I think this is some kinda record. 3 chaps in less than a week? Inspiration strikes again! ^__^
Well, anyway, I'm workin hard for you, ladies and gents. In return, please give comments, okie day?
Toodles.
********************************
Chapter 16: Don't Talk to Strangers
The officer was right; I couldn't miss the place. It took up practically an entire block on East Tower Road. The building itself was very old looking, probably built somewhere in the 1920's or 30's. A massive expanse of courtyard separated the building from the street, along with a 10-foot-high cast iron fence. Luckily the gate was open, but it looked like visiting hours were over. Only a few cars were in the lot, probably belonging to the staff and security.
"Here goes nothing," I whispered to myself as I crossed onto the path leading up through the courtyard.
A large clock stood atop the entrance, proclaiming the time to be 9:47. Sounded about right, judging how much I'd walked that night. I opened a heavy glass door, reinforced by metal bars from the inside, and walked into a reception area. The walls were covered with pasty green wallpaper that seemed to be mildewing in several areas, while the floor was white, cracked tile. Whether or not it was the architect's intention, the place gave me the creeps.
No one manned the front desk. That was odd, I thought. Shouldn't security at least be watching or something?
Nearby, I heard scuffling sounds coming down a hallway. An old man was approaching, hunched over and wrinkled as a prune, wearing a faded yellow shirt covered by a maroon sweater, and brown pants. He muttered incoherently to himself as he walked, and I found myself wondering if he'd escaped one of the cells or if he actually worked here. He scuttled into the foyer and stopped, peering up at me as if I were an odd speck on his glasses. His eyes squinted this way and that, and I didn't quite know what to do.
"Well," he piped up in a weak, raspy voice, "we'd best be off then, don't you think? C'mon."
I simply blinked at him.
"Well, do you want to see her or don't you?" he said.
"H-how did you-"
"Bah! Questions! You've asked enough of 'em today, I think. Either follow me or go away."
He turned and started scuttling down an adjacent hallway. What choice did I have? I followed.
I couldn't quite fathom what I was doing. I mean, following some crazy old coot into a mental facility in the dead of night? And how did he know why I was here, or that I'd been asking questions? Again, that little voice in my head tried to be heard, but I'd hear none of it just yet.
"Excuse me," I said softly as we rounded another corner.
"Hmmhh?"
"Where are you taking me?"
"Cell block 3 in the circular ward. Why?"
"Well, to be honest, I'm a little nervous about following a stranger into the bowels of a nuthouse."
He paused for a moment, chuckled, and started walking again.
"Name's Dusty. There, we ain't strangers no more, now are we?"
I tried several more times to get some information out of him, all the while turning down hallways and stairs. Nothing worked; either he'd make some off-the-wall comment or ignore me altogether. I ultimately decided he was no good for conversation, and I resigned myself to his direction (Stupid idea? Probably...).
I started noticing as we went that the lighting was gradually becoming dimmer. Maybe it was fatigue setting in, I didn't know. Something about it didn't seem right, though.
I was just starting to change my mind about the whole thing when the little man stopped in front of me quite suddenly and started digging in a shirt pocket. He brought out some keys and shakily picked one, unlocking the door right in front of us.
"Through this door, room 3F," he said. "And I'll only warn you once: Go only in that one room, no other. Understand?"
I nodded my head stupidly as he opened the door. A gust of cold air whooshed in as the door opened, chilling me in a way I hadn't experienced since... well... that town. I had a real, real bad feeling about this, but if Jody was in here, it was worth a look.
I walked into a large circular room, dimly lit by moonlight streaming in through a ceiling window. A few steps into the room, the door clanked shut behind me and electronically locked. Oh great, I screamed in my mind. I unzipped my backpack and tensed, ready to whip out the lead bar if need be. I'd worry about how to get out in just a minute. First thing was first.
All the doors on the walls of this room were closed and locked, each only identified by a number and letter. Several of the doors had whimpers or scratching noises emanating from inside, and I had to work hard to shut my imagination off for the time being.
