A New Kind of Fear

(A/N) So, basically, I told my friend Kaylee a while back that I was writing a story for her. xD This is my finished product. On account of her fear of all things scary, I constantly tease her about Pyramid Head, and how he secretly loves her. xD Insane, I know. It all started after an all nighter, so I can't be blamed completely. My version of SH is pretty OOC, but I wanted to share this with you guys, anyways. :3 Critiques on my writing are welcome, flames not so much. :/
Silent Hill & all it's inhabitants © Konami

Crack! The loud noise jolted the young woman awake. She sat up in bed, clutching her quilt to her chest. What the hell was that? She thought, quickly glancing around the room. She hadn't knocked anything off the end of her bed, nor had any of her many notebooks fallen off her desk. Puzzled, she was reaching for her cell phone when the noise rang through the room again. Crack!

Startled, she knocked her phone off the edge of the bed and onto her nightstand. Her eyes darted to the window. She heaved a sigh of relief as she watched lightning flash across the sky. The internet had said that there would be a thunderstorm tonight, and they were right.

The girl chuckled softy to herself before hopping off of her bed. Unfortunately, that small bit of humor was lost as she landed on the floor. A sharp pain shot through her leg. Giving a cry, she stumbled. She had hurt her knee during training months ago. Having gone to the hospital, they had mostly fixed her up. However, if she slept in awkward positions or moved around too much, the pain would come back to haunt her. Luckily, she had a prescribed painkiller. It worked wonders once she took it.

Gingerly, the girl put some of her weight back onto her foot. It still hurt like a bitch, but the pain was no where as severe as it had been. She slowly made her way across the room to her dresser. She kept all kinds of items on top of the thing, but right now she had only one goal in mind. Quickly riffling through the mess that littered her dresser, she picked up the bottle of pills.

"Balls!" She exclaimed. The bottle was empty. She wasn't the most forgetful person around, but she, like all people, did have her moments. Seems she had neglected to get her prescription refilled after she had taken the last of her medication. Now I have to go to the frickin' clinic. Glancing at her clock, the time read 8:30. And, they're gonna charge me more because of the late hour. Fuck!

Walking back over to her bed, she reached down to pick up her cell phone. Flipping it open, she quickly sent a text to her friend Krystle. Ugh. Sorry, can't hang out tonight. Have to make a run to the clinic. Ran out of medicine. D: Seconds later, she had a response. Now? It's dark, though. D: But, I guess if you have to… Don't get jumped, please, Kaylee. :P

Once again laughing to herself, Kaylee made her way down the hall to the bathroom. Seeing her reflection in the mirror, the girl shuttered. Can't go anywhere looking like this. Doesn't matter if it's dark. She ran a brush through her chin length hair before putting it into a ponytail. Still not pleased with the outcome, she then tied a white bandana on to help keep her bangs off her forehead. Meh, it'll do. She thought. Heading back into her room, she grabbed her keys off a hook that hung by the door and picked up her purse. After checking to make sure that she had both her credit card and her license, she walked out of her dorm and into the dark night.

Don't get me wrong, Kaylee thought to herself, I love thunderstorms. But, this sucks. I don't wanna have to walk in one. It's scary. The wind was howling and lightning continued to flash across the sky. It acted much like a strobe light in the crisp fall setting. One minute, a person could only see where they were going by streetlight. The next, lightning would crack and the entire sidewalk was as bright as day. If it wasn't so disorienting, it would actually have been a great help.

It was dull, making her way to the clinic on her own. No one to talk to, and only her thoughts to keep her occupied. Sighing aloud, she decided to mentally work on the plot for the story she was writing.

"I'm not sure what exactly I want to happen. I know for sure that I have two main characters, a guy and a girl. It's a paranormal type story with vampires and faeries and shit. There'll be a rebellion of some sort. I got it! I'll just start writing it and see where it takes me. Wait… One problem. One of my characters is missing." Kaylee frowned. Over a month ago, she had requested that Krystle make up a female character to put into her story. It was a simple request, really. There were no guidelines whatsoever. And yet, she had received no character profile. "Better steal that woman's phone next time we hang out. Force her to make a character."

