Finale
James sat quietly on one of the couches in the living room. He had left Mary's side after she appeared to have fallen asleep. James crossed his arms, the thought of being able to help Mary running through his mind. He picked up a small glass from the coffee table filled halfway with an amber liquid, placing it on his lips and drank, the slight sting of alcohol passing down his throat forced him to wince. He had been sitting on the couch drinking for only twenty minutes, thinking of it as his preparation. With a long, deep sigh, James got up from the couch and walked toward the bedroom. As he walked, images of his life with Mary flooded his mind, seeing how happy they were years ago. Mary had been full of warmth, love and life. She always had a smile on her face, especially when she was with James. He recalled their last visit to the Lakeside Hotel.
Mary stood in front of a large window, her arms crossed over her chest. James lifted up the video camera and aimed at her. Sensing this voyeuristic act, Mary turned and smiled at James.
"Are you taping again? C'mon…" Mary laughed and waved at the camera. She wore a pink wool coat over a yellow-ish long sleeve shirt covered lightly with a floral pattern. She moved away from the window and sat down in a chair, still looking out the window overlooking the vast Toluca Lake. James zoomed in on Mary's face.
"How do you like it here, Mary?" James asked.
"I don't know why," Mary let out a long sigh. "But I just love it here. It's so peaceful. You know what I heard?"
"What?"
"This whole area used to be a sacred place. I think I can see why. This place…it's wonderful. It's so easy to lose yourself here."
"I knew you'd like it here."
"It's too bad we have to leave. Promise me something, James."
"Anything, Mary."
"Please promise you'll take me again, James. Promise you'll bring me to Silent Hill. To our special place." Mary got up as she asked James. He smiled softly before Mary began to cough. His smiled faded away as he stopped recording, looking on as his wife had a short coughing fit. She looked back at him when she stopped, smiling.
"I'm fine, James. Really."
James was leaning against the bedroom's doorframe, watching Mary sleep. She was resting on top of the covers, her peach colored nightgown gently moving as she breathed slowly. James walked quietly over to the bed and stood above her, looking at what was once his beautiful wife. He leaned down and kissed her forehead softly, causing Mary's eyes to flutter open.
"James?"
"Mary. Everything will be okay. I love you, Mary."
With one quick movement, James pulled the pillow out from under Mary's head, shoving it hard against her face. The pillow muffled the weak cries coming from Mary as she attempted to struggle her way out of James' murderous act. James could feel Mary's hands weakly take hold of his arms, feeling the soft thumps as Mary beat his strong arms with her weak fists. Her legs flailed about as James pressed the pillow down harder over her face, making sure to block all air passages. Mary continued her muffled cries, but the grunts coming from James blocked them from his ears. James gripped the pillow tighter as Mary's movements began to slow down, her fists hitting him softer and softer, her legs growing still. After a few minutes that felt like an eternity for James, the muffled cries ceased. The only sound filling the bedroom was James' heavy breathing. He lifted the pillow away from Mary's face and looked upon her. The look of utter shock and horror on her face tore James in two. He couldn't believe what he had done. Her eyes and mouth were wide in shock, causing his mind to reel and his stomach to turn. He rushed towards the bathroom and threw his head down into the toilet bowl, groaning as he began to throw up. When he was done, he fell back, resting against the wall across from the toilet, his breathing hard and heavy. When he felt as if his strength regained, he grabbed a towel from the bathtub and wiped his mouth and forehead, drying the perspiration. He flushed the toilet as he stood and made his way back into the bedroom. He walked over to Mary's lifeless body, shutting her eyes and closing her mouth. He rubbed her forehead tenderly, brushing the hair away from her face. He took her arms and gently folded them across her chest. James flexed his hands, his knuckles feeling tight and sore from clenching the pillow so tight. When the pain subsided, he stroked the side of Mary's face tenderly before staggering out of the room. He took his place back on the couch and filled his glass with the amber liquid. Looking at the contents of the glass, he quickly down the warm fluid and poured another helping into the glass. When the glass empty, he threw it down on the floor, sending glass shards all over the area. James fell over on his side and fell asleep on the couch.
