Disclaimer: I do not own Silent Hill or any of its characters. I only own my OC's and this plot.
A/N: ...I haven't updated this in how long?! Sorry about that…
As always, beware of the SH1-SH4 spoilers throughout this story. And beware weird formating.
Please enjoy :)
Chapter 4: The Executioner's Chapel
Walking out of the Director's Office, Henrietta was pleased to hear the sound of a file cabinet being opened in the Records Room. She wanted to be as far from the premises as she could when Shelton reappeared. Exiting the South Silent Hill Fire Station from the main entrance, Henri was met with an unpleasant sight.
Michael, it seemed, had grown hungry waiting for her, and had started to eat one of the dead Gruesome Mosaics lying in front of the building.
He noticed Henri almost immediately and made another of those bizarre grunting noises. He then proceeded to rip out a handful of intestines from the dog and offered them to her. Gulping nauseously, Henri shook her head slowly. "No thank you. I…already ate," she said, hoping her stomach would not do something completely inappropriate like growl. Michael looked a little sad (although it was hard to tell on a face like his), but he perked up again when Henri pat him on the head, at which point he went back to his meal.
Remembering Shelton, Henri decided that she needed to hide the Dread somewhere. Heading west towards St. Stella, she noticed that there was an alleyway between the two buildings. A short walk revealed that there was a patio surrounded by the sort of tough, green plastic one would see around junk yards, and the door was thankfully open. Returning to Michael, Henri called his name, gesturing for him to come.
He hesitated only a moment, then grabbed hold of both of the dog corpses and followed her. She led him to the patio and told him to stay there until she returned. She didn't know how much he understood, but he did go back to eating, taking no notice when she shut the gate behind her.
With Michael as well hidden as she could make him for the moment, Henri walked up to the entrance of the alley, noticing that there was a door marked "Church Side Entrance". Opening the door, Henri found herself in a small room. There where two doors in front of her. One was marked "Basement" and the other "Main Chapel". Both where locked. The only other thing in the room was a stairway leading up, with a sign pointing upwards marked "To organ room". Henri ascended the stairs, which led to an unlocked door.
Opening the door, Henri found herself standing before a large, ornate organ. It would have been beautiful if not for the blood slowly dripping down from the top of the pipes. There was a fairly liberal amount of foggy light pouring in from the rose window at the top of the church, and in the streaming light Henri found something on the organ's keys.
There appeared to be another newspaper lying across the keyboard. This paper was dated some two weeks after the one she found in the Blue Creek Apartments, and was again from the Silent Hill Gazette:
Story Update: Girl Raped in Abandoned Church.
An update has been issued on the condition of the young woman found brutally raped in the abandoned church north of Lakeside Amusement Park. While authorities refuse to release the girl's name, we do know that she is now well enough to leave the hospital, and that her father has taken her home. She has not made any statements to the press, but reliable sources suggest that she is pregnant as a result of the rape. No word yet as to whether or not she plans to terminate the pregnancy.
The police still insist that the crime was not committed by the fabled Silent Hill cult. However, they have also failed to bring forth any other suspects. In fact, the police seem strangely uninterested in the case, and told the press that they have run out of leads. It now appears that they will soon close the case, unsolved, and store whatever evidence they might have in the Cold Case department of the Central Silent Hill Police Station. Authorities have refused to offer comment as to why they are closing the case so shortly after the date of the crime.
Knitting her brows in confusion, Henri wondered why she was yet again receiving information on this bizarre, 23-year-old, rape case. It must mean something, considering that whatever force controlled Silent Hill had taken the trouble of leading her to two newspapers regarding the case. Lost in thought, Henri put the newspaper in her bag. She was awakened abruptly from her trance when she heard sounds coming from the Main Chapel below the terrace holding the pipe organ.
Looking down at the Main Chapel for the first time, Henri's eyes widened in shock.
Of all the buildings that she had seen, the chapel was probably the bloodiest. The reason soon became apparent. The bodies of at least 60 humans and many more mannequin-monsters where pinned to the walls of the chapel by incredibly long spears. She noticed that many of the humans were wearing the same crimson robes that she had seen on Palmer. Blood from the hanging corpses formed large, hideous pools almost completely covering the floor.
