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Travis had been locked away in his room. He'd spent the last few hours screaming and pounding on his bedroom door for his father to let him out. He had an awful feeling- horrible. Something was wrong and he had a sinking feeling that it had to do with Sal. Sal was in danger.
Travis couldn't text his boyfriend to see if he was okay, his father had broken his phone in a rage only a few hours prior. Kenneth had tried to force Travis to take part in the cult activities of the night, he emphasized many times that this was the most important night and that Travis needed to participate. He refused, however, finally having enough courage to stand up to his terrible old man. But it didn't work, and now he was locked in his room with no escape.
But he had to do something. Anything. Sal was in trouble and Travis was pretty sure it had a lot to do with whatever special event was happening in the cult tonight. Travis' father always had some sort of creepy obsession toward Sal. Travis had thought it weird, and at one point he was even extremely jealous of Sal because of how much attention the strange boy seemed to get from Travis' father.
Now, however, when he's actually friends with him he realized that his father is disgusting and awful, things are different. He's not jealous anymore, he's protective. He never let his father near his boyfriend if he could help it. And he didn't want him anywhere near Sal tonight.
Travis was in a desperate rage. He threw things at his window to try and shatter it, he rammed things into his door, trying to break it down. He tried everything he could. It took him hours, and it was well into the night by the time he finally managed to break down his door. He was exhausted, he felt like he was going to collapse, but there wasn't time for that, he needed to find Sal.
He ran out of his house, through the pouring rain toward Addison Apartments. He prayed all the way there, praying that he was simply overreacting and he would get to the apartment and find his sweet boyfriend sitting on his bed playing his gearboy. He prayed that Sal was okay, and alive. Something about that look in his father's eyes before he left terrified Travis to his very core.
Finally, he got to Addison apartments. He expected to run right through the front doors and to the elevator, but he didn't have to. As soon as he got there, he spotted Sal. His sweet, loving, amazing Sal, standing in the doorway with his guitar.
Travis stopped a foot away from his lover, leaning over to catch his breath. "Sal! God, Sally Face I thought something awful had happened. My dad-" the rest of the words got stuck in his throat, because when he looked up and saw Sal turn around, everything stopped.
Sal Fisher- the boy who saw the best in everyone, the boy who despite all of the pain and suffering he'd experienced, always kept a positive outlook on life, Sal Fisher who would never hurt a fly, who risked his life daily for the good of the people around him- stood in the doorway of his apartment building, covered with blood.
At first, Travis was frozen, but when he came to his senses, terror took over everything. He stood up straight and rushed to his lover's side, reaching out only for Sal to flinch back violently.
"Sal- holy fucking shit, wh-what happened?! Are you hurt?!"
Sal just stumbled back farther, staring at Travis with wide, shiny eyes. His real eye was bloodshot, he'd clearly been crying hard for a while, and that just made Travis even more terrified. What was going on?
Sal just shook his head, seemingly in shock. Before Travis could say anything else though, Sal's legs gave out on him. Travis tried to catch him but failed, ending up sitting on the wet ground across from his boyfriend.
"Sal? Sal hey. Look at me babe, what- what the hell happened?"
And that's when Sal started to shake. It escalated quickly, he was steady one moment, and the next he was shaking so hard one would think an earthquake was occuring around him. But there wasn't, it was only him. His eyes were wide and haunted, the glass one making him look half dead.
Travis was still panicking, he wasn't sure if his boyfriend had been hurt or if… if the blood is someone else's.
"Sal you need to talk to me, okay? You gotta catch me up dude. Where did all this blood come from? Are you hurt?"
Sal didn't respond right away, it's like his mind wasn't there. Travis was getting more and more scared as time went on. He could feel his fight or flight beginning to activate. A distant thought began to poke at the back of his head. It was quiet for now, but he still noticed it: Run.
He was confused by the thought. Run? Why would he? He would never run from Sal, Travis was starting to be convinced that he was truly in love with Sal Fisher. Why would he leave him? Especially now..when he's so vulnerable. No way.
Travis moved closer to Sal, reaching out to touch him slowly.
If you knew Sal for a certain amount of time, you might assume based off of his reactions to touch, that he's fairly indifferent about it, he didn't really seem to mind whether someone was touchy or not. But Travis knew something that no one else outside of their little friend group knew. Sal was actually extremely touch starved, and he secretly took great comfort in being physically comforted or even just receiving any sort of physical contact in any situation- to remind him that he's not alone, as he has been for too much of his life, and to keep him grounded.
So when Travis reached for him, he definitely did not expect Sal to flinch and gasp so hard, before scrambling backward on his butt, stumbling over his bloody guitar that was strapped to his back.
"No!" He practically screamed. "D-Don't touch me!!" He looked terrified, and Travis was beginning to feel dizzy with fear. Fear and confusion now.
