Author's Note: This story is based on the 2007 Disney movie. Yes, I'm aware there's a separate category for this, but I feel most BTT readers tend to visit here more often. So I hope none of you mind if I place this story in Books rather than Movies. No trouble intended.
Disclaimer: BTT and Silent Hill belong to Katherine Paterson and Konami respectfully. No profit is being made out of this work.
…
Chasing Ghosts
…
Chapter One
…
"Jesse…"
Her voice called out to him.
"Jesse…"
Her voice called out to him again.
"Hey, Jesse! Get up!"
Jesse Aarons awoke from his sleep, finding himself standing in a field of flowers, stretching over miles where Terabithia lay ahead, the magical fantasy kingdom he once ruled when he was a child. A cool breeze swept across his back, causing the flowers to lean forwards. They pointed towards an elegant eleven-year-old girl, standing in the field just a short distance away from Jesse.
She was dressed in strange colorful clothes that only he recognized. She had brightly blonde hair that only he recognized. And her smile…it was the only graceful smile that he recognized. Jesse was staring at his deceased soul mate, Leslie Burke.
"Leslie…?" Jesse rubbed his eyes and opened them again. She was still there. "Is it really you?"
"Of course it is, silly!" Leslie replied with her cheerful grin.
Jesse tried to gather his thoughts, questioning himself why he was here. Was there any reason? Was there any purpose? He couldn't figure anything out.
"Am I dreaming? Is this real?" Jesse had to ask.
"Well, am I dreaming YOU?" Leslie chuckled. "I'm as real as you want me to be, Jess, and so is all of Terabithia. Don't you remember? We made this world together ourselves."
"Yeah…I guess." Jesse said hesitantly.
It was as glamorous as he remembered it to be. There were clear skies, luscious meadows and a magnificent castle built for the King and Queen; Jesse and Leslie respectfully. What was missing, however, were the wondrous inhabitants of Terabithia.
Jesse noticed that their kingdom was deserted. He heard no voices, no music and saw nobody to greet him or Leslie. Wherever did the Terabithians go? Did they leave? And if so, why?
Jesse wondered about all these questions…because a sudden feeling overcame him. It was a feeling of something ominous present in Terabithia. It brought chills to his spine and gave him the goose bumps.
"Leslie, what's going on?" he asked her, knowing well that something wasn't right.
"Don't you know?" Leslie said. "Ever since you left, Terabithia has been overrun by the evil army of the Otherworld."
"Otherworld?"
"Yes, the Otherworld." Leslie confirmed. "It's a world so ruined and corrupted that the Terabithians never dared to speak about it. It's a world so dark and confused that very few people who have ventured into it have returned alive. And those that dwell there…are far beyond any evil imaginable."
As she spoke, the wind began to intensify as it shifted direction. The flowers leaned towards to Jesse while petals and pollen scattered across the field and into his face. The sunlight brightened, forcing Jesse to squint while his vision was obscured.
When he regained his sight, he now noticed somebody, or something, behind Leslie. It was slowly lumbering towards her, dragging a heavy sword-like knife. At once, Jesse knew that his best friend was in impending danger.
"Leslie, run!" he called out to her, but it was no use, because Leslie couldn't hear his words.
"What did you say, Jess?" she asked, frowning as the figure drew closer.
"RUN LESLIE, RUN!" Jesse cried…but still, Leslie did not understand what he was warning her about.
"WHAT? I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" she asked again, as the figure quietly positioned itself behind its victim and drew its weapon.
"LESLIE, BEHIND YOU!" Jesse pointed in distress.
Leslie spun round quickly. She gasped in despair and watched the figure raise its knife threateningly above her head with both hands. Jesse scampered across the field in hopes to save her from a horrifying death. He reached his arm out, stretching as far as he could. But he was too late, as the figure dropped its knife down upon the helpless girl.
Jesse could only scream at this point.
…
"NOOOOOO!"
Twenty-one-year-old Jesse rose from his bed. He was sweating in panic and his heart raced so fast that it could have burst out through his ribcage. His hands were shaking in a frenzy, reaching out towards the open window of his dormitory…where the cool nightly breeze swept in.
