Part Two

Tears Of Pain

Chapter 4

August 21, 1983

Brahms, Idaho

Brahms Police Department

3:27 PM

Harry looked up as the cop, O'Grady, he remembered, burst into his cell.

"Okay, it's time for you to tell what the hell is going on. I don't care if it upsets you."

Minutes later he found himself in a cramped interrogation room, sitting across from O'Grady.

"Now, Harry, what exactly happened in that town?"

Harry squinted his eyes, desperately trying to make sense of all that happened to him in the last two days.

"I....I don't know..."

"What does that mean, Harry? You don't know what you did?"

Harry glared at O'Grady. "I know what I didn't do, and I didn't kill that baby."

"Does the name Michael Kaufmann mean anything to you?"

Harry's heart skipped a beat. Cautious, he spoke, choosing his words carefully. "Yes, what about him?"

"He's dead."

"No big surprise there." Shit! Harry cursed himself. That would not make things easier for him.

"What do you mean?"

"I met him, briefly, yesterday. Look, whatever happened to him, I have nothing to do with it. Last I saw of him...." Harry stopped, his mind drawing a blank. Last time he had seen him, what? He had no idea.

"Yes?"

"I don't know. My mind, it's all fuzzy."

O'Grady leaned forward. "Maybe it'd be easier if you start at the beginning"

Harry chuckled bitterly to himself. "I don't even know where the beginning is."

O'Grady said nothing. He just sat there and looked at Harry like some sort of specimen in a science lab. He sighed and shifted in his seat.

"I suppose the real beginning of this whole mess was seven years ago. My wife was dying of ovarian cancer. She had always wanted to hike the Massacre Rocks State Park....."

July 29, 1976

Brigham City, Utah

The Mason Residence

6:30 PM

"Honey, you know how you always wanted to hike the Massacre Rocks State Park?" Harry spoke to his wife, Carolyn. She looked away from the television and locked her sad brown eyes on his.

"Yes?"

"How would you like to go there next week? I mean, live your dream before...." Harry stopped as his wife's eyes blinked suddenly and she looked away. Ever since she had found out about the cancer, she had refused to speak about it.

"I'm sorry, honey. Forget I said anything."

Carolyn looked back at him. "No, Harry, you're right. I need to live my life to the fullest, more so now than ever. I'd love to go."

A week later they packed their bags, got into Harry's beloved red Jeep, and drove off in the direction of the Idaho State line.

August 4, 1976

Malad City, Idaho

12:00 AM

After driving for four hours, Harry and Carolyn had decided to stop off in Malad City for the night. As Carolyn checked them into a Best Western, Harry thought about how ironic it was that he and his terminally ill wife were staying in a town whose name meant "sick" in French.

That night, Carolyn woke up sobbing. Harry held her and asked her what was wrong.

"Harry, I'm going to die. I just realized that. I'm never going to be able to have children. Ever since I was a little girl, my only dream was to have a child. I just had a terrible dream, that I gave birth to a little girl, but that she was a demon." Carolyn fell into Harry's chest, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Shhh," Harry cooed, stroking her head lovingly, "it was just a bad dream. I knew we shouldn't have watched Rosemary's Baby last night."

Carolyn pulled herself up to look right into Harry's eyes. "No, you don't understand, it felt so real."

"Caro, everyone has had vivid dreams at one point in their lives. I have them all the time. It's where I get the ideas for my novels."

He could see that nothing he could say would make her feel any better, so he changed the subject. "I have an idea. Tomorrow, let's take the scenic route. Instead of taking the Interstate to Massacre Rocks, let's go on the highway we passed a little distance back. A little fresh air and some peace and quiet will do you good."

This seemed to please Carolyn, and she kissed him gently and went back to sleep.

August 4, 1976

Malad City, Idaho

Village Inn Motel

9:03 AM

Harry woke up before Carolyn, and, watching her sleep, he couldn't bear to wake her, so he loaded their bags into his car, and then sat and watched her sleep. He wondered how much longer she would be around. It wouldn't be long enough. A sharp stab of despair shot through his heart. How would he get by without her?

