Good grief, I'm up to 25 reviews. Yay! Thanks to everyone who's written a review for me, they really do keep me motivated for this fic. Keep 'em coming, please.
Oh, and to Silvace Atronach: Thanks for the in-depth review, I do appreciate it (though you may just want to email me from now on if all your reviews are that long). As far as the environmental details are concerned, you're right; I shall work on that.
You also stated something about the timetable between SH2 and SH3. I respect your opinion/theory, but please realize it is exactly that: a theory, and one that I personally don't agree with. There is no exact proof that states when SH2 took place, but do understand that this fic takes place sometime after a certain ending in SH2. I could argue theories about this all day, but in the end, neither of us would be right. For lots of theories involving the series, I'd suggest going to http://www.silenthillforum.co.uk/ if you haven't already. If you happen to be a member of that forum, you can send me a PM if you'd like. My screenname is DenizenEvil.
While I understand the remainder of your concerns, I do have an answer for each one of them. However, I cannot give them to you now, because it'd ruin the entire thing. Read and wait, my friend.
And now, the next juicy chapter. Have fun, kiddies. ^__^
********************************
Chapter 10: Mistake
I shakily flipped on my flashlight. Decay had once again taken hold over the physical world, and once again its noxious presence filled my senses with horror. Rust and grime were my company, saturating the very air I breathed. My tongue was coated with a copper-ish flavor; I immediately recognized it as blood, though I, myself, was not bleeding.
I wanted to cry, to scream, but I knew neither would eject me from this prison, this reality. Prison... now there was a thought I hadn't given light to. Was I being punished for something? What could I possibly do (what could anyone do, for that matter) to warrant such a hell? Now that I thought about it, the idea seemed to hold something significant, though I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
In fact, the more I tried to rationalize it, the more the answer seemed to evade me. Little did it matter, however, as in mid-thought, a metallic clank broke the silence. I spun around to see a gigantic metal fence that had apparently fallen out of nowhere. I had the sudden suspicion that someone (or something) was trying to trap me, and the idea of being caged in this place was not at all appealing. I ran.
I ran down filthy corridors, one by one, not knowing where I was going or what awaited me. All I knew is that every ten feet or so, a rusty slam indicated a new gate dropping behind me. I felt like a sheep being led to slaughter; someone was screwing with me and I certainly didn't appreciate it. As I ran, I silently swore that if I ever found the dirty, rotten dog that was doing all of this, I'd kill him.
After taking another turn, I ran straight into a wall. I staggered backwards, and upon looking up I realized it wasn't a wall at all. It was a humungous door, metal and rusted like everything else. This, however, had a large amount of blood caked around the edges, especially near the bottom. I knew that whatever lay beyond this door was not going to be pleasant. A final crash resounded behind me, telling me that this door was the only way to go. Great, I thought to myself.
I slowly turned the handle and opened the door, announcing my arrival with an earsplitting squeal of metal. If I'd wanted the element of surprise, it was surely lost now. I walked in and closed the door behind me, flashing my torch around the room. It was a large, empty room, about as big as a school classroom. There was really nothing to see, actually. Nothing, that is, except for a large metal box sitting upright in the center of the room.
The box was rectangular, as if inside was a large floor lamp or something. No, rectangular wasn't right. It had slanted edges, going narrower as they neared the bottom. It was almost like..a....
My insides suddenly felt as if I'd swallowed ten pounds of ice. This was no box; it was a coffin. To make matters worse, I realized that there was a small scratchy noise coming from somewhere. I looked around and saw that it was coming from the radio in my backpack. It was different, somehow, than when it screeched around monsters. It was... like a radio broadcast or something. No... rather, like someone talking over a walky-talky.
Weird, I thought to myself, slowly walking closer. I don't know why I got close to the thing at all, though. All common sense told me to get the hell out of there, but I was... compelled to see what or who was inside. It was important, somehow. As if to confirm these feelings, the radio piped up a bit louder with each step. Finally, I was in front of the coffin; the radio went silent.
