18 September, 2006
My name's Cheryl Mason. I'm the adoptive daughter of the deceased novel writer, Harry Mason.
Some years ago, me and dad were on the run from a religious, cultist organization called "The Order", who operated in Silent Hill. Back then, my name was "Heather", so that The Order could not find me easily by my true name.
One day, however, I was somehow caught in Silent Hill's "curse", and sent into the "Otherworld". The Order's priestess, a woman named Claudia Wolf, found me and asked me to remember my "true self". I'm the reincarnation of Alessa Gillespie, The Order's chosen sacrifice to birth "God", and who dad had saved from birthing "God" 17 years prior.
Once I had found my way back home, I found dad lying dead on a chair. I couldn't believe it... I followed the blood trail leading up to the rooftop of our apartment, where Claudia and the murderer were waiting for me. Claudia told me she wanted to fill my heart with hatred, and wants me to come to Silent Hill. After dealing with the murderer, I found Douglas Cartland in the apartment, a detective I had met moments before this whole life-turning event started. After paying a brief homage to my father, we headed to Silent Hill to find Claudia.
After exploring the town's Brookhaven Hospital, another one of The Order's priests, Vincent Smith, told me I could find Douglas in the Lakeside Amusement Park. I didn't completely trust him, but I chose to believe him anyway. I found Douglas at the site, injured from a confrontation with Claudia. I told him to hang on while I headed towards the chapel, where I found Claudia and Vincent. I was angry... so angry it almost made me sick. When Vincent urged me to kill Claudia, she stabbed him, and he dropped dead. Claudia said that nothing could prevent the birth of "God", but I swallowed the Aglaophotis tablet inside the pendant dad gave me, and regurgitated the demonic fetus inside of me. However, Claudia decided to swallow it, and presumably gave birth to the thing, killing her in the process. I went after it. Its appearance horrified me, but I managed to stand up to it... and kill it.
After this whole ordeal, I had nowhere to go. I was now just a stray child. So, Douglas offered me to come live with him for a while. I eventually accepted, and changed back to my true name, since I no longer feared The Order.
It's been six years now, and since I managed to finish my studies, I decided to move out of the old man's house and find an independent life for myself. I was able to buy a small apartment in Fairport City, and got a job within the first month.
I work for the city's orphanage as a medical aide. It can be a little exhausting sometimes, but I don't feel bothered at all. It's been a couple of months since I first arrived here, and I just wished everything kept going as peaceful as it has been so far...
Cheryl had just ended her shift at the orphanage and was about to exit the building. Her casual clothing consisted of a blue t-shirt under a brown leather jacket, jeans and brown boots. Her hair had grown longer to the point where her fringe covered her right eye, but still kept a similar style. She also carried a bag under her right arm, with the strap over her head and shoulder.
Cheryl pulled the entrance/exit door and exited the building. Her apartment wasn't far away from her workplace, so she just walked from one place to another. She already had her driver's license, but didn't have enough money to buy a car of her own yet.
As soon as Cheryl walked about ten feet away from the entrance, she felt a hunch from behind her, and a small chill run down her spine. She turned around to find a young girl, around 7 years of age, looking directly at her from the orphanage's street corner. She had long raven hair running down her shoulders, almost covering the ominous look on her eyes, which Cheryl couldn't make out the color for certain. The girl wore a red dress with long sleeves, and seemed to be barefoot:
CHERYL: A little girl? Could she be a run-away orphan?
The girl turned around and started to walk away. Cheryl felt compelled to follow her.
After turning around the street corner, she saw the little girl again farther away, now walking into the alley behind the orphanage. Cheryl quickly walked down there and entered the alleyway to her left, then walking a few feet before turning to her right. The alleyway now opened to a large underground tunnel, and she saw the little girl again, this time running, almost sprinting into the tunnel. Cheryl was starting to get annoyed, or maybe just starting to get creeped out:
CHERYL: Gosh, that brat is fast...
Nevertheless, Cheryl pressed onwards, and walked into the tunnel. The tunnel was poorly lit, but she could still clearly see her way. It was probably some "sewerish" tunnel, since the stagnated air in there wasn't properly appealing.
Halfway through the tunnel, Cheryl found a homeless, middle-aged man sitting by the wall she was walking next to. The man had his head slumped down, and seemed to be sleeping, or maybe he had just died while sitting there. Cheryl tried to ignore him, but the man suddenly raised his head, and started talking in a raucous, monotone voice:
HOBO: Please... ma'am...
