Дата выхода: 22.11.2006
Издатель: Konami Digital Entertainment
Автор: Sadamu Yamashita
Иллюстрации[4]: Masahiro Ito
Количество страниц: 304
Язык: японcкий
Перевод с японского
Скрытый текст: [Показать]
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Silent Hill 2 : The Official Novel
By Sadamu Yamashita
Translated by Lady Ducky
//lady-ducky.deviantart.com/art/OFFICIAL-SH2-Novel-Chapter-1-187299982
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Silent Hill 2 Novel - Chapter 1
Prologue –Girl-
"It looks kinda like milk."
Laura's face stretched into a smile. She began to laugh as her bright, enamel-white teeth peeked from behind her small lips. The town was shrouded in a thick fog that blurred everything into white, like she was in some sort of magical land. Sometimes Laura liked to think that some scatterbrained god had carelessly dropped his cup and spilled his morning milk all over the place. However, this mysterious atmosphere could be a sign that there are fairies or something hiding out there. The thought made Laura's heart tremble with excitement. Although usually precocious, the eight-year-old girl jokingly began to hop and skip along, her skirt fluttering behind her. Slowly and smoothly, the fog flowed and drifted though the air.
"Come on, hurry up! I'm gonna leave you behind!" Laura shouted over and over again, calling out to her easygoing friend.
She and her companion were here because they were on a journey to find their friends…
Only he was fat and a bit thickheaded. Sometimes all he did was mope around and he always seemed to be scowling. But Laura didn't care too much. More importantly, she wanted to see that person again soon. The person who gave her that letter….
Chapter One –Beckoning Town-
On the other side of the dirty clouds was a vision of himself. Reflected in the mirror was his own face, hard and stiff as if it was the face of a corpse. Actually, I guess I am dead , James Sunderland thought. My heart's as good as dead anyway. He wasn't filled with a sense of loss, he just felt like his life wasn't worth living anymore. He had become indifferent. Work, free time, none of it really mattered anymore. Even the strong scent of ammonia that permeated the filthy little room couldn't catch James's attention. The dirty urinals caked with a yellow, moss-like substance, the sticky wet floor that soaked into the soles of his shoes, none of it brought a flicker of emotion. Rather, the only suitable substitute for him would be an actual zombie.
"Mary…could you really be in this town?" He asked to the James in the mirror. He himself had doubts about that incident. Did it really even happen? But…
With his hands on the sides of the wash basin, he peered into the mirror. Despite his attitude, he did feel a bit revitalized. He shook his head and brushed the bangs from his face, like waking from a delusion. He knew it was really true, because it came in a letter.
He stepped out of the gloomy place and into the cloudy sky. However, the public restroom could not compare to the brightness that awaited him outside. A damp wind brushed James's cheek. Across the parking lot was the vast Toluca Lake, mist dancing on its surface and stretching over the entire scenery.
In my restless dreams
I see that town.
Silent Hill.
You promised to take me there again someday.
But you never did.
Well I'm alone there now…
In our "special place"…
Waiting for you…
There was no doubt that Mary had sent this letter, it was written in her familiar handwriting. Three years ago, he had spent a holiday with her in this small town; now James was here again. Alone. His car sat in the corner of the small parking lot, engine at rest. Even though it was in perfect working order, it wouldn't be of much use anyway. The highway was the real problem. The tunnel on the far end of the parking lot that led to the town of Silent Hill was blocked off because of construction work. There was no way around the heavy, unbreakable fence that blocked the entrance. There was no choice but to go another way.
After retrieving a map of the town from his car, James descended a stairway at the edge of the parking lot. With each downward step, the fog thickened. By the time he reached the lake's shore, his entire field of vision was shrouded in white. More and more James was beginning to feel an unnatural suffocating feeling. However, even in this oppressive atmosphere, his mind was occupied by thoughts of Mary and the letter. Somewhere far off, a dog was barking like crazy, but he ignored it. He sank into a grave mood; stomping the ground as he continued to walk.
That letter certainly had Mary's name written on it. What a foolish, impossible idea. His brow furrowed and he shook his head in disbelief. It couldn't be true.
Because His wife, Mary, had died three years ago. Because of her illness…
It was like some sort of cruel joke, conceived by a particularly malicious person. A joke played to mock James, even now when he was still heartbroken and grieving. Maybe it was one of his neighbors? Or perhaps it was one of his coworkers? At any rate, after he had lost is wife, James took to drinking and began to conceal his sorrow with outbursts of anger. It affected everyone around him, to the point where his coworkers didn't want to put up with his sullen behavior. Before long, he was treated like a trouble-maker. For that reason, he could easily see how someone could hold a grudge against him.
Extending along the lake, the end of the path was surrounded by trees and dense fog. Even after just a few yards, he couldn't see the overlook where he had started from. At the head of the valley, the mist also hid Toluca Lake's magnificent scenery, but James could care less. He didn't come here to sight-see. As he walked, all he could picture was Mary's face. Even if James still had his doubts abut the letter, it along with the memories of his beloved wife had brought him this far.
