(A/N: This is the second and last chapter of this story… Personally, it was really emotionally draining to write, let alone re-read. This story has to be one of the most personal, heartbreaking ones that I have ever written. I just want to say R.I.P. JP. You will forever be missed, and this story is for you and Megan. And to the wonderful Guest to wrote a review, I would like to thank them. An epilogue may come up eventually. But for now… Thank you for reading.)
It was time to show for all the skills I had gained in over a decade of ghost hunting. It was time to show for all my skills at all. As I sat on the couch, my legs becoming jumpy the longer I stayed in the same spot. I needed to get home; I needed to be where she would be most likely to dwell.
Nick and Aaron seemed to notice the change in my composure. The latter sat beside me, and for a few moments, he actually kept silent. Finally, I turned toward him.
"What?" He jumped at the sound of my voice. Even I could notice that everything about me was different; I walked different, I sat different, I even spoke different. Aaron looked over me with an inquisitive glance.
"What's up with you, bro? You're… Different." He used his hand to gesture at me. I finally took notice of my stance; I was sitting on the couch, a leg crossed over the other, and my arms behind my head. I set my hands in my lap, and uncrossed my legs.
"I can't be sad forever, Aaron. Marie wouldn't want that." My voice was strong, and he still raised a brow toward me. "I also wouldn't mind going home soon… I know it's all for a good thing and all… But I don't really want to be here." He just shook his head, before standing. I watched as he traded a few words with Nick, before returning.
"I'll take you home if you want." I gave him a smile, one he looked even more bewildered at, and then stood. I said goodbye to Marie's family and friends, before departing alongside my friend. As we drove, I couldn't help but begin to hum 'Seize the Day'. I mean, I was about to be reunited with the love of my life, right? Aaron glanced at me, worried. "Dude… Don't take this the wrong way, but did you do drugs in the bathroom at Nick's or something?" I turned my head toward him, my eyes wide.
"For fuck's sake, Aaron; everything is fine. I didn't do drugs, and nothing new is wrong. I just want to try to feel better." He sighed. I turned my glance away from him once more.
"This isn't better, Zak. You're just acting really strangely." His eyes stayed at the road, and mine didn't stray once in his direction. "And don't keep it in, either. We're friends, man. You can talk to us anytime." I watched all the scenery rush by, through the window.
"I know." I softly spoke. "But nothing is wrong. I'm serious." He just sighed once more. We pulled up to my home, and he stopped at my curb.
"Do you want me to chill for a bit?" I shook my head, and he gave me a concerned glance. "Just be safe, okay? Don't do anything stupid. I don't know exactly how it feels to feel what you're feeling right now… But don't do anything that might hurt you. I mean it," He paused. "We can't lose anyone else." I nodded.
"I know, Aaron. I'll be safe. I promise." He gave me a crooked smile, and I exited the vehicle. "See you around… Call me if anything happens? Or if we get any calls about new locations?" He seemed a little hesitant at that.
"Yeah… Will do. Take care of yourself." Then, he pulled away. I felt almost as if I was running into my house. I had a job I needed to take care of.
I immediately set out to grabbing the Spirit Box, and a camera. I sat on our bed, a place where we had spent many moments together. Excitement bubbled within me, as I turned on both of the pieces of equipment.
"Hey, Marie? Are you here?" I called out, above the white noise. The Spirit Box picked up only silence. My hands were trembling. I was just much too nervous, but invigorated at the same time. "Sweetie, it's me; Zak. Come out and talk to me, Marie. Don't be afraid." I spoke, but nothing responded. I sighed. "Marie, don't hide from me. I… You said you'd stay."
Silence. All I received… Was silence. Why wasn't she answering? She promised me. She never broke her promises.
The restaurant was buzzing with activity; the living kind, of course. There was a man on stage, playing the piano and singing an original tune. The lighting was dimmed, the only lights coming from the spot light on stage, and the candle lighting on the table tops.
Zak and Marie sat together, their hands enveloped within one another's. They had just enjoyed a gorgeous, delicious meal which was high class enough to count as a "fancy" dinner, but low-key enough to keep the two comfortable. They had just begun to live together, and already, there were a few issues with self-confidence.
It was unusual, though; for it was the ordinarily strong Zak that was the prey of those emotions. The ever-beautiful Marie had been the cause of his uneasiness; would she ever leave him? Would his life, consisting of him mostly being on the road and around the world ever catch up to them and break them apart?
"You're just too perfect, Marie. I just… I don't know why you ever stay with me." Her eyes rolled as he spoke, and she groaned.
