It was a bright and sunny day in the town of Silent Hill. Find that hard
to believe huh? Well, that was before IT happened. My name is Tosin
Johnson, up until the 2002 school year I was a fourth grade teacher at
Midwich Elementary School in Silent Hill, and am one of the few survivors.
Like I said before, June 20th, 2002 was just like any other day. The only exception was for the students of Midwich School; today was their last day of instruction. As the two thirty bell rang, marking the end of the day (and the school year), the former students of room 205 filed out, all happy to be on summer vacation. Well, I couldn't lie, I was glad to have more than just a weekend to have off of teaching. Although I loved to teach, who doesn't like a big break every now and then?
By three o'clock I had gathered all my things and left the classroom. I walked down the stairs and passed Mr. Marcus, our school janitor on my way to the main office.
"Have a good vacation," the man of about 60 years said to me.
"You too," I replied.
I approached the counter for the main office. My time marker was set just as it should be. I clocked my departure time and left the school.
At the time, I lived in South Vale, which is down pass the Lakeside Amusement Park, across Toluca Lake. I will never forget driving that last drive down Sanford Street, down by the lakeside. As I turned onto Nathan Street, which would bring me straight into the South Vale, I noticed a storm brewing to the east, over the lake. The local weather station hadn't reported any weather systems for the day, but being the humans that we are, everyone makes mistakes. I thought nothing of it and continued down Nathan Street.
About 5 minutes later I turned right onto Neely Street. (Turning away from the lake) I continued down Neely until I hit Sanders and made a left. My apartment was just at the end of the residential block. I parked my '00 model Toyota Avalon in the residential garage and headed up to my apartment.
For the most part, the building at which I lived was clean, and the neighbors actually had pride in where they lived. Most of them were really nice and down to earth. Our building was shaped just like Midwich Elementary, a square with a large pool and spa in the middle.
As I approached the door of apartment 10 (my apartment), a flash of lightning illuminated the sky. The flash startled me and I dropped my keys.
"Damn!"
Just then my neighbor's door opened. It was thirty-two year old Craig Bomber. He had been living in that apartment longer than I had been living in Silent Hill.
"Oh Tosin," he said with slight country accent. "Is that you?" The man had a lit cigarette in his mouth.
"Yeah," I said, leveling back up. "It's me. Going somewhere?"
"Yeah. Chicago, to see my family for the summer."
"That's nice," I replied.
"You should really see the world Tosin. Ever since you started teaching here you've never really been out that much."
"Yeah I know, it's just been a lot with work though."
Just then cracking sound of thunder let its presence be known.
"That's some storm," I said.
"Yeah. I really didn't see it comin'. But this is what that 'ole woman down at the church was sayin."
"What woman?" I asked
"That 'ole nun, I think Daliah Gillespie is her name."
"Oh, her. I think she's lost it."
"I know what you mean. All she talks about is the foretold evil of Samuel and that Silent Hill will change. Some crazy shit."
"Yeah."
"Well if anything do change for the worst this summer, I sure won't be here."
"What, are you trying to scare me now?"
"Nah. Well nice chit chattin with you Tosin. But I got to hit the road."
"Ok then, I'll talk to you later."
With that Craig was gone and I entered my apartment. I remember it as if it were yesterday. I had a black leather living room set in the living area where you first walked in, along with a thirty-two inch television. A wood dining set was placed in my dining area and a king sized bed set in one of my two bedrooms. I turned the other bedroom into a study in which my Dell desktop computer and many books were kept.
I closed and locked the door behind me. Boy was I exhausted. In addition to the fact that the weather was like it was, this whole week at work was very exhausting. I dropped my suitcase at the door and went directly to my bedroom and changed into my bathrobe. I flopped down on my bed neatly made with a down comforter, which I really didn't need at this time of the year.
I grabbed the remote from a nearby nightstand and turned on the TV. The Silent Hill news was on. It was to my surprise that they didn't mention the storm brewing just to the east. At the moment I tuned in Daliah Gillespie was being interviewed. Man that woman was scary. You really didn't know if she was good or evil. She spoke of ways to protect the town from evil, but her appearance looked as if she was the one creating the evil.
"That woman is crazy," I said to myself.
