Finding Home (Zak Bagans Daughter)

Chapter Fifty-Six

My gut made an instinctive churn. I had a bad feeling about this.

Without another word, Nora reached for my arm and as soon as we touched I could feel every pulse of energy that powered me push itself into Nora. I could feel her draining my body dry. A sudden nauseous feeling overcame my body, and my legs gave out. As soon as my butt hit the dirt ground Nora let go of my arm, allowing me to stay awake.

"Did I take too much?"

I looked up at Nora who was hovering over me. As weak as I was, I could feel my energy radiating off of her as if she were a nuclear power plant.

"I'm still awake, aren't I?" I gave her a sheepish smile and relaxed my back against the brick wall. "Go find my family and tell them where I am, will you?"

Nora nodded and vanished. My eyes began to feel droopy as I felt my body relax itself more and more.

Don't you dare pass out

I forced myself to open my eyes. The cell was much darker than earlier. I squinted my eyes to see if I could make out any shapes around me, but I couldn't even see my hand when I waved it in front of my face.

Within seconds the entire atmosphere of the cell changed. Before it was empty, but now it just felt evil. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up straight the second I felt a presence sitting across from me. I immediately pulled my knees up to my chest.

"You can sense me, can't you?" A deep voice came from the other side of the cell. I felt my stomach churn at the sound of evil.

I didn't respond, hoping that if I didn't answer it would leave me alone.

"I've been watching you since I first saw you, standing outside the prison looking in"

So now I've got some ghost stalker? Just great

My eyes widened as a sudden realization came to mind. "You're one of the missing prisoners here, aren't you?"

It chuckled. "Smart girl"

"How?"

I heard it shuffle through the dirt and move closer to me. "But it's only so simple dearie"—movement beside me caused my body to freeze, then a cool breath blew into my face—"I died"

Before I knew it, freezing cold hands reached around my neck and squeezed. I released a blood curling scream and shoved my heels into the ground in attempt to push away, but it was no use. For the third time that day, I saw my life flash before my eyes.

But this time I refused to give up.

***********************

Zak (POV)

"C'mon Charlie where the hell are you?" I angrily mumbled to myself.

I held a flashlight in one hand and an Ovilus in the other, hoping that a word from a spirit might push me in the right direction. So far I had nothing; just empty hallways full of empty jail cells.

I checked the time on my watch.

4:56

Almost sunrise

I dropped my hand to my waist and continued walking through the prison.

"Charlie!" I yelled, but like I expected she didn't answer.

I couldn't explain the guilt I was feeling. I had one job—look after Charlie. My only child and I couldn't even keep her safe. I knew that if I were to find her I would never let her out of my sight ever again.

"Charlie!" I called again, expecting no answer in return; only to be surprised when the Ovilus spits out a word I didn't expect to hear.

"Cell"

I stopped dead in my tracks and held the Ovilus in the air.

"Whoever said this, do you know where Charlie is?" A newfound wave of hope flooded through my body.

"Dark"

"Scared"

"Alone"

"Trap"

"Help"

I looked at all the words that flooded through the talking device. "She's trapped? Trapped where?"

"Dark"

"Cell"

"The dark? Cell? Where is the dark-" I stopped mid question when I realized what the Ovilus was telling me.

"She's in the dark cell"

I didn't expect the Ovilus to answer my comment, but it did.

"Danger"

Worry was the only feeling I had once I heard that word.

"Where is she?" I held the Ovilus out in the air awaiting an answer, but it never came.

"Where is my daughter?!" I suddenly became angry, but it quickly changed to sadness and desperation. "She needs me, so please tell me where she is"

Within seconds a hazy figure stood a few feet ahead of me, but zoomed to its left as soon as I saw it. Without hesitation, I followed it, knowing that was the spirit that was trying to talk to me through the Ovilus.

*********************

After ten minutes of wandering through the maze of Blackwater Prison, the hazy figure lead me to a massive metal door. Judging by the amount of decay, it hadn't been used it quite a long time.

I tried the door handle, but the door wouldn't budge.

"Is she behind this door?" I asked aloud. Before anything could answer, a blood curling scream was clearly heard on the other side of the door. Without a thought, I threw my body into the metal door and threw it open.

My eyes widened as I looked before me.

I shone my flashlight down into the cell just before my feet. Large metal bars blocked the majority of the view, but I knew that I was seeing Charlie. She was in the corner of the cell, knees to her chest, arms raised before her, as if she were trying to defend herself, and covered in dirt. When she felt the light of my flashlight shine down on her she looked up at me and protected her eyes from the harsh glare.

"Dad?"