The Extremely Crappy Days at Ashfield High
Chappy Forty One: The Abyss
When Christian left the forest behind him and walked on what appeared to be a highway, he saw himself at the other end of it.
"Hello?" he called out and it turned around to face him.
"…HELLLOOOO!" it screamed, and in that instant its face deteriorated into grayness, its eyes liquefying into blood and spilling out of the eye sockets as the rest of the orifices on the face did the same. Christian gasped in disgust and horror and turned to run, but found himself face-to-face with it again, except for the fact it resembled him again, not that appalling mess of black and red.
"Who are you?"
"I'm you."
"No you're not."
"Then what am I?" The other Christian then suddenly grinned sickly and eyed him from head-to-toe. "…Are you afraid of me…?" It hopped up to him and shoved its fingers in his face, all the while moaning in a frightening-mock-fashion. The real Christian backed away and it stopped, lolling its head around quizzically.
"What, what, what?" it said in-between a laugh. "You are afraid!" It jumped up-and-down in a circle around him, jabbing its forefingers at him rapidly. "Brave little Chris is afraid! But of what? But of what?"
The thing stopped its inane antics and pointed at him. "Of himself, of course, of himself. The only thing you fear, Christian is yourself."
"…What are you?" Christian inquired, and it shrugged.
"I am everything and everyone, or at least I can be." The thing laughed and began circling him again. "I can be anyone,"—the visage of Christian disappeared and in its place was Joshua—"anything,"—now it took the form of Cheryl Mason—"any word,"—Lucas—"or any idea." It became Alessa and then stared into his eyes.
"…And perhaps I can even be you." Alessa melted into the form of Christian again, and the thing broke into a fit of giggling. "So then, Christian, what do you think?"
"I don't know. What am I supposed to think? And besides, you still haven't answered my question."
The thing sobbed and mimicked wiping tears from its eyes with balled fists. "Oh, boohoo, I haven't answered brave little Christian's question… Except that I have, just not in a form you find satisfying enough."
Christian sighed. "Well, do you at least know where we are?"
"You mean where you are? Of course I do, you're nowhere currently."
"Nowhere? What does that mean?"
The thing shrugged and then gestured around at the surroundings. "Where's the forest that you came out from, by the way? Do you see it, by any chance?"
Christian took a look around and did not see the forest anywhere. They were still on that highway, but a number of rundown vehicles had taken up residence along the sides. The thing smirked and looked from side-to-side. "Perfect! We can have some, you know, privacy or whatever." The apparition let out a chilly breath and hugged itself. Its teeth chattered relentlessly.
"Are you cold?" it asked, and Christian shook his head uncertainly while it rubbed its palms together. "Eh, well I am. Come on, come on, and give us a fire." It snapped its fingers several times consecutively, but nothing happened. Frowning, it did it again, and between them in the middle materialized a small campfire. "Brilliant!" the thing exclaimed, and then went down to sit by it. "I brought marshmallows too." It flashed Christian a creepy smile.
Christian reluctantly joined it and set his elbows upon his knees. "So, what do you want to know, Christian? I won't answer your questions but I'll humor you. You know, give you a shoulder to cry since you're so emotionally unstable that I find it ridiculous.
"Is there any specific person you'd like me to take the form of? A girl? How about that Nicole Sunderland? She seems very attractive. If I was you I would've made a move on her. I told you I was you, remember? So you're probably wondering, "Wait a minute…", but I'm not you right now, because I'm Nicole!"
And it was true. The thing resembled the girl perfectly. Every detail was exact up to the stray freckle on her cheek. "What would you like, Christian? I can make her a tad bustier, get rid of that freckle, heck, even give you a little smooch! How-,"
"Enough!" Christian bellowed angrily, and at the sound of his voice the fire died out and the thing surveyed him with disapproval. It stuck out its tongue at him and stood up, turning away and pacing around.
"…I try to help, and look what happens… No one appreciates anything anymore." Nicole was gone now, and Joshua had taken her place. It avoided eye-contact with him and tapped its chin thoughtfully while looking at the clouded sky.