Having passed the time in a semi-productive manner, Kaylee was surprised to see that she had already arrived at the clinic. It was a quaint place; a beauty to look at, really. Before entering, she always liked to take a minute to admire the "normality" of the clinic. Unlike many of the hospitals she had been to over the years, there was nothing corporate to it's look. It felt comfortable going there; like the staff actually gave a shit about your problems. However, sometime during her walk, a thick fog had come down on the school. She could hardly make out the door, let alone the building's features.

A bell rang as she opened the door. She assumed the thing was for looks rather than to actually alert employees to a patient's entrance, because every time she had been here in the past, there was always someone waiting patiently behind the front counter. Hopefully that's the case, as well, this time. I can walk without too much pain, now. But, I'd really like to have the painkillers on hand for next time.

Letting the door slam behind her, Kaylee was making her way to the counter when she heard a strange noise. Pausing, she listened. It's like from World War II. What's that called? …An air siren, that's it. How odd. Suddenly, the lights flickered off. They quickly came back on, but only seconds later they were off again. She stood there waiting for them to turn on again, but this time they remained off.

Saying the room was dark was an understatement. She couldn't see her hand in front of her face. Strangely enough, she didn't hear any reactions to the sudden blackout. Is no one bothered by this? It's starting to freak me out. Pulling out her phone, Kaylee hit the 'enter' button and watched as the small light pierced the darkness. It wasn't much, but it made her feel a little better.

There's gotta be someone else here; someone who knows what happened to the power. Or, she thought, you can just leave. You can last 'til tomorrow without painkillers. Your knee is nothing more than an annoyance now, anyways. Deciding that was the best plan of action, Kaylee turned around and used the light from her phone to search for the door. Just as she was about to take a step, she heard a metallic clang from deeper inside the clinic. The noise startled her. What if there's someone who needs help? If the person is even a quarter as clumsy as Krystle, they'll have nearly killed themselves in this darkness. Making a decision, she turned back towards the counter.

Taking a step forward, she jumped when her phone began to give off a low static noise. What the fuck? This is a new phone! It sounds like an old television, and that's just wrong. I'm gonna have a word with that company. Pissed, she became even more determined to locate whoever was still in the building. The faster she was outta here, the faster she'd be able to call the phone company.

Once more using the light from her phone, Kaylee slowly made her way towards the counter and the one hallway in the clinic. Wouldn't do her any good to trip over the furniture in the waiting room.

Having not seen anyone behind the counter when she came in, she was startled to hear footsteps coming from within the small room. Stopping in front of the window, she used her phone to illuminate the area. The light didn't quite make it all the way to the back of the room, but it was enough that Kaylee could see a figure standing deeper inside.

"Hey," she called out, "are you okay? Didn't quite expect this to happen, huh?" She waited for a response. After what seemed like an eternity, she heard a small cry come from the figure. She didn't answer me, just cried out. Crap, she probably did hurt herself. Kaylee made her way around the side of the room. Looks like she'd have to go in there and help the girl.

With each step she took, the static grew louder and louder. Well, doesn't this just add to the creepiness? Nothing like static to lighten the mood. Reaching the corner, she turned down the hallway. Steps away, she watched as the door to the room swung inward. Bitch. Someone who's capable of walking across a room and opening a door is more than capable of giving a response to my questions. Ready to give the girl a piece of her mind, she strode forward.