Hardly of my own will, my hand inched toward the latch on the steel box. I wanted so much to run... I silently begged my hand to stop, but I couldn't. My hand touched the latch when the radio once again came to life. This time, however, what I heard made me forget to breathe.
"Kuri... Kuri? You're there, I know you are."
It was Stephanie's voice coming from the radio. It sounded distorted, though, almost as if two people were talking at once. The sound made me shiver with dread, but I listened.
"You're looking for me, aren't you?" She sighed with raspy, hollow breath. "You won't find me. No one will. Well, that's not true... Maybe... if you dig...."
Her voice stopped, and shuttered. What came next was a mix of tears and shouting.
"I hate you! Kuri, you murderous bitch, I hate you!!"
I swallowed hard, slowly stepping back. My flashlight dropped from my hand and clattered to the grated floor, going out. I was drenched in blackness, but the radio squealed on relentlessly.
"Kuri!! You'll get what you deserve! Kuri! Kuri!!"
I was crying as well now. I didn't know what to think or do.
"Kuri!!" rang out a new voice, not from the radio, but behind me.
It was Todd.
"Todd!" I screamed, frantically stumbling in the pitch.
"Kuri, what are you-"
A gigantic bang resounded behind me, followed by an inhuman shriek. It was too much. I nearly choked on my tears as I ran blindly toward where I'd heard Todd's voice. Something slammed into me from behind, knocking me to the ground. Whatever it was, it was huge; I felt like I'd been hit by a truck. Another shriek echoed around the room, followed by a wallop to my head. All went dark as tiny dots danced around my vision. One by one, they went out, and darkness consumed me.
**************************************************************
I don't know how long I was gone, but thankfully I didn't dream. I slowly opened my eyes, seeing a blurry figure above me. I jerked my eyes open and tried to roll away, but it held me down.
"Hey, whoa! It's ok, Kuri. It's just me," said a worried James Sunderland.
I fell back onto the bed, relief spreading over my body. I was back in the same bed as before, only this time a little sunlight seeped in through the dusty windows. The rust and blood had vanished as before, much to my delight.
James sat at the edge of the bed, a damp cloth in his hand.
"Are you feeling ok?" he asked gently.
"Y-yeah, sorry for freaking out," I said, embarrassed. "It's just... I..."
The previous events flooded back into my mind as I looked at James.
"Todd! Where is he?" I asked, now frantic. "And Stephanie, I heard her. There was this coffin, and-"
"Easy now, slow down," said James, putting the cloth back on my forehead. "Why don't you tell me what happened, ok?"
I told him everything: about what I'd heard between Mary and Claudia, the gates and corridors, the coffin and the radio... By the end, James had gone from worried to grim.
"James, what does this mean?" I asked, looking him in the eye. "I know you know something. Please, you have to tell me what's going on."
A few moments went by, our eyes unmoving from one another. Finally, he looked away.
"Kuri, I'm sorry you're involved in all of this," he said, looking at the bed. "Really, I am. I don't know why you showed up in this town, but you have to get out somehow. If you stay..."
"I tried to leave, remember," I said, frustrated. "And what'll happen if I stay, James? What aren't you telling me?"
More silence... and then...
"My wife, Mary... she died a few years ago. I know it sounds crazy," he said, seeing my expression, "but she did. I brought her back, though. I conducted this whole ceremony and everything, and promised to follow the teachings of the ancient gods. Apparently I was heard, because Mary was given new life."
"You don't know how happy I was," he said, turning to face me. "I was back with her, the only person I ever really loved. But as time went by, I started to notice differences. She's not the same as when she was first alive, Kuri. It's like she's not really Mary at all... just a puppet or something..."
"Anyway, she started really getting into the whole cult thing. At first I thought it was just a weird spiritual fascination; it would pass. But it didn't, and now all she ever talks about is the 'rebirth of God'. I haven't really had anything to do with all of that since the day I brought Mary back, and she throws it in my face every chance she gets. She says I'll go to hell if I don't welcome the arrival of God, that I should do what she tells me and stop asking questions. "
James looked quite angry now, even frightening.