He didn't waste time wishing she wasn't dying. Wishing did nothing. He simply resolved to live his final days with her to the fullest.

He didn't know why, but he felt this trip was very important. It was just a feeling he had.

Carolyn stirred and opened her eyes. Her eyes were fuzzy with sleep, and she mumbled something that sounded like "The nurse is going to save her", then drifted off again.

Harry carried her out to the car, and minutes later they were back on the Interstate. After about 20 minutes, he pulled onto Highway 38.

Carolyn slept for three whole hours, without waking up. So much for the scenic route, Harry thought, but at least his wife was getting the first sound sleep she had had in a long time.

The highway had curved and turned into Highway 37, and this particular stretch of highway was built into a cliff. The sky had quickly darkened as they drove. He heard a low rumble of thunder. Harry slowed down a little as they rounded a bend, and nearly drove through the guard rail when his wife's eyes shot open and she screamed.

Harry brought the car to a grinding halt and turned to her. "Caro, what the hell was that?"

But his wife was already fast asleep again.

He stared at her for a few minutes, then, deciding she was okay, drove away slowly.

August 5, 1976

Highway 37, Idaho

3:21 PM

Deflated, Harry looked at his despondent wife, who slumped on the side of the passenger-side door, staring out at the passing countryside. The trip had been a failure. Carolyn had felt too weary to hike, and was strangely malevolent to Harry. He tried to reach out to her, but she had demanded to be taken home.

They were approaching the cliffside when Caro sat up slightly. "Harry, stop the car here, I need some fresh air."

Harry pulled to a stop next to a small dilapidated cemetery. "Caro, are you sure you want to stop by a cemetery? I mean, you seem pretty upset...."

She opened the door and got out, slamming the door on Harry in midsentence. He sighed and got out and followed her into the cemetery.

He had to run to keep up with her. "Caro, wait up! I thought you weren't feeling well!" He caught up with her kneeling by a tombstone whose inscription was too faded to read. "Caro...."

He stopped short when he saw what she was kneeling by. It was a small bundle of cloth that appeared to be moving slightly. Carolyn stood up, and Harry bent down and picked it up. She reached over and pulled back a flap from the bundle. She gasped and drew her hand back quickly.

Inside the bundle, there was a newborn baby. It giggled and reached out a small hand towards Carolyn.

Harry and his wife looked at each other, and smiled.

August 21, 1983

Brahms, Idaho

Brahms Police Department

3:39 PM

Harry stopped talking as O'Grady interrupted him.

"So, you say that you and your wife found a baby in the Smithsgrove Cemetery up on the highway seven years ago?"

"Yes."

"And around what time of year would you say this was?"

"It was this time of year. The seven-year anniversary was just a week ago."

"And what happened after that?"

"Carolyn pleaded with me to adopt the child. After the nightmare she had had before then I couldn't say no. It also felt....right. That's the only way I can put it."

"You didn't attempt to see if the child was missing from either Silent Hill or here?"

Harry laughed bitterly. "At the time, Carolyn and I thought there was absolutely nothing out here. We didn't see this town or Silent Hill."

O'Grady leaned forward and narrowed his eyes. "I can see how you'd miss us, we're off the main highway, but how could you miss Silent Hill? It's right across from the cemetery."

"I...I don't know. Looking back now I am confused as to why I didn't see it. I remember looking around after we found the baby, and I swear I looked right in the direction of the town. But I don't recall seeing anything."

There was an uncomfortable silence as he realized that O'Grady must be sure that he was completely nuts.

"So, we took her home. We named her Cheryl, after Carolyn's grandmother. The doctors had predicted that Carolyn would die around November of that year, but after Cheryl came along Carolyn showed signs of improvement. November passed and she was still with us. I began to hope that maybe she had beaten the cancer, but three years later Carolyn finally passed away one night in her sleep.

