Chapter Eight: Darkness Calling
The small file didn't have many sheets, but they were full of documentation both typed and in a graceful cursive handwriting. The first one seemed to be a summary of Alex's time here, in block print.
On the case of STORMSON, ALEXANDER
Report by Dr. Richard Nelson, Patient ID 73432
I. CURRENT STATUS: Alex Stormson is a 6 year old male admitted to Brookhaven for sleep walking, violent nightmares, screaming, sudden tantrums, problems with other children and unexplained periods of bed wetting that cease and begin with no regularity. Patient unusually withdrawn and difficult to provoke responses from.
II. EXAMINATION: No visible bruises or scars indicating physical abuse. X-rays determined skull was undamaged and urine samples revealed no abnormalities. Upon observation, patient appeared to be more talkative one day to the next; when asked to draw patient becomes extraordinarily quiet and unresponsive until finished see samples 001-004. When left alone patient occasionally whispers to himself, microphones placed in the room were unable to pick up intelligible words.
Nightmares and drawings feature a centralized theme of being hanged or most commonly a noose. Patient seems obsessed and simultaneously frightened of said imagery, it is worthy of note that his home contains no television or books with any similar images.
III. DIAGNOSIS: Unable to determine cause for behavior or patient's unwillingness to cooperate. Prescribed sedatives to aid in sleeping and general calming. Referred to Dr. A. Spengo for additional treatment.
The report ended, the next couple of papers were signed waivers and legal documents, it looked like Emily Stormson had been the one filling out all the forms. Was this her idea? Julia's thought process stopped dead in its tracks when she came to the samples of Alex's drawings. They were done with crayons, but the lines were unusually crisp for a six year old. The first page was a large noose that took up the entire space, the knotted cords detailed in every twist. It wasn't a particularly impressive drawing when looked at objectively, but the fact that he was so young and the detail was so spot on was unnerving.
If the noose wasn't bad enough, the next one made her inhale sharply. It was a little boy, the face a blur of gray, in a blue outfit, hanging from a tree by a noose. The next two pictured gallows, in some kind of cave or structure. It wasn't hard to see why he had been taken to Brookhaven, the images were disturbing enough to her. She couldn't have imagined how much they would have worried his…their parents.
Replacing the contents of the file, she got up and set it on the dresser. Why this room and possibly entire building had power she couldn't guess, Julia almost wanted to sleep with the lights on. But it was safe here, Nobody wasn't far away and if he said the strange symbols in front of his home were protection, she believed it. Sitting down on the bed, she pulled off her shoes and clothes she didn't need to sleep. The ankle wound she had suffered was healing nicely, although the recent trauma had opened some of the less healed scabs.
Hitting the switch and climbing into the bed, Julia had a hard time actually falling asleep. It wasn't so much the location but the images and questions swirling around in her head that she couldn't answer. It seemed the further she dug into Silent Hill the more she learned but the more confusing things became. After what seemed like hours, she drifted off into a fitful sleep.
In the morning she woke to a gentle light coming in from outside, double balcony doors mostly hidden by a white sheet let in the typical misty quasi-day. The bed was fairly high quality, it was the best sleep she had since she came here.
Padding out into the hallway, she found most of the apartment lit up quite well from windows, the lights that were on last night off. From the other room she heard a crinkle of paper, she yawned lazily and made her way back into the library. Nobody was comfortably reclined in the giant chair, intently pouring over the faded red book was in his hands.
"Good morning." he said without looking up.
"Hey…"
"Sleep well?"
"Yeah actually, it was a really nice bed. Where did you get it?"
He shrugged. "It was here when I got here. Help yourself to some breakfast."
"Okay…ah…would you mind looking at the file?"
"Hmmm?" he said, finally looking up. "What for?"
"I'm kind of at a loss about what to think. Maybe you could give me a different opinion?"
"As you wish. Let me see it."
Julia retrieved the file and handed it to him, heading back to the kitchen to pick chew on some dried meat. Thankfully she spotted some bottled water underneath the food on the top shelf, the jerky was quite dry and she was thirsty in the first place. It wasn't a glamorous or even very enjoyable breakfast, but at least she was full and had protein in her stomach. She inspected the pistol, remembering then that she had dropped the spare clip. Cursing under her breath, she reloaded it and flipped the safety on.
When she went back into the library, Nobody had spread all of the papers out on the floor in front of him, sitting cross legged on the carpet. There was something on his face she hadn't seen before, it wasn't a pleasant look at all.
