Leon pushed open the door and held the handgun in ready stance, his grey blue scanning the foyer. He didn't mean to frighten the little girl, but safety was always a good precaution to consider. Finding that the foyer was seemingly empty, Leon dropped the gun to his side and pushed his blonde bangs wearily away from his face, a nervous habit that he picked up whenever agitated or stressed. It was better than nail biting, at least. Leon had thick, straight blonde hair that he kept parted in two long bangs hanging down in front of his narrow eyes. Most other guys in the agency kept their hair cut short. Leon had kept the style since he had just been a kid, he didn't want to change it any time soon.
"I know you're here." He spoke up, trying to keep his voice calm. Nervous tension built up at the building silence that seemed to pile everywhere, blocking out air holes. Leon walked slowly more into the middle of the large foyer. It was a big house, more than Leon would even want to live in. The ceiling was high; two long balconies ran overhead in front and on the side of what appeared to be the second story. In the middle of the room stood a round, wooden table. It was a nice house, but Leon thought a little too stiff, too…rich.
His heavy boots sounded noisily on the wooden flooring, bits of dust was flying in the air, only adding the silent feeling in the house. Even though the house made no sound, even though the whole town seemed corrupt of human life from what Leon had seen, it didn't-none of it-gave off the feeling of abandonment. Like it had just been deserted recently. But still…there was clearly no one there.
Unless you count in those monsters. Leon thought to himself.
Where are you, kid? He wondered. Hadn't she wanted him to follow her? Was this supposed to be some kind of game?
The doors in the foyer opened into a spacious living room tastefully decorated. It was also deprived of life, from what Leon could see. On the floor lay a teddy bear and a doll with miniature tea cups lying near them. Leon bent down and gently touched the bear, wondering if the little girl had been playing with it. He couldn't help but smile as he lifted the soft doll, its shiny black eyes stared back at him cutely. It was just innocent child play, the dolls. A closer examination of the doll didn't reveal anything, it only stirred memories in Leon's head of himself as a small kid with a plastic action figure he used to have. Dolls. All little kid's first friends.
Taking the doll with him, Leon stood and exited the room through another door which led up a narrow stairwell to the second floor.
"Hello?" Leon tried again, attempting to talk to someone. "Are you here?"
Leon tried the first door, only finding that the lock appeared to be broken. He was about to try the next door, his hand was on the handle, but a small hand tugged on his t-shirt.
"You're not allowed in there." A small voice instructed him sternly. Leon nearly jumped out of his pants; his hand flew to the gun in surprise. A young girl, eight or seven, stood behind him, looking up at him expectantly. Small hands planted firmly on her waist, an eager, round face framed with golden curls, and large, dark eyes as solemn as the town itself that reflected off the dim lights.
"W-what?" Leon stuttered, too surprised to say much else. "What-who are you?"
"Are you one of the good guys?" The little girl asked, evading his question.
Leon, still stunned, nodded. He knelt down to the girl's height. "My names Leon." He said. "Leon Kennedy. What's yours?"
The girl looked down shyly, her huge eyes shining in dark interest. Leon suddenly remembered the bear still in his grasp and automatically held it out, offering it to the girl. She took it without a word and hugged it to her chest, nuzzling her chin on its furry head and turning her direct gaze on his own. Deep brown, a shiny black gaze over them. They were very serious, very mature looking.
"Can you please tell me where we are?" Leon asked her gently.
"Silent Hill." She replied automatically.
Leon nodded, he had though as much. "Can you tell me your name?"
She regarded him thoughtfully. "Are you a cop?"
"I use to be." Leon said.
"Why aren't you anymore?"
Leon hesitated, and then grimaced. He hated that question, it always reminded him of a nightmare he had once been through, and never wanted to re-live again. "I…eh…it's a long story." He nodded at the still closed door behind him, directed her away from the question. "Is anyone in there?"
"That's daddy's room." The girl said. "You're not allowed in there." With that, she turned and began to walk away casually. Leon jumped up and hurriedly placed his hand on her shoulder. The girl looked at him expectantly, as though she had expected him to do that. "Where are you going?" He asked her. "I need to get you out of here. It's not safe."
The girl nodded, her eyes not betraying any fear or surprise. "I know." She said simply, her voice serious. She didn't appear at all afraid or anxious, not at all scared of the weird monsters wandering around town. This confused Leon, he hadn't expected this at all.
