I do not own Silent Hill. Please enjoy. :)
Silent Hill: Forgotten Sister
Chapter 5: The Room
10:33 p.m.
I had twenty minutes or more left of work. I know it's weird that I am still here at the store this late but I have my reasons why. Most grocery stores close around seven or nine. Well, Randy's store either closes at nine thirty or ten, depending on the day. I, and Jeff too, still stay an hour or two late because Randy needs help with putting the money away or cleaning up his wife's bakery or whatever he needs help with. People would be like, 'that doesn't take forever! I can finish that in thirty minutes or less!' Actually, it does take a while because there is a lot to deal with. Then Randy can be a little stubborn and he wants things his way soooo...
Anyways, Jeff was waiting for me in the front of the store, playing with one of the crane machines, while I was in the back with Randy helping him organize all the money. I don't get why Jeff didn't go home. I told him I'd call him but he wanted to stay because he wanted too. He must have had a reason why but I just continued on with work and ignored him for the most of it.
So I'm here in the back with Randy. In the back of the store, there is this secret room with the vault that Randy hides a lot of money. He doesn't like to leave the money in the registers because it can easily get stolen. In the past, the store has been broken in and a lot of money was stolen. The good thing about this vault is that it has high maintenance security. So if someone was to break in this room,the cops would be notified asap and everything will be fine.
I placed the last stack of money in the vault. As I exited the vault, Randy entered the vault to double check.
"Thank you Alex," said the store owner as he looked around. "I appreciate your help."
"No problem sir," I said. "Anytime."
Randy walked out of the vault, closed it and set up the alarm.
"I'm going to go clean up the bakery," I informed. "If you need any-
"No no," Randy quickly interrupted. "Samantha and George cleaned the bakery earlier. You don't need to. You can go home."
"What?! When?!" I questioned.
"As soon as the bakery closed," informed Randy. "Well, you wouldn't know because you were off screwing around with Jeffery."
"Wow," I commented.
"Anyways, yea, you can go home," said the store owner. "You did a lot today and you looked dead during the entire day too. You should go home and get some rest."
"Thank you so much," I said with joy as I began to make my way towards the front of the store.
"Hey Jeff!" I called out as I arrived in the front area of the building.
Jeff was on his knees still playing with the crane machine.
"Aye"! I called out. "Let's go!"
"Already?" questioned my green eyed friend as he concentrated on the crane. "It's not eleven yet."
"Who cares!" I said with joy. "Randy let me out early."
Jeff stood up and stretched.
"Any luck with the crane?" I asked changing the subject.
"This," replied my green eyed friend as he held up a Robbie the Rabbit doll.
"Just one doll?" I asked. "How much money did you waste?"
"I have no clue but between you and I, I grabbed the keys from the register and opened the bottom of the machine and took some quarters out," informed Jeff.
"OOHH! You're gonna get it," I said.
"Yea, if you freaking yell it out loud," complained Jeff.
I chuckled.
"Aye let's go!" said Jeff.
. . .
On our way to the house, it was raining. I hate rain so much to be honest. I hate it! Yea it smells good and it's refreshing but not for me. I remembered when I was little, our family got a call from Uncle James that Aunt Mary had passed away from a fit. That day he called, it was raining. The day of the funeral, it was raining too. Rain makes me sad. After all, rain rhymes with pain.
"Dude," said Jeff as he broke my train of thought. "It would have been so much easier and quicker if we just went to my apartment. I am tired."
"I still have that unopened energy drink," I informed. "Do you want it?"
"Nah," replied my green eyed friend. "I am actually going to sleep tonight."
"Haha," I giggled. "What is sleep?"
"Something that you need," said Jeff as he made a right turn on 5th ave that lead to the bridge.
"Sleep is for the weak," I stated.
"I guess I am weak and you're the hero," commented my green eyed friend.
I giggled.
Jeff started to drive slow because of the slippery wet bridge. If you were to drive the speed limit or go faster on this bridge during a rainy day, all I can say is, you're a freaking idiot. More deaths occur on this bridge during a rainy day than any other normal day.
"Are you going to work tomorrow?" I asked as I broke the silence.
"I think so," replied Jeff.
"It's a yes or no," I informed. "No think so!"
"Yes," sighed Jeff. "Only for you.
"Yay!" I said with joy. "I can't wait."
"I can't wait for the weekend," informed my green eyed friend.
"That is if I can get the day off," I stated. "You have to remember things like that don't come easy."
Jeff sighed.
"But weed does," he stated.
"That is if Luna is back in town," I informed.
"Ugh!" complained Jeff. "I want her back."
"Me too buddy," I said. "Me too."