"Something…wrong?" she asked.
"These drawings…this report, it was filed at Brookhaven."
"Yeah?"
"The noose, the other structure…"
"What do you think?"
He seemed to be trying to work his way around to saying something, that look on his face was positively graven. "Do you know much about the Civil War?"
"Ah…well um, what I learned in school."
"I spoke once of history and why Silent Hill is a special place. More has gone on here then could be documented, likely things that people wouldn't want to document. One of these things is something that officially never existed, but existed nonetheless. Underneath the streets of this city lies a prison for Civil War criminals. Only it was less of a prison and more of a…large interrogation room."
"Okay…so…what does that have to do with anything? I mean, its pretty creepy and all."
"The most common way of execution wasn't the firing squad. Supplies weren't easy to come by all the time and bullets had to be conserved to…keep the inmates in line. Of course, the only other option was the gallows…"
"What are you trying to say?" but she knew already what was coming.
"There is some connection with your brother's nightmares and the prison, I'm sure of it. You'll find few things in Silent Hill to be mere coincidence. But…Julia don't go there. Just don't."
"But-"
"Julia please. This is your life, I mean it. I'll be the first to admit I am afraid of some things, that prison is one of them. Just like the poor souls sent there to begin with, its almost a death sentence to go inside."
"There could be some clues there-"
"Just don't go." he interrupted again. "It's a disaster waiting to happen."
"I've got to go. Otherwise this whole trip is just a waste of time and I'll never know." she resolved.
He threw his hands up. "See, this is why I don't get mixed up with people. I don't want the guilt of your death on my hands, I have enough to worry about."
"Yeah, I'm going, but its not a suicide mission. You're coming with me."
"What? I'm not setting foot in there!"
"You don't want guilt? You don't want to worry about me? Then help me. Help me get in there and get out in one piece."
His head dipped down, his voice not as certain as it usually was. "I've met people that have come here before. They're always looking for something or someone, looking for answers just like you. No one comes to this place just to visit. Most aren't solid enough to face what Silent Hill is keeping for them. But you…you're stronger then that. You're braver then I am."
"How can you say that Nobody? You've spent years in a place that would have killed weaker people in days, hours."
"I'm a coward Julia. I wouldn't even save my own mother, I can't even get out of here. That's my sin, that's why I deserve this hell."
She stepped forward and grabbed him by the chin, looking him right in the eye. Sometimes you had to cut across someone's own neuroses to get through to them. "You are not responsible for your mother's death. If you had tried to do more then what you already did, you would have died too, you know she wouldn't have wanted that. You're not a coward, and I'll prove it to you. Come with me to the prison. I know you're scared, I'm scared too. But courage is about standing up when other people back down. There's no one I'd rather have watching my back then you."
Letting him go, she retreated but only a little. "Well?"
"I'm sorry…" he said, his head sinking back down.
"Pssh!" was all she could say, storming out of the library. She picked up the gun harness and jerked it on angrily, gathering her meager belongings and jacket. Slamming the door on the way out, she was already planning. The top of the list was heading back to her house and getting her things. Next was going to the police station to restock her ammo and find another clip, even if she had to take one from a working gun. Having only one to go through before she had to start reloading by hand made her feel uneasy.
Hitting the first floor with the apartment entrance only feet away, Julia was trying to think of where to start looking for the prison when she heard Nobody yell down "Wait!" His light, quick steps shuffled in descent, the man appearing at the top of the stairs.
"You're really going to go?" he asked, as if she had changed her mind in between a couple minutes earlier.
"I have to. I made this choice days ago when I flew out here not to stop until I had found out the truth."
Nobody rubbed his eyes, but he didn't look tired. "Do you even know where to look?"
She shrugged. "I'll start with the sewers I guess."
"The prison is under the Historical Society. I will…go too. You were right, I have to face my fears." His tone changed slightly, more in control like when she had first met him. "We need to prepare." he said thoughtfully. "And get there before noon, so when we actually begin searching it'll be around mid day."
"Why then?"
"The sun will be at its zenith, even if we are below ground it might somewhat lessen the horrors we'll have to face."
"Really?"
"I believe so, yes. Let me get my things."
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They struck the old building two days later, sometime in the morning. There was no way for Julia to tell what time it was, but he assured her that it was the right moment. Nobody clanked along side her, walking sure through the thick fog. He wasn't wearing the face guard like he normally did, his large shield strapped across his back. This was his turf, as strange as it was Julia wasn't scared at all.
