Disclaimerly stuff: I don't own Silent Hill, but I do own the characters that I've unfortunately placed in the situation. Poor little buggers. Please review the story. Comments are the life-blood of the amateur writer...
I followed the man through the streets, looking around nervously as the shadows around me shifted and bent in odd ways, reminding me of that creature that had attacked me. I kept close to him, despite my usual aversion to being anywhere near males of the species, but he had a gun and I didn't want to be too far from him, in case some monsters showed up again. As I walked, I began actually taking in the looks of the town. For all matters, it seemed as if the place had been completely abandoned for months, if not years. I wasn't entirely sure what was going on in this place, but I knew that I didn't like it one bit. Hell, prison was better than Silent Hill was ever going to be, no matter how much it was toted as a nice vacation spot, it was the closest thing to hell that I had ever seen.
"So what are you doing here?" He said conversationally as we turned down another street. Since I met him, I had seen no monsters, not a single creature had crossed our path. Don't get me wrong, I was greatful for it, but their absence made me even more frightened. I wondered if the creatures knew what they were doing, and if making me more terrified was all a part of their grand scheme to make me into barbeque.
"I'm....uh," I stammered as I tried to think up a good excuse. Of course there was no way I was going to tell the guy that I had broken parole, stolen a truck and driven madly out to find a hide-a-way in the middle of this forsaken town. "I was just driving through. I crashed my car just outside town and I wound up here." I added quickly, rubbing the back of my head sheepishly.
"Everyone here has their secrets kid," he said as we approached what appeared to be a diner. Taking a key from his back pocket, he unlocked the door and we both walked inside.
It was a shabby place, the vinyl seat covers torn and burned in places, the plastic glasses were yellowed with age, but at least it was safe from the monsters. The man set down his shotgun on the front counter and gestured for me to follow him. Not wanting to be caught in a room surrounded on three sides by sheets of glass, I did as I was instructed and followed him into the back room, setting my crowbar down on the counter near his gun as I went. It seemed that the place jutted up against a townhouse and as we walked in, I could smell the mildew in the stale air.
"You can stay in this place, it's monster-free," he said in answer to my unasked questions. I flopped down on the couch in the small living room, half closing my eyes as I looked around the dim place.
"I don't suppose there's electricity, or is that too much to ask?" I said wearily and the man flipped a switch on the wall. A small lamp on the table next to me lit up, but that was all the light I was going to get without opening up the shuttered windows.Hesitantly, I half opened one of the windows, looking out into the foggy street. For a moment, there was nothing, and then, I thought I saw a shadow moving through the fog. It wasn't one of my many-armed demons, it was something that moved like a person, but every fibre of my being was telling me that it definitely wasn't human. I quickly slammed the shutter closed and took a few deep breaths.
"What was that about?" He asked curiously, only having seen me slam the window shutter closed and fall in a pale heap upon the couch. I shrugged at him and that seemed to at least satisty his questioning.
"Anyway, you'll want to clean that cut of yours," he said, nodding his chin at me. My hand instantly went to my forehead, where the blood was already drying on my wound. "I don't know what kind of infection you could get from those monsters. There's a bathroom down the hall, and I think the water's still fine."
I nodded my head slowly and got up, walking past him down the hall. I looked around the place with an appraising eye, as much as I could in the dim light provided by a single bare bulb in a fixture on the ceiling. It seemed that the people of Silent Hill had nightvision or something because there were so few lights in the house, and a good percentage of the lights available didn't work.
I turned the faucet on cold and washed away the dried blood and cleaned my headwound carefully, taking the time to make sure I cleaned any dirt from it before I let it bleed again. Wiping away the fresh blood with a towel, I threw the towel on the floor. I looked over to the shower, and, without a second thought, stripped naked and stepped in.
The water was cold, and I was sure that it wasn't going to get warmer, but I needed a shower, and I doubted that I'd get another opportunity if I left the place. I soaked in the cold stream of water for a good half an hour before I finally got out. Drying myself off with the only clean towel in the place, I redressed and walked out of the bathroom, feeling quite refreshed.
Something was different about the house, not in looks, but in feel. I could sense that something was horribly amiss, and as I took a step out into the hall, I wished that I hadn't left my crowbar behind in the diner. I walked cautiously toward the living room, and as I passed the stairs, I heard a loud thump. Jumping back, I looked into the darkness of the stairwell and saw nothing, only shadow. Sighing with relief, I began to make my way back into the living room.
I had taken no more than one step when another loud thump sounded from the stairs and something fell to the last step. I screamed as I saw what it was, the mangled body of the man I had followed. His face was just a mass of bloody flesh and his arms were twisted at odd angles, bone sticking out from his left elbow, his fingers contorted pain. I whimpered and backed away slowly, my entire body quivering with fear as I heard something walking down the stairs, very slowly. My heel hit the wall and I groped at it, hoping to find something- a door handle, anything!
The monster stepped out into the dim light and I let out a scream of horror. It was not one of the many-limbed creatures, it was something infinitely more horrible. It looked like a woman, completely nude, but so shriveled and scrawny that it was barely decipherable. Her long black, scraggly hair fell over her shoulders, obscuring her breasts but not entirely hiding the fact that her flesh was moldy, rotting away with maggots squirming through sinew and bone. I held back the urge to vomit as I looked at her face. Cataracted eyes stared out at me, seeing, yet unable to see from deep eye sockets. Her jaw was missing, as if it had been completly torn off, leaving a rotting tongue hanging limply from her open throat.
As I stood there in horror, she looked right into my eyes with those milky white orbs and smiled, her bloody upper teeth, a horrble set of fangs, revealed from under the disgustingly pallid upper lip. I screamed, and she began to walk toward me...
