Author's Notes: This is the result of playing Silent Hill too much.
Chapter One
Rodney woke with a start. He sat up in bed, listening for the sound that woke him.
Nothing.
Great. I'm hearing things in my sleep. What next?
Shaking his head, he climbed out of bed and dressed. Since I'm up anyway, I might as well get some work done.
He waved his hand over the door's controls. The door opened with protest, producing a creaking noise which raked down his spine. He winced and closed his eyes.
The sound stopped and he opened his eyes. Blackness greeted him.
Did the power go out? Why didn't anyone call me?
Grumbling, Rodney stepped into the darkness. A pool of dim light flickered every few feet.
The silence unnerved him.
What the hell is going on? Where is everyone?
He tapped his earpiece. "This is Dr. McKay, is anyone there? Sheppard? Jennifer?"
The only answer was static.
Determined to get to the bottom of this, he headed toward his lab. He needed to get the lights on. He strode through one of the pools of light and heard something squish under his foot. Heart racing, he lifted his foot and looked down.
What the hell? A red substance covered the bottom of his shoe. Is that what I think it is?
He knelt beside the pool and ran a finger through the substance. He sniffed it and a shiver went through him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Did I sleep through a massacre? I need to get the lights on.
He headed for the elevator. The lights of the controls weren't on. Groaning, he took off the panel. Sparks shot from the controls and he jumped back. He glared at the lightless panel.
Perfect. What else can go wrong?
Rodney placed the cover back over the panel, spun on his heel, and headed for the stairs.
~*~
Heading down the corridor to his lab, a scraping noise echoed through the darkness. Rodney stopped, his heart pounding in his chest. He looked behind him, but couldn't see a thing.
He shook his head. Are you an idiot? You can't see anything even if there was something back there.
Ignoring the sound, he hurried toward his lab. Sparks dropped from the ceiling and he ducked to his right, bumping into the wall. The wall felt spongy and he leaped from it, gaping. He reached out, touching the soft, fleshy surface.
I'm dreaming. This can't be real.
The scraping reverberated again and Rodney forced his feet forward. I'm almost there.
The noise grew louder, coming closer. He picked up his pace, sliding to a stop when he reached the doors to his lab. He waved his hand over the controls then cursed when he realized the lights weren't working. Hands shaking, he removed the panel and rearranged the slides until the doors opened. Sighing in relief, he rushed inside. The doors closed behind him. He leaned against them, shutting his eyes.
The scraping stopped. Oh, thank God. What the hell was that?
Exhaling slowly, he opened his eyes. The lights flickered and he caught movement deeper into the lab.
"Who's there? Radek?"
His fingers touched a laptop on the table to his right. He picked it up and stepped toward the movement.
Glass crashed to the floor and he jumped. He cursed himself for an idiot. Taking a deep breath, he moved further into the lab. His heart pounded in his ears and he gripped the tablet tighter.
He glanced around the panel. The strobe lights fell on a form, its back to him. Blonde hair fell down the figure's back.
"Sam?"
Rodney took a step closer, reaching out to her. He placed a hand on her shoulder, feeling the solidness beneath his fingers.
She turned in an agonizing slow circle to face him. The light bathed her face then flicked off. In that moment, Rodney stepped back, his heart in his throat, strangling him. The light flashed back on and Sam's bloody mouth opened wide in a silent scream.
~*~
Rodney bolted upright in bed, sweat pouring off his face. He glanced around the room only to find everything in order. He ran his hand over his face and took a deep breath.
That's the last time I eat before bed.
He climbed out of bed, grabbed some clean clothes, and headed for the shower. His stomach growled, but he ignored it. There was too much to do and he wanted to get his mind off the nightmare.
Stepping out of the tub, he grabbed a towel and dried off. He kept his mind blank, not wanting to dwell on the images or what they could mean. He tossed the towel onto his bed and quickly dressed.
The door opened normally with a whoosh and he relaxed. People and conversations surrounded him. He took a calming breath and headed for the mess hall. The doors swished open and sunlight poured from the large windows to his left. He grabbed a tray, tossed some food on it, then headed for a table.
He glanced around the room, glad to be surrounded by so many people. The last of the dream faded from his mind. He shook his head and sat down.
"You're up early."
