A/N: Well I would like to apologize for how long it has taken to update this story. Life has been hectic for both me and my Co-author Undead Light. But here it finally is, chapter 7! I would like to apologize as the ending may seem a bit rushed and it probably is! I wanted to get this done before things started to pick back up in life so in a sense sacrifices were made. I still hope you like it though. Welcome to chapter 7, by your very own, me!
Disclaimer: We do not own Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Halo, or any other game mentioned in this fiction, it is purely for fun.
Desi felt a chill creep up her spine as she looked upon the town known as Silent Hill. The ruddy and worn-out town was blanketed in an ever falling ash and what wasn't lost to the dust was swallowed by an ominous fog. Even so, through it all one could still make out the shades and silhouettes of the buildings and street scenery.
Taking a deep breath Desi straightened herself up and wiped all emotion from her face, a master swordswoman such as herself would not allow herself to recognize fear. After taking a moment to tighten the sword sheath on her back, Desi began to make her way into the gloom filled town. She had no idea where to even begin looking for her teammates, but figured that eventually something worth inspecting would come along.
Having travelled through the derelict town for nearly half an hour, a sense of foreboding began to soak into her being once more, something just wasn't right. Where had all the other Order Soldiers gone -the ones that had taken her teammates? Why was did it seem like the town continued forever? Lastly, why could she not shake the feeling she was being watched? there were many questions to which she could only speculate.
Desi caught a sharp movement off to the left in her peripheral vision. Her head immediately snapped in that direction, ready to face any threat. To her unease, she saw nothing -not even a shadow- through the fog and ash. Could it be her paranoia? Unwilling to believe herself paranoid, yet not willing to give the threat any credibility either, she chalked it up to a trick of the light. If only there were any light to play tricks, the idea would not have been so difficult.
It was not long before another flicker of movement to Desi's opposite side caught her notice. No longer able to ignore it, the swordswoman grabbed a hold of her blade and pulled it from its sheath.
"Show yourselves. I will take any and all challengers" she said with trained calm.
From the fog the shades of several lumbering creatures began to advance towards her. Once they started to come into focus, the girl could see the horribly disfigured bodies of what looked like people whom had been burned alive. Hot coals burned where their eyes should have been, and their grotesquely distorted mouths cast forward a fiery glow as they dragged themselves towards Desi.
"What the hell?" Desi muttered, wide eyed and nearly slack jawed at these horrors.
The creature nearest to her pulled its head back and let out a soul shattering screech of white noise that made Desi cringe. Loping faster at her now, the creature made it evident it was intent on attacking.
Desi however, would have none of it as she slashed at the creature with her blade. The sharpened steel cut through the monster like butter and its tar like blood spattered all over the ground in a pattern befitting the attack. Slowly the upper half of the creature slid off and fell to the ground as its lower half topped to the ground beside it.
"Simple" Desi assured herself, but much to her horror the creature's remains began to bubble and squirm. Eventually the two halves began to expand and form new creatures, and before she knew it the halves had become two whole new entities. The other figures behind them were getting closer now, and Desi's grip on her sword grew tighter.
Trying again she let fly another slash that cut clean through both newly formed entities... the result was no different. Both halves of each creature began to bubble and squirm. Clenching her jaw a light layer of perspiration began to form on her brow as more shadows began to loom in the fog beyond.
"I have to get out of here" she thought to herself with a clenched jaw. She hated to have to run away, but there was no way she was going to be able to take these things. Another earsplitting screech of white noise nearly debilitated her as she turned to run.
Sprinting down the never ending streets of Silent Hill more and more creatures seemed to line the edges of her peripheral vision through the fog and ash. Desperately Desi searched for a place to take refuge; eventually her opportunity came in the form of a nearby building in which none of the creatures blocked her way. Not caring to look and see what this structure was, she quickly pressed through the door and closed it beside her.
Taking a moment to catch her breath she looked up through the strands of her brown hair that had fallen away from her ponytail. It seemed to her that she had found an old hospital, the once whitewashed walls were peeling and covered in dirt and grime. Wary now in knowing that there was more than a fair chance that other horrors stalked these halls, Desi kept her sword in hand.
Creeping through the halls step by step, Desi's mind raced nearly as fast as her heart rate. So many questions and not enough answers; why couldn't she get out of this town? Where were all of her friends? What sick parodies or clichés did the author have in mind for her? All very valid and all equally devoid of an answer.
The distinct grinding sound of metal unceremoniously shook her from her mental marathon. Curious though hesitant, Desi approached the hallway intersection to peek around the corner in search of the source. Unable to see that far into the darkness, she rounded the corner and advanced several more steps toward the noise.
From the depths of the dark hallway a massive hulking figure slowly took shape and pulled itself from the shadows. With the gore spattered body of a man and a massive iron pyramid over its head, the creature was undoubtedly a fearsome sight. The monster dragged behind it a massive great knife, the grinding noise it made growing louder with every loping step it took toward Desi.
