Silent Hill
Chapter 5: In The Darkness
By X-treme X-taggano (backfire@subdimension.com)

I stood still in the square shaped room. So this was the school . . .

I started to wonder why Cheryl wasn't here. If she had left a note, it seemed like she wouldn't want to explore the school further. I looked around this empty room, wondering what the setup of this building was like and if there was any logical explanation for Cheryl leaving the den.

I had a funny feeling, however. I examined my surroundings and realized that somehow, I knew them. I felt like I had been here before, and not just once. The feeling overwhelmed me . . . why did I even feel this way? I hadn't been here before! There was no way I could have, but somehow, this feeling in my soul caused me to believe that I had been here . . . multiple times.

The walls were covered with bulletin boards and such. There were many posts with children's art work. There were also some articles about other countries or local news, possibly for some of the older student's homework. I started to walk forwards, decided to explore the school a bit.

I saw a table up ahead and ran up to it. On it was a piece of paper, dominantly colored by blue. I picked it up, examining it. It was a map! Perfect! Just what I needed. I read over it, exploring every detail with my eyes. Apparently, the school was 2 stories high and had access to the roof and basement. The school was quite large, as I soon discovered there were about two dozen rooms in it. I marked my current position on the map and folded it up. I then placed it in my pocket as I approached the two doors ahead of me and swung one of them open.

I ended up in one of the school's many hallways. I saw lockers going up and down it, all rusted with age. Many more bulletin boards covered the somewhat plain white walls. The darkness still consumed a good portion of the hallway, however. All I could see was what my flashlight revealed to me. I turned to my left and saw that that the hallway continued down. I couldn't see the end of it, but it looked as if it went a ways. I started walking down it. The flashlight soon revealed a receptionist's desk up ahead. I walked up to it, wondering if Cheryl might be anywhere close. I noticed a side entrance into the work area and entered it. In the small office area, I saw a telephone on the desk. I picked it up, hoping it would work.

Dead . . .

I slammed it down, frustrated. I then looked around, shining the light on everything that came into my sight. I didn't see anything unusual. Just a photo copier, a door that probably lead to some sort of teachers lounge, some open book, and a computer, which also didn't work due to the lack of power.

Wait a moment . . . something was written on the book.

In blood.

I knew it was blood. I could smell it. I tried to ignore the fact that it was written in what I thought to be human blood. It was a fairly long note. I started to read down the page, trying to keep my flashlight steady.

The clock tower thirst for more blood. After it has been fed, it may continue on, devouring all. The time has come, and all it needs is a puppet. This puppet will set the clock back to it to the time of evil. The sacrifice will be made and all that remains is the power source. One man will bring back that power. At midnight, all will be set, and it will open, relieved of it's duties. A silence in music shall bring forth that midnight sun.

Midnight sun? Silence in music? I had no idea what all this was supposed to mean, but it was probably important, considering it was written in blood. I wondered . . .
Was this a note from Cheryl?

I decided against it. Cheryl couldn't write anything in blood . . . blood scared her immensely. I decided that everything written there was just a childish prank played by one of the students on the receptionist. I shook my head, walking towards the door. I hoped something helpful was beyond it. I turned the handle and walked in.

Inside this dark room was a table covered with magazines, mostly of educational value. There were two couches on each side of the table. This was probably a teachers lounge, as I had guessed earlier. The coffee machine near the desk was also supporting my theory.

It was then that I looked to my right and discovered a painting. I saw two men on it . . . they looked as if they were guarding the strange door in the middle. The door portrayed had two square holes in it. I examined it closely. The men looked like they were wearing some sort of mask. This picture certainly wasn't very tasteful and definitely seemed out of place. I had no idea why any teacher would want anything of the sort in the lounge.

