Disclaimer: BTT and Silent Hill belong to Katherine Paterson and Konami respectfully. No profit is being made out of this work.
…
Chapter Eleven
…
Jesse and Miss Edmunds had escaped the flames of the Borley house. They feared Pyramid Head would catch up with them soon. Jesse quickly cast aside his thoughts on the sudden loss of his friend, because from the moment they were outside, he and Miss Edmunds were stopped at the gates.
Crowding the park were the once immobile Robbie dolls, now hauntingly brought to life, armed with weapons that were far from friendly. They were out to kill for blood. They laughed maniacally in unison with their elongated grins, waving their knives, axes and hammers.
Jesse was shocked, but Miss Edmunds was brave enough to make the first move. She raised her rifle, aiming at the first incoming Robbie, and shot bulls eye between its eyes. The Robbie collapsed over a bench, instantly dead. But where one was slain, more simply took its place.
"Hurry, Jess! We gotta run now!" Miss Edmunds pulled his arm, taking the lead. "Don't hesitate. Just shoot to kill at whatever gets in your way!"
Jesse returned to his senses and took out his handgun. "Okay, I'll cover your back! Let's go!"
Miss Edmunds sprinted towards the gates, evading Robbies plaguing the front yard as she fled. One Robbie was waiting for her at the entrance, raising a hammer above its head. She whacked it aside with the butt of her gun before it could swing.
The carnival grounds were swarming with more maniacal Robbies. Their choruses of cackles made Jesse feel nervous. But Miss Edmunds remained intrepid. She loaded more ammunition into her rifle and began firing one after another. A Robbie was about to toss a knife at her from afar at a hot dog stand. Miss Edmunds locked her eyes onto her target and shot it down immediately.
Jesse protected her from behind, firing at other Robbies creeping up behind them. A bullet flew at one in the arm, then another on the chest, but his handgun did little to stall them. A third Robbie swung its knife across his face. Jesse narrowly avoided getting cut but was forced to swerve again when it continued its attack. This distracted him long enough for a fourth Robbie to tackle him to the floor.
Jesse recovered his sight quickly but then realized that the Robbie who knocked him down was already on its knees before him; it was about to split his brain open in two with its axe. But the attack was halted when a speeding bullet tore directly into its right ear and out from its left. This resulted in small streams of blood leaking out of both ears. The Robbie dropped its axe and slumped sideways.
Jesse rose and saw that Miss Edmunds and her trusty rifle had saved him.
"Shoot 'em in the head, Jess!" Miss Edmunds advised him.
He acknowledged and jumped back to his feet. Jesse aimed for the Robbies' heads and knocked them down faster with ease. He was careful not to consume all of his bullets and opt for running if the opportunity allowed it. The Robbies were relatively slow, yet extremely dangerous when met up close. Fortunately, that meant that they weren't any good at chasing people.
Jesse and Miss Edmunds eventually made their way out of the amusement park, leaving the murderous Robbies behind.
…
Miss Edmunds followed Jesse back to the docks where he had left his boat. He went to untie their ride back to town, while Miss Edmunds covered his back with her rifle still in hand, ensuring that nothing was to follow them. Toluca Lake began to grow chilly and an unsettling breeze surfaced.
Miss Edmunds kept her eyes on the docks, but turned them away for one moment to check Jesse's progress on untying the boat. When she looked back, somebody had appeared on the wooden platform. Instinctively, Miss Edmunds cocked her gun and prepared to fire at the young intruder.
Jesse heard this and drew his attention away from the boat. At once, he gasped. "NOOO! STOP!" he shouted, recognizing the intruder's identity.
It took Miss Edmunds a few seconds to realize whom she was pointing her gun at. It was Leslie. Not Laurie, but Leslie. She was not dressed the same way as Laurie in her overly flamboyant style of wear, but in her simple yet quirky attire; only the type that Jesse would know as being the real her. There she stood innocently, curious to see why the boy she summoned here was in such a desperate hurry to leave.
"Jesse." Leslie spoke softly, approaching him curiously. "Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you."
"Leslie…" Jesse replied, after abandoning his escape while he too approached her. "…is it really you?"
"Of course it is, silly." she grinned, elated to be reunited with her soul mate. "Why wouldn't I be?"
