Wow, feed back! Thanks to all those who have reviewed and I'd better stop before I find myself making an Oscar style speech. Still, I don't own Silent Hill but I do own Jobe so take that Kinomi!
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Chapter 3: The woman in black
Jobe stared at the thing and thought that he was going to be sick. What the hell was it? Jobe tried to silence the voice in his head, which screamed 'monster'. After all, monsters don't exist but Jobe wasn't sure as he looked at it.
"Oh god, I've killed someone"
The thought suddenly flashed threw his mind. He looked at the plank that stuck out of its body and turned away in disgust. Walking out of the ally, hundreds of other ideas began to buzz around the inside of his skull. What if there are more of these things out there? What's happened to all the people in this town? Is Phil even still alive?
Jobe found him self out on the street when he remembered the phone. It had been ringing so there must be reseption in this town. He could call someone to pick him up from this godforsaken place. He took the phone from his pocket but it was only after he'd started typing in numbers, he noticed the lack of reception bars. After several minuets of fruitlessly waving it in the air he still couldn't find any. Jobe let out a frustrated grunt before putting it back in his pocket.
"What now?" Best course of action would be to wait by the roadside for a car to come along and hitch a lift to the nearest town.
"What about Phil" The little voice nagged. Jobe sighed before turning away from the road that led out of Silent Hill and to salvation, instead headed further into the town.
* * *
Jobe shivered as he walked briskly down the street. It seemed abnormally cold for late August, feeling more as though it was cold enough for hell to freeze over. There was still no sign of human life but at least he hadn't bumped into anymore of those 'things'.
A bark cut through the silence that Jobe had grown accustomed to. It sounded almost like a dog. Jobe quickened his pace towards the source of the sound, curious to see what it was.
"Curiosity killed the cat" That little voice was really starting to get on his nerves.
"Yeh?" He asked himself. "Well I ain't a cat so screw you!" that told him. Jobe smiled at the small victory over his conscience but the smile quickly faded when he became aware of a low growl resonating through the crisp air. Two dark forms loomed out of the mist. Jobe stepped closer to get a better look. The two dogs were fighting over something, both holding part of the prized possession in their mouths. There was a rip as it gave into the building tension and tore a little more. But there was something wrong with the hounds. Bandage like material hung from their bodies and there bare flesh could be seen between its wraps. The heads of the dogs were also covered in the loose hanging material. Jobe gasped as he saw their heads split open vertically, reveling numerous rows of razor shape fangs as they barked at each other. Immediately, Jobe wished he'd listened to the small voice that seemed to be screaming I TOLD YOU SO! Jobe stepped away and prayed that the dogs wouldn't notice him.
The sharp nokia theme tune blasted itself from Jobe's pocket, shattering the silence like a brick through a glass window.
The dog's heads snapped up from whatever they'd been fighting over, letting it drop limply to the ground and locked on to Jobe. They watched him intently for a few moments before charging towards him. Jobe didn't need the little voice to tell him to run and sped off as fast as his legs could carry him. Behind him, he could hear the sharp claws of the mutts skitter over the pavement, every second, they got louder and louder. Jobe knew he couldn't out run them and already, his chest was beginning to burn. The dogs let out a volley of sharp barks as they saw their quarry beginning to tier in anticipation of ripping Jobe limb from limb. He jumped up onto the pavement as one of them lunged past him, tearing at the back of his shirt. Jobe yelped in pain, stumbling, almost tripping but managed to keep his balance as he tore along the pavement. He sent rubbish bins crashing behind him in an attempt to slow his demonic pursuers. The first smashed head fist into it, scattering its contents over the road while the second cleared the metallic can with surprising grace. Jobe saw the chain link fence and grabbed it with one hand, bringing himself crashing into it. Quickly, Jobe pulled him self up it and dropped down harmlessly on the other side as the dog raced past. He held his breath until he was sure the thing was far enough away not to hear him. Collapsing on the floor, he panted heavily in a desperate attempt to fight off the burning sensation in his chest. He glared at the phone that lay in his hand. The temptation to smash it against the wall was great. Instead, he just turned it off.
"So, you see them to?"
Jobe didn't mean to scream but the shock the voice caused was enough to make Jobe's heart stop. He glared at the owner of the voice before getting to his feet.
Her hair clung lifelessly to her shoulders. At first, Jobe would have said it was prematurely white but it seemed to have some sort of unidentible colour in it. It seemed to match her pale skin tone, making him wonder if this woman had ever seen sunlight. The blue eyes watched Jobe as he rose to his feet from a thick eyebrow ridge, which seemed void of eyebrows.
Weird…Then he noticed her clothing. The long black dress looked like something someone from the 1910's would wear to a funeral. The high, V-shaped collar seemed stiff enough to slice her neck open and the shapeless dress left a lot to the imagination.
"What do you mean?" Jobe dusted off his shirt.
"The creatures" Jobe let out a small sigh of relief at the answer. At lest he wasn't going crazy and seeing things.
" Well, they're kind of hard to miss" Her expression remained stony at Jobe's pathetic attempt of humor. "Just what the hell are those things, anyway?"