Christian sighed discouragingly. "I just want some answers. Am I dead? Am I asleep?"
"La-la-la, la-la-laaaaa…"
"Hey!"
"What? Oh, well I already told you I'm not going to be giving you any answers."
Christian gritted his teeth. "Then what do you want with me? Are you that Valtiel thing?"
The thing met his gaze and let its tongue slip out of its mouth. "Xuchilbara? Are you serious? We're totally different; how could you even think that?"
"You're all the same to me, whatever you are," the teenager replied, and the thing laughed at that.
"You think I'm the same as them?" Joshua became someone Christian had never seen before: an overweight young man wearing a striped shirt and shorts. His ball cap was on backwards. "I'm something TOTALLY different!" It mimicked firing a handgun with its right hand. "BANG-BANG, YOU STUPID DOG, BANG-BANG!"
The man changed into a teenage girl wearing a white vest and a green skirt. It tugged at its short, blonde hair and kept on with its cackling. "This was how her hair was when she dyed it blonde! Pretty snazzy, don't you think?" It ceased its laughter and grinned.
"Okay…" Christian muttered at a loss of words, "What are you then, if you're not like that Valtiel?"
"What am I…?" The thing outstretched its arms to him. "I am the Dweller, and the Dweller is you, Christian. The Incubus. I am you, and you are me."
The blond shook his head. "I don't understand what you're saying."
The thing shrugged and winked at him. "I doubted you would, so I'll try and explain it better via the second half of the Crimson Paragraph:
'…From the Abyss rises a great turmoil and the Maiden slumbers…
Thee who receive the Crimson One, the Controller, shall face judgment.
The Carrier sleeps and dreams… of the one who Dwells within him.
Receive the Dweller, for he shall Awaken and grant you they cherished salvation from the absence of Paradise…'
"I didn't write that, by the way, it just so happens that I know all. So, do you have a better understanding now, do you?"
Christian shrugged. "Are you… that God? The one I'm supposed to be?"
The Dweller rolled his eyes and silently shook his arms angrily. "No! I'm not the God!" it cried, and Christian reeled back in surprise. Its face went through a series of expressions before forming a forced smile. "You are the God, and while I am you I am not the God. Contradictory, I know, but I wasn't the one who made up the rules. In fact, the rules just kind of—poof!—and they're there." It emphasized this point by releasing its fist quickly and whistling weakly.
"…I can't whistle," Christian said, and the Dweller nodded, changing its form from the teenage Cheryl back to Christian's image.
"Well, of course—I am everything you are not, and together we are the same being. I suppose you could say I am the God, because I am the part of you that makes you the God. I possess all the memories and knowledge of the town of Silent Hill as well as whatever knowledge you hold."
It giggled and walked up to him, propping an elbow on his shoulder. "But don't worry about that, since very soon we're going to be one, tight as peanut butter-and-jelly."
Christian jerked away and grimaced. "I don't want any part of this, whatever-you-are. Even if you're not the similar to Valtiel, you're all the same in my eyes."
The Dweller made a tsk-tsk noise and sighed. "Why is it always the same with you people? You're always resisting what is obviously better for you!"
"No, it's not better for me, or anyone else. I refuse to succumb to you because there are people waiting for me on the other side, people who love me and that I love in return."
The Dweller changed into a young nurse with sandy-blonde hair and started to laugh heavily. Christian took a few steps forward. "Yeah, laugh it up—I pity you, because you'll never have the opportunity to understand what love is!"
It wiped away some tears and brushed back some stray strands of hair. "I'll pass, thank you very much."
The teenager turned away. "Of course, you don't see the sense in it. You don't have a heart, that's the problem."
"Oh, I do too have a heart, don't be mad," the Dweller teased as its appearance changed to that of a young woman wearing a white sweater with short, black hair. "What you don't understand about your so-called "feelings" and "emotions" is that they aren't real, just like my humor isn't. They all stem from our thoughts, and it is only because we think we love that we are. How can you know that they're real? Tell me that, oh-great-and-wise-one."
"I don't have the answer to that, but it doesn't matter. I won't do what you want me to do."
