sermocinare (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sermocinare) wrote2010-10-10 12:27 pm
sermocinare) wrote2010-10-10 12:27 pm
Entry tags:
Nachtmahr, pt. 2
Fandoms: Watchmen/Silent Hill
Title: Nachtmahr (2/6)
Rating: PG-13 for this chapter, R/NC17 overall
Warnings: mild violence and horror
Characters/Pairings: Adrian, Dan/Laurie
Disclaimer: Watchmen belongs to Mr. Moore and Mr. Gibbons. The Silent Hill franchise is property of Konami.
Summary: Adrian tries to find a way out of Silent Hill and discovers that he's not the only living person in town.
Previous chapters: 1
Adrian stared across the chasm that had once been the bridge leading to, and more importantly, away from Silent Hill. The beam of the flashlight was swallowed by the fog after only a few feet. There was no hint as to how much of the bridge had collapsed. If there was something, even half of it, left standing, he might have a chance of reaching the other side. But to find out, he would have to wait until sunrise, and after what he had seen, he really didn’t feel like spending the night in this godforsaken town.
Maybe there was another way out, through the mountains. The map Adrian had bought had shown just this one single road, but then again, area maps tended to overlook the smaller details in favor of showing a bigger scope. There might be some small forest road that reconnected with the highway at a later point. At the moment, he would even settle for a hiking trail. He needed another, more detailed map of the region, which meant going back into town. Back to where that thing had been. Well, this time, he would come prepared.
Adrian looked at the car, frowning. Its trunk was dipping down, both rear tires gripping on nothing but fog and air. He should probably consider himself lucky that he was still alive, but the idea of having to go back into Silent Hill on foot made him feel strangely exposed.
As if the town had somehow sensed his thoughts, Adrian heard a rustling in the bushes at the side of the road nearby. Spinning around, he shone his flashlight in the direction of the noise, and just barely caught a glimpse of the same shadowy, fog-shrouded animal shape he had seen before, disappearing into the darkness up ahead.
Once again, Adrian cast a glance back at the car. The tire iron would have made an acceptable, if somewhat unwieldy weapon, but it, like everything else that might have been useful, was in the trunk. Shuddering, Adrian zipped his jacket all the way up and, tightening his grip around the flashlight, set out down the road back to town.
By the time he arrived back at the Historical Society, his hair was damp from the fog, and he pushed a few wet strands back from his forehead while he stood on the road, listening intently. There were no shuffling footfalls up ahead, no echo of the unearthly scream the creature had let loose, but still, Adrian remained tense.
Something wasn’t right. He was sure he had closed the door behind him, but now, it was standing slightly ajar, and there were just the slightest hints of noise from within. It sounded almost like voices, whispering. Just as Adrian was finally sure that yes, it had been voices, the noise stopped.
For a moment, Adrian considered just walking on, going deeper into town. But for now, the Historical Society was his best bet for finding a map. Turning off the flashlight, Adrian slowly crept up towards the door, skirting around the gravel path to avoid making any noise, the lights up and down the road providing just enough illumination so that he wasn’t moving in total darkness. Flattening himself against the wall beside the door, he reached out and slowly pushed it open further, hoping to catch a glimpse at whoever or whatever was inside before they saw him.
But apparently, that had been just what had been expected. Suddenly, the door swung open, and he was blinded by a bright light shone directly into his eyes, which made him throw up his arm and turn his head to protect himself from the glare. At the same time, close behind him, there was the unmistakable click of a gun being cocked.
“I thought it was one of those monsters. I guess I was right, after all.”
“Adrian? What the hell are you doing here?”
Adrian knew those voices. The fear that had gripped him only a second before evaporated like clouds in the desert sky, leaving only a sharp annoyance behind.
“Would you please take the light down, Daniel? And the gun, if you don’t mind, Laurie.”
The light went down, and Adrian blinked, trying to chase away the spots of green and yellow that were clouding up his vision. A short glance over his shoulder told him that the gun was still trained on his back.
“What are you doing here?” Laurie repeated Dan’s question.
“I could ask you the same question,” Adrian said, keeping his voice level.
“But you didn’t. So?”
“Lower the gun, and maybe we can talk like civilized people.”
