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

Taken

Zak puts me into his dark Escalade. I look around and see 3 men sitting in the back seat. My gaurd goes up almost instantly. He reaches over and puts a reassuring hand on mine.

"Hey guys. This is Redland. Redland, this is Nick, Aaron, and Billy."

I turn around and make a sheepish wave towards them. "Hey." I managed to stutter out.

Zak started the engine and drove off in the opposite direction as my dad. I looked back to see, just one more time, what was left of that bloody apartment. Everything went down there. That history can never be erased. But hey, I made it this far. That's an accomplishment.

We pulled into a paking lot of a hotel. This is were apparently they were staying. The boys got out and this time, a slightly built man with slicked back hair helped me out of the Escalade this time. He put a hand on my waist to steady me. I then reached in and grabbed my duffels. To help me, he took one of them.

"By the way, I'm Nick. Beard? Yeah that's Aaron. The other one is Billy. And you obviously have already meet Zak."

"Well, thank you Nick. I definitely need the help."

"You're welcome. And I don't mind giving it to those go need it." We continued walking for what seemed forever, but I had Nick to keep me company while Zak had gotten the rooms ready. When we finally got inside, we decided who was with who.

"Okay," Zak began. "There are 2 beds in each room plus a pull out couch in one of them. So, who's bunking with who?"

The man with the beard, which I was told by Nick that it was Aaron said, " The boys and I will bunk together. You and your little miss can bunk." With that, everyone, which was including me, was laughing except for Zak. I walked over to him and asked what was wrong. But men being men and protecting their pride played it off as nothing.

"C'mon man. Take a joke. Aaron was just trying to lighten the mood." I simply stated.

"I know but there is something that he doesn't even know of. That I'm not even sure of. Not anymore."

"Well, what is it? Don't worry. You can tell me. Our little secret." I held out my pinky for a simple pinky-promise. He took it and we shook. Gosh, don't you love guys who still believe in pinky promises!

"My last girlfriend, she was... let's just say she was taken. Meaning like abducted and never to be seen again. And today is the 3 year annerversary of her disappearance. That's why we are here. Every year we come back to see if anything has turned up. If she has come home."

"And nothing's changed? She's still gone?"

"Apparently. People have stopped looking for her. Caring about her. I haven't. I mean, I may not love her as much anymore but that doesn't mean I don't care. You get that right?"

"Yeah. I totally get that. My best friend Kat went missing 6 years ago, when I was 19. People say it was because of my dad. People stopped looking because once that claim was made, people weren't surprised. My dad did some crazy things and people wouldn't be surprised to did that she went missing because of him."

"Redland, I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"No one expected you to know. And what do you have to be sorry for? It isn't your fault."

After that, we gathered our room keys and our bags and headed up to our rooms. We were all on the 21st floor. Heights? Not my thing. Nick came by with my 2nd duffel. I thanked him and we all started to get unpacked.

Taken, huh? Well, I haven't been taken. I bet it's scary for them. Not knowing if they will ever get out. What the captors are doing to them. I love to just find them and let them listen to my story for once. I knew my captor. I knew what he did to me, everyday. Let them hear that. Then being taken won't be so bad, now would it?