"Yes you will, Christian," the Dweller said. "You don't have any choice. One way or another, the Crimson Paragraph is going to be fulfilled."
"No, I'll stop you!"
"You can't!" the thing roared. "Don't you understand? Here you can do nothing! You cannot fight, you cannot resist, you cannot cry for help! Whether it is by force or other means, the Crimson Paragraph shall be fulfilled!"
---
The instant Cheryl entered the boundaries of the pentacles, she was trapped. An invisible barrier had formed around its edges the moment her body moved through its space. She felt it and spun around just as the pentacle sealed itself.
'And now you have played into my hands, Alessa,' Valtiel told her coolly. 'How convenient. Now you can sleep and dream…'
"Damn you!" Cheryl yelled, and she then turned her attention to the boy at her feet. "Christian, wake up! Wake up, wake up, goddamn you!" She even slapped him several times very hard, but still he did not stir. "Why do you have to sleep every time you end up here? Why can't you just wake up?" she screamed and squeezed her eyes shut as magenta flames shot up from around the pentacle. Valtiel chortled and Cheryl slammed her palms over her ears to block it all out…
…Dad… Daddy…
When she opened her eyes, everything was gone. It was pure grayness, spanning all directions. Smothering her. Killing her.
"Miss Mason?" She looked up and it wasn't just grayness any longer; she was hunkering on a deserted highway. A sign nearby read: Pleasant River 73 County. She stood up and saw who had called her.
"Christian!" she exclaimed in bewilderment as he stared at her in the same fashion. "How- Where-,"
"So if it isn't Mommy!" the Dweller said. "What a pleasure for you to join us! And right when the fireworks were about to start!"
"…Christian?" she asked, for its appearance had differed once again. The Dweller shook its head.
"Christian?" It twirled around and threw its arms out gracefully. "Oh yes, I love to help everyone! Let's all talk about our feelings and cry on each other! No, sorry, try again. Here, I'll give you a hint: we've met before on quite a few occasions, you just never knew it." It laughed and shrugged. "Who do you want to see again, Alessa? Harry Mason? I'll take his form just for you."
"What the hell are you talking about? Who are you?"
"He's nobody, Miss Mason," Christian said gravely as he pulled her back. "We have to get out of here."
"I told you that you can't!" the Dweller boomed, and he shook his right hand in silent fury. "Don't you get it, you fool? Here is where I rule! I am not restrained by your petty emotions like I am on the other side! And so, just because I cannot harm you doesn't mean I can't harm her."
"No, please don't!" Christian protested, but Cheryl was already crumpling to the ground, clutching her head in the most horrible pain she had ever experienced. It was excruciating—not only was the physical strain unbearable but the emptiness within her grew and grew. She could barely make out the form of the Dweller hopping up-and-down in front of her, laughing wildly.
"DADDY, DADDY, COME SAVE ME!" it shouted in-between its fits of laughter and it took her face into its hands. "Daddy's dead! Dead, dead, DEAD! HE'S DEAD!" Cheryl screamed so loudly that if there was anyone in that place of nowhere and somewhere, they themselves would've cried.
…
"Daddy, I made for you."
"What is it, sweetie? Ah…it's beautiful. I'll keep it forever. Huh? Honey, why are you crying?"
"… I don't know, Daddy!"
"Okay, I will. I love you too, Dad."
…
"Miss Mason!" Christian exclaimed as he shook her by the shoulders. Her eyes were wide open, sticky with tears, but she was completely silent. "Miss Mason…?" The Dweller crouched beside her on the opposite side of Christian and crossed his arms and puckered his lips.
"I think I overdid it a little," it said calmly before breaking into another one of its giggle fits. Christian closed his eyes and clenched his fists, slowly rising to his feet.
"…What did you do to her you sadistic-,"
"Sadistic what?" the Dweller said. It laughed. "I hope you understand that by calling me something vulgar you're calling yourself something vulgar. Hah, you're pathetic!"
"No, you bring her back right now!" Christian yelled, and the Dweller chortled.
"Or what?"
"I'll kill you!"