"You're starting that again, babe?" She sighed. "How can I prove to you that you are perfect to me, Zak? How can I prove that you are my other half? How can I prove that you won't be losing me any time soon?" He just looked to the table, his eyes clouded over with self-consciousness. Then, the whole building erupted into cheers, as the man at the piano finished his set.
The host stood, talking to the crowd, inviting anyone who wanted to play a song or two to do so. Then, Marie did something that her boyfriend did not expect. She stood, making her way to the stage. Zak froze into his seat, his eyes wide as she knew it was something out of character for her to do.
The blonde took a guitar into her hands, setting up a stool and a microphone. Then, she began to speak.
"This is for my boyfriend, Zak, who still thinks that I will leave him someday. I never will, babe. I am in love with you and only you. And this… This song is for you. This song is called 'Please' by Ludo."
Her words stuck with him, as she began her heartfelt tune. A small bit of guitar began, before her melodic voice began to shine.
"Sun falls slowly on our lonely
Goodbye bedroom, you're my only.
My last night home is first-night nervous
Take me over; remember all this 'til then...
Please save this for me
I'll come back for you, love, I promise to
Please save this for me, for until I return
My love will burn and my heart will stay.
It's gone cold now, we'll sleep somehow
I'll be gone by first light, last chance, hold tight until then...
Please save this for me
I'll come back for you, love, I promise to
Please save this for me, for until I return
My love will burn and my heart will stay.
I lie awake and memorize your face
As you sleep next to me.
The falling moon is calling me as I leave.
Sunrise slowly, the road looms lonely
But I will not fail...
Please save this for me
I'll come back for you, love, I promise to
Please save this for me, for until I return
My love will burn and my heart will stay.
My heart will stay.
(stay)
Please save this for me
(Oh-oh-oh)
I'll come back for you, love, I promise to
(stay)
Please save this for me, for until I return
My love will burn and my heart will stay.
My heart will stay.
My heart will stay."
The crowd erupted into applause, and Zak couldn't help but join in, for he was even more amazed with the fact that this was his Marie singing. As she made her way to the table, a few wandering eyes watching as she was greeted with a hug and a kiss from her boyfriend. They sat together, the only think they were waiting on then was the check.
"Do you really mean it, Marie?" He questioned. She smiled at him, with the grin reaching her expressive green eyes.
"I do. I promise to stay." Then, he returned her smile.
The next few weeks were repetitive; I would wake up, and do an EVP session, take a shower, do another EVP session, eat something, and do another EVP session… And that is basically how my life would be. That is, until some of my routine became fuzzy.
I couldn't remember the last time I had I eaten, or cleaned, or anything, really. It was just a blur of me trying to catch Marie on recorders, of me trying to catch just one whisper; but every time I played them back, I could hear nothing. I placed EM pumps all around the house, to the point that even I could feel that the energy in the home was intoxicating.
But nothing. She wouldn't respond, she wouldn't say a word. I kept attempting to do something, that I had seen others do, but I couldn't illicit a response from a woman who said that she would stay; that she wouldn't ever leave in life or death. But it seemed like she did; and hell, I wasn't going to stop trying.
Suddenly, one day, I didn't feel like getting up. I didn't feel like even moving from the couch, where I had slept the night before, camera still in my hand until its battery died out. My phone rang and rang, but I couldn't even bring myself to answer. It wasn't until it rang over ten times, did I finally reach my arm (which felt much too heavy to move) to my cell phone, and answered.
"Hello?" I spoke, and I didn't realize how parched my throat was. I cleared my throat, while listening to the other end of the phone line.
"Hey, bro… It's Nick. I just wanted to check and see how you were doing. Aaron said he hasn't heard from you in a while, either. Is everything okay?" I wanted to yell at him; I wanted to tell him that no, I wasn't fine, my fiancée was dead. But being that he was just my friend, looking out for me, I bit my tongue.
"I'm fine, Nick. Just… Still grieving." I could hear my friend sigh.
"That is expected. I'm sorry if we seem like we're pushing you to move on… We just hate seeing you hurt, bro." I let out a deep breath, my eyes flickering around the room, in case I could see any sign of Marie.
"It's fine, Nick. I just… I need have some time to myself, is all. Is that all good?" I could almost hear the frown on his face with his next words.
"Alright… Look, I'm going to be coming down there in a few days. Is it okay if I come to see you?" My heart began to race; he would think I was insane if he were to discover the mounds of recording I had been doing over the past several weeks. My breathing quickened.
"That's not a good idea." I spoke without thinking, and before he could argue, or try to talk me out of it, I hung up the phone. I knelt my head back against the couch, a headache beginning to form on my temple. I reminisced; I could still remember the last time that the house had experienced sickness.
