Hello all, here is the next chapter in my little fic! I hope you all enjoy what I have for you today! I know it isn't very long, but you'll see why that is as you read. I promise I will make the next one nice and long hehe.
I have never been a very strong person, emotionally or physically. So, perhaps coming on this investigation was a bad idea on my part—a mistake even—but I was in it now and it was my mistake to face.
The only saving grace in this hell hole was Zak; he was all that was holding me together at this point. When every fiber of my very being told me to just let him and the team continue on, another part of me told me I needed to stay with him—that I needed him and him alone. This was, after all, my only chance to be with him. I knew that he was a busy, successful man and that he had many more important things to tend to than me. Compared to his life, mine was nothing. So, this was my only opportunity to work with him…to be with him.
I swallowed the fear that rose in my throat and body, the shivers still trying to break through my barricade of will and rattle me to pieces. I tried to hold myself up and keep my mind off of the bizarre scratches in my back, yet the pain still found a way into my cloudy mind. My arms came to wrap around my middle, attempting to hold all the terror within my shaking frame. It was honestly frustrating not being able to control myself, and I found my temper begin to rise. I was being a wimp, and I knew it.
'Come on, Kalani! Hold it together! You are making yourself look like a total wuss in front of Zak.' I yelled internally, mentally slapping myself for acting like a baby. Honestly I knew most people would be scared and not afraid to show it, and I would have too…if he were not here.
Zak changed everything, because he was my everything and always would be. I know how weird that sounds to say, but it was true. He really was everything that I wanted and needed. In honesty, I knew that it seems like I just have crush on Zak and that I am just a weird obsessed fangirl—but I am not. It is different with Zak, he was different all together. He was an amazing, sweet, strong and funny man, and I couldn't dream of being with anyone other than him. So, that was the reason I had to do this. I had to make the most of my time with my dream man, even if it was only for one night and even if it was in the creepiest place I could fathom.
So, scratches or no scratches, possession or no possession I would not back out of this miracle opportunity.
"Hey, Kalani?" Zak said, his wonderful voice breaking me out of my train of thoughts.
"Yeah?" I returned, looking over to him and smiling as best I could.
"I know that things in here are getting pretty active, and kind of scary. So, if you want to leave now, we honestly won't mind. It might be best for your safety." He continued, his expression understanding as he motioned toward the door.
"Are you guys still going to investigate here?" I asked, I wanted to know if they were going on, even without me.
"Well yeah, we have committed to it and this is our battle. But, you don't need to be a part of it if you don't want, okay?" Zak tried to comfort, like he was hoping that I was not feeling obligated.
"Okay. You are right." I said, looking at him.
"Okay—"He began.
"This is our battle… and that means I am a part of it. So, if it's okay with you, I want to keep going…with you." I finished while blushing.
"Oh…okay then, let's get started." He replied while looking at me, and if I wasn't mistaken I would say that he was blushing too. "We're all in this together I guess."
I continued to stare into his beautiful blue eyes, not wanting to lose this moment of connection. So, maybe he wasn't feeling the way I did, but in all honesty I didn't care of he did right now. He may not like me, but at least he wasn't shooting me down yet. I knew he didn't know me personally so it really wasn't feasible for him to like me…as of yet at least. I felt like giggling as the familiar nervous butterflies filled my stomach and made me fidget slightly.
"Ahem." Nick cleared his throat, trying to break Zak's attention off of me.
Unfortunately, it worked. Zak looked away from me and directed his eyes to Nick, the expression of embarrassment he wore being very obvious to me as he did so. Nick chuckled as he looked to Zak, his face illuminated by the LCD screen of his camera, making it very easy to see the smirk on his face.
"Hey Zak, when you're done flirting, can we get to our lockdown?" Nick teased, his smirk now a full on smile as he toyed with his friend.
I wanted to say something, but by now my heart was racing due to the nervousness I felt as the pink tint on my face grew redder. He wasn't flirting… was he?