"You can't and even if you could you wouldn't be able to." It shrugged nonchalantly. "Stop being such a party-pooper. Her head went pop! That's all there is to it. No one's left to help you, so just give up and I can take control and put into her empty, little head. Then we can make Paradise and all that jazz, since it's your destiny."
"I don't want this destiny… I couldn't have been meant to hurt people like this…"
The Dweller shook its head. "What a pansy! Listen, casualties are to be expected. Not everyone gets their happy ending; some people don't even get close. You just have to suck it up and take it all in stride."
Cheryl's fingers twitched suddenly. Christian reared back and the Dweller furrowed his brow. "That can't be…" it muttered as she blinked her eyes and gradually sat up. She glanced up at it and Christian before standing and facing the thing.
"Leave this place, Christian. I'll handle this." She smiled at him reassuringly and he gasped.
"Alessa?"
"The witch?" The Dweller chuckled curtly. "Well, well, what not a surprise. I should have expected you to spring up some time, but forget about it. Whatever you plan on doing, it's not going to work. Christian and I are one; if you harm me who knows what effect it'll have on him."
"No, Christian won't be affected by this, I assure you."
"Are you so confident about it?" It shrugged again. "Eh, do want you want. I killed you once and I'll kill you again!" It spread its arms out and inhaled deeply. Alessa backed away but held her ground, and Christian watched it all with uncertainty.
---
"No way!" Joshua exclaimed vehemently as he stood over the edge of the ruined street. A magnificent gap lay before him, and on the other side was the remainder of the road. "There's no way to the other end. Damn it! We walk so far and now we're stuck!"
"Well, who wants a chocolate doughnut?" Zeik asked in all seriousness. Joshua ran a hand through his hair and walked back to their small group.
"We'll just have to hope that Miss Mason makes it out with Christian, wherever they are," he said. "Though who knows?"
"I have confidence they'll make it," Abraham said. "It's no use being pessimistic about it. Valtiel is a dangerous foe, but as long as they escape we're fine." As he said this the siren sounded again. They all tensed up, for the darkness surrounding them had become thicker.
"What do you think this means?" Joshua inquired, but Abraham said nothing. Below them the metal grating groaned. "Wait a second-," It fell inwards, and Joshua barely had time to grasp the edge of the jutting metal with his wounded hand. He winced and yelped, but held fast. Zeik was clinging to Joshua's right arm.
"Oh, we're so screwed!"
"Shut up!" Joshua yelled as he tried to pull the other man up, but he was just too heavy with the use of one arm. "Could you guys try and help us here?" he asked loudly, slowly beginning to dip into the gap. Abraham gave a single glance at Linda before amazingly leaping to the other side. He dove for them and caught Joshua's hand, careful not to press into the wound. He took hold of his forearm and pulled with all his might. With one powerful tug Joshua stumbled over him and Zeik managed to pull himself up as well.
"…Are you two okay?" Abraham asked, breathless. The brunet teenager nodded and Zeik laughed merrily.
"Of course we're okay, hyuk-hyuk-hyuk!" and then he glared angrily at the two of them. "Can we just leave?"
"Not yet," Joshua answered. "We can't leave them behind. No, not here."
---
The first thing that happened involved the highway itself. It twisted in-and-out, bending itself this way and that. Oddly, the three of them did not stumble or fall, but rather were pulled to the road as if some type of force was keeping them glued to the highway. Not that there was anywhere to fall to, mind you, but that was the problem.
"I'm sure you know that in this place of nowhere and somewhere it is not wise to use your abilities. This place reacts to those energies much more than that of the other side," the Dweller informed Alessa as it stood upside-down on the hanging road.
"I'm aware of that," Alessa replied from within Cheryl's body, and behind her Christian watched on in awe.
'This is it. Everything that's happened amounts to this one moment!' he thought as the highway trembled with such ferocity that chunks of it drifted off into the gray abyss below, above, and all around them. The Dweller smirked and its coat—a duplicate of the one Christian was wearing—swayed around it impressively.
"You first, Alessa. I'll humor you before I send you into that abyss where I sent Miss Mason just before you arrived."
"I'll be the one sending you there," she said, "and then I'll bring Cheryl back."
