Angel of Light (A Zak Bagans Story)

Chapter 73: Safety

Chapter 73: Safety

A few moments after leaving Zak, I had finally reached the ATV, doing my best to catch my breath as I held the flashlight between my teeth and started fumbling through the bags, looking for Zak's backpack.

Once I found it, I didn't bother looking for the inhaler. I just threw a strap of the backpack over my shoulder and started running back to Zak, figuring the sooner I was back with him again, the better.

~*~*~*~*~

When I arrived back to where I had left Zak, my heart jumped into my throat when I saw him lying down on his side. I knew that during an asthma attack, laying down was a bad idea. However, I could hear him wheezing.

At least he's still breathing...

I quickly moved around behind him and knelt down on the ground, slipping the backpack off as I did so. I then grabbed onto Zak with both hands and had to mostly lift him up by myself.

"Hang on Zak...just hang on, deep breaths through your nose," I said, getting him back into a sitting position and had him lean back against me for support.

I heard him shakily take a deep breath through his nose as he rested against me.

He must have started to panic while I was gone, and that was why he had been lying down. He had gotten too weak.

I grabbed his backpack and brought it around to rest on his lap.

"Can you motion to where your inhaler is?" I asked.

Fuck...I'm carrying an inhaler myself from now on...I thought briefly, my panic rising again.

I saw one of Zak hands shakily move and rest on a side pocket of the backpack.

I quickly unzipped the pocket and was relieved to see a small, black bag in the pocket. I knew it was his inhaler and an air chamber he sometimes used.

The air chamber is essentially a plastic tube, that has openings on each end. One to insert the inhaler into, the other was a mouthpiece to put your lips around. It's purpose was to make it easier to take an inhaler, either for people who have trouble timing it right, or in cases like this.

I pulled out the black case and unzipped it, quickly pulling out the inhaler and air chamber.

I noticed Zak starting to feel limp in my arms, his eyes were now closed, and his breathing...the only sound I could relate it to, was the sound of a death rattle – how someone sounds when they're dying.

I ignored the tears forming in my eyes as I pulled the cap off the inhaler, inserted it into the air chamber, and then put the mouthpiece of the air chamber into Zak's mouth, using one hand to gently, but firmly hold his lips closed around it. I then quickly pressed down on the inhaler twice, ejecting two puffs of medicine into the air chamber.

"Breathe Zak...just keep breathing..." I said, tears falling down my cheeks now.

~*~*~*~*~

A few minutes had passed, during which I had used the inhaler again to give Zak two more puffs of medicine.

Thankfully, his breathing was starting to become easier, and the wheeziness wasn't as loud. I could also feel his strength slowly returning, as he was now able to keep his lips pressed around the air chamber by himself, and he wasn't leaning against me so heavily.

When he was strong enough to keep his lips secured around the mouthpiece of the air chamber, I had used my free hand to take one of his hands in mine, and held it tightly. Tears had continued to fall down my cheeks silently, but we're slowing as Zak's condition improved.

I saw Zak's eyes slowly open and he blinked a few times, before I noticed his eyes seem to focus on something to his right.

I felt my fear heighten, thinking he was seeing whatever had caused all of this to begin with, but I heard him whisper faintly.

"Thank you..." Zak whispered around the mouthpiece of the air chamber, still looking to his right, before he looked straight ahead again.

I was never really a religious person - despite being a Catholic - but that night, I prayed more strongly than I ever had in my entire life.

~*~*~*~*~

Zak's Point of View

I slowly opened my eyes, and was surprised to see an apparition of a young girl kneeling beside me. I turned my head slightly to look at her, and realized it had to be Emily.

Even after these last few months of knowing Alicia, I hadn't seen an actual picture of Emily, but she looked pretty much how I imagined Alicia must of looked when she was a child.

I then noticed that the three of us seemed to be incased in some sort of light. I don't know how I knew, but at that moment, I knew Emily was keeping the forces that were in these woods at bay. I could tell by looking at Emily that she was tired, and I figured she had to be using all her energy to protect Alicia and I. I knew I was recovering from my attack, and felt at ease, so I spoke in order to allow Emily to rest.

"Thank you..." I whispered around the mouthpiece of the air chamber that was between my lips.

I saw Emily smile slightly, before she and the light faded away.

~*~*~*~*~

Time passed, and I felt my breathing returning to normal, and I was becoming more aware of my surroundings.

Thankfully, the trees around me looked normal again, and I didn't feel anywhere near like I had been feeling before my asthma attack had started.

One of the first things I picked up on was one of Alicia's hands gripping one of mine. I squeezed her hand reassuringly, and I heard a sob escape her throat before I felt her bury her face into the crook of my neck. I reached up with my free hand and gently took the air chamber from her hand, and removed it from my mouth and set it down on my backpack, which was still on my lap. I then turned my head toward hers and lightly kissed her forehead.

"It's okay...I'm okay now..." I said softly, my voice a bit hoarse from my ordeal.

I heard Alicia let out a quiet whimper as I felt her now free arm wrap tightly around me as she started to cry.

I reached up with my free hand and rested it over her arm, and let her cry into my neck, knowing she needed to let out all the fear she had most likely just experienced.

I probably would of started crying too, but I didn't want to scare her more than I already had.