Title: The Moonlit Path
Author: aquaxeyes
Rating: T for language (may change)
Full Description: Ghost Adventures fanfic. Zak has a recurring dream of a woman that seems too real. Is there a chance she really exists? A fateful trip to his museum and a chance encounter sets him on a path to discovering something he'd been missing that he thought he had to live without.
Author's Notes: Oh, hi!
So I legit didn't think I'd ever write another fanfic, but my friends and I are planning on going to Vegas in February to check out Zak Bagans' The Haunted Museum, and I got bitten by the writer's bug! I'm honestly surprised Ghost Adventures doesn't have its own bucket for stories, but happy to see other authors posting their fics. To them: keep writing!
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story. Please don't fact check; I know the show is based on real people, but I rely on my imagination to write, even if some of the details I include may be true.
Prologue.
He was floating in a body of water, staring up at the night sky. There was nothing around him, nothing beneath him. Dead silence.
The moon was full, glowing golden white like a luminary. Amidst it, stars were sprinkled against the dark, vast expanse of the sky. But none shone brighter than the moon. He stared at it longingly, until its glow became hazy and surreal.
His body felt heavy, making him wonder how he could possibly be floating in the water. By sheer will, he lifted his arms, his hands open and outstretched. All he wanted to do was touch the moon, feel it, feel it embrace him with its warm glow. But he was just too far away.
Suddenly, the glow seemed to implode, bursting into light orbs that fell from the moon, dropping from the sky and leaving the moon pale and looking like a normal moon. The light orbs descended, falling in his direction.
Panic set in. He couldn't move, frozen as the light orbs made their way toward him. They weren't just falling from the sky; they were coming directly at him. He only had a second to take a breath before they struck him, submerging him in the water.
As soon as he was under, gravity reset, unlocking his body. His limbs flailed, and then he realized he was touching sand. He flipped over, scrambling to get on all fours, and lifted his head out of the water, gasping for air. As he shook water out of his hair, he checked his surroundings, trying to see where the light orbs went, but the water was inexplicably still.
He sat back on his heels, noting how the water didn't ripple as he moved, even though the water came up to his waist. He submerged a hand and still didn't see any movement. It didn't make sense.
Ten feet in front of him, he saw the light orbs group together under the water. Suddenly, a bright burst of energy blasted from that spot, a wave that hit him with warmth and a weird feeling that made him tremble. And then she was just there.
A woman stood in front of him in a semi-translucent black, Grecian-looking gown. Her back was turned toward him, her head tilted down. Even with the shadows partially cloaking her, her dark hair shone under the moonlight, like gold was lightly dusted from the crown of her head to the bottom of her waves, which extended past her heels. Her arms were bent, but extended upward, like she was checking for rain, and he could see a dark brown beauty mark at the base of her right thumb.
She looked so real, but she couldn't be. She was suspended in air, floating just above the water.
He might have said something, maybe called out to her; he couldn't register any words. Whatever he said, she heard it, as if he'd called out to her by name. Slowly, as if on a turntable, she spun around to face him,.
He couldn't see her face because her head was still tilted down, but her silhouette was alluring in the gown. Her skin was golden tan, and looked so soft he wanted to touch it..
She lifted her head, and he finally saw her features. She had an oval-shaped face with Southeast Asian features. Full lips, high cheekbones, and a wide nose fit her face proportionately. He noted another small beauty mark underneath her left eye, and when he brought his gaze up to her eyes, he realized they were closed.
Until that moment, her face looked peaceful, like she was sleeping upright, but then he felt something dark surround them. She must have sensed it too, because her lips curled up in a smile, and as they parted, a thick black ooze came gushing from her mouth, running down her chin and neck.
She didn't seem to notice. Her mouth started to move and more ooze came out. It was just pouring out, covering her chest and traveling down to her waist. Her lips continued to move. He could hear faint sounds, but couldn't make out the words.
The ooze and the expression on her face terrified him. How could such darkness come from a beautiful figure?
Her eyes flew open, and he froze again. The color wasn't of this world. They were from some sort of alien species, completely white and shimmering. It felt like he was looking into two almond-shaped kaleidoscopes with light running through them, and for some reason, he couldn't look away.
Woman, monster, he wasn't sure what he was looking at. And feeling equal parts fear and familiarity didn't make it any easier to figure out.
'Zak.' It was a whisper that came to him telepathically, sending shivers down his spine.
She immediately stopped talking and just stared. From the corner of his eye, he could see her arms lower and her hands slowly balled into fists-
Zak bolted upright, and it took him several seconds for him to adjust to reality. He was in his own bed, in the dark, by himself. No water, but he was drenched in sweat. He reached for his phone to check the time.
Three thirty-six in the morning.
He sunk back onto his pillow, sighing in frustration as he ran his hand through his hair. Why the fuck did he keep having that same dream? This was the third night in a row, and every night the dream had become more and more vivid.
He'd never seen anything like what he dreamt in any previous investigation. He'd never seen the woman he saw in his dreams. But somehow the visions came to him with so many details, it seemed like it should be real.
Gracie whined, and then Zak felt her jump into bed and lie down against him. He reached out and stroked her hair, calming her.
He couldn't understand what was happening. If he took the recurring dream at face value, he should be scared. He was seeing a complete stranger who looked to be a real person, with distinct features that he couldn't have made up. Taking it a step further back, there were various dichotomous themes: light and shadows, earth and sky, movement and stillness, beauty and darkness, fear and familiarity..
Zak shook his head. That last one didn't make sense. He couldn't feel familiarity to a figment of his imagination. 'Come on, dude,' he scolded himself. 'Go to sleep. You can overthink this later.'
Gracie sighed deeply as if in agreement.
He turned his head into his pillow. Hopefully for the remainder of the night, he could rest in peace.
End Prologue.
( Working on chapter one. )