I found my way out of the teachers lounge. I ended up back in the receptionist's office. I walked forwards a double door. I stopped a moment, taking a look at my map. I had this strange feeling of curiosity. I wanted to examine the clock tower I read about in the note written in blood . . . but was there even a clock tower in the school? Maybe the note written had no purpose. I examined my map for several minutes. I quickly realized that there was indeed a clock tower in the court yard making up the center of the school. I turned around, leaving the door to my left. I walked to the center of the hall and looked to my left. There was another set of doors leading to the court yard. I pushed one of them open.

It was still snowing outside in the pitch black exterior. The court yard was actually quite nice looking. I had gotten a better view of it when I stood closer to the center. There were benches and plants . . . even a few light posts that didn't work. I searched around until I saw it . . .

The clock tower looming over all in sight.

I ran up to it. It had two doors that I soon realized were very tightly shut. Three stairs led up to the doors. On two sides of the hexagon shaped tower were slabs of ivory. One of them simply display a picture of the sun. The sun, however, was in a sky filled with stars. I wondered what that was supposed to mean. I took a look at the other one. Something was written on it. I shined the light on it to get a better look at the letters carved in.

Beyond these doors lies what mortal men should be forbidden to see. Only one with a mind that overcomes the silence of music shall pass. Only then shall he succumb to the song of the birds.

I suddenly remembered about the note written in blood. It talked about a midnight sun. That's what the slab must have meant. A sun in a sky full of stars. That was the midnight sun it was talking about. I thought everything over and realized that it all talked about music. I didn't know where Cheryl was or what I was looking for, but I thought both might be beyond the clock tower.

I suddenly felt tiny hands grab my leg.

I turned around, startled. The darkness prevented me from seeing whatever was holding my leg so diligently. I shook my left leg ferociously, trying to relieve myself of whatever it was that was grabbing onto my leg. I soon got it off and shined my light upon it. My heart stopped.

A skinless child.

I screamed in terror. Not another kid. I thought I was free of the nightmare full of those kids with knives. I grabbed my gun and aimed it right at it's head. It only had one eye, and it stared at me with terror. I pulled the trigger. The gun blast echoed through the sky, as did the sickening splash of it's blood hitting the floor. When I opened my eyes, I saw it lying there, squirming helplessly. I walked up to it, examining it. I couldn't believe that I had hit it right in the head and it still wouldn't die. I grimaced at the sight and kicked it's head. It stopped moving in a heart beat. This was the first time I was proud about killing something. I spit on the corpse of the kid.

Go back to hell where you belong.

I turned my head from the dead body. I then pulled out my map. All the talk about music in the notes made me realize I had to go somewhere that was music oriented. But where could I find some place like that? Maybe there was a music room or something similiar to one. I kept searching my map to find it.

It suddenly popped out at me. A music room . . . second floor! I circled it hastily and put away my map. I then found my way out of the court yard and in to the main hallway. I took a left and walked to the door near the receptionist's desk. I flung it open and ran inside the newly discovered school hallway.

I saw two bathroom doors. I decided maybe Cheryl had decided to hide in one of them. I was almost positive she wasn't, but I walked there anyways. I didn't necessarily feel comfortable going into a girl's bathroom, but decided to do so anyways. I opened up the door and looked inside. The darkness concealed virtually every object in the bathroom. I pointed my flashlight in various directions, trying to figure out if Cheryl was indeed here. I walked forwards.

Nothing.

All I could see in here were toilet stalls, sinks, and a mirror. I walked over to the mirror and looked at myself in it.

I was a mess.

Blood was on my face and jacket. I sighed as I turned on the faucet and washed away the blood from both. It spilled down the sink like a small stream. I splashed my face with the faucet water once more. I then looked at my face once more. It started looking a little better. Most of the blood was gone. I hadn't even realized it was there before. I didn't feel it or smell it or . . . taste it.

My pulse skipped a beat. I heard a noise.

I turned around instantly. It sounded like . . . a child crying.

I wondered where that noise came from as I scanned the bathroom with my eyes. It was definitely the sound of a child weeping. I wondered . . . was it coming from the stalls? I opened up one of them cautiously.

No one.

