Chapter Two: Thick Fog and Bloody Roads

Josh had been driving for so long, it was only eleven when he had left home but yet it was now two o'clock. The road came at him fast as his eyes wanted to shut. Normally he was one to stay up late, yet the driving seemed to wear him down. Josh just needed to stop and get a quick pick-me-up so that he could make it for the road ahead.

The truck stopped at a gas station and Josh made his way in looking around the small dining area it had held within the station. Josh sat himself at the bar and waited for someone to come so that he may give his order.

Coffee had come as black as it could've got. Josh picked up the coffee cup and sipped some of the coffee out letting the warmth be felt throughout his throat. The coffee was empty in a minute or so, and that was when Josh was ready to head for the road once more. Someone in the diner, though, had a watchful eye on him from a booth.

The road was paved well and made it a smooth ride for Josh and his truck; he didn't need to break down in the middle of no where without anyone to fix his truck. Josh looked around and felt himself more awake yet there was a large bump up ahead. Josh sped over the bump since it was rather large, but as he had finished sirens came on behind him. It was a cop.

"Shit," Josh practically yelled noticing he had gone over the speed limit for only a few seconds, but the cops out here must've been ruff. Josh pushed the gas pedal and sped down the paved road, the police car not too far behind.

It was five minutes into the chase that the road began to fog up. Whispers where every in the fog calling out from the forests as though they belonged to the real, yet the wind was the only whisper. Josh turned and looked in his rear view mirror; he'd lost them which was a big relief.

Then on the road before the truck a small girl started to walk across having a ghostly appearance to her. "Holy," Josh yelled turning the wheel suddenly making the car spin out of control. The car swerved here and there with no stop, spinning out of control every now and then, until it crashed into some trees not too far from where the girl had come out of. Josh lay in the truck unconscious.

Josh had woken up, who knew when but he was glad to see at least he was alive with only a small cut on his arm. Josh then looked around at the scenery seeing that he was in a forested area. He took one step forward to exit this and into a parking lot with at least six cars parked, not all in parking spots though. Josh looked around and found a sign that said "Welcome to Toluca Park".

Josh looked around this parking lot ignoring the fact that Toluca was apart of the city he was looking for, Silent Hill. Fog was thick that the eye could only see ten feet before the images were all white along with the fog. Car tracks were all on the parking lot as though someone had pressed the gas and break at the same moment. All was quiet except for the sound of the lake that was not too far from him. Yes that lake Jacob had mentioned it before when he mumbled something about a marriage. Actually everything Josh knew about Silent Hills appearance had come from Jacob, yet some places just all seemed to sound the same as normal places.

Making was to the restroom Josh had to let out a leak before he could ponder on more of these odd sightings. The cars were all empty and some doors unlocked. Josh even found a map in an open car door. Moving back Josh looked to the path to his left, it was the only path that would probably lead to his destination, but it was all so hard to see.

Shadows beckoned once more to Josh making their way to the path moving ever so hastily. Josh watched the shadows moving and took a step feeling the solid ground under him for a second, and then moved down the path. The shadows moved more and more guiding him down the paved stairs until he reached a dirt path. The right foot came down first, and then the left one. Josh sighed seeing that he did not sink into the ground. Josh moved more down the path looking more and more through the fog, but the problem was still sight. It never worsened, and it never became better.

The whole path was a forest, all of it. The dirt on the path was a bright brown color, more like yellowish-orange though. Every now and then the wind whispered to Josh's ear sounding like a voice, yet it had no body to tell him. Sounds from the woods also came piercing the ear. It sound like a large piece of metal bending, or like the bottom of a ship at sea.

Josh stopped along the path and looked into a ranch that was on the path. Nothing was outside, no horses or trainers to feed them. "This is one weird place," Josh whispered to himself turning and walking. On the ranch, twenty feet from Josh were horses on the ground laying dead. Josh could not see them due to the fog.

The path had led to a gate that Josh could open, which is what he had done. Josh entered and looked around. There were grave stones all around, and no one seemed to inhabit the area. On more search Josh had found a church that was boarded up, it was very small and had no lights or any significance to what a church should possess.

"What are you doing here?" A females voice rang from behind Josh. Josh turned to face a woman who had popped up from behind a grave stone. The woman had long black hair and a Spanish tone to her skin. Her eyes were of a green color and her figure tall and thin yet her arms showed of some muscle. "I won't ask again."

Josh looked into her green eyes. "Names Josh, can I get yours in return?"

"Kathy," The female replied.

"Nice name," Josh said.

There was a long moment of silence, and for a time Josh was thinking about just leaving the lady here thinking she had died.

"I'm… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make this awkward or anything," Kathy had said looking down at her feet.

A sudden breeze blew.

"Don't worry, it's fine," Josh said, and then asked, "So what is going on here in Silent Hill?"

"Why, you don't know?" Kathy asked.

"Apparently not," Josh said.

It was two minutes that Josh had waited for Kathy to answer, yet she just seemed like stone. Kathy didn't make motions except for her quivering mouth, and her eyes moving frantically left and right.

"It was them," Kathy finally replied pointing to the church Josh had looked at.

"What about them?" Josh asked making a confused expression.

"I'm…I'm sorry," Kathy apologized once more like she had done before.

"Why do you keep saying you're sorry?" Josh asked looked at her with a worried face.

Kathy didn't reply, she only looked down and the moved her hands in a begging like way and started to mumble some words. Kathy then stopped and looked left and right.

