H.S Chapter 2
Authors note: both parties seem to be having their share of troubles especially with dogs. What fate is in store for Heather, and can she survive Rockfort Island on her own? And can Steve and Claire fight the nightmare that is Silent Hill? Find out in this chapter. All rights go to Capcom and Konami.
Vicious jaws opened and shut but never once ripped through flesh or blood; Heather used all the strength she could muster to keep the dog from going any further, its teeth only inches from her throat.
"Shit...get off!" she gritted her teeth as it snarled and growled in protest. As if her wishes were answered the Cerberus was yanked off by something far stronger and Heather looked on, surprised to see who'd accomplished such a feat. Valtiel had heard her scream and had clambered over the wall with ease, his hand gripped firmly to the back of the zombie dogs neck as he held it a foot off the ground. It whined and protested while trying to bite the other monster but Valtiel only hissed in frustration. In one swift movement he pulled the dog to his chest and twisted its neck at an impossible angle, ending its life with a sickening snap. Dropping the body like a piece of garbage Heather was the only thing left to focus on; her form was frozen and her eyes were wide with shock. She had no idea this monster held such strength and she remembered she had bad mouthed it before and she was sure he didn't forget.
'Run.' Was all her mind said and she obeyed, getting up clumsily from the slippery mud and barrelling back through the gate not waiting to see what his next move would be. She panted and groaned as the large double doors opened slowly and she wasted no time running through the crack. Valtiel sat silently on top of the wall she just passed through feeling very confused; didn't she understand he was trying to help her? Even if she kept running from him he would not abandon his task of protecting the holly vessel and the unborn god inside, although he was starting to get a strange attachment to the vessel more than the god and he couldn't understand this feeling. Heather panted as she raced up the metal stairs almost slipping several times from the sleek surface. When she reached the top she saw a stone path ahead of her shrouded in a light mist and another metal gate off to her right, but when the faint moaning of the undead was heard she couldn't help but shake. She looked back over the railings to see if it was too late to turn back only to see Valtiel's small form down below still following after her.
'I'd rather take my chances with the undead than be ripped to shreds by him.' She decided inwardly and ran forward making sure to stay on the far side of the railing to avoid the Zombies. Luckily for her there were only two in this area and she avoided them without any conflict, jogging up the steps and passing through a barred gate making sure she shut it behind herself.
'Not that it will stop Valtiel.' She thought as she caught her breath and took in the breathtaking courtyard she was now walking through. It was so quiet here you wouldn't even think the Island was infested with undead, the only sound to be heard was the tapping of glass as bugs bounced off the lights. In an area just before the steps that led into an extravagant looking mansion Heather noticed something glint slightly and headed over there, her heart skipping a beat from the excitement she felt. It was a steel pipe and although it wasn't as effective as a gun, it was better than being unarmed. Beside it was a small pot containing an odd looking green plant. She didn't think much of it but decided that since it was separated from the others in the garden that it must be important; plucking it gently she stuck it in her pocket for later before turning around to face the building.
"What a weird location to build such a place but who knows. Maybe I'll find an actual person inside." She said out loud heading up the steps. The inside of the mansion had a dusty visage to it as if it hadn't been taken care of in years yet the lights were on, meaning someone had been there recently to turn the electricity on.
'Is someone still here?' she thought as she went into the center of the first floor and looked around.
"Anyone home?" she called out, her back facing the stairs making it impossible for her to notice the laser point that aimed at her back. A bullet whizzed right by her ear and she gasped, sprinting like a mad man before ducking behind a post for cover. Footsteps could be heard at the top of the steps, the owner being none other than Alfred Ashford, his lousy shot the only thing that saved Heather from an untimely end.
"Another intruder? My Island is infested with more rats than I thought, are you working with that urchin Claire Redfield?" he questioned pointing his rifle at the pole she hid behind.
"Who the fuck is Claire?" Heather yelled back flinching when she heard another round fired off.
"Don't play dumb with me I already know you're all plotting to take over my Island. Well sorry to say but you won't live long enough to rendezvous with your party." He said firing off two more rounds. This man was angering Heather more than scaring her and she knew she couldn't just sit around all day. 'God Damnit, and here I thought I had escaped all the nut cases.' She thought.
