Wesley Anderson drove down the long foggy and empty highway on his foster brother's motorbike. Not more than a day ago, he had stolen it and it was very likely would never see his foster brother again to return it. It was a rash decision made in the heat of it moment. It had been only five days since Clarissa, the girl Wesley had loved more than the world itself had been brutally beaten to death and murdered alongside her parents, he knew it was no accident, no robbery, the murderer had a personal vendetta, and Wesley wasn't going to stop until he enacted his. It was also two days ago that he heard that the convicted killer was been sent to a special prison in the north-eastern town of Silent Hill, but the transport vehicle entering the town apparently vanished, Wesley knew it was up to him to take matters into his own hands, thus he took the bike and began his long trek from the big and chaotic city of Ashfield to the quiet and calming resort town. Knowing he was finally close and not more than a few minutes away, Wesley sped up on his bike as a tall figure emerged from the fog ahead. A large sign that read "Welcome to Silent Hill".
As he approached the large sign in the distance, the radio on the bike had begun to crackle up. The bike was a fairly customized piece of art by his brother, comfortable, with a rebel paint job that just screamed of rebellion, the infamous barred logo of Black Flag spray-painted on the side, the rims of the wheels painted to resemble flames, and Wesley had been listening to radio, which was playing through in-ear headphones.
"Blue sky to forever... the green gra-"
The crackling and distorted sound of the radio made Wesley almost instantly tilt his body slightly so that he could take his one hand off the handle bar of the bike and yank out the headphones. But as he did, the engine of the bike started to crackle and rumble as well, the headlights that had led him through the thick fog had begun to flicker and then - turned off entirely, the bike engine cut out, and still going at a rather quick speed, completely flipped when the front wheel encountered a large crack in the road, sending Wesley flying head first into the hard wooden sign, that knocked him on the ground as the motorbike steered and skidded off the road and crashed into the woods.
Wesley had lifted himself up from the steep dirty terrain, his knees scraped up and head bleeding, he rested his right arm against the sign as support he carried himself back to his feet and wiped his left hand on his jeans to wipe off some of the dirt and bark chippings. He then felt his head which had hurt quite a bit from the impact and noticed almost instantly that he had been bleeding quite a bit, thankfully the would wasn't deep and it didn't look like he'd be bleeding for much longer, he remembered a story about his uncle's biking accident and he was relieved that his accident could've been much, much worse had the bike not slowed down some before the accident. Wesley climbed back up to the road and began walking through the dense fog, limping and on foot. Not sure what he was going to find, he soon stepped into a clearing, coming across an overlook of Toluca Lake above the evergreens, complete with a parking lot, restroom and the entrance tunnel to town, which had been unfortunately obstructed by a large landslide and the large boulders and rocks seemed to obstruct from finding any way into town.
"That's funny, I didn't hear anything about the main route being blocked." he thought.
Wesley looked over at the lake. Thankfully, he had done a bit of planning during his trip and had found another way into town that would lead him pass the outlaying ranches around the lake. As he walked, he was thankfully relieved to find that he wasn't the only person trying to enter the town, there appeared to be two women and a man all standing at the observation deck. He could barely make out who they were with all the fog, which is why he had hardly noticed them. He guessed them to be young adults or teenagers around his age, if not older. The girls wore rather revealing outfits, while the guy seemed to be the leather-jacket type. Maybe they know something about the landslide? Maybe that's why they're all there? Wesley wasn't certain, but if they did know anything about it he had to see if they were okay. Wesley hesitated at first, he really didn't want to talk to anybody unless it was necessary. Wesley wasn't exactly one for confrontation of any type, even if it was asking for help or offering it to somebody else, but despite his anxiety, he continued.
"Hey! You guys alright?" he called out. There was no response, just the breeze of fog and dead silence in the air.
The three simply turned and looked at him, before wandering towards him almost inhumanly, when they got closer, Wesley realized that they were no ordinary people at all, their eyes were black, and dripping with black liquid, their mouths were bloodily and gruesomely sown shut and they didn't seem very friendly. In a strike of fear, Wesley began running, down the staircase and through the thick, foggy forest, passing through the gates of a cemetery and various locations he simply continued running, for how long he didn't know, to where, he didn't know either. All he did know was that eventually, he had reached one of the foggy streets of what he quickly assumed to be South Vale. Now tired and out of breath, Wesley had felt ridiculously stupid for running, but when things got weird he knew he had to get the hell out of there. Now, he could focus on what he really came here for. Doing all the looking and asking around he could to find the man who killed Clarissa. Well, that was if the whole town wasn't like the monsters he had just encountered at the lake. Maybe, once he found the killer, Wesley could find out the meaning of the tape that he found - it had to have meant something.