There was a moment of tense silence, then Laurie lowered the gun until it was pointing at the ground. Adrian noted that she didn’t holster it, though, and didn’t put the safety back on, either.
“Let’s go inside, out of this fog,” Dan said, turning around. Adrian followed him through the door, Laurie at his heels.
Once inside, Adrian noticed that Dan and Laurie had apparently had less qualms about breaking down the doors of uninhabited buildings than he himself had shown. The door to the archive was standing open, its lock busted and splintered.
Laurie was watching him with all the dangerous yet cautious attention of a tigress who had stepped out of the bushes only to find herself faced with a hunter. Dan seemed less hostile, but Adrian noticed that he was keeping his distance. From both of them.
Leaning against a table, Adrian crossed his arms in front of his chest, letting the uncomfortable silence reign for a few more seconds. Letting his gaze wander from one to the other, he finally gave a short, somewhat tense smile.
“To be honest, I'm not quite sure of why I am here myself.”
“That's bullshit.”
Adrian narrowed his eyes at Laurie: “It's the truth. Some time ago, I started having strange and somewhat unsettling dreams. Dreams of this town. I know there is something I have to do here, but I'm not certain as to what.”
Dan had moved over to Laurie's side, and was giving him a skeptical look: “Don't you think that's a bit... esoteric? You never struck me as the type to believe in all of this mystical stuff. Dreams and such.”
Adrian sighed. “Well, none of you ever knew me very well, Daniel,” he said, shaking his head with a bemused smile.
“You could say that,” Dan muttered.
“So what brings you two here, then? I highly doubt it's the scenery.”
Dan and Laurie exchanged glances, a silent communication between people who knew each other well enough to no longer need words.
“It's my mother,” Laurie finally said. “She got it into her head to drive all across the country on her own to visit us, instead of taking the plane like any sensible person would have.” Despite her sharp words, Laurie's voice was soft, worried. “And then she disappeared. The last time someone saw her was somewhere around here. Well, not exactly here, but...”
Adrian let his eyes wander over to the window, gazing out into the darkness that surrounded their little island of light. “Don't you think that's a rather strange coincidence?” he said, quietly.
Laurie gave a snort that could have been a laugh, if it hadn't been so bitter: “Right after we got here, we were attacked by some kind of...” she gestured helplessly, “flying demon thing that tried to claw off my face. Really, I've got more important things to worry about right now than you suddenly turning up here. Like, oh, where my mom is. And if she's even still alive.”
Laurie's voice faltered, and she shivered, wrapping her arms around her waist. Dan pulled her into his arms protectively, giving Adrian a short glare. “We've got to find her.”
Adrian looked in the direction of the archive, then back at the couple. “Anything I can do to help?”
“Honestly? I'd rather you didn't.”
For a moment, Adrian was surprised at how much Laurie's words stung. He only wanted to help. But then, it was understandable that both of them would probably feel more at ease without him around. After all, he had saddled them with part of a burden he had originally intended to carry by himself, and they had every right to resent him for it.
Adrian nodded. “I hope you find her. Meanwhile, I'll be looking for a way out of here.” He tensed his jaw, frowning: “The bridge seems to have collapsed.”
“What?” Dan's eyes widened, and his arm tightened around Laurie.
Adrian gave an annoyed sigh, once again looking out of the window, back in the direction he had come from: “It's gone. There's no road out of here any more, except maybe on foot.” He inclined his head in the direction of the archive: “You didn't by any chance find a map in there, did you?”
“No,” Dan shook his head, “but then, we weren't looking for one.”
“Dan,” Laurie said, quietly, “let's go. The sooner we find her, the better.”
Adrian gave them a slight smile: “If I find anything, I'll let you know. I'll leave you a note here, or something. Both regarding your mother, and how to get out of this place.”
“Thanks,” Dan nodded at him, letting go of Laurie, who turned and walked towards the door. Dan made out to follow her, but then turned back towards Adrian again, his hand going behind his back. “Here, take this,” he said, handing Adrian a gun. “I may not know much about you, but I do remember that you pretty much never carried one of these. Well, out here, I think you'd better.” He looked Adrian squarely in the eye, then said: “The world's still a dangerous place, you know.” With that, he turned around and followed Laurie out of the door.
