Silent Hill: Transcendence

Prologue: The Bunk

The previous day had been a drag, a slow and painful one at that. Add in some heat too, and you'd understand a tenth of it. We were rehearsing for a Change of Command parade to commemorate the taking over of a new Commanding Officer (CO for short). Hours were spent under the ruthless sun as we peeled our ears for every single syllable of each command, made sure we followed them to the very twitch of our muscles. It's been my reality for a week by now, ever since Wednesday- apparently this one took the cake where priority was concerned. This unit- the unit I've just been posted in was after all, a staging point for overseas deployments here and there.

I guess that's what I get for being an honest, upright male Singaporean who's born in the lion city. Every Singaporean citizen is required to serve the country, but it was those with a conscious who took the beating. Sure, they made me a Sergeant, gave me those three Chevrons and a few hundred more dollars, but hey, those three bent bars and coins would meant more lactic acid in my meat and a pair of bigger black eyebags anyway. I'm just like everybody else, except pulled deeper into shit I wanted no part in- all I ever aspired towards was just the university, and after that, a shot at the Publishing industry as a writer and publisher, not the army.

After the drills conducted yesterday for the hours-long military parade that was probably one of the most complex yet, I'd say my limit was broken, way beyond where it was. By the time the Sergeant Major was done with me and my platoon, I was exhausted and somewhat delirious. I could barely remember marching back to our barracks from the Parade Square and going up to my bunk so that I could finally fall into a more horizontal position for the first time in a day. I could remember myself tearing my LBV off and stripping myself clumsily of the green and black fabric covering my body before falling into bed. God help me, I couldn't remember if my rifle was in my locker or not- I could only hope my Company Sergeant Major (CSM for short) was in a happier mood yesterday...

"Do you accept, or not?" A voice questioned me, but all was too hazy for me to tell the tone of the voice.

"..." I said nothing, not that it was in my control. All was a formless void; darkness. Whether I was dead or alive from exhaustion I could not tell, whether I was conscious or comatose I wasn't sure.

The first thing that woke me up was an unfortunate cram in my right calf- Happened to me a few times already even before I started my journey in the Singapore Armed Forces, so it wasn't a big deal. Just a shot of pain for a few seconds, not unlike the unsavoury taste of alcohol as you gulp it down- I never liked alcohol, nor pain, but my time in the military has readjusted my nerves for the worse. Clutching my leg and gritting my teeth, I bore with the pain, before I start caring about my wakefulness.

After the grip of pain left me, I laid down for another further minute, just thinking, remembering the previous day, and looking forward for what is to come- The day was Saturday, it was time to book out of camp and enjoy the lack of green pixels and military commands. Judging from the light in the room, or the lack of it however, I had woken up a tad too early. There wasn't so much as a sunray remotely orange that heralds the coming of dawn, yet there was little chance that I will go back to sleep. Despite being grilled on the electric fence of our military parade the previous day, I was surprisingly alert, though my mind was still yawning and my body complaining.

With my smell and touch reactivated I surveyed myself- not a pleasant sight at all. I had neglected myself the previous evening. I hadn't showered, and I hadn't changed. I was topless with my military pixelated trousers unbuttoned two out of four from the top, my tanned skin exposed to the cool night air. It was time for that to change, after all, there was a rather thin silver lining in yesterday's storm. Pleased with our performance, the conducting officer of our parade had decided to allow us to book out at the earliest time possible- straight after our mandatory breakfast at seven o'clock in the morning, provided everyone in our platoon was quick enough.

Being guilty of slowing down my platoon for at least three counts over my years in the army, I've decided to spam my discipline into this day. The sun had not rise, but what the hell. I had only a few more weeks before I ORD from the army (ORD means Operationally Ready Date, used locally to mean 'leave the army' or 'complete my national service') so I thought I might as well make them as happy as the army would allow them to be. Checking my Casio digital watch on the footlocker at the foot of my bed, I was expecting it to be four in the glorious morning, but there was no way of telling- somehow, my watch had stopped functioning. It had been my watch ever since I entered the army, and had sustained plenty of drops and scratches- It was only natural that it finally died today, I thought.

Neglecting the time, I proceeded to unlock my locker as quietly as I could, so that I may not disturb the ten or so others who were sleeping in the same bunk. Upon examination, my locker was indeed padlocked- My rifle was safe all this while. There was still a loud, metallic, 'tunk' as I disabled it, but thankfully everyone was probably about as energetic as a cucumber at this hour. In my locker I took out my toiletries kit, containing my toothpaste, toothbrush, shampoo and soap. I slipped my towel and fresh pair of underwear over my right shoulder as I mounted my reddened feet onto the old slippers I had brought along with me to this camp.

