Chapter 3

Fog.

It hid everything from view, the mountainside, the lake, even the sun. I guess I hadn't noticed it when Detective Holland brought me the first time. I don't know why but it was unsettling to see the sunlight swallowed by the mist like that. The cabbie was still droning on about everything and nothing. I hadn't heard a single word of it. Between him and the crackling radio there was no threat of the silence I hated.

That damned card was still in my hand, being flipped over and over by my fingers. Every time I glanced down at the silver handwriting, I felt like I was looking at a dirty little secret. A dirty little name that James had kept hidden from me, for all these years.

I was there.

I was there when Mary would wait for James to visit her in the hospital. I'd watch her tears fall at the end of the day when he still hadn't come. I'd then comfort her with lies, promising he'd show up the next day as I wiped the tears away. His visits became fewer and fewer towards the end. Now I know why he never came.

Because of Maria, that name etched in his skin.

My jaw tightened as I sat up straight and stretched. Just thinking her name pissed me off. The cabbie saw me in his rearview mirror and cleared his throat before asking me where I wanted to be dropped off. Huh, I hadn't thought about where I'd go until I could meet the bitch.

I answered him without thinking. "Toluca Cemetery."

The cabbie nodded and about twenty minutes later, I was dropped off at the small dirt path that would lead to the graveyard. I watched as he made a u-turn in the road and disappeared into the fog. Why did I tell him to drop me off here? I guess it was because this was the beginning for me. Well, the beginning of my life with James, however short that was.

I kicked at the dirt as I took the path into the fog, not caring that my nice shiny boots were getting dirty. Who was there to scold me for tracking mud into the house? Oh that's right, no one. No one but a ghost who even in death couldn't give me peace. After a little while I came to a pair of iron gates that screeched when I pushed them open. It was unnervingly quiet. No birds, no insects, nothing. The only sound was the lake lapping at the water's edge. I wandered through the headstones, most of the names erased by time or from the elements. So much chipped and faded stone. Would I want to be buried next to James for all eternity?

No, I didn't think I would. I didn't think Mary would either.

I made it to the edge of the lake and just stood there as the mist drifted by. Hm, I had never really given any thought to where Mary was buried. I had known better than to ask James when I was younger but thinking about it now, it made me sad. I couldn't visit her grave even if I wanted to. Just one more thing that he had kept from me.

Thanks a lot James.

This was the very spot he had taken my hand and led me away from this quiet little town. I was so overwhelmed with joy. After years of being alone I finally had a new daddy. Yet I was so angry with him for what he had done to Mary. I knew the horrifying truth but when he offered me his hand, I took it. I wish I could go back and swat that little hand away from his, saving us both grief. I should've known that I'd never be happy with James, that he'd never take care of me the way a poor little orphan girl should've been. Shaking my head, I looked down and nudged some pebbles into the water with my foot.

No, that was a lie.

He did make me happy, that's why I had taken his hand. God damn him, he had made me happy.

Sadness and happiness warred in my mind, much as they had when I was a kid. The light wrestled with the dark, the love with the hate. I was so caught up in this conflict, I almost didn't hear the rustling coming from behind me. I glanced at the surrounding forest, expecting to see a deer or some other little fairytale woodland animal. There was nothing there. Everything was as silent as the graves I was standing by. I was about to dismiss the sound when I heard it again, this time coming from the small forest entrance on the opposite side of the cemetery.

My curiosity got the best of me, and we all know what happened to that stupid cat. As I approached the gate the rustling continued and it sounded like something big was being dragged through the underbrush. I reached out and when my skin contacted the rusted metal, the sounds suddenly stopped. Gripping the bar, I tried peering through the fog. It suddenly occurred to me that deer don't drag their grass or whatever the hell they eat along with them. That maybe it was the deer being dragged by…. something else.

I stared at the forest until my eyes watered. Nothing but fog and trees. I stepped away from the gate and gave it a good kick. This was ridiculous, I was getting worked up over nothing. I headed back towards the lake as I once again weaved mindlessly through the headstones. I was trying very hard to ignore the silence that was settling on my skin, heavier than the mist. It felt like I had been here long enough, that I should just get the hell out of there. Almost like something wanted me out of there….

