Well, nine votes is close enough... well done readers!
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When I was a little girl, I had a friend named Danielle. Everyone called her Danny because she acted like a boy; she took taekwondo, played soccer and football, and always wore basketball shorts wherever she went. She was an outcast like me, and that was why we were friends. One time we were wrestling in her backyard when she pushed on a part of my neck and it caused me to let go of her and drop to the ground. She said she had learned it in her taekwondo class that day. I was supposed to sleepover at her house that night, but her mom pointed out some suspicious bruises on my arms, so I faked sick and made my mom pick me up, who ended up sending the neighbor. That was the last time I saw Danny. She died that night from drowning in her pool; she didn't know how to swim. The only sport she didn't learn led to her death. I never forgot Danny, and I never forgot the last thing she taught me.
Zak was carrying me to the basement of the museum when I remembered what Danny taught me. So, with all my might I pushed right underneath his skull and beside the jugular vein. He dropped me the second I did it. When he let go of me, we were at the top of the stairs, causing us both the tumble down the steps onto a concrete floor. I screeched when I hit the ground and felt an immediate burning feeling in my right ankle. I looked over at Zak to see what happened to him, but he was limp, it seemed he'd fallen right on his head and knocked himself out.
"Dad?" I moaned. The hope in my voice was unmistakable. I was badly hoping whatever was in him was now gone.
I slowly crawled over to him. "Dad?" maybe whatever had taken control of his body was gone.
After slapping his face he moaned, which indicated he was still alive. I sighed a breath of relied and crawled up the stairs, dragging my sprained ankle behind.
I crawled across the room and sat against the wall that was across from the stairway entrance to the basement. I sat there staring across the room until nine in the morning when Billy came in to see how we were doing.
He must have been shocked to find me, red-eyed and wild looking. Not to mention the museum was a mess, things that were once hung on the walls were everywhere and everything was overturned. Billy immediately asked and I quote "What in the actual fuck, fucking happened?"
It took me a few seconds to respond and when I did it, was in a cracked voice. "I'm pretty sure Zak was possessed. Whatever is was tried to kill me"
He just looked at me dumbfounded. "Jesus, are you okay? Where is Zak?"
I shrugged; the adrenaline was still pumping through me. I had no idea if I was okay or not.
I slowly pointed to the doorway to the basement. "We fell down those stairs and then he blacked out, he hasn't made a sound since. And yes he was alive when I left him down there"
"Oh my fucking God" Billy said and covered his mouth. "Do you think he's back to normal now?"
I shrugged. "Maybe? He groaned when I called him dad, like four or five hours ago"
Billy ran his hands over his face. "Okay I'm going to go down there, and if I yell run then you run... okay?"
I nodded. "Okay"
There's no way I was going to be able to run on this ankle.
Billy took a deep breath and slowly walked downstairs. I heard some mumbling, and the very loud groan, which I recognized as Zak's.
After a few seconds of nothing, I yelled. "Is he okay?" after no answer I decided to stand up and limp toward the top of the stairs. Below, I could see Billy helping Zak up and putting his arm over his shoulder.
"What the fuck just happened?" Zak mumbled. "Why am I in the basement? Why does my head hurt so fucking much?"
"I think you fell" Billy answered. We obviously weren't going to tell him what happened right now.
"Where's Charlie? Is she OK? Where are you Charlie!?" Zak yelled.
I took a quick step back in fear. He said the same words he kept repeating last night when I was hiding from him, yet it didn't sound the same. Last night, he sounded evil and terrifying, but right now all I heard was the voice of a worried father.
I stepped forward and into their view. "I'm right here" he sighed a breath of relief. "Are you okay? What happened?"
I fake smiled. "I'm fine" Lie. "I think we should watch the security cameras, so everyone knows what exactly happened"
Both of them vigorously nodded at my suggestion, they were both very eager to see what had happened. I already knew.
