Author's Note:
Hi everyone, and welcome to a little story I'm conjuring up called 'Chrysalis'. This is an old fanfiction which I've considered returning to and the main reason why I have decided to do this again is that with the original versions, I feel like I didn't go into the psychological horror aspect that was present in the first four Silent Hill games enough. So with this story, I will try and delve into that a bit more and hopefully make an overall improvement. :)
This chapter may not be a very decent start as well, but I wanted you all to get to know the main protagonist, Millie Galvin, before the story's events unfold. She's initially introverted, but I hope you all will like her. :)
Anyway, feel free to leave your thoughts in a review and I hope you all enjoy Chapter 1. :)
Plot Summary:
Millie, a 17 year-old teenager on the autistic spectrum, has struggled to cope with tragedy in her life and getting bullied at high school doesn't help. But what happens when a series of events force her in a mysterious house ... where she has to uncover her family's past?
Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic, Saints Row, Silent Hill, Visage, Marvel or DC. All rights go to the original owners. The characters and events in this story are fictitious. Other references to real life places, events and individuals, living or dead, are purely coincidental.
Chapter 1: Prologue
Death that comes at the hands of hate leaves traces...
Like fingerprints in time.
Fragmented memories of a dreadful past that shape a world without boundaries.
A world no human eyes should ever see...
~ Visage, Sadsquare Studio.
...
Hello friend. Hello friend, that... that doesn't feel right. Do you want me to give you a name? That's a slippery slope though, because we have to remember that you're in my head. I... Don't take this the wrong way, but I can't believe I'm about to tell you my story...!
I never really told you much about myself, did I? Well to start with, people saw me as your average geeky nerd who was born and raised in Maine. But I'm actually not, because I'm on the autistic spectrum and I suffer from social anxiety. This affects how I function in everyday life, such as socialising and building a connection with people. Sure, some of the kids in school gave me a chance and I gladly took every one. But...they didn't work out, they never did and that's made my anxiety worse over the years.
Well, at least I had my mother by my side to help me cope. My younger brother and two sisters are family members too, though they would appear in spirit because ... they passed away before we got to know them. That also includes my father and my auntie, who both passed away when I was 2 years old.
On a different note, everyone has media productions, topics and people that they are interested in; favourite movie, television show or cute band, you get the idea. My interests were similar, but they were a lot different than the stereotypical kid's interests. Since I was 9 years old, I've been a huge fan of Sonic the Hedgehog. I've played the games I was able to get my hands on, I watched some of the television shows and I bought the merchandise that I could. My bedroom's walls were covered in video game posters and my childhood plush toys of the characters helped me calm down whenever I had an anxiety attack because of bullying. I also have a little lapis ring which was a gift on my 14th birthday and that helped soothe my anxiety too...
So, feel free to grab a snack and settle in - because I'm about to tell you the story of a little adventure I had four years back. I was 17 years old and working through high school like I normally would.
But I had no idea what was around the corner...
...
A single large circle, spinning endlessly...
A girl struggling to break free from her bonds...
Bright lights emerge on the circle as it continues spinning, soon identifying itself as a merry-go-round...
The girl continues her struggle to escape...
They say that it was the sense of terror that hit you. The snow swirling across an abandoned carnival at night, metal grating spread out all over the place and matching cages with grotesque figures inside were dotted here and there. The combination felt like a scene from a stereotypical horror film.
I slowly emerged from the main entrance, scanning my surroundings with caution and shivering, allowing the sounds of snow crunching underneath my boots to greet my ears as I shortly stopped in my tracks. "W-Where am I?"
Just as those words left my mouth, I suddenly felt a heavy weight in my right hand. Huh? Glancing down, I took notice of the bloodstained switchblade knife I was clutching tightly. Hm, better than nothing, I guess. I also noticed an already lit flashlight sitting in the right breast pocket of my jacket and my backpack weighed heavily due to multiple objects inside, the latter feeling like weapons, small bottles and boxes. Good to know I'm armed, in case someone tries to jump me.