It was no wonder, then, that with these kinds of thoughts in his head, James found himself wishing for a miracle. Did she really die three years ago? Or had she really died and somehow been revived? Perhaps after the funeral, after the workers and mourners left the grave unattended, Mary woke up and began desperately beating the lid of her coffin? But if that was true, why would she have waited three years to contact him? He considered the possibility that she received brain damage due to asphyxiation and suffered memory loss as a result. The workers would have fled in terror at seeing a supposedly dead person move; leaving her, who has no idea of who she is or what she's doing there, to unsteadily wander off somewhere. Or perhaps, he thought, she could have been kidnapped by some ill-intentioned grave digger…
James ground his teeth in frustration. The noise of the dead leaves scattered along the path crunched louder as he carelessly trampled over them. It was irritating how his imagination kept spewing forth one unpleasant scenario after another, no matter how hard he tried to stop it. In any case, the one thing he hadn't been able to prove: weather or not Mary was even alive in the first place. Still, James found that he was afraid to find the answer to that question.
But, if she really has been alive this whole time and didn't try to contact me until now, maybe she's been trying to avoid me? What if she ran off and has been living with another man… Those kinds of thoughts crossed his mind as well. Woman's hearts were so difficult to understand. For a moment he felt a burring surge of hatred, but it soon drowned in his melancholy mood. More than anything, he just wanted to see Mary again; and more than anything else, he dreaded that meeting. Forcing back his hesitation, James pressed on; putting one foot in front of the other like a sleepwalker.
Suddenly, James came to a halt and held his breath. Just in from of him, a human shape appeared in the fog.
Could it be Mary?
Naturally, it wasn't James's wife. Looking closer, he found a dark-haired woman standing still and staring pensively at a gravestone. Without even noticing it, James had wandered into a cemetery. Sensing James's presence, the woman let out a gasp of surprise and spun around to face him. He greeted her.
"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. I'm looking for a town called 'Silent Hill'. Would you mind telling me if I'm going the right way?"
"T-town? You're going to the town?"
The woman tilted her head doubtfully; the surprise on her face even greater than when she first noticed James. Though she still had youthful features, dark, heavy circles hung like shadows under her eyes.
"Yeah." James replied.
The woman hesitated for a moment, then answered, "…Yeah. That's the right way. I know it's a bit hard to see…you know, because of the fog, but…there's only one road s-so you can't really get lost."
"Thanks."
"but…"
"What is it?"
"It would be best…if you didn't go any farther."
"Huh?"
"Umm…because…that town is a strange place. I can't really explain it well, but…it's dangerous there."
"Just because of all this fog?"
"W-well…not just that. It just…is."
What was she thinking of that made her words seem so heavy? It didn't look like she was going to say anything else so it seemed pointless to try and get the answer from her.
"Got it. I'll be carful"
"Hey, I'm not making this up!" The woman yelled as James was about to walk away.
"I came to this town because I need to find my Mama! I haven't seen her in a long time! And…and t-this town…" She said in a hysterical voice.
James wasn't sure what made the woman who had barely spoken above a whisper scream like this. Clearly she had some…issues to work out. Then again, the same could be said of James too. Best not to worry about that for the moment. Not to say that James didn't believe what the woman had told him, but if he wanted to see Mary, he would just have to keep going despite the danger.
Leaving the troubled woman behind, James passed through the graveyard and found his way back to the path that stretched and wove though the forest by the lake. Again his thoughts turned to Mary. Her letter had said: "I'm waiting for you in our 'special place'", but what did she mean by that? He searched through all the precious buried memories from three years ago.
The two places that stood out the most were the park and the hotel. He remembered how the two of them had spent a great deal of money to book a deluxe suite and how they ordered extravagant meals from room service. One day, while they were strolling around town, they happened to find the park by the lake. The couple had sat on a bench together, watching the boats sail back and forth over the shimmering waters. They ended up staying there all day, just enjoying the scenery and each other's company. The question remained: was Mary waiting for him at the park or the hotel?
Before long, the sound of dead leaves crunching underfoot stopped and the dirt forest path gave way to an old asphalt road. The road led to a tunnel that ran under the highway that would have made his journey faster and easier if only it hadn't been closed. James continued along intently, as the street curved and followed along a river, finally reaching the town's main street. James pulled out and examined his map. Looks like right now he was traveling along Sanders Street, which was located at the town's eastern border. If he continued west from here, he should be able to reach the center of town.
James's footsteps echoed ominously as he proceeded down the empty street. In fact…his footsteps were the only sound he heard. None of the normal noise of a bustling town seemed to be present. Granted, it was a pretty small town, but this kind of unbroken silence just felt unnatural. Though with the place covered with this much fog, you'd have a hard time seeing anything if you tried driving though it. It made sense that the schools and businesses would be closed and everyone would be holed up in their homes waiting for the weather to improve. That being the case, his chances of just taking a cab were looking slim. James sighed. On the bight side, even if he had to walk, the park was only about a half-hour away. Nevertheless, he still worried about Mary and hoped that where ever she was, she'd still be there so this whole journey wouldn't be in vain.
When James approached the intersection at Lindsey Street, he caught sight of something disturbing. A large bloodstain ran across the surface of the road; as if painted there by a giant brush. James recoiled in shock. Even seeing something like this that was so closely related to death opened emotional wounds. He stood dumbfounded for a moment, eyes locked on the red stain. From the looks of it, it was still fresh. Clearly a terrible crime had been committed under the cover of the fog, but no matter where he looked …he saw no trace of a victim. It doesn't look like they were taken to a hospital…if that was the case, the police should have this area blocked off…
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps, like bare feet slapping against the pavement. Looking ahead, James spotted a blurry human figure staggering off into the depths of the fog.