I followed the man through the streets, looking around nervously as the shadows around me shifted and bent in odd ways, reminding me of that creature that had attacked me. I kept close to him, despite my usual aversion to being anywhere near males of the species, but he had a gun and I didn't want to be too far from him, in case some monsters showed up again. As I walked, I began actually taking in the looks of the town. For all matters, it seemed as if the place had been completely abandoned for months, if not years. I wasn't entirely sure what was going on in this place, but I knew that I didn't like it one bit. Hell, prison was better than Silent Hill was ever going to be, no matter how much it was toted as a nice vacation spot, it was the closest thing to hell that I had ever seen.
"So what are you doing here?" He said conversationally as we turned down another street. Since I met him, I had seen no monsters, not a single creature had crossed our path. Don't get me wrong, I was greatful for it, but their absence made me even more frightened. I wondered if the creatures knew what they were doing, and if making me more terrified was all a part of their grand scheme to make me into barbeque.
"I'm....uh," I stammered as I tried to think up a good excuse. Of course there was no way I was going to tell the guy that I had broken parole, stolen a truck and driven madly out to find a hide-a-way in the middle of this forsaken town. "I was just driving through. I crashed my car just outside town and I wound up here." I added quickly, rubbing the back of my head sheepishly.
"Everyone here has their secrets kid," he said as we approached what appeared to be a diner. Taking a key from his back pocket, he unlocked the door and we both walked inside.
It was a shabby place, the vinyl seat covers torn and burned in places, the plastic glasses were yellowed with age, but at least it was safe from the monsters. The man set down his shotgun on the front counter and gestured for me to follow him. Not wanting to be caught in a room surrounded on three sides by sheets of glass, I did as I was instructed and followed him into the back room, setting my crowbar down on the counter near his gun as I went. It seemed that the place jutted up against a townhouse and as we walked in, I could smell the mildew in the stale air.
"You can stay in this place, it's monster-free," he said in answer to my unasked questions. I flopped down on the couch in the small living room, half closing my eyes as I looked around the dim place.
"I don't suppose there's electricity, or is that too much to ask?" I said wearily and the man flipped a switch on the wall. A small lamp on the table next to me lit up, but that was all the light I was going to get without opening up the shuttered windows.Hesitantly, I half opened one of the windows, looking out into the foggy street. For a moment, there was nothing, and then, I thought I saw a shadow moving through the fog. It wasn't one of my many-armed demons, it was something that moved like a person, but every fibre of my being was telling me that it definitely wasn't human. I quickly slammed the shutter closed and took a few deep breaths.
"What was that about?" He asked curiously, only having seen me slam the window shutter closed and fall in a pale heap upon the couch. I shrugged at him and that seemed to at least satisty his questioning.
"Anyway, you'll want to clean that cut of yours," he said, nodding his chin at me. My hand instantly went to my forehead, where the blood was already drying on my wound. "I don't know what kind of infection you could get from those monsters. There's a bathroom down the hall, and I think the water's still fine."
I nodded my head slowly and got up, walking past him down the hall. I looked around the place with an appraising eye, as much as I could in the dim light provided by a single bare bulb in a fixture on the ceiling. It seemed that the people of Silent Hill had nightvision or something because there were so few lights in the house, and a good percentage of the lights available didn't work.
I turned the faucet on cold and washed away the dried blood and cleaned my headwound carefully, taking the time to make sure I cleaned any dirt from it before I let it bleed again. Wiping away the fresh blood with a towel, I threw the towel on the floor. I looked over to the shower, and, without a second thought, stripped naked and stepped in.
The water was cold, and I was sure that it wasn't going to get warmer, but I needed a shower, and I doubted that I'd get another opportunity if I left the place. I soaked in the cold stream of water for a good half an hour before I finally got out. Drying myself off with the only clean towel in the place, I redressed and walked out of the bathroom, feeling quite refreshed.
Something was different about the house, not in looks, but in feel. I could sense that something was horribly amiss, and as I took a step out into the hall, I wished that I hadn't left my crowbar behind in the diner. I walked cautiously toward the living room, and as I passed the stairs, I heard a loud thump. Jumping back, I looked into the darkness of the stairwell and saw nothing, only shadow. Sighing with relief, I began to make my way back into the living room.
I had taken no more than one step when another loud thump sounded from the stairs and something fell to the last step. I screamed as I saw what it was, the mangled body of the man I had followed. His face was just a mass of bloody flesh and his arms were twisted at odd angles, bone sticking out from his left elbow, his fingers contorted pain. I whimpered and backed away slowly, my entire body quivering with fear as I heard something walking down the stairs, very slowly. My heel hit the wall and I groped at it, hoping to find something- a door handle, anything!
The monster stepped out into the dim light and I let out a scream of horror. It was not one of the many-limbed creatures, it was something infinitely more horrible. It looked like a woman, completely nude, but so shriveled and scrawny that it was barely decipherable. Her long black, scraggly hair fell over her shoulders, obscuring her breasts but not entirely hiding the fact that her flesh was moldy, rotting away with maggots squirming through sinew and bone. I held back the urge to vomit as I looked at her face. Cataracted eyes stared out at me, seeing, yet unable to see from deep eye sockets. Her jaw was missing, as if it had been completly torn off, leaving a rotting tongue hanging limply from her open throat.
As I stood there in horror, she looked right into my eyes with those milky white orbs and smiled, her bloody upper teeth, a horrble set of fangs, revealed from under the disgustingly pallid upper lip. I screamed, and she began to walk toward me...