Silent Hill - Rebirth
Chapter One
Sunday, November 8th
The scenery drifting by on both sides of the road was drab, gray, and lifeless. Of course, things usually were this time of year anyway, but still, Nathan didn't have to like it. His light brown eyes, filled with boredom from the hours of unentertaining travel time, peered out the car window as his older sister sped them along a rather deserted stretch of old highway. He tried to ignore the fact that he could see his breath coming out in small plumes, but the shivers that kept creeping up his spine were making it hard to pretend that it wasn't negative forty degrees in the car. Stealing a glance over at his sister, Nathan fought the urge to throw something at her. She seemed oblivious to the freezing temperature and in fact, looked positively comfortable. She was more than likely doing in on purpose, he would have bet his Red Sox baseball (signed by the whole team) on it. Unable to take another hour of freezing hell he frowned and barked,
"Are you done freezing my dick off, Bridge, or should I start saving now for reattachment surgery?"
Bridgette, or more fondly known as Bridge to friends and family, looked away from the road for a moment to find the tormented face of her younger brother. His nose was tinged red, as were his cheeks and his mouth was curled into a frown of discomfort. Unable to stop herself, she burst into a fit of giggles at both the sight and his words. Nathan didn't find it very amusing and deepened his scowl to show so.
"It isn't funny dammit, I'm cold as hell! What is it with you pregnant chicks and heat flashes huh? Why not just go stay in the arctic circle instead?"
Her apology came out broken as she tried to get her laughter under control. "I'm so sorry, Nate… I didn't…even realize…it was cold in here at all, you should have…have said something earlier!"
"Yeah, well, I didn't want you getting too hot or nothin'…" he grumbled while reaching forward to turn the heater back on, his expression a picture of instant relief as a blast of hot air hit him in the face.
With a fond smile on her lips, Bridgette turned her attention back to the road. She really did love her younger brother and he had been more than supportive during her pregnancy, more than she deserved if she was honest with herself. At the thought of her maternity, one of her hands slid down to caress her bulging stomach. It was an unconscious habit she'd developed soon after everything in her life had fallen apart, a habit that gave comfort through the whole ordeal that now had her driving half way across the country.
Up until three months ago her life had been going according to plan. She'd had a charming fiancé, a child on the way, a great job and a prospective house that they were looking to buy. Granted she was only twenty-three, but Bridgette had always been the type of girl who looked forward to being a mother and a housewife, and three months ago that dream had been within her grasp. Then enter the long lost ex girlfriend who was the love of her Prince Charming's life. Apparently the woman had decided that being independent and alone wasn't as great as she had hoped, and after hearing that, Bridgette's fiancé had vanished in the middle of the night with his old girlfriend. He was kind enough though, to leave behind five hundred dollars and a note saying she should get an abortion and move on. Bridgette still had the note, and whenever she felt the need to get angry again she would pull it out and remind herself that there was no such thing as the perfect life.
She had never even once considered having an abortion, even if it had been possible after six months of pregnancy. It wasn't that she thought God would punish her if she did it because Bridgette didn't even believe in God, but she still felt that it would be the wrong move. She knew in her heart that if she had gone through with it she would, for the rest of her life, think about the child she never had… So she blew all the money on baby supplies and tried to keep her life in some semblance of order for her future child. Unfortunately, she was unable to keep her job for much longer after that due to her problematic pregnancy. She often had to call out, and she'd made more hospital visits in the past five months than she had in her entire life before then. Jobless, she was unable to keep paying rent and any idea of a future house crumbled up into a little wad of broken dreams and flushed itself right down the metaphorical-toilet.
If it hadn't been for her brother she would have lost the apartment a month ago, but he had come to her rescue and had held her head above the ever-rising tide of misfortune. After helping her tie up some loose ends, he said that coming home would be the best thing to do, and so that was what they were doing…going home.
Sparing a quick glance at Nathan, Bridgette smiled again. He'd grown so much since she left home and it was still hard taking in all the changes. He was twenty-one, tall, handsome, and had a scruffy beard coming in that could either have been intentional or the product of laziness; she'd hazard to guess the latter. His dishwater blonde hair matched hers, and they had the same pale eyes, but that was where the similarities ended. Unlike Nathan, Bridgette really hadn't gotten much of their father's good looks. She took mostly after their mother who was rather short and plump, though always a pleasure to be around. Bridgette too, was short and a little overweight, though the pregnancy did make it worse, and her most redeeming qualities were in her personality. Just like her mother she was far too friendly, and both women had a natural way of making everyone feel at ease around them.
