Chapter 10: Let It Die
Cool mist fell around Rayne-Marie as she lay on the ground. Her eyes slowly opened. Her hands pushed down on cold concrete. As she pushed herself up to her feet, she quickly glanced around the vacant street. Thick fog swallowed her.
"I'm in that Otherworld again, aren't I?" Rayne-Marie let out a long sigh. "What do you want from me?" she suddenly cried out. Her reply was the sound of her voice echoing through the lone street. She began walking, the only sound that accompanied her were the clicking of her shoes.
The road wound around until Rayne-Marie saw a sign high above her. Even in the fog, she somehow made out the words.
Welcome to Silent Hill.
"Silent Hill?" she whispered. That name sounded familiar. She couldn't remember where she heard the name of the town at the moment. She moved further into the town. Her gaze fell on a bench set on the grass. There was a newspaper on the bench. It could have been just an ordinary newspaper and she could have easily ignored it. However, she could bring herself to walk passed the bench. Her feet stopped and her hand shot out and snatched the paper. On the front page she saw the news heading: Negligence Behind the Wheel.
"A car swerved out of control yesterday. Forty-five year old Michael Cramer was behind the wheel with fourteen year old…Rayne-Marie Cramer in the passenger seat—"
Suddenly, screeching tires rang throughout the area. Rayne-Marie jumped around to see a red Mustang swerve and crashing into a telephone phone and toppling over numerous times. Rayne rushed towards the crashed vehicle.
As she approached the car, she saw the shattered glass along the street. She stood still as a man pulled himself out through the broken window. He slowly climbed to his feet, pushing off loose shards of glass. Cuts were visible all around his face, arms and hands. His polo shirt, pants and thick work shoes protected the rest of his body, but he still had bruises all over. Rayne-Marie's eyes popped wide open as she recognized her own father.
"Dad! You're here! You've come back!" She raced towards the man, throwing her arms around him. But her arms went through him as if he were just an image. Rayne-Marie took a step back. "D-dad…?"
The man turned back towards the wrecked car. He bolted around to the other side.
"Rayne! Rayne-Marie!" He bent down to see the girl. Her head down on the dashboard, glass stuck out of her arms and the back of her neck. The blood poured from her wounds. The man covered his mouth.
"No!" He stumbled back. "I have to call someone!" He fumbled around his shirt pocket and grabbed his cell phone. He dialed and held the phone to his ear.
"Hello? Hello! I need help! We were just in a terrible car accident! My daughter—"
Suddenly, Rayne –Marie stood in the entranceway of a hospital. Nurses and other medical staff scurried about. She turned to see her parents sitting in some seats by the wall in the waiting area. The doctor walked inside, a rather young looking woman in her early thirties.
"Mr. and Mrs. Cramer, I'm doctor Koda," she introduced herself. "Please follow me."
The doctor took them to a private room where she had them sit down.
"Here's the good news. You're daughter is going to live." Both parents sighed with relief.
"Well, that's good, right?" Michael asked. "There's no problem then.
Dr. Koda fixed her eyes on the couple. "Well, she's alive, but…" She took a folder from the counter. From within the brown package, she pulled out a few X-rays and put them up on the screen. There was a huge fracture in the brain, clear as day. Even someone with no medical experience could see it and know there was something wrong.
"What's that?" Laureen asked a bit alarmed.
The doctor put her finger by the fracture. "There is a definite crack in her skull. It's right where neurotransmitters send blood into the brain. And…this isn't the only one. She pointed to the other X-rays. Numerous lines showed fractures all around Rayne-Marie's brain. Laureen covered her mouth.
"So, what you're saying is she has brain damage?" the mother gasped.
"I know this is hard. But, she can still talk and walk. Amazingly, she can do everything she did before. So, we're not exactly sure if there is a problem."
Michael jumped out of his seat. "Then why did you say she has brain damage? That's serious!"
"She may have brain damage. We don't know. You'll have to see if there is anything different in her daily life. Especially at school."
"You're wasting our time!" Michael said crossly. "Can we see our daughter now?"
