Chapter 14

While driving to the mysterious town, Mitch was lost in thoughts. He couldn't comprehend why Linda was going there and practically invited him to arrive to the same place. He sure wanted to know what she was up to. Perhaps she planned to lure him in some kind of trap? Mitch remembered the ominous grin on her face when she told him she was going to that strange town… Silent Hill, was it? Yes, exactly, that's how it's called. He hasn't forgotten to search the location of the town and bought the map of the area at the petrol station to see how far Silent Hill was from Portland. During the online search one thing made his blood turn cold. It was mentioned that Silent Hill was an abandoned ghost town and being there could be a risk for your own life and sanity. That confused Mitch even more. He knew that Linda definitely wanted to catch him into a trap, but at the same time she was risking her own life by going to this seemingly dangerous town. Whatever it was, Mitch was determined to find out the truth and catch up with Linda. If she wanted to lure him into a trap, she would be the one to get into it, not him. He would teach her a lesson that she deserved.

After a few hours of driving Mitch began to notice that the closer he got to the town, the thicker the fog became. This surprised him, as the weather forecast didn't mention anything about fog around all the cities and towns of the state. Nonetheless, Silent Hill looked as a case of exception. Thus he had to reduce the speed because the fog now was like cotton and you couldn't see anything in front farther than a meter or two. It took him one hour more until he finally reached some small building. As Mitch got closer, he saw one more car parked near it, but didn't recognize it. As far as he remembered, Linda had never owned such car, so it definitely wasn't hers. Perhaps she rented one? Or someone drove her here? Actually, it didn't matter. She was here now, and now he had to find her, no matter what.

Mitch parked his car near the other one, not knowing whose car it was, and turned off the engine. It was time to explore the area, although without a map it will be difficult. And the thick fog made the vision even worse. The small building, if looked closer at, turned out to be a public bathroom which was located on the observation place where the lake could be seen perfectly. If it wasn't for the spooky fog and the dead silence that engulfed this whole place, it would definitely be a marvellous landscape. Anyway, it was not time for enjoying landscapes. He had to find Linda and then leave this scary town as fast as possible.

Having a poor choice, Mitch decided to follow the road along the lake until he reached the sign which said "Toluca Lake". He pondered whether he should follow it as it seemed to lead somewhere into the woods. But checking further and seeing the road being totally blocked, this path was the only way to go, so he just followed it, being careful not to wander away, otherwise he would remain here forever with this fog.

The walk to Silent Hill took some time, especially when Mitch got to the cemetery. He could see practically nothing in front of him, so the best idea was to stick to the fence until he found another gate which led further to the town. Everything around was blocked with fences and wires, like if they began renewing the roads or whatever and abandoned it in the middle of the work. But no bad can exist without good, such thought ran through the man's head. If other ways are closed, it means he can't get lost, which calmed him down a bit.

After approximately twenty minutes of walking Mitch finally got into the town itself. It looked just as deserted as the woods and everything around. He could only wonder how long this place has been abandoned. It seemed that Silent Hill has stayed empty for years or even decades. Mitch half expected this town to be rotting down, but no, the building were still standing whole, just many had doors and windows boarded up or broken, but that's about it. On some streets there were cars standing at the pavement, all filthy and many had crashed window glass and flat tyres. In general, a typical ghost town, there are many such places around the world, but this particular town is engulfed in thick, sinister fog, which, probably, makes it different from other ghost towns. Now Mitch just had to find some map so he could navigate through the town, as now he had no idea about the locations and where to go. What's more, where could Linda be at the moment? Mitch walked around the town for some time until he finally stumbled on a map. But it was a stand, and that meant, impossible to take the map with him. Mitch thought for several minutes about what to do until only one option was left in his mind – take a photo or two of that map, and then he could at least zoom in and see more details. So he pulled out his smartphone and tried to focus the camera so that it could take in as much of the map as possible. At least, it was better than nothing.

