SILENT HILL- Midwich

"My God, this place hasn't changed one bit." Noah observed, standing in the reception hall

of the school as he found another map for the building's interior posted to the wall.

"I used to sit here, waiting for dad to come pick me up so we could go see mom together."

Noah recalled, sitting down on the long oak bench as he looked the school's map over.

Estelle remained standing, keeping up the silent treatment she'd been giving Noah ever since

he'd kissed her. Part of him wished he hadn't done that, but another part of him was glad.

Noah was completely out of ideas about what to say to her, nothing he told her seemed to

sink in. It was almost like she'd said, that she was just another part of this town and

had no real mind of her own to speak. But Noah couldn't believe that, Estelle spoke her

mind plenty if only when he tried to get closer to her or convince her that they would be leaving

together. Was all that just part of it too? Was Estelle nothing more than a sort of guide that

could only help him out of danger and not a real person at all?

Noah sat there looking at her for a while, pondering what the real point of her being with him was.

He would never have made it even this far without her, that much he knew. But why would anyone

that was a part of the town be leading him like she was? Everything else around him seemed

to exist only to prevent him from going any further, perhaps this place knew him so well somehow

that it had created Estelle in order to draw out his emotional side. "How long are you going to stare

at me Noah?" Estelle spoke at last, as Noah slouched against the wall. "I'm tired." Noah returned,

closing his eyes for a bit. "You can't quit now, idiot. You have to keep going before James catches up

again." Estelle demanded, picking him up by his shoulders. Noah shrugged her away, sitting back down

as her last sentence hit a nerve with him. Perhaps if Estelle wasn't real herself, some other person that

was had somehow sent her to keep him going. Everytime he seemed to be slacking or slowing down

Estelle sprang to life, suddenly telling him just the right things to get him moving again.

But who in this town would want that? If the point of all this wasn't to slowly break him down

until he lost himself and became like James, then what did any of these things have to do with anything?

Estelle gasped in surprise at Noah actually refusing to go on. Noah watched her cautiously, the old

suspicions from when they'd first met creeping back to him. "How come you're always helping me?"

Noah asked plainly, checking his supply of shotgun rounds as his question seemed to catch her off guard.

"What?" Estelle asked back, sounding hurt that Noah would imply she had alterior motives.

He took out a health drink, sipping it leisurely as he let himself relax. "I mean it's spooky, don't you think?

I went through all kinds of things after we got seperated at the hospital, and I got through alright.

Then you show up again, and I have to damn near get my foot chopped off to stop James from hacking you up.

It seems to me that you actually needed my help for a change, instead of the other way around. Something

about that just doesn't add up." Estelle walked away from Noah, standing over near the double door entrance.

She said nothing in her defense, as Noah started to think that perhaps not even she knew why she was helping

him. Noah continued speaking on his theory, suddenly wondering just what she was doing hanging around him again.

"So maybe it's true then, maybe you really are just a part of this town. Not a real person, just a figment of someone's

imagination. But then why would you be helping me? This town doesn't want me going anywhere, no way no how.

And if you were part of my own imagination then you wouldn't be so adversed to getting close to me, so that only

leaves..." Estelle turned on her heel sharply, looking extremely angry as she crossed her arms in front of her.

"Are you finished resting Noah? Because I for one would not like to be here when James or something even worse

comes looking for a meal!" Noah smiled at her sudden outburst, as one more thing about her ceased to make any sense.

"So go." Noah offered simply, getting comfortable on the bench and streching out. "I'll catch up after a quick nap."

Noah promised, as Estelle gawked at him in disbelief. Did he really not care if something killed him while he slept?

"I'll so totally leave you behind, Noah." Estelle bluffed, still hovering over him. "Figments shouldn't worry about

things like other people. Or dying for that matter." Noah answered, tucking his good hand under his head as he

yawned lazily. Though his eyes were closed he heard Estelle sigh heavily, as if she were swallowing her pride.

"Alright, I'm afraid to go in there alone ok? Now could we please get moving?" Her voice held a heavy annoyance

to it, as if he'd somehow twisted her arm and made her say it. "Ok." Noah agreed reluctantly, getting up and walking past

Estelle to open the big doors. He panned around with the flashlight, marveling at how preserved everything was.

The halls were just as he rememebred them being, nothing had changed. At the end of either hallway there was

a door, and both were locked. Noah tried the infirmary door, and while not locked something heavy seemed to

be set against it stopping anyone from entering. The reception desk at the other end of the hall was covered in books,

some of them smeared with bloody handprints as if someone had been torn away from them. The office door

behind the desk was open, and as Noah went inside he heard Estelle make a soft gasp behind him.

The office held three dead bodies, all mutilated beyond recognition as Estelle put a hand to her mouth.

"It stinks!" She declared as her hand pinched her nose, staying near the door as Noah began to investigate.

He bent down next to the corpse with a hole in it's chest, as if something had exploded it from the inside.

