Chapter 15: Ridin' Merrily Along
Edging away from the frightful beast dragging its killing weapon towards her man Julia clutched her useless pistol to her as tightly as a child holding a stuffed animal in the hopes that it would ward away imagined monsters. Here though the monsters were real and the weapon was little more than a comfort at this point. There was nothing she could do against the powerful and quite possibly unkillable creature with a helmet that looked like it would cut or stab just as well as the impossibly large knife it carried. Watching it tear through the aisles of equipment it would have taken all three of them to move like they were cardboard did nothing to ease the rotten feeling in her stomach for Victor. Still, she knew the look on his face and that it wasn't the time to argue. If they both made it out of this – when they both made it out of this alive – she was going to smack him upside the head for doing something so stupid.
Smashing through the last of the racks between it and Victor she watched him unbelievably tap the creature on the helmet with his bright sword. It responded with an attack that would have knocked down a building but Victor escaped harm to her anxiety's momentary respite.
"Now! Go!" he yelled at them and Julia almost forgot what they had planned as she was mesmerized by the scene unfolding in front of her. Regretting every second of leaving she nevertheless did as she was bade and ran along the wall of the store to come around to the giant opening the furious Pyramid Head had created for them. She was dismayed to find that the wall of the store was pressed up against the next building's exterior so close they were almost touching. The monster had cut through both walls with a single swipe that only served to remind her of how much danger Victor was in.
Chuck bounded through the opening and into the next building which was some kind of office complete with desks and filing cabinets galore. The glass windows and door to the office worried her but there was no time to be picky about preferred exits and entrances. The Canadian peeked out at the swirling mist both ways before ducking down and swearing to himself.
"What!" she whispered harshly.
"The soldiers are about to go inside the other building." he reported.
"Schist. How could this get any worse?"
"I guess-" he started but Chuck was interrupted by a hail of bullets shredding wood. If there was any blood in Julia's face it left her now and that sick feeling grew to nausea as she ducked down. Seriously contemplating heading back the way she came she told herself she had to trust Victor. Watching from the door Chuck was glued to their enemies and just before a blitz of gunfire erupted nearby he waved at her to follow him. Running awkwardly into the locked door Chuck looked at it like it had been the one to make a mistake before unlocking it and scrambling out onto the street. Staying close behind him Julia went with a heavy heart as they headed away from the din of a full scale battle.
Sprinting as fast as they could one, two blocks away it was Chuck who suddenly decelerated to almost a complete stop in front of her. Her momentum carried the pilgrim a little past him and she saw what had made him halt so abruptly. In front of them was a squad of six darkened figures in the mist heading directly into their path. They weren't quite in range to see them clearly but from the outlines and the way they were standing they were not Silent Hill monsters.
The barrel of the shotgun came up all on its own and she braced her shoulder for a punishing kick back as she pulled the trigger. The gun punched into her arm but the deafening blast and buckshot scattered the dark figures. Not particularly worried about hitting anything she fired again at the empty air before taking off to the right until she had made it fully into the next street and away from return fire. She heard Chuck's footsteps behind her and looked around for a quick exit as her heart pounded in her chest like a mad smith trying to hammer through his anvil. Spotting a large clothing store she ran towards it for no other reason than hoping to get lost inside. Blowing past the door she stopped in the entrance of the dusty shop and Chuck ran into her from behind. They looked at each other for a frantic moment before she said, "Um, hide."
Looking around for something big enough to contain a human she spotted the dressing rooms on the far right of the entrance. Rushing over to it she threw open the slatted door to a stall and scooted inside. To her surprise Chuck was following her still and the two of them crammed in to the small space. The large shield he was carrying barely fit between the two of them and Julia had to cram against the side of the stall.
"What are you doing!" she hissed as she tried to slow her breathing.
"I don't know! I'm freaking out!" he whispered back.
"We can't both fit in here!"
"I know! And worse, this is a woman's dressing room!"
"Quiet!" she ordered. Reaching to one of the slats at eye level she turned it just enough to see out into the store. Fear knotted her stomach into a ball as the soldiers crept into the building. Cursing whatever had given them away she watched the men spread out among the racks with practiced efficiency. Faces obscured by the black masks and red, glowing goggles the mercenaries looked very much like they belonged here even if nothing truly did. As they prodded large displays to make sure their targets weren't among them Julia noticed for the first time how many mannequins were on display in the store. Posed just like they were almost twenty years ago with the fashion horrors of both a small country town and the 1980s in play they would have ordinarily looked garish, even comical. Now though the harmless poses and ridiculously quaint outfits had a much more sinister effect.
Sweat trickled down the back of her neck and Julia gripped her shotgun in case she had to use it again all too soon. One of the mercenaries was angling towards them and she prayed that the men would just leave without any further altercations. She was on the verge of shutting her eyes just so she wouldn't throw up from the apprehension when she saw movement. It wasn't coming from the men but from the entrance of the store where they had all come in.
