Chapter Two: Follow the Path of Blood

Michiru was then left behind lingering alone in the dreary graveyard like a miserable ghost.

Despite the uneasy feeling nagging her at the back of her mind, Makoto weaved her way through the overgrown grave markers until she reached the other side of the cemetery where the grave keeper's house stood long after it had been abandoned.

Three years since the fight with Galaxia had passed without a word from the Outer Senshi. Saturn, Neptune, Uranus, and Pluto returned to normal lives, refusing contact with the other senshi. 'Why didn't they stay in touch..? The way Michiru acted so cold and distant… could something have happened?' Makoto wondered, giving the graveyard one last look before she pushed her way through a second black steel gate leading her down a dirt path, which then widened into a road. As Mako headed down the path through the fog that swirled around her, footsteps echoed behind the brunette tauntingly in the fog that hid the source of the sound from view.

The brunette halted suddenly and spun around to listen intently as the footsteps continued for a few more seconds before ceasing. But in the thick fog there was nothing that could be seen. Not even a silhouette.

The minutes ticked by slowly as the wind howled through the mist and nothing else made a sound. When the footsteps did not continue, she started walking down the road again hesitantly.

Abandoned trucks and vans sat on the side of the road next to worn down wooden fences and piles of lumber. Gradually the dirt road changed to pavement and on the right side of the road was a sheer drop to a concrete ledge below. The guardrails were missing in certain areas and the only clue to their existence at all was the brownish rust left over from where they had been.

But all throughout Makoto's journey into the city, the footsteps did not follow her. Even so, she did not dare loosen her grip on the transformation pen still residing in her jean pocket.

Makoto passed through a long tunnel-like building until she came to a large wire fence, which groaned loudly when opened and echoed throughout the darkness of the structure. Her shoes crunched on the old newspapers that littered the floor, the noise intensified by the silence around her.

Goosebumps began to creep across her skin as she looked around; feeling like some ominous presence was watching her from the shadows of the tunnel. Seeing the end of the tunnel and the city streets only brought the brunette a little bit of relief. The fog was still so dense that the tops of the buildings of Silent Hill were very faint outlines against the gray sky. Shops that lined the streets had broken and boarded up windows as well as torn down signs here and there. It wasn't until she heard a crunch under her feet that she directed her attention from the city streets to the ground she was walking on. There, lying worn and slightly muddy—but still legible, was a map of Silent Hill.

'I'll probably need this since I have no clue as to where I am. But where should I start looking?' Tracing her finger along the path she had just come from, Makoto then examined the map to try and think of a place where Ami might be… Her emerald eyes looked over the different streets and buildings before resting on Rose Water Park. Something at the back of her mind told her that was where she should go, despite all logic.

Having made her decision, she started to follow the road that would lead her to the park. The brunette didn't even make it past the first street sign before she saw a figure walking away from her like an injured animal down the street.

'Could that be…?'

Breaking into a run, Makoto plowed through the mist until she reached the next street corner where the pavement had been smeared with blood.

"What the hell?" Makoto exclaimed and skidded to a halt to examine the blood.

The smeared trail of blood led off to the right… however it wasn't the sight of the blood that made Makoto feel sick. It was how the blood had been smeared on the ground. As if someone had been dragged across the ground while being forced into the pavement. Nevertheless, Mako turned down onto the street where the blood was leading; exploring the cold alley for the injured person she had seen. Her search led her past another large fence into a construction site. The equipment sat around unused for what seemed like several years and loud static was emitting from an almost completely boarded up alcove.

Her curiosity getting the better of her, Makoto peeked into the dark alcove and hesitantly stepped inside where the static noise was now roaring. Off to the side was a battered looking radio that was the source of the white noise. Picking it up, she examined it and adjusted the antenna to see if she could get a radio signal. But that was when she saw something out of the corner of her eye, and knew that she wasn't alone…

Crouching down by the corpse of a man with his innards forcibly ripped out onto the ground was a demon with no visible arms. It's darkened and rotting flesh gleamed in the light that managed to come into the recess. The demon's head had eye sockets with no perceptible eyes and a face where the features melted together to become a smooth, haunting surface. The creature took notice of Makoto and slowly rose to its full height, making the brunette take a step back in fear. Yanking her green transformation pen out of her jeans pocket, she exclaimed: "Jupiter Crystal Power Make-Up!"

… But nothing happened.

The monster slowly backed Makoto against the boards she had climbed through and it leaned back slightly, spitting out a toxic mist that made her head throb and stumble in confusion. Slightly drained from its attack, she landed a hard kick in the monster's mid-section. Unaffected by her blow, the demon moved closer again and sprayed the gas once more. Falling to her knees and scrambling away, Makoto started feeling so light-headed that she might faint. The demon had it's back to her and was looking around for her stupidly. Instinctively, Makoto stood up again and reached for a plank with rusting nails on the end sticking out of the boards covering the alcove. Ripping it off of the other boards, Makoto swung it with all of her strength at the monster's head and after three powerful blows the monster dropped to the ground, surrounded by a pool of it's own blood.

Nauseated and ears ringing from the sudden silence, Makoto slumped onto the ground, panting. 'Is it dead…? What the hell was that thing…?' That's when she remembered her green transformation pen, which had fallen from her grasp in the confusion. 'Why didn't I transform…?'

For a long time there was complete silence while she rested and the effects of the gas started to wear off.

When her head finally stopped spinning and she could think straight again, Makoto put her transformation pen back in her pocket and picked up the fallen radio. The static had stopped when the monster died for some strange reason. It seemed that the presence of the demon was the cause of the white noise, but the creature itself didn't seem to hear it at all. The brunette started adjusting the settings on the radio again when a faint signal started coming through the quiet static.

"Ma……I'm…er………t……tel! Mak……elp!" Trying to adjust the radio again for a clearer signal, the radio spurt and went to complete silence.

"What the…? I better keep it, just in case." Makoto decided and turned the volume up all the way so that she could hear it from her other jean pocket. Holding the wooden plank firmly in her hand, Makoto decided wield it for her protection until she could find another more suitable weapon.

With that, the brunette left the alcove and headed towards Rose Water Park, refusing to give up her search until Ami was found... dead or alive…

TO BE CONTINUED