Emily Latham didn't come into work today. Travis hasn't seen her either. No call to her home phone or mobile phone can reach her. All attempts just return the same message that 'This call cannot be connection. Please check your number and try again.' This is completely out of character for her. She doesn't even generally take sick leave. She's very punctual. Something bad must have happened and in a place like Silent Hill that 'something bad' happens often enough that rumors abound about what might have happened to the various missing persons. It might be worth calling it in now. It'll have been 24 hours.
The rumors have plagued Principal Ross all day. It's prevented him from getting all of his work done. There's been rumors of a white slavery ring picking up locals and tourists and sending them all the way south over the Mexican border. Rumors of a particularly dangerous track by the lake where people too often fall in and drown. Rumors of a family of serial killers that pick off those who get too close. Rumors that PVT addicts are attracted to the lake water and drown themselves as their hallucinations and delusions hold them in thrall. Then again, there are rumors that ghosts snatch up people from the side of the street and drag them straight to hell, so you can't rely on the rumors too much.
But should he call in the police or not? The last thing he needed was for Midwich to be connected to yet another missing person, especially with the Pre-School program's recent publicity. Who would send their pre-schoolers to the new class if they thought Midwich was unsafe?
This dilemma has played out in his mind as he waited for the 24 hour mark to roll around (which is the Silent Hill Police Station's mandate) and somehow, during all of this, he's fallen asleep. As unlikely as it seems, he finds himself waking up, drool sticking a sheet of paper to his face, in a cold room lit only by his desk lamp. The window behind him shows a deep darkness. There must've been another black out. There's been a few of them lately.
