Prologue and Prophesy
Disclaimer: I do not own the Silent Hill franchise in any way, shape or form. The characters Diane Schonke and Rusty Puckett are my creation. Be patient, the futuristic universe I created will be explained as the story goes on.
~ ~ ~ ~
"Prophesy: The Half Eared One will come at a time unknown. He has the power to end the curse or spread it..."
~ ~ ~ ~ September 19, 2149: I sit in a diner at the small New England town of Brahms, nursing a steaming cup of coffee. My partner, Diane Schonke was supposed to be here at least five minutes ago. That's not like her to be late without a good reason.
I know, I know, I shouldn't worry about her like that. She's a grown, intelligent woman, a lieutenant in the United Systems Navy like myself, and very likely she's just stuck in traffic with her cell phone in the recharger after trying to get through to me. But still I worry about her.
Just what is it I do exactly? I used to be a platoon officer with the Navy Scouts and Raiders, Scout Team Two out of Little Creek Virginia until I had a nasty accident aboard the USS Killhouse, our ship takedown training simulator. We were supposed to use dummy grenades to clear compartments on the ship. What happened was that some moron accidentally used a live grenade. I survived, obviously, with a ruptured eardrum to show for it. Now I work in a unique branch of the Navy Criminal Investigative Service, it's a covert undercover unit with limited counterterrorism capabilities. We're required to pose as civilians as well as other military personnel on occasion, and on days like today I think I'm an actual civilian. So that we don't give the populace a scare both me and Diane are wearing civilian garb.
We were supposed to meet a witness here, a Mrs. Dahlia Gillespie I believe her was. About three weeks ago a sailor on liberty was murdered in this area and this old widow claimed to know the cause of it. Colonel Jacob Franks, our commanding officer, and an ex-infantry Marine assigned me and Lieutenant Schonke to the case.
My cell phone rings just then and I answer it, "Puckett?"
"Hi Rusty, this is Diane." The voice of a familiar brunette sounds on the other end of the line, "I'm just gonna be a little late. There's been an accident on I-95 and they just detour set up through the town of Silent Hill. You know these back country roads."
She laughs lightly on the other end of the line. I laugh back, but inwardly I wonder why the hell I'm feeling a mixture of déjà vu and dread mixed into one feeling. "Yeah, I'll wait for you for fifteen minutes. If you're not there I'll go look for you."
"Rusty, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself." Diane says.
"I know." I reply, "But in case you get lost...."
"That's sweet of you Rusty, but I'm pretty sure I can find my way into Brahms easily enough." Diane replies abruptly.
"OK." I reply, "See you in Brahms."
I sit at the booth, waiting, as I sip a cup of coffee that's growing colder with each passing minute. I stand up occasionally and pace around the diner, much to the annoyance of patron and server alike. A blonde floozy of a waitress named Flo or something like that goes and says, "Can I get you something cowboy?"
"No thanks." I reply, with a hint of politeness.
"She still hasn't shown up has she? I wonder is she really worth it?" the floozy continues.
"What business is that of yours?" I reply with a cold, even tone. The floozy's beginning to cotton to the fact that pissing me off is not a very smart thing to do.
My cell phone rings again and I pick it up. "Puckett?"
No answer. Just static is what's on the other end. The caller is identified by the built in ID system as Diane. Now I'm really starting to worry and peering out my watch I see her fifteen minutes of grace time have been up for at least five minutes.
~ ~ ~ ~
"I'm late." Diane Schonke groaned as she pushed a stray strand of her short brown hair away from her face, "Rusty's really gonna rub this one in my face."
She had called him about a minute ago, after that accident on the interstate and the detour that took her through some back roads. She had been investigating the dump site where the mutilated corpse of Petty Officer Third Class Tonya Davies had been discovered. Rusty was following a lead of his own; he seemed to have discovered a witness.
She had known Rusty for eleven years, since they were classmates at the Naval Academy. She knew he was impulsive, apparently disorganized, but one hell of an investigator. Whenever he found a solution to a problem, he'd go after it all ahead full and steamroll through any obstacles in his way. He could also be stubborn as well whenever he was convinced he was right.
About fifteen minutes had passed since she had driven down the eerie country road. It was still mid morning when the sky started to darken briefly to the most pitching black it could ever be. "An eclipse?" Diane said to herself. This was just creepy, Diane felt. First the sky starts darkening and then that siren sound she heard five minutes ago.
A sound pierced the silence just then. It was the sound of an anguished wailing. Diane stopped her red Ford Mustang by a nearby embankment and headed over to investigate.
'I'd better call Rusty. He's bound to wonder where I am right now.' Diane thought, 'Hah, Raoul Armand Puckett you're not the only one who can find leads.'
~ ~ ~ ~
(Rusty's POV)
The forest is dark and foggy and my damn watch must be broken. I'm wandering through the woods, following a voice. My eyes have long since adjusted to the dark, since pulling night ops in the Rung Sat Special Zone of the Mekong River in 2142-44.