But it wasn't the breeze that woke Jesse up from his sleep. It was his iPhone, ringing constantly at its highest volume and glowing like a nightlight on his bedside table. Jesse rolled over and grabbed his phone, answering the late call.
"Um, hello…?" he moaned.
"Hello, Jesse? This is your therapist, Dr. Laura Sunderland, speaking on the phone." his caller answered. "Listen, I'm sorry for calling you so late at this hour, but I just need to confirm about our appointment tomorrow…well, today technically speaking."
Jesse checked his wristwatch to find out the current time as 2:50am.
"No, don't be sorry." Jesse replied, leaving the bed to shut his window. "In fact, you just did me a huge favor. I was having a bad dream again."
"Oh, another one?" Dr. Sunderland said curiously. "Lemme guess; did it involve Leslie and 'you-know-what' again?"
Jesse let out a painful sigh. "Yeah…"
"Care to talk about it?"
…
Dr. Sunderland sat at her desk, studying Jesse's old art book, page by page. It contained all of his work, from when Jesse was in elementary school until now, currently in college. She couldn't stop admiring his unique talent in drawing. More especially, she was always fascinated by the picturesque landscapes of Terabithia and the designs of its enchanting people.
"Jesse, you never cease to amaze me." Dr. Sunderland commended him. "Your drawings are looking much better each year."
Her client was busy staring up at the ceiling fans, lying on her comfortable leather couch. He was playing about with one of her teddy bears that she kept in her office, mainly for the younger kids she took care of.
"Thanks." Jesse said with a humble shrug. "It's like what Leslie often used to say; keep your mind wide open."
"I couldn't agree more." Dr. Sunderland replied. "So where exactly is this 'you-know-what' you've been dying to show me?"
"Keep looking." Jesse said. "You'll find it."
Dr. Sunderland continued turning the pages, trying to find the drawing Jesse was mentioning about over the phone last night. It was near the end of the book when she found the haunting figure he had been envisioning in his dreams recently.
'You-know-what' looked profoundly abnormal from any of Jesse's typical artwork. It was drawn as a large and physically fit human male, bearing ghastly pale skin. It wore a white, bloodstained robe, like that of a butcher's smock. It was wielding in one hand, a sword-like knife…or an oversized blade. Most disturbing, however, was that its head was entirely concealed by a red triangular helmet…its shape reminiscent of a pyramid.
"Oh, my." Dr. Sunderland said, removing her glasses for a moment to closer examine Jesse's monstrous friend. "This is very unusual. This must be the fellow you've been meeting up in your dreams for the past…three weeks?"
"Four." Jesse corrected her. "It's always the same thing. Leslie and I are talking to each other…sometimes in Terabithia…sometimes at school…sometimes at my home…and then it just appears out of nowhere. I keep telling Leslie to run, to hide…but she can't hear me. I keep trying to save her…but I never can."
Jesse was sinking his nails into the teddy bear he was holding, gritting his teeth as he spoke. He began to mention other times when having constant visions of standing frozen in the creek where he and Leslie used to swing the rope to Terabithia. Jesse had to witness 'you-know-what' staring directly back at him, pointing its knife menacingly at his face, and grasping in one hand by its bloodied hair the wet rotting corpse of Leslie Burke. Then it would silently walk away, dragging Leslie along with it, disappearing into an unknown mist.
Dr. Sunderland saw that the young man was obviously tense. She had been treating Jesse for over the past ten years; the longest patient she has had on record. And she knew well enough of his guilt over Leslie, still lingering deep inside of his heart.
"What does this all mean?" Jesse asked, desperate for answers. "Who is this thing? Why is it in my dreams? Why is it after me and Leslie?"
Dr. Sunderland closed the art book and set it aside. She stared down at her written pad for a few moments, tapping her pen on her wooden desk, thinking for any possible explanations.
