Dark Descent

Disclaimer: Konami (a.k.a. the La-li-lu-le-lo) owns Silent Hill. Say it with me: La-li-lu-le-lo. La-li-lu-le-lo! La-li-le-lu-lo!!! I know technically it's over an hour past the actual day, but in honor of Halloween, here's an update for the story! For those of you who eager for some smut, be patient. There is some coming in chapter 6, which I assure you isn't too far ahead. ;D Chapter 4 is almost finished, 5 should be a breeze, and half of 6 is already written. However, it'll go much faster if you leave some encouraging reviews. Come on folks, just because nobody's getting sexed up yet doesn't mean you have to keep quiet! Please? :(

 

Chapter 3 : Terror in the Mall

Alternate Central Square – Part 1

 

Soon after the cryptic blonde left the corridor, the throbbing in Alessa's head retreated. She carefully rose to her feet, still feeling traces of disorientation. What the hell just happened? She had never felt a headache that intense in such a short amount of time. And why did it occur the moment at the precise moment she contemplated harming that strange woman?

That woman...

Alessa tried to make sense of the thought that had entered her mind just moments ago. Could that woman really be her childhood friend Claudia? She hadn't seen Claudia in a very long time. Therefore, it was reasonable to assume she probably wouldn't recognize her if she saw her today. But the way the woman had spoken to her just now...she sounded delusional, insane even. It was nothing like the gentle, level-headed tone Alessa was once used to.

Nonetheless, Alessa wasn't stupid. Given the incredible scenario she found herself in, she knew there was a chance that her first guess was correct; that this bizarre, apparently insane woman was the same girl she once loved as a sister.

And yet, she couldn't bring herself to accept that possibility. This woman couldn't be Claudia. For one thing, how would Claudia have any idea where she was? But more importantly, Alessa refused to accept that her best friend would let herself turn into this...this lunatic who talked about those hideous beasts like they were angels. She couldn't believe it. She wouldn't believe it. Until she saw some tangible evidence that indicated otherwise, this woman being her childhood friend was not an option.

Could she be a cultist from her hometown, then? Alessa wondered. The mention of "Paradise" almost seemed like a dead giveaway. Who else would mention such a thing in regard to those monstrosities, other than a member of the despicable religion she abandoned long ago? On the other hand, if the woman was a part of that organization, how could she possibly have known where to look for her? It had been years since she was last in that town, and her father had taken her as far away from there as he could. No one back there should even have a clue that she was still alive, much less accurate knowledge of her current whereabouts.

Alessa shook away the disturbing thoughts. The only way she was going to find out one way or another was to confront the source of the mystery herself. She followed after the mysterious woman, but unfortunately, it appeared that she had vanished. Any questions would have to wait until later.

There was only one viable exit out of this section of the mall. Alessa peered uncertainly into the open elevator leading to the mall's lower levels. She noted the floor was covered in stains and grime, and the far back of the elevator was concealed in shadows. She was cautious in her movements, taking one step at a time, alert for any signs of danger.

Even so, she was not prepared for the burst of light that exposed the elevator's chain link walls as the single bulb in the elevator flashed to life. She certainly wasn't prepared for what she saw behind that wire fence, mere feet away from her.

It was not a human being. Neither was it one of those creatures infesting the shopping center. Whatever this thing was, it appeared to be humanoid in form. And struggling in its hands, being mangled by the demon's strong arms, was a writhing mass of flesh.

Alessa instinctively stepped back, bringing her hands to her mouth as she gasped in shock. Before the thought of turning back even occurred to her, the elevator door suddenly slammed shut, prompting Alessa to swirl around in shock. As if that weren't enough, a rusty iron gate fell over the door, barring her from escaping.

The elevator began to move. Alessa sank down to the floor, holding her knees close to her. She was trembling. Suddenly she felt very vulnerable in this place. The elevator journeyed down past one floor, and once again, Alessa saw the human-like creature from before, almost as if it were stalking her outside in the elevator shaft.

"Please let this be a dream. Please let this be a dream," Alessa repeated to herself. Yet even as she closed her eyes, she knew that it wasn't. This was real, and no amount of wishing would allow her to find herself safely in her home, with her parents perfectly all right and nothing out of the ordinary to worry about. She gripped her legs tightly, shaking uncontrollably from the mass of panic and dread starting to sink in.