"I've put up with this for far too long," he said, balling his hands into fists. "I'm sorry that I didn't stop this sooner, Kuri. I guess I just wanted to believe that everything would go back to how it used to be... when we were happy."
"James," I said, "why did you tell us to come here? To this hotel, I mean... was it Mary?"
"...Yeah. She somehow found out you'd come to Silent Hill, though I don't see how. She told me that your life was in danger, and that I needed to make sure you got here safely. But then, as I was about to leave... she told me I couldn't bring you myself; something about you coming 'of your own accord'..."
"...That doesn't make a lot of sense..." I said, dumbfounded.
"You're telling me. So anyway, I did what she said. When I came back, she'd locked herself in her room and told me not to disturb her until you arrived."
"So... I showed up and then..." Then it came to me. "Jody! Where is Jody?"
"Who?" said James. "Oh, that woman you were with. Yeah. When I told Mary that she was here too, she let me have it. Kept screaming about interference..."
"But where is she, James!?"
"I... don't really know. Everything got pretty crazy after you passed out."
"What happened?"
James got up and leaned over me.
"Look, there's no time for all this right now. I promise, I'll explain everything later, but right now you have to get yourself out of here. Here." He dug in his jacket pocket and pulled out a key. "Take this and go past the amusement park to Annie's Bar. It's on Bachman Road. Wait for me there; I shouldn't be too long. From there, we can figure out what to do about finding your friends and getting you out."
I sat up, purpose filling my veins.
"Oh, and by now you've noticed that this town isn't exactly safe," he said. He went over to the dresser and pulled something out of the top drawer. "Take this."
It was a pistol, similar to the one he'd given Todd, along with two magazines of ammunition.
"I have to go now," he said, heading for the door. "Remember, Annie's Bar. And... if I don't make it, there should be a connecting highway if you go north on Bachman. It's the other way into this town."
Apparently that was the road I'd missed on the way here.
"What do you mean, 'if you don't make it'?" I asked. "What are you going to do, James?"
He stopped, not bothering to turn around as he spoke.
"I have to correct a mistake I made a long time ago..."
And with that, he was gone.
Oh, and to Silvace Atronach: Thanks for the in-depth review, I do appreciate it (though you may just want to email me from now on if all your reviews are that long). As far as the environmental details are concerned, you're right; I shall work on that.
You also stated something about the timetable between SH2 and SH3. I respect your opinion/theory, but please realize it is exactly that: a theory, and one that I personally don't agree with. There is no exact proof that states when SH2 took place, but do understand that this fic takes place sometime after a certain ending in SH2. I could argue theories about this all day, but in the end, neither of us would be right. For lots of theories involving the series, I'd suggest going to http://www.silenthillforum.co.uk/ if you haven't already. If you happen to be a member of that forum, you can send me a PM if you'd like. My screenname is DenizenEvil.
While I understand the remainder of your concerns, I do have an answer for each one of them. However, I cannot give them to you now, because it'd ruin the entire thing. Read and wait, my friend.
And now, the next juicy chapter. Have fun, kiddies. ^__^
********************************
Chapter 10: Mistake
I shakily flipped on my flashlight. Decay had once again taken hold over the physical world, and once again its noxious presence filled my senses with horror. Rust and grime were my company, saturating the very air I breathed. My tongue was coated with a copper-ish flavor; I immediately recognized it as blood, though I, myself, was not bleeding.
I wanted to cry, to scream, but I knew neither would eject me from this prison, this reality. Prison... now there was a thought I hadn't given light to. Was I being punished for something? What could I possibly do (what could anyone do, for that matter) to warrant such a hell? Now that I thought about it, the idea seemed to hold something significant, though I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
In fact, the more I tried to rationalize it, the more the answer seemed to evade me. Little did it matter, however, as in mid-thought, a metallic clank broke the silence. I spun around to see a gigantic metal fence that had apparently fallen out of nowhere. I had the sudden suspicion that someone (or something) was trying to trap me, and the idea of being caged in this place was not at all appealing. I ran.