Bridgette wondered if she would ever find a man like her father; a man who liked her for her personality, who loved her for who she was not how she looked, but did those even exist anymore? Having successfully depressed herself, she sighed and concentrated on the road, trying to leave her thoughts on the trail behind. They still had hours to drive till they reached Pennsylvania, though the rumbling in her stomach suggested another hour delay for a short pit stop.
"Are you hungry or anything?" Bridgette ventured, hoping for a positive answer.
"Hmm…yeah, I could eat. Where'd you have in mind?"
"Anything at the next stop really," she said with a smile, "You have any suggestions?"
"As long as it serves something with meat, I'll be ok."
Happy with the knowledge that food would come soon, Bridgette kept an eye out for any road signs that signaled towards restaurants and gas stations. After five minutes or so she spotted a sign for the town of Brahms. It didn't specify if food or gas was available but she was pretty sure that something would be there so she waited for the exit then turned in.
It was just a little after noon when the two siblings finished filling both their stomachs and the car. They pulled out of Brahms eager to get home and refreshed from the quick stop. Nathan was driving now, so Bridgette reclined the seat back and relaxed, thoughts of her parents and her future daughter filling her with warm reassurance and sending her off into a light sleep.
It didn't seem like more than ten or so minutes passed before Nathan shook her shoulder and jolted her out of a dream. Her heart slammed against her ribcage, and as Bridgette clutched her chest she frowned and looked at her brother, "God, what's with the rude awaking?"
"Well, two reasons actually," he began with a curious look in his eyes, "First off, you were whimpering and throwing punching at the air in your sleep and I really wasn't in the mood to get slugged on accident, second, you have got to take a look at this…"
He motioned towards the front windshield drawing his sister's gaze forward. Looking around, Bridgette's frown remained stationary on her face. When they left Brahms the sky had been clear and cold but now they were enveloped with a thick fog and a gentle snow. She couldn't see past maybe six or seven feet ahead.
"When did this happen?"
"That's the freaky part, a couple a minutes ago there wasn't a cloud in the sky, then boom; I'm driving through pea-fucking-soup."
"Well…where are we?"
"Dunno, we just passed a sign for Silent Hills or something like that, but you were only out for thirty minutes or so, so we ain't that far from the last town."
"You ok to drive in this?" Bridgette asked with concern, her own ability to drive in the fog questionable.
"Yeah, I'm good, just thought you outta see the freak weather too. Go ahead and get some more sleep though."
Trying to ignore the anxious feeling building in her stomach, Bridgette nodded and leaned back again without another word. It was strange…she trusted her brother's driving implicitly, so she knew the nervous tension wasn't from him navigating them through this weather, but she could come up with no other reason for the odd feelings. Deciding that it was the pregnancy making her more worried than she normally would be, Bridgette closed her eyes and tried to dose off…
The strange symbol was painted on the bathroom mirror with gaudy red lipstick, florescent in the dim lighting. It didn't mean anything to her but still inspired unease as she stared at it, trying to discern its meaning. Who had put it there? Why? The drawing, foreign and sinister, seemed to shimmer on the mirror and come alive; it began to glow and pulse, reminding Bridgette of a heartbeat. She couldn't look away as the image reached out to her, calling her name without words and filling her with a fear she couldn't break away from. Staring at the mirror, Bridgette could see beyond the lipstick to the reflection of the bathroom, and she whimpered at the horrifying sight.
From beneath the wooden stalls opposite the mirrors, blood began to seep out from under them, flowing across the grime covered tiles on the floor like a sentient river. It spread towards her at a languid pace and Bridgette tried to back away, only to find she was paralyzed. Her body wouldn't move, leaving her to stare in wide-eyed horror as the blood crept nearer, threatening to touch her and contaminate her with its taint. Eyes locked onto the river of red, Bridgette could only listen as the stall door began to inch open and…
"Bridgette!" a voice called while a rough hand shook her, "Wake up!"
Disoriented from the abrupt awakening, Bridgette gasped as she tore open her eyes, her nightmare now nothing more than a black fog of fear in her memory. Her heart still raced as Nathan pulled his hand away, and it took her several seconds to realize where she was, and who had woken her. Sitting up, she took a brief look around before asking, "Why'd you wake me up again?" her irritated mood obvious in her tone.
They were stopped on the side of the road and were still surrounded by the thick, 'pea-fucking-soup' fog, that her brother had awakened her for before. Bridgette watched a few small snowflakes fall lazily to the window as her brother began to speak, his voice low, and laced with something she could only define as panic, though she was certain he'd never spoken that way in the past.
"I haven't passed any signs or exits or cars or houses or even fuckin' road kill for three hours… I think we're lost, but I have no goddamn clue how that could be since I haven't left this stupid ass road once."
