PSA: ALL tweets/texts/links in this work are FAKE and recreated to fit into the FICTION of this story. NOT intended to cause harm or ill intent. These are only created for the purpose of FICTION.
"Good things take time, but not when you keep running...
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Since their ride together in the Kentucky landscape, Zak's flight back to Las Vegas seemed to be something he dreaded. He kept swearing he wouldn't come back to Wilder for the sole purpose of Bobby Mackey's Music World, but he would go back, for one thing, no doubt - a reason to see Victoria again.
The year was now 2011. Even though Zak and Victoria have been on either side of the country since October of 2010, they stayed in touch. They seemed to be the best of friends while also subconsciously flirting.
Zak felt like his heart was being squeezed every time he thought about not being able to see Victoria conveniently like any other 'normal' person. He had even offered to buy her a plane ticket to Las Vegas so that they could see each other, but the offer had been refused because she had nobody to take care of her horses and livestock while she was gone.
But you know what Zak did?
He went to her.
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"What's your next location?" She asked as she sat down in the living room with him as she had just picked him up from the airport.
"We're going to the Winchester Mystery House. I'm pumped." He said, again taking a sip of the soda she was always able to talk him into drinking.
"Sounds like fun! I've put on my bucket list to go out west somewhere, hopefully this year, but I have to plan it."
"Well, you know what you need to do?"
"What?" She asked as she crossed her legs on her couch.
"Sell your horses so you don't have to worry about who's going to take care of them while you're gone." Zak teased.
"Yeah, right! Over my dead body!" She scoffed, laughing with Zak.
"I know it'll kill you if you ever had to do that."
"I don't plan for it to happen!"
"Change of subject, but I wanted to ask you something: Would you like to be a part of this experiment we're going to do on the show? We're running three different live cameras from three haunted locations: The Winchester Mystery House, Bobby Mackey's, and The Washoe Club. Would you like to be a part of it?"
"Now if I were to say yes to that, then we need to go riding again before you leave!" She laughed.
"Deal."
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San Jose, California
The Winchester Mystery House - Season 5; Episode 4
(For the clip that goes with this chapter, please go to the link and scroll to the time I provide: 12:29 - 12:47)
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2yppgp
Zak's stomach was in knots. Something wasn't right. Something was going to happen. Within a few moments of this gut feeling, his phone vibrated in his pocket. Usually, he would ignore a notification while during an interview, but he had always changed text/vibration tones on his phone to people he liked talking to.
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The text was definitely random but was definitely something Victoria wouldn't say. Zak has known her personally for about a year now and knows she always keeps her word.
He couldn't wait for the interview to be over and for the cameras to cut so that he could call her and figure out what was going on.
"You okay, bro?" Aaron asked as he was spooked at how accurately Zak was shooting the targets they were shooting with Winchester guns for their episode.
"No." He said in between shots. He couldn't get a hold of her after the interview. He was worried, scared, and paranoid.
"What's wrong?"
"Something happened to Victoria, and she can't do the investigation tonight."
"Aw, man," Aaron and Nick scoffed, bummed. "Who's going to do it now?"
"The guys who were going to be with her originally." Zak replied.
"Has she said why?" Nick guessed.
"Can't get a hold of her." He grumbled.
"Hopefully, she just hasn't seen it yet."
"Maybe."
"Let's go and get something to eat," Aaron suggested. "You've shot a lot of rounds, man. More than what we needed for footage."
Soon after, Zak agreed and rode in silence to a nearby restaurant, anxiously bouncing his leg up and down the entire time they sat at the table. "Nothing yet?" Aaron asked.
"Nothing."
He was nervous about trying to call her again, but he didn't know if she was working or at home, desperate to avoid bothering her.
Unbeknownst to him, that would be the last time she ever reached out to him.
