H.S. Chapter 1
Authors note: this is chapter one. Wesker will get into more detail about this new device he's been using and the two mismatched groups will start their hellish journeys. All rights go to Capcom and Konami.
Wesker plodded along the stone path heading away from the mansion, all the undead had already been taken care of in this area and their corpses lie dead cold on the ground. A blipping sound could be heard inside his pocket and he retrieved his special device quickly. Flipping open the screen he was met with the face of his loyal spy Ada Wong.
"Ada, good to see you're reporting in on time. Since you're the only one guarding the underground facility I'm sure you were able to get a good look at my latest toy just now?" he said in a monotone voice. She nodded before answering.
"Yes I've been keeping an eye on it. This is the thing you built with all the stolen parts and schematics I fetched from the Japanese Laboratories? What the hell is it and why did you need Japanese technology?" she asked and he sighed growing somewhat tired of answering questions.
"The Japanese are years ahead of us as far as technology goes; in the present year of 1998 our great land of America is somewhat lacking in impressive machinery. One of the schematics you brought to me showed a diagram of an experimental, inter-dimensional teleportation device, one which could only be built with their technology. If my test worked and the teleporting to other dimensions was indeed possible, then imagine the creatures I could imprison for further experimentation. It would create B.O.W's that are faster and stronger than any present day Hunter and Cerberus." He said his grin widening at knowing the device was indeed functional.
"I saw the thing start up and I'm assuming by the smile on your face it worked. Just who did you test it on?" Ada questioned further.
"I found that Claire Redfield and her sidekick would only be getting in the way of my plans, and just my luck an alternate dimension revealed itself to me. I swapped Redfield's location with that of a teenage girl from this hellish looking world; with no weapons in hand she should be dead in no time." he finished.
"And you're sure there's no way she can get back?" the spy asked and Wesker seemed to flinch slightly.
"Not quite. The teleportation device has one flaw; once it has sensed that either party has reached the destination point of their journey it will glitch and switch the two parties back to their respective dimensions. This will also happen if one of the people in the party dies. Before testing it on Claire I experimented on rats that ran through two mazes in separate rooms. With any luck, Claire will be teleported back here as nothing more than a corpse." He said cracking his neck. It sounded a little odd to Ada but she knew any further questions may risk a deduction of pay.
"Now enough questions, I've got a task to complete and you need to complete your job. Over and out." He said as the screen blackened and he headed through a metal door that led to the science facility.
Down in the holding cell Heather shone her light on the other being, which to her relief was human. He squinted as he tried to shield his eyes from the blinding beam.
"Damnit I was just trying to take a nap. What is this and interrogation? Stop shining that light in my eyes!" he said irritation lacing his tone. She lowered the flashlight back to her pocket and he rubbed his eyes to get rid of the little white dots. After lighting a candle he headed over to the cell and blinked a few times as he got a good look at Heather, her brows furrowed at him in return.
"How did you get in there?" he asked as he searched for his key and stuck it in the lock.
"Beats me." Heather said with attitude. The cell door opened with a squeak of rust and the stranger stepped aside to let her through.
"Well there's no need to stay in here and die like an animal. Besides I've never even seen you before." He said as he held his injured side and went back to his chair.
"What did you mean by die like an animal? From what?" She questioned as she stood in front of the exit.
"Haven't you heard them? The moans? This entire prison island is infested with Zombies." He said wincing from the pain. Cheryl scoffed and rolled her eyes at him as if he was crazy.
"Zombies? Yeah right now I've heard everything. Thanks for setting me free but if you don't mind I've got to find a way out of this place. See ya." She said waving behind herself as she walked through the door. The guard furrowed his brows at the girl's ignorant actions.
"Fine don't believe me, but if you get eaten alive I won't be to blame." He yelled after her. He heard a strange noise on the ceiling and noticed the old stucco raining down. He glanced up to see a large humanoid creature with no face and a red robe crawling along the upside down surface with ease, out the door way and in Heathers direction. The guard clung to the chair as his heart jumped in fear; he'd never seen any monster like that.
"Holy shit what was that thing?" he said as his brow quickly coated in sweat grateful it didn't see him. Heather was now out of the small hallway and stepped outside, the rain falling cool and clean on her warm skin. The environment was grey and somewhat dark from the cloud cover and she could see many headstones on the ground in front of her; some new and others decaying with age.
'A cemetery?' she thought as she started along the small dirt path. Up ahead she saw the figure of a man, he swayed back and forth slightly and his skin was deathly pale. Even though she liked to keep to herself, Heather couldn't help but aid those in need and this man looked like he may faint any minute.