In it's gaping mouth there was a single Q-tip, soaked through with blood on one end. Noah shivered as he took

it, barely having the courage to put it in his jacket pocket. "Noah.." Estelle whispered to him, as his radio

began emitting static. He quickly stood, taking the shotgun firmly into his grip as he slinked back over to

the doorway.

Estelle had her back flat against the inside wall, looking frightened as Noah took a cautious

peek into the hall. Something had just gone past, Noah had caught it out of the corner of his eye.

He couldn't see what it was, but his radio was steadily producing static now so it had to be some kind

of monster. As quietly as he could Noah stepped out into the hall, keeping the flashlight off and relying

on the shadow moving ahead of him for guidance. It stopped suddenly, as if it sensed him.

Noah pressed himself against the wall, hoping it didn't have some kind of night vision to spot him with.

He heard a noise that sounded like a pig squealing softly, but more warped and eerie as if it were trapped in a

metal box. It seemed to be hutning now, searching around the area unpredictably as it got closer and closer

to Noah. He heard a whoosing noise, as if something were being thrown at him. He followed his first instinct

to duck, as a large object lodged itself in the wall just above him. Noah turned on the flashlight, since it

already knew he was here. No point in trying to fight in the dark, especially with whatever it had sensed him with

working to it's advantage.

Noah had been somewhat right, it was a pig. But not like any pig he'd ever met. It stood on his back legs for one thing,

and wore a cheap blue tuxedo. The kind with far too many frills that went out of style in the 60's. It also had a bowtie

around it's neck, and one of those old fashioned monacles that had a stick attached to the side. The pig held it up to it's eye

as if it were a truly sophisticated creature, it's snout held high as it's other hand was resting in the pocket of it's dressy pants.

They matched the color of the bad tuxedo perfectly, or at least Noah could see that they once had. Every inch of the

pig seemed covered in blood that glistened and ran much more like some sort of oil. Noah took a glance behind him,

to see what the pig had almost taken his head off with. Noah could barely believe it when he saw it was a very long fork,

the handle still set in the pig's eye even though the sharper end had extended a good three feet to hit the wall.

"Oh my God.." Noah blurted out, having no better words to explain what he was feeling. The huge fork retracted back into the pig's

monacled eye, as it began to walk towards Noah. It seemed very dainty as it tiptoed quite well on it's hoofs. Noah couldn't

figure out why it had human hands and still hoofs on it's feet, but knew already why it was here. The jocks and bullies

Noah had faced in this school so many years back had always seemed to be just like the nightmarish creature he now faced.

Dirty sweaty pigs underneath, but posed and gussied up to be counted among the decent people. And the fork, of course

the fork was easy. The one jock that had pushed him too far, and had received Noah's lunch fork in his eye as a result.



"This place sure picks the weirdest memories.." Noah muttered, as the pig kept advancing on him. It punched him hard in the

gut, as Noah staggered back away from the gruesome creature. It could not have been more than 4 feet tall, but it's blow

hit Noah hard enough so that all the sweet berry juice of the health drinks threatened to come back up for a minute.

Two gunshots rang out, as the pig stopped and turned it's attention to Estelle. The gun Noah had found in the hospital

was back in her hands, as she leaned against the office doorway. Noah looked from Estelle to the pig and back again

in disbelief, as the pig seemed unaffected. 'Kill it Noah!" Estelle shouted in confusion, as the monster oinked ghoulish laughter.

It's snout tipped up as it did so, showing it's sharp and mishapen teeth as it's mouth hung open with amusement.

If bullets can't kill this thing, we're fucked, Noah thought. The pig resumed it's stalking of Estelle, walking by Noah without even

looking at him. Noah slowly turned, making no sudden moves as Estelle was frozen in fear. She watched the pig close in on her,

breathing rapidly with a high pitched sound as Noah saw the creature's back. Instead of the neatly pressed tux and pants,

a bloody tank top too small for the creature's body seemed to blend into the clothing on it's front. Ripped denim jeans

covered the back of it's legs, melting into the fancy suit pants in the same way. All of a sudden, Noah jumped onto the pig

punching it in the head repeatedly as it flailed. The long piece of silverware kept in it's eye was useless at such close range,

or so Noah had hoped. The fork came shooting out of the pig's monacle again, this time curving as it moved to stab

directly into Noah's swollen wrist. He fell to the unforgiving linoleum and landed on his ass, feeling weak as the fork

stuck itself in a little deeper. The pig made slurping noises, as Noah reailzed the fork must have somehow been hollow

like a mosquito's needle. It was sucking his blood away. Noah fought hard to keep his eyes from rolling back in his head,

as Estelle called out to him. He couldn't let it take anymore of his blood, he'd already lost too much. He had to do something.

The damned pig seemed to agree, glaring as the flashlight cast a hideous glow against the monacle. It seemed to be taunting

him in the same way all those bullies and jocks had. It seemed to say "Come on, wimp. You had better do something fast, or

you'er going to die." Noah couldn't argue that he most likely was, and although the bullets from Estelle's gun had been useless

Noah rasied his shotgun determined to make the unsightly demon work for tonight's dinner.