The middle of the room had a circular nurse station, though no one was around. I was sure I couldn't just go up to the door and walk right in, so I looked around at the nurses' station for some sort of lock controls. Sure enough, on the inside of the station was a square panel with small black buttons, each labeled according to the room. I found the one labeled 3F and pressed it. I heard a small beep and a click, but nothing else.
Walking over to the room marked 3F, I took a deep breath. I sure hope I know what I'm doing, I thought to myself as I opened the door.
Another blast of cold air came out, this time much different than before. It wasn't the air itself that felt cold. It ran far deeper than my skin, chilling my very soul. My "real bad feeling" amplified itself exponentially.
"J-Jody?" I croaked, straining to see in the failing light.
"Who's there," whispered a voice.
A figure, shrouded in shadows, was huddled into the corner. Although I couldn't quite see, it looked to be in a fetal position.
"It's me, S-Stephanie... Jody?"
"You can feel it too, can't you?" said the voice. It was definitely female, but I knew in an instant this wasn't Jody Mimms.
"I'm sorry, I think I made a mistake," I said, backing up.
"You've been there, to Silent Hill. Haven't you."
It was more a statement than a question, but one that took me completely off guard.
"H-How did you know that?" I said, almost in a whisper myself.
"I know, because I've been there too," she said. "Of course, no one believes me about... everything that happened. I don't really blame them..."
"You're... not Jody Mimms, are you?"
"Jody?" she said, this time a bit of interest sparking her voice. "You knew Jody? She was a good friend, and a hell of an athlete. Could outrun me any day."
This was too much. I had to ask.
"Who are you?"
Out of the shadows, the dark figure stood and walked forward, the light making its way to her features. A woman stood before me, with long blonde hair and fair skin. She was thin, probably thinner than she'd normally be, and dark circles rested beneath her eyes. A small gown covered her frame, draping to the floor. The only thing that seemed particularly odd was an ugly scar on her right cheekbone that ran back to her ear.
"My name is Bennett," she said softly. "Cybil Bennett."
Well, anyway, I'm workin hard for you, ladies and gents. In return, please give comments, okie day?
Toodles.
********************************
Chapter 16: Don't Talk to Strangers
The officer was right; I couldn't miss the place. It took up practically an entire block on East Tower Road. The building itself was very old looking, probably built somewhere in the 1920's or 30's. A massive expanse of courtyard separated the building from the street, along with a 10-foot-high cast iron fence. Luckily the gate was open, but it looked like visiting hours were over. Only a few cars were in the lot, probably belonging to the staff and security.
"Here goes nothing," I whispered to myself as I crossed onto the path leading up through the courtyard.
A large clock stood atop the entrance, proclaiming the time to be 9:47. Sounded about right, judging how much I'd walked that night. I opened a heavy glass door, reinforced by metal bars from the inside, and walked into a reception area. The walls were covered with pasty green wallpaper that seemed to be mildewing in several areas, while the floor was white, cracked tile. Whether or not it was the architect's intention, the place gave me the creeps.
No one manned the front desk. That was odd, I thought. Shouldn't security at least be watching or something?
Nearby, I heard scuffling sounds coming down a hallway. An old man was approaching, hunched over and wrinkled as a prune, wearing a faded yellow shirt covered by a maroon sweater, and brown pants. He muttered incoherently to himself as he walked, and I found myself wondering if he'd escaped one of the cells or if he actually worked here. He scuttled into the foyer and stopped, peering up at me as if I were an odd speck on his glasses. His eyes squinted this way and that, and I didn't quite know what to do.
"Well," he piped up in a weak, raspy voice, "we'd best be off then, don't you think? C'mon."
I simply blinked at him.
"Well, do you want to see her or don't you?" he said.
"H-how did you-"
"Bah! Questions! You've asked enough of 'em today, I think. Either follow me or go away."
He turned and started scuttling down an adjacent hallway. What choice did I have? I followed.
