As previously agreed, Bella & I meet Zak at the front of the bar, both dressed in black.  He looks sinister, stood lurking in the dark, but once he sees us, he strides over and I'm blessed with his blue eyes again, which seem to illuminate under the security light. 

"Good Evening ladies." Zak speaks from behind a respirator mask.

"Hi. Why are you wearing one of those?" I ask instantly, because I'm upfront and nosey, like that.

"I have allergies, plus there is dust inside which will aggravate my chest. I have asthma." He explains. 

Before I can respond, Bella speaks. "Oh that sucks. Do you have inhalers?"

He nods. "Yeah, but enough about my shitty lungs... You two ready?"

"Hell yes!" Bella grins, grabbing my hand through excitement, whilst I raise a skeptical brow. 

"I'll be honest..." I begin making Zak look at me. "I'm coming in here to discredit everything. So I need you to be on form in trying to prove me wrong."

Zak's eyes crinkle. "I have no doubt you'll be coming in here to prove me wrong. But I love a challenge and I never like being wrong. Unless of course I am. But this is my field of expertise, you want proof, I'll provide it."

"Then let's get this show on the road." I tell him. 

Once we get inside and into a side room which was previously used a pool room, I am taken back. There are heavy cases laid out along the floor, the inserts are black foam to keep expensive equipment in place. There is a table set up with a monitor on, showing night vision camera's that have been set up in different parts of the bar, including the upper floor. 

"Wow..." I mutter, causing Zak to turn. 

"This is our nerve centre. You thought we were amateurs, huh?"

I cock a brow. "I never said that, I just didn't expect all this."

"We work with a couple scientists, who build us all this to try out. Cool right?" Aaron asks. 

"Absolutely." Bella responds, leaving me to nod in agreement. 

Zak then goes into full work mode, and takes us through the main bits of equipment that they rely on in every location. From polaroid cameras, to spirit boxes and digital recorders. There are other more technical pieces, but he skips across them, in favour of using this hour wisely. 

"So what we are gonna do, is split up. You're gonna come with me, Aaron is gonna team up with Bella. They are going to investigate the upper floor, whilst we stay down here. That way we won't contaminate each others evidence. Billy and Jay are across the street in another location, it was a last minute thing, but it will cover this hour..  Sound good?" Zak asks, making sure both myself and Bella are comfortable with being alone with them. 

My ice queen heart softens slightly at his thoughtfulness and I decide then, that I won't be such a bitch in trying to discredit everything. Whilst I'll keep my skeptical mind, I'll also be open to consider the idea of the afterlife.

"I'm cool with that." Bella smiles, sliding herself over to Aaron and beaming up at him. Did I tell you that she has a thing for tall, bald guys? No? Well now you know. 

"Sounds good. Let's get cracking then." I decide. 

Once Aaron and Bella head off, I follow Zak through the bar and understand what he means about dust, as I sneeze three times in a row. 

"Bless you." He laughs. 

"It's the dust. I didn't think it would be that bad." I tell him as we come to a stop. "So before we get started.. My skeptical mind already wants to investigate somewhere that is not covered by the x-camera."

He frowns. "Why not?"

"How do I know that you haven't rigged the room?"

"Ohhh. You play a tough game. Okay, you chose the place, I'll have to take the camera off the stand and unplug it from the live feed, in case we capture anything whilst we are there."

"Cool." I answer, moving along the wall slowly. "So the stories you've heard about this place.. Do you believe them?"

"Not until I have evidence to support them." He replies honestly. 

"And were you told about the secret room?"

His head whips up from behind the camera. "No. What secret room?"

When my fingers find the seal in the wall, I smile. "This one." I answer and bump into it, releasing the door.

"Holy shit. You've got to be kidding me. How do you know about that?!" He gasps, picking up the camera and coming over. 

"Another story. Nobody really knows what this room was used for. There was a rumour going around that it was where the owners kept their disabled son. But like you said, evidence.." I answer, looking over to him.  "I pick this room."

"Good choice. Let's get started."

As soon as we step inside, I crinkle my nose at the smell of stagnant air from the windowless room being sealed for years. The small room doesn't contain a lot, a single chair and a small table, but both of them are thick with dust. 

"Jesus.." Zak mutters. "You think they actually kept someone in here?"