Marie's body laid close to Zak's, both in a deep sleep. The blankets were thrown around the mattress, which was just the result of the way the two naturally slept. The man had his arm over his fiancée's bare stomach, as he lightly snored. The two were exhausted after a long night of romance, and slept in for a while; at least, until the small blonde was violently woken from her slumber.
She was overcome with sudden nausea, as she shot up in bed, effectively waking her
fiancé.
"Babe, what…" Zak wasn't even able to get out the words, before Marie was up and running to the adjoining bathroom. More awake, the man stumbled after her, only to see the woman kneeled beside the toilet, vomiting. He hurried over to her, pulling her long hair away from her face, rubbing her back as she continued to expel her stomach contents.
As she finally was able to stop, she allowed herself to lean back into her love's arms as her body trembled, and tears gathered in her eyes.
"I… I hate being s-sick…" She shakily spoke. "You don't have to be here, Zak…" He just offered a small smile and kissed the back of her head.
"You took care of me when I was sick, now I need to do the same for you, sweetie." She returned his small smile. "I love you. If we're going to get married, we have to get used to helping each other through stuff like this. And I am happy to take care of you."
"God, I'd kiss you right now if I hadn't just puked everywhere." The man chuckled, and he helped his fiancée to her feet.
"How about you brush your teeth, then we can get you back into bed? And maybe into some clothes?" It was then that it came to Marie's attention that the two of them were still completely in the nude from the night before.
She did as he recommended, and he took care of her that day. It was a relief to Marie that side of Zak; the one that nursed her back to health. She knew that she was making the right decision in marrying him.
It was a few days after that, that Marie had taken a positive pregnancy test. The whole period of time was a happy one for me. But… It was over.
I was left alone. I was left to wander about our home, traveling through the ruins of our memories together, and to live life without love any longer.
But I knew, I just knew that if I kept up hope… I would be able to find her again. And with my profession, I knew I could find her sooner rather than later. The next few days, I spent more time trying to capture some recordings within the walls of my home. I hadn't even thought about my job, I hadn't even thought about my friends. That is, until one of them decided on paying me a visit.
I answered the knocking on the door after about ten minutes of it never ending. I had forgotten about Nick wanted to come and check up on me, and apparently, it was evident on my face.
"Hey man… Is everything okay?" I just stood, not sure what I was to do; I had gone weeks without social interaction. I didn't even remember how to talk to him. "Are you mad at me for showing up anyways?" I still stood, and I could feel his eyes bearing into mine, as if assessing me. "I'll just… I'll just go inside?" Then, my trance was broken. I stopped him, placing my arm in between the door and his body.
"I… I meant what I said, Nick." I warned him. "It's not the best idea right now to do that." He gave me a look that seemed half out of concern, half out of complete confusion. Maybe a little bit of annoyance as well.
"I'm going in, Zak. You aren't being normal, man, and…" He pushed away my limb during his rant, taking a step indoors, before pausing. His eyes were scanning the room in front of him. I couldn't even imagine what it looked like from a person from another perspective.
There were various cameras and digital recorders, and EM pumps all over the place. Some dead, some working… But they were everywhere. His jaw clenched slightly, and he turned to me.
"What is this?!" He interrogated. I stayed silent, allowing him to make his own conclusions. "Zak, this is unhealthy, man! Do you know how bad it is to be around EM pumps all day long?" He turned off a few, before returning to me. "This isn't what you are supposed to do, Zak! This isn't healing! This isn't moving on! This you not letting your hold go. You need to let go man…" He lectured me. "She was important to me too, Zak. She was one of my best friends, and that driver took her away from me too! But I am actually picking myself up and trying to do something instead of wallow in my sadness!" I still stayed silent. "Marie is dead. She is gone, and she won't ever come back. She is dead!"
I didn't even realize what I had done, until Nick was on the ground clutching his cheekbone, which was already beginning to change into more purple of a shade. My eyes were widened, as he looked at me as if I were a monster. My friend stood, and left my house just as quickly as he had arrived.
I punched Nick. I punched Nick. My hands were shaking, everything around me seemed to fade away as I began to actually think about what I had done.
I hurt my friend. I hurt him! I needed to apologize; but he wouldn't ever forgive me! I hurt him, and there was no way that I could take that back…
I felt myself grow hot, but instead of letting go of my tough exterior, I felt myself lash out again, only toward the direction in which I knew there was a wall. At least, where I had thought there was a wall.
My fist connected, and I heard the sound of glass shattering. I hadn't realized that I was beside a framed painting; one that Marie had painted for me on our one-year anniversary.