Looking down below her in horrified fascination, Henri heard the sound that had originally disturbed her again. It was the sound of heavy footsteps and something being dragged. Looking towards the front entrance of the church, Henri had to restrain a gasp as she laid her eyes upon the most bizarre figure she had ever seen.
It was very humanoid, with normal arms and legs, and wore what appeared to be a white butcher's smock. However, his most obvious feature was the ridiculously large, red, pyramid-like helmet he wore. His steps where fairly slow, and he was dragging the dead body of an unfamiliar, crimson-robed man.
Ducking lower behind the railing of the organ terrace, Henri watched as the creature dragged the dead man towards the front of the church. She winced as he held the man up on the wall and, pulling a heavy spear from off his back, pinned the new body upon the wall. The Pyramid Head then turned back towards the front entrance, slowly walking back the way he came.
Henri thought she was in the clear until the creature stopped abruptly. Startled, Henrietta ducked lower, backing away from the railing and hiding in the shadows. She could just see the monster tilt his bloodied helmet up towards the terrace. His head bobbed slightly, as though he were trying to sniff something out. She grew more nervous as he pulled another spear off of his back and began to slowly approach the terrace's overhang.
He was pulling his arm back to throw the spear towards where she hid when a blaring noise abruptly filled the room.
Both living occupants froze when the sound of an air raid siren, most likely from the fire station, roared through the building. The sound froze Henri's heart for a moment, and she felt an inexplicable tug, a sort of instinct telling her that she had somewhere else to be. She shook the feeling off quickly, noticing that Pyramid Head had lowered his spear, and was purposely striding out the front door, much faster than she had seen him walk before.
Slowly exiting the church from the side entrance, Henrietta quietly looked around the alleyway and around the corner, out onto Nathan Ave. Pyramid Head, however, seemed to be gone. With a sigh of relief, Henri returned to the patio where she had left Michael.
She was dismayed to find, however, that the patio door was open. Looking into the patio, Henri found that the Dread was gone. It looked as though he was in the middle of eating the second Gruesome when he had decided to leave. Judging by the condition of the door, it seemed likely that he had left of his own power. But…why?
She felt a brief moment of disappointment. She had become used to the presence of the large beast, and she found she missed his comforting bulk. She paused from her contemplations when she remembered the air raid siren that had drawn Pyramid Head from the church.
Had the siren drawn Michael away too? If so, where had he gone, and why had he been drawn there? Venturing out farther onto the street, Henri couldn't help but notice that the street, once full of Gruesome Mosaics, was now empty. The siren must have lured them away, too.
Continuing west on Nathan Avenue, Henri decided she might as well continue to head towards the Texxon Gas Station. She had nearly walked past the entrance of Rosewater Park when something made her pause.
She could have sworn that she had heard something on the light breeze coming from the water front. Turning slowly, she faced the park entrance, closing her eyes, concentrating. There…there it was again: a faint voice whispering into the wind.
"Henrietta…come here…hurry…," the disembodied voice, husky and dry, never the less sounded pleading and desperate. It sounded familiar somehow, but she could not place it.
Without making a conscious decision, Henri walked into the park, following the voice in something of a daze. She followed the voice to the waterfront. She was awakened abruptly when the voice disappeared as soon as the water came into view. Disappointed, Henri looked around for the source of the summons, but found nothing but an empty pier over-looking the lake.
Looking out onto Lake Toluca, Henri found herself overcome with a deep feeling of what she was sure had to be sadness. The normally beautiful view was covered by the plague of fog, the once sparkling waters dull and soulless. A memory suddenly washed upon her. It was something Uncle James had once told her.
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A chestnut-haired child of ten years sat on the knee of a handsome blonde man, her hands tangled in the folds of his favorite green bomber jacket. A calm, peaceful smile rested on her face, her head resting against his chest.
Across from them sat two women: one appeared to be a female version of the blonde man, while the other was a pretty, modestly dressed, red-head. The two women laughed softly as they sat together, skimming through a baby-book bearing the words "Henrietta's First Year" on the leather cover.
