On The Edge Of Falling

Locked Down

            By the way the three amigos were staring at me, I could tell that they had something up their mischievous little sleeves. We were enjoying some breakfast in the hotel dining hall. There were deep bags under my eyes caused by the lack of sleep the night before. Sharing a room with Billy again, I had to fight the urge to sneak into Zak's room across the hall. All night, all I wanted to do was climb into bed with him and passionately take him. Keeping this romance secret was harder than I thought.
            As I finished off the scrambled eggs, and bacon on my plate, I felt a slight tickle running up my ankle. I looked across the table at Zak's discreet smile. He's playing footsie? How cute. I discreetly smiled back and suddenly, the tickles stopped. Bacon quickly looked up from his plate and swiftly dunked his head underneath the table. I let out a loud laugh, as he swung back up and looked at Zak. "I'm not into that, bro." Bacon said.
            "Shut up, man." Zak's cheeks were flushed red, as he stood up from the table. The crew and I shared a nice hearty laugh, as Bacon continued to crack jokes at Zak's expense. The vibe between us this morning was so different than what it was before. We were all ready and willing to get to work, but Zak and I kept our distance, keeping our affair a secret. We climbed aboard the RV, ready to get the interviews at the mansion started. I was thriving with excitement, as it had been so long since I took photos professionally, and not just for my own amusement.
            We pulled into the parking lot on the side of the building. As we all bounced off, like happy kiddos on a field trip, the owner came out to greet us. I didn't waste any time, snapping photos of the mansion, that had a strong energy emanating off it. As I looked through the view finder, I felt as if I could see right through the brick wall, and the eyes of the spirits that inhabited the mansion were staring right back at me. Although, I could feel that dark power, I remained calm and continued snapping photos. Jay and Aaron looked so comfortable with their cameras on their shoulders, as they filmed Zak interviewing the owner. Meanwhile, Billy stayed behind, setting up the equipment in nerve center.
            They wrapped up the interviews just in time for sunset. I looked across the highway and found myself immersed by the sunsetting over the St. Louis skyline. The pink and orange glowed through the wide open gap of the Arch. That moment had me feeling a little homesick, but now I found myself thinking of Zak whenever I thought of home. Billy tapped my shoulder, causing me to quickly turn to face him. "Hey, we're going to do a quick walk through before our lockdown. You want to take some pictures?" He asked, with a grin.
            "Of course!" I exclaimed, as I practically skipped behind him. We all walked together into the eerie home. We went through the kitchen, the dining area, upstairs through the famous bedrooms, where the family took their own lives. The energy turned quite depressing as we made our way up the stairs. Then Billy lead us into the cellar, causing Zak to tremble, as he remembered his previous experience.
            "I fucking hate it down here." He whispered. Trying to stay quiet to avoid further humiliation from his crew. I found it to be the perfect opportunity to snap pictures of Zak, seeing how he was in a natural state of fear. We made it into the cellar when suddenly, Billy and the guys ran towards the door, locking Zak and I inside. Zak ran towards them and used all his might to bang on the door. "What the fuck are you guys doing?"
            "We are sick, and tired of you two fighting, so you're going to stay in there and hash this shit out!" Aaron yelled from the other side. I shook, as I watched a mouse scurry across the floor.
            "Fuck this! I am not staying in here!" I yelled, as I joined Zak by the door, helping him try to bust the door down. "You guys don't have to do this! We already made up!"
            "Yeah, nice try, but we ain't buying it." Billy laughed. "You have an hour before our lockdown starts. Have fun you two." Zak and I groaned, as we listened to their twisted laughs grow quieter, as they walked further away. Zak loudly growled and forcefully kicked the door.
            "Stupid pricks!"
            "Calm down, Zak."
            "No, I fucking hate it down here! And besides, we already made up! This would've never happened if you would've let me tell them yesterday!"
            "Wow, the irony in this. Were supposed to be back together and happy, but instead you're just starting another fight." I released a sarcastic chuckle, as I looked around the dark, drab cellar.
            "I'm sorry, I shouldn't blame you." Zak walked up behind me. I felt completely safe, as he wrapped his strong arms around my waist. Gently running his fingertips along my belly. "The plus side is, we are finally alone." Zak's lips slowly made their way down my neck.
            "Are you seriously considering having sex in this basement?" I asked, with my lip curled. "That's seriously twisted, Zak."
            "Maybe, not sex, but just let me kiss you for a while." Zak smiled, as he turned my body, like we were sharing a haunted dance. I ran my hands up his muscular chest and lightly scratched, as he pulled me in. The kiss was amazing, but it still felt so strange in this damp, cold cellar. After a few passionate moments, I pulled away.
            "Well, that was a first."
            "What?"
            "Making out in a haunted location."
            "Not for me." Zak laughed, as I playfully slapped his arm. "So, we are good right? I mean, all is forgiven?"
            "Of course, I wouldn't have told you I loved you yesterday, if I didn't forgive you. I just want to put the last few months behind us and start over."
            "Me too, babe." Zak smiled. I looked out the small window on the wall above us, and noticed that the sun was almost completely sunk beneath the horizon. The evening was growing darker by the minute, and I couldn't control my frazzled nerves anymore. I unknowingly dug my fingernails into Zak's arm, causing him to curse and rip it away. "What the hell, Addy?"