"What the hell is wrong with…" Kaylee's voice trailed off as she got her first glimpse of the girl. A quick glance and the figure would simply look like a nurse. She was at a clinic, that shouldn't be very surprising. However, the features on the woman caused Kaylee to step back in fear. The thing had no face. Appearing more like the back of the skull than the front, the area that should show facial features was bloodied and swollen. If it weren't for the barely there outfit that accentuated her cleavage and revealed her ass, she never would have been able to accurately assume that thing was female. The entire thing, 'nurse' and uniform, was covered in nasty brown and orange stains. It almost appeared as if parts of her had become rusted over time, as absurd as that sounded.

Apparently having had enough of Kaylee's staring, the thing started moving towards her. The nurse moved in an awkward manner, her legs carrying her in a shaky and crooked fashion. All the while, she was convulsing wildly. The thing was making such violent movements that, at first, Kaylee could do nothing but stare. However, over the shrill sound of static that her phone was giving off, she heard the sound of something heavy being drug across the tile floor. Looking down, she gasped in terror. The nurse was dragging a long, metal pipe along behind her.

Time seemed to move more slowly at that point. The thing lifted the metal pipe into the air above her head, and let it fall towards Kaylee. Fortunately, her awkward movements made it possible for Kaylee to dodge the heavy object at the last moment. She ducked around the nurse and began for the reception room. If she could get into the room and get the door shut tight behind her, maybe she could call for help. Please, oh please let this work. How the hell am I supposed to fight off something like that?

Having made such violent moves to get away from the thing, Kaylee had put her knee through more stress than it could handle. Pain once more shot through her leg. It hurts. It hurts so bad. She wanted to cry. She couldn't sit down now; couldn't lose her small head start. Limping as fast as she could, she didn't dare look behind her to see where the nurse was.

Holding her breath, she managed to make her way into the small room. Kaylee spun around, not losing even a second, and shut the door behind her. There was no locking mechanism on the door. Panicking, she frantically searched the room. There has to be some way to keep the fuckin' door shut! Her eyes landed on an old wooden chair that sat in the corner of the room. Limping over, she grabbed it. This always works in the movies.

She had just reached the door again, chair in hand, when it began to open. Eyes widening and a small gasp leaving her mouth, Kaylee threw her weight against the door. It shook behind her and the door knob rattled. The nurse wanted in. Pushing against the door, she slid the chair underneath the handle. Giving it a really good shove, she made sure that the chair wasn't going anywhere.

Kaylee took a step back and watched the door shake. She wasn't sure how long she stood there. After a couple of minutes, the banging and rattling stopped. The only thing that could be heard was the static. However, after what seemed like mere seconds, the static spiked in volume and the thing was back at the door, trying to get in. She held her breath, hoping beyond all belief that she would survive this hellish nightmare.

The same scenario happened several more times before the nurse finally gave up. It seemed that the thing was not all that intelligent. Since it could no longer hear Kaylee, nor see her, she no longer existed. The girl was grateful for that.

Seeing no immediate danger, she flipped open her phone and dialed the first number she came to. Nothing. No busy signal, no ringing. Just silence. Worried, Kaylee glanced around the room. Seeing a phone on the front desk, she crawled across the floor and grabbed it. Putting the receiver to her ear, she waited for the dial tone. It never came. Tears of frustration rolled down her face. Why? Have I done something wrong? What did I do to deserve this Hell?

Those tears came to a quick stop, however, when she heard something coming down the hallway outside. She pulled herself to her knees and looked out into the waiting room. Having been in the dark for so long, her eyes had adjusted to the lack of light. She could now make out the nurse and other objects. It was obvious that she hadn't moved in a while, so what was coming down the hallway?

Praying to any and all gods that would listen, Kaylee asked that whatever it was be as brainless as the nurse. At least, she thought as she sat down in the corner of the room, I'd have some sort of chance. Listening, she realized that the thing was closer. It's slower, that's for sure. She could hear each step it was taking, and knew that it wasn't getting very far. A significant pause could be heard after each step, and after every two she could hear a sound much like the one that the nurse's pipe made. It was dragging something.

