So this is my interruption of silent hill 2 as a novel. I am open to constructive criticism, I don't plan on straying far from the original game script in terms of dialogue and will research to the best of my ability to keep everything as close to the game as possible but this is my interruption so if you have a difference of opinion I'd love to hear it, I respect your opinions. I hope you'll respect mine. That being said, I hope you enjoy the first installment and let me know what you think. Prologue 'Villains! Dissemble no more! I admit the deed! – tear up the planks! – here, here! – it is the beating of his hiedious heart.'
I got a letter...
It felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room. My fingers trembled, I tried to stop them by gripping my knees and leaned forward willing myself not to throw up.
I got a letter. The name on the envelope said Mary. My wife's name.
For most men, a letter from their wife wouldn't have been such a big deal. Certainly no reason to panic. For me however this wasn't some passing love note or a reminder to take out the trash. My Mary was dead and dead people don't write letters.
First I tried to rationalize, there had to be a reasonable explanation. Maybe it was some kind of sick joke? But who would resort to sending me a letter from my dead wife just to torture me? I couldn't think of anyone who hated me that much. The only other explanation was I had officially lost my mind and although it was the most logical explanation for the letter, it didn't make sense either. I wasn't crazy, the letter as real as the table it was laying on – it had to have come from somewhere.
I took a deep breath, the room had finally stopped spinning. Sitting up I took the letter in my hand and read it slowly, this time memorizing each word.
In my restless dreams I see that town. Silent Hill. You promised you take me there again someday. But you never did.
Well I'm alone there now. In our "special place"...
Waiting for you.
Silent Hill. I hadn't thought about it in years. Mary and I had visited there shortly before we were married. It was a beautiful place, a little tourist town that centered around a lake. After Mary got sick and she was confined to her hospital room I promised that when she was well enough we'd take a trip down there. Just the two of us. We would spend our days at the park, staring out over the water just like we did before when things were good and the world still made sense. That day had never come of course, Mary never recovered enough to leave her hospital bed and she spent you last days of life struggling for breath like a fish out of water while I looked on helplessly.
"Damn it!" I slammed the letter back down and stood up. It'd been three years since since I'd lost my wife to that damn disease and it might as well been the day before. Why couldn't I move on? What did the letter mean? No one knew about Silent Hill but Mary and I... could she really be there? Waiting for me?
No. She couldn't be. But someone had sent the letter. I had to know who.
I picked up the phone, dialed my work number. It rang twice,
"Good morning, Mr. Talberts Office. Amy speaking."
"Hey Amy, it's James."
"Oh! Hey honey." the tenor of her voice changed when she knew it was me "What can I do for you?"
"Listen...I don't think I'm going to be in today – maybe not for the rest of the week. I got to.." I paused, considering whether or not to tell her about the letter and decided against it, she'd probably have me committed. "I just gotta get out of town for a while."
"I completely understand, don't you worry. I'll take care of everything."
"Thanks Amy." I breathed a sigh of relief "I'll owe you one."
"Don't mention it. Oh and James..?"
"Hm?"
"For what it's worth, I'm really s...if.......ther...thing..we... ca ...d...we..al...lo...ma.."
"Hello? Amy..?" the conversation had been interrupted by static and I couldn't understand a word she was saying. Then suddenly it stopped, the line went dead. It occurred to me that perhaps I had forgotten to pay the phone bill, which wasn't at all surprising. I tried to call back but the phone continued to bleep annoyingly until I finally gave up and turned my attention back to the problem at hand.
Silent Hill was a two hour drive, I could be there by noon and back before night fall. I would go, look for anyone who knew anything about this letter so I could put to rest the ridiculous notion that Mary was alive and waiting for me there.
And if by some miracle she was there?
It was impossible but I couldn't risk it. I had to know for sure. I was desperate to know.
Silent Hill held my answers.