Zak sat on the couch, his arm wrapped around the small blonde's shoulders, as they watched a movie together. They had been together for a whole year, and had decided on an at-home date for their anniversary. They already enjoyed a home-cooked meal together, and then it was movie time, then it was gifts. He had been nervous, for he was offering her a large, large gift.
The film ended, and they smiled at each other once they remembered what it was time for. Marie shot up from the couch, running out the door.
"My present for you in my car! Hold on!" He chuckled to himself, waiting on his girlfriend to return. She carried a large, square shaped wrapped gift. It was flat, and he had no idea what it could be. But he had guesses. "Open it!" Zak pulled apart the wrapping paper, to reveal a gorgeous painting, framed and all. It looked like two ghosts, in two different rooms. One was a man, who looked eerily similar to Zak, and the other a female, of the likes of Marie. Their hands were placed upon the adjoining wall, with a misty heart forming within the structure. The painting was gorgeous.
"Did you… Did you paint this?" She nodded, very excited to see the look of admiration and appreciation on his facial expressions. He hugged her close, giving her a short kiss, before pulling away. "It is so beautiful, Marie. Thank you so much."
"I painted it for you, because, well…" Her eye contact broke, a habit that she tended to display when she was nervous or embarrassed. "I wanted to let you know that… I know we always say that we love each other… But I wanted you to know that I am in love with you, Zak. I… I can see our future… And it's…" She gulped. "It's nice." He gave her a large, genuine grin.
"That makes my present much less difficult to gift." The man pulled out a small box, in which she was quick to open. The removal of the lid revealed a small key. Her eyes widened. "I am in love with you too, Marie. I… I wanted to ask you to live with me. To… To move in."
She didn't even have to give a vocal response. Marie threw herself into Zak's arms, and into a passionate kiss. The man smiled into the woman's lips. Things were perfect.
I couldn't believe what I had done… I barely felt the pain of glass bits in my skin, and the blood dribbling from my flesh. I knelt, and gathered the bits of the glass that fell to the floor. I could feel the glass cutting and biting into my hands, but I didn't care. I collected every single piece, and it wasn't until I placed them onto the tabletop that I noticed the stain of red on them.
I stared down to my shaking hands, and noticed that the amount of blood coursing down from them was not a good sign. I could see the scarlet liquid pulsing out, and I knew from basic medical knowledge that blood wasn't supposed to spurt like that.
I used as much energy as I could to make my way into the kitchen, and run my hands under some hot water. The water was red. It wasn't changing, either. I needed help.
I tried to make it to the phone, but my whole being felt drained. I felt myself fall to the ground roughly, and my head slammed into the side of the countertops. I tried to pick myself up once more.
I wanted to live; I didn't want to die. Sure, being dead would mean I would be with Marie, but I wasn't ready. But I couldn't move.
I just had to sit and watch as my world faded in and out. I barely noticed time go by; I didn't even hear when my two best friends opened my front door, only to see a puddle of blood and stained glass, along with a trail of red to my location.
I felt my body being pulled up to someone's chest, and I couldn't open my eyes. But I could hear crying. I could hear someone yelling about calling an ambulance. I managed to squint.
"Zak?!" I saw Nick's bruised face looking right back at mine. "He's awake, Aaron! He's awake!" I just looked to him, blankly. "What did you do, Zak? What did you do?" His voice was getting frantic. My eyes closed, but I remained conscious.
"D-didn't m-me… m-mean to…" I managed to weakly speak. He sobbed. "D-didn't t-try… try to k-kill myself…" I assured him as strongly as I could. "I'm sorry…"
I could feel his body convulsing with fear as I faded to darkness.
The next thing I knew, I was standing in the hospital, watching as the personnel worked to revive me. No one could see me. But I felt as if I wasn't alone. I turned, to see a very much alive Marie beside me.
"M-Marie?!" I ran to her, wrapping my arms around her tightly. She hugged me back, as if slightly reluctant. "I've missed you so much, and…" She pulled away, and I could see water gathering in her brilliant green eyes.
"You need to go back, Zak." She told me. I took a step away from her, my eyes widened. "You can't stay with me here. You need to live."
"But… You're here, Marie. I can't… Now that I'm with you, how am I supposed to go back? I need you! I need you… I can't…" Her bottom lip trembled as she brought her hand down the side of my face. I unwittingly leant toward her touch.
"Zak, you need to listen to me. I love you… So much…" She paused, taking a deep breath. "But you need to keep living. You have the choice. I don't anymore." I felt myself begin to break down at her words. "You need to go back with Nick and Aaron, and your family and… You need to live. Can you… Can you at least do it for me?" I felt a tear fall.
