Wow, lots of reviews in a short amount of time. Thanks to all of you who posted. I'll keep churning 'em out, don't you worry. And to those who wanted to see this through to its completion, I must tell you you're in for the long haul. This baby won't be over for a long time to come. Be that good or bad, here goes the next chapter.
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Chapter 5: Enter the Stranger
Surely this is a dream, I thought to myself. We'd just come this way. Unless a bomb had dropped in the middle of the street (and a silent one, at that), this was impossible.
Standing on the edge of the "cliff", we looked into the abyss in mute shock. Todd, whose hands were clenched into fists at his side, shook with frustration, apparently fighting with himself to come up with some logical explanation. Stephanie was shaking as well, but more from cold and fright than anything else. In fact, she was looking worse by the minute.
"Steph?" I said, trying to maintain a steady voice. The only response I received was her chattering teeth.
"Todd, we have to get her somewhere warm."
Todd didn't move or speak.
"Hey, snap out of it!" I yelled.
He blinked and looked over at me.
"H-huh? Oh, yeah," he said, suddenly glancing at Stephanie with concern. "Lets go."
We put our arms around the quaking girl and led her back toward one of the buildings lining the street. It was slow going, as it took a lot of effort for her to put one foot in front of the other. As we walked through the foggy snow, I realized for the first time that there was no solid snow on the ground; it simply melted just before it hit, leaving slick, wet concrete.
We finally made it to the sidewalk, which, thankfully, was covered overhead, giving some relief from the wet snow. Stephanie stopped shivering slightly, but I still kept my arms around her. Todd walked over to a door and pushed.
"Locked?" I asked.
"Yeah."
He stood back a second, and took off his sunglasses. I arched my brows, having never really seen him without them. He glanced over with his icy blue eyes.
"Don't suppose I need these right now, do I?" he said, looking out at the street.
He was right, there really wasn't a lot of light that could get through the fog and snow.
"Lemme see your bag for a sec," he said, shoving the glasses in a pocket.
I handed it over and he rummaged through it, eventually giving it back empty handed. He stood there for a few seconds, thinking of something. Then he bent down and started untying one of his shoes.
"Um... Todd?" I said slowly. "Whatcha doin?"
"You'll see," he grunted as he got his shoe off.
Actually, it wasn't quite a shoe. He was quite fond of black combat boots, and he had tried explaining to me many times how they went with everything. I didn't buy that, but he couldn't be convinced otherwise.
He suddenly reared his arm back and slammed the front of the boot into the top glass pane on the door. Stephanie and I gasped in surprise and took a step back as Todd extracted his boot from the hole he'd just made, pieces of glass clinking to the ground. He pulled a few shards out of the boot and bent down to put it back on. He was acting so casually about the whole thing, you'd think he went around breaking things every day of his life.
"Th-that's some b-b-boot," chattered Stephanie, trying to force her frozen lips into a smile.
"Steel-toed," he grinned as he tied his shoe. "Accept no substitute."
Getting back to his feet, Todd put his hand through the hole and turned a deadbolt.
"Do the words 'breaking and entering' mean anything to you?" I said.
Todd opened the door and turned to me, his expression turning grave.
"Kuri, there's no one left in this town. You really think someone's going to come tell us off?"
"Well... what about Mimms?"
"I think she has bigger fish to fry. Besides, we can't get back to the car right now, and Steph is about to go into hypothermic shock."
He was right, as usual. I nodded and helped Stephanie walk through the doorway. Todd followed and closed the door behind us, locking the deadbolt.
We stood in the entrance of a large, dark shop. I looked to my left and saw a sign that read "Silent Hill General Store". Indeed, each isle appeared to have basic supplies like medicines, bread, snacks, and drinks. Much of it was on the floor, though, and was either broken or torn open. Everything was coated in a thin layer of dust and grime, suggesting that no one had been here for a long while.