Rodney looked up at Jennifer Keller. She'd pulled her long hair back into a pony tail. His dream flashed before him, but he shoved it into the back of his mind. She sat across from him and opened her bottle of water.
He pierced his eggs with a fork. "I didn't sleep well."
"Bad dreams?"
"The worst." He grabbed his cup of coffee and drank it down, not caring it burned on the way.
He closed his eyes, forcing the dark images from his mind. A warm hand covered his and he looked at Jennifer's concerned face.
"Want to talk about it?"
He scoffed and removed his hand from under hers and dug into his breakfast. "There's nothing to talk about. It was a stupid dream."
"I can see."
Rodney glared at her, but she didn't look away. He grumbled and shoveled eggs into his mouth.
"Ok, you don't want to talk. I can take a hint."
He rolled his eyes, but she only smiled. The beauty of the grin chased away the last visages of the dream, leaving him calm. He returned her smile and relaxed in his seat, letting the nightmare fade away.
~*~
Rodney strode into his lab, ready and excited to get to work. A shiver went through him when he picked up a tablet, but he shoved it aside.
Stop it! You have better things to do. Bury yourself in work and forget about that ridiculous dream.
A hand touched his shoulder. He jumped and spun to face Zelenka.
"What the hell are you doing? Are you trying to send me to an early grave? Say something next time!"
Zelenka blinked, but cleared his throat. "Here are the reports from yesterday."
Fighting back a snarl, Rodney snatched the tablet from Radek's hand. He scanned the reports, made a note, then shoved the computer into the other scientist's hand.
"Announce yourself next time."
"Right. I'll just email them."
"Good." Rodney turned back to his tablet, dismissing Zelenka.
"McKay, did you forget about our mission today?"
Rodney closed his eyes and sighed. He pressed his earpiece. "Apparently, since I'm in the lab."
"Well, gear up and get to the gate. Sheppard out."
Gritting his teeth, Rodney tossed the device onto the table, grabbed his laptop, and headed for the armory.
Twenty minutes later, he marched into the Gateroom. Sheppard gave him a self satisfied smirk.
"You get lost?"
Rodney glared at him. "I know this city better than you do, Colonel."
"If you say so."
Sheppard zipped up his jacket, checked his gun then glanced up at the balcony.
"We'll check in in about an hour."
Woolsey nodded. "I'll be waiting for it."
Sheppard turned. "Let's move out."
Rodney followed his team mates through the horizon.
In no time, he stepped through onto another planet. He looked around his surroundings, taking in the trees, the grey sky, the gravel path leading into the forest. An eerie stillness settled over the area.
"Why are we here again?"
Sheppard glanced at him. "Exploring."
"Right, cause we're so bored."
"You can go back." Ronon's irritated voice stopped the banter.
"Let's see where the path goes." Sheppard stepped onto the rocky path.
Rodney sighed and followed after Sheppard. A slight breeze ruffled his hair, bringing a chill with it. He shivered and looked to his right then left. The place was too quiet for his liking.
"It's going to rain," Ronon said behind him.
Rodney rolled his eyes. "Really? Did the grey skies tip you off or was it the ice cold breeze?"
"That's enough, McKay."
"Pardon me for being unsettled by the deathly silence of this place."
Sheppard cast a glance at him. "Did you get up on the wrong side of the bed?"
Rodney narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, that's it. I got up on the wrong side of the bed."
Another breeze blew across them, even colder than the first. Rodney pulled his leather jacket tighter around him. The rustling of the leaves seemed to sound more like a moan. He looked up at them as they entered the forest.
"Looks like this path hasn't been used in awhile."
He stared at Sheppard's back. "What makes you say that?"
"The grass is growing through it."
"You don't say? I wouldn't have guessed that."
"Did anyone bring the duct tape?"
"Oh, very funny."
"Can I hit him?"
Rodney turned a glare at Ronon. "Just try it."
Ronon smiled and twirled his gun. Rodney cleared his throat and turned back around. He nearly ran into Sheppard, who had stopped. Glancing around the Colonel, he saw nothing to give Sheppard pause.
"What is it?"
"I thought I saw something up ahead."
A chill went through him and he couldn't blame it on the wind. He brought out his laptop and turned it on.
"I'm going to check for life signs. We should have done this before we even started this trek."