Bridgette brought her chair into an upright position again and turned to Nathan. He looked very worried, an emotion that generally never reached his face at all, and that alone bothered her. Her brother was always level headed and stayed calm in every situation they'd ever been in; he was a steady rock, so seeing him shaken up over something as simple as this was unnerving. Deciding that being the 'big sister' in this situation was the best idea for now, Bridgette gave him a reassuring smile, and unbuckled her seatbelt.
"Come on, switch me places. We'll just turn around and head back to town; I'm sure mom and dad won't mind if we're a little late cause of bad weather."
This was not the answer Nathan wanted, and instead of unbuckling his own seatbelt his frown deepened. "Didn't you hear me?" he started levelly, trying to keep from yelling as he explained the situation, "I said we haven't passed a road sign, a car or even an exit in three goddamn hours; I haven't seen any birds or people or any signs of fucking life and it has nothing to do with the god forsaken weather Bridgette!"
His voice had risen during the entire statement until the last word hung uncomfortably high in the air. Trying to stay calm herself, Bridgette couldn't keep her smile anymore though she still managed to keep her voice cool and collected, "I understand what you're saying, but getting upset isn't going to make a sign appear. Now if you don't want to turn around and try to backtrack, what is it you would like to do?"
She knew that there wasn't much Nathan could use to argue with, so she remained quiet as he mulled in silence over their limited options. She knew he'd have to give in eventually; it was only a matter of time and pride now, and she had plenty of time to wait out his pride. A few minutes passed without another word spoken, then without warning Nathan unbuckled his seatbelt and climbed out of the car with all the grace of a pouting five year old. Hiding her triumphant grin, Bridgette did the same, only with a bit more finesse, and switched seats with him.
They didn't speak to one another as she started the car and turned to go the other direction, and the silence that filled the space around them was heavy with anxiety. After thirty or so minutes of the nerve-wracking stillness, Nathan could take no more. He reached forward and turned on the radio, hopeful that he could find anything to fill the void between him and his sister and ease the embarrassment he still felt at being so irrational. He knew Bridgette was probably right, and that he'd panicked for no reason at all, but even thinking that, he couldn't shake the cold fear hiding in his chest.
Nathan pushed at the buttons on the radio, each new station bringing nothing but white noise. Not even the hint of music or a talk show came through and after scanning through all the choices Nathan let out a frustrated sigh as he switched the radio off again. It figured. He crossed his arms and looked out the window, in no better a mood than his sister. Bridgette kept her gaze trained on the road, keeping an eye out for anything at all, but she was beginning to find that Nathan had been right. There was nothing but the fog to keep them company…
Letting out a small sigh, Bridgette continued to look desperately for some sort of sign that they weren't the last two humans left on planet earth, but after three hours of resolute silence and no signs of life, she was starting to feel her brother's angst. She tried to stay optimistic, "Well we should almost be back to Brahms right? Maybe ten minutes or so, you think?"
"Yeah, I guess that's about right…"
For the next hour both siblings were leaning forward and keeping their eyes peeled for the exit that never came. The Silent Hill sign and exit came and went, but Brahms never did even though it couldn't have been more than thirty minutes away. Now concerned with the surreal state of affairs, Bridgette pulled to the side and slowed to a stop. Neither of them wanted to believe the situation, and both hoped that it was just silly paranoia and bad weather skewing their judgment.
"Well…" Bridgette breathed, "We could try stopping in Silent Hill and maybe get…directions or something?"
Nathan didn't say anything at first, and as the silence stretched, Bridgette began to feel a lot worse. She was about to suggest calling someone on her cell when Nathan gave her a quiet, "Alright, let's get going then."
She gave a sigh of relief. Honestly, who would they call anyway? She could hear it now, 'Yes, hello, 911? Umm, my brother and I are lost in the fog, can you come get us? I don't know really, we're somewhere between Brahms and Silent Hill, I think.'… Oh yeah, that would go over real well. So Bridgette started the car and headed towards the only town she could. The sign soon came into sight, and once the exit showed up they turned onto it.
"Hey Bridge…"
"Yeah?" she asked without looking over to him.
"Why's it still light out?"
Bridgette's eyes fell down to the car clock. Eight o'clock was lit up with florescent green letters and the time felt correct, but outside the car, beyond the fog covering, the sun must have still been up. The day was still just as bright as it had been that morning even though it should have been pitch black by now… Her eyes strayed to the gas meter then and when she noticed that they were still almost at a full tank a shudder ran through her body and she felt sick with apprehension. She chose not to mention this extra oddity to her already shaken brother, and honestly she wasn't sure she could have even found the strength to speak at that moment. She left his question unanswered as they continued down the empty road to Silent Hill.