"Jesse…" she finally said. "…I can only speculate one thing. Perhaps maybe, and I do mean MAYBE, this thing, this 'you-know-what', this Pyramid Head if you want to call it, may have some kind of connection between you and Leslie. Has this Pyramid Head ever appeared to you before when you were a child, or even before you met Leslie?"
Jesse shook his head with certainty.
"I see." Dr. Sunderland thought, writing down more notes on her pad. "Well then, that might explain it."
"Explain what?"
"You tell me." Dr. Sunderland said, tilting down her glasses at him with a stern stare.
"Huh?" Jesse frowned.
"You tell me." Dr. Sunderland replied. "You're the longest patient I've had in all my career, Jesse. By this time, I think you're more than capable of finding the answers for yourself."
Jesse sat up from the couch, dropping Dr. Sunderland's teddy bear. He couldn't believe what his own therapist was telling him. "Doc, I've been coming to you at four o'clock for every other Friday afternoon. My family has paid you to help me put my life back together ever since Leslie passed away. And suddenly today, you're not helping me?"
Dr. Sunderland removed her glasses again and gently placed them on her desk. She had always been kind to Jesse throughout his agonizing years, getting to know all about his lonesome childhood, his special bond with Leslie, the extraordinary adventures he shared with her in Terabithia, and the grief he has had to endure after losing her. But she felt it was now time to be firm with him.
"Jesse, I can't be the one to solve all the problems for you forever. I'd like to see you fix this one out by yourself. There has to come a time when you have to move on, on your own." she let out a deep sigh, preparing to unleash some more harsh words. "Listen to me. You must let the past go. Some events can never be changed no matter how hard you try…nothing can be changed. You must let go of these thoughts of Leslie…because if you keep looking back at them, some day you just might end up in a lost tangled up world that you'd wish never existed."
Jesse remained silent, unable to fully comprehend Dr. Sunderland's strong advice.
"Whoa, I think we should call it a day." Dr. Sunderland said, inspecting her watch, realizing that their session had overrun ten minutes. "Just consider what I've said, Jesse. It'll help you find the answers you're looking for…in time."
Jesse finished his glass of water, grabbing his art book and then his raincoat from the coat hanger and shook hands with his therapist.
"Well…thanks for your time as always, Doc." Jesse said. "I appreciate it."
"Take care, Jesse. See you in two weeks." Dr. Sunderland smiled, waving at him as he walked out of her office.
…
It had rained all day today. It was about 6pm by the time Jesse returned to his dorm room. The rain clouds had arrived and he could hear the fierce rain pounding on his window.
Ignoring the lightning he heard from outside, he switched on his MacBook Pro to check his e-mail, while gazing down upon an old school photo on his desk. Upon the photo were Leslie Burke, himself and their music teacher, Miss Edmunds.
Jesse sometimes wondered where Miss Edmunds was these days. Of all the teachers Jesse had, Miss Edmunds was the only person who cared about him deeply and fully acknowledged his artistic talent. Jesse was afraid to admit it, but he still retained a small crush on her.
His phone rang when he received a new text message from one of his college mates. They were asking him to join them on another road trip starting this weekend. Although Jesse did enjoy travelling alone at times, he took no excitement in these crazy highway endeavors. Even if he was willing to go, he couldn't. For he already had made plans to visit his family. What's more, he much preferred to spend his time drawing more Terabithian artwork to post on his wall and/or Deviantart account.
Living in a single dorm room without a roommate would have seemed lonely for the students in his campus. But for Jesse, it was just right. Sadly, he had returned to his reclusiveness years after he left Terabithia and didn't hang around too much with his college mates.
There were no new messages in his e-mail account. So Jesse went to check his other mail that he collected earlier from the post. Most of it was junk with takeout delivery menus of Chinese, pizza and what not; they were really nothing much of interest. But it wasn't until he came across a white clean envelope, addressed to his name.
Jesse wasn't sure who would be writing to him at this time. It couldn't have been from his family since he was visiting them soon. But he was curious to find out who this mysterious writer was.
