A Diverted Fate (Sally Face x Larry)

Surprise Visits

Sal..
     "What?" Todd and Ashley said in unison.
     Larry and I had made it back to the house, and I had relayed what happened in the church to them, as they would not leave me alone until I did.
     "He said he's going to just show up because he has to get away and he doesn't know when he'll be able to. The church definitely has something to do with the cult, and he even mentioned that the church and police and that are connected to it," I said, leaning my hands onto the kitchen table.
     Todd already had the papers in front of him and spread all across the table. His glasses were falling down his nose slightly, and his curly hair was falling into his eyes.
     Ash rubbed her arms, then pushed her short hair back and out of her face. "This seems horribly shifty, don't you think?" She asked, glancing between Larry, Todd and I.
     Larry was sitting back in one of the kitchen chairs, his arms folded and his brow furrowed. "I mean, yeah. It seems like a horrible idea, sorry Sal," he said, his eyes scanning over the papers on the table.
      "Let me remind you of how many options we actually have," I shot back, and both Ash and Larry. Larry looked slightly guilty and looked down with a mumbled "yeah," and Ash just huffed out a sigh.
Todd suddenly started rummaging around in the papers, drawing our attention towards him. "Wait! Travis gave us proof of the cult, and how far it reaches... and original documents from when it came to be, but all of it is written in a strange code," Todd mumbled, pushing his glasses up as he scanned over the papers.
I tilted my head slightly. "And this helps us, how?" I asked, leaning forward slightly.
Todd looked up at me now, his eyes sparkling with what seemed to be excitement. "Because if we can decode these messages, then we can find out how the cult started, and maybe it'll give us a clue on how to stop it," Todd's excited tone dropped a little. "However, I cant make any sense of it like this." Todd looked frustrated now, and Ash has started to look a little anxious.
"So, it was all for nothing?" She asked, her tone betraying her fear over the situation.
Larry scoffed. "That's great, then."
I stood suddenly, scaring Ash, who seemed to be more jumpy than usual. "No! That's why Travis wants to speak with us still. He must know how to decipher the code," I said urgently, glancing between my friends.
Todd glanced between the papers and me. "You know that if he is dropping in for a brief visit, then we will not have enough time to decipher all these pages. There's a lot of them, Sal."
"Yeah, but if we translate one, then we can at least figure out like the method that they use to encode these pages," I urged, more so to convince myself than anyone else.
I'm not usually an optimist, but I need to at least try and believe that we are one step closer to stopping the cult and ending the nightmares. I need these nightmares to be over.
Larry sat forward now. "Yeah, Sal's right. I hate to admit it, but Travis helped us, and it looks like we still need his help," he grumbled, rubbing his face with his hands.
Ash sighed shakily. "I'm gonna go for a drive to clear my mind. Call me if the cultist priest shows up while I'm gone," she joked dryly as she started out of the kitchen.
"Will do," I called after her as she grabbed her helmet and slipped out of the front door. Neil came in immediately after her, kicking off his shoes before coming over and standing beside Todd.
"What's all this?" He asked, glancing between the papers and all of us in the kitchen.
Todd sighed. "Records that Sal got from Travis, but they're all encoded," he answered, not looking up from the papers before him.
Neil hummed. "Is there anyway to decode them?" He asked, looking over some papers that Todd wasn't looking at.
I leaned forward onto the table again. "We don't know, but Travis said he needed to speak with us and I figure that that's what it's about. If the church is part of the cult like he said, then he should know the code. The only issue is is that he couldn't tell me anything in the church," I said, watching Neil's face for reactions.
Todd sighed a little, and Neil glanced at him before meeting my eyes again. "Does that mean the church was bugged? Should we be worried about that?" He asked, a little fearfully.
I shrugged. "I don't think so, because when we would talk about the cult in Addison's, nothing would happen. I think it would be bad for Travis though, if he was found out to be conspiring against the cult. You don't exactly leave cults easily," I pointed out, and for once, even I believed myself.
Neil nodded before looking down at the papers again. There was a tense silence for a while, but it was broken by Neil sighing and standing again. "I'm getting nowhere on this. Dear, you can keep pouring over the papers, but I'm going to make dinner," he said, more so to Todd than to everyone as he went over to the cupboards and started grabbing ingredients.
