Finding Home (Zak Bagans Daughter)

Chapter Sixteen

I wanted to step back and run away from her, but I don't know what overcame me. I started to walk toward her. When I grabbed her hand, it felt like when I grabbed Zak's hands earlier after I found him, but so, so much colder. The moment our hands clasped I felt as if I wasn't in control of my body. I couldn't take my hand out of hers no matter how hard I tried. Right away, all of her sadness and loneliness transferred right to me. I felt her pain, misery and loneliness as if it were my own. Jumping didn't feel like such a crazy idea anymore.

She looked at me. "Ready?" she smiled, exposing her yellowed teeth. Just as I was about to nod a familiar voice interrupted my trance.

"Charlie!" I snapped my head back.

A familiar man was at the entrance of the large room, with a look of pure terror on his face. I recognized him, but I couldn't figure out who he was.

I furrowed my eyebrows and tried harder to figure it out, but when I couldn't I just looked back out the window and stepped closer to the ledge.

"Charlie! It's me! Come back here! Talk to me!" the man yelled.

I looked at Rosemary. "Don't listen to him, listen to me" She whispered. She was in control.

"Charlie!" he yelled again. My inner self was drawn to him, I wanted to go to him, but Rosemary wouldn't let me.

He started to walk closer to me; causing Rosemary to yell at him, telling him to stay back. But when she yelled at him, it came out through me; she was using my body for her own needs.

"Charlie! Listen to me. You can fight this! You are stronger than this, please Charlie come back to me!" the man pleaded.

And so I did.

I used all my strength to let go of Rosemary's hand, and in return she shrieked, and fell off the side of the building. The second I let go, all the power in my body drained, and I puked.

Zak came rushing toward me and hugged me tighter than ever.

"Dad?" I whispered. "Why did I do that?" I groaned, and puked again.

He didn't answer, he just kept hugging me. "I didn't know who you were" I cried. "She wouldn't let me let go of her hand, I tried so hard" Tears were rushing down my face.

Zak looked up at me with a confused face. "What? Who wouldn't let you let go of her hand."

"You didn't see her?" he shook his head.

"Rosemary... the one I saw earlier. I didn't know what was going on and then all the sudden I was on the edge of the rooftop and then you were here calling for me." I wiped the tears from my face and hugged him back.

"I'm so sorry dad I knew I shouldn't have come in here." I started to cry again.

"I told you Charlie, I told you to stay on the bus, why didn't you listen to me?" he sounded angry.

"I was outside the bus, just getting some fresh air. Then I heard you calling for me to come in cause you need help or something" I sniffled. "Then halfway through I realized that it never was you who called me, but it was too late, I was already so lost."

"It's okay Charlie, it's okay. We need to get you back to the bus you must be so tired" he was still hugging me, he was so warm.

After we stood up, a sudden realization came to me. "How did you find me? I couldn't find anyone"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the Ovilus. "This thing kept saying your name, over and over again. Then it started saying other things like, jump, fall, floor six, taken, lost. Then it went back to saying your name...what happened to your face!?" his voice went from normal to loud so fast I jumped.

I immediately touched my face, it was still burning hot. "What are you talking about?"

He pulled out his phone and used his flashlight. "Oh my god" he muttered. "These have got to be the most violent scratches I have ever seen"

"What are you talking about? I demand answers" Zak quickly took a picture. In response my mouth opened wide. I had three scratches on my face. They started from just below my eye and ended at my collarbone.

"Oh" I said.

"What?" Zak asked.

"I definitely know why these happened"

"Okay, you can tell me later, we need to get you out of here". Zak grabbed my arm and we started making our way through the corridors. All the sudden I felt like all the energy was drained from my body; again.

"Uh, dad?" I asked, and then I dropped, not before Zak grabbed me just before I hit the ground.

"Charlie? What's wrong?" Zak was worried.

I moaned. "I can't get up"

"Okay. We are getting out of here, now" Zak muttered and literally bridal style carried me out of the asylum. The entire time I was fighting him, telling him that I was fine and I could walk myself, but he was having none of it. He carried me down all six floors and the entire way to the bus.

Just before we started the bus and left the asylum I looked over his shoulder and saw Rosemary standing at the main doors of the Levik Asylum, waving goodbye.

Then everything went black.