"Naturally, I was absolutely devastated. I loved Carolyn with all my heart and soul, but by then Cheryl was walking and talking, and I was thinking about getting her to start preschool, so I pulled myself together for her sake. I am completely certain that it was Cheryl who helped me survive her death."

"And where is Cheryl now?"

Before Harry could answer, the door opened and an officer poked his head into the room.

"O'Grady, we just got a call from Nevlin. He okayed your idea and is sending the body to Twin Peaks. Do you have the suspects indents?"

"No. I forgot. I'll do that right now. Can you stay here and watch the suspect, Jergens?"

As O'Grady left the room, Harry wondered what he was talking about. A few moments later, O'Grady reentered the room with a small piece of Styrofoam Harry could see he had torn from a cup. He got Harry to bite down on it gently, then gave it to the cop, nodded, and then sat back down again. Jergens left the room.

"Sorry about that. Anyway, where were we?" He furrowed his brow. "Ah, yes. Where is Cheryl now?"

Harry bit his lip and looked into his lap. He fought back tears and spoke, his voice breaking slightly. "That's a bit more complicated. I'm not even sure what the hell happened."

O"Grady leaned forward on his elbows and laced his fingers under his chin, interested.

Harry squeezed the bridge of his nose in an attempt to relieve his horrible headache, which would no doubt worsen as he tried to make sense of it all.

"After Caro died, I made it a sort of ritual to take Cheryl back to Massacre Rocks around this time every year. It took on a spiritual meaning to me. I wanted to ensure that Cheryl got to enjoy the last place Carolyn ever wanted to enjoy, but never did. Although now I'm not so sure that it was all my idea. Cheryl always loved the trips, and this year she was adamant about going. It was all she talked about for the last two weeks.

"Now I think I know why. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Anyway, two days ago, we packed up our luggage and left our home, drove to the Idaho State line, and then made our way onto Highway 37...."

August 19, 1983

Highway 37

9:00 PM

The moon was hidden behind dark ominous clouds that night, filling Harry with a feeling of unease. It was more than just the darkness, though. It felt like an omen of some kind.

As usual, he and Cheryl had stopped in Malad City for a quick bite to eat (they never stayed the night, for some reason that Harry didn't even know himself), where Cheryl hadn't been her usual chatty self. In fact, ever since they began to prepare for the trip, Cheryl had been grumpy and agitated. During the meal, all she did was draw in her sketchbook.

Harry had given her the sketchbook for her fourth birthday. She treasured it and never went anywhere without it. It was her security blanket.

After the meal, Harry had difficulty getting the Jeep to start. He went back inside the diner and called a mechanic who found that the timing belt was broken. He assured Harry that he had the right belt at his garage and could fix it relatively quickly, and that he would bring the Jeep back to the diner as soon as it was fixed. After the Jeep was towed, Harry and Cheryl sat in the diner, waiting for the mechanic to arrive. Harry sipped at his coffee while Cheryl busied herself at a brochure rack. A short time passed when Cheryl skipped over to Harry, a brochure clasped to her chest. She appeared to be in a better mood now, Harry was relieved to see.

"Daddy? Look at what I found!"

Harry took the brochure from her, and looked at the front. It was for a small resort town called Silent Hill. He opened it up, and read the inside. It read: "Welcome to Silent Hill! Silent Hill, a quiet little lakeside resort town. We're happy to have you here. Row after row of quaint old houses, gorgeous mountain landscape, and a lake which shows different sides of its beauty with the passing of the day, from sunrise to late afternoons to sunset. Silent Hill will move you and fill you with a feeling of deep peace, I hope your time here will be pleasant and your memories will last forever. Editor: Roger Widmark".

Harry frowned as he saw the map showing how to get there. It was on the same highway right near where Carolyn and he had found Cheryl seven years ago. He didn't recall seeing a town by the cemetary. It must be a relatively new town.

"It's nice, honey." He said reluctantly. He felt incredibly uneasy. He hadn't told her yet that she was not his. He didn't want to take her anywhere near the cemetary where he found her. He never even traveled that highway when he went to the Massacre Rocks State Park with her every year.