"Hey!"
James began to chase after it. Ever since he lost his wife, he had always been indifferent to the rest of the world, and as much as he wanted to just walk away and forget he ever saw the blood-stained pavement…this was something he just couldn't let go. There's just no way he could bring himself to abandon a person who was probably dying, given the amount of blood they had left behind. This guy's probably some kind of thug who got in a fight and now he's wandering around town half-conscious and badly bleeding. And apparently, without his shoes too…
No matter how much James yelled and called, the fleeing figure would not stop. Maybe the person has mistook him for his attacker? Despite the figure's staggering gait, he moved very quickly and the distance between them grew more with every step. As they fled, a trail of speckled blood was left on the road behind them; going north to the end of Lindsey Street then sharply turning right. The trail then went in a north eastern direction to Nathan Avenue, the main road that led out of town. James was led to an un-paved road lined on both sides with tangled barbed wire fences, just like a construction site, leading to a half-finished tunnel just like the one he had passed though earlier. Naturally, there wasn't a worker in sight. The figure he had been chasing was nowhere to be found as well.
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from the tunnel entrance. Though this place was clearly meant to be off limits, the only thing blocking the way was some scrap wood nailed to the tunnel entrance to form a crude barricade, which was easy enough to slip through. On the ground sat a small, pocket-sized radio. It probably belonged to one of the construction worker so they could listen to music while the worked, but why did the leave it behind…?
James flicked the ON switch. Instantly the radio let out a deafening blast of white noise, which not only hurt his ears but seemed to hit a strange nerve as well. At that moment, an unreasonable but compulsive idea echoed though his mind: I haven't touched the volume…but the static is getting louder…
The sound of feet walking over rubble and debris steadily moved closer. Out of the depths of the tunnel emerged a staggering figure. James because more worried as it became clear that this was certainly the thing that led him here…but whatever that "thing" was, it sure as hell wasn't human. The creature's arms seemed to be fused to its body with mottled, rotting flesh and it completely lacked eyes, a nose, a mouth, anything that could possibly identify it as a person. It stumbled forward drunkenly while its upper body twitched and writhed like a strange dance. It didn't seem to be injured, so how the heck did it leave a trail of fresh blood? Clearly this wriggling monster wasn't the victim, but the assailant.
His whole body shaking, James began to slowly retreat. Terrified as he was, he was more concerned about letting that thing get anywhere near him. He wanted to escape. He wanted to run away. It would be so easy, just turn around, climb back though the barricade and run…but he didn't. Turning around, he ripped an old board from the barricade and, full of vigor and rage, prepared to use it as a weapon. Why he had chosen to do such a reckless and stupid thing, even he didn't know. He just couldn't stand letting that twisted creature exist anymore. He couldn't leave a dangerous monster to wander around and cause more harm. Though the true reason he hated this thing had nothing to do with any since of justice. It was disgust.
Gathering up all his strength, James swung the plank, aiming for the writhing monster's head. The creature recoiled and, despite not having a mouth, let out a piercing screech. Again and again he swung the plank, until he lost count of how many times he had stuck the thing and his arms were sore and tired. Badly injured, the monster fell to the ground, landing where its arms should have been on the scattered debris. Despite the beating it took, it still twitched and wriggled on the ground. Then, finally, it grew still.
"Is it dead…?"
Just to be safe, James nudged it with his wooden board. No sign of movement. Now that it was lying on the ground in a pool of blood like this, it looked more like a slimy slug than a human being. Its featureless face was smashed pretty badly and it was leaking spinal fluid everywhere. There was no doubting it; the horrible creature was finally dead.
"What the hell was that thing?"
No matter how he looked at it, no matter how he tried to rationalize the existence of that monster, nothing made sense. Could it be some kind of crazy screwed-up test subject that escaped form a lab…? He toyed with those kind of reasons in his head. He tried as hard as he could to believe them. James shook off these useless guesses and tossed aside the blood-soaked plank. He was about the slip back through the barricade and leave the tunnel when the radio again caught his attention. He regarded it with suspicion. When the creature had come into sight, the radio was blaring white noise, but now that the thing was dead it had fallen silent.
Suddenly it began to flicker to life again. James looked around, worried that it was announcing the presence of another monster. But it sounded…different somehow. If he listened carefully he could just barely make out a woman's voice. James gasped. Mary! That was Mary's voice! Turning around he grabbed the radio and listened more closely. Mary's voice called to him between bursts of static.
"a………………………I'm………..e…Come to……………wo………si………ments…….………………………..hing f……………..
………………………….id you k…………Jam……………"
James held the radio's speaker to his ear, eager to hear more. But his wife's voices faded away and all he could hear was crackling static. He hit it and turned all the switches, but no matter what he did the voice said nothing more. Giving up, he put the radio in his jacket pocket, leaving it switched on just in case. Perhaps Mary had made it the town's radio tower and was trying to get a message to him? Maybe the real purpose of her letter was to get him close enough to town to pick up this signal. But if that was true, why didn't he get it on his car radio on the way over here? And how come this stupid broken radio was the only thing picking up the signal?
