Denial (Salvis)

He Had No Choice (Pt 1) {36}

A/n

Have I been gone for a couple months? Yes. Do I remember the plot of this story? Absolutely not. I apologize if there are any discrepancies in the plot line, I'll do my best to stick true to what I have going so far. I'm honestly not sure if people will still read this after a long break, but I can only hope! This chapter is super long and boring, I'm not gonna lie to you. 

MAJOR SPOILER WARNING

TW: Self harm, suicide, abuse of substances (drugs, alcohol), death. If you are triggered by any of these things, please do not read!

        The sense of longing lay thick in Sal's dark room. The emptiness of his sorrow swallowed him whole; the only comfort he had was Gizmo, who was tightly curled atop his chest, slowly rising and falling with each tattered breath he took. Sal's fingers mindlessly twirled strands of his ginger fur as he stared into the bland ceiling. A golden rosary was tied around Sal's neck, resting just past his collar bone. Travis had forgotten to take it with him the night he'd slept at Sal's apartment. Sal noticed the mistake, but didn't bother to give it back. Just having it felt like Travis was with him. The house was silent, Todd and Neil went out for a date and Larry was- God knows where, Sal couldn't find the motivation to care. The only thing he could think about was the love he'd lost, the only thing he could think about was Travis. 
        Sal's prosthetic sat on the corner of his bedpost. Travis liked looking at Sal's true face rather than the mask he wore, if only Travis could see him then. Sal drew a shaky breath through his brutalized lips, clenching his eyes and wishing for something, anything from Travis. A hug, a kiss, anything. As if God themself had heard him, Sal's phone buzzed from under his pillow. He jumped at the noise, sending Gizmo sprawling onto the bedsheets. His smile faded as he opened the phone, and saw that the message was not from Travis, but Larry. It was not that Sal was upset that Larry had messaged him, it was the text that concerned him. 

"Sal. Im sry dude. Pls dont blame urself"

Sal responded, perplexed, "Sry 4 wat? wat r u talkign about?"

        His heart raced in his chest, it couldn't be what he thought it was. Larry would never leave him like that, Sal was sure of it.

"its time for me to go"

Sal's throat tightened, perhaps he'd given Larry too much credit.

"you better not be doing anything stupid."

Larry's response was hesitant, "its too late ill be gone soon"

It was some sick joke, it had to be.

"Stop messing around Larry. this isnt funny"

Sal waited for a few seconds after hitting send, but Larry didn't respond.

"Hey?"

        He was met with nothing but radio silence. On the verge of tears, Sal dialed in the Larry's phone number. His shaking hands and eyes blurred from tears made it difficult to type. The phone rang, "Pick up." Sal muttered to himself, a barely audible prayer.
Another ring, "Pick up the phone, Larry."
His voice caught in his throat as it rang again, "You better pick up."
Tears sipped from their respective places in his eyes, "Oh, God, Larry."
There was no response.

        Sal's mind was foggier than ever as he sprinted down the barren street. the rain splattering against his bare face, the chilling cold, as well as his severe fatigue, was lost due to his adrenaline. With a pounding head and a heart flooded with fear, Sal burst into the basement apartment room. The journey of getting there was a blurred mess, but he couldn't waste any time pondering on it. Frantically, Sal rushed through every room. The space was eerily empty, lacking both furniture and Larry.