Hello my dears, I have constructed this lovely little chapter to make up for the shortness and mushiness of the previous one. (Though, kissing Zak is honestly all I would want to do hehe) Anyway, I hope you all enjoy!
If you scare easily (number one why would you be reading a ghost story?) I warn you not to read this one with the lights off. With that said, here it is!
Zak and I had let go of one another as we continued our walk down the hall to the ballroom of the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, the air around still loomed with the heavy heat from earlier. I could still feel my heartbeat racing, its rapid rhythm vibrating my entire being. My thoughts floated blissfully, still riding the high of actually kissing him. I could feel the warmth of the whole experience filling my body, making me shiver slightly. There was just no way that any of this could be real, it was too perfect.
'And too quiet…' I thought to myself.
Zak had not spoken since our last little conversation about ten minutes ago, and though that was not really all that long ago, locked within the heavy silence of this decrepit place ten minutes was an eternity. The hallow space around us echoed every word we had spoken, but with no words being exchanged, the walls only amplified the chilling hum of stillness.
My head began to swim with the fearful thoughts that perhaps he was regretting what we had done, and now trying to put distance between our feelings. I could barely breathe as the sinking feeling of panic lit my senses and overtook my person. The sound of the silence was now taunting me, only proving to further my dread. I tried my best to keep the camera in my hands steady when every bit of me wanted to curl into a ball and vanish, clenching my hands onto the equipment so not to drop it. I knew I was most likely overreacting, but in this dark world of uncertainty, my mind rejected most all logic. My thoughts raged like a freight train, speeding through me and filling my mind with all the unpleasant turnouts that could occur. Zak regretted it, didn't he? I was just some fan girl after all; perhaps he weighed the options and found that I was not worth it. I prayed that is was all just my self-conscious nature that caused me to not believe that he could love me back the way I loved him, hoping that I was all wrong and that everything was just fine. However that was the bad part, everything did not feel alright.
I had been too wrapped up in my blissful mindset to notice how off he was acting, my mind not seeming to even realize how different his actions were. I had thought it was simply because maybe he too was too consumed by what had happened, but then something came to me…This was Zak of Ghost Adventures, since when did he ever not talk to some degree? He usually kept up a fairly consistent pace of speaking for the sake of his show, and I knew that he would not so easily forget about it. His silence was the first clue to his abnormal persona, but there was one other thing that insinuated that something was different—something wrong.
My hands tightened their hold on the camera within their grasps as I looked into the LDC screen, watching Zak as he moved down the hallway. His movements were what I found strangest and most unnerving, being completely fluid and swift, almost like he had the contents of this corridor memorized. Even with the night vision camera I was having difficulty making sure I was not tripping over something or my own feet, and yet here he was dodging everything like he already knew it was there. I wanted to ask him if was alright, but the feeling that poured from him told me I should just be quiet. My stomach twisted and I mentally slapped myself for not noticing this all earlier. I hated that my teenage inability to see past my own feelings had stopped me from noticing the obvious change in Zak's personality. How long had he been acting like this? I honestly had not been in the right mind to even consider how he had been behaving, and now I knew that I should have been paying attention all along. I was so stupid.
I kept my brown eyes trained on his reserved form, watching his back as he moved ahead of me. He had not turned to look at me once, his body seeming to have a desired destination that he would not stray from. My mind continued to curse at myself as I followed behind him, not wanting to be left behind, I tried to keep up with his fluid pace.
The atmosphere around us was heavy and warm but the distant and bitter sensation that went along with it made my body shiver. Every bit of me wanted to ask what was going on, but the cold silence reminded my frightened brain that was not a very good idea.
'What the hell is this feeling?' My mind tried to figure, as I followed his walking form.
I held the camera up, watching the illuminated LCD screen and waiting for Zak to turn and tell me everything was fine, say that he was just thinking or say anything at all for that matter. My frame trembled as I watched his eerie movements, the absolute silence of the air choking off any hope of strength I had.
Then something on the camera caught my eye, it was not Zak but the battery charge icon displayed on the screen, its flashing percentage made my heart stop.
Its glowing white font read: 66.6%...666.
I quickly pulled the thermometer device that I had been given earlier from my pocket, checking the current temperature seeing as I felt like the whole room had suddenly turned to ice. As my eyes squinted at the reading, I nearly dropped everything I had and ran.
It too read 66.6 degrees.