Todd looked up at me. "Did Travis say anything we could go off of?" He asked, desperation thinly veiled in his voice.
I sighed, tapping a finger against the lip of my prosthetic. "He got all weird when I mentioned the nightmares we've been getting. He never committed to a date until I brought them up, and then he said he'd be here tonight. He clearly knows something that we don't about that," I said, recalling how tense he got upon the mention of nightmares.
     Todd glanced up at me. "Why?" He mumbled to himself before returning his attention to the papers.
      Todd started shuffling the pages around, mumbling to himself about something I couldn't quite hear. "None of this makes sense," he mumbled slightly louder than his previous mumbles.
     "Maybe they're not supposed to?" Larry suggested meekly.
      Todd looked up at him quickly. "What? Are you suggesting that Travis gave us false papers?" He asked, his voice tense.
      Larry shook his head. "No, but like, what if they don't make sense all apart. If I was doing some top secret shit, I wouldn't want it to be given away by losing one page. Y'know what I mean?" He said, sounding a little more unsure by the end.
     Todd blinked at him for a moment, then laughed. "You're a genius. That makes so much sense. Why else would Travis give you a stack of loose paper? He could have just as easily given you a book or something. I'm going to try that, if you guys need me, I'll be in my office," he joked as he gathered the papers and walked quickly into his room.
     Neil laughed a little. "His office, wow," he mumbled jovially before returning to what he was doing.
     "Well, no point in hovering in the kitchen now. C'mon, Larry," I said as I stood straight up again and stretched a little.
      Larry nodded and pushed up from his chair.  He followed me to his room, closing the door behind us. I flopped down onto his bed, leaning  my back against the wall. Larry came over and lay down with his head on my lap.
     "How well do you think this is all gonna go down?" Larry asked, looking up at me with an indescribable emotion in his eyes.
     I sighed, starting to run my fingers through Larry's messy hair. "Judging by past experiences, it's gonna go horribly, but like when has anything we done gone perfectly?" I joked tiredly. Honestly, I hope it goes better than I'm expecting, but my hopes are not high.
      Larry laughed a little. "Fair enough. But, we've definitely done some good things together," Larry joked with a smirk.
      My ears grew a little warm. "Oh for fuck sakes. I can always count on you to have your mind in the gutter despite it all," I said warmly as I unclipped my prosthetic.
      He smiled wryly up at me, meeting my lips with his as I leaned down after removing my mask. He cupped my face with his hand, bringing me in closer. I pulled back eventually, smiling down at Larry, who was looking rather smug.
     I sat back again, letting my fingers toy with Larry's hair absentmindedly as my mind wandered. I have no idea how this will all play out and I am pretty scared. Why did Travis seem almost scared when I mentioned my nightmares? What does he know that I don't? And can we really trust him given that it seems like he's part of the cult?
      I was still fretting away when the front door opened and closed. "I'm back," Ash called as I heard the familiar thump of her hanging up her helmet. She walked up to Larry's door, then knocked.
     "Come in," I said, glancing down at Larry, who I realize now is asleep.
     Ash pushed open the door, then slipped into the room. She closed the door behind her, glancing quickly at Larry before meeting my eyes. "He asleep?" She asked as she walked over to the bed and sat down with a huff.
     I nodded, my hands still toying with his hair. My other hand was resting on his chest where I could feel his steady heartbeat and the rise and fall of his breathing. "How was your ride?" I asked quietly. Ash's hair looked a little wild and she still had her gloves on, but other than that she looked the same as when she left.
     "It was fine. Sorry I ditched like that, it's just a lot to deal with. Like, a killer cult? An actual demon? Like I've just come to terms with all the fucking ghosts that are just hanging out in Addison's." Ash threw her hands up as she lay down near my feet.
I sighed. "I know. It seems like shit like this follows me. I'm sorry I've got you all stuck in this with me," I mumbled, I looked down to Larry's peaceful face. I wish I hadn't gotten the people I love all roped into this.