This wasn't a dream. This was a nightmare.

And there would be no waking up from it.

~

The elevator ground to a halt. Alessa looked up at the door as the rusted gate barring it lifted, dreading what she would witness this time. An eternity seemed to pass by, though it was only a matter of seconds. Finally, the elevator door slid open.

And Alessa entered a realm of darkness.

The world as she knew it was gone. Where Alessa was sure there had once been a normal employees' area, the corridor was obscured in shadows. Goosebumps broke out on her skin as she fearfully stepped out of the elevator. The temperature in the air had chilled considerably; it was like she had set foot inside a morgue.

Out of nowhere, the elevator door slammed shut behind her. Alessa pounded on the panel, but the door would no longer open. Wherever she was, she was stuck here. There was no way back to the ‘normal' world she left on the second floor.

Gradually her eyes adjusted to the darkness, allowing her to make out the barest of details about her surroundings. Alessa took one cautious step at a time, wondering what horrors would confront her in this darkened, frigid place.

She didn't have to wait long.

There was only the briefest of warnings to save her from having a chunk of her arm torn off as a monstrous creature savagely lunged at her from the shadows. Alessa barely sidestepped the vicious assault, falling back on her rear as the demon landed across her on four nimble legs. She could discern few details in the overwhelming murkiness, but the fearsome growls coming from the beast told her that it was no doubt one of those gruesome mutilated dogs she found on the second floor.

The undead canine wasted little time in jumping at its prey. Alessa screamed as its jaws clamped down on one of her boots, hungrily biting at the leather as it tried to reach the flesh inside. Alessa gave it a hard kick to the head with her other leg, knocking it away. Before the creature recovered, she aimed her gun and fired.

Alessa was practically blind in the dimness of the corridor, but thanks to the short distance, the bullets found their mark. The creature writhed on the ground from its injuries, and Alessa took advantage of the opening to make a run for it.

She had no way to tell where she was going. There was not the slightest shred of visible light in the area, only the terrifying sounds that signaled her aggressor had shaken off its wounds and was frantically in pursuit of its quarry. She groped blindly against the walls, trying to feel for any sign of a door to a room she could hide in. Finally, to her utter relief she came upon a doorknob that yielded to her grasp. She ducked inside barely a moment before her would-be mauler made a vicious attempt to sink its slime coated teeth into her leg.

Alessa leaned back against the door. She could hear the undead beast clawing at the metal, trying to scratch its way inside. Alas, the door proved too much of an obstacle for the canine, and after several heart stopping moments, Alessa realized the creature had retreated.

She found herself in a storage room of some kind. There wasn't much to speak of. A few shelves, some boxes set on the floor, and a long table cluttered with random miscellaneous items. Alessa shoved most of them aside and collapsed on top of the table. She needed a rest. She had barely begun to find her way out of this goddamn place, and already she was tired of all the running and fighting. And there was still such a long way to go. Even if it was just for a few minutes, she needed a break from the insanity of those twisted aberrations lurking outside.

Eventually, Alessa climbed off the table. Safe as this little niche of the shopping mall was, she couldn't stay here forever. If she wanted any chance of seeing the outside world again, she had to venture out into the darkness whether she wanted to or not.



There was one thing of notice she had failed to spot before. On the table where she had lain were still some items that were not tossed aside to the floor with the others. One of them was a long sheet of fax paper in the spot where her hand rested for those few precious minutes of respite. And printed on the surface of that paper was something startlingly familiar.

Alessa's eyes widened briefly as she saw the design scrawled on the loose sheet of paper. There it was again: the same eerie symbol from the storage room, printed in the same glowing red ink as before. And once again, Alessa's head started to hurt as she stared at the arcane-looking crest. She shivered under its luminescent glare. There was something sinister about this symbol, something she was almost positive she knew about. If only she could remember where it was from...

Alessa harshly turned away. She couldn't stare at it anymore. She had a feeling too much of that symbol might result in something she really didn't want to experience All the more reason to find a way out of this place, away from its hellish corridors and madness-inducing symbols. Her lips twisted in disgust. And to think I touched the damn thing. Yuch!

