The Freaks | Sally Face

Chapter 97: Exposure

Larry's POV:-

Sal had been gone for a while now, I assume to clear his head and just have some space considering all of the crazy shit that had happened over the past couple of days. I dropped him a quick message to check in and went to check on River. She looked utterly exhausted, her pale skin turning a similar grey to Travis' and her dark circles continued to grow. I couldn't have her sitting there with him anymore so I told her to go and get some rest. I promised I would keep an eye on Travis which at first, she was very reluctant to let me do. I mean, everyone knows my opinion of Travis but right now, I had to put it to the side and make sure he got better. It wasn't for him but it was for her and Sal. 

"Riv please, go and get some rest..." I pleaded with her. "I'll change Travis' bandages alright?"

"But I promised I wouldn't leave his side Larry..."

"I know but you're not really. You'll only be in your Dad's room next door" I put my hand on her shoulder. "You need to be rested in order to keep him safe. If you keep missing out on sleep, you'll only make yourself worse. You know I'm right don't you?" 

River sighed for a moment before standing up from her uncomfortable chair. "Alright" she said, turning to face me. "You're right. I can't keep this up. My mind won't stop racing but my body is so tired I feel faint..."

"Go and get some rest. Sal will be back soon with his creams and shit, we'll keep an eye on Travis. You need to get some rest.."

"Okay..." she rubbed her sore eyes. "Just a couple of hours..."

"You take as long as you need. Don't come racing back in here alright?" 

She nodded, giving me a weak smile before walking out of the room. She lingered a bit, not knowing if it was the right choice but when she saw me staring at her, she knew she was fighting a losing battle. River was stubborn, but so was I. I wasn't going to let her continue to fight her own emotions and needs. At long last, she left the doorway and headed into her Dad's room to get some sleep. I sighed when I saw him, there was still such a hate and resentment towards him. All the shit he put me through, what he put Ash and Sal through... what he put us all through. How we ended up helping him is beyond me, but the universe clearly wants to either test me or prove something to me. I grabbed the new bandages and began to change them over. I started with his arms that were thankfully accessible due to Axel's oversized t-shirt. Small mutters and murmurs came as I carefully worked on Travis. He was waking up. 

"R-River?" he uttered, a small cough escaping his lips. 

"No not River" I paused. "It's Larry. I'm just changing some of your things..."

"Larry?" he began to blink his only visible eye. "Oh"

"Yeah, I think it's weird too but here we are..."

It felt so awkward, he knew as much as I did that this was bizarre. Sal and River he seemed to understand wanting to help him. But he didn't understand why I wanted to. A puzzled look appeared on his face before he realised it hurt too much to pull it. 

"I need to sort out your face one.. can I take it off?" 

"S-sure" he stumbled and slowly lifted his head as I began to remove it. 

I couldn't think of anything to say to him that would spark a conversation. Travis and I had had so much beef over the years that at no point did I ever see us in this position. Even when he came to the treehouse, before the fire, I wanted him to leave. I didn't want to have to deal with him, no matter what information he had sucked River into. But now, I didn't have a choice. One way or another, Travis was going to be part of the cult's take down, purely because his father was the man behind the operation. I know he must have intel on them but I promised River not to ask him any questions. It wouldn't be right of me to do that right now, no matter how much I wanted to.