"Oh shut up, man." Zak retorted, his voice trying to hold its tough disposition.
"Okay, whatever you say bro." Nick returned as he chuckled again.
"Seriously man, shut it. Seriously… let's just do our job okay." Zak defended, shaking his head and somewhat glaring at Nick.
"That's what I was trying to say, but you were too busy staring at Kalani." Nick continued, smirking once more.
"Come one, dude, drop it." Zak once again pled.
"Okay guys, enough." I finally stepped in, I couldn't watch my Zak get upset and do nothing to help him. Wait…Did I just say 'my Zak'? Well, at least I didn't say Zaky—though that is a cute name for him. "Let's just do this." I continued, and the strength in my own voice shocked me. The fear I had felt before had seemed to melt away as the happy feeling Zak gave me filled the space where terror once occupied.
"Right. Let's" Zak confirmed as he looked at me, his eyes seeming to silently thank me for saving him further embarrassment.
I smiled in return, wishing that I could just keep things like this forever. If only I could just stop time and leave things as they were, here with him seeming to finally notice me.
The rest of the X cameras were set with ease, no activity interrupting us as we made our trek through the decrepit building. The peeling paint of the walls made it look all the more forgotten, as the rooms and corridors formed a maze of floors and wards that I would never possibly remember or decipher. Each seemed so similar and yet different at the same time, yet the differences were not enough for me to make out which hall led to which part of the complex. The creepiest part was the shear silence of the entire building, only the sound of our whispers seemed to hum throughout the walls. Maybe this was a good sign; maybe it meant that whatever had wanted me was gone now, like the wind. However, something in the pit of my stomach told me that it was still here…waiting for the right moment to take me for itself.
I had made it my job to stay as close to Zak as possible, knowing that he was the sole reason for my strength.
"Okay Nick, Aaron, you two are going to go down to Ward 1 and see if you can get Ruth to talk. They say she really does not like men and has been known to shout at them or sometimes push them. I wanna see if you guys can get her to act up. Okay?" Zak instructed as he pointed to the location on the map in his strong hands.
Nick and Aaron both nodded in agreement, looking at the indicated spot.
"Of course you want to be with Kalani, man." Nick joked.
"Nick, shut it okay." Zak scolded, huffing in frustration.
"Okay, fine." Nick chuckled as he directed the camera to me.
"Okay, as I was saying. You two will be in Ward 1, and Kalani and I are going to head over to the ballroom, see if we can get some EVP's" Zak continued his orders, trying not to look at the expression on Nick and Aaron's faces. The smirks they wore told the whole story and I knew that Zak was trying to avoid any further teasing from them.
As Nick and Aaron made their way back down the stairs in the direction of Ward 1, I silently watched as Zak flicked off his flashlight and pulled a piece of equipment from his rather large pocket.
"This, as you know is the EMF detector. For the people at home that don't know, what this does is it measures the electromagnetic field and any spikes that might occur within it. Ghosts are said to use the electromagnetic energy to manifest, which creates a spike on the EMF detector." He explained to the camera, his voice echoing against the crumbling walls that surrounded us.
"With that said, let's get going. Now, Kalani I am going to have you hold the camera for me, okay?" Zak asked as he looked over to me, walking closer and holding out the camera for me to take.
"Yeah, that's fine." I replied with a smile as I took it from his hands, not that he could see it with the lights off now. The darkness around us made it impossible to see two inches in front of us. The only way I had been able to see what he had been doing being the faint light of the LCD screen of the camera that was in his hands. It had acted like a beacon to tell me at the very least where he was, from there I could feel my way around but with that light source now in my hands he was completely invisible to the naked eye. I looked now to the screen on the camera, its night vision view acting as a little window of sight; through it I could once again see my favorite investigator. I knew he could not see me, other than the LCD screen, but that was fine for me. I was happy just being near him.