"Do you…know what's happening?" He asked her slowly.
The girl sighed, walking a few feet away and planting herself on the floor in Indian style. She began to play with her bear, making it dance and not meeting Leon's eye at all. "No." She said. "But I think daddy does. He knows lots of stuff."
"Is he here?"
She shrugged. "I dunno. I think I hear him sometimes, but…I don't know. Daddy says I have a very overactive imagination. Actually, I think, I heard someone talking, it was behind a door, they were…." He face screwed up in concentration. "…they said…Sam-all…I can't remember. There was…a man talking to daddy. Daddy said…he said that "the darkness preys on only those who dare to tread in Sam-all's embrace.", I think."
"What does that mean?" Leon let that sink into his head. Darkness. "What does he mean by 'darkness'?"
"It's bad." She said simply. "Very bad. She said if I didn't behave, the darkness would come and get me, and that I would never be able to get away from it."
"Who's she?" Leon asked. "Your mother?"
"Nah," The girl said. She suddenly stood and grabbed her teddy. "I have to go." Before Leon could say anything, she took off running down the hallway, and disappeared. Leon took a few steps forward, intending to run after her, but the sound of a thumping behind 'daddy's' door distracted him. The little girl momentarily forgotten, he went over to the door, and rapped softly. "Is anyone in there?" Silence. Testing the door knob, he only found it was locked. Disregarding the noise as only a figment of his imagination, Leon turned in pursuit of the girl. The soft creaking made him stop in his tracks. As Leon glanced back over his shoulder, he saw that the locked door was now unlocked, it was cracked.
Mind games. He thought randomly. That's all it is, mind games.
Trying to keep as soft as a mouse, Leon pushed open the door with his dried palm. The room, nicely furnished and dark, seemed utterly still and quiet. The agent walked in slowly, his heart thudding loudly in his chest. The air seemed to carry the sense of solemnest that was throughout the house. The owners struck him as serious, uptight people.
Darkness.
The word repeated in his head over and over again, it nudged in his mind, creating visual images. What was darkness, he wondered. He had heard it once before, on the radio in the hospital. School…darkness…soon…burn…BURNING…The way it had been spoken, almost as though it were more of a thing than an adjective.
On the couch that sat in front of a table was a book. Leon picked it up, finding it was occult crap. On particular page was marked, Leon read it out of curiosity. It appeared to be a passage, like something out of the bible. Leon wasn't awfully religious, but he doubted this was of any religion he knew of.
In the beginning, people had nothing. Their bodies ached, the hearts held nothing but hatred. They fought endlessly, but death never came. They despaired stuck in eternal quagmire. A man offered a serpent to the sun, and prayed for salvation. A woman offered a reed to the sun, and asked for joy. Feeling pity for the sadness that had overrun the Earth, g-d was born from these two people. She made time, and divided day and night. She outlined the road of salvation and gave people joy. And took endless time away from the people. She created beings to lead people in obedience to her. The red g-d Xuchilbari, the yellow g-d Lobsil Vith, many g-ds and angels, finally, she set out to create paradise where people would be happy by just being there. But there, her strength ran out and she collapsed. All the world grieved this unfortunate event. Yet g-d breathed her last, she returned to the dust promising to come again. So g-d hasn't been lost, we must offer her prayers and not forget our faith. We wait for the day…When the path of paradise will be opened.
The passage sounded eerily familiar to Leon, not the passage really itself, but merely what it spoke of. What religion was this? Leon had made a point of not getting involved with the ultra religious business after Spain. Hadn't the Los Illuminados said something about paradise at some point?
Salvation is at hand.
Ashley, he had heard her say that over the phone. How was she connected in this? Leon skimmed the book some more, reading mainly what was highlighted.
It isn't known of the current position of this fascinating religion. This religion believes in the wait for paradise. Here, paradise is perceived in being absolute perfection through mankind's renewal, in other words, mankind's sins must first be replenished. The g-d in the religion has many different names, and is seen in various forms in all different places. Some believe this g-d to be the g-d of serpents and reeds, while other's view this g-d as the arch angel, Samael. Here, this 'g-d' is the one believed to bring 'back' paradise to the earth. It had also been uncovered that in order to bring 'g-d' back into existence, sacrifice is required. However, one thing that has been brought to attention is that, if indeed, the 'g-d' is evil, what kind of paradise it will bring to humanity.
