Silent Hill
Chapter 10

The highway felt an awful lot like looking down the deep pits of a throat. The headlights barely pierced through the blackness. Suddenly the outline of two figures-one tall one carrying a smaller one-appeared through the darkness. As Kurama drove closer to the figures he saw he recognized the two figures. He stopped and opened the door for them.

"Good God, is it you?" Kurama asked. He almost leaned out the door to make sure his eyes didn't deceive him.

"I know your voice... Is it you Kurama? Really you this time? Oh Minamino, is it? I've heard that nickname so many times I forgot your real name and the story behind the name Kurama. Oh whatever, that's not what I'm here for." The blind man stroked the back of the young boy (obviously his son who couldn't have been any older than twelve) in an attempt to comfort him. (Kurama did recall on several occasions when the teacher would bring his son into the classroom. Apparently the son was severely ill with some melodramatic sounding disease that Kurama never remembered even if his life depended on it. He rarely went to his own school-Hamilton Elementary or something else innocent sounding like that- and there was no one to take care of him at home so he ended up staying with his father so he could be sure nothing would happen.)

"Okay. We're going ton the hospital, right, Mister..."

"Not that it really matters or anything right now but you can just call me Yomi. And no, we're not going to the hospital. Just take us home. I just came from the hospital and no one was there. I even had to call them but no one answered. I tried to come back home by bus but the people there literally kicked me out because they thought Shura was making too much noise." He got in but he didn't bother putting on the seatbelt. (Wait, why am I caring about that of all things?) "I usually walk home at this point but... Thank you. I really needed to see a friendly face I knew. Or voice I know. Figuratively..."

"But they kicked you off the bus. There are laws against that type of thing, aren't there?"

"I'd be more willing to complain but... The people on the bus. They weren't human. They were all looking at us like they were going to kill us. I could tell. I could just feel it. You know what I mean by that?"

"You mean like when someone's staring at you when you're sleeping in class and you just feel them looking at you. Or when you're sitting alone in your room and your mother walks in without making a sound. You feel the presence. I understand that. You sound so... So..." You sound so cool for someone who was just kicked out of a bus by a bunch of monsters. He glanced at the two. He even looked peaceful. That whole thing was unsettling. "Hey, Shura... You can hold out until I get you home right? I could make you a snack or something if it'll help."

Shura look up and Kurama choked on a lump in his throat when he saw Shura's eyes were gone. They were only pits opening up and showing the flesh and- (Don't think about what there is you see...) From those pits a heavy flow of blackened blood ran down his face as maggots rolled out of the sockets...

"My eyes! Where are my eyes! Give them back to me! Give me my eyes! I think you have them! Give them back you bastard!" He started clawing at the air. He finally grabbed a lock of Kurama's hair. "If you won't give me him then I'll have to take yours!"

"Yomi!" Kurama whimpered.

"What is it Minamino?" Yomi turned to him.

He glanced at Yomi but saw Shura's face was still buried in his father's chest. He was in the same exact position he was in before. "His eyes..."

"Yes, he has a really bad headache now. He says he's gotten it so bad that he feels it in the back of his eyes. When we get home, I'll give him Tylenol or whatever we have. How did you know?"

"Oh... Just a... Feeling." He continued focusing on the road. Let's see... I know he lives down the block from me. He heard gibberish and the windows were suddenly covered with the blacked blood that was running from Shura's eyes. Kurama turned to Yomi to see his mouth was moving at an unnatural speed as the gibberish slowed down to a demonic tone.

"You bastard. You give me my eyes! I'll take yours if I don't!" Shura started scratching at Kurama's cheek.

Kurama slammed on the brake. Then a familiar pale fist opened up in the corner of his eyes.

"Don't worry. I found your eyes. Too bad that you've lost them today. But yours aren't anything special though." Kuronue dropped the eyeballs into Kurama's lap and they stared up at him. Kuronue turned Kurama's face to him so they could stare eye to eye (almost literally). He ran his finger around Kurama's eye. "How about a trade? Killer-I'm sorry, I mean KURAMA-can have your blind sight and you can have his beautiful green eyes. He won't be needing them anyway. Well, not too long now."

"Please! I need eyes!"

"Gotta give the good boy what he wants for once." Kuronue plunged his nails into Kurama's skin.

-:-:-

Kurama's eyes shot open. His lungs felt like they were on fire from hyperventilating so long. He struggled to find something to get him to sit up.

"Bad dream?" Mukuro asked as she took out what was left of the health drink and dripped it into his gaping mouth.

After a moment, he relaxed. "Yeah. I had this dream..."

"Again? But I can't really blame you. I have nightmares here too. I feel awful to say this but I don't really care about anything anymore. Still... Whatever happens in your dreams won't happen in real life. If you die in a dream you can't die in real life. I heard that when that happens it's actually good luck. I think that's a load of bull really." There was a long tense silence.

"Can I use your phone really quick?" Kurama finally asked.

"Sure." She gave it to him.

"I just want to call a friend..." He dialed the number.

-:-:-

"I died again!" Yusuke growled.

"You're playing Resident Evil I thought you knew that that means you'll keep getting these stupid camera angles. That's why I never bothered," Kuwabara replied smugly. "And the phone's ringing."

