Don't get too comfortable with this chapter, I plan to fix it up by adding
more lighting to the sequence
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-Chapter 3-
-Rosewater Park-
Jacob continued walking down Nathan Avenue, the flashlight in his hand acting as the only source of light in this dark world. While aiming the beam around him, Jacob came upon a large sign that had the words "Rosewater Park" written in an elegant script. Jacob felt somewhat relieved, knowing that he had finally reached his goal. The next step was to search the park in hopes of finding any familiar faces, or at least meet up with someone who could give him a ride back to Hope House.
Rosewater Park was a quaint little area that sat on the edge of Toluca Lake. It wasn't a park in the traditional sense; that is, it wasn't just a wide-open space of grass with a jungle gym set for children. The shape of the park is that of a large rectangle, with trails running along the sides and up the middle. The middle path featured a copy of leaves and on a normal day, the bright sun would cast shadows all along the path. Littered in the areas around the trails were benches, both made form stone and wood, and a couple gazebos. The lakeside section of the park featured six stone benches that overlooked the water. In between the third and fourth bench was a large stone obelisk, a memorial dedicated to the souls who lost their lives when a boat crossing the lake mysteriously sunk. Several telescopes, the type that required a quarter to use for a given amount of time, were placed near the fence that prevented people from falling into the water.
Jacob found himself walking down the middle trail, his flashlight scanning the leaves in the canopy above him. The park was dead quiet. Jacob tried to shout out, calling out to anyone who may be there but was met with silence. Filled with a sense of hopelessness, Jacob did not know what he was supposed to do. Here he was, miles away from Hope House and not one person in sight to help him out. He sat against a brick wall near the end of the middle trail, feeling at a loss. Leaning his head against the cold wall, he tried to think of reasons why Silent Hill was so different, each solution he came up with more absurd than the next, which provided him with a moment's comic relief. Not really knowing what to do, James stood up and headed toward the lakeside area of the park. As he left the canopy trail, his ears picked up a faint said coming from a distance to his left. Turning, he aimed the beam of light in the direction of the sound. Much like before, the light seemed to go on forever into the darkness. Jacob slowly walked in the direction of the sound, which became louder as he got closer to the source. The closer he got, Jacob realized that the sound was humming. Turning the corner and moving onto the outer trail of the Park, Jacob shined the light in front of him.
Leaning against the wall on the left side of the trail was a girl. What caught Jacob by surprise was that the clothes she was wearing were those provided by Hope House. Jacob ran over to her, excited to see another person.
"Hey!" Jacob shouted as he rushed to the girl's side. "Hey! Are you from Hope House? Where is everyone? What happened to Silent Hill?"
The girl continued to lean against the wall, humming a nameless tune. Jacob held the light in front of her, scanning the girl's features. She was a little shorter than Jacob was, her hands neatly folded over the front of her uniform. Jacob could not see any facial features on the girl, as her very long dark hair covered her face entirely. The humming continued.
"Who are you?" Jacob asked. "Are you from the school? You are wearing the uniform. Are you okay?" Jacob placed his hand on the girl's arm.
"Why are you here?" The girl spoke finally, her voice low and quiet.
"I don't even know where I am exactly. I was on a field trip with my class. All I remember is passing out and waking up in the Historical Society. This can't be the same Silent Hill, though. Why is it so dark here?"
"You shouldn't be here," the girl said, still leaning against the wall.
"It will come soon. You shouldn't be here."
"What will come soon? I don't understand," Jacob said, feeling a bit agitated. "It will come to take them into the fold. A part will be added to the whole. You should leave."
"How am I supposed to leave when I don't even know how I got here?" Jacob asked, raising his voice. The girl stood silent, humming her song. Jacob grew angry and began to walk away.