My heart thudded to life again and sped up like a metronome gone haywire, its ticking rapidly beating. I gasped, my lungs sucking in a breath of the heavy air around me but the air did not aid my current terror like I had hoped it would.
Zak must've heard my audible breath as he slowly and creepily turned to face me, his head tilting to the side as his stare connected with mine. What I saw through the LCD screen next completely froze me; the chills of horror racked my frame where I stood. His eyes were red, the irises shown a crimson blood color. If I hadn't known better, I would've chalked it all up to just a camera flare or something like that, but this was night vision. The display only shown in shades of washed out greens; it didn't show colors other than that. It simply wasn't possible for his eyes to appear red. So, how in the world was it happening?
"What's the matter?" His voice spoke, the drawl of his breathy tone making my body tremble uncontrollably. This did not sound like the Zak I knew.
This was not Zak.
His body turned to fully face me, his head still tilted to the side in an inquisitive yet eerie manner. I could hear my own heartbeat as it drummed in my ears, my pulse clearly flying through the roof. My whole body tensed like a deer caught in the headlights of its approaching doom, and I couldn't force my unwilling body to move.
"I told you that I would make you mine…" Zak's now dark voice called from the blackness, the nature of it seeming to be something otherworldly—something evil.
That was the final push I needed.
My throat let out a scream as I turned and ran. The smirk plastered on his possessed face making me finally come to my senses enough to pull myself away from him. I could hear his heavy footsteps following after me as my feet skid across the dusty floor, making my heart feel like it was going to give out. My lungs felt as if they were going to explode as they rejected the action of breathing, causing me to gasps helplessly as I bolted down the pitch black hall. The only aid I had to see was the camera's night vision screen, and I held it close to my face as I dashed around a corner. I knew I was running from something that already knew everything about this place, meaning that no matter how much I tried to lose him, avoiding him was near impossible. At the very least I could put distance between us. I knew that I was being weak, but whatever that was, it was not Zak. I was alone now and my only hope was to find my way down to Nick and Aaron and hope that they could be the strength I was lacking. The echoing sound of his footsteps haunted my mind as he effortlessly trailed my path. There was no hope.
"I thought you wanted to be with me." His dark voice called after me. "So, what are you running for, Kalani?" The voice taunted again.
My body wanted to give out, no longer able to hold itself together, but the undeniable adrenaline I felt kept me on my feet as I ran. I could hear his approach still even though I seemed to be pulling away from him, finally a little distance between us. Just as the feeling of some accomplishment began to fill my mind, I realized something that made me want to just end it all now. I had run to a dead end.
I skidded to a stop as I saw the wall in front of me, and flipping around I could see that there were no other doorways or rooms, only windows and being on the third floor windows were simply not an option. My heart rate sky rocketed even more as my breathing came in small, desperate gasps. I whipped the camera around, hopelessly looking for another exit, and wishing that one would simply just appear and offer me the safe and easy way out. However, my prayers were not going to be heard.
"You know…you make this way too easy." The voice called from the blackness at the other end of the hall. He had already caught up with me; it wasn't even a challenge for him.
I felt like crying, because from this point I knew there was no way out.
The windows on the right side of the hall let in small streams of the lucid moonlight, allowing me to make out his form as it approached. It seemed to only take him a moment and he was directly in front of me, pinning me to the wall behind me with one muscular arm on each side of me. I was trapped and I knew it.
"You should know that it is quite rude to run from someone when they are talking to you…" Zak's darkened voice breathed in a taunting tone, his face now so close to my own that I could feel the vibration of each word spoken.
My body shivered at how close he was to me, and I whimpered as the feeling of his warm lips brushed over my own. This wasn't right, and I could feel the malicious intent pouring forth from the entity occupying Zak's form. It wanted to hurt me more than anything, and now that it had a physical body, that task would be easier than ever.
"I told you… didn't I? You will be mine…" His cold voice mocked.
His body pulled closer still, and I could feel the force of his form press me further against the wall.
"Zak…p-please…s-stop…please." I begged, tears filling my eyes.
"I am not…Zak." The voice hissed, anger rising in its voice.
I whimpered again and turned my head to the side, trying to avoid the enraged glare I could feel burning into me. Slowly he raised a hand to my face and gently brushed my black bangs from my eyes, the moonlight illuminating the smirk on his pale face.
"Shh, it's okay…you don't need to be afraid." He cooed in a taunting voice.