The building was as lonely as it seemed when she had first seen it, rickety and waiting to be demolished. The front door wasn't locked when they went it, the faded paint and smell of rotting paper pervading the dimly lit rooms. Still, it was easy to see without a light on, most of the rooms in the building were somewhat still orderly. It seemed like one or two people had come through looking for something specific and ransacked only a few of the cabinets and shelving. Other then that, everything here was simply a treasure trove of information about the town.
"I've always wanted to come here." Nobody admitted. If he was trying to hide the excitement in his voice, he wasn't doing a very good job of it. "There are answers to so many questions in this room. But only the superficial kind I think."
"I wonder who would keep all this stuff." Julia wondered, leafing through a folder on city zoning codes from the 80s. "Hopefully we can find something on the prison."
"Hopefully. I'll be back to sort through some of this."
If we live, Julia thought glumly. She realized he was probably thinking the same thing but didn't want to say it. Sighing involuntarily, she looked through the rest of the cabinet for something interesting. Nobody was engrossed in some ancient book, as she rubbed her neck the pictures on the wall caught her eye. There was an old black and white of the town church, she moved over to it and read the small caption underneath, telling her "Silent Hill, 1906" In the picture the building was much larger and more grand then the one she had passed by, she wondered idly why it had gotten smaller.
There were more photos running along the wall, she temporarily abandoned her fruitless search to look them over. The next one was of an old woman in a black dress standing under some kind of arch, her expression stoic and unsmiling. The caption underneath had been torn off the wall, ripped out by the screws. When she slid along to the next one, it almost made her cry out , the reaction getting stuck in her throat and only coming out as a little squeak.
"Find something?" Nobody asked without looking over.
"Uh…yeah I think so."
Her joined her a moment later, out of the corner of her eye she saw his hand jerk ever so slightly towards the sword on his belt. The painting before them featured the pyramid headed creature that attacked her, holding a spear. In the background, bodies were hanging from cages and on ropes, it was the most disturbing piece of artwork she had ever seen. The caption below it was in the same style and print as the others, reading "Misty day, remains of the judgment"
"Was this…"
"Here when people still occupied the town?" Nobody finished. "I wouldn't doubt it."
"He's down there isn't he?"
"He's anywhere. This painting is simply a warning not to trespass were we do not belong."
"I'm…going to keep looking." Julia said, forcing herself to take her eyes off the painting. She went to her search and Nobody did the same, it wasn't long before triumphantly said "Ha!", holding up a scrap of paper. They looked at it together, a crumbling, browned thing whose faded lines made a map of the prison below.
"Shouldn't be too hard to get around, although I'm concerned that it might not be an accurate depiction." he commented.
"Why's that?"
"Well, this paper is maybe forty, fifty years old. No doubt someone copied it from an older map, but its safe to say that no one's actually gone down there in a long time."
"Good point. What's that large room there?"
"Probably the execution room. If there's a gallows down there, it will probably be somewhere they have plenty of space to operate."
"That's where we need to go. Something vital will be there."
"You sound sure."
"Sure as I was born."
"Let's get going." he said rising, folding the map back up carefully and setting it on the bookshelf he had taken it from.
"Shouldn't we take that with us?"
"I have a photographic memory. Won't need it, someone else might though."
"If you say so…what now?"
"We can get down there from somewhere in here, I know that."
They pushed through some double doors into another room much less cluttered then the ones before. There were more paintings on the walls, but in the right corner was a massive hole, almost as if something huge had simply pounded its way through the wall. Rubble trailed out on the otherwise well kept floor, the crumbling edges of the hole framed a dark opening that Julia could have sworn was making a faint noise.
"Here we are." she breathed.
"No turning back now. You any good with that thing?" he said, nodding at her gun and clicking his helmet light on.
"Took some shooting lessons a couple years ago. Being here's given me some good practice." she replied, twisting her gun light on.
Nobody shook out his hands and let out a couple short breaths. Slipping on his mask, he said "Alright, let's do this."
They entered the gaping hole, stone steps leading down into the darkness. The sound of dripping water rose up at them as they descended down, the light from behind them growing weaker and weaker. There was no way to see the end of the steps, they just seemed to continue on forever, the same bleak stone tunnel around them. Their steps echoed off the close walls and Julia's fear was only beginning to grow.
"Ah…do you get the feeling we're not going anywhere?" she asked, breaking the monotony.
"We are, its just hard to tell with your eyes."
"What do you mean?"