Taking in my surroundings again for a little longer, I eventually found myself turning round to see a golden neon sign at the top of the entrance building which read: Lakeside Amusement Park.
Well, that's one question answered at least. And I thought I was in a carnival. Duuuh, stupid brain!
But this place is in Silent Hill - so, why am I here?
Pushing those thoughts to one side, I decided to rack my brains and look for somebody who could help me get out of here. Glancing around, I notice multiple people dressed in bloodied pink bunny mascot costumes lying on the metal grating. Okay, try and wake them up, go. Following my mental instruction, I ran over to one on my left and shook him to awake him ... but to no avail. And the worse thing about it? He had no pulse and I had a feeling that there was no hope for me to resuscitate him or call for help. I tried waking up the next dude, got the same result. Rince, repeat, rince, repeat and I found myself running back frantically where I came from to pry the metal gates open in a panic - but they were rusted shut!
Nononono, I gotta get outta here! I gotta get back to Mom! ... Okayokayokay, stop and think Millie. Maybe there's something here that can help you find another way out?
After turning and venturing back into the abandoned area, I scanned my surroundings once more and eventually came across a wide map stand. Ah ha, jackpot! Walking over, I took in the information that was presented. Okay so, I'm close to the Mountain Coaster which is near the Borley Haunted Mansion. And after that, there's the... Happy Carousel? Bingo!
I felt a little more at ease now that I had a plan in motion and that I knew a merry-go-round was here. The carousel was one of two sanctuaries for me as well, a place where I could feel safe from the unforgiving world and be myself essentially.
Yes, I know that's weird. But that's how I feel.
Following the map's instructions, I steeled myself together and walked over to a dirty-yellow door on a building to my right. Okay - the sooner you get to the Carousel, the better. I pulled down the handle, opened the door and ventured into a case of pitch black which was thankfully illuminated by my flashlight. And almost immediately, the sounds of strange static greeted my ears ... along with rapid footsteps coming my way. What th—
CHOMP!
I screamed in agony as a pair of razor-sharp jaws slammed into my right leg, drawing blood. Glancing down during my attempts to shake my assailant off, I saw a black and white dog with its' head split into two gnawing my leg. Nononono! Without hesitation, I delivered a hard kick which sent it back against the wall and took off sprinting (or rather, limping). What the hell was that?!
My terror grew even worse when I high-tailed it into the next area and allowed growling to greet my ears. Oh sh*t! Advancing towards me was a tall brown feminine monster?! with huge chunky arms, mini skirt, high heels and a weird-looking face which I didn't want to describe. Runrunrunrunrun! Allowing my survival instincts to kick in further, I shoved my way past just as it lunged at me with a sharp bone-like spear emerging out of its' arm and dashed through the metal gate towards a rusty staircase, soon taking notice of a sign pointing to the Mountain Coaster.
Yes! Keep running Millie, keep running!
I limped up the staircase as fast as my legs could carry me, trying my best to ignore the monsters and focus on getting to the carousel. Eventually I managed to reach the top of the Mountain Coaster and instantly dashed for the control building next to the tracks, frantically attempting to pry the door's lock but to no avail!
"Come on!" I cried out with anger and terror, punching the door three times and heaving frightened gasps.
Okay, you're going to have to wing it and head on the tracks. Go.
Bearing that in mind, I pulled myself away from the control building and opened the metal gate to the tracks. Once I stepped onto them, I began limping my way down with the tracks occasionally twisting and turning. On the bright side, the volume from the monsters had lowered a fair bit but the pain in my leg was unfortunately worsening by the minute as blood continued to seep, staining my jean leg in a dark crimson. It's okay Millie, you can stitch it up when you get to the carousel or find a safe place beforehand. Just wing it for now, you've dealt with worse before.
It took a while for me to limp down the roller coaster tracks and I initially thought I was safe ... that is, until I heard the distant rumble of a running car.
Oh no...
The rumbling slowly grew louder and louder, prompting me to scan my surroundings in panic. Oh god, where is it coming from?!
