AN: It's been a crazy couple of weeks. Firstly I was on holiday for a fortnight. Then I got sick, so the third week was spent feeling sorry for myself. Then I spilled tea all over my laptop, frying it. But, after all of those hurdles, I finally finished the chapter I was working on.
Also, I just realised that I've been spelling Kaufman's name wrong this whole time! It's two N's, not one. Oh well, just pretend that's how it's supposed to look.
It was only a few days later that Lisa got a phone call from the doctor, rousing her from an otherwise peaceful slumber. Groggy, she stumbled out of bed to answer the incessant ringing that had rudely torn her from sleep, blaring through the quiet house at some ungodly hour.
Irate, the teen's heart pulsed in her chest, pounding painfully from fear and anxiety as she took the receiver and held it to her ear. As expected, her mother dashed out of bed to see what the commotion was about, hair tousled and breath swift.
Who would ring at such a time? The nurse quizzed, eyes wide as she struggled to see in the darkness of the night.
Straining through the dancing shadows, her weak voice carried the hesitation of a girl afraid to face whatever horrid news was about to befall her ears. Fighting back a yawn, she greeted the mysterious caller with a soft whisper.
'H...hello?'
'It's me.' Came a man's voice, carrying the slightest hint of impatience.
It could only be one person, and the girl instantly recognised his deep snarl. Kaufman sounded tired, as though he hadn't been able to get much rest. In the background, sounds of erratic movement could be heard, muffled though his office door.
Suddenly alert, the nurse sat upright, receiver firmly sitting between both hands. Her mother stood at the top of the stairs, arms folded across her chest as she grumbled at the disturbance. Lisa ignored her, trying to hear the director's words.
'Is something wrong?' She asked, aware of her mother's growing anger.
'I need you to come down to the hospital. I'm sorry, but there's been an incident.'
Lisa's heart sank. 'An incident?'
'Don't worry.' The man replied, sensing her panic. 'A fire has started at the Gillespie house, and though I wouldn't normally ask, the shortage of staff has left me overwhelmed. I'd appreciate it if you would come and help me with the situation.'
The girl remembered that name. Dahlia Gillespie lived with her young daughter, but that was the extent of her knowledge. The woman was quite reclusive, and though she knew of the family, Lisa had never met them in person.
Dahlia was notorious amongst the citizens of Silent Hill, infamous for her outlandish views and abnormal behaviour. She was a curious lady, deeply interested in gyromancy and the occult, something which ostracised her from the rest of society.
She began to dwell on the severity of the situation, aware that something terribly bad must have happened for her boss to call. Gnawing on her lower lip, she cleared her throat as she tried to form words.
'Is anyone...dead?'
Despite training as an intern, and bearing witness to some nasty injuries, the teen had yet to see a dead body, a thought which filled her very core with feelings of nausea. It was a sight she wished never to behold, however impossible it seemed.
'No, but we have a child with third degree burns.' Came his weary response. 'Can you get here in the next half hour?'
Swallowing, the girl faltered. 'I'll be there in ten.'
'I must warn you, it's not pretty.'
Lisa inhaled, deep and slow, pacing herself as she prepared for her reluctant journey. Seeing such a vulnerable and weak creature lying helplessly on a gurney was perhaps more distressing than simply viewing a lifeless corpse.
'I'll be there as soon as I can.' She answered, hanging up and scrambling to her feet.
As far as she was aware, Dahlia had only one child; Alessa. For a girl so young, it was almost unbearable to think of her suffering, and for the first time in months, Lisa found herself unwilling to enter Alchemilla.
Pausing to rush a cobbled explanation to her waiting parent, the young woman fled to her room, pulling on her creased uniform with disregard as she tried to muster the courage needed to continue. A mixture of lethargy, sleep-deprivation and horror consumed her, leaving a powerful weight on both legs as she trudged onto the empty street.
Already cold from such unpleasant news, the nurse remained indifferent to the biting weather, feet scurrying as she hurried towards the hospital. In the distance, thick plumes of black smoke rose into the sky, choking the stars in a thick canopy of ash and ember.
Sirens blared out from some far off place, echoing beyond the pitch black haze that blurred the lines between reality and fiction. As though in a dream, or rather, some unwanted nightmare, the intern approached the creaking gates of her workplace.
Pulse hammering in her chest, she felt her resolve fade as she made her way to the foyer, pumps kicking loose gravel across the dusty earth as she tried to push twisted thoughts from the forefront of her mind. She had a job to do, she couldn't lose her nerve.