I shrug. "I sure as hell hope not."

"So first off, let's start with the easiest bit of equipment, the digital recorder." Zak says, pulling it out of his pocket and handing it to me. "When you're ready, hit record and start asking questions, but remember to leave a gap after the questions, for the responses."

"Simple enough." I answer, pressing the record button. "Sealed room.. Is there anyone in here?"

"Are the rumours true? Did someone live in this room?" Zak asks. 

I wait a few seconds. "What caused the fire?"

"Do you want to speak with us?" 

Stopping the recorder, I look to Zak. "So now we replay it?"

"Yep, we review the recording and see if we have caught anything." He explains.

I rewind, per his request and hit the play button. I mentally cringe when I hear my voice but push it aside in favour of concentrating on listening. Each sentence is met with silence, until Zak asks "Do you want to speak with us?" It's then that a loud "NO" comes through. 

Hearing it, I jump and move closer to Zak, as if he can protect me against whatever the hell that was. "Nice work! You got your first EVP." He grins behind his mask.

"Yep and I already don't like it. That was creepy."

He chuckles. "Not such a bad ass now, huh?"

"Shush. You heard that. Didn't you?"

"I did. Now explain that to me, little miss know it all?" He teases. I narrow my eyes in his direction, causing him to laugh. "Let me guess, my grumbling stomach made that noise, that has been distorted into a no?"

I said I'd be open to the idea, but if he is gonna play tough ball too, then so can I. "No, but how do I know you haven't tampered with the audio?"

His laugh is louder this time. "You're unbelievable."

"I'm realistic. What is next?"

"Spirit box, this also sweeps through radio stations, spirits can use the frequencies  to communicate through it. It's like the recorder, so you have to ask questions." He explains, flipping it on and filling the once quiet room with a static like sound. 

"What is your name?" I begin. 

"Who is down here with us?" Zak asks.

"Do you want us to leave?"

"What state are we in?"

"Who is upstairs?" 

"Ceiling."  It chirps back making me look to Zak, who nods confirming that he heard it too. 

"I brought a friend in with me tonight, she doesn't believe that spirits exist." Zak says to the spirit box. "Tell us your name, so we can speak with you."

"James."

"Wasn't the previous owners son called James?" Zak whispers.

I nod. "He died, I think. I don't know why he died though.."

"Fire. Smoke."

"James, did you die from inhaling smoke?" Zak asks, clearing his throat.

When there isn't a response, I frown and find myself holding the spirit box a little closer. "Come on James, talk to us. Did you die in the fire or from the smoke?" 

There is a response, but I fail to hear it as Zak begins coughing. He waves at me, so I turn it off and watch as he sucks in air and begins coughing harder, before leaving the small room. 

"Are you okay?" I ask following him out. 

"I need a drink of water." He croaks heading back to their base or nerve centre.

I join him, listening and watching as he hunches over, coughing harder each time. When we get into the room, he pulls out a bottle of water from one of the cases and drinks half instantly. "Was that the start of your allergies?"

He shakes his head. "No it usually starts with my chest tightening. This felt like something was stuck in my throat."

"But you had a mask on, not even dust could get in your airways." I answer.

"It could have been an experience. Maybe James wanted to show me what he felt?" Zak guesses. 

"Then why not me? Why pick on you?"

"I'm more open to the concept of life after death. You are not, so your protection, your walls spiritually are like a fortress."

"Is that a bad thing?" I wonder, mainly to myself. 

"Not if you don't believe. You are entitled to your opinion, like everyone is. The stronger the walls, the less chance you have of being possessed."

I frown. "So how come you are not stronger? Considering you do all this?"

"I have to be open, to communicate with whatever is coming through. My body picks up on different things all the time. It's like I am wired different than everyone else." He answers.

"Is that scary, for you?"

He shakes his head. "Not anymore. Not now that I understand it."

We stay at base a little longer, until Zak is back to his usual self and not trying to cough up a lung. Then we are back at it, only this time, we avoid the room and focus on the main bar area. Putting myself on the barstool, I tap the bar. 

"What has a girl got to do, to get a drink around here?" I ask out loud.

Zak slides himself more elegantly on the seat than I did and puts the camera on the bar facing us. "Two beers!"

Sitting in silence, we wait and sure enough we hear a faint clink, as if someone was moving a glass. 