Thank God. But I knew I wasn't just hearing things. I heard the sound too clearly and it lasted several seconds. I hung my head. Maybe I was going crazy. Any normal man would have stopped his search by now . . . but I didn't. Maybe I just wasn't normal.

I walked out of the bathroom and back into the pitch black hallway. I turned left and started to run up the hallway. I knew that at the end, I'd find the stairs that lead up to the music room. Maybe there I'd find my answers.

I suddenly tripped over something. I hit the floor with a painful impact. I swore as I looked at the scrape on my arm. I then looked back, trying to figure out what cause me to fall.

It was just a rubber pink ball.

I picked it up. I was guessing it was just something some kid left or dropped by accident. I put it in my pocket. Maybe . . . just maybe, this would be helpful in some way.

I ran up to the stairs and started climbing them slowly. I stumbled up them, not being able to see each step in front of me clearly. After scaling the first flight, I ran up the second. I ended up in yet another hallway, very similar to the one I had just been in. I started walking down it, making my way to the music room at the end. I could see benches going up and down the hallway . . . perhaps where kids ate there lunches.

I came to a sudden halt as I saw something up ahead.

Another skinless kid.

I growled. What the hell was another one doing here? I pulled my gun out and aimed. It wasn't even facing me. I figured this would be an easy shot. I knelt down and pulled the trigger.

All I heard was an empty clicking noise.

The gun was out of ammo! How the hell would it run out so fast? I fired no more than 7 rounds! Perhaps the clip Cybil gave me wasn't fully loaded after all. I reached into my coat pocket, realizing I had several bullets in it that I had found in the house that lead me here. I had no idea, however, how to reload the gun I had and didn't have time to teach myself a new lesson. I was left with one option.

Sneak past it.

I started to quiver as I turned my flashlight off. I was then devoured in absolute darkness. I couldn't see my hand in front of my face. I found the wall was my hands and used it to guide myself forwards. I moved myself forwards as silently as I could. I didn't know if these things could hear me or not and I didn't want to find out.

I accidentally bumped the kid with my elbow.

I panicked as I heard it groan. I got up and started to run, but tripped over my own feet. Damn it! The kid was probably close to me now . . . I tried to get up and run, but couldn't. My knee hurt.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of a knife slamming into the floor beside me. I rolled over, now more fearful than before. I turned my flashlight back on.

The kid's ugly face stared right into mine.

I started to move myself back with my hands. The kid followed hesitantly, it's knife gleaming in the hallway. I took a good look at it's weapon.

It was covered in blood.

I knew it wasn't my blood, and I didn't want mine to contribute to the knife's dark red collection. The kid was no more than an inch away from me. Panicking, I swung my foot forwards. I felt it's tiny rib cage crash against my heal as it fell to the floor. I used my hands to push myself up, my knee still aching from the fall I took. Fortunately, however, it was my left knee. I wanted to run, but I realized if I did, the kid would still be waiting for me here. I looked right into it's one eye.

I then stomped on it's head.

I could feel it's tiny skull shattering beneath my shoe. I heard the sickening sound of it's bones being crushed. I then removed my shoe. A thin stream of blood spilled down it's head. It was dead all right. I turned away from it. It seemed strange that killing something seemed to get easier every time I did it. I felt less and less responsible. Something seemed to have clicked in my mind that these creatures were just worthless animals that were there to kill . . . and nothing more.

I turned from it entered a door to my left. In the new hallway I had just entered, I saw the music room to my left. I opened up the door and stepped inside. There, in the middle of the room, was a piano. I saw a bench next to it, probably where one would sit. I didn't know much about music, never being much of a musician. I turned to my left and saw a chalk board with some white sheet of paper hanging down from it towards the center.

Wait a second . . . there was something written on the paper.

In blood . . .

I ran up to examine it. I couldn't read what was original written on the white sheet of paper because the blood covered it. The blood seemed to spell out a poem.

Birds Without a Voice
Play the song of years ago
A song which young and old should know
The song where lesser evil comes
The song that makes the fearful run
A song of birds which have no voice
To find the answers is your choice

I started to wonder what this whole poem meant. It certainly had something to do with the piano sitting in the middle of the room. I turned and looked at the piano. I than walked up to it to examine it.