It was only some time later, when Adrian had rifled through all the books, folders and papers in the archive without finding anything useful, that Adrian remembered that he hadn't seen a car parked anywhere near.
Chapter 3
Title: Nachtmahr (2/6)
Rating: PG-13 for this chapter, R/NC17 overall
Warnings: mild violence and horror
Characters/Pairings: Adrian, Dan/Laurie
Disclaimer: Watchmen belongs to Mr. Moore and Mr. Gibbons. The Silent Hill franchise is property of Konami.
Summary: Adrian tries to find a way out of Silent Hill and discovers that he's not the only living person in town.
Previous chapters: 1
Adrian stared across the chasm that had once been the bridge leading to, and more importantly, away from Silent Hill. The beam of the flashlight was swallowed by the fog after only a few feet. There was no hint as to how much of the bridge had collapsed. If there was something, even half of it, left standing, he might have a chance of reaching the other side. But to find out, he would have to wait until sunrise, and after what he had seen, he really didn’t feel like spending the night in this godforsaken town.
Maybe there was another way out, through the mountains. The map Adrian had bought had shown just this one single road, but then again, area maps tended to overlook the smaller details in favor of showing a bigger scope. There might be some small forest road that reconnected with the highway at a later point. At the moment, he would even settle for a hiking trail. He needed another, more detailed map of the region, which meant going back into town. Back to where that thing had been. Well, this time, he would come prepared.
Adrian looked at the car, frowning. Its trunk was dipping down, both rear tires gripping on nothing but fog and air. He should probably consider himself lucky that he was still alive, but the idea of having to go back into Silent Hill on foot made him feel strangely exposed.
As if the town had somehow sensed his thoughts, Adrian heard a rustling in the bushes at the side of the road nearby. Spinning around, he shone his flashlight in the direction of the noise, and just barely caught a glimpse of the same shadowy, fog-shrouded animal shape he had seen before, disappearing into the darkness up ahead.
Once again, Adrian cast a glance back at the car. The tire iron would have made an acceptable, if somewhat unwieldy weapon, but it, like everything else that might have been useful, was in the trunk. Shuddering, Adrian zipped his jacket all the way up and, tightening his grip around the flashlight, set out down the road back to town.
By the time he arrived back at the Historical Society, his hair was damp from the fog, and he pushed a few wet strands back from his forehead while he stood on the road, listening intently. There were no shuffling footfalls up ahead, no echo of the unearthly scream the creature had let loose, but still, Adrian remained tense.
Something wasn’t right. He was sure he had closed the door behind him, but now, it was standing slightly ajar, and there were just the slightest hints of noise from within. It sounded almost like voices, whispering. Just as Adrian was finally sure that yes, it had been voices, the noise stopped.
For a moment, Adrian considered just walking on, going deeper into town. But for now, the Historical Society was his best bet for finding a map. Turning off the flashlight, Adrian slowly crept up towards the door, skirting around the gravel path to avoid making any noise, the lights up and down the road providing just enough illumination so that he wasn’t moving in total darkness. Flattening himself against the wall beside the door, he reached out and slowly pushed it open further, hoping to catch a glimpse at whoever or whatever was inside before they saw him.
But apparently, that had been just what had been expected. Suddenly, the door swung open, and he was blinded by a bright light shone directly into his eyes, which made him throw up his arm and turn his head to protect himself from the glare. At the same time, close behind him, there was the unmistakable click of a gun being cocked.
“I thought it was one of those monsters. I guess I was right, after all.”
“Adrian? What the hell are you doing here?”
Adrian knew those voices. The fear that had gripped him only a second before evaporated like clouds in the desert sky, leaving only a sharp annoyance behind.
“Would you please take the light down, Daniel? And the gun, if you don’t mind, Laurie.”
The light went down, and Adrian blinked, trying to chase away the spots of green and yellow that were clouding up his vision. A short glance over his shoulder told him that the gun was still trained on his back.
“What are you doing here?” Laurie repeated Dan’s question.
“I could ask you the same question,” Adrian said, keeping his voice level.
“But you didn’t. So?”
“Lower the gun, and maybe we can talk like civilized people.”
There was a moment of tense silence, then Laurie lowered the gun until it was pointing at the ground. Adrian noted that she didn’t holster it, though, and didn’t put the safety back on, either.
