Deer in the headlights (Zak Bagans story)

Acquaintance

I was beginning to understand Zak's motives for keeping me out of these 'rooms', I questioned whether I wanted to find out where this place took me to, it was physically and metaphorically dark; was this the other side to Zak? A small halo of light reflected on wet stone, so I followed the light source and it lead me to a facility commonly found in 16th century castles back in Europe. The ceiling was high but the room was narrow, a cast iron chandelier hung above my head with thick, red candles keeping it balanced. My toes curled from the numbing breeze that grabbed my ankles and trailed up my back. I fought the off-putting elements and forced myself to look further. My curiosity brought me to a glass case kept alight by a small candle, inside this case was a collection of historical artifacts; charms, books, stones and... a skull. My stomach churned at the sight of the remains yet I couldn't take my eyes off it.

A slicing metallic sound rattled through the occupied air; someone was with me. I faced my back to the glass case and gave the sound my full attention, I dared myself to investigate the noise, it sounded as if someone had dropped a coin, a blade, a key or chains. I wasn't hasty about finding the source of this clang, so I stepped carefully until I had reached another doorway. It was arched and shorter than the other doors, I ducked under its archway and was stopped by the space ahead of me; heavy, thick chains nailed to a wall with wrist clamps at the ends, a pair of ankle shackles were sprawled out below. Beside them was a chair but not an ordinary, household chair, it was a throne carved from rich iron and ancient wood. I was instantly attracted to the feature and so I forgot to tread carefully, my feet patting on the stone floor.

Before I reached the throne, an arm brushed against the armrest, someone was already seated. "Fuck!" I jumped out of my skin and so did the figure as it snapped to face me. "Georgia?" it was Zak, of course it was Zak. Placing my hand on my chest with relief, I relaxed. "How did you find this... place?" he seemed baffled yet delighted. "I... erm... I don't really know" I laughed nervously.

"Come on, I'll help you back-" he placed a hand on the small of my back.

"Zak?"

"Yeah?"

"What's with the shackles and the doom like cellar, sorry basement?"

He sighed and took my hand "It's basically a chamber of dark things, you know, from investigations and personal experiences..."

"Like a dungeon?"

"Yeah" he laughed "like a dungeon"

"But why in the furthest place in the house? Why not where everyone can see?" Then at that point, he loomed in slowly and whispered down my neck "It's where bad things happen" I had no idea how to digest the thing he'd just told me. "Bad things? What as in blood sacrifice?" his face was so serious, it was worrying to say the least. "Would it be easier if I was to show you? And no, there's no Satanic worshiping or blood sacrifice" that was relieving to hear.

He searched around, lifting and moving things, he checked beneath the line of skulls he had collected above a fireplace. "Looking for something?" I crossed my arms, my body dithering. "Actually, would you mine just standing here?" he placed me softly against a wall, the chill from the stone took my breath away. He continued to scan, searching for something. "Well?" I waited.

"No, no that's not right" he stood with one arm folded and the other twiddling the whiskers on his chin. "What're you pondering about?" I was so intrigued as to find the answer. Eventually he said "That's it!" taking my left arm, he raised it, he clamped it into one of the shackles and repeated the procedure with my right arm and legs. He was no longer the puzzled Zak looking for something inanimate, he possessed a fiery look in his eyes. With one hand, he took a hold of my towel and whipped it down to my feet, and with the other hand, he took a tight grasp of my flesh and pulled himself to my lips. My arms twitched and tugged in the chains, my fingers wanted to grip onto his hair and my legs to wrap around his waist. Now I could fully understand the saying 'If this is wrong, I don't wanna be right'.