Wesley looked around at the scenery around him. It was yet again quiet and foggy. He hated it more than anything, he continued down the road, passing the seemingly vacant houses. There seemed not to be another soul in sight, until he heard the sound of footsteps approaching him. He didn't know who it may have been, his reaction was to hide in the building nearest to him, which had been a place called Cafe Texan, but of course the door inside had been locked, leaving him stranded in the fog with whatever was approaching him. Wesley grabbed a iron pipe off of the ground where it laid and positioned himself to attack, staring into the abyss, trying to make out the silhouette of whatever had been wandering closer and closer to him.
The cool wind, blowing off that water of the lake pressed against her cheeks, giving them a rose-pink hue. The fog made it nearly impossible for her to see any more than a few feet in front of her, yet she still seemed to be the only living thing in sight. Most buildings of were boarded up or locked up tight. None of them looked like they had been used in the last decade as did the rest of the town at this point. None of the abandoned parked cars looked like they were even stable to drive. She had found a red truck on the side of the road which just so happened to have the keys inside, but putting them in the ignition proved to be useless. At this point, the only form of transportation she had was her feet, and despite the size of the town, she knew she was bound to find someone who could help her.
The kitchen knife turned and turned in her fingers, a useful weapon she was able to find at the nearby restaurant she had went into before. She honestly had no reason to grab it or bring it along with her, she hadn't run into anything that proved to be dangerous, but one never knew what they were going to run into with things as they were. By now she had already established that the town she was in wasn't Shepherd's Glen anymore, but... someplace else. Where it was, she had no idea. How she got here, she didn't have that idea either. One minute, she's falling asleep in her warm bed, and then the next minute she's waking up on a park bench in the middle of an abandoned town.
The girl stopped in her tracks the second a silhouette of another came in focus through the fog. By the looks of it, they looked to be male and bit taller than her, though, most people she met were. Something was off though... They weren't just walking, they were... Readying a pipe as if they were about to attack. Immediately in response she jumped back and threw her hand-holding in the knife-in front of her, ready to defend at any minute.
"Don't come closer!" she called out in a shaky, yet frightened tone. Despite hiding behind the safety of her small knife, she still stepped back a few steps, confused and scared of what they were about to do.
Wesley instantly paused when he heard the girl call out. For a short moment, the fog cleared and he could see that girl wasn't messed up like the people at the observation deck. He walked towards her a bit, slowly and lowered the pipe, slowly putting it on the ground in front of him and raising his arms as if he was surrendering to defeat. He wasn't going to be stupid however, he kept the iron at the tips of his shoes in case things went sour and he needed to use it.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you." he said in a calm and reassuring voice as she came into a clear view. He didn't mean to scare the girl. He looked at her, she was shorter than him by almost a foot and looked younger than him too, but he couldn't assume she was. He laughed it off in his thoughts while keeping his face serious the entire time. The town was empty, quiet, and the only people he had come across aside from her seemed like something from a demented zombie flick. She was definitely a sight for his sore eyes, which had been doing nothing but peering through fog for the last little while. The girl's muscles and nerves relaxed when the boy in front of her finally came into sight, like a face being unmasked. He looked to be around her age, with long black hair and a bit of facial stubble, he wore a customized denim vest over-top of a buttoned-up plaid shirt and his thick shoulders would almost make him look intimidating if his face didn't appear so youthful. When he put his pipe down and let her know that he wasn't going to cause harm, she practically wanted to punch herself for her actions. She was always jumping to conclusions. Ever since her incident with her ex, she had always been anxious around random strangers, especially ones that were men. It wasn't that she thought all men were bad, she knew that not to be true, but it didn't stop her mind from running rampant and keeping her on her toes at all times.
"I-I'm so sorry..." she said, trying to force some form of a smile on her face, letting him know that she wasn't running rabid with rage. She slowly put her hand down, tucking the knife back into the inside of her black boots where she kept it safe. She was honestly surprised to find someone now who was... alive. It had been nearly a day since she had last seen a soul and now suddenly this guy shows up out of nowhere. She hoped that maybe he knew something about what was going on...
"I'm Wes', what's your name? Furthermore, what in god's name is going on in this town?"
