Finding Home (Zak Bagans Daughter)

Chapter Twenty-Five

After dropping Gracie off at Billy's house, Zak drove us to the Haunted Museum.

Although he was still a little frightened from the current situation near our home, he was obviously quite excited to show me his museum. Once we arrived he couldn't stop smiling.

"We're here!"

From the outside of the Museum, it just looked like an ordinary house. Of course, not including the giant sign indicating what it was.

"This is it! What do you think?" Zak said as he stepped out of the car. He walked around to the trunk and pulled out both our bags.

"Hmm" I said. "It's cool, but it's a little creepy"

He laughed and handed me my bag. "That's the idea"

He walked to the front entrance and guided me inside. It was definitely creepy. There were glass cases full of human skulls and creepy portraits all along the walls. I said nothing and looked at Zak with a weird expression. He just shrugged in response.

The feeling of the inside of the Museum was different than on the outside. Once you walked in you could feel a complete difference in the air. Outside was warm and fresh, but once you step in it feels as if you were in the same room as death himself.

"I know, it's a bit much when you first walk in, but you eventually get used to it"

"When does that happen?" I asked. I knew this place would be a bit odd, but this was much more eerie than I expected.

Zak laughed again. "Soon, Charlie"

I don't know how I'm going to sleep in this place when all these cursed objects and murder weapons are just down the hall from me.

Zak guided me through the unfamiliar hallways and past the haunted rooms full of objects used in rituals, murders, and exorcisms. I couldn't help but quickly look in each one as we walked by. Zak seemed to notice.

"If you want, after you settle everything in your room for the night I can show you around. Maybe give you a personal tour from Zak Bagans himself?" he smirked.

"I would like that very much" I smiled. He was right; this place was growing on me.

Once we reached my room for the next few nights, Zak left telling me there was a few things he needed to take care of before he showed me around. Then he was gone, and I was alone in the middle of a haunted museum. That was when I realized maybe this place wasn't as nice as I thought it was when Zak was with me.

As I was unpacking my bag I heard heavy footsteps coming down the hallway toward my room. I immediately thought it was Zak, but when I stuck my head out to check if it was, no one was there. A few seconds later I heard a woman's voice faintly call out the name Jeremy.

I rested my head on the doorframe and loudly groaned. "Really? Already?"

I have only been here for ten minutes and the activity had already started up.

It's not like I expected this place to not have any spiritual activity, but come on, I only just got here.

I took my head off the doorframe and began to walk back into my room when something moved down the hallway. I stared at it and squinted my eyes to see if I could make out what it was (if it was still there), but when I couldn't see anything suspicious, I decided to walk down and check it out.

Every step I took the wooden floor creaked. It seemed the quieter I was trying to be, the louder I was. Just as I got around the corner, I bumped right into Zak.

I had so much fear built up as I was tip-toeing down the hallway, that when I bumped into Zak I screeched. He wasn't so manly himself; he let out something I would like to call a 'man-shriek'. I feel like it was supposed to come out as a deep yell, but he managed to have a voice-crack just as he yelled, causing him to sound like a little girl.

The second I heard his 'man-shriek' all the fear left my body and I erupted into a fit of giggles. His face immediately turned red, and after he fully composed himself, he just looked down at me as I laughed at him.

"Ha-ha" he mocked. "Very funny Charlie" He defensively crossed his arms across his chest.

"Come on dad, its funny! How could you not laugh at that?" my stomach hurt from laughing so hard.

"Because it wasn't funny" he said seriously, but I could see the faint smile playing at his lips.

"Why were you in the hallway anyway? I thought you were unpacking your bags?" he questioned.

My inner thoughts battled on whether I should tell him what I heard while in my room. I decided to.

"I heard footsteps down the hallway, a voice call out the name Jeremy, and then something move down the hallway" I half-expected him to ask if I was okay or if I wanted to move rooms, but he just shrugged and smiled.

"That happens a lot in here. I've never heard the name Jeremy before though, that's definitely a new one"

"You aren't even a little shocked?" I asked

"Nope, it happens all the time in this place, I'm not even shocked it started already, according to my tour guides, the museum has been acting up all day. Now, follow me I want to show you around this place and tell you the do and don't rooms."

'He definitely becomes a little less caring when he's in here' I thought to myself.

It took him a long-ass time to show me through the whole museum. There were so many rooms here; I knew that if I wandered through here alone I would definitely get lost. Almost all of the rooms were no-go for me. Especially the mirror room. Zak made sure he got the point clear across that I could not go in that room no matter what, and If I did disobey that rule, I was not to look into the mirror whatsoever.

"It's covered up for a reason Charlie. And I swear to go if I find you in here; no punishment would be good enough"

"Yea- yea I get it. Whatever I do, do not go into the mirror room"

"I'm not kidding Charlie, if you look into the mirror and it doesn't kill you, I will be so angry with you, you're going to wish you never went into the same building as that mirror"

After that, he pointed out the camera in the corner of the room, and made sure I knew, that if I were to go into the room, he would find out.

I gulped at the memory of his warning.

Throughout the rest of the personal tour from Zak, I noticed him getting more and more agitated after each room.

"Are you okay dad?" I asked. He wasn't seeming like himself.

When he turned around to face me, he looked like he was about to cry.

"I don't feel right" he muttered. He was visibly sweating and started to look like he hadn't slept in five years.

"Maybe we should get some air?" I asked. He nodded to my question and without a word walked past me and on his way to the nearest door to the outside.

Once he was out of view, I started walking down the hallway and followed his path. I was probably going to get lost, but I didn't care, someone would eventually find me.

As I made my way through the slightly familiar hallways, I walked past the mirror room. I stood in the doorway and huffed. Since Zak told me I couldn't go in no matter what, all I've been thinking about was going in the damn mirror room.

I knew I couldn't walk in, so I just stood there. Just across from me on the other side of the wall was the infamous cursed Bela Lugosi mirror. As badly as I wanted to see it and look into it, I also didn't want to lose the trust of my father; again.

I forced myself to step away from the doorway of the room and turn around, only to find an old woman staring right at me from the end of the hallway.