Desi's eyes drifted from her sword, to the massive blade Pyramid Head dragged along with ease, then back to her own.
"You know if I were a man, I may have felt very insecure in my masculinity right now" she said contemplatively. She paused for but a moment longer before taking off as fast as she could in the opposite direction.
The sound of the dragging blade grew more and more distant and eventually faded, it seemed as if there was other business the creature had to take care of in this place. Before she knew it the swordswoman was back at square one; she was lost in the hospital and completely unsure of where to begin looking for her friends. With no other option she simply did the only thing she could -keep going.
Time passed, slowly and painfully the seconds ticked away as the namesake of the forsaken town wore away at her sanity. The natural creaking and dripping ambiance gave the illusion of the threat around every corner, the anxiety of turning every corner and passing every room proving to be overwhelmingly maddening.
the faint sound of voices and the crackle of a radio stood out against the ambient noise of the hospital and Desi picked up on it immediately. Cautiously she crept toward the room the sound was coming from. Two voices went back and forth as the crackle of a radio spouted what sounded like communications chatter between different Order soldiers.
The swordswoman now had a choice to make; she could pass these soldiers by and leave them none the wiser, or she could slip into the room and kill them both. If she passed them by then she would be right back to wandering aimlessly. but at least she wouldn't have attracted unwanted attention. On the other hand if she could kill them, that radio may prove useful in finding her friends.
"Hey, do you think that... you know, he got them?" one of the voices said.
"No, there was a lot of talk on the radio. Somebody was killin' our guys, everyone seems to think one of those prisoners escaped. Who knows it might be that, we've lost a lot more today than we usually do" the other voice responded.
"Have we heard from any of the guys from the upper floors?" the first voice inquired.
"No, last thing I heard was some gunfire and screaming" the second voice answered, an uneasy shifting noise following directly after.
That decided it for Desi, some of her friends were being held in here somewhere and that radio could be the key to finding them. Chancing a quick peek into the room she took note of all she could in the brief second she looked. It was a small patient room with nothing between the door and her intended targets, and their weapons were slung over their shoulders... the perfect conditions.
Taking one final deep breath Desi righted her grip on her sword and dashed into the room.
The startled cries of the Order soldiers soon morphed into those of pain and anguish as with a single slash of her katana, Desi had been able to disembowel both Order troopers. Fighting an uphill battle to keep their organs from spilling onto the grimy floor, the dying words of the two men would go unheard as Desi simply picked up the radio, and left.
Not even bothering to examine the handheld device, Desi clipped it to her belt and began he research for the nearest stairwell. The men she had killed were talking about losing contact with their guys on the upper floors. If any of her friends had truly managed to escape then that is where she needed to look first.
Much to her surprise, Desi found a staircase not too long after having found the radio. Grabbing hold of the door knob she gave a firm yank, and much to her dismay the door would not yield.
" Of course, nothing could be that convenient" she thought to herself in a rather sarcastic frame of mind. In no mood to deal with such trivial things as locks and doors, she took her sword and hacked the door to pieces.
"You're kidding me..." she said in disbelief as she looked through the now open doorframe. It looked as if the stairs had actually been removed from the stairwell. There was a significantly less dirty and worn portion of wall that perfectly outlined where the stairs used to be.
Feeling her right eye begin to twitch, she turned away from the stair-less stairwell and sheathed her sword. Taking several deep breaths she worked to regain her composure as she continued her search for a staircase.
Before she could so much as contemplate her next step in searching for a staircase, a low guttural growling echoed from the darkness before her. It took all the discipline Desi had not to swallow hard and shudder at the bone chilling growls that were no doubt meant for her. A loud thumping noise caused the floor to shake. It was soon followed by another, and then another; one after another the thumping of what could only be imagined as massive footfalls grew closer.
A pair of massive glowing yellow eyes materialized within the shadows -the giant orbs being about the size of dinner plates. Whatever the creature was, it was not particularly happy that Desi was in its path. The beast unleashed an earsplitting roar before continuing its advance towards the immobile Desi.
She knew she had to do something, she couldn't stand there much longer. Perhaps it would be best if she ran once more.
'No... No more running' she thought to herself angrily. Furrowing her brow and clenching her jaw, Desi reached back and drew the sword from its sheath. 'I have been trained in the ways of the samurai, this behavior is simply despicable' she berated herself.
As if sensing her defiance, the creature stepped forward and gave voice to its own challenge with another throaty roar. Now able to see the creature, Desi saw a large spherical head with a wide grinning mouth. It's jaw hung open to reveal the multiple rows of razor sharp teeth as well as a rotting green tongue. Covered in leathery black skin, the rest of the creature's body seemed to resemble that of a komodo dragon -thick trunk-like legs, wide muscular body, long and wide tail.
Standing completely still, Desi held her ground -rock steady.
