Chapter Ten
Sheppard kicked in the locked door, the crash reverberating in Rodney's ears. They clicked on their lights and crept into the run down building.
"Did that newspaper clipping come from here?"
"Yes. There was also a note, but I didn't take it. I'm guessing there's more clues scattered through here."
Their lights danced down the hall toward the lobby. Rubble and dirt drifted toward the floor. The creak of old wood threatened over head.
"The stairs are over here." Rodney headed toward the staircase.
"I want to take a look over here."
Rodney sighed, his foot already on the first step. Rolling his eyes, he followed Sheppard toward the front desk.
"There wasn't anything there. IN fact, a body fell in front of us."
"That was your dream. Things might be different in reality."
Rodney sighed and ran a hand over his face. Things were very different in reality. They hadn't been attacked much unlike in his dream.
Maybe Teyla was right and the creatures don't like groups.
"Where did you find that clipping?"
"In an apartment building."
Sheppard shone his light on the desk. Papers were scattered across the surface.
Rodney ruffled through them. Some he could barely read them, others weren't of any interest. One caught his attention.
"Look at this."
Using the light from Sheppard's P-90, Rodney read the piece of paper, a note scribbled in a hurry.
I keep seeing them.
I don't know where they come from, but they're everywhere.
No place is safe.
"Well, that told us absolutely nothing." Rodney tossed the paper on the surface.
"It told us nowhere is safe."
Rodney rolled his eyes. "Let's go upstairs."
The stairs creaked under their footsteps. The noise echoed in his ears and he winced. He knew whatever was upstairs heard them. It was only a matter of time before it decided to attack them.
"Turn off your light."
"What?"
"Turn it off. They attack when they see the light."
"We won't be able to see a damn thing, Rodney."
He growled. "Turn it off."
They were quickly bathed in darkness. The hallway didn't have a signal window to let in the light outside. Rodney's heart pounded in his chest and he took a deep breath to calm himself. The urge to turn on his flashlight beat at him, but he ignored it.
"Happy now? I can't see a damn thing. What if we trip over something?"
"And you say I complain too much."
They crept down the corridor, listening for any signs of movement. All Rodney heard was their breathing.
He tried the first door on his left. The click broke the silence. He closed his eyes and waited for an attack. None came. He let out the breath he'd been holding and tried the next door.
"Just kick the door in."
I'm going to break my foot. He took a deep breath and slammed his foot against the door. A crack followed by a bang ricocheted through the hallway.
"Good. Can we turn the lights back on now?"
"Fine." He clicked his light on and stepped through the threshold.
A dirty mattress lay on the floor to his left. A bed frame lay upside down to his right. The floor looked unstable. One wrong move and he'd fall straight through.
"Careful. This place doesn't look sturdy."
"And you call me Captain Obvious."
Rodney stepped forward, but he couldn't see anything of interest. He made a move to leave when something on the floor near the dresser caught his eye.
"I think I found something." He crept toward it. His light illuminated a book with the word "diary" written on it. He bent down and picked it up.
Static from the radios shattered the silence. He spun, weapon raised. Sheppard's light shone on a hole in the wall. Buzzing came from the hole then three giant insects flew out.
"Crap!" Sheppard shouted and opened fire. Squeaks filled the room then the bugs dropped to the floor. Yellow goo sprayed the walls.
"I hate bugs."
"So you keep telling us." Rodney placed the book in his pocket. "Let's get out of here. See what else this place can tell us."
"What'd you find?"
"It's a diary. Hopefully it'll tell us something."
Sheppard nodded and led the way back into the hallway. A door slammed down the hall. They both jumped, but Sheppard continued down the corridor, his light pointing the way.
Dust trickled from the ceiling and a vase fell off its pedestal when he bumped into it. He jumped back and his light lit a painting. He stared at it, feeling drawn to it.
"Rodney!" Sheppard's whispered voice came to his ears, but he stepped toward the painting.
Full of dark colors, the picture oozed menace despite its cheerful scene. It depicted a lake with a sailboat in the middle. Two people stood in the foreground, holding hands. Despite the happiness, he shivered.
"Rodney." Sheppard spun him around. "We don't have time to sight see. Let's go."
Rodney blinked, but nodded. He trailed the Colonel, looking behind them in case a creature came up from behind. His light revealed nothing, except a messy corridor.