She had to get out of there. The question was how. With so much of the place under the cover of darkness, it would be difficult to see where she was going and even harder to defend herself successfully against those creatures. She needed a guide to this place, and she needed it soon, before she stumbled into some place she had no idea how to escape from. The bullets for her handgun would only last so long.

Suddenly she remembered the map of the shopping mall she picked up a while back. If there were only a source of light she could carry with her...

The corridor was just as ominous as Alessa left it. The atmosphere felt a little colder, as though the air had chilled several degrees further. The stench of death lingered in the hallway, no doubt the work of those atrocious beasts. God only knew where they had come from, or how many people they might have murdered and devoured so far.

She could still hear the noises betraying their presence nearby. Low growls of a warped canine pitch; the grotesque chewing and slurping as the creatures consumed whatever meal they had foraged. There was a light at the end of the metaphorical tunnel, however. Unless her eyes were mistaken, Alessa could make out the faint outline of a possible escape from this shadow-enveloped hell. There was only one thing standing in her way.

The monstrous hounds were dead ahead. There were two of them, gnawing on some indistinguishable piece of meat. Alessa was able to discern the barest of details. There was only a berth of one, perhaps two feet between them and the wall: wide enough to allow passage beside them, but not enough to allow some leeway in maneuvering. She would need to be precise to the letter. Once her legs brushed past the dogs' decaying bodies, there would be no turning back.

Alessa steeled her resolve. She could do this. All she had to do was restrain her fear. She silently counted down.

One...

Two...

Three!

Alessa threw herself into the fire.

The monsters were unprepared for her sudden burst of energy. Their eyes, assuming they had eyes, were almost as ill-equipped as Alessa to handle the engulfing shadows dominating the distorted landscape. They were reliant almost entirely on their sense of hearing and smell, which were surely unbalanced by the horrid state of decay their bodies were in.

Even so, they reacted quickly. Barely a second after Alessa brushed past them, they were on to her. She prayed she wouldn't trip over her own feet in the blinding obscurity. There was no way she would be able to hold back these demons in such a cramped space with only a handgun.

But fate was on her side today. As she reached the end of the tunnel, she felt the twin handles of a viable exit, and it was unlocked. She didn't look back as she slammed the doors behind her. She wasn't coming back here again. Not if she could help it.

~

It was almost like a game, Alessa reflected as she fled from the mass of creatures which had been waiting outside the doors. Find a new area, bypass the monsters lurking there, and kill the occasional one that proved too difficult to evade.

Far from entering a possible place of refuge, she had stumbled into three lumbering giants that attacked her almost the second she emerged into their field of view. And they weren't the only ones. Those mutated things from the normal mall were back as well, and this time, they appeared to have gotten a boost of unflappable energy.

Alessa grunted in pain as one of the creatures slammed into her thigh, viciously knocking her down to the floor. She tried her best to land on her side - if her leg snapped from a twist at the wrong angle, she was as good as dead. The ‘eyeball' leaned back its head and Alessa instantly forced herself to her feet. That was not a good sign, and only seconds later, her ominous feeling proved correct when a stream of ashen fluid spewed over the area where her legs had been. Alessa couldn't help but yelp in fright. The substance burned into the ground, which soon sizzled with a terrible smoke and crackling sound, and Alessa watched in horror as she realized that had she been a second slower, her legs would now be the things dissolving under the fluid's alarming acidity.

The creature readied itself for another corrosive blast, and Alessa knew she had no time to waste. She fired several shots at the beast until it finally collapsed to the floor. While the creature writhed in infuriated agony, Alessa turned and ran as fast as her legs would take her.



Unlike the previous section of the mall, this area of Central Square was somewhat slightly lit. Enough so that Alessa was able to spot a familiar arrangement of payphones as she sped by in flight from her unearthly pursuers. She was now in the very place where this whole mess started: the hallway where she first encountered that repugnant creep of a detective. There was no trace of Douglas' presence, though. Perhaps he wasn't caught up in whatever shift in reality warped the mall into this tangible incarnation of nightmares. Or perhaps he was simply whisked away to another area of this hellish world. Alessa couldn't care less.