The dirt path brought me back down towards the street, as I left both my heart and the cemetery behind me. The street was Nathan Avenue and if I remembered correctly, it would take me straight to where the hospital was. The minutes ticked by, the only sounds coming from my boots stomping on the pavement. The silence was really beginning to irritate me so I took out my phone. I was searching my pocket for my earbuds when I happened to glance up at the street sign.

I had come to Lindsey Street but it was blocked by those little white construction signs, I think they're called barricades. Yellow tape was strung between them and as I reached the nearest one, I expected to see a crime scene or something. Nothing unusual, just fog and some parked cars. I shrugged as I plugged in my earbuds and hit the music icon on my phone. Bobbing my head to some goth rock, I started walking again. The minutes seemed to speed up, like the hands on a clock spinning forward. Before I knew it, I came to the next side street, which was once again blocked by barricades.

A quick glance down the empty street revealed more fog and cars, as well as some shops and restaurants. I paused for a minute but when I didn't see anyone, I kept walking. I turned the volume up on my phone, wanting to completely drown out the silence. I passed by an apartment complex and there was a park to my right but it was gated off. Neither of them showed any signs of life.

This time I wasn't surprised when I saw more barricades on the next street, the yellow tape flapping in the wind. As I walked by them I stumbled on a big piece of broken asphalt. I would've landed right on my face if I hadn't reached out and grabbed onto the nearest flashing barricade-thing. I quickly straightened and looked down the street, hoping to God that if anyone was around, they hadn't seen me almost eat it in the middle of the road.

What I did see now surprised me.

There wasn't anyone to see me and the reason why was that the entire street had collapsed. There were giant blocks of shattered road and asphalt and piles of dirt everywhere.

"What the hell happened here?" I muttered to myself.

I hit pause on my phone as I stared down the street. It was completely caved in, the damage continuing into the fog. Suddenly, I let out a laugh. Sucks for the people on this street, good luck explaining to your boss you can't come into work today because the road in front of your house is gone. The nervous laughter died almost immediately as I left and continued down Nathan Avenue. My pace picked up as I finally acknowledged the unease that had been creeping in the back of my mind. Something weird was definitely going on but all I could do was keep walking.

Hell, at this point I'd rather wait at a sleazy strip club than be out on this road any longer, which apparently went on forever. Goth rock played once more as I passed a cheap-looking motel with empty parking stalls. I tried to shake away my discomfort when I realized I hadn't actually seen a single person since the cab driver. I just assumed there would be people at restaurants or walking down the street like I was, but there was no one. Maybe there was a gas leak under the street that led to an explosion. That would explain the destruction of the road and why no one was around. But wouldn't there be medics and workers everywhere trying to clean up the mess? Maybe the gas was still leaking and they were still keeping everyone away.

Now worrying if it was even safe for me to be here, I was just coming up to a small gas station with a ratty garage and only two pumps when I heard sirens over my music. Taking out my earbuds I turned around, expecting to see an ambulance or police car. Maybe they saw me and were coming to evacuate me. But there was nothing, nothing but fog. The sirens kept wailing and I realized they were emergency sirens, like the kind used in World War II. They were getting louder and I suddenly felt like I needed to get off the road, away from them.

I shoved my phone in my pocket as I ran over to the station's garage and tried to open the door but it was locked. I pounded on it and I peered through the filthy window, shouting, "Hello? Is anybody in there? What the hell are those sirens?!" It was pitch black inside and nothing moved. I twisted around and I couldn't believe my eyes. No, I didn't want to. This isn't happening, there's no way in hell this could be happening.

As the sirens continued to wail, darkness crept towards me through the fog. The temperature dropped and I shivered, my breath now visible. I backed up against the garage doors as the darkness completely engulfed me but before my eyes could even adjust, the streetlamps flickered to life, becoming floating orbs in the blackness. When the last streetlamp burst into life, the sirens suddenly stopped.

My breath was ragged, my ears still ringing. Not knowing what to do, I just stood there until my hearing slowly came back to me. Once I could hear again I ran to the nearest streetlamp and pulled out my phone. I almost dropped it, my hands were shaking so badly. When I saw that I had no reception I almost chucked the useless piece of crap against the pavement. I stopped myself and instead shoved it back into my pocket.

