Categories > Games > Silent Hill > The Music Man
The next morning was a slow one. Josh had spent the night before packing up clothes into a few suitcases and a small backpack after ordering a ticket for the soonest flight to New York, among other things, aimlessly blabbing to Sweeney about nothing as he did, whether the dog was in the room or not. He hardly slept that night, dozing off for a half hour before waking up, almost constantly in a cold sweat with eyes wide and breathing deep, almost verging on the edge of paranoia. He had his cell phone next to him, always struggling to resist the urge to call David or Chris or whoever at midnight, 1, 2:30, 3 and 4 in the morning.
When sun broke the horizon, Josh immediately got up, coffee at the ready and Sweeney watching him with almost a sympathetic air. The man seemed to have been going a little crazy. Perhaps it was the lack of sleep that made him sit at the table with 3 cups of coffee and shake like a leaf. He was waiting for a call from David. It seemed like the man was the only person he could talk to anymore. Not even his parents knew of his condition.
When the phone rang, Josh answered it immediately, “Hello? Hello?” His whole arm shook as he held his phone up to his ear, his voice quivering as he quickly spoke. David replied quietly, almost a little worried from the sound of Josh’s voice on the other line, “Hey kid. I’m on my way over. You sure you’re okay? You sound a little...”
“Sick? Tired? High? Yeah yeah, I’m fine. Could you please drop Sweeney off with my brother after you drop me off? I can’t leave him behind, no. Can’t do that to Sweeney, he doesn’t like it. Not one bit he doesn’t like being left behind home alone with no food or water or someone to play with him.”
“Hey—hey! Josh, calm down. Slow it down kid,” David laughed nervously; holding the phone between his ear and his shoulder as he drove towards the singer’s house, “I got everything under control. You just… concentrate on getting to New York.”
Josh nodded as he tried to breathe more slowly, “…Sorry.” He laid his head down as he listened to David’s voice over the phone, who in response laughed again, only softer, “It’s okay kid. Hang in there. You sound like you got no sleep last night. Did you go to bed at all?”
“…No,” Josh admitted.
“I see…” David sighed softly, going quiet for a moment, “…Well you can sleep on the plane. Will you be able to board yourself? I mean I don’t want you to pass out at the gate.”
“I’ll be fine… I’ll have two more cups before we go… That should keep me on my feet for another… two hours?”
“If you say so. I just don’t want you to miss the flight… I’m almost there, I’ll talk to you when I walk in the door,” David said as he caught sight of Josh’s home from his position on the road. “Alright…” Josh yawned before flipping closed his phone, followed by the quick closing of David’s in the car.
A few moments later, the doorbell rang and Josh was forced to haul himself up, dressed in a sweatshirt and jeans and sneakers with glasses lopsided about his face and hair bed-fashioned, and answer the door. David winced visibly at Josh’s appearance, “Damn, kid… You look worse than you sounded over the phone.”
Josh only shrugged, leaning against the doorframe, “I’ll be better after I get on the plane…” David leaned against the outer frame as well, one arm perched up above his head and the other hand placed above his hip, “You got all your things ready?” Josh nodded in response before trekking back to his living room where Sweeney sat, getting up as Josh grabbed his backpack and suitcases, motioning for the dog to follow as he headed back towards the door.
Sweeney followed him and stepped outside between David’s legs before heading to the car. The two men followed, putting Josh’s luggage in the trunk with Sweeney in the back seat and Josh up front with David.
To the airport they rode in complete and utter silence. Sweeney in the back even had his head low and eyes on the floor. After a while, David broke the silence, “You sure you don’t want to take Sweeney with you?”
Josh waited to reply, though he wasn’t really even thinking about it. He had his head resting tiredly against the window, his breath making a small cloud of fog against the pane with each exhalation. “I don’t know what could be out there,” he finally said with a weak shrug, “If this Silent Hill is anything like the dreams I’ve been having then it’s better I just leave him here… I don’t want him to get hurt.”
“Josh, that’s ridiculous,” David said, “They’re just dreams.”
Josh shook his head, staying quiet for a moment or two before speaking again, this time in a quieter voice, “No. Somehow I don’t think they are just dreams… Ever since I got that note, I’ve been having the same nightmare over and over. But each time it’s gotten worse than the last. I…” Josh looked down at his sneakers, biting down on his lower lip, “…I just don’t want him to get hurt.”
“Or do you mean you don’t want him to hurt you,” David said, half-teasing, “I mean look at that bite Josh. What did you do?” He made a glance towards Josh’s bandaged fingers.