Leon tossed down the book, frowning. Some people were such nutshells.
Leon opened the door and stepped back into the hallway, his mind reeling with too many questions to comprehend. He was just about to start back into the direction that the girl had taken off, intending to ask more questions. Without warning, a loud crashing sound careened behind him, causing Leon to jump back in surprise and whip out his handgun.
Son of a—
Pain first, and then the pressure hit him as hard as the impact. Fuzzy black lines gathered around his vision, he hadn't seen what hit him. With a grunt, Leon was on one knee, trying to breathe. The air wouldn't make it back up to his lungs; a wave of dizziness hit him like a tidal wave. Pressure made his eyes want to pop out, he began to hack dryly. He didn't what was up or down anymore, his dizziness began to fade into darkness. The last thing he heard was a fire siren, he thought, distantly growing louder. A door seemed to appear; only it was more of a passage, right in front of him. Although it was dark, it shone. The word darkness burned into his mind, he realized that was the name of what it was darkness. The burning girl stood in front of darkness, her small hand held out to him. Leon reached out toward her before falling into complete blackness.
Suddenly, he was standing in what looked like a basement. The walls were moist; the smell of must filled the air. Here and there, junk was stacked against the wall; the single light that hung in the middle of the room had been turned off. The only lights came from red candles set up around the large room.
In the middle was a table, wooden and square. There was something on top of it, but Leon's view was obscured by the many people that stood round it. All of them were long cloaks that reached the floor, mask hid their faces. Dimly, they were chanting words that Leon could barely make out. Something unpleasant tinged in his stomach, his instinct telling him that something bad was about to occur.
He tried to move closer, to see what was on the table, but without alerting people to his presence. He moved closer, trying to glimpse what was on the table. He saw a arm lying limply, something…something was wrong with its skin.
"What's going on here?" He asked aloud, trying to catch people's attention. If they heard him, they didn't let on to it, only concentrated deeply in their chant and the subject on the table. Impatience rose in Leon. "Hey, what are you doing?" His hand reached out to touch the shoulder of one of the robbed hand-his hand went through the material. Leon stared at his hand in shock, trying again, but not succeeding. It was like he was a ghost, or else they were the ghost.
"What's going on?" Leon gazed at his hands in surprise. They didn't look real, they were transparent. Leon gasped and looked down, he was entirely transparent, all over. Leon was now more freaked, he tried t grasp the robed man with both hands, but as before, they only went through.
"Hey!" He cried out to them. "What's going on?"
His attention was drawn next to a woman speaking, the only one there not in a robe. She was a small, thin woman, her eyes heavily exaggerated with eye shadow, and her face lined with premature age. Her hair was gray and limp, but the energy she gave off made her appear much younger. The glow of the candles shadowed her face grotesquely, until she looked about as evil as the mask everyone else wore. "In the beginning, people had nothing," She said. "Their bodies ached, and their hearts held nothing but hatred!" The woman chanted off the story Leon had read in the book, her eyes glowing with enthusiasm.
There was a slight uproar in the chanting. Leon could now make it out, more clearly. "Praise be thou, Mother Alessa."
Suddenly, Leon realized he was not alone. In the far corner of the room, the little girl stood. Now seeing her in better light, Leon saw how young she was, only seven, with dark hair pulled into a pony tail and a blue, old-fashioned dress and skirt with a large, white collar. She looked up at Leon.
"What's going on?" Leon asked her, starting forward. "Why can't they see us?"
The little girl's gazed dropped back to the crowd of people around the table, staring at something intensely. Silently, she raised her arm, pointing it at the table. Leon followed her finger, and began to move forward, just as the woman began to talk again.
"The time is neigh." Dahlia spoke to the group in a hushed tone, her voice rising with every word. "Everyone will be released from pain and suffering. Our salvation is at hand! This is the day of reckoning. When all our sorrows will be washed away." Her witch-like voice sighed with sudden joy, her gaze traveling upwards. "When we return to true paradise!"
There was a cheer of agreement among the robed people.
