DURA MATER
CHAPTER 2:
FLIGHT, FATHERHOOD, FRIENDSHIP, AND FIRE
The boy sat at his makeshift campsite, listening to Johnny Cash singing about a burning ring of fire on a battered radio, and wondering whether that foreshadowed what was going to happen when he ate the MREs he had pilfered(1). About eleven or twelve, dressed in camouflage shirt and trousers with boots, and a bandanna, he had the bearing of a boy who was older. This image was enhanced by his smoking a cigarette, though his coughing and other signs pointed to the fact that he hadn't been smoking for very long. He had dark hair, and piercing blue eyes, like those of a wolf. Fit and muscular for his age, he was a mixture of a boy hardened by experience…and a boy, a boy who had wanted a childhood, but was never truly given one.
All of his life, he had been told he had to live up to his father's legacy. He wasn't told who his father was exactly, only that he was a great hero (though he had overheard someone calling him 'Jack'). Of course, once that nice British guy with the same name as him(2) (the boy was told to call him an uncle) disappeared, the boy found himself hating his life, and the foster families he was with, especially after he was moved from Oregon to Maine(3). The foster family here was worse than the ones he had been with in Oregon, and while he had run away from home a couple of times before, it was only now that he wanted to make it permanent.
He was surprisingly well-prepared for a child runaway, with his supplies and equipment being either military, or organised in a military manner. One would think that he had been trained. Which was actually the truth.
He was looking to hide out in the woods near Silent Hill for a while, before he could find somewhere else to live. A small part of him realised that he couldn't run for long. But he intended to give them as long a run as he could. And besides, he wanted to be part of a place where he wouldn't be constantly reminded of his hero father, where he could find his own path.
Suddenly, he heard a twig snap. He whirled to where he heard it, aiming a slingshot (a potentially lethal, top of the line one) at the intruder. He had half-expected a police officer or a park ranger. Not a boy about half his age, with glasses, a backpack, and a nervous expression. "Don't shoot!" the boy yelped, putting his hands above his head.
The older boy lowered his slingshot. "Are you alone?"
"I am now," the bespectacled boy said. Clearly, he had been crying.
The older boy merely grunted. "Another runaway, huh?" He put the slingshot away. "Figures. Though you don't look like the type who could survive very long in the wild."
"Can too!" the boy retorted, all bravado and no sense.
"Really? I know you have a backpack, but is that just full of food, or have you got a tent or sleeping bag somewhere? What about a first aid kit? Changes of clothes?"
"You're not my mother!" the glasses-wearing boy snapped. "I have no mother!"
"Join the club, kid," the older boy said, stubbing out his cigarette carefully, making sure not to set anything on fire. "That'll be five bucks for admission."
"…What?"
"I have no parents. My mother died in childbirth, and my father's off fighting the good fight, so they say," the older boy said, cynicism tinging his every syllable. "All I've had are some would-be parents, good and bad, and an old uncle who's probably dead. I've had enough of that. I want to find my own path." He peered at the glasses-wearing boy with his piercing blue eyes. "What's your name, kid?"
"I'm not a kid! I'm David!"
The older boy raised an eyebrow. "Really? My name is actually David."
DAVID
A Boy Searching for a Solid Path to the Future
The glasses-wearing boy sagged. "…Hal. Hal Emmerich. That's my real name. And yes, I know. My parents liked that film."
HAL EMMERICH
Seeking Truth While Running From the Past
David chuckled. "Not that there's much wrong with that, Hal."
"There's plenty wrong with my parents," Hal said, darkly. "My mother tells me lies about my Dad. Says he's a bad man."
David shrugged. "At least you've got them both alive."
"I wish I didn't," Hal muttered.
"Huh." David reached into his backpack, and took out one of the MREs, handing it to Hal. "Here. It's an MRE. Food." After a bit of thought, he added, "Theoretically."
Strangelove was beside herself with worry. Earlier this morning, she had had a bad argument with Hal over his father. Well, they were always bad arguments where Huey was concerned. While it was a bit much for a child to understand why they had to flee his father, he was still proving intractable. And now, she found that he had run away from school after it had been let out, without waiting for her to finish her work. She had hoped to find him at home, only to find that he had left a crudely-scrawled note that he must've left in his bedroom that morning. It said, 'You hate daddy and me! Well, I hate you! Goodbye forever!'
How could he understand? He was already a prodigy in many areas, true, but he couldn't quite understand human nature. He had few friends at school, save for a couple of fellow outcasts, like the Gillespie girl, or Claudia Wolf(4). And even then, he had arguments with them because they were apparently quite religious, and one thing he did share with his mother was an agnosticism that was quite surprising, given his young age.