Jeff finally crossed the bridge safely and he began to go the speed limit.
"The weed you got in Canada, was it expensive?" I asked changing the subject.
"Of course it was!" replied my green eyed friend. "It's Canada, what do you expect?"
"That's true," I said.
"The good thing was, the dealer was nice enough to give me two big bags of it," informed Jeff. "I appreciated it but they can never compare to Luna."
"A nice dealer?" I questioned. "Only in Canada."
. . .
Jeff and I finally arrived at my house.
"Thank you bud," I said as I opened the truck door.
"Anytime," said Jeff. "But hey, you owe me one Alex. Remember the room?"
Shit! I thought. I was hoping Jeff would forget about that and made me do a gay favor instead. I guess I'll look in the room for him because I know he'll bug me about it till the day I die.
I sighed.
"Fine," I said. "Whatever I find in there, I'll tell you tomorrow at work but please don't tell my parents or Joshua. I don't want to get in trouble."
"Don't worry," stated my green eyed friend. "I won't tell a living soul."
"You better not," I said angrily.
"I won't! Now either go inside or close the door cause the rain is getting in," complained Jeff.
"Yea, yea," I mocked. "I'll see you tomorrow."
I got out of the truck and made my way inside the house. As soon as I entered the house, Jeff drove off.
. . .
The house was very quiet and I really enjoyed it. Too bad in a couple of hours everyone will be awake and making noise. I went upstairs. Before I entered my room, I stopped and stared at the secret wall. It made me wonder if my parents have noticed the missing portrait or the crack on the wall. They probably did and I can guarantee I'll get my ass chewed tomorrow by my mom.
I looked around the hall to double check no one was around wandering. I pushed on the wall and with a loud bump, it opened. I quickly entered inside the room and closed the door behind. Hopefully it doesn't make a mess with the wall dust.
It was pitch black in the room and I couldn't see anything; not even my hands. I took my phone out of my pocket and turned the flash on. I flashed the light around the room.
It's a small room that is painted baby pink with yellow, purple and baby blue flowers on one wall. The other walls were just baby pink. In an instant, I knew this was a little girl's bedroom. No doubt about it. The floor has white carpet with dark, gross looking stains. Gross, I thought. I hope it's not blood or poop. Anyways, in the middle of the room is a small bed fit for a little girl. The bed was neatly made and covered in dust. It looked like no one slept here for years.
In front of the bed next to the wall door, is a dark brown wooden dresser. On the dresser were various dolls. Porcelain, plastic, rag and even Barbie dolls were lined up and covered in dust. Pinned to the mirror are family pictures from back in the day. There was a picture of my family with Aunt Mary and Uncle James. I opened the drawers. I found nothing but old medals and more family pictures. These pictures are strange because they've been cut out or burned. Weird, I thought. Maybe someone was making a collage? But then there are the burned ones? Maybe these burned ones got burned along with the family portrait? I'm so confused.
In the back of the room there was a closet which had a padlock. Shit! I thought. There could have been some useful information in there! I ignored the closet for now until I find a key. I could pick the lock but I don't have a knife with me at the moment. Anyways, next to the bed is a window that is boarded up. In between the locked closet and the boarded up window is a black four drawer filing cabinet. In alphabetical order were the names of the founding family.
Bartlett
Fitch
Holloway
Shepherd
I sat down Indian style and rummaged through the Shepherd family files. For the past ten minutes or so that I've been in here, this whole bedroom has been a mystery. All I know is that this bedroom belonged to a little girl. When I used to live with my parents, we never had a girl in the house. Then I went to a Catholic school in Portland and they probably adopted a little girl to replace me? I doubt it but maybe I can find an answer in these files.
I rummaged through the files and an unfamiliar name caught my attention.
Erika M. Shepherd.
Erika? I thought. I don't know an Erika to be honest. Dad told me and Joshua about our ancestors. He started from Isaac Shepherd and ended it to us. I don't remember him mentioning an Erika. Or I couldn't have been paying attention. I swear there is no Erika!
I pulled the file out, which had a lot of papers, more papers than anyone, and put it on the floor. There is a picture clipped to the front of the file. The bad thing was, the person's face was faded out. Also, I knew it was a little girl because the way the body is shaped and the red dress and black sandals.
I opened the file.
Name: Erika
Middle: Michelle
Last: Shepherd.
D.O.B: April 5, 1995
Hospital: St. Mary's
Town/City: Shepherd's Glen, New England
Doctor: Howard Jones
Parents: Adam & Lillian Shepherd
Siblings: Joshua & Alex Shepherd
God Parents: Frank & Wanda Coleridge
Sibling? I thought. I have a dead sibling named Erika. Why was I never…..? What…?
