"My fucking name is Sam, not Samara."

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Five days earlier

"Where the fuck are they? This was supposed to be our meeting spot!" Gage hissed, hysterically pacing up and down the room. He wasn't wrong, though, everyone agreed that if we ever managed to escape, we'd come to my friend Buck who owned a diner which had a room at the back, invisible to the public and perfect for us to hide. He's the person I've known my entire life and I considered him a father, which is why I never doubted his loyalty.

"Maybe they went too far and needed some time to come back," Canny suggested, but I immediately turned his idea down. They would find a way to contact and inform us on the situation. They wouldn't be so careless.

No, there was something wrong. They were in trouble, I could feel it.

"Here's the plan," I told them, clearing my throat. "Gage and I will go out and try to find out what happened. Canny, if they come here, tell Buck and he'll know what to do."

He nodded as Gage and I picked up our jackets and knifes, hiding them in our waistbands and preparing ourselves for the worst.

"Fuck, why is it so bloody cold?" Gage snorted when we got out on the street, pulling a hat over his head. I laugued, covering my eyes with black sunglasses and grabbing a cigarette.

"Maybe the end of the world began when we escaped," I told him as I lit the cigarette, inhaling the smoke and blowing it in the air.

"Hey, don't even joke about that shit," he pointed his finger at me and gestured me to give him a cigarette. I tossed him the pack and tugged my hands into the pockets of my jeans.

He wasn't wrong, though, it was too fucking cold for this time of the year, which is something I can't remember happening since I was a kid.

"I'm just saying, it's middle of the Summer and we're wearing fucking jackets," I pointed out, to which he scoffed and handed me the pack back.

"Do you know what's happening? Emrys got under your skin and filled your head with those stupid conspiracy theories," he blew a circle of smoke into the air, lowering his head soon afterwards.

I chuckled, tossing the cigarette on the ground and stomping on it as we walked by it. "I swear, he has a mind of a toddler."

"Atlas, where the fuck are we going?" he asked me after couple minutes of silence. I smiled, thinking of only one person who could help us at the moment.

The person who has the most sources in this town and knows everything about everyone.

"We're going for a drink," I smirked, punching a glass bottle out of our way.

✘✘✘

We arrived in front of the only bar that would serve teenagers alcohol in the entire town just after ten minutes of walking. I took off my glasses as Gage did with his hat, tucking them in my shirt.

Gage pushed the door open, warm air embracing our bodies with a friendly welcome. I instantly spotted a girl sitting on a stool at the bar, her back turned facing us as she swirled a cigarette between her slender fingers, her nails painted black. Her long, wavy brown hair was loose and body stiff, black clothes and leather pants showing just how little she cared for public opinions, which considered her as a troubled girl just by her dark appearance and smoking habits.

Her older brother Josh owned this bar and he didn't care about who he was serving or how old they were, as long as they paid him. I talked to him couple of times in the past and let me tell you, he's the kind of person you don't want to have trouble with, but if you two got along, you'll have the time of your fucking life. Not only he could sell you all types of drugs and weapons, but he could take you places you would've never been able to go to without him.

That's why Samara was troubled, though - she learned from the best.

Besides her, couple more people were sitting around the bar, mostly teenagers enjoying their drinks and having the time of their lives.

"Do you know who's that?" I whispered to Gage, who was speechlessly looking at the girl, too. She was too difficult to miss, her body radiating with something unhuman and almost devilish.

No doubt she had to be fucking crazy to be friends with Emrys, let alone fall in love with him.

"No," he replied, looking at me with confusion and furrowed brows.

"That's Samara Riley," I told him and his face instantly lit with recognition. "Emrys' long lost-"

"-childhood crush," he finished my sentence, amusement appearing on his face. "This will be fun," he quietly sang and walked towards her, placing one hand on the counter next to her and the other in his back pocket.

"Hello, beautiful," he told her with a mischevious smirk, using his charismatic appearance to impress her. She looked up to him with a raised brow, her face expression showing she didn't give a fuck about him.

"I don't know who the hell are you or why you're here, but please don't talk to me," she told him off and flicked her hair with a single movement, gesturing him she's not interested.