"Look you lunatic, I have no idea where I even am or how I got here. How could I possibly be plotting to destroy you?" she said seeing another bit of the pole fly off as he continued to fire.
"Enough of your lies! Come out and face me with some dignity or I shall deal with you personally." He threatened beginning to make his way down the stairs.
'How much more personal can you get? Whatever, I've got to get the hell out of here before he learns how to aim...now!' she thought and zipped around the side of the pole before hoping over the railing, adrenaline pushing her the whole time. Alfred fired but missed every time and before he could reload she was out the door.
"Damn that wench, she's not getting away from me that easily." He said as he ran back up the stairs, headed for one of the mansions many secret pathways. Remembering the metal gate she saw when she first got up to this part of the island, she quickly ran inside hoping it would lead to a safe area; she was wrong. As soon as she got into the open dirt yard, the ground shook like an earth quake and split open, an enormous worm rearing its head and letting out a roar. Heather yelled and dove to the side as it came down crashing back into the soil and burrowing again. She recovered and dashed for the science facility, slamming the door behind her as the worm surfaced again. The reception lobby seemed to be locked down, metal doors covered stairways and a lockdown alarm rang throughout the ceiling. Just as heather had thought she'd have no way in, she noticed one of the metal covers had been opened by a card.
'Bingo.' She thought as she hurried through just in case the door tried to shut. The back door led to another smaller courtyard with a staircase that led to the second floor balcony. Alfred had just come from inside the facility and readied his gun on the balcony to fire at her again, but this time she saw him and furrowed her brows, gripping her pipe tightly as she ran for the stairs. He shot and missed again as Heather rushed at him, the pipe ready to swing for his head and just as she got to the top of the steps he made a run for it into a locked room.
"Coward." She yelled continuing her chase but stopped when she realised the door wouldn't budge. Another hallway with two doors and a vending machine at the end was behind her and she decided to try and find a way to get to him through there. Standing in front of the vending machines she never notice the metal door seal the way she just came from until it was too late, her fist pounding angrily in frustration. The speaker in the upper corner crackled to life, a microphone turned on at the other end.
"Claire only barely made it past my little 'playground' which means you'll have next to no chance of making it out alive. Ta ta, nnahahahahahaaaa." He finished with an irritating laugh that made her cover her ears before he left the microphone.
"Freak show, what the hell did he mean by playground?" she said to herself venturing through yet another door. The next area didn't seem all that special, just a metal walkway with a stair case that led downstairs. She shrugged and went down the steps, the clank of metal under her boots echoing off the stone walls around her. At the bottom there didn't seem to be anything useful or any doors that she could go through.
"Dead end." She said about to head back to the stairs when something jumped down in front of her with a thud. Its yellowish skin contracted with the large blue veins that pulsated on the surface of its naked flesh. A neck was no longer apparent due to its swollen shoulders around it, the small head in between missing its ears, nose, and lips. The left arm was gone leaving only a large right arm, the knuckles of which dragged along the floor. Heather found herself frozen while starring at the new mutation, the very sight of it causing her blood to freeze. It growled as it plodded towards her before standing in place. Its only arm arched back before shooting forward stretching five feet ahead of it like a rubber band. She snapped out of it just as the hand reached her and held up the pipe to block. The monster grabbed it and ripped it from her hands with brute force, causing her to yelp in surprise. Stunned and confused, Heather never saw the arm come back until the large hand gripped her head and lifted her of the ground with inhuman strength. She grunted and yelled in fear, unaware of just how much danger she was in. The fingers tightened around her skull putting pressure on her brain and she screamed in pain as a trickle of blood left her ear.
"God...it hurts..." she somehow managed to get out as the pain only intensified. Valtiel had finally found a way to get in and found Heather by following her voice. He had only just entered as the monster, which Alfred had named Bandersnatch, had begun its death grip. Valtiel growled at the scene below the vent he had crawled through, enraged that this thing was putting his god in danger, but it wasn't the god that he fully worried for; he grew angrier the more he heard Heather scream in pain. Unable to take it anymore, he leapt down from his post and landed hard on the Bandersnatch's shoulders, the other roaring in surprise. Valtiel held on as the monster tried to shake him off, no longer focused on crushing Heather's head but not dropping her. Opening his front mouth, Silent Hill's yellow god revealed two rows of jagged, sharp teeth that no one would have thought he could posses, and brought them down hard into the flesh of the T-virus mutation. The Bandersnatch howled from the pain and finally released Heather but she wasn't safe yet, not as long as the Bandersnatch was still standing. Valtiel raised his fist and slammed it hard into the other monsters head causing it to growl. He continued to pound into the beast's skull, the Bandersnatch gripping onto Valtiel's back but unable to pull him away due to the strong hold the other had on him. The mutation staggered as blood poured from the head wound Valtiel had caused and with one final blow, it fell down and stopped moving all together.
