Silent Hill 3: The Novel

The Nightmare

Where am I?  Heather thought, as she walked forward, her eyes shifting from one area to the next, the most noticeable character being the fog. It was shallow and breathed as such, yet it whispered distant, sinister lullabies to her that she couldn't begin to understand. The sky was completely dark with no sign of any stars to provide guidance if she were to get lost. The only stars available were the artificial ones in the form of lamp posts and the flashlight in her left breast pocket.

There were no other people except pink, life-sized rabbit dolls in brown overalls. Or maybe they were costumes? One laid on the ground to her left, and another by a restroom further ahead, while the third slouched on a bench to the right. They had big, round, unblinking eyes and permanent smiles, their mouths covered in blood and bits of flesh, as well as on their chest. It was as though the fog had dried up their lungs and left them to cough up what little air remained in their system, all while smiling through the pain of dying. Is someone in there? she thought, but the idea quickly made her skin crawl, and she didn't want to find out.

Behind the bench was a cage with what could only be described as a fleshy cocoon with legs, hanging from the ceiling. It was infested with bugs and the cage was pinned to the ground by four wire ropes. She would later find that there were three others like it, spaced out from each other in a square formation. Heather had to cover her nose to mask the foul odor coming from inside it. Behind the cage, an abandoned popcorn stand with the words Fresh Popcorn was written across the hull. No popcorn unfortunately, and it wasn't like she had the appetite for it anyway.

Beneath her boots, the ground was a mix of expanded metal grates and patterned flooring. Through the holes of the grates, she saw what looked like an endless black void. That, or she was so high up, the ground was nearly impossible to see. It might explain the fog.

Suddenly, her eyes caught the tip of a sharp blade, visible on her right side. Heather was taken aback for a second, but she raised her hand and observed a hunter's knife in her grip. She glanced at the life sized bunnies, then back at the knife. No bloodstains. What a relief! She couldn't remember carrying it with her or where it might have come from, let alone how she got here in the first place, but it provided a sense of security at least, so she kept it firmly at her side. Just in case.

Heather turned around and saw a mural painted sign above the tunnel she came out of. The mural was that of a smiling clown with orange balloons and blue flowers. On either side of the arched tunnel entrance was a red and white striped tent with a blue orb light on top. Four spotlights illuminated the sign that read: Lakeside Amusement Park. Hardly amusing, this place.

On the right side of the entrance was a signboard with a large map of the park. Heather learned that she was facing south, and on the map circled in red ink were the words Roller Coaster, which was north from here. She would have to pass through Souvenir Avenue first, to reach it. There was nowhere else to go here. The tunnel led to a dead end and the surrounding area was fenced off. Even if she climbed over, she would only fall to her death, or find herself falling forever in that endless abyss below. This place left her no choice and the latter seemed more horrifying, so she entered Souvenir Avenue.

Closing the door behind her, the sudden sound of static noise raised her adrenaline and filled her with intense anxiety. It was coming from inside her vest, but before she had time to investigate, a horrid dog wrapped in bandages split its head open vertically and lunged at her. She stuck the knife out and closed her eyes as the dog's weight knocked her off balance, both of them falling to the ground. The dog let out a loud yelp, then thrashed around and snapped its jaws violently at her, getting saliva everywhere. She kept her arms outstretched no matter what, and eventually, it weakened and succumbed to its wound. The mutant dog simply slumped over her like a lifeless, stuffed animal.

She lay there for moment, catching her breath, then carefully pushed it off and while looking away, she pulled the knife out and wiped the blade clean off her boots. Heather noticed the dog's hind claws had left several cuts below her knee. They didn't look life threatening, but they would have to be taken care of eventually. She wiped the sticky saliva off her face and leaned against the door to collect her thoughts. From what Heather could gather, she was in some roundabout room with different shops alongside it. And at the opposite end of the room was a door with a sign to the left, lit by a lantern that read: Mountain Coaster.

It wasn't until she entered the next area that Heather was reminded of that static noise. She quickly unzipped her vest and pulled out a small radio. She switched it off and put it back inside her jacket, knife at the ready. And like the knife, she couldn't recall ever bringing a radio with her. Turning it off however, revealed another sound other than her own breathing. It was that of flesh, twisting and contorting in unnatural ways, accompanied by wailing moans. Something heavy was dragging across the metal floor. Whatever it was, it was getting closer and the knife began to feel more like a useless twig rather than a deadly weapon. Screw it.

Adrenaline kicked in once again and Heather rushed forward past a gate and toward another sign that read Mountain Coaster Platform with an arrow pointing to an ascending flight of stairs. Thank god for signs. She only caught a glimpse of the grotesque creature as she ran upstairs. When she reached the top platform, Heather could hear it banging its heavy drums against each step. It was pursuing her and the only way out was through the coaster tracks, so she shoved the gates aside and stepped down, cautiously walking ahead. If she wasn't careful, she could lose her balance and fall off the side.

The tracks dipped and turned, but eventually, the sounds of the creature faded away, and new ones revealed themselves. She didn't want to think about what they belonged to, so she focused on putting one foot in front of the other, careful not to trip. Along the way, she saw the tops of striped tents and monolithic rock formations. It didn't take long however, for a terrifying noise to break her focus. It was something scraping along the metal side rails at a rapid pace. Heather turned around and began running awkwardly along the tracks. She looked back and a bright headlight became visible in the distance. That cost her big time and she tripped over a rail. It was hopeless now. She considered jumping off the tracks, but it was too late. And just like that, the nightmare ended.