James re-traced his steps until he had made it back to town, then made his way towards the Woodside Apartments building. When Mary had spoken to him through the radio, he though he could just barely make out the name of the building. However, there was a slight problem. He had no idea where the apartment build was. He had checked his mad of Silent Hill, but it wasn't marked anywhere. With any luck he would run into one of the town's residents soon so he could ask for directions.
James began walking north up Lindsey Street, then went west at Nathan Avenue. Just to the north of Nathan Avenue was one of their "special places": Rosewater Park. Since he wasn't having any luck tracking down the apartment building, for now he would make his way toward the park. Suddenly, James noticed two people emerge from an alley ahead of him. Great, maybe now he could get some directions.
"Hey, you over there!" He yelled to get their attention and ran over to meet them.
However, he stopped dean in his tracks when a familiar nose came from his jacket pocket. The radio had crackled to life and was emitting static again. Unfortunately, his voice caught their attention and the blurry figures turned to face him. As they approached though the fog, it was becoming more and more clear that something was very wrong. As the walked they twisted and writhed about in a most unnatural way. They were monsters. Exactly the same as the one he'd killed earlier. Did a whole group of these messed-up things escape from a lab somewhere?
Even now, just watching those things thrashing in agony brought back the same feelings of hatred and disgust. He wanted to destroy them, smash their heads in just like the other one, anything to end the existence of these awful monsters. James realized, suddenly, that he had abandoned his weapon, the wooden plank. For a moment he considered just using his fists, but the though of actually touching their repulsive flesh sent chills down his spine. More importantly, he had the disadvantage of being out-numbered two to one. Maybe this time it would be best to avoid unnecessary conflict.
Having made up his mind, James turned and ran south before the creatures could stagger any closer. He ran to Katz Street, a road which ran east to west right through the center of town, then took a detour onto Neely Street. Their jerking movement seemed to slow the monsters down as with each turn they fell further and further behind until there were swallowed up in the mist. As he ran, James noticed that the further away he was from the pursuing monsters, the softer the radio static became. Could it be…responding to the presence of those creatures? How the heck could a broken radio do something like that? What ever the reason, if it could help him protect himself, it was definitely worth having around.
However, even though the monsters had fallen behind and were nowhere to be seen, the radio still wasn't completely quiet. He ran straight through the intersection of Martin Street and Katz Street, passing over the crossroad at Neely Street soon after. He just had to keep running forward. He now had his eye on Munson street, because as he crossed Neely Street he had spotted yet another creature coming at him from the middle of the road.
"What the hell!?" James shouted in disbelief. These things were just wandering around all over the place. Have they taken over the town or something? Now Katz Street seemed to be occupied with the armless creatures as well, leaving him with no where left to go. James stood paralyzed with horror and could only stare at the twisted shadows dancing in the fog. Even if he tried running again, there was no way he could make it back to Nathan Avenue. In this moment of desperation, he was reminded of the warning the woman in the graveyard had given him. At the time he certainly didn't take it too seriously, but now…
He should have listened to her. He should have turned around and ran away when he had the chance. Even after encountering that first monster he should have just left this crazy town. But he couldn't. His desperate search for Mary…he couldn't just give that up. Just the though of seeing her again, even just one, was enough to make him continue on even now as things were becoming more dangerous. She was the reason why, no matter what, he had to live. Even if it meant risking his life, he couldn't just stand here and die.
"To hell with it then!"
James charged forward, praying that he'd be able find a gap between the monsters or that he'd be able to shove one aside and make it past the converging mob. The moment he approached the first twisted body, the fog seemed to change color before his eyes and his mouth and nose began to burn with an acrid, rotten smell. Having momentarily lost focus he ran straight into one of the monsters and was sent sprawling in the other direction, hitting the pavement hard. He was suddenly struck with a violent coughing fit and his mouth felt numb, like it had been injected with anesthesia. It was poison. Now these vile creatures were spewing poison into the air. How the heck could they spit poison if the didn't have mouths? As another monster stumbled towards him, he looked up to see that it's body was split by a cavernous vertical crack ruining from its neck to its waist; it's dark, wet entrails fully visible.
The creature bent backwards, like it was taking a breath from its bizarre second mouth. James has a feeling that it was preparing to spray more of the awful acidic poison, but he wasn't about to stick around to find out. Swinging his leg like an ax he kicked the monster as in the legs as hard as he could, knocking it off its feet and leaving it squirming on the pavement. Its lack of arms caused it to thrash about helplessly as it tried to stand upright again. Quickly pulling himself to his feet, James began to kick the creature while it was distracted.
"Just die already!"
His heavy boots easily broke though it's soft skin, leaving them covered in sticky red body fluid. The monster shrieked and convulsed with every impact. Twisting around, it began to violently thrash its legs, enabling it to crawl across the ground. At first James thought it was trying to escape, but in one quick movement it twisted around in a u-turn and flung itself straight at him. It was trying to counterattack.
James was beginning to feel quite sick; his whole body was shaking and he was beginning to feel dizzy, no doubt because of the poison. This was bad. If he didn't get away from here soon….he wasn't sure how much longer he'd last. He took a shaky step backwards and his back hit against a chain link fence, causing it to rattle. Wait…could it be a gate? James turned around saw that there was indeed a gate. He pushed it open, hurried to the other side, then flung the gate closed and locked it, putting a chain link wall between him and the writhing monster.