There was a silent stare between them. Jesse did not detect anything wrong about her…she looked practically normal…no moodiness in her voice or body language…and her eyes were hazel blue. That was enough proof for him that this was no imposter. Jesse went to embrace her long-lost friend dearly with a tear.
"Leslie!" Jesse said with a great sigh. "Leslie, oh Leslie! I can't believe it's finally you! I've been looking all over for you too! Thank God I found you at last."
"I missed you so much." Leslie whispered. "I was so scared."
"Don't worry, it's okay. I'm here." Jesse said, rubbing her back. "I won't leave your side. I'll never leave you behind here, I swear."
Miss Edmunds couldn't believe her eyes. The Leslie once thought to be dead had indeed been revived. There was she was, in the flesh, alive and kicking, lively as a cricket. There was no reason to be so doubtful. She and Jesse had found the person they were both seeking…by sheer unexpected coincidence…
"Please, sweetie." Leslie said in his ear. "Take me out of this horrible town. Let's go back home…back to Terabithia. The Terabithians must miss their queen so much."
"Of course." Jesse nodded.
He went back to continue untying the boat, while Leslie stood to wait. Miss Edmunds lowered her rifle and stood as well to do the same…but she soon noticed a hidden rope knife tucked behind in Leslie's pants pocket. Leslie secretly slipped a hand behind her back and quietly reached for her weapon. She then crept up to Jesse silently.
As Miss Edmunds saw this, she witnessed in a flash second Leslie's eyes shifting from blue to green. It was immediate she knew that this was in fact a trick conceived by Laurie…in the convincing guise of Leslie.
"JESSE!" Miss Edmunds warned him.
Jesse spun to see Laurie raising her knife at him. He caught Laurie's arms in the nick of time whilst being tackled to the ground, and an intense struggle ensued. The enraged Laurie's eyes reverted back to her poisonous jade green as she grit her teeth, yearning to stab Jesse in the heart for all the pain and stress he has caused her.
Miss Edmunds tried to take a shot with her rifle, but it proved difficult as Jesse kept getting in her way. She didn't want to hurt him if there was a misfire. Carefully and surely, she took her time to get a precise aim on Laurie.
And it happened.
BAM!
Just when she thought she had a clear shot, the bullet struck the knife out of Laurie's hand, rendering her unarmed. Jesse kicked Laurie away against her ribs and rushed to fetch the knife, lying right by the edge of the platform. Laurie was not willing to surrender the battle so easily. She got up and started running for Jesse.
Jesse reached his hand for the knife hastily, just a moment before Laurie impeded and tackled him down again. Laurie crawled over Jesse's back, hoping to claim the knife before him. But just when she thought she could have it, it was nowhere to be seen.
Jesse spun again with the knife hidden in the palm of his hand, driving the blade into Laurie's neck.
Laurie choked, standing up and grabbing her gushing wound, the knife still penetrated and stuck to the side of her neck.
"I should have known." Jesse admitted. "Leslie NEVER called me sweetie."
Laurie staggered, stepping off the edge of the docks and falling into the lake, sinking into its darkened depths.
Miss Edmunds withdrew her rifle in relief. "Jess…"
"I'm fine, Miss Edmunds." Jesse assured her. "Let's just get out of here."
Both of them hopped onto the boat, and soon, they were on their way out.
…
Five minutes passed along the tranquil and chilly lake. As previously, there were no signs of imminent danger, the air remained calm and all else was quiet. Jesse hoped that nothing sinister was following them.
On the other hand, Miss Edmunds already sensed something wrong when she heard a faint ghostly voice echoing from beneath the waters.
"Jesse, come back…"
She noticed something bubbling up in from behind their trail. Bubbles were amplifying while smoke began to rise from the lake's surface. Something was definitely following them, and it didn't seem pleasant.
"Jesse, come back…"
The voice pleaded again. Miss Edmunds stood up to check what was behind them. She saw a bulbous shape rising out from the surface, dark purple in color. Before she could say anything, the shape burst out from the water viciously to reveal itself as a grotesquely hideous beast.
"JESSE…COME BAAAAAAAAAACK!"
