Alex awoke in a hospital bed. He sat up quickly, sending a painful shock to his ribs. He quickly glanced around the room, which looked considerably clean and welcoming, unlike some of his most recent experiences in hospitals. Groggy from what must have been a very long session of sleeping, he tried to remember where he was. Alex scanned the room noting the pristine white walls, completely free of bloodstains and rust. "Hello," Alex called out weakly.
A slim, attractive looking nurse promptly walked in through the door near his bed. She was very much alive and human, which was a good thing.
Not too hard on the eyes. She's no Elle, though. That's for sure.
"How are we doing this afternoon, Mr. Shepherd?" The nurse asked kindly.
"I've been better," Alex groaned. "Where am I?"
"Memorial Hospital in Pleasant River," the nurse answered. "It's understandable that you'd be disoriented, given the extent of your injuries."
"So, is everyone alright?" Alex asked.
"What exactly do you mean?" The nurse replied, seemingly confused.
"Are my friends okay?"
"Oh, right," the nurse said. "They're all fine. The young lady who showed up with you…"
"Elle," Alex cut her off.
"Yes," the nurse continued. "She's been attended to and should be leaving today."
"That's great to hear," Alex said, immediately feeling an incredible sense of relief. The fact that they'd actually made it out of Silent Hill alive was astounding. "It's crazy," Alex said to the nurse. "I barely even remember getting here last night."
"Well, Mr. Shepherd," the nurse said. "You've actually been in and out of consciousness for about three days. This is the first I've seen you responsive since you got here."
Damn. At least it wasn't four years.
She began reading off his medical report. "Four broken ribs, moderate concussion, abrasions and cuts across your entire body." She read further. "A deep cylindrical hole in your left leg. What sort of accident were you involved in?"
"It's a very complicated story," Alex replied shortly. "How's Wheeler?"
"The police officer?" the nurse inquired.
"Yeah."
"He's in stable condition," the nurse explained. "He won't be out of here for awhile, unfortunately, but the doctors expect him to make a full recovery."
"That's good news," Alex said. For some reason, Wheeler always had unbelievable luck. During their endeavors in Shepherd's Glen and Silent Hill, he seemed to be constantly marked for death, but cheated it every time.
Thank God we left him the first aid kit, I guess.
"Anyway," the nurse said. "I'm going to need to ask you a few questions, seeing as we couldn't find any of your past medical reports."
"Alright," Alex replied crossly. He wasn't really in the mood for tedious questioning.
"So," the nurse continued. "Are you currently taking any medications?"
"No."
"Do you currently suffer from any heart conditions or irregularities?"
"Not that I know of."
"Have you ever been diagnosed with any mental disorders, such as bipolar, severe personality disorder, or psychosis?"
He briefly thought about it and considered the possibility that he actually was crazy. It was hard to distinguish what was real and what wasn't during his recent misadventure, but that couldn't be defined by a medical condition.
"Definitely not," Alex replied.
After a few more frivolous questions, the nurse handed Alex a plastic square pack of pills. "This is a week's supply of hydrocodone."
"Killer," Alex said, satisfied. It would be nice to finally alleviate some pain.
"Painkiller, actually," the nurse replied. "And you'll also be needing crutches once you're feeling up to walking again"
"No thanks," Alex said shortly. "I think I'm done here. I've gotta go see Elle." Alex began to get out of his bed.
"Mr. Shepherd!" the nurse exclaimed. "You can't get up right now. You really need to rest…"
"Trust me, lady," Alex retorted. "I'll be fine."
Alex grabbed the IV needle stuck in his left arm, and pulled it out. He then ripped off the ekg pads from his chest and started getting dressed. The nurse sighed and left the room. After putting on his clothes, which were tremendously filthy, he left the room and wandered into the lobby. It was incredibly painful to put pressure on his left leg, but he chose to ignore it.
Fuck crutches, I'll be fine.
He glanced around and spotted Elle at the front desk, heatedly arguing with a woman over some paperwork. It was a relief to see her so lively.
Alex walked up and, without even thinking, hugged her tightly from behind. She whipped around, surprised.
"Jesus, Alex!" Elle exclaimed. "I totally thought you were some creeper." Alex chuckled, and Elle embraced him strongly. Her clothes were remarkably dirty as well. "God, I'm glad you're okay, Alex." She squeezed his body tightly in her arms.
"Ma'am," the lady at the front desk interjected. "You still haven't presented any form of valid insurance."