"If it's Keiko, don't bother picking it up. I ran out on our last date. She's PISSED. I'm not up to hearing from her right now."

"It says Mukuro... I can't pronounce that last name. That has to be child abuse or something."

"Lemme see that..." Yusuke looked at the number, cocked a brow and answered. "Hello?" There was only the sound of static. "Hello?" Suddenly- silence. Then a low animal-like growl. "That sounds nasty..." He hung up feeling chills down his spine. "Stupid sixth grader or something."

-:-:-

"I don't think he heard me. Must have gotten bad reception, not that that surprises me or anything. He hung up." Kurama gave the phone back. "So now what?"

"At the historical society. There's a lake behind it so we could row our way out of here. Assuming there's a boat over there. There usually was one there. I knew the people across the hall from me loved to go there and fish. They were arrested for that three times, I believe." There was silence. "Hey, can I leave you alone right now? I have to go do something. Wait for me up front. There's a bathroom over there so..."

"Sure." He went out after giving her a few minutes to herself. He didn't hear her moving through any of the rooms trying to find the bathroom. Wait, I saw the map of this hospital! There aren't any bathrooms on the first floor! So she left... But... He sighed and walked out of the hospital. It suddenly occurred to him that he had the map of Silent Hill in his back pocket. He didn't recall putting it there but... He took it out anyway. I guess I'll go to the Rosewater Park. It sounds somewhat soothing. It might help me calm down.

He went back up Carroll Street and down Nathan Avenue until the first turn into Rosewater Park. He went as fast as he could to avoid seeing the split-head dogs and the terrifying childlike monsters. He made it in fifteen minutes. (He accidentally walked up to Jacks Inn because he turned the wrong way too late after not seeing the entrance.) He sat on a bench but then he suddenly felt that he really needed to relieve himself. He turned to the bushes and just as he was about to finish he heard a voice behind him. "Shuichi."

He quickly made himself decent and turned around and recognized the person immediately- his stepbrother-to-be Shuichi. "Oh it's you Shu-chan."

"Shuichi, why did you do it? Me and Dad are so worried and then we found out about your mom. Why..."

"I don't understand what you mean by that. How did you get here? Is this really you? Or are you Kuronue?"

"You're a jerk. You just left without saying anything. I hope you never come home! I hate you!" He ran away, swallowed by the fog.

"See, what did I tell you? Even your stepbrother who practically idolized you enough to worship the ground you walked on doesn't even like you anymore." Kuronue appeared behind Kurama. "How did you like that last video? Quite a theatrical work, right? Too bad Hiei didn't see it that way. But he was never one for drama. Never caught me as a artistic person anyway."

"It was you wasn't it! You dirty bastard!"

"Who killed her? No. Someone else had to do it. I don't know why you're playing the tragic hero. Keep acting, fool. You aren't just playing. This is the real deal you know. But if it were me, you would know. I'm not an emotionless monster like you. I'm only watching this, an audience if you want to be theatrical still. Too bad though. I kind of started to like the brother. And the girl was very sweet too. And pretty. Too bad... Too bad... So I take it you'll be going to the historical society. I had a pillow case for you. I think you need it. Just in case you, oh... I dunno... That Mukuro wanted to use it sometime in the near future. Or you can use it... It'll happen one way or another you know."

"You...!"

"Just a thought. Because if you don't go now..." He disappeared after he grinned a Cheshire cat grin. "The queen always said, 'Off with her head!'"

A person in a pink rabbit suit in overalls came out of the bushes. Kurama already knew to run before seeing the bloodstains on the overalls and on its mouth. Before seeing the rabbit had a pair of bush cutters in his hands aimed to slice Kurama in half...

He ran down Nathan Avenue and turned when he saw the sign of the Historical Society and swung the door open. He slammed it shut and locked every lock on the door. The man in the rabbit suit stabbed through the door.

"A man died, He was a very untidy man, His arms and legs were strewn around the room..." He came to an abrupt stop. "Ring around the rosies Pocket full of posies Ashes Ashes WE ALL FALL DOWN!"

Kurama sat frozen until he was sure the man in the rabbit suit was gone. He looked up and whimpered but as he stared at the figure across the room he saw it was only a wall covered by a mirror. What a relief. He stood up, suddenly noticing that his bladder felt heavy all of a sudden. He didn't bother doing anything about it though. I bet I look like a mess. But I'll worry about that later. I want to find the boat- No wait! I want to find Mukuro. Screw the exit. I want her with me. He noticed that his reflection hadn't moved since he went across the room. He put a hand on the wall to keep him from falling down in shock. Now way. No goddamn way.

The walls were bleeding. He felt it running down his hand and some dripping on his head. He saw his reflection was getting darker with blood. He ran to the door and shook the knob until he could get through. But when he opened the door he found himself sitting on the ground in the same position with everything the way it was. He tried to leave the room but the doorknob was slippery- slippery with blood. He glanced at the mirror to see a paler version of himself standing there scratching at the glass. I want to get out of here!

He found himself running out of a room and into a hallway. I'm losing my mind. I just imagined that whole thing just now. That's all... He saw a picture of Pyramid Head and what looked like some human bodies hanging around him. He was so focused on the detail of it that he didn't even notice falling down a hole...