Finding Home (Zak Bagans Daughter)

Chapter Thirty

I watched as Aaron's car drove away. Before I walked out he gave me a quick side hug and made sure I made it inside the house before he drove away.

When I entered the house, it was cold. No one had lived there for a few days and you could tell. It felt especially lonely when I didn't have Gracie greet me at the door, considering she was still at Billy's.

I immediately went for the fridge, only to find healthy and not-so comforting food inside. So I just resulted to eating a whole box of organic blueberry cereal.

This was the first time I had really been alone since I had moved to Vegas. It should've felt like the house was empty, but it didn't.

I tiptoed up the stairs and into my room. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, same with Zak's room. I creeped around the empty house, it was obvious no one else was inside it but me.

Apparently I was wrong.

The sound of heavy boots on the floor made me swing around. I half expected it to be another ghost coming to kill me, but I was wrong. He was definitely human.

"Don't move" He said.

He was wearing all black with a ski mask covering his face except his eyes and mouth. One hand held a gun which was pointed at me, and the other was stuffed in his pocket.

"Take whatever you want, please don't hurt me" I put my hands in the air. I was so done with all these life threatning experiences.

He chuckled. "I don't want anything in the house, I want you. I've been waiting here for you since I saw you that night in the valley, dancing in the rain" His voice was gruff and sounded like he was a heavy smoker, and he smelt so bad. I was standing at least five feet away and I could tell he hadn't showered in months.

"It was you that killed that guy in the valley. Why would you do that?" I whispered.

He huffed and walked closer to me; his gun becoming more intimidating by the second. He got so close I was practically staring down the barrel of it.

"Because he got in the way"

I wanted to look him in the eyes, but I couldn't stop staring at the gun pointed at my face.

"Got in the way of what?" I whispered. A tear slowly ran down my face.

"I saw you that night dancing in the rain. I've been looking for you for a very long time Charlie"

I took a step back. He knew my name. How does he know my name?

"Who are you?"

He laughed again and took off his ski mask unveiling the true monster hidden underneath.

"Jeff" I said. My heart started pounding faster. This was the man who tried to kill me and my mother in her apartment. This is the monster who left me with a physical reminder of how close to death I'd come.

He grinned at the mention of his name and pointed to my arm where the scar was.

"I never got to ask you if you liked the parting gift I had given you"

I quickly pulled down my sleeve and covered it.

"Why are you here? Shouldn't you be somewhere hiding from the police?"

He shook his head. "That was my original plan. But you ruined my life. I should've made sure you bled to death instead of leaving you for someone else to find. Now all I do is hide, and it's all your fault!" he flipped one of the kitchen chairs on its side, causing me to scream. I'd forgotten how bad his temper was.

"I went looking for your mom a couple months ago, but then I learned about her cancer. What a shame" he said sarcastically. "But that is how I found you" he grinned. "The first time I saw you I almost killed you on the spot. But then I knew I had to make you suffer-"

"Hold on! Make me suffer? Are you serious? I was the one you almost killed. I was the one whose life you tore apart when you beat the shit out of me. You were the one who should suffer! Not me! You piece of shit" I spat on the floor in front of him.

I had no idea where the sense of courage had come, but as soon as it came it was gone.

Jeff looked at me with pure rage from my sudden outburst. He moved the gun from my face and pushed it into my forehead. I took in a deep breath in attempt to calm myself.

'This is it' I said mentally. I played back the best memories I had ever had, and all of them were with Zak. The first one was when I saw him for the first time in the hospital, and when he saved me from an anxiety attack when I went for a run; and even though it wasn't the best experience, when he saved me from Rosemary at the Levik Asylum. He was always there for me, and now he's going to come home and find me dead on his kitchen floor.

"It's okay Charlie" I heard my mom's voice in my head. "You're going to be just fine" I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

"Goodbye Charlie" Jeff whispered.

Then he pulled the trigger.