Black Roses & Blood Thorns

Chapter One

I rested my head against the passenger window, watching rain droplets racing down it. My mother slowed the car as she turned right, onto a dirt road. The mailbox at the end was dented and rusted, the door of it hanging open.

"This will be good, for the both of us Rose." My mother said as she drove further down the road, "It's the fresh start we needed, no one will know us here."

I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye, watching her as she ran a hand through her hair, a telltale sign that she was stressed.

The car stopped in front of a large two-story house, the white paint on the house was chipped, and the screen door hanging half off its hinges; I furrowed my brow as my mother got out of the car.

"Isn't it beautiful Rose?" She breathed, I looked back at the house, taking in the overgrown lawn and the shed off to the side, that's roof had fallen in some time ago.

"Mom, are you sure this is the house that was in the listing?" I asked her getting out of the car, the house that was before me looked nothing like the photo of the house she had shown me.

"Of course, it is, they had listed in the ad that this place needed some work. But look at the character, and imagine the history this house has." I looked at her and then back at the house; it didn't appear as if anyone had lived in it for years.

"Grab out your bags Rose," My mother said opening the hatch of the car, she grabbed out her bags and went up to the front of the house, and I closed the passenger door, letting it shut harder than necessary. I crossed my arms and leaned against the door, watching as my mother disappeared into the house.

"Alright then, this should be interesting," I mumbled beneath my breath as I went to the back of the car, I pulled out my backpack, slinging it over my shoulder.

Sam our German shepherd whined, from the back seats. I next grabbed out my suitcase, I set the suitcase on the ground, as I reached forward and began to untie Sam's leash, from the clip in the back of the car, suddenly I felt something brush against my leg and Sam began to growl, I jumped startled slamming my head against the ceiling of the car.

"Shit." I pressed a hand to the top of my head and turned around looking behind me, there was nothing, Sam was still growling deep in his throat. The hair along his back is standing on end. My skin prickled, as the feeling of being watched settled over me, I scanned the area, but still could see no sign of anything.

Warily I turned back around and finished untying Sam's leash, he jumped over the seats and out of the back of the car, still growling, I picked up my suitcase with my free hand and held onto Sam's leash with my other hand.

"Rose is everything okay, I heard Sam?" My mother asked coming out of the house, there was a smudge of dust on the front of her blue jeans.

"Yeah... everything's fine," I replied pulling on Sam's leash slightly getting his attention, he glanced at me, and then away, but he followed me anyways towards the house; his ears perked forward, and his hair lying flat on his back once again.

As I went up the steps of the porch, they creaked beneath my weight; I worried that they would give away beneath me from rot, but they held.

My mother had already ventured back into the house, seeing that everything was fine. I pulled open the screen door, it swung open precariously hanging off of only one hinge, As I entered the house, I saw my mother standing in the front room. Her hands were on her hips, a smile lighting her face, one I hadn't seen in a long time.

"Imagine it Rose, a good cleaning and a fresh coating of paint, this place could be beautiful," she said, my eyes wandered over the room, sunlight filtered in through dirtied windows. Cobwebs hung in the corners of the room, while dirt and dust covered the floor. The room looked as if it hadn't had a person step foot in it in years or decades.