"I can't see anything so you're going to have to be my eyes, okay?" He asked from the blackness.
"Okay, yeah I will try to help. Don't blame me if you fall though okay?" I kidded, giggling slightly.
"Why would I ever blame you?" He returned jokingly.
I tried to focus on the happy feelings he had given me as we walked down the corridor to the ballroom, the darkness making it very hard to maintain a clear, non-fearful mind set. The floors echoed with the sounds of our footsteps as we shuffled blindly to our dark destination. The ramshackle building's interior was washed out by the abyss of black, making everything outside of my little night vision window an unknown world of fear and uncertainty. My psyche struggled to hold on to the strength I had felt earlier with Zak, hoping that just the memory of it would prove to hold me together. However, I doubted it would, seeing as I could feel the fear rising in my mind. I locked my brown eyes onto Zak, hoping that the sight of him could pull me through.
"Hey, Kalani?" Zak called quietly in the dark.
"Yeah?" I replied, trying keep my eyes on him while watching where I was going.
"How am I as far as walking goes?" He asked."Am I going to run in to any random crap yet?"
"Um, you might wanna take a step to the left to avoid the desk in front of you." I replied.
"Wait, what desk—Agh!" He yelled as he tripped on the side of the desk, falling to his knees.
I ran over to him as swiftly as I could, trying not to trip as he had. I couldn't believe I had just let him fall like that, I was supposed to be his eyes and I totally failed at that task.
I looked through the LCD screen, watching my steps and once I had reached him I placed the camera down on the desk now beside him.
"Are you okay? I am so sorry, I should have warned you quicker." I apologized quickly, and lent down to where I assumed he was, seeing as I could not clearly see his form.
"It's okay; I am fine, though I can blame you now." He joked from the darkness in his place on the floor.
"Here, let me help you up." I suggested, feeling around to try and find a hold on his arms.
The process of finding him was somewhat awkward, and as I felt my way in the dark I was sure that my face looked like a tomato. He was silent though in what I assume was either shock or embarrassment, as my hands trailed up his chest, the strong muscles beneath my hands tensing ever so slightly. His breathing was ragged to some extent as he sucked in a breath of air; I could feel his lungs expand as they took in the cool oxygen and then slowly expelled his held breath. The sweet smell of his very essence filled me, and all I could think about in that instant was that this must be heaven. Surely earth could not hold this kind of feeling in its possession. I knew that what I was doing was probably too much, but I could not pull myself away from him. My hands nervously slid across his upper form and soon my timid touch had found his shoulders. I moved my hands down his muscular arms, memorizing the contours of his skin as I went, and finally I found my way to his hands. With an anxious breath I took hold of his hand and attempted to help him up, pulling him to his feet as best I could.
"Thanks, Kalani…" He trailed quietly as he pulled himself fully to his feet, and now towering over me. I hated being short.
"Yeah…Sorry." I breathed, I wished I could've looked into his amazing eyes, but the shear darkness of our surroundings made it impossible to see anything.
I could feel his hot breath float across the reddened skin of my face, the sweet smell of him washing over me in waves. It was overwhelming, and I just could not wrap my mind around how close we were to one another. My already racing heartbeat sped up to a pace that I didn't feel was physically possible, making my chest feel like it was near its bursting point.
"Don't apologize…" He replied in a heated voice, the smooth drawl of his statement made shivers run up and down my spine.
The air around us may have truly been a frigid temperature, but in that moment it felt as if the oxygen around us had been set ablaze, surrounding us with its burning warmth. My hands were still notably in his stronger ones, and I held tight to him, not wanting to ever let this miracle moment slide out of my trembling grasps. I could feel his hold on my hands constrict slightly as well in response to my desperate grip on him. The worry that I had truly made him think I was insane filled my being, I knew that this was most likely not what he wanted. However, he had yet to pull away, so maybe that was a good sign. Right?