"Rusty, where are you?" It's Diane, she's somewhere in the woods and she's looking for me.
"I'll be right there." I shout back. For some reason the voice grows more distant the further I go. My attempts to follow it seem to fail miserably. All of a sudden the ground falls out from beneath me and I fall into a black, bottomless pit hearing wordless screams and mumblings in Latin over and over again.
"Shit." I groan. I went to sit inside my Land Rover for a few minutes when the floozy was getting to damned nosy and I must've fallen asleep. I've been out cold for half an hour. Diane still hasn't shown up, now I'm really worried. I pick up my cell phone and call our boss.
"Franks?"
"Sir, this is Puckett. I've been here for almost an hour and Lieutenant Schonke hasn't shown up." I reply.
"Puckett, have you found this Gillespie lady yet?"
"No sir."
"See to it that you do."
"Sir, request permission to go and look for Lieutenant Schonke, it's not like her to be this late."
"Absolutely not Puckett." Franks replied, "You said yourself it took forever to convince her to leave Silent Hill to talk to you two. If she doesn't find you she'll probably not speak to anyone else again."
"Sir, with all due respect -" I reply.
"Listen, Rusty," Franks says, his voice taking on the paternal tone it usually does when I'm about to get in over my head, "Diane's a grown woman, she can take care of herself."
Damn it you bastard. I think inwardly, you only use our first names when we're off duty or when I worry about her like that. I'm so lost in thought that I barely hear his next statement, "Gillespie's your top priority. She says she has the information we need for this case, and she said specifically that she would only talk to the two of you."
"Sir," I reply, I can be fairly bullheaded when it comes to Diane a lot of the time, "I only ask for fifteen minutes to..."
"Puckett, stay where you are, that's an order." Franks said.
"Yes sir." I reply, with a bad taste in my mouth. I finger the Smith and Wesson 9mm pistol in the shoulder holster under my beat up brown leather jacket. Why am I getting the feeling trouble's getting underway? I only get that feeling when something is afoot.
Orders be damned, my partner's in trouble and I've got to find her fast. If I get a call from Franks I'll tell him I'm making a house call to the witness. I start up my Land Rover and drive down the Interstate towards the town of Silent Hill. There are answers I need right now. But why do I get the distinct feeling that I'm gonna uncover more than I ever am gonna want to know?
Disclaimer: I do not own the Silent Hill franchise in any way, shape or form. The characters Diane Schonke and Rusty Puckett are my creation. Be patient, the futuristic universe I created will be explained as the story goes on.
~ ~ ~ ~
"Prophesy: The Half Eared One will come at a time unknown. He has the power to end the curse or spread it..."
~ ~ ~ ~ September 19, 2149: I sit in a diner at the small New England town of Brahms, nursing a steaming cup of coffee. My partner, Diane Schonke was supposed to be here at least five minutes ago. That's not like her to be late without a good reason.
I know, I know, I shouldn't worry about her like that. She's a grown, intelligent woman, a lieutenant in the United Systems Navy like myself, and very likely she's just stuck in traffic with her cell phone in the recharger after trying to get through to me. But still I worry about her.
Just what is it I do exactly? I used to be a platoon officer with the Navy Scouts and Raiders, Scout Team Two out of Little Creek Virginia until I had a nasty accident aboard the USS Killhouse, our ship takedown training simulator. We were supposed to use dummy grenades to clear compartments on the ship. What happened was that some moron accidentally used a live grenade. I survived, obviously, with a ruptured eardrum to show for it. Now I work in a unique branch of the Navy Criminal Investigative Service, it's a covert undercover unit with limited counterterrorism capabilities. We're required to pose as civilians as well as other military personnel on occasion, and on days like today I think I'm an actual civilian. So that we don't give the populace a scare both me and Diane are wearing civilian garb.
We were supposed to meet a witness here, a Mrs. Dahlia Gillespie I believe her was. About three weeks ago a sailor on liberty was murdered in this area and this old widow claimed to know the cause of it. Colonel Jacob Franks, our commanding officer, and an ex-infantry Marine assigned me and Lieutenant Schonke to the case.
My cell phone rings just then and I answer it, "Puckett?"
"Hi Rusty, this is Diane." The voice of a familiar brunette sounds on the other end of the line, "I'm just gonna be a little late. There's been an accident on I-95 and they just detour set up through the town of Silent Hill. You know these back country roads."
She laughs lightly on the other end of the line. I laugh back, but inwardly I wonder why the hell I'm feeling a mixture of déjà vu and dread mixed into one feeling. "Yeah, I'll wait for you for fifteen minutes. If you're not there I'll go look for you."
"Rusty, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself." Diane says.
"I know." I reply, "But in case you get lost...."
