Silent Hill: Spiritual Dissonance
Chapter 2
By John Priest
Upon locating his car, John immediately goes for the driver's seat. He tries in vain to start the car but not even a single crank is heard, confronting him with a vile truth: He is stuck inside this perplexing realm of demented ambiance. He falls down onto the driver's seat with a dismayed expression, the future unclear inside his head. His encounter with The Inflamed Lady left him perturbed, not enough to scar him for life but enough to engrave itself on the annals of his memories. He's seen no sign of passive life yet, having only been taunted by the agonizing silence which comprises the atmosphere surrounding him. He knows something is wrong; the past event is a clear indication of that.
The warnings of his family come back to haunt him "Should've listened to them…" sighing after he says this, realizing how trapped he may be.
He remains mostly motionless, trying to construct some sort of course for the future.
That is when he remembers the map he found inside the manager's office. He shuffles around in the seat as he adjusts himself so he can acquire the map, taking hold of it and bringing it out into the open. He re-locates the location that was marked, pertaining to the ideal of setting it as his destination. But he has concerns for such an action, feeling that he may be walking into some sort of trap conceived by a mastermind, who may have caused his current dilemma. He's just unsure of what to do: Does he follow a map that he found, which could lead him into a trap? Or does he ignore it and chance the possibility of being stuck in this place, forever? He wipes his forehead with his right palm, taking in a big breath of air as he decides on what to do.
He steps out of his car, shutting the door and leaving it behind as he walks through the gate and into Riverside Drive. With only a shovel for physical protection, John cautiously makes his away to the Blue Catfish Diner. He hasn't had anything to eat nor drink since he awoke and some sustenance would help calm his nerves. When he gets to the front door, he finds it locked. A tad bit annoyed but resourceful, he looks around before he uses his shovel to break the door open. While it was a bit unethical, he doubts anyone trapped in his position would argue against it. Once inside, he searches for the kitchen in order to get a drink or something.
As he ventures forth into the empty diner, a shadow flies swiftly behind him. He quickly turns around to try and catch a glimpse of the figure, but it is already too late. Whatever it was, it was swift. He forces himself to let this go, thinking it to be another false threat to his safety like before. With that, he finds the kitchen, locating it next to the area where you'd usually find the cashier. Disheartened to find that this place is also empty, he continues forward into the kitchen. Inside, he manages to locate the refrigerator, opening it to find a pitcher of tea along with some crumpets. He takes them outside the kitchen, setting them on the counter nearby as he picks up a cup from the supplies.
He pours himself a glass of cold Ice-tea, sipping it casually as he munches on a crumpet.
Putting the tea down to further consume the crumpets, he notices something strange.
"F…K in my tea." He just shrugs it off and continues sipping it casually.
He finishes the meager meal soon after locating it, his nerves calming down due to the relaxed atmosphere around him. He ponders on what may await him at Midwich University, wondering what makes it so significant to whoever marked it on the map. He places the dishes inside the dishwasher, putting the pitcher back into the refrigerator he found it in.
He decides to put ten dollars inside the cash register, hoping that it'd be enough to cover the crumpets he ate alongside the three glasses of ice-tea. He puts his wallet back into his pocket, grasping the shovel with his left hand as he moves forward. He sneezes as he makes his way through the diner, the dusty covering inside the bar aggravating his sinuses. As he passes the windows leading to the exit, he again notices a blurred shadow. Something's amiss: whatever it may be, he remains cautious. He walks out of the diner on alert, switching the Shovel to his right hand.
After consorting his map, he heads down Toluca Avenue, taking a right when he comes to the turn leading into Midwich University's Faculty Parking. The South Park Area, back when he visited with Liasah, had just gone through the things necessary to turn it into The Midwich University. Formally, it was a forested strip of land, reserved for those who wished to take in the scenery. It was changed due to the decrease in tourism, which, while still greatly beneficial, had been steadily declining in recent years. Now the University rests there, located near a book store, motels, and diners. Logically, the University was placed in a prime spot. It garnered some spite, but the complaints were snuffed out by the majority of the community. Tourism had always been an important aspect for Silent Hill's economy. Alongside the medical facilities, it was really all this rural-urban mixture of a town could offer up to modern society.
As John nears the back entrance to the university, he begins to hear a faint caw-like sound around him, as if some misshapen chimera of human and bird was crying out in pain. Knowing that whatever is emitting the sound is not a real creature, he begins to fasten the pace of his walking. The calls continue to ring throughout the silent atmosphere, slowly growing in numbers as he nears the entrance. It takes one glance behind him to unease his nerves: figures gliding his way as he continues forward. The figures phase in and out of reality itself, appearing in front of John out of nowhere. Not willing to chance a group encounter, he starts running. This only serves to agitate the beasts, which start to call out in union at him. He makes it to the door before being thrown to the ground by an attacking Necrotic Avian.
The beast tries to bite patches of skin off of John, but only scratches parts of his cheek with its crooked teeth. He manages to throw the creature off of himself, using the shovel as a form of defense tool. He is able to get up first before the fell creature, gripping the shovel firmly as he brings it above his head and slams it down onto the beast's misshapen head. The head easily shatters due to how brittle its skull is, giving John time to charge through the back entrance and into the University. Once inside, he sigh's a breath of relaxation before he hears the chilling scream of a woman echoing throughout the building.