chapter 8: central silent hill
The siren was gone, but his temples still throbbed. He opened his eyes as light hit them. He was lying on a hospital bed in the examination room, only everything was normal again. "Was I dreaming?" He asked out loud. The door to the examination room opened-
-and the old woman he had saw in the Balkan Church stepped in. "You were to late." She said in her same old gravely tone. Harry stood up sluggishly from the bed. "It's you…" He said slowly.
"Yes, Dahlia Gillespie." She said in an almost smirk like tone.
"Tell me everything you know. What's going on here?" Harry said in demand.
"Darkness! The town is being devoured by darkness!" She said, her voice going shrill. "Strength must overcome petty desire, childish sleep talk! I knew this day would come." Harry stared at Dahlia, his mouth agape. "What? I don't understand a word of this." She smiled at him, and reached into her ratty pockets. "Believe the evidence of your eyes. The other church, that is your destination!" She pulled out an old teal colored key and set it on the desk behind her. "This is beyond my abilities, only you can stop it now. Haven't you seen the crest marked on the ground all over town?!" Harry thought a moment. "So that's what I saw in the school's courtyard." He whispered. Dahlia looked at him. "Yes!" She said grinning. "What is it? What does it mean?" He asked her.
"It is the mark of Samael… Don't let it be completed…" She turned and quickly left the examination room. "Hey wait!" Harry called out. Dahlia however had already left. Once again she left Harry with more questions than answers. He walked over and picked up the teal key, which had the words "Antique Shop" on it. He pulled out the map of Central Silent Hill and looked around. Up in the top right corner above the Silent Hill Town Center was a small square with the label Antique Shop. Harry put the key and map away and left the examination room and Alchemilla Hospital. Back out onto the quiet foggy streets, Harry took in a large gulp of air. It felt good compared to the stale air of the alternate worlds.
The nightmarish worlds… He checked the map. He would have to get on Wilson Street up to Sagan Street then hang a left and keep going straight and he could get to the Antique Shop. He started up the street, eyeing all of the ominous buildings. As he turned a right onto Sagan Street his radio blared static. He raised the steel pipe, looking around. Ahead in the fog he made out three figures. Two were the odd skinned Dobermans and the third was of a man on the ground, the dogs feasting. Their huge jaws made wet snapping sounds as they ate. Harry moved in a little closer and then brought the pipe down on the closest one. It died instantly, and the second dog looked up and lunged at Harry.
He spun around, pulling the handgun out and shooting two shots into the things upper torso. It fell to the ground and Harry shot it once more in the head to ensure it was dead. He walked over to the man. Harry wondered why the dogs were eating him, he had been very dead for at least several months. The smell was made him gag. He continued on up, passing the very large town center and finally stopping at the Antique Shop. It was in ruins, with the bricks cracked and faded.
A large green sign was hanging sideways from the broken metal support post that read Antique Green Lion. So the store had a name. Harry concluded that Dahlia must be the owner, although he couldn't be sure. He inserted the key into the dilapidated door and went on inside. It was extremely dark, and none of the lights worked so he had to use his chest pocket flashlight to see.
It looked more like an antique thrift store. And old Grandfather Clock was next to the entrance, and on inside were several old couches in ugly faded pink upholstery, chairs, a computer desk, some bunk beds, a filing cabinet, a chest of drawers, and a wardrobe closet like thing up against the wall opposite the entrance. The little room looked full of things, but all of it was useless. He noticed however a metal track on the floor by the wardrobe that continued on underneath it. He went to the side and gave it a push. It slid over with a wooden scratching sound. A ragged hole was revealed, just big enough for him to fit through. A cold breeze came from the dark hole. He heard the door to the antique door open, and he spun around, raising the handgun.
"Harry!" It was Cybil Bennett.
"Cybil!" Harry called, a smile spreading across his face. She walked over to him.
"God, I'm glad your okay. Things are way worse than I thought. It's nuts!" She said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "What are you doing here? I thought you were leaving town and going back to Brahms?" Harry asked.
"I tried, all of the roads are just…gone! Cars have stopped running, and the phones and radios are out to. Besides, I saw you come in here, so I followed you." Harry nodded.
"What about my little girl? Did you happen to see her anywhere?" Harry asked hopefully.
"I did see a girl…" Cybil said quietly.
"Was it Cheryl?!" Harry asked, all of his senses returning.
"I only caught a glimpse of her, through the fog. I went after her but she just vanished. I really don't know about your daughter but-" Harry cut her off.
"And you just let her go?! Where was it?!" He said, his voice raising. Cybil waved her arms, motioning for him to calm down. "On Bachman Road. She was heading towards the lake." Harry's eyes widened. Cybil gave him a tiny smile. "Now don't get excited. It wasn't like she ran off. There wasn't any place for her to go…" Harry shook his head.
"Huh? What? So then Cheryl…" His voice drifted off.
"It was like she was walking on thin air…" Cybil finished for him. Harry shook his head again, then placed his fingers on his temples, willing the touch of a headache to go away. "What about you? Find out anything useful?" Cybil asked after a few moments. Harry let out a long breath. "Nothing to much…Wait, yeah I met this bizarre woman. Her name's Dahlia Gillespie. Do you know anything about her? She's hinted around that she knows where Cheryl is at, but always runs off after telling me stuff." Cybil looked down in thought.