"Daddy, can we go there? Please? We can still go to the park after!" Cheryl pleaded.

"Honey, why do you want to go there?"

"Because we do the same thing every year! I know it has something to do with Mom, but this place sounds really nice! There's a lake, and a park, and even an amusement park! I really want to go. Please?"

Harry looked at his daughter's hopeful little face and couldn't resist. There was no danger in taking her there. She had been an infant when he found her, and it's not like she would figure it out just by going near the cemetary. "Alright, honey, as soon as the car comes back we'll go to this Silent Hill place."

Cheryl cheered, and after the Jeep arrived back, all fixed, Harry paid the mechanic, turned around, and doubled back to the highway much like he had done with Carolyn seven years ago.

It was much later now than he had planned on driving that day. It had been five o'clock in the afternoon when he had stopped with Cheryl at the diner, but now it was nine o'clock. Cheryl had gone back to drawing in her sketchbook for the first part of the trip. A little while ago, she had fallen asleep and slumped gently over onto the door. The sketchbook remained tightly clasped to her chest.

After driving in complete silence for fifteen minutes, Cheryl sat up with a small gasp. Harry looked at her and she looked quietly back at him and gave him a tiny smile.

Harry looked out the window, searching for the exit leading into Silent Hill. He couldn't see anything in this darkness. Cheryl leaned back and fell asleep again. The sketchbook slid from her hands and onto the floor in front of her seat. Harry reached over and picked it up. It had fallen open to the page she had been scribbling at in the diner. He nearly drove off the road at what he saw.

It appeared to be a nurse. But there was some sort of worm on her back and she was all hunched over. She appeared to be crying tears of blood as well. He then heard a tiny honk and looked back up as a cop on a motorcycle overtook them. As she drove by his window, her eyes and Harry's locked for a moment. All time seemed to slow down as something; he had no idea what it was, was communicated between them. He nodded his head slightly, he didn't know why.

She passed them and drove off with a flash into the darkness ahead. Harry looked back to the sketchbook, still open in his hand.

"Huh?"

The picture wasn't a nurse at all. It was a picture of a giant flower, a daisy, smiling as it took in light from a large smiling sun. He squeezed the bridge of his nose and set the book back into her hands.

Harry slowed down slightly as he went around the bend, and as he did this he saw a motorcycle on the side of the road, its front wheel all bent up. He turned in his seat as he realized it was a police motorcycle. Had something happened to the cop? He didn't see a body. As he continued mulling this over in his mind, Cheryl opened her eyes, looked out the windshield, and screamed.

Harry swung his head back to the road. A girl, about twenty-one, stood in the middle of the road. She was wearing an old-fashioned blue sailor suit uniform. In a panic, Harry swung the steering wheel to the right. There was a squeal of metal on metal as he drove through the guardrail and pitched into the air.

August 21, 1983

Brahms, Idaho

Brahms Police Department

4:02 PM

O'Grady interrupted Harry at this point. "Wait a second; you saw a policewoman on the highway, and you then saw a motorcycle with its front wheel all bent up?"

"Yes."

"And you didn't see any sign of her?"

"Not yet."

"And then you almost hit this girl on the road? Did you hit her?"

"No, I think it's safe to say she wasn't even there."

O'Grady cradled his head in his hands. This guy was obviously nuts. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Listen, even if she was there, I didn't hit her. I'm sure of it"

"Why?" O'Grady moaned.

"Because I met up with her later. At least, I think it was her."

O'Grady was now getting frustrated with this fruitcake. Now he was talking in riddles. "Okay, then, where is she now? Maybe she'll be able to make this a little more clearer."

"She's dead."

Well, isn't that special? O'Grady thought. He'd heard enough for now. "Thanks for your cooperation, Mr. Mason."

"But I'm not finished yet!"

"I've heard quite enough from you for now. Jergens!"

O'Grady stood up as Jergens opened the door. "Yes, sir?"

"Take Mr. Mason back to his cell."

"You haven't heard the entire story yet!" Harry yelled desperately.

O'Grady left the room.