I'm Just Trying To Help (A Zak Bagans Romance)

Confessions

Nick Groff Point-of-view

Zak changed completely when we arrived at the church, he couldn't remember himself screaming at Marilyn and I – he only remembered asking where he was. I had the priest bless him with holy water, which he informed us burned his head. That was a good thing, it was ridding him of anything that might have attached itself to Zak during the investigation. I knew Zak was getting himself into deep trouble when he started taunting spirits. That's the one thing I always yell at him about, “Zak don't taunt them!” I'll warn him, every freakin' time, “I'm not taunting, I'm just talking loudly!” That would be Zak's only argument for now and ever probably.

Zak then walked out of the wooden doors with the priest beside him. Zak looked in a daze, like he didn't know where he was. The priest looked at me, “Give him a few minutes. Then, your free to go.” He informed me. I nodded my head, and led Zak to a metal chair with padding glued to it. We sat down for a few moments, until Zak broke down. He covered his face with his hands, and sobbed. His chest heaving and his breaths totally uneven. I attempted to comfort him as his body shook, but there was no way to comfort him.

“Zak, are you alright?” I questioned him as his sobs became harder. Zak simply shook his head as he furiously rubbed his face from the tears. “Why are you crying, bro?” Zak kept shaking his head and he could barely breathe. “Calm down, bro.” I left Zak in silence for a minute, until he calmed himself down enough to talk to me.

“I promised myself that I would do anything, anything to keep her out of harms way. I don't want that girl hurt, Nick. She doesn't deserve that. The spirits at Pennhurst and at her home are attacking me, in hopes that it'll keep me away. I won't let that happen.” Zak attempted to explain to me, his face still in his hands and his words mumbled, “I will be killed by those forces before I let that girl get hurt.” I listened to him in silence, completely absorbed in the words he was saying.

“Zak, how do you expect to keep her safe? She's just a girl we interviewed. We are going to leave, and she is going to go back to her life.” I explained to him, putting my elbows on my knees and folding my hands together, “She's a business woman. She needs to be with her job, just like we do, bro.” Zak shook his head, and looked at me.

“She's more than just a girl we interviewed.” Zak replied quietly, his voice a bare whisper. “I don't know what it is. This is a different feeling than..” Zak didn't say anything after that, just stared past me at the bare wall. I watched him, waiting for him to say something else. This was one of those rare moments where Zak would break down and he would show his real side – not his goofy self, or his ghost-hunting self, he would show Zachary. That man that everybody wanted to see, but nobody got to. “I've always been attracted to girls with big boobs, and take tans, and blonde hair – ya' know?” Zak said to him licking his lips. I replied with a mumbled, 'mmhm'. Zak shook his head, “I don't get it. I feel different when I'm around her, I don't get the same vibe as if I was with those fake girls.”

“She's not like the others, bro.” I replied to him, “She's real. She doesn't need DD boobs. She doesn't need a spray tan every week. She has a job, and doesn't mooch off people. She's a real person, Zak. She doesn't live in Vegas and work at a strip-club. She's real.” I explained to him. Zak laughed.

“I live in Sin-City, she lives in The land of virtue.” Zak sighed, “Go figure. I'll never have a chance with her.”

“Don't say that,” I attempted to reassure him.

“I'm trouble.” Zak announced, “I'm nothing but trouble. Everything I am is trouble. She must hate me after what happened back in her work. I got her fired, Nick. Fired.” Zak stared at me. I shook my head.