"Hey, a door that actually opens."
The creak of a door being pushed open caught his attention. He turned and jogged down the hallway to Sheppard.
A coppery scent drifted toward them. Rodney fought back the urge to gag and stepped into the room behind Sheppard. He moved his light around the room, revealing peeling paint and grimy stains.
"There's nothing here, but where the hell is that smell coming from?"
Rodney turned, his light falling on an empty stain covered bed. He stepped closer to the bed, the smell grew stronger.
"It's coming from here." He bent down to look under the bed. "Nothing under it."
"Help me move this."
Sheppard stood near a large dresser by the wall. He blinked at him, but strolled toward him.
"Why?"
"The smell's coming from here too."
"I think it's in your nose."
"Shut up and help me."
Rodney sighed, but helped slide the dresser away from the wall. Sheppard pointed his light at the wall, revealing a hole.
"What the hell?"
"The smell is coming from there."
Rodney refrained from rolling his eyes, but it was difficult. He ducked under the broken wood and into another room. He shone his light and his radio came alive with static.
"Oh, hell."
"What is it?" Sheppard moved him out of the way and stepped into the room.
"There's something in here." He swung his light to his left. A figure stepped out of the darkness. Its shuffling feet was the only sound it made. It crept toward the light, its movement jerky. Scratches marred its face. A knife caught the light, sending it back into his eyes.
"What the hell is that?" Sheppard's light joined his.
"I don't care to know." He pulled the trigger, riddling the thing with bullets.
The creature shrieked, stumbled back then fell to the floor with a thud. He stared at it then shone his light behind it, waiting for more to come.
Rodney moved further into the room, Sheppard took the left side while he took the right. The silence grew deafening, but the doorway into the room remained empty.
Relaxing a little, he turned to explore the room. Unlike the others it remained intact. Dirt and grim covered the walls and furniture. The smell that brought them in here had faded away. The single bed stood against the wall under a window.
"There's nothing in here." Sheppard's voice dripped disappointment and annoyance.
"Try the bathroom."
The door creaked opened. "I think I found where the smell is coming from."
Rodney strode across the room to stand beside Sheppard. He glanced into the bathroom and gagged. He covered his nose. Rust and blood smeared the white tiles. The majority of the blood coated the broken toilet.
"What happened in here?"
"Don't ask me. I think its time we left here." Sheppard moved to the front door, but a click filled the silence.
"Damn door is locked. We're going have to go back through the hole."
"Goody." Rodney stepped into the bathroom drawn to the medicine cabinet over the sink. It fell, shattering against the sink.
"Rodney, what the hell was that?"
"Sorry."
"Quit playing and let's go."
He glanced behind him. Sheppard glared at him, motioning for him to follow him. He turned back to the cabinet, his gaze falling on necklace. He'd seen it before, but couldn't place it. Taking a deep breath, he reached in and pulled it out.
"Let's go, McKay."
Rodney stuffed the necklace in his pants pocket then followed Sheppard into the other room and out into the corridor.
"Let's see what the others found out." Sheppard led the way down the hall, lights dancing on the walls.
The radios went off again and Rodney spun. His light caught movement.
"Oh crap. I think we're going to have to run."
"That's going to be a problem."
He looked behind him and saw what Sheppard meant. The Colonel's light revealed another creature coming up the stairs.
"Perfect. Just how I wanted to spend my day."
"Just shoot them, McKay."
"Right." Rodney faced the creature coming down the corridor. It was the same type of being he shot in the room. It moved toward him at a quicker pace, startling him. He opened fire at the same time as Sheppard. The monster fell to the ground.
"Now, we can get out of here." Sheppard took off down the stairs.
They entered the lobby and took a left. The doors to the hotel stood open, letting in light from outside. In the middle of the hallway waddled another monster.
"Won't this place let up?" Rodney griped in annoyance.
The monster hissed with each step it took. It towered over both of them, its black coat wrapped around it like a second skin. Hatred glowed red in its eyes, its white hair hung like string over its pale face.
"Damn thing's a Wraith!"
Rodney rolled his eyes. "Told you."
The Wraith raised it hand and hissed. In the center of the palm another mouth snapped.
"Sh-!" Bullets flew from Sheppard's gun.