"Now, who's stating the obvious?"
Rodney rolled his eyes, but said nothing. The time for ridiculing each other was over. They needed to know what they were up against, if there was anything out there.
The computer beeped. "Ah, finally. Checking for life signs."
He tapped a few keys and the screen showed him four dots, but nothing else.
"We're the only life signs for several miles in all directions."
"Then what the hell did I just see?"
Rodney didn't have an answer. He looked back at the screen and the four small dots. It wasn't rare for them to come across a planet with no life, but something about it bothered him this time.
The wind seemed to whisper to him, wrapping itself around him. He shook the feeling away.
"Let's keep moving."
Rodney couldn't argue with that. Sheppard picked up the pace, but avoided breaking into a run. A light mist began to fall, making the dismal surroundings even more so.
"If there's not a haunted house at the end of this path, I'll be very disappointed."
Rodney rolled his eyes. "You watch too many horror movies. There's nothing here."
"The life signs detector doesn't pick up ghosts, Rodney."
"I know that."
Movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention. He drew his gun, aiming it at the forest. His eyes scanned the vegetation. His heart pounded in his chest. He glanced at the screen, but saw nothing.
"You were saying?"
"Shut up, Sheppard. Maybe they're wearing something that can't be picked up."
Sheppard aimed his P-90 at the trees. "You hope."
He glanced sideways at the Colonel, but said nothing. He knew what Sheppard meant and he couldn't help, but agree. Out here in this galaxy anything could happen.
"Let's find the ending to this damn path."
Sheppard continued along the now overgrown pathway. Rodney kept his eyes on the computer screen, but nothing appeared along with their dots. Frustration grew inside him. They weren't imagining the movements, but the shadows didn't stay still for identification.
This is getting annoying. Something's out there. Maybe Sheppard's right and they are ghosts.
At that thought, he shook his head. Ghosts didn't exist, even in this galaxy. There had to be another explanation.
"Maybe it's some kind of technology doing this." He tapped on the keys to bring up another program to search for advanced technology.
He looked up to offer a smug smile, but Sheppard wasn't there. The icy fingers of fear worked its way up his spine. He looked behind him only to find Ronon and Teyla weren't there. His pulse raced through his veins. When the compute peeped, he jumped.
"Nothing. Great." He slapped his computer closed and turned in a complete circle. "Sheppard! Come out of the tree. This isn't funny."
Only the wind answered.
"Perfect." Rodney jogged down the path, hoping to catch up to the others.
After a few minutes of running, he didn't see the others. He slowed to a walk, breathing heavily. He took a large gulp of air and looked behind him.
I should have caught to them by now. Maybe I should head to the gate and report them missing.
Rustling caught his attention and he turned, his gun aimed at the bushes. The mist had turned into a sprinkle, the cold drops landing on his head. He'd almost forgot about the chill.
"Sheppard?" He closed his eyes on a groan. Isn't this how horror movies began?
Grumbling, he headed down the path, ignoring the nagging feeling that something was wrong. He needed to find the others and get back to the gate. This place was a bust and too creepy for words. He wanted to relax in a nice warm bath and a cup of coffee.
He turned left at the bend in the path and stopped short. His mouth dropped open at the sight of the gate.
He looked behind him. What the hell? How did that happen?
Rodney hurried toward the gate, but drew up short when he spotted the DHD. Vines grew up from the ground, covering the device. Rust and more vines covered the actual gate. It appeared to not have been used in decades.
No, no, no, no. This can't be happening. Get a hold of yourself.
He placed his tablet back in his backpack then jogged toward the DHD. He quickly removed the vines off the surface. He scanned the buttons. Most were missing, while others were broken. He groaned.
Maybe this is a different Stargate. I should head back to the other one.
Rodney spun to head back and came face to face with something from a nightmare. A deformed figure with long white hair stood a few feet from him. His heart dropped to his stomach.
It began walking toward him, black blood dripped from its body. Garbled noises came from the creature. It reached toward him, the slit in its grey palm snarled.
"Oh, hell."
Rodney pulled out his gun and emptied his ammo into the twisted Wraith. It kept coming.
He scrambled away from the DHD and raced toward the tree line. He tripped, stumbled in an attempt to catch his balance, then landed face first into the ground.
