badlands ; luke au [on hold]

day one

fog.

fog was all luke could feel around him while walking out of the vacant airport.

he squinted his eyes at his surroundings, eyeing the mountainous, sandy lands.

you need a break, luke,

he could almost hear his mother saying.

and i know just the place.

luke was unimpressed at his mother's advice.

this was not the place for luke to finally get his well deserved break,

this was the place where old people went to live out the rest of their old, sorry lives.

he walked across the street, to the nearest bus stop, and sat down on the metal bench.

a poster caught his eye, all the way back across the street, and he begins to wonder how he could've missed it.

it was neon pink, with a picture of a mountain, much like the ones surrounding him.

"make 2015 the year you visit badlands!" the poster read.

luke scoffed and muttered to himself, "i'd rather jump in front of a bus."

after a few minutes of cursing his own existence, a bus slowly stopped in front of him.

a banner was slapped across the bus's side, and it read

taking you to the luxurious, badlands.

could they be any more tacky?

there were literally signs everywhere, advertising the same place.

as if there was no where else in this area of south dakota.

luke's mind began to wonder that maybe this was the only place.

he hopped onto the bus, only to be greeted by a young man with a huge smile plastered on his face.

"heading to badlands, i see?" he asked.

"where else?" luke responded grimly, handing the man three dollars out of his back pocket.

luke turned, and found no one else on the bus.

he shuffled to the back of the bus and took a seat facing the window.

he looked up ahead at the bus driver, and realized he still had the smile on his face, visible in the mirror.

the man looked young, but not that young. maybe in his late 30s. his hair was a dark brown, combed back into a smooth fashion. his eyes were so gray they put rain filled clouds to shame, and he had stubble growing on his pale, rounded face.

luke could see his tall blonde hair from the mirror, and a less detailed version of his own face.

when he looked at his reflection through the window, however, his looks were visible.

he had piercing blue eyes, a gift from his mother, and chiseled features that were common in his family.

he was conventionally attractive.

the man's hand reached towards the radio handle, and he turned it on.

"you're listening to badlands radio!"

luke sighed.

I found God
I found him in a lover
When his hair falls in his face
And his hands so cold they shake

I found the Devil
I found him in a lover
And his lips like tangerine
In his color coded speak

Now we're lost somewhere in outer space
In a hotel room where demons play
They run around beneath our feet
We roll around beneath these sheets

the song was interrupted by a shrill voice coming through the static.

"HEL-"

luke couldn't hear anymore due to the bus driver shutting the radio off way too quickly.

he could feel the bus moving much faster than it was before.

the bus sped past the sandy canyons, the pink and orange sunrise complimenting the color of them.

despite the clearly speeding bus, luke managed to get a general idea of the desert area of badlands.

unfortunately, this is where he would be staying.

soon enough, he was in front of a futuristic looking building atop the biggest mountain he'd ever seen.

a neon sign was placed conveniently on the side of the road, and all it said was 'badlands' in pink letters.

the bus drove on the trail going around the mountain, until they reached another bus stop in front of the badlands hotel.

"here we are!" the bus driver exclaimed.

luke gathered his belongings, only a black suitcase, and headed out the bus as quickly as he could.

he wanted out of that weird-ass bus with the weird-ass radio.

before the bus doors closed, he heard the bus driver croak,

"enjoy your stay here at badlands!"

luke ignored his comment and walked in front of the building, and stood there.

he looked up at the many, many floors the hotel contained.

luke wanted to say out there longer, looking around at his new home for about a week, but he felt something,

a force,

push him inside.
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WOOOOOO first chapter is uppppp.

these chapters aren't going to be very long, if you can't really tell aha.

but i really hope you're enjoying it so far, im superrrrr hype to be writing this.

twitter: iconicalhalsey

enjoy your stay,
maria