Dark Salvation (Ghost Adventures)

Dark Salvation: 06 *

"I'm what?!" Zak shouted as soon as he regained his breath. "What the hell are you talking about, Nick?" 

Nick let out a hearty chuckle at his friends actions. This was the same why Nick had acted before he had actually met his wife. "Calm down Zak, loneliness is natural for a guy. Especially since you have such high commitments and a lot of priorities you expect from a single woman."

Zak glared up at Nick. "Are you saying I ask too much of a woman?"

The calm, tranquil investigator shook his head and smiled. "No. But what I am saying is that you need to see beyond a woman's mistakes and just love them for who they really are. If it's true, then she'll do the same." Zak turned his gaze back to his phone, which he had taken out as soon as Billy and Aaron had left. "So who is she?" Nick changed the subject.

Zak shrugged. "Her name is Luna Storm. Apparently, she is a paranormal expert and has been in the manor many times...alone."

"Alone? Her?"

"Yeah, she sounds pretty brave, doesn't she?" Zak shook his head quickly and sighed. "And she's so beautiful..." Nick's ears perked, a grin spreading across his lips. Zak blushed as his friend stared at him oddly.

"I see what's going on." Zak rolled his eyes and stared at Luna's picture. "Love at first sight, huh? Must it be a picture rather than a sight, Zak?" Nick laughed and took a drink of his water while Zak rolled his eyes again.

"We are going to her house in tomorrow." The lead investigator proclaimed abruptly, slamming his phone down. Nick joined in the spit-take and sprewed water all over the floor, staring at his friend with wide eyes. They were going to need a mop with all of these surprises.

 *

Luna stared into pet shop's window, she remembered how much her mother had always wanted a husky puppy when she was...alive... Somehow - and with some interesting luck - Luna had eventually talked herself into getting out of the warm sheets of her bed and doing something with the thousands of dollars she had acquired from her parents. 

Poor mentally and physically exhausted Luna had stayed at Cobblestone Manor from dusk to the wee hours of the morning and managed to obtain enough evidence to amaze any skeptic. Now she was partially awake, and face-to-face with a large white husky puppy that bounced in the pet shop's window. Sighing and rubbing her eyes, she walked into the shop with a smile she had practiced in the mirror.

She didn't want sympathy, like Drake had offered time and time again. No, Luna only wanted to be treated like she was still the same person, not the sobbing mess of a girl on the floor. It helped the pain ease bit byt but that way, no matter how cruel it sounded to others. Luna had tried contacting her parents while at Cobblestone Manor, but she had no response. She felt like her mother had failed her.

A man at the counter greeted her with a wave, she smiled back and headed to the puppy pen with the clerk hot on her heels. Luna turned to the man when she reached the pen.

"Hello, sir." She greeted politely. 

"And hello to you too." With their awkward exchange of words, Luna turned her gaze back to the puppies that stormed over each other to get to her hands. "I'm Neil and...I couldn't help but notice you had an eye on that crazy pup right there." Neil pointed to the white husky puppy, which was easy to pick out among the rest. It was a lot bigger than the others.

"Yes, I'm gladly going to bring one of these lucky fellows home." Luna tried to sound cheery and Neil seemed to take it. He immediately picked up the white husky, holding the slobbery puppy out to her. She laughed when the puppy's long, pink tongue licked her face when she held it. "And I think it's her." Luna managed between the pups licks.

Neil chuckled and offered to take the puppy from Luna, she readily agreed. As Luna turned to follow the clerk back to pick out a pet carrier to hold the puppy in, a pure black pile of fur caught her eye. A black husky-like dog laid in the cage with sickly blue eyes, staring blankly through the bars of its cage.

Before Luna could register that Neil had came back to check on her, she found her legs leading her to the cage. Neil immediately yelled for her to stop.

"What?" Luna asked with confusion.

He pointed to the dog's cage. "That's Demon. He's vicious. No one had taken him since he was a puppy in that there pen." Neil explained. "The only reason we kept him was because of the no-kill policy. We tried to take him to the ASPCA, but I couldn't get him into the crate..." As the pet store worker blabbered on, Luna blocked out his jibber-jabber. She paused next to the cage. He didn't look vicious. Reaching between two bars, she barely had any time to react to his behavior that earned him his name. The dog stood up the best he could in his cage, presenting his white fangs in a wolfish snarl.

Luna ignored Demon's growl and smiled. "What type of dog is he?"

"He's a wolf-hybrid. Half wolf, hal husky. Or so they say, he's more wolf in my opinion."

"Oh, he's not that bad." She smiled at the wolf dog and held her hand out again, this time Demon didn't pull his lips back to show off his teeth. Instead, he gently nudged her hand and snorted.

"Wow." Neil muttered while struggling with the white husky puppy in his arms. "He's never done that before. Are you going to take him, too?" Luna nodded.

"I believe everyone deserves a second chance, you know? Demon's a perfect pet if you give him a chance." Demon growled when Neil neared with a leash and collar in hand. He glared at the dog, clicking his tongue. "I'll handle him, you just take care of Ghost." Luna directed and Neil raised his brows.

"Ghost?"

She nodded. "Yes. The puppy, I meant." Luna smiled. "That's going to be her name."

"Ah." Neil answered, tossing Luna the leash. 

 *

"Did you get her address, Zak?" Nick asked, driving Billy's KIA down the street.

"No, Nick," Zak answered sarcastically. "I found out her uncle's address. Of course I did." Nick rolled his eyes and Zak pointed to a small white house that had a little black mailbox with the address, 668 Tavern Lane, painted perfectly on the side in white paint.

The lead investigator sighed and closed his eyes, it was important that he made a good impression - not just for his job, but for other particular reasons. Nick had tried to snatch his phone from him the night  when  they were hanging out at the bar, and he swore up and down that Zak almost took his hand off.

"Ok," Zak opened his eyes. "Let's do this, Nick."

They two stepped out of the KIA and headed to the red front door. Zak knocked twice with his knuckled before large barking sounded inside. He leaped back with round eyes. One of the things Zak feared the most was large dogs, and that dog in Luna's house sounded huge! His ears naturally perked when her heard  the door unlocking... This was it! He was going to meet the female ghost hunter in person! A small framed girl around the age of twenty-six or twenty-seven - by Zak's guess - stepped out and frowned as she battled a large black wolf-like dog back into the house. 

The lead investigator gulped as Luna closed the door. She smiled widely, but not unlike the fangirls who would attack at the first sight of Zak. "Sorry about Demon, he's just warming up to visitors. Being locked up in a cage for a year or so can do things to you."