Chapter 3

A Chapter by Rayner Ramsay

Steven is now well on his way to discovering what is causing his nightmares.The only problem is,what is waiting for him at the end of his goal?

Steven stared out the window of the bus and watched as the raindrops ran down it.The weather on his travel to Brahams, was awful.Almost as if something was trying to warn him to stay away.But for Steven, there was no stopping him.He wanted to find the cause behind his nightmares.Even if it meant risking his life to find it, Steven would not stop.But there was one thing bugging him.If something was waiting for him back home, why had it waited so long to make itself known? Why not just come straight to Steven?It would have been more fruitful than going about it the long way, surely. Still, what ever it was that was waiting for him would be revealed eventually.

Minutes turned to hours and hours provided no sense of relief. All Steven could do was wonder what mood his parents would be in when he arrived, and if they would just welcome him home with warm arms. Steven was doubting himself beyond belief, telling himself that he had abandoned his family and friends, leaving his mother to deal with everything.With his father getting sick and his brother going missing, Steven felt it was all his fault. If he hadn't left town in such a hurry, would things be different? Maybe his brother wouldn't have gone missing. Maybe his father wouldn't have gotten sick.All of these things filled Steven's mind.

Because the bus ride was taking so long, Steven felt himself start to drift off to sleep.So to fight the boredom out came his cellphone. It wasn't exactly the latest model of anything, but it still got things done. Steven swiped through several photos and videos on his phone to try beat his drowsiness, coming across one video he just couldn't bear to part with.For the life of him, Steven couldn't delete the one video that brought back one of the happiest moments in his life. It was a video of him and his ex-girlfriend, Tina, at the hospital. The two of them were both happy since only hours ago, their beautiful baby girl had been born.

As the video played on, Steven began to cry.While Steven and Tina were laying in each others arms, an alarm went off. It was an alarm alerting all nurses and doctors that there was an emergency. Unfortunately, the alarm was going off in the newborn department. Apparently one of the babies had stopped breathing and lost its pulse. Sadly for Steven and Tina, it was their baby. So, while the two of them were happily enjoying the moment, they were unaware of their baby's death. One of the most frightening moments for any parent is to learn that they have lost their baby, especially when it had only just started living.No parents should go through that.

A flash of lightning broke the trail of thought. Steven looked out the window and saw that in no time at all, Brahams was upon him. In the time had had watched the video, it ending, and his attention fading away, the bus had arrived in Brahams. It was clear to him that he had actually drifted off to sleep. But instead of having a nightmare, Steven just dreamed about that horrible day.The day he lost his happiness. For Steven, that day would never fade away from memory, even if he had deleted the video.Nobody can ever forget something so horrific.

Steven got out of the bus and made his way over to the luggage compartment.Once he collected his belongings and checked if everything was there, Steven wandered over to the information center. There, Steven caught the eye of a familiar face.

"Steven Wilcox?"Came a surprised voice.

"Huh?"Mumbled Steven, spinning round to see who it was.

"It is you!"

He hadn't noticed, but Steven had caught the attention of someone who knew him from before he left town.Her name was Silvia Reed.She had blonde hair, white skin, a slim build, and was wearing a strange looking uniform.

"Do I know you?" Asked Steven.

"Come on! You know me."

"I'm afraid..."

"Silvia.Silvia Reed."

"Silvia....Reed...Doesn't ring a bell."

Out of frustration, Silvia threw an eraser at Steven, barely missing his head.

"What the hell was that for?!"Snapped Steven.

"You know who I am,jackass!"

"I know,"Laughed Steven." I thought messing with you would be fun."

"Same old Steven.Haven't changed at all."

"Trust me,I've changed.And that's what's led me back here."

"Speaking of which.You just up and left one day, didn't even tell me.I thought that you would have at least told me."

"You were my best friend.It made it harder to face you and say good bye."

"Why did you leave?"

"I left because I'd had enough of my fathers abuse.You should know,you saw it on several occasions."

"I remember.He would always find some excuse to beat you."

"That's why I had to leave.I couldn't take his abuse anymore."

"So,why have you come back?"

"I've come back at the request of my psychologist.I keep having reoccurring nightmares, always centered around Silent Hill."

Just from the look on Silvia's face,said it all.Steven saw her face go white.

"You know nobody is supposed to talk about that place."Whispered Silvia.

"My shrink thinks that I could have some unfinished business here in town that I need to take care of."

"Which is what?Your dad?"

"Hell if I know."

"So you're here for closure?"

"Pretty much."

"Fair enough."