Louder and louder... Okay, okay, you need to jump!
A pair of four lights suddenly emerged at this point, sending me into a tailspin of panic and preparing to jump. Doitdoitdoit, jump! Do it!
Steeling myself, I prepared for a running start and lunged forwar— JUMP!
A blow of excruciating pain suddenly plowed into my left side and the last thing I remember is screaming.
NO!
...
(January 3, 2016 - Room 303 in Lakeview Apartments, South Ashfield, Maine, New England, United States - 6:00AM...)
A heaved gasp ripped out of my throat as I awoke with a start, expecting to feel agony from my leg and the roller coaster car ... but instead, I didn't feel anything of that kind as I was in my dark blue double-bed at home with no injury or blood. Oh thank god it was a nightmare!
My bedroom's walls were painted in a light-blue colour and draped in posters from my favourite video game franchises, accompanied by numerous pictures from my life. I also had a white desk and chair, which were accompanied by a shelf of drawers sitting on the left side of my room with a black television and PlayStation 4 set. Dark-blue fabric coated the floor whilst a ray of lights streaming up from my bed and accompanying my Polaroid photo collection on a rack pinned on the wall ahead of it, somehow making the entire room appear as an inviting location.
You're perfectly fine Millie, you're okay...
My bedroom door creaked open, prompting me to groggily turn my head to see my Mom, Saoirse, entering to check in. She was a really lovely woman in her forties who looked pleasant in her work uniform; a blue long sleeved collared shirt with darker jeans and a pair of black boots. The resemblance between us was also uncanny, so much that we had been mistaken for sisters a couple of times before! Not that either of us are complaining...
"Hi Millie, Happy Birthday!"" She greeted pleasantly. "I hope I didn't wake you up?"
"You didn't, it's fine," I reassured her with a tired smile, rubbing sleepy dust out of my eyes.
"Are you okay?" Mom asked me with concern, sensing that I was still a tad on edge.
"I-I-I don't know," I briefly stammered. Stupid nightmare!
"Why, what's wrong?" My mother questioned worriedly, walking to sit on the edge of my bed.
"Well," I began nervously explaining. "I, um, for some unexplained reason - I had this nightmare where I was wondering around Lakeside Amusement Park,"
"The one in Silent Hill?"
"Yep, and..." A disbelieving chuckle. "This is gonna sound like the dumbest thing in the world, but I got attacked by these weird-looking monsters. So, I try and escape them whilst I'm bleeding out because of a dog which had its' head split into two - only for a rollercoaster to come and run me over,"
Hearing this, Mom glanced at me in shock. "I'm so sorry you went through that, that must have been terrifying for you,"
"Yeah, it was," I confirmed sadly. "You wouldn't happen to have an idea on what it means, do you?"
"No - I'm not the greatest with this kind of thing, sorry," My mother replied apologetically.
"No, it's okay," I reassured her bravely. "Besides, maybe it was just random?"
"It could be," Mom agreed, rising to her feet. "Anyway, it's the same as usual and come on through when you're ready. Take all the time you need,"
"Okay, no problem," I replied happily, pulling myself out of my double-bed whilst Mom left me to it.
The first thing I did after climbing out of my bed was grab my blue hairbrush and quickly run it through my hair, checking to see if there were any knots present. Thankfully there weren't, which lead to me tying it back in a ponytail with bangs framing my face. I then stripped out of my grey Sonic t-shirt and coloured bottoms into an outfit which consisted of a green butterfly long-sleeved shirt underneath a sleeveless denim jacket sewn together with a grey hoodie, denim jeans and a pair of black winter combat boots with my favourite blue Sonic socks underneath. After slipping my treasured blue lapis ring on my right ring finger, I took my IPhone and headphones from the set of drawers, placing them inside my blue backpack which had two pins consisting of an eagle's wings and a spaceship attached. Upon zipping it up, I grabbed it by one of the straps and exited to turn a right into the bathroom to finish getting ready.