When they reached the top, Zak went in for an immediate hug, which I lightly returned. I know he wasn't in control of what happened, but that doesn't change that it was him, and it doesn't change what he said. I still didn't know if whatever it was that was in control of him meant what he said when I was slung over his shoulder.
After the hug, he looked at me worriedly. When he reached for me I stepped away.
"Are you okay? What's wrong Charlie?"
I faked a small smile. "I'm fine" and walked away.
Another lie.
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"Holy shit" Aaron said.
We had just finished watching the security cameras of Zak attacking me and trying to kill me. After Billy arrived he called over Jay and Aaron to watch the tapes and figure out what happened. We were all sitting in the security room, me with an ice pack on my ankle, and Zak with an ice pack on his head.
In all honesty, it looked like a really badly filmed action movie; you would see us as we were in one camera angle of a security screen, and then watch us walk into another screen. You could watch as Zak and I threw powerful hits at each other in almost every corner of the museum, obviously ending as we both fall down the stars and out of sight.
When the video feed ended, everyone looked at me, especially Zak.
"What?" I looked at them wide eyed.
"How are you alive right now?"
I shrugged. "I don't think I would've been if we didn't fall down the stairs"
Then they all turned to Zak, who was completely ashamed.
"Do you remember any of this?" Jay asked.
He shook his head. "I don't even remember being in this room when it all started. The last thing I remember is finding you with the spirit box"
"Charlie, I am so sorry-" he started.
"Stop" I said. "I know you are sorry Zak. I know that it wasn't you, and you are still my dad and I still love you. It's just a little scary, since I literally almost died... again" I lightly smiled at Zak and stood up and left the room. He noticeably saddened when I called him Zak instead of dad.
Aaron followed me out. Once the door shut behind us, he engulfed me a hug, which I graciously accepted. I started sobbing into his chest the second he embraced me.
"You're okay now Charlie, you're okay" he hushed.
"I was so scared. I thought for sure he was going to kill me" I sobbed. I didn't want Zak to see me like this, he was already so upset.
For the next couple of minutes he hushed and comforted me which made me feel safer than I had felt in the last 12 hours.
After letting go and ending our comforting hug he took his thumbs and wiped my tears away. "Why don't you come and live with me for a few days, okay? Give both of you some much needed rest" I vigorously nodded. I could do with that.
"Why don't you go get your stuff and meet me here? I'll go tell the guys" he said.
I nodded and watched as he entered the security rom.
After he closed the door I put my ear to the door to eavesdrop on the conversation, which straight away sent me into a flashback of when I locked Zak into the security room just hours earlier. I still held my ear to the door.
At first Zak didn't want me to leave, but after hearing all the guys tell him it was the best and that I needed to get away from him and get some air, he agreed. Aaron came out a few seconds later and helped me pack up my things and make our way to his car. Before we left I asked him a question.
"He knows this is best right? He knows that I just need some time and then things will go back to the way they were?" Aaron nodded.
"He knows, and I'm sure he can't wait until we all move on from this"
That's when a question popped into my head. "Wait, what are they going to do about the spirit, or demon, or whatever evil thing that possessed him?"
Aaron just looked at me. He knew exactly what they were going to do, but he did not want to tell me at all.
"Aaron" I trailed off. He gulped.
"They're going to try and contact the spirit. They're going to try and figure out what it is and why it attacked you and Zak and then they're going to try and get rid of it"
"Jesus Aaron! You're going to just leave them to do it alone?"
"No, I was gonna drop you off and then go help them once you'd fallen asleep"
I glared at him from the passenger side.
"Drop me off at my house; let me grab a few more things. Then come get me when you guys are done"
He looked away from the road to give me a questionable face. "I thought you weren't safe at your house"
I shook my head. "I'm a lot safer at my house or any other house in fact, especially safer than I was at Haunted Museum. So drop me off at home and pick me up when you're done. Just make sure Zak doesn't see me. He would probably make me stay"
He started to give the questionable face again, but then he shrugged. "All right, your house is closer anyway"
I gave a satisfied smile.