“I don’t know,” Josh said quietly, “First thing I know I’m having a black out, then Sweeney’s all afraid and biting me. I just…” he sighed, “I just don’t know…”
The rest of the way was fairly silent, mainly just Josh lying against the door with his head bumping against the window pane with each depression and pothole they might have hit in the road. He was still quietly dozing off just the same; hardly fazed at all by the bouncing his head was doing from the bumps and dips. David kept making worried glances to the singer as he drove, careful about potholes and road depressions when he figured out that Josh was snoozing.
A good while passed before they reached the Airport and David gave Josh a nudge on the shoulder to wake him up once he stopped at the main entrance, “Wake up, kid. We’re here.” With a sharp intake of breath, Josh awoke, eyes shooting open and staring up at nothingness before slowly closing again and with a raised hand, he rubbed gently at his eyes and heaved a heavy yawn. “You okay?” David asked, giving Josh a wry look. “I’m fine…” Josh said in a husky voice, strained and somewhat groggy from his recent revival.
“Okay. Well, we’re here. You going to be okay by yourself?” the elder asked.
“…Yeah. I think I’ll be alright.” Josh said quietly as he undid his seatbelt, giving the man a brief, tired smile before he got out of the vehicle and went to the trunk. With the flick of a wrist, David popped open the trunk, allowing Josh to extract his items and set them on the concrete near the front passenger’s side. Josh opened the door to the back seat, Sweeney staring up at him, physically restless with uneasiness.
Josh leaned in and lightly pressed his forehead against the terrier’s, his hands going up to scratch at the dog’s neck as he whispered quiet nothings of comfort and reassurance, that he would be back soon and not to worry because everything is gonna be alright. After a moment of saying farewell to Sweeney, Josh shut the door and picked up his things and headed inside, looking back at Sweeney over his shoulder, sadness lingering behind those tired eyes.
Sweeney barked once before David drove away with him in the car. Josh watched from behind the doors and sighed before heading further inside. Roaming through the airline was fairly easy. He kept his head low, tired eyes causing him to be mistaken from someone other than himself. Once he was on his plane after going through security checks, Josh settled down in his seat, bags secured above and a heavy sigh escaping his lips.
He sank down in his seat, arms limp before him in his lap with legs folded underneath, twisted and aching in their stretching position. His head rolled against the cushions behind him, eyes looking out the window half-lidded. Other people were filling in, a few females passing him glances and doing a double take here and there.
Is he who they think he is? Why does he look so tired and glum? Where’s the usual happy, cheerful ‘hey-how-ya-doin’ air he usually had about him? They should probably leave him alone. He doesn’t look to be in the mood to be signing any autographs.
As whispers and soft talking filled the fuselage, Josh rested his head gently against the glass pane of the window next to him. He sighed softly, dozing off as the plane filled up and readied itself for launch. As he drifted off into unconsciousness, the captain’s voice rose over the intercom, words incomprehensible to Josh as his awareness grew funny and unstable. He dozed off as the plane started to tremble and shake.
+++
Josh was awakened by a bump, a wave of turbulence causing his body to jump in his seat. His head bounced and smacked against the glass pane of the window next to him. He looked out the window, eyes cracking open slowly, weakly. His face creased into a visible cringe, the side of his head pounding from the sharp impact it made with the glass. He yawned, closing his eyes tightly as he did before turning his head to look around.
The fuselage was empty.
His eyes shot open wide, his breath catching as he pressed his back up against the wall next to him. His heart raced as his eyes traced over the collection of empty seats. A low, winding howl blew through the fuselage, filling his ears and clogging his windpipe. He got to his feet, knees weak as he stared out over the empty seats with disbelief, “No…”
In something of a distance, the sound of a dog barking filled his ears amid the howling silence and it drew from Josh’s lips a frightened sound, filled with heartfelt dread and he called out his dog’s name weakly, hoping it was simply a hallucination from lack of sleep. As the barking fell silent, it was replaced by a siren, soft at first before growing dangerously loud, blaring in the singer’s ears, and the fuselage before him began to change. The walls grew rusted bloody red from the corners before expanding with sick, fleshy sounds, covering the seats in a distasteful moldy grunge. The windows fogged, blurring out a blood-red sky with thick, ashen gray clouds.
The sky seemed to weep, the low sound of creaking and sheering metal exploding outside as the plane’s skin started to rust and peal straight off, thick scarlet lines traveling about the plane’s surface, the seams permitting the alloy to wither away like old paper to reveal a damaged, rusted under-layer.
Josh stepped away from his seat, watching the plane deteriorate before him, “What’s going on…?”
A loud snap came from the cockpit and he turned, staring straight at iron door. He stood there still and watched, listened, waited.
“Is this a dream!?” he almost shouted, panic rising in his chest as a low, horrible moan came from within the cockpit. Josh shook his head, “…It’s gotta be…”
He flinched as the door was pounded, massive dents presenting themselves in the rusted metal. Once, twice, three times. Upon a fourth, the door exploded in ripping metal, a massive blood-drenched blade stabbing through the obstacle as if it were paper.
