Silent Hill: Transcendence

Chapter 1, Part 9: Trapped

The darkness seemed thicker than, as if I had been thrown into a tank of inky water- It almost seemed as if the darkness itself was alive, that the whole place was alive, and it was playing with my fear. Those passages I read, the poem that dictated me to show my dislike for the army... It was obvious something explicitly unusual was going on, but there was no human way of explaining it. As I neared the gate that weren't there to begin with, like the darkness and general decay of the camp, it came into view, the darkness withdrawing as my L-flashlight did its job loyally. Something had happened, something illogical but somehow expected- The chain and padlock had broke, 'What, were the lock rusted too badly? It can't be, I hit it with my rifle over and over again...' Deep down, I knew, it was the poem and the flags.

Pushing against the gates, they were heavier than expected. As I tried to open them, it took time to build up some momentum before I let go and allowed them to swing on their own. With the obstacle past, I continued on into the lobby of the transformed building. The first door I went to weren't there, as I had expected. I had been to the HQ numerous times before, for a myriad of reasons, and it had changed. In place of a door was an incomplete brick wall. Someone had walled up what was supposed to be an office. Out of the only incomplete part of the brick wall was hole at the top edge, with a pallid and thin arm sticking out. The smell coming from the hole was worst than a slab of month-old rotten meat filled with maggots. The arm wasn't moving and neither was there any sound coming from behind the wall, but I had to make sure...

Unclipping my flashlight and putting down my rifle, I took a deep breath and, hesitantly, held the wrist of the arm. I couldn't do it at first; my overactive imagination telling me that it would reach out and grab me by the neck, but thinking that it could be a life that can be saved helped. Taking the wrist, I tried to feel for any pulse- But no matter how I tried, the echo of a beating heart could not felt anywhere. Perhaps my training in basic first-aid was insufficient, perhaps I wasn't capable or he could be dead. I had to make sure. Tip-toeing, I looked into the hole the arm was coming out from with the help of my flashlight, and I realised that there was no office behind that wall- only yet another brick wall. That poor fellow was walled up, "Who would do such a thing?"

I couldn't help but to remember how trapped I am, how claustrophobic I felt no matter where I was... But I had to move on, and so I took up my rifle and went on. Making a circle around the dead or dying garden in the middle of the open-aired lobby, I discovered a door that was still unbroken and unlocked- It was ajar, and it was a man's toilet The lights were working better here- but they seem dim and subdued, as if the darkness around me was sucking the energy out of it. There was an occasional flicker from one of the bulbs. The toilet itself was in terrible condition, and it smelt much worse than a normal toilet, and there was that metallic smell again, mixed in with the fumes of rot and faeces. I couldn't imagine anyone hiding inside, but something caught my attention. I could hear slight breathing, and it sounded human enough, though I was afraid of what I might find in this... Alternate world, "Hello?"

There were three stalls in the toilet, flanked by three sinks, and it was hard to pinpoint which stall the breathing was coming from. Cautiously, I walked past the urinals producing much of the stench and proceeded to the first stall, "Anybody in here?"

There was no reply, and I had to assume the worst. Backing up a bit, I kicked the cubicle door open, only to find that the first stall was empty, but a few long, fleshy things were thrown inside, on the toilet seat, on the floor and the water tank of the toilet. It appears to be limbs, though I cannot be sure as they were all blackened and buzzing with flies. I could feel something rising from my stomach, and I quickly closed the door again before it rose any further. Perhaps the stench was coming from there.

It took me a while to remember what I was doing, what with the sights and smell, but I proceeded to the second stall. As I listened longer, I realised there was sniffing, and whimpering- It was barely there, but it sounded as if someone was crying in there. Kneeling down, I peeked under the second stall and simultaneously the third, but there were no feet, "Hello? I'm here to help."

I proceeded to open the second stall- I couldn't bring myself to kick it open knowing that something could be inside, crying, but the second one was empty, and relatively normal, "Don't be afraid, come out!"