As Jacob took a few steps past the girl, new sounds broke the relative silence of Rosewater Park. There were several mysterious sounds emanating from the entrance of the park. Straining to hear, Jacob identified a low melodious droning that was somewhat similar to a chant. On top of that, Jacob could also hear the sounds of metal scraping against a hard surface. Wanting to discover the origins of these new sounds, Jacob began to walk towards the park's entrance only to be stopped by the mysterious girl, who placed her body directly in front of him.
"You do not belong here. You must not be here. You must leave."
"I told you that I don't know how to leave! I don't know how I got here!"
The girl rushed to the other side of the trail and knelt down before a patch of dirt near several bushes. Jacob watched as the girl began to draw in the dirt, her long hair brushing the ground as she scrawled markings into the ground with quick movements of her hands. As Jacob moved to look over her shoulder, the girl grabbed his right arm and threw him to the ground.
"You must not move," the girl said before running away.
Looking down into the dirt, he examined what the girl had been drawing into the patch of dirt. It was a symbol, of sorts, consisting of one large outer circle, an inner circle and a large isosceles triangle directly in the center, the points touching the inner circle. In the triangle and space between the outer and inner circles were markings that Jacob could not decipher. Jacob was mystified by this symbol, trying to understand its purpose. What really confused Jacob was the fact that even though the symbol was written in the dirt, it appeared unaffected by Jacob's body as he lay upon the symbol. The image on the dirt remained no matter how many times Jacob tried to brush it away.
While Jacob lay on the mysterious symbol, he could hear the chanting from the front of the park grow louder in volume. Believing that what was going on at the front of the park might provide him with an explanation; Jacob got up from the ground and rant to the left wall, hugging his body close as he crept quietly towards the entrance of the park. As he sneaked across the wall, the sound of scraping metal continued came in intervals, as if the person dragging the object was moving very slowly. When Jacob finally reached the edge of the wall, he slowly peered over the wall, looking at the grassy area before the beginning of the canopy trail. It was here that Jacob discovered the source of the chanting. Standing in a large semi-circle were eight cloaked figures. The hoods had been drawn so far over the head that Jacob could not identify any faces. The figures stood with their arms at their sides, their body slowly swaying as the chanting continued. Jacob moved his gazed to the right and discovered, with a shock, what had been causing the teeth chattering scraping sound.
Pyramid Head stepped silently towards the semi-circle, dragging with him a long, rectangle shaped steel cage similar to those found in the painting Jacob saw at the Historical Society. Jacob strained his eyes, noticing that a body was lying in the cage but could not make out who it could possibly be. When Pyramid Head moved in front of the group of robed figures, he lifted up the cage and moved to place it on a high hook attached to a rather tall pole. Jacob found it rather odd that the cage was hung upside down, the victim's head not too far from the ground. One of the robed figures took a step forward, his arms slightly outstretched.
"A part shall become one with the whole," the figure said in a low, unidentifiable voice. "Let Her will be done."
Another robed figured walked slowly towards Pyramid Head, presenting a large staff in both hands. Pyramid Head took the staff from the figure, who then stepped back into the semi-circle. Placing the butt end of the staff on the ground, Jacob noticed that the opposite end was made into a sharp-looking spike. Jacob's eyes began to widen as he suddenly realized what was going to happen.
As Pyramid Head turned around to walk behind the hanging cage, a low groan emanated from the cage followed by the victim's soft voice.
"What's going on? Where am I...?"
Jacob froze in his position behind the wall as he recognized the voice. It was Will. He saw Will struggle within the cage, listening as Will began to panic.
"Where am I? Who are all of you? Why am I in a cage?"
Will's struggling caused the hanging cage to twist and turn, spinning Will around gently, but enough to present Will with a glimpse at Pyramid Head. Will began to cry and scream, attempting to break free of his prison, causing the cage to swing harder.
