American Horror Story, Starting from Falls Town

Chapter 406 Howl's House
Acton is located north of Los Angeles and is a small town so small that it doesn't even have an encyclopedia entry.

It's not too far from the San Fernando Valley; you can get there by taking Highway 14.

Lydia was very anxious after learning that her daughter might be expelled from school, so she begged Roy to send her to Acton.

Because Lydia can't drive, and there aren't many buses to Acton.

Having no other choice, in order to gain Lydia's trust, Roy decided to help her by sending her to Acton.

Roy called Saltana and asked her to take Bumblebee to Sangeviki, and then drove Bumblebee to take Lydia to Acton.

On the way, Lydia couldn't stay awake and fell asleep. Roy saw that she was too tired, so he didn't wake her up.

"Aster, you can come out now."

A middle-aged woman in a nun's habit opened the door to a solitary confinement cell. Inside sat a black-haired girl with a rebellious expression on her face.

This person is Lydia's daughter, Astrid, a teenage girl going through a rebellious phase.

"This is my last warning to you, Astrid! If you break the school rules again, I will expel you from school!"

The black-haired girl looked at the nun with an indifferent expression, as if the words were going in one ear and out the other.

"And why are you wearing such tattered clothes?"

(This woman is really not good-looking. I don't know why she can make so many movies. Her reviews are not as good as Kelly Cowan's.)

The nun grabbed Astrid's arm and pointed at her clothes.

This is probably a very popular ripped outfit in big cities, but to the conservative nun, it's just tattered and worn out.

"Do not touch me!"

The rebellious Astrid broke free from the nun's hand and walked out of the confinement room.

Watching the girl's retreating figure, the nun shook her head, a helpless expression on her face.

"Astrid, your mother, Ms. Foster, may come to see you at school today."

Upon hearing this, Astrid paused, but then quickly resumed her steps and walked away into the distance.

"She can come or not, it's up to her!"

Like many rebellious teenagers, Astrid was very dissatisfied with her mother, Lydia.

Ashley: I know this stuff!

How many of these cases are due to their mothers not being able to be by their side?
In any case, Astrid would never admit that this was the reason she was unhappy with Lydia; she always felt that her mother's charlatanism on television made her feel ashamed.

This is also the reason why many fights break out at school.

Since it was the weekend and there were no classes, Astrid went straight back to her dorm.

The school's dormitories are four-person rooms, and as soon as you enter, three girls greet Astrid as if he were a hero.

"Let us welcome the great hero Astrid!"

One girl was shaking a maracas, another was blowing a whistle, and yet another was waving a small flag.

Now let's name the three girls based on their characteristics.

A girl wearing a white tank top is called a short-haired girl, a girl with blonde hair is called a blonde girl, and a girl with obvious apex hair is called a black-haired girl.

(The casting in old movies is still better)
Anyone who didn't know better would think Astrid had done something extraordinary, but in reality, she had just gotten into a fight and spent a day in solitary confinement.

Astrid walked into the dormitory with a proud look on her face, as if she really considered herself a hero.

"How's it going, Astrid? How's it feeling being in solitary confinement?"

The short-haired girl leaned over and massaged Astrid's shoulders, and Astrid looked very pleased.

"Hmm—so-so, nothing special!"

The blonde girl also came over.

"But I heard that a boy was so scared when he was put in solitary confinement that he wet his pants!"

Astrid looked unconvinced.

"What use are those useless boys?"

The black-haired girl nodded repeatedly.

"That's absolutely right! Astrid, do you still dare to break the school rules?"

Upon hearing this, Astrid hesitated slightly, because Sister Meryl had just warned her a few minutes earlier.

At that moment, the short-haired girl who was massaging Astrid's shoulders leaned close to her ear and whispered something.

"Asteria, are you scared?"

People of Astrid's age are very concerned about their image; how could they possibly admit to being afraid?

"Afraid? I'm never afraid! Tell me, what do you want to play?"

The blonde girl grinned and put her arm around Astrid's neck.

"Hehe! I knew Astrid was the best! We're planning to sneak out of school tonight and have a party, what do you think?"

Astrid's eyes lit up. She was at the age where she loved to have fun, and naturally she was eager to go to a party.