Behind him sat a three-story high wooden apartment building, its old boards and peeling paint showing its age. Next to the entryway was an equally old plate, which read:
[Woodside Apartments]
Silent Hill 2 : The Official Novel
By Sadamu Yamashita
Translated by Lady Ducky
//lady-ducky.deviantart.com/art/OFFICIAL-SH2-Novel-Chapter-1-187299982
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Silent Hill 2 Novel - Chapter 1
Prologue –Girl-
"It looks kinda like milk."
Laura's face stretched into a smile. She began to laugh as her bright, enamel-white teeth peeked from behind her small lips. The town was shrouded in a thick fog that blurred everything into white, like she was in some sort of magical land. Sometimes Laura liked to think that some scatterbrained god had carelessly dropped his cup and spilled his morning milk all over the place. However, this mysterious atmosphere could be a sign that there are fairies or something hiding out there. The thought made Laura's heart tremble with excitement. Although usually precocious, the eight-year-old girl jokingly began to hop and skip along, her skirt fluttering behind her. Slowly and smoothly, the fog flowed and drifted though the air.
"Come on, hurry up! I'm gonna leave you behind!" Laura shouted over and over again, calling out to her easygoing friend.
She and her companion were here because they were on a journey to find their friends…
Only he was fat and a bit thickheaded. Sometimes all he did was mope around and he always seemed to be scowling. But Laura didn't care too much. More importantly, she wanted to see that person again soon. The person who gave her that letter….
Chapter One –Beckoning Town-
On the other side of the dirty clouds was a vision of himself. Reflected in the mirror was his own face, hard and stiff as if it was the face of a corpse. Actually, I guess I am dead , James Sunderland thought. My heart's as good as dead anyway. He wasn't filled with a sense of loss, he just felt like his life wasn't worth living anymore. He had become indifferent. Work, free time, none of it really mattered anymore. Even the strong scent of ammonia that permeated the filthy little room couldn't catch James's attention. The dirty urinals caked with a yellow, moss-like substance, the sticky wet floor that soaked into the soles of his shoes, none of it brought a flicker of emotion. Rather, the only suitable substitute for him would be an actual zombie.
"Mary…could you really be in this town?" He asked to the James in the mirror. He himself had doubts about that incident. Did it really even happen? But…
With his hands on the sides of the wash basin, he peered into the mirror. Despite his attitude, he did feel a bit revitalized. He shook his head and brushed the bangs from his face, like waking from a delusion. He knew it was really true, because it came in a letter.
He stepped out of the gloomy place and into the cloudy sky. However, the public restroom could not compare to the brightness that awaited him outside. A damp wind brushed James's cheek. Across the parking lot was the vast Toluca Lake, mist dancing on its surface and stretching over the entire scenery.
In my restless dreams
I see that town.
Silent Hill.
You promised to take me there again someday.
But you never did.
Well I'm alone there now…
In our "special place"…
Waiting for you…
There was no doubt that Mary had sent this letter, it was written in her familiar handwriting. Three years ago, he had spent a holiday with her in this small town; now James was here again. Alone. His car sat in the corner of the small parking lot, engine at rest. Even though it was in perfect working order, it wouldn't be of much use anyway. The highway was the real problem. The tunnel on the far end of the parking lot that led to the town of Silent Hill was blocked off because of construction work. There was no way around the heavy, unbreakable fence that blocked the entrance. There was no choice but to go another way.
After retrieving a map of the town from his car, James descended a stairway at the edge of the parking lot. With each downward step, the fog thickened. By the time he reached the lake's shore, his entire field of vision was shrouded in white. More and more James was beginning to feel an unnatural suffocating feeling. However, even in this oppressive atmosphere, his mind was occupied by thoughts of Mary and the letter. Somewhere far off, a dog was barking like crazy, but he ignored it. He sank into a grave mood; stomping the ground as he continued to walk.
That letter certainly had Mary's name written on it. What a foolish, impossible idea. His brow furrowed and he shook his head in disbelief. It couldn't be true.
Because His wife, Mary, had died three years ago. Because of her illness…
It was like some sort of cruel joke, conceived by a particularly malicious person. A joke played to mock James, even now when he was still heartbroken and grieving. Maybe it was one of his neighbors? Or perhaps it was one of his coworkers? At any rate, after he had lost is wife, James took to drinking and began to conceal his sorrow with outbursts of anger. It affected everyone around him, to the point where his coworkers didn't want to put up with his sullen behavior. Before long, he was treated like a trouble-maker. For that reason, he could easily see how someone could hold a grudge against him.
Extending along the lake, the end of the path was surrounded by trees and dense fog. Even after just a few yards, he couldn't see the overlook where he had started from. At the head of the valley, the mist also hid Toluca Lake's magnificent scenery, but James could care less. He didn't come here to sight-see. As he walked, all he could picture was Mary's face. Even if James still had his doubts abut the letter, it along with the memories of his beloved wife had brought him this far.
