Chapter XIII
Lost Highways

Obstacle


"A prison huh?"

Alex pondered and pondered in his mind. Trapped here, in Silent Hill, with that eternal red of blood to keep them in captivity. What spite to give, what malice, what hate, what imprisonment. How could such a phenomenon exist? Just how…how…how…

Alex's hand came up to his forehead, while he closed his eyes in cool down. His mind was warping and turning, everything was twisted and awry, and reality was being manipulated by a malevolent puppeteer.

The bridge of insanity it was, so tight and narrow, one would wish to jump off it.

"A prison?"

Prison indeed!

"…prison…"

Stuck here, in this wretched place. Never more to see the norm of normal.

"…prison…"

"Holy shit!" Clive yelled. He slammed on the brakes and Alex was immeditely awoken to the sudden force of extreme inertia. The two passengers leaned ever so far, barely touching the glass with their heads. Until at last the vehicle came to a full stop, coming inches away from the likes of a gigantic tree, fallen in the middle of the road.

Alex wiplashed back to his seat, impacting with a blank yet startled stare. Eyes wide open to the sight of such an obstacle.

"What the hell?" Clive said.

He shifted the car into park, and he got out of the vehicle, attempting to reason with such extremities.

Alex too, exited the vehicle with curosity in mind.

The tree was gigantic. It was five feet wide, and it extended from fog view to fog view, dissapearing into the sight of cover.

"Crap! Looks like we have to move this piece of bark." Clive said.

Alex was confused, the tree itself seemed quite stable to fall.

"How do you think this tree was able to collapse? I mean...look at it."

Clive eyed on to the large obstacle, covered in the thickness of the fog. Indeed, the tree looked pretty healthy. No signs of decay whatsoever. The bark was resilent and rich. No withered shells or cracked exteriors.

Clive's eyes squinted, and his eyebrows lowered to a state of concern. He simply turned and headed back to the car. A look of confusion came upon Alex. Just what was he up to now? But before he could ask, Clive grabbed out his trusty shotgun, armed and ready for action.

Alex got a sense of what the man was thinking. Perhaps they were in the center of a captivated audience. Perhaps some malevocent puppeteer was stringing a play for them, and its ammused guests of honor.

"Come on kid, we gotta start moving this thing." Clive said as he walked past Alex.

The two personages paced to the right, trying to find the end of this long border set before them. Alex began looking around, attempting to sight anything worth sighting. But nothing could really be seen. Just faint shadows, hiding in the cover of gray. Not knowing what they were in perspective, as if a collective of gouls were scuttling about around the likeness of Alex and Clive.

Alex quickly turned his head right to left. Trying to spot anything that may pose as danger. But shadows were the only things that he could see. No boogie men to find, or signs of hungry and vicious hounds. But you may never know, things tend to pop out when you least expect them.

A chill ran up Alex's spine. A tingly sensation shot through him, and he was overwhelmed with a chill that caused him to shrug his shoulders. The sound of their shuffling feet upon grass was the only thing he could hear. Yet Alex wasn't sure, but he thought he could hear the tone of a low and straight pitch, echoeing through the air. As if some monstrous giant was wondering somewhere, moaning with such a low and constant tone. Trying to find some living toys to play with.

The lights of the vehicle slowly faded as Alex glanced back. The fog was indeed thick, no more than five feet and the lights have dimmed away, but Alex became doubtful in his mind that the car will still be there upon their return. Ah, it's just his wondering mind. How can he think such irrational extremities?

Finally the two reached the end of the wooden chain. It was the bottom of the tree alright; roots hanging from the base, and a dent in the dirt indicated that something was removed. But odd to both Alex and Clive, the roots were healthy indeed. It appears that the tree just simply fell over. Recently too, it seems. The dirt was still wet and fresh. An action done only minutes ago.

"It's not that big." Clive stated, eyeing up and down at the fallen wooden being. The tree was long, but not too long. Perhaps two personages can muster up enough strength to pull the thing off the road.

"Kid, you grab the right, I'll grab the left."

The two grabbed each side of the base, holding on to whatever bark or roots came in their grasp.

"Ready…one…two…three!"

The both of them let out a mighty pull, in which the tree, laid on the street for a brief second, and then slowly started to move. Both individual's grasp became tighter and tighter as the mass of the tree clung to the ground. Their feet paced backwards slowly, step by step, as heaps of mud were pushed and crushed by the powering force.

Finally both personages let loose the grasp, in which a mild use of work was put to end with approval by both.