"Are you alright?" she said with her hand outstretched as she got closer to him. He turned around slowly and once he faced heather she let out a choked gasp; his eyes were pure white and vacant of pupils, his lips had been chewed away exposing the teeth in a gruesome manner, and even though half his face had been eaten away to the point of exposing skull he was still standing meaning there was no way he was human anymore.
"Oh my god!" she screamed as she backed up swiftly, the mutilated stranger moaning as he advanced on her with arms out stretched. She turned to run back to the place she just left, but another man with grey skin and chunks of decaying flesh blocked her path copying the same actions as before.
'These were people once...but how...' her mind to terrified, Heather couldn't bring herself to believe these were zombies. As she looked from one creature to the other trying to figure out her next move, a third crawled out of the ground at her side causing her to scream. Finally she ducked though the first ones legs just as it was about to grab her and bolted to the newest metal gate that led to the next area. She loudly shut the door tight behind her and slid down it to sit on the now muddy ground as her lungs fought for air, her body shaking from fear and adrenaline. When she ventured through Silent Hill she was terrified like this when she first saw the monsters, but after a while they didn't bother her as much. The reason she hated the thought of zombies being real was due to the fact that they could eat you alive which was a painful death she'd rather not experience. Her brow rested on her crossed arms as she tried to get her nerves under control.
'Prison Island? Zombies? This just can't be happening. Why do all these horrible events fall on me? What did I ever do to deserve this?' as she questioned all this in her mind she never noticed the figure slip out cautiously from behind the overturned jeep. His black boots squished in the mud as he approached her form, stopping every once in a while to make sure she didn't see him. At only a foot away she looked up and he stood frozen in his steps; it was the monster that had been dragged along with her to this place and rather than feel fear which most people would have at first seeing him, she only felt rage. She remembered her switchblade was still in her vest pocket and she whipped it out, pointing the tip close to his head which caused him to let out a low growl.
"I don't exactly know why you're here while all the other monsters were left behind, but if you think for a second I'm going to just sit by and let you stalk me you're wrong. I'll kill you like all the others." He stood up straight and kept his head bowed as if looking in her direction and Heather noticed he didn't act like the other monsters; this one seems to actually think for itself.
"What exactly makes you so special? Why aren't you like the others?" she asked. 'Like it could really tell me.' She soon thought after remembering monsters couldn't speak or understand human language, but to her surprise she saw it stick a finger in the mud and begin to write something. When it stood back up she couldn't help but read what it had to say.
'Cult Monster.' Was all that was written but Heather knew exactly what it meant.
"So you were created by the religious nuts in Silent Hill? Figures, what exactly do they call you?" she said figuring she might as well get a bit of a back story before she disposed of it; her knees felt too weak to walk right now anyways. He crouched down and paused for a moment while thinking; he knew his true name was Lobsel Vithe but most humans couldn't pronounce that, so he'd go with what the church called him by.
'Valtiel.' He wrote in the muck and she gave him a look like he'd just fallen flat on his face.
"Valtiel? Odd name, and here I thought humans were the only ones given titles." She said standing up and walking across the yard to the two large double doors; in the place of a lock was an emblem shape with a metal eagle stuck in it.
'This looks like a puzzle but it was already solved, I wonder who did that?' she thought as she heard footsteps come up behind her. She whipped around causing Valtiel to flinch, a very pissed off look on her features.
"You're not in your home anymore Valtiel, and if you keep stalking me like this I won't think twice about killing you." She said as she looked around noticing there was another small gate on the wall she hadn't checked yet. She decided to go looking for a weapon in there before she tackled anything on the other side of those huge doors. The small gate opened with a creak and she looked around for anymore of those creepy zombies; finding none she went in leaving Valtiel to stand there in silence. This area contained a mess hall with a large wooden ramp, the mesh covers on the stand that held the building up looked like something had torn through them.
'Weird why aren't there any zombies here?' she thought and was soon answered when a low growl was heard. Through the rain she saw the figure of a large Doberman walk out from under the building, but she knew right away it wasn't normal as blood oozed from its jaws, its half eaten and decaying flesh glistened from the wet. With lightning reflexes it ran in her direction and in a state of panic and shock Heather slipped while turning and fell with a squish in the mud. She only had enough time to turn and look up as the beast leapt at her, baring its teeth and hungering for her flesh. The only thing to be heard on the other side of the wall was her blood curdling scream.