It was no wonder, then, that with these kinds of thoughts in his head, James found himself wishing for a miracle. Did she really die three years ago? Or had she really died and somehow been revived? Perhaps after the funeral, after the workers and mourners left the grave unattended, Mary woke up and began desperately beating the lid of her coffin? But if that was true, why would she have waited three years to contact him? He considered the possibility that she received brain damage due to asphyxiation and suffered memory loss as a result. The workers would have fled in terror at seeing a supposedly dead person move; leaving her, who has no idea of who she is or what she's doing there, to unsteadily wander off somewhere. Or perhaps, he thought, she could have been kidnapped by some ill-intentioned grave digger…
James ground his teeth in frustration. The noise of the dead leaves scattered along the path crunched louder as he carelessly trampled over them. It was irritating how his imagination kept spewing forth one unpleasant scenario after another, no matter how hard he tried to stop it. In any case, the one thing he hadn't been able to prove: weather or not Mary was even alive in the first place. Still, James found that he was afraid to find the answer to that question.
But, if she really has been alive this whole time and didn't try to contact me until now, maybe she's been trying to avoid me? What if she ran off and has been living with another man… Those kinds of thoughts crossed his mind as well. Woman's hearts were so difficult to understand. For a moment he felt a burring surge of hatred, but it soon drowned in his melancholy mood. More than anything, he just wanted to see Mary again; and more than anything else, he dreaded that meeting. Forcing back his hesitation, James pressed on; putting one foot in front of the other like a sleepwalker.
Suddenly, James came to a halt and held his breath. Just in from of him, a human shape appeared in the fog.
Could it be Mary?
Naturally, it wasn't James's wife. Looking closer, he found a dark-haired woman standing still and staring pensively at a gravestone. Without even noticing it, James had wandered into a cemetery. Sensing James's presence, the woman let out a gasp of surprise and spun around to face him. He greeted her.
"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. I'm looking for a town called 'Silent Hill'. Would you mind telling me if I'm going the right way?"
"T-town? You're going to the town?"
The woman tilted her head doubtfully; the surprise on her face even greater than when she first noticed James. Though she still had youthful features, dark, heavy circles hung like shadows under her eyes.
"Yeah." James replied.
The woman hesitated for a moment, then answered, "…Yeah. That's the right way. I know it's a bit hard to see…you know, because of the fog, but…there's only one road s-so you can't really get lost."
"Thanks."
"but…"
"What is it?"
"It would be best…if you didn't go any farther."
"Huh?"
"Umm…because…that town is a strange place. I can't really explain it well, but…it's dangerous there."
"Just because of all this fog?"
"W-well…not just that. It just…is."
What was she thinking of that made her words seem so heavy? It didn't look like she was going to say anything else so it seemed pointless to try and get the answer from her.
"Got it. I'll be carful"
"Hey, I'm not making this up!" The woman yelled as James was about to walk away.
"I came to this town because I need to find my Mama! I haven't seen her in a long time! And…and t-this town…" She said in a hysterical voice.
James wasn't sure what made the woman who had barely spoken above a whisper scream like this. Clearly she had some…issues to work out. Then again, the same could be said of James too. Best not to worry about that for the moment. Not to say that James didn't believe what the woman had told him, but if he wanted to see Mary, he would just have to keep going despite the danger.
Leaving the troubled woman behind, James passed through the graveyard and found his way back to the path that stretched and wove though the forest by the lake. Again his thoughts turned to Mary. Her letter had said: "I'm waiting for you in our 'special place'", but what did she mean by that? He searched through all the precious buried memories from three years ago.
The two places that stood out the most were the park and the hotel. He remembered how the two of them had spent a great deal of money to book a deluxe suite and how they ordered extravagant meals from room service. One day, while they were strolling around town, they happened to find the park by the lake. The couple had sat on a bench together, watching the boats sail back and forth over the shimmering waters. They ended up staying there all day, just enjoying the scenery and each other's company. The question remained: was Mary waiting for him at the park or the hotel?
Before long, the sound of dead leaves crunching underfoot stopped and the dirt forest path gave way to an old asphalt road. The road led to a tunnel that ran under the highway that would have made his journey faster and easier if only it hadn't been closed. James continued along intently, as the street curved and followed along a river, finally reaching the town's main street. James pulled out and examined his map. Looks like right now he was traveling along Sanders Street, which was located at the town's eastern border. If he continued west from here, he should be able to reach the center of town.
James's footsteps echoed ominously as he proceeded down the empty street. In fact…his footsteps were the only sound he heard. None of the normal noise of a bustling town seemed to be present. Granted, it was a pretty small town, but this kind of unbroken silence just felt unnatural. Though with the place covered with this much fog, you'd have a hard time seeing anything if you tried driving though it. It made sense that the schools and businesses would be closed and everyone would be holed up in their homes waiting for the weather to improve. That being the case, his chances of just taking a cab were looking slim. James sighed. On the bight side, even if he had to walk, the park was only about a half-hour away. Nevertheless, he still worried about Mary and hoped that where ever she was, she'd still be there so this whole journey wouldn't be in vain.
When James approached the intersection at Lindsey Street, he caught sight of something disturbing. A large bloodstain ran across the surface of the road; as if painted there by a giant brush. James recoiled in shock. Even seeing something like this that was so closely related to death opened emotional wounds. He stood dumbfounded for a moment, eyes locked on the red stain. From the looks of it, it was still fresh. Clearly a terrible crime had been committed under the cover of the fog, but no matter where he looked …he saw no trace of a victim. It doesn't look like they were taken to a hospital…if that was the case, the police should have this area blocked off…
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps, like bare feet slapping against the pavement. Looking ahead, James spotted a blurry human figure staggering off into the depths of the fog.
"Hey!"