Rayne-Marie now stood in her bedroom looking over her body. Her younger self was sleeping. Suddenly, she woke up. The harsh voices of her parent came up through the floorboards.
"What were you thinking?" Laureen stormed at her husband. "Were you showing off in that stupid sports car of yours? You could have killed our daughter!"
"But I didn't! And I wish you'd give me some credit!" he yelled back.
"Credit! You haven't worked in months! I'm the one paying the bills right now! You can't handle the real estate business and you cracked under pressure! Just admit it!"
"The only think I'll admit, is that I'm sorry for marrying an ogre like you!"
Rayne-Marie and her younger self walked to the top of the staircase. She recalled this argument happening after the school reported back to them that she barely remembered how to write. She was in high school and her reading was at a third grade level.
"My daughter was the smartest girl in her class! Now those idiots at that school are suggesting to put her in special education?" Laureen collapsed in the chair at the dinner table. Her head fell into her hands as she began to sob.
"Look, I'm sure it's not that bad," Michael tried to console her now. "You'll see. Rayne will bounce back. They just need to give her some time." He turned and left the kitchen, heading towards the stairs. Rayne-Marie ran into her room and shut the door.
A month passed from that time, then two, then three. Laureen kept Rayne-Marie out of special Ed, but she went to the resource room for help and even saw Mr. Brandson, the school psychologist on a weekly basis. Rayne-Marie sat in her history class back in ninth grade.
The students stared at her suddenly.
"Why is everyone looking at me?" she asked nervously.
"Maybe its because you're just staring off into space while I'm waiting for an answer to the question I just asked, Ms. Cramer." Rayne-Marie looked up at Mr. Banks, her history teacher.
"I…I'm sorry…what did you ask?" A few students around her snickered.
"What was the victory cry of the people after Texas won their independence? Come on Ms. Cramer, we just finished our big test on it and you supposedly got the highest score? Is there something I don't know? Did you cheat?" Rayne-Marie's mouth fell open.
"Of course not! I just—" Her head began to throb. I'm sorry…but since I got out of the hospital—"
"Maybe you should see the nurse," he said, but had no sympathy behind his voice.
As Rayne-Marie walked to the door, she turned back to see Sherrie talking to Eileen…her friend Eileen. What the hell was she thinking?
When lunchtime came around, Rayne-Marie sat at the usual table waiting for Eileen and Kaylee. Finally, she saw them approach, but they were with Sherrie.
"What are you doing?" Rayne-Marie asked Sherrie with annoyance.
Sherrie turned to Eileen, "Go ahead. Tell her!"
Eileen slowly moved her gaze to Rayne. Her eyes turned down sad at first, but then hardened.
"We can't be your friends anymore!" Eileen quickly spat out the words. Rayne-Marie returned a confused gaze at the girls.
"What are you talking?" she asked hastily.
"You heard her!" Sherrie spat out. They rather be friends with me."
"Whatever Sherrie!" Rayne responded hotly. "No one wants to be your friend!"
"Why? Because I'm fat?" she tossed back. Rayne-Marie took a good looked at Sherrie. She lost a lot of weight. She was out of school or almost a month and in that time she went from a walrus to a pretty minx.
"Maybe you're not fat, but you're still a tattle-tale and cry baby! Eileen. Kaylee. Just sit down."
"No." Kaylee said firmly. "We don't want to hang out with you. You right out embarrassed yourself in history class."
"Yeah, and you probably cheated on that test!" Sherrie accused. The girl laughed and walked away.
In present time, Rayne-Marie sat in the fog by the car.
"Did I really deserve to have my friends desert me? Then, dad—" Rayne heard the words her mother spoke to her from the past. They echoed continuously in her head.
"He killed himself! Do you know what that means? He's gone! Forever! It's you're fault you know! You insisted he drive you to the store in that terrible fog! No one else was driving at that time! Did you even notice you spoiled brat?!"
Rayne-Marie stood up now, still lost in her thoughts. What was with this town? It hurt too much. She didn't want to remember anything!
"There you are Rayne-Marie!" Rayne looked up to see Sherrie stomp towards her. "You can't get away from me!" she shouted.
