Disclaimer: I do not own the Silent Hill series or any of its characters, places, etc. The only character I own is my OC Katy.
A/N: I want to thank those who are reading my story (or reviewing my story). I especially want to thank UndeadCowboy for the review; those tips really helpful. Also, I think I'm leaning towards having Katy replace Heather's role entirely, though I am still working with the ideas in the back of my head. Now, on to the story (who knows, we might just run into Claudia).
Chapter 3: Claudia
After a few minutes, I managed to get to my feet. I kicked the monster in the stomach, just to make sure it was really dead. The last thing I needed was to make a mistake so soon. Reluctantly, I turned to look over at the partially eaten monster in the corner and instantly regretted it.
Blood trickled down its body and pooled across the floor. Streams of it were spreading out towards me. The whole top half of the monster—including its face—was ravaged and chunks of flesh were hanging in odd directions. The contents of my stomach came rushing up and I spun away from the dead body, throwing up whatever I had. My stomach clenched as I repeatedly dry-heaved. My head was spinning violently and I felt like I was going to pass out.
I sat down in a nearby chair to let my stomach settle. A cold sweat poured down my face and the rusty smell of fresh blood didn't help me any. It was almost suffocating as it reached my nose. How the hell was I going to make it through this nightmare if I couldn't even handle one dead body?
The handgun was still locked in my hands; it was the only protection I had. Beside me were a couple packs of bullets and I shoved them in the pockets of the white vest, knowing I would need them later. It was always better to have more than enough bullets than not enough at all.
Somehow, I found the strength I needed to stand up, though I did falter for a second. Grimacing at the bodies, I went behind the counter and found the unlocked door there. I froze for only a second, thinking that I had heard one of the bodies almost gasping for breath. It's only my imagination, I told myself before practically jumping through the door.
The door I took led to a grayish hallway. There was an elevator beside me but I knew from experience that it probably wouldn't work. Just to prove my point, I tried the button. No sound came and the doors never opened. See? I knew it wouldn't work. So much for that idea.
A soft crying sound came from somewhere down the hallway. The hallway took an odd turn so I couldn't see the monster that was coming my way. I already knew what it was. Gulping nervously, I raised my gun. The small-sized monster came into view. It had an ugly gray body that walked along on two thin legs. It didn't really have a head, so to speak; just a large stump with a weird indented opening in the middle.
Abruptly, I pulled the trigger but the only sound that came was the clicking of an empty gun. Damn! I never reloaded! It wasn't like I could pull up an inventory, press a few buttons and the gun would automatically reload. Panicking, I took one look at the monster lurching toward me and ran down the hallway. I twisted every knob I could find and one finally swung open. I leaped inside, grateful for the escape.
A growling came from in front of me and my eyes shot open to see one of those dog monsters, the ones with two heads. It hunched down to the ground, prepared to pounce at me. Oh, God…you've got to be kidding me, right? I thought about the other monster outside and chose that one instead, ducking out of the room just as the dog jumped at me. This game was harder than it seemed; I had to give the characters credit for actually surviving it.
Back in the hallway, I noticed the map of the mall hanging in front of me and I breathed a sigh of relief. I wasn't bad when it came to playing these games, but it didn't mean I had these places memorized. I tore the map off the wall and held it in front of me as I navigated through the hallway. Part of me wondered where that other monster went to, but I really didn't mind its absence.
At the end of the hallway, a yellow door with red writing—No Smoking, of course—was supposed to lead me to one of the main levels of the mall. That was also where Helen's Bakery was. Hmmm…maybe I could get ahold of the flamethrower, I thought as I pushed open the door.
As I did, I heard a deep moaning sound and saw another of those large monsters, similar to the one I had taken down earlier. Its circular head eyed me and one of its thick, long arms reached out to punch me. Its arm landed right in the center of my chest, knocking the breath out of me and making me fly backwards. It dragged its body closer and I crawled around it before it dropped another arm where I had been laying. That was close…
I threw open the door of Helen's Bakery and searched around for the flamethrower. It wasn't on the counter like it was supposed to be. Then I remembered you were supposed to beat the game a first time before acquiring the flamethrower. Aw man, and I was really looking forward to using it. Disappointed, I took the tongs off a nearby table and hesitated before leaving. My stomach still throbbed from that thing punching me; I knew I would be bruised tomorrow.
I returned outside and noticed that monster moving away in the opposite direction. It was my chance and I ran for the yellow door, crashing through it loudly as I banged my elbow on the wooden doorframe. Ow! Now I'll be bruised in two places tomorrow!