The Wraith danced in the corridor, took a step then fell to the ground.
"Wonder what else we're going to run into."
Rodney stepped into the corridor. "We'll find out soon enough."
He came up to the creature, but before he could pass it, the thing grabbed his ankle. He yelped in surprise and filled the thing full of bullets. Black blood splashed the walls and floor. He yanked his foot from the Wraith's grasp and stumbled back.
"Why didn't you warn me?"
Sheppard shrugged. "You're the one with the experience here."
Grumbling, Rodney led the way out of the hotel. He breathed in the fresh air, glad to be out of that place.
"Ronon, Teyla, are you there?"
"We are here, John. Where are you?"
"Over by a hotel. We're heading back to the gate."
"We'll meet up with you on the way."
"Good. Sheppard out."
Sheppard led the way down the street. "How's your ammo?"
Rodney pulled out the magazine and grimaced. "Less than half. How about you?"
"Let's just say, we better not meet anything else."
"Great."
The fog gathered around their feet and blocked their vision of what could be up ahead. Unease wrapped itself around Rodney, threatening to squeeze him. He turned in a slow circle, searching the shadows and mist for creatures. With not much ammo left, it'd be just his luck if something attacked now.
"This way." They turned a corner and two figures moved up ahead. "Ronon, Teyla, is that you?"
"Yes, John." One of the figures waved toward them. "Can you see us?"
"Yes. Stay there. We're coming toward you."
Sheppard picked up his pace and Rodney followed. He thought it was dangerous to jog in this soup, but he didn't complain. He wanted out of here and back at Atlantis. He still didn't know how this town could be here in the middle of the Pegasus galaxy.
Maybe the journal I found has the answers.
The even bigger question was the necklace. Who did it belong to and why did look so familiar?
Two figures stepped out of the fog and Rodney breathed a sigh of relief to see Ronon and Teyla.
"Find anything?" Sheppard asked.
Ronon shook his head. "Most of these buildings are locked or boarded up."
"He kicked down a door to a restaurant, but there was not anything worth mentioning inside."
"Half-eaten food and some creature crawling on the ground."
"Was it a bug?"
Teyla stared at him he'd grown another head. "It had a human shape."
"We found a journal and a necklace."
"We can play debriefing later," Sheppard bit out. "Right now let's get the hell out of here."
"No argument there." Rodney couldn't wait to leave.
Sheppard led the way down the street toward the forest. The fog began to lighten as they made their way out. The radios didn't burst with static and Rodney began to relax a little.
We're really going to make it out of this alive. I can't wait to read this journal. I hope it tells me more than the Ancient's did.
He took a glance behind him. The fog swallowed the town, hiding it from view. He shivered in remembrance and picked up his pace. He wanted to get as far from it as possible. He had a feeling, though he'd see it again if he didn't figure out how to put a stop to it.
The fog dissipated the further into the forest they went. The day remained gray and cloudy, threatening rain. Rodney breathed the crisp air.
"That's better."
"I can not believe such a place existed. What was it?"
"Silent Hill. I found a newspaper clipping the last time I was there."
"But it was a dream." Teyla sounded both skeptical and surprised. "How can that be?"
He turned his gaze on her. "I'm going to figure that out. Hopefully the journal we found will shed some light in that department."
Several minutes later, but what seemed like hours, they left the forest and hiked across the field toward the gate. Rodney never thought he'd be so happy to see it.
"Finally." He picked up his pace, not caring if he left the others behind in his wake. Sheppard didn't say anything and he figured they were all happy to see the gate.
He reached the DHD first and dialed Atlantis. The gate activated and he smiled.
"I never thought I'd miss seeing that."
Water rushed out of the circle and settled into a blue horizon. Rodney couldn't keep the smile off his face.
"Let's go, people. We're going home."
Sheppard took the lead into the gate. Rodney jogged into it and was whisked away to the other side.
He stumbled out of the gate into dimness. He blinked as the others turned on their lights.
"Is it someone's birthday?" He turned on his and shone it around the Gateroom. His stomach dropped.
Blood and rust stained the once pristine tiles. The debris blocked the entrance to the Gateroom. Crimson entrails strangled the steps leading up into the control room.
"What the hell?" Sheppard couldn't have said it any better.