Steven looked at the clock on the wall behind Silvia.It was getting late.

"Somewhere to be?"Silvia asked,sarcastically.

"I didn't realize how late it was.Mum must be thinking I've gotten lost."

"Speaking of missing.Did you hear that your brothers friend went missing,too?"

"Jamie?"

"Yeah."

"I don't know.I never really got on with him very well."

"Why?"

"I can't really remember.All I know is that we never got along."

"Still though,pretty scary."

"In all honesty, I'm glad he's gone."

The answer was bizarre and very hurtful.Silvia saw the instant change that her question had brought,Steven.So,she decided not to press any further.

"How long will you be in town for?"Asked Silvia.

"I'm not sure yet."

"Oh?"

"Yeah.I hadn't really planned on being here for too long, but I'll see what happens."

"More like you don't know because of how much bullshit your father might give you."

"How did you guess?"

I was your best friend, remember."

"True."

"Look,you had best get going already.It's going to be dark soon and you need to get indoors before it gets cold."

"Will do.But before I go...why did you get so protective about me mentioning..."

"Nobody here mentions that town anymore.So many dark stories are spilling out of that place that it's now taboo to speak of it,especially since we are so close."

"Why?Scared that the town might hear you?"

"Shut up."

"I'd better get going.I'll look you up before I head out again."

"Sure thing."

Steven picked up his suitcase and walked over to a parked taxi.With a gentle nod, the taxi driver signaled for him to get in.Steven got in the back of the car and gave the driver directions on where to go.The drive was only short. Brahams wasn't exactly a big town, meaning that you could get to and from different places within a short amount of time.Luckily for Steven, his parents lived in an apartment not far from the bus depot.

The scariest part of arriving home was the unknown factor.How was it going to turn out?Because it had been such a long time since he had been home, Steven was scared at how his parents would react. Still, he knew that returning was the only way to finally end the nightmares.For Steven, this was a big deal. So once the taxi pulled up outside of his parents apartment building, Steven felt a sense of panic wash over him.

Steven got out of the taxi and walked over to the main entrance of the apartment building. He saw that there was an intercom and pushed the button, buzzing whoever may have been home or not. After a brief and awkward pause, the intercom crackled and a voice came through.

"Who is it?"Asked a female voice.

"Hi..."

"Listen. If you're a door to door salesman, you can leave right now."

Steven thought for a moment and decided to have a little fun before telling Martha.

"Yes,"Chuckled Steven."I work for a group that wants to revolutionize the vacuuming industry."

The subtle lie worked.Almost immediately, Martha flew off in a fit of rage.

"You people should be ashamed of yourselves! Going from door to door trying to scam people, especially those who are not well off!"

"Ma'am, please calm down."

"Calm down!?You're lucky I don't come down there and knock some god damn sense in you!"

"You need to calm down."

"Who do you think you are?! Telling me to calm down!"

Steven knew that the joke had gone south. So, he decided to end the charade and tell her who it really was.

"Mum,"Laughed Steven." It's me."

"Me?"

"Steven."

"Steven?"

"Yes."

"Why would you do that? I was ready to come down and swat you!"

"I thought I might have a bit of fun with you first before just turning up."

"Thanks."

"Any time."

"Stay clear of the door and I'll buzz you in."

The intercom went silent but was quickly followed by a loud buzz.The main door opened and let him inside. Steven sprinted up the steps and came to apartment 302.

"I can't believe I'm back here again."

The door flew open and there stood Martha.After all those years, Martha hadn't changed.She was still small and chubby, still had the same scraggly hair, and even wore the same flower covered nightie.

"Well," Ushered Martha."come in!"

But before Steven could move, Martha grabbed hold of his hand and dragged him through the apartment.She seated him on the retro looking couch, then raced off to the kitchen to make some tea.

"How have you been?!"Asked Martha, banging and crashing in the kitchen.

Steven took the opportunity to look around the apartment.He saw that most things were still the same as before.Same couches, same old lamps, and the same old wallpaper. But to his greatest surprise, Martha had held onto all of the photos of his childhood. Some Steven could recall, others not. Strangely enough, there were a lot of photos that looked out of place. Like the photo of a lake, a photo of an old diner, and a photo of his family at an amusement park.

A couple of minutes later, Martha emerged from the kitchen with two cups of tea. To Steven's surprise, the cups were still the same ones from his childhood. However, the style of tea was not the same.It was apparent that she had chosen a new flavor of tea at some point. Mind you, it wasn't any better tasting than what he had grown up with, but it was an improvement nonetheless.

"So what brings you back to town?" Asked Martha.