It had been well into the late morning hours when James woke up. As he slowly sat up, he rubbed his head, feeling a sharp pain which felt as if it were deeply embedded into his brain. Stifling a yawn, he promised himself he would never drink so much again. He slowly stood up and stretched, thrusting his arms behind him until he heard a soft crack. Shaking his head, he walked over to the kitchen and started to prepare Mary's breakfast. He wished to make her a nice warm meal, but knew the illness she suffered wouldn't allow for her to keep solids down. He pulled out some left over soup from the refrigerator and placed the cold bowl into the microwave, setting the timer for just the right number of minutes. As the microwave let out a lone drone, James felt that it was time to wake up his wife. He had secretly hoped that she was feeling a little better so they could have more time together, but he remembered what the doctor had told him. He acknowledged that it could only be just a matter of time.
Stepping into the bedroom, James started to call out Mary's name.
"Mary? Sweetheart? It's morning. I'm making you some chicken and stars for breakfast. There was still some left over from last night." James smiled as he walked over to her. "Hopefully I'll keep it off my shirt this time. Mary? Mary?"
James noticed that she was not responding to his voice, he kneeled beside her and placed a hand on her wrist. His heart raced as he failed to detect a pulse.
"Mary? No, Mary. Please, not now. Don't leave me now."
His wife's lifeless body failed to respond. Tears formed in James eyes as he continued to call out her name.
"Mary? Mary, answer me, please. No, Mary. Not now."
James broke down and buried his face within her chest, crying over his dead wife. He stayed that way for a long time, just holding her and crying his heart out. He knew the day would come when the disease would kill her, he knew the doctor place a limit on her life, but he still couldn't believe it. The disease had finally run its fatal course. James pulled himself away from Mary, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. He took a blanket from the closet and covered Mary's entire body with it. He walked towards the telephone and dialed the number of the hospital. After several rings, the nurse from the reception desk picked up the phone.
"Central Hospital, how may I direct your call?"
"Hello, it's James."
"James! How are you? How's Mary?"
James began to cry softly over the phone, trying hard to form the words. He thought he could hear the woman on the other end begin to cry as well.
"I need to speak with Mary's doctor. Immediately please."
"Sure, James. Hold please."
The woman's voice cut off from the phone and replaced by muzak. Several seconds later the music cut abruptly and was replaced by the doctor's voice.
"Hello, James."
"Doctor. I, uh…Mary, she…."
"You don't have to say it, James. From the receptionist's emotional state and your difficulty with speaking right now, I can deduce what happened. James, I am so terribly sorry. People prepare for these situations but it always comes as a shock when it finally happens."
"What should I do?"
"You don't have to do anything, James. I will send an ambulance to your residence and we will take care of everything. I will see you in about half an hour, okay?"
"Okay, doctor. Thank you."
"You're welcome, James. See you soon."
James returned the phone to its place and looked at Mary's covered body. He started to cry again and walked into the living room. He noticed the shards of glass on the carpet and began to clean it up. When all the pieces of glass were removed from the floor, James sat in the dining room and waited for the doctor. About forty minutes later, everyone arrived. Two men with a gurney walked through the door and followed James into the bedroom. They lifted Mary's body at both ends and placed her on the carrier. After buckling a few straps to keep her from moving, the two men lifted the gurney and proceeded to make their way out of the apartment. The doctor sat down with James and conversed.
"Once again, I am terribly sorry for your loss, James. At least she went peacefully. Dying in one's sleep is the best way to go, as I see it."
"She didn't deserve to go, doctor. I can't understand why the virus chose to kill her."
"No one really knows how such a thing works. Especially what Mary had."
James nodded quietly.
"Did you make her happy, James?" The doctor asked.
"I tried to. I made sure she was comfortable. We sat out in the balcony and watched the sunset. We had a lovely dinner." James smiled at the memory of the two of them sharing their soup. Tears silently fell from his eyes. He wiped his eyes and spoke to the man sitting across from him.
"Thank you for everything, doctor. I'm sure Mary appreciates everything that you've done for her."
"You're welcome, James. Have you given any thoughts about Mary's burial? If you'd like, we can help set things up for you."
"I would like that."
"I'll make sure you get the proper information as quickly as possible."
"Money won't be an object, doctor. I want the best for her. I want her to know how much I loved her by giving the very best."
"I understand, James. If you'll excuse me, I'll go to the hospital right now and set everything up. Expect a call from me about two hours from now."
James escorted the doctor out his front door. The two men shook hands and embraced. "Are you going to be okay, James?"
"I'll be fine, doctor. Thank you."
"You'll hear from me soon enough, my friend. Good day."
James shut the door after the doctor left and then collapsed to the floor, crying. Why did the disease have to take his wife? It wasn't fair at all.