I couldn't quite fathom what I was doing. I mean, following some crazy old coot into a mental facility in the dead of night? And how did he know why I was here, or that I'd been asking questions? Again, that little voice in my head tried to be heard, but I'd hear none of it just yet.
"Excuse me," I said softly as we rounded another corner.
"Hmmhh?"
"Where are you taking me?"
"Cell block 3 in the circular ward. Why?"
"Well, to be honest, I'm a little nervous about following a stranger into the bowels of a nuthouse."
He paused for a moment, chuckled, and started walking again.
"Name's Dusty. There, we ain't strangers no more, now are we?"
I tried several more times to get some information out of him, all the while turning down hallways and stairs. Nothing worked; either he'd make some off-the-wall comment or ignore me altogether. I ultimately decided he was no good for conversation, and I resigned myself to his direction (Stupid idea? Probably...).
I started noticing as we went that the lighting was gradually becoming dimmer. Maybe it was fatigue setting in, I didn't know. Something about it didn't seem right, though.
I was just starting to change my mind about the whole thing when the little man stopped in front of me quite suddenly and started digging in a shirt pocket. He brought out some keys and shakily picked one, unlocking the door right in front of us.
"Through this door, room 3F," he said. "And I'll only warn you once: Go only in that one room, no other. Understand?"
I nodded my head stupidly as he opened the door. A gust of cold air whooshed in as the door opened, chilling me in a way I hadn't experienced since... well... that town. I had a real, real bad feeling about this, but if Jody was in here, it was worth a look.
I walked into a large circular room, dimly lit by moonlight streaming in through a ceiling window. A few steps into the room, the door clanked shut behind me and electronically locked. Oh great, I screamed in my mind. I unzipped my backpack and tensed, ready to whip out the lead bar if need be. I'd worry about how to get out in just a minute. First thing was first.
All the doors on the walls of this room were closed and locked, each only identified by a number and letter. Several of the doors had whimpers or scratching noises emanating from inside, and I had to work hard to shut my imagination off for the time being.
The middle of the room had a circular nurse station, though no one was around. I was sure I couldn't just go up to the door and walk right in, so I looked around at the nurses' station for some sort of lock controls. Sure enough, on the inside of the station was a square panel with small black buttons, each labeled according to the room. I found the one labeled 3F and pressed it. I heard a small beep and a click, but nothing else.
Walking over to the room marked 3F, I took a deep breath. I sure hope I know what I'm doing, I thought to myself as I opened the door.
Another blast of cold air came out, this time much different than before. It wasn't the air itself that felt cold. It ran far deeper than my skin, chilling my very soul. My "real bad feeling" amplified itself exponentially.
"J-Jody?" I croaked, straining to see in the failing light.
"Who's there," whispered a voice.
A figure, shrouded in shadows, was huddled into the corner. Although I couldn't quite see, it looked to be in a fetal position.
"It's me, S-Stephanie... Jody?"
"You can feel it too, can't you?" said the voice. It was definitely female, but I knew in an instant this wasn't Jody Mimms.
"I'm sorry, I think I made a mistake," I said, backing up.
"You've been there, to Silent Hill. Haven't you."
It was more a statement than a question, but one that took me completely off guard.
"H-How did you know that?" I said, almost in a whisper myself.
"I know, because I've been there too," she said. "Of course, no one believes me about... everything that happened. I don't really blame them..."
"You're... not Jody Mimms, are you?"
"Jody?" she said, this time a bit of interest sparking her voice. "You knew Jody? She was a good friend, and a hell of an athlete. Could outrun me any day."
This was too much. I had to ask.
"Who are you?"
Out of the shadows, the dark figure stood and walked forward, the light making its way to her features. A woman stood before me, with long blonde hair and fair skin. She was thin, probably thinner than she'd normally be, and dark circles rested beneath her eyes. A small gown covered her frame, draping to the floor. The only thing that seemed particularly odd was an ugly scar on her right cheekbone that ran back to her ear.
"My name is Bennett," she said softly. "Cybil Bennett."