Clive leaned over and placed his hands on his knees for a cool down from the large mass. Alex too, took in deep breaths for a brief break. But his eyes caught something in the faded distance. Just five feet away, he thought he could see the form of a young girl, walking away into the cover of mist. He stared and stared, until the form disappeared from sight.

Alex took no hesitation. He began running in the same direction as the being, in which Clive eyed up in a concerned way.

"Hey, kid…"

Clive immediately grabbed his shotgun, but Alex had already disappeared into the shroud.

Alex ran with anticipation, eager to find this little girl here in the area of isolation and forsake. His feet lifted and came down more speedily than ever, but they failed to recognize the absence of ground which came forth. Alex didn't realize he was falling until the shock of his tumbling was made. He rolled and rolled, covered by drench of wet grass and impacting the shock of the ground. Tumbling and tumbling, he couldn't tell which was up or down. Rolling faster and faster as he continued to descend down a sudden hill. Mist seemed to overtake him, as if it was blinding to see the ground and sky as he continued to tumble. Faster and faster he rolled, and it started to feel noxious to the troubled Alex. His head began to hurt and his mind warping around and around. Faster and faster, nothing seemed absolute any more. It felt as if he were caught in the grasp of a thousand hands, clinging and spinning him around into the enjoyment of their pleasure.

Alex let out a couple of grunts as his entire foundation was being hurled to whatever reality was being warped. Faster and faster, the motions seemed no longer utter, but chaotic. No sense of direction now, just the fundaments of speed and chaos. Over and over again.

Faster.

Alex let out a brief yelp as his head seemed to reorganize itself. No sense of being, just spinning. Round and around. Come to realize that he's now in chaos. Now in the cover of gray, to supplements of nothingness. Over and over again.

Faster.

Down and down to whatever abyss lye. No thought could come to his mind. He tried to think of something, but no filter could be made to supplement any thought. Just warp and spun reality. Now in the hands of menacing do goers.

Faster and faster. Alex couldn't take any more. He just couldn't. He felt as if his head were to explode and give him the decency to die from this uncontrollable chaos. Die now and give him peace. Stop this centrifugal ride of torture. Just stop now and come to an absolute stop for sakes. Make it…make it…make it…

But no, it just got faster and faster. A ride out of control and to the chaos of nothingness. Over and over again.

More now…More…

Harder Alex…Harder.

Alex began to yell, his tension gave way, and his will broken. He yelled with much sake for a plead to stop and give mercy.

Faster Alex…Faster.

The sake of mercy. Alex wanted to say something. Say something in a desperate plee. Desperate to say: "For God sakes, STOP!" but no the words just can't come out. They can't. No sense to say them for chaos is absolute. It just wouldn't stop.

Faster.

Oh yes Alex…yes!

Alex's hands tried to break free and grab for something, but they only met the touch of nothingness. Just what chaos is this? He has to be still rolling down the sloped hill, ready to come to a slow and calm stop. But no, nothing is there now. Just nothing! No slow and calm stop to come and supplement his needs. Nope, just…Faster!

Yes! Yes! Oh Alex…Oh…Oh…

Alex screamed with insane anxiety and terror. His head ready to explode. A loss of feeling shot through him. His muscles now tense and fleeing around and around.

Oh my God Alex…Oh God…Oh God…Oh God…

Ready to die…Ready to die…Around and around…faster…faster…faster…

Alex…Oh God! Oh God! OOOHHHHH GOD!

Alex opened his eyes, apparently he'd been having them shut the entire time. He was lying in the imbedded bundle of grass, in which must've softened his fall, since no pain was shooting through him right now. He eyed up towards the hill in which he had fallen from. It was small and gentle, not very steep at all. Curious, it felt as if were a gigantic cliff, and that he'd been tumbling for a long bearable time. Odd. Alex felt as if he'd had a dream or something. The kind you wake up from when you had just fallen into your bed of comfort.

Curious…just curious.

Odd…just odd.

Komm her, bleib hier

Alex swore he could hear something. Something like…voices.

Alex looked behind, in which the sight of tall and towering trees made its presence known. Tall and towering indeed. They weren't as wide as the tree he found in the road. No, these ones must've had at least a twenty foot diameter. Tall and towering, reaching up and disappearing into the highness of mist. And for some reason, they seemed to call for him. Call for him in a certain way.

Alex slowly paced forward into the towering forest. Coming to response to whatever was calling.

Komm her, bleib hier