Before I went to the third stall, I noticed something in the third sink opposite the third stall- The sink was smeared with blood all over. The mirror above it had a bloody handprint on it. Inside the hollow centre of the sink was a bayonet, and it was stained with blood- It looks like it was used before to kill, or even... My walkie talkie was acting up again. All of a sudden, the light bulbs above me exploded, plunging me into sudden, overwhelming darkness, only slightly alleviated by my flashlight, and there was creaking behind me. I couldn't turn around, I was dead afraid of what I might find, but knowing I had to, I whirled around, only for something to slam me to the wall. Something broke under my skull. I could hear sickening laughter as the crying disappeared, but I couldn't see the face of my assailant, only his torn clothes and leathery skin full of sores.

I was shocked from the impact, paralysed from the suddenness of the attack- I couldn't think for a moment. I didn't 'sign up' in the army for this, only to serve my damned two years and leave peacefully- Never had I expected all this to happen, and then this. As if taking advantage of my sudden weakness, the attacker stepped back and I could hear something swinging- It connected with the side of my face, but it didn't feel metal. It was more like PVC, but it still hurts like hell. As I collapsed, my flashlight came to the right angle for me to see who was brutalising me- A rather vicious and aggressive looking Laughing Fool was the culprit.

I couldn't fight back- I had lost my rifle and it was nowhere within my reach. My left hand was gripping the sink, and, remembering the bayonet I saw, I groped for it frantically as Fool stood there, admiring its work and laughing at me like an idiot, its thick saliva slobbering down its chin, mixed with blood. Then it started forward, and my hand could feel the hard handle of the bayonet. Taking it quickly, I stabbed the knife at the Fool just as it fell on me, about to tussle with me or strangle me or something.

I could feel the jolt as the blade of the bayonet carved its way into the Fool's chest- But I could sense that it was still going to stay alive even after it screamed like an animal, so I pushed the monster off onto the toilet floor from the knife in my hand- These creatures would not die easily, so I knew that single stab can never be enough. As it fell backwards to the floor, I held tight to my knife, and it didn't follow the Fool. Quickly, I began stabbing and yelling at it, and with every scream it make I did it faster. It tried to grab at my wrists, but I shook them off easily as they were weaker, and they grew weaker with every wound I render to it. It screamed with every stab, until there was silence.

By the end of it, I was panting as if I ran ten miles, and I was sweating profusely- But the deed was done and the toilet was mine, at least for the time being. I could see my hands before the flashlight- They were slick with some thick liquid- Blood. It was thicker than any normal blood. Getting up, I realised that I was aching all over from the fight, and there was a dull throb in my back. I could remember falling into the tap of the sink, and it must have bruised me.

I had to wash it all off, the blood. Somehow, it seemed to stink more than how blood usually does, as if it was already decayed before it broke out of the Cackling Fool. Turning around, I turned the handle of the faucet- It worked, surprisingly, and there was clear water coming from it. It took some time for the blood to come off, and it was during that time that I could feel something crawling on the back of my head, so I reached for it with shivering hands. It felt like oil, and as I brought my hand back around my head, I saw that it was blood- I must be bleeding from when I slammed against the wall. Seeing that the mirror was broken and splintered, I realised it must be the cause of my head wound. Swapping the back of my head with my hand, I started washing it- Wouldn't want it to get infected. Then I proceeded to wash my face- From the broken mirror I could still tell that there was still some Fool's blood on it, and the dirt and grime mixed with sweat on my face was driving me nuts. It didn't do much.

I was still very much shaken as I turned away from the washing basin, but I knew I had to continue searching for help and people to help- My friends could be out there for all I know, especially Kenny. Taking up my rifle again, I fitted the bayonet to my rifle- It was clean, I had washed the knife earlier as I hated blood so much. After walking out of the men's toilet, I knew I had to take the stairs straight away, as there was no elevator even in HQ- It was the standard amongst most army camps.

As I took the stairs upwards, my radio started broadcasting static again, but I was, at this point, giving up on it. Thinking back, it seemed to be bringing more ill fortune than good, as it seems to act up whenever monsters were close by. I couldn't help but to get pissed off by this, until something actually came through the speaker, "... This ... We ... In ... Please R-..."

It was mostly static, but there were clearly voices coming out of it, human voices. It made no sense, but judging from the limited range from the fog, whether or not it still exists in the darkness, a person was nearby, trying to get in contact with anyone with a radio. It filled me with hope. Without so much as wasting a single second, I took the radio in hand and tried to send over a reply, but to no avail- There was no response at all after I sent it. I just have to find them myself.