James began to chase after it. Ever since he lost his wife, he had always been indifferent to the rest of the world, and as much as he wanted to just walk away and forget he ever saw the blood-stained pavement…this was something he just couldn't let go. There's just no way he could bring himself to abandon a person who was probably dying, given the amount of blood they had left behind. This guy's probably some kind of thug who got in a fight and now he's wandering around town half-conscious and badly bleeding. And apparently, without his shoes too…
No matter how much James yelled and called, the fleeing figure would not stop. Maybe the person has mistook him for his attacker? Despite the figure's staggering gait, he moved very quickly and the distance between them grew more with every step. As they fled, a trail of speckled blood was left on the road behind them; going north to the end of Lindsey Street then sharply turning right. The trail then went in a north eastern direction to Nathan Avenue, the main road that led out of town. James was led to an un-paved road lined on both sides with tangled barbed wire fences, just like a construction site, leading to a half-finished tunnel just like the one he had passed though earlier. Naturally, there wasn't a worker in sight. The figure he had been chasing was nowhere to be found as well.
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from the tunnel entrance. Though this place was clearly meant to be off limits, the only thing blocking the way was some scrap wood nailed to the tunnel entrance to form a crude barricade, which was easy enough to slip through. On the ground sat a small, pocket-sized radio. It probably belonged to one of the construction worker so they could listen to music while the worked, but why did the leave it behind…?
James flicked the ON switch. Instantly the radio let out a deafening blast of white noise, which not only hurt his ears but seemed to hit a strange nerve as well. At that moment, an unreasonable but compulsive idea echoed though his mind: I haven't touched the volume…but the static is getting louder…
The sound of feet walking over rubble and debris steadily moved closer. Out of the depths of the tunnel emerged a staggering figure. James because more worried as it became clear that this was certainly the thing that led him here…but whatever that "thing" was, it sure as hell wasn't human. The creature's arms seemed to be fused to its body with mottled, rotting flesh and it completely lacked eyes, a nose, a mouth, anything that could possibly identify it as a person. It stumbled forward drunkenly while its upper body twitched and writhed like a strange dance. It didn't seem to be injured, so how the heck did it leave a trail of fresh blood? Clearly this wriggling monster wasn't the victim, but the assailant.
His whole body shaking, James began to slowly retreat. Terrified as he was, he was more concerned about letting that thing get anywhere near him. He wanted to escape. He wanted to run away. It would be so easy, just turn around, climb back though the barricade and run…but he didn't. Turning around, he ripped an old board from the barricade and, full of vigor and rage, prepared to use it as a weapon. Why he had chosen to do such a reckless and stupid thing, even he didn't know. He just couldn't stand letting that twisted creature exist anymore. He couldn't leave a dangerous monster to wander around and cause more harm. Though the true reason he hated this thing had nothing to do with any since of justice. It was disgust.
Gathering up all his strength, James swung the plank, aiming for the writhing monster's head. The creature recoiled and, despite not having a mouth, let out a piercing screech. Again and again he swung the plank, until he lost count of how many times he had stuck the thing and his arms were sore and tired. Badly injured, the monster fell to the ground, landing where its arms should have been on the scattered debris. Despite the beating it took, it still twitched and wriggled on the ground. Then, finally, it grew still.
"Is it dead…?"
Just to be safe, James nudged it with his wooden board. No sign of movement. Now that it was lying on the ground in a pool of blood like this, it looked more like a slimy slug than a human being. Its featureless face was smashed pretty badly and it was leaking spinal fluid everywhere. There was no doubting it; the horrible creature was finally dead.
"What the hell was that thing?"
No matter how he looked at it, no matter how he tried to rationalize the existence of that monster, nothing made sense. Could it be some kind of crazy screwed-up test subject that escaped form a lab…? He toyed with those kind of reasons in his head. He tried as hard as he could to believe them. James shook off these useless guesses and tossed aside the blood-soaked plank. He was about the slip back through the barricade and leave the tunnel when the radio again caught his attention. He regarded it with suspicion. When the creature had come into sight, the radio was blaring white noise, but now that the thing was dead it had fallen silent.
Suddenly it began to flicker to life again. James looked around, worried that it was announcing the presence of another monster. But it sounded…different somehow. If he listened carefully he could just barely make out a woman's voice. James gasped. Mary! That was Mary's voice! Turning around he grabbed the radio and listened more closely. Mary's voice called to him between bursts of static.
"a………………………I'm………..e…Come to……………wo………si………ments…….………………………..hing f……………..
………………………….id you k…………Jam……………"
James held the radio's speaker to his ear, eager to hear more. But his wife's voices faded away and all he could hear was crackling static. He hit it and turned all the switches, but no matter what he did the voice said nothing more. Giving up, he put the radio in his jacket pocket, leaving it switched on just in case. Perhaps Mary had made it the town's radio tower and was trying to get a message to him? Maybe the real purpose of her letter was to get him close enough to town to pick up this signal. But if that was true, why didn't he get it on his car radio on the way over here? And how come this stupid broken radio was the only thing picking up the signal?
James re-traced his steps until he had made it back to town, then made his way towards the Woodside Apartments building. When Mary had spoken to him through the radio, he though he could just barely make out the name of the building. However, there was a slight problem. He had no idea where the apartment build was. He had checked his mad of Silent Hill, but it wasn't marked anywhere. With any luck he would run into one of the town's residents soon so he could ask for directions.
