Silent Hill: A Trip to Remember
Disclaimer: I don't own Silent Hill or any of its characters. I only own the ones that aren't in the games. I also don't own Korn. Duh.
If you like, please R/R. As long as people read it, I'll keep writing it.
***********************************
Chapter 1: Road Trip
You know, you would think taking a vacation would seem like a good idea. What's better than getting away from all the bustle of busy life and just relaxing for a week or two? Sure beats college exams and late shifts at Pizza World. At least, that's what I used to think.
"Oh for God's sake, Kuri, will you can it already? How much did you think a vacation costs? You're lucky you got such cheap rates at the hotel, anyway. I wish I had parents that could hook me up like that."
Stephanie Hancock shook her head at me from the back seat. Her curly, red hair flailed about in the breeze coming through the open window. That hair always reminded me of flames, and her pale skin only added to the intensity of its color.
"Hmph." I stated blandly.
I suppose I couldn't really blame her for being upset. I'd been going on about it ever since I booked our hotel reservations. All I could really say was this place had better be worth it for the price.
Looking in the rearview mirror, I saw Todd sleeping, his face squashed up against the window. His short, spiky black hair sat stationary upon his head, apparently too slathered with gel to be bothered by the wind. As usual, he wore sunglasses, but that was nothing new. He'd had to wear them ever since he was young due to some abnormal eye condition. All we knew was that bright light hurt his eyes. We never questioned him about it; he looked good in the glasses anyway.
As for me, well, I was your average American/Asian female. My father, an American, was on a business trip over in Osaka, Japan, where he met my mother. They started talking, and things went from there. Eventually they moved over to America and settled down in Ohio. Soon after, I came along. I'd inherited my mother's straight, black hair and pale, soft skin. My dad gave me his mulish attitude and perfectionism, which I sometimes cursed him for.
Nevertheless, here I was, with my best friends in the back, taking a road trip to a resort town called Silent Hill. I still remembered how odd it was deciding on this place. We'd mentioned going on vacation once finished with our semester exams. The next morning, my mailbox conveniently had a tourist brochure in it advertising Silent Hill. Apparently, the place had been vamped up over the years and was now a booming tourist area, complete with an amusement park, a lake for skiing and boating, bowling, and mountain hiking.
Upon discussing it with Todd and Stephanie, we decided to go for it, so I called up the hotel and made reservations. I remember being wierded out by the manager's raspy voice on the phone, but I imagine he'd smoked a pack a day ever since he was twelve, so no sympathy there.
Up ahead, a green sign came into view. Silent Hill - 13 miles.
"Hey guys, we're almost there. Another ten or fifteen minutes," I said, looking in the mirror. Stephanie craned her head out over the seat in front, trying to see anything. There was really nothing to see except an ascending stretch of highway leading up into the mountains. Once we got a little bit into the mountains, a guardrail lined the right side of the road.
"Hey, Todd, wake up! Look how high up we're getting," Steph said as she elbowed Todd in the shoulder. Sitting up groggily, he looked around.
"Whoa," Todd said, stretching his arms, "looks like we're almost there, huh?"
"I don't see how you sleep for so long in a car," said Stephanie, still looking out at the cliff to our side. "You've only been awake for a few hours this whole trip."
"Well, the conversation thus far hasn't been very stimulating, you know," he said, grinning.
Steph turned and stuck out her tongue.
"All right, you two, let's just get there," I remarked, reaching for the radio. Commercial. Next station. Korn. Ah, that's better, I thought, as the music invaded the silence. I noticed in the mirror that my companions were already smiling and bobbing their heads to the beat, mouthing the words to the chorus. I smiled and did the same.
A few minutes went by as we climbed higher and higher into the mountains. The pine trees, now far below us, hid the ground below, as if there was none there to begin with. As I drove, I noticed a thin layer of fog begin to materialize, growing a bit thicker with each passing moment. Since it was only about 1:00 in the afternoon, it struck me as a little odd.
Driving through the mist, we soon arrived at a parking lot and a public bathroom. The road we'd been taking just stopped, the side of the mountain curving and cutting it off. Apparently you either had to park here to get to the town, or there was a road I'd missed. Judging by the lack of cars in the lot, I guessed the latter.