However, as the leader, one naturally needs to be serious in order to project authority.

"Not bad. Where is the party being held?"

The dark-haired girl answered Astrid's question.

"The location is a secret, and there will be quite a few handsome guys attending in the evening, so be sure to wear your best clothes!"

Upon hearing that there was a handsome guy, Astrid's eyes lit up slightly, but in order to maintain her persona, she still pouted and pretended to be dissatisfied.

Why bring those silly guys along?

Many teenagers are in a similar situation, belittling the opposite sex for the sake of their individuality or face, and thus often missing out on many opportunities.

The short-haired girl noticed Astrid's little scheme, but she didn't say anything.

"There always have to be some boys doing the dirty and hard work, right?"

This convinced Astrid.

"You have a point!"

Astrid began to imagine what surprises the party would bring tonight, but she didn't notice the knowing smiles on her three roommates' faces.

At night, after the dormitory lights were turned off, four girls quietly got up, turned on their flashlights, and began to put on makeup and get ready.

For many American girls, a party is undoubtedly a war, and they must enter the battlefield "fully armed".

Makeup is a woman's weapon, and clothes are a woman's battle armor; you must be well prepared before a party.

However, Astrid only dressed up casually, putting on smoky makeup and changing into a punk outfit before calling it a day.

Compared to the preparations her three roommates made, Astrid's preparations were far too simple.

The blonde girl gave Astrid a strange look.

"Asteria, are you really going to the party like this?"

Astrid pouted.

"That's enough. You guys aren't really trying to find boyfriends at the party, are you?"

The black-haired girl retorted to Astrid while combing her hair.

"Even if there isn't a guy you like, you can't just deal with it like this!"

"Ugh! What a hassle! I'm not going to do anything so troublesome for those immature boys!"

The blonde girl wanted to say something, but the alert short-haired girl seemed to have heard something.

Shh! There are footsteps!

Instantly, the four girls in the dormitory quickly turned off their flashlights and went back to their beds to lie down.

After a while, Sister Meryl took a flashlight, pushed open the dormitory door, took a look, and after confirming that there was no problem, she closed the door and left.

Only after the footsteps completely disappeared did the four girls sit up again.

"Phew! How come this old hag always appears out of nowhere? I feel like I'm going to be scared to death if this keeps up!" The black-haired girl couldn't help but complain.

"What's there to be afraid of! At worst, we'll just get locked up!"

Astrid looked completely unconcerned, leaving the short-haired girl speechless.

"Are you addicted to solitary confinement?"

"You're the one who's addicted!"

The blonde quickly stopped the two from arguing.

"Stop arguing and hurry up and do your makeup! We've already wasted a lot of time and we're going to be late for our appointment!"

The short-haired girl shrugged.

"What's there to be afraid of! We girls have the right to be late! Let those boys wait!"

The dark-haired girl agreed with the short-haired girl.

"Exactly! Even if we're late, the boys will definitely forgive us if they see us all dressed up nicely!"

So the three girls continued dressing up, changing into sexy and alluring outfits.

As for Astrid, all she could do was keep watch and prevent Meryl from launching a surprise attack.

At 11:30, half an hour later than the agreed time, the four girls in the dormitory finally got ready to leave.

The dormitory was very quiet; the students and nuns were all asleep. Since America's school usually didn't have walls, Astrid and the others easily ran out of the school and arrived at the agreed-upon location.

At this moment, an old-fashioned muscle car was parked here, with four boys sitting inside.

Astrid knew these boys; they were all male students at the school and roommates in the same dormitory.

"How could it be you?"

Why can't it be us?

The male driver got out of the car and passionately kissed the dark-haired woman; they were clearly in a romantic relationship.

Okay, this boy is wearing a red baseball cap, let's call him Little Red Riding Hood.

The other three boys are: one who wears glasses and looks rather quiet, so let's call him Glasses Guy; another who is very burly, so let's call him Physical Education Student; and the last boy who is wearing a very fashionable leather jacket, so let's call him Leather Jacket Guy.

Three boys also got off the bus to welcome Astrid and her friends.

It was obvious that this party was a dormitory social event started by Little Red Riding Hood and the black-haired girl, or rather, the two of them wanted to be able to openly express their love. They started kissing each other and then kept kissing, which made Astrid look disgusted.