Getting up immediately Valtiel made his way over to Heather's form, seeing the blood that trickled from her ear and fearing the worst, but when he lowered his head to her chest he heard her heart still faintly beating and growled in relief. Cradling her limp body in his arms he headed up the stairs for the lounge that was just by the door Heather had previously came in. Unconscious and dying, Heather lay on the couch and Valtiel knew she wouldn't have much time left if she wasn't healed immediately but he wasn't worried; his special ability as one of the deity monsters of Silent Hill was to revive the dead or wounded. Placing a hand in the middle of her breasts he concentrated hard; black string like objects slithered from his palm to under her flesh before disappearing. The blood that leaked out stopped, the bruises on her forehead vanished, and every sign that she had ever been hurt disappeared all together. Her eyes fluttered open and she groaned as she came to, gasping slightly from fear when she saw who was in front of her, but then she quickly remembered what she had seen; before she blacked out, she opened her eyes and looked through a crack in the other monsters fingers, she saw Valtiel jump on it and beat the crap out of it.
Her heart rate slowed when she realised he wasn't trying to kill her at all, it was the exact opposite.
"You were never trying to hurt me were you?" she whispered and he shook his head. Heather noticed all the pain she felt had vanished as well, was he the one who healed her?
"Valtiel..." she started but he held her hand and purred slightly as if to say he knew she was grateful. She closed her eyes still feeling fatigue weigh her down.
'Maybe having him follow me isn't such a bad idea. With his strength I should be able to get out of here...I hope.' She thought as she dozed off, Valtiel watching over her the whole time. Heather felt a great weight lifted off her in knowing she didn't have to go through this nightmare alone.
With a crutch in his hands as his only means of defence, Steve stepped out into the pitch black of the hallway. He carried Claire on his back due to her extremely sore knee, her arms clinging tightly around his neck for support as she helped by using her lighter to find their way around. The walls seemed to bleed and peel in the dark environment, the smell of iron and decay stuck in their senses. Cautiously heading out into a store complex the pair heard the squishing footsteps only the Closers made.
"No not another one of those things." Claire said as she clung tighter to her ride. In the illuminated area the lighter provided, Steve spotted the only store not boarded in by metal doors used to close up shop.
"Hold on." He said as he made his way to the clothes store, the grotesque monster coming into view as he reached the door. It was a small shop that was just as filthy as every other place in the mall but at least they weren't out in the open anymore and Steve couldn't help but grin when he saw a back door behind the counter; Claire wasn't as thrilled.
"I wonder where this one will lead?" she said in a worried tone as Steve headed through. Coming upon another very confined corridor with several doors, Steve had to look at the map in the light of the small flame to figure out just where they were supposed to be headed.
"This mall is insane it's just like one giant maze. Which one of these doors heads to the exit?" he questioned looking at the small drawing of the malls interior. Around a darkened corner ahead of them, a deep growl noise resounded causing Claire to look up with a gasp. Another closer rounded the edge and was drawn to their small light its body swaying from the large forearms moving back and forth.
"Steve!" she yelled breaking her partner's train of thought and he backed up when he saw the approaching enemy. It blocked any chance of them slipping by with its wide arms in such a confined hall and going back out to the store would only lead them to another Closer; there was only one option left. Removing his hand and letting Claire hang off his shoulders, the young redhead gripped the crutch tightly with both hands, his muscles becoming tense as he waited for it to come a little closer. It stopped and was about to thrust its arm forward, but Steve reacted faster slamming his weapon hard into the knee of the Closer, hearing a crack as it fractured. It let out a roar and hunched over in pain and Steve didn't waste a second, holding onto Claire as he clambered over its body while it was stunned. He took the first left and went in the only door that wasn't beside all the others hoping he was right.
