Lisa pulled her car up to the back entrance of the hospital and rested her
head against the steering wheel, trying to summon the courage to go inside.
//Come on, Lisa. Get your ass in gear. It's now or never.//
Finally, she yanked her keys from the ignition and went inside. The second she reached Alessa's room, Dahlia thrust the baby at her.
"Watch her while I visit with Alessa," she commanded.
Lisa wordlessly took the baby and began walking around the room, bouncing her gently and singing softly to her. Warily, she watched Dahlia as the old woman sat at Alessa's bedside, speaking to her in a voice too low to hear.
"Uh, Miss Gillespie, could I take the baby outside for some fresh air? Alessa's not having a good day physically and the smell of her wounds is a little..." Lisa let the words trail off.
Dahlia waved a dismissive hand at her. "Fine, just bring her back by the end of the hour."
Lisa nodded and forced herself to walk slowly down the hall to the elevator. She pressed the button for the first floor and leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. The baby stirred in her arms and gurgled.
"It's going to be okay, sweetheart," Lisa whispered. "I'm getting you out of here."
Once she reached her car, she placed the baby in a laundry basket on the floor of the passenger side. "I'm sorry, this will have to do for a car seat," Lisa said apologetically, tucking blankets around the tiny form. "I'll drive as safely as I can."
She drove as quickly as she dared towards the border of Silent Hill, but shortly before the county line, the car sputtered and died.
"No, no, no!" Lisa cried, pounding the steering wheel with her fists. "You piece of shit! What's wrong with you?"
//Nothing's wrong with the car…something doesn't want you to leave.//
Startled awake, the baby began to cry, and Lisa picked her up. "Shhhh," she soothed. "We'll just have to walk."
Lisa got out of the car and walked for several miles until she reached the tiny Silent Hill cemetery. Sobbing with exhaustion and pain, she slumped against a headstone and kicked off her shoes, exposing her bleeding and blistered feet to the air.
"I don't know what to do from here," she whispered, kissing the baby's velvety-soft cheek. "I don't want to just leave you here, but I don't want them to find you."
The sound of an approaching car made her sit up in alarm. "Oh god, no..." Lisa moaned. She clutched the baby tightly to her chest and began rummaging through her purse, looking for anything she could use as a weapon.
//I'll be good and goddamned if I go down without a fight. They'll have to kill me to get to this child.//
Car doors slammed and a man's voice said, "I don't know why you insist on coming here every year."
"It's just so peaceful," a woman said. "And some of these headstones are so beautifully carved that they're almost like art."
Lisa didn't recognize the voices, so she braved a peek over the headstone where she was hiding. The car on the dirt road had out-of-state plates, and the man and the woman weren't familiar to her at all.
//Should I go up to them and ask them to take this baby? No...they'll think I'm insane, and they'll go to the police, who will give her right back to Dahlia.//
She watched the man and woman sit down on one of the benches. "Did you have a good time, sweetheart?" the man asked.
"I always have a good time in Silent Hill, Harry!" the woman said. She leaned her head on the man's shoulder. "I fell in love with this place on our honeymoon, the second we got here. Does that sound crazy to you?"
"No...because I fell in love with *you* the second I saw you," Harry said. The woman laughed and playfully swatted his shoulder.
"It's a shame we have to go home," the woman said mournfully.
"Well, maybe this time we'll come back with that 'souvenir' we've been wanting," Harry said.
"I hope so," she said. "You would be such a good father, Harry."
"And you would be an amazing mother," he replied. They began kissing passionately.
//It's now or never, Lisa.//
Gently, she set the baby on the ground and took a pen and scrap of paper from her purse. She hastily scribbled a note and tucked it under the strap of the jumper the baby was wearing.
"We'd better get going if we don't want to get back too late," Harry said, standing up.
"I'm sorry I have to do this," Lisa whispered to the slumbering baby. She squeezed her eyes shut to ward off her tears, and she pinched the baby's forearm hard. The baby woke up, howling with pain and outrage, and Lisa stood up and ran.