Cursing in my head, I dashed down the gray hallway again, almost toppling over the small monster I had ignored before. It cried out shrilly as it was knocked to the ground and I disregarded it, heading for one of the unlocked rooms. I remembered there would be a key underneath a wooden crate—honestly, why didn't Heather just lift the thing? Why make it so complicated as to have to go to a bakery and get tongs? Because it's Silent Hill, that's why, I reminded myself.
I found the door, but only after I almost went into the room with the double-headed dog. This room was slightly bigger and had shelves that lined one whole wall. Books, boxes, and other materials were stacked on the shelves carelessly. There was another box of bullets and two health drinks, which I crammed into my pockets. Larger boxes were scattered and piled around the room.
My eye caught the strange red painted symbol on the spines of the books and I allowed my fingers to brush over them. Nothing miraculous happened; it was just the familiar symbol that was displayed throughout the game. No saving the game this time. No second chances.
The crate was positioned next to a large box that was marked "fragile." Unlike Heather, I dug my fingernails into the bottom of the crate and lifted up, but it stayed right where it was. What the hell? Is it glued to the floor? Looking closer, I saw white drops of dried paste oozing from underneath the crate. Oh…so that's why the tongs are so necessary. Stubbornly, I refused to give in and tried tearing the crate away again. Sighing, I lowered my body until I was kneeling beside the crate and pushed the tongs underneath.
It took me a couple minutes to find the key with the tongs. All I could hear was metal scraping as I blindly directed the tongs around. A faint scratching of something else hit my ears and I used the tongs to scrape the key along until it slid out on the floor. This will be an interesting story for my parents after they learn I've skipped school. 'What did you learn today, darling?' 'Oh, nothing. I just learned how to use tongs to grab a key under a crate that's super-glued to the floor. Yay,' I thought sarcastically.
Before I left the room, I decided to figure out how to reload the gun. It must have taken me at least twenty minutes to reload it with new bullets because my legs were aching from standing in one spot for so long. There, at least that's done. Now I don't have to run screaming every time I see a monster.
Leaving the room with the key pressed firmly in the palm of my hand, I retraced my steps until I saw the yellow door. I also saw the small monster tagging along with another of its kind. My mouth dropped as I watched the two of them, ambling slowly towards me. What? It called for backup or something? They were close and I had no choice but to fire a couple bullets into each of them. I gasped each time I fired a bullet; I had to get used to how the gun felt in my hands. I kicked the two monsters and left their bleeding bodies behind. I was just glad I had nothing else to lose in my stomach.
…
In the main level of the mall, I was grateful that those big, bulky monsters weren't anywhere near me. I could hear their low growling, but I couldn't see them. I decided to take that as a good thing. Using my memory of Silent Hill 3, I found the correct door and inserted the key into its lock, waiting for that fateful click. The knob twisted freely in my hand and I was suddenly inside a type of bookstore. There were at least four aisles of books and two whole bookshelves lining the walls. The lights above were fizzling and crackling, but there was very little light.
In one aisle, there were three fallen books which I knew held the number to the keypad on the exit door. Picking them up—God, were they heavy books!—I stacked them on the shelf until their numbers made sense. 6241…got it. Why couldn't they just have it written on a piece of paper? Who the hell writes the combination to a keypad on books?
I didn't want to be in this place any longer than I had to. The lights dimmed as the electricity shorted out. The darkness was so thick; I couldn't even see my hand in front of my face. Closing my eyes, I wished that I wouldn't be kept in darkness much longer. When I opened my eyes, the darkness was still there and I had to brush my hands along the walls in order to find my way to the door. The lights refused to come on, so I had to act like a blind person and feel around the keys for the right numbers. It took me three tries before the door sprang open, unlocked. And I said let there be light, I thought, stepping into the bright hallway.
It looked the same as that gray hallway I had been in before. They really needed a new paintjob and with a color that wasn't so…depressing. What am I thinking? I'm in a video game and a Silent Hill video game at that. It's supposed to be this way, even if it is mildly depressing. I was too busy arguing with myself to notice the woman blocking my path. As I was staring at the drab walls, I bumped into her and fell backwards to the ground. That was embarrassing.
"Oh, sorry," I muttered, getting to my feet. The woman lifted a bony hand to brush herself off, as though she thought I might have infectious germs. She was wearing a long-sleeved black dress that reached down to her ankles. Her long, nearly white hair flowed over her shoulders, contrasting with the dark colors of her clothing. Those wide gray eyes of hers never lingered from my face and it made me a little uncomfortable. I knew this woman; it was Claudia, Alessa's sister. Oh, boy…here we go. "Claudia," I whispered and then bit down on my lip hard. Her gray eyes seemed to get bigger as she distinctly heard what I said.