Wesley's statement showed that he was just as clueless as her. She had to force herself from not frowning at the news. She wasn't mad at him, of course, but she was about ready to curse this retched town and everything about it, wishing she could just go home and see her family once again.
"Looks like you're just as clueless as me. I was about to ask the same thing. Do you at least happen to know what this place is?"
She was about to tell the boy exactly why she asked that last question. It had to sound crazy through the eyes of someone else - asking what town they were in. She was here wasn't she? Surely she'd have to know! But that simply was not the case, not this time. She lived in Shepherd's Glen and one thing was for certain, this definitely wasn't that town. No, she knew that it was a better idea to stay away from any and all things that made her sound like she just escaped from a mental hospital.
"If you ask me - it's a ghost town." Wesley answered her question paused for a quick second in thought.
She couldn't agree more with his response. She had seen her fair share of ghosts-towns in the past, on the web, this one could most definitely be included. But it just made her question even more. There were various 'why's' and 'how's' that were running through her head, but yet absolutely no answers to any of them. Just standing there on the cold and bitter street, she could tell that this place held a thousand secrets that were waiting to be discovered. At the same time, a part of her was worried what she'd find, after all some things were just simply better left unanswered.
"You're not from around here are you?" he continued. Wesley sighed and picked up the pipe yet again, only this time, swinging it across onto his back. She looked harmless enough, not like some crazy lady who was going to gut him with a knife for his innards.
Wesley was happy when she smiled originally, it provided some sense of comfort and relief when everything else just felt completely ominous. He didn't actually care if she was some cute girl, or an old bearded man. It was simply great to see another face. Wesley didn't know if he should ask her about the zombie-like creatures - or rather - Clarissa's murderer. Would she believe him if he said he was looking for someone who he was pretty sure was already dead? Probably not. By the looks of things, she seemed to be just as clueless as he was - if not more. The girl simply nodded her head once he finished his response.
"You'd be correct. I'm from Shepherd's Glen, born and raised, I... I don't know what happened. I don't even know how I got here. I don't remember, at least..." she slightly flinched as Wesley drew closer to her, but she tried her best not to make it obvious.
One thing that her older brother had taught her when she was young was that 'a sign of fear was a sign of weakness', and he knew better than anyone that she was a bit of a coward, especially in situations like these, and although he tried his best to snap her out of that behavior. The boy standing in front of her didn't seem like he was going to harm her. He actually seemed pretty calm, charming, and friendly in his demeanor around her, and it helped her stay somewhat relaxed. Wesley didn't question her on the fact that she had no clue where she was. He figured it wouldn't be polite to ask questions, if she was kidnapped or drank too much, it might be embarrassing or too much to ask her such a question.
"I'm not either. I'm from long ways away. I came here to meet an ex- an extraordinary friend who I haven't seen in ages." he coughed, nearly having explained his reasons for being here to a complete stranger - which now he realized didn't seem like such a great idea. Wesley took a few more steps closer to her so he could actually see her without having to try to squint his eyes now and then. He could now easily tell she was shorter than him by nearly a foot, she was Asian and had a pretty thin body shape that had caught his eye, but he shook off any thoughts about her relatively attractive appearance and looked out in the distance. He didn't want to seem like a creep. Instead, he focused his thoughts into the quietness that was the town of Silent Hill. The place reminded him of a documentary he had watched on Chernobyl and what he remembered of that town instantly flushed to mind.
"So, this frie-" within seconds of her starting her next question, a loud noise could be heard in a distance, one that sounded as if came from something that wasn't human. She quickly jumped and turned to the sound, just about ready to draw her small weapon once more, but when there was nothing there-in sight at least-she stopped and turned back to her new acquaintance with another frightened look.
"We should get out of here, and talk somewhere more lovely." he spoke softly, he looked around and coughed into his arm.
That's when he noticed a small apartment building not far down the street from where they were. He wasn't certain from the fog, but it had looked like making a run for it seemed like a good idea. Her head quickly nodded again, ready to leave just as he was. She didn't know where they'd go, but anywhere sounded better than here. She noticed him looking around, following his eyes periodically to every which direction, hoping that they'd eventually land on their next destination. The only place that seemed the least bit welcoming was a place across the way.
"Let's go!" she said quickly, hearing another scrape on the concrete from the same direction it had come from before. She even took her knife back out as a safety mechanism for her, just in case something were to happen.