Tearing open the envelope, Jesse found a sheet of paper inside, written in black ink from a ballpoint pen. It said:
…
Dear Jess,
How have you been? I can't believe it's been years since I last spoke to you. It's been pretty quiet up here where I am. There isn't much to do, not many people to talk to. Everything kinda feels different when you're not around. It makes me wonder what you're up these days. Do you think you could drop by for a visit some time? It'd be great to see you once more before I leave again. Meet me in my 'special place'. And don't worry if you get lost finding me, I'll find you.
Sincerely yours,
Leslie Burke
…
What was this? Was this some kind of a joke? Who would be mad enough to write such a letter to him at this time? Jesse had no enemies in college. So there was no reason why any of the students here would pull such a mean prank on him.
Those were his initial thoughts after reading the letter. But then his hands began to shake nervously, when he discovered Leslie's signature on the sheet. There was no way anyone in the world could have forged that.
Jesse had received a letter from a dead person...except she wasn't dead. Even more baffling were the questions raised from what she had written. What on Earth did Leslie mean when she wrote '…before I leave again'? And what was this 'special place' that she was referring to?
There was no return address anywhere on the letter. There were no other contact details either. There was only a single name given to him at the top of the page, written in bold capital letters:
SILENT HILL
Silent Hill? Jesse thought for a moment. He had never heard of any place by that name.
Since his computer was on, this was a good moment to find out more about this 'Silent Hill' online. Jesse typed the name up on Google, but his search did not match any documents. He typed it up on Yahoo, but again, it revealed no results. He then tried Bing, Ask, AOL, Wikipedia and even Wikitravel…but found nothing relevant.
Jesse went over to his bookshelf and took out several travel guides based on the USA. He first checked Lonely Planet, but found nothing in the index. He then checked Insight Guides…and again, nothing. After clearing all the books he had and still with no answers, his last resort was to inspect the world map, which he kept above his bookshelf.
Jesse reached a hand to grab the map and unrolled it. After spending almost an hour checking every printed name on every country, including the USA, Silent Hill was nowhere to be found.
Just where was this Silent Hill?
…
It had been a while since Jesse was last home.
He received a warm welcome from his family from the moment he stepped in through the front door. Mrs. Aarons gave him a motherly hug, and then May Belle followed soon after with a sisterly one. Ellie and Brenda casually waved, though their attention was drawn more to the TV in the living room. Joyce Ann, the youngest of the family, was too busy to notice Jesse, tweeting with her friends on Twitter with her new iPhone.
Mr. Aarons approached his young adult son, arms folded. "It's good to see you again, Jess." he said with a firm smile and a nod. "C'mon, you must be hungry after that long drive."
He summoned everyone to the dining room, where a hearty meal was waiting for the family; roast vegetables, cream potatoes and rotisserie chicken…not to mention a huge bowl of Chinese egg fried rice, made especially by Ellie's new boyfriend, Kevin Liu. The gentleman was happily helping Mrs. Aarons assist with the cooking and serve the lunch table. Once everything was prepared, everyone sat down to feast.
"It's so nice on this rare occasion to have the family back together again." said Mrs. Aarons, passing the plate of cream potatoes around the table.
"Hey dad, how's work in the hardware store been?" Jesse asked.
"All the same." Mr. Aarons replied, munching down a huge chunk of carrot. "Folks say I'm gettin' too old for this job. Say I should quit. But you and I know that ain't never gonna happen as long as my heart's still tickin'."
"So Kevin." Mrs. Aarons said. "Where is your family from?"
"They're originally from Hong Kong." Kevin replied, offering some potatoes and vegetables to Ellie. "But my parents moved here to the States before I was born."
"You guys should see the stuff he can do on his computer. It's amazing!" Ellie interrupted, whilst pouring gravy on Kevin's helping of chicken. "He designed this computer animated character out of me, and it's so cute! I look just like something out of a Pixar or Dreamworks movie. You gotta see it!"
Kevin scratched his hair with embarrassment. "Well, it's just a doodle I did in my spare time. I'm still trying to break through to become a full-time animator in New York. It's tough living there, you know."
"Oh, Ellie's been telling me all about that." Mrs. Aarons chuckled. "But I can't thank you enough for looking after her so well in such a crazy city."
