Snakes, Skeletons, and Scary Stories

[Misfit_Alien]

Horror, and all things beneath the genre's umbrella, is an exquisite luxury that most don't understand. Not everyone can see the appeal of a scary story or movie. The rush of adrenaline you feel as the tension reaches a breaking point, the fear making your hair stand on end while your body is covered with goosebumps. Be it a slasher, a suspense thriller, a supernatural terror, or something stemming from folklore macabre...The horror genre is an untapped gold mine of impeccable stories, and that's exactly why Lynda Jäger was eager to pick up the newest copy of her favorite horror series, "Essays From the Damned"...a collection of short stories told from the perspectives of people who met grim, dark, and mysterious fates, with a twist always being revealed toward the end of their respective set of chapters. Perhaps it was the butler who did it...maybe it was all a misunderstood accident...It could be that it was just another victim in a string of murders...It didn't matter. The suspense and thrill were so...invigorating. You couldn't help but be absorbed into the story. The details felt so real that you'd swear you felt a phantom pain as you read the description depicting how a knife pierces the chest of its unaware victim.

Lynda was OBSESSED. So, of course, she needed to pick up this volume before it sold out. Usually, the blonde German woman would have pre-ordered a thing like this, but as fate would have it, she failed to register quickly enough before the website crashed and a backlog of orders was sent in. Now, the only way of getting her hands on this newest edition would be to go in person and snatch the book before any other fans or passersby attempted to take it before the store ran out of stock. And so, the blonde aristocratic woman enters the bookstore, immediately spots the section for new releases, and makes a beeline toward the display. And of course-...Only one copy left...Perfect. Lynda darts over to it, barely noticing it out the corner of her eye behind a wall. She reaches toward it and-...

[Sigma Morgan]

Karah had been excited for another book in her favorite horror series ever since it was announced though she was annoyed the website had crashed before she could preorder so she was stuck trying to find it at her favorite book store in person. It was obvious Karah was drawn to horror just from her wrestling attire but today she was wearing an Alice in Chains hoodie and jeans with black sneakers. Karah's eyes roamed the new releases section picking up a few other books as well to add to her collection. Inside the ring Karah was brutal and unrelenting, but in person she was shy, yet friendly and a bit of a dork. Her eyes the spotted it a copy of the book she was looking for, only one left. Karah immediately reached for it just to touch hands with someone. Karah immediately looked up to see a blond woman. "Oh, I'm sorry" Karah said pulling her hand away not wanting to create and awkward situation with a complete stranger even more awkward.

[Misfit_Alien]

Lynda reached for the book, but her hand smacked against someone else's who appeared beside her. The German woman's eyes lit up in surprise, but she quickly reaffirmed herself as she smiled, maintaining a friendly attitude. "Hoho-...no need to apologize, darling. It seems we've both got a keen eye and an appreciation for the fascinating works of this talented author. It's first come, first serve, after all...Needless to say, it's always pleasant to meet another individual with exquisite tastes in literature. These books sell out frequently with every release, but-...Well, despite their popularity, it's a struggle to find another person with an admiration for good horror these days. Most are far too squeamish to the idea." Lynda replied. She wore an all-black blouse outfit with a soft green trim around certain parts of her clothes. "I'm curious. If you don't mind me asking-...how long have you been following this series?"

[Sigma Morgan]

Karah outside the ring could be extremely awkward and shy being a loner for a lot of her life barely able to make eye contact but when she did, she couldn't help but stare into the soft baby blue eyes of the blonde as the woman spoke, she spoke in semi sophisticated way with a German sounding accent kind of getting lost for a moment until she heard the woman's question. "Oh um.... I've actually followed it since the first book though I read the authors work even before then" Karah replied. "I'm Karah by the way" the black haired woman said deciding to introduce herself.