My senses at that point seemed to completely shut down, letting my self-preservation mode kick into ignition. I couldn't just stand here and let this continue, who knows what he would do to me? My mind tried to clear as best it could, as I focused on my options. I didn't have many—only one to be exact—and I would have to do it in one shot or I would be screwed.
Forcing all of my energy to my arms, I placed my hands against his muscular chest and pushed as hard as I could with a speed I didn't know I had. He skidded backwards only a step or two, it wasn't much, but it was all I needed to make an opening. I ducked under his arm as he tried to grab me once again, and ran as fast I could back down the hall I had first come from. I knew that he wouldn't be far behind in pursuit, but at least I was free for the time being. Hopefully I would be able to find the stairs that led to the lower floors, my only chance of finding help. My mind tried desperately to remember where the staircase had been, but unfortunately I was drawing a blank.
'Kalani, this is not a time to be forgetful!' I yelled internally to myself.
I could hear the growl of frustration from him echoing through the peeling paint walls of the asylum, and soon the sound of his heavy footsteps could also be heard.
With the camera held tightly in my hands I rounded yet another corner and my heart could've jumped for joy because there, in all its dark glory, were the stairs.
My feet carried me down the steps so fast I was worried I might trip, but I kept my pace knowing that soon he would once again be behind me. I watched the sign indicating the second floor pass by me as I booked it down to the first level, the dusty steps beneath me winding down to my destination.
'Only one more little flight of stairs.' I chanted to myself, trying to encourage me to go faster, knowing that I was running on limited time.
As I finally skid out onto the first floor I could feel the adrenaline pull me forward, keeping my tired legs functioning as best they could.
"Nick! Aaron!" I yelled out as I ran toward the direction that Ward 1 was in, my heart beating insanely as I prayed they would answer.
"Kalani is that you?" I heard Nick's voice call, my ears rejoicing at the sound.
"Yes! Please help!" I called out as I ran into the room they were in.
I ran as fast as I could and adhered myself to Nick's side, clinging onto him and hoping that alone could save me.
"What's going on? Where is Zak?" He questioned, turning on his flash light so he could better see me.
"I-I think…Z-Zak…is possessed." I cried between breaths, my breathing still having yet to recover from the marathon I had just run.
"What do you mean? Tell us what happened, did he hurt you?" Nick asked as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders.
I knew it was not Zak that I had just encountered and that they would understand what had happened, but I could not bring myself to speak. I could only hold tightly to Nick's side and pray that Zak would return to normal and everything would be okay.
"Kalani, it's okay. Please tell me what happened." Nick tried again.
I could not respond, my lips not willing to let the words out and all I could do was turn my head and burry my face in Nick's chest. I cried, and I knew that I shouldn't because I was okay now, but I couldn't get the image out Zak's red eyes out of my head and every moment that had taken place haunted my thoughts.
"Bro, where's Zak now?" I could hear Aaron ask Nick.
"I don't know, and that's the problem." Nick replied, his voice confused as he sighed.
The feeling in the room grew heavy with the familiar energy and soon I could tell that he was near even if I could not see him.
"Whoa! Holy crap bro! Zak, man, you scared the hell out of me!" Aaron yelled suddenly, his voice fearful and then accusing. "What the hell happened to you?" Aaron asked, and I could hear footsteps enter the room we were in, as the energy seemed to grow.
"Quiet." Zak's voice commanded.
"What the hell bro, what's wrong with you?" Aaron asked once again, his voice utterly confused.
"I said, quiet." Zak said once again.
I was frozen in my place against Nick, and I wished that I could've just disappeared, knowing that if he had not been here to hold me up I would have already been reduced to a whimpering ball on the floor. My heart had felt like it was stopped and every part of my body told me that I was going to die, that this was it and I would never outrun this thing that wanted my soul so badly.
"Zak, man, calm down." Nick tried to interject.
"I…am…not…Zak" The voice spoke through Zak, his head tilting eerily as he hissed out the words like venom.
"Then why don't you get out of his body?" Nick challenged with me still clung to his chest.
"I will have her…" The entity growled once more.
The heavy feeling in the room lifted, its lead weight finally letting us out from its grasps. Just as quickly as it had come, it was gone and I could hear the thud of someone collapsing. My heartbeat finally slowed a bit as the dreadful feeling that had been there before along with the panic was finally raised from my being, allowing me to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Zak, dude are you okay?" I could hear Aaron call over to Zak followed by the sound of him walking over to what I could assume was Zak.