I ran down filthy corridors, one by one, not knowing where I was going or what awaited me. All I knew is that every ten feet or so, a rusty slam indicated a new gate dropping behind me. I felt like a sheep being led to slaughter; someone was screwing with me and I certainly didn't appreciate it. As I ran, I silently swore that if I ever found the dirty, rotten dog that was doing all of this, I'd kill him.
After taking another turn, I ran straight into a wall. I staggered backwards, and upon looking up I realized it wasn't a wall at all. It was a humungous door, metal and rusted like everything else. This, however, had a large amount of blood caked around the edges, especially near the bottom. I knew that whatever lay beyond this door was not going to be pleasant. A final crash resounded behind me, telling me that this door was the only way to go. Great, I thought to myself.
I slowly turned the handle and opened the door, announcing my arrival with an earsplitting squeal of metal. If I'd wanted the element of surprise, it was surely lost now. I walked in and closed the door behind me, flashing my torch around the room. It was a large, empty room, about as big as a school classroom. There was really nothing to see, actually. Nothing, that is, except for a large metal box sitting upright in the center of the room.
The box was rectangular, as if inside was a large floor lamp or something. No, rectangular wasn't right. It had slanted edges, going narrower as they neared the bottom. It was almost like..a....
My insides suddenly felt as if I'd swallowed ten pounds of ice. This was no box; it was a coffin. To make matters worse, I realized that there was a small scratchy noise coming from somewhere. I looked around and saw that it was coming from the radio in my backpack. It was different, somehow, than when it screeched around monsters. It was... like a radio broadcast or something. No... rather, like someone talking over a walky-talky.
Weird, I thought to myself, slowly walking closer. I don't know why I got close to the thing at all, though. All common sense told me to get the hell out of there, but I was... compelled to see what or who was inside. It was important, somehow. As if to confirm these feelings, the radio piped up a bit louder with each step. Finally, I was in front of the coffin; the radio went silent.
Hardly of my own will, my hand inched toward the latch on the steel box. I wanted so much to run... I silently begged my hand to stop, but I couldn't. My hand touched the latch when the radio once again came to life. This time, however, what I heard made me forget to breathe.
"Kuri... Kuri? You're there, I know you are."
It was Stephanie's voice coming from the radio. It sounded distorted, though, almost as if two people were talking at once. The sound made me shiver with dread, but I listened.
"You're looking for me, aren't you?" She sighed with raspy, hollow breath. "You won't find me. No one will. Well, that's not true... Maybe... if you dig...."
Her voice stopped, and shuttered. What came next was a mix of tears and shouting.
"I hate you! Kuri, you murderous bitch, I hate you!!"
I swallowed hard, slowly stepping back. My flashlight dropped from my hand and clattered to the grated floor, going out. I was drenched in blackness, but the radio squealed on relentlessly.
"Kuri!! You'll get what you deserve! Kuri! Kuri!!"
I was crying as well now. I didn't know what to think or do.
"Kuri!!" rang out a new voice, not from the radio, but behind me.
It was Todd.
"Todd!" I screamed, frantically stumbling in the pitch.
"Kuri, what are you-"
A gigantic bang resounded behind me, followed by an inhuman shriek. It was too much. I nearly choked on my tears as I ran blindly toward where I'd heard Todd's voice. Something slammed into me from behind, knocking me to the ground. Whatever it was, it was huge; I felt like I'd been hit by a truck. Another shriek echoed around the room, followed by a wallop to my head. All went dark as tiny dots danced around my vision. One by one, they went out, and darkness consumed me.
**************************************************************
I don't know how long I was gone, but thankfully I didn't dream. I slowly opened my eyes, seeing a blurry figure above me. I jerked my eyes open and tried to roll away, but it held me down.
"Hey, whoa! It's ok, Kuri. It's just me," said a worried James Sunderland.
I fell back onto the bed, relief spreading over my body. I was back in the same bed as before, only this time a little sunlight seeped in through the dusty windows. The rust and blood had vanished as before, much to my delight.
James sat at the edge of the bed, a damp cloth in his hand.