Ash shifted, drawing my attention to her. She had turned her head so she was looking at me, not the ceiling. "Sal, if I really didn't want to be helping out here I'd be in the city, miles away and not dealing with a demon. I want to help you with whatever comes up," she said softly, a warm smile on her face.
I couldn't help but smile as well. "Thank you Ash, that means a lot." I looked away, looking back down to Larry, who was snoring slightly now.
      We sat in silence for a while longer, and eventually Neil called us out for dinner. I wasn't surprised to see Todd not at the table with us, and after making sure we all had food, Neil retreated to his and Todd's shared room with two helpings of dinner.
      Dinner was tense, and very little chatter passed between Larry, Ash, and I. We were all concerned as to what will come next. Either that, or Larry was still too asleep to do much talking.
     It had gotten dark by the time that I pushed back from the table. "I'm gonna do the dishes, feel free to sit a chat with me," I said jovially as I gathered the dirty dishes around the kitchen.
     Ash laughed. "I feel like that wasn't a suggestion," she joked back, but still stayed in her seat.
     "Yeah, you bossy pants," Larry said around a yawn. This made me laugh as I started scrubbing the dishes.
      Larry asked Ash about some guy in the city, and I was only half listening to the conversation between the two as I washed dishes. I heard mention of how hard you can be slapped before it really hurts, and I zoned back in for context that I did not get.
     I had just finished the dishes, and Ash and Todd were still joking about this guy- that I don't think I ever want to meet- when there was a harsh knock at the front door.
      Larry suddenly looked wide awake as he stood and looked to me quickly. "Do you think.." he faded off as he heard Todd and Neil rush into the kitchen.
      Todd looked a little disheveled, and he glanced between us quickly before looking at the door. "Sal," Todd started, but I was already walking towards the door.
      Larry stopped me with a hand on my chest. "No, we don't know who's there," he warned, his voice shaking a little and betraying him.
     There was another knock. "Exactly, we don't know who it is, so I'm going to answer because it could be your mother for all we know," I said as I pushed Larry's hand away and started towards the door again.
     I heard Larry make a noise of dissent, but made no further move to stop me. I made it to the door, and after a moments hesitation, I grabbed the door handle and pulled it open. A disheveled looking Travis stood in the doorway, wearing a black hoodie and dark washed jeans. his hood was up, and his long blond hair was tucked into it. He met my eyes, then nodded towards the door. I nodded and stepped back, ushering for him to come inside.
     Travis brushed past me, then came to stop in the entryway to the kitchen, where all my friends were gathered. I closed the door and walked up behind him. He glanced at me, then stepped into the kitchen, and I followed suit, going in and standing beside Larry. He was horribly tense, and he instinctively took a step towards me so our arms were brushing.
      Travis looked around, then after closing all the blinds on all the windows in the kitchen, he pulled his hood off. Ash sat down at the table, and motioned for Travis to do the same. after a moments hesitation, he did, however. Neil placed his hand on Todd's shoulder, then smiled at Travis as if he were a normal guest. "Would you like anything to drink? We have coffee, tea.." Neil faded off, waiting for Travis' answer.
Travis scanned his face quickly. "Water, please?" He phrased it more like a question than a request.
Neil smiled and nodded, then busied himself with getting that. There was a horrible tense silence for a moment. I sighed a little, drawing Larry's attention. He raised an eyebrow at me, and I just shook my head before turning back to Travis, who took the cup from Neil with a nod.
"Why did you need to speak with me?" I asked suddenly, startling Ash and making Travis glance up at me before returning his gaze to the water inside his cup.
He took a deep breath, then released it. "You all are in serious danger, and I know you have no reason to trust me, but I want to help you... all of you," Travis said, his voice clear, yet hesitant.
       "I trust you," I said, loud enough that my voice didn't shake. Travis claiming that my friends and I are all in terrible danger has done nothing to quell my nerves. If anything, his little visit has made everything a little worse so far. Man, I feel faint.
     Travis scanned my eyes for a moment, then they darted to Larry, then back to his cup. He probably noticed Larry and I's closeness, and I couldn't help but hope that he hadn't lost incentive to help us.
