Roses and Thorns [An Ambrose Spellman Story]

C H A P T E R 1: Welcome to Greendale

Quiet. Normal. Peaceful. Boring. Those are the words we would use to describe the modern town of Greendale. While the downsides had their perks, the history of the town was the only aspect that made the town noticed.

The town that was rich in its history attracted few scholars, historians, and a good horror story lover- much like my older brother. That was why we decided to move here to a town that none of my friends even knew about. A town where my mother was born and that she once upon a time, escaped.

It was a chilly night and considering that it was almost the end of October, that was what one could expect. Although, not as cold as New York.

"Oh, look, they have food in there. Let's grab some, you're hungry right?" Rin asked as he started parking without waiting for my answer.

"Sure," I closed my sketchbook as he opened the car door, waiting for me to get out.

Cerberus Books was the name of the store. Rin goes to order as he tells me to go grab a seat while he orders. I walk into the sitting area and sit beside a booth of four people. It was the only table available. Taking out my phone, I scrolled through my texts.

"The whole thing functions as a metaphor"

"It was a monster movie, Susie"

"Devil's advocate, can't it be both?"

"Exactly! Exactly, it is both"

"Yes"

"On one level, yes, it's about zombies, but it's also about the Cold War." This piqued my interest. I didn't mean to eavesdrop but, the conversation sounded interesting.

"Civil rights"

"The collapse of the nuclear family," One of the girls says as she hits her hands on the table to press on to her point.

"Did we just watch different movies?" The boy asked, clearly confused.

"You didn't get that? From when the daughter turned into a zombie and then ate her mother?" I immediately caught on to the movie they were talking about.

"I think Harvey may have had his eyes closed during that part" The blonde girl laughed.

"Excuse me, sorry" The four looked over to me as I chuckled sheepishly. "I couldn't help but overhear, are you guys talking about the Night of the living dead?"

The short-haired brunette gasps, "Oh my god, yes we are, have you watched it?".

"Yeah, absolutely. It's a classic horror"

"Are you a fan of horror movies too?" The curly raven-haired girl asked.

"Yeah, I love horror movies. Although, not a lot of people I know enjoy it. The more gore it is, the better in my opinion"

"Hey, that's what Sabrina says too" The boy looked at the blonde girl he had his arm wrapped around.

"We haven't seen you around here," The blonde tilts her head.

"Oh, my brother and I actually just moved here" I chuckled.

"Oh, really? We don't get a lot of people out of town to settle in Greendale. Where are you from?" The boy asked.

"New York" I answered.

"Wow, that must be a pretty big change. Are you in high school?" The curly-haired girl asked.

"Uhm, yeah. I'm supposed to be going to Baxter High starting tomorrow. I'm Cora by the way" All of them smiled and looked at each other.

"We go to Baxter High as well. I'm Susie, this is Rosalind or Roz, that's Sabrina and Harvey" Suse introduced everyone to me.