A gurney sat out of place against the wall as the companions ventured into a new area, the silence making them both relieved yet uneasy. Walking further Steve found two sets of escalators; one that went up to the shadowed second floor and another that went down into nothing but darkness. He peered over the rail and only saw black as if there really was nothing down below, and he wasn't about to risk them both plummeting to their doom to find out.
"Looks like going down is not an option." He said to Claire and she looked up to the top of the other escalator and sighed.
"I guess it's up then." She said, knowing there'd probably be more monsters up there, but what else was new. Since there was no way the escalators could function without electricity they had to climb them like regular stairs which only strained Steve's muscles more as he now fought against gravity; Claire felt bad that she was the cause of all his fatigue. Sure enough, when they reached the top of the steps the growl of a Closer was heard as well as the chomping noises of a feeding double head that soon stopped its actions as it saw the light, growling as new prey made the scene. Steve saw a door with a large crescent moon and white stone right behind the Closer; such a unique door had to be the key to escaping this hell. With two monsters closing in on them Steve would have to think fast if he was going to protect Claire. The double head dashed forward its head bobbing with saliva foaming and spilling out, the smell of human meat driving it on. It leapt for Steve's head but the young man ducked out of the way just as it reached him, its jaws instead clamping into the Closer's forearm.
Claire held fast to the younger survivor as he reached for the handle, watching the two monsters growl and hiss while they ripped each other to pieces.
"A distraction was all we needed." Steve commented as he shut the door, the Closer impaling the double head and the smaller creature yelping as it died. Claire could see that this new floor looked just like the roundabout they first went out on, the only difference was this one had a catwalk that went out to the center, a long ladder went down the hole in the middle surpassing many floors. Steve looked down before glancing back at Claire, the young Redfield giving him a confused stare.
"Can you hold onto my neck while I climb down?" he asked and she nodded knowing she was far stronger than she looked. He let go of her and started down the ladder, the clank of metal loud as each foot hit a bar. Only a minute later and they reached the bottom which surprisingly didn't have any tiling on its floor; just the dirt covered ground with two walls on either side of them, three tunnel holes in each. But the most eye catching objet down there was the large purple and bluish worm with a split running down the middle of its head. It wasn't moving and a trail of blood seemed to leak out of its mouth, bullet holes laced its now cold flesh.
"Someone already killed it, and that door up there looks like it was a puzzle at one point. Is someone else here besides us?" Steve said gazing at the dark environment around them. A loud sound like crashing metal caught them both off guard and he turned in the direction of the sound; what was once a ladder was now nothing more than shattered bits of metal.
"What could have done that, and so quickly?" Claire asked as Steve seemed dazed by the whole thing. Thin sharp metal dragged almost silently across the dirt as something menacing snuck up on the two, both completely unaware of how much danger they were in. Claire turned her head slightly at the last second and screamed as she saw the six foot tall creature with a stained ceremonial robe and metallic pyramid shaped helmet come up behind them. With inhuman strength it lifted the heavy oversized knife it carried and brought it down on the two helpless victims; a terrified scream was the last thing to be heard as a white light consumed their visions and the sound of the air raid siren went off again.
Steve opened his eyes and was surprised he was able to after only seconds ago seeing his life flash before his eyes. He patted himself just to make sure everything was all in one piece and sighed in relief. The weight of Claire was still on his back and he smiled back at her glad to see she wasn't gone either. They didn't know how but the white light had somehow brought them to the front of the mall, the front doors only a few feet away. Setting Claire carefully on the ground Steve hurried over to open them, but instead he only yanked several times against the locked mechanism, pounding a fist against the glass when it failed to open.
"Crap it's locked how the hell are we supposed to leave this nightmare?" he said as he ground his teeth. To Claire's left was a stairwell that led downstairs, a sign with an arrow said 'Subway'. She called to Steve and he looked over to see what she wanted, his gaze followed her pointing finger to her little discovery. The smile returned to his face as he walked back over to her picking her up so that she was held securely in his arms and facing him, balancing her weight on the good leg.
"Nice work Claire, I can't believe I didn't see that. I'm so happy I could kiss you." This last remark had Claire looking at him with wide eyes and he blushed when he realised what he'd said, clearing his throat as he changed the subject.