She held her breath once more as the distance between the door and whatever was out there lessened. The footsteps stopped, and Kaylee raised a hand to her mouth to hold in the whimper that would have escaped her lips. She waited. Finally, the steps continued on once more.

Pulling herself back onto her knees, she peeked over the counter and into the waiting room. The nurse was still standing in the middle of the room. Apparently, she had yet to notice that something was coming from down the hall. Had she not tried to kill her earlier, Kaylee would have pitied the thing.

Seeing movement out of the corner of her eye, Kaylee turned her head towards the hallway. No wonder it was so slow, the thing was huge. It was probably around 6' tall. Not very big, but what it lacked in height, it made up for in muscle. From the neck down, the thing resembled a well-built human man. He wore a white robe-like outfit minus the sleeves and sported rubber gloves with fused fingers. The most terrifying thing, much like the nurse, was his head. At least she had a head of some sort, can you even call what he has a head? He wore what looked like a pyramid-shaped helmet. The metal had rusted, turning the entire thing a red-orange color. Glancing down, Kaylee wanted to cry again. Rather than holding a metal pipe like the nurse, this monster had a giant sword. If she got too close, she'd be dead in minutes.

She remained where she was; terrified that if she moved even one muscle, the Pyramid Head would find her. She watched as the monster made his way out of the hall. Like the nurse, he moved in extremely jerky movements. He, too, was prone to convulsions and twitchy movements. With him moving in such a lumbering fashion, it was a wonder that the nurse had yet to notice him. She still hadn't moved from where she was standing. Weird, she thought. Perhaps the things don't kill each other, only humans? However, that statement was quickly proved false as the Pyramid Head grabbed the nurse by the neck and hauled her into the air.

The minute she had been grabbed, the nurse started flailing. Using her pipe, she attempted to swing at the large monster that had grabbed her. Unfortunately, the weapon was simply plucked from her grasp and thrown to the floor. Her hands scratched at his in a weak attempt to gain freedom. However, her efforts proved futile. What is he doing? Just holding her in the air like that obviously won't hurt her, or she would have passed out from lack of oxygen by now. Moments after thinking that, the nurse was tossed to the floor. Setting his sword aside, the Pyramid Head quickly descended upon her. It didn't take Kaylee long to figure out what was going down. This monster didn't just kill his victims, he raped them first.

Gagging, Kaylee crawled towards the back of the room and relieved herself of her dinner as quietly as she could. Disgusting. What the fuck? If that one gets a hold of me… She couldn't bear to finish the thought. I'll die of starvation in here before I let that monster touch me.

She could hear that strange cry coming from the nurse again. She was still trying to fight the Pyramid Head off, but she had no chance. Sighing, Kaylee could only shut her eyes and wait for the monster to finish his deed. Shortly thereafter, she heard metal on tile. A high pitched scream filled the room as the monster killed the nurse.

Opening her eyes once more, Kaylee crawled back across the room and under the desk beneath the window. She listened for the telltale sounds of heavy treading and the screech of the sword he drug. This time, the Pyramid Head did not stop by the door. He kept on his way without even one pause.

Kaylee waited under that desk for what seemed like hours after she could no longer hear the monster in the hall. Logic said that she should be safe now. But, she couldn't help but wonder, where, in this reality, does logic fit in? Logic says that none of this should be happening to begin with. I can't rely on what makes sense. Fuck.

She had no plan at that point in time. Making a run for the door seemed to be the only choice she had. Gathering both her wits and her courage, the girl took a quick glance out the window. Lying in the middle of the waiting room was the nurse. Or, rather, what was left of her. Kaylee was no expert, but even her untrained eyes could tell that this particular murder was as heinous as they got. The nurse lay in two pieces. For all intents and purposes, the Pyramid Head had split the woman down the middle.