I could not bring myself to pull away from Nick, afraid that when I saw Zak it would not really be him looking back. My hands curled into fists in Nick's shirt, holding tight to him as a life line. The haunting images of Zak's possession filled my brain, leaving me trembling and cold. I took a deep breath, letting the cool air soothe my exhausted lungs, the chill of the oxygen coming as a welcome release for my pervious terror. I knew I was okay now, but my survival instincts were still going strong and every part of my body rejected the thought of turning to face him. I did not blame him, seeing as I knew what it was like to be possessed, but facing him right now just didn't seem to compute at all. Zak was a good person, that was a fact, and I knew for certain that he would never—ever—knowingly hurt me. Yet the possibility still loomed, and I knew that even if he did not wish me harm, whatever had been controlling him wanted it more than anything. The weird part was…it had not hurt me. It had the perfect opportunity when I had been pinned to the wall, yet it hadn't done anything. Come to think of it, it had kissed me once and had tried to do it again when we were in the hall. Did that even make sense? No it did not. Why would something as evil as this entity, kiss me?
I thought of the way it had been acting, the way it had kissed me and held me close. Its warmth surrounding me completely and sealed me to it, making me feel so secure and safe—only because I had thought it was Zak—but it had not tried to harm me then when it would have been so easy.
I knew that this thing wanted me…but did that mean it wanted me?
The thought of that alone made me shiver again, and I wished more than anything that I had not thought of it in that sense, but in honesty it made complete sense. The entity had been so very loving when it had kissed me, not once being rough or hurtful, and it never gave me the feeling that it had wanted to harm me at that point. Only when I had ran and hid from it did the feelings it gave me change, it was following me like a puppy—a creepy puppy—but a puppy nonetheless. It wanted me back and so it had chased me, and as terrifying as the thought was I knew that was true. The spirit never showed anger until I had called it by Zak's name, almost like it was offended that I had called out the name of another man. It was jealous.
I know this all sounded crazy, but it made total sense. It—whatever it was—loved me, and it was upset that I had loved it when I had thought it was Zak and then ran from it when I discovered it was not. I knew that whatever it was did not wish me harm now, it only wanted me for itself, but I could not deny that its energy was not a good entity. It still felt evil—the triple six readings stood as proof of that—and I did not want to be around it. So harmless or not, I could understand it, but I could never love it.
'As much as I pity it, I cannot be Satan's mistress.' I decided in my mind.
Now that it all made sense to me, I could feel an ounce of my strength return to my being. My hands still trembled as I pulled myself a few inches back from Nick's chest, not quite sure if I was strong enough to let go completely.
"Man, are you okay Zak?" Nick asked once more, his tone concerned.
"Yeah I think so…" Zak trailed in response, his voice distant as he replied.
I finally took a deep, uneven breath, and pulled completely back from Nick who released me as I did so. I turned myself around to see Zak, Nick's flashlight illuminating him enough so that I could clearly see his expression. The life had returned to Zak's beautiful blue eyes, and that sight alone was enough to calm my frightened heart. I looked at him intently, his stare meeting mine and holding me there. The look in his eyes was saddened and apologetic, their blue depths swimming with regret. I knew he had remembered what happened, and I knew that it was tearing him apart inside. My brown orbs stared back into his blue ones, and I tried to silently let him know that it was okay, that I forgave him. Zak seemed to nod once, his eyes saddened still as his shoulders fell.
I understood what he felt to some degree, when I had been possessed I could still feel and see everything even if my reluctant body was being controlled completely by another opposing force. I wished more than anything at this point that he would not remember what the entity had done to me with his body, but I knew that was not going to happen and that he would've seen the whole thing crystal clear—like a spectator to a hellish movie.
I hoped that this movie would at least have a happy ending…but honestly, how many horror films gave you a happy anything?
"Okay well I'm glad you're okay, man. You wanna tell me what happened?" Nick tried again for some information.
At that instant Zak's eyes reconnected with mine and the look he shared seemed to be asking of he should say anything at all.
I thought about it for a moment, letting the options run through my tired mind. I knew that if we told them now, things would only get more complicated, yet at the same time I wanted the other two to know what had happened so that we could get out of here. I wanted more than anything to just tell them and save us all from whatever still loomed around us in the still blackness, protecting the others and myself from any harm that may come. I decided that telling them may upset them, but if that got us out of here, surely it was worth it.