Leon was soon slipping into people, like a ghost, none of them were aware of his presence. He slipped to the beginning of the crowd, looking up at the woman who stood at the head of the table. Instead of a robe, she wore a dress, a neck tie; her hair was covered in a flimsy, lavender scarf. As soon as he was there, Leon looked down at was on the table for the first time, his breath caught his throat in surprise.
My g-d.
A small form, horrible deformed by burns, burns that should have been fatal. The slight rise and fall of the little person's chest was ragged, but showed no signs of stopping. They were stripped bare, their eyes closed. Leon stared at horror at this, not understanding how they could still be breathing, how they could stand the pain. His gaze flew up to the rambling woman's. "Why is she here?" He demanded, his voice cold. "She should be in the intensive care unit!"
The woman didn't hear him.
Leon was getting mad. "Dammit lady," He roared. "Listen to me!" He banged his fists hard, they slid through easily. In a second, Leon was beside the lady, breathing in her face, but he couldn't do a thing to her.
Suddenly, the robed people moved in on the girl, they were all gathered around her, their chanting rising. "Stop!" Leon bellowed. "Stop!"
He hated mistreatment of children more than anything. The form on the table re-acted to the chanting, Leon could plainly see a object in her stomach twitch, the girl's hand began to blind grab at the table, her mouth opened and closed in silent gasps. Next to him, the woman began to cackle happily. "Finally, he is almost here!"
Leon began to scream as a sudden pain in his middle returned, his vision became darker.
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"Hey, are you okay?"
Leon groaned his hand on a tender part of his stomach. Something warm was flowing through his fingers; it felt like a bulldozer had driven right into him. His head hurt like hell, he could already feel a lump forming from where he'd hit his head when he had hit the ground. He heaved dryly, clutching his middle and lying still for a second waiting for the worst to past. "I'm okay," He said hoarsely. "but I might be sick."
"I-I'm so sorry…I thought…"
Leon finally looked up. A woman stood above him, her fingers nervously intertwining each other, solemn, dark eyes looking down at him worriedly. "I-I thought you were, someone else." She grimaced, her pale face framed with shoulder length dark hair puckered in a frown.
Such sad eyes…
"No," Leon said, struggling to not let the pain slur his words. "It's okay…" He looked down at his white t-shirt, finding a nice rip running across it. A clean incision zig zagged on his abdomen, blood was gathering, but the cut wasn't too bad. He may need a few stitches.
The girl held a knife in her hand, stained slightly with blood.
As soon as she saw Leon staring at it, she looked away, ashamed, and began to back away. "I'm really sorry," She repeated.
"It's fine." Leon insisted, genuinely glad to see her, another human. "My names Leon. Do you live around here?"
Angela shook her head, but said nothing. Her melancholic eyes searched his face briefly, as though looking for something. Leon had never seen such tragic eyes; they were like dark brown ink pools, reflective, almost hard to look at from the emotions that surfaced in them.
"This town," She said finally. "There's something wrong with it." She turned away from Leon. "I told the man in the cemetery the same thing. I'm sorry I didn't meet you sooner, I might have been able to turn you away."
"Other guy?" Leon asked. "So there are others here?"
The girl shrugged. "He didn't listen. No one will ever listen. They all end up trapped, trapped in the world between realities and nightmares."
"Huh?" Leon was confused. "What are you saying?"
"Those who dare to tread into the realms of darkness only awaken dormant nightmares." She muttered quietly.
"What?"
"I have to go." She said suddenly. "Really, I must. I-I…"
"Wait!" Leon grabbed a hold of the nervous girl's shoulders, becoming impatient. "Do you know what's going on?" He demanded. "What are you talking about?"
Her eyes went from brown to black. She slapped both his hands away, taking a step toward him, and spat out desperately. "The eye lies! Don't trust yourself; don't trust anyone but the truth! The darkness grows within this town. The nightmare is awake." Overhead both of them, there was a loud thumping. The girl's eyes widened in horror.
"No!" She whispered hoarsely.
"What is it?" Leon asked her cautiously, his gaze straying to the ceiling. "What-" When he turned around again, the girl was gone. Leon looked around the small hallway, finding no trace of the girl. It was as though she had vanished.
The nightmare is awake.
"What's going on?" He asked aloud, his blood rushing.
There was another thump from above.
Sorry I haven't written about Leon in a while, I've been having writer's block for his side of the story. For those of you who have played SH, the girl was Angela.