Seeing no living creature in the waiting room, Kaylee made her way to the door. As long as there was nothing lying in wait down the hall, she'd have a clean shot to the exit. Reaching forward, she pulled the chair from under the door knob. She waited a second but no monster came crashing through the door. A hysterical laugh escaped her. Nothing's there. I can make it. Time to get the fuck outta this creepy ass hospital. She threw open the door and came face to face with the one thing she had hoped to escape.

A strangled scream left her throat as she stumbled back into the room. Before her was a Pyramid Head. Being a hair taller than the first one she saw, Kaylee realized that that meant there was more than one of this particular monster. Tears coursed down her face as she scrambled to find something, anything, to fend off her attacker with.

The monster strode into the room taking a quick second to shut the door behind him. Balls. This one's smart. Any attempt I make to escape'll be hindered by that door. Finding no weapon in the room, Kaylee could do nothing but watch as the Pyramid Head made his way towards her.

"Please…" was the one word that passed her lips before a large hand was slapped over her mouth. Eyes widening, the girl stared up at the monster. As of yet, he had made no move to hurt her. Was this all part of his plan? Torture the girl with a false sense of security before beginning the murder?

Never before had she felt so terrified. This can't be it. I can't let this asshole kill me off like some sort of meaningless bug. She fought. Only using the one covering her mouth, he was able to keep her pinned to the wall. Much like she had seen the nurse do earlier, she scratched at the monster's hand. She didn't really figure that it would work, but it had been worth a shot. She was just stretching her leg out to attempt to land a kick when the thing made a noise and stepped back.

Having been released from his hold, Kaylee felt her confidence returning. Perhaps she could get away. She was taking a step forward when the thing grabbed her arm. Swinging around to try and fend him off, she was surprised to see him reaching toward the front of his 'pyramid' with his other hand. The action gave Kaylee a moment's pause. What's he doing? I could have sworn that was his head...not a hat.

Kaylee watched, mouth agape, as the monster pulled the pyramid off. Beneath said hat lie one of the most handsome men she'd ever seen. The first thing she noticed was his hair. Black...and chin length... Boy, do I love my long haired guys. It was quite a turn on, and the Pyramid Head pulled it off well. Next came his eyes. They were a deep red color. Even, dare she think it, blood red. His strong jaw sported a fine dusting of hair. Throw in his rock hard abs, and the man was drool worthy. A girl could spend hours looking at him…

Unfortunately, this was no time for such a pastime. "Why? Why are you here? What have I done to be thrust into the crap?" Regaining her composure, Kaylee demanded answers of the monster. The one from earlier hadn't spoke, only uttered random gurgles and moans, but this one had seemed more intelligent from the get go.

A sigh escaped the monster. "Nothing." He responded. Startled to hear such a calm and normal voice, Kaylee made no move to question him further. Rather, she waited for him to continue. "You've done nothing wrong, unlike the others."

"Others? Are these 'others' why all the monsters have started appearing?" Can't let my guard down. It's still possible that he could be attempting to lure me into a false sense of security. Kaylee found that she felt much safer with this Pyramid Head than the other, but she was still scared for her life.

"Yes. We're sent here to…judge those who have wronged. Various forms of torture and death are performed in equivalence to the crime." She stared at him in confusion. What sort of crimes? And, could anyone have done something awful enough to deserve torture?

Almost as if he could read her thoughts, or perhaps the turmoil that crossed her face, he explained himself. "Take, for example, the doctor that practiced here. Did you know that the man that prescribed your medicine dabbled in his own forms of torture after work? Never did see the same nurse each visit, did you?" Horror crossed Kaylee's face as what the Pyramid Head said sank in. Torturing…the nurses? Why? Why would someone do something like that? Stunned, she repeated the question aloud.

"There's no explaining people like that. What they find entertainment in causes others to fall to their knees in despair, yet they think nothing of it. I know you're not so naïve as to believe that this kind of thing doesn't happen." She watched as a sense of unease took place on his face. Did he wonder if perhaps that was the case?

