Disclaimer: BTT and Silent Hill belong to Katherine Paterson and Konami respectfully. No profit is being made out of this work.
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Chapter Ten
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Nightfall arrived quickly in Silent Hill, as did the drop in temperature. Jesse rushed through the town, afraid that more monsters would spawn soon. He managed to make it back to Toluca Lake in a short matter of time.
It was there on the coast where he discovered a small seaport, where a wooden deck roped spare motorboats. Miss Edmunds and Janice must have taken these to reach the other side to the amusement park. Jesse could just vaguely make it out in the distance with its neon lights…no thanks to the fog of course.
He took out his walkie-talkie in hopes to contact Miss Edmunds and check on her status. But there was trouble getting in contact since the signal was incredibly weak. Jesse prayed that Miss Edmunds was all right but couldn't help worrying all the while.
Without wasting any more time, he untied one of the boats and jumped in. Jesse noticed a wooden box attached inside the boat, which supplied a flare gun in case he was in need of rescue. He removed the gun from the box and placed it into his knapsack.
Now that he was set, he yanked the cord of the motorboat and started his way towards the amusement park.
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It took a good fifteen minutes to finally reach the other side. The lake was awfully quiet. There were no unusual creatures lurking about in the calm waters. It seemed almost too easy crossing it.
Jesse arrived at the docks of where appeared the burned remains of a building overlooking the lake. A charred sign in front of it confirmed it as Lake View Hotel. It must have been built for tourists when Silent Hill was a poplar attraction. How it all came to this was beyond Jesse's knowledge.
Regardless however, this was not the time to investigate. There were bigger things happening elsewhere. Jesse ran onwards from the docks and past the hotel, onwards to a sign leading to Lake Side Amusement Park.
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Although the lights were on, the park was deathly deserted. None of the rides were functioning. It seemed more like a ghost town than a place of fun and merriment. The ambiance was full of misery rather than laughter and enjoyment. There was no cheer in this park at all.
Jesse froze when he saw several human-sized dolls of Robbie the Rabbit, Joyce Ann's favorite soft toy, scattered everywhere upon the park grounds. He must have been the highlight and main mascot in Lake Side. Some of them were leaning motionless against fences, some were sitting lifelessly on broken rides, while others closer to Jesse lounged idly on the benches. The most disturbing thing was that their faces and overalls were smeared messily with what Jesse assumed to be blood.
Jesse wasn't sure whether there was anyone dead inside those costumes or not, but he wasn't interested to find out. He crept his way silently past them, keeping his eyes on their elongated smiles whilst calling out for Janice and Miss Edmunds. For a split-moment, he could have sworn that one of them nudged its head towards him…
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It didn't take long until Jesse stumbled across the gates leading to an old house attraction, so called the Borley Haunted Mansion. By the name of it, it was obvious what to expect from such a place. Even the structure of the house itself reminded Jesse of those horror movies he used to watch with his college mates.
Yet for some inexplicable reason, he felt drawn to it, as if something was waiting for him. If there was a place to hide in this park, it would most likely be somewhere deep in this gimmicky mansion, a place that not many people would have the balls to venture into. He couldn't help but wonder whether Janice or Miss Edmunds were wondering somewhere inside.
Jesse took the courage to explore the mansion and stepped in.
The hall seemed harmless enough. Not much light inside, except for grubby candles and a tasteless chandelier. Jesse stepped onto the marble floor, ignoring the eerie atmosphere of this otherwise old-fashioned habitat. Nobody was present, although Jesse tried to pay little attention to the faint laughter echoing somewhere within the walls of the mansion. Whether it was part of the attraction or an actual mischievous spirit, he did not know.
There were several doors to choose from, including several ones on the upper floor linked with a carpeted staircase. However, Jesse decided to press on and head forwards. With his gun ready, he kicked open a pair of double doors, pointing at whatever might be lurking on the other side.
There was nothing to be frightened of…except Jesse's own reflection, stretching for what seemed like miles down a narrow overlong hallway. Its walls were constructed of glass mirrors, stretching down all the way to another door on the opposite side. Jesse entered the long hallway of mirrors vigilantly.
His reflections followed closely with his footsteps, failing to notice a few of them scowling back at him antagonistically. Jesse looked onwards, uninterested in viewing himself. He heard voices from the following door beyond. It sounded like crying from a woman. Could it have been Janice or Miss Edmunds?
Jesse reached for the door's handle and swung it open. He found himself inside a small dining room, decorated nicely with candle lamps and a dining table served for a family. Plates and cutlery were placed neatly on the table with wine glasses. But there was neither food nor any drinks.
Behind the table at a lit fireplace, knelt a weeping Miss Edmunds. Her face was stricken with terror. She remained still, afraid to move due to the sharp blade of a steak knife placed under her chin. The wielder of the knife was Laurie, her eyes blood red and her makeup ruined. Trails from her black eye liners could be seen down her cheeks as a result from her dried up tears.
"Jesse?" Miss Edmunds whispered in a meek voice. "Just what in God's name is happening here?"
"God has nothing to do with this." Jesse replied, lowering the gun only slightly, feeling nervous about this dire situation. "Laurie, listen to me. None of us needs to get hurt if you put down the knife and let Miss Edmunds go."
"No." Laurie growled, gritting her teeth. She was still clearly upset from their last meeting together. "Why should I? I know you too well, Jess. You have a crush on this worthless whore just as much as that fucking Leslie."
Jesse tried to remain calm and hold his anger back.
"Tell me, how many times has it been that you've fantasized screwing Miss Edmunds in the ass?" asked Laurie in a casual voice, "I bet you'd love to do it doggie-style."