The reception was fluttering with noise as she entered, nurses bounding from room to room with equipment and linen, doing their best to provide aid to those in need. Voices raised, they screamed orders at one another from across the room.
It was a particularly busy morning, and Lisa felt a dull pain throb at her temples as a headache pulsed through her skull. Tired and unwilling, she forced her legs to move forward, weaving through the mass of bodies as she made her way to the locker room.
Before she had time to store her belongings, Kaufman approached her from behind, expression grim as he gestured for the girl to follow. Silently, he made his way to the basement, refusing to acknowledge the enquiries that his employee made.
When the room fell quiet and the staff grew scarce, he opened the heavy door, revealing a set of stairs that descended into darkness. From below, the teen could hear a rumble as the generator echoed through the eerie void.
'What are you doing?' She quizzed, puzzled at the man's odd behaviour. 'I thought you said we weren't allowed in the basement?'
'I've something to show you.'
Standing aside, he made a motion towards the steps, indicating that he wanted her to delve into the disturbing depths. Shifting her weight so that she leaned against the wall, the intern made no attempt to move, slightly frightened by the turn of events.
'Where's the child?'
Bowing his head, the director once again pointed in the direction of the basement. 'I'm not asking you, I'm telling you. Go down the stairs.'
'No, not until you tell me what's down there!'
Heaving a sigh, the man moved close, leaning down until his tall frame was towering over the young woman, a look of agitation furrowing his brow. 'Your patient.'
Balking at his words, Lisa mustered a soft grunt as she gingerly peered round the door frame, cold air ascending from below. Pulling her jacket tight, she grudgingly began to make her way into the unknown, the scuffing of her shoes rebounding off the walls.
His words had struck a chord with the nurse, who understood them to some degree, yet refrained from thinking too hard about the implications. Uncomfortable in the dim light, she felt a shred of relief at reaching the bottom, fumbling along the wall as she tried to find her way in the poor illumination.
Behind her, the doctor's heavy shoes clacked upon the gaudy stone, a bulb flickering into existence as he flipped a nearby switch. Moving forward, the girl took pursuit, a heavy feeling settling on her back, as though some unseen eyes were watching her.
It was the first time she had ever set foot inside the basement, and it created such a feeling of isolation that she had to use all of her willpower not to turn and flee. Inhaling gusts of damp air, the woman forced herself to keep moving.
She was aware that beneath the hospital lay a morgue, but seeing the sign printed on a metal door did little to dispel her nerves. It was more like a dingy cavern, than anything she would have expected to find in a hospital.
'Where are you taking me?' She asked, exasperated at his lack of concern. 'I don't like this.'
Unlocking a side door that she'd failed to notice, the man ushered her into a hallway shrouded in oppression and misery. Along the way, she became aware of the telltale beep of a life support machine, sending shivers down her spine.
As they arrived at their destination, Kaufman placed his hand over the doorknob, examining the girl's mien as she began to connect the dots. Palms moist, Lisa braced herself against the revelation that awaited her behind the mysetrious door.
The hinges swung open silently, as though they were well oiled for just such a purpose, revealing a bleak and depressing room that seemed cloaked in a perpetual state of torment. Air stagnant, the girl concealed her nose as she prepared to enter the small space.
Four walls enclosed a hospital bed, the sheets grubby and filthy, stained with blood. Beside it sat a cabinet, adorned with numerous bottles and medicines. A single chair was situated at the foot of the bed, lonely and solemn.
Everything about the room was unsanitary, with peeling paper and discoloured patches from where damp had destroyed the ceiling. The scent of smouldering flesh made her gag, bringing tears to her eyes as she tried to ignore the rotting carrion.
Lying in the centre of the mattress was a fragile figure, helplessly sprawled out and abandoned to solitude. It was the body of a girl, around six years of age, with charcoal skin that had been stripped from her bones by flame.
A bald scalp free from hair, lips too damaged to move, a cloth towel wrapped around her torso, fragments of flannel merging with her limbs. It was far worse than what she had imagined, and all her prior resignations seemed trivial compared to the harsh reality.
It was Alessa Gillespie, and Lisa knew it the moment she laid eyes on the fragile being. But where was her mother? And why was she in the basement?
'This is horrible.' She gasped, hand to her mouth as she tried not to gag. 'Why is this place? Why isn't anyone taking care of her?'