It was Douglas' approaching her that began this twisted spiral into insanity. As far as Alessa was concerned, he could rot here with the rest of these grotesque freaks.

She hadn't the faintest idea of where to go. And then, she remembered the way she escaped from that lout detective. Morbid curiosity struck her. Had that woman in the stall gotten caught up in this too? What might have happened to her if she had? Alessa doubted she would find the actual person, but perhaps she might have left something that could be of use.

She was half-expecting the bathroom to be as dark as that first terrible corridor she encountered. To her mild surprise, it was actually slightly illuminated by an eerie orange atmosphere flowing from the boarded-up remnants of the same window she'd climbed out through before. Alessa had no idea where it was coming from, but it was oddly reminiscent of a sunset.

Dorothy, we're definitely not in Kansas anymore, she thought with some sarcasm.

The light was strong enough for her eyes to ascertain greater insight, and for the first time, Alessa beheld the profound transformation the shopping mall had undergone in all its unmasked glory. Every inch of the restroom was a warped and ruined version of its former self, eaten away by advanced rust and an absolutely nauseating reddish-brown substance. Alessa didn't dare to hope it wasn't dried blood.

Deep inside her subconscious, echoes of imprisoned memories stirred. She had seen this grotesque effect of decay before. She simply refused to accept it. She could not accept it. She could not accept it, lest she open herself to the scenario that would mean the end of life as she had known it for the past six years. For the sake of her sanity, she had to believe something else was behind this.

Alessa didn't expect to find much here; it was a bathroom, after all. And yet, to her complete and utter disbelief, her eyes fell on something that was most definitely out of place in the dreadful setting.



"Bleach?" Alessa read aloud, giving the colorful orange bottle a bewildered glance. What the hell was a bottle of bleach doing in a place like this?

She picked up the plastic container. It was full too, she noted as she held the bleach in her hands. For a moment, she considered whether or not to take it.

Oh, this is ridiculous, she thought. What do I need with bleach?

On the other hand, what were the chances of finding an item laying around like this for no specific reason? It seemed unlikelier than even finding the bottle of bleach in the first place.

Oh well. She stuck the container inside her backpack, making sure it was tightly sealed first. Maybe she could use it to blind someone, or something, in an emergency. A grim smile formed on her lips. She sure wouldn't hesitate to use it against Douglas if necessary.

She meant to leave when out of the blue, she recalled the reason why she had come in here in the first place - the mystery of what had happened to her ‘companion' from before.

The stall in the back was closed. It was the only one of the three that did not have its door open and its interior displayed to Alessa's eyes...almost as if it were hiding something. And now that she focused on it, Alessa sensed an unusual aura around it. Something wasn't quite right. She approached cautiously, firearm in hand. With a blend of hesitation and curiosity, she knocked tentatively on the door.

Three knocks answered back.

What the...? Alessa jumped back in shock. Even with her current train of thought, the response still took her by surprise. Somebody couldn't possibly still be in there, could they? She supposed it wasn't implausible to use the restroom as a hideout from the monsters, but who in their right mind would hide in a place like this for so long? And in a filthy stall too? Certainly no one normal. That lady she'd spoken too had her problems, but she didn't seem that disturbed. Alessa rapped on the door again, and sure enough, three more knocks answered her inquiry.

"Hello?" Alessa asked. Silence. "Is anyone in there?"

There was no response. Alessa frowned. Was there really somebody in there or was she just going crazy?

There was only one way to find out.

Unfortunately, it seemed this was one mystery that would remain unsolved. The door was locked. No matter how much Alessa tried she couldn't get it open. For a moment she considered shooting out the lock, but then she thought better of it. Depending on where it was placed, it might take more than one bullet to dislodge it - bullets she couldn't afford to waste on a stupid door with all those creatures out there.

It was her intent to leave. But this place wasn't done with her yet. Barely had she taken any steps before the sound of a door being unlocked startled her. Alessa swirled back just in time to hear the creak of the door's hinges moving just a bit. Alessa wasn't stupid. She immediately pointed her gun in the direction of the stall.

