Here is the second of the two I just wrote. And don't fret any loose ends at the end of the chapter; after all, we're not finished yet. And then there's always the sequel...
Erm, did I say sequel? I meant, uh... um... squirrel. Yeah, those darn squirrels... always scheming...
{Runs away}
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Chapter 12: Am I Evil?
"Todd, how could you do this," I sputtered. "What about Stephanie and me? Are you so blinded by Mary's madness that you'd kill us all?"
"Do you have any idea how hard it was to get this far?" he said angrily. "You're pathetic, Stephanie. Really, you are."
"Wh-what did you just call me?"
I couldn't believe any of this was happening. I strained to keep my sanity, or what was left of it.
"You still don't remember," said Todd matter-of-factly. "Well, anyway, I'm not going to kill you. James here, on the other hand, well..."
"Your stupid plan won't work," spoke James with gritted teeth. "You don't have a carrier for your god."
"Oh, how you're mistaken," said Mary. "I have everything I need right here."
Everyone's eyes turned to me. My anger finally won my emotional battle.
"If you think for one minute that I'm gonna carry anything for you, think again, lady!"
Her expression changed from contemplation to amusement.
"My dear girl, whoever said you were going to be the carrier? You are far too impure for such a great task as that." She shook her head at me. "It is an insult to God to be given a murderer's body."
"I'm not a murderer!" I screamed, pulling my hair.
"But you are," she said. "Why else would you be here? It is written, 'The dead shall seek out sin'."
"Stephanie, you must remember," spoke Todd. "Deep down, you know. You know what happened on that bridge years ago."
I did know. It was right there, and for the first time in years, I remembered.
The rain was thick, too thick to see very clearly. The radio was blaring, but not loud enough to drown out the laughter in the car. Each time I hit a new pocket of water and swerved to retain control of the vehicle, we'd all burst out laughing again. We were having fun, even if it was dangerous. That's just how we were.
I was doing sixty or so, I think. We crossed onto a really high bridge. My friends put their arms up like they were on a roller coaster, and I laughed all the more. But then, something happened. Something was stopped in the emergency lane on the road's shoulder. A car with no lights on.
I slammed on the gas, swerved to miss it, but it was too late. We hit the car in the back-left corner. The impact was enough to smash the car right through the concrete barrier and over the side of the bridge. One of the passengers was knocked through the windshield as the car plummeted into the river, the son. They never did find his body, only his father's.
I hit my head pretty bad as well, but Kuri... She was in the front seat as well, and without a seatbelt. When we hit, she went halfway through the dash.
I was questioned by the cops, and later an investigator. They showed me the bodies of Kuri and the guy I'd hit (the one they found).
My dad got his lawyer; somehow the charges were dropped. The two friends in the back that survived never spoke to me again. I was alone...
I am alone, a murderer.
I choked on tears and saliva as I crumbled to the ground, the full recollection of what I'd done now upon me.
"My God," I whispered. "I'm a killer. How could I have blocked this out for so long..."
James looked over at me, and through the pain on his face, I saw a bit of compassion shine through.
"The human mind can't handle things like this," he said. "Trust me, I know what it feels like."
"But Kuri... she was here!" I choked. "She was real!"
"No," said Todd. "Your mind made her real to only you, Stephanie. This town called upon you to make recompense for your sin, and in so doing, it temporarily manifested that thought into flesh and blood. Before this town, though... she was all the doing of your mind. Ever since your sin, that is."
"But what about you!" I said. "You're real! I've known you for a long time, Todd!"
"I was asked to find you years ago by Mr. Robert Peterson. I was asked to make you pay, and here we are."
Robert Peterson, I recalled, was the man whose body they found. I remembered, too, that his grave was right here in Silent Hill. I'd seen it when we first arrived, along with...
"Who is Alessa Gilespie?"
The question dropped like a bomb, and I swore any minute I'd be killed for asking it.
"Where did you hear that name?" hissed Mary.
"It was on a grave in the cemetery, right at the edge of town. I saw a vision near it. The girl was in a hospital bed, with this old lady and a doctor..."
"What you saw," said Mary, "was that impudent child's thoughts. You see, even after she died, her memory remained here. That memory was communicating with you, sending you images of what she'd brought upon herself. But that doesn't matter any more. Her memory has been slain."
I had no idea what she was talking about, and I turned back to Todd.
"Todd, Mr. Peterson is dead. How could he ask you to find me?"
Todd sighed.
"Steph, there are powers at work here that your mind couldn't comprehend. I don't even know how to explain it to you."
"Allow me," said Mary. "You see, it is written, 'God created many beings to lead mankind in obedience. Many gods and angels.' God was sent a prayer by a dying man, and out of pity, She sent Her servant to see it answered."