'Because that is your assignment.' He replied, seemingly disinterested with the sight before him. 'I want you to be her personal carer.'
There was a pause as the intern registered the information. 'Why is she here?'
'You know very well that we don't have enough rooms to house everyone.'
'So you put her in the basement!?'
'What would you suggest?' He asked, temper short.
'Send her to another hospital. Brookhaven isn't far.'
'It is for someone in her condition.' He murmured, moving forward to check the child's pulse. 'She's alive, but she won't survive without someone to care for her.'
'And what if I say no?'
A wry smile spread across the director's face, menacing and cruel as he removed a vial from his pocket. Holding it up for her to see, he tauntingly shook it inches from her face.
'If you refuse, then no more PTV.'
Heart sinking and rage building, Lisa lowered her head in defeat, accepting that this was something she had no say in. The choice was not hers to make, and the older man had successfully lured her into yet another trap.
It was unfathomable to think that anybody could be forced to live in the sordid conditions of that make-shift room, and the teen knew that there was something more sinister behind the doctor's motives.
Leaning forward, satchel clanging against the metal bars, she reached out a hand and carefully touched Alessa's arm, immediately withdrawing when the child released a barely audible groan. It was obvious that the girl was in unmentionable pain, and Lisa didn't think there was anything she could do to ease her suffering.
Conflicting emotions smothered the nurse, who wanted desperately to help Alessa, but was so disgusted by her appearance that she didn't see herself fit to perform the task. Medical books had taught her everything she needed to know, except how to deal with the stress of seeing a human in such agony.
'I can't cope with this.' She mumbled weakly. 'Does her mother know?'
He gave her a brief nod, though said little else. Dahlia owned the Green Lion Antiques store in Central Silent Hill, a place that bustled with busy shoppers all flocking to the mall. It was rather out of the way, and easy to miss, if you didn't know what to look for.
Lisa pondered whether the woman was content with the arrangement, deciding that, if she were a mother, it would have been more acceptable to leave her daughter in the foyer, where it was at least clean and sanitary.
'Where is Mrs. Gillespie?'
Kaufman came to stand next to Lisa, placing a hand on the stunned teen's shoulder. Instead of shrugging it off, the intern simply sat and stared at the heaving chest of her patient, wondering what sort of miracle had allowed the child to continue living.
'She needed to be alone. Besides, it's necessarry that we bandage the wounds before any visitors are allowed.'
'I...Yeah, okay.'
The nurse made to stand, legs barely able of sustaining her weight. Removing her coat and draping it over the chair, she began to peel at the towel clinging to Alessa's horrendously scarred flesh, wincing as blood pooled from the torn flaps that came loose.
'Oh God, I can't!' She squealed, covering her eyes and turning away from the pitiful scene. 'Please don't make me do this, please!'
Unflinching, the director eyed her with scrutiny, phased by nothing as he stood in the open doorway, arms by his sides. That cold demeanour had returned, replacing what little compassion the man was capable of.
'You'll never become a nurse with that attitude. These are the sort of realities you'll be dealing with on a daily basis. I suggest you get used to them.'
On the verge of weeping, Lisa glowered at him with such force that her eyes began to sting. Working at a hurried pace, she set about embalming the child in bandages, all the while wondering whether her gentle touch was harming the girl.
After she had finished, and with barely a word, she collected her things and left, leaving Kaufman to lock the door behind him. Removing a spare key, he handed the tiny piece of metal to his employee, satisfied that she had completed her task.
It was difficult to subdue the nausea that had risen in her stomach, vicious and boiling as it threatened to spew forth at the slightest hint of movement. Slowly grabbing the key he offered, the intern shoved it in her bag, gaze on her scuffed pumps.
'Dont tell anyone about what you've seen here.'
'What are you up to?' She asked, unsurprised at his demand.
'It's of no concern to you, and if you want to keep receiving your precious drug, you will do as I ask. Only myself and her mother need to know of this.'
Lisa opened her mouth to retort, but finding that words would not come, closed it again. There was nothing she could say, knowing that he had her crushed beneath his thumb with no means of escape. He had what she needed, and he knew exactly how to tug her strings.
Even so, the prospect of returning to that room was too much for her to bear, drowning her in a wave of insurmountable sorrow. She had viewd something so unspeakably harrowing, that it was impossible for her to forget.
She had become the girl's keeper, but as far as everybody else was aware, Alessa Gillespie died that day.