Before Elle could retaliate, Alex stepped up to the counter and pulled out his wallet from his back pocket. He handed the front desk woman an insurance card that hadn't been used in years.
"This will take a few minutes to process. Please wait right here." As soon as she stepped away from her desk, Alex and Elle immediately bolted.
As they quickly made their exit through the hospital's automatic sliding doors, Elle looked at Alex. "Are you kidding me?" She asserted. "After everything we've been through, you actually still have your wallet?"
"I guess I didn't lose everything," Alex replied. He fumbled through his pockets and felt a hard object in his coat. He pulled out the ceremonial dagger. Engraved with a multitude of detailed carvings, the knife had probably been hand crafted well over a century ago.
"Wow," Elle said, surprised. "I didn't realize you had hung on to that. I don't think we should keep it."
"Yeah," Alex agreed. "It doesn't really feel right."
"I bet it would be worth a good chunk of money if you sold it," Elle suggested.
"You're probably right," Alex said. "But first things first—where are we actually going to stay now?" Alex realized that he hadn't thought this far ahead.
Elle laughed, "I have no idea. I guess we could try and get a hotel room or for the time being."
"I think that'll work."
Elle and Alex walked down River Road, the main street going through Pleasant River. The town resembled a cleaner, more aesthetically pleasing version of Shepherd's Glen, and the best part—no fog. It was a small, bustling community littered with local businesses and a river running through the middle of the town. It seemed bizarre to finally experience sunny weather again, along with numerous people walking about the town, carrying on with their daily business. The name Pleasant River suited it perfectly.
"What about this place?" Elle pointed to a decent looking hotel across the street. A grandiose wood sign was hung above the entry reading Riverview Hotel. It wasn't that close to the river, but considering the small size of the town it made sense by comparison.
"Certainly better than the Grand Hotel," Alex replied, remembering an unpleasant venture into the daunting hotel in Silent Hill. They crossed the street and entered the lobby together.
"Alex," Elle said looking concerned. "How are we going to pay for this? I don't have any money."
"Don't worry," Alex replied. "I have an old checking account from high school that's probably still active. I doubt there's any money in there but I'll just give them my card and they'll charge us when we eventually decide to check out." Elle smiled.
"One room, please," Elle said to the front desk manager.
"Okay," the man at the desk said. "Second floor. Room 206 on your left."
"Whoa," Alex shot back. "Could we possibly, um, get a different room?"
The desk man gave Alex a confused look. "We'd just prefer something on the first floor, that's all."
"Oh, of course," the desk attendant replied politely. "Not a big fan of heights, huh?" He looked to be in his sixties or seventies, and wore an unusually thick pair of black rimmed glasses. His name badge said Ralph. "I'll just need a credit card or cash deposit." As Alex dug through his pockets for his wallet, the ceremonial dagger slipped out of his coat and fell to the floor, causing a loud clank to reverberate throughout the lobby.
"Gee whizz," the desk attendant said astonished. "That's a mighty fine looking knife you got there, son."
"Nah," Alex replied casually as he picked it up off the floor. "It's nothing really."
"I don't know about that," the desk attendant continued, "It certainly looks amazing." He tried to catch another glimpse of the dagger as Alex stuffed it into his coat.
"Here's a card," Alex said, handing the desk attendant a debit card.
"Alright, mister…Shepherd," the desk attendant said examining the card. "Any relation to David Shepherd?"
"Don't think so." Alex hoped to divert the conversation.
"He was one of my good friends back in the day," the desk attendant continued. "Him and his wife Stephanie, they were the nicest folks. Ya know, you kind of remind me of David back in his younger days."
"Yeah?" Alex replied, trying to seem uninterested.
"If I remember correctly," the desk attendant went on. "I think one of David's great, great grandfathers was one of the founders of that town Shepherd's Glen."
"Can't say I've heard of it," Alex replied.
"Ah," the desk attendant said. "You must not be from around here. I haven't been out to Shepherd's Glen in ages. I don't really do a whole lot of traveling these days."
"Is that right?" Alex commented.
"Yep, no vacation time for me," the old man replied. "No one ever really leaves this place."
"Okay," Elle spoke up. "Thanks for all your help, sir." He handed her the room key.
"You got it," the desk attendant said with a peculiar grin. "Have yourself a wonderful day ma'am." He looked at Alex. "And you too, Alex Shepherd."