The electric hum of the power windows sounded as it inched slowly down. He could smell the water of Toluca Lake and the old trees that surrounded it.
"Maybe coming home won't be so bad," Ash whispered to himself. He passed the old tourist sign and headed straight into town.
Welcome to Silent Hill.
The town seemed unusually empty for 8 pm, there were cars parked on both sides of the road, but the street lights were out along with the shop lights. Even Neely's was empty and lifeless, usually it was the packed this time of night. Ash pulled the car over and killed the engine; for a brief moment the town was completely dead. No noise came from the buildings, houses, or streets, everything was devoid of life. The sound of rusty hinges broke the stagnant air as Ash opened the door of the black Jeep and stepped onto the pavement. Night was falling fast and a thick fog seemed to have rolled in from Toluca Lake. The silence and lifelessness made him uneasy, made his stomach do somersaults over and over. He placed his hand on the cold metal doorknob of Neely's, the door creaked slowly opened and to his disappointment, he found no one in sight. A couple of barstools were overturned, abandoned beer mugs lined the bar itself.
"Hello?" his voice sounded unsteady, scared. No answer. "Anybody here?" again his voice trembled with fear and again, no response. Anger and confusion welled up inside of him. Where had everyone gone? Had everyone in Silent Hill just packed up and left? Then a horrible thought occurred to him. He raced back the vehicle and grabbed the cell phone from the console. He dialed his parents' home number, his heart racing. A dull tone informed him that there was no signal. Fear had him in its grip; he tossed the phone aside, jumped in the driver seat and brought the engine to life.
Mom, Dad please be okay! He thought as he sped toward his childhood home. There was something very wrong, he could feel it in the air around him.
The porch light was shining in through the darkness like a beacon of hope. He hit the brakes, threw it into park and jumped out of the vehicle, leaving the key in the ignition. He was going to load his parents into the Jeep and get the hell out Silent Hill. He'd ask questions later, the most important thing was getting away and only that. He sprinted for the door, an ominous feeling washing over him again. As he stepped inside he noticed that his parents weren't in the front room like he thought they would be; his mother wasn't waiting by the phone, his father wasn't screaming at the TV… something was very wrong.
"Mom? Dad?" his voice trembled. There was no answer. He started for the kitchen. Then the tall silhouette of a woman appeared in the hallway leading upstairs.
"Who are you?" he spoke timidly.
"If you're looking for your beloved parents, they left. They're waiting for you near the city limits. You should hurry, if you want to catch them," she was cold and detached. Something about her made his body scream to run. "Goodbye Ash." He turned and ran back to the black Jeep and immediately peeled out of the driveway, heading for the city limits.
The roads were still empty and desolate; the buildings flew past him in blur. He was just about to reach the city limits when he caught the figure of a small boy in his headlights. He jerked the steering wheel away; the vehicle careered onto to its side in an attempt to avoid the child. Ash's head smacked brutally into the driver's side window sending sharp pain throughout his skull, the grinding sound of metal on pavement pierced through the pain as the vehicle skidded to a halt. He crawled from the wreckage a moment later, covered in his own fresh blood and gashes from the glass windows. There was no boy in sight. Had he hallucinated?
No, no… he was certain there had been a boy standing in the road. Ash limped toward the city limits, his parents were waiting for him. He could see the old tourist sign through the fog and he did his best to break into a sprint. Something about the lasting image of the boy bothered him. He had been holding something, something small and metallic…
He could see a car sitting just beyond the old tourist sign… the old Buick his Dad drove everywhere. Relief flooded him. We can leave, he thought. He could see his parents in the front seats.
Run Ash! His instincts screamed. Don't look! They weren't moving. He approached the driver's side, the door was wide open. He took a deep breath and peered inside. His breath caught in his throat and his stomach churned. He was revolted, stumbled backward and fell to his knees, gagging. The images of his mutilated parents filled his mind, sickening him to the point of collapse. Tears stinging his eyes and anger overwhelming his body and he trembled. He needed to know what had happened, who had killed them. He covered his nose and mouth and peered inside the car. He had to examine the wounds. Some sort two-pronged weapon had ended their lives… his parents must have been dead for hours. That meant that the woman back at his home must have known, she must have had some hand in their murder.
"Bitch!" Ash spat. He turned to head back into town, facing the old tourist sign and there standing in the center of the road was the boy he had nearly made road kill.
"Hey kid! It's not safe here; you should go get some help." The boy took slow steps toward Ash; he was dressed in a school uniform, his blonde hair brushed very neatly. "Hey kid. It's okay, everything's going to be fine. But it's not safe-"
"No Ashley, it's not safe here. Not for you anywhere." Ash noticed he was clutching something in his small hands, just like before. The boy smiled, an eerie creepy smirk that sent chills done Ash's spine.
"Do you want to see them?" the boy asked.
"See what?"
"My happy little friends, silly," Ash backed up and he ran into the hood of the old Buick.
"… No…" Ash shook his head, "I don't want to see."
"What was that? You'll have to speak louder, I can't hear you," the boy was only a few feet from Ash.
"No," Ash whispered, his legs shaking, his breathing was coming faster.
"I can't hear you Ash," Every step that the boy got closer, the darkness creeping into Ash's sight got thicker and a distant siren blared louder and louder.
"Please stop! No, please!" Ash cried, falling to his knees and holding his ears. The siren was deafening, blaring through all his thoughts. He recognized it now, emergency sirens. Ash looked up, the boy standing over him. Now he could clearly see what the boy was holding, he could see it frightening clear. A pair of rusty, bloody scissors shining in the overwhelming darkness.
This kid killed my parents! The sirens were blaring so loud that Ash couldn't take it anyway more, tears streamed freely down his cheeks. He felt as though his ear drums were going to bust. The boy raised the scissors above his head, preparing to deal a lethal blow.
"Don't cry Ash, you're home."
Ash collapsed onto the cold pavement and the last thing he remembered was the old tourist sign looming in the dark.
Welcome to Silent Hill.
"Welcome home Ash." The boy cooed.