"Steph," I said, "why don't you go over to the counter and sit for a little while I look for something to wrap you in. Once you're warm, we'll figure something out."
She nodded and went while I turned to the light switch and flipped it. Nothing happened.
"Great," I said.
"I'll go and find a fuse box," said Todd. "Maybe I can-"
"Oh no you don't," I exclaimed, grabbing his arm. "With all the crap we've seen here, I'm not risking getting split up. We're all staying in the same building, no matter what, got it?"
"I'll come right back, Kuri," he said pleadingly, but a look at my face quickly changed his mind. "Together it is, then."
We walked toward the back of the store. Aside from bottles and boxes smashed everywhere, there was nothing out of the ordinary. Unfortunately, though, there didn't appear to be any clothing in this store. There were a few blankets, though, so I grabbed one and tucked it under my arm.
Just as I turned around, Todd held up something in front of me. It was a bullet shell.
"Where'd you get that?" I asked.
"Stepped on it," he said, examining the shell closely.
I looked down, and sure enough, there were shells scattered everywhere, along with a few empty cartridges.
"357 Magnum," said Todd, glancing at me. "That's some serious firepower."
I didn't want to know how he knew that, so I simply nodded. Looking at the walls, I noticed there were several bullet holes, increasing in number toward the back of the store. Todd saw this as well and began walking again.
"C'mon," he said, and I followed him as we made our way further into the darkness.
We turned the corner at the end of the isle when Todd suddenly shot his arm out to stop me from going any further. I was about to ask him what was wrong when I looked in the direction he was gazing. A few feet in front of us, on the floor, was a large copperish smear leading to a back door. There was no doubt it was blood, though it had been dry for quite some time. Surrounding the area were more bullet shells and clips.
"Todd..." I whispered, glancing over at him.
He just stared straight ahead at the door, a grim look upon his face. He slowly walked toward the door.
"Todd, no!" I hissed, but he paid me no heed.
I backed up a step or two, unsure of what was happening. The old 'fight or flight' idea danced around in my head as I watched Todd, whose hand now reached for the door handle.
The door opened before Todd even touched it, and a man's silhouette contrasted against the white abstraction of an alleyway.
Todd leapt backward while at the same time I fought the urge to run. The man, however, didn't run at us or try to attack. In fact, once my eyes adjusted to the light, I realized he looked almost as shocked as we were.
He was probably in his thirties or so, with short blonde hair and a decent frame. He wore a green jacket over a black collared shirt and blue jeans, along with some sort of medallion pendant around his neck. However, he looked as if he hadn't washed his clothes in years, judging by the stains all over him. Curiously, many of them looked like blood...
Todd and I inched away from him as he stepped inside, but he held out his hands imploringly.
"Please, don't be frightened. I won't hurt you," he said. His voice didn't sound very menacing, but Todd nevertheless eyed him suspiciously.
"Where'd you come from?" Todd asked warily.
"I just heard some commotion and thought I'd come check it out," explained the man.
"Are there other people around, too?" I asked hopefully.
The man looked at me for a moment and spoke rather hesitantly.
"W-well, I'm here with my wife, but other than her..."
"You live here, then?" asked Todd.
"Yeah."
"Cool, then maybe you can answer some questions," started Todd, "like where the hell is everybody?!"
"Todd!" I said, elbowing him in the ribs. "Sorry, we're a little shaken up lately."
"S'ok," said the man, "I understand. I thought the same thing when I first arrived here."
"You mean, everyone was gone when you got here too?" I asked.
"Yeah. Mostly, anyway..." he sighed. "Hey, that reminds me, I'm looking for someone. Have you seen a little girl running around anywhere? About eight years old; long, blonde hair?"
"Your daughter?" asked Todd.
"No, just someone I met. She ran away over near the hotel a few days ago," he said.
"No, sorry," I said.
There was a few moments' awkward silence, so I decided to be polite.