"Anyways we can't wait around here all day, let's leave this mall from hell behind." He said with determination turning to allow his friend to climb back on him. The underground station was full of many confusing stairwells and stands, anyone of them could have taken the companions to a much more hellish environment. So going with what his gut told him Steve stuck with following the arrows that led to the 'Bergen Street' platform. Sure enough the train was waiting right there for them, no puzzles, no problems at all.
"This seems much easier than all the stuff I had to do on the Island. There were tones of crazy puzzles like fit two gold lugers to open a locked door." They both had a laugh at the fact that Alfred must have been the one to think up such crazy tasks. Once inside the cabin Steve allowed Claire to rest herself on one of the seats and right beside her was a box that looked like it was a present at one point, the wrapping still under it. He lifted the lid and was met with the most beautiful sight; a shotgun already loaded, with extra ammo around it. He lifted it out, wiping the barrel of any dust before cocking it, feeling new life enter him as he held the weapon.
"Kick ass. Now that we have some fire power those things won't know what hit them." He said excitedly as Claire watched him practice aiming. He looked down at her with a reassuring smile as he placed a hand gently on her shoulder.
"Don't worry Claire, I promise I'll protect you with all that I have." He said and she blushed slightly, touched by how caring he'd become all of a sudden; he was no longer thinking about saving his own skin. The cabin's doors whooshed shut causing both teens to jump. Steve tried to open it up but it was sealed tight.
"Were locked in." He said as the train slowly started to move, speeding up as it picked up momentum.
"Is someone driving this thing?" Claire said as she got up, crying out when pain shot through her knee, she had forgotten about her bad leg. Since acquiring his new toy Steve really didn't have a use for the crutch anymore and he couldn't be carrying her around all the time. He picked her up by her elbow and slipped the crutch under her weaker side.
"Here you need it more than I do." He said and she whispered a thank you as she picked herself up and followed Steve who was now headed for the door that led to the next cabin.
"If we get to the front of the train we should be able to take control of it." He said sliding the barrier open. They went through cabin after cabin, the amount of Numbodies that came at them seemed endless but Claire wasn't as afraid of them as she was before now that Steve was blowing them away with such ease. When they were only two cabins away from the front the young redhead stopped causing Claire to as well. He squinted ahead seeing a large silhouette lying on the ground; it got up slowly and now the two could see the full size of the new monster. It's large round body seemed to consume its tiny lump of a head, if you could even call it that, and its pale white skin was stained in sections with filth and blood. The arms thinned out the closer they got to where the hands would be and its legs were also short and stumpy. All of its flesh was covered in large lumps that looked as though they could be cancerous.
It made its way over to them with loud footsteps and Claire only backed away at the sight of the horrible thing, but not Steve; he stood his ground with a pissed off look on his face.
"I've had just about enough of you bastards scaring Claire." He said as the thing was only a foot away now. Without fear, he thrust the barrel of the shot gun into the monsters tiny head lump causing it to growl in surprise before he rested his finger on the trigger.
"Die!" was all the young man said as he fired off the shot, the monsters brains exploding from the back of its head. Blood poured out as it fell back, hitting the ground with a loud thud as its body went limp. Steve kicked it once for good measure his breathing slightly laboured from the rush he felt. Claire was about to walk up and say something when the train came to an abrupt halt, sending Steve flying on his back and Claire falling forward onto his chest, knocking the wind out of him. The doors reopened on their own and Claire and Steve recovered, making their way slowly out of the cabin. They were on a new platform but there was no staircase that led to the streets above; just a door that looked like it led somewhere new.
"Does that door lead to the streets? I'm really disliking being underground." Claire said as Steve went over to the wall, taking a piece of paper that was stuck there. He read over the drawing of the new map and his face turned pale.
"It does lead to the way out, but we have to venture through...the sewers." He said grimly and Claire didn't like the sound of it at all. If the creatures above ground were horrible, who knew what kind of demons lurked down in the dark. Things weren't going to get easier and they may only get worse.
Chapter two is here for you. Looks like the survivors are starting to learn to trust in each other and they'll need cooperation for their journey ahead. Some chapters may come a little later because I've been working a lot lately so I'll try to put them out as fast as I think them up. Keep your eyes out and keep on reviewing. P.S I'm glad that Heather's going to work together with Valtiel now.