This sudden movement caused Cheryl to take a step back, almost startling her:
HOBO: ...can you please spare some coins... for a delusional old man...
The man weakly looked up to Cheryl, and then she replied:
CHERYL: I'm sorry, sir, I'd like to help, but I'm kinda' in a rush here. A little girl dressed in red must have passed by here. She probably ran away from the local orphanage. I'm afraid she might hurt herself.
The man kept staring at her:
HOBO: ...A little girl?... In red?
CHERYL: Y-Yeah. Did you see her?
The man broke eye contact. He took his hand to his eyes, and started whimpering and slowly shaking his head, as if trying to wake up from a nightmare:
HOBO: It's their fault... it's their fault...
CHERYL: What? It's somebody's fault she ran away?
HOBO: ...The men in the white coats... and daddy... it's their fault... it's their fault...
The man just kept repeating the same phrase over and over. Cheryl started to walk away, half confused, half creeped out, until she turned around and resumed her search for the mysterious girl.
When Cheryl finally emerged from the tunnel, she noticed that she was on another part of the city. Since it was already getting dark, Cheryl reached for her bag, took out a flashlight, and turned it on. There weren't any people on the streets, they were deserted. Most of the buildings appeared to be majorly industrial in nature, but seemed to be abandoned. Cheryl didn't know much about Fairport City, since she only arrived there a couple of months ago, but from the looks of it, it's a strong possibility that she's in the industrial area of the city, the Auburn District. Just after walking a little, Cheryl aimed her flashlight to a plaque with "AUBURN" written on it, confirming her theory. It also had a map on it, and she happened to read the closest name to her location on the map, "Rammelmeier Industrial Compound". Cheryl then resumed.
However, she now had lost sight of the little girl, and started to wander aimlessly... like a stray child.
A random left turn or a quick venture into a dark alley, only to find a dead end, then turning around and returning to wandering. The silence of Auburn was now becoming eerie. Cheryl started to feel like she was being watched, and helpless with only her flashlight to protect her, if it would protect at all. All these symptoms started to remember her of her "hometown"... of Silent Hill...
Her heart was now beating faster, her breathing harder and faster, and she started getting cold sweats. It wasn't long before she felt her head spinning, the memories of the times she spent in that horrid, cursed town, now resurfacing inside her head. Cheryl felt like she was about to burst into tears, until:
?: ...fsaffsaggovershfsfheredfsf...
Almost indistinct words surfaced inside her head for a brief moment in the form of a child's voice, snapping her out. She looked to her left, and saw the little girl again, walking into what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse. Probably the Rammelmeier Industrial Compound, Cheryl thought, but she now hesitated for a bit before running after the girl right away:
CHERYL: What's her idea? Is she just running away? Or does she actually want me to follow her?
Despite that thought, Cheryl continued to follow her. There was just something in that girl... it creeped her out... but also called out to her...
Cheryl searched the warehouse. At one point, she climbed up some stairs, and noticed an elevator ascending from the other side. Thinking the girl might have used the elevator, Cheryl again hesitates for a moment, but decides to use it as well to descend to the lower levels.
Upon reaching the bottom floor, the elevator's doors open up to reveal what appeared to be a secret underground laboratory. Cheryl was awe stricken and confused at the same time, as she slowly walked into the facility:
CHERYL: Where the heck am I?
Just as Cheryl was contemplating the place, she caught glimpse of the little girl walking by a corner. This time however, Cheryl finally got tired of chasing her and quickly ran after the girl. The facility was reasonably well lit, so she turned off her flashlight and put it back into her bag. As soon as she turned around the corner, Cheryl shouted:
CHERYL: Hey! Little girl?!
Cheryl starts walking down the hallway:
CHERYL: I saw you running around! I don't want you to get hurt!
Cheryl stops midway:
CHERYL: Are there even any adults in this whole place?
She starts shouting again:
CHERYL: Do you need help with something? Maybe I can help!
Suddenly, a whispering voice popped out of nowhere:
?: Can you hear me?
Cheryl turns to her right to see a barred door leading into a darker area, and on the other side of the door was the mysterious little girl in red:
GIRL: Can you see me?
Her voice almost appeared to come from inside Cheryl's head, echoing, but Cheryl ignored it:
CHERYL: Y-Yeah... Of course I can hear you and see you...