His heart piercing as he jumped, Josh slumped to the floor, eyes rolling to the back of his head as his world faded to black.
When sun broke the horizon, Josh immediately got up, coffee at the ready and Sweeney watching him with almost a sympathetic air. The man seemed to have been going a little crazy. Perhaps it was the lack of sleep that made him sit at the table with 3 cups of coffee and shake like a leaf. He was waiting for a call from David. It seemed like the man was the only person he could talk to anymore. Not even his parents knew of his condition.
When the phone rang, Josh answered it immediately, “Hello? Hello?” His whole arm shook as he held his phone up to his ear, his voice quivering as he quickly spoke. David replied quietly, almost a little worried from the sound of Josh’s voice on the other line, “Hey kid. I’m on my way over. You sure you’re okay? You sound a little...”
“Sick? Tired? High? Yeah yeah, I’m fine. Could you please drop Sweeney off with my brother after you drop me off? I can’t leave him behind, no. Can’t do that to Sweeney, he doesn’t like it. Not one bit he doesn’t like being left behind home alone with no food or water or someone to play with him.”
“Hey—hey! Josh, calm down. Slow it down kid,” David laughed nervously; holding the phone between his ear and his shoulder as he drove towards the singer’s house, “I got everything under control. You just… concentrate on getting to New York.”
Josh nodded as he tried to breathe more slowly, “…Sorry.” He laid his head down as he listened to David’s voice over the phone, who in response laughed again, only softer, “It’s okay kid. Hang in there. You sound like you got no sleep last night. Did you go to bed at all?”
“…No,” Josh admitted.
“I see…” David sighed softly, going quiet for a moment, “…Well you can sleep on the plane. Will you be able to board yourself? I mean I don’t want you to pass out at the gate.”
“I’ll be fine… I’ll have two more cups before we go… That should keep me on my feet for another… two hours?”
“If you say so. I just don’t want you to miss the flight… I’m almost there, I’ll talk to you when I walk in the door,” David said as he caught sight of Josh’s home from his position on the road. “Alright…” Josh yawned before flipping closed his phone, followed by the quick closing of David’s in the car.
A few moments later, the doorbell rang and Josh was forced to haul himself up, dressed in a sweatshirt and jeans and sneakers with glasses lopsided about his face and hair bed-fashioned, and answer the door. David winced visibly at Josh’s appearance, “Damn, kid… You look worse than you sounded over the phone.”
Josh only shrugged, leaning against the doorframe, “I’ll be better after I get on the plane…” David leaned against the outer frame as well, one arm perched up above his head and the other hand placed above his hip, “You got all your things ready?” Josh nodded in response before trekking back to his living room where Sweeney sat, getting up as Josh grabbed his backpack and suitcases, motioning for the dog to follow as he headed back towards the door.
Sweeney followed him and stepped outside between David’s legs before heading to the car. The two men followed, putting Josh’s luggage in the trunk with Sweeney in the back seat and Josh up front with David.
To the airport they rode in complete and utter silence. Sweeney in the back even had his head low and eyes on the floor. After a while, David broke the silence, “You sure you don’t want to take Sweeney with you?”
Josh waited to reply, though he wasn’t really even thinking about it. He had his head resting tiredly against the window, his breath making a small cloud of fog against the pane with each exhalation. “I don’t know what could be out there,” he finally said with a weak shrug, “If this Silent Hill is anything like the dreams I’ve been having then it’s better I just leave him here… I don’t want him to get hurt.”
“Josh, that’s ridiculous,” David said, “They’re just dreams.”
Josh shook his head, staying quiet for a moment or two before speaking again, this time in a quieter voice, “No. Somehow I don’t think they are just dreams… Ever since I got that note, I’ve been having the same nightmare over and over. But each time it’s gotten worse than the last. I…” Josh looked down at his sneakers, biting down on his lower lip, “…I just don’t want him to get hurt.”
“Or do you mean you don’t want him to hurt you,” David said, half-teasing, “I mean look at that bite Josh. What did you do?” He made a glance towards Josh’s bandaged fingers.
“I don’t know,” Josh said quietly, “First thing I know I’m having a black out, then Sweeney’s all afraid and biting me. I just…” he sighed, “I just don’t know…”
The rest of the way was fairly silent, mainly just Josh lying against the door with his head bumping against the window pane with each depression and pothole they might have hit in the road. He was still quietly dozing off just the same; hardly fazed at all by the bouncing his head was doing from the bumps and dips. David kept making worried glances to the singer as he drove, careful about potholes and road depressions when he figured out that Josh was snoozing.