"Mom," Brenda murmured in her ear, "when do you think I'll find the right man?"
"In time, dear." she answered. "Don't worry so much. You just have to be patient and wait for the right time. It'll come."
Brenda moaned, feeling envious of her sister.
Jesse noticed that May Belle wasn't eating. She wasn't feeling hungry today. She was fiddling about with her fork, staring emptily at her plate of food in deep thought. She never thought that her life in high school would be harder than she anticipated, especially with her exams coming up next week. She was far too nervous to eat.
Long gone were the fond days she spent in the world of Terabithia once she reached her teens. Growing up truly sucked. Yet then again, like every growing person, she had to move on from this illusionary realm and serve her purpose in the real world. Besides, Jesse had to make that same choice when his time came to depart.
"Hey Jess, you ever wish you were back in Terabithia?" May Belle asked her worried brother.
"Yeah." Jesse said under his breath, slicing his piece of chicken. "I sure miss those old times."
Joyce Ann was minding her own business with her iPhone again, checking up on new messages from her Facebook account. Her chicken was getting cold, and this made Mrs. Aarons annoyed.
"Joyce, eat your food. You can talk to your friends later after our meal." she said in a strict voice. "And put your silly doll away from the table. Aren't you a little old to be still playing with that thing?"
"Mom, he's not a thing." Joyce Ann calmly objected. "He has a name. And it's Robbie, Robbie the Rabbit."
Joyce Ann had been keeping Robbie the Rabbit since she was five, taking it everywhere she went and sleeping with it almost every night. But now that she was a full grown teenager like May Belle, she was finding it hard to let go of it, even when her friends at school would pick on her and make jokes. Jesse on the other hand found the pink rabbit doll, dressed in brown overalls with a green bow tie, nothing but creepy with its elongated and somewhat demented smile.
It actually felt uncomfortable having Robbie on the family table. Jesse couldn't help but feel that he was being watched by it. But Joyce Ann reluctantly removed the doll and placed it underneath her chair.
"Dad, there's something I've been wanting to ask." Jesse asked him in a soft voice, hoping not to be eavesdropped by the rest of the family. "Have you or mom spoken to the Burkes lately?"
Mr. Aarons wiped his mouth with his napkin, pondering. "Can't say I have." he was honest to say. "But I'll tell you what. They were kind enough to send us a nice postcard last month. It's got their address written on it. I'll show it to you after we eat."
"Where do they live?"
"Not too far off from here. Why not pay them a visit, Jess, since you're around? I'd sure think they'd love to meet you again after this long."
…
"Afternoon, Mrs. Burke."
"Jesse, Jesse Aarons? Is that you?"
Jesse nodded with confirmation on the Burkes' doorstep. "That's me. We spoke on the phone yesterday."
An elated Mrs. Burke welcomed her guest with an amicable hug. She couldn't believe how mature Jesse had grown since the last time she saw him.
"It's so good to see you again, Jesse!" she cheered, guiding him to the living room. "I mean, look at you, all grown up now. Oh, time just flies by too quickly."
Mr. Burke was found sitting on his tidy couch, typing away on his laptop in the midst of writing a new novel. "Hey, Jesse. Long time no see." he stood up to greet him with a handshake. "My God, you've gotten tall."
"Thanks, Mr. Burke. It's great to see you too." Jesse replied. "How have things been lately?"
"Oh, fine. Fine as always. Say, would you care for some coffee or tea? I'm about to have a drink myself."
"Sure. Um, coffee would be nice."
Mrs. Burke disappeared into the kitchen to prepare the drinks for the two gentlemen.
"Please, sit down." Mr. Burke insisted. "So how are things going in college?"
Jesse sat down on an armchair so comfortable that he almost felt he was being eaten alive by it when he sank. The Burkes certainly knew how to keep their house pleasant and relaxing for their guests.
"Great. College is a lot of fun. A lot of hard work, but still enjoyable."
"Fabulous to hear. You know, it's become awfully quiet without Prince Terrien around this house. He would have been excited to see you."
