chapter 5: cedar grove sanitarium

The front lobby was big, with plush sofas and expensive looking tables. The architecture was tipping slightly toward a gothic feel, and nothing was hanging on the bland colored walls. There was no one behind the reception counter either, the chain glass windows only casting ghostly shadows. Oh, which reminded him of the biggest thing; it was really really dark.

He instantly had to turn on his flashlight, and was surprised to see it was the only source of illumination the further he went in. And with each echoing step, the lobby seemed to grow in the increasing darkness. Now in a circular room, there were four different paths he could take, all only visibly thanks to the bean of light on his chest.

The darkness was unsettling enough, and he began to wonder why anyone would set up a meeting here. He lifted a payphone from its cradle as he passed it, not surprised to hear dead silence, and he moved on.

More teal colored sofas were in here, as well as notes on several poster boards. The tile had a spectacular pattern in the middle of the room, a swirling circular formation making him slightly dizzy as he studied it. It looked familiar, but he couldn't remember seeing it, and he moved on to his options.

There were four doors, and after a simply mind elimination, he picked the one he was closet to, a set of double doors next to a jammed door on the adjacent wall. With his hand on the handle he froze; something skidded to the floor somewhere back in the lobby. He turned his head slightly, only moving his eyes-

-and he saw nothing but darkness, hearing now a crumbling sound from above.

"Is this place structurally sound?"

He moved on into the next room, not wanting a confrontation, and saw now he was in some sort of patient's room. A wheelchair was discarded in the corner, and although the room was large it was basically empty. And dilapidated, which was odd.

"I think the janitors should be fired…"

He spotted a map on a junky oak desk, rifling through other papers to no avail, and then exited the room through the only other door available. He immediately heard footsteps, and instinctively grabbed a discarded two-by-four amongst the trash and junk on the linoleum. As the footsteps came closer, he also heard whispering, the voice definitely female.

"It could be one of those monsters…"

He could tell now it was chanting, and wondered if maybe it was Lisa or Kaufmann. But it didn't make sense as to why they would be alone, so that thought was ruled out.

He gripped the board tighter and jumped out, hoping to surprise the visitor. The person looked scared at first, shrinking back, but then a calm look played over her unnatural features. She was in dark tatter jeans and a plain shirt underneath a winter jacked and fluffy hood. Her wrinkles said that she was already into her forties.

Then he recognized her once she smiled, the smirk coming back to haunt him.

"You were at the fire, I saw you there." He pointed a finger, but she didn't even flinch. In fact, she seemed pleased that he remembered her.

"Of course you did."

She said matter-of-factly, crossing her arms.

"That was my house burning, and my daughter Alessa."

He couldn't believe it. It was much worse than what he had originally figured. He thought back to the charred flesh and pitiful cries from the little girl for it to end, as well as the smell of burnt meat. Even the ghostly apparition came back to mind.

She broke him from his thoughts.

"So, were you the hero who saved her?" Her gravely tone matched the dark mood she caste, making him uneasy again. He felt angry now, staring the child's murderer in the face.

He spat

"Yeah, she's your daughter huh? Why did you leave her there, I can't believe you didn't get anyone to help. You left that poor soul to burn."

She nodded, the conversation now taking a confusing twist. She replied in an equally harsh tone

"So we did, the world is stranger than you think."

"You're crazy. What happened to her? Lisa said she was dead!"

He interrupted, this seemingly making her angry.

She scowled, starting to back away from him some at the outburst.

"Alessa is with those who care for her. And that's the least she deserves now that you are in the picture."

She started to walk away, saying over her shoulder

"Do not trust her Travis; she does not know what she is doing."

He blinked, and could only watch as she disappeared into the shadows.

Lisa and Kaufmann was one thing, but this nameless woman had gone off the deep end; he was sure of it. But there was something she had said that disturbed him, something so small he could have brushed it off with all the other weirdness he had seen in Silent Hill. But he just couldn't.

"How does she know my name…?"

TO BE CONTINUED