I parked over by the only car in the lot, an old blue Chevy whose driver-side door was hanging wide open.
"Hmm," I remarked as I saw the car, "apparently whoever owns this thing isn't concerned about it being stolen."
"Look at it," said Todd," would you want to steal that?" He was right. The thing looked at least fifteen years old, from the rusty steel frame to the dusty, molding interior. It looked as if it'd just been left there to rot.
"Ok, pee break!" I said, getting out of the car. By God, did it feel good to stretch my legs. I must've been driving at least 10 hours straight, I thought, quickly making my way to the bathroom. The door was rusted and hanging open, and once inside, I was more than a little disappointed.
The ground was covered in litter and puddles of rusty water dripping from the sinks. The stalls were all missing their doors, and the walls were plastered in the foulest graffiti.
"Oh, gross!" exclaimed Stephanie, walking in right after me. "Don't they ever clean this place?"
"Apparently not," said Todd, peering over his shoulder.
"Ok, well, lets just do our business and be on our way. I'm sure the town looks better than this," I said, walking into one of the stalls. I overheard Steph ushering Todd out the door, taking the stall next to mine.
After we'd all finished, we stood in the parking lot, looking over a railing. Below was more pine trees and fog. Over to the left, there was some cement stairs, along with a sign that read "This way to Silent Hill".
"Well, I guess we can find out where the hotel is and get our stuff later," said Todd, glancing at Steph and me. "No sense in trying to manhandle everything at once, anyway."
"I agree," I said. "I'm gonna get my backpack, though. It has all the hotel info in it." I ran back to the car and strapped on my handy dandy backpack.
"Lets go, then," said Steph.
We each made our way down the stairs and started down a trail leading into the forest of misty pines. The fog was moist, not yet thick enough to impede sight, but damp enough to make my shirt and shorts stick to my skin. In the back of my mind, like a gentle tapping on my common sense, a voice warned me that something was amiss. However, too excited by our arrival, I ignored it and kept walking.
Disclaimer: I don't own Silent Hill or any of its characters. I only own the ones that aren't in the games. I also don't own Korn. Duh.
If you like, please R/R. As long as people read it, I'll keep writing it.
***********************************
Chapter 1: Road Trip
You know, you would think taking a vacation would seem like a good idea. What's better than getting away from all the bustle of busy life and just relaxing for a week or two? Sure beats college exams and late shifts at Pizza World. At least, that's what I used to think.
"Oh for God's sake, Kuri, will you can it already? How much did you think a vacation costs? You're lucky you got such cheap rates at the hotel, anyway. I wish I had parents that could hook me up like that."
Stephanie Hancock shook her head at me from the back seat. Her curly, red hair flailed about in the breeze coming through the open window. That hair always reminded me of flames, and her pale skin only added to the intensity of its color.
"Hmph." I stated blandly.
I suppose I couldn't really blame her for being upset. I'd been going on about it ever since I booked our hotel reservations. All I could really say was this place had better be worth it for the price.
Looking in the rearview mirror, I saw Todd sleeping, his face squashed up against the window. His short, spiky black hair sat stationary upon his head, apparently too slathered with gel to be bothered by the wind. As usual, he wore sunglasses, but that was nothing new. He'd had to wear them ever since he was young due to some abnormal eye condition. All we knew was that bright light hurt his eyes. We never questioned him about it; he looked good in the glasses anyway.
As for me, well, I was your average American/Asian female. My father, an American, was on a business trip over in Osaka, Japan, where he met my mother. They started talking, and things went from there. Eventually they moved over to America and settled down in Ohio. Soon after, I came along. I'd inherited my mother's straight, black hair and pale, soft skin. My dad gave me his mulish attitude and perfectionism, which I sometimes cursed him for.
Nevertheless, here I was, with my best friends in the back, taking a road trip to a resort town called Silent Hill. I still remembered how odd it was deciding on this place. We'd mentioned going on vacation once finished with our semester exams. The next morning, my mailbox conveniently had a tourist brochure in it advertising Silent Hill. Apparently, the place had been vamped up over the years and was now a booming tourist area, complete with an amusement park, a lake for skiing and boating, bowling, and mountain hiking.