Prince Terrien, Troll Hunter Extraordinaire, as he was called in Terabithia. Otherwise, he was the family dog of the Burkes, and a pet loved most by Leslie. It was sad for Jesse to hear from Mrs. Burke over the phone that Terrien had passed away just a few months ago. For such an old age, Terrien had certainly come a long way in life.
"Well, he's in a better place now, Mr. Burke." Jesse kindly assured him. "I'm sure wherever he is, Leslie's taking good care of him. I wouldn't worry too much if I were you."
Mr. Burke smiled, cleaning his glasses. There were still moments when he and wife would reflect on their daughter. They always wondered what she would have been doing with her life if she were Jesse's age now. They wondered if they would have still kept their relationship together if they ever had to separate ways.
"Mr. Burke," Jesse said after a few minutes silence, "do you mind if I ask you question?"
"Sure, why not?" Mr. Burke shrugged casually. "You know you can ask us anything."
By this time, Mrs. Burke reappeared in the living room, carrying with her on a tray two mugs of steaming black coffee, alongside another with herbal tea made for herself, a jar of milk and a bowl of brown sugar.
Jesse continued to speak. "Do you or Mrs. Burke know anything of a place called Silent Hill?"
Mrs. Burke stopped dead on her tracks when he uttered that name, while Mr. Burke froze as if he had just witnessed a ghostly apparition.
"I'm not sure if it's a town, a city or maybe a national park somewhere? But does the name ring any bells to you?"
At that moment, the tray from Mrs. Burke's hands slipped, causing the coffee and tea to spill, while the mugs and jar shattered and broke into pieces, and the sugar scattered all over their clean carpet.
Mr. Burke knew well enough that his wife was distressed. "Judy, try to stay calm." he asked her meekly.
"Did I hear what he just said?" she asked him back, her body trembling in fear.
"Judy, there's nothing wrong in-"
"Did he just mention that 'name' in our house?"
"Honey please, relax. He was only asking a question. He doesn't know anything about-"
"ANSWER ME, BILL!" Mrs. Burke snapped at her husband hysterically. "I thought you swore that we'd NEVER have to speak about that town ever again! Why the hell is he bringing this up all of a sudden?"
"I don't know, Judy." Mr. Burke replied, remaining as calm and collected as he could. "But I'm sure that he can explain."
"NO! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!" Mrs. Burke blocked her ears, backing up against the wall. "Don't you even think about getting me involved. I told you once before already; I'M NOT GOING BACK THERE!"
"Jesse wasn't asking us to go back." Mr. Burke reassured his wife, begging her to calm down. "He wasn't asking us to go anywhere."
"I don't care." Mrs. Burke said, shaking her head, stubborn to unblock her ears. "Whatever this is about, I want you to take this conversation outside, Bill. You understand? You know damn well that I won't be a part of it!"
"Fine," Mr. Burke agreed, "I'll take Jesse outside and we'll talk about this on our own. You can stay here. Just calm yourself down and take a break while I'm gone, okay? I'll be back soon."
Jesse was speechless. He had never witnessed Mrs. Burke act crazy before in his life. Being apart of this frightening moment felt like being attacked by a stranger with a knife.
Mr. Burke kindly escorted Jesse out of the living room and through the front door, where they could talk privately in the open air, without any more sudden outbursts.
Jesse felt the need to apologize. "Mr. Burke…I'm sorry."
"Don't be." Mr. Burke replied. "I'm just sorry you had to see that happen. Judy always gets upset when you mention Silent Hill to her. She never wants to talk about it."
"Why not?"
"It's…complicated."
"Oh…"
"So tell me," Mr. Burke stared at Jesse straight in the eyes for the answer, "how do you know about Silent Hill?"
Jesse thought whether or not it would be right to show him Leslie's ghostly letter. But then thought that that would only frighten Mr. Burke. So instead, he resorted to telling a small lie.
"Well, Leslie used to talk a lot about it when we used to play together. She often said it was a neat place to visit and wanted to take me there one day. So I thought I'd check it out and drive up there myself one day to have a look."
