Gray began to walk slowly in the deserted town, listening for any signs of danger.
After a few moments, he removed the backpack and took the knife from it. This was no
time to be walking around unarmed.
Rundown buildings lined the streets, but Gray didn't try any of the doors – he
knew they would be broken. They marched along the road, looking like the last horrible
survivors of some desperate war. Gray kept his head up and his ears open, his eyes
searching out even the smallest sign of danger.
He suddenly felt a hot breath on the back of his neck. His eyes widened.
Gray leaped aside, hitting the asphalt hard as he felt something part the air behind
him. He quickly got up again, eyes narrow, as he saw what had been behind him.
It looked very human, with the build and shape of a young man, but it was
definitely one of the demons that resided in Silent Hill. Its body was mottled and yellow,
with infected, pussy sores covering its body. In one hand it grasped a short knife, the
instrument that had nearly cleaved Gray's head off. Its face was covered by a dirty piece
of paper that had a mouth drawn on it. The mouth looked trapped between a smile and a
scream. An odd reek hung over its body.
"Annoying…" Gray remarked. The thing began to walk toward him, its feet
making wet squishing sounds on the street as it went along. It raised its knife arm to
slash again.
Quickly, Gray got underneath the arm and plunged his knife into its chest. The
thing screeched in pain and fell to the ground. Gray walked over to the thing, and
brought his foot down hard on its neck. He smiled slightly at the sound of its neck
snapping. The monster moaned and then was still.
Breathing hard, Gray turned around and noticed writing on a door. It hadn't been
there before, he was sure. The writing was bloodred, and little more than a scrawl. It
said:
You know why you're here.
"Maybe I do," Gray said out loud. He found this act neither strange nor pointless.
"What's it to you?"
Suddenly, new writing bled onto the door.
You called them.
"Called who?"
Them.
Squish…squish…
Gray gasped and whirled around. There were six of the paper-faced monsters
closing in on him, their head twitching in anticipation as they clutched their knives
tightly. He turned around again and saw one more sentence on the door.
Your atonement has begun.
Out of sheer instinct, Gray ran to the door and tried the knob. To his surprise, it
gave to his weight. He ran in and slammed the door behind him. He was safe now – as
he listened the Paperface monsters were walking away.
Gray slid down the door and sighed deeply. Looking around, he seemed to be in
some sort of pharmacy. Bottles of pills and toothpaste lined the shelves; of course, none
of them would be useful. The place had fallen into decay, but Gray could still pick up an
old smell – the sharp, permeating stench of rubbing alcohol. There was a back door next
to the counter. Gray made his way toward it.
"Don't…move."
"Someone there?" Gray asked. As he turned around, he saw that there was indeed
someone there – she was a girl who looked to be around fifteen, with long black hair and
a pale face. She was currently pointing a pistol at Gray, though her hands were shaking
considerably.
"You don't have to worry," Gray said. "I'm not going to hurt you."
Slowly, the girl lowered the pistol. "Who are you?"
"My name's Gray, not that it's any business of yours."
"Gray…I'm Julia. Can you tell me what happened? I woke up and suddenly I
was here, and this," at this she gestured with the pistol, "was in front of me. I can't even
find my house!" She was on the verge of tears.
"Really?" Gray said mildly. "That's a bitch. Well, see you." He began to make
his way toward the door again while Julia's eyes widened.
"You're just going to leave me here? I don't even know where this place is!"
Gray stopped. "Have you ever heard of…Silent Hill?"
"It's a game, right?" Julia asked. "I think I played it once."
"Well, this place sure does resemble that town. So, I'd say you keep that gun
ready and your guard up. A lot of this town's inhabitants would love to meet you and eat
you."
Julia grabbed Gray's arm. "Please…please don't leave me here."
"I don't need anybody slowing me down."
"Why are you so goddamn calm about this?" Now Julia was crying. "You're
acting like you expected it!"
At this, Gray stiffened. "Maybe…I was."
"What?"
Gray turned towards the girl, and she recoiled a little at his stare. It was flat and
emotionless, like lizard's eyes. "Fine. You can come. But don't expect me to protect
you. You have a gun."
Julia stared at it for a moment. "Here, take it," she said. "I wouldn't be able to
shoot it anyway."
Gray took it and stared at it for a moment. "Then at least take this. You'll only
be an annoyance if you can't defend yourself. And remember, I'm only doing this
because I may feel a little guilty if you die alone." He handed her the knife.
"Thanks…I think."
They walked through the door and found themselves in a small storage room. On
the wall was a teddy bear. It had been staked to the wall, and there was a piece of paper
on the stake.
"Who did this?" Julia asked.
"When things happen in Silent Hill, it's usually better not to know how it
happened," Gray responded. He removed the paper from the stake. "What the…?"
Julia leaned over to look. Something had been written on it in red ink.
You say you expected it, but perhaps you wanted it, too.
The path begins and ends in the same place, yet you will travel far to reach
both.
The truth can only be learned by going forward.
On the other side of the paper was a small map. It showed the pharmacy (labeled
PHARMACY in the same red ink) and a path going to a large square labeled SCHOOL.
"Well," Gray said, putting the paper in his pocket, "at least we know where to go.
And…it seems someone is trying to help us."
On a table were 2 boxes of handgun bullets. Gray picked them up, put them in
the pack and left for the school with Julia.