Cheryl answered the weird questions while approaching the girl, then crouching so she could be at her eye level. Once she could get a good look at the girl, there seemed to be something really "off" about her, but Cheryl couldn't explain it. She also noticed the girl's irises weren't of a normal color, they were of a reddish-orange tone:
CHERYL: Shouldn't I? Why are you whispering? And why are you here?
GIRL: ...Not everyone can see me and hear me anymore... I think we could be friends... I never had a friend...
Cheryl now noticed that, even though she could hear the girl, she hadn't open her mouth to talk. This really creeped out Cheryl, making her stand up and take a step back:
CHERYL: Right, who are you?!
GIRL: ...Don't be scared... It's not you I want to hurt... I'm Alma...
Cheryl finally realized that the girl, Alma, could have psychic powers... as well:
CHERYL: Are... Are you talking inside my head? Are you a... psychic?
ALMA: ...They've called me many names... but that's one of them...
CHERYL: They? You mean... the "men in the white coats"?
ALMA: ...Can you help me?
CHERYL: ...Maybe...
Cheryl said in a monotonous voice, with an almost soulless expression.
Alma turns around and walks into the darkness, disappearing. The door was locked by a padlock, so there was no way to follow her:
ALMA: Over here...
Cheryl turns around, and sees Alma near the entrance to another hallway:
ALMA: Follow me...
Cheryl now knows for sure that girl isn't normal, but not even that stops her from following that girl... that psychic.
Meanwhile, at Armacham's headquarters...
A man was sitting in a surveillance room, however, he had his back turned to the monitors. He seemed to be talking on the phone:
?: ...I know, Miss Aristide, but is it really necessary to keep a constant vigilance on the Origin Facility?
ARISTIDE: "Like I said, the facility wasn't properly shut down. Someone could easily get in there. And we don't want that now, do we, Mr. Vanek?"
Vanek slowly turns his chair towards the monitors:
VANEK: What's the point? That whole district is abandoned. I doubt someone would just walk...
While browsing his eyes trough the monitors, Vanek caught sight of a young woman walking the corridors of the Origin Facility:
ARISTIDE: "...Yes, Mr. Vanek? Aren't you going to finish your sentence?"
VANEK: Ho-ly shit! Someone broke into the Origin Facility!
Vanek yelled, quickly getting up from his chair and supporting himself on the table to get a better look:
ARISTIDE: "...WHAT?! How could this happen?!"
VANEK: Hey! You said the facility hadn't been...
ARISTIDE: "I don't care what I said! Just get your and your men's asses down there ASAP!"
The colonel wanted to reply back, problem was, he was talking to the company's most recently hired CEO, who in turn had just recently hired him as the head of the company's security forces:
VANEK: Ghh... Roger that, ma'am.
Vanek hanged up and stormed out of the surveillance room, yelling at the guard in the process:
VANEK: Johnson! Round up a couple more men and get ready to head down into the Origin Facility, pronto! I'm going to grab my gun!
After following Alma for a while, Cheryl arrived to a large room, and standing in front of her was a large bulkhead. Alma stopped for a moment:
ALMA: You're close...
Cheryl looked down at the young girl a little confused:
CHERYL: Wait, close to what?
Alma raised her head to the bulkhead and it slowly started to open. Alma then looked over her shoulder:
ALMA: ...To help me... they call this place "The Vault"...
Suddenly, Alma widens her eyes:
ALMA: ...No! They're coming!
Now Cheryl was confused:
CHERYL: W-What? Who? Who's coming?
Cheryl suddenly hears footsteps and their vibrations on the floor behind her, followed by the cocking of firearms:
?: Freeze! Trespasser!
Cheryl slowly turns around to find four men aiming their handguns at her. Three of them were wearing uniforms and Kevlar vests, while the last one was wearing a vest over his casual clothes:
VANEK: You're trespassing A.T.C. owned property! You'll be escorted outside the facility and into trial! Do not try to resist or you'll be gunned down! Now, put your hands up!
Barked the one in the casual clothes. Cheryl slowly raised her hands, fear now evident on her face, until she felt Alma in her head:
ALMA ...Don't listen to them! They lie! If you go with them, you'll die!
CHERYL: W-What should I do then?!
Cheryl said, almost whispering to herself:
ALMA: ...I'll help you...
Cheryl steadied herself:
ALMA: ...NOW... RUN!
