Lucid

Chapter 4 Liz finally enters Silent Hill

 

Disclaimer: I do not own Silent Hill. Nor, its characters. The characters of Liz, Tommy and Keita are my characters, and I do own them as well as a couple "no name" characters. The following story is a two plus two production.

Chapter Four: Lucid

The large silver doors loomed in front of her. Their silver skin shone menacingly in the dull light. She steadied herself with the I.V. pole. A metallic flavor invaded her senses and she held back the urge to wretch. This was it. This was the gateway between life and death. Once you passed through those doors it was final.

“Do you want someone in there with you?” the nurse asked.

“No.” She managed. “No, its better if I do this alone.”

The nurse nodded and took a step back.

Liz filled her lungs and then slowly exhaled. She reached out and touched the cool metal. A wave of cold fear rushed through her. Just beyond this door was Tommy. He was within a hundred yards of her. He was so close, and yet he wasn’t. He had already stepped over the threshold.

She gently pushed the doors open.. They swung with little effort. She imagined that they swung open so easily because it only took one person to operate a gurney. She gripped her I.V. pole and pushed it in front of her. She knew it was silly, but if death were hiding beyond those doors it would be better for the I.V. pole to take the brunt of the attack. It would give her a chance to get away. She glanced around for all exits. Even injured she figured she could make it to an exit.

The pole slid gently across the tile and threshold. Liz braced herself for the impact to come, but nothing happened. Death was smart. It had to be watching her. It had to be waiting. She slowly stepped into the morgue.

A man sat at a desk in the corner going over files. He looked up and his eyes softened.

“Mrs. Marnell?” his gentle voice startled her.

“Yes?” She asked.

“I’m so sorry.”

He stood and walked over to her.

“We did the best we could. Are you ready?”

Are you ready? She held back the urge to roll her eyes. How could anyone be ready to confront death? She nodded, knowing that was what society expected of her.

The doctor gently pulled back the sheet. His body was a ghostly white. A wave of grief flooded her. She tried to hold back the sobs but it was useless. She ran a finger over a large gash above his eye brow. The skin was torn in several places. Any blood that had been on his face had been washed away. She grasped the sheet and pulled it down to expose his hands. She took them gently in her own. His hands were cold and bony white. She willed him to breathe. She willed the blood to circulate and bring color back to his body. She brought his hand to her lips. He was so cold. She hoped that somehow her lips would bring back life. That maybe she could steal life away from death.

“Liz…”

The whisper surrounded her. She looked around and was suddenly afraid. The room had changed. It was no longer the clean, shiny, disinfected, cold room. The walls had turned a sickly reddish brown color. The metal had rusted. The floor was littered with flaked off paint and broken tiles.

She took a step back but sill held tight to Tommy’s hand. What happened? She looked around for the mortician. He was gone.

“Liz…”

She had to be crazy. That was Tommy’s voice. She looked at him. He hadn’t changed. He was still cold and pale. He lay there quiet and still. Death ebbed from him. She leaned closer to him and suddenly his eyes snapped open.

She jerked back, and pain instantly invaded her head. The sound of a horn blaring seduced the pain. She gently touched her head. A bump was forming above her eye. She looked around slowly taking in her situation. The air bags had deployed and the windshield had spider web cracks. A fog had seeped in through the vents and gave the situation a surreal feeling.

Keita moved quietly in the seat next to her. Liz was glad to hear him moving, it meant that he was okay. The hadn’t broken in and he seemed to be uninjured.

Liz reached for her phone. She found it wedged between the seat and cup holders. She yanked it free. Upon flipping it open she became annoyed. The phone had no reception. Liz sneered at the small electronic. The damn things never worked when they were truly needed.

After assessing her surroundings she decided against trying to start the car. She didn’t know if any gas had leaked and the last thing she wanted to do was blow up the car. She tried to roll the window down, but it wouldn’t budge. Figures, she thought. Nothing can be easy. The front dash was crushed from the collision with the tree, but she was able to get her legs away from the mess. She pushed past Keita and began kicking the passenger window.

It took about five kicks before the glass gave way. On the fifth kick the glass shattered and a cool breeze wafted into the car. Liz sat back for a moment and gathered her thoughts. There was a backpack in the back, she needed that. She reached over to the ignition and removed her keys. She peered into the back seat and found her jacket. Then she fished through the glove box and pulled out her flashlight and first aid kit. She pocketed her cell phone and used the flash light to clear away the remaining glass.

