Disclaimer: I do not own Silent Hill or anything related to it. The only thing I own is my character, Katy. That's it.
A/N: You know, Heather really goes through a lot before she even gets home. Well, here is the part about the office building (and perhaps one of those little scares they throw in there). Have any of you seen the Mannequin room? If not, then this chapter should be really insightful. (= The Mannequin room is just plain…creepy. Enjoy reading!
Chapter 11: Nightmarish Delusions
It wasn't long before I realized that I had to leave the office sometime. The office I was standing in was just so…normal. There was a clean, organized desk with a picture of someone's family in an ornate frame. A pile of paperwork was sitting on the left side of the desk, untouched and unfinished. A copy machine was positioned behind the desk, its light blinking. A fax machine was placed on a smaller table across the room. There was even a growing plant in a corner of the room. Everything about it was normal, more normal than anything I had seen all night. Just a few more minutes and then I'll leave. I swear.
I picked up the frame and observed the picture. It was a perfect-looking family. They were all happy, the four of them. There was a man in a business suit with a million-dollar smile on his face. His arm was placed on the shoulder of his wife, a thin woman with that housewife type of hairstyle and a plain dress. Two children—a girl and a boy—were sitting beside each other, looking like best friends even though they probably always fought when not captured in a photo. Some part of me wondered who this guy was and if he was with his family right now. Lucky you, I thought as I tossed the frame back onto the desk.
Okay, it's now or never, I thought as I put my hand on the doorknob. Carefully, I turned the handle and pulled the door open. It didn't even creak once, which made me feel a little more secure. At least they might not hear me coming. Who knows? I might have the element of surprise. Slowly, I crept into the hallway and glanced both ways like I was crossing the street. To my right was a white wall while a hallway stretched out to my left. Boxes were piled in front of me, most taped closed with duct tape.
Large gray doors lined the hallway, all of them unable to be opened. Other, smaller doors had their handles broken and so could not be opened. It didn't help that I had no map of the building yet and I was forced to work blindly. Another door was labeled with the name of a specific department, but it wouldn't budge. I remembered passing through here in the game so it made little sense to me. Come on! I know this is the way! Why won't it open?
Angry, I decided to check out the rest of the hallway before trying again. At the very end of the hallway were two gray doors, these ones smaller in size. The one to the left was useless. There was a box of mannequin parts outside the other door and my stomach plummeted fiercely. I knew what was behind this door and I certainly didn't want to experience it for real. I have no choice, do I? That's why the other door won't open yet; they want me to go in there. Who do you think I am, a lab rat that you can train and control?
Cautiously, I twisted the knob and shoved the door open. There was only one light inside and it did little to illuminate the room. Shelves were lined up inside, each one holding dozens of headless mannequins. Their arms reached out, as if waiting to grab anyone who walked by. At the end of one aisle was a mannequin with a faceless head, but no arms. Walking up to it, I examined it closely, looking for something out of the ordinary. The arms of the other mannequins seemed to stretch towards me.
Let's see if the same thing will happen, I thought as I turned away and walked into the other aisle. This one had two packs of shotgun shells on one of the shelves. As I made my way towards them, a sudden shriek pierced the air and I caught sight of quick movement out of the corner of my eye. Quickly, I returned to the other aisle and stopped in my tracks. The headless mannequins were the same, but the faceless mannequin was now without its head.
Blood seeped from its shoulders and dripped onto the ground. The head was lying on the floor, blood pooled around it. My heart raced as I stared at it, unable to come up with an explanation. Suddenly, the headless mannequins seemed to be looking at me, even though they didn't have a head. Each one was pointing their arms in my direction. Leaving the packs of shells behind, I scurried out of the room and away from the headless mannequins.
…
After that scenario, I tried the other door again and this time it swung open with ease. My heart was still beating hard after seeing that mannequin covered in blood. It was burned into my mind and the fact that it had no plausible explanation made it all the scarier. It's like Alice in Wonderland, only much darker.
This door led to a whole new area. Doors were located in various places, some for the elevators. I tried the buttons, but none of them responded. A deep growl came from somewhere in the hallway and I brought my shotgun up for protection. There was a Double-Head in here, somewhere. Out of nowhere, the dog came lurching from the shadows, its tongue protruding from its mouth. My reflexes were good; I tumbled out of the way and pulled the trigger. The bullet caught the dog in the chest and it fell to the ground, panting. I kicked it again and again until it simply lay there, not breathing. God, I hate those things.
Remembering my wound, I glanced down at my leg and noticed that it needed yet another bandage. Dropping the gun on the floor, I untied the bloody piece of cloth and dumped it into a nearby trashcan. Sitting on the floor, I opened my bag and pulled out the remaining bit of my orange turtleneck. I ripped another long strip of it and tied it tightly around my leg, hoping it would be okay for a little while more. It's probably infected by now, I realized as I stared at it miserably. I'm probably going to have to get it chopped off. At least it won't be as bad as anything I'm seeing here.