Thirty minutes later my exhaust caught the best of me and I fell asleep. That was the last I ever saw of the Silent Hill that I used to know.
Like I said before, June 20th, 2002 was just like any other day. The only exception was for the students of Midwich School; today was their last day of instruction. As the two thirty bell rang, marking the end of the day (and the school year), the former students of room 205 filed out, all happy to be on summer vacation. Well, I couldn't lie, I was glad to have more than just a weekend to have off of teaching. Although I loved to teach, who doesn't like a big break every now and then?
By three o'clock I had gathered all my things and left the classroom. I walked down the stairs and passed Mr. Marcus, our school janitor on my way to the main office.
"Have a good vacation," the man of about 60 years said to me.
"You too," I replied.
I approached the counter for the main office. My time marker was set just as it should be. I clocked my departure time and left the school.
At the time, I lived in South Vale, which is down pass the Lakeside Amusement Park, across Toluca Lake. I will never forget driving that last drive down Sanford Street, down by the lakeside. As I turned onto Nathan Street, which would bring me straight into the South Vale, I noticed a storm brewing to the east, over the lake. The local weather station hadn't reported any weather systems for the day, but being the humans that we are, everyone makes mistakes. I thought nothing of it and continued down Nathan Street.
About 5 minutes later I turned right onto Neely Street. (Turning away from the lake) I continued down Neely until I hit Sanders and made a left. My apartment was just at the end of the residential block. I parked my '00 model Toyota Avalon in the residential garage and headed up to my apartment.
For the most part, the building at which I lived was clean, and the neighbors actually had pride in where they lived. Most of them were really nice and down to earth. Our building was shaped just like Midwich Elementary, a square with a large pool and spa in the middle.
As I approached the door of apartment 10 (my apartment), a flash of lightning illuminated the sky. The flash startled me and I dropped my keys.
"Damn!"
Just then my neighbor's door opened. It was thirty-two year old Craig Bomber. He had been living in that apartment longer than I had been living in Silent Hill.
"Oh Tosin," he said with slight country accent. "Is that you?" The man had a lit cigarette in his mouth.
"Yeah," I said, leveling back up. "It's me. Going somewhere?"
"Yeah. Chicago, to see my family for the summer."
"That's nice," I replied.
"You should really see the world Tosin. Ever since you started teaching here you've never really been out that much."
"Yeah I know, it's just been a lot with work though."
Just then cracking sound of thunder let its presence be known.
"That's some storm," I said.
"Yeah. I really didn't see it comin'. But this is what that 'ole woman down at the church was sayin."
"What woman?" I asked
"That 'ole nun, I think Daliah Gillespie is her name."
"Oh, her. I think she's lost it."
"I know what you mean. All she talks about is the foretold evil of Samuel and that Silent Hill will change. Some crazy shit."
"Yeah."
"Well if anything do change for the worst this summer, I sure won't be here."
"What, are you trying to scare me now?"
"Nah. Well nice chit chattin with you Tosin. But I got to hit the road."
"Ok then, I'll talk to you later."
With that Craig was gone and I entered my apartment. I remember it as if it were yesterday. I had a black leather living room set in the living area where you first walked in, along with a thirty-two inch television. A wood dining set was placed in my dining area and a king sized bed set in one of my two bedrooms. I turned the other bedroom into a study in which my Dell desktop computer and many books were kept.
I closed and locked the door behind me. Boy was I exhausted. In addition to the fact that the weather was like it was, this whole week at work was very exhausting. I dropped my suitcase at the door and went directly to my bedroom and changed into my bathrobe. I flopped down on my bed neatly made with a down comforter, which I really didn't need at this time of the year.
I grabbed the remote from a nearby nightstand and turned on the TV. The Silent Hill news was on. It was to my surprise that they didn't mention the storm brewing just to the east. At the moment I tuned in Daliah Gillespie was being interviewed. Man that woman was scary. You really didn't know if she was good or evil. She spoke of ways to protect the town from evil, but her appearance looked as if she was the one creating the evil.
"That woman is crazy," I said to myself.
Thirty minutes later my exhaust caught the best of me and I fell asleep. That was the last I ever saw of the Silent Hill that I used to know.