After a few moments, he removed the backpack and took the knife from it. This was no
time to be walking around unarmed.
Rundown buildings lined the streets, but Gray didn't try any of the doors – he
knew they would be broken. They marched along the road, looking like the last horrible
survivors of some desperate war. Gray kept his head up and his ears open, his eyes
searching out even the smallest sign of danger.
He suddenly felt a hot breath on the back of his neck. His eyes widened.
Gray leaped aside, hitting the asphalt hard as he felt something part the air behind
him. He quickly got up again, eyes narrow, as he saw what had been behind him.
It looked very human, with the build and shape of a young man, but it was
definitely one of the demons that resided in Silent Hill. Its body was mottled and yellow,
with infected, pussy sores covering its body. In one hand it grasped a short knife, the
instrument that had nearly cleaved Gray's head off. Its face was covered by a dirty piece
of paper that had a mouth drawn on it. The mouth looked trapped between a smile and a
scream. An odd reek hung over its body.
"Annoying…" Gray remarked. The thing began to walk toward him, its feet
making wet squishing sounds on the street as it went along. It raised its knife arm to
slash again.
Quickly, Gray got underneath the arm and plunged his knife into its chest. The
thing screeched in pain and fell to the ground. Gray walked over to the thing, and
brought his foot down hard on its neck. He smiled slightly at the sound of its neck
snapping. The monster moaned and then was still.
Breathing hard, Gray turned around and noticed writing on a door. It hadn't been
there before, he was sure. The writing was bloodred, and little more than a scrawl. It
said:
You know why you're here.
"Maybe I do," Gray said out loud. He found this act neither strange nor pointless.
"What's it to you?"
Suddenly, new writing bled onto the door.
You called them.
"Called who?"
Them.
Squish…squish…
Gray gasped and whirled around. There were six of the paper-faced monsters
closing in on him, their head twitching in anticipation as they clutched their knives
tightly. He turned around again and saw one more sentence on the door.
Your atonement has begun.
Out of sheer instinct, Gray ran to the door and tried the knob. To his surprise, it
gave to his weight. He ran in and slammed the door behind him. He was safe now – as
he listened the Paperface monsters were walking away.
Gray slid down the door and sighed deeply. Looking around, he seemed to be in
some sort of pharmacy. Bottles of pills and toothpaste lined the shelves; of course, none
of them would be useful. The place had fallen into decay, but Gray could still pick up an
old smell – the sharp, permeating stench of rubbing alcohol. There was a back door next
to the counter. Gray made his way toward it.
"Don't…move."
"Someone there?" Gray asked. As he turned around, he saw that there was indeed
someone there – she was a girl who looked to be around fifteen, with long black hair and
a pale face. She was currently pointing a pistol at Gray, though her hands were shaking
considerably.
"You don't have to worry," Gray said. "I'm not going to hurt you."
Slowly, the girl lowered the pistol. "Who are you?"
"My name's Gray, not that it's any business of yours."
"Gray…I'm Julia. Can you tell me what happened? I woke up and suddenly I
was here, and this," at this she gestured with the pistol, "was in front of me. I can't even
find my house!" She was on the verge of tears.
"Really?" Gray said mildly. "That's a bitch. Well, see you." He began to make
his way toward the door again while Julia's eyes widened.
"You're just going to leave me here? I don't even know where this place is!"
Gray stopped. "Have you ever heard of…Silent Hill?"
"It's a game, right?" Julia asked. "I think I played it once."
"Well, this place sure does resemble that town. So, I'd say you keep that gun
ready and your guard up. A lot of this town's inhabitants would love to meet you and eat
you."
Julia grabbed Gray's arm. "Please…please don't leave me here."
"I don't need anybody slowing me down."
"Why are you so goddamn calm about this?" Now Julia was crying. "You're
acting like you expected it!"
At this, Gray stiffened. "Maybe…I was."
"What?"
Gray turned towards the girl, and she recoiled a little at his stare. It was flat and
emotionless, like lizard's eyes. "Fine. You can come. But don't expect me to protect
you. You have a gun."
Julia stared at it for a moment. "Here, take it," she said. "I wouldn't be able to
shoot it anyway."
Gray took it and stared at it for a moment. "Then at least take this. You'll only
be an annoyance if you can't defend yourself. And remember, I'm only doing this
because I may feel a little guilty if you die alone." He handed her the knife.
"Thanks…I think."
They walked through the door and found themselves in a small storage room. On
the wall was a teddy bear. It had been staked to the wall, and there was a piece of paper
on the stake.
"Who did this?" Julia asked.
"When things happen in Silent Hill, it's usually better not to know how it
happened," Gray responded. He removed the paper from the stake. "What the…?"
Julia leaned over to look. Something had been written on it in red ink.
You say you expected it, but perhaps you wanted it, too.
The path begins and ends in the same place, yet you will travel far to reach
both.
The truth can only be learned by going forward.
On the other side of the paper was a small map. It showed the pharmacy (labeled
PHARMACY in the same red ink) and a path going to a large square labeled SCHOOL.
"Well," Gray said, putting the paper in his pocket, "at least we know where to go.
And…it seems someone is trying to help us."
On a table were 2 boxes of handgun bullets. Gray picked them up, put them in
the pack and left for the school with Julia.