"Right, right. Hurry up with it, will you?" She let out a deep breath and focused. Everything stopped in that instant, and the Dweller cringed; its hands shot up to its head and its eyes swiveled in their sockets as they began to bleed. It roared an inhuman screech and fell to its knees. Alessa staggered forward and clutched her own head.
"Alessa, Alessa!" Christian said as he ran to her. "Alessa, are you all right?"
"…Yes, I'm fine," she responded quietly. Her head was buzzing. He helped her to her feet and they saw the Dweller rising. Tears of blood were present on its face, and it laughed a truly insane laugh. Its eyes, bloodshot, widened while their pupils shrunk. It grinned, displayed its teeth.
"Not bad, not bad, not bad!" it cackled. "I really doubted you'd be able to scathe me A-LESS-A! BUT NOW IT'S MY TURN!" What left its mouth now was a disgusting, garbled mess of different sounds and tones of voice, all merged into the same horrible laugh.
"Alessa!" Christian cried while the Dweller raised both of its arms. The woman screamed as her mind was invaded by its terrifying presence. The highway shook with such force that it broke in two, and then it changed. Now it was a desolate hospital hallway, covered in grime and crawling with many other terrible things.
"You're killing her!" Christian shouted over the resounding chaos as the hospital changed into a burning house being devoured by the flames every passing moment. Over it all was the Dwellers insistent chortling.
"Make it stop, please! MAKE IT STOP!" Alessa screamed repeatedly, and the Dweller's maniacal smile grew even greater.
"See, see, see? You're just as easy to break as Cheryl was! Your pain and your memories are your weakness!"
Christian gritted his teeth and slid his hand into Alessa's, which really was hers. Cheryl had vanished, leaving the young girl actually there, in her dress and all. She looked up at him and their eyes met. She nodded and stood up, and their grip on each others' hands tightened.
"What do you think you're doing?" the Dweller demanded.
"We're going to fight you together!" Christian responded vigorously. The Dweller recoiled from a sudden impact that was invisible to all of them. Its hand swelled to an enormous size and then reverted to normalcy, while one of its eyes popped.
"What… is THIS?" it screamed as the burning house around them gave way to that of the deserted highway once more. The Dweller's visage morphed multiple times, even mixing some parts here and there. It shrieked and then, just like that, it snapped and collapsed.
Christian and Alessa just stared at it for a minute before the boy approached it. "Is it… dead?"
"Yes, our combined psychic effort put such a strain on it that it was killed."
"But how is that possible? I don't have any psychic powers or stuff like that. At least I don't think I do."
Alessa glanced at the Dweller's body sadly. "You don't, Christian, but you sent me all your support and energy through this place. Here our consciousnesses wander free and without restraint, so our emotions and thoughts take physical form and even allow us to use the power formed from them."
"…I see," Christian said as he nudged the Dweller with the toe of his shoe. "Then what was he? He said he was a part of me."
"I don't really know, actually," she said, "but I think he was the part of you that was dormant since you were born. The part of you that symbolized God." She took his hand in her own and nodded towards the rest of the highway that had not been traversed. "That is the path you must walk to wake up."
"What do you mean?"
"You can't stay here, Christian. In order to go back to your reality you have to walk to the path's end." She squeezed his hand and smiled at him. "But don't be afraid, because I'll walk it with you."
Christian nodded. "Alright then."
So they walked, and soon the highway degenerated into a simple, ruined street with nothing on either side except for vast, featureless plains. Hand-in-hand, they went down this road, seeing some attractions on the sides. There was a rusted-up swing set with its seats empty, and farther on there was a large, grandfather clock with its pendulum and case destroyed.
"Alessa, where did Miss Mason go when you came?" Christian asked her as they passed the clock.
"I forcibly ejected her back to the actual reality. She should be fine." A little ways off there was a small, plain-looking bed. Lying on it was a woman with light brown hair just staring up at the clouded sky.
"Who is that?" Christian questioned, and Alessa hailed her. The woman sat up and waved at them, smiling as if they were long-lost friends.
"Are you two lost?" she asked as they neared her and the bed.