Breathing deeply, I used the wall to get to my feet and carried on through the hallway, ignoring the dull pain in my leg. Since getting the wound, I had learned to ignore the pain and I seldom felt it as I moved. I wondered if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Towards the back, there was a doorway that was labeled "Monica's Dance Studio" in white letters. A poster was hanging on the wall beside it, featuring a ballet dancer and the times for a show. It was curious; most of the times were scheduled on today's date.
It was the dance department, awarded solely for a dance studio and a couple offices. I instantly chose the office across the narrow hallway. Inside, it was like the first office building I had been in; it was organized with colorful posters on the white walls and a desk with papers stacked in the corner. A long, fancy glass table held a map of the building, which made my heart fly with relief. Scanning it, I realized I'd have to make a trip up to the sixth floor and find the auto-body department.
On one of the bigger posters—taped on the wall behind the desk—was the painted red symbol of the Order, its delicate red circles and designs burning into my skull. I knew Claudia wasn't here in this building; she was probably already on her way to killing Harry Mason with her little Missionary. Part of me wondered if Vincent had something to do with this and if the symbols were made for something more besides saving your game. A faint memory popped into my head, something that dealt with reading about the symbol, but I couldn't remember exactly what the memo said.
Truthfully, I hadn't given Vincent a thought since this whole nightmare started. Now, the foreshadowing of his meeting haunted my mind and I could only imagine what I would say to someone as untrustworthy and strange as him. At least he seems saner than Claudia, what with her broken record protests of "Paradise" and "birthing God", I thought to myself.
Glaring at the red symbol, I turned to the desk. There was nothing useful on the top of it—just a couple papers, magazines, a stapler, and a paperweight. Only one drawer was half-open, revealing a large white rope, which I slung around my arm. Taking a last look around the room, I retraced my steps back to the larger area, the body of the Double-Head still lying where I shot it down. With the rope around my arm, I noticed what I hadn't before—one of the elevators was slightly ajar, the shaft empty and dark. Up to the auto-body department it is so that I can find a jack, I thought as I dropped the rope next to the elevator. It was easier that way and I really didn't expect anyone—or rather, anything—to take off with it. A door at the other end led to the stairwell, marked with a glowing red "EXIT" sign.
The stairwell was different from the one I saw in the construction site. For one thing, this one actually had some kind of lighting, even if the lights here were poorly lit and made the whole stairway feel dimmed. It was also absent of anything that suggested human presence, such as paint cans or boxes or even a lousy sign. My boots clapped against the cement steps as I hurriedly climbed to the sixth floor. By the time I reached it, carrying the weighty shotgun in my hands, I was out of breath. Funny; Heather and James are never out of breath when they climb stairs. It's just the vast amount of running that gets to them!
It felt like my lungs were about to burst as I pulled air into them. Leaning against the wall, I took long breaths and waiting for my heart rate to slow down. It was only then that I realized how tired I was. My body ached in so many places that I couldn't even begin to count them. There was so much gunk on my body that I'd have to take a shower for days, just to get rid of the smell. As I leaned back, I felt like I could fall asleep right there in the stairwell. Maybe if I do, I'll wake up in my own bed. There's that denial again.
Opening my eyes, I thought I saw a shadow skitter across the wall on the fifth level, as if someone had just entered the stairwell and was trying hard not to be noticed. The fifth floor belonged to the mental department or something like that, which meant…Gazing over the railing, I hoped to get a glimpse of anyone below, even if it was Vincent. Coming around to the first few steps, I saw the first patch of gray door and there was no one there. Alessa again? Or is it just another trick of my mind? God, this place is getting to me…
Satisfied that there was no one there, I quickly opened the sixth floor door and began searching for the auto-body department. The area was exactly the same as the main one on the third floor. It felt like déjà vu as I found the doorway I was looking for. The faded lettering read "Jack's Autobody". It contained a series of desks, arranged together in the middle of the room. Each one was almost bare and empty. A few filing cabinets were hollow and did not contain a single folder inside. There were a couple shelves in the very back, one holding a jack. I practically jumped for joy because it meant being closer to my freedom.
Unlike the rope, I had to carry the jack with me and there was no easy way to stash it. In one hand I had the jack and the other was holding the gun. As quickly as I could, I made my way back to the stairwell and descended to the third level, only pausing once to glance around on the fifth level. The doorknob was broken and so there could have been no one standing there, having just left the fifth floor. If it was Vincent, I'll kill him, I vowed as I pushed the chilling feeling away.