"Are you feeling ok?" he asked gently.
"Y-yeah, sorry for freaking out," I said, embarrassed. "It's just... I..."
The previous events flooded back into my mind as I looked at James.
"Todd! Where is he?" I asked, now frantic. "And Stephanie, I heard her. There was this coffin, and-"
"Easy now, slow down," said James, putting the cloth back on my forehead. "Why don't you tell me what happened, ok?"
I told him everything: about what I'd heard between Mary and Claudia, the gates and corridors, the coffin and the radio... By the end, James had gone from worried to grim.
"James, what does this mean?" I asked, looking him in the eye. "I know you know something. Please, you have to tell me what's going on."
A few moments went by, our eyes unmoving from one another. Finally, he looked away.
"Kuri, I'm sorry you're involved in all of this," he said, looking at the bed. "Really, I am. I don't know why you showed up in this town, but you have to get out somehow. If you stay..."
"I tried to leave, remember," I said, frustrated. "And what'll happen if I stay, James? What aren't you telling me?"
More silence... and then...
"My wife, Mary... she died a few years ago. I know it sounds crazy," he said, seeing my expression, "but she did. I brought her back, though. I conducted this whole ceremony and everything, and promised to follow the teachings of the ancient gods. Apparently I was heard, because Mary was given new life."
"You don't know how happy I was," he said, turning to face me. "I was back with her, the only person I ever really loved. But as time went by, I started to notice differences. She's not the same as when she was first alive, Kuri. It's like she's not really Mary at all... just a puppet or something..."
"Anyway, she started really getting into the whole cult thing. At first I thought it was just a weird spiritual fascination; it would pass. But it didn't, and now all she ever talks about is the 'rebirth of God'. I haven't really had anything to do with all of that since the day I brought Mary back, and she throws it in my face every chance she gets. She says I'll go to hell if I don't welcome the arrival of God, that I should do what she tells me and stop asking questions. "
James looked quite angry now, even frightening.
"I've put up with this for far too long," he said, balling his hands into fists. "I'm sorry that I didn't stop this sooner, Kuri. I guess I just wanted to believe that everything would go back to how it used to be... when we were happy."
"James," I said, "why did you tell us to come here? To this hotel, I mean... was it Mary?"
"...Yeah. She somehow found out you'd come to Silent Hill, though I don't see how. She told me that your life was in danger, and that I needed to make sure you got here safely. But then, as I was about to leave... she told me I couldn't bring you myself; something about you coming 'of your own accord'..."
"...That doesn't make a lot of sense..." I said, dumbfounded.
"You're telling me. So anyway, I did what she said. When I came back, she'd locked herself in her room and told me not to disturb her until you arrived."
"So... I showed up and then..." Then it came to me. "Jody! Where is Jody?"
"Who?" said James. "Oh, that woman you were with. Yeah. When I told Mary that she was here too, she let me have it. Kept screaming about interference..."
"But where is she, James!?"
"I... don't really know. Everything got pretty crazy after you passed out."
"What happened?"
James got up and leaned over me.
"Look, there's no time for all this right now. I promise, I'll explain everything later, but right now you have to get yourself out of here. Here." He dug in his jacket pocket and pulled out a key. "Take this and go past the amusement park to Annie's Bar. It's on Bachman Road. Wait for me there; I shouldn't be too long. From there, we can figure out what to do about finding your friends and getting you out."
I sat up, purpose filling my veins.
"Oh, and by now you've noticed that this town isn't exactly safe," he said. He went over to the dresser and pulled something out of the top drawer. "Take this."
It was a pistol, similar to the one he'd given Todd, along with two magazines of ammunition.
"I have to go now," he said, heading for the door. "Remember, Annie's Bar. And... if I don't make it, there should be a connecting highway if you go north on Bachman. It's the other way into this town."
Apparently that was the road I'd missed on the way here.
"What do you mean, 'if you don't make it'?" I asked. "What are you going to do, James?"
He stopped, not bothering to turn around as he spoke.
"I have to correct a mistake I made a long time ago..."
And with that, he was gone.