Then another thing popped in his mind. What about those strange warnings about the danger for life and sanity? If the town was totally empty, what could possibly happen? To Mitch, it made zero sense. So many questions, but not a single answer. He could only hope that before he leaves this town, things will get clear.

And then, all of a sudden, as an answer to his question about what could happen in this empty town, a loud siren broke the silence. Mitch stopped in his tracks, feeling the drops of cold sweat trickling down his face. Of course, he has heard sirens a hundred times, but this was something terrible. But that was not all. Beside the blood turning cold in his veins, he suddenly felt dizziness that he couldn't resist. It became stronger with every second until Mitch finally collapsed on the ground and darkness consumed him.

***

After fifteen or twenty minutes of walking without any use, Linda finally stumbled on a stand with a map of Silent Hill. This was the right thing she needed for now, at least it could help her find out where she was. The map showed that these were the crossroads of Sandford and Riverside streets, and if you follow the Riverside Street just straight to north, you can get to Crichton street. And there, the corner building of Crichton and Koontz streets will be Alchemilla hospital. Linda hasn't sound anything of use in the theme park, so the closest building for her to explore now was this hospital. She remembered Alessa showing her this place, the ward she was in after the fire, the red-haired nurse in a red cardigan that was nice to her… Linda guessed there could be something interesting for her to find, so she took out her phone and took a photo of the map, as she doubted that she could find one more map so soon, and the only map they had was still by James and Alice, but they were nowhere to be seen. Then she increased her walking speed, hoping to reach the destination as soon as possible.

The visibility was bad in the darkness, but everything around seemed… alive. It looked like all the town had its own blood circulation system, like the blood pulsed through its large veins. This place was indeed frightening and nightmarish, but it couldn't be denied having its twisted charm. But this is Otherworld, another dimension, the home for the creatures that are hidden from human eyes. There were no one visible in the foggy version of the town, but maybe it's just for now. The fog is known for hiding secrets within it, and it would be foolish to think that in this town it's safe in the fog world.

Linda had already managed to reach Crichton Street and looked attentively to each crossroad, just to be safe not to miss Koontz Street. Alchemilla hospital is a rather large building, so she would see it anyway. As she continued her way north, the hospital would be on her right. So she went straight until finally reached the crossroads. And there it was, the large concrete building. In the fog world it would have looked grey, but in the Otherworld it looked as red as everything around, and, of course, filthy and old. Maybe, when the town was not yet abandoned, it was a nice, pleasant place for patients. But now it could only scare people away, although now there was no one here to scare off.

The young woman was surprised that no one has still attacked her or, at least, appeared in the radius of her view. But she was thankful that it didn't happen. She had the handgun with her in case there's any reason to use it, but she hoped it won't be necessary. On the other hand, it was too naïve to think this. The diabolical Otherworld and no abominations around? Nonsense. Linda knew it was just the beginning. They have just arrived to the town, so there is much more to come.

At last, the Alchemilla hospital. Linda stood in front of the rusty gates, hesitating to go inside. She doubted whether to go inside or not, but if she wanted to find any clues, she had to do it. She had no idea where James and Alice could be, so all what remained was to check the hospital. Linda slowly pushed the gates and they opened with a loud screech. It seemed so loud to her that she was afraid it might attract every monster in the town, but no. Nothing happened. The screech of metal gates just broke the silence, but that was it. Slowly she approached the main door and reached out for the doorknob, her arm trembling. Linda expected it to be locked, but, surprisingly, it opened. The reception looked just as hellish as everything she has seen before – all in red, orange and yellow colours, filthy and bloody, and the walls seemed alive to her, like they had their own blood pulse. So, if the reception hall looks like that, then the rest of the hospital will be the same. But, whether it was the Fog world or the Otherworld, Linda was going to explore each room in this place, from the reception till the last floor upstairs. After all, she had no choice.