Chapter 2: Precedings

"Yeah, that's the one. Hurry Rose, I need you."

The phone cut off just as Vincent finished the last word. Rosaline Wondered if he hung up, or if something forced him off the line.

As she was preparing to leave, the ineffable voice rang through her thoughts. "Go to him... Don't let it happen again."

What does that mean, she thought to herself. Not a single instance where she had failed Vincent came to mind. In fact, she could only think about how she had tried to keep him close to her, sometimes even resorting to manipulation if she had to. But she always did whatever she could for him whenever the opportunity presented itself, however an infrequent occurrence that may have been.

How had I failed him?

Rosaline decided to push the thought out of her mind until she could afford to think about it. She had to focus on getting to Vincent as fast as she could. Running around her cramped apartment, it was hard for her to think of what she may need. She grabbed her backpack and dumped out all the paper from the now concluded semester, then began stuffing it with whatever she thought may come in handy. Once she was satisfied at the backpacks combination of contents, she grabbed an extra jacket for Vincent, lit herself a cigarette, and headed out the door.

As she turned back to lock the door behind her, she had barely gotten the key in the deadbolt when she was startled from behind.

"Now, now, Rose. You know very well that there is no smoking in the halls". It was Mrs. MacMurphy, the building manager. "There are other tenants with children on this floor. And such fresh little lungs the wee ones have, I'd bet their parents would like to keep 'em that way. It'd be a shame if one of them were to file a complaint, and force me to reprimand your carelessness."

Rosaline let out a heavy sigh, and thought of some choice words to dispense upon the person behind her, hiding under the guise of a sweet old lady. Truth was, Mrs. MacMurphy was about as bitter and mean spirited as they come. The same children that she spoke of were the ones she yelled at not more than a few hours ago for 'creating a ruckus' in the hall. And it was in that scorning that she managed to expand the vocabularies of those children, much to the dismay of their parents.

As she turned around, Rose forced a smile and said, "I'm sorry, Mrs. MacMurphy. It won't happen again."

"Let's hope not", retorted the smiling wench.

Rosaline was fuming as she made her way to the parking structure, but by the time she reached it, she had managed to calm herself down. She realized that there was no point in dwelling upon the quips of some mean old bitch. With her newfound sense of resolve, Rose made her way to her car. Just as her car came into sight, though, she was struck by a very peculiar sensation. It felt as if she was being watched, but not by anyone in a close proximity. No, this sense had a tremendous feel to it, as though someone's gaze managed to penetrate both space and time. Rose had wanted to be the center of somebody's attention, but this queer feeling was just too much. She drew in a deep breath, and made a break for her car. As soon as she was in, she locked the doors, and the feeling stopped as quickly as it had come. Relieved, she felt lucky that she didn't pass out.

As soon as she had collected herself, Rosaline buckled her safety belt, turned on her car, and pulled out onto the street. She readied herself for the long drive ahead, and began to recall her days of youth spent in Silent Hill.