The mall entrance wasn't anywhere in sight, so Steve and Claire took a detour out the bathroom windows to an ally way outside. Both ends of this seemed to be blocked as well but luckily they found an employee's only door that led back inside. They were met with a winding corridor, its dims lights just barely showing the lockers and doors that lined the walls.
"How is Chris ever going to rescue us if we have no idea where we are?" Claire said out loud as she continued to look through each door window, only darkness meeting her on the other side. Steve saw a metal door at the end of a short hall, the exit sign printed in big red letters on its surface.
"Claire this way." He called as he sprinted ahead hearing her footsteps follow close behind. Just as he neared it something on the bulletin board caught his eye; it was a map of the mall they were in. He picked it up and handed it to Claire and she sighed knowing now that they'd at least have an idea of where they were going. A strange noise, like the mix between a donkey and a creepy child-like giggle echoed through the halls they had just come from causing the pair to look back. Appearing around the corner was a strange looking creature; about two feet in height it walked on two spindly legs, its skin was snow white and covered in veins. The body had no arms and where there should be a head was just another round lump with a black dot at the front like an eye. As it walked its 'head' bobbed from side to side, still making the creepy noises as it headed for them.
"W-What the hell is that thing?" Claire said a hint of fear in her voice; never in all the time she'd seen viral monsters had she encounter such a creepy looking creature, the very sound of it sending chills down her spine.
"No clue but let's not stick around to find out." Steve said grabbing her wrist and flying through the door as more Numbodies showed up; Steve was secretly terrified of them as well. They were now out in a roundabout pathway; what appeared to be the main hallway of one of the floors. Steve realised he was still holding Claire's wrist and let go quickly, a light blush tingeing his cheeks. Claire gasped and pointed quickly over his shoulder.
"Steve!" she shouted and he looked as well, backing up when he saw the two eight foot tall demons closing in on them. They took strides on legs that looked too small to support their heavy forearms which held deadly hidden weapons. Just like the monsters before they had no face and their necks were bent forward; on the place where there would have been features there was a long sideways mouth on a face that was flat and round like a hammer. They let out low growls as they closed in, their arms swaying from side to side. One of them lifted its heavy arm and with quick reflexes thrust it forward. The two just barely dodged the attack and Claire screamed as it knocked her slightly, noticing the bloody spike that jutted out when the arm was fully extended. Despite his fear, Steve got up and rolled under the outstretched arm to reach Claire's fallen form. He picked her up under her armpits and urged her to follow quickly as the second Closer slammed his arm down where she just sat.
They raced quickly into a book store, Steve locking the door with shaking fingers. Claire backed away seeing the two looming figures approaching outside and Steve did the same.
"Just what are these things? They're like monsters out of your worst nightmares." Claire said still unable to shake the fear she felt.
"They'd get a whooping from me if it wasn't for the fact that my guns went missing? I don't even remember dropping them." Steve replied still trying to put on a tough exterior, hoping it would impress Claire. She shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Yeah right; those things would wipe the floor with you, did you see the size of their arms?" she said and he went silent again, avoiding eye contact with her. The display window smashed open causing them to yell as the monsters broke in, desperate to try human flesh.
"They got in?" Steve said as he went by Claire's side.
"If glass couldn't stop zombies what makes you think it would stop those behemoths." She said her chest heaving as she grew fearful. The Closers ducked under the frame and growled as they sniffed out their prey; Claire and Steve ran behind the counter and realised there was a door leading to another employee area.
"Here's our way out, let's move!" Steve yelled as he turned the handle and slammed the door open with his shoulder, Claire rushing in past him as the Closer's knocked over everything in their path with their powerful arms. The pair kept running down the hall and saw an elevator up ahead. Hearts racing, they both slammed their palms against the button to call it; the elevator arrived after only a minute and they got in, the door siding noisily behind them. It was pitch black inside and they couldn't find the button pad, but they didn't have to use it as the cabin moved on its own accord causing them to gasp. It started out slow and then suddenly rocketed down the chute, both its passengers screaming for dear life. Just as they thought they were about to die they felt it jerk to a stop, sending them both slamming hard on the ground as it came to a stop. The doors slid open as Steve picked his sore self up with a groan, helping Claire up right after. The lighting on this new floor was dim as well but they could still see the grime and what looked like blood stains smeared across the walls. Certain lights were broken and flickering causing an eerie atmosphere to fill the air; not far down the hall they could hear what sounded like grotesque chomping sounds. Claire shivered, never thinking she'd have to feel this much fear again.
