badlands

CHAPTER SEVEN

before i start this chapter i just wanna say thank you guys for getting this to over 1k reads !! and also thank you for 190+ votes !!! this is so sick thanks !! :')

Sage's eyes open, wincing as sun rays peek through the stained curtains, blinding Sage momentarily. The room, which she identifies is her motel room due to the piles and piles of clothes in the corner, is filled with smoke and smells of alcohol. She looks away from the blinding sun, stretching in her mattress, reaching up to the wall above her, her legs straightening.

She turns to her other side, expecting to see a naked Luke, wrapped up in the thin forest green sheets, laying beside her. But there was only an empty space, much to Sage's dismay. Her face drops, sitting up as she covers her bare chest with the blanket, looking around the motel room as flashbacks of Luke fucking her on every single furniture piece fill her brain. The motel room is dead silent, the opposite of what it had sounded like the night before, and Sage sighs, weaving her hand through her hair as she stands up.

She looks into the mirror, her body decorated with hickies, finger-shaped bruises at her hips. She closes her eyes for what seems like a few seconds before she pulls on a shirt and some shorts, letting her frizzy hair cover up the hickies on her neck. She takes one more look at herself, sighing, before she heads out of her room.

"Finally," Ashley's voice greets her when she steps out. "She's awake! How was Luke last night? You kept half the motel up all night." She laughs, nudging Sage's side as Sage locks her door, a blush forming on her cheeks.

"I'd like to keep that a secret." Sage winks at her. Ashley offers her some cigarettes, and she takes one, lighting it up as they start to walk to the lobby of the motel.

"Right, to be honest, judging by your loudness," Ashley presses a finger to her chin, looking up, mocking thought as smirks. "He fucked you real good."

Sage scoffs. "He wasn't that good." She says meekly, hitting Ashley on the arm as Ashley giggles, mocking what she'd heard last night.

"Oh, Luke," she mocks. "Harder, harder! Mm give it to me!" She then lowers her voice. "Tell me who makes you feel good, princess." Ashley cracks up once more, slapping her thigh as she throws her head back, a red Sage walking alongside her.

"Speaking of Luke," Sage says in attempt to change the topic. "Where is he? I mean, I was expecting him to be there until the morning but..." she trails off, shrugging. Ashley's laughter ceases slowly, combing her fingers through her hair as her eyes start to shift.

"He said he was going into the city today," Ashley tells her. "What do you mean stay in till morning? He left right after the noises in your room ended."

Sage furrows her eyebrows, looking at Ashley in confusion. "No, he stayed with me and held me until I fell asleep.." She tells her, but Ashley only looked at her as if she was crazy. They only shrug it off.

"You wanna go to the diner?" Ashley suggests, shoving her hands into her dress pockets as she turns towards Michael's car. Sage nods, Ashley unlocking the car as they both climb in. Sage eyes the radio in fear, flashbacks of the screams echoing throughout her mind.

Ashley turns on the engine and begins to drive, short and silent, pulling up to the diner. "Where's Michael?" Sage asks Ashley, realizing for the first time in forever, Ashley and Michael aren't together.

"With Luke," she says, getting out if the car, shoving the keys into her pocket. "They're doing some kind of deal with Ashton or something. Why?"

Sage nods her hands in understanding as they walk into the diner, finding a booth for both of them. "I don't know," says Sage. "I just always see the two of you together."

Ashley lets out a laugh as they wait for an employee to approach them. "You know why we always stay together?" Ashley asks Sage, Sage replying with a shake of her head. Ashley sets her menu down, looking out the window, out into the vast pink desert. "Because he's the only family I have left. And I've known him since birth, and it would be like losing a brother if I ever lost him to this city. Especially after what happened to that girl yesterday in the middle of the road..." she trails off, looking down. "I hope Luke won't do anything stupid."

Sage opens her mouth to say something, interrupted as a waitress makes her way to the table, taking her order. As Sage orders, Ashley's story echoes in the back of her mind. She trusts Michael. She has someone she can trust in this strange city. Sage piles through the people she knows since being here. She barely even knew Michael. Her and Ashley have never even spoken until today. She has no idea what Ashton even does. Calum's a shadow to her.

She looks away when she finishes ordering, looking out the window. Her trust for Luke hangs by a string. Anything that goes wrong, it snaps. She realizes she doesn't really trust anyone, and she gulps.

"Are you okay?" Ashley's voice snaps her back to reality, the waitress setting down the milkshakes as she looks at Sage with concern. Sage gives the both of them an awkward smile, nodding as she takes her milkshake.

"I'm alright, sorry," Sage giggles. "Daydreaming." She takes a sip of her milkshake as the waitress walks away, Ashley giving her a doubtful look. Sage shifts her eyes away from Ashley, to the entrance of the diner, someone slipping inside. She almost chokes when she sees the blonde streaks.

"Okay, Sage, you're scaring me. Is everything f-" Ashley starts, voice filled with concern before Sage interrupts her.

"Do you know who he is?" Sage asks, her eyes glued on Calum as he walks inside, all smug and dark and tall. Ashley turns around briefly, her eyes trying to find who Sage is talking about before widening her eyes.

"No," Ashley tells her. "You don't want to."

"He's spoken to me before, though," Sage says, confused at Ashley's sudden sternness. "He was at the party last night. He knows my name, I know his. It's Calum."

Ashley looks at her, the colour in her face draining as she listens. "Fuck," she curses. "Fuck, fuck, fuck. Listen, Sage. Listen here, alright? You don't wanna get involved with him. He turns people out like tricks. He's trouble. He's dangerous."

"He isn't dangerous," Sage says, her eyes going back to Calum who's eyes are already glued on her. "He told me this place is da-"

"Sage. Don't ever talk to him again. Please."

Sage closes her mouth, looking down at her plate of fries as Ashley sighs gently, munching on her burger. Awkward silence overcomes their booth, Sage looking from in between her eyelashes to see if Calum was still there. But he's vanished.

Ashley continues to eat her burger, in the middle of a bite when her phone buzzes, a call from Michael. She grabs her phone, setting her burger down on her plate as she presses the phone to her ear.

"Hello?" She says, still chewing on her burger. After she swallows, her eyes widen. "Wh-What the fuck do you mean?"

Sage furrows her eyebrows, eating her fries as she listens to Ashley's phone conversation, Ashley's face paler than ever. "Fuck, fuck. Okay, okay," she pauses. "We'll meet you there."

"What happened?" Sage asks, voice filled with worry as Ashley stands up from the booth. Ashley's voice seems to be stuck in her throat, her eyes filled with panic and tears.

"Luke," she whispers. "H-He killed someone."