"I'm here because of personal reasons."Sighed Steven, holding back tears.

"Such as?"

"I've been having reoccurring nightmares which my psychologist says could be related to something in my past.So, she suggested I come home to see if anything would come of it."

"Something in your past? I didn't let anything happen that shouldn't have."

Although taken back by the blatant disregard to his fathers abuse, Steven didn't press the matter.He chose to move on.

"The nightmares mainly take place in another town."

"Such as?"

"Silent Hill."

"Silent Hill?"

Steven saw a change in Martha's expression.It was clear that she was hiding something.

"Is there something I should know?"Demanded Steven.

"There is nothing you need to know."

"Don't lie to me!"

Allen Wilcox, Steven's father, heard the commotion and came out to see what was going on. The second Steven saw him, he went into shock.

"What the bloody hell is going on in here?!"Allen boomed, throwing his voice further.

"Dad..."

Allen saw him and instantly went off in a fit of rage.

"So, my disgrace of a son has returned?In all my years, never did I think I would see your sorry face again."

"Allen..."Whispered Martha.

"Shut it, Martha!"

"Stop, the two of you..."

"What brings this worthless piece of s**t back into my house?!"

"It's Steven..."

"I know who it is, Martha! I want to know what he is doing back in my house!Also, why is he raising his voice to his mother?!"

When Steven was a child, he had no courage to stand up to his father.But years had passed, allowing him to now fight back.And Steven did just that.

"You're one to talk!"Screamed Steven.

"What was that boy?!"

"You heard me, you old piece of s**t!"

"I never..."

"You think yourself some golden egg waiting to hatch!Well I've got news for you, FATHER!You're no better than anyone else.In fact, I'd say that you are the worst one in this room!"

"Steven..."

"Shut it, Dad! All I ever heard from you as a child was insults! You beat me, put me down, made sure I never forgot, and also for those around me!"

"I..."

"No!I may have put up with your bullshit when I was a kid, but not anymore! You can't push me around!"

"I was only..."

"Only what?! Doing what was best for me?! You were thinking of nobody but yourself!"

The sudden outburst was enough to cause a heart attack.Allen staggered backwards and fell back on the floor, fainting from the shock. For Steven, it was a small victory.He relished every second of it.

"You think you're such a grown up now don't you?!"

Steven turned to see that the insults were now coming from Martha.

"I wish that I had listened to your father and gotten the abortion!That way I wouldn't have had so much stress to go through, especially because of you!"

"You were going to...abort me?"

"That's right!It would have saved me a hell of a lot of time and energy!"

"How can you say that?"

"Quite easily!"

That was when it became quite clear. Martha had never really cared about, Steven, only his brother.Chris.It all came full circle.So with this newly found knowledge, Steven got to his feet and braced for more.

"I should have gotten rid of you the day I found out about you!Unfortunately, I listened to MY parents, going against my better judgement!"

It was at that point when things got out of control.Steven threw his cup against the wall and began to throw his own insults.

"You were never the mother I needed you to be!You always chose Chris!"

"Barely."

"Chris was always your favorite! You can't stand there and deny it anymore!"

"He should have been the only one!"

In a state of rage, Steven did something he really shouldn't have.He slapped her across the face. Steven hadn't meant to do it, his anger just boiled over.

"I wish it was you who had gone to,Silent Hill, not Chris!"

Martha's words caught his attention.She said something that was out of place.

"What do you mean?"

"I wish you had gone to, Silent Hill, not your brother!"

"He went to Silent Hill?"

"After that damn letter arrived, Chris was consumed with fear.The postage address was in that damn town!"

"From who?"

"It said that they knew what he had done and in order for them not to go to the police, Chris would have to meet them in Silent Hill."

"That's when he disappeared?"

"I wanted to go myself but he insisted it had to be him."

"Good."

Martha went quite for a moment, then she turned to Steven.

"I want you to go to Silent Hill!"

"What?!"

"You!You're going to that town to find your brother!"

"Like f**k I will!"

"You either go to that town or I will go to the police and tell them you struck me!"

"You're going to blackmail me?Your own son?"

"Find your brother and all of this will go away.Then, you can go back to wherever it is you came from and never come back!"

Although he was full of rage and wanted to protest the matter further, Steven knew he had little choice.To keep his mother from going to the police, Silent Hill was the destination.

"Fine,"Smiled Steven."I'll go."

"Good."

Steven left the apartment and glared back at it in anger.His fate was now in the hands of him finding his brother, Chris.

"I won't forget this."Steven cursed quietly to himself.

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