Days passed as the boys made their way back to Las Vegas and settled into their everyday lives. I moped around Zak's house, doing my best to ignore him and the various spirits that popped in and out after following him from different lockdown locations. Some of them were trying to pass messages to him that they couldn't get across during the lockdown. Some were trying to annoy him by showing up at his home like he had done at theirs. But for the most part Zak didn't notice and eventually all the spirits would leave and we would once again be alone.

There was one occupant of the house that I tried to avoid at all costs: Zak's little Yorkie, Ridley. Ridley had no problems seeing me at all times, and did not take kindly to my presence. The first night I was there he sat and stared at me all night, growling occasionally. As soon as he fell asleep I left the room, and always tried to stay one step ahead of him. As soon as I would hear his tags jangling as he came my way I would be gone.

A few days after arriving at Zak's home things began to get interesting. Early one afternoon he received a call from Aaron who was busy working on editing their latest lockdown, telling him to come over as quick as he could. I followed, as I knew I must, and travelled with Zak to Aaron's house.

"You're not going to believe this," Aaron said excitedly when Zak and I arrived.

"What's up?" Zak asked, following Aaron downstairs to his makeshift studio. There was editing equipment and cameras everywhere that I would have loved to have gotten my hands on when I was alive. Aaron motioned for Zak to sit down as he took his place in front of the computer screen.

"There was something seriously crazy going on at the Fairmont Hotel," Aaron said, bringing up footage from the lockdown. I had a sneaking suspicion I knew who had caused the craziness. Little did Zak and Aaron know the crazy was in the room with them.

"You're telling me? I got punched!" Zak said.

What a wuss, I thought.

"Besides that. We caught the most consistently intelligent EVPs I've ever heard."

"Seriously?" Zak asked, leaning towards the screen.

Uh oh.

Aaron rewound to a scene I remembered very well. The moment I first slammed into Zak. You could clearly see Zak reacting to my presence before I heard myself scream "No!". It was an odd feeling hearing yourself on film, and yet, not seeing yourself. The guys, however seemed excited.

"That's awesome we caught that," Zak said, "What else did we get?"

"Nothing for a while," Aaron said, fast forwarding, "We were getting those EMF spikes, but nothing was talking, and then suddenly the EMF spikes went away. Remember?" Zak nodded.

"Well, over in the ballroom our static cam caught that scream we heard that made us go running… Along with some other stuff."

"Other stuff?" Zak asked. Aaron just smiled and nodded.

"See for yourself," he said, and pushed play.

I leaned in, watching the scene with the guys. The ballroom. That was where the maid was. In fact, I could almost make out a dark shadow where I knew the maid had been standing before I showed up. Aaron seemed to have noticed the same thing.

"You see that?" he pointed it out to Zak. When Zak nodded Aaron continued, "It gets better." I knew what was coming next. Sure enough, out of the wall came a white mist that halted in front of the dark shadow. Then came the scream. Zak seemed excited, but Aaron shushed him before jacking up the volume.

"Listen," Aaron said.

"You're not supposed to be here," I heard the maid say. She sounded more disembodied on film than she had to me, but then again, since we were both spirits, we probably communicated on the same wavelength.

"I'm sorry," I heard myself respond. My voice was much clearer than hers, but was still rough with emotion.

"GET OUT!"

"That is awesome," Zak said, high-fiving Aaron, "It's like they're having a conversation. I thought they were telling us to get out, but maybe not."

"Definitely not, because watch," Aaron said, pointing to the screen.

We watched as the white mist that I knew was me darted off. Soon the black shadow left as well right before the white mist came back from the direction it had left, slamming into Zak. You could see and hear Zak reacting on camera directly afterwards. And then came the punch. My white mist lightened up as I punched, and then dimmed drastically as if I had used most of my power to accomplish it. Zak reacted, and directly afterwards you could hear my sob.

"Is someone crying?" Zak asked Aaron.

"Sounds like it," Aaron responded. After Nick discovered his battery was dead I heard Zak asking me a question on camera.

"Did you use our camera's energy to punch me?"

"YesI am so lost." My voice sounded more ragged than before and the white mist faded as I collapsed to the ground. My energy had to have been getting low.

"That…" Zak started, but seemed to be having trouble finding words to complete his thought.

"Was awesome?" Aaron interjected.

"Was sad." Zak finished, "I don't know, it was just… sad. The white mist was scared." I looked at Zak. For the first time since I'd been pulled to him… I really looked at Zak Bagans. He was staring at the screen intently, lost in his own thoughts. Thoughts about me. Kind thoughts. He wasn't scared of me, or angry at me for trying to hurt him. He felt bad for me. I sat down on the empty computer chair beside him, and leaned my head on his shoulder. Phantom tears ran down my cheeks. He felt so warm… It had been so long since I felt warmth. Even before I died I rarely had human contact. He felt so nice.

"Go back to the scream," Zak said, and Aaron complied. He studied my mist form closely, taking it frame by frame, when-

"Look," he said, getting excited again. I was so absorbed in his warmth I barely looked up until he said, "you can see a face!"

That made me look. Zak and Aaron were leaned into the screen, tracing my outline.

"Look, when we burst in the mist kind of turns, and you can see a face. It's a woman. That is definitely a woman," Zak said, pointing it out. I looked closely, too. Sure enough, there I was. There is something about seeing yourself as a true, misty, ghost that shakes you to your core. Shakes you enough to cause an electric shock through your body. Shakes you enough to the point where, even if you are dead, you have the energy to send a computer chair halfway across the room when you jump up out of it. Zak and Aaron both jumped up and spun around.

"What the hell, man?!" Aaron yelled, "Don't tell me you brought another one home with you."

Zak didn't answer, just simply stared in my direction in disbelief. Where was the warmth of a few seconds ago? Where was the compassion? Zak made a grab for a nearby EMF recorder, but I was already gone. I headed out of the basement and up to the first floor near the door like the obedient dog that I was. I could hear him having a session down in the basement, but I refused to return. I didn't want Zak knowing I was around. I didn't want to be studied like a lab rat. I just wanted to exist until I was able to move on. I didn't ask to be tied to him. I didn't want to be tied to him. I certainly didn't have to help him.

Zak and I left not long after. He was silent on the way home which I thought was odd until I remembered that as far as he knew he was alone.

He tried several more times over the next few days to contact me. Each time I was silent. Eventually he would give up. Eventually he would forget about me. And eventually the light would return and I'd be out of his life for good.