When she had deemed it safe, she climbed through the window. Keita was on her heels. He stuck his head out the window and whimpered in distress. Liz smiled and tucked the flashlight in her jacket pocket. Then she reached in and lifted the dog from the front seat.

“Did you really think I would leave you?” She asked over the sound of the horn.

She set him on the ground and made her way to the back of the car. As she walked she slid the jacket on and flipped the flashlight on. She wanted to make sure that the batteries worked. She inspected the damage. The car looked fine except for the front. She was surprised that neither she nor Keita were injured more seriously. She had a few minor scratches, and a goose egg on her head. But that was the extend of her injuries.

She inserted her keys into the back lock. Nothing happened. She wondered if a wire had come loose in the accident. It was a minor set back. All she really needed to do was pop the window open. She hoped that the wires to the window weren’t broken. She pushed the window release, and the back window popped open.

Liz reached in and pulled her backpack out. She dropped it by her feet and reached in again. She pulled out a small travel cooler. AS she reached down to grab the backpack the hair on her arms and neck rose. A low, feral growl rose from the fog. It wasn’t Keita. She knew Keita’s voice. This was aggressive and threatening. She thought for a minute about climbing back in the car. But Keita was out there in the grass somewhere. She couldn’t leave him behind.

The bushes near the car rustled, and Liz jumped. Keita emerged, his fur was puffed out and his lips were curled back in a snarl. He was looking out into the fog. She followed his gaze hoping not to see anything. She feared what was out there. It sounded big, and she was unarmed. She looked around her feet for a stick or a large rock. If whatever was out there attacked them, they would be in serious trouble.

She called Keita to her but he didn’t move. She looked in the back of the car and spotted her crow bar. She pulled it out. At least she had a weapon. Keita took a few steps forward. He stayed low to the ground. Liz pulled her keys out of the lock. She fumbled to remove the cap from the pepper spray. She held it in front of her, and gripped the crow bar with her right hand.

Then Keita stood up. His fur settled back into place and he sniffed the air. Liz was still on edge and looked around hoping to find whatever was hiding in the fog. Keita turned and walked back to her and jumped up. Not wanting to waste any time, Liz picked up her backpack, stuffed the flashlight into the mess side that held a water bottle, and picked up her cooler. She slid the backpack on and called Keita. She set off following her tire tracks. She didn’t think she was to far from the road.

The tracks were fairly deep and in a slight U shape. Liz followed them, the whole time keeping her guard up. She had the crow bar in her free hand. Keita was at her heels stopping randomly to sniff a bush. Whatever had been watching her by the car seemed to have gone, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being watched.

The tire tracks came to an abrupt end at the pavement. Liz was relieved to find something familiar, even if it was an old broken up highway road. She stepped onto the blacktop and called Keita out of the forest area. She felt better being on the road. Perhaps not entirely safe, but better none the less.

Keita came bounding out of the forest with a stick in his mouth. He wagged his curly tail and spun in circles. Liz had to wonder what was going through is head. She took the stick and tossed it up the road a ways. Keita took off after it. His toe nails making a “tat-tat” sound on the pavement. She took a moment to look for skid marks. That way she would know which way was up and which was down.

She found them a few yards from where she was standing and it looked like the direction she had tossed Keita’s stick was the up direction. It would have been easier to tell if the yellow markings dividing the highway were still present, but they had been long worn away. Liz decided to go up. Whatever had caused her to careen off the road may still be hiding in the bushes, and she didn’t really want to run into them.

She walked a little ways before she heard Keita come toward her. He had the stick in his mouth and danced happily around her. She took the stick from him and threw it again. He took off running. She looked up to see if she could see the sky, but the fog seemed to grow thicker further up. She decided it was dangerous to be walking in the middle of the highway. She took to the edge of the road. At least there she wouldn’t get hit by a car. Keita materialized out of the mist carrying his stick. She took it from him and lured him to the side of the road with it. Then she threw it for him. Seconds after it left her hand she heard a “thunk” sound. Like it had hit a metal pole.

She looked up. A large sign stood just off the road. Its gold letters were illuminated by two lights the shown brightly thanks to the fog. Her heart stopped as she read the sign.

Welcome to Silent Hill

Tommy’s message crackled maliciously in the back of her mind. “We’re waiting for you. Here… Silent Hill.”

 

Reviews

[tuvi]

good work liz .....

I now need to go around reading your other works :)
I've thoroughly enjoyed your work !!

Keep writing our heart out .... as it soothes the readers :P

Love,
Tuvi