Angel of Light (A Zak Bagans Story)

Chapter 23: Aftermath

Chapter 23: Aftermath

A few hours later...

I was sitting next to the sink on the bathroom counter in my motel room, in just my jeans and bra, with a bandage on my left temple.

Ashley was standing in front of me, with warm, soapy water sitting in the sink.

The hospital obviously had cleaned up my face, but I still had some dried blood on my neck and chest where the blood had run down onto my shirt.

Ashley was helping - or rather - was cleaning me up, because she didn't want me to over exert myself.

Physically, I had a small gash on my left temple from the impact with the radiator, and I also had a concussion.

The doctor was fine with discharging me, as long as someone was with me for the next 24 hours to keep an eye on me.

Emotionally, I was a wreck.

The lockdown had been, to quote Aaron, "bat shit crazy".

It had certainly been crazier than all of the scenarios I had come up with prior to it.

I could only vaguely remember what had happened before I had blacked out.

Zak had filled me in on the details when I woke up in the hospital roughly 35 minutes after I had lost consciousness...

~*~*~*~*~

I slowly opened my eyes, finding myself laying on a bed in a dimly lit room.

I slowly turned my head, wincing at the throbbing headache that was radiating from the left side of my head.

I saw Zak sitting in a chair beside my bed.

He was slouched down, his head leaned back over the top of the chair. His eyes were closed, and he had his arms folded across his chest.

I couldn't tell if he was asleep or awake.

"Zak...?" I asked softly.

Zak jumped slightly, his head lifting up and his eyes shooting open.

He stared at me for a minute before his features relaxed and he sat upright, leaning toward the bed and gently resting a hand over one of mine.

"You're awake," Zak said, in obvious relief. "Thank God," he added softly.

"Where are we?" I asked softly.

"We're at NYE Regional Medical Center in Tonopah. It was the closest hospital to Goldfield," Zak explained.

Tono-what? Oh right, our motel is here, I thought.

"How are you feeling?" Zak asked.

"My head is pounding..." I replied softly.

Zak frowned but nodded in understanding.

"The doctor is pretty sure you have a concussion. He was waiting for you to wake up. I'll go find him," Zak said, starting to stand up, but I grabbed his hand.

"No, wait. Don't leave me...please..." I said softly.

Memories were starting to come back to me, terrifying memories.

Being drained of energy. Unexplained pain in my wrists and stomach. Being pulled across a room by an unseen force...

The last thing I wanted was to be alone.