"You... you mean you're..." I couldn't get the words to escape my constricting throat.
"I am a servant of God," spoke Todd. "That's all that you need to know. When this is over, God shall set me free from this body, this... imperfect machine. We will all bathe in Her glory as she leads us to eternal bliss."
I couldn't be hearing this correctly. It couldn't be true... I was a nutcase, that much was evident. No sane person could talk to someone that wasn't there, let alone block an event so much that even her name is different... But this was too much. Gods? Angels? Todd, or whoever he was, was right. This was beyond me.
"How can you possibly know all this, Mary?" said James who stood once more, holding his blood-soaked arm.
"Honestly, James, haven't you figured it out by now?" Mary tsk'ed at him "I would have that you'd know your precious Mary better than this."
A few moments silence went by, and James' expression turned murderous.
"You're not Mary at all. You're just a figment, just like Maria..."
"Not quite," said Mary. "Mary is still here, but she's... let's see, how can I put it so you'll understand... she's sleeping. She wasn't at first, mind you. She has a strong will, I'll give her that, but nothing can stand in the way of God's work.
You brought me here, James, with that ceremony. Yes, you didn't realize that if you asked a request so large, you'd have to give something in return. God answered my prayer as well, and allowed me to come back... to finish what I started seventeen years ago, when that heathen, Mason, ruined everything. So perhaps I should be thanking you. After all, if not for you, I wouldn't be here."
James was thunderstruck. A few moments of choked silence ensued, when he finally spoke again.
"So, Dahlia Gillespie, is it? I read about you. I know how mad you used to be. Apparently nothing has changed. You say you'll bring about God, but I tell you now... I'll kill you before I let you defile Mary's body with your perversity."
His tone was venomous, but Dahlia simply smiled.
"What makes you think you can conceive this god, anyway?" I piped up. "You think you're pure?! Ha!"
She turned to me and frowned.
"Not me, child. Mary, whose soul is untainted, will be the carrier of God. And while it is true that my daughter seemed to be the only one qualified with that kind of power, I have learned that even this body can be a decent, if not temporary, substitute."
"Then...why do you need me?" I asked. "If I'm not the carrier, why do all of this?"
"The ceremony," said Todd, "requires a sacrifice of blood."
My body went numb. I despaired. It couldn't end like this, could it?
"Be glad," spoke Dahlia, "that 'Todd' has protected you as well as he has. He could have very well let this town torture you to death. But now, not only can you pay for your crime, you can play a part in the greatest event ever to occur."
Erm, did I say sequel? I meant, uh... um... squirrel. Yeah, those darn squirrels... always scheming...
{Runs away}
********************************
Chapter 12: Am I Evil?
"Todd, how could you do this," I sputtered. "What about Stephanie and me? Are you so blinded by Mary's madness that you'd kill us all?"
"Do you have any idea how hard it was to get this far?" he said angrily. "You're pathetic, Stephanie. Really, you are."
"Wh-what did you just call me?"
I couldn't believe any of this was happening. I strained to keep my sanity, or what was left of it.
"You still don't remember," said Todd matter-of-factly. "Well, anyway, I'm not going to kill you. James here, on the other hand, well..."
"Your stupid plan won't work," spoke James with gritted teeth. "You don't have a carrier for your god."
"Oh, how you're mistaken," said Mary. "I have everything I need right here."
Everyone's eyes turned to me. My anger finally won my emotional battle.
"If you think for one minute that I'm gonna carry anything for you, think again, lady!"
Her expression changed from contemplation to amusement.
"My dear girl, whoever said you were going to be the carrier? You are far too impure for such a great task as that." She shook her head at me. "It is an insult to God to be given a murderer's body."
"I'm not a murderer!" I screamed, pulling my hair.
"But you are," she said. "Why else would you be here? It is written, 'The dead shall seek out sin'."
"Stephanie, you must remember," spoke Todd. "Deep down, you know. You know what happened on that bridge years ago."
I did know. It was right there, and for the first time in years, I remembered.
The rain was thick, too thick to see very clearly. The radio was blaring, but not loud enough to drown out the laughter in the car. Each time I hit a new pocket of water and swerved to retain control of the vehicle, we'd all burst out laughing again. We were having fun, even if it was dangerous. That's just how we were.
I was doing sixty or so, I think. We crossed onto a really high bridge. My friends put their arms up like they were on a roller coaster, and I laughed all the more. But then, something happened. Something was stopped in the emergency lane on the road's shoulder. A car with no lights on.
I slammed on the gas, swerved to miss it, but it was too late. We hit the car in the back-left corner. The impact was enough to smash the car right through the concrete barrier and over the side of the bridge. One of the passengers was knocked through the windshield as the car plummeted into the river, the son. They never did find his body, only his father's.