James began walking north up Lindsey Street, then went west at Nathan Avenue. Just to the north of Nathan Avenue was one of their "special places": Rosewater Park. Since he wasn't having any luck tracking down the apartment building, for now he would make his way toward the park. Suddenly, James noticed two people emerge from an alley ahead of him. Great, maybe now he could get some directions.
"Hey, you over there!" He yelled to get their attention and ran over to meet them.
However, he stopped dean in his tracks when a familiar nose came from his jacket pocket. The radio had crackled to life and was emitting static again. Unfortunately, his voice caught their attention and the blurry figures turned to face him. As they approached though the fog, it was becoming more and more clear that something was very wrong. As the walked they twisted and writhed about in a most unnatural way. They were monsters. Exactly the same as the one he'd killed earlier. Did a whole group of these messed-up things escape from a lab somewhere?
Even now, just watching those things thrashing in agony brought back the same feelings of hatred and disgust. He wanted to destroy them, smash their heads in just like the other one, anything to end the existence of these awful monsters. James realized, suddenly, that he had abandoned his weapon, the wooden plank. For a moment he considered just using his fists, but the though of actually touching their repulsive flesh sent chills down his spine. More importantly, he had the disadvantage of being out-numbered two to one. Maybe this time it would be best to avoid unnecessary conflict.
Having made up his mind, James turned and ran south before the creatures could stagger any closer. He ran to Katz Street, a road which ran east to west right through the center of town, then took a detour onto Neely Street. Their jerking movement seemed to slow the monsters down as with each turn they fell further and further behind until there were swallowed up in the mist. As he ran, James noticed that the further away he was from the pursuing monsters, the softer the radio static became. Could it be…responding to the presence of those creatures? How the heck could a broken radio do something like that? What ever the reason, if it could help him protect himself, it was definitely worth having around.
However, even though the monsters had fallen behind and were nowhere to be seen, the radio still wasn't completely quiet. He ran straight through the intersection of Martin Street and Katz Street, passing over the crossroad at Neely Street soon after. He just had to keep running forward. He now had his eye on Munson street, because as he crossed Neely Street he had spotted yet another creature coming at him from the middle of the road.
"What the hell!?" James shouted in disbelief. These things were just wandering around all over the place. Have they taken over the town or something? Now Katz Street seemed to be occupied with the armless creatures as well, leaving him with no where left to go. James stood paralyzed with horror and could only stare at the twisted shadows dancing in the fog. Even if he tried running again, there was no way he could make it back to Nathan Avenue. In this moment of desperation, he was reminded of the warning the woman in the graveyard had given him. At the time he certainly didn't take it too seriously, but now…
He should have listened to her. He should have turned around and ran away when he had the chance. Even after encountering that first monster he should have just left this crazy town. But he couldn't. His desperate search for Mary…he couldn't just give that up. Just the though of seeing her again, even just one, was enough to make him continue on even now as things were becoming more dangerous. She was the reason why, no matter what, he had to live. Even if it meant risking his life, he couldn't just stand here and die.
"To hell with it then!"
James charged forward, praying that he'd be able find a gap between the monsters or that he'd be able to shove one aside and make it past the converging mob. The moment he approached the first twisted body, the fog seemed to change color before his eyes and his mouth and nose began to burn with an acrid, rotten smell. Having momentarily lost focus he ran straight into one of the monsters and was sent sprawling in the other direction, hitting the pavement hard. He was suddenly struck with a violent coughing fit and his mouth felt numb, like it had been injected with anesthesia. It was poison. Now these vile creatures were spewing poison into the air. How the heck could they spit poison if the didn't have mouths? As another monster stumbled towards him, he looked up to see that it's body was split by a cavernous vertical crack ruining from its neck to its waist; it's dark, wet entrails fully visible.
The creature bent backwards, like it was taking a breath from its bizarre second mouth. James has a feeling that it was preparing to spray more of the awful acidic poison, but he wasn't about to stick around to find out. Swinging his leg like an ax he kicked the monster as in the legs as hard as he could, knocking it off its feet and leaving it squirming on the pavement. Its lack of arms caused it to thrash about helplessly as it tried to stand upright again. Quickly pulling himself to his feet, James began to kick the creature while it was distracted.
"Just die already!"
His heavy boots easily broke though it's soft skin, leaving them covered in sticky red body fluid. The monster shrieked and convulsed with every impact. Twisting around, it began to violently thrash its legs, enabling it to crawl across the ground. At first James thought it was trying to escape, but in one quick movement it twisted around in a u-turn and flung itself straight at him. It was trying to counterattack.
James was beginning to feel quite sick; his whole body was shaking and he was beginning to feel dizzy, no doubt because of the poison. This was bad. If he didn't get away from here soon….he wasn't sure how much longer he'd last. He took a shaky step backwards and his back hit against a chain link fence, causing it to rattle. Wait…could it be a gate? James turned around saw that there was indeed a gate. He pushed it open, hurried to the other side, then flung the gate closed and locked it, putting a chain link wall between him and the writhing monster.
Behind him sat a three-story high wooden apartment building, its old boards and peeling paint showing its age. Next to the entryway was an equally old plate, which read:
[Woodside Apartments]
Есть Xrust с его "SILENT HILL 2: MARIA QUEST" зачем нам какие-то дополнительные сценарии "Born from a wish" 
