Chapter Five

The fog didn't disperse even as they distanced themselves from the lake. It seemed to worsen as they approached the main streets of Silent Hill. County Highway 73 eventually became Nathan Avenue, but something was wrong. She tried to turn at Vachss Street, but a massive barrier had been erected. A wall of chain-link fencing and sheets of dingy plastic blocked both access and the view.

She crept the car forward to Lindsey and then Neely Street, every road was blocked. She stopped at the barrier on Neely. Where else could they go? She didn't want to alarm the child, but she was afraid herself. The highway hadn't been anything like this just a little bit earlier. "What's going on?" She tried to keep her voice as calm and casual as possible.

"The roads? Oh, it's the fires. It does this when it gets foggy." Laura showed no sign or indication of distress. Apparently, it was the most common and ordinary of events.

"Fires? What fires?"

"The fires… burning underground? Where have you been? It's so foggy because of the lake and smoke from the underground fires. Go look for yourself." Laura impatiently huffed and returned to toy with her teddy bear.

She didn't want to get out and look. She didn't want Laura to be correct. In order for her to be right, the world had to dramatically change. It couldn't. She'd been asleep earlier and she was wide awake now. It was impossible for such changes to take place in waking life.

The world felt different when she stepped out of the car. It wasn't like this earlier. She'd just came earlier from the society building and the road looked nothing like this. She peeked over a ledge that descended for hundreds of feet. Far down at the bottom, she could see a slip of orange fire burning.

Her mind returned to the man. The creature with the sword. Was this his realm? If the countryside had looked like it had in his world, was this what the town looked like? The most important thing was to remain calm. If she panicked, Laura would panic and they would both be in trouble. She had to remain strong for the child. She could freak out when she was home.

"Okay," she returned to the drivers' seat. "We'll just have to find a clear road, won't we?"

"Yea, we will. I think Munson Street is clear. It usually is, anyway."

"I don't understand, I was just through here earlier. How could it…" She wasn't certain of how to finish the sentence without scaring her. Although, it seemed the little girl knew far more about it than she did.

"It's okay. You expect weird stuff here when it's like this."

"And you… you got through this fine by yourself?"

"Sure, why wouldn't I?" Laura was clearly offended by the insinuation she couldn't take care of herself. She would go with it. If a little girl could survive alone, she should be fine.

She followed Laura's directions and, as promised, Munson Street was free of barricade. Rosewater Park lay to the right, free of pedestrians or cars within view. She turned onto the next street and tried to look for others. "I don't see anyone."

"You probably won't. You can't find anyone when the fog comes out."

"Where do they go?"

"How should I know? I told you, you can't find anyone to ask."

"How long have you been here?"

"A year or so."

"And this is common?"

"Yes."

They drove down Munson, but it was no use. There wasn't a person visible anywhere. She couldn't leave Laura by herself in town anymore than she could by the road, she was just a child. Someone needed to take care of her. She passed Jack's Inn, a tiny motel that was as vacant as all other establishments in Silent Hill. She made a doughnut at the Katz Street intersection and returned to Nathan Avenue.

"Why not let me come with you until it clears," she smiled from the passenger's seat. "I've always wanted to see the exciting life of a reporter."

"Exciting? You really don't know much about reporters, do you?"

"How is it not exciting? Crime? Adventure?"

"In movies, maybe," she had to giggle despite the situation. It was the same attitude she had growing up. She couldn't wait to enjoy an action filled life reporting on crime or celebrities, it would be a venture in glamour and exhilaration. Sadly, it wasn't even remotely similar to the ideals she held.

"Trust me, I've been doing it 5 years and this is the most exciting thing I've done."

"Oh," disappointment rang in her voice. She sat back in her seat and sighed, "So, where are we going now?"

"I'm not sure. I may stop at the Historical Society, there might be someone there." The road had changed with the fog as well. Litter clustered the borders of the sidewalk. Abandoned cars were parked haphazardly here and there. Everything looked dingy and faded. "Why does the town look like that?"

"I don't know. I've been here a while and haven't figured it out. I only know when Silent Hill looks like this, you can't find another person anywhere."

"Then, it's a good thing we ran into each other." She was relieved regardless of what Laura felt. She couldn't think of any child wandering out there alone, it was a crime. Did the townspeople just allow her to come and go? Any person could just snatch her away and she'd never be heard from again. Whatever took all those victims she'd researched could be waiting for the little girl. How was it possible she survived without anyone to care for her? And all those adults had gone missing. It was unreal. She didn't have parents herself growing up, but her aunt had been just like a mother. She couldn't have asked for more love or support. Not even to have that was heartbreaking.

They crept through the low visibility until the historical society building came into view. She pulled in the parking lot and turned the engine off. Laura looked at her, cocked her head for a moment. "What are we looking for here?"

"Just information on the disappearances. It shouldn't take long." It probably wouldn't happen to begin with. There weren't any cars in the lot, still. Now that she thought of it, she hadn't passed any cars since she pulled out of the rest stop.

She put her purse in the backpack, it would be better to carry them both. They emerged from the car and approached the front entrance. She didn't understand precisely why they needed such a building for a town no larger than Silent Hill. Portland was around twice the size and their society building was a rented boutique downtown. But, if a town spent money, regional history was the best cause.

She paused, but made all attempts to be casually looking around. She had the unsettling feeling that something had changed, even though it had only been moments since she'd passed through. It was something slight, something she couldn't pinpoint even as she once again approached the door. Laura's tiny footfall trailed close behind, but that wasn't it.

She reached out and barely touched the door. She knew it wouldn't open. But, it did. It easily moved with her touch. She pushed on the latch and stepped inside, "Someone must be here." She smiled down at the girl.

"No one's ever here," Laura sighed and walked inside to look at a massive poster arrangement of historic Silent Hill.

"Hello?" She called out into the small room. Laura moved over to look at the small kids' section by the counter as she strode into the next room. The front area was clearly a gift shop with coffee mugs and tee-shirts. A wall of books on local flavor stood to the right beside two trolleys of post cards. The room beyond was arranged to appear like a museum with displays and posters depicting various stages of the town's life. Relevant artifacts were housed beneath glass. She walked into the next area and came upon the first set of glass plate photographs with a plaque. It read:

"Silent Hill's origins remain hotly debated amid town historians. The first theory states the town was a sacred Native American gathering place, but was overtaken with settlers due to its close proximity to Toluca Lake. The second theory claims Silent Hill originated as a stage coach stop and that a tavern and inn sat where our society building now does. We encourage all visitors to draw their own conclusions."

There were paintings of both an old stage coach inn and a cluster of houses alongside an Indian village in the display. That was strange, but she wouldn't expect any less from this place. A town with no known origin. It didn't seem possible, in the modern world, that any city or town would have unknown beginnings.

She walked further around the next corner and stopped.

She blinked several times to be sure it wasn't just her eyes playing tricks on her. What the hell did that? There was a whole in the wall.

It appeared the wall had been blown outwards… or inwards…. Wherever it went. She walked to the brink of the hole and peered down. A gigantic staircase angled downward, she couldn't see what lay down there.

"Laura?" She waited a moment, but there was no answer returned. She returned to the first room. "Laura?" She asked again.

She was gone.