I sighed and walked next to defeated Gage, who was wordlessly staring at her, not able to process what had just happened. Gage was rarely rejected, but when it did happen, he wouldn't let it go until that girl would kick his balls or slap the shit out if him.

I cleared my throat, making her look up to me. "Hi," I told her with a smile, giving her a small nod. It only took one look at my face, I assumed specifically my eyes, for her to gasp in shock and grab our hands, pulling us in the small, dark room behind the bar, filled with weapons, drugs and bottles of alcohol.

"Where is he?" she hissed at us after she made sure nobody saw us and locked the door. "What the fuck went through your heads to come to such a public place?!"

"Listen, Samara, we have a problem," I told her and she instantly raised her finger in front of my face, clearly pissed off about something.

"Sam," she corrected me, her voice sounding extremely offended. "My fucking name is Sam, not Samara," she mimicked my voice, making Gage snicker. I shot him a dirty look before I directed my attention back to her, clearing my throat.

"Okay, Sam, this is the situation," I told her, only to be cut off again.

"Why the fuck wouldn't you talk to me?" Gage wanted to know, looking at her with furrowed eyebrows, his eyes filled with hurt and confusion. "I look like a motherfucking model."

"You're not my type," she simply replied, briefly glancing at him and back at me.

"What the fuck does that mean?! I'm everybody's type!" he raised his voice, which caused her to reach towards her boot and pull out a knife, slamming him against a wall and pressing the blade against his neck.

"You are fucking annoying," she told him, gritting her teeth, which only pulled a smirk on his face. "Nobody likes you and your face is stupid."

"I love women who can defend themselves. Has anyone ever told you how good you smell?" he asked her, which only pissed her off more. Before she could slit his fucking throat, I ran towards them and pulled her away, glaring at Gage.

"Okay, that's enough," I stood in between the two of them, making sure it's safe before I moved. "We have a problem, Gage, stop fucking around," I told him and Sam nodded, placing the knife back in her boot.

"What's the problem?" she asked me, crossing arms on her chest and fixing her hair.

"It's about Emrys, Jesus and Brandy," I told her. "We escaped and we had to separate to distract the cops," I filler her in, her eyes filling with worry as soon as I mentioned Emrys' name. "We don't know where they are, it has been hours."

"Wait, wait," she raised her hands in the air and placed them on her slim waist. "Who the fuck are Brandy and Jesus?"

"That's not the fucking point, Sam! They are gone, we can't find them!" Gage screamed in irritation, tying his hair in a man bun.

"Okay," she thought for a while, pacing up and down the room. "I'm going to make some calls and I'll get back at you," she told us and walked towards the door, turning to us with seriousness. "Don't fucking move or touch anything," she stared at us for a while, making sure we understood her words, before she left.

She slammed the doors behind her and locked us inside. I looked at Gage, who nonchalantly took a bottle of Bourbon and opened it, taking a big chug.

"What the fuck is your problem?" I told him and snatched the bottle from him, causing the liquor to spill all over him.

"What the fuck was that for?" he hissed, smacking my head and wiping his mouth.

"We are in deep shit and you can only think about your fucking ego?"

"Dude, I was just having a drink," he scowled and pouted, crossing arms in objection. I sighed and rubbed the bridge of my nose, too stressed to deal with his brainless actions.

"What the fuck are you talking about?! You tried to flirt with Sam and when you failed, you took it too personal like you usually do!"

He scoffed, shaking his head. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

I raised my eyebrows, my mouth spreading in amused smirk. "Oh, yeah? I wonder what would Emrys do to you if he ever finds out about it," I blackmailed him, to which he gasped.

"Fine! She rejected me and I was fucking offended! Happy now?" he asked me and I smiled, leaning against some boxes.

"More than happy."

"Fucking know-it-all," he mumbled to himself, clearly frustrated by my words.

Suddenly, doors slammed open, making both of us flinch. Sam stood at the doorstep, still holding onto doorknob and looking at us with panic.

"They caught them," she informed us, tears of anger filling her eyes. "Fucking Blue locked them in the East Wing!"

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