Prologue-

The pine trees alongside the mountain road swayed from the gentle breeze. The sun was setting for the day, the old orange sky giving way to night. It was calm that night, peaceful, in this quiet corner of the world. It could easily lull a weary traveler into a false sense of serenity. But this calm was a façade, a veil delicately concealed the darkness around the corner.

Harry Mason gripped the steering wheel tightly in his left hand, the right hand rested on his knees, tapping away to a song only he could hear. The hum of the engine filled the car, a Jeep Wrangler, it was almost enough to distract him from the pain of the last three years. Almost.

"Daddy?" A voice, small and sweet, came from the back seat. "Are we there yet?"

It was Cheryl, his daughter, no, their daughter. She sat in the back seat, clutching an old teddy bear in one hand and a Crayola crayon in the other. She had been busy coloring a picture in her sketchbook. Her eyes peered out the window as the outside turned dark all around them.

"Almost sweetie. Almost." Harry replied, he glanced back at her through the rearview mirror. He smiled reassuringly back at her. "Just a little longer."

Cheryl smiled back, but it didn't match the look in her eyes. Harry knew that look too well. It was the same one she had ever since her mother, Jodie, had passed away. Three years since that day had passed, but grief still clung to the both of them. They had lived a quiet life of constant sorrow. Jodie had been their rock in the world, and without her, they felt like they were drifting away. Two lost souls searching for the life they once knew.

Oddly enough, it had been Cheryl's idea to come to Silent Hill. Her suggestion had surprised Harry, even catching him off guard. But the way she pleaded at him, the look she gave, the trembling in her voice as she asked for a vacation. For something, anything to take them away from the reminders of their loss. Harry couldn't bring himself to say no to that. He never could. He needed it too, an escape from the grief.

Harry had heard of the town, Silent Hill, before. It was in a small resort town, just a few hours' drive outside of Portland, Maine where they'd live. The town was known for its lake and lush forests. It seemed to be a peaceful place. A place to heal perhaps. But something felt strange as he agreed to go. It almost felt as though this wasn't going to be the tip they were looking forward to.

The road continued to twist and turn through the mountains. As they climbed higher, it only seemed to be growing narrower. Harry glanced down at the dashboard, almost out of gas. He'd been hoping to find a station before entering town, but the road was empty, deserted. Nothing but trees for miles. It was then that he noticed something about the road ahead. A dense fog began to roll in, creeping across the pavement.

Harry shivered. "It was just the fog." He told himself. But it was strange, he hadn't seen any sign of fog earlier. The night was cool, but not enough for this heavy mist.

"Daddy, look!" Chery yelled, her small voice cutting through the silence.

Harry's eyes snapped back to the road, catching his breath in his throat. There, standing in the middle of the road was a girl, she couldn't have been much older than Cheryl. Her long dark hair hung over her shoulders as she stood there. She was wearing a simple white dress, like something out of a hospital. But it wasn't her appearance that James found unnerving. It was just how she stood there, waiting for something or someone.

Time slowed as Harry's mind raced. He couldn't swerve too hard, they were on a mountain. But he couldn't hit her either. The girl didn't as the car approached. His pulse quickened and he panicked. Harry yanked the steering wheel hard to the right to avoid her.

The tires skidded on the wet pavement, screeching for traction. Harry thought they'd make it for a split second as they passed the girl. But then the car lurched to the left, rear tires slipping off the edge of the road.

Harry barely had time to react as the world spun all around him. The car flipped once, then twice, and a third before it landed with a crunch at the bottom. Silence followed, broken only by the sound of the engine and the distant howl of the wind.

When he finally came to, the world around him was like a blue. Pain coursed through his body. The airbag had deployed, against his chest, and it was hard to breathe. He groaned and tried to move. But his body refused to cooperate with him.

"Cheryl…" he groaned out as he struggled to turn his head. He looked over to the passenger seat. Panic surged through him. Empty. Cheryl's seat was empty.

Cheryl was gone.

His heart pounded as he fought against the pain. He had to find her. Find his child and make sure she is ok. With great effort, he unbuckled the seat. Then he forced the door open. The night's cold hair hit him. He stumbled out of the car and called her out her name again. Louder each time.

"Cheryl!" he cried. "Cheryl, where are you?"

There was no response, only the silence of the forest around him. The fog had grown thicker now, enveloping him. It was as if the whole world had been swallowed whole by the fog, leaving Harry alone.

Desperation drove him forward. She had to be here, somewhere. She couldn't have just disappeared. He took a step forward, and then another.

"Cheryl!"

The name echoed through the woods, bouncing back to him, almost with a mocking tone. He could barely see the road now, just the vague outline of his totaled jeep in the fog. Everything else was lost from his view.

Harry's thoughts raced as he looked at the car, and then back to the road. What happened to the girl? Was she real? Was any of this real? His mind fractured, memories split between the present and the past. Memories of his late wife Jodie, of Cheryl as a baby, and their life before the illness. Before Jodie's life had been cut short. Everything was blurring together with the nightmare in the present.

And then, through the fog, he saw her. A small figure, barely visible, standing on the edge of his vision. Cheryl. She was in the middle of the road just like the girl from before.

"Cheryl!" Harry called out to her, getting his feet moving. He stumbled towards her, but as he drew nearer, the figure began to fade into the fog.

"No…no…no…" panic overtook him and he made a run for it. He ignored the pain as he dashed. But the more he ran, the more she seemed to get farther away. Until she was nothing more than a shadow in the mist, and then no trace of her having been there at all.

Harry fell to his knees, gasping for breath. He could feel the cold seep into his bones now. He was alone again. Alone in this strange, nightmarish place. His daughter was gone.

The wind howled through the trees, carrying a wail, like the cry of a wounded animal. Harry looked up in horror as he realized the sound coming deeper within the fog. It came from Silent Hill.

It was calling to him.

Harry forced himself to his feet. He had no other options. His only family left, Cheryl was in the town ahead. He stumbled forward as he made his way up the road. Each step takes him closer to the unknown.

Authors Note: Thank you for taking the time to read this story. This is actually a prequel to my other fanfic, Silent Hill 2: Echoes of the Past. If you enjoyed this one so far, you can check the other at https/s/14380735/1/Silent-Hill-2-Echoes-of-the-Past

Stay tuned, I look forward to hearing your thoughts