"Do you remember?" Her high-pitched, accented voice went right through my head, just as it did whenever I was playing this game. Her question rang through my head and I decided to play dumb so that she wouldn't become any more suspicious than she might have been already.
"Remember what? The fact that you were in my way?" My voice came out harsh, but she appeared unaffected by its quality. "About those monsters…"
"They've come to witness the Beginning. The rebirth of Paradise, despoiled by mankind," she responded calmly as if she were talking about the weather. This was the way it always was with Claudia. Paradise this and the birth of God that. To me, it was a bunch of nonsense and unnecessary trouble. I threw my hands up in the air in frustration. I didn't have time for this at all.
"Whatever. Now, if you'll kindly get out of my way, I'll be leaving," I retorted, trying to push past her. She lifted one of her hands and placed it on my chest, forcing me to stumble back and away from her.
"Don't you know? Your power is needed," she explained, pointing a long finger directly at me. My power? Was this woman serious with this brainwashed nonsense? In the words of Heather, was everyone a complete mental case here or was it just me? If Claudia actually believed I was sticking around to birth a demonic entity, she had another thing coming. Like my gun, for example. "I am Claudia," she informed me, deliberately pronouncing every syllable of her name. I rolled my eyes at her.
"And your point is?" Crossing my arms over my still aching chest, I glared furiously at her.
"Remember me and your true self as well, also that which you must become. The one who will lead us to Paradise with blood stained hands," she said, turning away from me. Did this woman ever know when to shut up? It was easy to see why Heather had gotten so annoyed at her.
Suddenly, a deep tremor erupted in my body and it felt like one hundred knives were stabbing me all over. The muscles in my legs cramped up, causing me to fall to the floor. My stomach twisted and then untwisted only to twist once more. It was unending and the most painful thing I had ever felt. My head felt like it was ready to explode and splatter my brains on the walls. God, help me! It's too painful to even think! Was this how Heather felt whenever this happened to her? If so, then I felt the utmost sympathy for her at this point.
Claudia's back was facing me now and I realized she was walking away. The pain continued and my ears were ringing. I knew this wouldn't stop until I either died or reached the end of this game. Or I could kill Claudia…The thought was tempting and I even reached for my gun. It took every cell in my body to fight off the pain long enough to focus on her and shoot a couple of bullets. Each one greatly missed her body and I swore. As she turned the corner, I saw a wide smile spreading on her face. Then she was gone. I swear, I'm going to get her sometime, I vowed as the pain slowly melted away.
Every inch of my body was throbbing and aching. My face was drenched with sweat from struggling through the waves of pain and the ground felt cold on my skin. I must have been laying there for at least a few minutes, though it felt like an eternity before the pain vanished completely. What the hell is wrong with that woman? Taking a couple deep breaths, I used the wall as a support so that I could get my body off the ground.
Limping over to the elevator, I pressed the button to call it, knowing it would come. My ears were still ringing and I could barely hear my own unsteady breathing. The elevator doors slid open to reveal a plain car with white walls. I pressed whatever button my hands found and the elevator descended, making my stomach flip. I rested my head against the wall and wished I was in my warm bed and that this was all just a dream.
A buzz of static pierced my ears as a radio clattered to the ground. It was about time; of course, I needed the radio if I was going to be avoiding these monsters. It was red, had a few scratch marks on it, and was very small—perfect size to fit in one of the vest pockets.
The elevator doors slid open to reveal more darkness. This elevator was different; it was a metal cage with a fence wrapped around it instead of white walls. My boots thumped against the metal ground as I walked into it. It wasn't like I had any other choice, right? The doors slid closed behind me and it began to descend even further, but not before I caught sight of the monster located behind the fence.
It was Voltiel, the figure who often resurrected Heather whenever she died in the game. Would he resurrect me as well? His large body resembled those other tall monsters. Its head spun in thousands of directions at once, reminding me of Linda Blair in The Exorcist. Nice image when I'm stuck in a hellhole like Silent Hill. Wonderful image. It looked like he was spinning a couple of valves and I wondered why he did that.As the car descended, I lost sight of Voltiel, not that I wasn't glad about that.
The rusted cage groaned and creaked as I dropped further down into my own personal hell. Leaning against one of the fences, I prayed this was all a dream. When the hell am I going to wake up?
…..
I actually made this one a bit longer than my other two chapters (see, told you). So, how did you guys like it? Of course, I'm always open to constructive criticism (so if you think I should improve on something, tell me!). Otherwise, I hope to update the next chapter soon! (=