Her feet took her as fast as they could possibly go, not once looking back behind her. She had not seen what they were running from, nor did she hear anymore of the strange noises, but she kept running just as he was. She wasn't going to let herself stop or turn back, not now. It was like something was pushing was her, not letting her stop until she reached that door. Those memories, those retched memories with that boy she once called her "lover" came rushing back into her head as they made it to the front steps of the complex.
"I saw you with him. I saw the way he looked at you! I told you not to leave, but you don't listen! You never listen." Her small body fell to the floor with the first contact of his fist against her cheekbone. Not once did her eyes leave his, seeing only the rabid eyes of a wild animal. He wasn't the same man she met before, not the man who held her gently, protecting her and showing her his love. What she saw in his eyes was the farthest thing from love.
Through an open gate and into the building, Wesley ran inside first and checked to see if there was anyone or anything lurking within. Thankfully it was empty, he turned back to the open door and saw in the distance the monster that he heard, a large skinny figure dragging an axe at it's side - it had no face, just pale, deformed skin. He grabbed the girl's hand, yanking her in and slammed the door as tight as he could. She pressed her back against the wall, trying to catch what was left of her breath. The only the look on Wesley's face told her that whatever was out there was far beyond her comprehension. She could only hear the same sounds that were heard earlier, telling her that it was now closer to them. Thankfully, he had shut the door before anything else could happen, she could only hope that whatever it was out there wasn't going to find them in here. The windows had already been boarded up from what he could tell, and the only way out of the place seemed to be by going up. He walked over to the mailboxes and attempted to turn on the light next to it. Nothing. Wesley knew it was getting dark outside, Heck, to make matter's worse, it was already hella dark inside. He was relieved however to find two flashlights and a radio hidden in the mailboxes.
He grabbed them from their location and handed one of the flashlights to the girl, placing the other one in the pocket of his vest. She grabbed the flashlight from his hand, giving him a thankful smile while rushing to turn it on and catching a glimpse of their dark surroundings.
"Just saying, I still don't know your name." Wesley spoke, he spoke as he walked back over towards the mailboxes.
"My name's Kimberly. Most just call me Kim though. I don't mind either one."
Wesley nodded. Heading back over to the mailboxes, only then taking notice of a red note nailed to the wall and key hanging from the nail. He flicked on the flashlight in his pocket and picked up the key from the hook. He flashed the light down and looked at the key, the numbers '207' engraved in it. Wesley pocketed the key and looked at Kimberly.
"Kim, it looks like I've found us a place to stay for the night."
With a sense of dread, Wesley looked up, the staircase leading up to the second floor was rather large, he began walking towards the direction of the stairs adjacent to him. Kimberly hesitated, she still didn't entirely trust him despite his warm demeanor and she definitely wasn't certain about the dark apartment building being much of a safe haven. But ultimately, she followed him and the two begin slowly walking up the staircase, leading them to traverse to the second floor, through a door, and then down the long dark corridor, a putrid odor filling much of the hall, the smell being accompanied by the decaying pale wallpaper above them and the ripped blue carpet beneath their feet. Finally, they arrived at a room with the number '207' on it.
"This must be the one." he muttered to himself as he took the key and inserted it into the lock, twisting the doorknob and opening up into the room.
When they finally found their destination, and opened the door, what they found inside was the least of what both Kimberly and Wesley had expected. It was unlike the rest of the building, or town for that matter. While she was expecting something that looked just as old and dirty as the rest, this one looked as if they had just entered another world. Like they were back in Ashfield or Shepherd's Glen. Wesley peered over at the lantern that was sitting on a dresser by the boarded up window, a ray of sunset mysteriously peeking through the fog and through the window. Wesley approached the lantern and when he turned it on, the room was well-lit through the darkness. He decided to crack down on the nitty-gritty details of the room, searching for anything that may have been of use. He looked at the small little TV parked in a chair and tried to turn it on, but to no apparent surprise, it simply didn't work. There was no food in the non-operable fridge, and only a box of granola bars in the cupboards. The only thing left of any interest was the bed, which was a normal queen sized mattress suited for two people, which wasn't entirely to either's interest.
"I wouldn't mind, uh, sleeping on the floor." Wesley told Kim, rubbing the back of his head.
"No, it's fine, I think I'll just sleep on the chair, thanks."
Wesley felt bad and frowned at her response. He wanted to offer they trade, but he knew that she would insist, thus he decided to abide her wishes. Regardless, all that he knew for sure was that this place was a sanctuary for the time being.