Laurie, now in the form of a colossal monster, exclaimed. Her rotten and decomposed head swam across the lake, in hot pursuit of the escaping boat. It wielded long but deadly tentacles as hair. Its gaping mouth revealed her razor sharp teeth and the endless black void waiting beyond them as she screamed out for Jesse's name, ready to swallow him and Miss Edmunds whole.
"We got company, Jess." Miss Edmunds said, loading her rifle. "BIG COMPANY!"
Jesse remained in his seat and sped the motor up. Miss Edmunds took her stand, firing bullets as the monster gained on them. It wasn't easy getting an accurate shot as the boat constantly rocked from the big waves caused by Laurie.
Laurie screamed as the bullets hit her. She swiped and splashed her tentacles back and forth at the boat, missing only by an inch or two. Too many close shaves for Jesse but they were still steady on their path to freedom.
Once she was near enough, she then widened her mouth. A mutated hand emerged, which attempted to grab the boat with its taloned fingers. By this time, Miss Edmunds' magazine was out. As the hand drew closer to her, she quickly opened her last box of bullets but realized that she had only one bullet left.
There was no time to waste. Miss Edmunds took the bullet and was about to load it into her gun. But then, the boat had to swerve and make a sharp turn when Jesse was forced to avoid an incoming tentacle. Miss Edmunds dropped the bullet, which ended up rolling underneath Jesse's seat.
Miss Edmunds dived underneath the seats, searching frantically for the bullet. Water splashed all over her back whilst the high-pitched screams from Laurie grew unbearable. Jesse lifted up his feet to make the search easier.
"Hurry, Miss Edmunds!" Jesse squealed.
"Okay, I'm trying!" Miss Edmunds cried out.
She reached her hand under Jesse's seat and felt the bullet's touch at the tip of her nails. She picked up it up immediately and loaded it into her gun. Since she only had one shot left, she had to make it count.
The hand from Laurie's mouth was drawing ever so near. Miss Edmunds took aim once again, making this shot as valuable as her life depended on it. The hand darted towards her, ready to grab her. The bullet was fired and penetrated right into the palm of the hand.
A fine hit it was. The wounded hand recoiled back into Laurie's mouth. Though they were saved from being grabbed, this did not mean the chase was over. Laurie had other intentions in mind.
Jesse could just see Rosewater Park ahead. They were near the end of their dangerous rollercoaster ride. But Laurie was still close on their tail, ready to make her next move.
Just as the mist cleared to make way for Jesse and Miss Edmunds to arrive, Laurie struck again. Placing a tentacle secretly underneath the boat in the water, she capsized it with one swift swing. Jesse and Miss Edmunds were flung off their bumpy ride and were hurled into the shadowy lake.
Jesse had no idea what happened when he splashed into the freezing and murky water. All he could think about was returning to the surface before he would drown. He grabbed his knapsack, still in his hands and swam up to take his needed breathe of oxygen.
The first thing he saw was the capsized boat and behind it, the furious Laurie. He swam frantically behind his boat and hid before he could be seen. He turned around his shoulder to see Rosewater Park, not far off from where he was floating.
He looked around for Miss Edmunds but found no sign of her. For a moment, Jesse believed she had been done for. Whether it was either by drowning or having been eaten by the untamed beast in front of him.
However, those thoughts were changed when Miss Edmunds was seen climbing onto the docks of Rosewater Park by a ladder. Lucky for her, she had secretly swum back to shore without Laurie's knowledge. But she no longer carried her rifle with her, leaving her defenseless.
After crawling onto the platform of the docks, Miss Edmunds saw Jesse stuck behind their boat, still eluding capture from Laurie. She wanted to call his name but Jesse signaled her to stay quiet, as he chose not to alert Laurie of their whereabouts. Miss Edmunds knelt still and quietly, praying that Jesse would find a way back to land some way or another.
He needed a damn miracle to get out of this.
Laurie was in a foul mood, feeling her tentacles around to find Jesse swimming about somewhere underwater. She could not find anything and began to growl in frustration. Then one of her tentacles grabbed something. She pulled an object out from the surface, revealing it to be nothing but Miss Edmunds' rifle. Laurie angrily crushed the weapon into useless junk and continued her search.
Jesse drew his attention back to Miss Edmunds and his heart dropped when he suddenly saw Pyramid Head on the docks.
