Poveglia Island (GAC Story)

Three

It was the next day, and everyone was awake, sitting in the living room.

"Okay, so I told everyone else about where we're heading next." Nick said. "But..before we actually start getting ready to leave, we do need to tell you at some point, Zak."

"Okay..so where?" Zak asked.

Nick stood from the chair, shuffling on his feet.

"It's..uhh.." He took a deep breath, and added fast the name of the place. "Poveglia Island."

Zak's eyes widened, his shoulders tense. "Are you kidding me?? You know what happened back there, right??"

"Yeah, we do." Aaron said. "Which is why we'll be more cautious once we get there."

Zak gave him a serious look. "Why? Out of all places? I don't want to remember what happened!"

"Neither do we." Lily said. "But like he said, we'll be more cautious this time since we're more aware of what's there."

"No offense, but you guys have no idea what it feels like there..how intense and evil that energy is." He said, leaning back against the couch. "I don't know, guys..."

"Come on, Zak. You know we can't do this without you." Jackie said. "I get that that moment still freaks you out..but we promise it'll be the last time we'll head over there."

They nodded in agreement, Zak the only one shaking his head, abruptly standing up.

"I'm sorry guys...but I can't go back there...not with what happened to me.."

With that, he headed out the front door. Running his hands through his hair, Nick thumped his head against the wall.

"I knew he would take it that way.." He said. "I shouldn't have brought it up..."

"I'm sure he'll change his mind." Aaron said. "Because what Jackie said was true..we can't exactly do it without him."

Nick shrugged. "Who knows..we might need to this time."

"Oh no..that's not gonna happen." Jackie said, standing up. "I'm gonna go convince him, hopefully it'll work."

She headed out the door, Lily following behind her. They saw him sitting in the grass, his back against the house, staring out in the distance.

"We need to talk." Jackie said.

"About Poveglia?" Zak asked.

Sighing, she knelt in front of him. "Look...we know that this is a huge thing for you..but we won't let that happen to you, like we mentioned."

"Besides," Lily began. "if it should happen again, maybe to someone other than you, we'll be more ready than you were last time."

"Guys..I get that you're trying to protect me from it." Zak said, looking over to us. "But...I'm sure that whatever possessed me, will know me the second I walk in there. It brought bad things back with me..kind of like Bobby Mackey's."

"That won't happen..not again." Jackie said. "We'll stick together, and we'll get through it in one piece."

Zak slightly smirked, glancing at her before staring out into the distance once more.

"I don't know..." He said.

Lily sat next to him, gently turning his face to look at her. "If something happened to either of us..would you try to save us or get us to snap out of it?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"And if one of us went missing..you would look for us?" Jackie asked.

He nodded again. "Yeah..."

"So...like we said..this is the last time we'll head there..so just please come with us." Lily said. "Kinda can't without the lead investigator."

Zak slightly smiled, shaking his head. "Will it be the last time?"

The girls nodded. "Yeah..promise." Jackie said.

"Okay.." He said. "Last time..then we'll never go back again."

"Sure." Lily said, her and Jackie standing back up. "So you're going?"

Zak shrugged, standing up. "I guess so."

The girls smiled, the three of them heading back inside the house.

"Well?" Nick asked, standing up from the couch.

"He said he'll go." Lily said. "But this will be the last time."

"Yeah, for sure." Aaron said. "Let's get ready to head out then."

They nodded, getting ready for yet another investigation at Italy's most darkest haunt at Poveglia Island.