[Misfit_Alien]

"Karah? That's a nice name~...How unique~." The German woman replied. "My name is Lynda. It's nice to meet you." She said before glancing down at the last book on the shelf. "Hm, I wanted so badly to buy a copy today, but I'd hate to fight a fellow fan over the last volume in-store. That'd be quite messy and unsightly-...So, how about a compromise? Why don't we read it together?" She offered. "We can grab something to drink at the in-house cafe and discuss while we read."

[Sigma Morgan]

Karah blushed slightly and looked at the ground for a moment hearing the remark about her name unsure how to react "It-Its nice to meet you Lynda" Karah replied before listening to the German woman's offer. "Well um... alright sure" Karah said with a small smile looking the pretty blonde in the eyes. Karah did think Lynda was cute despite just meeting, though Karah would keep that to herself for now considering she didn't know anything about this woman but her name.

[Misfit_Alien]

"Lovely~...You grab the book, I'll grab the coffee." She said, turning around with a slight twirl, letting her hair sway slightly before walking away. She would pay for two regular coffees and take a seat at a nice table in the cafe, waiting for Karah to arrive. When she did, she would smile at her with this warm, gleeful attitude. "I didn't know how you liked your coffee, so-...I got you a regular and snagged you a few packets of sugar and creamer, just in case." She said, applying some sugar to her own coffee. "I must say, I really am thankful for bumping into you." She said, smirking as she looked into Karah's eyes...the way she said that did she mean it as something more, or-...?

"Meeting another fan of this series is a pleasure that I don't get to indulge in if it's not through an online forum." Oh, of course not...Why would someone like Lynda be flirting with someone like Karah? A foolish, ignorant thought to ha-

"...And I have to say, of all the fans to bump into, I certainly lucked out meeting someone as lovely as you~"

[Sigma Morgan]

Before Karah could respond Lynda was already walking towards the cafe with a twirl. Carol looked at the woman giving her butt a short stare before turning back to the shelf and grabbing the book. Karah walked to the stores checkout, paying for the book and heading towards the cafe and the table Lynda was sitting at. Reaching the table Lynda's gleeful attitude brought Karah some joy a smile coming across her face. "It's fine I'll drink it no matter what way it is" Karah said putting some creamer in her coffee. Karah nodded and stared into the woman's eyes as she heard Lynda continuing to speak before pausing and blushing. Karah looked at the table blushing her hair aside hearing the German woman's last remark. "Well um. Thank you" Karah said turning her gaze back to the blonde beauty in front of her.

[Misfit_Alien]

"No need to thank me. I tend to make obvious observations." She commented. "I simply love to speak my mind whenever a thought that catches my interest comes along. But-...enough about me. Let's get to that book, shall we?" She said, moving her chair around the piece of furniture to sit beside Karah instead of across from her. "Ah, how exciting. It's been too long since the last volume. I can barely contain my excitement." She said, taking a sip of her coffee, unable to refrain from smiling as her abundance of excitement was evident. The two open the book and begin to read and discuss the first chapter, reacting to certain scenarios, making their assumptions, looking out for key details and twists before being surprised by a complete turn of events and subversion of expectations until-...

*Almost an hour later...*


"My, my, my~...That was a wonderful read, and I'm so glad I got to share this moment with a fellow fan. To think, I would have never anticipated the MOTHER to be the serial killer in that last one. I was certain that it was the far more callous maid. Oh, and the murder of the bank teller~...I still have goosebumps and chills running down my spine. Ahh~! I just love this series so much." She said.

[Sigma Morgan]

Karah continued to smile as Lynda. "Sure lets start" Karah said as Lynda brought her chair next to her and soon enough Karah had the book open and the two read and talked for almost an hour until the book was finished. Karah took one last sip of her coffee as Lynda recounted parts of the book that she liked and found notable. "Yeah that was great, I can't wait until the next book" Karah said with a smile. "So um. What would you like to talk about now" Karah asked starting to feel really comfortable around the blonde woman.