I doubled my pace out of my bunk- I had always been an impatient person, least of all with myself. People had always said, ever since I was mustering my all to get through primary school, that I was too serious and demanding of myself. Honestly, I was never sure- I was never sure if I was pushing myself too hard or that the world was just too relaxed. All I ever knew was that if I ever slow down, I would never be able to catch up with anyone. I was never really good in many things- I was simply too overspecialised in my passion- writing, and reading.

I redoubled my pace, entering the toilet quickly to shirk off the naked and vulnerable feeling I get whenever I was walking around outside in minimum clothing. Not that anyone would see me anyway- everyone in my unit should be too busy snoozing away in bed. As usual, I was greeted by the amazing fragrance of the loo- but something seems off about the smell, as if something else was mixed in with the sulphuric stench of shit and piss, something metallic...

'Could be the jokers again, pouring thinner into the toilet bowls...' I dismissed the thought as I set my toiletries down and entered a cubicle, locking the swinging door behind me- despite the obvious absence of people, I prefer to secure a space for myself whenever I do something that isn't for the public to witness. I had always been cautious on matters related to my privacy. I had always been this way, ever since God knows when.

As I took my morning piss the overall smell of the toilet became increasingly pungent- it was impossible that I was adding to the brew, as the smell had evolved into something slightly choking, something more than just faeces and urine mixed with thinner. Something was rotting inside. I had to hold my breath as I completed my deed and flushed the toilet- the several unlucky souls who were assigned the toilet as their area cleaning duty didn't do a very good job of making it usable, not that I care- to make this matter known was to get my friends in trouble, and probably myself.

I proceeded to one of the shower cubicles, and in it I stripped myself naked for the first time in almost an entire twenty-four hours period, after making sure the door was locked. Surprisingly, the smell was underwhelming- my nose was probably numbed by the pervasive, rotting stench. Turning the faucet, I started showering- the cold water was heavenly. Even on a cooling night, I was feeling heaty and heavy, probably owing to the dried sweat coating my skin and trousers. The water undid this, refreshed me. I thought to myself- this is the same feeling I'm going to get a few weeks later, when I leave the God-damn army and kick-start my civilian life again.

It was then that I heard something faint, something amounting to either whispering or the shuffling of feet. It disturbed me a little, but having heard this a few times before, along with some common army camp ghost stories, I didn't care- it was probably either a prank or my imagination, though it still did a good job of hurrying me up through my shower. Putting on my underwear and towel, I took my leave, my footsteps hurried- the smell was still intensifying, as if it would turn toxic soon. It was as if the toilet was tired of being abused. The abomination assaulting my lungs was starting to resemble week-old blood and rotting meat. Not to mention those subtle sounds...

"Damn it..." I cursed softly under my breath as I slowed down, realising that I was letting my stress get to me. I was just imagining things, I thought, and the previous few days weren't exactly bed and breakfast either. I was worst in the aftermath of the previous day's drills- I couldn't remember shit, I could even be seeing things, if only I remember what I saw. I recalled someone telling me that I was delirious and needed rest, though I couldn't tell who and when it was. With that, I returned to my bunk and changed up. Still being unable to tell the time as I discovered my handphone was out of power and I had neglected to bring a charger, I went ahead with it. 'I could grab a drink downstairs...' I thought as I tried to encourage myself.

Slowly and methodically, I put on my military undergarments- a pair of green admin T-shirt, thick, green socks that went up to just a few inches under my knees. This was followed up by my actual uniform- the famous green pixelated smart number four (or smart four for short). The only difference between the smart four and the long four was that the arms-length sleeves of the smart four was folded up in a standardised fashion to cling high onto the upper arms. Otherwise, it was just a folded up long four.

My boots and gutters came after- after making sure my black combat boots were skin-tight, I folded up the legs of my pants to where the boots stopped. This was held in place by the gutters. Funny, how I used to think all soldiers had to tuck in their pants into their boots when I was young. I was made fun of no less by students in my school who were part of the National Cadet Corps (NCC)- they were teenagers who just can't wait to serve their NS liability. My personal belongings came last- wallets, cards, camp pass.

As I was preparing to leave, the acidic smell of the toilet had caught up with me- it was an impossibility. 'What the hell..?' I thought as I took light steps towards the bunk's only entrance door. Thankfully, it was nowhere near as deadly as the fumes I breathed in within the toilet.

The door was closed firmly, but as I approached it, it opened itself, swinging painfully slowly on its hinges when I stopped where I am. It was only slightly ajar, but it was wrenching my mind open- 'It couldn't be the wind. Doors slam if it's the wind...' I thought as I started again. Cautiously, I brought my hand closer to the door knob, and wrapped it around the metal, widening the gap between my bunk and the world with dark foreboding...