"I won't… I won't ever find someone I can love like I love you, Marie." She gave me a sad smile. She wiped the tear away.
"Just be happy, okay? For me, baby. For me." I nodded, sniffling. "I'll always be with you, Zak. Just listen for me. I will be there. I love you." I pulled myself forward and hugged her tighter than I ever did when she was living. My body was seizing with emotion.
"I love you too, Marie. I can't wait until the day we meet again… In death." She just smiled. It was my last view of her.
At some point later, I groaned as I felt pain radiating from my head and from my hands. I opened my eyes, to see a hospital room around me. I saw Nick and Aaron in chairs beside my bed, asleep. At least, one of them was.
"Zak?" Nick stretched, as he must've awoken by my sudden noise. He pulled his chair closer to the bed. "Hey man. Don't ever do that shit again. We can't afford to lose you." I just gave him a small smile.
"I don't plan on it. I didn't plan on it in the first place, either." My voice was weaker than I thought it would be. I felt… Much, much better. I felt at ease. I knew that I could live on, since Marie was going to officially be by my side. She may have not been before, but she was going to start to.
"I know, man. I'm…" He let out a sigh. "I'm sorry I was such an asshole to you. I feel… I feel like somehow, this is partially my fault for something… I just…" He trailed off, placing his head in his hands. "Was that how it was for you, Zak? Watching her leave?" I froze; I remembered that I had never spoken of her last moments to, well… Anyone. I broke eye contact.
"Not really." I responded. "I… I know the fear was a lot similar. But… I knew she was going to die. They… They told me before I went in to see her." He listened, taking in the information he had never, ever heard. "I just had to keep my calm… And put her above me… She…" I paused, a strange smile on my face. "The last thing she wanted from me was to sing to her. And I did. She… She was so peaceful, man." Nick's eyes were filled to the brim with emotion as he listened to me speak. "After the funeral… I thought I could talk to her… Like we do every other spirit, but… She wouldn't respond." Something about his expression changed with those words. "So I kept trying… And I guess it made me insane. I… I just wanted to hear her so badly." I recalled. "Then I… I hurt you. I don't know what happened with that… And I hit the picture she painted for me… And the glass must've hit an artery or something. Because that's what did it to me." I informed him, omitting the part where I spoke to my late fiancée. "I'm so sorry about everything that happened, Nick…"
He shook his head. "Never a problem, Zak. Really. I would take a punch every day of the week if it meant you were okay afterwards." I just smiled.
"I doubt that, but alright." He chuckled. It was nice to hear.
"I really would, bro. But don't go trying to test it out." Nick's face had a smile plastered on it. Then, he tugged his laptop case onto his legs. "Zak… I kind of wanted to show you something." He turned his laptop on, and pulled up some audio files. I gulped, noticing that they were from my various digital recorders set up from around the house.
"Nick… I already looked over every single one a million times, you don't have to…" He didn't listen. He clicked on a file, and it began to play.
"Marie? Where are you?" I heard my voice play on the device. I turned my head away. "I miss you. Come and say hi to me?" Then, the next thing I heard was a shock.
"Zak…" Marie's voice whispered over the device, and my heart was beating a mile a minute. Nick smirked with the expression on my face, and started another file.
"Seize the day, or die regretting the time you lost…" I recognized this clip to be much later on in my insanity, for I kept talking to myself and the air. "So please save this for me… God dammit! I fucked up both of our songs! Let me start again: Seize the day… and…" I could hear myself begin to snore, knowing I fell asleep. At that point, I hadn't slept in days. But that wasn't the only noise.
"Love… You…" My heart one more skipped a beat. It was Marie. It was her. I could tell her voice from anywhere; she was on those tapes. The ones I couldn't even hear her voice on earlier.
"But… H-how?" I questioned my friend. He gave me a sad smile.
"Zak… You kept looking for her everywhere… But did you ever consider the fact that maybe… Maybe you weren't in the right state of mind to listen?" I opened my mouth to speak, but he continued. "I mean, really; think about it. You would've heard her… But you couldn't. You weren't ready too. And I think she knew that." He set his laptop back in his bag, before speaking once more. "She… She was there the whole time, Zak. And so was Aaron, your family, your friends, and me. You were never alone, Zak. You never were." Then, everything came down on me. I felt my chest clench as I tried to contain a cry. He just shook his head, opening his arms wide. I threw myself forward, hugging my friend and sobbing hysterically.
He hadn't realized that what he had said was exactly what I had needed to hear. Marie was there the whole time for me; so was everyone else who I loved. I was going to be okay. Marie may have been gone… But I knew I could finally move on.
I was at peace.