Actually, a small but significant chunk of the town seemed deeply religious. Strangelove was mildly perturbed, in fact. The Sorrow had directed her here, albeit after going on the run for long enough to enough destinations to try and confound any pursuers. And while she viewed religion and the religious with contempt, she nonetheless tried to respect people's beliefs. It was the fanatics she truly detested. And there was something about that small group of the townsfolk that screamed of fanaticism. Then again, Strangelove was sure that the dislike was mutual. She was a newcomer to the town after all.
Take Dahlia Gillespie, an antiques dealer and local eccentric. A single mother, raising her child alone. Admirable, considering that Strangelove was doing the same thing. But Dahlia made her uneasy. Especially after Dahlia, rather oddly, requested that her son stop approaching the other children, saying that he was a bad influence. And whatever failings Strangelove had as a mother, and whatever faults her son had, she knew that the worst influence her son would have would be in filling their minds with whatever cartoon had caught his eye lately, like that re-edited Japanese cartoon Star Blazers.
So she had polite but firmly refused, and asked Dahlia to cite times when her son was a bad influence, and why. Dahlia refused, saying that they involved private and personal matters, which Strangelove reckoned was rubbish. Dahlia's words suggested she held some influence over key people in the town, and while normally Strangelove would write that off as delusion, her co-workers at Midwich Elementary School suggested otherwise.
Here she was, Dr Strangelove, the leading expert on artificial intelligence in the world, reduced to teaching children about science. Then again, it was not a bad way to spend her time in hiding. Her credentials (as a teacher) were fake, but her results were not. Of course, she had to go under the alias of Dr Davina Bowman, while her son attended school as Harry Bowman. He had been quite sullen today.
In any case, despite Dahlia's insinuations, Alessa Gillespie occasionally visited their home, and a couple of the other teachers, like Kristina Gordon(5), also expressed concern about Alessa, though the authorities did nothing, citing a lack of evidence. Thankfully, the police seemed about as inclined to hold anything against Strangelove as they did against Dahlia Gillespie, a mixed blessing.
Strangelove actually liked Alessa, despite the bullying she seemed to endure from other kids. While pious, she was also curious and hungry for information, more than most of her peers. Many of the students called her a witch, a thief, carving nasty messages into her desk. She was glad her son was friends with her. Outcasts called to outcasts, it seemed, and Hal managed to work up the courage to defend her from bullies at times.
Once she realised that he had run away, Strangelove returned to Midwich, hoping that he might be there. No such luck. So she decided to head to the Gillespie house, on the off-chance that her son might be there. In the glovebox of the car, she had the parasite sample she had stolen, ready for when she would need it…
As David and Hal ate their meals, unappetising though they were, David contemplated what his new friend, so to speak, had told him. David was quite mature and perceptive for his age, and he knew that Hal's dispute with his mother wasn't truly that serious. Once Hal's temper had cooled, he'd want to go back home.
David knew he didn't want to go back, but he'd be dragged back regardless by the police. As dusk fell, his eye was drawn to a house visible just beyond the edge of the forest they were in. "Hey, Hal, d'you know whose house that is?"
Hal peered at the house, before nodding. "Yeah, that's the Gillespie house. My friend Alessa and her mother lives there. Kids at school call Alessa a witch, but I reckon her mother is. She even looks like one. A wicked old witch."
David nodded, before he frowned. Was that smoke coming from the house? Was that flame he could see? And not from a chimney or a bonfire. "Hal…is it me, or is the house on fire?"
"Huh?" Hal looked at the house, as plumes of black smoke began to belch from it. "What? Alessa!" He flung the mostly-eaten MRE away, and began haring down the hill. David, after a moment, got up and followed. He really didn't want to do this, as a fire would bring the emergency services, possibly the police. With a snarl, he packed up what he had unpacked, smothered the fire with soil, and pursued Hal.
When Hal made it to the house, just as he passed a bush, he found himself grabbed by a spidery hand. "Don't you dare!" hissed the hated voice of Dahlia Gillespie.
"Where's Alessa?" Hal demanded. "Where is she?"
"Dead. Dead in the fire you started, little boy!"
"But I didn't do it, you liar!"
"Nobody would believe you," Dahlia sneered. "You and your mother don't matter, not anymore. Now go to sleep, and soon, you'll be locked up in hospital, where you belong…"
As she made to push some sort of white powder into his mouth, Dahlia felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to face a boy she didn't recognise, but Hal did. "Stay away from this boy, he's a dangerous pyromaniac!" Dahlia said.
"He's my friend," Dave said, probably lying, but he heard what Dahlia had said. With surprising strength for a boy his age, he hit her with a series of blows, knocking her to the ground.
"Come on, we've got to find Alessa!" Hal yelled, running into the house.