Stepping down from pedestals and creeping across the floor in slow motion were each of the mannequins the mercenaries had already passed by. Julia silently wailed at the sight straight out of her nightmares even before she noticed that most of them were holding butcher knives. Chest freezing up from the overload of terror she could only watch as her brain told her to run as they crept up on the men searching for them. One of the armor clad soldiers looked behind him for a moment, perhaps feeling the eyeless gaze on his back. Incredibly all of the mannequins froze in unison when he surveyed the room and resumed their unhurried pace the moment he turned away.
Senses screaming at her to do something, anything Julia witnessed the mannequins, outnumbering the men almost three to one, close in around the humans without the soldiers even knowing. Unsure what to do and scared out of her wits Julia knew that she was going to have to make a hard choice and fast. Logically these men were going to kill them if they could and deserved what they were about to get but the pilgrim didn't know if she could just stand there and let it happen. The decision came swifter than she was prepared for when one of the moving dolls raised its knife only a few feet from one of the men.
"Behind you!" she cried out and everything seemed to happen at once. The mercenaries all turned towards the sound of her voice and the mannequins dropped the pretense of being inanimate and sprang forward. Most of the men warded off killer blows from the ambush as the mannequins swarmed over the humans. Chuck broke out of the stall and ran towards the exit leaving Julia a second to gather her fractured wits and follow him.
Gunfire went off and she hoped it wasn't at them as they made a dash for the door. Ahead a mercenary was on the ground and being stabbed at by three of the knife-wielding plastic attackers. To her amazement Chuck stopped to shield bash two of them off the hapless soldier who could only raise his arms in defense. Stopping for a critical second to put herself in a firing stance she blasted the final mannequin at point blank range with the shotgun. It disintegrated into a cloud of plastic and she tore by the twice bewildered soldier without even getting a good look to see if he was okay.
Out in the misty streets Chuck looked unsure of what to do and Julia passed him by as stood there. "Come on!" she said and continued the direction they were going before taking that ill-fated detour to hide. Flicking the safety on the shotgun she held it at her side and increased her speed to a light run that she could sustain for miles if necessary. Her pack jingled and slapped her back with each stride but she had to ignore it to keep going. The hours and days of keeping herself in fighting shape were paying off and it was many blocks before she turned back. Chuck was barely in sight and she waited for him to catch up and she slowed her breathing down.
Bending over when he reached her he sucked in air as she inhaled and exhaled rhythmically. Letting the shield slide off his arm to rest on the street the Canadian look extraordinarily winded. "Think...I'm gonna...hurl..." he panted.
"Get your breath back Chuck, we have to keep going." she urged.
"Can...hardly breath...sides...ache..."
"They're going to be looking for us still. We can't just stand here out in the open."
"You..warned them." he wheezed.
"No more talking. Rest another minute and then we gotta go."
Straightening out to rest his hands on his hips he took in repeated deep breaths as sweat streamed down his face. Bruises and welts from random mannequin attacks decorated his visage and his chest was covered in blood and flecks of flesh. Most of it wasn't his but enough had dried on his face to make Julia wonder how she looked. After the short break they resumed their pace and the pilgrim did not stop until she estimated that they had been running almost twenty minutes. Slowing to a halt as her feet started to ache just slightly Julia noticed a large, older building with a curious cross on the top. Instead of a solid vertical and horizontal bar it had a circle in the center which was surrounded with a tiny cross above, below, to the left and to the right.
Looking behind her she saw Chuck's shuffling form bringing up the rear. Breathing out hard she let herself relax as he doggedly caught up to her again. "Oh my god..." he gasped. "I think...I'm gonna die..."
"Funny." she rolled her eyes as they'd already escaped two life threatening situations before the day was over. "Let's head in there." she pointed at the crossed building.
"Huh...huh...yeah whatever." he agreed and she led them to the ancient and heavy doors up a short stone stairway. Yanking on the wrought iron handle the door creaked with age as she pulled it open. From inside stale air escaped and made her nervous. Going into a place that hadn't already been picked over or cleaned out always made her edgy. Pushing the safety to the shotgun off she cautiously went in with Chuck's heavy breathing directly behind.
The once grand foyer indicated that this was an expensive place to stay back in its hey day. In front was a turn of the century lobby complete with desk and light coming in from the sides. Two curving, carpeted staircases on either side of the desk met at the top of the next floor and had to have been a swank sight long ago. Now though the carpet was brownish and dusty, the railings caked in filth and the entire lobby devoid of any color or warmth. There was a questionable odor as well that Julia simply decided to ignore for the time being.
"Huh." Chuck grunted. "Nice place."
"Yeah. Looks like there's some elevators past the stairs."
"No!" he blurted. Julia raised an eyebrow and the Canadian abashedly composed himself. "Ahem. I mean, no, that's a bad idea."
