Autopsy Report: Relapse

Prologue

~ No sooner spoken than broken. ~

Metal speaks. Each type has its own voice. Some are silent, some are loud; some whisper on their hinges, some shout even when cared for. The metal that surrounded me did none of these things. No, this metal screamed. Fitting, considering that I was in an asylum. Kipling Institute for the Criminally Insane, to be exact. The metal was an exact imitation of the patients the facility housed. But when I heard the bars shriek their song, I knew I was going to have a visitor very soon. Rapture.

It had been a very long time since I'd had another soul for comfort. Well, aside from the crazy people, that is. Sadly, they aren't as helpful or as consoling as a sane person. But hey, you take whatever company you can get in this place. Why? Because any wacko would be a much more welcome companion than my current bunkmate: sheer silence. That was all I'd been hearing for a while, besides my own thoughts, and believe me, nothing magnifies unpleasantness than silence. All the other inmates had either been released or moved elsewhere in the "hospital", so I was all that was left in these catacombs. Solitary confinement, bah. I felt like a rabid dog. Who knows, maybe that was how they saw me. Me, little old Kira? Mad? Surely not. But tell that to the judge who put me here. Better yet, tell the people who started the whole thing in the first place. They could use a bit of education in more ways than one.

Footsteps added themselves to the screams of the metal. It was a clicking sort of step, made by the shoes of either a politician or a lawyer. They have hard heels, unbefitting a man or woman with a tenderfoot disposition. And anyone dealing in any sort of bureaucracy is usually a long way from tenderfoot. I knew that for a fact. The clacks echoed down the corridor, getting closer, and drawing to a halt right outside my cell. Looked like I would be getting visitors after all.

"Kira T. Devereaux?" The voice was male, dripping with order and militaristic snap. I disregarded the formality of the greeting. It had been so long since I'd heard my name- hell, heard another person speak, that I let it slide. See, I can be lenient when I want to be.

"I'm not a doctor anymore?" I smiled to myself. "Surely they don't revoke title as well as dignity when they commit you." Naturally, the first person I talked to in over two years would be greeted by my signature sarcasm. The speaker seemed to be unfazed, as evidenced by his curt reply.

"Dr. Kira T. Devereaux, then. I'm here to tell you that you have been summoned to a court hearing…" a sense of unease seeped into his tone, "…concerning your release." I arched an eyebrow.

"Me? Court? Release? My my. I wonder, why the change of mind?"

"I can't tell you that." More curtness. 'Strict orders, miss. If I told you, I'd have to kill you', and all that jazz. Understandable. I waved my hand lazily.

"I know, I know…it's about Silent Hill, isn't it?"

A stunned silence greeted my ears. Normally, I would have grinned at it; A-ha, I caught him off guard, point for me. But quiet had been my constant companion for two years, so I found myself mentally begging him to speak again. When he finally found his voice, I sighed inwardly with relief.

"…Yes. Please come with me." Bars squealed in their metallic agony as they rolled back for the first time in months. I rolled to the side of the cot I lay upon and sat up, legs dangling over the side, my bare feet touching the floor. Damn, the tile was cold. But in spite of the icy sensation creeping through my feet, I let a harsh laugh escape me.

"Pathetic…going back to the one they themselves condemned." I stood up and walked to the now open cell door, to freedom at last. A smirk played across my lips.

"Oh, this is going to be fun."

~~~

A/N: Hey, all!

Now, before you get too excited, let me explain something. Today is the day that Silent Hill 3 goes out on the market. *flags and trumpets and stuff* I wrote this a couple months ago, and it's terribly relieving to finally be able to post it.

Now, there's always a 'but', and here's mine: I may be pressed for playing time, so posts will be slightly erratic. I'll be playing off and on, assuming I can wangle a copy from Blockbuster or something. Worst comes to worst, I'll be a dirty little cheater and find a player's guide. I'll do it anyway, but…hey, that may be a better idea. I'll do that. Oh, and reviews are always incentive for me to hurry my ass up.

Remember…patience is a virtue. Coming after the author with torches and pitchforks isn't. ^_^;;;

Pax!

~Rumer

Reviews=More chapters! Come on, kids, you know the drill…^_^