Blood on the keys.

I pressed down on a few keys. Notes emitted from the piano, breaking the silence of the dark room. A few other keys, however, emitted simple clicks. Almost no sound at all came from them. I stared at the piano. What was I supposed to play to go through the clock tower anyways? All this talk about birds and silence . . . the poem described some sort of song that all should know. I tried to think back to the days when my mother made me take piano lessons. What was that song she wanted me to play?

Then it hit me . . .

Birds of the Sky!

I remembered playing that song when I was a child. I used to play it to show off to my friends. I placed my hands on the keys. I, like I had said, was never a talented musician, but I remembered this song quite well. I started to play the melody. When I was done, I waited for a moment.

Nothing happened.

Why not? I was sure that was the song the poems and notes described. No other song talked about birds and silence. I played it again. Once again, nothing. I wondered what I was doing wrong. Was there anything that I might have needed to play that I missed in some sort of clue?

Then I remembered.

Silence.

There were silent keys on the piano. I realized that must be what all the references to silence must mean. Play it in a different key . . . a silent key.

I played the silenced notes on the piano through. I was almost anxious for the results. I finally hit the last key to the song. I heard it click.

I then heard the clock tower's bell echo throughout the sky.

It rang 11 times. One hour away from midnight . . .

I gave off a sigh of relief. Finally . . . but why didn't it strike midnight? I thought that was what all notes described. Also, the note in the receptionist's office described a sacrifice being made. I figured my duties weren't done yet so I decided not to head straight to the clock tower. I took out my map and gun. First, I unloaded it and looked at the empty clip. I took some bullets from my pockets and slipped them into it, filling it up with 15 rounds. I then slammed the clip into the chamber located at the bottom of the grip and yanked the top of the gun back. I heard a click, letting me know the safety was off. I laughed, realizing that I had just taught myself how to reload my own weapon. I then looked at my map.

Funny. The locker room was circled. I certainly didn't remember circling it. I shook my head. Maybe I did and had just forgotten. Whenever I circled something, it was because I was supposed to go there for some reason or another. I decided that I should go there, because even if I didn't circle it, there was probably something there.

I also noticed the basement area of the map. There was some sort of boiler down there. I decided I should also check that out. Maybe I could even get the power running and turn the lights back on. Who knew how much battery power my flashlight had left. I promptly circled it as well.

I exited the music, walking down the hall towards the locker room. I soon found the door and opened it. An endless amount of rusty old lockers appeared before my eyes. I saw a sign up ahead near one of the benches.

No running in the locker room.

Normally, I wouldn't be so foolish, but for some odd reason, I decided to follow the instructions on the sign. I walked slowly, making sure not to run. My pulse pounded as I continued down.

Suddenly, I heard something rattling.

I couldn't identify the source of the sound, but it was coming from this room and it wasn't stopping. My pulse raced as I continued into the locker room, trying to ignore the sound. I went around one set of lockers and saw more of them on the other side.

One of the lockers was rattling.

So that's what the sound was! Something was trying to get out. I prayed it wouldn't be anything of harm. I walked up to it, feeling as if my veins were about to burst from all the blood pumping through them. I approached the rattling locker door. I put my hand up and pulled it.

I jumped as something leapt out.

Just a cat.

I looked down at the black and white cat. I knelt down next to it. I started to stroke it's fur. It felt nice to finally have a normal living companion. It purred lightly. I smiled. The cat then ran down the locker room around the set of lockers. I heard the door open. I was curious how it could have opened the door, but decided that it was nothing unusual. Maybe it just nudged the door open with it's head.

Suddenly, I heard the slicing of a knife and the cat's screeching cry. I then heard a light splashing sound. I gasped.

Did something just . . . kill the cat?!

I then realized that the cat was the sacrifice needed for the clock tower to open. I started to feel remorse for letting the cat die. Why the hell did every other living creature get taken from me? Even cats weren't safe in this town. I shook my head.