"Hal, stop!" Dave yelled, before he heard a car pulling up. He saw a pale woman with silvery hair and sunglasses come out, looking like a government agent. Shit, they've come for me, he thought, and ran into the house after Hal.
Hal stumbled up the stairs, drawn up there by a strange force. Soon, he came across the charred body of Alessa, in the centre of a bizarre occult symbol, surrounded by candles on tall holders. Her skin was like an alien planet, black with canyons of red, running with fluid. She was almost unrecognisable.
ALESSA GILLESPIE
The Unwilling Vessel of a Dark God
For a moment, he feared the worst, until he saw her eyes open. And then, her voice slid into her head. Harry? No…get out…let me burn…
"No!" Hal yelled, before he began coughing, the smoke and fumes threatening to choke him.
David came up. "Hal, come on, we…is this her? Is she still alive?"
"Yes, and I'm not leaving her!" Hal protested, coughing.
David growled out a "Damn!", before gingerly picking up the charred body of Alessa, his strength surprising for a kid his age. Hal helped, the two carrying a pair of limbs each
The two children, carrying a third, struggled through the house, only to see a tall shape loom out of the smoke. "Harry! Harry, come out of here!"
For a moment, Hal froze, recognising the voice. When David looked at him, Hal mouthed, Mum.
David hissed, "If we don't leave now, we die." Then, he pushed forward, Hal following along reluctantly.
When she saw the Gillespie house on fire, Strangelove feared the worst. Remembering the parasite in her glove box, she whipped it out as she stopped the car, in time to see Hal flee into the burning house, and another older boy with darker hair and vaguely familiar features do so as well. As she exited the car, she saw Dahlia Gillespie on the ground near a bush, unconscious.
She moved to the entrance of the house, and stared in horror at the inferno consuming it. She then ventured inside. Eventually, she called, "Harry! Harry, come out of here!"
A shape emerged from the smoke, resolved into two children carrying a third. The one bringing up the rear was Hal. The one ahead was the dark-haired boy. Between them, they were carrying the charred body of…Alessa, Strangelove realised with horror.
"Come on, out, out, out," Strangelove urged, helping guide them through the smoke to outside. After making it outside, the two children laid Alessa down, with Hal collapsing, coughing heavily.
"Who're you?" Strangelove asked the boy.
"David. Are you Hal's mother?"
So he told him his name? Reckless. And she realised what it was about the boy who looked so damned familiar. It was like looking at a pre-teen Big Boss. Same dark hair, same piercing blue eyes, a similar intensity of expression.
And then, she remembered the charred body of Alessa. And she remembered the parasite sample in her hand. She was astonished that Alessa was still alive, given the way her eyes peered at Strangelove. She then heard Alessa's voice in her mind. Please…let me die…
"You don't deserve this. You don't deserve to die before you've lived," Strangelove said, preparing the parasite sample. It came with an in-built syringe, and she swiftly injected Alessa with the syringe. "I hope this helps."
Suddenly, the wail of sirens in the distance. Not that of the emergency services, but the low, lugubrious banshee wail of an air-raid siren…or a tornado warning. Unbidden, memories of the Blitz sprang to mind, of the German air-raids. How she used to emerge from her home at night to watch the stars, despite the danger of the bombs.
Everything seemed to get darker, and darker. Not just in terms of light. Strangelove could feel her very consciousness ebbing away. Before everything was consumed by the darkness, she thought she saw Alessa convulse, spasm, and then vomit up some grotesque lump of flesh, even as her own blackened flesh seemed to change. Then, everything went dark…
CHAPTER 2 ANNOTATIONS:
And here we have it, the start of the actual horror itself.
By the way, for those of you who haven't put it together…yes, David is indeed a young Solid Snake. Just as Eli, a young Liquid Snake, plays a role in The Phantom Pain, David will play a role in this story. I hope this was a good twist for you guys: I only thought of this while partway through writing the prologue.
1. Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash was used in the first Silent Hill film, and I thought it a nice thematic link. MRE stands for 'Meal, Ready to Eat'. However, a common nickname is 'Meal, Ready to Expel', as their effect on digestion can be variable, and sometimes rather painful. Hence the link here.
2. Namely David Oh, the real name of Major Zero. I have heard at least one suggestion that Solid Snake had actually been named for Major Zero's real name.
3. In the novelisation of Metal Gear Solid by Raymond Benson, Snake is said to have lived in Oregon for the first ten years of his life. While of dubious canonicity, I'm putting it in here.
4. Claudia (from Silent Hill 3) having been a childhood friend of Alessa.
5. K. Gordon is stated, in the third game, to have noticed problems with Alessa. Though apparently named for Kim Gordon of the band Sonic Youth, I decided to give her a different first name.