"They have come to witness the beginning, the re-birth of paradise. As have you." She cocked her head to one side, as if she was examining him. Her brows furrowed as she talked. "But you don't know do you, why you're here…"
"Great, the one person I find is completely insane""Look, the only reason I'm in this god-forsaken hell hole is because my car broke down and I'm looking for my friend." He didn't have time to listen to some albino psycho talking about the second coming of Jesus. He made a move to barge past her.
"He is lost to you." Something in the soft English voice made him pause.
"Whatever. I'm getting out of here, if you want to stay, that's you're problem." The thirty-something woman stepped in front of Jobe, blocking his way and looked up at him. He could feel the harsh blue eyes boring into him, as if he was as transparent as tissue paper.
"You can't leave, God has chosen you. He has witnessed you're actions and deemed you worthy of the privilege_"
Something in Jobe snapped. His hand snatched out and locked around her thin arm.
"Listen, lady" He talked through gritted teeth "I don't have time for this bull-shit. I've got to find my …"
As Jobe was talking, the woman's face began to harden into a scowl. Jobe trailed off as he noticed a thin scream hanging in the air. It didn't stop, instead, it grew louder and louder. He put his hand to his ear in an attempt to block it out but it seemed as though it was coming from inside his head. It felt as though rusty nails were being dragged over the inside of his skull, racking over his brain. Jobe let out a low moan as he fell to the ground.
Words began circling inside his head, each one bringing a fresh wave of stabbing pain to his temples.
Lust
The woman in black effortlessly shook the hand that was now clinging to her in support, off.
Envy
Even though the piercing scream seemed loud enough to block out all other sound, Jobe could still hear her talk.
Greed
"You will remember, eventually, and embrace God with open arms."
Vanity
She wore a thin smile and closed her eyes.
Gluttony
Behind her, the small ally seemed to be consumed by shadow as darkness crept towards Jobe.
Sloth
Something rose behind the woman.
Wrath
Jobe struggled to focus his eyes as the scream reached a defining volume.
Sin
The thing looked at Jobe, grinning at him with vicious white teeth that seemed frozen in a permanent sneer.
Lust Envy Greed Vanity Gluttony Sloth Wrath
Long horns extended from the back of its goat-like head and thin fur covered its body.
LustEnvyGreedVanityGluttonySlothWrath
Tattered wings rose up from it's back, stretching out and brushing against the sides of the narrow ally.
SINSINSINSINSINSINSINSINSINSINSINSIN
Long, bony fingers closed round the woman's arm as the wings began to fold in around them, encasing Jobe in darkness.
SINNNNNNNNNNNNNnnnnnn
* * *
"Oomph"
Jobe felt the wind rush out of him as he slammed into the carpeted floor. His eyes rolled wildly in their sockets as he forced the air back into his lungs.
"Where the hell am I?" Of course, there was no one to answer the question as Jobe found himself totally alone in the hallway, a thick smell of damp was coming from the walls. As Jobe's eyes grew accustomed to the dim light, he saw that the wallpaper was peeling from the walls and was raised in bubbles of air. A row of doors lined each walls, and small, brass numbers could be seen on them.
A hotel?
The carpet beneath his feet was stained so badly that you'd probably have more luck guessing what colour it originally was than by inspecting it. Jobe felt his heart hammer in his chest as his eyes raced over the long hallway that ended in darkness. There was something hiding in the shadows, watching Jobe with unblinking eyes. Slowly he got up, never taking his eyes off the dark shape, listening to its rasping breath as it breathed in and out. His hand reached out to the doorknob on the closest door but it refused to budge as his sweaty palms tried to twist it. Gulping, he looked back down the hallway as one of the grimy overhead lights flickered. Whatever it was shifted in excitement as the bulb faded, incasing more of the hallway in darkness. Jobe felt a wave of nausea clench his stomach as the sound of its naked feet padding on the carpet reached his ears. It stopped short of the beam of light that barely illuminated the corridor and waited. It had all the time in the world, unlike Jobe. He stepped back, causing the rotten floorboards to creak as they bent under the pressure Jobe put on them. Another of the bulbs that separated him from the darkness began to flicker, accompanied by the sound of the things heavy breathing, which was now much faster than before. Jobe silently prayed that the light bulb wouldn't go
"Please don't, please…"There was a click as the light went out, bringing the darkness ever closer to Jobe as he wheeled round and ran. Behind him, he heard the sound of the next bulb clicking out and the slow shuffling of its feet as it dragged them over the carpet.
'Click'
The shuffling turned into a thudding as it began to move faster. Jobe glanced over his shoulder, not really knowing if he wanted to see his pursuer. There were only three lights between him and it. As it entered the light, the bulb clicked off, allowing Jobe a mere glimpse of whatever it was. He ran even faster as he heard the next bulb blink out. It began to pant as the invisible thing loped after Jobe; the sound of each footstep grew nearer and nearer, as it's tireless pace increased. The end of the corridor loomed into sight as Jobe forced his legs to move faster. The bulb above his head cracked as it shattered into a million pieces, showering Jobe with the tiny shards of glass. They cut into his naked neck as he ran headlong for the door that waited for him at the end of the hallway. He barely registered the number on the door, 312, as he smashed into it and nearly tore the door from its hinges. He flew into the dark room and slammed the door shut behind him as the final light clicked off and the entire corridor submitted to the dark.