"I'm Kuri," I said, putting out my hand to shake his, "and this is Todd."
"I'm James," he said warmly, shaking my hand. "James Sunderland."
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Chapter 5: Enter the Stranger
Surely this is a dream, I thought to myself. We'd just come this way. Unless a bomb had dropped in the middle of the street (and a silent one, at that), this was impossible.
Standing on the edge of the "cliff", we looked into the abyss in mute shock. Todd, whose hands were clenched into fists at his side, shook with frustration, apparently fighting with himself to come up with some logical explanation. Stephanie was shaking as well, but more from cold and fright than anything else. In fact, she was looking worse by the minute.
"Steph?" I said, trying to maintain a steady voice. The only response I received was her chattering teeth.
"Todd, we have to get her somewhere warm."
Todd didn't move or speak.
"Hey, snap out of it!" I yelled.
He blinked and looked over at me.
"H-huh? Oh, yeah," he said, suddenly glancing at Stephanie with concern. "Lets go."
We put our arms around the quaking girl and led her back toward one of the buildings lining the street. It was slow going, as it took a lot of effort for her to put one foot in front of the other. As we walked through the foggy snow, I realized for the first time that there was no solid snow on the ground; it simply melted just before it hit, leaving slick, wet concrete.
We finally made it to the sidewalk, which, thankfully, was covered overhead, giving some relief from the wet snow. Stephanie stopped shivering slightly, but I still kept my arms around her. Todd walked over to a door and pushed.
"Locked?" I asked.
"Yeah."
He stood back a second, and took off his sunglasses. I arched my brows, having never really seen him without them. He glanced over with his icy blue eyes.
"Don't suppose I need these right now, do I?" he said, looking out at the street.
He was right, there really wasn't a lot of light that could get through the fog and snow.
"Lemme see your bag for a sec," he said, shoving the glasses in a pocket.
I handed it over and he rummaged through it, eventually giving it back empty handed. He stood there for a few seconds, thinking of something. Then he bent down and started untying one of his shoes.
"Um... Todd?" I said slowly. "Whatcha doin?"
"You'll see," he grunted as he got his shoe off.
Actually, it wasn't quite a shoe. He was quite fond of black combat boots, and he had tried explaining to me many times how they went with everything. I didn't buy that, but he couldn't be convinced otherwise.
He suddenly reared his arm back and slammed the front of the boot into the top glass pane on the door. Stephanie and I gasped in surprise and took a step back as Todd extracted his boot from the hole he'd just made, pieces of glass clinking to the ground. He pulled a few shards out of the boot and bent down to put it back on. He was acting so casually about the whole thing, you'd think he went around breaking things every day of his life.
"Th-that's some b-b-boot," chattered Stephanie, trying to force her frozen lips into a smile.
"Steel-toed," he grinned as he tied his shoe. "Accept no substitute."
Getting back to his feet, Todd put his hand through the hole and turned a deadbolt.
"Do the words 'breaking and entering' mean anything to you?" I said.
Todd opened the door and turned to me, his expression turning grave.
"Kuri, there's no one left in this town. You really think someone's going to come tell us off?"
"Well... what about Mimms?"
"I think she has bigger fish to fry. Besides, we can't get back to the car right now, and Steph is about to go into hypothermic shock."
He was right, as usual. I nodded and helped Stephanie walk through the doorway. Todd followed and closed the door behind us, locking the deadbolt.
We stood in the entrance of a large, dark shop. I looked to my left and saw a sign that read "Silent Hill General Store". Indeed, each isle appeared to have basic supplies like medicines, bread, snacks, and drinks. Much of it was on the floor, though, and was either broken or torn open. Everything was coated in a thin layer of dust and grime, suggesting that no one had been here for a long while.
"Steph," I said, "why don't you go over to the counter and sit for a little while I look for something to wrap you in. Once you're warm, we'll figure something out."