Upon discussing it with Todd and Stephanie, we decided to go for it, so I called up the hotel and made reservations. I remember being wierded out by the manager's raspy voice on the phone, but I imagine he'd smoked a pack a day ever since he was twelve, so no sympathy there.
Up ahead, a green sign came into view. Silent Hill - 13 miles.
"Hey guys, we're almost there. Another ten or fifteen minutes," I said, looking in the mirror. Stephanie craned her head out over the seat in front, trying to see anything. There was really nothing to see except an ascending stretch of highway leading up into the mountains. Once we got a little bit into the mountains, a guardrail lined the right side of the road.
"Hey, Todd, wake up! Look how high up we're getting," Steph said as she elbowed Todd in the shoulder. Sitting up groggily, he looked around.
"Whoa," Todd said, stretching his arms, "looks like we're almost there, huh?"
"I don't see how you sleep for so long in a car," said Stephanie, still looking out at the cliff to our side. "You've only been awake for a few hours this whole trip."
"Well, the conversation thus far hasn't been very stimulating, you know," he said, grinning.
Steph turned and stuck out her tongue.
"All right, you two, let's just get there," I remarked, reaching for the radio. Commercial. Next station. Korn. Ah, that's better, I thought, as the music invaded the silence. I noticed in the mirror that my companions were already smiling and bobbing their heads to the beat, mouthing the words to the chorus. I smiled and did the same.
A few minutes went by as we climbed higher and higher into the mountains. The pine trees, now far below us, hid the ground below, as if there was none there to begin with. As I drove, I noticed a thin layer of fog begin to materialize, growing a bit thicker with each passing moment. Since it was only about 1:00 in the afternoon, it struck me as a little odd.
Driving through the mist, we soon arrived at a parking lot and a public bathroom. The road we'd been taking just stopped, the side of the mountain curving and cutting it off. Apparently you either had to park here to get to the town, or there was a road I'd missed. Judging by the lack of cars in the lot, I guessed the latter.
I parked over by the only car in the lot, an old blue Chevy whose driver-side door was hanging wide open.
"Hmm," I remarked as I saw the car, "apparently whoever owns this thing isn't concerned about it being stolen."
"Look at it," said Todd," would you want to steal that?" He was right. The thing looked at least fifteen years old, from the rusty steel frame to the dusty, molding interior. It looked as if it'd just been left there to rot.
"Ok, pee break!" I said, getting out of the car. By God, did it feel good to stretch my legs. I must've been driving at least 10 hours straight, I thought, quickly making my way to the bathroom. The door was rusted and hanging open, and once inside, I was more than a little disappointed.
The ground was covered in litter and puddles of rusty water dripping from the sinks. The stalls were all missing their doors, and the walls were plastered in the foulest graffiti.
"Oh, gross!" exclaimed Stephanie, walking in right after me. "Don't they ever clean this place?"
"Apparently not," said Todd, peering over his shoulder.
"Ok, well, lets just do our business and be on our way. I'm sure the town looks better than this," I said, walking into one of the stalls. I overheard Steph ushering Todd out the door, taking the stall next to mine.
After we'd all finished, we stood in the parking lot, looking over a railing. Below was more pine trees and fog. Over to the left, there was some cement stairs, along with a sign that read "This way to Silent Hill".
"Well, I guess we can find out where the hotel is and get our stuff later," said Todd, glancing at Steph and me. "No sense in trying to manhandle everything at once, anyway."
"I agree," I said. "I'm gonna get my backpack, though. It has all the hotel info in it." I ran back to the car and strapped on my handy dandy backpack.
"Lets go, then," said Steph.
We each made our way down the stairs and started down a trail leading into the forest of misty pines. The fog was moist, not yet thick enough to impede sight, but damp enough to make my shirt and shorts stick to my skin. In the back of my mind, like a gentle tapping on my common sense, a voice warned me that something was amiss. However, too excited by our arrival, I ignored it and kept walking.