The sound of him stepping closer to me echoed off the walls, the silence only being broken for a moment before the deep abyss of nothingness swallowed up any other thought of sound. I could feel and hear him shift, but due to the absolute blackness, I could not see what it was that he was doing. The shear heat of his body made me melt as it wrapped me up in his presence, filling me with a sensation that I could not even begin to describe. I wanted to ask him what it was that he was doing, but I felt that words would only prove to poison this perfect slice of bliss.
I couldn't fathom that things could get any better than this, but what happened next honestly nearly sent me straight to the stars.
Zak strong arms pulled me even close than we already were, his hot breath ghosting over my trembling lips. His hands came to rest on the middle of my back, holding me as close as possible. My breathing practically ceased completely as the feeling of his smooth, warm, soft lips brushed against my own. The slowness of each motion was driving me over the edge; I couldn't wait for it any longer.
Zak's muscular arms wrapped around me ever more tightly, and sealed my form to his own. My own shaky arms wound their way up and around the back of his neck, the warmth of our mingled body heat making my frame shudder once again.
'This can't be real…' My mind interjected. 'There is just no way.'
My thoughts of rationality were proven wrong at last though as he finally closed the gap between our lips, his mouth gently pressing to mine. The contact lit my entire being on fire, every inch of my body filled with an unexplainable warmth. The feeling of his lips against mine was like no feeling I had ever felt—this being my first kiss after all—and my heart soared to the heavens further with each passing moment. Of course, I didn't really know what I was doing, but I tried my best to return the action. The kiss was gentle and innocent, yet overwhelming, and though only seconds were passing I felt as if we had been in this instant for an eternity. Each second seemed to pass at the speed of an hour, and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. If I had my way, this moment would last forever and beyond, the only feeling I wanted to feel was right here with him.
Unfortunately this could not continue forever, and eventually he pulled back from me, our lips disconnecting as he did so. I longed to pull him back to me, wishing more than anything that the dream could once could once again descend and engulf us as we joined in a blissful kiss. However, I realized that we both needed to breathe as my lungs finally decided to function once more, my chest heaving slightly as I sucked in one long, ragged breath and exhaled slowly. I could feel his heartbeat as his chest pounded against my own, my own heart rate nearly mirroring his as they beat in unison.
"Sorry…" He breathed, still holding me close.
"Don't apologize," I said, mirroring his former statement, the touch of humor residing in my voice.
"Okay then, I'm not sorry." Zak chuckled softly.
"So…what—"I trailed, my voice contemplative as I realized something. Now that I had him, where did we go from there?
"What does this mean?" His voice chimed in, finishing my thought.
"Yeah… I mean, are we…?" I mumbled self-consciously, not wanting to sound too desperate or awkwardly hopeful.
"I honestly have no clue…Would you want to be?" He asked in hesitation, the usual strong tone of his voice now reduced to a slightly confused whisper. "Or, was it just something you would only want to do once?"
"I—um, I would really like to do it more." I replied, my voice noticeably trembling with nervousness. I hated that I was so weak, but what could I do?
"I would too." Zak responded with a nervous chuckle as he held me closer.
I could not believe what was happening, this was all just too surreal and my brain was having a very difficult time downloading all the info it was receiving. Not only had I been able to meet the Ghost Adventures team, not only had I gotten to go on a ghost hunt with them—terrifying as it may be—but I had also gotten the miracle opportunity to be near my dream man…and best of all, kiss my dream man. It honestly didn't get better did it? This was heaven—well not the asylum, but the feeling of being with Zak—and I wouldn't trade it for the world.
Well my minions, that is all for now. I shall leave you hanging! Mwahahaha!
I apologize for the shortness, but I think the cuteness of this chapter makes up for that. Don't you? Anyway, let me know what you think! I love hearing what you all have to say, be it positive or negative… Don't be afraid to review. (Honestly I just like hearing from you all…I get lonely in here) Haha! :D