chapter nine

Now I'm on the ground, lying down at my house. Both my parents are out, and Mom is crying. I just know. Everything is quiet and peaceful when they're gone. Then she runs up to the door and opens it. "Kelly? What are you doing here?"

"Mom didn't want me over there, so she told me to come over."

"But my parent's aren't home, so you might get in trouble."

"Blaine, you have to stand up! I can't talk to you if you don't."

I've always been lying down, never wanting to get up, because it's too hard. Every time I try, somebody pushes me back down, like Dad, or the kid that always beat me up. . .

Michael?

Yes. I try not to remember his name, because I don't want anything to do with him, but he knows my name, and he knows where I am all the time. I hate him so much, that I could. . .

"What could you do, Blaine?"

"I could kill him, Kelly!"

"But he's gone now, so why didn't you do it when we were kids?"

"But we're still kids right now, Kelly. I suppose I could do it tomorrow. . ."

"Killing people is wrong, Blaine."

Suddenly everything appeared in front of him, spinning and glowing. He turned his head as his eyes began to slowly focus on the objects around him.

"Are you awake, Blaine?"

He looked where the voice was coming from. Then he pulled himself to a sitting position. He felt tired, nauseous, and sore. "Kelly?" He asked. "Is it really you?"

Her face had shown worry and grief, now she smiled. "Yeah, Blaine, it is me."

He rubbed his eyes. Then his mind was suddenly flooded with memories. He remembered the horrible, chained children, and then the fire, destroying him. He felt sweat on his forehead, and he remembered the feeling, a sensation of pure helplessness, a yearning to be free, feeling the horrible pain and loneliness, and the awful thought that something even worse awaited him afterwards. . .

He bolted to his feet, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open, and he stepped back. "No!" He exclaimed. "It can't be you!"

Her smile faded. "Blaine, please, don't do this to me now!"

Blaine stumbled and fell. "But. . .this is how the dreams always end up, with somebody I haven't seen for years. . . and. . . and then. . ." He felt tears just from the memory of all those nights with horrible images floating and whipping through his brain.

She ran up and put her arms around him. "Blaine, calm down, I'm right here."

C'mon, Blaine, give her a chance. No weird shit is happening. You're not dreaming.

He blinked a few times, before looking up at her. He let all his fears slowly leave him. "Why are you here?"

He then noticed that she was crying too. She managed a smile when she realized he had calmed down. "I came to visit my Dad, but everybody's gone." She didn't seem frightened, just worried.

Nobody who's seen those creatures could ever be this calm.

"You didn't. . .see anything weird?"

She thought for a moment, and then he really saw her. She had short blonde hair, wearing a red sweater, and she always had her glasses. Not that she had vision problems, but they looked good, so she always wore them. For the first time in a long time, Blaine noticed how much he had missed her. "If you mean besides the fog and the fact that nobody's here, than no."

He thought back to outside the school. "I saw you outside the school, and I yelled, but you didn't answer."

She stared at him for a second. "I don't remember that."

"But you said 'Oh God, not another one!', or something like that."

"That must've been somebody else, Blaine, but I haven't seen anyone."

Blaine grabbed a desk and pulled himself to his feet. "We've got to find her, then." He said as he turned for the door.

Kelly grabbed his shoulder and turned him around. She was crying.

"What's wrong?"

She sobbed. "Why didn't you ever call me, Blaine?"

"Kel, I just—"

"You just what? You did this when we were kids, too!" She started raising her voice. "Then you came back, and we started dating for two years. . . Then you leave me because of some stupid dream that reminds of your fucking Mother?!"

All it took was your Mom to hit you once, not even hard, and now you can't trust anybody? Get over it, Blaine!

He looked at her eyes, and opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He realized how truly beautiful he thought she was. He looked back down. "Oh God . . ." He said, slowly, softly. "What have I done . . . ?"

Kelly was crying now, still looking at him. "Why did you have to destroy everything we worked so hard to build in the first place?!"

". . . I'm sorry. . ."

Don't you get it, moron? Guys and girls are meant to get together! You made a stupid mistake breaking up with her, so fix everything!

"You can't just wave some fucking wand and have it all perfect again, Blaine."

"Kelly, now is not the time for this!"

"Well, when is it time, Blaine?!"

"Blaine. . ."

"Not until we get out of this damn town!"

She sobbed. "How are we supposed to do that?! You know we can't get out!"

"Blaine. . ."

"We'll find a way, damn it!"

"And what do you think—"

And then it all ended. Blaine noticed the stop in her sentence, the way the emotion in her voice dropped and died so fast. Then he saw her face; an expression of total pain and bewilderment. Her eyes, like Mother's, accusing him.

Then she fell to the ground before him, without a whimper, without a scream, without life.

"Blaine. . ."

And there it stood behind where she had been. Now it was coming towards him. He was thinking nothing at all. He wasn't sad, he wasn't angry, he was just there, taking in all that had just happened in front of him. He was in shock, unable to comprehend anything around him.

Then it lost him. The feeling of nothing slowly gave way to a feeling of rage. That feeling, old and familiar, grew inside of him.

He hit the creature with the butt of his gun, again and again, until it was on the floor.

He hated the feeling the creature stirred inside him.

"You bastard!"

He welcomed it.

Then it was dead. Blaine stopped. He fell to his knees. "Oh God . . ."

He didn't cry this time. He felt no sadness inside him; he was blank. What did this town have for him? He didn't know. Nor was he sure he wanted to find out.

The expression Kelly had on her face. . .you know it, don't you?

"What's wrong, Blaine, look at me."

"I'm sorry, Kelly, but I can't."

She had put her hand on your shoulder, but you pulled back, then told her it was over. It was that same expression on her face. Maybe that's why you froze when you saw it.

He glanced over at Kelly's body, and his eyes widened. She was gone. Her body had vanished, along with all his hopes of leaving Silent Hill.

People don't just vanish, Blaine.

"What happened, then? Did I imagine the whole damn thing?!"

I couldn't tell you, Blaine.

"I don't know what's real anymore. . . It's like I'm sleeping and I can't wake up!" Now he started crying. "It's like I'm in some twisted nightmare! What the hell is happening to me?!"

Don't lose it, Blaine! Not now, when you're so close!

Blaine stopped crying, and kneeled there, staring at the floor. He slowly pushed himself to his feet.

Just make it to the convenience store. Everything will be okay then. I promise.

Blaine began walking to the door. "What about that other person I saw in here? That girl. . ."

You want to find her, don't you?

"I'm going to find her damn soon. There has to be somebody here who knows what the fuck is going on here."

You only saw her walk in here. This place is too big. You'll never find her.

"If I had run in here, and I was afraid, I'd go to the infirmary."

Assuming she knows the school well. I know that you want to get out of here, so do it!

He walked to the infirmary. "This person might know what's going on, though, and damn it, I want to find out!"

You will, just give it time.

He heard footsteps from beyond the door, and he slowly opened it. "Hello?"

Everything suddenly became black.