"Why?"
"Uh...let's just say it's better to avoid elevators if we can." he said. "Things tend to get weird on them."
"All right, all right, we can use the stairs." she assented. Heading up the dingy steps they carefully crept their way into the building. It was either an old hotel or an old apartment building converted from a hotel but the numbers had been pried off all the doors. Choosing a random door she tried the handle only to find it locked.
"Going in?" Chuck asked with his breathing fully under control again.
"Just wanted a place to reset and figure out our next move."
"Blast the lock off. No one's going to stop you."
"I'd rather not let everything in the area know where we are." she objected. "And if we're staying a while we should be able to lock the door."
"Hmm. Good point. And chance we can break in? Do you have a credit card handy?"
"No." she sighed.
"Lock picking kit?"
"I left it with my credit card and grappling hook that I use to break into place all the time?" she said with a shrug.
"Your sarcasm isn't helping my morale." Chuck made a face.
"Keep looking, ya lousy bum."
They checked handles down the long hallway until Chuck found an open room. Waiting for her before entering he raised the greenish shield and gently pushed the door in with his finger tips. Keeping his body protected he led the way as Julia kept the shotgun aimed down at the floor. The room was very well kept but the furniture was so old that Julia's grandmother would have found it a little dated. Other than the general decrepitness of the building and the musty stank of decomposing carpet the room was something of a good find. Checking the large bedroom and attached bathroom she was relieved to find the place empty.
"Whew." the Canadian said and let his guard down. Sliding the shield off and dropping it on the main room's table he slumped onto the ancient sofa with the look of a man who wasn't getting up any time soon. Laying down the shotgun Julia unbuckled her pistols and dropped her bag of ammo onto the floor. Taking a well earned break she sat down on the other end of the couch and let her head rest back on the disarmingly comfortable sofa.
Things weren't quite going the way she wanted them to. Dumb, awkward monsters they could deal with, evade, out wit. Unstoppable, knife dragging behemoths, trained gunmen and magic using cultists were a completely different story. There was no advantage they had against any of those foes that would assure victory.
"What's our next move?" Chuck asked with his eyes closed, interrupting her reflection.
"We should stay here for a while. Throw them off the trail." she suggested. "That's what Victor would do."
"How long should we wait?"
"I don't know, a day? I want to get back to Nathan to make sure he's okay but not when the retail area is crawling with soldiers and that...thing."
"Amen to that." he agreed. "Could go the rest of my life without ever seeing that thing again."
"Mmm." she murmured and they sat in peaceful silence for a minute or so.
"So what made you warn the soldiers?" Chuck asked.
"Oh...yeah." she said. "I don't know. I mean, they were going to kill us right? I shouldn't have said anything...but I couldn't. Mannequins coming alive is like a phobia of mine. I couldn't just sit there at let those people get stabbed to death by those creepy bastards. It's not how I would have wanted to go out."
"Yeah." he said. "I get it. I bet you that guy we saved has no idea why he's alive right now. Dude owes us big time."
"I wouldn't expect a bro-hug when you see him again."
"I wasn't. Maybe a I won't shoot you if you don't shoot me kind of deal."
She shrugged but it did remind her of another absent ally. "Couldn't help but notice that your pal didn't show up even after we dug him out of the ice."
Chuck nodded with a distracted look on his beaten face. "I know. That's the first time I've been in a situation I couldn't handle myself that he didn't show up to. I think he might be worse off than we thought."
"In fairness, he was dead when we found him. I suppose he could have shown up just to get his corpse shot up instead of us."
"He'll come through, trust me. I'm positive. If he wasn't here it was because he couldn't be, not because he didn't want to be." Chuck promised.
"Sound pretty sure of yourself talking about a guy who never bothered to tell you that he was dead before you ever met him. How do you know he's not sitting under a heat lamp somewhere enjoying a martini?"
"That's not his style. Besides, if your man was telling the truth about not needing to eat after living here for years, what do you think the Dark Man needs to get by?"
"Rather not know to be honest." she said.
"Well, I think- hold up, speaking of martinis, is that a mini-fridge?"
Julia had looked right at it when they came in but didn't make the connection that there might still be alcohol in it. While Chuck ambled over to it Julia crossed her fingers that the ingredients for an appletini would be available. It was a mad hope to get her favorite drink in this place but worth holding onto.
"Tch." he clicked disapprovingly and her heart sank. "Just a bottle of whiskey and some mini wine bottles."
"Huh. That's looking up." she said even if it wasn't a delicious appley-flavored beverage but she was willing to take what she could get. "Wait a second, are you even old enough to drink?"
"Seriously? You're asking me that right now?"
"Just curious, jeez."
"In Canada I am, now." he mused.
"You're not in Canada anymore, sweetie."
"I'm not on Earth anymore. What the hell does age matter in a place like this?" he shook his head. "Are you having some?"
"Hells yes I am."