Pyramid Head steadied the cage with his right arm and taking the pike in his left hand. While Will screamed, the monster pulled his left arm back, aiming the tip of the pike at Will's back. With one powerful movement, Pyramid Head thrust the pike directly through Will's body, the screaming replaced by silence. Before Jacob could react, the familiar wailing of sirens suddenly flooded his ears. Falling on his knees, Jacob gripped his head, groaning as if some powerful force was squeezing it. Rocking his body back and forth, he tried not to cry out and attract the attention of the figures and Pyramid Head, but that was easier said than done. Jacob shook his head as if to brush off the pain, but the loud wailing continued and intensified. Jacob leaned against the wall as he grasped his throbbing head, his vision blurred and the park began to darken and fade away from Jacob's view.
"How is he doing, Father?" said the tour guide.
Father Alexander knelt before an unconscious Jacob, running a damp washcloth on his forehead. He stared at the young man; unable to understand why he had passed out on the floor.
"I am not sure, really," said Alexander. "He seems to be okay, though. His pulse is normal, his breathing seems okay...Ah, welcome back, my son."
Alexander smiled as Jacob's eyes fluttered open.
"What happened...?" Jacob said softly and weakly.
"Quiet, son. You passed out not too long ago. Gave us all quite a scare!"
Jacob looked at those hovering over him and soon realized that he was on the floor of the Historical Society. Unlike his previous visit, this Historical Society was normal, the walls were clean and everything was in its place, save for the counter Jacob had smashed when he passed out. The building was rather empty; the only bodies present were that of Alexander, the tour guide and the woman from behind the counter.
"How long was I out, Father?" Jacob asked.
"You were away from us a good long while, my son. I'd say you were out for a good thirty minutes."
"Thirty minutes?" Jacob said in surprise. He thought he was in the darkened Silent Hill for at least an hour. It was then that the memories of what happened in Rosewater Park, causing Jacob to sit immediately upright.
"Will! Will's dead!"
Alexander looked at Jacob with intense concern.
"Jacob, why would you say such a terrible thing?"
"I saw him! A monster killed him!"
"Jacob, that's impossible."
"I know what I saw," Jacob yelled at Alexander. The concerned expression on the older man's face caused him to feel sheepish. "I'm not really sure what I saw."
"Jacob, you shouldn't say such terrible things."
"But, Father, Will—"
"Will is just fine. I sent him along with the rest of your class to Rosewater Park. They are all enjoying themselves, but they all share a deep concern over you."
Jacob looked down at the floor. Will was fine? Then what did he see?
"Is everything okay, my son? Should we take you to the hospital?"
The tour guide chimed in. "Brookhaven is not too far, lad. We could take you there."
Jacob looked at the guide and shook his head. "No, I think I am okay."
"Are you sure, Jacob," Alexander asked. "We can easily get you some help. I'd like to know why you passed out. The entire class would."
Jacob weakly got to his feet, rubbing his temples. "No, I think I am okay. I didn't eat much this morning. Maybe it had something to do with that."
"Jacob, are you sure?"
"Yes, Father. Thank you for your concern. I would really like to see Rosewater Park."
Alexander smiled and patted Jacob's back. "Maybe the spring air will do you some good, my son."
Jacob walked towards the door alongside Alexander. Before leaving, Jacob turned towards the tour guide.
"I'm sorry for breaking your display, sir."
"That's okay, lad. I'm just glad you're okay! Take care of yourself now!"
Both Jacob and Alexander left the Historical Society where the bright sunny sky forced Jacob to shield his eyes as he had gotten used to the darkness in the Historical Society and the dark Silent Hill. The bus was empty because, just as Alexander said, he had sent his class on ahead to the park. Alexander and Jacob boarded the bus and took seats in the front end of the bus. Jacob stared out the window as the bus began to drive away from the museum towards Rosewater Park. Alexander broke the brief moment of silence.
"Is there anything you'd wish to tell me, my son?"
Jacob thought for a few seconds before answering. "No, Father. I probably just had another nightmare." Jacob smiled as he looked at the older man. "I should probably make sure I eat something next time, huh?"
"That you should, Jacob" Alexander laughed but his eyes still held concern as the bus moved slowly down Nathan Avenue towards Rosewater Park.