"Something's down here to." She whispered hoping it would keep them hidden. Steve could see she was afraid and felt useless knowing that he could do nothing to help her. He stepped under one of the dim lights to see exactly where they had ended up, flipping a few pages on the map till he got down to one of the malls lower levels.
"It looks like we're on the second floor where most of the rest rooms are located." He noticed a room on the map not far from where the elevator was with a hospital cross on it.
"A first aid room, I bet we could find supplies in-" he was interrupted by an ear splitting scream at his side and turned to see Claire on the ground, her body being jerked violently as something held fast to her knee. It was a dog with charred black flesh, only a few bandages wrapped around certain spots with old blood staining their surface. It's head was split down the middle yet it still functioned and the area in the split seemed to have teeth lining it as well which were currently ripping at Claire's shin, blood staining her pants. Steve's protective nature kicked in and he swiftly ran up beside the snarling beast.
"Get the hell off of her!" he yelled as he delivered a painful kick to its throat, causing it to yelp and release her. Before it could recover it received another sharp kick to its ribs that sent its body skidding across the floor. Without a word Steve picked Claire up bridal style and made a mad dash for the first aid room. Several more dogs had finished eating one of the random chunks of raw flesh that were left on the ground but their mouths still hungered, this time for fresh prey. Steve could see the door just up ahead as he strained to keep moving, his legs aching from having to carry the combined weights. The double head dogs practically nipped at his heels snarling and growling the whole time. One jumped for him but Steve heard it and turned around quickly to give it a straight kick, knocking it back into its companions. His back fell through the door and he fell on his butt, Claire being dropped accidentally beside him. Getting to his feet quickly, he slammed the door and locked it just as the dogs recovered, the sound of their angered snarls could be heard right on the other side.
The young redhead grabbed his brow as he tried to slow the rush of blood and adrenaline that pounded in his veins. Claire groaned as she tried to get herself up but her knee was in so much pain that she was sure she'd pass out. A head went under her arm and she was lifted up, supported by the younger man as he led her over to the stained and rusted gurney. She sat down wincing as she tried her best to keep from showing weakness; not that it mattered, the room was so dark Steve couldn't even see where the medical supplies were.
"Claire do you have a lighter?" he asked and she remembered she did have one in her pocket; it was a gift from her brother. She handed it to him and he started to search the dusty and decaying shelves. In the back of a cupboard he saw a small white box and inwardly cheered that it was a medic kit, but something else caught his eye. He reached back in and pulled out a small brownish bottle with a label that read 'nutrition drink'.
'What the hell is this? Oh well, might as well hold onto it; who knows it may come in handy later.' He thought placing the bottle in one of his pockets. Claire sat quietly as Steve made his way back over with the small kit in hand and knelt in front of her. He rolled up her pant leg carefully, trying his best not to cause anymore pain. She held the lighter so he could use both his hands and he cringed at what he saw; the wound was nasty looking with several holes and bits of torn flesh. Although he wasn't an expert at it, he knew he'd have to stitch the gash up. After cleaning the wound, he threaded the needle and prepared to stick it into her flesh, feeling her free hand rest on his shoulder as he started. The stinging combined with the tender area that was being threaded through was enough to make Claire scream, but she held it in and instead gripped tightly to his shoulder causing Steve a bit of pain as well. He finished it and tied the end off before cleaning the skin around the affected area and placing a bandage over top. Claire was baffled by how brave and kind Steve had been; it had only been an hour ago that he had said guns were more reliable than people and he didn't even notice he was proving himself wrong.
"Steve..." she whispered. Not wanting to get into an emotional conversation he decided to quickly change the subject.
"Where in the world are we; these creatures roaming this mall? None of this makes sense." He said as he got up and sat beside Claire. She didn't know either, a franchise like Happy Burger didn't even exist as far as she knew.
"We were in the prison and then we suddenly ended up here after falling through the board walk, could we have fallen into hell?" she said even though she knew there was no such place as hell. Outside the window an air raid siren sounded as the sky blackened quickly shrouding everything in darkness.
"Now what?" she said with a worried tone as she rubbed her upper arms, only slightly comforted by the fact that Steve was there with her. It may not be hell exactly but the two were about to go through a far more frightening experience.
Holy crow that was a long first chapter but I like how it's playing out so far. I feel Claire and Steve would have been horrified by the warped and demented look of Silent Hill creatures; as for Heather, she doesn't look like she's going to make it this time, or maybe she will. Ha ha ha, I'll leave you in suspense; chapter two will be done whenever I feel. Please review and give me your opinion.