            "I'm sorry, I just really feel like I'm going to have a panic attack. I have to get out of here." I gasped. Zak pulled out his cell phone and immediately dialed Billy.
             "Don't worry, babe, I'll get you out....Billy, unlock this goddamn door, now!" Zak yelled.
            "I don't think you guys made up that quickly." Billy laughed.
            "Billy, Addy is having a damn panic attack! She needs air! Get us the hell out of here, now!" Zak's shouting was enough to get Billy to run back down the stairs and unlock the door. They both wrapped their arms around my body and guided me up the stairs. As we stepped outside, I nearly fell to the curb, as the uncontrollable coughing and gasping took over. I felt like I just smoked an entire carton of cigarettes, and my lungs were being invaded by a poisonous chemical.
            "Addy, I'm sorry, are you okay?" Billy asked, deeply concerned. I couldn't breathe enough to push out an answer. I continued to gasp for air, as Zak held me on the sidewalk.
            "Addy, it's okay, just breath, baby." Zak urged, as he brushed the hair out of my face. Aaron looked at Billy, and couldn't help but smile.
            "Baby? I guess they did make up."
            "We already made up yesterday, like we told you, you morons! If you would've fucking listened to her, this wouldn't have happened!" Zak growled.
            "I'm sorry, but why didn't you guys say something sooner?" Billy asked.
            "That's our business!" Zak quickly looked back down at me, as I tried to breathe the words. "What, Addy? What do you need?"
            "Water. Please..." I whispered.
            "Bacon! Go fetch some water!" Zak demanded. Bacon rushed to the RV and retrieved a ice cold bottle of Fiji. Zak, seeing how weak I was, titled my head back and poured the water down my dry throat. It felt as if whatever fire was created inside me was put out. "Can you talk?"
            "Yeah, I feel better." I sighed. Zak helped me off the sidewalk and grasped my hands, as they continued to shake.
            "Do you usually have panic attacks like that?" Zak asked.
            "No, never like that. I felt like I swallowed a huge black cloud of smoke. It was thick and I felt like I was being choked...from the inside." By the look of fear on Zak, Aaron, and Billy's face, I knew that it had to be serious. "What does that mean?"
            "Jay, see if you can find a local healer. Call them immediately, and get them here. She needs to be cleansed." Zak urged. He grabbed my hand, and pulled me along to nerve center with Jay. Jay frantically searched on the internet, and finally found a local healer.
            "Zak, what's going on?"
            "Just don't worry, okay. You're going to be okay." Zak smiled.
            "No, don't treat me like a child. Tell me, what happened to me?"
            "Odds are, nothing, but I don't want to be too careful. We're going to cleanse you of whatever may have entered you and you'll be fine, okay?" I nodded my head, as Zak gave me another kiss. "But you're not going back in that house."
            "What about the photos?"
            "You already took enough, and we can handle the rest." I followed, as Zak walked out of the tent.
            "Zak, I'm not going to be a coward. I can handle this. Let me do what you're paying me for."
            "I am not letting you back into that house, Addilyn. We've already been through our share of dark times, and I'm not letting anything else come between us and happiness. You're not going in there, do you understand me?" I so badly wanted to fight with him and walk right back in, but I saw the fear beneath his eyes, and I held back, and agreed.
            The crew were already settled in their lockdown, as I had just finished my cleansing. It was one of the most purifying experiences of my entire life, and I really did feel...well, cleansed. I agreed to Zak's wishes, and stayed with Jay at nerve center, but as two o'clock rolled around, I couldn't keep my eyes open. I stumbled my tired body to the RV and plopped down onto Zak's comforting bed. Before I knew it, I was drifting off into a deep, peaceful slumber.
            I was awoken to the wheels bouncing into deep potholes on the highway. As my body bounced in bed, I looked up to see the moving scenery zooming by outside. In a state of panic, thinking it was all a dream, I popped up and shrieked for Zak. He sat up beside me, and grasped ahold of me tight to calm me down. "Babe, I'm right here. Did you have a bad dream?" Zak softly asked.
            "I'm fine, I just thought it was all a dream. I'm glad you're really here with me." I kissed Zak, but quickly pulled away when I realized we were already traveling back home. "Oh, my god, I promised my mom I'd say goodbye." 
            "Don't worry about it. I called her and told her what happened last night. She completely understood that you needed your rest." Zak assured, and I let out a deep sigh. My mothers words continued to ring in my head, but I knew I had made the right decision. Zak was the one I was supposed to be with. The way he handled things, and protected me after what happened. It really showed me that he was ready for our commitment. "Are you ready to come back home with me?"
            "Of course."
            "You were always my best assistant."
            "You do know that I won't be your assistant again, right?"
            "But I thought we were fine now?"
            "Zak, I want to be your girlfriend, not your employee. I appreciate it, but I have to get my studio opened."
            "Okay, I'm fine with that, but you are moving back in, right?"
            "Does it have to be immediately? I wanted to at least spend some more time with Billy before I left."
            "Why do you need to spend time with Billy? I'm the one you're supposed to be with, not him."
            "I am with you, Zak, but..."
            "Well, what do you want, Addy? Choose. Me or Billy?"