-Chapter 3-
-Rosewater Park-
Jacob continued walking down Nathan Avenue, the flashlight in his hand acting as the only source of light in this dark world. While aiming the beam around him, Jacob came upon a large sign that had the words "Rosewater Park" written in an elegant script. Jacob felt somewhat relieved, knowing that he had finally reached his goal. The next step was to search the park in hopes of finding any familiar faces, or at least meet up with someone who could give him a ride back to Hope House.
Rosewater Park was a quaint little area that sat on the edge of Toluca Lake. It wasn't a park in the traditional sense; that is, it wasn't just a wide-open space of grass with a jungle gym set for children. The shape of the park is that of a large rectangle, with trails running along the sides and up the middle. The middle path featured a copy of leaves and on a normal day, the bright sun would cast shadows all along the path. Littered in the areas around the trails were benches, both made form stone and wood, and a couple gazebos. The lakeside section of the park featured six stone benches that overlooked the water. In between the third and fourth bench was a large stone obelisk, a memorial dedicated to the souls who lost their lives when a boat crossing the lake mysteriously sunk. Several telescopes, the type that required a quarter to use for a given amount of time, were placed near the fence that prevented people from falling into the water.
Jacob found himself walking down the middle trail, his flashlight scanning the leaves in the canopy above him. The park was dead quiet. Jacob tried to shout out, calling out to anyone who may be there but was met with silence. Filled with a sense of hopelessness, Jacob did not know what he was supposed to do. Here he was, miles away from Hope House and not one person in sight to help him out. He sat against a brick wall near the end of the middle trail, feeling at a loss. Leaning his head against the cold wall, he tried to think of reasons why Silent Hill was so different, each solution he came up with more absurd than the next, which provided him with a moment's comic relief. Not really knowing what to do, James stood up and headed toward the lakeside area of the park. As he left the canopy trail, his ears picked up a faint said coming from a distance to his left. Turning, he aimed the beam of light in the direction of the sound. Much like before, the light seemed to go on forever into the darkness. Jacob slowly walked in the direction of the sound, which became louder as he got closer to the source. The closer he got, Jacob realized that the sound was humming. Turning the corner and moving onto the outer trail of the Park, Jacob shined the light in front of him.
Leaning against the wall on the left side of the trail was a girl. What caught Jacob by surprise was that the clothes she was wearing were those provided by Hope House. Jacob ran over to her, excited to see another person.
"Hey!" Jacob shouted as he rushed to the girl's side. "Hey! Are you from Hope House? Where is everyone? What happened to Silent Hill?"
The girl continued to lean against the wall, humming a nameless tune. Jacob held the light in front of her, scanning the girl's features. She was a little shorter than Jacob was, her hands neatly folded over the front of her uniform. Jacob could not see any facial features on the girl, as her very long dark hair covered her face entirely. The humming continued.
"Who are you?" Jacob asked. "Are you from the school? You are wearing the uniform. Are you okay?" Jacob placed his hand on the girl's arm.
"Why are you here?" The girl spoke finally, her voice low and quiet.
"I don't even know where I am exactly. I was on a field trip with my class. All I remember is passing out and waking up in the Historical Society. This can't be the same Silent Hill, though. Why is it so dark here?"
"You shouldn't be here," the girl said, still leaning against the wall.
"It will come soon. You shouldn't be here."
"What will come soon? I don't understand," Jacob said, feeling a bit agitated. "It will come to take them into the fold. A part will be added to the whole. You should leave."
"How am I supposed to leave when I don't even know how I got here?" Jacob asked, raising his voice. The girl stood silent, humming her song. Jacob grew angry and began to walk away.
As Jacob took a few steps past the girl, new sounds broke the relative silence of Rosewater Park. There were several mysterious sounds emanating from the entrance of the park. Straining to hear, Jacob identified a low melodious droning that was somewhat similar to a chant. On top of that, Jacob could also hear the sounds of metal scraping against a hard surface. Wanting to discover the origins of these new sounds, Jacob began to walk towards the park's entrance only to be stopped by the mysterious girl, who placed her body directly in front of him.
