Chapter 3: A Town Without Pity

It was about half past one in the morning when I suddenly realized something…

"Where the fuck is Jose?" I muttered.

Jaime laughed, "Probably off somewhere, moping like a puppy."

I snorted, "Oh, come on! I can't have wounded his pride that badly!"

"Didn't say that it was."

"So, what else is there?"

He gave me a funny look. "Oh, like you don't know!"

I was confused. "Don't know what?"

He sighed. "Ah, to be young and brain-dead again."

I was getting quickly irritated. "Oh, for crap's sake- spill it!"

He looked at me like I was a child. This pissed me off more.

"Jose is…well… he has this…crush… on you."

"Oh, bull!"

"Don't gimme that look. He does!"

I sighed, "Did you see where the idiot went?"

"I think he moped off towards the back room."

I grabbed a flashlight. "Well, then I guess that's where I'm going."

I went to the door, growled at the "Danger!" sign, and went in.

"Jesus, it's fucking dark in here!"

I stepped into the room, wondering what the hell Jose was thinking.

"Jose!" I called. "Jose! Get your ass out of this hole in the wall- right now!"

No answer. I bet he was messing with me- the prick.

"Jose- are we gonna have to have another one of our 'talks'?" Nothing got him to move faster than the threat of violence.

Still no answer. Where the hell did that little maggot pop off to?

I flashed the light around. God, this place creeped me out. The little metal bridge in the middle always made me skittish- as though something might pop out of the water and chow down on the unwary passerby.

The water rippled- I squeaked in fear.

Then I realized what was up. "Okay, you scared me fair and square. Come out now!"

Still no answer.

"Damn you! FINE! Stay, stay and be a baby!"

I turned to leave, and that's when I saw the entrance wall.

It was saturated with blood. Saturated!

Nausea welled up in me, and I turned the flashlight towards the water…

Tentacles stared back at me.

I fainted.

I woke up on a couch in one of the upper offices. Someone had put a damp rag on my forehead.

I looked up to see Jaime and Bob hovering over me, worried looks on their faces.

"You okay, kiddo?" asked Bob gently.

In a feeble voice- I whispered, "Where's Jose."

The sadness in Jaime's eyes gave it away before I got my answer.

A voice behind me replied, "He must've tripped and fell in. How many times must I tell the three of you not to drink on the job?"

I knew that arrogant tone. I turned around to see Alan Kaufman staring back me, an irritated look on his face.

"We weren't drinking, you dipshit!" I yelled.

Just before Kaufman decided to let me have it, Jaime came to the rescue. "She's right, sir. You can check out our room. Do blood tests, or urine samples- or whatever the hell you people do. We weren't drunk. Lucy's just upset because our friend is dead."

I felt my heart sink at the confirmation of Jose's demise.

Alan snorted, and then stomped off.

"Prick." Snarled Bob.

They turned back to me. "You okay?"

I replied flatly. "No."

Jaime looked at me. "When I saw you laying there on that bridge, I panicked. You were all limp, and white- like a doll. I just snapped you up and ran for it. It took me about an hour to register all that damned blood."

I got queasy again. The boys noticed.

Bob gently pushed me back against the couch.

Jaime looked at me. "You rest for a little bit longer honey. When you wake up, I'll take you home."

I leaned back against the pillow. Hazily, I said, "You know, Jaime?"

"Yeah?"

"Maybe there are gators in the sewer after all."

"Hello again." Chirped a familiar voice.

I was laying down on something hard, and unpleasant. I sat up.

Great, just great. I'm in a church. God, I hate irony-

-and punning! Dammit!

Garrett was sitting on the altar- of all places. With the black jeans, t-shirt, jacket, and boots- he looked almost like a demonic minister.

"Sacrificing a virgin today- are we?" I grumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing- never mind. So, why are you bugging me now?"

"Oh, come on! I know you like me." He grinned.

"I like puppies too- doesn't mean I dream about them every night."

"Touché." He hesitated, then added. "Well, maybe I like visiting you."

I snorted. "Yeah, right! And pink fairies fly out of my ass every night!"

He chuckled. "Lovely analogy. Can I use that later?"

"Whatever. Look, I just lost a friend today, can we please just not do this? Go back to whatever part of my brain you were vomited out of."