Cheryl's irises flashed reddish/orange for a very brief moment, she quickly turned around and started running at an unbelieving speed into The Vault:
VANEK: No! Stop! Gharr... shoot the damn bitch!
The four men open fire over Cheryl, but all their shots miss her:
VANEK: Fuck! How can she be so damn fast?!
Even though getting down into The Vault required going on a moving platform, Cheryl simply jumped into the ramp and slid down until she reached the other side. She then climbed the platform and had a look around. Right in front of her was a giant sphere involved in an electromagnetic field, and to her far right was a small platform elevator leading up into the upper level. She ran to the elevator and ascended.
Vanek and his men followed Cheryl, but decided to take the moving platform instead. Vanek was getting pissed off, and was now yelling at his own men:
VANEK: Why aren't the damn security turrets on?!
ATC S. GUARD: The heck if I know, sir!
VANEK: That's not how you address your commander, maggot!
ATC S. GUARD: Sorry, sir!
VANEK: It's "Sir! Sorry! Sir!"!
ATC S. GUARD: Sorry! Sir! Sorry!
VANEK: Oh, just shut the fuck up!
Cheryl now entered a room with a capsule and a control table:
ALMA: Push the buttons!
Cheryl approached the control table and pushed a button. She turned around to see a capsule being pulled out of the spherical device and brought to the capsule doors on the room, whatever was inside made her feel very nervous and agitated for some unknown reason.
Vanek and his men were already up on the level, and he saw the capsule being brought to the room. He started barking at his men:
VANEK: For fuck's sake! Don't you let her open those doors! Don't you FUCKING let her!
Cheryl was struggling with the release sequence:
COMPUTER: "Warning! No life signs detected!"
ALMA: Open the doors! OPEN THEM!
Cheryl's head suddenly started to hurt, forcing her to put a hand on it:
CHERYL: I-I can't! I... I need a code...
One of Vanek's men storms into the room and shoots Cheryl in the arm.
CHERYL: AAAHH!
She falls to the ground while holding her injured arm, and started to crawl away from the guards, leaving a small trail of blood. She looked at them frightened, she was surrounded. Was this it? Was she going to die?
CHERYL: Leave me ALONE!
Her irises flashed red again, and a powerful sonic boom hit Vanek's men. Two of them were sent flying through the window and fell into the dark abyss below, while the other one, the closest one to Cheryl, was simply left winded... at first. What happened next would mark Cheryl's mind for the rest of her life.
At first, the man simply stared at her surprised, until a liquid started to stream down from his nose. The guard touched the liquid with his hand, and saw that it was blood. Shortly after, more blood started to stream down from his eyes and mouth, and the man clutched his torso, moaning in pain, moans that later turned into cries. Smoke was now forming around the man, and his skin was turning into a crimson red. The guard fell to his knees in a forming pool of blood, his body literally melting while he was alive. Cheryl was stricken with fear and disbelief, as the charred, blood drenched skeleton of the former ATC Security Guard fell into the pool of his own blood.
Vanek, who had just reached the door, witnessed the event. He stood there wide eyed. It didn't take long until he decided to run for his life, and only stopped after he was completely out of The Vault. He picked up his cell phone and started dialing:
COMPUTER: "Warning! Release sequence aborted!"
Cheryl now had a very sleepy look on her face, it wasn't long until she fell back and fainted:
?: "Yes?"
VANEK: Aristide, it's Richard Vanek.
ARISTIDE: "Has the problem been dealt with, Mr. Vanek?"
VANEK: Not really. She just killed all three men I took with me.
ARISTIDE: "...I beg your pardon?!"
VANEK: Yeah, she blew away two of them and melted the third one. To be honest, I'm not going back in there without backup... from my mercenaries.
ARISTIDE: "Has she released Alma?!"
VANEK: Nah. The release sequence must have been aborted by now. I can see the capsule returning to the sphere. I also think the girl fell unconscious.
ARISTIDE: "I see. I'll send you reinforcements, as well as some investigators. I want you to bring me that woman alive to the Wade Elementary labs for Paragon tests. Understood?"
VANEK: Yes, ma'am.
As Cheryl was losing consciousness, she briefly heard a far away sob, disappearing into the distance:
"(sob) Please... (sob) don't leave me... (sob, sob) don't leave me HERE!"
The last word echoed through her head until she finally blacked out.