I hit my head pretty bad as well, but Kuri... She was in the front seat as well, and without a seatbelt. When we hit, she went halfway through the dash.
I was questioned by the cops, and later an investigator. They showed me the bodies of Kuri and the guy I'd hit (the one they found).
My dad got his lawyer; somehow the charges were dropped. The two friends in the back that survived never spoke to me again. I was alone...
I am alone, a murderer.
I choked on tears and saliva as I crumbled to the ground, the full recollection of what I'd done now upon me.
"My God," I whispered. "I'm a killer. How could I have blocked this out for so long..."
James looked over at me, and through the pain on his face, I saw a bit of compassion shine through.
"The human mind can't handle things like this," he said. "Trust me, I know what it feels like."
"But Kuri... she was here!" I choked. "She was real!"
"No," said Todd. "Your mind made her real to only you, Stephanie. This town called upon you to make recompense for your sin, and in so doing, it temporarily manifested that thought into flesh and blood. Before this town, though... she was all the doing of your mind. Ever since your sin, that is."
"But what about you!" I said. "You're real! I've known you for a long time, Todd!"
"I was asked to find you years ago by Mr. Robert Peterson. I was asked to make you pay, and here we are."
Robert Peterson, I recalled, was the man whose body they found. I remembered, too, that his grave was right here in Silent Hill. I'd seen it when we first arrived, along with...
"Who is Alessa Gilespie?"
The question dropped like a bomb, and I swore any minute I'd be killed for asking it.
"Where did you hear that name?" hissed Mary.
"It was on a grave in the cemetery, right at the edge of town. I saw a vision near it. The girl was in a hospital bed, with this old lady and a doctor..."
"What you saw," said Mary, "was that impudent child's thoughts. You see, even after she died, her memory remained here. That memory was communicating with you, sending you images of what she'd brought upon herself. But that doesn't matter any more. Her memory has been slain."
I had no idea what she was talking about, and I turned back to Todd.
"Todd, Mr. Peterson is dead. How could he ask you to find me?"
Todd sighed.
"Steph, there are powers at work here that your mind couldn't comprehend. I don't even know how to explain it to you."
"Allow me," said Mary. "You see, it is written, 'God created many beings to lead mankind in obedience. Many gods and angels.' God was sent a prayer by a dying man, and out of pity, She sent Her servant to see it answered."
"You... you mean you're..." I couldn't get the words to escape my constricting throat.
"I am a servant of God," spoke Todd. "That's all that you need to know. When this is over, God shall set me free from this body, this... imperfect machine. We will all bathe in Her glory as she leads us to eternal bliss."
I couldn't be hearing this correctly. It couldn't be true... I was a nutcase, that much was evident. No sane person could talk to someone that wasn't there, let alone block an event so much that even her name is different... But this was too much. Gods? Angels? Todd, or whoever he was, was right. This was beyond me.
"How can you possibly know all this, Mary?" said James who stood once more, holding his blood-soaked arm.
"Honestly, James, haven't you figured it out by now?" Mary tsk'ed at him "I would have that you'd know your precious Mary better than this."
A few moments silence went by, and James' expression turned murderous.
"You're not Mary at all. You're just a figment, just like Maria..."
"Not quite," said Mary. "Mary is still here, but she's... let's see, how can I put it so you'll understand... she's sleeping. She wasn't at first, mind you. She has a strong will, I'll give her that, but nothing can stand in the way of God's work.
You brought me here, James, with that ceremony. Yes, you didn't realize that if you asked a request so large, you'd have to give something in return. God answered my prayer as well, and allowed me to come back... to finish what I started seventeen years ago, when that heathen, Mason, ruined everything. So perhaps I should be thanking you. After all, if not for you, I wouldn't be here."
James was thunderstruck. A few moments of choked silence ensued, when he finally spoke again.
"So, Dahlia Gillespie, is it? I read about you. I know how mad you used to be. Apparently nothing has changed. You say you'll bring about God, but I tell you now... I'll kill you before I let you defile Mary's body with your perversity."
His tone was venomous, but Dahlia simply smiled.
"What makes you think you can conceive this god, anyway?" I piped up. "You think you're pure?! Ha!"
She turned to me and frowned.
"Not me, child. Mary, whose soul is untainted, will be the carrier of God. And while it is true that my daughter seemed to be the only one qualified with that kind of power, I have learned that even this body can be a decent, if not temporary, substitute."
"Then...why do you need me?" I asked. "If I'm not the carrier, why do all of this?"
"The ceremony," said Todd, "requires a sacrifice of blood."
My body went numb. I despaired. It couldn't end like this, could it?
"Be glad," spoke Dahlia, "that 'Todd' has protected you as well as he has. He could have very well let this town torture you to death. But now, not only can you pay for your crime, you can play a part in the greatest event ever to occur."