"You do not belong here. You must not be here. You must leave."
"I told you that I don't know how to leave! I don't know how I got here!"
The girl rushed to the other side of the trail and knelt down before a patch of dirt near several bushes. Jacob watched as the girl began to draw in the dirt, her long hair brushing the ground as she scrawled markings into the ground with quick movements of her hands. As Jacob moved to look over her shoulder, the girl grabbed his right arm and threw him to the ground.
"You must not move," the girl said before running away.
Looking down into the dirt, he examined what the girl had been drawing into the patch of dirt. It was a symbol, of sorts, consisting of one large outer circle, an inner circle and a large isosceles triangle directly in the center, the points touching the inner circle. In the triangle and space between the outer and inner circles were markings that Jacob could not decipher. Jacob was mystified by this symbol, trying to understand its purpose. What really confused Jacob was the fact that even though the symbol was written in the dirt, it appeared unaffected by Jacob's body as he lay upon the symbol. The image on the dirt remained no matter how many times Jacob tried to brush it away.
While Jacob lay on the mysterious symbol, he could hear the chanting from the front of the park grow louder in volume. Believing that what was going on at the front of the park might provide him with an explanation; Jacob got up from the ground and rant to the left wall, hugging his body close as he crept quietly towards the entrance of the park. As he sneaked across the wall, the sound of scraping metal continued came in intervals, as if the person dragging the object was moving very slowly. When Jacob finally reached the edge of the wall, he slowly peered over the wall, looking at the grassy area before the beginning of the canopy trail. It was here that Jacob discovered the source of the chanting. Standing in a large semi-circle were eight cloaked figures. The hoods had been drawn so far over the head that Jacob could not identify any faces. The figures stood with their arms at their sides, their body slowly swaying as the chanting continued. Jacob moved his gazed to the right and discovered, with a shock, what had been causing the teeth chattering scraping sound.
Pyramid Head stepped silently towards the semi-circle, dragging with him a long, rectangle shaped steel cage similar to those found in the painting Jacob saw at the Historical Society. Jacob strained his eyes, noticing that a body was lying in the cage but could not make out who it could possibly be. When Pyramid Head moved in front of the group of robed figures, he lifted up the cage and moved to place it on a high hook attached to a rather tall pole. Jacob found it rather odd that the cage was hung upside down, the victim's head not too far from the ground. One of the robed figures took a step forward, his arms slightly outstretched.
"A part shall become one with the whole," the figure said in a low, unidentifiable voice. "Let Her will be done."
Another robed figured walked slowly towards Pyramid Head, presenting a large staff in both hands. Pyramid Head took the staff from the figure, who then stepped back into the semi-circle. Placing the butt end of the staff on the ground, Jacob noticed that the opposite end was made into a sharp-looking spike. Jacob's eyes began to widen as he suddenly realized what was going to happen.
As Pyramid Head turned around to walk behind the hanging cage, a low groan emanated from the cage followed by the victim's soft voice.
"What's going on? Where am I...?"
Jacob froze in his position behind the wall as he recognized the voice. It was Will. He saw Will struggle within the cage, listening as Will began to panic.
"Where am I? Who are all of you? Why am I in a cage?"
Will's struggling caused the hanging cage to twist and turn, spinning Will around gently, but enough to present Will with a glimpse at Pyramid Head. Will began to cry and scream, attempting to break free of his prison, causing the cage to swing harder.