      Ash sighed. "Yeah, why not. If you came here and risked your neck, why shouldn't we trust you?" Ash leaned back in her chair, watching Travis like a cat watching a mouse. that look kind of counteracted what she just said, however, Travis didn't seem to notice because he only glanced at her quickly.
      He cleared his throat, looking up to Todd, a little unwillingly. Neil seemed to pick up on this and he got a little tense, but didn't do anything otherwise. Travis met Todd's eyes, then let out a breath. I noticed with a jolt that it was a similar behaviour to what I do after a dream. He was checking for red eyes. And he didn't see any. At least I hope.
      "Did you crack the papers?" Travis asked hesitantly.
      Todd shook his head, placing them on the table in front of him. "No, I haven't been able to make any progress, although you didn't give me much time," Todd joked dryly, watching Travis' face intently.
      Travis let out a breath. "You don't have much time. Listen, there's big shit going on under Addison's, and I have no idea what it's going to be, I just know it's wrong," he rushed out, probably hoping to not sound too crazy.
     I stumbled back a little, suddenly near fainting. Larry caught me by my upper arm, his eyes suddenly very concerned. "Are you okay, love?" Larry whispered quickly to me.
      I grabbed his arm, blinking hard to get the image of an older Travis with one red eye and one stark white one, in a long cloak out of my mind. I looked back to Travis, meeting his... brown eyes, yeah. Brown. "I'm okay, Lar," I mumbled to him quickly as Travis watched me with a knowing expression.
      "You know that this is wrong... What did you do Sally? What happened?" He asked, his voice low, almost threatening.
     Larry whipped around to glare at Travis. "Whoa, easy with the blame throwing there, church boy," he clipped, his hand still on my arm.
      I put my free hand on Larry's chest, immediately drawing his attention to me. "Stop. We can't always be at each others fucking necks," I growled, still feeling dizzy. "Travis, to answer your question, I saved Larry. I think that threw off whatever fucking bullshit timeline we were supposed to be on, and the ghosts know it too. What do you know about these dreams? What have you done?" I managed to stand straight and look Travis in the eyes towards the end, and I tried to match his tone before.
     Travis scanned my eyes again, then pointed at Todd. "Possessed." Then at Neil. "Sacrificed." Then to Ashley. "Vessel." Then to Larry. "Spirit." Then to me. "Dead."
     I put my hand on Larry's chest as he took a step forward. Neil now had his hand on Todd's shoulder, and Ash looked confused and a little horrified. I glanced at Larry quickly, who was glaring at Travis with such pure hatred it almost made me recoil. I kept my hand where it was, however, because at least he still listened to me.
     "You know all about your fate, don't you? That's what you mean by nightmares. You're seeing what should have happened," Travis said calmly, his voice way too nonchalant about the situation.
      I shook my head a little. "It doesn't fucking matter what could have happened. We're here now, and we have to deal with that. Can you help us or not?" I asked, my voice as warning as I could make it.
     "Sally, things weren't supposed to be like this. I have no idea what is going to happen or what we can do about it. All I know is that you all have some significance that I can't quite explain," Travis answered, his voice still calm.
      I took a deep breath, then dropped my hand from Larry's chest. He, thankfully, stayed where he was standing. "Alright, then we need to know anything that could help us." I watched Travis as he took another drink of his water.
     Travis laughed a little dryly. "Where to start? We're all in a load of trouble, so it's hard to know exactly where to start."
     "What are we facing here? Let's start with that," I suggested, my exhaustion catching up to me again.
     Travis met my eyes again. "Oh, that's easy. A demon."

•••
A/N- see? i said i'd get these chapters out sooner. i can't guarantee a schedule because of online school and stuff like that, but i will promise that i will finish this story without a year gap between chapters again.

i mean, i don't feel like there's a lot of demand for this fic, but like i said, a couple of people asked for it to keep going so it's gonna get finished. i suppose it will be nice anyways to tie up an old unfinished story. i'm also glad i'm finishing it after the last chapter of the game came out so i don't make a fool of myself with references that don't make sense anymore in the whole of the game.

oh would you look at how i've rambled on. dunno how i managed that in text form, but i did. anyways, that's it for this chapter, and i'll see y'all in the next one!