A good while passed before they reached the Airport and David gave Josh a nudge on the shoulder to wake him up once he stopped at the main entrance, “Wake up, kid. We’re here.” With a sharp intake of breath, Josh awoke, eyes shooting open and staring up at nothingness before slowly closing again and with a raised hand, he rubbed gently at his eyes and heaved a heavy yawn. “You okay?” David asked, giving Josh a wry look. “I’m fine…” Josh said in a husky voice, strained and somewhat groggy from his recent revival.
“Okay. Well, we’re here. You going to be okay by yourself?” the elder asked.
“…Yeah. I think I’ll be alright.” Josh said quietly as he undid his seatbelt, giving the man a brief, tired smile before he got out of the vehicle and went to the trunk. With the flick of a wrist, David popped open the trunk, allowing Josh to extract his items and set them on the concrete near the front passenger’s side. Josh opened the door to the back seat, Sweeney staring up at him, physically restless with uneasiness.
Josh leaned in and lightly pressed his forehead against the terrier’s, his hands going up to scratch at the dog’s neck as he whispered quiet nothings of comfort and reassurance, that he would be back soon and not to worry because everything is gonna be alright. After a moment of saying farewell to Sweeney, Josh shut the door and picked up his things and headed inside, looking back at Sweeney over his shoulder, sadness lingering behind those tired eyes.
Sweeney barked once before David drove away with him in the car. Josh watched from behind the doors and sighed before heading further inside. Roaming through the airline was fairly easy. He kept his head low, tired eyes causing him to be mistaken from someone other than himself. Once he was on his plane after going through security checks, Josh settled down in his seat, bags secured above and a heavy sigh escaping his lips.
He sank down in his seat, arms limp before him in his lap with legs folded underneath, twisted and aching in their stretching position. His head rolled against the cushions behind him, eyes looking out the window half-lidded. Other people were filling in, a few females passing him glances and doing a double take here and there.
Is he who they think he is? Why does he look so tired and glum? Where’s the usual happy, cheerful ‘hey-how-ya-doin’ air he usually had about him? They should probably leave him alone. He doesn’t look to be in the mood to be signing any autographs.
As whispers and soft talking filled the fuselage, Josh rested his head gently against the glass pane of the window next to him. He sighed softly, dozing off as the plane filled up and readied itself for launch. As he drifted off into unconsciousness, the captain’s voice rose over the intercom, words incomprehensible to Josh as his awareness grew funny and unstable. He dozed off as the plane started to tremble and shake.
+++
Josh was awakened by a bump, a wave of turbulence causing his body to jump in his seat. His head bounced and smacked against the glass pane of the window next to him. He looked out the window, eyes cracking open slowly, weakly. His face creased into a visible cringe, the side of his head pounding from the sharp impact it made with the glass. He yawned, closing his eyes tightly as he did before turning his head to look around.
The fuselage was empty.
His eyes shot open wide, his breath catching as he pressed his back up against the wall next to him. His heart raced as his eyes traced over the collection of empty seats. A low, winding howl blew through the fuselage, filling his ears and clogging his windpipe. He got to his feet, knees weak as he stared out over the empty seats with disbelief, “No…”
In something of a distance, the sound of a dog barking filled his ears amid the howling silence and it drew from Josh’s lips a frightened sound, filled with heartfelt dread and he called out his dog’s name weakly, hoping it was simply a hallucination from lack of sleep. As the barking fell silent, it was replaced by a siren, soft at first before growing dangerously loud, blaring in the singer’s ears, and the fuselage before him began to change. The walls grew rusted bloody red from the corners before expanding with sick, fleshy sounds, covering the seats in a distasteful moldy grunge. The windows fogged, blurring out a blood-red sky with thick, ashen gray clouds.
The sky seemed to weep, the low sound of creaking and sheering metal exploding outside as the plane’s skin started to rust and peal straight off, thick scarlet lines traveling about the plane’s surface, the seams permitting the alloy to wither away like old paper to reveal a damaged, rusted under-layer.
Josh stepped away from his seat, watching the plane deteriorate before him, “What’s going on…?”
A loud snap came from the cockpit and he turned, staring straight at iron door. He stood there still and watched, listened, waited.
“Is this a dream!?” he almost shouted, panic rising in his chest as a low, horrible moan came from within the cockpit. Josh shook his head, “…It’s gotta be…”
He flinched as the door was pounded, massive dents presenting themselves in the rusted metal. Once, twice, three times. Upon a fourth, the door exploded in ripping metal, a massive blood-drenched blade stabbing through the obstacle as if it were paper.
His heart piercing as he jumped, Josh slumped to the floor, eyes rolling to the back of his head as his world faded to black.
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