I looked back to Zak and gave a nod, letting my black bangs veil my chocolate eyes from view.
"Well…" Zak began his tone calm and quiet.
I listened to Zak explain everything from his point of view, my eyes filling with tears as he told of me being pinned to the wall. I let them fall down my cold cheeks, the warm liquid burning with the fear I felt. My body shook softly as my crying intensified, but I managed to keep quiet as his explanation drew on. I wrapped my arms around my middle, trying to hold myself together as the world around me seemed to be crumbling. I knew that whatever the entity was that had done those things to me had not wanted to harm me, but it had wanted things that I had not ever thought to give to anyone as of yet. I could feel the emotions the poured from it as it held me in place on the wall, at the time I could not register what that heavy, warm feeling had been. Now I understood as I thought back on it, it was lust. More hot tears filled my eyes as the terrifying thoughts of what could've happened to me filled my mind, making my body shake even more. I felt sick, the thoughts within me making my head spin. What would I've done?
Zak's description of the incident continued as I watched, the memories of it all flooded my mind, an impending tsunami just waiting to completely destroy me.
I observed the faces of Nick and Aaron as they listened in horror, ever once in a while one of them would turn to look at me apologetically. I held my hands over my stomach as my suffering washed through me in waves, knocking my emotions around like a sail boat on the rough seas.
Finally after about five long agonizing minutes, Zak had finished explaining everything. Both Aaron and Nick looked to me, as if silently asking if it was all true. I could see their eyes both sadden and become fearful as I nodded in confirmation, letting them know that everything they were thinking was unfortunately true as could be.
"That's it man, we're getting out of here. Screw the investigation, bro. It just isn't worth it." Aaron rambled in fear, his voice wavering.
"I agree with Aaron for once, let's get out of here." Nick confirmed.
My heart jumped for joy at the thought of being released from this prison of terror.
"Okay, I'm going to call the caretaker and have him come let us out. I'll just tell him we're having technical difficulties and need to call off the lockdown." Zak informed us in a confident voice, his strength now seeming to return.
The flashlight shown as we watched Zak pull his phone from his pocket, flipping it open to dial for our escape. Just as he was about to punch in the numbers on the dial pad, the phone began to ring. He squinted in the light of the little screen, looking at the caller I.D of whoever was calling. His features filled with an expression of shock and his jaw dropped open in disbelief.
"What?" Nick questioned Zak's odd reaction.
Zak simply replied by turning his phone toward us so that we could see what it was he was staring at. And, for what seemed like the millionth time, my heart seemed to stop.
The number of the caller read: 666-666-6660. The repeating numbers filled my entire being with dread.
"What the hell, man!" Aaron yelled as we all gasped.
As soon as the phone had begun to ring, it stopped. The sound cutting off as the battery of Zak's cell phone clearly drained before our eyes and died.
"It just died!" Zak exclaimed in shock, his pitch raising an octave.
"Aaron, try your phone, and I'll try mine." Nick suggested quickly as he pulled out his own cell phone.
I followed suit and pulled my shiny pink phone from the pocket of my black cargo pants, clicking the unlock button to see if my battery too was dead.
Just as was expected—and dreaded—each one of our phones had died.
My heartbeat felt as if it had ceased to beat, the coldness of my fear shutting off the functions of my body as it washed through me. I clung my arms tighter around my middle, trying to pull the pieces of my being back together as I watched myself shatter. There was no way I would ever be able to collect all the shards, as the bits of my rationality scattered across the dusty floors of the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. I let the tears of fear fill my eyes once again, as the terror running through my cold veins poisoned my very being. I could feel the blood rush out of my head, making me sick once more, and I struggled to keep myself on my feet. I knew that this entity wanted me, and now I knew that it was going to go to any lengths to make sure it had me. Like it had said before, I would belong to it. I looked over to Zak and the others, paying special attention to Zak. He may have been the object of my fear earlier, but now I wanted nothing more than to be in his arms. I prayed that he would be able to pull my scattered puzzle pieces back together and hold me up, because as of now I knew that I was not going to make it through this on my own. The impending question now was, would I make it through this at all?
This was how I was going to die, locked in an asylum of horror?
Well, I hope I didn't scare you all too badly. Mwahaha! Tune in next time, my minions.