Killer One ✓

Chapter 10

Lacey.

When I woke up, Travis and Cameron were both sitting on the concrete floor. Travis looked like death had ground him up and spat him back out. He was pale, his face was sunken in like he hadn't been eating enough, he was in need of a shower. There were dark purple marks under his eyes and I wasn't sure if they were from black eyes or lack of sleep. The rest of him was covered in splattered bruises and cut skin.

"Stop it," Cameron whispered.

Travis was sitting with his back to the wall for support and his feet were extended out in front of him. He had his eyes closed and his head kept dropping, like it was too heavy to hold. Cameron was sitting away from any wall, leaning back on his hands and near Travis' feet.

I climbed over Ben to get to the edge of the bed and Ben only mumbled incoherently. Travis' eyes snapped open as soon as he heard movement and he watched me cautiously. He didn't move or speak but his eyes never left me and the lack of emotion on his face left me feeling eerily uncomfortable. I slowed my steps.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

He didn't reply but tracked my steps until I was standing right in front of him.

"What's wrong with him?" I looked at Cameron as I sat down next to Travis, crossing my legs. He still hadn't moved and for someone who was always touching, it was unsettling.

"He's coming down," Cameron answered.

My looked at him curiously, "He wasn't like this before."

"Sometimes it's different and he said they keep mixing which pills they give him," Cameron explained. "His body's not going to react the same way to each one."

"He's sitting right here," Travis stated. There was no force behind his words, no attitude, barely any volume. It was factual. It was a whisper.

Guilt washed over me at his words, "Sorry."

Travis went back to not talking but his eyes finally left mine and he looked lazily over at Cameron.

"I said stop it," Cameron repeated.

Now that I was sitting next to them, I could see the point of Cameron's irritation. Travis' foot kept flexing just enough for the tip of his shoe to poke Cameron's calf. Again and again and again.

He'd been drugged against his will for around a week, beaten, forced away from us, and I didn't know what they'd been feeding him but being a thorn in Cameron's side was the most Travis thing I'd seen him do since we got here. He was still him. They hadn't broken him yet. Without thinking, I got up on my knees and wrapped Travis in a hug. We almost fell over when he didn't brace himself due to the lack of warning.

Travis didn't hug me back. He didn't do anything and he felt limp in my arms. I let go and he immediately pressed his back to the wall.

"You're paying attention to me again?" he asked, voice even.

"What?" I asked, confused. What was he talking about? Was he upset about earlier, when we left? I rushed to explain, "Travis, Cameron told me not to make it obvious how much I cared for you or they'd use you."

Travis didn't react at first. Then, he started laughing. He sounded like it was the most amusing thing in the world.

I opened my mouth but shut it because I didn't know what to say. Ben stirred from the noise of it, sitting up slowly in bed.

"Oh," Travis said, still laughing. "Oh, that's great. That's really good. We should all listen to him more often. Ben? Ben, did you hear that? We need to listen to Cameron more. Good morning, by the way. Or is it afternoon? Maybe night." He continued to laugh.