"MISS EDMUNDS!" Jesse warned her.
But it was too late. Miss Edmunds had no time to react when Pyramid Head yanked her hair and pulled her back, dragging her away from the lake. Jesse tried to swim to her rescue.
"STOP!"
Jesse screamed. He heard something crash through the wood of the boat behind him as a slimy tentacle burst through it, wrapping itself around his waist and raising him to the skies.
Miss Edmunds screamed in immense pain. But she temporarily broke free when her hair slipped through Pyramid Head's bloody fingers and tried to escape. Pyramid Head struck her in the face, knocking her down half unconscious as blood leaked from her nose. It then placed a foot on her ribcage, to keep her still.
"STOP, PLEASE!"
Jesse begged again, ignoring the fact that he had been caught in Laurie's grasp. Laurie hardened his grip on Jesse and squeezed him as much as she could. Jesse cringed and bit his lip firmly, taking in all the internal pain he could endure.
By the time Miss Edmunds regained herself, she saw Pyramid Head staring down at her emotionlessly. She struggled to break free, but her opponent's foot was too overpowering. With no gun, no rescue and no other choice to make, Miss Edmunds knew that there was no way out for her.
All she could do was repent and shed a tear as she watched Pyramid Head raise its knife, pointing it at her eyes. With all hope lost, she wished this would be a quick and painless death for her at least.
"STOOOOOOOOOOP!"
Pyramid Head plunged its knife but paused just a hair away from one of its victim's eyelashes. For the first time, it stopped at Jesse's request, turning its head slowly towards him. It sensed he had something important to say.
"I understand now." Jesse confessed. "I understand what so many people have been trying to say to me, but I never listened to them. I didn't want to. Now I know why you keep haunting me… why you keep tormenting me…why you exist…it's because of Leslie. I kept refusing to let go of my past, let go of Leslie. Every night I kept asking myself why I left her alone on that day I went to the museum with Miss Edmunds. And you're here to punish me for all those hard feelings I've had for her, after all these years. But you know what? I've realized now that some events can never be changed…no matter how hard you try…nothing can be changed. The past can never be changed. The strongest thing that any person can do is to forget all that pain, move on in life, look forwards to the future, and linger no more in the past. I know now…and I acknowledge it."
Jesse turned his attention towards Laurie, listening to every word he said. "Laurie, I'm sorry. I can't be with you. We both gotta face it; nothing can replace the real Leslie. Killing me now won't help bring her back, and it won't solve anything. I was the one who made you what you are…through my mind…and I'm gonna tell you now…you have no more purpose to exist any longer. I don't need you anymore…just leave…leave…"
Laurie paused, thinking about Jesse's words. Meanwhile, Pyramid Head, having heard all that it needed to hear, released Miss Edmunds under its foot. It brought no more hostility against her as it took a few steps back. It held its knife against itself…and without warning, inserted the blade under its helmet, killing itself instantly. Its body slumped sideways, falling into the lake, sinking to the bottom.
Laurie was still reluctant to let Jesse go. She was unwilling to understand Jesse's feelings and still wanted him for herself. In a confused fit of rage, she roared monstrously and attempted to devour Jesse whole, squeezing him more within her grasp.
Jesse acted quickly. He opened his knapsack and took out Janice's shotgun. He aimed carefully with one hand at one of Laurie's lifeless eyes as her mouth expanded with her terrifying drooling teeth. It was now or never. This shot couldn't miss.
BAM!
The blast from the shotgun burst one of Laurie's eyeballs. Slime splattered out as Laurie unleashed a high-pitched squeal in extreme anguish. She dropped Jesse from her hold, who dived back into the lake.
Jesse wasn't finished yet though. As Laurie staggered, Jesse took out another weapon from his knapsack: the flare gun. He carefully took aim again, this time into Laurie's open socket and fired a red blazing flare directly into it. The flare entered Laurie's head and caused her to glow momentarily as she felt the extreme heat inside of her.
She let out one last ultimate scream…before her entire body burst into thousands of pieces. The explosion was so intense that Miss Edmunds ducked and covered her eyes as slime and chunks of flesh rained all over her. Jesse was pushed down to the bottom of the lake due to the impact of the blast…
…where he fell unconscious.