"Is that so?" Mr. Burke said, raising his brows. Perhaps shedding some light about the town wouldn't hurt. "Judy and I moved to Silent Hill when we were expecting our first child, Leslie. It was a peaceful town with a friendly neighborhood, and we bought a nice house big enough for the three of us to live. Once Leslie was born, she fell in love with the place at first sight. She adored it. There wasn't a single day there when she would cry, feel scared, or even get mad. She was always smiling at her mother, cherishing every moment granted to her. Judy and I thought our home there would be perfect to raise our little girl. But just as it so happened, by the time Leslie reached the age of six, we were packing our bags and leaving…in a hurry."
A fascinated Jesse listened to every word Mr. Burke had to say, and he was desperate to hear more. "Leave? Why was that?"
"Well, as the years rolled by, Silent Hill…started to act strange, and so did its people. Everything around us changed and our lives no longer felt the same." Mr. Burke's voice began to shudder, unwilling to recall in detail about the 'memorable' experiences he had to endure during that painstaking period. "There was an awful lot of unusual activity going on there. And Judy and I weren't feeling comfortable with it. If I were you, Jesse, I wouldn't take any chance going up there. It's not a place for young eyes such as yours to see, believe me."
"What happened there, Mr. Burke?" Jesse wanted to know.
"What happened there doesn't matter." Mr. Burke insisted with a straight face. "Let me make it perfectly clear to you. That cursed town is NO place to be. It's nothing but abandoned and dried up with few people you don't even want to meddle with. You have no reason to risk your life over there for anything or anyone…"
"…except for Leslie." Jesse replied defensively. "Leslie always said that she wanted me to visit there one day, and now I know why. It's where she was born, where she grew up and where she spent her earliest childhood years. Even if the town is as dangerous as you say, it's still HER wish that I have to fulfill, Mr. Burke, can't you see? And you're the only person who knows the way."
If he were still eleven-years-old, Mr. Burke would have outspokenly said 'no' to Jesse, not willing to risk seeing another child lose his life carelessly. But now that a decade has passed and Jesse was a grown man, strong enough to fend for himself, there was no stopping his decisions once they were made. Jesse was more than determined to find Silent Hill, whether he would regret it or not.
"Please, Mr. Burke. You must tell me how to get to Silent Hill." Jesse pleaded.
Mr. Burke sighed, seeing no point in arguing any further. "Give me a moment to think."
He walked a few feet away, taking out a notepad and pencil from the pocket of his jeans. Gathering his thoughts and memories, he began jotting down notes, leaving Jesse to wait patiently. Jesse wondered what Mr. Burke was writing.
A few minutes passed, and Mr. Burke returned.
"Take this information with you and keep it safe." He said, handing over several written papers to Jesse. "They're all the directions that you'll need. They may be a little rough, but you should be able to reach your destination as long as you keep your eyes on the signs and know where you're heading."
Jesse didn't know how to repay him, except with a simple: "Thanks. I appreciate it."
"Nice car, by the way." Mr. Burke commented. "Where'd you get it?"
Jesse was standing behind his Audi R8, parked close by the Burke residence.
"My dad gave it to me as a birthday gift." Jesse replied, opening the door to his car and taking his driving seat. "I guess I should be off now. I'll be seeing you round, Mr. Burke. Take care."
Mr. Burke suddenly pulled against the door before Jesse could close it. It seemed he had something more to say.
"Jesse," he spoke harshly, "I'm doing this against my better judgment. But heed my warnings, because you may not like what you find there."
He gave a cold stare at Jesse, showing that he was dead serious about his words. Jesse willingly took his warning, but was not intimidated. With a firm nod, he turned the keys to start the engine, and quietly shut his door.
Mr. Burke waved at Jesse until he disappeared, bidding him a fond farewell. He wasn't sure if he'd ever see him again.
…
Author's Note: As usual, I welcome any form of constructive criticism. Whether you love it or hate it so far, please tell me. It's always a pleasure reading feedback. In the meantime, I'll see if I can get the next chapter up soon. May take a few weeks though.