"Sal what-"
"You shouldn't be here! Y-You ha-have to get away from me, Travis!" He cried, his voice quieter now but still entirely hysterical. "I'm-! I-I-" he cut himself off, clearly having trouble breathing. Travis watched helplessly as Sal frantically struggled out of the guitar strap like it was burning him, then kicked the instrument away in a panic. He curled up on himself, his fingers digging into his hair and pulling harshly, knees pulled to his chest. "I can't- I can't do this- they're dead… They're all dead oh god oh fuck- dad.. Lisa.. Soda- oh god-" he suddenly threw himself to the side and threw up into the grass.
Travis was so confused and afraid. They're dead? All of them? What.. what the fuck happened? Did this really all have to do with his father? And if they're all dead..why isn't Sal..? Unless… a horrible thought occurred to him and it made him feel physically sick too. Did Sal… no- fuck no. There was no way at all that Sal would ever do anything like that. But..the blood..
"Sal.." Travis whispered after the other had finished throwing up and gone back to muttering to himself and pulling at his hair. "Sal.. baby listen to me… I'm not going to leave you. I'd never do that. Please, tell me what happened, I want to help. What do you mean everyone is dead?" He was scared to hear the answer.
"I mean they're all fucking dead, Travis." Sal practically spat, his tone suddenly changing from panicked and rushed to sharp and angry. "I killed them. I killed them all. I- they're dead...and I'm a fucking monster.."
And suddenly Travis was fully aware of the large kitchen knife laying in the grass next to Sal. It was just as covered in blood as he was. Something ignited in Travis. You'd think that in any normal human being, the first feeling you'd have when your best friend and boyfriend admitted to you that he'd just murdered every resident in his apartment building would be fear. Fear of that person, fear of being murdered as well. Or maybe even anger, panic. But that's not what Travis was feeling- at least not directed towards Sal.
Because Travis knew Sal. He knew his boyfriend like the back of his hand. Even though they'd only been dating for a few months, Travis had a crush on the blue haired boy for years. Even before they both moved into Nockfell. Travis went to school with him in Jersey as well. He'd been aware of Sal Fisher since kindergarten, and he'd loved him just as long.
Travis knew Sal. And he knew that there was no way in hell he'd ever even consider killing his friends and family, not even once. Something had to have pushed him- forced him. Sal's terrible, sickly appearance as well as his hysterical actions right now only confirmed everything for Travis.
He didn't do this because he wanted to. Sal would never even dream of doing something this horrible.
"Sal." Travis said, his voice shaky with emotion. "Sally Face, I need you to look at me."
"N-No.. I can't, I can't I can't I can't-" Sal whimpered, whispering over and over under his breath as he tore at his blue hair. "Get away f-from me! I-I'll kill you too!"
Travis opened his mouth to speak again, but stopped when Sal's arm shot out and grabbed the knife. At first Travis thought he was going to stab him, an instinctual thought when one sees someone else grab a knife so violently after saying what he just did. But he was wrong. Sally brought the knife to his own chest, and very nearly stabbed it right through, but was stopped just in time by Travis' hand on his wrist.
"Stop! Let me go!" Sal screamed, struggling harshly as Travis used his other hand to grab the knife and take it far away from Sal's body. "Fuck you!! I have to die, Travis! I have to!" He sobbed.
Travis couldn't help but start crying now too, his heart was shattering into pieces. He kept hold of Sal's wrist, grabbing the other one once he kicked the knife out of Sal's reach. "No! No, you don't have to die, Sal. C'mon, breathe for me. Breathe. This is not your fault."
Sal didn't listen, he just screamed and struggled and tried to reach for the knife. "No! I need it! I need it, Travis let me fucking die it's the least I can do, you don't understand!"
Travis let go of Sal's wrists, but just as Sal clumsily launched himself toward the knife, Travis caught him and wrapped his arms around the smaller boy's body, holding him close and tight. "Shh. Shh. You're okay, Sally Face. You're okay. This was not your fault. It wasn't your fault, I know it wasn't. Try to calm down, we have to talk."
It took about five minutes of Travis holding him tight and whispering reassurances into his ear before Sal just collapsed. Travis knew it would have taken much longer if Sal wasn't already so beyond emotionally and physically exhausted. Travis held Sal close in his lap and rocked them back and forth slowly, crying silently over his lover's shoulder.
"There you go, there you go baby blue. It's okay. Everything will be okay." Travis felt wrong saying those words. Nothing felt okay, nothing was okay. He honestly wasn't sure if anything would ever be okay again. But.. he had to try. They had to try.
"Not okay.." Sal choked weakly, his head resting limply on Travis' shoulder. "I killed them, Trav… n-n-never gonna be okay… I gotta die..suffer… f-for what I've done.."
Travis felt more tears well up and fall from his own eyes. He shook his head, "No, Sal.. you've suffered enough, I promise. You didn't want to do this, I know you didn't. I know you. Please, tell me what happened. At least why, that's all I need to know. Who caused this? Was it the cult?"