"SHUT UP!" Jesse fiercely raised his gun. He couldn't take any more of the child's hateful insults.
"Ah-ah-ah…" Laurie waved a finger at him, drawing her knife closer to Miss Edmunds' throat. She threatened to slit it if Jesse was to loose his temper again. "…don't lose your cool so fast."
"Let her go!" Jesse demanded again. "This isn't about her. It's ME you want."
"That's true." answered Laurie with a demonic smirk. "But you know what would be worse than killing you? Killing your loved ones. So actually, I don't care what you have to say, because I'm going to slay this bitch whether you like it or not."
Miss Edmunds' heart pounded, as did Jesse's. Laurie wasn't kidding when she said she'd kill Miss Edmunds right here, right now. Miss Edmunds could feel the cold blade about to slice her delicate skin. But then something interrupted the ordeal. The interruption came from a wailing siren from outside.
The room faded to pitch dark. And when brightness returned, the room had drastically altered into a more nightmarish mansion. The walls like before, were smeared in blood whilst fans on the ceiling were spinning wildly. What was worse was that there was an extra person standing in the room. Behind Laurie was Pyramid Head, who startled Laurie so much that it gave Miss Edmunds the chance to flee. She pushed Laurie's hand away and fled towards Jesse.
Laurie dropped her knife as Pyramid Head slapped her aside against a glass cabinet with a mighty swing from its arm. Sustaining injury, she tried to crawl away amidst the shards of broken glass stained with her blood, but she wasn't quick enough. Pyramid Head's shadow overwhelmed Laurie as she looked back in dread.
Laurie screamed when she was raised off the ground, choking as Pyramid Head wrapped its fingers around her neck. She struggled powerlessly, kicking her feet so hard that her sneakers fell off. Pyramid Head showed no remorse, squeezing the life out of its victim until Laurie's neck finally snapped. Her arms dropped immediately.
Jesse and Miss Edmunds covered their faces, unable to bear it.
Pyramid Head dropped the dead girl and turned its attention towards the two witnesses. Jesse and Miss Edmunds agreed it was best to flee the mansion, rather than waste ammunition on fighting. Both of them turned and left the dining room, back into the mirrored hallway.
Jesse shut the door firmly behind him, hoping that Pyramid Head would not follow them.
No sooner had they arrived in the hallway did they discover that it was in flames. Jesse and Miss Edmunds felt the place heating up fast as thick smoke filled the air with a strong sizzling scent. The two rushed hastily without word…until they encountered Janice in their path, staring grievously at her own reflection in a fractured mirror. She appeared frail, her face pale as a ghost in a worse state of anguish. Yet she gazed at herself, contemplating about all the sins she had committed in her life and all the horrors she had to experience.
"Janice!" Jesse yelled, tugging her arm as he ran passed her. "What the hell are you doing here? We have to get out! C'mon!"
But Janice did not budge. Still stricken with too much sorrow in her heart, she refused to leave her spot. She turned towards Jesse, her eyes deep in despair. She knew that if she went with him, there would still be no hope left for her in this world.
In her mind, she was already dead.
"Can I ask you a question?" she asked desolately. "Were you ever in love with Leslie back in school?"
"What…?" Jesse frowned.
"I thought so…" Janice sighed. "You gotta let her go, Jess. Seriously…just let her go…stop crying like a wimp…stop being such a pussy…and don't end up like me. You can't help me now. It's too late."
"Janice, what's the matter?" Miss Edmunds asked.
"Leave me." Janice muttered. "Get out of here while you still can."
A ring of fire surfaced from the ground and circulated Janice. Jesse and Miss Edmunds recoiled as the flames gradually rose. There was no time to dilly-dally. They had to escape this mansion before they'd be cooked geese.
"I've lived long enough…" Janice said woefully. "There's so many disgusting things I've seen in this world…I never had love...no one to care for me…to be honest, I sometimes envy you, Jess…because I wish I had a better life like yours."
"It doesn't have to be this way, Janice." Jesse responded. "It's never too late for help. We can work this out, I promise."
"What's the point?" Janice shook her head, tossing away her shotgun to Jesse's feet. Jesse picked it up skeptically. "Whatever happens, those miserable cops are gonna toss me behind bars. I might as well end this now, while I still have the chance."
The flames roared, rising to greater heights as she became less visible. Jesse was anxious to save her at this point and was about to leap through the fire, but Miss Edmunds pulled him back before he'd get himself fried to a crisp.
"JANICE! DON'T BE A FOOL!" Jesse yelled out, making his final plea from within the raging inferno. "I WON'T LET YOU DIE IN THIS HELL!"
Janice quietly sighed, still hopeless. "You don't get it, do you, Jess? I've ALWAYS lived in hell…you just couldn't see it…until now."
With that said, the flames engulfed Janice and swallowed her up whole.
"NOOO!" Jesse cried, struggling to break free from Miss Edmund's grasp.
The hallway was collapsing. Glass was shattering. Miss Edmunds was forced to drag Jesse out of the hallway, through the hall and out of the mansion, leaving their saddened comrade behind to burn in her own guilt and agony.
Regretful as she was, Miss Edmunds knew that Janice Avery was gone.
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Author's Note: I just finished playing 'Downpour'. And for a while, I actually considered having Jesse and Miss Edmunds being chased by the Void in this chapter, but couldn't really find a place to put it in.
In case any of you readers have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm referring to the latest Silent Hill video game. The Void is a recurring enemy that constantly pursues the hero, sucking everything in its path. If you've played the game, you'll know exactly how intense and scary it can be having to run away from it.