"Look I'm, uh, going now," Josh said heading the opposite direction.

"NO!" Kathy screamed grabbing his arm and then she let go. "I'm… I'm sorry," Kathy said beginning to cry.

Josh looked at her, she had quite a grip for her figure. "And why not?" He asked.

"It's… it's dangerous there. I've been looking for my sister, my father, and mama… I mean mother for awhile here," Kathy said looking left and right more.

"Don't worry, I'm pretty sure I can handle myself," Josh said getting out of her grip and starting off down the path in the grave yard. Kathy watched him walk off and then looked back at the grave stone she was at.

Josh walked on through the graveyard until he came upon a gate which opened into another path, this time this one was paved. Josh got onto the path and noticed that the trail led straight upward, which meant that this might've led to town since it was on top of a mountain. Moving onto the pavement the fog still seemed the same.

Josh had made it halfway up when the noises had started to change. It almost sounded like a dinosaur was screaming on the cliff making noise. Josh ignored it seeing as though it must've been nothing. The path wound left and right yet the sound did not change from this scream, it only seemed to get louder as Josh moved upward to Silent Hill.

The path led to a gate that had a chain on it but no lock. There was a sign on the gate that had welcome Josh to the city of Silent Hill. Josh opened the gate and found the streets of the area, it was quiet. Maybe that was why it was named Silent Hill. But Josh had heard of a carnival that came to the city, it was as though nobody came for it.

As far as this city went, it looked normal. Buildings were colored grey on the outside with tarps and signs for shops. The city looked like the ones you saw back in time, not as modern looking. It had some historic feeling to it.

Josh moved out onto the grey pavement and almost slipped on something on the ground when he heard the sound turn back to the bending metal. Josh stood himself and looked around. The ground seemed wet, not there was something about it. There was a black substance on the ground which Josh had picked up. "Black snow? No it's… ash from fire?" Josh started to question himself running the substance in his fingers.

This was by far the weirdest thing Josh had ever seen since he had crashed the truck. The ground was coved almost in the ash, but when you would blink the eye the ash had vanished before your eyes. The ash, though, fell as though it were snow even if you had blinked.

"Where the hell am I?" Josh asked himself cleaning off the ash from his fingers and looking around the area. The city still looked normal, nothing different about it.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" A males voice screamed through the fog, but then the sound died to silence. Josh looked around.

"Hello?" Josh called out thinking this was a joke, yet nothing replied. The silence was his only answer, someone was gone and had screamed only moments ago.

Josh moved on down the street slowly feeling some fear going through his body. Nothing to protect him from what the man had screamed from before. But what if the scream was a joke, yes it must've been some sort of joke.

Josh walked on and then almost fell once more but it was for a different reason. Picking himself up Josh looked down and saw some red substance on the ground. Josh placed his finger on the liquid and rubbed it in the fingers of his hand before letting himself lick it. "Blood?" Josh questioned the answer.

Josh looked to his right where the road veered off and saw a figure stumbling through the fog until it was out of sight. Josh moved through toward it but didn't see anything. Looking down there was a trail of blood on the ground, which was easy enough to follow.

Josh followed the trail slowly looking left and right frantically like Kathy had done, but now Josh had known why. These figures of the fog, they made this trail of blood hadn't they? That's a question Josh wanted an answer to yet, he did not dare try to answer it.

Shadows danced along the road Josh reached another dirt trail which was like the one before, yet it did not go up and down. The trail was on one level leading to a construction site, which had been silent just like Silent Hill. "Shouldn't these people be on work by now, I have to be dreaming," Josh started to said looking at the emptiness.

Sound came from his left which happened to be a boarded up area blocking off entry under and arched bridge. Josh made his way inside this and looked around finding the device that had made the static sound. It was a radio.

Josh picked up the radio and started to toy with it not noticing the figure across the archway from him getting up. The area was filled with boxes on both sides, which the figure bumped into. Josh looked at the presence and the radio started to become berserk. "What, what the hell is that thing," Josh said looking at it.

The figure had no face, yet it was shaped like a medium-tall human figure. It looked like a mass of skin without eyes, mouth, and such yet it made noise along with the radio. It also had no hair, and like I say once more it was a mass of skin. The arms had seemed to be sown into the chest area of this monstrosity. The chest area also seemed to open slightly vertically each time this thing took in a breath. The only normal humanlike quality this monster possessed was it's legs, they were so normal yet it stumbled without arms. This was known as a patient due to the fact that with the arms sown made it look like it was in a straight-jacket.

Looking everywhere Josh needed a weapon quick, this thing seemed dangerous. Even though the patient had stumbled, it's stumbling was very fast. Josh turned to the board area and ripped off a plank of wood and turned to the patient holding the wood like a sword.

The patient came fast and Josh picked up a tarp which he could see though. The patient seemed to scream along with the radio and this liquid like substance came from the chest, making the tarp start to melt. Josh threw the tarp down and hit the patient three times with the plank making hit fall to the ground, but that was not the end of it. The patient began to crawl around without needing hands still, moving with it's feet and staying fairly close to the ground. Josh followed it and crushed it's head with his foot smashing it downward and smearing it around. Josh back up and left the archway from the way he came.

"What the hell was that thing?" Josh asked looking around as the radio stopped. The radio then became static.

Seconds after this silence white noise came and a females voice called out something. Josh listened closely and started to mumble to himself. Then putting the radio in his pocket Josh thought, 'The radio, it just said Jacob…'