The Object of My Desire

Chapter One Deception

Welcome to Silent Hill!

Silent Hill, a quiet little lakeside

resort town. We're happy to have

you. Take some time out of your

busy schedule and enjoy a nice

restful vacation here.

Row after row of quaint old houses,

a gorgeous mountain landscape

and a lake which shows different

sides of its beauty with the

passing of the day, from sunrise

to late afternoon and sunset.

Silent Hill will move you and fill

you with a feeling of deep peace.

I hope your time here will be

pleasant and your memories will

last forever

...Miranda read the brochure again as she sat in the passenger seat of the car, Alec behind the wheel. Miranda was a pretty girl, young looking and with a small frame for her age of 25. She had short dark brown hair with calm green, compassionate eyes. Being quite timid, her apprehensive nature was the complete opposite of Alec's, laid-back and strong, he carried himself with dignity and self-respect. His dirty blonde hair always looked good, even though he never once took a comb through it. His blue eyes stared straight ahead.

They drove down the shiny wet road in silence, the only sound was the rhythmic beating against the windows of the rain pouring down, the windshield wipers keeping tempo. Miranda put the brochure back on the glove compartment, eyes straining to see in the dark. She leaned back on the seat and put her hands on her lap, trying to pull down the short frilly skirt she was wearing that had been riding up on her the entire ride. Losing interest in that, she began to examine the new ring on her left hand ring finger, the dazzling diamonds glittering radiantly. Alec noticed this and put his hand on her lap, wrapping his fingers around her hand.

"We're almost there..." he coaxed, sensing her tension.

"I've never been to Silent Hill... do you think it'll be a good place for our honeymoon?" Miranda asked in a soft voice, a little unsure of herself. Alec just smiled at her.

"That's why were checking it out first. You never know how truthful those brochures are," He joked. They drove for a while in silence, simply happy to be in the others company. The high beams of the cars headlights illuminated the raindrops hitting the road in front of them, a bright flash of lightning every now and then lighting the entire sky, followed closely by the roaring clash of thunder.

"I was thinking...where did you get this brochure for Silent Hill?" Alec asked, as if not caring until now.

"I got it in the mail... it seemed like a good place, peaceful... I hope we both can agree on this one..." she answered. As they continued down the road, the number of cars slowly decreased until they were traveling on a long narrow one-car path, not another car's headlights evident anywhere in the darkness. "I sure hope Lydia, Danny and Wade get there ok... you know how fast Danny drives... and when the roads are this wet..." Miranda trailed off.

"Don't worry! They'll be fine, you just worry too much." He added.

" I still think they should have ridden up with us, all of them together... they're so crazy...and to trust they won't goof off behind the wheel of a car-"

"Relax, Miranda," Alec said, laughing. She looked at him and smiled at his amusement, trying not to obsess over how irresponsible they all are capable of being.

"... You think Wade brought his skateboard?" She tried to change the subject away from herself.

"You should know your own brother better than me...but no. I know Wade brought his skateboard. The thing's attached to his feet." Miranda laughed at his joke, her eyes once again wandering towards her left hand, gazing deeply into the breathtaking diamonds. A woman's best friend indeed, she thought to herself. She stared at her ring until sleep overcame her eyes and she nodded off, her head leaning against the window. Alec smiled and looked at her and back at the road a few times, wanting to watch her curled up and sleeping, but needing to keep an eye on the road. He put his jacket over her with one hand, the other on the wheel. She must be cold, he thought, she wasn't dressed for the weather at all. Wearing nothing but a short skirt and a shirt with no sleeves, that had a thin string that tied around her neck, leaving most of her back exposed, she really wasn't good at planning ahead.

Suddenly he noticed something out of the corner of his eye, in the road he should have been watching. He jerked his head back foreword again and tried to focus on it. The road was barely visible through the thick fog that seemed to come out of nowhere, masking the world outside of the car. The fog hung low on the ground, as if seeping from the ground itself.

Through the fog it appeared, the mist unveiling a shadowy figure directly in front of the car by merely a few meters. Alec slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting it, the wheels squealing and spinning on the slick street. The car couldn't stop in time as it swerved into the figure; it seemed to dissolve as they hit it, like steam blowing in the wind. Alec lost control of the car, trying vigorously to steer the car back on course as it fishtailed uncontrollably. His endeavor was in vain, the last thing he remembered was plowing through a chain-link fence and into something invisible through the dense fog.