Pyramid Head steadied the cage with his right arm and taking the pike in his left hand. While Will screamed, the monster pulled his left arm back, aiming the tip of the pike at Will's back. With one powerful movement, Pyramid Head thrust the pike directly through Will's body, the screaming replaced by silence. Before Jacob could react, the familiar wailing of sirens suddenly flooded his ears. Falling on his knees, Jacob gripped his head, groaning as if some powerful force was squeezing it. Rocking his body back and forth, he tried not to cry out and attract the attention of the figures and Pyramid Head, but that was easier said than done. Jacob shook his head as if to brush off the pain, but the loud wailing continued and intensified. Jacob leaned against the wall as he grasped his throbbing head, his vision blurred and the park began to darken and fade away from Jacob's view.
"How is he doing, Father?" said the tour guide.
Father Alexander knelt before an unconscious Jacob, running a damp washcloth on his forehead. He stared at the young man; unable to understand why he had passed out on the floor.
"I am not sure, really," said Alexander. "He seems to be okay, though. His pulse is normal, his breathing seems okay...Ah, welcome back, my son."
Alexander smiled as Jacob's eyes fluttered open.
"What happened...?" Jacob said softly and weakly.
"Quiet, son. You passed out not too long ago. Gave us all quite a scare!"
Jacob looked at those hovering over him and soon realized that he was on the floor of the Historical Society. Unlike his previous visit, this Historical Society was normal, the walls were clean and everything was in its place, save for the counter Jacob had smashed when he passed out. The building was rather empty; the only bodies present were that of Alexander, the tour guide and the woman from behind the counter.
"How long was I out, Father?" Jacob asked.
"You were away from us a good long while, my son. I'd say you were out for a good thirty minutes."
"Thirty minutes?" Jacob said in surprise. He thought he was in the darkened Silent Hill for at least an hour. It was then that the memories of what happened in Rosewater Park, causing Jacob to sit immediately upright.
"Will! Will's dead!"
Alexander looked at Jacob with intense concern.
"Jacob, why would you say such a terrible thing?"
"I saw him! A monster killed him!"
"Jacob, that's impossible."
"I know what I saw," Jacob yelled at Alexander. The concerned expression on the older man's face caused him to feel sheepish. "I'm not really sure what I saw."
"Jacob, you shouldn't say such terrible things."
"But, Father, Will—"
"Will is just fine. I sent him along with the rest of your class to Rosewater Park. They are all enjoying themselves, but they all share a deep concern over you."
Jacob looked down at the floor. Will was fine? Then what did he see?
"Is everything okay, my son? Should we take you to the hospital?"
The tour guide chimed in. "Brookhaven is not too far, lad. We could take you there."
Jacob looked at the guide and shook his head. "No, I think I am okay."
"Are you sure, Jacob," Alexander asked. "We can easily get you some help. I'd like to know why you passed out. The entire class would."
Jacob weakly got to his feet, rubbing his temples. "No, I think I am okay. I didn't eat much this morning. Maybe it had something to do with that."
"Jacob, are you sure?"
"Yes, Father. Thank you for your concern. I would really like to see Rosewater Park."
Alexander smiled and patted Jacob's back. "Maybe the spring air will do you some good, my son."
Jacob walked towards the door alongside Alexander. Before leaving, Jacob turned towards the tour guide.
"I'm sorry for breaking your display, sir."
"That's okay, lad. I'm just glad you're okay! Take care of yourself now!"
Both Jacob and Alexander left the Historical Society where the bright sunny sky forced Jacob to shield his eyes as he had gotten used to the darkness in the Historical Society and the dark Silent Hill. The bus was empty because, just as Alexander said, he had sent his class on ahead to the park. Alexander and Jacob boarded the bus and took seats in the front end of the bus. Jacob stared out the window as the bus began to drive away from the museum towards Rosewater Park. Alexander broke the brief moment of silence.
"Is there anything you'd wish to tell me, my son?"
Jacob thought for a few seconds before answering. "No, Father. I probably just had another nightmare." Jacob smiled as he looked at the older man. "I should probably make sure I eat something next time, huh?"
"That you should, Jacob" Alexander laughed but his eyes still held concern as the bus moved slowly down Nathan Avenue towards Rosewater Park.