She nodded and went while I turned to the light switch and flipped it. Nothing happened.
"Great," I said.
"I'll go and find a fuse box," said Todd. "Maybe I can-"
"Oh no you don't," I exclaimed, grabbing his arm. "With all the crap we've seen here, I'm not risking getting split up. We're all staying in the same building, no matter what, got it?"
"I'll come right back, Kuri," he said pleadingly, but a look at my face quickly changed his mind. "Together it is, then."
We walked toward the back of the store. Aside from bottles and boxes smashed everywhere, there was nothing out of the ordinary. Unfortunately, though, there didn't appear to be any clothing in this store. There were a few blankets, though, so I grabbed one and tucked it under my arm.
Just as I turned around, Todd held up something in front of me. It was a bullet shell.
"Where'd you get that?" I asked.
"Stepped on it," he said, examining the shell closely.
I looked down, and sure enough, there were shells scattered everywhere, along with a few empty cartridges.
"357 Magnum," said Todd, glancing at me. "That's some serious firepower."
I didn't want to know how he knew that, so I simply nodded. Looking at the walls, I noticed there were several bullet holes, increasing in number toward the back of the store. Todd saw this as well and began walking again.
"C'mon," he said, and I followed him as we made our way further into the darkness.
We turned the corner at the end of the isle when Todd suddenly shot his arm out to stop me from going any further. I was about to ask him what was wrong when I looked in the direction he was gazing. A few feet in front of us, on the floor, was a large copperish smear leading to a back door. There was no doubt it was blood, though it had been dry for quite some time. Surrounding the area were more bullet shells and clips.
"Todd..." I whispered, glancing over at him.
He just stared straight ahead at the door, a grim look upon his face. He slowly walked toward the door.
"Todd, no!" I hissed, but he paid me no heed.
I backed up a step or two, unsure of what was happening. The old 'fight or flight' idea danced around in my head as I watched Todd, whose hand now reached for the door handle.
The door opened before Todd even touched it, and a man's silhouette contrasted against the white abstraction of an alleyway.
Todd leapt backward while at the same time I fought the urge to run. The man, however, didn't run at us or try to attack. In fact, once my eyes adjusted to the light, I realized he looked almost as shocked as we were.
He was probably in his thirties or so, with short blonde hair and a decent frame. He wore a green jacket over a black collared shirt and blue jeans, along with some sort of medallion pendant around his neck. However, he looked as if he hadn't washed his clothes in years, judging by the stains all over him. Curiously, many of them looked like blood...
Todd and I inched away from him as he stepped inside, but he held out his hands imploringly.
"Please, don't be frightened. I won't hurt you," he said. His voice didn't sound very menacing, but Todd nevertheless eyed him suspiciously.
"Where'd you come from?" Todd asked warily.
"I just heard some commotion and thought I'd come check it out," explained the man.
"Are there other people around, too?" I asked hopefully.
The man looked at me for a moment and spoke rather hesitantly.
"W-well, I'm here with my wife, but other than her..."
"You live here, then?" asked Todd.
"Yeah."
"Cool, then maybe you can answer some questions," started Todd, "like where the hell is everybody?!"
"Todd!" I said, elbowing him in the ribs. "Sorry, we're a little shaken up lately."
"S'ok," said the man, "I understand. I thought the same thing when I first arrived here."
"You mean, everyone was gone when you got here too?" I asked.
"Yeah. Mostly, anyway..." he sighed. "Hey, that reminds me, I'm looking for someone. Have you seen a little girl running around anywhere? About eight years old; long, blonde hair?"
"Your daughter?" asked Todd.
"No, just someone I met. She ran away over near the hotel a few days ago," he said.
"No, sorry," I said.
There was a few moments' awkward silence, so I decided to be polite.
"I'm Kuri," I said, putting out my hand to shake his, "and this is Todd."
"I'm James," he said warmly, shaking my hand. "James Sunderland."