I felt a mixture of emotions about today, mainly excitement and anxiety for a number of reasons. Firstly, by the tug of an analog stick, I went from a tiny 25-week old baby to a 17 year-old introverted nerd. I'm bl**dy 17 now... Mom must be experiencing the whirlwind of emotions I am, given what went down at the time. God help us when next year comes, heh heh!
You're probably wondering why I'm feeling nervous as well. Well to put it simply, I unfortunately had to spend my birthday at high school, which is pretty much the best setting for teenage drama. Ugh... People would often think of me as anti-social because of my autism, but the truth was that I was shy. Painfully shy. I told myself many times to be more outgoing and I would try to approach a stranger and strike up a pleasant conversation. But due to the mistreatment I endured throughout my life, it wouldn't work as I was often teased for being "a creepy freak".
One day it will though, I'm sure of it.
After finishing the essentials, I exited the bathroom to find myself taking a quick right into the living room, allowing the sounds of WMTW News Channel 8 to greet my ears. Huh, wonder what's happening now?
The location in question again had a much wider space filled with a dark brown sofa and chair which sat a mere distance away from each other, the latter was also accompanied by a decent (thankfully, small) amount of birthday presents wrapped in Sonic wrapping paper placed on the floor. Heheh! You know me so well, guys.... A rust coloured table sat in front of the couch with the large window encased by green curtains revealing an amazing view of the heavy snowfall outside. Man, I'd love to bask in that right now! The walls and ceiling were painted in a bright white, whilst the latter fan and floor were painted in a darkish grey. The kitchen on the right side of the living room looked a little different as its' walls were draped in bright white tiles and the wooden floor was a lighter grey. The counters were painted in a darker shade whilst the wooden shelves and drawers shared the same colour as the former.
"Look at you, all pretty today!" Mom complimented cheerfully, once I placed my bag by my chair and sat down.
"Thank you," I giggled. "Is there anything interesting happening on the news just now?"
"No, same as usual,"
"Ah, I see,"
My mother smiled, before a worried frown painted her face. "How are you feeling about today though, considering you're going to be at school?"
"I'm..." I began, finding myself trailing off for two seconds as I struggled to calm my nerves. "I'm nervous because there's the students I had to deal with. I know we've talked to the tutors before and that they've told them to stop harassing me, but ... they just wouldn't!"
Mom's glance quickly changed into a reassuring one. "Right, you just focus on getting through today, talk to a tutor again if things go too far as well, and you'll be home before you know it," My mother's smile then morphed back into concern. "Talk to someone if you start to... feel that urge again too, okay?"
Yeaah, about that. Because of the bullying ... I've developed a case of self-loathing which... I took out on myself. Another thing I need to work on with my anxiety.
"Okay - I'll keep that in mind, don't worry," I reassured her, forcing a brave grin on my face.
"Another thing you could try is say Hello to them very brightly and see if that throws them off?" Mom suggested. "I've done that whenever people tried to bully me and there was quite a few moments where they got scared,"
"Really?"
"Yep," My mother answered happily. "You already know that I can be vicious if I need to,"
Hearing this, I couldn't help but giggle again. "It gets awesome every time I hear about that, I'm not going to lie!"
Mom smirked happily, before changing the subject with "Is there anything you'd like to do to celebrate tonight?"
"I think," I began with an excited grin. "I think firstly, I'd like to save presents for then as you know, it's something to look forward to. But other than that, I'm pretty much open for anything. Maybe we could also head somewhere for dinner?"
"Okay, I'm sure we can think of a plan," Sweet!
We then both continued on socialising whilst watching television and sorting out money to buy breakfasts and lunches with. Almost two hours later, it was time for me to go. After I washed up, I switched the TV off and upon checking to see if my purse, key and school stuff were inside, slung my arms through my backpack's straps. After Mom and I got ourselves wrapped up warm, we exited our apartment room and off we downstairs. It didn't take very long for my spirits to mildly soar back up after the two of us walked into the freezing but pleasant snowy weather.
Okay, here's hoping that today will be great...