"Is there anyone here?" I call out. "Cause if there isn't.. I'm going to serve myself!"

"Careful." Zak says quietly making me look over to him. "You don't want to challenge them or make them angry. Remember this is their home. You got to be respectful."

"Aye Aye Captain." I reply, looking down the wooden bar area. "Maybe I should go to the bar down the road? Get some service in there, instead?"

This time, it's no gentle clink, but a hard thump which makes me jump and my hand slam down onto Zak's arm holding it. 

"Owh." He says making me retract my nails that dug into his arm. 

"Sorry, that shook me up. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. What is that then?" He asks, waiting for my explanation. 

"I don't know. There is no air drafts in here, so nothing like that could have caused it.." I answer causing him to gasp. 

"Are you saying that it could be paranormal?"

I smirk and slide off the stall. "Hold your horses, it could be something."

"Like a ghost?"

"Like a mouse."

He laughs. "Big ass mouse then."

I go to investigate and come back empty handed. "Fine, I'll admit it. The bang is unexplained and I haven't got an answer for that spirit box."

Zak rubs his hands together, pleased. "I'm waiting for you to tell me that there is life after death."

Rolling my eyes, I sigh. "So there is more to life than this one. But what? I don't know."

"Ohh. That hurt huh?" 

"Shut up." I tell him,  tossing a beer mat in his direction. 

After an hour, we call it a night and meet up with Aaron and Bella, who go over their evidence, showing us Polaroids of what they caught. There is a few weird.. Anomalies, as Zak calls them. But I honestly can't say that they are paranormal or if It is just some kind of lens flare. I guess we won't know.

We chat for another hour before Bella and I leave them too it. 

"Hey uh, if you're ever in Vegas, you should come to my museum." Zak says, handing me a small black card. 

"You own a museum. A haunted museum." I correct myself. "Of course you do." 

"I do and I'd love for you to come by and debunk everything there." He laughs.

"Maybe I might."

"Make sure you do. If you're nice enough, I'll let you come back after hours, we can do an all access tour. I'll let you have the run of the building." He says, making me smile. 

"Careful, I might just reveal all your hidden secrets whilst I am there. Like motion senses or uneven floorboards."

"You'll be my hardest critic."

I wag his card. "I aim to please.."

"You two okay with getting home?" He asks, looking around the street.

"Yep, I drove." Bella smiles, skipping over to her car and waving at Aaron who looks just as smitten as she does. 

"You don't have a crash helmet in there, do you?" I joke as Bella protests that she is a safe driver. "Sure you are.. If you were blind."

Zak chuckles. "Well it's been great hanging out with you both."

"You too. Hey, before I go. Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Do you usually invite people in with you?" I ask. "Like we have tonight."

"Hardly ever. There is a risk of contaminating evidence." He explains.

I nod. "So why invite us?"

His smile almost splits his face. "Because your argumentative side and need to be right was cute."

"Cute..." I repeat.

"Yeah, I like that there was a fighting spirit there. Although, I worry I may have dashed it now that I have proven the afterlife.."

"Oh don't worry, I have plenty of fight in me and when I turn up to your museum. I plan on being the biggest skeptic ever. So be prepared."  I tell him as I walk away.

Zak grins. "I can't wait... I'll see you around."

"That Mr.... Mr Bagans, you will. Mr Haunted Museum owner. That you will."

Getting into the car, I look at Bella who is almost ready to squeal. "Save it.." I tell her and wave politely at Aaron and Zak as we drive away.  "Go for it.."

I clamp my hands over my ears as Bella screams her head off, once she has finished, I lower my hands. "We good?"

"He fancies the freakin' pants off you and we are going back to mine, right now!"

"What for?" I ask looking at the time.

"To book those plane tickets, of course!" She grins. "Miss Skeptic Pants. I see you, playing hard to get."

"I am not. I am simply sticking to my beliefs.." I answer looking out the window to hide the smile creeping onto my lips. 

Maybe I was playing hard to get.. But nothing in life is easy. So why should I be? Besides, Zak said he likes the fight in me. Which is fantastic because I plan on going to his museum with my skeptic pants on high and ready to debunk everything. Right down to the doorbell... If it has one.

"We are going to Vegas, Baby!!!" Bella shouts out the window making me giggle. 

I guess we are!