The Freaks | Sally Face

Chapter 112: Labyrinth

Larry's POV:-

Travis and I followed behind River, not communicating with words but only with small, simple glances from time to time. The thought of my mother with Todd and Ashley, probably scared out of her mind only made my anxiety worsen but I had to stay strong. I prayed so deeply they wouldn't be found by the other cultists and they would simply slip past them, take Sal, Henry and Axel before getting the fuck out of this hell hole.

"There..." Travis whispered. "Up ahead, there's a light source. Chances are it may be where some of the cultists are meeting..."

River didn't turn around to agree, instead she nodded and began to walk slightly faster to get to the light. The closer we got, we realised it was a doorway, with a door barely on its hinges. We heard some faint footsteps coming from the other side, prompting us to quickly duck and hide ourselves to avoid being caught. Travis peered around the edge, his hollow eyes darting around the space and ensuring we would be safe to go through.

"Clear" he muttered confidently before edging his way out. "Jesus..."

"What is it?" I snuck round next, joining him.

"We're in the heart of it, I think..." Travis swallowed. "This is where it's going to happen..."

I scanned the room and my stomach began to sink. I swallowed hard seeing the red tapestries that were plastered in between the stone pillars, clearly representing some sort of ritual experiment as it had similar satanic markings that River had seen earlier. Above the never ending pit hung four metal hooks that were laced in blood and as I stupidly followed the trail, I realised there was more oozing and flowing into the pits of hell.

"Please don't tell me..." I pleaded. "Don't tell me we're too late..."

"No," Travis walked towards the pedestal. "This must have been a failed attempt. It's all dark meaning it must be old. All I know is, if we don't find Henry, Sal and Axel soon - we have no hope in getting them out".

"I just don't understand it all. Why do they need to do this in the first place? Like is dying really worth all of this?" I frowned.

"To them, yes. It's all about ascension and to these freaks, it's their highest honour. I've heard my father speaking about this for years, not really understanding his motives until it all came full circle. In his mind, Sal has to die and River is almost a hidden bonus" Travis bowed his head in shame. "Look, I have to say something to you both now before it all starts..."

"What is it?" River asked.

"When the time comes and my dad ultimately dies, please just don't worry about me. If anything, you would be doing me the biggest favour by getting rid of him. I know that sounds awful but I mean what I said at Larry's place - he's essentially dead to me already after everything he's put you guys through so, yeah. I just felt I needed to say that".

A strange feeling entered my chest, was this empathy for Travis? Despite everything he's done to my friends and I over the years, I never wanted him to lose his father over this. Kenneth Phelps was a low life, a waste of oxygen but I would hate to have to expect my own dad's death like this. River gave Travis a quick hug, giving him some moral support before the three of us continued to inspect the room. There must be something here we could use to navigate around this never ending maze.

"Hey boys, I think I have found something?" River's voice went a slightly higher pitch, meaning she felt uncomfortable.

Travis and I walked over to her, noticing she was holding a book almost identical to the one Travis had stolen from his dad. We opened it gently, trying not to destroy the already fragile pages and scanned across to see if we could learn anything new. The strange, satanic markings continued, almost creating a language that none of us could read or understand. Pictures and strange drawings followed, almost depicting how to hang someone onto the hooks to create the "perfect" sacrifice. I felt sick to my stomach, similar to how Mr Packerton made me feel upstairs, how could they honestly think this all made sense? That this wasn't totally fucking insane?