"Is anyone in there?" she asked loudly.

Nobody answered. Alessa's irritation swelled slightly at the cryptic silence. Wasn't it enough that she was trapped in this place? Did it really have to mess with her like this?

She crept one step at a time towards the ominous stall, intent on putting an end to this sick little joke. With her weapon at the ready she slowly pushed the door open. And when she saw what awaited her inside, Alessa gasped in horror.

She jerked away from the horrid display with one hand over her mouth, utter shock and revulsion suddenly coursing through her insides. The mash of blood and gore was too much; she couldn't stare at it any further. She felt the bile rise in her throat, and she clutched at her stomach as she struggled to contain the nausea trying to overwhelm her. Alessa collapsed to her knees, shaking with barely restrained heaves. She remained that way for some time, heartbeat racing in her chest, rapidly breathing in and out while she tried to calm her distressed nervous system.

Through sheer force of will she managed to keep herself from vomiting. Eventually the tidal wave in her stomach settled and she was able to cease hyperventilating. Alessa stood up shakily on quaking legs, calm once again, though no less revolted by the gruesome...thing...in the stall.

Out of the blue, a glint of something shiny abruptly caught her attention. Unfortunately, its location was about the worst it could have been.

Oh shoot... To Alessa's dismay, the glint was coming from something placed squarely on the floor of the setting that had just given her one hell of a shock.

Whatever it was, Alessa contemplated leaving it in favor of getting the hell out of there. However, the notion didn't shine for long. In a place like this, almost anything could be of some value. The item could easily be a key to some door she had yet to come across, in which case, she would definitely prefer to claim it now, because there was no way she was coming back here again to retrieve it.

There was no getting around it. However distasteful the task, she knew what she had to do if she wanted that item. With a sigh of resignation, she bent down to pick up the metal trinket. Her eyes were narrowed to slits as she tried her best to avoid staring directly at the sight that so appalled her. Even so, its presence was palpable. The smell was absolutely foul, forcing her to cover her mouth and nose while she held her breath. It was like someone had died there and the remains splattered all over the interior of the stall. She grimaced even further at the thought of having to touch the grimy, gore drenched, germ infested floor. As soon as she had the object, Alessa rushed away from the horrible spectacle. Finally she was able to let out her breath.

Aw man, I risked losing my lunch for this? Alessa thought wryly, staring at the trinket in her hand.

It turned out the item she had risked a complete loss of dignity for was nothing more than a common necklace with a small pendant attached. Alessa was understandably disappointed, though she examined the necklace anyway. It seemed to be of gold, perhaps 14 or 24 karats; Alessa couldn't tell which. But it was the pendant that sparked some slight interest: a small charm in the shape of a butterfly. For some reason she couldn't explain, the symbol seemed oddly familiar...

Did this belong to that woman she had spoken to? She wondered. Or, even worse...were those the remains of said woman lying in that stall? Alessa shuddered at the morbid possibility. Nobody deserved to die in that way, no matter how rude or disrespectful they were. The...evidence...inside that area indicated something extremely traumatizing to the human body, as if the person had been literally torn apart or imploded from the inside out by some massive powerful force. Alessa wondered if that was exactly what happened. The monsters outside were brutal, but they didn't seem quite capable of something like this. She focused back on the necklace.

"Eh, what a piece of junk," Alessa muttered, more to focus on something less disturbing than actually meaning it. It wasn't that she was unsympathetic to what may have happened. But she wasn't even certain it was that woman who had been killed. It could easily be some kind of illusion by this place, meant to unsettle her will and increase her fear. Besides, what good would jewelry be in a place like this? It looked pretty, but that was about it. Alessa had better ones at home, and there was something odd about this one. Something whispered to her that it might not be such a good idea to take it, regardless of the effort she went to acquire it.

Something crashed in one of the stalls.

Alessa shrieked as she was startled out of her wits by the loud bang. And this time, there was no investigation on her part; this was the last straw. Whatever was going on this room, she wanted no part of it whatsoever. Dropping behind the mysterious necklace, she hauled out of the ruined lavatory as fast as humanly possible.

Unbeknownst to her, the worst had yet to arrive.