At least there was one good thing as I returned to the third floor. Nobody ran off with my rope; it was sitting right next to the elevator where I left it. Kneeling beside it, I squeezed the jack in between the two doors. It was harder than it looked, especially since I had never been knowledgeable when it came to tools.
With a little difficulty, I cranked the jack until the doors slid apart, revealing a quiet, empty elevator shaft. Tossing the jack aside, I tied the rope to one of the built-in trashcans nearby. Glancing down into the shaft, I pictured myself falling down with increasing speed until I slammed into the bottom of the shaft far below. Think positive, Katy, I urged myself. It'll be just like climbing the rope in gym class. Except I was never very skilled at that test, either.
Carefully, I lowered my body onto the rope and into the air. The rope swung back and forth for a few seconds, causing me to grip the rope as though my life depended on it, in a manner of speaking. When the rope slowed to a halt, I took my time edging my way down the rope, the remaining light from the open doors vanishing as I descended. Because I was forced to use both hands, I had to leave the shotgun behind. It was a pity because I had enjoyed the way the gun had felt in my hands. After a few torturous minutes of sliding down the rope, I found the second floor. Curiously, the elevator doors were already opened, as if someone had been there.
In order to reach the ground, I had to make the rope swing a little. Each time the open doors came close, I imagined not making it. Closing my eyes, I waited until I felt the rope swing towards the ground yet again and I jumped, landing sharply on the ground of the second floor. Rubbing my rug-burned elbows, I stood and took a look around. In front of me was a candy machine, covered over by a piece of off-white paper with the red symbol drawn on it. Irritated, I grabbed onto the paper and tore it off the machine, ripping it to little pieces. My stomach grumbled as I thought of Snickers, M&Ms, Skittles, and Three Musketeers bars. To my dismay, the machine was completely empty without a single crumb to prove that candy had actually been inside. Why is it that whenever I grow hungry here, there's nothing to eat? This place isn't just hell, it's torture!
Banging my fists furiously against the machine, I turned just in time to see a Double-Head lunging for me. Moving aside to avoid it, I watched as it jumped head-first into the candy machine, the impact creating a huge banging noise. Instinctively, I reached for my gun when I remembered I had left it on the sixth floor. Oh, hell…
Running, I searched for another doorway. The padding of the dog's paws was gaining as I took a swift right. At the end of the hall was a glass door with capital letters reading "ECHO." I wasn't sure what it was, but I threw the door open and leaped inside, shutting the door behind me. The dog crashed into the door and—instead of stopping—it kept going through the glass. Shards flew past me and cut my face as the dog collapsed onto the floor.
The room was actually a waiting room of some kind with a receptionist desk and a couple of chairs. The downside was that there was nothing to use for defense. The dog got its feet, recovering from the glass in its sides. By my feet were a couple of larger pieces of glass and I picked one up. The glass was sharp and it sliced through the skin of my hand, but I didn't care. The Double-Head considered the shard in my hand and—when it figured that I couldn't do it anymore damage—it took another lunge at me. Bracing myself, I waited for it to get close and I plunged the shard deep into its chest. The Double-Head whined and dropped to the ground, curling up with pain. Lifting my foot, I stepped onto the protruding shard until the monster's breathing halted, the glass going through its heart. If it even has a heart…
Gasping for breath, I crossed the room and went through the next door, not wanting to be there if the dog suddenly came back alive. Blood dripped over my palm from the glass, but I simply wrapped it in a small piece of the orange turtleneck. In this case, I should be in an ER, I thought as I examined myself in a dusty mirror. The room was like a show; there were bathroom sets arranged in a precise way with a bathtub in the center. Every other door was locked or broken. This was a dead end.
As I neared the bathtub, my head began pounding just as it had when I first met Claudia. The room blurred as I swayed on my feet and an intense pain swirled through my stomach. The bathtub overflowed with crimson blood, spilling towards me. Dropping to my knees, the pain continued until I could feel the blood surrounding me. The room went black and the walls shifted to that nightmarish look. Not again…
The last thing I remembered before fainting on the floor and in the middle of the bloody flood was a sentence or two, spoken by the first Silent Hill hero, Harry Mason. His words whispered through my mind. It's being invaded by the Otherworld. By a child's nightmarish delusions come to life…
…..
This was kind of a long chapter, so I am sorry about that. Next time will be…Vincent! (= I don't know about you guys, but I think his character is pretty interesting (even if he is a bit creepy at some points). Did any of you hear that they are making a second Silent Hill movie? Unfortunately, Vincent's character is going to be completely different in the movie…
How did you like the Mannequin room? It's one of the stranger thrills of Silent Hill 3, save for the mirror room in the hospital. I hope everyone enjoyed reading the (long) chapter and will keep reading as the story goes on. Reviews are always loved, especially since each one makes me a better writer!