Picture Perfect (A Zak Bagans Love Story). [ Editing, and on hold. ]

Back Home

2 weeks later...

I walk out of the hospital since I nearly died. I hold my bag of spare clothes in one hand. I look around the seemingly endless parking lot for Lane's black Jeep. I hear the familiar rumble of the engine as he pulls up. He gets out. He opens my door for me. Such a gentleman. Then again, I did have a sprained ankle so it wasa bit of a given that I could barely walk.

"Hey Red. How was the hospital?"

"It was.. an expirience. Why were you never there?" I lightly hit him in the arm.

"For one, I didn't know and 2, I did try but your dad wouldn't let me in. And every time I tried to go in and pay you a visit, someone was already there. And the rule? One person in at a time."

"A heads up, that was Zak. He was the one that pulled me off of the side of the road."

"Then wouldn't he be the one to pick you up and wouldn't you stay with him? Considering the problem with your family.." A piece of hair fell into his eyes, and being the friend that I am, I brushed it away to reveal his gorgeous brown eyes.

"I sent him way. And how did you figure it out?"

"Well, Autumn told me. You hadn't been around to check on me so I got worried and I knew where you lived so I went there and talked to her. And she told me. I'm sorry if you didn't want me to know but it shouldn't have been a secret."

"Lane, you know I love you as if you are my own brother but this had to be a secret. I never told you because my dad threatened that anyone on the 'outside' who knew would expose us and that person would have to die. You were the only friend I had and I couldn't lose you. The only reason my dad still let me see you was because he knew I hadn't told you."

We pulled in to the parking lot of our apartment complex. He shut off the engine and stepped around to my side, reaching out to open the door and helped me out. I sighed as I knew I would have to face the horror I call my father. I stepped through the door with Lane following behind me. I figured he wasn't going to let me get hurt but I knew he couldn't stay around long enough. And he couldn't protect me. Not with a gun anyways. He couldn't shoot his way out of a paper bag, even if his life depended on it.

My dad had apparently been waiting for me because when I walked through th door, I felt heat flood into my cheeks. But I wasn't blushing. My dad hit me, again.

"You know," I started. "I'm getting very tired of this game." I ran at him and hit as hard as I could, throwing ounch after punch in attempt to make him feel the pain that mom, Autumn, and I had felt for our entire lives.

He smiled. That evil grin that haunted me one night too many. He threw me off of him as if I weighed nothing and threw me into the wall. I heard a loud thump against it. I took me a moment but I finally registered it as my skull hitting the back wall. He ran at me with a knife in hand, pointed directly at my heart. I was lucky enough to spin away in enough time to dodge it but my ankle wasn't so lucky. He had stepped on my ankle. I heard the crack of bone as he snapped it.

I fell to the floor. Down for the moment but enough time for him to hit me again or immobilize me and take me to that back room like he does. Everyday. That's exactly what he did. He had a syringe and dug it into my arm. Whatever drug he had used, it wasn't one that had an instant affect. It was painful and slow going. The world faded in and out. Lane had to go so he was lucky he didn't witnessed any of this. I didn't want him to either.

Dad picked up my right leg, holding me by my now broken ankle. I threw my head back in pain as he dragged me through the house. On my way to that room, I passed my sister's room. I saw Jacob. I kicked free of my dad's forceful grip and ran at Jacob. I tackled him easily. My sister looked horrified, because she had never seen this side of me.

"You'll pay for that you little.." I kicked him while he was down before he could finish that last word. I left Jacob spitting up and choking on blood. I ran down the hall in to the kitchen where we kept our bath towels. I pulled out 2 and ran back to her room, handing her one and wrapping the other one around her.

I grabbed Jacob's arms and draggd him outside, down 3 flights of stairs and to the parking lot. I let go of his arms and decided that I would have nothing more to do with him. I smirked a bit, proud of myself for protecting Autumn. That small victory moment was cut short when I heard a blood curling scream coming from the apartment.

I ran back up the stairs, taking them 2 at a time. I checked every room and found nothing in every one. I ran to that back room and tried to force the door open. It wouldn't budge. It was locked. I began slamming myself against it in an effort to force it open. It eventually caved and I found no one in there. The lights cut off and I heard the cackle of my father.

"Nice of you to join us Redland." I fell to the floor after he hit me over the head. I couldn't sit up so I dragged myself over to the wall. I looked up to see a figure standing by the bed and one being tied to the ceiling in the small closet.

It was a slender figure. Her hands were bound, pulling upwards. Her feet weren't even touching the ground for she was about 4'8. I processed this for a moment and realized this to be Anna. Autmn's 7 year old daughter.

I thought about all of this for a second. Just having a flashback. I thought that. Through all Autumn, mom, and I had been through, Anna was the light in our darkness. I smiled a bit and thought, Despite the turn of events, isn't it great just to be back home? I smirked at the thought. Back home? What home?