Silent Hill

Chapter 1

(Disclaimer: I do not own the Silent Hill franchise or any of the characters. The Silent Hill franchise is owned by its respective company; this fanfic is purely for entertainment purposes.)

The dashboard was cluttered with papers and numerous writing utensils, some of which rolled to and fro with every turn and stop of the vehicle. Carol paid no heed to them, even when one shortened pencil fell off to thump on her knee, and focused on her driving as best she could with her head so clouded with muddled thoughts. She saw a couple of cars ahead with their brake lights on and slowed down at the intersection, taking the brief respite in driving to reach over to her steaming cup of black coffee and bring it to her lips, shuddering at the liquid ecstasy as it ran down her throat. With her other hand she gave the radio's knob a full twist, a momentary lapse of connection bringing forth nonsensical static before a man's voice chimed through.

"-field, the time is 11:27 am, the sun is shining and the birds are singing. So if you're not out there soaking up some of that good ol' fashioned UV rays then turn off your radio, step outside and take a deep breath because you are missing one helluva day!"

Carol plucked one of the papers from the dashboard, bright cobalt eyes scanning over the black and white text.

"And for a special treat to start off this spectacular day we have the hit new album from Vanessa Carlton, A Thousand Miles. Beautiful looks, personality and a voice to match; she'll go far in life, no doubt about that. Decide for yourself if you think that's true, faithful listeners, and prick your ears to this."

Piano music filtered into the enclosed space of the car, though Carol was only interested in the piece of literature before her.

Making my way downtown
Walking fast
Faces passed
And I'm homebound

Staring blankly ahead
Just making my way
Making my way
Through the crowd

The front coverage story was of a man, Henry Townshend, found in his apartment beaten half to death and suffering from severe dehydration. The man had said that he had been drawn into an alternate realm by the former serial killer, Walter Sullivan, who was responsible for several deaths, two of which included two children. The police had responded that while there have been a rise in homicides which resemble the killer's identifying killing mark, the carving of numbers into the victims' chest, they assured the public that it was merely a copycat killer and that Walter Sullivan was most definitely dead.

And I need you
And I miss you
And now I wonder…

If I could fall
Into the sky
Do you think time
Would pass me by
'Cause you know I'd walk
A thousand miles
If I could
Just see you
Tonight

While they were unsure of what exactly happened to the man, the hospital has revealed that the man had made a remarkable recovery, as did a similarly afflicted woman by the name of Eileen Galvin, who had also been a victim of a brutal attack. Both had been released three days ago and, according to the staff, seemed to have developed some sort of romantic relationship, judging by their closeness and visible affection for one another.

It's always times like these
When I think of you
And I wonder
If you ever
Think of me

'Cause everything's so wrong
And I don't belong
Living in your
Precious memories

She took another sip of her beverage and tossed the newspaper back haphazardly on the dashboard, reaching out again to snatch up a new one. The front page was dated for a few weeks ago, about the homicide of a man named Harry Mason, found dead by his daughter in his living room, multiple stab wounds afflicted onto his person. The homicide happened in the nearby town of Halesville, where the single father and his seventeen year old daughter had been staying for all their lives. The daughter was questioned for any possible leads but she refused to cooperate with local authorities, except for one instance where the teenager, Heather Mason, abruptly told the police and public to go to Silent Hill to find his killer. She has since refused anymore interviews.

And I need you
And I miss you
And now I wonder…

If I could fall
Into the sky
Do you think time
Would pass me by
'Cause you know I'd walk
A thousand miles
If I could
Just see you
Tonight

Carol laid the paper down on her lap and drunk thoughtfully. The trend of killings in Ashfield and Greenfield were suspicious in their own right but what really interested her was the fact that all of the cases had something to do with that town. She had dug up information about Walter Sullivan and found that he had attended the orphanage near Toluca Lake, the Wish House. Toluca Lake was right in the middle of Silent Hill and she had heard rumors that there was some sort of ancient Indian burial ground there or something similar. Then he had started those killings; carving strange numbers into their chest that seemed to be random, the ramblings of a deranged serial killer. But she had looked closely and noticed that they spelled out something. For instance, the tenth victim would have the numbers 10121 carved into their body, which actually meant ten out of twenty-one.

And I, I
Don't want to let you go
I, I
Drown in your memory
I, I
Don't want to let this go
I, I
Don't…

Making my way downtown
Walking fast
Faces passed
And I'm homebound

Carol stared out her window, fingers tapping against the cup. Walter Sullivan was arrested after his tenth victim and committed suicide in his cell, his weapon being a rusty spoon. Yet, a few years later the murders sprung right back up again, only this time the first victim had the numbers 12121 carved into their body, which effectively meant that the murderer had skipped out on the eleventh victim. Unless, of course, Walter was somehow the eleventh victim himself and someone else was really just copying out his methods. But the strangest part was when she heard of Eileen's hospitalization with the numbers 20121 carved into her upper back. She hadn't died but she had come close numerous times throughout her stay, only coming back from the brink of death with something beyond the staff's capabilities, something almost paranormal.

Staring blankly ahead
Just making my way
Making my way
Through the crowd

It's always times like these
When I think of you
And I wonder
If you ever
Think of me

Then at about the same time Eileen woke from her trauma-induced coma, Mr. Townshend had sprung up after the superintendent of their apartment complex had admitted to have not seen him for a week, beaten and bloody. Then there was the matter of their inexplicable closeness during their stay in hospital, as if they had both been through something traumatic and grateful to be away from. But that was impossible; the superintendent said that while they were on friendly terms before the attacks, they rarely spoke to each other save for a polite and formal greeting, so why would they suddenly become close friends and more after having no contact with each other for more than a week? Something didn't add up there. And of course, then there was the matter of Harry Mason's untimely death, which seemed to have no connection to the Sullivan murders.

'Cause everything's so wrong
And I don't belong
Living in your
Precious memories

And I still need you
And I still miss you
And now I wonder…

His daughter had said that they would find the answers to his mysterious death at Silent Hill, the place where Walter had been raised. Call her paranoid but there was definitely something wrong with that place. Hell, even the name sounded like something out of a Stephen King novel, not a friendly tourist resort. The local authorities may have been forbidden to investigate the town due to regulations and rules but, as a member of the public, she was not bound by such regulations and was free to snoop as long as she stayed within the confines of the law. And snoop she most certainly will. Carol had taken a leave from work for about two weeks so she would have to work fast to find out the truth of what Silent Hill really was all about. It was the only way for her to find out about her sister. Carol's first step would be Mr. Townshend and Ms. Galvin's doorsteps in South Ashfield Heights, their apartment complex.

If I could fall
Into the sky
Do you think time
Would pass me by
'Cause you know I'd walk
A thousand miles
If I could
Just see you…

If I could fall
Into the sky
Do you think time
Would pass me by
'Cause you know I'd walk
A thousand miles
If I could
Just see you
If I could
Just hold you
Tonight

The car behind her honked loudly, startling the woman and making her spill lukewarm coffee all over her newspaper and skirt, soaking right through into her legs. She exclaimed in shock and tried to wipe the liquid away.

"Shit…"

The car honked again and she waved an irritated hand.

"Alright! Alright! God…"

Shaking her head and blowing air through her nostrils in exasperation, Carol pressed her foot against the accelerator and drove through the intersection, casting a quick glance at the street sign.

South Ashfield Heights Dr.