Eyes fluttered open, dark lashes batting away the sleep, lips parting slightly to the crisp, almost cold, air. Sheila let her gaze go to the ceiling, suddenly jolting wide awake. Her stifled gasp echoed through the large, and rather empty room. It might have been a ball room, with its lovely floors and coffered ceilings, but any furniture, the expected piano,
everything was gone, minus the soft sofa she was laid out on. The bright red velvet was comfortable, the padding fitting her form, but that would not change the fact that she knew not where she was, or how she had gotten there.
Standing shakily on her lavender heels, Sheila crept towards the wall, seeing only wisps of white drifting by the floor to ceiling windows. There could have been anything in that fog, but it would never be seen. A skittish glance was allowed over her shoulder, seeing the Victorian couch in the middle of the stark room, the over-sized wood doors beyond that. There were smaller doors on either wall, each of them closed. It was just her, all alone...
The young woman sank back down on the couch, worried eyes whipping about the room. She was frantic. There had been a loud buzzing, a flurry of movement, and then everything went dark and she woke up
here... Wherever here was. Even her shallow breaths held a resonance, clinging to the air as if they had nothing else. It was cold, bluish hose on her legs and red-ish skirt doing little to keep her warm, sweater on her torso or no. Most buildings hate heaters, especially ones as nice as her current location, but...
There was just her racing heart and her breathing. Sheila was truly alone.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + ++ + +
The radio had been blaring on static for hours. Neither passenger nor driver really noticed, just continuing on down the road. The scenery was beautiful enough to make up for it. Trees lined the way on both sides, big and green. Every so often a lake could be spotted out the driver’s side window. A smile touched their lips as they saw the black mass of water, glittering in the late evening sun. It was getting dark earlier than usual, but the signs kept telling them the town was not far off.
“So, why do you want to go to Silent Hill? Touristing?”
Sydney looked up, snapping out of her daze. Her long-cold cup of coffee was almost spilt, the driver reaching over quick to help the thing stabilize. Muttering a thanks, she went back to staring out the window, chin propped on her hand. The place brought back good memories, a warm feeling fluttering inside of her for the first time in ages. Life out in a big city was hard. It was a sweet dream come true to return.
“Sure...”
The static cut to music for a moment, a few gargled words before it went back to the monotonous buzzing. Though the driver sighed, Sydney seemed not to notice, staring out blankly in to the trees. She could almost hear the laughter of children at play out there... Sydney snapped up again, deciding to put the cup in the holder for good measure. The driver had been talking again. About what she had no idea, but his mouth kept moving.
A hard bump rocked the car, breaks pumping as the vehicle grinded to a hard stop. There was a turn-around on the side of the road, a few trees freshly cleared out just for that purpose. Faded yellow road-blocks barred the way, signs plastered on them about a cave-in ahead. Sydney shielded her eyes to look, able to see through the numerous obstructions on through the other side of the tunnel. There was no debris other than the manmade stuff...
The car door opened without thought, Sydney climbing out of the red piece of junk to inspect. She stepped over one barricade easily, heels clicking as they set back down on the even ground. Even in her skirt the climb was not too hard. Chain-link fences made walls in the tunnel, posters and banners clipped cheaply on them. Some claimed construction, others a cave-in. It seemed the way could not keep its story straight...
“Hey! You’re name’s Sydney, right?”
Sydney turned, glancing back at the driver, his old car. He was shaking, face white even at the distance. She broke in to a worried jog, shouting back yes as she ran. This time she wove her way around the cement blocks and old wood, the way quicker despite minor detours. The driver, she could not even remember his name, looked like he had seen a ghost.
“I think.... I think the radio is trying to talk to you.”
The brown booted feet wobbled a moment, all progress coming to a halt. Sydney was close enough to see how wide the man’s eyes were, the sweat trickling down his brow. Though she thought it was a joke at first... Slowly, Sydney reached for the handle again, not caring for the finger smudges she left on the chromed piece this time. She could hear the crackling of the radio, a word coming through now and then. It sounded like more static...
“Sy... the la... dney go b... they...” Pressing her ear against the speaker, her hand rotated the volume knob, gingerly upping the noise. Though the voice was cut off here and there, it had sounded clear enough if far away. The fragments were getting harder to pick out...
“Hey, Syd...”
“Wait a minute, will you! I’m trying to--”
“Look up.”
It was as if the man had shown no emotion before, the fear in his voice hitting Sydney deep. Though every corner of her mind screamed not to look, she could not help it, head swiveling to follow the direction of the driver. He was behind the car... Fog. The road was thick with it, five feet behind the car turning to a white mass. They could not turn around and drive through it, the curves and dips of the road making it far too dangerous. The sun was going down, too, the darkness and fog playing together to take away all visibility.
“They didn’t warn us about this in the brochure...”
Flicking the volume up on max, Sydney came to lean on the bumper, looking over with a smile, “I bet you want to stay here with the car and wait for help?”
“Yeah. Probably the safest bet.”
A cellphone was flicked out, the man holding it up at every direction he could reach. No little bars appeared on the screen. Sydney laughed at the notion, remembering how even the land phones only worked half the time. No one really used them anyway, the town small enough to send someone across with a bike and a note. It sure did work... but neither had a bike. They were not in town yet, either.
“I am going to try making it to town, get some help. Start worrying if I am not back by tomorrow morning.”
The man let out a nervous laugh, running both hands back through his graying hair. Though he said he was in his mid-thirties, he looked a bit older, more like late forties. There were deep creases on his mottled face, a sadness to his eyes. Sydney could tell he did not like the idea, hated it, but it was the best plan they had. It did not look like he would leave the car.
“Sy...dney.... we... issed yo...”
Both heads turned, staring back at the radio at the same time. The driver was the first to lunge for it, turning the car off as quick as he could. The keys were yanked, shoved deep in his pocket. Sydney saw the gun holster, the badge... A police officer had picked up a hitch-hiker? She did not bother asking. Rather, she did not want to know.
“See you soon.”
“Yeah. I sure hope so.”
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