"Dahlia Gillespie? No, not really. And?" Harry looked up into her blue eyes. They were searching his deep brown ones. "She said something like, the town being devoured by the darkness. Gibberish like that. I have no idea what she means, do you?" He asked. Cybil was smiling. "Darkness devouring the town…?" She thought for a moment.
"Must be on drugs." She concluded. "They sell 'em to the tourists. The force still can't find out who is behind all of it. None of our leads have panned out, and the investigation is stalled." Cybil was staring off into space.
"What does drug trafficking have to do with all of this?" Harry asked. She looked at him.
"I really don't know. Maybe that's the darkness she was talking about. It's all I can think off. Although I don't know how they got the drugs out of Alchemilla." She said, then looked over at the large hole in the wall. "What's that?" She asked, pointing at it with the barrel of her 9mm. "I just discovered it. Maybe there is something useful back there." Harry said.
"Well, lets have a look." Cybil said, and took a step forward.
"Wait. We don't know what's back there. I'd better check it out first." He said, holding his hand out. Cybil gave him a small laugh. "I'm a cop. I think I can go." She said, smiling. She probably thought Harry was trying to play Mr. Manly man hero, but that didn't bother him that much. "No, I'm going okay?" He said, giving her a thoughtful look. She sighed.
"Fine, I'll cover you from here. But be careful. If anything looks strange or outta place, get back here ASAP." She said. Harry nodded.
"Okay…Cybil?" She turned toward him.
"Yeah?" She asked, walking back over to him.
"Do you know anything about…well like some other world? Like some kind of nightmare?" He asked, hoping it didn't sound as crazy to her as it did to him. He twisted his hands nervously as she gave him a puzzled look. "What are you talking about?" She asked him bluntly. He laughed and shook his head. "Don't worry about it." He said and turned toward the hole. He felt her small hand on his shoulder. "Wait, tell me about it" She said quietly. He turned back toward her, wondering if he should.
"Go ahead, she shouldn't think you are to crazy…" He thought to himself.
"Well, I'm not quite sure myself. When I try to make sense of it my mind just goes blank. Everything is dark and decaying there, and I hear sirens in the distance. I met this nurse when it happened at the hospital, her name is Lisa. It's like I was there, but then again I wasn't. It's all a big blur, like some kind of hallucination." He finished, taking in a deep breath eyeing her warily. She shook her head, a serious look on her face. "I have no idea what you're talking about Harry." She said quietly.
"Oh, well I was just wondering. Nevermind." He said with a sigh. She gave him a weak smile.
"Harry, you're tired. That's all. And with your daughter lost I'm sure that's not helping to much." She said, giving his hand a squeeze.
"Yeah….maybe…." He gave her one last look, and then squeezed through the hole. There was debris all over the floor, and the brick walls were a sick green color and narrow. At the end was another hole, a bit larger than the first one. He raised his pipe as he entered the gloomy room. He looked around, squinting his eyes. There was an odd musty smell to the air, and it was relatively empty. A small portrait was hanging on the wall beside an old metal door. A broken dresser was opposite of him, smashed against the wall. He looked to his left and froze. There was a blood altar with two candlesticks beside it.
On the wall above it was a gothic style painting of Jesus Christ, crucified. "Is this the other church Dahlia was talking about?" He whispered. He stepped up to it and examined it. In the bronze offering plate was dust and black stain. He cringed his nose. On the ground was an iron battle-ax. He smiled and picked it up. It was definitely smaller than the pipe but much more effective. He dropped the pipe and gripped the ax and turned to show Cybil what he had found. He heard the sound of fire behind him and turned, raising the ax in defense. The blood altar had become engulfed in flames. He turned to leave when his head began pounding. Hew dropped to his knees. "Oh fuck…Cybil…" His vision began spinning until he finally blacked out.
"Harry…? Are you alright…?" Lisa's voice floated peacefully to his ears. The low roar in his ears cleared, and finally he opened his eyes. "Your awake…" Lisa smiled, sitting down in a chair in front of him. He looked around. "Am I back at the hospital?" He asked, still holding his head.
"You were having a nightmare." She said, her eyes filled with concern. Her voice seemed to echo in the small Infirmary.
"Hey, do you know anything about this bizarre woman…Her name is Dahlia…Dahlia Gillespie." Lisa looked down at her hands, her eyes searching.
"Yeah, yeah actually I do. The crazy Gillespie lady. Her kid died in the fire when she was only seven. She hasn't been right in the head ever since." Harry nodded his head.
"She said something about the town, being devoured by darkness…Do you know anything about that?" He asked, feeling secure talking with her.
"Darkness…I think I may know something like that. Now, don't call me crazy-"
"Please, from what I've seen in this town, you couldn't possibly say anything crazy." She smiled at him, her face relaxing for what seemed to be the first time since he'd met her. She started again.
"Long ago, way before Silent Hill was a resort town, even before it had it's name, there was a village here run by a group who practiced in the dark arts and black magic. When the town was finally founded, some of the original founders died in mysterious accidents that has yet to be explained." Harry nodded, then smiled.
"What? Do I sound that crazy?" He shook his head.
"Believe it or not, it actually makes sense." They both laughed, before a sudden heaviness fell over Harry.
"Are you okay? Lay down for a moment." He did so, the dull ringing of the siren in the distance.