Rayne nodded finally understanding. "I'm not trying to get away. This town is making me pay."
"What are you talking about? Where are we?" Sherrie's voice shook.
"Silent Hill." Rayne-Marie answered numbly. "I don't know why this town choses people, but it does. It shows them the truth about themselves. It's showing the truth about me."
"Oh really? So you know you're a liar and a cheater!"
"I didn't cheat on that test, Sherrie! Is that really what has you so upset? Or is it the fact that I teased you for being fat back in fifth grade and turned the entire class against you!" Sherrie backed up a few steps.
"Why? Why did you do all of that to me?" her voice cracked.
"I—don't know. I always had all this pressure on me to succeed. Our grades were so close. I wanted to be the top student and—you were in my way!" Sherrie kept her eyes on Rayne. "Every since the accident, I suffered brain damage and—" Emotion rose inside of Rayne-Marie. She felt her throat tighten. "Now I'm dumb okay!"
"Serves you right." Sherrie said suddenly. Rayne-Marie stared wide- eyed at Sherrie for a long moment. "Yeah, that's right! I said it! Do you want to know what I've been through? It's because of people like you that I almost took my life! I hated to look in the mirror! Do you know how that felt? You were blessed Rayne-Marie! You had friends and you were smart and cute. People in class looked up to you."
"You were smart too Sherrie. You still are," Rayne tried to calm her down.
"It didn't matter! You're family had money! You were always liked!"
"Look, I can't take back what I did, but I am sorry, Sherrie." Sherrie stared at her for a moment. Her eyes studied her and Rayne-Marie wondered if she actually would forgive her. Then Sherrie closed up her stance.
"No! It's not going to be that easy! You haven't begun to understand revenge! Revenge is justified! You can't get away with what you did!"
As Rayne-Marie watched Sherrie, her form changed. Her body became bloated. Veins bulged around her legs, arms and even her brain. Rayne-Marie felt nauseous just looking at her.
"What the hell are you?" Rayne yelled. "Get away from me!"
The monster stomped towards her. What could Rayne-Marie do? Her eyes darted around the street. The only thing she could find for a weapon was the shattered glass from the car. She ran over and grabbed a long shard, but then she realized that she would have to get closer to the monster to use it. The nausea threatened to return.
Suddenly, the monster charged at her. Rayne lost her nerve and ran towards the side of the road. She ran down the mountainside along the railing. But then, the railing stopped and nothing protected her should she lose balance and fall of the cliff-side. Rayne turned as the monster pursued her. As the monster tried to grab Rayne, she swung the long glass shard at it. The bloated hands of the monster grabbed Rayne and held her over the side of the mountain. In desperation, Rayne stabbed at the creature. The tip of the glass punctured the monster's flesh. Blood squirted out all over Rayne, but she didn't care. This thing had to die, even if she died with it. She stabbed again, the glass cut into the fiend's throat. It let her go. Rayne fell about a foot before she caught the edge of a jagged rock. Rayne looked up as the monster fell forward, plummeting down into the fog.
The monster was gone, but Rayne-Marie still had a problem. She couldn't hold on forever and she had no way of pulling herself up.
"Rayne!" Someone yelled down to her. Rayne-Marie looked up to see Heather holding her hand out to her. Where the hell has she been? Rayne thought to herself. Rayne reached up and grabbed her hand. Somehow, Heather pulled her up to the roadside. The girl didn't look it, but wow, was she strong! As Rayne stared at Heather, tears welled up in her eyes. She grasped onto her and began crying her eyes out.
"Rayne," Heather said softly. "Hey, come on. We gotta get out of here."
"I'm so sorry," Rayne sobbed. Heather wiped a tear from her eye.
"Stop. Please, let's just get out of here."
The girls walked down the foggy road. As they proceeded on, the world around them changed once again. Suddenly, they were on the roof of the school. The girls stopped suddenly just as they were about to walk off the edge.
"What? Where are we?" Rayne wondered.
Heather looked down. "We're on top of the school, apparently." Then, their eyes saw someone down below. On top of box truck, lay the body of a young girl; Sherrie.