"Hey!" she heard the man yell. "Come back here!" But she didn't look back.
//Come on, Lisa. Get your ass in gear. It's now or never.//
Finally, she yanked her keys from the ignition and went inside. The second she reached Alessa's room, Dahlia thrust the baby at her.
"Watch her while I visit with Alessa," she commanded.
Lisa wordlessly took the baby and began walking around the room, bouncing her gently and singing softly to her. Warily, she watched Dahlia as the old woman sat at Alessa's bedside, speaking to her in a voice too low to hear.
"Uh, Miss Gillespie, could I take the baby outside for some fresh air? Alessa's not having a good day physically and the smell of her wounds is a little..." Lisa let the words trail off.
Dahlia waved a dismissive hand at her. "Fine, just bring her back by the end of the hour."
Lisa nodded and forced herself to walk slowly down the hall to the elevator. She pressed the button for the first floor and leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. The baby stirred in her arms and gurgled.
"It's going to be okay, sweetheart," Lisa whispered. "I'm getting you out of here."
Once she reached her car, she placed the baby in a laundry basket on the floor of the passenger side. "I'm sorry, this will have to do for a car seat," Lisa said apologetically, tucking blankets around the tiny form. "I'll drive as safely as I can."
She drove as quickly as she dared towards the border of Silent Hill, but shortly before the county line, the car sputtered and died.
"No, no, no!" Lisa cried, pounding the steering wheel with her fists. "You piece of shit! What's wrong with you?"
//Nothing's wrong with the car…something doesn't want you to leave.//
Startled awake, the baby began to cry, and Lisa picked her up. "Shhhh," she soothed. "We'll just have to walk."
Lisa got out of the car and walked for several miles until she reached the tiny Silent Hill cemetery. Sobbing with exhaustion and pain, she slumped against a headstone and kicked off her shoes, exposing her bleeding and blistered feet to the air.
"I don't know what to do from here," she whispered, kissing the baby's velvety-soft cheek. "I don't want to just leave you here, but I don't want them to find you."
The sound of an approaching car made her sit up in alarm. "Oh god, no..." Lisa moaned. She clutched the baby tightly to her chest and began rummaging through her purse, looking for anything she could use as a weapon.
//I'll be good and goddamned if I go down without a fight. They'll have to kill me to get to this child.//
Car doors slammed and a man's voice said, "I don't know why you insist on coming here every year."
"It's just so peaceful," a woman said. "And some of these headstones are so beautifully carved that they're almost like art."
Lisa didn't recognize the voices, so she braved a peek over the headstone where she was hiding. The car on the dirt road had out-of-state plates, and the man and the woman weren't familiar to her at all.
//Should I go up to them and ask them to take this baby? No...they'll think I'm insane, and they'll go to the police, who will give her right back to Dahlia.//
She watched the man and woman sit down on one of the benches. "Did you have a good time, sweetheart?" the man asked.
"I always have a good time in Silent Hill, Harry!" the woman said. She leaned her head on the man's shoulder. "I fell in love with this place on our honeymoon, the second we got here. Does that sound crazy to you?"
"No...because I fell in love with *you* the second I saw you," Harry said. The woman laughed and playfully swatted his shoulder.
"It's a shame we have to go home," the woman said mournfully.
"Well, maybe this time we'll come back with that 'souvenir' we've been wanting," Harry said.
"I hope so," she said. "You would be such a good father, Harry."
"And you would be an amazing mother," he replied. They began kissing passionately.
//It's now or never, Lisa.//
Gently, she set the baby on the ground and took a pen and scrap of paper from her purse. She hastily scribbled a note and tucked it under the strap of the jumper the baby was wearing.
"We'd better get going if we don't want to get back too late," Harry said, standing up.
"I'm sorry I have to do this," Lisa whispered to the slumbering baby. She squeezed her eyes shut to ward off her tears, and she pinched the baby's forearm hard. The baby woke up, howling with pain and outrage, and Lisa stood up and ran.
"Hey!" she heard the man yell. "Come back here!" But she didn't look back.