FLASHBACK...
"Wouldn't you be annoyed if someone took down your sister's lost child poster?" questioned the cashier.
"Are you on crack or something? I asked. "I don't have a sister."
It went quiet for a moment and the cashier stared at me like I was fucking stupid.
"Dude," he said. "That's pretty cold."
"Whatever," I said. "Enjoy the rest of your day."
. . .
"You know what Alex," said Lisa. "You're an all right guy, I like you. You kind of remind me of your sister."
"No, no, no," I said as I stopped walking.
"Oh," said Lisa confused. "I am so sorry about that. It's just that there is this girl in the hospital, she has the same eye color as you and same personality…kind of."
END OF FLASHBACK…
Lisa and that gas station guy knows something, I thought. Lisa must have been Erika's nurse years ago or something/ Wait! No it can't be! Lisa is too young, around my age maybe older. But that gas station guy?! How did he know Erika? Maybe because of the fact that dad is the sheriff and everyone knows the sheriff and his family! Oh my god! I thought.
I quickly flipped the page. There is a picture in black and white of my dad on a dock along with an article clipping. He is on his knees, holding a little girl to his chest. My dad...he was crying?
I read the article.
July 14, 2002.
7YEAR OLD GIRL DROWNS, POSSIBLY DEATH
Toluca Lake is a nice lake to go camping and have family and friend barbecue. It's a great place to go swimming except for some.
Seven year old Erika Shepherd, daughter of Shepherd's Glen Sherriff, Adam Shepherd, was found in the middle of the lake by an anonymous resident of Brahms, drowned on July 14, 2002.
The Brahms resident stated: "I was out for a swim with my buddies and all of a sudden I saw a body floating down. Curious, I went down to bottom and noticed that it was a little girl. She was unconscious and this little girl was blind folded and tied up, and when I finally brought her back to land, she has scars and disgusting bruises on her belly, knees and arms. Who the hell could have done that to her?!"
No one knew what happened but police officers suspected that she was either pushed in or she tripped and fell..
Police Officer Mike Groves stated "It was more likely that the little girl (Erika) was pushed in the water because her hands were tied behind her back and she was blind folded. Whoever did this didn't want her to swim back up or live for that matter. They are one sick fuck."
When the medical crew finally arrived, they noticed a burn mark from her wrist to her elbow.
Though the father, Adam Shepherd, had an idea who it was ...
The rest of the article is torn off. What the fuck?! I thought. What kind of sick fuck would do that to the little girl?! Did he fucking molest her and then drowned her?! What the fuck?! I hope this sick fuck is in jail or dead!
There was another article from the same year and most of it was torn off to the specific details.
July 16, 2002.
1:00 p.m.
Erika Shepherd was pronounced dead on July 16, 2002 at 3:00 a.m.
Well then, I thought. That's really sad and now I know why mom and dad are heartless and cold most of the time. Hell! I'd be the same way too.
I continued to search through the files and I managed to find an address to an insane asylum. Why would mom and dad have an address to an insane asylum? Who the hell in our family is in the asylum? It can't be Erika because I read not too long ago that she was dead. But yea, I don't really know anyone in the looney hospital.
Brookhaven Insane Asylum,
90649, 573 Drevis Lane, Shepherd's Glen NE
Drevis Lane? I thought. That is like a two or three, depending what road you take, hour drive over there. Drevis Lane is on the other side of town and located near a forest.
I continued to read on.
Room 210.
210? I thought. Their room number that they're currently staying in? If I were to go visit this person, would they still be in this exact room? Hmm.
I put the paper to the side and continued to rummage through the papers. Suddenly, I cam across a hand written letter from Brookhaven.
May 10, 2007
Dear Mr. Shepherd,
It has come to my attention that Erika has been acting quite violent for the past couple of days. She has refused to take her medicine and she has been getting involved with fights with the other patients. Erika has also refused to talk to the psychiatrist about her problems. If you would please call me as soon as possible so we can talk in private about Erika's behavior. It would be very much appreciated.
Sincerely
Dr. Steven Copen
"What the fuck?!" I whispered out loud.
I thought Erika was dead! 2007? That was four years ago! But the other article! So dad lied to the reporters. What the hell is going on?! I fucking need answers!
I quickly rummaged through more of Erika's papers but before I could continue on, my head started to hurt like crazy and for no reason too. It felt like someone kicked me in the head with all their force
"Ah shit!" I complained.
I collapsed on the ground, gripping my head.
"Ah!" I groaned.
Suddenly, everything went blank and I passed out.