had ever seen in a person. The woman's hand was pressed hard against his chest. He felt the coolness of her skin through his shirt and he felt himself shiver.

"I am really sorry." He murmured, apologizing again. "I am not usually this much of an idiot."

"Oh, I don't mind." The woman countered, her eyes slightly glazed over before she blinked several times as if waking up from a dream. "I mean, it's okay, no harm done." She suddenly blushed and glanced down at their rather intimidate pose.

Zak quickly dropped his hands from around her waist and let go of her hand. He took a step back and cleared his throat.

"Are you alright?" He finally asked.

The woman gave him a small smile which made her entire face light up. Zak felt his heart skip a beat at the sight but it was over all too soon as she turn her gaze to the ground.

"I am fine, but I don't think your phone is." She reached down and grabbed his mobile phone. The woman stared at the device for a moment with a quizzical frown but when it gave a loud ring she gasped surprise and shoved it into his out-stretched hand.

Finding her reaction rather humorous, Zak found himself chuckling before glancing down at who was phoning him. The screen light up with Aaron's name. Zak swiped the ignore option and turned his eyes back to the woman.

"My phone is fine. It's used to being dropped." He shoved the phone back into his pocket.

"Well, I'm glad." Suddenly seeming uncomfortable she took a step back. "I should go." Zak nodded but the thought of her leaving did not seem right. The enchanting woman turned to leave but she stopped mid-track. "Unless you want to buy me breakfast?" She asked out of the blue.

Zak's stomach lurched at the thought. "I mean you almost ran me over twice. It's the least you can do." She grinned cockily and before Zak could even think this through he found himself nodding. "

oOo

Zak and his mystery girl didn't have to go far to find somewhere to eat. The hotel was located in the heart of Salt Lake City and they had several choices to pick from, but to Zak's relief they settled on a quiet diner.

"I didn't even bother asking your name?" Zak asked as they both took a seat inside the small booth of the old café.

A waitress wearing a sunny yellow uniform soon appeared and set a single two sided menu on the table. "Would you like anything before you look at the menu?" She asked.

Zak shook his head no, he wasn't the coffee type and he wanted to catch a few hours of sleep before he headed back to Vegas later today so he was going to stay away from caffeine.

"Tea, please." The woman ordered softly. The waitress nodded and was gone in a flash. "Melody." The girl spoke again while grabbing the menu and glancing down at it.

"What?"

"You asked me my name." She smiled briefly gazing up at Zak. "It's Melody."

Zak nodded and watched her look back down to her menu as a sense of awe took over. Strangely enough the name suited her, almost too well. From her musical singsong like tone to her exquisite features, she was just that, melodic.

He couldn't quite put a finger on what was different from Melody to all the other women he knew but she was unusual. There was something very ethereal and surreal to her and it made Zak slightly nervous.

"So what are you doing in Salt Lake City?" He asked gruffly.

Melody set the menu down and slid it over to Zak for him to look at. "Just some business, but yesterday I was visiting my sister before you ... you know almost ran me down." Zak flinched at the memory, still taken aback at how detracted he has been from reality in general lately. He wanted to blame his new gift but he wasn't sure that was entirely the problem. "What bring you to Salt Lake?" She asked just as the waitress dropped off her tea and took off again to seat several people who had just walked in.

So much for a quiet place.

"Work ..." He replied distracted by the sudden influx of people. He had to try and block them out ... The last thing he wanted was to freak out on Melody.

Melody added a sugar packet to her tea and with an elegant grace she stirred the dark liquid. "Aren't you Mr. Mysterious?" She giggled.

Turning back towards her, he was startled by the bright sparkle in her eyes.

"Sorry." He mumbled. "I had some business here too." He added vaguely, not wanting to elaborate on what he did because it was always followed by a hundred questions he did not want to answer. "But I am going home tonight."

Seeming to understand, she didn't ask any follow-up questions and simply changed the topic for which he was grateful. "I am going to have some bacon and eggs." She smiled brightly. "People just don't have bacon and eggs anymore; they are so worried about dying all the time, they miss the whole point of living."

"Uhm ... yeah, I guess so." Zak stared at the woman across from him suddenly wondering what the hell he was doing here. It was obvious Melody was a very sweet girl and the last thing he wanted was to taint the image of her he had.

Keeping his steel gaze at Melody, his thoughts wandered, she was that picture perfect of innocence. Dressed in a plain but pretty yellow dress, she emanated small hometown girl. What the hell was he doing here? He wondered again.

It was just a matter of time before he felt some sort of emotion from her, and he wasn't to sure he could take that, after all he still held on to that hope that there was some good in the world ... "Listen Melody ..." Zak dropped the menu. "I don't think this is a good idea." He glanced around the now very crowded room. "I should get back to my room."

Zak began to stand up but with almost inhuman speed, Melody put her ice cold hand on top of his. The shock of the action and the temperature of her flesh sent a violent chill through his body.

"Please, don't go." She whispered. Zak's eyes snapped up to hers. Her bright eyes pleaded at him and the purity she radiated took him aback. "I just – It's just breakfast." She murmured shyly seeming to be holding something back.

As if in a trance, Zak found himself nodding and returning to his seat.

Moments later the busy waitress appeared. Her face flush she took Melody's order. Zak had no idea what to order, his mind still a jumble of confusion he simply ordered the same. The waitress hurried off with their order as a few patrons spoke loudly.

"What the hell do we need to do to get service around here?" One man shouted angrily.

