The Ghosts in You (A Zak Bagans Fanfic)

Chapter 36

Gracie joined Zak and Sara as they climbed into the truck.

"So, where are we going?" Sara asked.

"One of my favorite places," Zak replied. "One of Gracie's favorites, too."

Sara reached back and gave Gracie a healthy scratch underneath her chin.

Zak turned his radio up. "Kryptonite" by 3 Doors Down was playing.

...I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman might
Kryptonite...

Sara rolled down her window and let her thoughts wander while mouthing the lyrics. Feels like I've known him for years, but there is more to it than that...

He watched Sara become lost in her musings. Without a doubt, that girl is *my* kryptonite.

They pulled into the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. Zak pulled up to the booth and paid their $15 fee to enter the park. Gracie barked a couple of times, finding it difficult to contain her excitement. "Where we at, girl?" Sara said to Gracie.

Gracie replied with a big "Woof!" causing Zak and Sara to laugh heartily.

The sun had been up for barely an hour when they entered the park. The sky was a vivid shade of azure, with a few clouds moving along the skyline.

Zak parked and got out of the truck, letting Gracie out of the back seat. Sara got herself situated before climbing out to join them.

"Which way are we heading?" she asked.

"That way," Zak pointed north. "We'll take the Calico Tanks trail. There's a hidden pocket of water and a great view of Las Vegas." He smiled and checked the water he'd packed for them in his backpack. Yep, all good.

Gracie kept pace in front of Zak and Sara but only by about six feet or so. And when Gracie felt they were lagging behind, she gave a soft "Woof!" as if to say, "Hurry up, you two!"

"This is where you told me that you like to come and hike, right? Where you feel grounded?" Sara asked.

"Yep. When things start to get to me, I come here with Grace." He thought for a few seconds and then continued, "You know how you said that yoga helps you stay in the moment and your mind doesn't wander?"

Sara nodded.

"Well, this is that place for me. When I'm here, everything else just fades away. All the noise in my head stops," Zak explained.

"I get it. I can relate to that entirely."

Zak watched as she took in her surroundings. He could feel her sense of awe. Red Rock had that effect on people; it was well worth that $15 admission.

"So tell me, Sara, when was your most recent experience with the paranormal?" He noticed Sara's energy shift as she considered his question, and he could feel that whatever she was about to share, even thinking about it made her uncomfortable.

"Last year, at my ex's house," came her reply.

That surprised him. "What happened?"

"It started with silly things, lights going off and on, but only when I was there alone. Then came knocking at the front door, always in sets of three. That made me uncomfortable." Zak nodded at this, his brain automatically filling in a bit of narration: A mocking of the Holy Trinity!

She went on: "I'd look out the peephole but there was never anyone there. One night, I saw the spirit of a man walk down the hallway – the voice in my head told me 'He wants you to see him.' I was in the kitchen the next night, doing dishes of all things, when I felt a hand grab my ass – a really big hand, too." Zak kept the conversation polite, but he couldn't help but feel a little jealous of that "really big hand", spectral or no.