Horrible . . .

Everything was too horrible.

I made my way out of the locker room, still trying to keep a walking pace. I reached the door, but was hesitant to exit. I hoped that whatever murdered that cat wasn't still out there. I held my breath as I opened the door.

Nothing.

Thank God . . . nothing more to contribute to this endless dream.

This endless nightmare.

I turned to my right, looking at the door there. I tried to open it, but it was locked. I frowned at it as I pulled out my gun. I felt like some sort of movie hero as I shot the lock 3 times. I then kicked the door. It flew open. I then ran down the stairs ahead of me. As soon as I finished running down the 2 flights, I turned left and ran down yet another two flights.

I found myself in a small room with two doors. One door looked fairly nice and casual. The other was rusted and gray . . . certainly not as attractive. I realized, however, that the normal looking door was locked. I decided to go through the other door. I opened it up. The creaking sound was disturbing, to say the least. I walked inside, facing forwards so my flashlight shine light on whatever was ahead.

The boiler . . .

I walked up to it's cylinder shaped base. What a piece of equipment this was . . . to imagine this was what powered the school. I noticed the control panel and hurried over to it. The controls looked a little confusing, but I soon figured out how to operate the machine. After a few procedures, I pressed the power button. I heard the boiler go on, emitting a loud roar. But where was the power? No light yet?

I then heard the clock tower strike. 12 o'clock . . .

So this machine was the power needed to finally let the clock strike 12 and maybe even open the doors up.. I was curious as to what it might have been. I turned around and proceeded out the door, knowing that my final destination was ahead. I prayed that Cheryl was in the clock tower and that whatever it was that was leaving these notes was leading me to her.

But as I exited the door and proceeded up the stairs, I realized something. That was that I wasn't just looking for Cheryl anymore. I was looking for some sort of answer. I wasn't sure what it was . . . but there was a question I didn't know and an answer I knew I had to find. I walked down the hallway trying to make sense of my thoughts. I tried to think . . .

What was the question?

I found the door to the court yard in a matter of minutes and headed back out to the clock tower. I looked at the hands on it. They read 12 o'clock, and I was guessing that was the midnight sun described in the ivory on the side of the tower. I walked up to the door. I could hear a light roar coming from them . I could feel tension rising within my body. I reached forwards and threw the doors open. In front of me was a ladder. I shrugged. What harm could come from climbing it? I walked up to it, placing my hands on it.

Should I be doing this?

I shook my head. I told myself that nothing would happen and that I was safe. I took a deep breath as I started to walk up the ladder, leaving the cold air outside.

The path up certainly wasn't long at all and I soon found my way to the top. I looked at the floor . . . it seemed to be made out of solid chain links. The interior was mainly built of rusty old metal. Up ahead, I saw some other passage, and I wasn't sure what it lead to.

My body suddenly stiffened as I heard a noise . . .

A siren . . .

It sounded like the one from my dream! It was in my head, but it was so loud, I could swear if anyone else was there, they could have heard it too. I tried to make the noise cease in my mind, but it wouldn't.

Maybe it was warning me of some sort of danger . . . just like in that alley way.

I noticed several bottles up ahead. Out of them spilled some sort of liquid. I walked up to it and examined one. I read across the label, which was faded, although the bottle seemed fairly new.

White Claudia . . .

I had no idea what this substance was. Maybe some sort of drug? Who knew? I walked passed the many bottles, figuring they were nothing important. I walked into the small passage in front of me.

Another ladder that lead down . . .

I placed my hands on it and started to climb down. It seemed like the ladder went on forever this time. It should have been the same height, but this one seemed a lot longer than the last. Maybe it was just my imagination which had become quite twisted and fearful sense I had arrived at this hell hole of a town. I reached the bottom after what seemed like hours of climbing. I then saw a door ahead of me that was very similar to the clock tower's. I then pushed doors opened, each of them flying forwards.

I then gasped at what I saw.