Nine years had passed since the first year of that child, and Henrietta Sunderland was growing quickly. While she lacked the beauty of her delicate, blonde, mother, Henri had a sweet, kind face. The child yawned blearily, gazing down at the picture album which also occupied the man's lap. The photos depicted a sparkling lake and a grand hotel, stunning in its simple elegance.
"What is that, Uncle James?" the little girl asked, pointing to the picture. Her uncle smiled, a far-away look in his eyes.
"That is the Lake View Hotel, Angel. It's in Aunt Mary's and Uncle James' favorite town, a beautiful place called Silent Hill. I took this on our honeymoon."
"Oooohhhhh," the child said, gazing in innocent wonder at this place that was so precious to the man she considered perfect in every way. "What's the lake called?"
"Lake Toluca. I remember when your aunt and I first saw that lake. We stood on the pier of Rosewater Park and gazed out onto that lake for an entire day, just the two of us. It was one of the happiest days of my life. We were so happy in that town…," the far away look in his eyes remained as he thought of those happy times. "We'll return to that place someday, Henrietta. Maybe we'll take you along. You would fit perfectly into that heaven, Angel. I know you would be happy there." He turned from the picture to look into her big, silvery eyes. "What do you think, Angel? Would you like to go there with us?"
The child's eyes grew even larger, a smile blooming on her face. "Yeah! I want to go with Uncle James!" She laughed happily, hugging her uncle tightly. James Sunderland grinned, running a hand through her hair.
"I knew you'd like that. Silent Hill would be the perfect place for you, Angel…,"
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Henri rubbed her eyes briefly, mind returning to the present.
It really had been too long since she had thought of Uncle James.
It had devastated the entire family when Aunt Mary had become ill. She had been such a sweet woman, and she had made James so happy. Henri vaguely remembered the last time she had seen Mary in the hospital.
Her quiet beauty was gone, and she glared hatefully at everyone who entered the room. Henri had even heard her yelling at James a time or two. Mary wouldn't yell at Henri, though. When Henri would enter the room, Mary would stop her angry tirade and smile painfully, thanking her for bringing Mary's favorite flowers.
Henri could easily remember the constant pain her aunt was in, and how helpless her fourteen-year-old self had felt at the deterioration of her once vibrant aunt. Henri's helplessness was nothing compared to James', though. Her strong uncle deteriorated right along with his wife; the wife who had no qualms about verbally abusing him in her pain and sorrow.
Henri never believed that Mary had meant the horrible things she said to James; rather, it was that only way she had to free herself of the near constant pain she went through. The doctors kept her alive for a long time…too long, perhaps. In the end, it seemed that Mary just wanted to die. She got her wish, eventually. Maybe she took James with her…
Shaking her head, Henri tried to drive the tragic death of her aunt and the subsequent disappearance of her uncle from her mind. 'The perfect place for me, huh, Uncle James? I hope this is not what you meant.' Still, she could imagine Uncle James standing in just this spot, staring out into the water during happier times, his beautiful wife by his side.
Turning from the waterfront, Henrietta continued to walk down the pier. She had nearly walked to the end when she noticed a strange stone that stood near the exit's steps. It seemed be a memorial for a number of people whose bodies lay at the bottom of Lake Toluca. Knitting her eyebrows, Henri leaned closer to the memorial.
As she rested her hand on the stone, she must have knocked something off of the base, a soft thud resulting as that "something" hit the ground. Looking down, Henri noticed a small, brown square.
It was a wallet.
A strange, ominous feeling overcame her as she reached down and touched the tough leather. It looked like it had been exposed to the elements for a long time. Opening it cautiously, her eyes widened in disbelief, which soon became painful shock.
Rare tears gathered in her eyes, and she felt as though a terrible weight had fallen onto her shoulders. She abruptly sank to the ground, the stress she had felt since arriving at South Ashfield Heights Apartments compounding as she stared fixedly on the impossibility before her.
As she lay on the ground, staring emptily up at the darkening sky, she tried to pretend that the wallet on the ground next to her was merely someone's idea of a terrible joke. Her eyelids grew heavier as exhaustion finally overcame her, and she soon fell into a troubled sleep.
On the ground next to her, the driver's license inside of the open wallet displayed the gently smiling, if slightly water-logged, face of James Sunderland.