He sighed, and there was a touch of almost sadness in his eyes. "I wish I didn't have to be here, but I do."

"What the hell does that mean?"

He hopped off the altar, and sat down in the pew beside me.

I stared at the stained glass. There was something awfully strange about the pictures depicted there…

"What church is this, anyway?" I asked.

"It belongs to a group that was known as 'The Order'."

"The Who?"

"The Order. They were a Silent Hill cult that torched a seven year old alive to get her to give birth to 'God' for them. But, in reality, the 'God' was a demon."

"Holy shit! That's awful!" I gasped.

He nodded. "But, the girl escaped. And she learned the truth about the god- that it would destroy mankind if she let it be born. So, she fought not to let the monster be birthed. She was weak, though, and was forced to ask her champion to fight this horror for her. Her champion was her adoptive father."

I stayed quiet. I was riveted.

He continued. "Her father fought through countless horrors in an attempt to regain his beloved daughter. But sadly, the leader of the cult- with the help of a corrupt townsperson- managed to complete the ritual. The girl gave 'birth' to the god. Though, it wasn't in the conventional sense. The creature grew too large for her womb, and enveloped her entire body. It eventually tore it's way out of her body- shedding her as though it were a snake, and she were nothing more than an uncomfortable layer of skin."

I shuddered at the imagery.

"Enraged at the loss of his beloved daughter, the man relentlessly fought against the creature. Though many thought it to be an invulnerable deity; he defeated it with mortal weaponry."

I grinned. Good for the guy!

"Because of the strong connection that had developed between the man and this unfortunate girl- she was able to return to him briefly. Without words, she expressed her love for him, and gave him the one thing no one thought possible: a baby."

I felt tears beginning to run down my face.

"And so, he took this innocent baby- not knowing whether or not this was the return of his beloved daughter- or the rebirth of the entity that had actually wanted the creature to be born. He ran into the night; never to be heard from again."

He stopped, and looked down at me.

"So, what happened to them?" I asked. I had the feeling that that was my line.

"I don't know. But, I have the feeling we'll learn soon enough." He replied wistfully. He didn't seem thrilled about the prospect.

I was intrigued. "So, why tell me all this?"

He smirked. "Why not?"

"You got me there."

He grinned at me. "Besides, weren't you the one bitching that you needed a little excitement in your life?"

"How in the hell did you- oh wait. I forgot. You're a figment of my imagination. And as such, you know what's going on in my head…" I grumbled.

He laughed. "Still in denial- are we?"

"Denial? Who's in denial? You're the one in denial! You're not real!"

His laughter grew harder. "Oh, I am. Or rather, I was. I'm dead now."

It was my turn to chuckle. "Uh-huh."

"What? You don't believe me?"

"Hell, no."

"Then go and look me up. My name is Garrett Daniels, I was thirty-two when I died. I had a wife, and three kids. Since everyone but the girls died, a friend of mine named Delia Carver took them in. We were all from Silent Hill, but she lives in Washington State now; this nice blue-collar town called Centralia."

I sneered, "Then why don't you go haunt her Casper?"

He looked pained. "I can't. I can feel where she is, but I can't get there."

"Well, fuck, why don't I go?"

He looked at me. "Why would you do that?"

"This way I can prove that this is all a figment of my imagination."

He laughed. "Sorry, young Padouin, but there is much you have yet to learn."

"Luce?" It was Jaime again.

"Do we get vacation time for this shit?"

"Yeah, Kaufman's givin' us a week off."

"Good." I said, grinning.

He gave me a quizzical look. "Why?"

"Because I'm going to Centralia, Washington!"

A/N: According to info I read off the Internet- Silent Hill is on the west coast. Hell, in SH3, Douglas' license plate says California. So, I searched for a quaint little west coast city. Lo and behold!- Centralia, Washington. I love the irony that goes with the upcoming SH movie; "Silent Hill: Centralia"! Quaint, huh?

Disclaimer: Me no own Silent Hill. Me wish me did, but me don't. Don't sue- me poor!

Literary Alchemist: Thanks for the input. I had totally forgotten about that other body. But, I don't know think I'm going in that direction. Ah well, keep reviewing- I like it when people review!