“Let’s go inside, out of this fog,” Dan said, turning around. Adrian followed him through the door, Laurie at his heels.
Once inside, Adrian noticed that Dan and Laurie had apparently had less qualms about breaking down the doors of uninhabited buildings than he himself had shown. The door to the archive was standing open, its lock busted and splintered.
Laurie was watching him with all the dangerous yet cautious attention of a tigress who had stepped out of the bushes only to find herself faced with a hunter. Dan seemed less hostile, but Adrian noticed that he was keeping his distance. From both of them.
Leaning against a table, Adrian crossed his arms in front of his chest, letting the uncomfortable silence reign for a few more seconds. Letting his gaze wander from one to the other, he finally gave a short, somewhat tense smile.
“To be honest, I'm not quite sure of why I am here myself.”
“That's bullshit.”
Adrian narrowed his eyes at Laurie: “It's the truth. Some time ago, I started having strange and somewhat unsettling dreams. Dreams of this town. I know there is something I have to do here, but I'm not certain as to what.”
Dan had moved over to Laurie's side, and was giving him a skeptical look: “Don't you think that's a bit... esoteric? You never struck me as the type to believe in all of this mystical stuff. Dreams and such.”
Adrian sighed. “Well, none of you ever knew me very well, Daniel,” he said, shaking his head with a bemused smile.
“You could say that,” Dan muttered.
“So what brings you two here, then? I highly doubt it's the scenery.”
Dan and Laurie exchanged glances, a silent communication between people who knew each other well enough to no longer need words.
“It's my mother,” Laurie finally said. “She got it into her head to drive all across the country on her own to visit us, instead of taking the plane like any sensible person would have.” Despite her sharp words, Laurie's voice was soft, worried. “And then she disappeared. The last time someone saw her was somewhere around here. Well, not exactly here, but...”
Adrian let his eyes wander over to the window, gazing out into the darkness that surrounded their little island of light. “Don't you think that's a rather strange coincidence?” he said, quietly.
Laurie gave a snort that could have been a laugh, if it hadn't been so bitter: “Right after we got here, we were attacked by some kind of...” she gestured helplessly, “flying demon thing that tried to claw off my face. Really, I've got more important things to worry about right now than you suddenly turning up here. Like, oh, where my mom is. And if she's even still alive.”
Laurie's voice faltered, and she shivered, wrapping her arms around her waist. Dan pulled her into his arms protectively, giving Adrian a short glare. “We've got to find her.”
Adrian looked in the direction of the archive, then back at the couple. “Anything I can do to help?”
“Honestly? I'd rather you didn't.”
For a moment, Adrian was surprised at how much Laurie's words stung. He only wanted to help. But then, it was understandable that both of them would probably feel more at ease without him around. After all, he had saddled them with part of a burden he had originally intended to carry by himself, and they had every right to resent him for it.
Adrian nodded. “I hope you find her. Meanwhile, I'll be looking for a way out of here.” He tensed his jaw, frowning: “The bridge seems to have collapsed.”
“What?” Dan's eyes widened, and his arm tightened around Laurie.
Adrian gave an annoyed sigh, once again looking out of the window, back in the direction he had come from: “It's gone. There's no road out of here any more, except maybe on foot.” He inclined his head in the direction of the archive: “You didn't by any chance find a map in there, did you?”
“No,” Dan shook his head, “but then, we weren't looking for one.”
“Dan,” Laurie said, quietly, “let's go. The sooner we find her, the better.”
Adrian gave them a slight smile: “If I find anything, I'll let you know. I'll leave you a note here, or something. Both regarding your mother, and how to get out of this place.”
“Thanks,” Dan nodded at him, letting go of Laurie, who turned and walked towards the door. Dan made out to follow her, but then turned back towards Adrian again, his hand going behind his back. “Here, take this,” he said, handing Adrian a gun. “I may not know much about you, but I do remember that you pretty much never carried one of these. Well, out here, I think you'd better.” He looked Adrian squarely in the eye, then said: “The world's still a dangerous place, you know.” With that, he turned around and followed Laurie out of the door.
It was only some time later, when Adrian had rifled through all the books, folders and papers in the archive without finding anything useful, that Adrian remembered that he hadn't seen a car parked anywhere near.
Chapter 3