"I can feel them getting closer to us. Even now the presence of our lifeforces is stirring them into activity."
"Sorry I asked." she regretted, earning a grunt from her companion. They continued along in silence until minutes later, at last they reached the end. It was a simple door, old and rusting from the water that seemed to be everywhere. Nobody kicked it open, she didn't fail to notice he still hadn't pulled his sword out.
The next room was somewhat clean but obviously very old. There was a desk to the right and some papers strewn on it, the small room otherwise empty. Nobody peered at them suspiciously, reading aloud "September 11, 1820 Prisoner number: C-221. Hmm. I wonder what that means."
"September…" Julia echoed, thinking hard.
"What is it?"
"Well…you know how it looks like everything just stopped one day around town?"
"Yes?"
"I think the day that happened was September 12, 1985."
"How did you know that?" he said, surprised.
"It was the last day on the calendar at Brookhaven. I think…I don't know, maybe that note is relevant to the day somehow. I mean, something important had to have happened."
"Important? I'd say more like a catastrophe." he disagreed. "But this is dated 175 years before then."
"Yeah, but it's the day that I'm talking about. The one right before, is that a coincidence?"
"I see your point. Well, we better press forward."
The next room opened into a hallway, the whitish walls reflecting their lights like glass. There was another door at the end, behind this one was a giant hole like the one they had first passed through, only this one was going straight down. Nobody peered over the ledge and quickly pulled back.
"Kind of far. Don't think we'll be able to get back up." he reported.
"Are we getting closer?"
He nodded. "They're still below us,"
"Down we go." she shrugged, but he didn't look very pleased. "Something wrong?" she asked.
"Don't like heights." he said glumly.
Julia holstered her gun and climbed down to the ledge. "Then don't look." she said, sliding off the edge. It was farther then she expected but it didn't hurt too much when she landed amid some cluttered rocks. Gathering herself up, she pulled out her gun and looked around. It was the bottom of a well, the bricks still stacked upon each other. On the left, a large portion had been knocked out, beckoning her onward.
"Come on down!" she called up, stepping into the new area. It was a dried out sewer of some kind, the walls rounded and well worn from passing water. A second later a metallic crash sounded behind her, a small smile crept on her face as Nobody swore up a storm about his rear landing on a brick. He stumbled out into the sewer and Julia couldn't hide the amusement on her face, it was too nice to feel something other then fear for once.
"Shut up." he said sullenly, moving past her. She giggled a little, following in step behind him. There was only a couple places to investigate, the door ahead of them to the right was already open. Past the threshold was a strange sight, what appeared to be a gateway complete with door but instead of being in front of them it was set into the floor, the door hanging down into the darkness below.
"Another jump…" Nobody said despondently as she holstered her gun again.
"We'll go together." she promised.
"Tch…alright."
They stepped up to the edge, looking down into the gloom. "Can't see a damn thing." he noted.
"On three." Julia said.
"Don't make me-" he began, but she grabbed him by the hand and jumped into the mouth of the prison. This fall was definitely longer then the first, and it definitely hurt more. Lying on the ground of wherever she was, she achingly pulled her gun free and swept it around. It was some kind of cafeteria, tables with built in benches set out still in rows. Some metal trays were on the table and floor, cabinets and service counter installed into the back wall. The floors and walls were stained and cracked, the floor rusting and metal just like they would be if the Darkness were there. Maybe it was already.
Nobody pushed himself up to his feet next to her, but once he was up he staggered, wilting down and falling onto one of the benches face first. Julia forced herself to sit up, studying him.
"You okay? You hurt?'
"I'm fine." he grimaced, pulling himself up onto the bench. He put a hand to his fore head, eyes closed.
"You're not fine." she stated flatly, getting to her feet painfully. Her legs took the brunt of the fall, making moving an agonizing affair.
"I am, its just…so thick here. Clouding my senses, there could be hundreds of them all around us and I would never know until it was too late. Agh…I don't like this at all."
"Well that can't be good."
He drew the sword out of the scabbard, that sliding sound making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Taking off the shield, he slid his arm into the back of it, looking very much ready to fight a dragon.
"Here we are." he said.
"You ready?" she asked, not being ready herself.
"Nope. I'll go first, just don't shoot me in the back on accident."
"No problem."
Nobody lowered his head and whispered something she couldn't quite make out, it might have been a prayer but he didn't look like the devout type. When his head came back up, he set off towards the room's only exit, Julia shook off the pain as best she could and hopped behind him, ready for anything.