"That's sweet of you Rusty, but I'm pretty sure I can find my way into Brahms easily enough." Diane replies abruptly.
"OK." I reply, "See you in Brahms."
I sit at the booth, waiting, as I sip a cup of coffee that's growing colder with each passing minute. I stand up occasionally and pace around the diner, much to the annoyance of patron and server alike. A blonde floozy of a waitress named Flo or something like that goes and says, "Can I get you something cowboy?"
"No thanks." I reply, with a hint of politeness.
"She still hasn't shown up has she? I wonder is she really worth it?" the floozy continues.
"What business is that of yours?" I reply with a cold, even tone. The floozy's beginning to cotton to the fact that pissing me off is not a very smart thing to do.
My cell phone rings again and I pick it up. "Puckett?"
No answer. Just static is what's on the other end. The caller is identified by the built in ID system as Diane. Now I'm really starting to worry and peering out my watch I see her fifteen minutes of grace time have been up for at least five minutes.
~ ~ ~ ~
"I'm late." Diane Schonke groaned as she pushed a stray strand of her short brown hair away from her face, "Rusty's really gonna rub this one in my face."
She had called him about a minute ago, after that accident on the interstate and the detour that took her through some back roads. She had been investigating the dump site where the mutilated corpse of Petty Officer Third Class Tonya Davies had been discovered. Rusty was following a lead of his own; he seemed to have discovered a witness.
She had known Rusty for eleven years, since they were classmates at the Naval Academy. She knew he was impulsive, apparently disorganized, but one hell of an investigator. Whenever he found a solution to a problem, he'd go after it all ahead full and steamroll through any obstacles in his way. He could also be stubborn as well whenever he was convinced he was right.
About fifteen minutes had passed since she had driven down the eerie country road. It was still mid morning when the sky started to darken briefly to the most pitching black it could ever be. "An eclipse?" Diane said to herself. This was just creepy, Diane felt. First the sky starts darkening and then that siren sound she heard five minutes ago.
A sound pierced the silence just then. It was the sound of an anguished wailing. Diane stopped her red Ford Mustang by a nearby embankment and headed over to investigate.
'I'd better call Rusty. He's bound to wonder where I am right now.' Diane thought, 'Hah, Raoul Armand Puckett you're not the only one who can find leads.'
~ ~ ~ ~
(Rusty's POV)
The forest is dark and foggy and my damn watch must be broken. I'm wandering through the woods, following a voice. My eyes have long since adjusted to the dark, since pulling night ops in the Rung Sat Special Zone of the Mekong River in 2142-44.
"Rusty, where are you?" It's Diane, she's somewhere in the woods and she's looking for me.
"I'll be right there." I shout back. For some reason the voice grows more distant the further I go. My attempts to follow it seem to fail miserably. All of a sudden the ground falls out from beneath me and I fall into a black, bottomless pit hearing wordless screams and mumblings in Latin over and over again.
"Shit." I groan. I went to sit inside my Land Rover for a few minutes when the floozy was getting to damned nosy and I must've fallen asleep. I've been out cold for half an hour. Diane still hasn't shown up, now I'm really worried. I pick up my cell phone and call our boss.
"Franks?"
"Sir, this is Puckett. I've been here for almost an hour and Lieutenant Schonke hasn't shown up." I reply.
"Puckett, have you found this Gillespie lady yet?"
"No sir."
"See to it that you do."
"Sir, request permission to go and look for Lieutenant Schonke, it's not like her to be this late."
"Absolutely not Puckett." Franks replied, "You said yourself it took forever to convince her to leave Silent Hill to talk to you two. If she doesn't find you she'll probably not speak to anyone else again."
"Sir, with all due respect -" I reply.
"Listen, Rusty," Franks says, his voice taking on the paternal tone it usually does when I'm about to get in over my head, "Diane's a grown woman, she can take care of herself."
Damn it you bastard. I think inwardly, you only use our first names when we're off duty or when I worry about her like that. I'm so lost in thought that I barely hear his next statement, "Gillespie's your top priority. She says she has the information we need for this case, and she said specifically that she would only talk to the two of you."
"Sir," I reply, I can be fairly bullheaded when it comes to Diane a lot of the time, "I only ask for fifteen minutes to..."
"Puckett, stay where you are, that's an order." Franks said.
"Yes sir." I reply, with a bad taste in my mouth. I finger the Smith and Wesson 9mm pistol in the shoulder holster under my beat up brown leather jacket. Why am I getting the feeling trouble's getting underway? I only get that feeling when something is afoot.
Orders be damned, my partner's in trouble and I've got to find her fast. If I get a call from Franks I'll tell him I'm making a house call to the witness. I start up my Land Rover and drive down the Interstate towards the town of Silent Hill. There are answers I need right now. But why do I get the distinct feeling that I'm gonna uncover more than I ever am gonna want to know?