The silence was all Travis needed to confirm his suspicions. A burning rage filled his chest and he held Sal just a little bit tighter, protective. How fucking dare they do this. How dare they ruin him like this, ruin his happiness. Ruin his progress, ruin his whole fucking life. Sal was the last person in the world that deserved any of this. If Travis ever saw his father again, he's sure he'd kill the bastard with his own hands.
"They were all possessed… too far gone… I- he said I had to… I-I- told him no, Trav.. I said no so many times… B-But I didn't have a ch-choice..they were all...all.."
It made a little more sense now. Not much, but a little.
Travis was never allowed to know the details of his father's cult. Of course, his father never referred to it as a cult, but Travis knew it was. The things he was forced to do... he knew it was a cult. And he knew that the members of said cult were doing awful things. He also knew that Sal always had something to do with it. Not of his own free will of course, but his father always talked about some sort of prophecy. He never said outright that Sal was the one the prophecy talked about, but it was heavily implied. And it made sense as to why they had to follow Sal and his father here to Nockfell.
This must have been what his father meant by the prophecy. It must have had something to do with what happened here tonight.
God, poor Sal…
"It's okay. I believe you, Sal. I believe you. God I'm so sorry…"
Sal was silent aside from the occasional sniffle and sob. Travis just held his limp boyfriend close as he wracked his foggy brain for what to do.
Everyone in the building was dead, there was really nothing to do about that. But Travis was sure the police would be on their way if the cult was really responsible for this. His father had so many ties with the police Travis was sure the whole force was part of the cult as well at this point. They were always the ones to clean up his dirty work for him.
Since it appears that Sal has stopped whatever it was they were trying to achieve, they're more than likely beyond pissed. So yeah, the cops were definitely coming.
Travis thought he could even hear very distant sirens. He had to get Sal out of here.
"Sal, angel, we have to go." He said softly, running his fingers through his boyfriend's sticky hair. "The cops are coming, the cult wants you dead. We gotta leave town, go somewhere safe."
Sal didn't move, "I deserve to die. Let them have me." He whispered, his voice void of emotion.
"No. I won't let them have you. They've taken everything from me Sal, from us. They're not going to take this away. They won't take you away from me, they won't take me away from you, do you understand?"
Sal just let out a soft sigh in response, his fingers twitching where they were tangled in the back of Travis' shirt.
Travis moved them so he could stand up with Sal in his arms. The smaller boy still didn't move. "We'll go to my house first. We need money and a car, I'll steal my dad's." He bent over awkwardly to pick up the knife and Sal's guitar to carry them with him, not wanting to leave any evidence behind. He then started walking toward the cemetery where they could stay as hidden as possible from any eyes from the street.
Sal's arms twitched a little at the mention of Travis' father, and Travis squeezed him gently for reassurance. "Don't worry, if he's there I'll kill him."
If Sal was more aware and mentally able, he would tell Travis not to do that, beg him not to. But he wasn't, his mind was nearly gone, his head so fuzzy and numb, he almost forgot where he was, what was going on, who was carrying him. He wanted his mom. He missed his mom. The person holding him was warm though, and Sal felt safe. He wanted to hold the person tighter and nuzzle his face into their neck, to soak up that safe feeling. But he couldn't move.
Travis made it to his house in about twenty minutes. He knew Sal was long gone by now, so he didn't bother to talk to him on the way unless it was occasional quiet reassurances. Once he got there, he set Sal down behind a bush in front of the house, fully out of sight of anyone who might come.
"Okay Sally Face, I'm not sure if you can hear me, but I'll be right back, okay? You're hidden here, just try not to make noise. I'll be back in a few minutes and we'll get the hell out of here. I promise I'm going to keep you safe." He said softly, pressing a kiss to Sal's masked forehead, thankfully, since it was raining so hard still, a lot of the blood had been washed from Sal's prosthetic.
Travis entered his house slowly and quietly, holding the knife Sal had used in his hand in case his father really was home. Luckily he got to his room without issue, it didn't seem anyone was in the house. He rushed through his room, throwing all of his important belongings into a duffel bag. He grabbed as many pairs of clothes that would fit and zipped it up. He rushed through the house, knife still in hand as he went to every secret hiding place his father had for money. Travis took all of it, including the secret money his mother had left for him before she died. It was a lot- she'd left him everything she'd collected and stolen from his father over the years. He'd been using it gradually here and there for small things, but there was still enough to help him and Sal get by for a while.
Travis had stuffed the money into the duffel bag as well and left the house as fast as he could. His father wasn't there, thank god. He unlocked his car, throwing the bag and the knife in the back carelessly and slamming the door shut before rushing to his catatonic boyfriend and picking him up again, grabbing the guitar as well.
"Alright, I got everything. Let's get you out of here, Sally Face." Travis said softly, knowing that Sal likely couldn't hear him.
He set Sal carefully in the passenger seat and covered his tiny, shivering form with a blanket, pulling the seat belt over him and clicking it into place. He wasted no time in getting into the driver's seat and starting the car. Thank God he got gas a couple of days prior.
With one last glance at his Sal, he started driving.
He drove right out of Nockfell and they never looked back.