Actually, the four boys each have their own unique characteristics. Even the bespectacled guy, who seems rather quiet and shy, is quite handsome. The short-haired girl and the blonde girl seem quite satisfactory to him. However, Astrid doesn't seem to find any boys her own age attractive.

Astrid then raised a new question.

"There's only one car, can all of us fit in?"

The guy in the leather jacket kept flirting with the blonde girl next to him, and casually answered Astrid's question.

"It's very simple! You just need to sit on our laps, and you'll definitely be able to fit!"

The blonde girl smiled at the leather-clad guy, clearly taking a liking to him too.

"What a great idea!"

"What kind of crazy idea is this? I'm not sitting on anyone's lap!"

There was no other way; in the end, the blonde sat on the leather-jacket guy's lap, the short-haired girl sat on the PE student's lap, the brunette sat on Little Red Riding Hood's lap, Astrid sat in the passenger seat, and the bespectacled guy was stuck in the middle of the back seat, feeling depressed.

Although this makes it more dangerous for Little Red Riding Hood to drive, at least the car can fit eight people.

However, in small towns like Acton, the streets are deserted after 8 p.m., so as long as Little Red Riding Hood doesn't floor the gas pedal, nothing usually goes wrong.

The eight boys and girls officially set off.

Where exactly are we going to have a party?

Astrid was still somewhat curious.

You'll see when you get there!

The black-haired girl looked at Astrid with a grin. It seemed that everyone present except Astrid knew where the destination was.

A dozen minutes later, the muscle car drove up a small hill in the suburbs, where a dilapidated old house stood.

Astrid looked at the old house on the hillside in surprise.

"Howl's House? Are you guys crazy? Holding a party in a godforsaken place like this!"

Howl's House is a famous haunted house in Acton, famous because a bloody incident occurred there ten years ago.

At that time, Astrid was just a little girl, but she was still deeply impressed by the bloodshed that occurred at Howl's House.

Ten years ago, a woman named Angela lived in the House of Howl.

On Halloween, Angela hosted a unique party at her home.

Everyone who attended that party died, and the police carried more than twenty bodies out of Howl's House!

After investigation, the police finally uncovered the truth behind the bloodshed.

Angela is a follower of a cult that sacrifices everyone in the house on Halloween in order to gain demonic power.

However, the sacrifice appears to have failed, so Angela committed suicide.

However, rumors circulated that Angela's body had disappeared from the morgue, and strange noises were subsequently reported at Howl's House.

As a result, this place became a famous haunted house in Acton, and even the town's cats and dogs would choose to go around this old house.

The black-haired girl gave an explanation.

"Our entire party budget went to buying beer and food, so we didn't have any extra money to rent a venue. That's why we chose Howl's House. It's spacious, and nobody else comes, so we can party all night long!"

Astrid was still somewhat hesitant.

"That's what I said, but..."

The short-haired girl sitting behind Astrid leaned close to Astrid's ear and whispered something.

"Asteria, are you scared?"

Astrid immediately straightened up.

"Fear! I've never known what fear is!"

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get out of the car!"

The boys and girls got off the bus, and the boys took the initiative to unload things from the trunk. There was an old-fashioned tape recorder, several cans of beer, and a lot of snacks such as fried chicken and fries.

It seems the black-haired girl and Little Red Riding Hood have indeed prepared quite a lot.

The six of them walked into Howl's House, chatting and laughing, completely ignoring the legend of the haunted house.

Only Astrid lagged behind; she wasn't actually as fearless as she appeared.

At this moment, the shy bespectacled guy approached Astrid.

Are you afraid of the legends of haunted houses?

Astrid glared at the guy with glasses.

"What are you talking about? I, Astrid, have never believed in such things!"

The man with glasses gave a faint smile.

"Really? Would you like me to tell you the real story behind this haunted house?"

Upon hearing this, the people walking in front immediately turned around.

The guy in the leather jacket looked at the guy with glasses with excitement.

"Perry, you know about this? Tell me, tell me!"

The guy with glasses pushed up his glasses.

"It's not atmospheric to talk about this here, let's go inside and talk about it."

　Adapted from the comedy horror film "Haunted Licker 2".

　　
　
(End of this chapter)