It had been three years since Mary's death. The funeral service provided by the doctor at the hospital was nothing short of wonderful. Everyone who cared for Mary was in attendance, all expressing their sadness and grief to James over Mary's untimely death. After the funeral, James rushed home to his apartment and sealed himself away for a week of mourning. When he saw fit to do so, James began to rebuild his life. He tried to develop a daily routine and stayed away from bars, reminding himself of the promise he made before he discovered Mary's dead body.
James had left his apartment for a good part of the day to run errands. When he returned, he walked over to the mailboxes in the lobby of the complex. Slipping the small key into the slot, he opened the metal casing which revealed a small collection of envelopes and flyers. Scanning the mail as he rode the elevator up to his floor, he noticed a smaller envelope made from what appeared to be light pink stationary and had the word "Mary" written upon the face. James didn't think much of it at first, believing it to be another card expressing one's sadness towards Mary's death.
When he finally reached his apartment, James poured himself a small glass of iced tea and sat in the living room, going through the mail once again. When he finally came to the soft pink envelope, he noticed that there was no return address written anywhere. Sliding his thumb into an open space between the base of the envelope and the flap, he quietly tore the envelope apart, revealing a smaller piece of paper made from the same stationary set. Unfolding the document, he couldn't believe his eyes.
In my restless dreams, I see that town.
Silent Hill.
You promised you'd take me there again someday, but you never did.
Well I'm alone there now,
In our "special place"
Waiting for you for you...
-Mary
James couldn't believe what he was reading. It had to be someone's cruel idea of a joke, but who would do such a thing? No one would have any reason to play such a horrible joke on him. But if no one would do that, did that mean the letter could have been real? Could Mary…really be in Silent Hill? A part of James told him that the idea was a crazy one, but a large part considered the possibility. If Mary were there, he could see her once again. Something inside ate at James, ate into him so much that he felt compelled to see his wife at least once more.
James left his apartment and made his way down to his car. Opening the trunk, he rummaged through the space and found an old map he used when he took Mary to the Lakeside Hotel. Getting into his car, he turned on the engine and drove away from the complex. It would be a long drive to Silent Hill, he expected it would take him at least several hours. The only thing he could really do in that time was to contemplate the nature of the mysterious letter.
When James reached the outskirts of South Vale, he was puzzled to see that the tunnel leading to the main road had been blocked off. Not knowing what to do, he pulled into the small parking lot for an observation deck that looked out into Toluca Lake. James got out of his car and stretched. Apart from the blocked tunnel, James wondered why the entire area was covered in a thick blanket of fog. The fog wasn't thick enough to completely bar him from seeing things, but his visibility was jeopardized nonetheless. With his hands in his green jacket pockets, he walked over towards the nearby restrooms, similar to those you would see on highway rest stops. The inside of the bathroom also looked like those highway bathrooms; the walls littered with graffiti, the floor covered in trash, two of the three stalls plastered with Out of Order signs. Looking at the deplorable state of the bathroom, James decided to hold it for awhile. He walked over to the sink to wash his hands. After drying them, he looked at his reflection in the dirty mirror. Staring at himself, he ran a hand down across his face. He stood away from the sink and looked up at the ceiling. Closing his eyes, James let out a long sigh. He looked at himself in the dirty mirror again.
"Mary, could you really be in this town?"
James walked out of the restroom and headed towards the concrete wall of the observation deck, staring at the quiet lake. Resting his arms at the top of the wall, James stood silently, lost in thought.
"It's ridiculous," James said to himself. "It couldn't possibly be true. A dead person can't write a letter. So then why am I looking for her? Our 'special place,' what could she mean?" James took the letter from his inside jacket pocket, feeling it with his fingers, tracing Mary's script with his fingertips. "This whole town was our special place. Does she mean the park on the lake? We spent the whole day there. Just the two of us, staring at the water. But Lakeside was our special place too. Mary loved it there with all her heart. Could Mary really be here? Is she really alive...waiting for me?"
James tucked the letter back inside his jacket. Walking over to his car, he took the map from the dashboard and shut the door. According to the map, the nature trail beginning from the observation deck led directly to South Vale. Folding the map several times, James placed started to hike the trail towards Silent Hill, hoping that the path enshrouded by fog would lead him to his beloved Mary. He would search the entire town for her. Turning back wasn't an option for James. He felt a really strong need to find his wife in Silent Hill and would not let anything stand in his way.