Not in its nature to back down, the monster charged down the hall at this most stubborn target. Opening it's jaws wide and drawing back its large head, the creature shot forward in an attempt to snap at Desi. The trained warrior dive-rolled beneath the massive creature as it attacked.
The beast's bite found nothing but air, and its head snapped back and forth in confusion -searching for its prey. Taking advantage of her position of opportunity, Desi drove her sword up into the underbelly of the monster. The reaction was near instant as the beast let out a screech of anguish and reared up on its hind legs.
Knowing now where she had gone, he beast swiped furiously at her with its front legs. One of the attacks connected and send Desi flying onto her back. Wasting no time the creature immediately followed up its attack, once more attempting to sink its teeth into some fresh meat. Stopping directly above her, the monster started snapping at the floor.
Desi managed to roll out of the way of one bite, and roll in the opposite direction to avoid the next, but the creature quickly wised up and pinned her to the floor by pressing its foot to her abdomen. Drawing back in preparation to chomp her in two, Desi tightened her grip on her sword; if she timed this wrong she would be dead.
The moment the creature struck, Desi brought her sword up and stabbed with as much force as she could muster into the beast's eye. The blade struck its intended target and the creature recoiled with a tormented howl. Pawing wildly at its face the monster withdrew, but Desi was not finished. Taking advantage of its pain, the swordswoman brought herself up to her feet in a single fluid motion, and charged.
Sword in hand, she closed the distance between herself and her target in mere moments. Raising her sword high above her head, she brought it down in a single devastating attack that caught the monster on top of its head. The sharpened steel cleaved through the meat and bone with ease and eventually exited the beast down through its jaw. Oily black blood and brain matter rained down to the floor before the gargantuan creature collapsed to the ground in silence.
Giving her blade a firm flick to sling the excess gore from the steel, Desi sheathed her weapon with a stoic expression chiseled into her features. This is what it was to be samurai –no fear, total control. This was how it should have been all along, she would not allow herself be fearful of these creatures again.
As if taking her mentally stated challenge, a chorus of low guttural growls echoed through the dark hallways. Beyond the corpse of the fallen beast, multiple pairs of similar eyes opened up to gaze upon the slayer of their brother. Each growl grew louder as each pair of eyes seemed to get closer and closer.
"Maybe... I can run just one more time" the slack jawed samurai muttered before turning and sprinting through the halls of the derelict hospital. Her escape was not as long as she expected it would be however, as within moments she found herself slipping on something slimy and wet and tumbling to the ground. After a rather rough collision with the ground, Desi pulled herself to her feet and as her vision focused she found herself in a rather odd place.
The hallway that surrounded her was... pristine, absolutely spotless. The whitewashed walls were still white, the equipment that lined the halls was polished and clean, the wood was still painted and solid. Something about it just wasn't right, and Desi knew it. Drawing her sword she kept it at hip level and advanced slowly into the hallway.
After moving down the hallway a few yards a sharp pain on her forehead made itself known and caused her to recoil with a hiss. Reaching up with her free hand she pressed the afflicted area and drew her hand back to discover blood. Narrowing her eyes she looked up to about forehead level to see a drop of blood hanging in what looked like thin air. Further scrutiny would show a thin wire crossing the length of the hall, and as she drew closer to the droplet of blood she saw in it a refection -A slow moving silhouette behind her.
Whipping around with matchless speed she slashed violently at whatever it was and the creature shrieked a horrible squeal. Her eyes coming to focus on what it was, for the first time since she was a child, Desi was struck with fear -plain and pure fear. It was a spider, a massive arachnid that was attempting to make her a snack.
Now Desi had never particularly liked spiders, and this was a rather large spider. It hissed loudly at her before swiping with its front legs at the samurai. Unable to keep herself from backpedaling, another unpleasant pain wracked her body as the razor-fine threads of web the spider had laid cut into her back and arms. The slightest grunts and hisses of pain were the only indication she was in any physical duress at all –well trained as she was.
Risking another attack, Desi struck fiercely at the spider, only to have her blow deflected with ease. Unable to shift her momentum to parry before the spider lashed out against her again, Desi was sent flying back by another blow. The spider descended upon her quickly, it's mouth and mandibles gnashing in anticipation of fresh meat.
A gunshot split the darkness, a second, a third, and so on. The spider recoiled with every shot, the tar-like blood common of Silent Hill's beasts poring from its head. It began to stumble and bounce off the walls before it came crashing to the floor.
A rather stunned and confused Desi managed to pull herself from the floor and look to the source of the gunfire. Laying prone on the ground and wrapped in a cocoon of web, a pistol wielding figure looked as if they had managed to wrench one arm free.
"I have been waiting for that son of a bitch to come back forever" the voice said angrily.
"AJ!" Desi exclaimed in obvious suprise.
"Yeah, so could you get me outta this web, Rebecca is still out there somewhere!"