"No," Alessa replied warmly. "We're going home, actually."
"Home…" the woman said to herself softly. "That's good. You should go; I'm just wasting your time…"
"No!" Christian shot out, surprising them both. "I mean, there's not really a rush, but… You're Mary, right?"
She was taken aback by what he said, but she nodded quickly. "Yes, my name is Mary Sunderland. How did you-,"
"I saw you in a dream, in a hospital-,"
"Hospitals…" Mary laughed. "Oh, that's why I like it here. It feels just like Silent Hill does in the spring and the cracks in the ceiling are all gone… Excuse me, but you come from the other side? I mean, the actual other side?"
"Yes."
"Well then, could you take this with you?" She undid the necklace around her neck and handed it to him. "It's no use to me here, and I'd like for it to be with someone who'd cherish it."
Christian looked at it and then slipped it into his pocket. "Sure, I know exactly who to give it to, actually."
"Really?" Mary giggled. "That's good then! Well, you should be off. I'm taking up your time."
Alessa and Christian waved goodbye and returned back to the road, passing by a rundown cathedral where a barefoot woman who had bleach-blonde hair and wore a black dress was twirling around with her hands reaching up to the sky, as if ready to receive. Alessa watched her for a few moments before turning away.
After several more minutes of walking they reached the end of the road. It just faded into the ground, receding into the plains that surrounded it. There was a man standing before that spot. He faced them.
"Christian. So you made it. Does that mean the Crimson Paragraph was a lie?" Lucas questioned him. The teenager shrugged.
"I really don't know, but I don't really the see the reason in dwelling over it. We'll just have to wait and see what happens."
"Hah!" Lucas chuckled. "You make it seem like the most insignificant thing in the world. Very well then, Christian Richards, I leave the rest to you." He walked past them and once he was a nice distance away Christian called out to him.
"What do you think will happen now?" Lucas gestured aimlessly with his right hand and then kept on forward. Christian smiled and looked back at the road's end. "After I go past this point, will it be over?"
"I don't know," Alessa said honestly, "but I don't want to tell you what I think lies at the road's end—the real road's end, I mean. I'll let you decide that for yourself, Christian."
"Thank you for that, Alessa." He sighed and then glanced at her longingly. "I won't see you again, though, right? This is the end?"
"I'm afraid so." She placed her hands on his shoulders and then kissed him lightly on the cheek. He turned slightly scarlet, but neither of them giggled or acted awkwardly; this matter needed to be resolved.
"I guess I'll go now," he said. "Goodbye, Alessa."
"Goodbye."
Christian looked at her and then what lay behind her before leaving towards a place that was definitely somewhere.
---
Christian awoke instantly inside the pentacle, and he was met with the hideous form of Valtiel standing just behind the wall of flames that separated them. They stared at each other for a moment before Christian got to his feet and began helping Cheryl up. She was unconscious, but still alive.
'…How were you able to awaken, Christian? This is not how the Crimson Paragraph detailed the Awakening.'
He did not look at the Red God as he answered, "No, it's not, but how do you know how the Crimson Paragraph detailed anything? You didn't write it, but it doesn't matter anyway, Valtiel, for I'm leaving."
'You can't!' it said, but the flames were already parting and allowing Christian to leave the pentacle. 'Impossible!' it exclaimed. 'Did you somehow overcome the one who dwells who within…?'
Christian gave no answer as he left and the flames exploded across the room, engulfing everything they came in contact with.
---
"What the hell just happened?" Joshua inquired as he stomped on the ground. No metal grille. No foreboding darkness below them. No rust or blood. Not even any fog or mist. The town of Silent Hill was the bearer of no apparent evil that day, and the sky was as blue as the day the world was created.
"They did it," Abraham said with the slightest hint of a smile. "I don't know how, but they somehow beat it, whatever it is they were fighting."
"Oh, sweet, solid ground!" Zeik stated happily as he kissed the pavement several times.
"Everyone!" yelled a voice from beyond, and they all looked on as Christian approached them with Cheryl's arm slung around his neck. Joshua grinned and ran to meet him.