I needed to calm down so I started taking deep breaths. My heart slowed and after an eternity, I stopped shaking. Forcing myself to look around, I saw that I was practically standing on Carroll Street, where the hospital and the strip club were. Straining my eyes, I could barely make out a faint pinkish light, almost near the end of the street. As I turned towards the distant light, I happened to glance up at the building across from me. It was a bowling alley.

The bowling alley.

Memories stirred in my mind. I was little and talking to someone as he ate pizza. He had done something, I couldn't remember what but he was running away like I was. He was fat and a coward but he had been nice to me and even offered me some of his pizza. The door had opened and James had walked in. I was still angry at him for not coming to see Mary so I left the guy I had been talking to and ran past a bewildered James into the fog. I suddenly remembered who the guy had been.

I whispered to myself, "Eddie. His name was Eddie." I had completely forgotten about him, he was the only person besides James I had met in Silent Hill. Honestly, he was holding me back from trying to find Mary so I wasn't too hung up on leaving him behind. I guess I would've said good-bye if I had known I'd never see him again.

Turning away from the bowling alley, I made my way down the street. I wasn't here for my past, I was here for James's. The street was dark save for the light from the streetlamps. The fog definitely became thicker, blurring the buildings to my right and left. I stamped down on my Panic as the silence echoed around me. It felt like I was starting to drown in the darkness and mist when I saw the pink light again. It was a glowing neon sign, my lifeline like a lighthouse guiding me forward.

My breathing started to quicken as I headed down the street. The darkness and the quiet were now crawling on my skin. Panic was begging to take control of me when I heard rustling coming from behind me. It was the same sound I had heard back at the cemetery. I came to a halt and slowly turned around, my Panic caught in my throat. The rustling continued and I held my breath as movement caught my eye. Something was dragging itself into the halo of light from the streetlamp on the corner. My hands covered my mouth as the thing looked right at me, its gaze cutting through the fog and darkness, right into my soul.

Its flesh was a mottled brown and red, the color of rotten meat and it was slicked with blood. Its head was narrow, sitting on massively built shoulders, its muscular arms ending in freakish claws. Through the fog it almost had the outline of a bear, complete with a hump on its back, like a grizzly. It opened its mouth and roared at me and even as far away as I was, I could see that its teeth were the size of kitchen knives.

My hands fell from my mouth and the terror I had been holding back ripped away from me in the form of a shriek. I turned on my heel and fled down the street. What the hell was that thing?! Whatever it was, I could hear it dragging itself towards me, at an alarming speed. Something that big shouldn't be moving that fast! But somehow it was and without looking back, I knew it was gaining on me.

I ran blindly towards the pink sign. The glow formed itself into the words Heaven's Night. I had to get out of the darkness, away from that thing! When I reached out to grab the railing, I suddenly hesitated. I was bathed in the sign's pink light, shaking and gasping for air. All I could think about was how many times James had pushed open that very door, running away from Mary. Just like I was running away from that monster. I was torn between the demon behind me and the demons in front of me. I had come so far and I was so close. I just needed to go up these stairs and through that damned door.

The decision was made for me. As I stared up at the door, it opened and light flooded out. A woman with long dark hair yelled at me, waving for me to get inside. Another roar had me vaulting up those steps and the woman barely got out of the way as I almost plowed into her. I crashed onto the floor as she slammed the door behind me, locking it. She rushed to my side and helped pick me up.

Gasping, I managed to mumble, "Thanks."

She nodded. "Yeah, no problem. I heard you scream out there and I knew it wasn't... I knew someone needed help."

I nodded back to her as I caught my breath and we stood there for several moments, staring at the door. Being surrounded in sudden light was making me see spots but they slowly disappeared. The silence stretched on and there were no more roars. Nothing climbed the stairs or tried to break through the door. We each let out a breath and she turned to me.

"Well, it looks like we're safe, at least for the moment. Are you okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm Laura by the way."

She smiled as she held out her hand to me. "I'm Maria. It's nice to meet you Laura."