"No. I know that shit like this goes on. But…in my own school? My own clinic? It's not something you really consider being reality, you know?" She searched his eyes for an answer but, finding none, she continued on. "But, whatever. It happened. You guys took care of him? You and the other monsters that I've seen?" Something was still bothering her.

"Yeah. First thing after arriving. I'll spare you the gruesome details, but he is gone. He'll be forever paying for the crimes he's committed." The Pyramid Head looked quite smug, and a shutter raced down Kaylee's spine. Don't even want to guess what Hell that guy'll be going through.

"Alright, if you've taken care of him, why are you still here? Why are there now murders amongst the monsters?"

"We have an alloted to time to dispose of our mark. We're here until that time is over, regardless of when we off the guy. We'll stay until we're summoned back. And…seeing the bad things that people do to one another and delivering judgment everyday has it's cost. For each verdict we pass, each sentence we give, we lose a little bit of our sanity. Murder, death, rape. They all become normality." He stared into her eyes, trying to convey what it was that drove them to commit the very deeds they passed judgment on. "Some of us no longer see it as a crime. …Most of us see it as a pastime."

Kaylee opened her mouth to question him further but stopped when she heard that strange siren go off. Where was that sound coming from?

"I don't have much time now; we're being summoned back. Listen. Now you know what's out there. You're not alone, contrary to popular belief. Every heinous crime that is committed will be judged, and it will be us coming to do so. Unfortunately, our numbers only add to the death and destruction. If you're ever cornered, whether it be by nurse, Pyramid Head, or something else, they won't hesitate to kill you. Be careful."

"Be careful? How can I be careful? I didn't know that I was going to be getting my prescription from a fucking killer. I can't possibly know that who I'm talking to is bad!" He was scaring her. She couldn't stand living in fear for the rest of her life. Why me? She questioned for the umpteenth time that night.

"I understand that. Unfortunately, that can't be taken into the equation. You have to be prepared for the worst from now on. The fact that you were here to witness this punishment can't mean good things for your future. Silent Hill only allows certain people to witness it's destruction." He took a step back from her and walked towards the door. Having only just begun to understand what was going on, Kaylee raced up to him. Oh, the irony. Now I'm chasing the monsters.

"Wait. There has to be more to this story, right? What's Silent Hill? Why did it allow me to see what was going on? How-" His hand covered the girl's mouth once more in an attempt to silence her.

"I have to go now." He sighed. "We'll be seeing each other again in the future. You're becoming a part of this now. I'll do what I can to protect you; I have a little more freedom than the average monster." The man leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead. "Until next time."

Quickly replacing the pyramid, he continued his path towards the door. Kaylee watched as the monster gave her one last glance and a slight wave of hand, then he was out the door. Rushing forward, she reached for the door. There's so much I don't know. If he has freedom then he damn well better use it now. We're not done here.

The air siren ended as she threw the door open. The lights flickered back to life, and Kaylee could do nothing but stand and blink. When her vision finally returned, Kaylee was not surprised to see that the nurse was no longer in the waiting room. All signs of the attack were gone. She dropped to her knees and let out a sob. I should be happy this is over, but the thought of another such invasion has destroyed that emotion. Yeah, I've gained some sort of protector, but what are his motives? If there are only a select few monsters that have avoided insanity, how is it that he can appear perfectly normal?

A faint ringing stole her from her thoughts. Glancing down, Kaylee checked her phone. "New Text Message," the screen read. Opening it, she found a message from Krystle. Hey, how's the clinic? Enjoying yourself? XD Wiping the tears from her face, she responded. Hell, no. When have I ever enjoyed going to the doctor? :P She wasn't sure what was happening to her, nor how it would affect her life. But, causing her friends unnecessary worry was not going to be part of it. She could handle this disaster on her own. Taking a deep breath, she pulled herself to her feet and walked into the brisk night air. The darkness didn't scare her nearly as much as it had before. And, the feeling that someone, somewhere, was watching her didn't worry her nearly as much as it should have.