"Sorry ..." The waitress called, rushing to the kitchen with Zak's order. "Everyone called in sick today."

A few beads of sweat formed on Zak forehead and just as predicted he felt the familiar sinking feeling in the pit of stomach. The annoyance in the room grew as the waitress did her best to get to each customer all the while serving the food that was waiting in the kitchen with the irate chef, screaming that serving cold food was bad for business.

Time slowed and the anger and hate slowly built and simmer. Zak's hands fisted tightly. He didn't want to lose it, not in front of Melody ... but the animosity grew faster than usual thanks to the large crowd who couldn't keep their annoyance in check in the small café. Zak's breathing became heavier, his entire body stiffened.

"Zak?" The calming voice broke through his haze of hate. "Zak ... listen to me." A cool hand slipped over his tightened fist. It felt like ice over his overheated skin. "Zak," she called again. "Take a slow breath and listen to my voice." Melody spoke in her musical singsong tone. "You can block it out, just picture a wall."

Zak tried to listen to her helpful words but concentrating on anything but the fury which was going to soon bubble out of him was practically impossible and unfortunately Melody was going to get the brunt of his violence when it broke through. He had to find a way out of here.

"I – need – too leave..." He grounded out.

He felt Melody's fingers wiggle their way into his balled-up fist. Zak stared at her small ghostly hands as she wrapped it tightly around his.

"Zak ... don't focus on the anger. Look at me." She whispered, her voice pleading.

The small café shrunk and the air became stiffening. Zak's stomach churn violently as the voices in the room grew louder and louder with annoying groans and sighs. The rooms rage and agitation crashed down hard on him, Zak felt himself unraveling.

"Please, Zak, you can do this." Melody encouraged again, slowly breaking through Zak's haze. He finally picked his eyes up, long enough to see her. Even though his vision was clouded, he saw her, the lovely angel with alabaster skin and long red hair. She gave him a beckoning smile from her bright red lips. "Don't let that demon win Zak." She whispered. "You can stop him and I can help you."

The seething rage that had slowly been climbing abruptly stopped. He tried hard to hold onto the words she had just said. "I can help you." How could she help him, she didn't even know him, let alone understand what he was going through. Her hands squeeze his and she gave him a nod as if she knew exactly what was thinking.

The need for him to get up and scream seemed to slowly dissipate. He still wanted to rip someone's head off, but the urge was more manageable ... it was even bearable. Zak finally took that deep breath Melody had asked from him and it felt like heaven.

"Good." She smiled and Zak found himself nodding, agreeing with her. "Now just let go." She murmured.

Unsure what she meant, Zak peered at her, trying hard to keep the little bit of control he had gotten for himself. The rage still boiled violently but it was almost as if someone had finally opened the lid and he was able to keep it somewhat controlled, although the onslaught of angry feelings still were barraging him.

"Zak ... you are strong, I know you can fight this." Melody beckon and with an unusual strength she freed her hand he had been unintentionally clutching too.

Once free, Zak felt like he was slammed with a giant wall. His head whipped back violently and his entire body stiffened. With a growl he couldn't hold back, Zak's body began to convulse. The giant rush of hatred and rage swarmed inside his head.

A few people glanced over as Zak felt himself slip deeper into oblivion. He tried to brace himself, grabbing onto the table with his hands but with his vision clouded he missed and sent his utensils flying to the ground.

"What the hell?" A few people mumbled from next to them.

But before Zak could do anymore damage, Melody sprang into action and stood up. She grabbed hold of Zak's arm and he instantly felt some of the feelings damper down, enough so he could at least function and move.

"Come on." She whispered, helping him to his feet. "I didn't realize how bad it had its hold on you." She whispered sadly.

Zak wasn't sure what she meant but he didn't care. All he wanted was to get out of here before he either started ripping peoples head off or worse ... Zak stood shakily on his feet, all the while Melody kept a hand on him, helping guide him through the small diner.

"Sorry," she murmured to a few people she walked by. "My friend isn't feeling well."

Nearing the door, Zak picked up the pace, anxious to feel the freedom of the outside, but as he walked by the last group of people; Zak noticed it was one of the irate men that had yelled at the waitress several times.

"Fucking drug addict." He heard the guy mumble.

Melody was at his back, but Zak stopped next to the man.

"What did you just say?" Zak growled out, barely recognizing his own voice. The overweight, balding man visibly swallowed as he glanced up with distressed. He gave Zak a nervous grin he shrugged his shoulders.

"Nothing, man." He replied.

"No, I heard you say something." Zak pressed, unable to stop himself.

The man shrugged again, trying to appear nonchalant, but Zak could feel the fear from him. A small unhuman voice inside him let out a happy laugh. The thought of him scaring this man was almost euphoric. Unable to stop, Zak glared down at the man.

"Come on asshole, you are all tough yelling at that waitress, why don't you yell at me to get out of your face?"

"Zak, stop." Melody begged from behind, trying to push him to the door.

But he didn't want to stop. He wanted to scare this idiot shitless. He wanted that man to beg for his mercy.

"Look, I didn't say shit, so why don't you just get out of here before I call the cops." The man bravely spoke, but his voice shook with fear.

Zak reached out and grabbed the man by the collar, he dragged him to his feet with ease, but before he could do anything else he felt Melody's cool hands on his back, both pressing on his skin.

"Please, Zak, just let him go, you can do this."

Turning his head slightly, Zak stared into Melody's large sorrowful eyes and just like that he released the man and stormed to the door, leaving her and the crowded restaurant gaping at him.